ARAB STRAP Philophobia (Matador) cd 14.98
Scottish duo whose melancholy murmurings remind us of Tindersticks more than anything else.

ARAB STRAP Philophobia (Matador) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Scottish duo whose melancholy murmurings remind us of Tindersticks more than anything else.

ARAB STRAP Ten Years Of Tears (Chemikal Underground) cd 15.98
Nooooo, say it isn't so! Ten Years Of Tears -- a collection of Arab Strap odds'n'ends -- marks the close of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton's tavern of awesome melancholic vitriolic folk (the band played their final shows in late 2006). These Scots always shined brightest when they were sounding their most liquor-blurred, beleaguered and foul tempered singing about fucked up relationships, tawdry sexual liaisons, and assorted other daily downers atop programmed beat driven folksiness. Theirs was (and is) the perfect music to play when you wanna be dancing and be all bummed out at the same time. This fan-pleasing cd compiles alternate versions, remixes, live recordings and B-sides rounded out by a few album tracks. Keep an ear out for their rousing cover of Bonnie Tyler's "It's A Heartache".
MPEG Stream: "The Shy Retirer"
MPEG Stream: "Blood (Live '04)"
MPEG Stream: "It's A Heartache"

ARAB STRAP The Last Romance (Transdreamer) cd 14.98
What's been concocted in the Arab Strap brewery since their last album Monday At the Hug & Pint back in 2003? Something big. To mark their tenth year of existence, they've opted to pour their sixth album into a sleekly produced affair with surprisingly fleshed out full band arrangements (horns, strings, the whole kit'n'kaboodle). As a result, it's mighty big on rock, lush and slightly shoegazerly, and their trademark endless-night-at-the-pub melancholia really benefits from this new turn of events. Never fear, Malcolm Middleton and Aidan Moffett are as bleary-eyed, sneering and ill-tempered as ever, but their sourness has never sounded so sweet. Their battered romantic hearts have muscled over their whiskeyed vitriolic spirits this time. Some songs here are downright beautiful. Check out "Don't Ask Me To Dance" and the album's official closer "There Is No Ending". You just wanna give 'em a hug. Psst, a secret bonus: we just noticed that there's an additional two songs at the end ("El Paso Song" and "Go Back To The Sea") that aren't mentioned in the track listing on the back of the cd!
MPEG Stream: "Stink"
MPEG Stream: "(If There's) No Hope For Us "
MPEG Stream: "Don't Ask Me To Dance"

ARAB STRAP The Red Thread (Matador) cd 13.98
Arab Strap's fourth album finds the Scottish duo returning to Chemikal Underground / Matador after an ill-conceived stint with Go! Beat, who were pushing the purveyors of miserablism to produce the big hits like Portishead. It's not really clear what Go! Beat was thinking, as Arab Strap have always told gritty tales of discontent from shit jobs and materialist escapism through alcohol. With a curt "fuck you," Arab Strap returned to their first label and continues down their path of self-loathing and self-medication.
The title of this album refers to an ancient eastern theology which posits that an invisible red thread links soulmates. Yet within Arab Strap's semi-autobiographical tales, the quest for the soulmate has been marred by the regrets of casual sex and the physical misery of one too many hangovers. As on previous albums, Aidan Moffat's half spoken / half sung confessionals reveal little guilt (and more pleasure) from alcoholic misadventures. Musically, this is just as spartan as before, with crappy drum machines given fantastic production and simple minor-chord guitar melodies. Instead of putting those 'Parental Advisory' stickers on this album, there should be stickers advising not to drink when listening to Arab Strap's albums.
RealAudio clip: "Haunt Me"
RealAudio clip: "Love Detective"
RealAudio clip: "Turbulence"

ARAB STRAP The Red Thread (Matador) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Arab Strap's fourth album finds the Scottish duo returning to Chemikal Underground / Matador after an ill-conceived stint with Go! Beat, who were pushing the purveyors of miserablism to produce the big hits like Portishead. It's not really clear what Go! Beat was thinking, as Arab Strap have always told gritty tales of discontent from shit jobs and materialist escapism through alcohol. With a curt "fuck you," Arab Strap returned to their first label and continues down their path of self-loathing and self-medication.
The title of this album refers to an ancient eastern theology which posits that an invisible red thread links soulmates. Yet within Arab Strap's semi-autobiographical tales, the quest for the soulmate has been marred by the regrets of casual sex and the physical misery of one too many hangovers. As on previous albums, Aidan Moffat's half spoken / half sung confessionals reveal little guilt (and more pleasure) from alcoholic misadventures. Musically, this is just as spartan as before, with crappy drum machines given fantastic production and simple minor-chord guitar melodies. Instead of putting those 'Parental Advisory' stickers on this album, there should be stickers advising not to drink when listening to Arab Strap's albums.

ARAB STRAP The Shy Retirer E.P. (Matador) cd ep 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Arab Strap's application of their unmistakable hungover dourness to a couple of '80s hard rock megahits -- the ever-brooding Scots cover AC/DC's trademark "You Shook Me All Night Long" and Van Hagar's chart-topper "Why Can't This Be Love?" -- proves to be a somewhat trying experience for the listener. However set those two songs aside, and you're left with three others which fare considerably better. Plus, of course no EP these days can be without an obligatory remix, and The Shy Retirer is no exception... voila, Dirty Hospital contributed a remix of the title track.
MPEG Stream: "The Shy Retirer (radio edit)"
MPEG Stream: "Why Can't This Be Love?"

ARAB STRAP The Week Never Starts Around Here (Matador) cd 13.98
The domestic release of the first album from this amazing Scottish duo. Not nearly as morose or cohesive of an album as Philophobia, The Week Never Starts Around Here displays a remarkable sense of humor in between all of the references to alcohol and sex. Think either Lou Barlow, Tindersticks, or Nick Cave on a drinking binge of your favorite hard liquor.

ARAB STRAP Turbulence (Mixes) (Chemikal Underground) cd ep 8.98
Remixes of Scottish duo Arab Strap's first single off of their newest "The Red Thread" album by Bis, Jason Famous and... Arab Strap. Three pleasant, if not particularly challenging tracks for diehard AS completists (AS newcomers should definitely check out their earlier albums prior to this). The first two versions vary very little from the original. Bis bring their light dance-iness to the fore by ever so slightly pumping up and shifting the programmed beats. The result? Somewhat of an undermining of the traditional Arab Strap moody melancholia. Continuing on, even after repeated listens, I could not detect much if any difference in the Arab Strap reworking of themselves. And what about Jason Famous? Well, his remix is by far the most interesting and altered of the three. Taking the song away from its linear tale of woe into a deep mainly instrumental groove with Aidan Moffett's bleak, bummer vocals reduced to affected snippets.
RealAudio clip: "Bis Remix"

ARAB STRAP Turbulence (Mixes) (Chemikal Underground) 12" 8.98
Remixes of Scottish duo Arab Strap's first single off of their newest "The Red Thread" album by Bis, Jason Famous and... Arab Strap. Three pleasant, if not particularly challenging tracks for diehard AS completists (AS newcomers should definitely check out their earlier albums prior to this). The first two versions vary very little from the original. Bis bring their light dance-iness to the fore by ever so slightly pumping up and shifting the programmed beats. The result? Somewhat of an undermining of the traditional Arab Strap moody melancholia. Continuing on, even after repeated listens, I could not detect much if any difference in the Arab Strap reworking of themselves. And what about Jason Famous? Well, his remix is by far the most interesting and altered of the three. Taking the song away from its linear tale of woe into a deep mainly instrumental groove with Aidan Moffett's bleak, bummer vocals reduced to affected snippets.

ARBETE OCH FRITID s/t (Music Network) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
BACK IN STOCK! As if to keep Charlie & Esdor company (see elsewhere on the list)...here's our review of this from when we first listed it:
International Harvester, Algarnas Tradgard, Trad Gras Och Stenar, Kebnekajse. If those names mean anything to you then you're probably like us -- a big fan of Sweden's answer to krautrock, the Svenska psych-prog-folk bands of the seventies. There's been a veritable smorgasbord of cd reissues of awesome if obscure classic LPs by these and other '70s Swedish outfits over the past couple of years, and now comes this, a cd version of the third (we think, but maybe it's the fourth?) album by this legendary group, Arbete & Fritid, from 1973. Like Harvester and Kebnekajse especially, you'll hear plenty of traditional Scandinavian traditional folk music mixed up with a kinda Velvet Underground rock style in A&F. They've been described as sounding like the "Third Ear Band meets Terry Riley" and that's pretty accurate, especially on the last track here, a 20 minute drone-jam called "Ostpusten-Vastpusten" that's probably worth the eighteen bucks this costs alone. That's actually a bonus cut, taken from the Arbete & Fritid side of a 1972 split LP with some other band we've yet to hear. While that's the highlight, the rest of this disc is mighty fine too, the only problem perhaps being how their diverse interest in folk, politics, repetitive minimalism, and experimental jazz doesn't always lead to them maintaining a consistent vibe. During one song you'll be transported to the a cold farmhouse in the Swedish wilderness filled with rustic hippies sawing on violins, but then on the next you're in a basement radical jazz club pondering urban issues after a streetfight with the Man. In a way though that's kinda cool. Tea party waltzes and heavy fuzz jams, they're all here. Had we heard A&F before those other bands mentioned above, it's quite likely that they'd be the measure by which we'd judge the rest, as apparently they were a seminal influence on the scene -- in fact, members of the Parson Sound/Trad Gras Och Stenar axis later joined A&F after this particular album. Hopefully then this is only the first of a slew of A&F reissues! [Hasn't happened yet...we've only seen one other reissue and it wasn't as good.]
MPEG Stream: "Ganglat Efter Lejsme Per Larsson, Malung"
MPEG Stream: "Petrokemi Det Kan Man Inte Bada I"

ARBOURETUM Rites Of Uncovering (Thrill Jockey) cd 15.98
It's not surprising that Rites Of Uncovering sounds like Palace on overdrive, as Arbouretum's mastermind, David Huemann, is a veteran sessions musician for both of the Oldham brothers as well as Cass McCombs. In fact, Paul Oldham takes on production duties through this sort-of concept record based on the writings of Paul Bowles. But avoiding conventional song-structures for a more organic evolving approach of shambling tribal blues and rustic folk motifs plays to Heumann's strengths as a big picture songwriter steering clear of the first person confessional stance of Will Oldham's narratives. If you wish those Bonnie Prince Billy records had a more epic musical bite to them, then Arbourteum might just fill your prescription.
MPEG Stream: "Signposts and Instruments"
MPEG Stream: "Pale Rider Blues"

ARC Arkhangelsk (Epidemie) cd 15.98
We almost managed to do a list with only ONE Aidan Baker record, but found a stash of these hidden away in the closet and have actually been meaning to list them for a while now. Only have a handful, so these might be the last copies we see for a while.
Arc just so happens to be the the drone / free jazz / krautrock improv trio Baker heads up, the three members employing guitar, flute, percussion, electronics and multiple drumkits to produce the peculiar brand of avant amorphous outsider krautdrone that made their first disc, The Circle Is Not Round, such a hit around here.
Four sixteen and seventeen minute tracks, the first a glistening glimmering long form metallic shimmer, laced with rainfall like percussion, skittery snares, long stretches of glitched out electronics, muted barely there rhythms. The second starts off like a less jazzy Necks, lots of space, softly strummed guitars, strange scattered percussion, soft swarms of electronic FX, backwards swoops, processed cymbal sizzle, subtly ominous and haunting, eventually the drums explode and the pound out a reverb drenched rhythm, while the guitars grow thicker and slightly more propulsive, eventually blissing out and fading out completely. The final two tracks are quite similar, beginning as deep soft shimmers and building in intensity until they become these reverb heavy tribal free jams, thick with droned out shimmers, and layers of fuzzy gauzy ambience, sort of like the Swans meets the Necks, or a blissed out Einsterzende.
Not the sort of stuff we're used to from Baker, but definitely cool, and certainly a bit more challenging than much of his more soothing blissed out drone / dirge output. If you dug the other one, you'll for sure dig this, and if you're looking for something a bit abstract, a bit jazzy, a bit krauty and a bit drone-y, then this could well fit the bill.
Packaged in a striking sepia tone 6 panel digipack style sleeve, and again, we have very few copies, so when we sell out, please be patient while we try to get more.
MPEG Stream: "Relicary"
MPEG Stream: "The Valley Of Dry Bones"

ARC The Circle Is Not Round (A Silent Place) cd 15.98
The Canadian avant-drone guitarist Aidan Baker has been popping up quite a bit at Aquarius in recent months. While he has been quite active in producing numerous drone-based releases, we first took serious notice of his work thanks to the atmospheric doom of his project Nadja. He also turned up on an exceptional 4-way split alongside John Duncan, Z'ev, and Fear Falls Burning. Arc is another project from Baker, finding him working alongside a couple of percussionists in this pastorally psychedelic, improv ensemble. The Circle Is Not Round began as a series of live recordings that Baker blurs into a concoction that lays somewhere in between the spiralling melancholy of a non-aggressive Troum and the '70s prog-ambience of Popul Vuh. Baker's impressionist guitar drones are at the center of these recordings; and while the original live sessions probably slanted more towards the hippie and less the psychedelic end of the spectrum, Baker abstracts all of his sounds with enough backwards masking, tapeloops, and shimmering delay patterns to transform the improv noodling into slow burning dissonant crescendos, earthen throbs, and kosmiche soundscapes with more than a few references to Fennesz, Growing, and even Kompakt's Pop Ambient sound, if you can imagine a guitarist doing his best impersonation of that very digitally constructed ambience.
MPEG Stream: "Desire Is Suffering"
MPEG Stream: "Prajna"

ARCADE FIRE Cold Wind / Brazil (Merge) 7" 3.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
These Canadians (and their American record label) sure know how to keep their fans satiated over the summer months. They not only reissued the band's debut EP recently, but have also popped out this lil' 7" single. Two songs: one original and one cover of an oft-covered beloved oldie from 1939! Sure to please their ever-growing legions of fans... particularly the ones with record players, although there's been a few turntableless, A.F. completist folks who 'needed' it too. On clear vinyl and packaged in a super pretty vellum sleeve.

ARCADE FIRE Funeral (Merge) cd 14.98
Hey, check out this new Canadian band's elegant swagger and dandy bombast. If the number of recent in-store queries about them is any indication, many other folks seem to be doing likewise and diggin' what they hear! The lead-off track with its thumpin' dance beat and swooning male vocals (be forewarned, they occasionally cross the line into overwrought moan'n'wail) is totally reminiscent of Pulp's "Disco 3000". At once, it's both steeped in despair and drenched with fun. However, the next song jumps over to more aggressive, post-punk territory a la P.I.L. meets Interpol (particularly in the vocals, although A.F.'s singer has a peculiar warbly voice all his own which received a chilly reception from some folks around these parts). By the fourth song, a galloping very Modest Mouse-y tune, you sorta get the sense that this group has a multitude of personalities. That said, the one track that seems to encapsulate Arcade Fire's scope comes at the mid-point of the album. "Crown Of Love" is a soaring grande orchestral hand-wringer that suddenly bursts into discoland for its finish (again very Jarvis Cocker/Pulp-ish). But then again, the following song is totally in the swirling Flaming Lips vein (complete with very Coyne-esque singing), and the female-sung closing number comes across as very very Bjork-influenced. So what do all of these elder artists have in common which is also at the core of these young'uns' impressive sound? A complete unabashed flair for drama, untethered emotive vibrato-laced vocals and no fear of a thumpin' beat to get the blood pumpin'. This band can raise the roof and sink into a quagmyre of gloom as they see fit. Sure to tickle the fancy of many fans of those aforementioned bands.
MPEG Stream: "Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)"
MPEG Stream: "Crown Of Love "

ARCADE FIRE Funeral (Merge) lp 14.98
NOW ON VINYL! Here's what we had to say about the cd a little while back:
Hey, check out this new Canadian band's elegant swagger and dandy bombast. If the number of recent in-store queries about them is any indication, many other folks seem to be doing likewise and diggin' what they hear! The lead-off track with its thumpin' dance beat and swooning male vocals (be forewarned, they occasionally cross the line into overwrought moan'n'wail) is totally reminiscent of Pulp's "Disco 3000". At once, it's both steeped in despair and drenched with fun. However, the next song jumps over to more aggressive, post-punk territory a la P.I.L. meets Interpol (particularly in the vocals, although A.F.'s singer has a peculiar warbly voice all his own which received a chilly reception from some folks around these parts). By the fourth song, a galloping very Modest Mouse-y tune, you sorta get the sense that this group has a multitude of personalities. That said, the one track that seems to encapsulate Arcade Fire's scope comes at the mid-point of the album. "Crown Of Love" is a soaring grande orchestral hand-wringer that suddenly bursts into discoland for its finish (again very Jarvis Cocker/Pulp-ish). But then again, the following song is totally in the swirling Flaming Lips vein (complete with very Coyne-esque singing), and the female-sung closing number comes across as very very Bjork-influenced. So what do all of these elder artists have in common which is also at the core of these young'uns' impressive sound? A complete unabashed flair for drama, untethered emotive vibrato-laced vocals and no fear of a thumpin' beat to get the blood pumpin'. This band can raise the roof and sink into a quagmyre of gloom as they see fit. Sure to tickle the fancy of many fans of those aforementioned bands.
MPEG Stream: "Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)"
MPEG Stream: "Crown Of Love "

ARCADE FIRE Intervention (Merge) 7" 4.98
Arcade Fire fans, we're sure you're more than familiar with the song "Intervention" from the band's most recent full length. It's a dandy, right? But do you also recall another tune from the same album, the one with the awesome horn section (otherwise known as the Calexico brass)? Yeah, you know the one... "Ocean Of Noise" (which we consider the aural equivalent of a peanut butter cup)! It's definitely one of Neon Bible's highlights. Well, Calexico went and recorded their very own rendition of the song, and no surprise, it's a splendid, somber, shimmering wonder! So, for the latest Arcade Fire single, Merge Records wisely included Tucson's finest on the flip side. It is THE reason you need this (whether you dig Arcade Fire or Calexico, both or neither). So good!

ARCADE FIRE Keep The Car Running / Broken Window (Merge) 7" 5.98
One of Arcade Fire's most goodest tunes from their latest album Neon Bible is now available to all of you 7" record spinners! Yup, and it's accompanied by a vinyl only tune called "Broken Window" which completists surely won't want to miss!

ARCADE FIRE Neon Bible (Merge) 2lp 21.00
NOW ON VINYL! 2004's Funeral made it clear that Arcade Fire aren't shy about dishin' the melodrama and bombast, and this time around they definitely make no bones about it. These decidedly unreserved Canucks are laying it on extra heavy. They've taken the goods from Funeral and juiced 'em up even more, delivering an unquestionable fan pleaser that maintains the infectious spark of their debut, but drapes it with more opulent finery. Musically this is most notable in the cathedral organ and choral departments. It may have you wondering if you're attending a wedding or a funeral! However, those musings are swiftly swept away by the soaring, big Chicago style horns in "Windowsill" and "No Cars Go" (another candidate for single material in our books!). We'd say the obvious choice for a first single on the album is the second tune "Keep The Car Running", but has anyone else noticed that it sounds as if it could break into John Cafferty And The Beaver Brown Band's "On The Dark Side" from that '80s flick Eddie And The Cruisers at any moment? In fact, Arcade Fire conjure numerous other touchstones of that decade -- the female vocals remarkably resemble Kim Wilde as the male ones do Bono, the somber opening pulse of the album closer "My Body Is A Cage" echoes Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight". But there sure as heck ain't nothin' wrong with a little bit of musical nostalgia, especially when it's all wrapped up oh so pretty, in thick sonic swaths of lush dramatic dreamery and plush poppiness.
MPEG Stream: "Keep The Car Running"
MPEG Stream: "No Cars Go"
MPEG Stream: "My Body Is A Cage"

ARCADE FIRE Neon Bible - Deluxe Edition (Merge) cd 17.98
2004's Funeral made it clear that Arcade Fire aren't shy about dishin' the melodrama and bombast, and this time around they definitely make no bones about it. From the super deluxe boxed lenticular packaging to the eleven songs contained within, these decidedly unreserved Canucks are laying it on extra heavy. They've taken the goods from Funeral and juiced 'em up even more, delivering an unquestionable fan pleaser that maintains the infectious spark of their debut, but drapes it with more opulent finery. Musically this is most notable in the cathedral organ and choral departments. It may have you wondering if you're attending a wedding or a funeral! However, those musings are swiftly swept away by the soaring, big Chicago style horns in "Windowsill" and "No Cars Go" (another candidate for single material in our books!). We'd say the obvious choice for a first single on the album is the second tune "Keep The Car Running", but has anyone else noticed that it sounds as if it could break into John Cafferty And The Beaver Brown Band's "On The Dark Side" from that '80s flick Eddie And The Cruisers at any moment? In fact, Arcade Fire conjure numerous other touchstones of that decade -- the female vocals remarkably resemble Kim Wilde as the male ones do Bono, the somber opening pulse of the album closer "My Body Is A Cage" echoes Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight". But there sure as heck ain't nothin' wrong with a little bit of musical nostalgia, especially when it's all wrapped up oh so pretty, in thick sonic swaths of lush dramatic dreamery and plush poppiness.
MPEG Stream: "Keep The Car Running"
MPEG Stream: "No Cars Go"
MPEG Stream: "My Body Is A Cage"

ARCADE FIRE s/t (Merge) cd ep 10.98
Remastered and reissued for Arcade Fire fans who might've missed it the first time around, here's Arcade Fire's debut EP from 2003. From what we can tell, female vocalist Regine Chassagne seemed to have been suffering from some serious Bjork affectations (which she'd gotten over by the time they did Funeral). Likewise, Win Butler's then very-Coyne-ish vocals and the band's very-Flaming Lips-y overall productions. Nonetheless, if you've dug this band from the beginning, you'll surely find it nice to have the opportunity to hear these songs again in their freshly remastered state. If you're new to the band and are wondering what the big fuss is all about, definitely check out their Funeral album first.
MPEG Stream: "My Heart Is An Apple"
MPEG Stream: "Headlights Look Like Diamonds"

ARCADIUM Breathe Awhile (Akarma) cd 16.98

ARCANA Arc of the Testimony (Axiom) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Second installment of Arcana's all-star "futuristic energy music" as masterminded by Bill Laswell, featuring the drumming of the late Tony Williams. Also with Pharoah Sanders, Buckethead, Nicky Skopelitis, Graham Haynes, and Byard Lancaster.

ARCHERS OF LOAF Icky Mettle (Alias) cd 15.98
Must be something about summertime and the feeling of nostalgia and memories of our younger days that has had us going crazy over some of our favorite '90s indie rock records as of late. Recent lists prove this, as reissues of Sebadoh and Spoon classics received our record of the week honors. Truth be told Icky Mettle is just as qualified for that honor as well. There was a period during the '90s when we used to joke that if you looked up "indie rock" in the dictionary you would find a picture of Archers of Loaf's Icky Mettle. But really, we sort of weren't joking. All you had to do was listen to it and you instantly understood the full glory of indie rock and how totally heavy and wild and kick ass and catchy indie rock could be. Guitars are crunchy and jagged, ringing loud and true, vocals soaring, melodies you can't EVER get out of your head, and a passionate urgency that makes your heart race and your soul shiver. It's pretty serendipitous that this record just got reissued as it's been playing around here quite a bit, Irwin rediscovered it earlier this summer, it's been rocking Andee's iPod quite a bit lately, and it gets played in the store NON-STOP!!
There is not a dud on this album... it's almost like Archers of Loaf made us the most perfect indie rock mix tape ever, except it's their entire album! The track "Web In Front" might just be THE GREATEST INDIE ROCK SONG EVER. If it's not, it's definitely top five. It jangles, it totally rocks, the vocals are super intense but completely melodic, the arrangement is bizarre and the parts unlikely, but that only serves to make it that much more unique and unforgettable.
We can't count the times in the past that we've put songs from this record on mixes we've made for friends, crushes, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc. It's got it all: the angst, the heartbreak, the longing, the anger, the catchy hooks, even the quintessential anthem about indie rockers. What a debut full length from a band a drift in a veritable sea of indie rock revolution, the next Seattle, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Helping to raise the bar for all their peers and proteges (Superchunk, Polvo, Pavement, etc.). This is not just some indie rock nostalgia trip, a longing for some unattainable indie rock heyday, this record has totally stood the test of time and still pretty much blows away any pop, rock or indie rock record you care to stack up against it. So utterly and completely and impossibly essential!!
MPEG Stream: "Web In Front"
MPEG Stream: "Might"
MPEG Stream: "Fat"
MPEG Stream: "Plumb Line"

ARCHERS OF LOAF The Speed of Cattle (Alias) cd 12.98
Compilation of various Peel Sessions and singles, plus one new song.

ARCHERS OF LOAF The Speed of Cattle (Alias) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Compilation of various Peel Sessions and singles, plus one new song.

ARCHERS OF LOAF White Trash Heroes (Alias) cd 12.98
After a period of silence from Archers of Loaf (during which time it seems they listened exclusively to Radiohead and the Fall), White Trash Heroes is pretty solid pastiche of artful post punk (like Pavement) and the aforementioned Brits.

ARCHERS OF LOAF White Trash Heroes (Alias) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
After a period of silence from Archers of Loaf (during which time it seems they listened exclusively to Radiohead and the Fall), White Trash Heroes is pretty solid pastiche of artful post punk (like Pavement) and the aforementioned Brits.

ARCHETTI, LUIGI Cubic Yellow (Captain Trip) cd 17.98
There are so many offshoots of the prog/psych realm that cross into other genres, whose listeners would probably really enjoy, but don't ever get the chance due to the inherent flaws of niche marketing. Luigi Archetti's "Cubic Yellow" is one of those... Known for his collaborations with Mani Neumeier (Guru Guru) in Tiere Der Nacht, Swiss avant-guitarist Archetti now presents this exceptional downtempo electronica album with Hoovering swells that sound like Dom & Roland played at 33 1/3 rpm instead of 45 along with skittering breakbeats not unlike a stripped down Amon Tobin. Fans of Biosphere or The Orb should definitely take note of this one!!!

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI In Case We Die (Bar/None) cd 16.98
This is the kind of exuberant, indie pop, composed mishmash formerly only found spouting most gushingly from the likes of the Elephant 6 Collective. In the last couple of years younger upstarts have blossomed, predominantly from Canada, such as Hidden Cameras, P:Ano, Arcade Fire et al. It's music that's certainly got its roots in indie pop characterised by a vocal combination of yelped group sing-a-long, melodramatic male crooning and kiddie-style sing-song, playfully peculiar instrumentation, and drawing from a broad array of divergent inspirations (as far as band influences go, Flaming Lips and Olivia Tremor Control immediately come to mind). Disregard the country mentioned in their name, Architecture In Helsinki are from Australia and they jump gleefully from ramshackle hand clappers to sweet hopscotch sockhoppers to funky groovy finger snappers and back again. Listening to In Case We Die is sorta like playin' a game of hide and seek one sunshine-y afternoon in the park with a bunch of your buddies (which just happens to include the girl or boy you've had a secret crush on) -- running, tumbling and spinning around like there's no tomorrow. You think you've got 'em and right when you do they duck out of view only to pop up elsewhere else just outta reach. This album bubbles over with the goodest of giddy good feelings.
MPEG Stream: "Neverevereverdid"
MPEG Stream: "Do The Whirlwind"

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI Like It Or Not (Polyvinyl Record Co.) cd ep 8.98
Andee calls this style of music "jumprope-y"! Give 'er a listen and you'll see why! If you dig The Go-Team's Thunder, Lightning, Strike album... ahhh, you might think we're gonna say "buy this!" But we're not, we're gonna say "buy Thunder, Lightning, Strike again... or pretty much any other cd!" This is not one of Architecture In Helsinki's brighter moments Think: a rollerskating David Byrne impersonator gettin' down with some cheesy casio keyboards... except for the fourth track when someone let Fred Schneider on the mic (well, not really!) and then Elmo too (no, not really!). This is proably supposed to be fun good times music, but it's bumming us out! Like it or not? You tell us!

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI Like It Or Not (Polyvinyl Record Co.) 12" 8.98
Andee calls this style of music "jumprope-y"! Give 'er a listen and you'll see why! If you dig The Go-Team's Thunder, Lightning, Strike album... ahhh, you might think we're gonna say "buy this!" But we're not, we're gonna say "buy Thunder, Lightning, Strike again... or pretty much any other cd!" This is not one of Architecture In Helsinki's brighter moments Think: a rollerskating David Byrne impersonator gettin' down with some cheesy casio keyboards... except for the fourth track when someone let Fred Schneider on the mic (well, not really!) and then Elmo too (no, not really!). This is proably supposed to be fun good times music, but it's bumming us out! Like it or not? You tell us!

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI Places Like This (Polyvinyl) cd 14.98
Here we have the third full-length from Australia's Architecture In Helsinki, and it's a doozy. Places Like This sees the sextet branching off in all sorts of different directions to put together a record that is as scattered (in a good way?) as the cover art. The best tracks on the record seem to be the straight up pop songs. "Nothing's Wrong" begins with your standard acoustic strum with vocalist Cameron Bird belting out lyrics comparable in style and delivery to Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock (a vocal style Bird employs frequently throughout).
Soon enough bass, minimal drums, fuzzy guitars, and Kelli Sutherland's sharp and airy vocals create an overall sense that AIH has probably been most influenced by bands on the Elephant 6 or Kindercore labels (Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples In Stereo and the like) in golden heyday of perfect indie pop. "Underwater" is a no-frills pop song that reminds us of the softer side of Essex Green or Masters Of The Hemisphere. The track lands smack in the middle of the album and provides a nice respite from the other style the band seems to be toying with -- throwing pop conventions out the window in lieu of a more unstructured quirky pop madness. There is a whole lot happening in some songs, ranging from way too many instruments to sudden time changes, giving the impression that the band may have written some of these songs and thought "now what would these sound like if we were to put it 'em a blender?" The result is sometimes cool, but at other times a bit much. We're on the fence about this one. Have a listen and see what you think, particularly if you are curious to hear what AIH's "2 note apocalyptic swamp axe" sounds like!
MPEG Stream: "Hold Music"
MPEG Stream: "Red Turned White"

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI Places Like This (Polyvinyl) lp 14.98
Here we have the third full-length from Australia's Architecture In Helsinki, and it's a doozy. Places Like This sees the sextet branching off in all sorts of different directions to put together a record that is as scattered (in a good way?) as the cover art. The best tracks on the record seem to be the straight up pop songs. "Nothing's Wrong" begins with your standard acoustic strum with vocalist Cameron Bird belting out lyrics comparable in style and delivery to Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock (a vocal style Bird employs frequently throughout).
Soon enough bass, minimal drums, fuzzy guitars, and Kelli Sutherland's sharp and airy vocals create an overall sense that AIH has probably been most influenced by bands on the Elephant 6 or Kindercore labels (Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples In Stereo and the like) in golden heyday of perfect indie pop. "Underwater" is a no-frills pop song that reminds us of the softer side of Essex Green or Masters Of The Hemisphere. The track lands smack in the middle of the album and provides a nice respite from the other style the band seems to be toying with -- throwing pop conventions out the window in lieu of a more unstructured quirky pop madness. There is a whole lot happening in some songs, ranging from way too many instruments to sudden time changes, giving the impression that the band may have written some of these songs and thought "now what would these sound like if we were to put it 'em a blender?" The result is sometimes cool, but at other times a bit much. We're on the fence about this one. Have a listen and see what you think, particularly if you are curious to hear what AIH's "2 note apocalyptic swamp axe" sounds like!
MPEG Stream: "Hold Music"
MPEG Stream: "Red Turned White"

ARCTIC MONKEYS Favorite Worst Nightmare (Domino) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Brainstorm"
MPEG Stream: "Teddy Picker"
MPEG Stream: "D Is For Dangerous"
MPEG Stream: "Balaclava"

ARCTIC MONKEYS Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Domino) cd 14.98
Okay, yeah, we know. Who really gives a shit about the Arctic Monkeys? Oh, you mean besides the British press and the band's thousands of friends on MySpace and every hipster in tight pants who is "so over" the Killers and Interpol and Franz Ferdinand? We weren't even going to review this. In fact we were prepared to hate it. A band with that much hype before they even have a record out can never be a good thing. British new music mag NME voted the Arctic Monkeys one of the 50 best British bands OF ALL TIME!! I'd be afraid to see numbers 51 through 100, the ones who were bumped to make room for a band who at the time had only released a single.
But, and it's a BIG BUT, this record is awesome. Really. It does pain us to admit it, but this is one of the best new records we've heard in ages. Wouldn't go so far as top 50 British bands ever, but shit man, we can't stop listening to this. Seriously, every day.
So what's it sound like? Well, it definitely fits comfortably right there amidst the Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Maximo Park, Kaiser Chiefs, some folks around here think they sound just like Hot Hot Heat for that brief moment when they were really really good. Not so much channelling 'new wave' but more sort of reimagining the sound of the Fall, but where Pavement turned the fall into ironic indie slouch rock jangle, the Arctic Monkeys twist it into some impossibly hooky dancey drunken night out at the pub.
Angular guitars, sort of scrape-y and edgy and scrappy and jagged, super kinetic almost funky rhythms, killer melodies, bouncy tempos, lots of shuffle and start stop jangle and roar. And killer keening vocals, a little bit whine-y, but scruffy and capable of wailing when necessary. And the most amazingly thick Northern English drawl, ya know when the word "scumbag" sounds like "skoooombeg".
And let's not forget the songs. By now most of you have heard the excellently titled "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor", a perfect blast of bubbly snotty bouncy dance punk. But then there's tracks like "When The Sun Goes Down" with its moody sad boy intro all sweet sad vocals and minor key clean guitars that explode into a pounding kick ass chaotic rocker, with a killer riff and a totally impossible to resist groove. And the thing is, every song on here is just as good. So while the band will probably end up disappearing, breaking up or calling it quits after this record, I mean, how impossible is it to live up to all the critical accolades (imagine being held up alongside bands like the Clash and the Jam, all before the age of 20) but for now, you might as well believe the hype.
MPEG Stream: "When The Sun Goes Down"
MPEG Stream: "The View From The Afternoon"
MPEG Stream: "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor"

ARCTURUS The Sham Mirrors (Ad Astra Enterprises) cd 13.98
They'rrrrre back! Norway's archetypal artsy "post-black metal" supergroup, featuring members of Ulver, Mayhem, and more. We thought they'd broken up after 1998's peak of bizarreness, "La Masquerade Infernale", as all we'd heard from them since then was a (supposedly) posthumous remix disc, the weird and wonderful "Disguised Masters". But no, apparently the 21st century got them going again, and here's a new album, a 2002 space odyssey full of more of their unclassifable art-rock meets black metal meets electronica hybrid! Basically, imagine Emperor trying their hand at "OK Computer", or late-period Faith No More pretending to make a Dimmu Borgir album.
One of the main figures in Arcturus (you may know) is Garm from Ulver (he's also boss of the amazing Jester label, current home to Ulver, When, Rotoscope, Bogus Blimp, Single Unit, Origami Galaktika, etc.) who is responsible for "voices of ghosts and monkeys and general manipulation" and lyrics. His songwriting partner Steinar Sverd Johnsen handles keyboards and composes the music. Out of the rest of the Arcturus lineup, "Lords of Chaos" readers will also recognize Hellhammer (of Mayhem and about a million other Nordic metal outfits) on "drums and flames". The band is rounded out by "high guitar rider" Knut M. Valle and "low guitar driver" Dag F. Gravem. Emperor's Ihsahn contributes "spitting voice" on one track as well.
Together these guys meld majestic keys, blasting drums, soaring vocals, melodic piano runs, rasping screams, and electronic atmospheres into what can only be described as Arcturus music. It's similar to "La Masquerade", but what seems new is how catchy and poppy some of this is. But, at the same time it's also quite metal indeed. Dark and heavy, not allowing the keyboards to overpower the guitars. And, after the gangsta rap and drum and bass remixes found on "Disguised Masters", this record seems almost normal! That is, if you can consider bombastic sci-fi metallic prog pop 'normal'. I guess it is, in the more advanced universe Garm and company inhabit. Brilliant!
RealAudio clip: "Kinetic"
RealAudio clip: "Nightmare Heaven"
RealAudio clip: "Ad Absurdum"

ARE WEAPONS Free In The Streets (Defend Music) cd 13.98

AREA Event '76 (Akarma) cd 16.98

AREA Live Concerts Box (Akarma) 3cd 46.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Italian "International Popular Group" Area were a '70s prog rock band. But they went far beyond the ELP/King Crimson/Yes worship of many of their peers. Area's music incorporated avantgarde jazz improv, new electoacoustic composition, dramatic and bizarre vocal experiments, folk, and a heavy dose of radical politics. They are not an easy group to get a handle on, not at all. But they were group like none other, who along with Magma are a heavy influence on current Japanese proggers Ruins, for one.
This handsome box contains three cds of Area recorded live at their peak circa 1976, in Paris, Lisbon, and Milan. The latter concert takes up two whole cds, and features avant-jazz guests Steve Lacy (sax) and Paul Lytton (percussion). Area perform many of their signature tracks from such albums as "Crac!", "Maledetti", "Caution Radiation Area", and "Arbeit Macht Frei", plus several live-only improvs. Disc three also includes two bonus solo tracks by Area singer (and John Cage collaborator) Demetrio Stratos.
Inside the box, the cds are packaged in miniature lp style sleeves, and are accompanied by a booklet featuring photos, notes, lyrics, and a discography. Definitely a worthy package for fans of Area, but probably too daunting a place to start for those unfamiliar with the group!
RealAudio clip: "Arbeit Macht Frei"
RealAudio clip: "Lobotomia"
RealAudio clip: "L'abbattimento dello Zeppelin"

AREA Revolution (Cramps) 4cd 56.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More crazy radical jazzy Italian prog than you can handle! The first four albums by the amazing Area all in one handy box set: Arbeit Macht Frei, Caution Radiation Area, Crac, Are(A)zione. Next to Magma, one of Yoshida from the Ruins favorite '70s prog acts.

ARIEL PINK Witchhunt Suite For World War III (Melted Mailbox) 12" 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On his recent trip to San Francisco, Ariel Pink made time not only for a secret gig at one of our favorite dives but also for a trip into AQ with his colorful entourage. He not only came to shop, but he also just so happened to come armed with this ultra-limited one-sided 12", a record none of us knew even existed.
Everyone remembers where they were on Sept 11, 2001, and somehow it didn't surprise us to find out where Ariel Pink was on that monumental day, inside his bedroom with his four track right at his side. In his own words this record is: "An epic 17-minute prog-pop suite, literally recorded September 11th, 2001, inspired and addressing the hot-off-the-press adrenaline rush of our nation in shock, caught in real time."
And we have to say that this is pretty much everything we would have hoped for. Classic Ariel Pink stretched out and laced with maximum paranoia. Fuzzy lo-fi pop with spazzed out instrumental passages that's so in its own world you can't help but want to join Mr. Pink in there too. We only have a handful of these left and once they are gone they are gone for good, so good luck!

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Flashback (Cooler Cat) 7" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Snagged these from Ariel himself on his recent swing through town. Four brand new songs that find him and his Haunted Graffiti continuing to push the boundaries of their outsider pop orbit. "Flashback" is almost like their would-be arena-pop hit somehow infusing their warped world into a Cheap Trick like anthem gone so wrong it's right, and we can't help but love the over the top hair metal feel that runs throughout. While the other song on the 'a' side also has an almost party-vibe to it the two songs on the 'b' side have much more of a melty and drugged out feel. These have been flying out of here since we got them in the store so we only have a handful left and when they are gone, we'll do our best to get more but sadly that's probably all she wrote....

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI My Molly EP (Tiny Creatures) 7" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Wow! Ariel Pink is on a hot streak! Just this year alone we've fallen for his limited edition and now out of print Latitudes series cd, his new project Holy Shit and now this new 7" which features some of the best Ariel Pink songs we've heard yet! A totally tasty Smiths cover on the 'b' side and pretty much warped pop perfection dripping from each groove. This is why we still love 7"s so much. So fun to pick up the needle and hear Ariel Pink take us to a wonderful world of Kodachrome bliss over and over again. We're still so smitten...

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Oddities Sodomies Vol.1 ( Vinyl International) lp 23.00
Long before we were drooling over the damaged pop sounds of folks like John Maus, Night Control, Gary War and Blank Dogs there was the AM radio gone haywire sound of Ariel Pink and his Haunted Graffiti. No one really knew what to do with his songs when they first starting appearing on wax and disc but it didn't take long for people to realize that something pretty special was at work in this mysterious outsider's approach to making warped and hazy fucked up pop. While you look consider folks like R. Stevie Moore as clearing the way for weirdoes like Ariel Pink, but what makes Ariel's output so interesting is that it's not just that it has an 'outsider' aesthetic but that the songs are so fucking good!
This is a collection of odds and ends (hence the title) recorded from 1997-2004 and it ranks right near the top of his recorded oeuvre. This record is just so fantastic, the sort of record that's perfect to have spinning in your bedroom or living room on those days you just wanna lay around all day and get lost in the alternate universe in which these songs swim and splash and frolic. We were only able to grab a handful of these from Ariel himself when he passed through town recently so snag one fast because when we run out it might take us a while to get more...

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Scared Famous (Human Ear) cd 14.98
Ariel Pink is back! He and his Haunted Graffiti gang continue to mess round with a barrel of nutty effects and other ramshackle fun! The results are sorta like when you've reached that half fucked-up point of the evening when you realize everything's more than slightly 'off'. Faces and voices start to slide into distorted grins and grimaces. Multiple layers of helium balloon vocals, bristly electric guitars, willy-nilly keyboards, and other noise making gizmos seem to all be following someone else's lead. In fact, Scared Famous sounds like the kid brother of Ween's Pure Guava album. Warped, weird and scratchy like an old woolen argyle sock in a mud puddle, Ariel Pink's broken melodies are at once endearing and maddening.
MPEG Stream: "Are You Gonna Look After My Boys?"
MPEG Stream: "Scared Famous"
MPEG Stream: "Inmates Of Heartahe"

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Worn Copy (Paw Tracks) cd 15.98
More Ariel Pinkness for you and yours. There's definitely been a change of heart 'round these parts regarding the virtues of idiosyncratic LA indie-pop singer-songwriter Ariel Pink and his Animal Collective-approved, damaged DIY take on R&B/noise/folk/electronics. Originally only a few of us dug him, but now with repeat exposure even grumpy ol' Andee kinda likes the guy (or at least -this- record). So it's nice that Paw Tracks has reissued AP's Worn Copy, another sprawling set of transmissions of eccentric, retro-referencing lo-fi weirdness that can't obscure (and maybe enhances) his genuine pop genius. The stream of consciousness psycho-babble about getting credit at the pawn shop, something truly bizarre about peninsulas, the triumph that is ZZ Top, and of course his orgiastic sexual escapades are things that give someone like Devendra Banhart a run for his money on sheer weirdness factor, and then there's tons of strange references to early '80s cheez-ball bands like Journey and Loverboy smeared underneath a mess of lo-fi production and baffling idiosyncracies. Maybe get The Doldrums first, if you haven't checked out Ariel Pink (and his Haunted Graffiti) yet. But if you're a fan, chances are your copy of Worn Copy soon will be.
Cd version includes a bonus video, btw.
MPEG Stream: "Credit!"
MPEG Stream: "One On One"
MPEG Stream: "Cable Access Follies"

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Worn Copy (Paw Tracks) 2lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More Ariel Pinkness for you and yours. There's definitely been a change of heart 'round these parts regarding the virtues of idiosyncratic LA indie-pop singer-songwriter Ariel Pink and his Animal Collective-approved, damaged DIY take on R&B/noise/folk/electronics. Originally only a few of us dug him, but now with repeat exposure even grumpy ol' Andee kinda likes the guy (or at least -this- record). So it's nice that Paw Tracks has reissued AP's Worn Copy, another sprawling set of transmissions of eccentric, retro-referencing lo-fi weirdness that can't obscure (and maybe enhances) his genuine pop genius. The stream of consciousness psycho-babble about getting credit at the pawn shop, something truly bizarre about peninsulas, the triumph that is ZZ Top, and of course his orgiastic sexual escapades are things that give someone like Devendra Banhart a run for his money on sheer weirdness factor, and then there's tons of strange references to early '80s cheez-ball bands like Journey and Loverboy smeared underneath a mess of lo-fi production and baffling idiosyncracies. Maybe get The Doldrums first, if you haven't checked out Ariel Pink (and his Haunted Graffiti) yet. But if you're a fan, chances are your copy of Worn Copy soon will be.
Cd version includes a bonus video, btw.
MPEG Stream: "Credit!"
MPEG Stream: "One On One"
MPEG Stream: "Cable Access Follies"

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI 2 The Doldrums (Carpark) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Few records in recent memory have provoked such a breach of unanimity here at Aquarius. Some of us (Andee, Byram) are the naysayers who feel that the artist's eccentricities ring rather hollow -- i.e, fucking around rather than genuinely fucked up. Meanwhile Jim and Allan lean towards the positive on this one. (Aw heck they'll come right out and admit it: they like the Ariel Pink.) And it hasn't helped (or has it?) that several of our friends have come out as big Ariel Pink supporters. You know how that is. Either you want to jump on the bandwagon (Allan?) or you want to be the contradictory one (Andee?). So if you come into the store and ask somebody here about this record, you'll surely get an impassioned opinion, but who knows on what side it will be.
So what's the deal with Ariel Pink anyway? perhaps you're now wondering. Well he's this young dude from LA and he makes lo-fi fucked up pop music, his heavily effected falsetto vocal stylings drifting out from damaged electronics and naive guitar fumblings. The Animal Collective heard a demo and fell in love with it (you see, Ariel Pink is a love or hate propostion, we think) and had to release this new album on their label Paw Tracks. It kinda sounds like fey '80s Brit-pop, all melodic and swoony, being broadcast via a static-y radio signal, for that far-away, timelost vibe. And then, even more weirdly, there's an element of '70s soul/R&B too! A strange mix...visiting the Fall's dubby adventures...or channelling an adolescent Bowie...and catchy as all get out. Beneath all the orchestral samples and looped beats and layered vocals and generally warped warbliness of this, lies some solid songwriting. Yessir, what might seem at first listen like home-taped half-assedness reveals depth and feeling and...we'll even say talent. Reveals to those of us that like it, that is. So what did it take for Jim and Allan to get into this? Well our Jewelled Antler buddies Loren and Glenn helped to convince us, 'cause they're fans...and also, Allan went and saw Ariel Pink live at the Hemlock a few weeks ago, and though it was a technically disastrous show, it was also one of those completely enjoyable, amusing, so-bad-it's-good experiences. Charismatic chaos. The show seemed to prove that AP is the real deal, not a poser but a genuine, authentically fucked up (drug-addled?) musical wonder. So now the album has grown on Allan quite a bit. And you know what? Even Andee is now admitting that Ariel Pink is at least "stupidly charming."
MPEG Stream: "Among Dreams"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Think Twice (Love)"