FRIPP & ENO Evening Star (DGM) cd 16.98
What more could be said about these two Fripp & Eno records than we've already written in countless Expo '70, Growing and Aidan Baker reviews? That's because these records are pretty much ground zero for all of the dark dreamy drifty processed guitar / tape / synth drone that we can't ever seem to get enough of. Perhaps there are other earlier influential touchstones such as Tony Conrad, and La Monte Young, perhaps Stockhausen and Terry Riley as well, but none seemed to have come so totally out of nowhere from two relatively mainstream players as these two records. Manuel Gottsching, Taj Mahal Travellers, and Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music all came a little later.
After every other Eno solo album and collaboration (from Cluster to David Byrne) has been reissued, we are lucky enough to finally see both of these classic releases newly 24-bit remastered by Fripp himself and reissued on his DGM imprint. These have never sounded better! While this reissue doesn't feature any bonus material, we still think it's a must have for any fan of kosmiche experimental drone music. If you haven't owned this before, now is the time!!!!!
Judging from the cover and title of 1975's Evening Star, it would be easy to dismiss this as a generic new-age record by Shadowfax or Mark Isham. It does look a bit Windham Hill-ish. But while its more melodic and dreamy than No Pussyfooting, this is certainly not pure relaxation music. It's way more cerebral and at times quite unnerving. Teaming up with Fripp once again after releasing three brilliant solo pop albums (Here Come The Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, and Another Green World), Eno started concentrating on his ambient period culminating later that same year in what would be his first solo ambient record Discreet Music. Using the same dual tape machine system as on No Pussyfooting, the tracks here feel more composed and purposeful. Starting with "Wind on Water", layered washes of phased high toned analog synths and flittering guitar drones pulse like a breathing entity before the Cluster-like piano figures of the stunning title track, "Evening Star" emerge augmented by a ringing guitar arpeggio and one of the most gorgeous Fripp solos ever put to tape. This track is like an early predecessor to Eno's soundtrack work for the NASA film Apollo, almost a decade later. So beautiful! The next couple of tracks delve further into gentler territory, with "Wind on Wind" being an excerpted version of a piece later included on Discreet Music. But the nearly thirty minute final piece, "An Index of Metals" returns us to the dark intense drone of No Pussyfooting. Sounding more metallic and cosmic than anything on that record, "An Index of Metals" with its deep resonant pulsations and expansively spatial guitar work at times sounds like the melting magma of a dying star, or Edward Artemiev's coldly terrifying soundtrack work for Andrei Tartovsky's Solaris. Awe-inspiring yet very chilling! So Essential!
MPEG Stream: "Evening Star"
MPEG Stream: "An Index of Metals"

FRIPP & ENO The Equatorial Stars (Opal) cd 15.98
Not bad... but, not that great either.

FRIPP, ROBERT Exposure (Discipline) 2cd 17.98
We knew that our friend Loren Chasse was/is a major Fripp-fanatic (total closet prog-rocker, that Loren) so we asked him if he wanted to do a review of this recently reissued R. Fripp solo classic, and he did (thanks Loren!), here 'tis:
As uptight as Robert Fripp may seem these past ten years (with his cleric's collar and extensive moralizing about business practices in the music industry) let's not forget his history of eccentric and befuddling endeavors outside of King Crimson. Begin with Fripp's New Wave pose on this album cover, sporting skinny tie and pinstriped shirt (even his hair stylist gets a credit in the liner notes)! Certainly, Fripp was dressed for the scene as he set out to make this record in the New York City of '78-'79. Exposure is perhaps the definitive record of everything Fripp is capable of, showcasing his talent at adapting his trademark guitar sound to diverse musical personalities. The most unexpected of these guest personalities on Exposure may be Daryl Hall, who takes the mic on the sumptuous and laid back "North Star" (with a lilt much like Discipline-era King Crimson's "Matte Kudasai"). Hall is actually the primary songwriting force on Exposure, even when he's not singing. Then another prog-rocker's wish is granted with Peter Hammill singing on "Disengage" and Fripp letting out a bit more bombast than he had as a guest with Van Der Graaf Generator. Who else? Well there's Peter Gabriel doing his saccharine hit "Here Comes the Flood" -- made so much more dark and beautiful than Gabriel's own album version by Fripp's contributions. Speaking of Hall and Gabriel, Exposure is the official third part of a trilogy (says Fripp) comprised of Hall's solo record Sacred Songs and Gabriel's second record (is it the one with the rain-streaked car window?). Then there's Brian Eno (surprise, surprise) and Phil Collins (not so bad as long as he's sticking to drums), Nancy Roche (of The Roches) howling like Diamanda Galas on "Exposure" and taking the record into its sweetest moments with "Mary". For fans of Red-era King Crimson, "Breathless" will be a pleaser with its unrelenting riffs and off-kilter Mahavishnu-style drumming (brought compliments of Narada Michael Walden). "NY3" and "Haaden Two" give the record some dark and surreal twists with more Crimsonish instrumental workouts mixed with a theater of strange voices (the former being a fight between mother/father and daughter in an NYC apartment). Fripp's spiritual mentor J.G. Bennet (student of Gurdjieff) inserts a ghostly presence over some of Fripp's most beautiful ambient sounds. The trademarked Frippertronics appear at their most quintessential on "Water Music I and II" -- perhaps the record's most abstract, beautiful and least dated sounding music. Oh yeah, dear old Edith Fripp (the mother) can be heard on this as well!
Also, FYI: this special double disc remastered edition of Exposure features a "Third Edition" of the album on the second cd, plus several bonus tracks. Wow, that's a lot... maybe they shoulda retitled this Overexposure?
MPEG Stream: "Breathless"
MPEG Stream: "North Star"

FRIPP, ROBERT Love Cannot Bear: Soundscapes - Live In The USA (Discipline Global Mobile) cd 15.98

FRIPP, ROBERT & THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN God Save The King (EG) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

FRISELL, BILL Blues Dream (Nonesuch) cd 16.98

FRISELL, BILL Disfarmer (Nonesuch) cd 17.98
The Wexner Center For The Arts knew just what they were doing when they commissioned Bill Frisell to create a score to compliment the stark photography of Mike Disfarmer, who took riveting and honest portraits of people living in the rural South during the late '30s and early '40s. Frisell plays both electric and acoustic guitars, uses loops and music boxes to create sepia toned, twangy and haunting short instrumentals that really evoke such mystery, evoking rural landscapes and life drifting by, sometimes seeming to pass in an instant, other times interminable and endless. While Frisell isn't someone you might think of right away when it comes to aQ, his varied and large back catalog is rife with gems and aQ faves, and we're really happy to see that in recent years he's begun to lean again more towards a less shiny and more intriguing side of his musical palette. In fact, let's not forget he added some seriously warm and lush richness to the latest full length by Earth!
Backed by a badass trio, the arrangements of steel guitar, mandolin, violin and bass are exquisite, not only showing off the talent of all the players but acting as a testament to Frisell's ability to compose pieces that so perfectly speak to Disfarmer's striking photos. Imagine a less drone filled Steven R. Smith, or a more tight and focused Dirty Three, or even maybe a new Earth album, stripped of its residual doomic leanings.
The cd is a long one, pushing to pretty much the maximum length that can fit on one disc, which makes it perfect to put on for a long road trip through winding roads and desolate landscapes or for whenever you just want to get lost in a rustic glow.
MPEG Stream: "Disfarmer Theme"
MPEG Stream: "Natural Light"
MPEG Stream: "Lost, Night"

FRISELL, BILL Ghost Town (Nonesuch) cd 16.98
A truly solo album from stellar guitarist Frisell (he plays electric & acoustic guitars as well as as banjo, loops and bass). The material here ranges from Frisell's own compositions to pieces by John McLaughlin, Hank Williams, and the Gershwins. Very pretty, liquid, and appropriately-lonely sounding stuff.

FRITH, FRED Accidental: Music For Dance Volume 3 (Fred / ReR) cd 15.98
Accidental was originally commissioned in 1995 by Paul Selwyn Norton for his dance piece "Rogue Tool" which premiered the following year in Tel Aviv, Israel. On 'Accidental' Frith, a multi-instrumentalist if there ever was one, plays all instruments: guitar, violin, organ, an odd assortment of percussion, tapes, radio and voice. The music on 'Accidental' tends towards the dark and severe, with squeals of guitar feedback layered over ominous drones, percussive elements assembled from cut up vocals (either Fred's or taken from radio), but this shouldn't imply that the music on this album is non-melodic. On the contrary, at the music is at times even hauntingly beautiful while parts of 'Accidental' are even reminiscent of Frith's 1988 'Technology of Tears'.
RealAudio clip: "Hit And Run"
RealAudio clip: "Accidental"

FRITH, FRED Gravity (Fred / ReR) cd 15.98
Thankfully reissued once more, unthankfully with horrible new artwork and irritating top obi. Originally released in 1980 on Ralph Records, Gravity is Fred Frith's masterpiece of progressive-rock-infused pop, and in Windy and Byram's opinion this should be a staple of everyone's record collection. Yep, it's that great. And no matter how 'avant' our description makes it sound, this is one of the most listenable, most accessible avant prog pop things I've ever heard.
Gravity is a celebration of dance and dance musics from around the world. The range of influence spans the gamut, but Eastern European and Middle Eastern music seems to pervade Frith's inspiration primarily. Backed on one half of the album by Sweden's uber-prog folk heroes Zamla (formarly Samla) Mammas Manna and the other by the American improv-jazz-rock band The Muffins. Though all of the compositions are Frith's, each half of the album wears the corresponding musicians' influence like a badge. The Samla's playful, quirky and category-defying progressive, folk-influenced pop stylings are perhaps a slightly better match on the whole than The Muffins skronk (which shows up mostly as the segue material between tracks on the second half of the album.) Backed by Lars Hollmer and crew, "Spring Any Day Now" sounds like the theme song to an early eighties sit-com a la 'Three's Company' gone awry. Much of the album is seamlessly bridged together with nary a second of break betwixt songs, which suits an album inspired by dance that serves to inspire one to dance just fine.
RealAudio clip: "Spring Any Day Now"
RealAudio clip: "Hands of the Juggler"

FRITH, FRED Speechless (East Side Digital) cd 15.98

FRITH, FRED Step Across the Border (Winter & Winter) dvd 27.00

FRKSE Guilt Surveillance (Divergen Series) lp 11.98
We first discovered the oddly monikered Frkse (pronounced 'forks' we think?) via aQ pal Matt, one half of industrial doomdirgedrone duo Teeth Engraved With The Names Of The Dead, who was raving about this lp, and got some from the 'band' to pass on to aQ. It was suggested to us, that anyone who loved the weirdo power electronic abstract industrial weirdness of former Record Of The Week-ers Will Over Matter, would also dig Frkse, which was definitely enough for us, but barely prepared us for what Frkse was really all about. A one man band / mad scientist / audio alchemist, who takes loops and rhythms, weird murky samples, and all manner of noise, hiss and whir and hum, and deftly arranges them into strangely robotic grooves, android symphonies of rhythm and textures, sounding at times like some impossible hybrid of Pierre Bastien, Philip Jeck, Thomas Brinkmann, and Strotter Inst. There's the warped warble of experimental turntablism, the lush hazy washed out textures of that sort of blurred ambience, and the rhythms and grooves all sound very machinelike, as if Frkse simply built an army of machines to do his bidding, that bidding just so happening to be creating these stripped down minimal loopscapes and tripped out abstract constructs.
Each track here seems cobbled together from building block like sonic elements, a loping beat, a strange detuned strum, a disembodied melody, a whirring buzz, all strung together into an ingenious series arrangement that manages to be impossible catchy and mesmerizing, even at its most minimal.
Robotic loops churning through clouds of hiss and buzz, a woozy rhythmic drag, like some strange melted tape 33 rpm jams spinning at 16rpm, the sounds saturated and warm, lush in the way only 4 track tape hiss and old busted analog machinery can be, it's hard not to imagine Frkse's strange underground lair, dusty piles of corroded equipment, nothing grounded or properly shielded, arcs of electricity leaping between various hand built implements, the vast array of buzzes and strains of hiss, carefully cataloged to be used later, and to perhaps be mixed with other separate strains, creating whole new breeds of low fidelity noise. And for all its raw primitivism, each track tends to reveal gorgeous expanses of hissy, buzz drenched minimal mesmer, like a steam punk android Steve Reich, tracks peppered with sudden bursts of almost jungle like drumming, which upon closer examination reveals themselves to be simply endless rhythmic loops piled atop one another, in such a way, that they create glorious cascades of kinetic rhythms.
At times it's like a home brewed, post industrial minimal techno, at others, it's a thick caustic almost shoegazey blacknoise blur, and still others a noise drenched abstract electronica. The sound constantly shifting, a burst of gristled crumbling industrial churn will transform into a stretch of mournful almost Slint like minimalism, gradually expanding into a loping post rock drift, all skitter and stutter, unwinding hypnotically like a super stripped down lo-fi This Heat, everything caked in a dusty patina of chordal hum, a glorious maddeningly mesmerizing collection of robo-rhythms and psych-kraut dirgery, of hazy soft focus loop-grooves and tranced out motorik mesmer. And yeah, fans of Will Over Matter will flip, fans of M Ax Noi Mach too, but even more so, folks into haunting low fidelity experimental loopscapery: Jeck, Strotter, Caretaker, Bastien, Tim Hecker, Belong and the like.
SUPER LIMITED!!! Housed in hand silk screeened / hand stamped covers with a photocopied insert.
MPEG Stream: "Nice"
MPEG Stream: "I Want The Empty City"
MPEG Stream: "Power And Intimacy"
MPEG Stream: "Fanatic Paranoia"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled#449059"

FRODUS Conglomerate International (Tooth & Nail) 2lp 24.00

FROG EYES Ego Scriptor (Absolutely Kosher) cd 12.98
Back in stock -- but get 'em before they're gone (it's a one-time-pressing apparently)... Fans of Vancouver's great Frog Eyes take note of this limited edition, 25 minute *acoustic* release. Yup, Frog Eyes unplugged. Frontman Carey Mercer here declares "I am the writer!" and gives us his acoustic take on songs from Frog Eyes' previously released albums The Bloody Hand and The Golden Riverâ as well as songs from their forthcoming The Folded Palm. The versions Mercer plays here probably represent how these songs first burst from his imagination....they are crude and ecstatic, communicating the essence of Mercer's surrealism. Obviously, with Frog Eyes we are in the presence of a great song force that demands the ear surrender its old habits and start again, not without a few choice associations (like Bowie and Beefheart) to make the experience more comfortable. The arrangements on Ego Scriptorâ are no less ambitious and bombastic than their electric manifestations although we do miss the heavenly noise and atmospheres the full band so masterfully musters around Mercer's singing and guitar playing. A virtue of Mercer's music is that, much like the songs of Tomakawa Kazuki and Mikami Kan, we hear in them something larger than music, an action like spirit crashing through clouds to earth. [Another review from the pen of AQ-pal Loren Chasse, who loves Frog Eyes perhaps even more than Allan does, which is, a lot.]
MPEG Stream: "Masticated Outboard Motors"
MPEG Stream: "The Fox Speaks To His Wife..."

FROG EYES Paul's Tomb: A Triumph (Dead Oceans) cd 14.98
What follows is a much appreciated guest review by the discerning Loren Chasse, a long time Frog Eyes fan, who herein explains why this band is so compelling, to certain special ears anyway. (Allan, who would have written a review expressing similar sentiments, gives the thumbs up as well, Paul's Tomb is indeed a triumph!)
Amidst all the bands these days which are busy resuscitating bygone genres (psych-folk, soft rock, new wave, krautrock, disco, '80s metal... and so on), there is Frog Eyes. Sure, everything derives from other things, shares a sound, borrows a riff... but there is a difference between trying to sound like vs. just sounding like. What does Frog Eyes try to sound like? Beats me. So what does Frog Eyes just happen to sound like? My first reaction to their music was confusion and maybe slight embarrassment. With things truly alternative or experimental there can be an experience of not quite feeling safe, not being sure of what to listen for. Frog Eyes delivers songs with complicated lyrical and musical structures. Their music is over the top, mostly - packed with monstrosity but also with subtlety and dynamic prowess. Blistering jags of guitar and fractured drumming often clear away on this record to blissful jams with sparse grooves (perhaps what some might identify more conventionally as 'psychedelic rock' even though the truly psychedelic parts are the ones in which my ears seemed turned on end and ripped a new hole, so to speak!) There are ingenious pop hooks on this record, but often there are long and arduous paths leading to them. This music is challenging. It requires its audience's full attention, like reading. This is a band much about the vocals and it's likely that folks will have a strong love/hate reaction (think of other artists such as Dylan, Bryan Ferry, Bjork, Jamie Stewart, Robbie Basho). Carey Mercer's vocals are overflowing with affectation... trills, croons and gasps moving ecstatically across the vocal spectrum. All the tropes of the rock n' roll singer are in his bag. His lyrics are surreal narratives... poetic, syntactically complex, confounding in their humor and darkness. His last solo effort, Skin of Evil, recorded under the name Blackout Beach, presented a suite of songs based on a character named Donna. Well, Donna's back for this latest Frog Eyes record (along with "Cassandra" and "Paul"). Does this mean anything to my listening or enjoyment of the record? Well, I must say, that it intrigues and captures my imagination the way my favorite prog rock albums from the '70s did - somewhere at the heart of this there's a 'concept'. In Mercer's case, it's literary and it's clear he does care about the words as they are always published with the notes to his records. Paul's Tomb certainly evokes something, but the 'what' is unclear and maybe best that way. The album art features photographic tableaux evocative of a specific point in history - maybe turn of the century exploration and the amassing of museum collections? (I admit a little disappointment in not finding one of Mercer's strange paintings adorning the cover of this record as they have in the past.)
The sounds on this record are raw and powerful. The guitar playing and the singing are clearly emanating from the same source... spasmodic and ecstatic phrasings (often gusty and menacing, at times sounding like Neil Young circa "Like a Hurricane" or Arc), delivered with plenty of rock conviction. Back to the prog rock analogy for a moment, there does seem to be a good deal of 'math' in these compositions, but the layers of noise and clouds of tone on top of the songs obscure the structures. I don't get the feeling the band is counting as much as they are feeling. A good thing!
Think of it this way... when I want to listen to Arthur Russell, I may mix things up a little and put on Caribou or Hot Chip. When craving Joy Division there are always bands like Interpol, Blank Dogs or Blessure Grave. Heard my favorite Incredible String Band too many times this month? Well then, maybe one of the many "freak folks" will deliver. Popul Vuh has stopped releasing records but somehow their catalogue seems to be growing thanks to a host of talented emulators. And when seeking a deep dark drone at bedtime, the choices are endless. However, the point is, when I want to hear Frog Eyes, there is only ONE place to go... And among Frog Eyes albums, this one is one of the best yet.
MPEG Stream: "A Flower In A Glove (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "A Flower In A Glove (excerpt 2)"
MPEG Stream: "Violent Psalms"
MPEG Stream: "Paul's Tomb"

FROG EYES Paul's Tomb: A Triumph (Dead Oceans) 2lp 21.00
What follows is a much appreciated guest review by the discerning Loren Chasse, a long time Frog Eyes fan, who herein explains why this band is so compelling, to certain special ears anyway. (Allan, who would have written a review expressing similar sentiments, gives the thumbs up as well, Paul's Tomb is indeed a triumph!)
Amidst all the bands these days which are busy resuscitating bygone genres (psych-folk, soft rock, new wave, krautrock, disco, '80s metal... and so on), there is Frog Eyes. Sure, everything derives from other things, shares a sound, borrows a riff... but there is a difference between trying to sound like vs. just sounding like. What does Frog Eyes try to sound like? Beats me. So what does Frog Eyes just happen to sound like? My first reaction to their music was confusion and maybe slight embarrassment. With things truly alternative or experimental there can be an experience of not quite feeling safe, not being sure of what to listen for. Frog Eyes delivers songs with complicated lyrical and musical structures. Their music is over the top, mostly - packed with monstrosity but also with subtlety and dynamic prowess. Blistering jags of guitar and fractured drumming often clear away on this record to blissful jams with sparse grooves (perhaps what some might identify more conventionally as 'psychedelic rock' even though the truly psychedelic parts are the ones in which my ears seemed turned on end and ripped a new hole, so to speak!) There are ingenious pop hooks on this record, but often there are long and arduous paths leading to them. This music is challenging. It requires its audience's full attention, like reading. This is a band much about the vocals and it's likely that folks will have a strong love/hate reaction (think of other artists such as Dylan, Bryan Ferry, Bjork, Jamie Stewart, Robbie Basho). Carey Mercer's vocals are overflowing with affectation... trills, croons and gasps moving ecstatically across the vocal spectrum. All the tropes of the rock n' roll singer are in his bag. His lyrics are surreal narratives... poetic, syntactically complex, confounding in their humor and darkness. His last solo effort, Skin of Evil, recorded under the name Blackout Beach, presented a suite of songs based on a character named Donna. Well, Donna's back for this latest Frog Eyes record (along with "Cassandra" and "Paul"). Does this mean anything to my listening or enjoyment of the record? Well, I must say, that it intrigues and captures my imagination the way my favorite prog rock albums from the '70s did - somewhere at the heart of this there's a 'concept'. In Mercer's case, it's literary and it's clear he does care about the words as they are always published with the notes to his records. Paul's Tomb certainly evokes something, but the 'what' is unclear and maybe best that way. The album art features photographic tableaux evocative of a specific point in history - maybe turn of the century exploration and the amassing of museum collections? (I admit a little disappointment in not finding one of Mercer's strange paintings adorning the cover of this record as they have in the past.)
The sounds on this record are raw and powerful. The guitar playing and the singing are clearly emanating from the same source... spasmodic and ecstatic phrasings (often gusty and menacing, at times sounding like Neil Young circa "Like a Hurricane" or Arc), delivered with plenty of rock conviction. Back to the prog rock analogy for a moment, there does seem to be a good deal of 'math' in these compositions, but the layers of noise and clouds of tone on top of the songs obscure the structures. I don't get the feeling the band is counting as much as they are feeling. A good thing!
Think of it this way... when I want to listen to Arthur Russell, I may mix things up a little and put on Caribou or Hot Chip. When craving Joy Division there are always bands like Interpol, Blank Dogs or Blessure Grave. Heard my favorite Incredible String Band too many times this month? Well then, maybe one of the many "freak folks" will deliver. Popul Vuh has stopped releasing records but somehow their catalogue seems to be growing thanks to a host of talented emulators. And when seeking a deep dark drone at bedtime, the choices are endless. However, the point is, when I want to hear Frog Eyes, there is only ONE place to go... And among Frog Eyes albums, this one is one of the best yet.
MPEG Stream: "A Flower In A Glove (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "A Flower In A Glove (excerpt 2)"
MPEG Stream: "Violent Psalms"
MPEG Stream: "Paul's Tomb"

FROG EYES Tears Of The Valedictorian (Absolutely Kosher) cd 14.98
There are certain key words that persistently spring up whenever the Canadian indie band Frog Eyes is mentioned or heard -- distraught, angstful, melodramatic, cathartic, cryptic. With album number four Tears Of The Valedictorian from Casey Mercer and co., those words continue to fit like a glove.
To be frank, many folks around here have found Frog Eyes' music to be somewhat impenetrable and/or unapproachable, but there are also some others who'll encourage a second listen or more. Sure Mercer's vocal delivery can be an immediate turn-on or turn-off for most people, but once the initial shock settles down you just may discover Frog Eyes' other affecting facets softening the affected blow of the vocals. Over the course of his four albums, Mercer's compositions have grown increasingly lushly crafted and his incisive lyrics more poetic. Yet the Frog Eyes overall impression still effectively strike a nerve with its raw open-wound quality.
MPEG Stream: "Idle Songs"
MPEG Stream: "Reform The Countryside"

FROG EYES Tears Of The Valedictorian (Absolutely Kosher) lp 13.98
There are certain key words that persistently spring up whenever the Canadian indie band Frog Eyes is mentioned or heard -- distraught, angstful, melodramatic, cathartic, cryptic. With album number four Tears Of The Valedictorian from Casey Mercer and co., those words continue to fit like a glove.
To be frank, many folks around here have found Frog Eyes' music to be somewhat impenetrable and/or unapproachable, but there are also some others who'll encourage a second listen or more. Sure Mercer's vocal delivery can be an immediate turn-on or turn-off for most people, but once the initial shock settles down you just may discover Frog Eyes' other affecting facets softening the affected blow of the vocals. Over the course of his four albums, Mercer's compositions have grown increasingly lushly crafted and his incisive lyrics more poetic. Yet the Frog Eyes overall impression still effectively strike a nerve with its raw open-wound quality.
MPEG Stream: "Idle Songs"
MPEG Stream: "Reform The Countryside"

FROG EYES The Bloody Hand (Absolutely Kosher) cd 12.98
The Bloody Hand was the 2002 debut album from this amazing Canadian band, but having been released on a tiny Canadian indie label, it might've been missed by many of us south of the 49th parallel. Now we have no excuse because it's just been released domestically by our Bay Area pals Absolutely Kosher Records. Not only is it a bit cheaper than the import was, but it comes with SEVEN previously unreleased songs (psst, they're actually songs from Seagull Is On The Rise, the never-issued second album of Mercer and bandmate Michael Rak's former band The Blue Pine).
Much like the likeminded eccentric art rockers Xiu Xiu, this band from Victoria, BC does draw rather emphatic love and hate responses. For some the over the top melodramatic hystrionics of frontman Carey Mercer can be a bit wearing and off-putting, but for others it's just the cathartic ticket needed! Allan gives it the thumbs up, and says that 'specially if you liked any of their other albums, you need this.
MPEG Stream: " Sound Travels From The Snow To The Dark"
MPEG Stream: "Lost In A Godless Sea"

FROG EYES The Folded Palm (Absolutely Kosher) cd 12.98
For this Frog Eyes review please allow us to compare it to another Canadian's current release, Rufus Wainwright's Want Two. Both are certainly high on theatrics, however whereas the latter presents the artist as a refined, elegant prince-ly figure, from the first note The Folded Palm suggests Frog Eyes' lead vocalist Casey Mercer as more of a mad court jester. Untethered, twitchy and frantic, but melody and eloquence coexist with the madness. The seventh song "The Heart That Felt Its Light" actually made Cup imagine a cross between Interpol and U.S. Maple! All in all, it's more of the weird pop wonderousness from Carey and co. that we've grown to love, utilizing his unique vocal stylings to maximum effect. Like Captain Beefheart or Bjork, Carey's vocals are a love 'em or hate 'em proposition, and are a significant part of Frog Eyes appeal (or otherwise). We think he's brilliant, and recommend this and all other Frog Eyes albums to the adventurous indie-rock listener.
MPEG Stream: "The Fence Feels Its Post"
MPEG Stream: "The Heart That Felt Its Light"

FROG EYES The Golden River (Absolutely Kosher) cd 12.98
Now released domestically by our Bay Area pals Absolutely Kosher Records! And this version tacks on an astonishing twelve bonus tracks (only three of them previously appearing anywhere) consituting a whole 'nother, earlier Frog Eyes album entitled Emboldened Navigator and the Seagull Dots!! Frog Eyes fans, rejoice! Here's our original review of The Golden River:
Hailing from the same city that popped out Hot Hot Heat, Frog Eyes bring forth an altogether different sound from their Victoria, BC brethren. Imagine a baroque hybrid of the Brit-inflected melodrama of Interpol or Pulp and the more dissonant, hand-wringing instabilities of Xiu Xiu. Very high on moody affectation with the focus squarely on the vocals. In addition to the deeply emotional croon and warble of those mentioned above, singer Carey Mercer may also draw comparisons to Tom Waits' hoarsely heart-baring delivery or the slightly smoother sandpaper swoon of Psychedelic Furs' Richard Butler. Lyrics and song titles are somewhat cryptic, obtuse and strangely poetic. The backdrop: electric guitar string churns and howls, shimmery cymbal washes, all anchored by some velvety piano melodies. FYI: More evidence of the Vancouver/Victoria music scene being quite a mighty tight knit family? Neko Case's Corn Sister co-hort Carolyn Mark lent her lovely voice to three songs (check out the luminous fifth song "A Latex Ice Age"), and Ms Mark's bandmate Tolan McNeil engineered the proceedings. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "A Latex Ice Age"
MPEG Stream: "Time Destroys Its Plan At The Reactionary Table"

FROG EYES The Golden River (Happy Home) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on lp, white vinyl, hand silkscreened covers!
Hailing from the same city that popped out Hot Hot Heat, Frog Eyes bring forth an altogether different sound from their Victoria, BC brethren. Imagine a baroque hybrid of the Brit-inflected melodrama of Interpol or Pulp and the more dissonant, hand-wringing instabilities of Xiu Xiu. Very high on moody affectation with the focus squarely on the vocals. In addition to the deeply emotional croon and warble of those mentioned above, singer Carey Mercer may also draw comparisons to Tom Waits' hoarsely heart-baring delivery or the slightly smoother sandpaper swoon of Psychedelic Furs' Richard Butler. Lyrics and song titles are somewhat cryptic, obtuse and strangely poetic. The backdrop: electric guitar string churns and howls, shimmery cymbal washes, all anchored by some velvety piano melodies. FYI: More evidence of the Vancouver / Victoria music scene being quite a mighty tight knit family? Neko Case's Corn Sister co-hort Carolyn Mark lent her lovely voice to three songs (check out the luminous fifth song "A Latex Ice Age"), and Ms Mark's bandmate Tolan McNeil engineered the proceedings. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "A Latex Ice Age"
MPEG Stream: "Time Destroys Its Plan At The Reactionary Table"

FROGS It's Only Right And Natural (Homestead) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another much anticipated Homstead re-issue from 1989, this is one of Andee's favorite albums of all time (unfortunately, sez Allan). So un-PC it's unbelievable. Source of the 'that was a good drum break' sample from Beck's song. A band who's high profile stems from their ridiculously high profile tours with the Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam, their bizarre antics (performing in blackface on Lollapalooza!) and their questionable politics (couched in supposed insanity/innocence) clouds the fact that they make some of the most wholly original and catchy, lush lo-fi pop. Ever. Almost entirely improvised in the studio, the Frogs create mini(mal) epics of love; locker room romance, auto accident lust, incest, pedophilia, man on man, woman on woman, man on 3 month old baby boy. Are the Frogs (two brothers, by the way) gay? Are they having sex with each other? Are they homophobic? Are they mentally ill? Are they pop music geniuses? Are they just annoying and dumb (a co-worker's assessment)? Does it really matter? Probably.

FROGS Racially Yours (4 Alarm Records) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is a tough one to describe. If you hate the Frogs already, stop right here, this record will not change your mind. In fact, it might even stoke the fires of your Frogs-hatred. But, musically, this is easily the best Frogs record. And I imagine some of you are scoffing, 'no mean feat, huh?' But their second, and best record, "It's Only Right and Natural", was a brilliant and catchy, completely improvised in the studio, folk pop masterpiece. Not only that, their queer obsessed, absurdist lyrics, had everyone asking, "Are they gay?" and/or, "Are they homophobic?", and especially, "Are they insane?" You either loved them and thought their peurile and juvenile humor was drop dead funny, or you hated them and were probably offended. Well.....
This is the legendary "Racially Yours" record, a record so steeped in controversy, that it is only now being released after 10 years. Although like past Frogs efforts, I'm not so sure the controversy is entirely justified. Musically, this record is amazingly lush and complex (for being recorded on a 4-track), bizarre arrangements, swirling organs, rollicking guitars, keening vocals and melodies that stick in your head like glue. But it's the lyrics...
This is the Frogs' labor of love, a record they worked on for years, a skewed but bizarrely passionate look at slavery and race relations in the United States. While "It's Only Right and Natural" their 'gay' record, was kind of silly and irreverent (which is what convinced people they were homophobes), "Racially Yours" is definitely an indictment of racism, with the Frogs frontman, singing from different perspectives: a slave, a slave trader, a paranoid racist, and so on. And the lyrics, paired with the amazing music, often results in some really intense moments. Now, I'm sure people will cry foul, since the Frogs' irreverence and lyrical absurdity are still present (and that is of course, unwelcome in any discussion of subjects this volatile). So if you like the Frogs, you will love this record, if you don't like the Frogs, and this all sounds like a recipe for pissing you off, you should definitely pass.
RealAudio clip: "Purification of The Race"
RealAudio clip: "Holidays 4 King"

FROGS, THE Bananimals (4 Alarm) cd 12.98

FROGS, THE Hopscotch Lollipop Sunday Surprise (Scratchie) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Uhh, meet the kinder, gentler Frogs. Someone must've washed their mouths out with industrial strength soap. I spent my first listen waiting for the pottymouth to start, but it never did (except for maybe a very brief moment or two, I mean, there's a great song called "Fuck Off"...). Perhaps the Frogs have devised this as a sneaky ploy to reel in unknowing listeners with their mellower T-Rex-esque sounds in preparation for their next release. On the one hand, a song called "Nipple Clamps", on the other, a Bob Dylan cover. And they even let us know that no rabbits were harmed in the of this record. Yep, it's the nice Frogs. That's what the title must mean.
RealAudio clip: "Fuck Off"

FROHMADER, PETER, & RICHARD PINHAS Fossil Culture (Cuneiform) cd 12.98
Classic Heldon guitar sound, rife with Frippisms, joined with Frohmader's heavy synthetic processing and electro rhythms. Almost like a drum n' bass "No Pussyfooting"?

FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES Abandon Your Friends (Vagrant) cd 12.98

FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES The Fiction We Live (Vagrant) cd 14.98
You would think a move to emo label Vagrant would temper the metal in FATA's metalcore, and it actually has, quite a bit. But fear not, the serpentine dual guitar harmonies, the downtuned half time chugging, the blazing double kick drums and the ultra-complex stop/start dynamics are still present and accounted for, but the production is WAY less metal, and the emo/clean singing parts are even MORE emo and happen WAY MORE often, which, if you know anything about the emo tolerance around here, is not necessarily a bad thing. And let's face it, FATA were pretty wussy/emo to begin with, which is part of the reson we dug them so much. The ultimate hybrid of brutal death metal and sweet whine-y boy pop. Well, they still embody that hybrid, but the scales are definitely leaning dramatically in the UNheavy direction. In fact this is less a metalcore record with melodic bits, and more an actual pop record but with metal bits. Like the Get Up Kids mixed with Coalesce or Sunny Day Real Estate with Slayer choruses. There's even one track that features drum machine, acoustic guitar and full on female vocals. Wow. But all that said, this is a pretty cool, pretty weird emo-pop record, where the 'loud' parts are actually full on METAL. And if you're anything like me that sounds pretty damn good.
MPEG Stream: "The After Dinner Payback"
MPEG Stream: "Milligram Smile"
MPEG Stream: "Autumn's Monologue"

FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES Too Bad You're Beautiful (Ferret Music) cd 13.98
There's been lots of talk about heartbreak around these parts, and the best break up records, and that sort of thing. Windy thinks the new Built To Spill record is the perfect breakup record, all bittersweet and caustic, but light and hopeful at the same time. That may be. But somehow, From Autumn to Ashes, which we first thought to be just a fucking great metalcore band, have come up with an equally effective breakup record, but from a different angle...the angle being that of a fifteen year old emokid/metalhead. And god damn if that isn't somehow just as appealing to a thirty one year old! These New York kids have chops. Like crazy. Bizarre stop/start rhythms and HUGE crushing riffs with intense grinding halftime breakdowns. All of this and totally melodic dual guitar leads too (a la Iron Maiden). And this crushing metallic attack is tempered by keening whiny boy vocals (think: Get Up Kids). Track two is straight up Iron Maiden, with an insanely catchy guitar hook, that breaks down into a brutal half time mosh, and then becomes a wailing emo loveletter, before it explodes again. But everything changes at track three. A mostly acoustic, 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' style eighties metal ballad, complete with hooks galore and a triumphant fist pumping final 30 seconds. But then a minute later, some of the sickest most furious metal comes spewing from the same fresh faced young punks that were trying to mend their broken hearts only minutes earlier. Track six starts with a sample of a girl talking about her heart being broken into a thousand pieces before the band rushes in, drowning out her cracking voice. And the final track finishes it off with a 10 minute epic, complete with furious metallic bursts of unbridled aggression butted up against gently strummed acoustic guitars, soaring strings, some weird almost Godspeed You Black Emperor parts and an instrumental breakdown with intensely delivered female vocals, all anguish and heartbreak (like a metal Rainer Maria) sounding a bit like Kate Bush or the girl from the Cranberries. The record winds down as she sings lines like 'The only reason you're here is to remind me of what I can't have' and 'Standing so close knowing that it kills me to breathe you in...' and 'It hurts so much, like choking down the embers of a great flame...choking....choking' and finishes with a 'Day In The Life' chord that trails off into nothing. Pretty intense and really original. Definitely for all the metalheads that read our list (especially the sensitive ones) and for those of you who love stuff like the Get Up Kids and Saves The Day and Reggie and The Full Effect and think you might be able to handle something a little harder. Completely Amazing.
RealAudio clip: "Mercury Rising"
RealAudio clip: "The Royal Crown vs Blue Duchess"
RealAudio clip: "Short Stories With Tragic Endings"

FROM BUBBLEGUM TO SKY Me And Amy And The Two French Boys (Eenie Meenie) cd 14.98
Sweet tooth alert! Here's the most recent album from the more than appropriately named From Bubblegum To Sky (aka Texan one man band Mario Hernandez formerly of Ciao Bella). Yes, bubblegum pop for everyone! Incredibly sunshiny, Saturday morning cartoon-y tunes with lots of du-wop-du-wops sung in high kiddie vocals a la Apples In Stereo. Okay, maybe this isn't for everyone but it sure is for fans of all things cute and perky.
RealAudio clip: "Major J"
RealAudio clip: "Hello Hello Hi"

FROM QUAGMIRE The Tropic of Barren (VHF) cd 13.98
From Quagmire performs their avant-folk improvisations with the same restraint and quietness as Tower Recordings, yet produce their recordings with a great deal more clarity. From Quagmire is a trio from Virginia, featuring members of the damaged rock ensemble Rake. Their songs are loosely based around the Jandekian plucks of a nylon-strung acoustic guitar and the hushed vocals of Dorothy Geller. They surround these broken Southern Gothic folksongs with unpredictable, yet quiet intrusions of gongs, drums, and violin (which sounds like it was strung with steel strings, giving the instrument a distinctly metallic resonance) moving from weeping Dirty Three territory into Tony Conrad-like squeals.
RealAudio clip: "Suite of Windmill and Sycamore"

FRONTIER Heater (Southern) cd 15.98
Dubby post-rock from Chicago, for folks who love the likes of Him and Tortoise. Packaged in a very lovely black red and silver swing-out cardboard wallet-type apparatus.

FRONTIER Suture (Perishable) cd 11.98
Not as celebrated as some Chicago post-rock bands, but better than most, that's Frontier and this is their latest, a remix album of sorts in which studio fragments/samples (found as bonus locked grooves on the vinyl version!) were given to a bunch of folks who've created a disc of motorik loops and synth bursts...at times recalling the work of Spacemen 3, at others Jim O'Rourke. One of the best tracks starts with a delightfully distorted Bill Clinton speech, before giving way to beats and drone.

FRONTIER Suture (Perishable) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not as celebrated as some Chicago post-rock bands, but better than most, that's Frontier and this is their latest, a remix album of sorts in which studio fragments/samples (found as bonus locked grooves on the vinyl version!) were given to a bunch of folks who've created a disc of motorik loops and synth bursts...at times recalling the work of Spacemen 3, at others Jim O'Rourke. One of the best tracks starts with a delightfully distorted Bill Clinton speech, before giving way to beats and drone.

FRONTIER 4 4 (Emperor Jones) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We thought this was supposed to be dubby Chicago post-rock but it actually sounds like a nature recording, lots of drones and nighttime sounds. Beautiful and unsettling.

FROST, EDITH It's A Game (Drag City) cd 14.98
Listenin' to Edith Frost's latest full length It's A Game sorta makes you wish she was your older sister, and a totally right-on one at that! Y'know, one you'd truly look up to with lots of stories to tell and frocks to share. Kind, patient, wise and warm... she and Olympia, WA's indie pop gal Lois seem like kindred spirits. Frost's voice is a comfort to hear, and her slightly folksy pop songs so uncomplicated and soothing. She just keeps getting better and better!
MPEG Stream: "It's A Game"
MPEG Stream: "What's The Use"

FROST, EDITH It's A Game (Drag City) lp 14.98
Listenin' to Edith Frost's latest full length It's A Game sorta makes you wish she was your older sister, and a totally right-on one at that! Y'know, one you'd truly look up to with lots of stories to tell and frocks to share. Kind, patient, wise and warm... she and Olympia, WA's indie pop gal Lois seem like kindred spirits. Frost's voice is a comfort to hear, and her slightly folksy pop songs so uncomplicated and soothing. She just keeps getting better and better!
MPEG Stream: "It's A Game"
MPEG Stream: "What's The Use"

FROST, EDITH Love Is Real (Drag City) cdep 4.98
Lovely single from AQ-fave Miss Frost. Beautiful and heartfelt, maybe like a less-neurotic Cat Power. Backed up by most of the Coctails (R.I.P.)!

FROST, EDITH Telescopic (Drag City) cd 13.98
Second and most ambitious full-length from this talented singer/songwriter.

FROST, EDITH Telescopic (Drag City) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Second and most ambitious full-length from this talented singer/songwriter.

FROST, EDITH Wonder Wonder (Drag City) cd 14.98
On this her third full length, Edith Frost's wonderful songwriting is in full bloom. Lush instrumentation provides the back drop to her sleepily melancholic melodies. Soft shades of country. Strangely her vocals edge a bit towards those of Liz Phair, but that is by no means a bad thing. She's once again joined by many a Chicago musical luminary: Rian Murphy, Archer Prewitt (the Sea & Cake), Mark Greenberg (Coctails), and Rick Rizzo (11th Dream Day) to name just a few.
RealAudio clip: "Cars and Parties"
RealAudio clip: "The Fear"
RealAudio clip: "Further"

FROST, THOMAS & RICHARD Visualize (Rev-ola) cd 16.98

FROSTED AMBASSADOR s/t (Kindercore Records) cd 12.98
Before Olivia Tremor Control, there was the Frosted Ambassador, making experimental, stumbling psyche-folk.

FROZEN CLOAK s/t (self-released) lp 12.98
When we first heard about Frozen Cloak, the way they were described to us, was: one of the guys from Reeks And The Wrecks doing black metal! WOAH! We knew we had to hear that. Well, we finally did, and guess what? That description was pretty much entirely NOT accurate, but the good news was, that the actual sound ended up being way more weird and warped and super cool.
Frozen Cloak are definitely buzzy, and dark, and heavy, but in some ways the sound's not all that removed from the weird and wonderful world of the Reeks. The guitars (two of em) are WAY blown out, thick and crunchy and dripping with buzz, the opening track takes that guitar and some cool chaotic drumming and locks it into a sort of loop, repetitive and circular and hypnotic and a bit like a heavier, buzzier Lungfish, a single glorious groovy riff, pounded out, over and over and over, a little bit doomy, definitely stonery, but lurching and groovy and metallic. The song after that is way more out there and abstract, the guitar reverbed and heavily effected, distortion so thick it's crumbling out of the speakers, murky, lo-fi, on the verge of collapsing into a total black hole, a sort of blackened folk flecked downtuned free drone freakout, but shot through with warbly melodies and buried rhythms, the record sort of balances between those two extremes, fuzzy, buzzy, repetitive metallic hypnorock groove, and woozy warped abstract chaotic free for all, the best moments of course being when the two collide.
There are horns now too apparently, not on this record, but can't wait to hear what sort of Reeks-like warble and wooz that'll add to their sound.
Like the Reeks before them, this is just really hard to do justice to with mere words, wish we could make sound samples, but you can check out their MySpace. Regardless, this is most definitely some gloriously off kilter outsider abstract heaviness, groovy and a little bit metal, super hypnotic and so fucking good. And anyone who loved the Reeks And The Wrecks will probably end up digging this bigtime too.
Pressed on milky clear vinyl, shot through here and there with little tendrils of color, housed in a thick full color jacked, with super cool images and very little actual info. WAY RECOMMENDED!

FRUIT BATS Echolocation (Perishable) cd 14.98
Members of the fairly interchangeable bands Califone, Red Red Meat, and Loftus along with a person or persons from Boxhead Ensemble. Described as "Gram Parsons meets Pavement" and I'd certainly agree with that. Light, unassuming indie twang.

FRUIT BATS Mouthfuls (Sub Pop) cd 14.98
Former members of AQ faves Califone and Orso prove the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree with their second album Mouthfuls. Not nearly as experimental as either of their previous outfits, the Fruit Bats play a catchy, jangly, sweet and melancholy, rootsy sort of indie folk. Great harmonies and plenty of hooks. Sweet and easy and good for you ears. Fans of Calexico, Califone, the Shins, Modest Mouse and the like will dig this like crazy.
MPEG Stream: "Rainbow Sign"
MPEG Stream: "A Bit Of Wind"

FRUIT BATS Spelled In Bones (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
While the last two Fruit Bats records were fairly pleasant slabs of folk flecked indie rock jangle, Spelled In Bones shows the band taking HUGE strides towards a bigger sound and better songs and a much more expansive sonic world. Described in almost every review as "the Shins meet Califone", The Fruit Bats have now managed to become more than that, definitely their own band, although the sonic referents to those two outfits certainly can't be ignored. Vocalist Eric Johnson's voice is eerily similar to the Shins' James Mercer, but where Mercer's vocals tend toward the ebullient and poptastically bombastic, the music following suit, Johnson tends toward the more melancholy occasionally slipping into a perfectly lovely falsetto, all over delicate piano and strummed minor key guitar, the jangle muted and subtle, with lap steel filigree giving the proceedings a lush, countrified feel. Spelled In Bones is modern yet completely classic sounding Pop with a capital P, draped with bits of country here and there, little bits of bedroom folk too, but all contributing to the record's perfect popiness. Songs so lilting and hooky you won't be able to get them out of your head. The sound of the Beatles is everywhere on this record for sure, but so is the sound of the Posies, the Wings, Iron And Wine, Broken Social Scene, Red Red Meat, Death Cab For Cutie, and yeah, even the Shins and Modest Mouse. So so good.
MPEG Stream: "Lives Of Crime"
MPEG Stream: "Silent Life"
MPEG Stream: "TV Waves"

FRUIT BATS Spelled In Bones (Sub Pop) lp 12.98
While the last two Fruit Bats records were fairly pleasant slabs of folk flecked indie rock jangle, Spelled In Bones shows the band taking HUGE strides towards a bigger sound and better songs and a much more expansive sonic world. Described in almost every review as "the Shins meet Califone", The Fruit Bats have now managed to become more than that, definitely their own band, although the sonic referents to those two outfits certainly can't be ignored. Vocalist Eric Johnson's voice is eerily similar to the Shins' James Mercer, but where Mercer's vocals tend toward the ebullient and poptastically bombastic, the music following suit, Johnson tends toward the more melancholy occasionally slipping into a perfectly lovely falsetto, all over delicate piano and strummed minor key guitar, the jangle muted and subtle, with lap steel filigree giving the proceedings a lush, countrified feel. Spelled In Bones is modern yet completely classic sounding Pop with a capital P, draped with bits of country here and there, little bits of bedroom folk too, but all contributing to the record's perfect popiness. Songs so lilting and hooky you won't be able to get them out of your head. The sound of the Beatles is everywhere on this record for sure, but so is the sound of the Posies, the Wings, Iron And Wine, Broken Social Scene, Red Red Meat, Death Cab For Cutie, and yeah, even the Shins and Modest Mouse. So so good.
MPEG Stream: "Lives Of Crime"
MPEG Stream: "Silent Life"
MPEG Stream: "TV Waves"