FUTURE BIBLE HEROES I'm Lonely (And I Love It) (Merge) cd-ep 11.98
After recording a 3-cd boxset of 69 love songs, what's a guy to do? If your name's Stephin Merritt, you hop right into one of your other musical incarnations and hit the dancefloor running. The Future Bible Heroes (not to be confused with his goth combo The Gothic Archies) deliver five straight-outta-the-'80s hi-energy hits ripe for some serious ass-shakin' (well, one's a bit of a slower number), but with lyrics like "... you left an empty room / a useless bed and a suicidal moon..." you know these are more tales of gutwrenching heartbreak and loneliness from the pen of Mr. Merritt. Here he is accompanied by Christopher Ewen on all instruments and joined on vocals by fellow Magnetic Field Claudia Gonson. Go on, dance your tears away.

FUTURE BIBLE HEROES Lonely Days (Slowriver) cdep 8.98
Attention Stephin Merritt fans! Here's a little slice of early Future Bible Heroes delight. Not to be confused with another EP from FBH out now, this one is called "Lonely Days" and was originally released in 1997, the other is a new remix collection called "Lonely Robot". Of these five songs, the standout is the final instrumental "Berlin On $10 A Day" - splendidly delicate and lovely - but the rest are pretty darn fine as well though. They include an alternate version of their tune "Hopeless", a cover of "Love Is Blue", and Mr. Merritt singing in Japanese on "How To Get Laid In Japan". We should also note that the title number first appeared on their "Memories Of Love" release.

FUTURE BIBLE HEROES Lonely Robot (Instinct) cd ep 11.98
Attention Stephin Merritt fans! Not to be confused with another similarly titled EP from FBH, this one is called "Lonely Robot" and is a brand new remix collection (fyi: the other is "Lonely Days" and was originally released in 1997). This 7-song EP features two new songs and five remixes of songs from their Eternal Youth album. Tackling the remix duties are FBH's own Christoper Ewen, Sunroof (not Matthew Bower's Sunrrof!, doing a fine minimal pulse rendition), Client, Soft Cell's Dave Ball (sooo dancefloor!) and Rob Rives (even more so!). Have to say, Ewen's reworking of "I'm A Vampire" into an extended mix actually fares much better than the original version. Maybe it's because the sorta clunky lyrics of the verses are a bit more obscured by the electronic dance melodies, and the ultra catchiness of the chorus is brought more to the front? Not really an essential FBH / Merritt release, but it does provide for a solid 39 minutes worth of mostly boogie fun with Claudia Gonson's lovely, droll vocals drifting in and out to sweeten the party atmosphere.
RealAudio clip: "The DJ From Outer Space"
RealAudio clip: "Losing Your Affection (Sunroof mix)"

FUTURE BIBLE HEROES Memories Of Love (Slow River) cd 15.98
New project featuring the talents of Stephin Merritt, he of Magnetic Fields and The Sixths fame!

FUTURE PILOT AKA Tiny Waves, Mighty Sea (Geographic) cd 17.98
Mr Future Pilot is a Scot of Indian ethnicity whose new record is on The Pastels' Geographic label (which hasn't released a bad record yet), and knowing all that, his new album sounds much like you'd expect. Super light, fresh, and unpretentious melodies are augmented with floaty vocals from several guests, including Isobel of Belle and Sebastian, Katrina of The Pastels, and most notably either Vinita Dade or Surita Gandhi (it's not clear which) who enhances the music with her gorgeous Indian singsongy style. Lovely, wistful melodic themes recur throughout the album, whether in the vocals, violin, or the soprano sax or the guitar, giving the album a sweet unity of tone. Long instrumental ragas alternate with joyous indie rock. Very, very pretty.
RealAudio clip: "Maid of the Loch"
RealAudio clip: "Witchi Tai To"
RealAudio clip: "Darahan"

FUTUREHEADS s/t (Sire) cd 14.98
I (Andee) was initially very resistant to this new strain of post punk new wave whatchamacallit. Bands doing their best to take Pere Ubu, Wire and all that sort of stuff and supercharge it. Interpol did a lot to change my mind, but then the legions of Interpol wannabees and punk-rock-bands-who-were-suddenly-funky-and-thus-hip-again almost cancelled out all my progress. Then came Franz Ferdinand, who initially I couldn't stand, but quickly came to love, and of course the Moving Units who I dug the first time I heard them. Now we have the Futureheads, who embody everything appealing about those other bands. Jagged angular guitars, throbbing bass lines, simple hypnotic almost-funky rhtyhms, shouty sloganeering vocals, and just fucking great songs! Sort of like Interpol mixed with the Strokes. Or a punkier Franz Ferdinand. Short and sharp, bouncy and totally catchy. I was definitely prepared to hate this band, just based on all the best-new-band hype, before I'd even heard them. But the second this hit the deck, I knew it was too good to hate. Recommended for fans of all the above bands was well as jaded fuckers like me who desperately wanted to hate all this stuff!
MPEG Stream: "Le Garage"
MPEG Stream: "Robot"
MPEG Stream: "A To B"

FUTUREHEADS, THE News And Tributes (Vagrant) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Yes/No"
MPEG Stream: "Cope"
MPEG Stream: "Fallout"

FUTUREHEADS, THE This Is Not The World (Nul Records) cd 14.98

FUTURIANS Play The Breathtaking Sounds Of Tivol (Soft Abuse) lathe cut 7" 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Managed to get a handful of these SUPER LIMITED lathe cut 7"s from New Zealand noise rockers the Futurians, and it's a doozy. Already they were a sludgey, garagey, noisy, a bit damaged, freaked out and arty, some mix of Chrome, the Stooges and the Brainbombs. If anything this 7"s pushes them even further out. Adding sheets of white noise distortion, some old school Butthole Surfers style vocal processing, and a production that barely surpasses tin can and twine through dictaphone, the band churn out a super repetitive hypnotic groove, the guitars not so much riffy as chunks of static, the drums a muffled barely there throb, the two elements that hold it all together, are the buzzing low end that pulses and throbs beneath the surface, seeming to fade out completely before exploding back into motion, a blackened rumble, and the vocals, a skipping, stuttering, hiccupping high end chirp, that almost sounds more like a malfunctioning synth than an actual human voice. The result is pretty fantastic though, a fucked up garage sludge noise rock wetdream, equal parts Buttholes, Siltbreeze, Brainbombs and shitgaze.
Hand painted sleeves, clear lathe, INSANELY LIMITED. Already out of print. We have 7 or 8. Don't blink...

FUTURIANS, THE Chaos Manner (Last Visible Dog) lp 9.98
We kinda forgot how much we love NZ noise rockers The Futurians, but within seconds of throwing this on, their latest, and first for Last Visible Dog (also LVD's first vinyl, and vinyl-only, release), we most definitely remembered. The band clobbering us with their buzzing lo-fi psychedelic minimal garage noiserock dronedirge crush, the guitars crusty and fuzzy and drenched in distortion and buzz, the vocals a buried yelp, the drums so distorted that they sometimes sound electronic, and the production, totally fried and in the red, with the sound seeming to continually shift from brittle and tinny, to murky and muddy, to fully blown out. So weirdly produced in fact, that much of this ends up sounding more avant and experimental than noisy and rocky. The sound is motorik and repetitive, tripped out and mesmeric, NZ style, like a krautrock Dead C or a noiserock Faust, tribal and trancelike, a few tracks are just wild tangles of psychedelic guitar noise, but others, like the final nearly sidelong track, are just total low fidelity outsider spacerock krautgarage bliss. Noisy, heavy, in the red, fucked up and so kick ass.
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES. Pressed on 80 gram vinyl, with super heavy jackets.

FUTURIANS, THE Exterminate (Pink Skulls) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Cottage-industry label boss Glenn Donaldson has been splitting his time between the avant-folk productions of Jewelled Antler and the distinctly noiser productions for his other label Pink Skulls, which he describes as being more "punk" than Jewelled Antler. Alongside the militant iconography of Teenage Panzerkorps, the belligerent hallucinations of Leafyard, and the boombox black metal of Dead Raven Choir, Donaldson's definition of punk is not the commonly accepted one. New Zealand's rock primitivists The Futurians add another facet to Donaldson's atypical vision for Pink Skulls. Hailing from the equally obscure, noise rock band Armpit, The Futurians are not a band that resolves any of their art rock songs, prefering to leave a jagged guitar line or a simple drum kit plod or a monomaniacal vocal chant as the only semblance of structure to scrabble through the post-Chome synth squiggles, bleary clattering sound, and general lo-fi ugliness. Think Gate's "Metric" with megaphone vocals delivered by a Lydia Lunch / Mark E. Smith hybrid, toss in The Troggs and Destroy All Monsters for even greater anti-rock references, and you'll come pretty close to The Futurians. For all of the 'fucked up' art rock bands that sound too calculated and too ironic for their own good, The Futurians with their semi-conscious narcolepsy through noise propulsion are a rare gem uncovered from a pile of shit. More please.
MPEG Stream: "Track 5"
MPEG Stream: "Track 6"
MPEG Stream: "Track 8"

FUTURIANS, THE Spock Ritual (Invisible Generation) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The last we heard from NZ sludgy noise rock outfit the Futurians was a long out of print cd-r released on Jewelled Antler offshoot label Pink Skulls waaaay back in 2003. We were pretty into it, a sort of monotone garage rock trudge, simple plodding drums, blown out fuzz guitar, vocals way way way down in the mix, bits of synth squiggle, a sort of Stooges, Chrome, Fall, Brainbombs chunk of lo-fi noise rock dirge.
Well, here we are almost 4 years later, and the Futurians' primitive stomp sounds as good as ever. In fact, it sounds way better than we remember it.
Simple and stripped down, each track is an endless looping riff, swathed in grungy guitar grrrr and tons of reverb, synths in there too it sounds like. but if anything, their sound got more blown out, more primitive, more skeletal, and somehow more filthy and fuzzy. And who can argue with that?
Like a caveman Dead C, these noiseniks, pound out a relentless slow motion krautrock groove, a simple riff ground forcibly into your skull, drums that don't so much swing as thud, over the top drift shards of damaged electronics, swooping alien synths, extra guitar noise. The vocals are usually lost in the skree and buzz, but occasionally, the vocals take center stage with frontwoman Beth Duckling howling and crooning, her voice drenched in effects, the vocals another layer in the Futurians dense barrage.
In addition to Beth, the Futurians also features a who's who of NZ underground rockers, Clayton Noone (Armpit, CJA), Stefan Neville (Pumice) and Antony Milton (PseudoArcana head honcho)
Limited to 300 copies, each hand numbered, packaged in a cool black and silver screened cardstock sleeve, with a color photo affixed to the inside...
MPEG Stream: "Battles"
MPEG Stream: "Own Your Science"
MPEG Stream: "Pure Green Blood"

FUXA 2000 (Rocket Girl) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It seems like a really long time since we've heard from Fuxa (or from fellow Michigan space rockers Windy & Carl, for that matter). During their hiatus, Fuxa have made a number of changes to their sound, most notably being the near abolition of rock, in favor of a clean drum machine sound standing way out in the mix as if these are to be electronica pieces, which could make sense in comparison to somebody like LTJ Bukem. Their signature psychedelic guitars and constant haze of washed out electronics make themselves known, but submit to the dominance of the rhythm. Fuxa's clean, measured "2000" sounds as if the Durutti Column were to release a trip hop album...
RealAudio clip: "Today"

FUXA 3 Field Rotation (Che) cd 12.98
"Spacey analog synth burbles wending their way outwards, floating, propulsive instrumental melodies." From Dearborn, Michigan.

FUXA Fuxa Commits Suicide (Mind Expansion) cd 9.98
Wow, haven't heard from Fuxa in awhile (hey, didn't we start another Fuxa review with a similar sentiment?). The Michigan space dreamers have never received as much attention as their peers, Windy and Carl, or Add N to (X), but maybe cuz their records are so few and far between. Well, it's always nice to hear from them, and their latest offering is this single which features a cover and collaboration with of all bands, Suicide!? Well, it sort of makes sense, doesn't it, as Suicide were a key bridge between minimalist punk and space rock. Fuxa with the help of Martin Rev along with Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500, Lun, Dean & Britta)and Sonic Boom (Spaceman 3, Spectrum) take on a gorgeous and driving retelling of Suicide's classic "Cheree" that sounds a bit like all of these bands combined. Hopefully, it won't be forever before a new Fuxa full length.
MPEG Stream: "Cheree (Richard Formby Mix)"
MPEG Stream: "Girl"

FUXA / ECTOGRAM Fuxa vs Ectogram (Ochre) cd 14.98
A split release between the two bands. Fuxa's entry is what you've come to expect, long drawn out melodic post-rock with vintage synth action. Welsh group Ectogram's contribution is the reason to buy this disc -- their repetitive groove will remind you of Stereolab, and the sing-song-y fragile female vocals sound ever so much like Pram. It's nice, if a bit pricey for 2 tracks.
RealAudio clip: ECTOGRAM "Opal soft green kumquat of the sun"

FUZZ AGAINST JUNK Netti Netti (Invada) cd 15.98

FUZZTONES LSD 25 (Get Back) cd + dvd 26.00

MPEG Stream: "Strychnine"
MPEG Stream: "Nine Months Later"
MPEG Stream: "She's My Witch"

FWY! Any Exit (Moon Glyoh) cassette 4.98
Moon Glyph is back with a new tape from aQ pal Glenn Donaldson (Skygreen Leopards, Thuja, Art Museums, Blithe Sons and Horrid Red). And this outfit's second release seems to be all about the nostalgia of freeway driving in Southern California and listening to tapes while gliding through a maze of freeways in the cool desert air. Half of aQ's staff probably can relate to that as many of us are transplants from the southern half of the state and while the reality of being stuck in traffic is no fantasy, some of us do miss driving the long freeways and canyons at night listening to our favorite tapes. With songs like "Irvine", "Orange Circle" "Sepulveda" and "Garden Grove", FWY! channel a motorik New Order vibe in extended instrumental synth jams that are both bright and moody with a languid romantic groove that's hard to resist. A real road trip!

FWY! s/t (Brave Mysteries) cassette 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another band featuring Glenn from Blithe Sons, Horrid Red, Skygreen Leopards, Art Museums, etc., etc.... etc., etc..... etc., etc.....

GABBY LA LA Be Careful What You Wish For (Prawnsong) cd 9.98

MPEG Stream: "Be Careful What You Wish For 'Cause It Might Come True"
MPEG Stream: "In Dreams"
MPEG Stream: "Little Fortune Cookie"

GABBY LA LA I Know You Know I Know (self-released) cd 9.98
Gabby La La is known in the Bay Area and beyond for her very imaginative and playful musical mind. She has played alongside folks like Les Claypool, who actually released her previous solo outing. I Know You Know I Know finds Gabby making all her beats and electronics with a Nintendo DS Lite as well as playing sitar, Theremin, ukulele and singing in her childlike voice. In fact the record sounds like it could be an awesome soundtrack for some new super cool psychedelic cartoon for kids...
MPEG Stream: "Alarm Clock"
MPEG Stream: "I Know You Know"
MPEG Stream: "Rainbows"

GAINSBOURG, CHARLOTTE 5:55 (Because / Vice) cd 15.98
5:55 is one of those chance musical meetings that end up sounding just oh so perfect. With music written and performed by Air, Jarvis Cocker penning the lyrics, Nigel Godrich (Radiohead) twisting the knobs and helping create a gorgeously warm and spacey atmosphere, Charlotte Gainsbourg brings all these elements together with her effortlessly beautiful voice, as dreamy as it is breezy. Having spent much of her life struggling to get out from the long shadow cast by her legendary father (Serge) and mother (Jane Birkin) her recent streak of great acting (The Science Of Sleep, Happily Ever After, Nuovomondo, etc.) and this, her most assured and rewarding recording to date, have helped her come into her own. While she sings primarily in English, there is a sole French track that is a soft melty treat that recalls the musical elegance and seduction of her parents' generation. An extra treat for Air fans of course as this plays out like a great Air record, which just so happens to feature Charlotte on vocals throughout. Finally available domestically at a much lower price then the sky high import and with some pretty great bonus tracks to boot. Very nice!
MPEG Stream: "5:55"
MPEG Stream: "The Songs That We Sing"

GAINSBOURG, CHARLOTTE IRM (Because / Elektra) 2lp 27.00
NOW ON VINYL!
The daughter of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, recording an album written and produced by Beck. The sum of those parts makes for some pretty irresistible and seductive sounds. Of course it's not fair to identify Charlotte Gainsbourg just by her famous parents, as she has established herself as a multitalented force over the years, as a model, a singer and an actress. Her performances in films such as Michel Gondry's The Science Of Sleep, Todd Hayne's I'm Not There, and most recently the latest disturbing offering from Lars Von Trier, Antichrist, has definitely demonstrated the range and intensity that Gainsbourg is capable of bringing as an actress. We won't go too much into it, but if you haven't seen Antichrist, its one of the most intense and disturbing performances we've ever seen on the big screen. We mention all these acting roles because Gainsbourg's role in music in so many ways is as a vessel. Transporting someone else's vision and production and making it her own.
On her last album 5:55, she teamed up with Air who wrote and produced, the end result dreamy and blissed out sensuality. It somehow makes perfect sense that now Beck has taken the reins, as he no doubt been strongly influenced by Charlotte's lineage, as much of his music, stylistic breadth, and fashion choices over the years are undeniably heavily influenced by the legacy of Serge Gainsbourg.
While Beck's trademark sound can be heard quite prominently throughout the record, especially on the tracks on which his vocals dominate, it's the more languid and moody tracks that shine, where Gainsbourg really takes center stage and makes the record her own. There is something both dark and soothing about her aura and vocal delivery. With full and lush arrangements as a bed for her entrancing voice, Gainsbourg once again proves she is an enigmatic chanteuse who has carved out an identity that is all her own.
MPEG Stream: "IRM"
MPEG Stream: "Le Chat Du Cafˇ Des Artistes"
MPEG Stream: "Heaven Can Wait"
MPEG Stream: "Voyage"

GAINSBOURG, CHARLOTTE Stage Whisper (Elektra) cd 17.98
Charlotte Gainsbourg has repeatedly demonstrated her facility as a unique and striking artist on her own, and not just as the daughter of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. Her work as an actress has intensified over the years, with her starring in the last two films by Lars Von Trier, including one of the most harrowing performances we've seen on the big screen in Antichrist. She collaborated with Air on her debut 5:55 and then with Beck on IRM. Both albums showcased her sensual and languid voice, over very well orchestrated music composed by folks well aware of her musical legacy.
Stage Whisper offers eight brand new songs, a handful of them find her teamed up with Beck again, and she's sounding as great as ever, with songs that make you just want to sway and get lost in their breezy sound. We're reminded of Taken By Trees, Beth Gibbons, and there are definitely moments that hints at her upbringing that echo Francoise Hardy and her mother.
The second half of the disc consists of 10 live tracks from her first ever tour, which took place in 2010. A few of us saw her concert in San Francisco on that tour, and after finding out that this was her first time ever playing live and hitting the road we were amazed by how tight and punchy her live sound was. Most of the live tracks come from her two proper albums, as well as her cover of Bob Dylan's "Just Like A Woman", and a standout duet with Charlie Fink of Noah & The Whale on the song "Got To Let Go".
Fans of her first two albums are going to want this for the new tracks, and for those who have been curious but haven't dived into her musical world yet, this would be an awesome introduction.
MPEG Stream: "White Telephone"
MPEG Stream: "Got To Let Go (Featuring Charlie Fink of Noah & The Whale)"
MPEG Stream: "IRM (Live)"

GAINSBOURG, SERGE Histoire De Melody Nelson (Light In The Attic) cd 14.98
Well it's about time!!!!!! After years of wallowing in the hazy convoluted mists of legend, hearsay, and hipster influence, only to be obtained through ultra expensive imports, rare bootlegs, or ripped vinyl blogs, this long unavailable but hugely influential work by Serge Gainsbourg finally sees its first domestic reissue almost forty years after its scandalous release.
You won't need a translator to understand the sublime perversity at the heart of this concept record, arguably Gainsbourg's most accomplished full studio album. Released in 1971, Histoire De Melody Nelson is a seven song suite about an underage English nymphet (the titular Melody Nelson) and the wealthy lecherous older Frenchman who, after nearly running over her in his Rolls Royce, takes her in, falls in love and eventually deflowers her. And of course, like most love stories, there is a tragic climax. While the story is largely lifted from Kubrick's cinematic version of Lolita, the concept was undertaken in actuality as a symphonic love letter to Jane Birken, the British actress and singer (she sings the part of Melody). Though, not underage when they began their affair, she was twenty years younger than Serge, and their relationship became controversial with the release of their 1969 duet "Je t'aime....mon non plus" (originally recorded with Brigitte Bardot) with its sounds of a simulated female orgasm.
But Melody Nelson is not only Gainsbourg's finest moment, its musical reputation would be nothing without the orchestral arrangements and progressive grooves of Jean-Claude Vannier (see our review of L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches, to get some highly praised background). The underlying score is less obviously song-oriented and more atmospheric than previous Gainsbourg outings, yet deceptively simple. The opening and closing tracks each at nearly eight minutes mirror each other with a sinewy descending bass groove and classic drum breaks (sampled heavily by De La Soul, David Holmes and Dan The Automator), which set the stage for acid-y guitar fills, swooning strings and Serge's own seductive speak-singing. The closing track ("Cargo Culte") ups the transcendent quality of the climax by adding a mass choir and full orchestra to the swirling tower of sound. In between these two tracks are shorter but artfully arranged pieces of folk-groove, French chanson, acid rock, and cinematic sonic bliss that move the story forward. It's one of those records that slowly grabs you, lures you into its spell, and eventually hooks you, so you'll want to keep listening to it over and over.
Though it was a flop on its initial release - Gainsbourg was largely a singles artist before this point, and the leap from that to concept album, especially one of this perverse nature, was perhaps too wide for French audiences - Histoire De Melody Nelson has gained a significant cult following over the years, perhaps reaching its greatest influence in the nineties with bands like Portishead (Dummy), Pulp (This is Hardcore), Massive Attack (Protection), Radiohead (The Bends), Air (Moon Safari), Blonde Redhead (Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons) and Beck (Sea Change), nearly lifting the basic sonic template of this album wholesale.
This awesome, nicely packaged reissue comes with a beautiful booklet of drawings, essays and interviews, outlining not only the full extent of the making of this amazing work, but charting its larger cultural impact as well.
Reissue of the year!
MPEG Stream: "Melody"
MPEG Stream: "Ballade De Melody Nelson"
MPEG Stream: "En Melody"

GALACTIC ZOO DOSSIER #6 (Drag City) magazine + 2cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Plastic Crimewave's immense, amazing psychedelic music zine (almost also a comic book 'cause it's all hand lettered and drawn, and does indeed include some underground comix, as well as a feature on "psychedelic superheroes"), the one and only Galactic Zoo Dossier, returns with issue number six!! This time, you'll find interviews with quite an odd/interesting assortment of folks: Vanilla Fudge, Keith Rowe (ex-AMM), John Renbourn, and Pip Proud. Plus features and bits on psychsters old and new and heavy and obscure including Acid Mothers Temple, Debris, Stackwaddy, Rodriguez, Edgar Broughton, Uriah Heep, The Lemon Drops, Exuma, The Outsiders, etc.
And, beyond the 'zine, you get the second set of Crimewave illustrated "Damaged Guitar Gods" trading cards -- including John DuCann (Atomic Rooster), Michael Yonkers, Wally Gonzalez (Juan De La Cruz), Davy Graham, Dorothy & Helen Wiggins (The Shaggs), Erik Brann (Iron Butterfly), Erkin Koray, BoAnders Persson (Trad Gras Och Stenar) and dozens more. Pretty darn cool. Plus, that's not all: there's also a freakin' double cd compilation entitled Ascension Days When We Rise: Ultra-Rare Avant/Psych/Garage 1960's-1990. It features Acid Mothers Temple, The Heads, Six Organs Of Admittance, Miminokoto, The Hototogisu, Oneida, Michael Karoli, and a bunch more, some we've never heard of before but are eager to check out. This 'zine is just such a "turn on" regarding the underground sounds obsessed about within. Something about everything in the magazine being handwritten not only gives it more of an organic, '60s psych vibe but also utterly underscores how much of a labor of love this is, just how incredibly ENTHUSIASTIC Plastic Crimewave and Co. are about this stuff. Right on.

GALACTIC ZOO DOSSIER #9 Summer 2012 (Drag City) magazine + cd 21.98
Yowza! At last, after 3 years, it's here, another huge, totally hand-lettered, profusely comix-illustrated, utterly enthused fanzine for all you psych rock and acid folk freeks!! You can see right away why it takes so long between issues. This ish, editor Plastic Crimewave and a host of like minded contributors bring us the dope on every cool thing they can think of... the Lollipop Shoppe, The Daily Flash, White Witch, The Moody Blues, John Berberian, John DuCann (RIP), Curtis Knight, Status Quo, Kak, and tons more. There's stuff on "Psychedelic Canada", on Texas acid punk (Red Crayola, The Golden Dawn...), country funk, and lotsa prog too (East Of Eden, Egg...).
And along with PCW & the GZD crew's ravings on such subjects, there's also interviews, including chats with Arthur Brown, Rodriguez, Black Widow, Mark Fry, and the Poppy Family, wow. In non-musical (but equally psychedelic) coverage, they examine a lot of freaky '60s comic book artwork too, from Mad Magazine to Marvel...
It all adds up to 112 action-packed pages that will keep you entertained for a long time. Plus, this comes with the usual thick sheaf of way-cool TRADING CARDS (Damaged Guitar Gods set #5, Astral Folk Goddesses set #3!), AND a free cd sampler of "unearthed expansive sounds 1968 - present", many unreleased garage rock obscurities, 23 tracks total, including a live jam from Japan's Mainliner!

GALAXIE 500 Copenhagen (RykoDisc) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A previously unreleased live performance, December 1990. We also have their other albums, now individually re-issued, for those who didn't want to go for the whole box-set.

GALAXIE 500 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste: 1987-1991 (Plexifilm) 2dvd 28.00
Thirteen years after the band's demise, patient Galaxie 500 fans receive a treasure trove of visual delights. This double dvd set features their four music videos, a television appearance, and live pro and fan footage from seven of their shows (Cambridge MA, Boston MA, Hollywood, Atlanta GA, London UK, and two here in San Francisco). The live clips were all hand-picked by the bandmembers, and we should note that there is repeat performances of some songs, but there's also a couple of unreleased numbers too. It's all topped off with a booklet packed with plentiful photos and a band interview with Yo La Tengo's James McNew.

GALAXIE 500 On Fire (RykoDisc) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We can't believe it's been 20 years since this trio (and their trio of albums) so gracefully touched our lives during the band's way too brief lifespan. Boy, does it make us feel old! But we can't complain too much as it's so awesome to see these three crucial records available once again! For those who may not know, Galaxie 500 was made up of core members, Damon Krukowski (drums), Naomi Yang (bass, vocals) and Dean Wareham (guitar, vocals), who are probably more well known now for the bands that formed in Galaxie 500's wake: Damon and Naomi, Luna, and Dean and Britta. Hailing from the mid-eighties Boston college rock scene (all three attended Harvard), Galaxie 500 were very different from The Pixies and Throwing Muses, who were the more prominent Boston bands at the time, favoring slower-paced reverbed drenched songs, big in sound but played with a minimalist economy. Influenced by later period Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, Young Marble Giants and early New Order (all of whom they covered), Galaxie 500's signature dream pop sound (courtesy of producer, Kramer, Bongwater frontman and head of the great Shimmy-Disc label) paved the way for both the shoegaze and slowcore scenes of the early nineties. In fact Kramer went on to produce Low's debut in 1994. After three great records for Rough Trade, Galaxie 500 parted ways less than amicably, with guitarist/vocalist Wareham unexpectedly leaving to form his own band Luna, leaving the rhythm section of Damon and Naomi to fend for themselves. While both parties went on to more successful musical ventures, none of them, at least for us, have quite replaced Galaxie 500's unparalleled pop majesty in our hearts.
On Fire was the band's 1989 follow-up to Today, and is widely considered their best album (though we love them all, and really find it hard to favor one in particular over the others). It's definitely their most varied yet most assured album. The songs have more blissed-out dynamics, without losing their understated verve. The instrumentation is augmented on a few songs by more acoustic guitar underlayers and moments of organ and even guest cameo Ralph Carney's tenor sax on "Decomposing Trees". But a noticeable standout is Naomi Yang singing on "Another Day", a soft gauzy highlight on an already stellar album. If there were any longstanding regrets about this band among fans, the big one would be we wished she got to sing more. The cover song this time goes to George Harrison's "Isn't It A Pity", a sentiment that extends way past Harrison's original intent and hovers over this band like a ghost. The cd version includes all the tracks from the Blue Thunder EP.

GALAXIE 500 On Fire (20/20/20) lp 15.98
We can't believe it's been 20 years since this trio (and their trio of albums) so gracefully touched our lives during the band's way too brief lifespan. Boy, does it make us feel old! But we can't complain too much as it's so awesome to see these three crucial records available on vinyl once again! For those who may not know, Galaxie 500 was made up of core members Damon Krukowski (drums), Naomi Yang (bass, vocals) and Dean Wareham (guitar, vocals), who are probably more well known now for the bands that formed in Galaxie 500's wake: Damon and Naomi, Luna, and Dean and Britta.
Hailing from the mid-eighties Boston college rock scene (all three attended Harvard), Galaxie 500 were very different from The Pixies and Throwing Muses, who were the more prominent Boston bands at the time, favoring slower-paced reverbed drenched songs, big in sound but played with a minimalist economy. Influenced by later period Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, Young Marble Giants and early New Order (all of whom they covered), Galaxie 500's signature dream pop sound (courtesy of producer Kramer, Bongwater frontman and head of the great Shimmy-Disc label) paved the way for both the shoegaze and slowcore scenes of the early nineties. In fact Kramer went on to produce Low's debut in 1994. After three great records for Rough Trade, Galaxie 500 parted ways less than amicably, with guitarist/vocalist Wareham unexpectedly quitting to form his own band Luna, leaving the rhythm section of Damon and Naomi to fend for themselves. While both parties went on to more successful ventures, none of them have quite replaced Galaxie 500's unparalleled pop majesty in our hearts.
On Fire was the band's 1989 follow-up to Today, and is widely considered their best album (though we love them all, and really find it hard to favor one in particular over the others). It's definitely their most varied yet most assured album. The songs have more blissed-out dynamics, without losing their understated verve. The instrumentation is augmented on a few songs by more acoustic guitar underlayers and moments of organ and even guest cameo Ralph Carney's tenor sax on "Decomposing Trees". But a noticeable standout is Naomi Yang singing on "Another Day", a soft gauzy highlight on an already stellar album. If there were any longstanding regrets about this band among fans, the big one would be we wished she got to sing more. The cover song this time goes to George Harrison's "Isn't It A Pity", a sentiment that extends way past Harrison's original intent and hovers over this band like a ghost.

GALAXIE 500 On Fire / Peel Sessions (20/20/20) 2cd 15.98
Once more with feeling! All three of Galaxie 500's classic studio albums have been affordably reissued each with a bonus disc of one of their previously released post-breakup rarities collections: Uncollected, The Peel Sessions and the live Copenhagen cd. Here's what we recently said about them:
We can't believe it's been 20 years since this trio (and their trio of albums) so gracefully touched our lives during the band's way too brief lifespan. Boy, does it make us feel old! But we can't complain too much as it's so awesome to see these three crucial records available once again! For those who may not know, Galaxie 500 was made up of core members, Damon Krukowski (drums), Naomi Yang (bass, vocals) and Dean Wareham (guitar, vocals), who are probably more well known now for the bands that formed in Galaxie 500's wake: Damon and Naomi, Luna, and Dean and Britta. Hailing from the mid-eighties Boston college rock scene (all three attended Harvard), Galaxie 500 were very different from The Pixies and Throwing Muses, who were the more prominent Boston bands at the time, favoring slower-paced reverbed drenched songs, big in sound but played with a minimalist economy. Influenced by later period Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, Young Marble Giants and early New Order (all of whom they covered), Galaxie 500's signature dream pop sound (courtesy of producer, Kramer, Bongwater frontman and head of the great Shimmy-Disc label) paved the way for both the shoegaze and slowcore scenes of the early nineties. In fact Kramer went on to produce Low's debut in 1994. After three great records for Rough Trade, Galaxie 500 parted ways less than amicably, with guitarist/vocalist Wareham unexpectedly leaving to form his own band Luna, leaving the rhythm section of Damon and Naomi to fend for themselves. While both parties went on to more successful musical ventures, none of them, at least for us, have quite replaced Galaxie 500's unparalleled pop majesty in our hearts.
On Fire was the band's 1989 follow-up to Today, and is widely considered their best album (though we love them all, and really find it hard to favor one in particular over the others). It's definitely their most varied yet most assured album. The songs have more blissed-out dynamics, without losing their understated verve. The instrumentation is augmented on a few songs by more acoustic guitar underlayers and moments of organ and even guest cameo Ralph Carney's tenor sax on "Decomposing Trees". But a noticeable standout is Naomi Yang singing on "Another Day", a soft gauzy highlight on an already stellar album. If there were any longstanding regrets about this band among fans, the big one would be we wished she got to sing more. The cover song this time goes to George Harrison's "Isn't It A Pity", a sentiment that extends way past Harrison's original intent and hovers over this band like a ghost. The cd version includes all the tracks from the Blue Thunder EP, including the stellar New Order/Joy Division cover, "Ceremony".
On Fire is paired with The Peel Sessions and the band were as dreamy as ever when they stopped by John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show for these sessions back in 1989 and 1990. These eight tracks were compiled from those two visits - the first four were recorded 10/30/90 and the second were from 09/24/89. Included are a few tasty covers of tunes by Young Marble Giants ("Final Day"), Buffy Sainte-Marie ("Moonshot"), The Sex Pistols (Submission), and another version of Jonathan Richman ("Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste") as well as four tracks from the On Fire album.
MPEG Stream: "When Will You Come Home"
MPEG Stream: "Another Day"
MPEG Stream: "Ceremony"
MPEG Stream: "Final Day"
MPEG Stream: "Moonshot"

GALAXIE 500 Peel Sessions (20 20 20) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Whoa, this really takes us back! Seminal dream pop band Galaxie 500 were as dreamy as ever when they stopped by John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show for these sessions back in 1989 and 1990. These eight tracks were compiled from those two visits -- the first four were recorded 10/30/90 and the second were from 09/24/89. Included are a few tasty covers of tunes by Young Marble Giants ("Final Days"), Buffy Sainte-Marie ("Moonshot") and Jonathan Richman("Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste").
MPEG Stream: "Final Day"
MPEG Stream: "Moonshot"

GALAXIE 500 The Portable... (RykoDisc) cd 15.98
A selection of twelve of Galaxie 500's finest recordings, gathered from their four albums and the Galaxie 500 box set... & the CD-rom track is the video of "Blue Thunder".

GALAXIE 500 This Is Our Music (RykoDisc) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We can't believe it's been 20 years since this trio (and their trio of albums) so gracefully touched our lives during the band's way too brief lifespan. Boy, does it make us feel old! But we can't complain too much as it's so awesome to see these three crucial records available once again! For those who may not know, Galaxie 500 was made up of core members, Damon Krukowski (drums), Naomi Yang (bass, vocals) and Dean Wareham (guitar, vocals), who are probably more well known now for the bands that formed in Galaxie 500's wake: Damon and Naomi, Luna, and Dean and Britta. Hailing from the mid-eighties Boston college rock scene (all three attended Harvard), Galaxie 500 were very different from The Pixies and Throwing Muses, who were the more prominent Boston bands at the time, favoring slower-paced reverbed drenched songs, big in sound but played with a minimalist economy. Influenced by later period Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, Young Marble Giants and early New Order (all of whom they covered), Galaxie 500's signature dream pop sound (courtesy of producer, Kramer, Bongwater frontman and head of the great Shimmy-Disc label) paved the way for both the shoegaze and slowcore scenes of the early nineties. In fact Kramer went on to produce Low's debut in 1994. After three great records for Rough Trade, Galaxie 500 parted ways less than amicably, with guitarist/vocalist Wareham unexpectedly leaving to form his own band Luna, leaving the rhythm section of Damon and Naomi to fend for themselves. While both parties went on to more successful musical ventures, none of them, at least for us, have quite replaced Galaxie 500's unparalleled pop majesty in our hearts.
This Is Our Music from 1990 wasn't planned as a final album, as the band seemed to be striving for larger recognition with their most accomplished and widely-received record. The opener "Fourth of July" (which was also the single) leaps out with a charge more than any of their other opening songs. Yet most of the rest of the songs are sublimely slow beautiful bummers, with more noticeable shoegazey shimmer. Of course, the centerpiece, yet again is another gorgeous cover. This time it's Yoko Ono's "Listen, The Snow Is Falling". Sung by Yang, the band expands upon a simple original with a stretched out epic instrumental climax. The final track, "King of Spain, Part Two", a kind of follow-up to the b-side of their first single, brings the band around full circle, as the song seems to drift off into the sunset. You couldn't plan a more perfect note for a band like Galaxie 500 to end on. The cd features the Fourth of July single and B-side as bonus tracks.

GALAXIE 500 This Is Our Music (20/20/20) lp 15.98
We can't believe it's been 20 years since this trio (and their trio of albums) so gracefully touched our lives during the band's way too brief lifespan. Boy, does it make us feel old! But we can't complain too much as it's so awesome to see these three crucial records available on vinyl once again! For those who may not know, Galaxie 500 was made up of core members Damon Krukowski (drums), Naomi Yang (bass, vocals) and Dean Wareham (guitar, vocals), who are probably more well known now for the bands that formed in Galaxie 500's wake: Damon and Naomi, Luna, and Dean and Britta.
Hailing from the mid-eighties Boston college rock scene (all three attended Harvard), Galaxie 500 were very different from The Pixies and Throwing Muses, who were the more prominent Boston bands at the time, favoring slower-paced reverbed drenched songs, big in sound but played with a minimalist economy. Influenced by later period Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, Young Marble Giants and early New Order (all of whom they covered), Galaxie 500's signature dream pop sound (courtesy of producer Kramer, Bongwater frontman and head of the great Shimmy-Disc label) paved the way for both the shoegaze and slowcore scenes of the early nineties. In fact Kramer went on to produce Low's debut in 1994. After three great records for Rough Trade, Galaxie 500 parted ways less than amicably, with guitarist/vocalist Wareham unexpectedly quitting to form his own band Luna, leaving the rhythm section of Damon and Naomi to fend for themselves. While both parties went on to more successful ventures, none of them have quite replaced Galaxie 500's unparalleled pop majesty in our hearts.
This Is Our Music from 1990 wasn't planned as a final album, as the band seemed to be striving for larger recognition with their most accomplished and widely-received record. The opener "Fourth of July" (which was also the single) leaps out with a charge more than any of their other opening songs. Yet most of the rest of the songs are sublimely slow beautiful bummers, with more noticeable shoegazey shimmer. Of course, the centerpiece, yet again is another gorgeous cover. This time it's Yoko Ono's "Listen, The Snow Is Falling". Sung by Yang, the band expands upon a simple original with a stretched out epic instrumental climax. The final track, "King of Spain, Part Two", a kind of follow-up to the b-side of their first single, brings the band around full circle, as the song seems to drift off into the sunset. You couldn't plan a more perfect note for a band like Galaxie 500 to end on.

GALAXIE 500 This Is Our Music / Copenhagen (20/20/20) 2cd 15.98
Once more with feeling! All three of Galaxie 500's classic studio albums have been affordably reissued each with a bonus disc of one of their previously released post-breakup rarities collections: Uncollected, The Peel Sessions and the live Copenhagen cd. Here's what we recently said about them:
We can't believe it's been 20 years since this trio (and their trio of albums) so gracefully touched our lives during the band's way too brief lifespan. Boy, does it make us feel old! But we can't complain too much as it's so awesome to see these three crucial records available once again! For those who may not know, Galaxie 500 was made up of core members, Damon Krukowski (drums), Naomi Yang (bass, vocals) and Dean Wareham (guitar, vocals), who are probably more well known now for the bands that formed in Galaxie 500's wake: Damon and Naomi, Luna, and Dean and Britta. Hailing from the mid-eighties Boston college rock scene (all three attended Harvard), Galaxie 500 were very different from The Pixies and Throwing Muses, who were the more prominent Boston bands at the time, favoring slower-paced reverbed drenched songs, big in sound but played with a minimalist economy. Influenced by later period Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, Young Marble Giants and early New Order (all of whom they covered), Galaxie 500's signature dream pop sound (courtesy of producer, Kramer, Bongwater frontman and head of the great Shimmy-Disc label) paved the way for both the shoegaze and slowcore scenes of the early nineties. In fact Kramer went on to produce Low's debut in 1994. After three great records for Rough Trade, Galaxie 500 parted ways less than amicably, with guitarist/vocalist Wareham unexpectedly leaving to form his own band Luna, leaving the rhythm section of Damon and Naomi to fend for themselves. While both parties went on to more successful musical ventures, none of them, at least for us, have quite replaced Galaxie 500's unparalleled pop majesty in our hearts.
This Is Our Music from 1990 wasn't planned as a final album, as the band seemed to be striving for larger recognition with their most accomplished and widely-received record. The opener "Fourth of July" (which was also the single) leaps out with a charge more than any of their other opening songs. Yet most of the rest of the songs are sublimely slow beautiful bummers, with more noticeable shoegazey shimmer. Of course, the centerpiece, yet again is another gorgeous cover. This time it's Yoko Ono's "Listen, The Snow Is Falling". Sung by Yang, the band expands upon a simple original with a stretched out epic instrumental climax. The final track, "King of Spain, Part Two", a kind of reprised follow-up to the B-side of their first single, brings the band around full circle, as the song seems to drift off into the sunset. You couldn't plan a more perfect note for a band like Galaxie 500 to end on. The cd features the Fourth of July single and B-side, VU's "Here She Comes Now", as bonus tracks.
Paired with This Is Our Music is the live Copenhagen disc from a performance in December 1990 recorded by the Danish National Radio. I, (Scott) saw them on this tour (their biggest but sadly their last) in support of the Cocteau Twins, and needless to say, they slayed! The proof is right here!
MPEG Stream: "Fourth of July"
MPEG Stream: "Listen, The Snow Is Falling"
MPEG Stream: "King of Spain pt. 2"
MPEG Stream: "Here She Comes Now (Live)"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste (Live)"

GALAXIE 500 Today (Rykodisc) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We can't believe it's been 20 years since this trio (and their trio of albums) so gracefully touched our lives during the band's way too brief lifespan. Boy, does it make us feel old! But we can't complain too much as it's so awesome to see these three crucial records available once again! For those who may not know, Galaxie 500 was made up of core members, Damon Krukowski (drums), Naomi Yang (bass, vocals) and Dean Wareham (guitar, vocals), who are probably more well known now for the bands that formed in Galaxie 500's wake: Damon and Naomi, Luna, and Dean and Britta. Hailing from the mid-eighties Boston college rock scene (all three attended Harvard), Galaxie 500 were very different from The Pixies and Throwing Muses, who were the more prominent Boston bands at the time, favoring slower-paced reverbed drenched songs, big in sound but played with a minimalist economy. Influenced by later period Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, Young Marble Giants and early New Order (all of whom they covered), Galaxie 500's signature dream pop sound (courtesy of producer, Kramer, Bongwater frontman and head of the great Shimmy-Disc label) paved the way for both the shoegaze and slowcore scenes of the early nineties. In fact Kramer went on to produce Low's debut in 1994. After three great records for Rough Trade, Galaxie 500 parted ways less than amicably, with guitarist/vocalist Wareham unexpectedly leaving to form his own band Luna, leaving the rhythm section of Damon and Naomi to fend for themselves. While both parties went on to more successful musical ventures, none of them, at least for us, have quite replaced Galaxie 500's unparalleled pop majesty in our hearts.
Today was Galaxie 500's 1988 debut, and it's a slow burning paean to the more unstable sides of love and patient resolve. The eliptical rhythm section smoulders and intensifies without ever fully "rocking out" while the warm guitarwork strums over the top occasionally veering into understated solos. But Wareham's forlorn low-key vocals with clever but enigmatically simple songwriting is what ties the songs together. The centerpiece of the album however is their cover of Jonathan Richman's "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste". The original version being a short, acapella, almost spoken poem, in Galaxie 500's hands, it becomes a simmering epic as they bookend the singing with forceful driving instrumental passages, sounding like something the early Velvets would have come up with. The final song, "Tugboat" was also their first single, (the cd version includes the b-side, "King of Spain" as a bonus track) and nicely sets up of what this band is all about: lonely and introspective but decisive, leading and in full control.
MPEG Stream: "Flowers"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste"
MPEG Stream: "Oblivious"

GALAXIE 500 Today (20/20/20) lp 15.98
We can't believe it's been 20 years since this trio (and their trio of albums) so gracefully touched our lives during the band's way too brief lifespan. Boy, does it make us feel old! But we can't complain too much as it's so awesome to see these three crucial records available on vinyl once again! For those who may not know, Galaxie 500 was made up of core members Damon Krukowski (drums), Naomi Yang (bass, vocals) and Dean Wareham (guitar, vocals), who are probably more well known now for the bands that formed in Galaxie 500's wake: Damon and Naomi, Luna, and Dean and Britta.
Hailing from the mid-eighties Boston college rock scene (all three attended Harvard), Galaxie 500 were very different from The Pixies and Throwing Muses, who were the more prominent Boston bands at the time, favoring slower-paced reverbed drenched songs, big in sound but played with a minimalist economy. Influenced by later period Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, Young Marble Giants and early New Order (all of whom they covered), Galaxie 500's signature dream pop sound (courtesy of producer Kramer, Bongwater frontman and head of the great Shimmy-Disc label) paved the way for both the shoegaze and slowcore scenes of the early nineties. In fact Kramer went on to produce Low's debut in 1994. After three great records for Rough Trade, Galaxie 500 parted ways less than amicably, with guitarist/vocalist Wareham unexpectedly quitting to form his own band Luna, leaving the rhythm section of Damon and Naomi to fend for themselves. While both parties went on to more successful ventures, none of them have quite replaced Galaxie 500's unparalleled pop majesty in our hearts.
Today was Galaxie 500's 1988 debut, and it's a slow burning paean to the more unstable sides of love and patient resolve. The elliptical rhythm section smolders and intensifies without ever fully "rocking out" while the warm guitar work strums over the top occasionally veering into understated solos. But Wareham's forlorn low-key vocals with clever but enigmatically simple songwriting is what ties the songs together. The centerpiece of the album however is their cover of Jonathan Richman's "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste". The original version being a short, a capella, almost spoken poem, in Galaxie 500's hands, it becomes a simmering epic as they bookend the singing with forceful driving instrumental passages, sounding like something the early Velvets would have come up with. The final song, "Tugboat" was also their first single, and nicely sets up of what this band is all about: lonely and introspective but decisive, leading and in full control.

GALAXIE 500 Today / Uncollected (20/20/20) 2cd 15.98
Once more with feeling! All three of Galaxie 500's classic studio albums have been affordably reissued each with a bonus disc of one of their previously released post-breakup rarity collections: Uncollected, The Peel Sessions and the live Copenhagen cd. Here's what we recently said about them:
We can't believe it's been 20 years since this trio (and their trio of albums) so gracefully touched our lives during the band's way too brief lifespan. Boy, does it make us feel old! But we can't complain too much as it's so awesome to see these three crucial records available once again! For those who may not know, Galaxie 500 was made up of core members Damon Krukowski (drums), Naomi Yang (bass, vocals) and Dean Wareham (guitar, vocals), who are probably more well known now for the bands that formed in Galaxie 500's wake: Damon and Naomi, Luna, and Dean and Britta.
Hailing from the mid-eighties Boston college rock scene (all three attended Harvard), Galaxie 500 were very different from The Pixies and Throwing Muses, who were the more prominent Boston bands at the time, favoring slower-paced reverbed drenched songs, big in sound but played with a minimalist economy. Influenced by later period Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, Young Marble Giants and early New Order (all of whom they covered), Galaxie 500's signature dream pop sound (courtesy of producer Kramer, Bongwater frontman and head of the great Shimmy-Disc label) paved the way for both the shoegaze and slowcore scenes of the early nineties. In fact Kramer went on to produce Low's debut in 1994. After three great records for Rough Trade, Galaxie 500 parted ways less than amicably, with guitarist/vocalist Wareham unexpectedly quitting to form his own band Luna, leaving the rhythm section of Damon and Naomi to fend for themselves. While both parties went on to more successful ventures, none of them have quite replaced Galaxie 500's unparalleled pop majesty in our hearts.
Today was Galaxie 500's 1988 debut, and it's a slow burning paean to the more unstable sides of love and patient resolve. The elliptical rhythm section smolders and intensifies without ever fully "rocking out" while the warm guitar work strums over the top occasionally veering into understated solos. But Wareham's forlorn low-key vocals with clever but enigmatically simple songwriting is what ties the songs together. The centerpiece of the album is their cover of Jonathan Richman's "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste". The original version being a short, a capella, almost spoken poem, in Galaxie 500's hands, it becomes a simmering epic as they bookend the singing with forceful driving instrumental passages, sounding like something the early Velvets would have come up with. The final song, "King of Spain" was also their first single, and nicely sets up of what this band is all about: lonely and introspective but decisive, leading and in full control.
Today is paired up with with what almost could be considered a lost record, Uncollected: Rarities and Outtakes 1987-1990. Originally compiled for the G500 box set and then released individually, it's a 14-song rarities collection that includes their loving covers of songs by Jonathan Richman (an alternate version of "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste"), Young Marble Giants ("Final Day"), The Rutles ("Cheese and Onions") and The Beatles ("Rain"), as well as nine originals not on any other album. Uncollected serves as a great overview for newcomers to the enduring, wonderful, shimmering dream pop songs of these short-lived, long-disbanded, indie rock deities.
MPEG Stream: "Flowers"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste"
MPEG Stream: "Oblivious"
MPEG Stream: "Final Day"
MPEG Stream: "I Can't Believe It's Me"

GALAXIE 500 Uncollected (RykoDisc) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It sure is a great season for fans of Galaxie 500! Hot on the heels of the fine double-dvd retrospective "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste: 1987-1991" comes the individual cd release of Uncollected (originally compiled for the G500 box set). It's a 14-song rarities collection that includes their loving covers of songs by Jonathan Richman, Young Marble Giants, The Rutles and The Beatles as well as the added attraction of their "Blue Thunder" video. Uncollected serves as a great overview for newcomers to the enduring, wonderful, shimmering dream pop songs of these short-lived, long-disbanded, indie rock deities.
MPEG Stream: "Final Day"
MPEG Stream: "I Can't Believe It's Me"

GALBRAITH / NEILSON / YOUNGS Belsayer (Time-Lag) lp 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Totally mind blowing collaboration between three masters of drone / raga / free / folk / noise. New Zealander Alastair Galbraith is a long time AQ fave as is the UK's Richard Youngs. Alex Neilson while not an instantly recognizable name in his own right, has played on oodles of amazing records (including some by Matt Valentine, Taurpis Tula) and you may recognize his name due to the fact that he and Mr. Youngs were the back up band for Jandek at his first ever live performance! None of that has very much to do with this, two sides of incredibly dreamy modern folk raga. Lighter than air swirls of falsetto vocals drift and shimmer, harmonies slowly shifting, all over a long slow drawn out ur-drone, constructed from buzzing steel strings, bits of percussion, warbling synthesizers, spaced out effects, electronic buzz and glitch, strummed guitars get stretched into fuzzy blurs, melodies float by in the distance, chimes tinkle and sparkle, almost the whole disc is made up of languorous, lazy stretches of dreamlike sound, EXCEPT for the opening and closing tracks on side 2, when some wild drumming is introduced, and the FX levels get pushed all the way into the red, and what was once tranquil bliss, is transformed into a snarling, chaotic super tripped out space rock.
Packaged in beautiful simple full color offset printed and debossed sleeves, with deluxe debossed inserts, LIMITED TO 900 COPIES, each insert has the record's number debossed along with of the liner notes, pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl!

GALBRAITH, ALASTAIR Cry (Emperor Jones) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The fourth solo album from New Zealander Alastair Galbraith is a stunner. Rarely has music this experimental been so ACCESSIBLE. But that's genius at work, folks, right here. "Cry" mixes pastoral folk drones with muted electric guitar outbursts, ominous organ rumblings, and Alastair's sung poetry. It's super pretty and quiet and haunting and we highly recommend it. Even if you've never heard this veteran of the Kiwi music scene's records before, this is a fine, fine place to start.
RealAudio clip: "Bellbird"

GALBRAITH, ALASTAIR Cry (MIE) lp 24.00
Originally released on cd by the now we believe defunct Emperor Jones label in the year 2000, this, the fourth solo album from New Zealander Alastair Galbraith (A Handful Of Dust, The Rip, Plagal Grind), is a stunner. Rarely has music this experimental been so ACCESSIBLE. But that's genius at work, folks, right here. "Recorded onto TEAC-4 track in a shed at Taieri Mouth between 1998 and 2000", Cry mixes pastoral folk drones with muted electric guitar outbursts, ominous organ rumblings, and Alastair's sung poetry. It's super pretty and quiet and haunting and we highly recommend it. Even if you've never heard this veteran of the Kiwi music scene's records before, this is a fine, fine place to start. A favorite ever since we first reviewed the compact disc version way back on list #99! So glad UK import label MIE has granted this new life, and for the first time on vinyl - which is limited to 500 copies, and comes with a download code.
MPEG Stream: "Bellbird"
MPEG Stream: "Meatwork"
MPEG Stream: "Wish"
MPEG Stream: "Full Soup Head"

GALBRAITH, ALASTAIR Head Soup Dream/From the Empire (Crawlspace) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Limited to 200 numbered copies, this is two new instrumentals from New Zealand's respected experimentalist.

GALBRAITH, ALASTAIR Mass (Siltbreeze) lp 15.98
The return of long time fave Alastair Galbraith, and when we say long time, we mean like 20 YEARS long time! Back in the nineties, when aQuarius was in its old, tiny, under the stairs previous Noe Valley location, we were one of the few places in the US to get weird music from New Zealand. Labels like Flying Nun, Xpressway, groups like the Dead C, the 3Ds, Tall Dwarfs, This Kind Of Punishment, Bailter Space, Wreck Small Speakers On Expensive Stereos, The Chills, Pin Group, etc... and of course Galbraith, solo, and in his 'band' Handful Of Dust with Bruce Russell of the Dead C and Peter Stapleton. When we helped set up the Terrastock West festival back in 1998, Galbraith performed an incredible set, but is probably more remembered for buying an inflatable dinghy, and going rowing in the San Francisco Bay!
It's only been a few years since Galbraith's last solo album, the gorgeous Orb, which was his first in years, but we're pleased he seems to be on a more consistent release schedule, cuz as much as we love his various collaborations over the last few years (especially his Long Wires In Dark Museums series with Matt De Gennaro), it's his solo records that really hit the spot for us. Dark and mysterious, intimate and abstract, playful and bizarre, moody and melodic, flitting from perfect pop to what the fuck experimentation and back again. And on Mass it's no different. Another ultra varied collection of fracture home brewed pop experimentation, that for all it's mysterious digressions and clashing styles, somehow flows perfectly as a sprawling and gloriously confusional and cohesive album.
Backwards guitars swoop and flutter, beneath wheezing organs, mumbled vocals drift on smoldering streaks of muted feedback, abstract percussion, plucked folky melodies, field recordings and fractured effects all intersect in some weird sort of lo-fi Morricone soundtrack styled minimalism, Galbraith's beautiful croon slips dreamily around reversed steel string guitars, multitracked into lovely harmonies, thick swaths of buzz pulse and throb almost like a 4-tracked SUNNO))), pump organs groan beneath sweet sing songy vocals, before the vocals flip backwards and are draped over skeletal acoustic guitars, the layered voices creating impossibly pretty backwards harmonies, simple percussion, detuned bass buzz, tinkling lullaby like melodies, stumbling Dead C like noise rock, bleating horns, soundtracky drifts, thick undulating guitardrones, symphonies of high pitched chimes, tolling bells, constantly shifting production, most of the songs barely cracking a minute, only 7 breaking 2 minutes, little perfectly imperfect abstract pop fragments, that assembled manage to sound not at all fragmented. We're of course reminded of Finnish groups like Kemialliset, and Avarus, and Anaksimandros, a similarly ramshackle DIY vibe, but Galbraith takes that vibe, infuses it with a distinctly pop element, creating these gorgeous little sonic gems, that manage to be both pretty and poppy, mysterious and minimal at the same time. Totally beguiling and utterly irresistible.
Includes a download card as well!

GALBRAITH, ALASTAIR Mirrorwork (Emperor Jones/Trance Syndicate) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Mr. Galbraith spent two years recording these buzzing lo-fi songs onto a four-track reel-to-reel. Haunting. Those of you who loved his set at Terrastock will enjoy this cd, it sounds the closest of all his albums to what he did at that wonderful show.

GALBRAITH, ALASTAIR Orb (Nextbestway) cd 16.98
Oh Alastair, how we have missed you. Although there have been a handful of reissues, a collaboration here and there, and those incredible long wires discs, there's something magical about the strange world Galbraith is able to conjure up give a whole record to work with. A dizzying blend of folky freaky lo-fi experimental pop, handmade instruments, ambience and noise, all held together by some ineffable magic that very few possess, but some, like Galbraith have mastered and seem to unfurl effortlessly.
Orb is the first proper solo record in years and also marks the re-activation of Galbraiths Xpressway label, now called Nextbestway. And once again, we're transported to some mysterious glade, where a strange man is hunched over a small arsenal of sound making devices, and like some sort of mad scientist is assembling an endless series of perfect little sonic gems.
The opening track is so immediately warm and recognizable, with it's warped warbly organ, and Galbraith's haunting multi tracked vocals, reminding us once again, that long before Neutral Milk Hotel, Galbraith was shaping similarly powerful little spiritual pop songs, and "Here Not There" is no different. Less than two minutes, but in that brief span, he's able to lull and soothe, trip out and transport. The second track is even shorter, less than a minute, but it's a killer chunk of billowy krautrock drift that finishes in a flurry of digital skipping.
Galbraith has a sort of Guided By Voices thing going, giving us tantalizing glimpses of incredible hooks, cool moody riffs, fluttering bits of sweet folk, but then nips them in the bud, songs that could very well stretch on for hours, slip away after minutes, sometimes seconds, creating these brief magical flourishes that have us returning over and over to sample briefly, always wanting more.
Like all Galbraith discs, the sounds are disparate, but interconnected, clattery feedback drenched Dead C style noise rock, with crumbling distortion and fuzzy sheets of synth, murky detuned folk ramblings, keening scarping strings, high end skree and metallic reverberations, utterly heartbreaking perfect pop, stretches of field recordings overlaid with soft shimmery drones, wheezing organs and delicate plucked strings, thick swaths of dense guitar buzz and super distorted vocals, black metal via NZ noise rock, meandering abstract Appalachia draped over soft swells of mumble and drift, warm warbly guitar and every possible combination in between.
So lovely, so magical and so totally mysterious. Galbraith is truly a bard from beyond, a songsmith who transcends genre, perhaps even time and space. And we're so glad to have him back.
MPEG Stream: "Here Not There"
MPEG Stream: "One Direction"
MPEG Stream: "Lost"
MPEG Stream: "Bird Ghost Viola"
MPEG Stream: "Short Dream FOr Fire Organ"

GALBRAITH, ALASTAIR Rivulets (Camera Obscura) 7" 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Some of the finest new material we've heard in a long while from this solo Kiwi musician, who composes beautiful songs from fragments of melody, treated voice, and guitar etc.