GOBLIN COCK Come With Me If You Want To (Robcore Records) cd 14.98

GOBLIN COCK Come With Me If You Want To (Robcore Records) lp 14.98

GOD s/t (Afterburn) 2cd 21.00
Not to be confused with '90s Pathological Records heavies God, THIS God were from Australia, and in the eighties, these teenagers kicked up a serious ruckus, a ramshackle rambunctious grinding guitar heavy punk rock equal parts Stooges, KISS, the Replacements, the Ramones, the riffs crunchy and fuzzy, the drums wild and loose, the vocals a buried bark here, a deep Nick Cave-ish croon there, the songs KILLER, heavy and hooky and melodic, the vibe snarly and snarky and pissed off, just listen to "Gunk" and you'll be sold, a seriously hard and heavy blast of punky pop, churning riffs giving way to some sweet melodies and some bad ass guitar leads, and that's just the first track, from there on out, it's non stop rock. Big riffs, big hooks, fuzzy and distorted, trashy and ramshackle, occasionally dipping into something a bit more restrained, more melodic, but it's never long until the next burst of adrenalized crunch and pound. This is definitely some primal rock energy, essential listening for all worshippers of THE RIFF.
Super nice packaging, their complete recordings on two discs, all remastered, including singles, and rare covers (KISS and the Stooges!), as well as a recording of their final gig in 1989, also includes a big ol' booklet of liner notes and photos.
MPEG Stream: "Gunk"
MPEG Stream: "Headin' For The Id"
MPEG Stream: "Golly Wolly Golly Wolly Hoo Ha"
MPEG Stream: "Sook"
MPEG Stream: "Snake Charmer"

GOD IS MY CO-PILOT Get Busy (Atavistic) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Newest from these always-fun NYC queer-positive artskronk rockers.

GOD IS MY CO-PILOT Je Suis Trop Content (Dark Beloved Cloud) cd 6.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've also got the West Coast exclusive on the newest GIMCP cd, which was recorded for their European tour and is therefore limited to 500 copies, most of which presumably belong to Europeans now. Chaotic downtown New York intensity with a rollicking punk/no wave edge, God Is My Co-Pilot has been one of our favorite bands for years. This release includes covers of Spaceheads (who confirmed their Terrastock appearance, yay!), Frances Gall, the Carter Family, and Beausoleil.

GOD IS MY CO-PILOT The Best Of... (Atavistic) cd 14.98
22 tracks of GIMCP's favorites. Including "Steal Yr. Girlfriend."

GODCO Puss 02 (Dark Beloved Cloud/Making of Americans) cd 13.98
God Is My Copilot.

GODFLESH Love and Hate in Dub (Kreation) lp 12.98

GODFLESH Pure (Earache) cd 12.98

GODFLESH Streetcleaner (Earache) 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's weird to think that amongst the legions of fans out there who LOVE Jesu, there are probably loads of folks who don't realize that Jesu was born out of the mighty behemoth that was Godflesh. Justin Broadrick, who started off in grind pioneers Napalm Death, made a quick pitstop in Head Of David, and eventually struck out on his own in Godflesh. These days, drum machines and metal are not strange bedfellows, but back in the day, this was some seriously what-the-fuck action. Metalheads and punk rockers alike were confused, but got over it pretty quick once they realized that Godflesh might just be the heaviest fiercest thing they had ever heard. And Godflesh at their heaviest was to be found right here, on Streetcleaner, adorned with the now iconic image of crucified men on crossed in front of a cascade of burning lava (a frame from the genius movie Altered States), this record, originally releases in 1989, still sounds as fearsome as ever. And now that we have a handful of Jesu records to reference, it's easy to hear that some of the seeds that would eventually blossom into the dreamy shoegazy metallic bliss of Jesu, were present even back then, albeint buried beneath a black hole crush of churning downtuned riffage and blistering skull rattling programmed beats. Our old three sentence / 14 word review still says it best:
"One of the heaviest, scariest "metal" albums EVER. Drum machine doom death. Godflesh's best."
MPEG Stream: "Christbait Rising"
MPEG Stream: "Mighty Trust Krusher"

GODFLESH Streetcleaner (Earache) 2cd 17.98
It really doesn't take much for us to find an excuse to gush about this, one of our favorite metal records EVER, the industrial metal juggernaut that is Streetcleaner, a crushing sonic milestone by which all other heaviness must be measured, and we're not exaggerating (as we're prone to do) when we say that Streetcleaner still sounds better than 90 percent of the heavy records we hear today, which is incredible considering that it was recorded more than 20 years ago! If for some insane reason you don't own this already, this deluxe double disc reissue is the perfect reason to finally get it, and for the rest of you, if as obsessed with Streetcleaner as we are, a whole disc of demos and unreleased versions should definitely be enough to get you to buy it again. More on the bonus disc down below, but first, let's get to the record itself, the mighty Streetcleaner...
It's weird to think that amongst the legions of fans out there who LOVE Jesu, there are probably loads of folks who don't realize that Jesu was born out of the mighty behemoth that was Godflesh. Justin Broadrick, who started off in grind pioneers Napalm Death, made a quick pitstop in Head Of David, and eventually struck out on his own in Godflesh. These days, drum machines and metal are not strange bedfellows, but back in the day, this was some seriously what-the-fuck action. Metalheads and punk rockers alike were confused, but got over it pretty quick once they realized that Godflesh might just be the heaviest, fiercest thing they had ever heard. And Godflesh at their heaviest was to be found right here, on Streetcleaner, adorned with the now iconic image of crucified men on crossed in front of a cascade of burning lava (a frame from the genius movie Altered States), this record, originally releases in 1989, still sounds as fearsome as ever. And now that we have a handful of Jesu records to reference, it's easy to hear that some of the seeds that would eventually blossom into the dreamy shoegazy metallic bliss of Jesu, were present even back then, albeit buried beneath a black hole crush of churning downtuned riffage and blistering skull rattling programmed beats. Our old three sentence / 14 word review still says it best:
"One of the heaviest, scariest "metal" albums EVER. Drum machine doom death. Godflesh's best."
And as if that weren't enough (which it most definitely IS!!), this new version comes with a second disc, overflowing with awesome rarities, including a whole mess of previously unreleased original mixes, which definitely sound different enough to be worth your while, as do a handful of 1990 live tracks, some rehearsal tracks from 1989, and coolest of all, a couple demos, just Broadrick with guitar and drum machine!
As if the above didn't already make it abundantly clear, Streetcleaner gets the absolute highest aQ recommendation. And remains one of THEE most essential metal records EVER.
MPEG Stream: "Christbait Rising"
MPEG Stream: "Mighty Trust Krusher"

GODFLESH Streetcleaner (Kreation) lp 15.98
It's weird to think that amongst the legions of fans out there who LOVE Jesu, there are probably loads of folks who don't realize that Jesu was born out of the mighty behemoth that was Godflesh. Justin Broadrick, who started off in grind pioneers Napalm Death, made a quick pitstop in Head Of David, and eventually struck out on his own in Godflesh. These days, drum machines and metal are not strange bedfellows, but back in the day, this was some seriously what-the-fuck action. Metalheads and punk rockers alike were confused, but got over it pretty quick once they realized that Godflesh might just be the heaviest fiercest thing they had ever heard. And Godflesh at their heaviest was to be found right here, on Streetcleaner, adorned with the now iconic image of crucified men on crossed in front of a cascade of burning lava (a frame from the genius movie Altered States), this record, originally released in 1989, still sounds as fearsome as ever. And now that we have a handful of Jesu records to reference, it's easy to hear that some of the seeds that would eventually blossom into the dreamy shoegazy metallic bliss of Jesu, were present even back then, albeit buried beneath a black hole crush of churning downtuned riffage and blistering skull rattling programmed beats. Our old three sentence, 14 word review of this still says it best:
"One of the heaviest, scariest "metal" albums EVER. Drum machine doom death. Godflesh's best."
NOW ON VINYL!!! And holy crap if that cover doesn't look even more amazing all blown back up to its proper lp size!!
MPEG Stream: "Christbait Rising"
MPEG Stream: "Mighty Trust Krusher"

GODFLESH Us And Them (Earache) cd 14.98
This pioneering industrial-metal duo return with another slab of sledgehammer pain. Too bad they're just to stoned to know that the drum'n'bass breaks they're using are just a little tired. And Justin Broadrick's grunting vocals haven't gotten any easier to take. Still, this delivers some of the trademark Godflesh sound that made their classic Streetcleaner one of the most nihilistically heavy albums ever.

GODHEADSILO Share The Fantasy (Sub Pop) cd 11.98
More thunder-core from these two maniacs, the biggest sounding bass-drums duo in the world. The hit single this time out? A cover of "In The Air Tonight" that will give Phil Collins nightmares, similar to the tongue-in-cheek, metaller-than-thou cover art and spiky logo.

GODHEADSILO Skyward in Triumph (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
Sebadoh performed a new song at Sub Pop birthday bash recently; the lyrics went something like "MY­WIFE­THINKS­ GODHEADSILO­ARE­THE­GREATEST­FUCKING­BAND­IN­THE­WORLD!"

GODHEADSILO Skyward in Triumph (Sub Pop) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sebadoh performed a song at Sub Pop birthday bash; the lyrics went something like "MY­WIFE­THINKS­ GODHEADSILO­ARE­THE­GREATEST­FUCKING­BAND­IN­THE­WORLD!"

GODS GIFT Pathology: Manchester 1979-84 (Messthetics) cd 12.98

GODS HATE KANSAS For Snakes (New Disorder) cd-ep 5.98
Second cd from these political punk rockers. Jarring, chunky yet oddly catchy hardcore that takes some weird twists and turns. Sort of early Fugazi/Bad Religion-ish. Includes a cd-rom of video clips and zine stuff. Recorded by Ryan Massey of American Steel.

GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR F#A#oo (Kranky) cd 14.98
While it does take a while for this Canadian nine-piece to build through the opening murky drones, this debut album (originally issued on vinyl through the small Canadian label Constellation) evolves into a dynamic orchestration that falls somewhere in between Dirty Three and Village of Savoonga. The most innovative album from Kranky in a very long time!

GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR F#A#oo (Constellation) lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
With the recent release of this album on Kranky, we made it a point to bring in the vinyl from the small Canadian label Constellation. What a surprise! The mix on the vinyl is quite different (and better) than that of the CD as the LP is a tighter more dynamic orchestration from this nine piece ensemble who bridge the gap between Village of Savoonga and the Dirty Three.

GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR Levez Vos Skinny Fists Comme Antennas To Heaven (Constellation) 2cd 15.98
The Canadian ensemble Godspeed You Black Emperor has provided a Quebecoise doubling of the title of their third release: one in English, the other an Anglicized French. Throughout their relatively brief but impressive career, Godspeed You Black Emperor has successfully translated a melodramatic psychic desolation into droning orchestrations that soar into majestic crescendos for strings, a trio of guitars, twin bassists and percussionists. Totally majestic and epic. However, the aura of socially-concerned pretentiousness -- which had been held at bay on the last two releases -- really makes itself known on this record. The title's blatantly obvious search for pathos, more unneeded street poetry, and some 'ironic' found sounds from a grocery store's intercom sales announcement are some of GYBE's pretentious excesses on this album. Musically, Godspeed You Black Emperor moves along similar paths as on their previous records... sure it's beautiful, sure it's emotional (except the first track on disc one, in which GYBE tries to make happy music -- a mistake).
What was so great about Godspeed's first releases was the remarkable freshness of the sound, as if they emerged from nowhere to produce incredible compositions. But with nothing really new or innovative to push them forward, Godspeed You Black Emperor has gotten a little schmaltzy, a little stale. Mood music without meaning.
Furthermore -- put your gossip hats on -- we hear that Godspeed rather repeatedly behaves like uptight cheap assholes to more than several bands they agreed to play shows with, but that's another story. Sorry to be so negative, folks -- it's a fine record and if you haven't heard them before then you should most definitely pick up a Godspped record. It's just that if you're already a big fan, this might disappoint just a little.

GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR Levez Vos Skinny Fists Comme Antennas To Heaven (Constellation) 2lp 16.98
The Canadian ensemble Godspeed You Black Emperor has provided a Quebecoise doubling of the title of their third release: one in English, the other an Anglicized French. Throughout their relatively brief but impressive career, Godspeed You Black Emperor has successfully translated a melodramatic psychic desolation into droning orchestrations that soar into majestic crescendos for strings, a trio of guitars, twin bassists and percussionists. Totally majestic and epic. However, the aura of socially-concerned pretentiousness -- which had been held at bay on the last two releases -- really makes itself known on this record. The title's blatantly obvious search for pathos, more unneeded street poetry, and some 'ironic' found sounds from a grocery store's intercom sales announcement are some of GYBE's pretentious excesses on this album. Musically, Godspeed You Black Emperor moves along similar paths as on their previous records... sure it's beautiful, sure it's emotional (except the first track on disc one, in which GYBE tries to make happy music -- a mistake).
What was so great about Godspeed's first releases was the remarkable freshness of the sound, as if they emerged from nowhere to produce incredible compositions. But with nothing really new or innovative to push them forward, Godspeed You Black Emperor has gotten a little schmaltzy, a little stale. Mood music without meaning.
Furthermore -- put your gossip hats on -- we hear that Godspeed rather repeatedly behaves like uptight cheap assholes to more than several bands they agreed to play shows with, but that's another story. Sorry to be so negative, folks -- it's a fine record and if you haven't heard them before then you should most definitely pick up a Godspped record. It's just that if you're already a big fan, this might disappoint just a little.

GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR Slow Riot For Zero Kanada (Kranky/Constellation) cd 10.98
The second release from the Canadian nine piece ensemble is about as epic as 28 minutes can get. As with 'F#A#oo", Godspeed render the psychic desolation of the Canadian tundra as an intense soundtrack that swells from glacial strings to dense yet melodic orchestrations for guitars, bass, bells, percussion, and their string section. Certainly inspired by Morricone's mighty scores, "Slow Riot..." is also reminiscient of the dark musings of their contemporaries: Village of Savoonga, Rachel's, Mogwai, etc...
Haunting. Beautiful. Awesome. A unanimous staff favorite.

GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR Slow Riot For Zero Kanada (Kranky/Constellation) lp 15.98
The second release from the Canadian nine piece ensemble is about as epic as 28 minutes can get. As with 'F#A#oo", Godspeed render the psychic desolation of the Canadian tundra as an intense soundtrack that swells from glacial strings to dense yet melodic orchestrations for guitars, bass, bells, percussion, and their string section. Certainly inspired by Morricone's mighty scores, "Slow Riot..." is also reminiscient of the dark musings of their contemporaries: Village of Savoonga, Rachel's, Mogwai, etc...
Haunting. Beautiful. Awesome. A unanimous staff favorite.

GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR Yanqui U.x.o. (Constellation) cd 14.98
It's a new Godspeed record, and it's got all you've come to know and love about them. Yanqui U.X.O. shows their epic cinematic post-rock gestures getting perhaps even more sweeping and grandiose. The various samples making pointed social criticiscms that appeared throughout Lift Your Skinny Fists... are absent this time around, much to the relief of several AQ staffers who found the politics heavy handed. That doesn't neccesarily mean this record is apolitical-- the taut, tension filled sounds still feel like the soundtrack to a revolution, and the back cover diagram explicates connections between various major labels and weapons manufacturers. GYBE are not going to give up resisting Yanqui neo-imperialism just because they're an instrumental band. The irony of resisting the capitalist war machine by selling a product is not lost on the band, but then again, you might just want to close your eyes and let the warm sheets of Godspeed sound wash over you, and not think about any of that political stuff, right? Well allright. Cryptic message from the liner notes: "& hope still, a little resistance always maybe stubborntiny lights vs. clustering darkness foreverok? thankslovegodspeedyou!blackemperorbyexoxoxox"
RealAudio clip: "09-15-00 track 1"
RealAudio clip: "09-15-00 track 2"

GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR Yanqui U.x.o. (Constellation) 2lp 17.98
It's a new Godspeed record, and it's got all you've come to know and love about them. Yanqui U.X.O. shows their epic cinematic post-rock gestures getting perhaps even more sweeping and grandiose. The various samples making pointed social criticiscms that appeared throughout Lift Your Skinny Fists... are absent this time around, much to the relief of several AQ staffers who found the politics heavy handed. That doesn't necessarily mean this record is apolitical-- the taut, tension filled sounds still feel like the soundtrack to a revolution, and the back cover diagram explicates connections between various major labels and weapons manufacturers. GYBE are not going to give up resisting Yanqui neo-imperialism just because they're an instrumental band. The irony of resisting the capitalist war machine by selling a product is not lost on the band, but then again, you might just want to close your eyes and let the warm sheets of Godspeed sound wash over you, and not think about any of that political stuff, right? Well allright. Cryptic message from the liner notes: "& hope still, a little resistance always maybe stubborntiny lights vs. clustering darkness foreverok? thankslovegodspeedyou!blackemperorbyexoxoxox"

GODSPEED! YOU BLACK EMPEROR Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! (Constellation) cd 15.98
Godspeed are one of those rare bands who enjoy a slavish dedication from their fans, a nearly unrivaled level of hero worship style extreme fandom, the sort of thing enjoyed by very few others (Neurosis? Neutral Milk Hotel?), with fans treating GYBE like a post rock Grateful Dead or an alternative underground Phish, following them from show to show, state to state, hoarding live recordings and patiently awaiting the second coming. And by second coming, we of course mean the first Godspeed record in a decade! And ever since word leaked, that there was in fact a new record on the horizon, and especially as soon as the band started playing shows, and playing the new material, we've been barraged with requests for the new record, questions about the release date, months and months before it was actually released (heck, probably before it was even recorded). But here we are, and the new Godspeed is in fact among us, and we are pleased to say, it's definitely pretty goddamn great. We had actually cooled a bit on Godspeed, having LOVED their debut, and Slow Riot almost as much. But both Lift Your Skinny Fists and Yanqui didn't quite do it for us the way those first two did. This one though, is a whole 'nother story.
The record is split into two twenty minute tracks, and two 6 minute interludes, the two proper tracks are exactly what you'd expect, and want, from a new Godspeed record, droned out psychedelia, layered tones and soft swirls of melody, the opener all brooding slow build mesmer that over the course of the few minutes builds in lush billows of sound, before the drums kick in, and the song gains momentum, sort of Hawkwindy at first, before exploding into what sounds to these ears like full on psychedelic space rock, as in Heads, White Hills, and the like, driving, distorted, spiraling leads, swirling effects, propulsive almost krautrock like drumming, but it is Godspeed, so there are plenty of Eastern melodies, strange textures, lush layers, and after a bout of FX drenched wig out, the song gradually settles down into a slow fade outro, one that is pocked with bursts of psychedelic freakout and shard of abstract heaviness, looped and cyclical and gorgeously majestic, the final two minutes, near symphonic and utterly breathtaking.
The second proper track is much more subdued, the strings taking up much of the melodies, tinkling chimes over spidery guitars, and simple spare drumming, the sound dynamic and dramatic, but never quite exploding into full on freakout, instead just building and releasing tension, the way only Godspeed can. There is a bout near the end, where they again dabble in some psychedelic space rock, but it's Godspeed style, and like the first track it leads to another final few minutes that explode dramatically and tug on heartstrings, creating another majestic finale.
The shorter tracks are more abstract, droned out and minimal, textural and atmospheric, definitely gorgeous in their own right, the first, acting as a brief interlude between the two slabs of post rock bombast, the second, a haunting outro, a winding down, a fading out, after the sonic catharsis that is Allelujah!
FYI, the vinyl version of this is currently MIA, being repressed, so we'll have to list it another time, soon we hope...
MPEG Stream: "Mladic"
MPEG Stream: "We Drift Like Worried Fire"

GODSPEED! YOU BLACK EMPEROR Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! (Constellation) lp+7" 25.00
NOW HERE ON VINYL! Godspeed are one of those rare bands who enjoy a slavish dedication from their fans, a nearly unrivaled level of hero worship style extreme fandom, the sort of thing enjoyed by very few others (Neurosis? Neutral Milk Hotel?), with fans treating GYBE like a post rock Grateful Dead or an alternative underground Phish, following them from show to show, state to state, hoarding live recordings and patiently awaiting the second coming. And by second coming, we of course mean the first Godspeed record in a decade! And ever since word leaked, that there was in fact a new record on the horizon, and especially as soon as the band started playing shows, and playing the new material, we've been barraged with requests for the new record, questions about the release date, months and months before it was actually released (heck, probably before it was even recorded). But here we are, and the new Godspeed is in fact among us, and we are pleased to say, it's definitely pretty goddamn great. We had actually cooled a bit on Godspeed, having LOVED their debut, and Slow Riot almost as much. But both Lift Your Skinny Fists and Yanqui didn't quite do it for us the way those first two did. This one though, is a whole 'nother story.
The record is split into two twenty minute tracks, and two 6 minute interludes, the two proper tracks are exactly what you'd expect, and want, from a new Godspeed record, droned out psychedelia, layered tones and soft swirls of melody, the opener all brooding slow build mesmer that over the course of the few minutes builds in lush billows of sound, before the drums kick in, and the song gains momentum, sort of Hawkwindy at first, before exploding into what sounds to these ears like full on psychedelic space rock, as in Heads, White Hills, and the like, driving, distorted, spiraling leads, swirling effects, propulsive almost krautrock like drumming, but it is Godspeed, so there are plenty of Eastern melodies, strange textures, lush layers, and after a bout of FX drenched wig out, the song gradually settles down into a slow fade outro, one that is pocked with bursts of psychedelic freakout and shard of abstract heaviness, looped and cyclical and gorgeously majestic, the final two minutes, near symphonic and utterly breathtaking.
The second proper track is much more subdued, the strings taking up much of the melodies, tinkling chimes over spidery guitars, and simple spare drumming, the sound dynamic and dramatic, but never quite exploding into full on freakout, instead just building and releasing tension, the way only Godspeed can. There is a bout near the end, where they again dabble in some psychedelic space rock, but it's Godspeed style, and like the first track it leads to another final few minutes that explode dramatically and tug on heartstrings, creating another majestic finale.
The shorter tracks are more abstract, droned out and minimal, textural and atmospheric, definitely gorgeous in their own right, the first, acting as a brief interlude between the two slabs of post rock bombast, the second, a haunting outro, a winding down, a fading out, after the sonic catharsis that is Allelujah!
MPEG Stream: "Mladic"
MPEG Stream: "We Drift Like Worried Fire"

GOG Mist From The Random More (Utech Records) cd 14.98
In a world (our world at least) full to overflowing with drone records, dirge records, doom records, and yes, dirgedoomdrone records, the mysterious Gog have somehow always managed to transcend. From their very first release, the subtly spectacular Noriah Mills, Gog have continued to mine similar territory as so many other soundmakers, but with the resultant whole so much more than its constituent parts.
The music of Gog, while on the surface, perhaps seemingly simple, minimal, abstract, is the sort of sound that requires deep listening, upon which, the guitars then reveal themselves as so much more than electronic tone generators, the long strands of feedback and the layers of dense billowy buzz, so much more than just texture and timbre. And while on past releases, the band hinted at something a bit more black, their occasionally blissed out ambience drifting into darker and darker greys, on Mist From The Random More, the band have fully committed, creating what for them is a haunting otherworldly black metal suite, a droned out, blissed out, buzz drenched, almost static expanse of smoldering grimness, shot through with glimmering glistening effulgence, a bit like wrapping a black gauze around an exploding sun, the results, again, transcendent.
The record begins with a gorgeous, slow burning bit of guitar drone, that owes more to the kosmiche sounds of krautdrone than the downtuned glacial fug of more doom-ed entities. These guitars soar and shimmer, warm gouts of feedback enfolded by deep rich sheets of coruscating soft focus heaviness, any other band would stretch this out to fill up a whole album, and rightfully so, we'd probably be gushing just as much if Gog chose to do the same thing, but these Sunroof-ian solar sonics are only part of Gog's grand vision for Mist From The Random More.
The title track, taking up the bulk of the record, finds Gog fully immersing themselves in black metal, or at least their (very) loose approximation of what black metal is, or could be. The sound is grim, and frosty, but only in the sense that it reflects much of the black metal that came before, in every other way, it's anything but, the guitars glow, the riffs are fluid, organic, wrapped in a soft burnished buzz, that reminds us a bit of Jesu or Nadja, but the arrangement is more Necks. In fact, a shorthand descriptor might be "a black metal Necks", which if you're anything like us, would be all it would take. Simple skittery minimal drumming, almost looped sounding if it weren't so abstract, beneath a roiling cloud of layered guitars, grinding and whirring and hissing, and within that cloud, some gorgeously melancholic low end melodies, difficult to describe the strange blend of loveliness and heaviness, but there it is, a distinctly lovely heaviness, washed out and blurry, and hypnotic and epic and melodic, within this seemingly static structure, the sound swings and slips through various incarnations, moving from total blurred buzz, to a more slowcore lope, always wreathed in swirling clouds of blackened shimmer, until the end, when the track explodes in climax of effects drenched psychedelic churn.
The closing track offers a chance to decompress, a strange assemblage of soothing tones, shot through with streaks of feedback, very cool and clinical, almost a Raster-Noton sort of sound, there's a brief burst of super distorted crumbling sonic chaos, almost Merzbowian in its intensity, transforming into a haunting post industrial doomscape, before again returning to the relative tranquility of the first few minutes, eventually leaving just a single upper register tone, which also finally fades into the shadows.
Another fantastic record from Utech (after a whole mess of incredible releases, including last list's Aluk Todolo Record Of The Week), gorgeous packaging, an abstract skull, rendered in some kind of white dust (cocaine?), on a spare black background, a gatefold with printed liner notes inside, and yes, probably limited...
MPEG Stream: "Night Zoe"
MPEG Stream: "Mist From The Random More"

GOGOGO AIRHEART Exitheuxa (GSL) cd 11.98
Sounds like the GoGoGoAirheart fellows have shifted their music making approach just a little for their fourth full length, focusing more on guitars and pop-structured songs and less on their more familiar extended dubby bass, post punk jams. In the process, they've relinquished a bit of the tension that made the music on both their self-titled and "Love My Life Hate My Friends" albums so immediate and absorbing. It's in those jams that the best of GGGAH surfaces. Likewise, live, they can be hit or miss, but when their improvs lock into a groove... Hoo boy, they are amazing -- especially when the fluid bass playing of A. Vyas is given room to move. The angstful howl'n'yelp of main vocalist Michael Vermilion is still very much in the vein of The Pop Group particularly on the longer numbers, but quite often in the shorter punky songs his voice also takes on a nasality reminiscent of the Buzzcocks' Pete Shelley ("Sincerely P.S."). He's joined on vocal duties by Vyas and guitarist Benjamin White. Also thrown into the instrument mix are trumpet, piano, programmed drums, Moog synths and organ.
RealAudio clip: "Here Comes Attack"
RealAudio clip: "Sincerely P.S."
RealAudio clip: "When The Flesh Hits"
RealAudio clip: "Good Things"

GOGOGO AIRHEART Love My Life Hate My Friends (Vinyl Communications) 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 album fades in as though we've just encountered the GoGoGo boys well into one of their lengthy improvisational sessions. Constantly changing in instrumentation, sometimes there's two drummers, sometimes a cellist, and sometimes who knows? But it's always anchored by some truly awesome bass playing. Live, they can be a tightly wound, convulsive unit channeling the ghosts of The Pop Group and The Fall, or a quietly meditative dubby discovery of notes and rhythms. Includes a reworking of A Certain Ratio's "Do The Du".

GOGOGO AIRHEART s/t (Gold Standard Laboratories) cd 11.98
San Diego's Gogogo Airheart play their own version of late '70s style arty post-punk. From dabbling in dub realms to punching out frenetic, spasmatic, pop dislocation, Gogogo Airheart doesn't hide their affinity with The Pop Group, whose song "Trap" they in fact cover. There are also ample references to Wire's "Pink Flag" and even neo-Krautrock by way of The Fall, making for an excellent follow-up to GGGAH's great "Love My Life Hate My Friends" album. See them live. Buy their records. Gogogo Airheart kick ass.

GOGOGO AIRHEART s/t (Vinyl Communications) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not to be confused with their more recent self-titled release on Gold Standard Laboratories, this is a much earlier release (with green cover art). In fact, it was their debut full length back in '97. Since then, GGGAH led by the core duo of Michael Vermillion and A. Vyas have been a tireless, ever-evolving band from San Diego. Primarily based around jam sessions and post-punk experimentations, GGGAH are often very hit or miss, but when they 'hit' it is something pretty special. This album is much more noise heavy and haphazard than their later stuff. Very dub influenced with its churning, sinewy bass and sharp rimshot beat, but shades of Sonic Youth and CAN also creep in by way of obscured strange vocals, scraping guitar sounds and electronic squidge invading the cyclical rhythms.

GOGOL BORDELLO Super Taranta! (Side One Dummy) cd 14.98
You might've noticed the recent flurry of Eastern European inspired bands -- for instance the dreamy rural acoustic sounds of Beirut, A Hawk And A Hacksaw and the Bay Area's own Karpov. Since 1999, New Yorkers Gogol Bordello have been taking similar influences into a decidedly more urban setting and whipping it up into an art punked gypsy-fied frenzy. Indeed, on their latest album, they opt for blinding neon brights versus the abovementioned groups' warm earthy hues. Leader of the pack Eugene Hutz might maybe have true Slavic roots but we thinks that this is not without a healthy dose of irony. At times Super Taranta! charges head first into a pirate-ish many bottles of rum drunken traipsing of the plank. Not ones for the subtle nor the soft, theirs is a garish, sweaty, loud and loose vaudevillian circus which the hipster scene has been all over for years. It screams 'New York' at the top of its lungs! This is the kind of wild, tawdry partying where glasses are smashed, clothing gets torn, and everything else gets trampled in its path. Good times? Fuck yeah!
MPEG Stream: "Wonderlust King"
MPEG Stream: "Forces Of Victory"

GOLD LEAVES The Ornament (Hardly Art) cd 12.98

MPEG Stream: "The Silver Lining"
MPEG Stream: "The Ornament"
MPEG Stream: "Endless Dope"

GOLD PANDA Lucky Shiner (Ghostly International) cd 11.98
All it took was about 30 seconds, and we knew this was probably gonna become out favorite new electronica record, heck, maybe just our favorite new record period. The best way we can think to describe Gold Panda is like a more lo-fi DIY version of The Field, if that makes any sense. Where The Field take samples, and loops and layers them, rendering them almost unrecognizable, and creating lush house-y soundscapes, Gold Panda does something quite similar, but without the goal of disguising the source or the samples, a vocal loop is chopped up and processed and woven into a stuttering melody, over a simple looped beat, and warm whirling melodies, that looped sample makes the whole thing sound so playful, and at least on the opener, "You", whose sample is the word 'you' chopped and looped, that melody ends up sounding strangely Indian, like some electro raga, although over the course of the track, the tone and timbre and pitch changes, so it slips from Oval like shimmer, to skittery faux Indian raga, to loping super melodic playful trip hop.
And the whole record is like that, the construction of the tracks is obvious, the glitch and static and crackle and pop of the source records, are all part of the sound, the samples assembled to create rhythms, to fashion melodies, draped over whirring skeletal beats, woven into Philip Jeck like cracklescapes, gamelan like melodies are layered into a lush tangle of melodies and placed atop a sea of hiss and a spare stripped down beat, soft melodic swells are truncated and left to rise and fall, creating a woozy rhythm, the whole thing wrapped in playful chimes and clipped minimal beats, every track is playful and lovely and dreamy in its own way, not so dependent on the beat, as much as the arrangement of samples, which is inevitably perfect, and conjures up the perfect mood and atmosphere.
There are some definitely oddballs, the two minutes of folky acoustic guitar on "Parents", that manages to be quite pretty and sweet on its own, and fit with the rest of the more sample heavy tracks pretty perfectly, there's also the buzzy sitar laced "India Lately", which does chop up Indian ragas, sitars and tablas, and weaves those parts into a gorgeously shoegazy stretch of pop ambience, and finally, the record finishes off by revisiting "You", this time with strings and chimes, and a less manic arrangement, instead opting for something much more subdued and dreamlike.
So great! All this amazing electronica coming out lately, we can't get enough, but this one just might take the cake!
MPEG Stream: "You"
MPEG Stream: "Vanilla Minus"
MPEG Stream: "Snow & Taxis"

GOLD PANDA Lucky Shiner (Ghostly International) lp 17.98
All it took was about 30 seconds, and we knew this was probably gonna become out favorite new electronica record, heck, maybe just our favorite new record period. The best way we can think to describe Gold Panda is like a more lo-fi DIY version of The Field, if that makes any sense. Where The Field take samples, and loops and layers them, rendering them almost unrecognizable, and creating lush house-y soundscapes, Gold Panda does something quite similar, but without the goal of disguising the source or the samples, a vocal loop is chopped up and processed and woven into a stuttering melody, over a simple looped beat, and warm whirling melodies, that looped sample makes the whole thing sound so playful, and at least on the opener, "You", whose sample is the word 'you' chopped and looped, that melody ends up sounding strangely Indian, like some electro raga, although over the course of the track, the tone and timbre and pitch changes, so it slips from Oval like shimmer, to skittery faux Indian raga, to loping super melodic playful trip hop.
And the whole record is like that, the construction of the tracks is obvious, the glitch and static and crackle and pop of the source records, are all part of the sound, the samples assembled to create rhythms, to fashion melodies, draped over whirring skeletal beats, woven into Philip Jeck like cracklescapes, gamelan like melodies are layered into a lush tangle of melodies and placed atop a sea of hiss and a spare stripped down beat, soft melodic swells are truncated and left to rise and fall, creating a woozy rhythm, the whole thing wrapped in playful chimes and clipped minimal beats, every track is playful and lovely and dreamy in its own way, not so dependant on the beat, as much as the arrangement of samples, which is inevitably perfect, and conjures up the perfect mood and atmosphere.
There are some definitely oddballs, the two minutes of folky acoustic guitar on "Parents", that manages to be quite pretty and sweet on its own, and fit with the rest of the more sample heavy tracks pretty perfectly, there's also the buzzy sitar laced "India Lately", which does chop up Indian ragas, sitars and tablas, and weaves those parts into a gorgeously shoegazy stretch of pop ambience, and finally, the record finishes off by revisiting "You", this time with strings and chimes, and a less manic arrangement, instead opting for something much more subdued and dreamlike.
So great! All this amazing electronica coming out lately, we can't get enough, but this one just might take the cake!
MPEG Stream: "You"
MPEG Stream: "Vanilla Minus"
MPEG Stream: "Snow & Taxis"

GOLD SPARKLE BAND Fugues & Flowers (Squealer) cd 14.98
Contemporary improvised 'free' jazz from this young-ish group. Recorded live in various venues throughout the midwest, the Gold Sparkle band take the wildest sounds of NY's downtown scene and imbue them with Ayler-ish free-bop glee. Reminds me of Sixties ESP jazz mixed with some of todays mainstays, David S. Ware, Tim Berne, John Zorn, Spy Vs. Spy. The first track is a killer, sputtering stuttering squealing structureless mayhem. Drums way up in the mix, melodies batted wildly back and forth. Nice. Once in a while the bottom seems to drop out, but they recover deftly and quickly. The record winds up with the almost half hour final track, a gorgeous funereal free jazz dirge, that builds and builds into a pounding orgiastic tribal workout. Pretty cool.
RealAudio clip: "Zodiac Attack"
RealAudio clip: "Second City Fugue (Subject)"

GOLD-BEARS Are You Falling In Love? (Slumberland) cd 10.98
Slumberland are certainly making up for lost time. This iconic pop label seemed to disappear for a while there a few years back, but since they reemerged, a month hasn't gone by without a new record by some new band (or an old favorite), and if it was any other label, we might be wondering "where the heck do they find these bands" but this is Slumberland, whose track record for discovering bands is pretty much totally untouchable. SO thus we have Gold-Bears, the latest new band on Slumberland, and we're digging it big time. Big jangly, distortion drenched noise pop, the label mentions Boyracer (one of our all time favorite pop bands who for some reason have never made it onto the aQ list) and the Wedding Present, both of which definitely fit, as do some of the other Slumberland bands like Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and Summer Cats, but hell, there are bits of Neutral Milk Hotel and other Elephant Six bands going on here and there. Gold-Bears' pop is rife with angelic female background vox, lots of 'la la la's and 'ooooooh's, horns and unlikely instrumentation, strange production, the sound slipping from murky punky and lo-fi, to big bombastic to jangly and shimmery, the record oozing hooks, none so much as the opener, a summer jam if there ever was one, plus it's called "Record Store", noisy, jangly, catchy as heck, super dynamic, crazy melodic, a total mixtape track for sure. And like all great records, Are You Falling In Love? is full of those sorts of tracks, the whole thing immediately catchy, but the sort of record where every song has the potential to be your favorite, and if you listen enough, they eventually all will be. So good.
MPEG Stream: "Record Store"
MPEG Stream: "All Those Years"
MPEG Stream: "So Natural"

GOLD-BEARS Are You Falling In Love? (Slumberland) lp 12.98
Slumberland are certainly making up for lost time. This iconic pop label seemed to disappear for a while there a few years back, but since they reemerged, a month hasn't gone by without a new record by some new band (or an old favorite), and if it was any other label, we might be wondering "where the heck do they find these bands" but this is Slumberland, whose track record for discovering bands is pretty much totally untouchable. SO thus we have Gold-Bears, the latest new band on Slumberland, and we're digging it big time. Big jangly, distortion drenched noise pop, the label mentions Boyracer (one of our all time favorite pop bands who for some reason have never made it onto the aQ list) and the Wedding Present, both of which definitely fit, as do some of the other Slumberland bands like Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and Summer Cats, but hell, there are bits of Neutral Milk Hotel and other Elephant Six bands going on here and there. Gold-Bears' pop is rife with angelic female background vox, lots of 'la la la's and 'ooooooh's, horns and unlikely instrumentation, strange production, the sound slipping from murky punky and lo-fi, to big bombastic to jangly and shimmery, the record oozing hooks, none so much as the opener, a summer jam if there ever was one, plus it's called "Record Store", noisy, jangly, catchy as heck, super dynamic, crazy melodic, a total mixtape track for sure. And like all great records, Are You Falling In Love? is full of those sorts of tracks, the whole thing immediately catchy, but the sort of record where every song has the potential to be your favorite, and if you listen enough, they eventually all will be. So good.
MPEG Stream: "Record Store"
MPEG Stream: "All Those Years"
MPEG Stream: "So Natural"

GOLDCARD s/t (Off Records) cd 14.98
I just realised we have never listed any Pond records. Which is a crying shame as they are responsible for two of my favorite records EVER, having slowly mutated from a dirgy grungy (they were on Sub Pop after all) sludgy rock band, to a gorgeously lush and quirky pop band, making one of the greatest pop records ever, Rock Collection. That major label debut disappeared from the radar without even a blip, most likely resulting in the end of the band. We'll remedy the Pond situation on some later list, but for now, we can talk about the new album from Pond mainman Charlie Campbell, and his new band Goldcard, which is essentially Pond (it features one of the other two Pond guys) as well as Quasi frontman Sam Coomes and a bunch of other folks. This is gorgeously quirky, super catchy really really strange indie pop, but the strangeness in no way interferes with the pop-ness, in fact it only serves to make it sound miles more original than any of the other folks reaping greater rewards than the way more deserving Campbell and his Goldcard. Campbell has an unbelievable knack for interesting arrangements/instrumentation and unlikely melodies, so unlikely in fact, that they stick in your head like bubble gum on hot asphalt. Seriously. And the lyrics are absure and surreal, about bunnies and cars and random weirdness, but are somehow achingly perfect in capturing moods and emotions, without resorting to actually talking about them. A rare gift indeed. Goldcard almost sounds like a much more intimate, stripped down Pond record, with less emphasis on the rock, and more on arrangements, and moods and experimenting, which is a good thing. The record starts off with this weird shimmering guitar part (which was all over the last Pond record), that Campbell talks about in the liner notes, realising that he didn't in fact invent it but inadvertently stole it from the Flaming Lips. All the songs have extensive notes that only tangentially relate to the songs themselves and are really funny! Once again, when I'm faced with a record that I am digging SO MUCH and listening to non-stop, I feel like no matter what or how much I write I can't do it justice or explain just why it's so good. And it is SO GOOD! Fans of the Flaming Lips, Grandaddy, Pond obviously, Built To Spill, Quasi, Modest Mouse and all that plaintive, moody, catchy indie pop will be rewarded greatly and maybe have a new treasure trove of perfect mixtape material!
MPEG Stream: "1"
MPEG Stream: "We Only Doubt Which Theory We Will Be Proving First"
MPEG Stream: "Rabbit"
MPEG Stream: "Destroy And Recreate"

GOLDEN (Trans Solar 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.
Features Philip Manley of Trans Am. Instrumental math/post rock featuring members of, well, one guy from, Trans Am.

GOLDEN (Trans Solar) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Instrumental Rock band featuring members of, well, one guy from, Trans Am. Perhaps for fans of Don Caballero?

GOLDEN Apollo Stars (National Record Label) cd 14.98
A poem:
Great chops like the ones that these guys possess
Are plenty impressive, on this we'll attest...
But when used to make music like this, we proclaim:
"Funk groovin' on you ain't becoming. Abstain!"
Unless you're baked outta your mind and/or like Phish... avoid! This is a mish mash of styles that sure sound as though they were having a great time playing and following their muse, but whether or not that translates into something that's as pleasurable to listen to, is highly debatable. Me thinks your ears deserve better. There're many other skilled players out there making music that won't give you aural indigestion.
RealAudio clip: "Feel This Flow"
RealAudio clip: "Napenda Judy"

GOLDEN Super Golden Original Movement (Slowdime) cd 10.98
Epic post/math-rock project's 2nd album. Fans of Don Caballero and Trans Am (who contribute guitarist Phil) take note.

GOLDEN Super Golden Original Movement (Slowdime) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Epic post/math-rock project's 2nd album. Fans of Don Caballero and Trans Am (who contribute guitarist Phil) take note.

GOLDEN BIRDS Carrier (Paranoid) cd 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Golden Birds have offered up not one but two fine releases for our indie rock lovin' ears (one on Paranoid Records and the other self-released). The band aligns itself well with the likes of early-mid period Wedding Present as well as Bright Eyes and Interpol (particular in the emotive vocal department).
This is their energetic debut full length which expands on an earlier ep that the band released when they went by the name Carrier. You might recall that back in 2002 we carried Home Movies which was another of their self-released eps. They're quite a different sounding band these days, distancing themselves considerably from their more postrock-ish and atmospheric beginnings in favor of poppy punch. Note: one song is shared by both releases "Sioux Falls South Dakota".
MPEG Stream: "Things Don't Fall Apart"
MPEG Stream: "Mirrors / Coyote / Thermometer / Lions"

GOLDEN BIRDS Transamerica (self-released) cd 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Golden Birds have offered up not one but two fine releases for our indie rock lovin' ears (one on Paranoid Records and the other self-released). The band aligns itself well with the likes of early-mid period Wedding Present as well as Bright Eyes and Interpol (particular in the emotive vocal department).
This is a special cdep of acoustic numbers that the band self-released to coincide with a tour this past summer. Wistful, sensitive pop without drums, but with warm guitar strumming, pretty glockenspiel and some dreamy boy/girl vocals. Note: one song is shared by both releases "Sioux Falls".
MPEG Stream: "Cadmium"
MPEG Stream: "Sioux Falls"

GOLDEN DAWN Power Plant (Sunspots) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Golden Dawn were 1960's Texas brethren of Thirteenth Floor elevators, but their brand of psych garage involves a more British invasion type sound- like Aftermath era Stones or the Kinks. OK, like the Kinks if they smoked massive amounts of the "power plant" and were heavily into occult metaphysics. This is the only album they ever made, and it contains some pretty great poppy psych-garage gems. While not as heavy or whacked out as Texas contemporaries such as the Elevators or Red Krayola, Golden Dawn are badass and solid none the less, and well deserving of this handsome lp-styled cd reissue.
RealAudio clip: "Starvation"

GOLDEN DAWN Power Plant (International Artists) lp 16.98