JUAN DE LA CRUZ Himig Natin (Vicor) cd 11.98
Some time ago we raved about a disc entitled Shake Your Brains by a real-deal '70s stoner rock band from the Phillipines called the Juan Dela Cruz band. Turns out that disc, now long-gone and out of print, was actually a compilation of tracks taken from the Juan Dela Cruz albums Himig Natin and Maskara, which we discovered have just recently been reissued in their native land. Our mission was clear, and now we've managed to track down copies of both discs from a Phillipine supplier. They're supposedly "digitally remastered" but suffer from no-frills packaging, though, without much in the way of a booklet (pet peeve #493 strikes again) and chintzy "now on cd!" graphics marring the cover art repro. Still, these are the only way to acquire the most killer stuff by these obscure heavy rock legends. Here's some of what we said about that Shake Your Brains disc if you missed it:
"Juan De La Cruz (a band, not a man, so it's filed under "J") was a hard-rock powerhouse powertrio from the Phillippines. If you're hip to other obscurites from the era, imagine a cross between Buffalo and Los Dug Dug's! Totally rocked out bluesy stoner jams, with brilliantly fucked sex and party obsessed lyrics ("get drunk all day, get down all night", "I'll just wait for you down in the alley / and I'll show you how it can be"). And guitarist Wally Gonzales has got his acid-psych leads down, man! It's not clear who's singing (it might be the drummer, who previously played in the equally primal Japanese psychrock band Speed, Glue, & Shinki) but whoever it is, he's got the perfect delivery for this stuff, which includes one of our all-time favorite garage-psych songs, "I Wanna Say Yeah" -- perhaps the ultimate rock n' roll song title/lyric *EVER*. I mean, yeah! None of today's punks, stoners, or garage revivalists can touch that."
That Shake Your Brains disc consisted of ten songs -- taking four of Himig Natin's nine tracks and six of Masakara's dozen -- about half of each. And probably the better half of each, we have to say. But some stuff not selected that you'll find on these albums is just as good, and besides which you can't get Shake Your Brains anymore. So if you want to hear "Beep Beep" and "I Wanna Say Yeah" and "Shake Your Brains" you've gotta get these two discs!
Himig Natin came out originally in 1973 and features, as both albums do, the line-up of Wally Gonzales (guitar), Mike Hanopol (bass), and Joseph Smith (drums, acoustic guitar). It's got the aforementioned "I Wanna Say Yeah" and the song with the "down in the alley" lyrics, "Take You Home" (also recorded by Speed Glue & Shinki), among other highlights. Some cuts are on the bluesier side, they do one Chuck Berry song ("Round And Round"), and another one's a Greatful Dead cover! It's a rollicking version of "Big Boss Man", not being a Deadhead I don't know if that's an obscure cover or not, and I also wouldn't have guessed it was a Dead song either. The album winds up with the rather pretty title track, wherein Smith's acoustic comes into play.
MPEG Stream: "Take You Home"
MPEG Stream: "I Wanna Say Yeah"

JUAN DE LA CRUZ Maskara (Vicor) cd 11.98
Some time ago we raved about a disc entitled Shake Your Brains by a real-deal '70s stoner rock band from the Phillipines called the Juan Dela Cruz band. Turns out that disc, now long-gone and out of print, was actually a compilation of tracks taken from the Juan Dela Cruz albums Himig Natin and Maskara, which we discovered have just recently been reissued in their native land. Our mission was clear, and now we've managed to track down copies of both discs from a Phillipine supplier. They're supposedly "digitally remastered" but suffer from no-frills packaging, though, without much in the way of a booklet (pet peeve #493 strikes again) and chintzy "now on cd!" graphics marring the cover art repro. Still, these are the only way to acquire the most killer stuff by these obscure heavy rock legends. Here's some of what we said about that Shake Your Brains disc if you missed it:
"Juan De La Cruz (a band, not a man, so it's filed under "J") was a hard-rock powerhouse powertrio from the Phillippines. If you're hip to other obscurites from the era, imagine a cross between Buffalo and Los Dug Dug's! Totally rocked out bluesy stoner jams, with brilliantly fucked sex and party obsessed lyrics ("get drunk all day, get down all night", "I'll just wait for you down in the alley / and I'll show you how it can be"). And guitarist Wally Gonzales has got his acid-psych leads down, man! It's not clear who's singing (it might be the drummer, who previously played in the equally primal Japanese psychrock band Speed, Glue, & Shinki) but whoever it is, he's got the perfect delivery for this stuff, which includes one of our all-time favorite garage-psych songs, "I Wanna Say Yeah" -- perhaps the ultimate rock n' roll song title/lyric *EVER*. I mean, yeah! None of today's punks, stoners, or garage revivalists can touch that."
That Shake Your Brains disc consisted of ten songs -- taking four of Himig Natin's nine tracks and six of Masakara's dozen -- about half of each. And probably the better half of each, we have to say. But some stuff not selected that you'll find on these albums is just as good, and besides which you can't get Shake Your Brains anymore. So if you want to hear "Beep Beep" and "I Wanna Say Yeah" and "Shake Your Brains" you've gotta get these two discs!
The title of 1974's Masakara might possibly relate in some way to the sleeve photo of the band in facepaint... So cool. They mellow out on a few of the tracks, but mostly these are heavy duty rockers! A few highlights: "Pinoy Blues", "Nadapa Sa Arina", "Beep Beep", "We Love You", "Palengke", and "Pagod Sa Pahinga" -- a lot more Tagalog language lyrics/titles here than on the previous album. And no covers this time, as far as we know.
MPEG Stream: "Beep Beep"
MPEG Stream: "Rak En Roll Sa Mundo"

JUAN DE LA CRUZ Shake Your Brains (Crystal Emporium) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Juan De La Cruz (a band, not a man, so it's filed under "J") was a hard-rock powerhouse powertrio from the Phillippines who flourished in the nineteen seventies. If you're hip to other obscurites from the era, imagine a cross between Buffalo and Los Dug Dug's! This bootleg-looking disc reissues one of their earliest albums (no date given, sorry, but we'd guess '71 or so), and it's a killer. Totally rocked out bluesy stoner jams, with brilliantly fucked sex and party obsessed lyrics ("get drunk all day, get down all night", "I'll just wait for you down in the alley / and I'll show you how it can be"). And guitarist Wally Gonzales has got his acid-psych leads down, man! It's not clear who's singing (it might be the drummer, an American who previously played in the equally primal Japanese psychrock band Speed, Glue, & Shinki) but whoever it is, he's got the perfect delivery for this stuff, which includes one of our all-time favorite garage-psych songs, "I Wanna Say Yeah" -- perhaps the ultimate rock n' roll song title/lyric *EVER*. I mean, yeah! None of today's punks, stoners, or garage revivalists can touch that. (Although, parts of this album *do* remind us a bit of Drunk Horse!)
We'll soon have another Juan de la Cruz reissue, a 1970 recording called "Up In Arms" that Shadoks is putting out real soon. Apparently it's got a ton of unreleased live stuff on it, can't wait!
RealAudio clip: "I Wanna Say Yeah"
RealAudio clip: "Shake Your Brains"

JUAN DE LA CRUZ BAND Up In Arms (Shadoks Music) cd 14.98
Here's that other Juan de la Cruz reissue we promised last list in our review of their "Shake Your Brains" album. "Up In Arms" was the band's debut from 1971. Like "Shake Your Brains" this is psychedelic hard rock, but it's a bit more psych, and less hard, than that album. On "Shake Your Brains" the band was stripped down to a power trio, but here they're augmented with piano, organ, sax, and flute, instrumentation that brings in some jazzier, trippier sounds than the basic garagey heaviness found on "Shake Your Brains". The liner notes tell us that the band was one of the Philippines's biggest, partially thanks to their performance in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Cultural Center of the Philippines! That led to them gigging at that same Cultural Center with the Philippine National Philharmonic! Wow. It's a little hard to imagine that their brand of bluesy, heavy-duty hippie rock really meshed well with a symphony orchestra (doing songs like "Mystery Roach" and "Requiem For A Head"?), but I guess Deep Purple was an inspiration. Anyway, "Up In Arms" has got some fine acid-rock jams, as well as mellower psych-pop moments. Which are nice, if not exactly what we were hoping for. BUT, the bonus tracks that occupy the entire second half of this hour-long disc (tracks 7 through 12) are quite a bit heavier. Recorded "live and in concert", the Juan de la Cruz Band kicks out the jams on a bunch of Tagalog-language cuts including several from the "Shake Your Brains" LP. No info is provided as to where or when this live stuff was recorded, but it all sounds great, and is totally rockin'.
RealAudio clip: "Requiem For A Head"
RealAudio clip: "Sarap Ng Buhay"

JUCIFER I Name You Destroyer (Velocette) cd 14.98
Jucifer made me woozy. Not a bad thing! When it started with delicate female vocals over shoegazer psychedelia, I thought "one part My Bloody Valentine, one part Lush, one part Veruca Salt", but that didn't last too long. Add "five parts Melvins". The breathy female vox soon meet ballsy thick fuzz guitars. Pretty damn rockin'... and it all gets progressively more so. By the fourth song ("Queen B"), the heavy duty nutbusters have been unleashed, although they pretty things up again later, always keeping you guessing as to when the crushing riffs will come in. If you've been paying attention (unlike me) you'd have been expecting this from our review of Jucifer's previous effort, "The Lambs EP". To recap: Jucifer are a massively-amped two-piece from Georgia or someplace, with a frenzied, hard-hitting male drummer and a heavier-than-thou female guitarist, who also handles the singing, a blend of beastly and beautiful that is this duo's forte. "Death Pop" they call it. The 15 tracks here vary the predominant drums/guitar brutality with some hypnotic keyboard atmospheres and effects. Boris meets the Breeders?
RealAudio clip: "Amplifier "
RealAudio clip: "Queen B"
RealAudio clip: "Little Fever"

JUCIFER If Thine Enemy Hunger (Relapse) cd 14.98
Sweet southern shoegazer stoner dirge metal?? Well it makes lots of sense here. It's been two years since this band's last release, the (excellent) ep War Bird. A long wait but worth it, as Jucifer have become one of our go-to bands for music that's both punishingly heavy yet also thoroughly laced with indie-pop prettiness, and this new one does not disappoint on either score. For those of you that need the intro, these fuzzed-out faves of ours are a male/female two-piece from Georgia (home to Harvey Milk as well, and we imagine some sort of kinship), the guy on drums and the gal on guitar and vox, pushing more air than most five-piece bands, amp on 11, crushingly heavy but with enough spaciousness in the mix to allow for the lady's lovely, breathy vocals to soar over her doomier than thou riffage. She can also manage some stressed out banshee screams when necessary. We've always compared Jucifer to an unholy mixture of the Melvins and the Breeders and that holds true here on If Thine Enemy Hunger, their first album for diverse metal label Relapse. And we're not sure why we never thought of it before, maybe it's more noticeable on this album, but listening to this we're thinking Nirvana Nirvana Nirvana, it's very In Utero sounding at times!! Which we can't help but like. Some of it's just that catchy, and that moody. Just in time for the current AQ grunge obsession! (Though this is more like a stripped down, alt-rock Boris than a grunge band, we should note). We're in love.
MPEG Stream: "She Ties The Deep"
MPEG Stream: "Lucky Ones Burn"

JUCIFER If Thine Enemy Hunger (Relapse) lp 16.98
Sweet southern shoegazer stoner dirge metal?? Well it makes lots of sense here. It's been two years since this band's last release, the (excellent) ep War Bird. A long wait but worth it, as Jucifer have become one of our go-to bands for music that's both punishingly heavy yet also thoroughly laced with indie-pop prettiness, and this new one does not disappoint on either score. For those of you that need the intro, these fuzzed-out faves of ours are a male/female two-piece from Georgia (home to Harvey Milk as well, and we imagine some sort of kinship), the guy on drums and the gal on guitar and vox, pushing more air than most five-piece bands, amp on 11, crushingly heavy but with enough spaciousness in the mix to allow for the lady's lovely, breathy vocals to soar over her doomier than thou riffage. She can also manage some stressed out banshee screams when necessary. We've always compared Jucifer to an unholy mixture of the Melvins and the Breeders and that holds true here on If Thine Enemy Hunger, their first album for diverse metal label Relapse. And we're not sure why we never thought of it before, maybe it's more noticeable on this album, but listening to this we're thinking Nirvana Nirvana Nirvana, it's very In Utero sounding at times!! Which we can't help but like. Some of it's just that catchy, and that moody. Just in time for the current AQ grunge obsession! (Though this is more like a stripped down, alt-rock Boris than a grunge band, we should note). We're in love.
MPEG Stream: "She Ties The Deep"
MPEG Stream: "Lucky Ones Burn"

JUCIFER L'Autrichienne (Relapse) cd 14.98
Just about the last thing we'd expect from this boy/girl Southern doom-dirge duo (and sometimes shoegazing indie-pop pair) is a concept album about the French Revolution. But with tracks like "Fall Of The Bastille" and "Procession A La Guillotine" that's what you get here, though!!
The 21 tracks here veer wildly from thrashing hardcore (with rabid vokills) one moment, to grungy rock riffage graced with blissed out female vocals (some in French) the next... There's a hushed acoustic interlude or three, and vast tracts of crushing glacial doooooooom as well. From track to track, this is all over the place, you'll never know quite what to expect next. It's eccentric, ambitious, sorta schizo, and heck we're impressed. More importantly, entertained, 'cause even with all the variety, Jucifer fans (such as ourselves) can count on this 66 minutes of music to include plenty of the band's usual distorto-sludge amp worshiping heavy rockin' heaviness a la Boris, as well as plenty of guitarist Amber Valentine's lovely, breathy melodic vox, the other crucial element of the unusual but effective Jucifer formula. It's sorta like you've got the Melvins playing loud on the stereo in one corner of your room, while you're also listening to Mirah or Mary Timony singing sweetly on your iPod headphones. And again, on top of that, it's about the French Revolution. Way to go Jucifer, really threw us for a loop. Vive La Revolution!
MPEG Stream: "To Earth"
MPEG Stream: "L'Autrichienne"
MPEG Stream: "The Mountain"

JUCIFER The Lambs EP (Velocette) cd ep 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Terrible name, let's get that out of the way. The band says they wanted something that was both sweet (juice) and sinister (Lucifer), but it wasn't a good idea -- try saying it aloud. Jew-cifer? Whoops. And whether people will mistake them for anti-semites or not, it's still a dumb-sounding name. But, a bad name does not a bad band make, at least in this case. The Jucifer concept, in a nutshell: they're a two-piece with one crazy guy bashing the drum kit, and one rather attractive girl cranking out metallic, Melvins-worthy riffs on the guitar. She's also the singer, capable of both Breeders-ish breathy melody and harsh screaming. Throw in some ominous piano to fill the lulls between the massive guitar sonics and drum bashing, and you've got a definite winner for fans of all things heavy and dirgey and unusual. It's like a female-fronted shoegazer outfit amped up to heavy metal levels. 4 songs, 20 minutes.
RealAudio clip: "Lambs"

JUCIFER War Bird (Velocette) cd ep 5.98
Yay, a new EP from this AQ fave, a guitar/drums girl/boy two-piece who produce massive MELVINSy heaviness and then caress said heaviness with breathy, beautiful female vocals, as if trying to soothe a wild beast of their own creation. She even sings in French on one track. As we've come to expect from 'em, War Bird is indeed lumbering, distorted, droning dirge-metal blessed with some quiet/mellow interludes as the band occasionally stops to smell the flowers before trampling them underfoot. From surging to soporific, there's six songs here including one acoustic country-folk anomaly -- about 23 minutes of music in total -- plus an additional 46 minute track that's a field recording of (mainly) crickets! Presumably, recorded in their backyard in Georgia. Thus, a 69 minute ep!
MPEG Stream: "Ides Of Light"
MPEG Stream: "Seth"

JUD JUD No Tolerance for Instruments (Scehmatics) 7" 3.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Once you realize this amazing single is totally acapella, the title finally makes sense! Jud Jud do stunningly perfect straight-edge punk/grindcore/emo -- except that every cymbal crash, every wail of guitar feedback, every single note is done acapella! Must be heard to be believed! This is their second single. Now if only they would do a covers album...

JUD JUD X-the demos-X (No Idea) 7" 3.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Probably one of the funniest records we have ever heard, this is a parody of early 80's straight edge complete with tour posters of Jud Jud headlining over Minor Threat, Seven Seconds, and Uniform Choice and a heartfelt mention of friendships and motivation and dreams becoming reality and the importance of their lyrics. Only Jud Jud's lyrics go a bit like this: JUD JUD JAH, JUD JUD JUD, JUD JUD JAH, TSSS TSSS TSSSSS, JUD JUD EEEEEEE, JUD JUD EEEEEE, JUD JAAAAAAAAA, JUD JUD, JUD JUD JAAAAAAAA, JUD JUD JUD, WAH NAH, JUD JUD JUD, WAH NAH, JUD JUD JUD, NING NING NING, JUD JUD, DIGGA DIGGA DIGGA, JUD JUD, EEEEEEEE, DUJ DUJ, DIGGA DIGGA DIGGA, JUD JUD JUD, JUD JUD, BBBDDDTLUM PPPPP, BBBDDDTLUM PPPP, JUD JUD JUD, DUJ DUJ, EEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, JUD JUD. And that's it--no guitars, no drums. Yep, that's right. Exactly like every straight edge single you've ever heard, only it's A CAPELLA! Even the 'feedback' whines are a capella! Excellent and hilarious.

JUDAH s/t (Small Voices) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
There's absolutely no information about Judah as to the who, the what, or the when. We could be really bold and say that this bleak, murky synth-punk outfit was active in the early '80s emerging out of the Bowery alongside the likes of Suicide and Dark Day; but in all likelihood, this is a contemporary project that has all of the minimal wave trappings. The arrangements on this eponymous album are suitably stripped down with just syncopated bass-tones, monophunk drum machines, and motorik pulses through pure analogue electronics with very little touching on melody. The vocalist (whoever that may be) strikes a sneering rock pose certainly modeled on the rockabilly vocals of Alan Vega with a few funhouse Elvis grinds by way of Karl Blake of Shock Headed Peters. This is a pretty damn compelling record, and one that we wish we could tell you more about. Unfortunately, we do have very limited stock on this, with very little hope of getting more...
MPEG Stream: "Sainted Pusher"
MPEG Stream: "The Killing Reborn Jesus"
MPEG Stream: "Magdalena (Dance!)"

JUDD, ELMORE Insect Funk (Honest Johns) cd 17.98

JUDITH AND HOLOFERNES Abraca A Tristeza (Vanguard Squad) cd 9.98
Bay Area band Judith And Holofernes take traditional Portuguese fado music and give it a gentle twist. Gracefully picked guitar flourishes are accompanied by male and female vocals that actually bring to mind those of Low's Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker (particularly on their last album The Great Destroyer). In fact, at times, Judith And Holofernes seem to be not so distant rural cousins of those somber slowcore faves. Pressing the comparisons even closer, electric guitar drones thicken the album's atmosphere and give the proceedings a bit more gravity. May we recommend that Abraca A Tristeza be listened to by candlelight? Yes! Enjoy these moody beauties as they glimmer in and out of the shadows.
MPEG Stream: "Euphoria Fades"
MPEG Stream: "Flattering Inaccuracy Of Memory"

JUDITH AND HOLOFERNES Abraca A Tristeza (Vanguard Squad) lp 9.98
Bay Area band Judith And Holofernes take traditional Portuguese fado music and give it a gentle twist. Gracefully picked guitar flourishes are accompanied by male and female vocals that actually bring to mind those of Low's Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker (particularly on their last album The Great Destroyer). In fact, at times, Judith And Holofernes seem to be not so distant rural cousins of those somber slowcore faves. Pressing the comparisons even closer, electric guitar drones thicken the album's atmosphere and give the proceedings a bit more gravity. May we recommend that Abraca A Tristeza be listened to by candlelight? Yes! Enjoy these moody beauties as they glimmer in and out of the shadows.
MPEG Stream: "Euphoria Fades"
MPEG Stream: "Flattering Inaccuracy Of Memory"

JUKEBOXER In the Food Chain (Absolutely Kosher) cd 13.98
With a bandname like that, you might be expecting a power pop trio or some other energetic upbeat combo, but no! This new addition to the ever-growing, wide-ranging Absolutely Kosher label family (Wrens, Xiu Xiu, Mountain Goats, Frog Eyes, Court & Spark et al) is a subdued, contemplative earthy ensemble. Their music suggests more so an antique wind-up musicbox than an electric jukebox. Quite akin to recent neo-folksters such as Joanna Newsom, Vetiver and Faun Fables. They make the kind of airy, enchanting music that draws you near, you'll want/need to lean in close to catch every hushed, chiming note and drifting seraphim vocal. So pretty!
MPEG Stream: "Terrestrial"
MPEG Stream: "House Burning Down"

JULES, MARSEN Nostalgia (Oktaf) cd 16.98
Classical inspired daydream electronic ambience crafted with an immaculate touch. Marsen Jules should be familiar to anyone who loves the blissed out sounds found on Kompakt's yearly Pop Ambient series, as he's had tracks featured on four of those collections. Nostalgia is rife with solemn undertones, making it the perfect soundtrack for broken hearts and tearful moments, surrendering to the intensity of the moment. It's music that would perfectly suit some 16mm gauzy Kodachrome film panning through the sky, city, and glimpses of old friends, lovers and faded memories. A record that makes us think of our favorite outings by Sylvain Chauveau, Gas, Biosphere, and Klimek.
Completely gorgeous.
MPEG Stream: "A Moment Of Grace"
MPEG Stream: "Sleep My Brother, Sleep"
MPEG Stream: "Sweet Sweet Longing"

JULIE MITTENS, THE s/t (Holy Mountain) cd 13.98
Glorious fuzzed out howl, rather dark and desolate despite the warm and fuzzy sounding name. Well maybe fuzzy is right, the guitars certainly are... This is the first cd release (after some obscure limited edition vinyl and cd-r action) from this Dutch improvisational "free rock" power trio. It's no surprise that they've found a home on the Holy Mountain label, alongside the likes of Suishou No Fune, Zodiacs, Lichens, La Otracina, and the Davis Redford Triad, amongst others. It's definitely some Holy Mountain sounding shit! Mega-massive distorted whale call guitar explorations, displaying density and intensity on par with Japanese units like Keiji Haino's Fushitsusha. There's four lengthy tracks here, 66 minutes total time, studio-recorded but presumably live without overdubs, each one of them deserving of a serious "whew!" when finished. The wind-tunnel of feedback from the amplifier abusing guitarist is ably supported by the bassist's clouds of low-end tones and the percussionist's jazz-worthy, freely fractured drum kit hits, in a moody, never too busy interplay of paradoxically controlled chaos. It's channelled volume and energy, boring a hole in your skull through your ears to the part of your brain where you imagine John Coltrane's sheets of sound, stretched out and slowed down and ground up, electrified for guitar strings instead of sax... Whew! We like.
MPEG Stream: "December 12, 2006 #1"
MPEG Stream: "December 12, 2006 #2"

JULY July & The Second July (Mason) cd 23.00

JULY s/t (Aftermath) cd 17.98
First cd issue of what is reportedly a highly sought after record of UK psychedelic rock. The singer's got a nice Skip Spence strain in his voice, and there's a lot of sitar on top of the more traditional instrumentation, and the winsome harmonies are sweet. Other than that, it's pretty good but not mindblowing so we're recommending it only to hardcore psych freaks who already have all the Kinks records, the West Coast Pop Art Experimental band reissues, etc. You know who you are.
RealAudio clip: "Jolly Mary"
RealAudio clip: "Hallo to Me"

JULY s/t (Rev-Ola) cd 17.98
July is one of a myriad of UK psych bands to come out of the paisley maelstrom of the post-Sgt. Pepper's London psych scene in the late sixties. One who would still remain a minor footnote if they had never made this brilliant and amazing debut album. It's a highly collectible psych artifact for good reason. It's awesome!!!!!!!! We've been playing it nearly non-stop since we got it, and it's pretty much an across the board store favorite.
Starting out years earlier as the Tomcats (amongst many other line-up changes and band names that defined the hectic scene back in the day) and influenced by the same wave of American R&B that bands like the Stones and Spencer Davis Group were, they soon realized the London scene was too crowded for them and headed off to the France and Spain for a couple of years to tighten their chops. When they came back in 1968, the sound and scene had changed once again from R&B to full on flowery acid-psych. Armed with good songs and well-rehearsed from touring, they quickly snagged a record deal and used the studio to augment their songs with all manner of gimmickry such as phasing, delays and tape-loops and far-out instrumentation of sitars, tablas, and African percussion.
The band quickly cut one of the finest examples of acid-y psych pop to come out of the era, an engaging mix of lysergic dreaminess and lo-fi garage rock urgency. The only thing was, none of the members really liked the result. (Unlike us!) Certain choices like the "ugly" cover art and band name (changed to July to coincide with the album's release?!) were taken out of the band's control, and some members felt the studio gimmickry being used was far too gimmicky. At the time when so many bands like The Pretty Things, Pink Floyd, and Kaleidoscope were making stronger inroads with the psych sound and scene, July couldn't figure out what it should do with itself, and cutting only one more single (featured here among the bonus tracks), called it a day. Tragic! Listening to this today, you can hear its influence through bands like Olivia Tremor Control, early Guided By Voices, and Jennifer Gentle. If you have loved UK pop-psych albums such as Tangerine Dream by Kaleidoscope, S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things, and Pink Floyd's Pipers at The Gates of Dawn, July's self-titled debut will be one more jewel in that acid pop crown. So totally recommended.
NB. another July album called The Second of July of previous unissued recordings from 1967 exists as well, and hopefully also will be reissued by Rev-Ola.
MPEG Stream: "Jolly Mary"
MPEG Stream: "I See"
MPEG Stream: "Friendly Man"

JULY s/t (Guerssen) lp 31.00
This all time aQ favorite is now available on vinyl!
July is one of a myriad of UK psych bands to come out of the paisley maelstrom of the post-Sgt. Pepper's London psych scene in the late sixties. One who would still remain a minor footnote if they had never made this brilliant and amazing debut album. It's a highly collectible psych artifact for good reason. It's awesome!!! We've been playing it nearly non-stop since we got it, and it's pretty much an across the board store favorite.
Starting out years earlier as the Tomcats (amongst many other line-up changes and band names that defined the hectic scene back in the day) and influenced by the same wave of American RnB that bands like the Stones and Spencer Davis Group were, they soon realized the London scene was too crowded for them and headed off to the France and Spain for a couple of years to tighten their chops. When they came back in 1968, the sound and scene had changed once again from RnB to full on flowery acid-psych. Armed with good songs and well-rehearsed from touring, they quickly snagged a record deal and used the studio to augment their songs with all manner of gimmickry such as phasing, delays and tape-loops and far-out instrumentation of sitars, tablas, and African percussion.
The band quickly cut one of the finest examples of acid-y psych pop to come out of the era, an engaging mix of lysergic dreaminess and lo-fi garage rock urgency. The only thing was, none of the members really liked the result (unlike us). Certain choices like the "ugly" cover art and band name (changed to July to coincide with the album's release?!) were taken out of the band's control, and some members felt the studio gimmickry being used was far too gimmicky. At the time when so many bands like The Pretty Things, Pink Floyd, and Kaleidoscope were making stronger inroads with the psych sound and scene, July couldn't figure out what it should do with itself, and cutting only one more single (featured here among the bonus tracks), called it a day. Tragic! Listening to this today, you can hear its influence through bands like Olivia Tremor Control, early Guided By Voices, and Jennifer Gentle. If you have loved UK pop-psych albums such as Tangerine Dream by Kaleidoscope, S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things, and Pink Floyd's Pipers at The Gates of Dawn, July's self-titled debut will be one more jewel in that acid pop crown. So totally recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Jolly Mary"
MPEG Stream: "I See"
MPEG Stream: "Friendly Man"

JUMALHAMARA Slaughter The Messenger (Hammer-Of-Hate) cd ep 10.98
We've gotten to a really weird place in our music obsession, as evidenced by the fact that sometimes a recommendation against, is almost stronger than a recommendation FOR. Sounds weird but it's true. We have friends at other stores, who will tell us something is terrible, they hated it, but then will add "you might like it though." And the weird thing is, they're usually right (that we'll like it). We've developed such a taste for the bizarre, it's sometimes hard to tell if something is bad, or so fucked up it's genius.
However, one of those friends recommended against buying this very record, very vehemently in fact. Hard to recall, but it was something along the lines of it not being very metal and being all jangly and wussy. Fair enough. But they are from Finland, and they do have a song called "Discover The Pigtail"! Those two pieces of critical info were enough to overrule our friend's warning, and we're so glad they were.
This latest ep from Finnish black metal, psychedelic post rock horde Jumalhamara is AMAZING. Three songs, all on the long side, with a sound that is pretty difficult to pin down. It is easy to see why someone questing for serious black metal grimness might be disappointed. The record begins with the sound of children, laughing, playing, and what sounds like oinking pigs, a field recording of some village, until the band ROAR into action, pounding out a fierce blast of blackened buzz, grinding and intensely heavy, but it literally only lasts for about 10 seconds, then the band drifts off into some washed out hippy psych territory, all crooned reverbed vocals, lazy sun baked melodies, simple hand drums, slippery minimal bass, streaks of dubbed out distorted guitar, but for the most part, this is almost like some blackened Finnish Grateful Dead. Near the end there's even some fuzzy organ, the guitars get a bit heavier, the vocals moaning and chant-like, but it never really explodes, just gets thicker and more dense, while still seeming jammy and druggy. So awesome. Almost like a slightly heavier, way more fucked up black metal version of the recent Dead Man record.
"Discover The Pigtail" begins with glistening harmonics, which are soon joined by some strange off kilter drumming, tangled riffing and howled vocals, the cool thing about this track is that those harmonics never go away, so even as the band slithers and sprawls, spewing out a sort of buzzy blackness, the glistening shimmer totally shines through, diluting the heaviness, turning what might be something raw and heavy into something way more bizarre and trippy, at times it almost sounds like two records playing simultaneously, they drift in an out of sync, all very dizzying and gloriously tweaked.
The final track is the briefest of the bunch, and begins as a grinding gnarled and blackened doomic dirge, but not typically sludgy and murky, instead it's super dense and layered, the drums doing much more than pounding away, stumbling and skittering, beneath streaks of high end guitar, and chugging blown out riffage, the cymbals sizzling, the whole track recorded super hot and in the red, blasting and pounding and twisting until it fades out.
Definitely not really black metal, more like some sort of twisted doom-ed post rock avant psych, but still plenty heavy and really fucking great!
MPEG Stream: "The Swing"
MPEG Stream: "Discover The Pigtail"

JUNE OF 44 Anahata (Quarterstick) cd 13.98
Veering drastically from their Slintishly Rodanic past, Anahata heads for Fugazi country, with new markedly off key vocals, and some pseudo-ethno percussion. Immersed in the insulated world of indie rock, where a pedigree is everything, and everyone is an ego stroking yesman, there is no one to tell JO44, that they are not breaking new ground, they are slowly becoming less and less unique, and that Doug Scharin is not Stewart Copeland. A lot of people I know like this record, but if June of 44 for you (like me) were merely one of many bands, trying desperately to fill the void left by the demise of Slint/Rodan/Bastro, then this record will surely disappoint. Oh yeah. their usually sublime packaging has been replaced by the bad-rock-band-collage normally reserved for bands like Foghat or UFO.

JUNE OF 44 Four Great Points (Quarterstick) cd 13.98
Taking up where The Anatomy of Sharks left off, Four Great Points is probably the best June of 44 yet. The singing and the songs are better, and toward the end of the record they wander further into (for them) unexplored territory, incorporating moog, samples, spoken word, and meandering soundscapes.

JUNE OF 44 Four Great Points (Quarterstick) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Taking up where The Anatomy of Sharks left off, Four Great Points is probably the best June of 44 yet. The singing and the songs are better, and toward the end of the record they wander further into (for them) unexplored territory, incorporating moog, samples, spoken word, and meandering soundscapes.

JUNE OF 44 In The Fishtank (Konkurrent) cd 10.98
Following the Tortoise/The Ex collaboration, here's the newest installment in Konkurrent's "Fishtank" series. Recorded in February 1999 while on tour in Europe, here are six exclusive tracks of June of 44's unique jazz/post-rock experiments. The liner notes suggest that this is the "missing link" between their albums "Four Great Points" and "Anahata".

JUNE OF 44 In The Fishtank (Konkurrent) lp 7.98
Following the Tortoise/The Ex collaboration, here's the newest installment in Konkurrent's "Fishtank" series. Recorded in February 1999 while on tour in Europe, here are six exclusive tracks of June of 44's unique jazz/post-rock experiments. The liner notes suggest that this is the "missing link" between their albums "Four Great Points" and "Anahata".

JUNE OF 44 The Anatomy Of Sharks (Quarterstick) cd 8.98
New three-song ep from these post-rockers®. Maybe more experimental and stretched-out than before, with the drummer Doug Scharin bringing in some dub concepts from his band Him.

JUNE OF 44 The Anatomy Of Sharks (Quarterstick) 12" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
New three-song ep from these post-rockers®. Maybe more experimental and stretched-out than before, with the drummer Doug Scharin bringing in some dub concepts from his band Him.

JUNE OF 44 Tropics & Meridians (Quarterstick) cd 15.98

JUNEAU (Ba Da Bing!) cd 12.98
El Bobo at Revolver Distribution aptly describes the record thusly: "A primarily improvised series of musical events charted by two guitars and some drums that refreshingly doesn't suck for a change. Layers of droning noise and weaved interplay that drifts well between minimalist passages and soaring grand sound abstractions. A nice fill in the void between Dead C and the Ash Ra Temple." From Boston.

JUNIOR BOYS Begone Dull Care (Domino) cd 14.98
While many have followed their lead, aping their electro fueled indie-pop, Junior Boys still have so much more class and sophistication than the wannabe masses that flood the scene with their watered down sounds these days.
Begone Dull Care is the Junior Boys' third album and while their songs have always been slow burners, this album is probably the slowest yet, with a bit of patience required to fully appreciate, but if you stick with it, the rewards are pretty damn great! It's tricky to make an album of electro-pop that isn't totally initially catchy or in your face, but Junior Boys have proven that they understand so well how to create an overall mood and sound that can take a few listens before the impact is truly felt! Always the perfect soundtrack for late nights and coming down sessions, enticingly sleek and so richly smooth. While so much of electro-pop these days is about flashing fluorescent colors as bright and obnoxiously as possible, Junior Boys remind us all that it's possible to create something much more fluid and composed while still being able to move bodies with such ease.
MPEG Stream: "Work"
MPEG Stream: "Hazel"
MPEG Stream: "Bits & Pieces"

JUNIOR BOYS It's All True (Domino) cd 14.98
Over the last few years there has been no shortage of '80s inspired bands, creating electronic infused pop with an indie sensibility. But well before this retro explosion of bands boldly proclaiming their love for the '80s, Junior Boys hit the scene at a time when indie pop was in such desperate need of something more sensual danceable, an indie pop sound that did more than just flirt with the dance floor. What's given the group lasting power is that they aren't just about tapping into an era, or sound, or giving you ironic winks about the keyboards they are playing or the outfits they are wearing. While many continue to nail the strictly aesthetic side of '80s electro-pop, Junior Boys are one of the only groups who truly capture the romantic and emotional side of this often cheapened landscape. There is so much soul and substance in the songs they create, and Jeremy Greenspan has one of the smoothest and most seductive voices of any singer around.
It's All True continues their streak of great albums, filled with steaming movers, and sizzling slow burners. Imagine Aphex Twin getting a hold of George Michael and Boy George and helping them create their most understated and sexiest recordings ever. Or New Order reworking Japan's Gentleman Take Polaroids. As refreshing as Junior Boys were when they originally hit the scene, their continued earnestness and ability to craft songs that have an emotional weight to them is equally as refreshing in this moment in time when it all seems to be about irony and capturing just the surface of another moment in time. Highly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Itchy Fingers"
MPEG Stream: "Playtime"
MPEG Stream: "Banana Ripple"

JUNIOR BOYS So This Is Goodbye (Domino) cd 14.98
Hailing from the cold climate of Ontario, Canada, Junior Boys are back with their second full length to add some warm sleek soul to the too often cold and icy dance floor. This is is how you always wished the Pet Shop Boys sounded. With his irresistibly smooth vocal stylings Jeremy Greenspan perfectly lays that laid back inviting voice atop synths, guitar, bass, drums and a laptop, creating a fully realized electronic pop sound. While so many others playing so called electro-pop are smothered in irony and look-at-us-we're-so-hip garb it's so refreshing to listen to the Junior Boys as they mean what they play and do it so so well. If you miss the magic of early Depeche Mode and Japan records this could be a welcome addition to your collection. The kind of sounds that you want to hear after a long night out, it not only keeps the beat on the dance floor, but when you finally get home, it slows things down and lets unwind as you take off your dance shoes and sink into some new romantic dreams. So nice!
MPEG Stream: "In The Morning"
MPEG Stream: "So This Is Goodbye"

JUNIOR PANTHERS s/t (Get Lost) cd 14.98
Sweet, sunny pop has the power to brighten a day! Those jangle'n'crunch guitars. Those mellow, uplifting vocal harmonies. Listening to this album sure stirred flashes of familiarity. While the Junior Panthers certainly brings to mind the beloved power pop beauty of Big Star or their disciples Velvet Crush, Teenage Fanclub, Matthew Sweet, there was something else that rang even closer to home. It wasn't until the thirteenth song began that I knew for certain that I'd heard this band (or some other incarnation of them) before. The song in question is "Defy Your Radio" (there's two versions of it, the second radio edit version doesn't appear numerically on the cd player counter, but rest assured it's there) and you may recall our enthusiastic review of it when it appeared on SF band The Damsels' debut release a little over a year ago. Yes, that band has transformed into the Junior Panthers. That song was a stand-out on that cdep, and it's definitely a highlight here as well. As for the rest of the album, there's eleven more songs filled with energetic pop smarts. A solid 'debut'!
RealAudio clip: "Defy Your Radio"
RealAudio clip: "California"

JUNIOR PANTHERS Sirens (self-released) cd 14.98
Sirens is a new limited edition cd from this fine Bay Area foursome! Our first encounter with Junior Panthers was back in 2002... no, not really all that long ago! Their band name was fitting, collegiate and energetic. Their self-titled debut album was a bright sunbeam of buoyant pop. The next we heard from them was their Derelicts cdep in 2006, and it seemed they were still destined for jangly indie pop darling status. Now just two years later, they're a whole 'nother band... still very good, but very different. Think: a lot less bounce, and more beefed up rock. Ultra drenched in reverby guitar effects, Sirens is far more shoegazerly and spacily psychedelic than past recordings seemingly inspired by equal parts My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Jesus & Mary Chain, Swervedriver and Polvo. Cool.
MPEG Stream: "Another Side"
MPEG Stream: "Solar Attraction"

JUNIOR PANTHERS. THE Derelicts (Get Lost) cd 7.98
It's been a very very long time, but the Bay Area's Junior Panthers have resurfaced with a new ep! With a new lineup, they've picked right up where they left off, dishing out their delicious indie pop nuggets. They stick with the basics, crunchy guitars, dreamy boy vocals and infectious hooks galore. What more could you ask for? Well, except for it to have been released during the summer months because it's ideal driving to the beach music. Hmmm, I guess it can just as easily warm and brighten an autumn or winter day now, can't it? Yes, indeedie!
MPEG Stream: "Pills"
MPEG Stream: "Paranormal"

JUNIOR SENIOR Hey Hey My My Yo Yo (Ryko) 2cd 15.98

MPEG Stream: "Simple Minds Do Simple Things"

JUNIP Fields (Mute) cd 14.98
We've always been big fans of Jose Gonzalez's soft touch sensual guitar playing and breezy songwriting, but with the latest from his full band Junip we think we've been hit with the most impacting and satisfying album he's created yet. The record is brimming with an immediacy that matches the intimacy that Gonzalez always excels in bringing to his songs. But with Junip, there is much more of a driving vibe and a wider range of sound that makes for such a satisfying listening experience. We hear nice touches of Arthur Russell-like innerworld melodies and nuanced delicate and unique elements within each song that remind us of the first couple Pinback records. There are even some awesome and tasteful hints of prog-pop that we've been digging so much. This has everything you want in a really smart and emotional pop record, the playing is impeccable and draws you in from the get-go, and Gonzalez's warm and woozy voice becomes the icing on the cake, total seduction! Fans of The Sea & Cake, Pinback, Kings Of Convenience, Elliott Smith, Iron & Wine, Arthur Russell, American Analog Set, make sure not to sleep on this, as this is becoming a major contender for one of our favorite records of the year!
MPEG Stream: "In Every Direction"
MPEG Stream: "Sweet & Bitter"
MPEG Stream: "Tide"

JUNIP Fields (Mute) lp 24.00
We've always been big fans of Jose Gonzalez's soft touch sensual guitar playing and breezy songwriting, but with the latest from his full band Junip we think we've been hit with the most impacting and satisfying album he's created yet. The record is brimming with an immediacy that matches the intimacy that Gonzalez always excels in bringing to his songs. But with Junip, there is much more of a driving vibe and a wider range of sound that makes for such a satisfying listening experience. We hear nice touches of Arthur Russell-like innerworld melodies and nuanced delicate and unique elements within each song that remind us of the first couple Pinback records. There are even some awesome and tasteful hints of prog-pop that we've been digging so much. This has everything you want in a really smart and emotional pop record, the playing is impeccable and draws you in from the get-go, and Gonzalez's warm and woozy voice becomes the icing on the cake, total seduction! Fans of The Sea & Cake, Pinback, Kings Of Convenience, Elliott Smith, Iron & Wine, Arthur Russell, American Analog Set, make sure not to sleep on this, as this is becoming a major contender for one of our favorite records of the year!
MPEG Stream: "In Every Direction"
MPEG Stream: "Sweet & Bitter"
MPEG Stream: "Tide"

JUNIPER TAR To The Trees (The Bus Stop) cd 11.98

JUNIUS Reports From The Threshold Of Death (Prosthetic) cd 14.98
We first heard Boston post metal heavies on a recent split with fellow post metallers Rosetta, and were surprised by just how UNmetal these guys were, they're still heavy, but more like Katatonia or 'Radiohead' era Cave In, bombastic and epic, majestic and yeah, heavy, but clean vocals, soaring and dramatic (right down to some hazy dreamy female backup vox), the songs proggy and sprawling, unfurling brooding dramatic slow build verses, that build to massive crushing choruses, but never getting fully metal, instead blossoming into some sort of epic doom pop, the sound is a bit mathy too, and weirdly enough, some of the tracks remind us of Three Mile Pilot, albeit a much more metallic version, but the phrasing and hypnotic rhythms definitely draw from the same sonic well. As we mentioned in the review of that split with Rosetta, we can definitely see that this stuff might be too poppy and wimpy for a lot of metalheads, in fact, these guys opened up for some metal show here recently, and were definitely not appreciated, but hell, get these guys on a tour with Katatonia or Opeth or Lifelover, and people would be losing their mind. And really, this stuff could and should be all over the radio, the songs are that good, the production massive, the sound incredible, just like Cave In, if there were any justice in the world, these guys would be huge. And honestly, we weren't totally sold on these guys, but after a handful of listens, we find ourselves a little bit obsessed, playing this record like crazy. So, recommended if you like your metal tempered with plenty of poppiness, or alternately if you can handle your pop music on the seriously heavy side. A new favorite for sure.
MPEG Stream: "Betray The Grave"
MPEG Stream: "All Shall Float"
MPEG Stream: "Dance On Blood"

JUNO & DISMEMBERMENT PLAN s/t (DeSoto) split cd ep 5.98
Two songs apiece from angular artrock punk bands Juno and Dismemberment Plan. Dismemberment Plan covers Jennifer Paige's "Crush," but the real gem on this EP is Juno's version of the DJ Shadow track "High Noon." How cool is it for a rock band (with relatively traditional instrumentation) to cover a song that is basically a turntablist collage of found sounds from super disparate sources? It is very cool.
RealAudio clip: "High Noon"
RealAudio clip: "The Dismemberment Plan Gets Rich"

JUPITER SUNSET Back In The Sun (Magic Records) cd 15.98

JUPPALA KAAPIO Rainbow Mask (Omnimemento) lp 27.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A swarmingly beautiful, miasmic piece of psychedelic drone folk! Juppala Kaaplo is the husband & wife duo of Carole and Hitoshi Kojo, the latter of whom had released a number of spectacular drone-smear constructions under the moniker Spiracle. Minimalism is certainly a key component to the Juppala Kaaplo sound, but it's the kaleidoscopic trills that you'll get from Terry Riley rather than the steely suspension from Organum or Phill Niblock. Certainly, Spiracle's last affair - the daydreaming ambient record Ananta - was a much friendlier form of minimalism, but we were still not entirely expecting the shimmering, prism-shot psychedelia of this album. A hypnotizing mass immediately emerges from the lp with lengthy repetitions of Carole's vocal that is equal parts Liz Harris and Tara Burke, haunting the forest-dwelling drones from various bowed instruments that Hitoshi stacks into sinewy passages. Throughout, long breathy gasps of aerated noises push to the foreground alongside a revolving set of church organ trills and arpeggiations that faithfully play homage to Terry Riley's classic Rainbow In Curved Air. The second side is a slightly more somber affair with violin and piano gliding out of an aggregate drone from those two instruments. Like the A-side, it's a wonderful bliss-out number albeit sodden from a rainy night out in the Finnish wilderness. Limited to 450 copies and highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Rainbow Mask"
MPEG Stream: "Masked Rainbow"

JURADO, DAMIEN And Now That I Am In Your Shadow (Secretly Canadian) cd 14.98
Last year Mr. Jurado presented his full band melancholic splendor on On My Way To Absence. This year for his seventh full length he takes a different, more stripped down but no less evocative approach. For much of the album it's simply his overcast voice and his guitar which drift in and out of fog-like, heavy atmospheric drones. Every so often there'll be a glint of piano. Man, no one does desolation like Damien Jurado! Totally haunting and heartbreaking from start to finish (don't miss the last track "Montessano").
MPEG Stream: "Gas Station"
MPEG Stream: "Montessano"

JURADO, DAMIEN Ghost Of David (Sub Pop) cd 14.98
Damien Jurado has long labored a little to the left of the spotlight, quietly writing excruciatingly personal songs that are delivered with a poignant intensity few have matched. Think Springsteen's "Nebraska" -- yup, that's how good Jurado is. For example, the first song here, "Medication", is so heartrendingly sad yet so perfectly delivered that upon first listen both Andee and Windy burst into tears and had to go into Aquarius' back office to recover. Well... not really, but we were crying *inside*. Dusty songs, sunbaked by the side of the road or in the shade of a motel carport. So pretty.
RealAudio clip: "Medication"

JURADO, DAMIEN Just In Time For Something (Secretly Canadian) cd ep 9.98
Just a man and his guitar. This is a 5-song cdep of lo-fi live recordings of Damien Jurado. The liner notes specify that the tracks were recorded on salvaged 1/4" tape, but don't let the poor sound quality dissuade you. Mr. Jurado's quality songwriting shines through the muffled-ness. Super hushed and heartfelt.
MPEG Stream: "Motion Sickness"
MPEG Stream: "Engine Fire "