KISS Music From The Elder (Mercury / Casablanca) cd 10.98
I (Allan) have been going through a bit of a Kiss phase lately, as you already know if you saw my write-up of Dynasty last list. In that review, I said we needed more Kiss records on our website and I'd be trying to review a Kiss klassic every few weeks, as long as I continue on my current Kiss kick... I also suggested (threatened?) that the next one I'd review would be Music From The Elder, one of the least-popular Kiss albums ever. They didn't even tour for it. But it's also one of the strangest Kiss albums ever, and thus makes a perfect subject for review on the AQ site. It's also, I just found out, one of Andee's faves. So, here we go...
I'd been warily curious about this oddball album for a long time before finally picking it up. Why? Well, 'cause 1981's Music From The Elder was Kiss's misguided attempt at prog. That's right, Kiss doing a concept (koncept?) album! Or an imaginary soundtrack. That sort of thing. It was either Gene Simmons' or producer Bob Ezrin's brilliant idea, with Paul Stanley all for it too, though apparently Ace Frehley wasn't that into it (new drummer Eric Carr didn't get a vote). Commercially speaking, they should have listened to Ace, as The Elder stiffed sales-wise. And it's doubtful that The Elder earned Kiss any critical respect, either, though that's probably what they were hoping would happen. To be taken seriously as musicians... though why a band essentially famous for wearing clown makeup thought that would ever happen is of course a mystery!
As you might expect, plenty of The Elder is pretentious, with soundtracky, synthy orchestrated interludes, and a narrative that's on the murky side. Something about a immortal order of do-gooders finding and training a boy to become a champion against encroaching evil? There's a table and a rose and an odyssey and a character named Morpheus and some other stuff too. However, despite all that dodginess, it's also got some worthy songs on it that have been unfairly underrated and overlooked in the Kiss canon. Several of them, strangely enough, co-written by none other than Lou Reed! Fact. Though they don't sound much like The Velvet Underground...
It also includes one of Kiss's most medieval, metallic tracks up to that point in time, the galloping glory that is "The Oath". Paul Stanley breaks out the falsetto for that one, and it's simultaneously flowery and kick-ass. Kiss sounds a bit like fellow New Yorkers Manowar here, and maybe were responding to the rise of the NWOBHM.
Elsewhere, they're more like Styx, doing the pomp rock thing pretty well on such mellower, melodic cuts as "Only You", "Under The Rose", and the gentle lament "A World Without Heroes". I can see how fans would have found some of this even less acceptably Kiss-like than the disco-inflected Dynasty... but these tracks are growers.
Gene's plodding groover "Mr. Blackwell" (written with Reed) is another highlight. I'd love to hear the Melvins cover this one, I can practically hear it in my imagination. Meanwhile, Ace fans will be happy to hear from the Spaceman on the jaunty-sounding yet lyrically doomy "Dark Light" (wherein, despite his misgivings about this whole Elder idea, he contributes both his charmingly unpolished vocal stylings as well as some speedy guitar soling). The other track for which Ace gets a writing credit, "Escape From The Island" (what island?), is a crunching instrumental notable for his guitar solo as well.
And last but not least, album-ender "I" is definitely a decent Kiss anthem, uplifting & chest-beating ("I believe in me/I believe is something more than you can understand/Yes I believe in me"), with a cinematic voiceover dropped in to tie it to the "story line" of The Elder.
So, this is the album to get if you want to hear Kiss doing something a bit different. True, not many people did, but that doesn't mean it was all bad; in fact, it's much better than I expected. I've been spinning this quite a bit, actually. Consider it a contrarian cult classic. Its very failure as "Kiss product" really makes it all the more affecting emotionally, humanizing this oft-cartoony band somehow. And it's not like you've heard these songs a million times before, either. Hmmm... if I know AQ customers, chances are good that this will turn out to be our best selling Kiss title, by virtue of its very unpopularity everywhere else!
But, next time, I'll review something with actual hits on it, something less unusual/more essential, for those of you who don't have ANY Kiss in your kollection...
MPEG Stream: "The Oath"
MPEG Stream: "Mr. Blackwell"
MPEG Stream: "Only You"

KISS Paul Stanley (Lilith) picture disc lp 19.98
We can't really think of anything that more symbolizes our musical generation than the four Kiss solo records released way back in 1978. Well, okay, maybe if we tried we could think of a few things, BUT C'MON!!! KISS!!! ACE, PAUL, GENE and PETER!! Sure bands do solo records all the time. But it was never more of a production than when the biggest band in the world decided to simultaneously release 4 solo records, each adorned with a killer airbrushed painting of the artist, in full Kiss makeup and backlit with different colors. This was a huge deal when it happened, and while the records didn't sell nearly as well as the worst selling Kiss record, they still became instantly iconic and most folks we know, owned 'em, and listened to 'em and many of those same folks hung the covers on their walls!! Hell, even sludge masters the Melvins did their own version, even going so far as to emulate the original cheesy cover paintings. But now they are available as PICTURE DISCS!!! Holy shit!!! If there was ever a set of records more ripe for picture disc immortalization we sure as shit can't think of any. So the real question is which one to buy. C'mon. As if there was any other answer, ALL OF THEM. Seriously, what kind of doofus would only want one. They are a set. One at a time is okay, but you are gonna NEED all four. They have been on the wall at Aquarius facing the counter since they were released and they look SOOOO badass all in a row. Worth building a little Kiss shelf in your bedroom just to display these beauties for sure!
Paul's record sounded the most like a straight up Kiss record since he was the principal songwriter anyway. While it lacked the spark of a lot of the Kiss material it was still pretty decent. Hard rocking and catchy. Also featured legendary drummer Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Rod Stewart, King Kobra, Blue Murder!) on the skins!
But who cares? You know you need all four!

KISS Peter Criss (Lilith) picture disc lp 19.98
We can't really think of anything that more symbolizes our musical generation than the four Kiss solo records released way back in 1978. Well, okay, maybe if we tried we could think of a few things, BUT C'MON!!! KISS!!! ACE, PAUL, GENE and PETER!! Sure bands do solo records all the time. But it was never more of a production than when the biggest band in the world decided to simultaneously release 4 solo records, each adorned with a killer airbrushed painting of the artist, in full Kiss makeup and backlit with different colors. This was a huge deal when it happened, and while the records didn't sell nearly as well as the worst selling Kiss record, they still became instantly iconic and most folks we know, owned 'em, and listened to 'em and many of those same folks hung the covers on their walls!! Hell, even sludge masters the Melvins did their own version, even going so far as to emulate the original cheesy cover paintings. But now they are available as PICTURE DISCS!!! Holy shit!!! If there was ever a set of records more ripe for picture disc immortalization we sure as shit can't think of any. So the real question is which one to buy. C'mon. As if there was any other answer, ALL OF THEM. Seriously, what kind of doofus would only want one. They are a set. One at a time is okay, but you are gonna NEED all four. They have been on the wall at Aquarius facing the counter since they were released and they look SOOOO badass all in a row. Worth building a little Kiss shelf in your bedroom just to display these beauties for sure!
Peter's record was considered by pretty much everybody to be the worst of the bunch. Some of us tried extra hard to like it, cuz, c'mon he was the DRUMMER. Of Kiss!!!! Peter leaned more toward the ballad end of the spectrum which should have boded well since most of his Kiss contributions were ballads, and were also some of the band's biggest hits! But his solo record, even in the ballad department tended to be a bit, well, weak. There are definite moments. And there might have been a minor hit or two, but mostly this disc exists to complete the set. And who cares anyway? You know you need all four!

KISS Rock And Roll Over (Mercury) cd 10.98
All right, gonna wrap up the Kiss reviewing, for a little while anyway. Talkin' this week about not one, but THREE Kiss classics: Hotter Than Hell (1974), Dressed To Kill (1975), and Rock And Roll Over (1976). With these three reviewed, that means we will have covered all the Kiss studio albums up through 1981's Music From The Elder, except the universally loathed Unmasked... which might be for the best. (Crucial albums Alive I and II also remain to be reviewed.)
I don't mean to give any of these three short shrift by doing 'em briefly all together, it's just that lengthy reviews might not really be necessary. So, to begin: Hotter Than Hell, Kiss's second album, followed up their self-titled debut with another strong collection of songs, perhaps chief among them the heavy headbanging groove of Ace's "Parasite" (later covered by Anthrax) and the majestic lecherous lament of Gene's "Goin' Blind" (later covered by the Melvins). Meanwhile, tracks like "Let Me Go, Rock And Roll", "All The Way", and the title track are ones to crank come party-time. Actually the whole record is pretty much a rockin', rollin' barn-burner, aside from the aforementioned dirgey "Goin' Blind", and also album-ender "Strange Ways", whose lyrics and metallic plod have a sinister vibe that could weird out some partygoers. Cool though! Really, nothin' in they way of weak ones here, though maybe Paul's opener "Got To Choose" will be a bit too Bad Company sounding for some. Hotter Than Hell is an accurate album title I've gotta say, though it's too bad it didn't get the production job it deserved.
Next up, Kiss platter number 3, Dressed To Kill. There's a bunch of fairly poppy, finger snapping, boot-stomping hard rockers on here, Kiss again (almost) reminding us of the MC5 circa Back In The USA on opener "Room Service"... The immortal hits from this album include the Stonesy "C'mon And Love Me", mission statement "Rock And Roll All Night" (which you've probably heard a few million times too many), and "She", which lumbers a heckuva lot like BoC's "Godzilla". They go all flowery and acoustic for the first half of one song, but snap out of it in time to kick some ass ("Rock Bottom"). Incipient self-parody may be noticeable here, with groupie-themed lyrics and rock n' roll anthems making soon-to-be predictable appearances, but that's ok, some of my favorite Kiss albums later on are ALL self-parody and none the worse for it.
And then we skip ahead ('cause I've already reviewed the intervening Destroyer) to Rock And Roll Over, which fits in between the big D and Love Gun as their 5th studio album. This one starts off with one of my very favorite Kiss songs EVER, "I Want You", with its deceptively pretty n' sweet melodic intro immediately bursting into godlike amps-on-11, chest-thumping heavy metal riff rock that's about as catchy as it gets. Lyrically, it's the lustful essence of Kiss. But is Paul singing romantically about a longtime love, or rather more sleazily about the blonde in the third row, center, who just caught his eye? Probably the latter. Gene's "Calling Dr. Love" was another hit here, and definitely meant for that blonde... in fact, not just her, but all the willing ladies in the audience, no doubt!
What else? Peter sings an acoustic ballady number that's not too bad, "Hard Luck Woman", likely intended as this album's "Beth" (the sensitive, surprise hit he had on Destroyer, though this time, Paul wrote the song). Otherwise, not too much to say. "Take Me", "Love 'Em And Leave 'Em", "Makin' Love", "Mr. Speed", etc., it's all decent enuff Kiss stuff but nothing really stands out for me. Well, dumbest one "Ladies Room" maybe stands out, but not in a good way. But, dumb or not, Kiss knows what they're doing, and you'll be singing along to lots of Rock And Roll Over before it's over. And besides, it's got "I Want You"!
Ok, with these three albums, maybe that's all the Kiss we'll be reviewing for a while. Whew! But I'll start another series of reviews of another overlooked (by AQ) band, next time...
MPEG Stream: "I Want You"
MPEG Stream: "Take Me"

KISS s/t (Mercury / Casablanca) cd 10.98
"Whooohoooo, yeah!" Allan's kavalcade of Kiss reviews kontinues. Here's maybe where I should have started, which is where Kiss started, with their 1974 self-titled debut... at the time, record buyers who weren't already hip to the styles of the NYC glam scene were probably puzzled when they saw this album's cover. Why were these guys wearing that stupid makeup? Turns out Kiss were cleverer than people thought. From the get-go, they were aiming to be the "biggest band in the land", with this album being an important first step along the way, and then some.
There's ten tracks here. And y'know what? We bet in 2023, on their umpteenhundreth reunion tour, a blind, geriatric Kiss will still be playing a bunch of them. Likewise, any Kiss "best of" would have trouble not including, like, half this album. "Firehouse", "Cold Gin" (written by happy alky Ace of course), "Strutter", "Deuce", "Black Diamond", "Firehouse", "100,000 Years".... killer Kiss classics all of 'em. Harvey Milk covered "Deuce", you may recall, on Live Pleaser, and Kiss was definitely an influence on The Pleaser itself. Meanwhile, the Melvins too are of course mega Kiss fans, and already on this album you can hear some parallels: the slower and slower, lower and lower outro to "Black Diamond" could be them, and even the brief bouncy instrumental "Love Theme From Kiss" has a Melvins-y hook, though they'd play it considerably heavier.
But forget about Harvey Milk and the Melvins, ever consider Kiss's parallels with their heroes, the Beatles? A four piece band, the two main songwriters and vocalists on bass and rhythm guitar, but everyone (eventually even the drummer) writing -and- singing songs. And they all sang backup, with vocal harmonies and all. And take a look at the album cover again - looks a little bit like Meet The Beatles, which was apparently their intent. Of course, Kiss weren't the Beatles, so if they were gonna become the biggest band in the land (which they pretty much did, for a while) they had to make up the difference, with, well, makeup - and a loud n' proud stage show, pure glammy spectacle unmatched by any other band. And they got in on the ground floor of the up and coming heavy metal genre. Though Kiss can't be considered as a heavy metal band entirely... maybe the first pop, bubblegum metal band? They certainly weren't as heavy or serious as Black Sabbath. They rocked, all right, but on this album sounded more like Grand Funk Railroad, Aerosmith, or the James Gang (check out "Firehouse", Ace busts out some Joe Walsh sounding guitar licks on that one fer sure). Elsewhere on this debut, they hark back to rollicking '50s rock ("Nothing To Loose" and goofy cover "Kissin' Time", the latter of which also reminds us of the Beach Boys, it's sorta Kiss's "Surfin' USA"). Which is kool too, but they coulda left the latter off and it wouldn't have hurt the album any. All in all, a fine debut, standing the test of time as one of their best albums, full of some of their rawest rockers - and thus good place to start, if you haven't already!
Ok, so this is my fifth Kiss review in this series, and eventually the lesson of these reviews should be... you want 'em all. Maybe I'll stop after a half-dozen Kiss reviews and turn to essentials from other classic bands we haven't given enough attention to, like maybe Queen or Thin Lizzy or Uriah Heep...
MPEG Stream: "Deuce"
MPEG Stream: "100,000 Years"

KISS IT GOODBYE (Revelation) cd 12.98
Ex-Deadguy, Rorschach. Murdercore! 100% Andee-approved.

KISS THE ANUS OF A BLACK CAT Hewers Of Wood And Drawers Of Water (Zeal) cd 11.98
It's been ages and ages since we last heard from Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat. All three of the previous KTAOABC records: An Interlude To The Outermost, If the Sky Falls, We Shall Catch Larks and The Nebulous Dreams, were all huge hits around here. KTAOABC, aka Stef Heeren is a Belgian musician, who also builds his own instruments, and past records have all played out like some impossible mix of Comus, Woven Hand, Swans and Current 93. A brooding, dark apocalyptic folk, that has definitely evolved over the years, always spare and haunting, but also always mysterious and ominous, slightly sinister, and a little witchy. Heeren employed quite a varied sonic palette as well, the core vocals and acoustic guitar augmented by piano, bells, strings, and on the last record, even drums, transforming the more drifty vibe of past records into something more rocking and propulsive.
But on Hewers Of Wood, Heeren seems to pull back a bit, there are still drums, but the songs seem more subdued, hauntingly minimal, back to the creepy dirgey folk of Kiss The Anus records of old. In fact, more than ever, KTAOABC is sounding like Woven Hand / Sixteen Horsepower, a similar knack for melody, the same sort of strident vocalizing, at times his voice a dead ringer for David Eugene Edwards, the swampy bluesy folk, it's a sound we love, and Heeren is a master, and these songs are super intense and emotional, hypnotic and mesmerizing, and so catchy and gorgeously creepy.
The first three songs are practically perfect, the slo-mo Comus-y waltz of the title track, the buzz flecked urgency of "All Your Ghosts Are Worried", and "Argonaut And Magneto" which could easily mistaken for a Woven Hand song (if it wasn't for that Belgian accent), so much so that it almost sounds like a cover, but also means it's gorgeous and powerful intensely moving.
The whole record oozes with a sense of foreboding, as if each song was some sort of cautionary tale, stories of lives lost, loves lost, forgotten memories and other, better times, and this sense of loss and regret, as well as some hope for redemption and forgiveness, that all seems to seep into every note, every lyric, helping transform this swampy bluegrassy folk music into something more, acid tinged, subtly psychedelic, emotionally powerful, sonically revelatory, dark meaningful music. Gorgeous!
MPEG Stream: "Hewers Of Wood And Drawers Of Water"
MPEG Stream: "All Your Ghosts Are Worried"
MPEG Stream: "Argonaut And Magneto"

KISS THE ANUS OF A BLACK CAT The Nebulous Dreams (Conspiracy) cd 15.98
The sticker on the new record from longtime aQ faves Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat, the project of musician / instrument builder Stef Heeren, compares the band to Current 93, Woven Hand, Richard Youngs and Comus. That's some serious company for sure, and typically we scoff when a band is compared to Comus, but in fact, we too have compared KTAOABC to the mighty Comus, an honor reserved for an elite few. And that comparison still stands, but this time around, it's not so much the urgent pagan folk vibe as the overall misanthropic feel, the new Kiss The Anus is the least song oriented, the most abstract, definitely the most doomy, with long stretches of thick droning noise, simple pounding drum plod, the vocals in most cases seem like an afterthought, just another layer of sound. The Woven Hand vibe is much more pronounced, but we also hear plenty of Codeine, some Skepticism, even some Earth and SUNNO))). This might be the record that turns a whole new crowd onto the freaked out apocalyptic doomfolk of Kiss The Anus.
The opening track is the perfect example. For nearly half of its 15 minutes, the track plays out like a doomier Sunroof!, a squall of high end skree, upper register tones, wailing and squealing, weirdly harmonious and soothing, a massive trancelike ur-drone underpinned by a drifting languorous bassline, and then the drums come in, simple and slow, powerful and subtly propulsive, It's like Birchville Cat Motel covering Codeine, until the high end fades out, leaving just the bass and drums, to slither along into the second half, where the vocals come in, a dead ringer for Current 93's David Tibet, offering up a haunting invocation, over a minimal doom drift, that is soon joined by piano, a second vocal, and builds to a bit of a dramatic climax before drifting off.
The second track begins as another strange doomdrone guitar workout, at least in the beginning, a moaning scraping landscape of low end swoops and drones and rumbles, atop which tribal percussion clatters restlessly, sounding not unlike Finnish forest folk Avarus, before slipping into a deep, synthy minimal drone, long wheezing tones, an ominous minorkey melody, accordion and pump organ beneath passionate vocals that soar dramatically, gorgeous and intense, and weirdly minimal and trancelike, and again, the Woven Hand vibe is uncanny.
The record finishes with the shortest, and least abstract, track of the bunch, but also maybe the best, and most Comus-y, simple fingerpicked acoustic guitars, plaintive vocals, reverby piano, all lowkey, offering up a deep shimmery counterpoint to the main melody, peppered with brief sort-of-choruses, with urgently strummed steep string guitar, haunting falsetto harmonies, subtle effects, strange ethereal production, the whole thing pagan and ritualistic, but still folky and lovely, super moving and powerful, a gorgeous bit of dark apocalyptic dream folk for sure.
MPEG Stream: "Between Skylla And Charybdis"
MPEG Stream: "Dyptich"

KISS THE ANUS OF A BLACK CAT The Nebulous Dreams (Conspiracy) lp 15.98
The sticker on the new record from longtime aQ faves Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat, the project of musician / instrument builder Stef Heeren, compares the band to Current 93, Woven Hand, Richard Youngs and Comus. That's some serious company for sure, and typically we scoff when a band is compared to Comus, but in fact, we too have compared KTAOABC to the mighty Comus, an honor reserved for an elite few. And that comparison still stands, but this time around, it's not so much the urgent pagan folk vibe as the overall misanthropic feel, the new Kiss The Anus is the least song oriented, the most abstract, definitely the most doomy, with long stretches of thick droning noise, simple pounding drum plod, the vocals in most cases seem like an afterthought, just another layer of sound. The Woven Hand vibe is much more pronounced, but we also hear plenty of Codeine, some Skepticism, even some Earth and SUNNO))). This might be the record that turns a whole new crowd onto the freaked out apocalyptic doomfolk of Kiss The Anus.
The opening track is the perfect example. For nearly half of its 15 minutes, the track plays out like a doomier Sunroof!, a squall of high end skree, upper register tones, wailing and squealing, weirdly harmonious and soothing, a massive trancelike ur-drone underpinned by a drifting languorous bassline, and then the drums come in, simple and slow, powerful and subtly propulsive, It's like Birchville Cat Motel covering Codeine, until the high end fades out, leaving just the bass and drums, to slither along into the second half, where the vocals come in, a dead ringer for Current 93's David Tibet, offering up a haunting invocation, over a minimal doom drift, that is soon joined by piano, a second vocal, and builds to a bit of a dramatic climax before drifting off.
The second track begins as another strange doomdrone guitar workout, at least in the beginning, a moaning scraping landscape of low end swoops and drones and rumbles, atop which tribal percussion clatters restlessly, sounding not unlike Finnish forest folk Avarus, before slipping into a deep, synthy minimal drone, long wheezing tones, an ominous minorkey melody, accordion and pump organ beneath passionate vocals that soar dramatically, gorgeous and intense, and weirdly minimal and trancelike, and again, the Woven Hand vibe is uncanny.
The record finishes with the shortest, and least abstract, track of the bunch, but also maybe the best, and most Comus-y, simple fingerpicked acoustic guitars, plaintive vocals, reverby piano, all lowkey, offering up a deep shimmery counterpoint to the main melody, peppered with brief sort-of-choruses, with urgently strummed steep string guitar, haunting falsetto harmonies, subtle effects, strange ethereal production, the whole thing pagan and ritualistic, but still folky and lovely, super moving and powerful, a gorgeous bit of dark apocalyptic dream folk for sure.
MPEG Stream: "Between Skylla And Charybdis"
MPEG Stream: "Dyptich"

KISS-OPOLY The Game That Lets You Rock And Roll All Night! (Late For The Sky) boardgame 25.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
You know you want it. THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE WORLD!! Well, er...anyway, it's KISS monopoly, how cool is that? As much as it pains us to give any more money to the Kiss business concern, this game is pretty awesome. Instead of little metal cars and boots, you get Gene's bass, Gene's boot, a bag of money (obviously), Paul's Kiss fireman's hat, the Kiss Army logo, and a guitar (hard to tell if it's Paul's or Ace's). And the board is totally redone too with the railroads replaced by the four solo albums (although Music From The Elder is conspicuously absent), the jail space is replaced by the SOLD OUT SHOW: Standing In Line space and the "properties" are all albums and singles and action figures and of course the pinball machine. Then the cards are things like breaking a string on Starchild's guitar, getting singed by Gene's firebreathing, winning second place in a Girls Of Kiss beauty pageant and of course getting inducted into the Kiss Army. Not sure how fun it is to actually play (we haven't cracked one open yet), but boy will this make your dusty old game shelf a whole lot cooler!

KISSING SPELL Los Pajaros (Essex) cd 17.98

KITCHEN AND THE PLASTIC SPOONS Best Off - Recordings 1980-81 (Ill Wind) cd 23.00
Wow! An amazingly weird synthy Swedish new wave punk band that burned bright for one short year way back in 1980. Kitchen & The Plastic Spoons were herky jerky, full of demented pep and enough deranged energy to make themselves a seriously freaked out and super unique proposition. Sort of how we always wished new wave sounded, not overly polished but instead kind of demented and mad in all the right ways. Like The Pop Group and the Dead Kennedys all mixed up with Siouxsie and Johnny Lydon taking turns on vocals. As much as this makes us think of some of the more well known (relatively) bands of the era like The Slits, Raincoats, Au Pairs, Liliput and Maximum Joy, there is something so singular and unique about Kitchen And The Plastic Spoons that makes it kind of surprising that this is the first time these tracks have been dug up in almost 30 years. It's amazing how vibrant and timely this still sounds. It's hard not to imagine that bands like Erase Errata had somehoww gotten their hands on one of the few hundred original lp's and used it as a sort of template or inspiration. With all the hype in recent years over lost punk reissues from the likes of The Homosexuals, Crime and The Metal Boys this might just take the cake for a long overdue rediscovery of a truly weird punk classic!
MPEG Stream: "In Bars"
MPEG Stream: "Uddevalla"
MPEG Stream: "Psch"

KITCHEN CYNICS, THE Parallel Dog Days (Secret Eye) cd 12.98

KITCHEN'S FLOOR Look Forward To Nothing (Siltbreeze) lp 15.98
Man are we digging this new wave of Australian post punk / downer pop / psychedelia, having gone a bit nuts recently for Naked On The Vague and Total Control, Kitchen's Floor is having the same effect. We somehow slept on their debut, but this, our first exposure to these guys, didn't take long at all to win us over. Exactly the sort of shit we love. A modernized mix of classic old post punk indie rock. Think classic Aussie outfits like Feedtime and the Celibate Rifles, and give it a bit of a 2011 garage psych makeover. But only a little cuz lots of this sounds like it could actually be from back in the day. In fact, much of this harks back to the early days of Siltbreeze, like the second track "Graves", which sound like it could be some lost nineties SB 7", released right between a Guided By Voices and Strapping Fieldhands, and if you're a fan of either of those bands, then some of this is a dead ringer for what some weird hybrid of the two might sound like. The whole record is petty stellar, jangly, fuzzy, distorted, hooky, the vocals melodic but sort of world weary and occasionally yowly, lots of wheezing organ, the drumming is pretty awesome too, and hooks galore of course, one of those records that sounded pretty good at first, but after just one play, we found some of these songs lodged pretty firmly in our head, which of course required further and repeated listening.
Fans of Crystal Stilts, the Mantles, Naked On The Vague, Royal Baths, Pink Reason, and similarly dour, jangly, noisepop will be in heaven!
Includes a download coupon too.
MPEG Stream: "No Love"
MPEG Stream: "Graves"
MPEG Stream: "116"

KITE-EATING TREE Method: Fail, Repeat (Suburban Home) cd 11.98
Kite-Eating Tree get your blood pumping with their very mid/late '90s-ish feisty emo rock. Each time this is in our cd player, it strikes us as being immediately familiar sounding. High octane chunky guitars and angsty male vocals that in turn brings to mind Rocket From The Crypt, Foo Fighters and At The Drive-In. Features ex-members of AQ faves Death Cab For Cutie and emo rockers Sunday's Best.
MPEG Stream: "Softer Seems The Pavement"
MPEG Stream: "Sighs Of The Curator"

KITES Royal Paint With The Metallic Gardener From The United States Of America Helped Into An Open Field By Women And Children (Load) cd 13.98
More Load-label craziness.

KITTEN ON THE KEYS (It's Not A) Pretty Princess Day (Rug Burn) cd 11.98
Kicking up her heels and cooing up a storm, Kitten On The Keys is one-ma'am band Suzanne Ramsey.
And (It's Not A) Pretty Princess Day is a delightful album full of quirky, charming old tyme piano numbers. She sings and plays with plenty of spritely wit and sass. Each song is steeped with saucy vaudevillian and pouty burlesque excess. Ramsey performs both her own originals as well as a plethora of covers, even tackling Sex Pistols and The Cure with a giggle and a wink. Actually (if she hasn't already!) she'd be a great human performer at the Musee Mechanique!
MPEG Stream: "Bare My Sole"
MPEG Stream: "The Forest"

KITTY, DAISY, & LEWIS s/t (DH Records) cd 14.98
There is something so damn special about family bands. You know... the Jackson 5, The Beach Boys, the Bee Gees, ESG, people who share roots that really allow them to communicate with each other on another level. These three young siblings (we think they still might be in their teens!) out of North London, Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, have that special something together and with it, they tap into the vintage sound of Sun records, classic rockabilly, that awesome intersection of country music and rock n roll. They nail the sound and aesthetic so perfectly.
The recording is totally analog and its warmth and rugged quality shines through so strongly. These are kids who grew up in a totally amazing musical environment, with a father who is one of the top engineers at the London mastering studio The Exchange and a mother that played drums for The Raincoats!! So it makes perfect sense that these kids have so much respect for the history of music and that they would make something with all the right ingredients and their own unique energy. This really is in so many ways to vintage rock n' roll what folks like Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators are to classic vintage soul. They capture the absolute sound and mindset of that special moment in time, yet bring a spunk and enthusiasm that is truly their own. Think if Holly Golightly and a more revved up Jolie Holland joined forces and tackled covers from the Sun Records catalog, AWESOME!
MPEG Stream: "Going Up The Country"
MPEG Stream: "Ooo Wee"
MPEG Stream: "Ride"

KLANG No Sound Is Heard (Blast First Petite) cd 13.98
Last list we reviewed the new Young People album which we quite liked. Its minimal avant pop and stripped down approach got us thinking of Young Marble Giants and a record by a UK band called Klang that came out a few years back but sadly didn't seem to make much of a splash here in the states. This is that record. So seductive, sensual and mesmerizing in it's ability to rope you into its luring world of post krautrock fake-em-out-with-simplicity approach to indie rock that will make you think of groups like Broadcast, Quixotic and Electrelane. The vocals of Donna Matthews (ex-Elastica) are so perfectly suited for this style. We're so happy she left Elastica to form this outfit as this is leaps and bounds more creative and satisfying then anything her previous band ever did. One of those records that ends before you want it to and never has a weak moment throughout. They leave you wanting so much more and we'll keep our fingers crossed for something new from them soon. Until then make sure you check this out!
MPEG Stream: "Waiting"
MPEG Stream: "Good and Evil"

KLAXONS Myths Of The Near Future (Geffen) cd 10.98
Yes, lords and ladies, here's another new band that the UK press are shitting their pants over... Sometimes their hyperbole can be utterly maddening and other times we'll admit we're right there with 'em... like maybe this time. Good thing it's a laundry day. Anyways, in our ongoing series of 'what if' musings, here's another one for you: what if TV On The Radio took a fistful of amphetamines before leaping into the recording studio (or onto a stairmaster for that matter -- hahaha!)? We'd bet the results would sound a lot like this, The Klaxons' debut album. No, it's not a new sound, but it is a very 'now' sound. Really the resemblance between the two bands carries through from the falsetto-reaching vocals to the densely packed production to the overall heady, brooding quality. These Londoners' vigorous, rigorous modern rock arrives full force like a giant tidal wave. Infectious, feverish, at times overwhelming and very cool. Some might call this a guilty pleasure, but we think it's simply a pleasure.
MPEG Stream: "Atlantis To Interzone"
MPEG Stream: "Isle Of Her"

KLEENEX / LILIPUT Live Recordings, TV-Clips & Roadmovie (Kill Rock Stars) cd + dvd 19.98
While they were only an active band for a few years, the legacy and impact of Kleenex's (later Liliput's) music is immeasurable. Along with their peers The Slits and Raincoats, they helped spearhead female fueled post-punk. Raw, angular catchy and free from any kind of commercial gloss. Their sound was the blueprint for the riot grrl scene that would be born a decade later, with bands like Bikini Kill, Excuse 17 and Team Dresch all most definitely inspired by the amazing and uncompromising sounds this Swiss band conjured up way back in the day. Kill Rock Stars (home to many of the best of the '90s riot grrl scene) do a great job in going back to the true source of much of the label's inspiration in releasing this loving cd/dvd collection. The music portion is all from live recordings, demonstrating how stripped down, and full of fiery energy these ladies were. While we're not usually a huge fan of live records, this one makes total sense. It's not as if their studio records were recorded with much, if any budget, so hearing them live actually seems like the most proper way to enjoy their already raw infectious sounds. What made them so cool was that there was a nice variety to their sound, they could go from being really fast and punk sounding one moment to bouncy and poppy the next, and underneath their scrappy aesthetic they always managed to infuse their sound with awesome melodies.
The list of bands they have influenced could go on and on. From the aforementioned leading ladies of the riot girl scene to folks like Erase Errata, Wetdog, Dog Faced Hermans, Silver Daggers, Brilliant Colors, Electrelane, Klang, Slant 6, Deerhoof, etc.!
The dvd features really cool footage from them on tour, all shot in super 8 which makes the visuals as raw and impactful as the sounds...
MPEG Stream: "Ain't You"
MPEG Stream: "Lust"
MPEG Stream: "Yours Is Mine"

KLEENEX / LILIPUT s/t (Mississippi) 4lp 54.00
**MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT**
Finally on vinyl, the complete recorded works by these seminal punks. This vinyl version contains all of the music from the 2cd on Kill Rock Stars, but Mississippi has gone ALL OUT, cramming that same music into a massive QUADRUPLE lp set, each lp in its own heavy sleeve, all housed in a super striking and seriously hefty box! Here's what we had to say about this when we first listed the cd version a while back:
Well all right! Lots of folks have been waiting a loooong time for this collection!! Kleenex were a Swiss punk band who released one record in 1978 before being forced to change their name to LiLiPUT, the moniker they used for the next four years until they disbanded in 1983. For the five years of their existence, Kleenex / LiLiPUT amassed an astonishingly cohesive (considering they went through three vocalists) body of work that was championed by everyone from John Peel to Rough Trade Records, who were their label for a while. Since their demise, the legend of LiLiPUT has only grown larger and larger. At one point a brief 1993 cd reissue of their work was reportedly going on eBay for over $300! The riot grrl scene, among other punk movements, has been inspired by and today rightfully acknowledges and champions the influence of Kleenex/LiLiPUT (heads up, fans of Le Tigre, this will kick your ass and you'll thank them and ask for more). Somehow it seems appropriate that stalwart indie-punk label Kill Rock Stars first got this stuff to a lot of the kids today!
But what do they sound like? Well, no fan of the Slits, Raincoats, or X-Ray Spex should be without this for a moment longer. Yeah, it's got that much unbelievable energy, choppy melodies, and three-chord majesty... and the band was similarly female fronted (one guy was only briefly a member). The two constants in the band - the two people who were present throughout all the incarnations of Kleenex/LiLiPUT - were guitarist Marlene Marder and bassist Klaudia Schiff, so there's driving, relentless, yet thoughtful basslines, coupled with slash 'n burn, jumpy guitar terrorism that at times recalls the band's contemporaries in the scene, like Gang of Four, Joy Division, and Wire. The vocalists ferociously crowed and cackled mostly in sing-song English, making for funny and evocative lyrics. Violin and skronkin' saxophone were occasionally used as embellishment to their already full, solid sound. Every song is unique, approachable... every song is good. And boy do Kleenex/LiLiPUT sound as good now as they did then!!

KLEENEX WONDER GIRL Smith (MOC) 2cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

KLEINER, MARK POWER TRIO Love To Night (Mint) cd 14.98
With a name like that - golly, pretty much says it all, eh? - these three guys get right to business. Mark Kleiner, Pete Mills and Kurt Dahle (whom you might recognize from his able beat-keepin' and singin' in that lil' pop group the New Pornographers) are the trio in question. And we promptly get to see what these fellows look like as they're pictures prominently on the front cover. Absolutely no poncey artwork, no frills. And their music? Straight-shooting hook-laden power pop jam-packed with effervescent vocal harmonies, punchy guitar, sunny piano and oh yes, handclaps too! Whew, was that quite enough adjectives for you in one sentence??? If you need some reference points, they brought to mind the mid/late-'70s Squeeze, Elvis Costello or Todd Rundgren or the more recent likes of fellow Canadians Sloan and Flashing Lights, as well as The Stereo, and Silver Sun. Mr. Kleiner has doffed his formerly more glam trappings (except his zebra print pants) and sings all bright and boyish, delivering a falsetto with the ease of Sloan's Chris Murphy. Lyrics are amply sprinkled with power pop staple lalala's and oooh's. Definitely not ones to get mired in heavy meanings or complexities, the 'Power Trio's agenda is all about lettin' the good times roll. So it's no surprise that the only times they falter is when they slow things down to balladness, but that only happens a couple of times really. Includes a cover of Phil Seymour's "Baby It's You". A buoyant summertime delight.
RealAudio clip: "So Good To See You"
RealAudio clip: "Love Tonight"
RealAudio clip: "Baby It's You"

KLENCZON, KRYSZTOF Trzy Korony (Underground Masters) cd 21.00
Can't judge this by its cover, nosiree. All you get is fairly bland head shot of this Krystof Klenczon guy, with a pensive look to him, wearing a yellow shirt, his hair tousled, with sideburns. Nothing in the background, no guitar in hand. No clues about what this would sound like. Mellow, pop solo singer songwriter stuff maybe? NOPE.
Maybe that's why the folks that reissued this 1971 (there it is again!) album on cd felt the need to include a hyperbolic blurb -- sez here, right on the back cover: "Possibly the best Polish 70's rock album!! Psychedelic rock plenty of dirty fuzz guitar!!"
Well, we're not up enough on our Polish rock to be 100 percent sure about their first claim (nor can we say otherwise), but we do agree that this is chock full of dirty fuzz guitar, that's for sure. Pretty darn kick ass. The songs are all catchy and energetic, real rave ups with enough searing fuzz to impress freakin' Sir Lord Baltimore. You can hear influences from the Beatles, and maybe folk music (but no polkas!) and though it's not Middle Eastern psych rock, but rather Eastern Bloc psych rock, this should appeal to a lot of you into that brand of wild, groovy, exotic psych. And you gotta love the fuzz. So good. If you agree that "prog is not a four letter word" you'd probably like this. In fact, Klenczon was a member of the '60s beat band Czerwone Gitary, who appeared on the comp of that title that we reviewed a couple lists back. We described their track as fierce and fuzzy, so it's no surprise Klenczon solo amps it up even more at the dawn of the '70s.
MPEG Stream: "Spotkanie Z Diablem (Meeting The Devil)"
MPEG Stream: "Bierz Zycie Jakie Jest (Take It As It Is)"

KLETKA RED Hybrid (Red Note / Explain) cd 14.98
Featuring Andy Moor (from The Ex), Kletka Red's international folk-punk sound incorporates the angularity of The Ex with Eastern European folk and the traditional Greek rembetika musical styles. Previous recordings had been on Zorn's Tzadik label.

KLEYN, CAROL Love Has Made Me Stronger (Drag City) cd 14.98
Before there was Joanna Newsom, there was Carol Kleyn, a young hippie spirit with an ethereal songbird voice who wrote rapturous paeans to love and nature on her harp. So it makes sense then that Newsom's label, Drag City, would reissue this lovely private press recording from 1976. Studying at the University of Santa Barbara, Kleyn befriended Bobby Brown (the instrument builder who recorded the amazing old aQ fave The Enlightening Beam of Axonda) and she assisted him with his constructions and live performances. He gifted her the harp, and she began to learn to play and write her own songs, eventually opening for Gregg Allman. Instead of waiting to get a record deal, she decided to make a record on her own and released it on her own label. She recorded two other lps soon after, before devoting herself full time to her family.
Love has Made Me Stronger divides its compositions between harp and electric piano. Her tone is bright and the songs exude a sunny yet eccentric warm energy. Similar to the beautiful Collie Ryan and Connie Converse reissues we listed a while back, Carol Kleyn's debut is a much-needed positive ray of sunshine in these dark days.
MPEG Stream: "Baby Come Close"
MPEG Stream: "Street Song"
MPEG Stream: "Oo Like The Mountain"
MPEG Stream: "You Know I Love You"

KLEYN, CAROL Love Has Made Me Stronger (Drag City) lp 17.98
Before there was Joanna Newsom, there was Carol Kleyn, a young hippie spirit with an ethereal songbird voice who wrote rapturous paeans to love and nature on her harp. So it makes sense then that Newsom's label, Drag City, would reissue this lovely private press recording from 1976. Studying at the University of Santa Barbara, Kleyn befriended Bobby Brown (the instrument builder who recorded the amazing old aQ fave The Enlightening Beam of Axonda) and she assisted him with his constructions and live performances. He gifted her the harp, and she began to learn to play and write her own songs, eventually opening for Gregg Allman. Instead of waiting to get a record deal, she decided to make a record on her own and released it on her own label. She recorded two other lps soon after, before devoting herself full time to her family.
Love has Made Me Stronger divides its compositions between harp and electric piano. Her tone is bright and the songs exude a sunny yet eccentric warm energy. Similar to the beautiful Collie Ryan and Connie Converse reissues we listed a while back, Carol Kleyn's debut is a much-needed positive ray of sunshine in these dark days.
MPEG Stream: "Baby Come Close"
MPEG Stream: "Street Song"
MPEG Stream: "Oo Like The Mountain"
MPEG Stream: "You Know I Love You"

KLOSOWSKI, A.K. & PYROLATOR Hometaping Is Killing Music (Captain Trip) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"Pre-sampler plunderphonics" from this German duo, first released on LP in '85 by Ata-Tak and now reissued on cd as a Japanese import. Kurt "Pyrolator" Dahlke played in the amazing Der Plan band of new-wave electro weirdness. This is fun stuff in a similar vein, and you won't believe the '80s Buck Rogers recording studio equipment depicted on the inside. With bonus tracks.

KLUSTER 1970 - 1971 (Water) 3cd 28.00
They used to be available separately (and maybe still are, as fancy expensive Japanese imports). But if you want one, you probably want 'em all: the first three (and only, until recently, with the advent of the Vulcano and Admira cds reviewed on list #294) lps of pioneering proto-Industrial krautrock from the trio of Moebius, Roedelius, and Conrad Schnitzler. The first two of whom went on to form Cluster with a C, whose career is one of the most significant in all of krautrock -and- electronic music (and whom we were proud to recently host a performance by at our store!). Meanwhile Schnitzler also made quite a name for himself as a solo electronic experimentalist too.
Together with producer Conny Plank, the trio recorded two proper studio albums, 1970's Klopfzeichen and 1971's Zwei-Osterei. Both of 'em dark and dismal soundscapes, improvised and abstract, with some sort of strange religious sermon (in German) over top of the first side of each.... apparently they cut a deal with some church or cult to pay for these records' release, and in return had to include the creepy God-talk! Which, since we don't understand much German, doesn't bother us too much. Eruption, a live recording from '71, has a similar vibe, but without the spoken word (and it's plenty spooky anyway). All of these were originally issued in incredibly small quantities (200-300 lps) and we doubt at the time that Kluster ever imagined this music would be in print, and revered, nearly 40 years later!
Packaged in a fat 3-disc jewel box, with cd booklet giving much more info than we've supplied here.
MPEG Stream: "Klopfzeichen Part One"
MPEG Stream: "Zwei-Osterei Part One"

KLUSTER Admira (Important) cd 14.98
Attention krautrock fans! Important Records has just unearthed two rare Kluster recordings, Vulcano and Admira. Of course we're Cluster krazy here at the moment (they just played in the store!!), but the first thing that must be mentioned is that not only is this Kluster-with-a-K material, it's Kluster AFTER Moebius and Roedelius left the band (to form Cluster-with-a-C). We actually didn't know that Kluster had continued without Cluster, as it were! But apparently they did, with original third Kluster colleague Conrad Schniztler in charge, working alongside sometime Kluster accomplices Klaus Freudigmann, Wolfgang Seidel, and "friends". It's Freudigmann (who, like Schnitzler, apparently also had something to do with Tangerine Dream at some point) who found these old tapes, each one now at last released on cd in deluxe packaging (embossed gatefold sleeve similar to that of the original Kluster album Klopfzeichen), limited to 1000 copies. Although we're still surprised that these guys performed/recorded as Kluster (and it's confusing, since we know the same lineup also made music under the name Eruption), regardless of who's on it, what's important is how it sounds, so...
Admira consists of twelve untitled tracks recorded in 1971, presumably in a studio, and left unreleased until now. Hmm, though we do like the fancy embossed packaging, we'd gladly trade that for some liner notes giving just a bit more information! But like we just said, what's important the music, and that's pretty cool. Definitely very Schnitzler-y, if you've heard very many of his recordings over the years, with lots of spacious synth-zap and droning abstraction. This is electronics infested krautrock on the outer fringes of freedom, ranging from meditative peacefulness to harsh noise (sometimes even over the course of one track). Admira's an experimental and eclectic set all right... ferinstance, track four is a proggy swirl of off-kilter keyboard coloration and chaotic percussion, track seven is a surreal soundscape of string sawing and outsider vocal warble. All in all, along with Vulcano, this is an excellent, if mysterious addition to the tiny Kluster (and much larger Schnitzler) discography, and a freaky footnote to the krautrock canon as a whole. Gives one hope that even now, somewhere in Germany, maybe there's more 37-year old tapes like these, under some bed or at the bottom of some closet, waiting to be dug up, worthy of release!
For those interested in the Kluster-with-a-K discs proper, those with Moebius and Roedelius, note we also have a new 3cd reissue on Water, comprising the albums Klopfzeichen, Zwei-Osterei, and Eruption, we'll try to give it a write-up next time.
MPEG Stream: "1"
MPEG Stream: "4"
MPEG Stream: "6"

KLUSTER Eruption (Marginal Talent) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Long-awaited reissue of the third and last "Kluster with a K" album from 1971, when the "Cluster with C" duo of Moebius and Roedelius was a trio with Conrad Schnitzler, making pioneering, prehistoric ambient/industrial/ electronica. And, unlike the first two Kluster records, there's no German spoken religious narrative included (and it's plenty spooky without it).

KLUSTER Klopfzeichen (Think Progressive) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Pre-Cluster pioneering proto-industrial Krautrock electronics reissued.

KLUSTER Vulcano: Live In Wuppertal 1971 (Important) cd 14.98
Attention krautrock fans! Important Records has just unearthed two rare Kluster recordings, Vulcano and Admira. Of course we're Cluster krazy here at the moment (they just played in the store!!), but the first thing that must be mentioned is that not only is this Kluster-with-a-K material, it's Kluster AFTER Moebius and Roedelius left the band (to form Cluster-with-a-C). We actually didn't know that Kluster had continued without Cluster, as it were! But apparently they did, with original third Kluster colleague Conrad Schniztler in charge, working alongside sometime Kluster accomplices Klaus Freudigmann, Wolfgang Seidel, and "friends". It's Freudigmann (who, like Schnitzler, apparently also had something to do with Tangerine Dream at some point) who found these old tapes, each one now at last released on cd in deluxe packaging (embossed gatefold sleeve similar to that of the original Kluster album Klopfzeichen), limited to 1000 copies. Although we're still surprised that these guys performed/recorded as Kluster (and it's confusing, since we know the same lineup also made music under the name Eruption), regardless of who's on it, what's important is how it sounds, so...
Vulcano is a live show from Wuppertal in 1971. It's certainly a spooky hour of semi-ambient, proto-industrial music, presumably improvised, with electronics drifting and droning and quietly surging throughout these 23 mysterious, untitled tracks. There's some rattling percussion at times, what could be flute or maybe is just feedback, and distorted, echoing voices occasionally, too. Yeah, it's spooky. And historically interesting - there was a lot of freaky music being made back in 1971, but was there anything else quite like this? But most importantly, even if this was a cd-r by some obscure "floorcore" band that just came out, we'd still be enjoying it...
MPEG Stream: "9"
MPEG Stream: "14"
MPEG Stream: "19"

KLUSTER Zwei-Osterei (Think Progressive) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Pre-Cluster pioneering proto-industrial Krautrock electronics reissued.

KNELL Last Ten Meters (Utech) cd 14.98
Knell comes from the same mold that has shaped the work of Jasper TX and Machinefabriek. While it remains to be seen if Knell will take the course of cd-r infinitude as both of the aforementioned artists have, it's clear from this debut recording that Knell (aka Johannes Buff) has the chops to pull off that expressive blur between art-drone soundsmear and elliptical patterns of darkened songwriting broken and stretched into lengthy constructs. Piano and harmonizing echoes set a shadowy stage at the onset of Last Ten Meters which Buff flushes out with unsettling squishes of sound as if aquatic creatures were unduly having their contents squeezed out of their pores. Eventually, a singular detuned guitar strum begins a melancholy dirge which steadily doubles and interweaves into a minor-key crescendo that all together falls somewhere between Larsen's post-rock hypnosis and the molten, subharmonic doom of Corrupted. After one of these smoldering peaks of downer rock riffs burns out in distant washes of distortion, the pools of metallic drone begin to coalesce once again and a fragmented song emerges once again. Yeah, Knell really does conjure the grim yet beautiful atmospheres as found in the best work of Jasper TX and Machinefabriek; hopefully, Buff will continue on with the Knell recordings in same exemplary fashion as his aesthetic contemporaries.
MPEG Stream: "Extract 1"
MPEG Stream: "Extract 2"

KNIFE, THE Deep Cuts (Rabid / Mute) cd 15.98
This Swedish duo had all the cool kiddies' panties in a delirious knot at their recent totally sold-out show here in SF. Hot stuff! So needless to say, it's a more than perfect time for this reissue!
Last time we carried this cd, we had this brief summation: If you dig Miss Kittin or Adult., well here's The Knife! Electro-punky tunes with punchy female vocals seemingly very inspired by Debbie Harry / Blondie.
That having been said, we'll elaborate a bit: If you happened to start your love affair with The Knife with their Silent Shout album, it'll surely continue to burn hotter than the sun with Deep Cuts. This brother and sister team combine the detached chill of electro and techno with the engaging catchiness of pop with a childlike musicbox wonder. Ultra tweaked and strange. Includes a dvd!
MPEG Stream: "She's Having A Baby"
MPEG Stream: "You Make Me Like Charity"

KNIFE, THE Deep Cuts (Rabid) cd+dvd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If you dig Miss Kittin or Adult., well here's The Knife! Electro-punky tunes with punchy female vocals seemingly very inspired by Debbie Harry / Blondie. Includes a dvd!

KNIFE, THE Silent Shout (Mute) cd 15.98
The hip kids have been all a-buzz about this album for weeks already, and it's no wonder. Silent Shout is the bestest electro-party record around right now. Super super fun from Sweden that treads the shadowy perimeter of goth industrial (think: WaxTrax Records circa early '90s My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult). The brother and sister duo Olof and Karin Dreijer have really come into their own on this one. We've heard some comparisons to Ladytron, and we can certainly hear some similarities in the softer synth pop tracks, but The Knife are looser, edgier, more gregarious, more... strange! So if you dig Ladytron, but you maybe want something that struts with more attitude and ambition, give The Knife a go! Silent Shout is packed with a variety of juicy jaunty beats, sputtery'n'swooopy synth lines and the vocals... ah, the vocals! In particular, Sister Karin's are a bit like Bjork in their cooing expressiveness but a lot more tweaked, petulant and sauced up. Brother Olof provides a complementary smooth deep croon and downright weird guy delivery. Right around the time your feet get tired from all the dancin' (or other involuntary body movements), The Knife deftly insert a little down time in the form of the sweet lilt of "Na Na Na" and the beautiful euro-cabaret stylings of "Marble House". Then they pick it up again for the delightfully bizarre stomp of "One Hit". Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "We Share Our Mother's Health"
MPEG Stream: "Marble House"
MPEG Stream: "One Hit"

KNIFE, THE (IN COLLABORATION WITH MT. SIMS & PLANNINGTOROCK) Tomorrow, In A Year (Rabid / Mute) 2cd 19.98

KNIGHT SCHOOL Revenger (Make A Mess) lp 14.98
Earnest raw and rocking sounds from two Brooklyn kids. But fear not, this isn't just posturing hipster flavor of the day lo-fi garage bandwagoning. While there is a very lo-fi feel to these garage pop burners, we hear more of that classic fuzzy indie pop sound we'll always be in love with a la early Guided By Voices, Rocketship, Unrest, Sentridoh, Grifters, etc. Songs that sound so stripped down and primitive yet are filled with such a great sense of melody and jammed with total hooks that would hit you hard over the head had they been mega produced but instead seep into your veins just right as they are buried in the overall fuzzed out mix. We're also reminded of some of our favorite early K Records bands as there is a sincerity oozing from these bedroom recordings that has us totally smitten. A very impressive debut!

KNIT SEPARATES Love's True Cross (3 Acre Floor) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A vinyl-only release from this new San Francisco "avant-indie-rock" band (with handmade, each-one-different covers). The Knit Separates, featuring members of Mirza/Thuja (including L. Chasse of id battery as well), create Romantically charged indie-pop melodies with hazy Phil Spectoral reverb soaking through the four-tracked material. But before you think this may lead to the mod revivalism of Belle & Sebastian or The Aislers Set, be aware that The Knit Separates perform their songs with an ambiguous indeterminancy, as if Chasse's percussion and Glenn Donaldson's post-Galaxie-500 guitar strum were enchanted by the poetic meanderings of vocalist Jason Honea. In keeping with our tradition of puzzling L. Chasse with our obscure references in comparision to his work, Jim suggests that this reminds him a lot of long-gone Michigan indie popsters Veronica Lake.

KNIT SEPARATES / ORANGE CAKE MIX Ghost Of A Ghost / Zenith Power Shell (3 Acre Floor) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A split LP between San Francisco's Knit Separates and Orange Cake Mix, both of whom exemplify the art of holing up in a bedroom and quickly banging out evocative, yet quirky 4-track psychedelic folk. The Knit Separates -- comprised of Jason Honea, Glenn Donaldson, and Loren Chasse -- offer a charmingly innocent homage to all of their childhood musical heros: Martyn Bates (who is clearly heard in Honea's soaring vocals), Nikki Sudden (especially his really fucked-up on heroin guitar strum), and the Durutti Column. Orange Cake Mix continues down the hazy path of 4-track indie-pop and electronica that has warranted him so many releases on the Darla label.

KNODEL Dawn Of The Butterfly (My Pal God) cd 12.98
The second album from this dorky (in a good way) electro-rock band. They play poppy, nerdy space-wave with emo undertones complete with alternating earnest boy vocals and vocoded robot voices over clunky early '80s synth lines. It's not unlike a lo-fi, Casio-laden version of early Man Or Astro-Man? minus the surf element. Or imagine Trans Am (their old college/tour buddies) doing silly Gary Numan impersonations. Knodel offer up plenty of self-referential lyrics, like "It's a Knodel world. Knodel's gonna take you home." That's what they say, but only you know if it's true for you. One clue: how do you feel about a synth-pop cover of "Kingdom Come" by epic metallers Manowar? 'Cause such a cover ends this album on a triumphant note. So dorky it's hard not to like.
RealAudio clip: "Dawn Of The Butterfly"
RealAudio clip: "Knodel Rocks"

KNODEL s/t (Little Army) cdep 9.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Old college chums and occasional tour mates of Trans Am, Knodel too, are part of the 'new wave' of post rock. Both have a similar affinity for the casio, lo-fi-indie-post-rock's weapon of choice. But while both owe quite a debt to Kraftwerk, Knodel mix in Devo and Depeche Mode instead of ZZ top and Grand Funk. Pretty cool, even if it is only 11 minutes long. Limited to 100.

KNODEL The White Hole (Spongebath) cd 13.98
Claiming Knodel as the geekier little brother of Trans Am wouldn't be far from the mark. Aside from being college chums and occasional tour mates, they also share an affinity for the casio keyboard - the electronerd / post-rock weapon of choice. Both owe quite a debt to Kraftwerk, but Knodel adds a distinct brand of silly theatricality mixing in more Devo and Depeche Mode than ZZ Top and Grand Funk Railroad. This *does* include the tracks from the short 11 minute cd-r that had been floating around for the past few years. Fun stuff.

KNOX, CHRIS Almost (Dark Beloved Cloud) cd 8.98
This is an amazing collection of of material that just missed being included on older Chris Knox albums, stuff from the time spanning "Croaker", "Seizure", "Duck", and "Songs of You and Me". Breathtakingly simple and urgent pop gems recorded with the minimal instrumentation for acoustic guitar, omnichord, and Chris' voice... Too bad he called these tracks "too preachy", "too jazzy", "too cigarette-lighter-sway" to fit on the aforementioned albums.

KNOX, CHRIS Beat (Thirsty Ear) cd 14.98
The legendary Chris Knox returns with a new solo effort. Though it's been a while since we've heard from the AQ-beloved New Zealander, he's obviously spent the time carefully writing real honest to gosh Songs, as this record, while not as great as his "Seizure" album, comes quite close, and the first song "It's Love" ranks with one of Knox's best songs ever. If you've been hungering for the manic carefree energy and chiming guitar that Knox's outfit Tall Dwarfs typified, give this record a try.

KNOX, CHRIS Yes!! (Flying Nun) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
With another fit-inducing, vibrating-color cover, here's Tall Dwarfs member's latest solo album, full of lurching synth beats and intenseley personal lyrics.

KNOXVILLE GIRLS In A Paper Suit (In The Red) cd 13.98
Second release from these ol' rock vets Jerry Teel (Chrome Cranks), Kid Congo Powers (Congo Norvell, Cramps, Nick Cave), Bob Bert (Pussy Galore, Sonic Youth) and company doing what they love best - playing the blues. Sliding from slow 'n' smoky to rambunctious 'n' rockin'. Guitars and vocals take turns swooping and twanging against the solid thud of the kickdrum. With covers of songs by Hasil Adkins and Hank Williams. Fourteen late night poker and whiskey tunes.