MOKIRA Persona (Type) cd 15.98

MOKIRA Persona (Type) lp 18.98

MOLASSES Trilogie: Toil & Peaceful Life (Fancy) cd 14.98

MOLASSES Trouble At Jinx Hotel (Alien8 Recordings) cd 14.98
Molasses brings forth their fourth full length of somber, beautiful music. We'd like to call this dusky Americana, but Molasses are Canadian... hmmm, 'Canadiana' just doesn't quite fit. And yes, Molasses is a branch of the expansive Montreal music collective tree which includes Godspeed You Black Emperor, Do Make Say Think and Fly Pan Am. Molasses mainman Scott Chernoff is joined by a sizable supporting cast of fifteen musicians including Sam Shalabi (Shalabi Effect, Osama), Thierry Amar, Mike Moya, Chris Brokaw (Codeine, Come) and Thalia Zedek (Come). With such a list of impressive contributors, there's still a remarkable sense of both space and restraint on Trouble At Jinx Hotel. With spartan instrumentation accompanying Chernoff's vocals, at times his delivery brings to mind a more obtuse Elliott Smith or Iron & Wine. A particular album highlight is the sixth song. "Coda" begins in hushed mellowness and is gently disrupted by squalls of feedback. This song effectively exemplified the album's keen balance of haunting atmosphere and earthy emotion. Gorgeous!
MPEG Stream: "Siren's Song"
MPEG Stream: "Coda"

MOLASSES You'll Never Be Well (Fancy) cd 15.98
The description of sparse is the only connection between Molasses and Godspeed You Black Emperor, in spite of both bands sharing members. Slow-motion alt.country meanderings sort of like Songs:Ohia and Mazzy Star playing Tom Waits songs.

MOLDY PEACHES s/t (Rough Trade) cd 14.98
The Moldy Peaches are the latest purveyors of indie slapped-together slop rock brimming with the irony of "talented" musicians playing badly (lack of rhythm, juvenile poetry about cartoons and indie boys in tight pants, stupid guitar solos, and just barely able to sing, let alone harmonize) on line with Free Kitten and Beat Happening. Kind of cute, in that "look what I made in kindergarten" way, but released very strangely on Rough Trade (UK) and licensed to some major label conglomerate. Really irritating.
RealAudio clip: "Lucky Number Nine"

MOLECULES/RUINS/ALBOTH/BELLY BUTTON/MUG (Pandemonium) 7" 3.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
R: Hyper kinetic bass/drums prog.
M: Bay Area jazz prog.
A: Swiss Young Gods style arty bombast.
BB: Noisey post rock.
M: Jazzy art brut funk rock.

MOLES On The Streets (Wishing Tree) 2cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not sure how many of you remember Richard Davies, but on his own and as one half of the duo Cardinal with Eric Matthews, he made some of the most totally brilliant, lush and orchestral pop records of the late nineties (even touring at one point with the Flaming Lips as his back up band!). Even those of you, like us, who totally loved all that stuff, may not remember Davies' first band the Moles. Originally from Australia, Davies quit law school in the late eighties to play music. The Moles moved to America but broke up in 1993 remaining relatively unknown. Their two albums remain masterpieces of shimmery, jangly indie pop. This collection includes cuts from their classic Untune The Sky record as well as several singles. The sound is sweet and spacious, dreamy and melancholy. Warbly organs, jangly rickenbacker guitars, sunny, reverbed harmonies, Davies' strange Robyn Hitchcock-sh vocals, all sorts of psychedelic production, and of course perfect, perfect pop songs. Fans of Belle And Sebastian, and similarly bittersweet pop should definitely check this out. Includes a bonus disc of rare and unreleased songs.
MPEG Stream: "What's The New Mary Jane?"
MPEG Stream: "This Is A Happy Garden"

MOLES Untune The Sky (Flydaddy) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Does that voice sound familiar? It should. It's Richard Davies, half of AQ faves Cardinal as well as producer of some mighty fine orchestral pop on his own. But this is way before all that, in fact 1991 to be exact. This is a reissue of the first Moles record, and while some of Davies' future sound shines through, it has way more in common with late 80's/early 90's Flying Nun style experimental pop. Droning and hypnotic, with lots of jagged unfinished edges, weird almost industrial noise, Brit pop jangle and an almost Morrisey drawl. Nice.

MOLINA, JASON Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go (Secretly Canadian) lp+cd 13.98
Between this new album from Lambchop and those from Jason Molina and M. Ward, whoa, this is quite the week for country rock excellence!
Mr. Molina doesn't want you to be caught empty-handed... without his music! He's released his latest album as a cd/lp combo (same music on both vinyl and cd packaged together in an lp sleeve. The music is absolutely solid Molina fare of his more hushed and stripped down variety rather than his bootstomp tavern rock. Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go is composed of nine timeless stark arrangements of just his voice, some piano and guitar. Really, the only unfortunate thing about this release might be the choice of cover photo -- a sort of Alfred E. Neuman 'what me worry?' shot of Molina and his guitar.
Pssst, want more Molina? A Magnolia Electric Co. album is comin' REAL soon.
MPEG Stream: "Alone With The Owl"
MPEG Stream: "It Must Be Raining There Forever"

MOLINA, JASON Pyramid Electric Co. (Secretly Canadian) lp+cd 13.98
Finally, goshdarnit! We alluded to this record in our review of Songs: Ohia's album Magnolia Electric Co. last February, and then we waited and waited... and now almost a year later here it is, the actual companion release to said album.
Easily the most brutally personal and gorgeously melancholy record yet from Jason Molina, aka Songs: Ohia. And that's saying a lot, since everything we've heard from him so far has been intense, intensely sad, musically compelling and completely brilliant. This Pyramid Electric Co. is all minimal and spacious, spare and haunting. Guitars shimmer and drift lazily through darkened rooms and ghostly winter evenings, single notes ring out only to settle back to earth after hovering in the dark cool air for what feels like forever. The piano is heard from the street outside the loneliest bar, in a town where nobody lives anymore. Chords and melodies escaping through a crack in the window like tendrils of smoke from recently extinguised cigarettes. Molina's voice still sounds a bit like Will Oldham, but the more time you spend with him, and his songs, and the more you actually let yourself get lost in his music, the more he sounds like no one else in the world. A high lonesome, aching heartbroken croon, that can turn into an anguished wail in a split second, but return to a hushed lover's whisper before you know it. This is the perfect music for two in the morning, home alone, drunk and lonely, snow outside, too sad to sleep, to tired not too, afraid of dreaming about her, wishing the morning would never come, but praying you can make it through the night. So fucking good. It's ostensibly LP only, BUT the LP comes with a cd version as well for you poor turntable-less bastards!
MPEG Stream: "Pyramid Electric Co."
MPEG Stream: "Red Comet Dust"

MOLINA, JUANA Segundo (Domino) cd 17.98

MOLINA, JUANA Son (Domino) cd 15.98
Juana Molina hails from Argentina where she was once a sitcom television star until she gave it up to pursue music. And we're so happy she did 'cause over the last few years she's made some really beautiful records. With a remarkable seductive voice and sparse interesting instrumentation beneath, she creates a sultry and inciting mood that totally wraps you up in its womblike warmth. With a voice that has the same melting beauty as sonic seductresses like Astrud Gilberto, what's so great about Molina is that while her voice is breathtaking, there is so much more to her music. Evoking much emotion but never hitting the listener over the head with overly maudlin sentiments or romantic drivel. Subtly experimenting with delicate sounds and electronics yet keeping songs strong and in tact. Creating a sound that is both very modern and totally timeless. It would be so easy for someone with a voice as beautiful as Molina's to just push her vocals way out in front of the mix and make polished straightforward pop records, but luckily she chooses to create interesting and textured songs using her voice as another element, no more important that some swoonsome guitar or shuffling rhythm. Another fantastic album. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Malherido"
MPEG Stream: "La Verdad"

MOLINA, JUANA Un Dia (Domino) cd 15.98
It would be so easy and profitable for Juana Molina to simply streamline her sound, to make things nice and easy and to compete with the likes of Feist and Beth Orton for permanent cafe stereo time, but lucky for us, she keeps pushing and challenging herself, creating original and challenging music while still managing to weave a sensual and seductive spell with her sounds.
Her voice is the main instrument, and it's her voice that carries Un Dia, with its seamless mix of organic instrumentation and subtle electronics. It's hard to believe that someone this creative and musically talented was once a bigtime sitcom TV star in Argentina. Makes so much sense how committed she seems to her musical vision as she already enjoyed a kind of mindless popular culture celebrity so she doesn't need to pander to commercial blandness with her music. It's not to say that this is difficult or unpleasant music because its not, quite the contrary but similar to folks like Bjork and Brigitte Fontaine decades earlier, Molina belongs to a strong brigade of visionary women who know how to blend experimentation with melody and pop sensibilities for music that is both rewarding and pleasurable. This might be her finest moment yet!
MPEG Stream: "Los Hongos De Marosa"
MPEG Stream: "Vive Solo"
MPEG Stream: "No Lllama"

MOLOCH s/t (Choking Hazard) cd 13.98
Not to be confused with the Russian black metal Moloch, this Moloch is something much grimier and grittier and doomier, treading a path closer to Eyehategod, and of course the current crop of ultra doomlords like Moss, Bunkur, Monarch, and of course Noothgrush and Corrupted. In fact, if it sounds like we just described your collection, you might as well stop right now and grab one of these, cuz if sloooooow, ultra heavy, doomic crush is your thing, then Moloch will definitely hit the spot.
Four songs, 25 minutes, this UK foursome offer up some pretty fearsome heaviness, slipping easily from plodding lumbering slow motion, to swinging stonery groove and back again, the guitars thick and viscous, the drums pounding and pummeling, the vocals a wild shriek. The more we listen to this we're also hearing plenty of Grief and Bongzilla, the riffs like 16rpm Sabbath, the band's crawl druggy and dissonant, but laced with some super swinging NOLA-esque grooviness, and some surprisingly Pantera-ish vox, which makes some of this sound like Down, but only if Down were WAY crustier and filthier and DIY and lo-fi. Which is most definitely not a bad thing. Heartily recommended for you drugged out, stoner rock, ultra doom, slow and low misfits, some seriously crushing black hole brutality, with just enough swing to keep it interesting.
Released on the same label that did that kick ass Ghast / Yoga split!
MPEG Stream: "Thy Grief"
MPEG Stream: "Who Is This Who Is Coming"

MOMUS 20 Vodka Jellies (Le Grand Magistery) cd 16.98

MOMUS Folktronic (Le Grand Majestery) cd 14.98
The prolific, inventive, and cheekily clever Momus is at it again. The last time we heard from him was 1999's Stars Forever on which he performed songs of "patronage pop" (thirty patrons paid one thousand dollars each for the privilege of having a song written specifically about them). Now Momus presents Folktronic. Well, what are you expecting? His trademark fey Scot-boy crooning heavy on the baroque and melodrama but thrown into a hillbilly mountain goldrush-era scene? Well, sort of. Ever-inquisitive, Momus muses over the juxtaposition of the seemingly disparate worlds of folk and electronic to create as he calls it "plastic folk". Always a man with a crazy, novel idea brewing, back in October/November 2000, Momus held court at Folktronia his art installation in NY. It included opportunities for exhibition visitors to sing their own versions of these songs karaoke-style. And as usual he's included complete lyrics so you too can sing-a-long with Momus.
RealAudio clip: "Appalachia"
RealAudio clip: "Folk Me Amadeus"

MOMUS Ping Pong (Le Grand Magistery) cd 16.98

MOMUS Slender Sherbet (Cherry Red) cd 16.98
... in which the fine dandy Scot known as Momus remakes his dazzling downer album Tender Pervert. The result a new perhaps odder beauty that can be admired all on its own.

MOMUS Stars Forever (Le Grand Magestry) 2cd 14.98
Yet another step in Momus' quest to be the Jeff Koons of indie rock. This post modern putz somehow convinced 30 suckers that it would be worth $1000 to have a crappy electro-pop song with inane lyrics written in their honor. There is some history behind it, like he got sued for ripping off somebody else's song, or something equally as lame. The patrons of this collection include a few stores (Other Music, Reckless Records), a few indie establishments (Team Clermont, Minty Fresh), the aforementioned Jeff Koons, and a bunch of dilletantes we've never heard of. That said, Cup, a Momus fan since the days of 'Tender Pervert' must raise her hand in defense of Momus. Although she too balks at the lofty price tag, she admires Momus' musical diversity, and thinks the idea's pretty darn clever and funny. By the way, the $30,000 went towards his legal bills 'cause he got sued by Wendy Carlos. Oh yeah, and there's also a 'bonus'...eight Momus karaoke parody contest winners' tracks.

MON COUSIN BELGE Quelle Horreur (World Famous in San Francisco) cd 14.98
Over the last couple years San Francisco's Mon Cousin Belge have earned quite the reputation for their raucous, theatrical and dazzling live performances. And in a city that's got such a great history for campy, subversive and wonderfully queer art and music it's actually kind of sad to say that it's becoming more rare to find a really good charged and dazzling homo-rock band around these parts lately. Luckily Mon Cousin Belge have been filling that void quite nicely. With a sound equally influenced by glam-rock, torch songs and the sparkling seedy side of high octane pop, Quelle Horreur is an action packed flamboyant and proud album that fits perfectly in any record collection containing the soundtrack to Hedwig & The Angry Inch, Ziggy Stardust era Bowie, Sparks, B-52's and Nina Hagen. With song titles like "Tweaker Bitch", "Sodomy" and "Pigdog" and the trashy chops to back it all up, someone really needs to get this in the hands of John Cameron Mitchell and John Waters as this could be their new favorite band!
MPEG Stream: "Unicycle"
MPEG Stream: "Sodomy"
MPEG Stream: "The Crossing"

MONADE A Few Steps More (Too Pure) cd 13.98
Previously a side project collaboration between Pram's Rosie Cuckston and Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier, Monade has blossomed into a full band fronted by the dulcet-toned Ms Sadier, and well... they reeeeeeally sound like her other band! Her legions of fans probably knew that this release was on its way eons ago, and therefore don't need us to tell them that it's finally arrived. For those less rabid, we'll let you know that this is the group's follow-up to their 2003 debut Socialisme ou Barbarie (The Bedroom Recordings), and as can be expected, it's a much more fleshed out and polished affair. Back-to-back listening of this and the recent reissue of Stereolab's 1992 debut Switched On makes for a dreamy, sunny afternoon double scoop! Sure to please Stereolab and Sadier lovers everywhere.
MPEG Stream: "La Salle Des Pas Perdus"
MPEG Stream: "Das Kind"

MONADE Monstre Cosmic (Too Pure) cd 13.98
Oh, Latetitia Sadier you can sing in our ear anytime! Of course best known for her main groop, Stereolab, Sadier has also kept busy over the years with her project Monade, an outfit that leans much more toward the laid back elements of Stereolab. Monstre Cosmic finds Monade in top form, with rich and lush instrumentation, a range of tempos and of course Sadier's trademark suave vocals, in French and sounding so damn irresistible! The color palette that Monade's songs invoke are just as wide and dazzling as those of Stereolab with enough highs and lows to keep you on your toes but with just the right feeling of comfort to makes you want to just dive into these sounds and stay forever, and bask in their swirling melodies and groove filled charm. Like so much of her best work, we love how the songs unfold and reveal more of themselves with repeated listens. Monstre Cosmic sounds great on first listen but it's when you begin to get hooked and are listening over and over again that you really begin to fall in love with this batch of musical goodness. Laid back without being lazy, driving and catchy without being too perky. It's just the right ingredients mixed and made with total pop perfection. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Regarde"
MPEG Stream: "Tout En Tour Est Un"
MPEG Stream: "Lost Language"

MONADE Socialisme ou Barbarie (The Bedroom Recordings) (Duophonic) cd 14.98
Monade started as a 1996 joint side project of Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier and Pram's Rosie Cuckston, with Sadier making the bulk of the tracks in more recent years. Here then is Monade's debut full length, licensed from Duophonic by Drag City here in the US, which includes the impossibly rare tracks and other out of print gems, along with new material. As expected, the music is akin to Stereolab's bubbly, melodic electronica albeit with a bit more of a lo-fi bedroom feel, with strummed guitars, a light touch on the synth effects, and Sadier's comforting French croon.
MPEG Stream: "Enfin Seule"
MPEG Stream: "Sunrise Telling"

MONARCH / GREY DATURAS Dawn Of The Catalyst (Throne) 12" 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally! Been waiting for the vinyl version of this for a while now. Taking the slow boat all the way from Spain, but it was well worth it, sounds awesome, looks amazing. Metallic gold and black on shimmery silver matte finish, all new artwork. SUPER LIMITED, we got a bunch, but we won't be able to get more. Here's more about the music inside:
A while ago we were informed that French ultradoom combo Monarch had called it a day. We were crushed. One of our favorite purveyors of filthy slow motion doooooooooom, fronted by a woman, a rarity in doom for sure, and with a penchant for smiley skulls and Hello Kitty. A band that seemed tailor made for the very bizarre tastes of the AQ faithful, seemed to be no more. 
But before we could begin our campaign of mourning, black clothes spray painted with cute skulls, black Hello Kitty armbands, we discovered that in fact we were misinformed, or maybe the band had taken a break, or something, but we cared not, for whatever reason, Monarch was still alive, and would live to doom another day. And doom they did. Gracing us with more and more glorious downtuned heaviness, including their bad ass cover of Turbonegro's "I Got Erection"!
So now that we're pretty comfortable with the continued existence of our favorite cute doomsters, we can wait patiently for each new, massive slab of harsh slow motion glacial dooooooooooooooooooooom. And for folks new to Monarch, don't go expecting this to actually -sound- cute. They may be fronted by an adorable French girl, who spins playfully on the beach in their videos, but when she opens her mouth to sing, it's the sound of blackness and misery, a demonic caterwaul, unrivaled by most male metal vocalists. And sure the art on their records may be cute cartoon burning churches and big eyed ghosts, but the sounds inside are slow and black as tar, guitars tuned so low they rumble instead of roar, drum beats so far apart, the drummer can probably smoke a cigarette between beats. And we're happy to report that this 16+ minute chunk of doom is all that and more. The more being the haunting ethereal female vocals partway through... Crushingly heavy, weirdly beautiful. A plodding symphony in slow motion. Essential Monarch beautiful brutality.
The surprise here is the Grey Daturas track, also a 16 minute epic, that on first listen sounds surprisingly doomy, and a lot like the Monarch track. The Daturas are often heavy, but rarely doomy like this, but it suits them. And they pepper their doom with all sorts of sonic weirdness, bits of electronic fuckery, strange modulated feedback, subtle FX, until about 13 minutes in, when the song suddenly morphs into a muted wall of smeared and crumbling white noise, a blast of blurred sound that eventually fades into nothingness. 
Pretty amazing stuff, from both bands. Doom hounds will be well pleased.
MPEG Stream: MONARCH "Rapture"
MPEG Stream: THE GREY DATURAS "Golden Tusk The Endearing"

MONAURAL Monitor Interference (Ba Da Bing!) cd 12.98
Michigan space rockers Monaural have altered their extraterrestrial trajectories from propulsive Fuxa / Windy & Carl style drone to the dub filtered electronica of bands like Pan American and Labradford. Beautifully lazy Hammond organs, phased guitars and sleepy delay make this one of the best dreamy/sleepy/mopey electronica records we've heard in a while.

MONEY MARK Brand New By Tomorrow (Brushfire) cd 14.98
While he does still inject a little funkiness here and there, Money Mark has grown progressively more pop and less soul over the course of his last few albums. His Beastie Boys days are a distant memory. No complaints here. He does it all utterly effortlessly and with such an easy charm. His new album is his most completely soft rock/pop to date.
Brand New By Tomorrow is brimming with solid songwriting and performances in the tradition of Elvis Costello or Joe Jackson. No, they aren't gonna burst out and grab you by the knickers, but with each subsequent listen they'll snuggle up closer and closer until you just can't live without 'em.
MPEG Stream: "Color Of Your Blues"
MPEG Stream: "Pretend To Sleep"

MONKEES, THE Headquarters - Collector's Edition (Rhino) 2cd 25.00
A couple of years ago you might've heard us gushing about how happy we were that the Monkees' movie Head had finally been released on dvd. If you somehow missed it, please visit our review AND see the movie posthaste! Well, we're happy to report that much like they did for the early Bee Gees' albums (which we were equally stoked about!), Rhino Records has reissued three early Monkees' full lengths in deluxe 2cd editions -- 1966's self-titled, 1967's Headquarters, and their fourth full length Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn And Jones Ltd. Many might still scoff at this band as being prefab pretty boy fluff, but hearing these albums today just may quell the doubters for good and (re)charm fans of '60s pop, both of the innocuous vanilla and more wildly tripped out flavors. Sure, they could dish out the toothsome teen idol syrup scientifically formulate to make the young girls swoon, but they could also nail a fantastic pop hook, a paisley psych trip-out, a solid country rock bootstomp, and more. Yep, they had their fingers in pretty much every musical style of the decade, and they (yes, along with some expert producers and other songwriters) pretty much expertly navigated each one of them. Album highlights: the delicious pop of "You Just May Be The One" and the comparatively bizarre "Randy Scoue Git"!
These deluxe versions include mono and stereo versions, bonus rare tracks and plentiful liner notes and photos. Above all else, these reissues are simply a damn delightful good time!
MPEG Stream: "You Just May Be The One"
MPEG Stream: "Randy Scoue Git"

MONKEES, THE Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. - Collector's Edition (Rhino) 2cd 23.00
A couple of years ago you might've heard us gushing about how happy we were that the Monkees' movie Head had finally been released on dvd. If you somehow missed it, please visit our review AND see the movie posthaste! Well, we're happy to report that much like they did for the early Bee Gees' albums (which we were equally stoked about!), Rhino Records has reissued three early Monkees' full lengths in deluxe 2cd editions -- 1966's self-titled, 1967's Headquarters, and their fourth full length Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn And Jones Ltd. Many might still scoff at this band as being prefab pretty boy fluff, but hearing these albums today just may quell the doubters for good and (re)charm fans of '60s pop, both of the innocuous vanilla and more wildly tripped out flavors. Sure, they could dish out the toothsome teen idol syrup scientifically formulate to make the young girls swoon, but they could also nail a fantastic pop hook, a paisley psych trip-out, a solid country rock bootstomp, and more. Yep, they had their fingers in pretty much every musical style of the decade, and they (yes, along with some expert producers and other songwriters) pretty much expertly navigated each one of them. Album highlights: "What Am I Doing Hangin' Round" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday"! Yeah, we know those are obvious choices, but can you blame us? Pop doesn't get much better than this!
These deluxe versions include mono and stereo versions, bonus rare tracks and plentiful liner notes and photos. Above all else, these reissues are simply a damn delightful good time!
MPEG Stream: "What Am I Doing Hangin' Round"
MPEG Stream: "Pleasant Valley Sunday"

MONKEES, THE s/t - Collector's Edition (Rhino) 2cd 25.00
A couple of years ago you might've heard us gushing about how happy we were that the Monkees' movie Head had finally been released on dvd. If you somehow missed it, please visit our review AND see the movie posthaste! Well, we're happy to report that much like they did for the early Bee Gees' albums (which we were equally stoked about!), Rhino Records has reissued three early Monkees' full lengths in deluxe 2cd editions -- 1966's self-titled, 1967's Headquarters, and their fourth full length Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn And Jones Ltd. Many might still scoff at this band as being prefab pretty boy fluff, but hearing these albums today just may quell the doubters for good and (re)charm fans of '60s pop, both of the innocuous vanilla and more wildly tripped out flavors. Sure, they could dish out the toothsome teen idol syrup scientifically formulate to make the young girls swoon, but they could also nail a fantastic pop hook, a paisley psych trip-out, a solid country rock bootstomp, and more. Yep, they had their fingers in pretty much every musical style of the decade, and they (yes, along with some expert producers and other songwriters) pretty much expertly navigated each one of them. Album highlights: "Sweet Young Thing" and "Last Train To Clarksville".
These deluxe versions include mono and stereo versions, bonus rare tracks and plentiful liner notes and photos. Above all else, these reissues are simply a damn delightful good time!
MPEG Stream: "Sweet Young Thing"
MPEG Stream: "Last Train To Clarksville"

MONKEYWRENCH Gabriel's Horn (Birdman) cd 14.98

MONKEYWRENCH, THE Electric Children (Estrus) cd 14.98
Finally, another full length from The Monkeywrench, Mark and Steve from Mudhoney, Tom from Gas Huffer, the infamous Tim Kerr and some guy named Martin. And it's on Estrus, where they belonged all along.
Drunken and garagey and surprisingly not all that unlike Mudhoney. A definite fix for those of us who miss Mudhoney (who aren't breaking up like they were intending to). Awesome.

MONKEYWRENCH, THE Sugarman/The Pusher (Estrus) 7" 3.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
No... it really can't be! But Yep, it gosh darn is. The Monkeywrench are back after a mule's age. Please don't ask me what a mule's age is. Just figure it's a pretty long time. you may better know The Monkeywrench as: Mudhoney's Mark Arm and Steve Turner, Gas Huffer guitarist Tom Price, Martin Bland, and the infamous Tim Kerr. Many moons ago, these fine fellows released an awesome bourbon and reverb-drenched fiery full-length on SubPop. Join them today in the ol' saloon as they perform "Sugarman" by Jesus Rodriguez and Hoyt Axton's "The Pusher" as only they know how. The latter features that familiar raspy howl courtesy of Mr. Arm. Sigh, very cool.

MONKS Black Monk Time (Repertoire) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The classic proto-punk record made by these weirdo American GI's in Germany circa '66. An essential.

MONKS Black Monk Time (Light In The Attic) cd 16.98
Oh Happy Day! Another pre-list aQ classic returns to see the light, and we finally get to write a review of it! Back in the day (nearly thirteen years ago!) when we first moved into our current digs from our old storefront on 24th street, the first reissue of Black Monk Time from 1966 was on constant rotation, right next to Os Mutantes, Sounds of Doomsday Cults, North American Frogs, Neutral Milk Motel and of course, The Conet Project. Sadly, it eventually went out of print before we ever got to express how we felt about it on the list. And now enough time has passed between represses, that one of our own (younger) employees didn't get the Monks reference on last month's Wire Magazine cover featuring SUNNO)))!
Formed in the mid '60s by five ex-GIs stationed in Germany, the band mastered a minimalist sixties freakbeat sound driven more by amphetamines than by songwriting ability. But their masterstroke was to adopt another kind of confrontational militant image to match its biting commentary on war, dehumanized social mores and fucked up romance. Dressed in all black matching uniforms with white knotted rope ties to match their painted white instruments, the final touch was to shave their heads in the middle like a classic monks tonsure. Thus The Monks were born! Penning primitive stompers like "Shut Up" and "I Hate You" ("I hate you with a passion, baby... but call me!") with searing organ swells, fuzzed bass and electric banjo over martial and polka rhythms adding to the overall weirdness. Keep in mind this was 1966 and outside of the US, where the terms, psych, punk, and garage had yet to be coined! Their lone album and two singles disappeared as quickly as they came, but have gained a heavy cult following over the years, culminating in a string of reissues and an autobiography by bassist Eddie Shaw. This fine reissue combines the full album, a couple of live and unreleased cuts not featured on previous reissues, plus a full booklet with essays, history and praises from just about everybody from Dead Moon to the White Stripes. Fucking Essential!!!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Shut Up"
MPEG Stream: "I Hate You"
MPEG Stream: "Complication"
MPEG Stream: "Pretty Suzanne"

MONKS Black Monk Time (International) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The classic proto-punk record made by these weirdo American GI's in Germany circa '66, now reissued on vinyl. Not too many in stock...

MONKS Black Monk Time (Light In The Attic) 2lp 26.00
Now reissued on Deluxe Double Vinyl, thereby making any record collection without it, incomplete!
Oh Happy Day! Another pre-list aQ classic returns to see the light, and we finally get to write a review of it! Back in the day (nearly thirteen years ago!) when we first moved into our current digs from our old storefront on 24th street, the first reissue of Black Monk Time from 1966 was on constant rotation, right next to Os Mutantes, Sounds of Doomsday Cults, North American Frogs, Neutral Milk Motel and of course, The Conet Project. Sadly, it eventually went out of print before we ever got to express how we felt about it on the list. And now enough time has passed between represses, that one of our own (younger) employees didn't get the Monks reference on last month's Wire Magazine cover featuring SUNNO)))!
Formed in the mid '60s by five ex-GIs stationed in Germany, the band mastered a minimalist sixties freakbeat sound driven more by amphetamines than by songwriting ability. But their masterstroke was to adopt another kind of confrontational militant image to match its biting commentary on war, dehumanized social mores and fucked up romance. Dressed in all black matching uniforms with white knotted rope ties to match their painted white instruments, the final touch was to shave their heads in the middle like a classic monks tonsure. Thus The Monks were born! Penning primitive stompers like "Shut Up" and "I Hate You" ("I hate you with a passion, baby... but call me!") with searing organ swells, fuzzed bass and electric banjo over martial and polka rhythms adding to the overall weirdness. Keep in mind this was 1966 and outside of the US, where the terms, psych, punk, and garage had yet to be coined! Their lone album and two singles disappeared as quickly as they came, but have gained a heavy cult following over the years, culminating in a string of reissues and an autobiography by bassist Eddie Shaw. This fine reissue combines the full album, a couple of live and unreleased cuts not featured on previous reissues, plus a full booklet with essays, history and praises from just about everybody from Dead Moon to the White Stripes. Fucking Essential!!!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Shut Up"
MPEG Stream: "I Hate You"
MPEG Stream: "Complication"
MPEG Stream: "Pretty Suzanne"

MONKS Five Upstart Americans (Omplatten) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Omplatten, after reissuing those fabulous Os Mutantes records, has dug up the demo tapes from the Monks before their infamous "Black Monk Time" album. Formed in the mid 60s by five ex-GIs stationed in Germany who sported monk-styled coiffures, The Monks mastered a minimalist 60's freakbeat driven more by amphetamines than by songwriting ability. Even in demo form, these proto-punk songs still pack a nasty punch with caustic organ chords and a wall of reverb drenching the primitive rhythms--indeed, to these ears they don't sound that much different from the actual "Black Monk Time" sessions. But, with the domestic cd reissue of *that* sadly out of print (and with some differences in song-selection anyway) this disc will be essential for Monks novices, and tempting to fans.

MONKS Let's Start A Beat (Varese Sarabande) cd 16.98
The legendary ex-GI beat group that invented nihilistic punk rock back in '66, return thirty years later for a phenomenal reunion show (at the garage-rock fest Cavestomp '99 in New York City), documented here. Even though their trademark monk-style haircuts are more or less naturally occuring now, these guys don't seem all that old from the sounds on this disc! Nothing lame about this at all! Monk Time '99 sounds just like Monk Time '66, wild and crazy, and all Monks fans will be happy with this, it's a blast. There's also some cd-rom video footage of the show for those with computers.

MONNO Error (Conspiracy) cd 17.98
Monno are definitely a noise rock band. In fact, we're not even sure if they are a band, so maybe they're just noise rock. But actually, this doesn't really rock in the traditional sense, so maybe it's just noise. But the thing is, it's NOT. Monno ARE a band. And they DO rock. And they are about as noisy as a rock band can get. They produce a dense sonic squall that sounds like someone took Merzbow, Total, Skullflower and SUNNO))), chopped em all up, sprayed them out of thousand watt speakers, at a drummer who head down, resolutely pounds his way through a dense cloud of caustic, skin peeling, ear shredding noise. Rock. There are occasional riffs, and they totally slay, like a way more blown out Scratch Acid, and there are massive slithering low end bass grooves, but then the vocals, holy fuck, it's like some feral howls being run through a million distortion pedals with dying batteries and broadcast through a wall of tweeters with broken speaker cones. All wrapped in barbed wire-like swirls of shrieking tangled feedback. So harsh and heavy and so fucking great. Fans of Violent Students, Butthole Surfers, Clockcleaner and just loud fucking rocknoise in general will dig this in a big way!
Packaged in an oversized black on metallic silver booklet, with original artwork from Dennis Tyfus (who runs the Ultra Eczema label!).
MPEG Stream: "Necronomik"
MPEG Stream: "Tiny Fossils"

MONNO Error (Conspiracy) lp 29.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Our pals at Conspiracy Records, a label/distro based in Belgium, who in the past have brought us records by Boris, Jesu, Shora and more, are this year celebrating their 10 year anniversary. A decade of amazing music. From a bedroom based punk label, to one of Europe's most important and influential labels and distros, all we can say is HURRAY! And HUZZAH! It's always so exciting, when a bunch of folks get together to spread the word about great music, great WEIRD music, and survive, even thrive. Such is the case with Conspiracy. And as if that weren't already enough, just knowing that some great people were selling some amazing music, those sweeties at Conspiracy have decided to share the love with us. And you.
To celebrate their 10th anniversary, they've decided to do a super limited subscription series, 12 records over 12 months, each limited to somewhere between 200-500 copies, ONLY available to series subscribers. EXCEPT, they've decided to let AQ have 20 copies of each, we're the only store with copies of these subscriber only lps, and for a breif moment, we can offer them to you, our loyal AQ customers. Needless to say we are thrilled, as the series lineup reads like a who's who of AQ faves, as well as including a handful of lesser knowns. All pressed on super thick vinyl, and packaged in killer hand screened original art sleeves. But be warned, we only got 20 of each, and we will run out fast and we will not be able to get more. When we do run out, there is a chance you can still get more (or even subscribe to the series) from Conspiracy direct, but what that means is act fast and prepare to leave empty handed.
Monno are definitely a noise rock band. In fact, we're not even sure if they are a band, so maybe they're just noise rock. But actually, this doesn't really rock in the traditional sense, so maybe it's just noise. But the thing is, it's NOT. Monno ARE a band. And they DO rock. And they are about as noisy as a rock band can get. They produce a dense sonic squall that sounds like someone took Merzbow, Total, Skullflower and SUNNO))), chopped em all up, sprayed them out of thousand watt speakers, at a drummer who head down, resolutely pounds his way through a dense cloud of caustic, skin peeling, ear shredding noise. Rock. There are occasional riffs, and they totally slay, like a way more blown out Scratch Acid, and there are massive slithering low end bass grooves, but then the vocals, holy fuck, it's like some feral howls being run through a million distortion pedals with dying batteries and broadcast through a wall of tweeters with broken speaker cones. All wrapped in barbed wire-like swirls of shrieking tangled feedback. So harsh and heavy and so fucking great. Fans of Violent Students, Butthole Surfers, Clockcleaner and just loud fucking rocknoise in general will dig this in a big way!
Original artwork by artist Dennis Tyfus (who runs the Ultra Eczema label!), printed on hand silkscreened sleeves. The LP's are pressed on super thick 180 gram vinyl and housed in thick plastic sleeves.
MPEG Stream: "Necronomik"
MPEG Stream: "Tiny Fossils"

MONO Gone: A Collection Of EPs 2000-2007 (Temporary Residence) cd 11.98
With all the talk of metallic post rock, or post metal, or whatever, bands like Isis and Pelican and the Grails and Conifer and Tides and a bunch of others always get referenced, but it seems like folks forget about Japan's Mono, who traverse similar sonic territory, but in many ways do it a whole lot better. 
We've loved pretty much everything we've heard from Mono, but this singles and rarities compilation has really kicked our asses, so much so, that whenever someone is playing this in the store, inevitably anyone else working, or anyone in the store shopping, ends up heading to the counter to find out what's playing. 
The thing with Mono, sure their loping moody post rock soundscapes are gorgeous, expansive and epic, they definitely hold their moody melancholy own in the esteemed company of bands like Mogwai and Godspeed and Sigur Ros, but they make that sound their own, steeped with emotion, gorgeous melodies, and deft arrangements, but where they really shine is in the heavy parts, they don't just get louder, and they don't just unleash big downtuned riffs, they EXPLODE into dense swaths of noisy fury, often drawn out into length stretches of swirling static and glitchy crunchy white noise, dizzying and gloriously suffocating. The end of "Black Woods" is the perfect example, what begins as a jangly mathy workout, builds into a full on fury, with the drums crumbling into clouds of cymbal sizzle, the guitars becoming jagged shards, enormous cresting waves of feedback swallowing everything whole, abrasive and intense, caustic and furiously fiery, sounding a bit like maybe Merzbow got a hold of the tapes. Elsewhere, the band seems to let loose any semblance of song structure, allowing the guitars to spill out of the amps like thick black pools of sound, but always to be deftly drawn back in by some gorgeous spidery guitar line, or simple soft melody.
And while the proceedings definitely tend toward the loping and melodic, the drawn out and pretty, and don't get us wrong, a whole record of nothing but Mono's dreamy moodiness would suit us just fine, it's the band's ability to simply destroy, to musically torch everything within sight, to turn guitars and drums into incendiary devices, all without ever completely letting the song crumble into chaos, always eventually finding their way back to a place of beauty and melody, that really makes Mono so special.
Lost compiles all of Mono's essential musical odds and ends: their track from the split album with Pelican, two out of print eps, their track from the TRL Thankful compilation and all the tracks from their Travels In Constants disc.
Amazing packaging too: die cut tray card, with the cd visible through the back of the jewel case, and a corresponding die cut slip case, which also allows the cd to be visible, the whole thing ends up looking like some cool mysterious map like buried treasure artifact.
MPEG Stream: "Finlandia"
MPEG Stream: "Black Woods"
MPEG Stream: "Yearning"

MONO Hymn To The Immortal Wind (Temporary Residence) cd 14.98
There was perhaps a time, when Japanese post rockers Mono were just that, a post rock group, but that time is long gone, now, they are anything but, or more accurately, so much more.
Mono take the soaring sweeping epics of groups like Godspeed into an entirely different dimension. Their sound is so grandiose, so emotional, so absolutley and stunningly epic, that it almost ceases to be rock. Sure there's plenty of rock like bombast, many of the songs culminate in a huge flurry of crashing drums and soaring guitars, but in the grand scheme of Mono's sound, those moments are fleeting. Like the old adage that it's more about the journey than the destination, the sound of Mono is all about the journey, the band weave elaborate soundscapes, that smolder and glow, rhythms pulse and throb, guitars are blurred into lush sonic backdrops, melodies are delicate and crystalline, the sound while instrumental, manages to sound choral, a sky full of weeping strings and angelic hymns. We can only assume that if Arvo Part, or Morton Feldman started a rock band, it would sound something like Mono. Hymn is like some post rock score to a massive role playing game, Final Fantasy 100 or something.... How can you not envision sweeping vistas, endless seas, crumbling cities, heaving seas beneath blackened skies, these sounds evoke so much emotion (this is REAL emo!) and passion, it does seem almost too reductive to call them a post rock band, or to call this 'rock', to us it sounds more like a symphony played by a rock band, or better yet a symphony attempting to play rock music, the result is grand, majestic, moving, stirring, something more momentous than a mere record, or a rock concert, Mono manage to conjure up a sound that seems to be alive, living, something capable of adapting and growing, every song sounding like a collection of sounds blossoming into still greater sounds, eventually a field of blossoming sound becoming Mono. It sometimes sounds like the most dramatic moments from every film you've ever seen distilled and converted into sound, then arranged into music... hyperbole? Probably. But the more we listen to Hymn To The Immortal, the more we're convinced that there's something truly magical going on here. And somehow, without even realizing it, we've listened to this record about 20 times in the last few days, which is most definitely saying something...
MPEG Stream: "Ashes In The Snow"
MPEG Stream: "Burial At Sea"
MPEG Stream: "Silent Flight, Sleeping Dawn"

MONO Hymn To The Immortal Wind (Temporary Residence) 2lp 17.98
There was perhaps a time, when Japanese post rockers Mono were just that, a post rock group, but that time is long gone, now, they are anything but, or more accurately, so much more.
Mono take the soaring sweeping epics of groups like Godspeed into an entirely different dimension. Their sound is so grandiose, so emotional, so absolutley and stunningly epic, that it almost ceases to be rock. Sure there's plenty of rock like bombast, many of the songs culminate in a huge flurry of crashing drums and soaring guitars, but in the grand scheme of Mono's sound, those moments are fleeting. Like the old adage that it's more about the journey than the destination, the sound of Mono is all about the journey, the band weave elaborate soundscapes, that smolder and glow, rhythms pulse and throb, guitars are blurred into lush sonic backdrops, melodies are delicate and crystalline, the sound while instrumental, manages to sound choral, a sky full of weeping strings and angelic hymns. We can only assume that if Arvo Part, or Morton Feldman started a rock band, it would sound something like Mono. Hymn is like some post rock score to a massive role playing game, Final Fantasy 100 or something.... How can you not envision sweeping vistas, endless seas, crumbling cities, heaving seas beneath blackened skies, these sounds evoke so much emotion (this is REAL emo!) and passion, it does seem almost too reductive to call them a post rock band, or to call this 'rock', to us it sounds more like a symphony played by a rock band, or better yet a symphony attempting to play rock music, the result is grand, majestic, moving, stirring, something more momentous than a mere record, or a rock concert, Mono manage to conjure up a sound that seems to be alive, living, something capable of adapting and growing, every song sounding like a collection of sounds blossoming into still greater sounds, eventually a field of blossoming sound becoming Mono. It sometimes sounds like the most dramatic moments from every film you've ever seen distilled and converted into sound, then arranged into music... hyperbole? Probably. But the more we listen to Hymn To The Immortal, the more we're convinced that there's something truly magical going on here. And somehow, without even realizing it, we've listened to this record about 20 times in the last few days, which is most definitely saying something...
MPEG Stream: "Ashes In The Snow"
MPEG Stream: "Burial At Sea"
MPEG Stream: "Silent Flight, Sleeping Dawn"

MONO New York Soundtracks (Arena Rock Recording Co.) cd 13.98

MONO The Sky Remains The Same As Ever (Temporary Residence Ltd.) dvd 17.98

MONO Under The Pipal Tree (Tzadik) cd 16.98
Mono are an instrumental rock quartet from Tokyo making their debut on John Zorn's Tzadik label. Let us quote from the obi: "[Mono combine] elements of minimalism, psychedelia and trance rock to create a distinctive and powerful new sound via John Fahey, Sonic Youth and the Grateful Dead." Hmm, intriguing. So we listened to the disc. Our first thought: whoever wrote the obi obviously has never heard MOGWAI! Our second thought: or maybe they just never actually listened to this Mono disc? 'Cause this sure sounds like Mogwai, and about umpteen other Mogwai-like post rock bands. I mean, this could easily be Explosions In The Sky or lots of other things on Temporary Residence. That said, this IS quite a nice effort in that vein, with quiet pretty parts (with boring drumming though) and searing, loud, psychedelic guitar epics both. Not bad at all, just not a "new sound". (But, it also sure doesn't sound like the Grateful Dead, so that's a relief.) Our advice: Zorn and/or his Tzadik staff need to get hip to what the kids are listening to (like the kids in Mono) before announcing another "remarkable" new find. After all, Zorn's the guy responsible for turning a lot of people in the US on to the likes of Boredoms and the Ruins, so his standard for "remarkable" you'd expect to be a bit higher! That aside, post-rock fans won't be disappointed by Mono.
RealAudio clip: "Karelia (Opus 2)"
RealAudio clip: "Jackie Says"

MONO Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined (Temporary Residence Ltd.) cd 14.98
Is Temporary Residence looking to get some kind of award for having the longest album titles of any record label? Well, the long album title kind of goes right along with the music produced by this Japanese band, as they're masters of the epic, soft-loud, post-rock-athon. Instrumental, slow-building majesty, that will sound familiar to, and be welcomed by, fans of Mogwai, Kinski, Godspeed, Explosions In The Sky, etc. Not groundbreaking per se, but a consistent band who does what they do really well. Funnily enough, when we reviewed their debut on Tzadik a few years ago, we said that they'd fit in perfectly with a lot of the acts on the TRL roster, and now here they are! TRL followers will not be disappointed.
MPEG Stream: "16.12"
MPEG Stream: "Mere Your Pathetic Light"

MONO You Are There (Temporary Residence) cd 14.98
If you've followed Tokyo's Mono, you will know that their brand of post-rock is the kind that is equal parts orchestrated beauty and slow building metallic eruptions. This sound gets them mentioned in the same breath as kindred spirits Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky. There is no denying that they aren't really reinventing this sound by now, but what they are doing is releasing really consistent and good records one after the other. This one unfolds really nicely as an entire album. The slow build, the pretty beginning, the subtle tension building, and then the loud eruption which breaks down in shimmering waves. Unlike some of their contemporaries, they have kept their songs vocal free and we thank them for that as we can all attest to the fact that so often post rock or metallic post rock or whatever you want to call it can suffer from some pretty uninspired sounding vocals thrown sort of randomly on top. You get the feeling listening to this record that Mono are quite particular and precise in a way that doesn't feel forced but instead you can feel their labor and thought as you listen to every note on this record.
MPEG Stream: "Are You There?"
MPEG Stream: "Moonlight"

MONO You Are There (Human Highway) lp 15.98
If you've followed Tokyo's Mono, you will know that their brand of post-rock is the kind that is equal parts orchestrated beauty and slow building metallic eruptions. This sound gets them mentioned in the same breath as kindred spirits Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky. There is no denying that they aren't really reinventing this sound by now, but what they are doing is releasing really consistent and good records one after the other. This one unfolds really nicely as an entire album. The slow build, the pretty beginning, the subtle tension building, and then the loud eruption which breaks down in shimmering waves. Unlike some of their contemporaries, they have kept their songs vocal free and we thank them for that as we can all attest to the fact that so often post rock or metallic post rock or whatever you want to call it can suffer from some pretty uninspired sounding vocals thrown sort of randomly on top. You get the feeling listening to this record that Mono are quite particular and precise in a way that doesn't feel forced but instead you can feel their labor and thought as you listen to every note on this record.
MPEG Stream: "Are You There?"
MPEG Stream: "Moonlight"