O'ROURKE, JIM Halfway to a Threeway (Drag City) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Jim O'Rourke, seemingly unsatisfied with his efforts on "Bad Timing" and "Eureka", has decided to mine his new found love of Bread, America, and Steely Dan to the motherlode on this three song ep.

O'ROURKE, JIM Insignificance (Drag City) cd 14.98
Upon close investigation into the gleefully genre-jumping career of Jim O'Rourke, a recurring theme becomes glaringly obvious: O'Rourke discovers a highly distinctive sound (i.e. John Fahey, Red Krayola, John Duncan, Sea and Cake), O'Rourke begins to communicate with the authors of the aforementioned sound, O'Rourke works with authors as a collaborator, producer, or engineer, and finally O'Rourke's next album bares more than a striking similarity to the artists with whom he's just worked. There's of course nothing wrong with an genuine homage, but you have to be careful or else it can become an ironic parody at worst or a sloppy pastiche at best. For the most part, O'Rourke has spoken the language of the homage with great skill, unusual dexterity, and usually a great deal of reverence for the original.
Yet sadly, it seems that on "Insignificance" this isn't quite the case. "Insignificance" has already become known as, quite simply, Jim O'Rourke's "southern rock" album. But O'Rourke's intentions towards southern rock seem far from homage, and it seems he may have slipped drearily down the path of the ironist. The opening cut -- with its (unwittingly?) apt title "All Downhill From Here" -- is a shameless rip-off of "Sweet Home Alabama," performed as if sung by Lou Reed, completed with Steve Miller Band backing "hoo-hoo"s and a terminally shitty drum production straight out of Robert Pollard's basement. O'Rourke sheepishly denies any intentional links between this song and Lynyrd Skynyrd, which seems a bit dubious. A couple of sub-Chicago / Bruce Hornsby ballads -- that do (to be fair) have that lush sound found on his Stereolab production work -- lead into another painful pop culture reference: Edie Brickell's "What I Am". Really.
If this is 'conceptual' art, am I supposed to believe what I hear? Is this is an homage to the losers who work at Guitar Center and who have saved $5000 to record their 'great southern rock opera' at a studio where the engineer doesn't give a fuck who's in front of a microphone as long as they're paying? That's not art. That's bullshit. Jim O'Rourke needs to have his tongue surgically removed from his cheek this time. Either that or we should bow down before our copies of The Wire and proclaim that we all love the emperor's new bunny costume.
RealAudio clip: "Get A Room"
RealAudio clip: "All Downhill From Here"

O'ROURKE, JIM Insignificance (Drag City) lp 14.98
Upon close investigation into the gleefully genre-jumping career of Jim O'Rourke, a recurring theme becomes glaringly obvious: O'Rourke discovers a highly distinctive sound (i.e. John Fahey, Red Krayola, John Duncan, Sea and Cake), O'Rourke begins to communicate with the authors of the aforementioned sound, O'Rourke works with authors as a collaborator, producer, or engineer, and finally O'Rourke's next album bares more than a striking similarity to the artists with whom he's just worked. There's of course nothing wrong with an genuine homage, but you have to be careful or else it can become an ironic parody at worst or a sloppy pastiche at best. For the most part, O'Rourke has spoken the language of the homage with great skill, unusual dexterity, and usually a great deal of reverence for the original.
Yet sadly, it seems that on "Insignificance" this isn't quite the case. "Insignificance" has already become known as, quite simply, Jim O'Rourke's "southern rock" album. But O'Rourke's intentions towards southern rock seem far from homage, and it seems he may have slipped drearily down the path of the ironist. The opening cut -- with its (unwittingly?) apt title "All Downhill From Here" -- is a shameless rip-off of "Sweet Home Alabama," performed as if sung by Lou Reed, completed with Steve Miller Band backing "hoo-hoo"s and a terminally shitty drum production straight out of Robert Pollard's basement. O'Rourke sheepishly denies any intentional links between this song and Lynyrd Skynyrd, which seems a bit dubious. A couple of sub-Chicago / Bruce Hornsby ballads -- that do (to be fair) have that lush sound found on his Stereolab production work -- lead into another painful pop culture reference: Edie Brickell's "What I Am". Really.
If this is 'conceptual' art, am I supposed to believe what I hear? Is this is an homage to the losers who work at Guitar Center and who have saved $5000 to record their 'great southern rock opera' at a studio where the engineer doesn't give a fuck who's in front of a microphone as long as they're paying? That's not art. That's bullshit. Jim O'Rourke needs to have his tongue surgically removed from his cheek this time. Either that or we should bow down before our copies of The Wire and proclaim that we all love the emperor's new bunny costume.

O'ROURKE, JIM Terminal Pharmacy (Tzadik) cd 15.98
Ah, the Tzadik label's lovely obis. Not that they tell you what the record Sounds Like, but still: "American composer/improviser/producer Jim O'Rourke has worked with Derek Bailey, Tony Conrad, Faust, the Red Krayola and Gastr del Sol -- electro-acoustic music is the thread that connects his varied activities and comprises his main compositional effort. These pieces, two years in the making, are his finest constructions to date."

O'ROURKE, JIM / SONIC YOUTH Invito Al Cielo (SYR) 12" 8.98
Third EP in the self-released series. This is another instrumental work that is more similar to the second stretched out EP than the melodic first. Bonus: all text in Esperanto.

O'ROURKE, JIM / SONIC YOUTH (SYR#3) Invito Al Cielo (SYR) cdep 8.98
Third EP in the self-released series. This is another instrumental work that is more similar to the second stretched out EP than the melodic first. Bonus: all text in Esperanto.

O.W.L. Of Wondrous Legends (Locust) cd 14.98

OAKLEY HALL I'll Follow You (Merge) cd 13.98
More rollicking honkytonk inspired tunes from these Brooklynites.

OAKLEY HALL I'll Follow You (Merge) lp 16.98
More rollicking honkytonk inspired tunes from these Brooklynites.

OAKLEY HALL Second Guessing (Amish) cd 14.98
Second album of sunkissed honky-tonk from Brooklyn-based Oakley Hall, featuring a former member of Oneida. Reminiscent of '70s California soft roots rock like Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks or the Anonymous / J. Rider reissues we listed awhile back. Sunny male and female harmonies and lazy day fiddles ride a solid foundation of electric psych-tinged country rock. Only the final track, a great cover of Buffy Saint-Marie's "Cod'ine" (which was also very successfully covered by Dan Hicks earlier group, The Charlatans) points at a darker alt-country vibe we wish there was more of.
MPEG Stream: "Hiway"
MPEG Stream: "Cod'ine"

OASIS Heathen Chemistry (Epic) cd 16.98
If one is to believe those VH-1 "Behind The Music" specials, the brotherly disputes between Noel and Liam Gallagher are ancient history and both have been getting along splendidly in their relative sobriety. Yet, the music that their Oasis has been producing as of late is far from being "godlike" (to paraphrase Liam's coke-induced megalomania during "Wonderwall" era Oasis). As blasphemous as it may sound, Oasis' second album "What's The Story Morning Glory" is probably the best Beatles album that McCartney and Lennon didn't pen themselves. If you're going to commit an artistic felony, you should do it on the grandest of scales; and that's exactly what the Gallaghers did in their outright pilfering of the Beatles on that album.
It's possible that during the aftermath of that album, the numerous reconciliations, drug intervention programs, and general turmoil, Oasis started to feel guilty about their theft and have attempted to re-invent themselves as sounding 'unique.' "Heathen Chemistry" is the third album following "What's The Story Morning Glory" and it sounds exactly like you'd expect: recycled UK-beat / psych riffs, the twin vocal sneer from the brothers, and an upbeat pop sensibility crafted out of minor-keys. Yet without the thrill of the swindle, neither Liam nor Noel seem to rock with any enthusiasm. So, this album is pretty good, and will probably do well enough for them. But it's clear that Oasis won't be winning any new fans with this one.
RealAudio clip: "The Hindu Times"
RealAudio clip: "Born On A Different Cloud"

OASIS Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants (Epic/Creation) cd 17.98
Music aside, their career has been a fun trash novel to read, but Oasis' recent grandstanding hasn't been as bombastic as before--no longer are they claiming to be better than the Beatles. Maybe it's that they haven't done as much coke as in the past. Maybe it's that this record isn't as good as the previous outings. Maybe they just realized that they aren't now, never were, and never in a million years could be better than the Beatles!!

OBERST, CONOR s/t (Merge) cd 14.98
Okay folks, here's a release that hardly needs an introduction or a description because the masses are gonna be grabbin' this up regardless of what we say... many already have! Conor Oberst has pretty much become a household musical name and face, and we'll surely be seeing more of him in the coming months following the release of what is perhaps his most accessible album to date. No question, he's a talented Americana songwriter, but the thing that made his music so immediately distinct, so emotionally charged and so darn endearing was his youthful quivering-verge-of-breakdown-shivering-rain-drenched-puppy-ness. That's far less apparent these days which makes his music more appealing for some, and less for others. In fact, it was more than a little bit unsettling for us when we realized that on a few numbers Mr. Oberst (yes, he's definitely a man now) sorta sounds like a second rate Tom Petty (whom many of us love!), but also a deadringer for John Cafferty And The Beaver Brown Band as well as the Fabulous Thunderbirds (uhhh, whom less of us love!). Album highlight? Definitely the quite Elliott Smith-esque "Lenders In The Temple".
MPEG Stream: "Cape Canaveral"
MPEG Stream: "Lenders In The Temple"

OBERST, CONOR s/t (Merge) lp 16.98
Okay folks, here's a release that hardly needs an introduction or a description because the masses are gonna be grabbin' this up regardless of what we say... many already have! Conor Oberst has pretty much become a household musical name and face, and we'll surely be seeing more of him in the coming months following the release of what is perhaps his most accessible album to date. No question, he's a talented Americana songwriter, but the thing that made his music so immediately distinct, so emotionally charged and so darn endearing was his youthful quivering-verge-of-breakdown-shivering-rain-drenched-puppy-ness. That's far less apparent these days which makes his music more appealing for some, and less for others. In fact, it was more than a little bit unsettling for us when we realized that on a few numbers Mr. Oberst (yes, he's definitely a man now) sorta sounds like a second rate Tom Petty (whom many of us love!), but also a deadringer for John Cafferty And The Beaver Brown Band as well as the Fabulous Thunderbirds (uhhh, whom less of us love!). Album highlight? Definitely the quite Elliott Smith-esque "Lenders In The Temple".
MPEG Stream: "Cape Canaveral"
MPEG Stream: "Lenders In The Temple"

OBITS I Blame You (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
We know, we know, it's too much to hope for, and it's never gonna happen, but somehow we just can't seem to stop thinking about it, and we're sure these guys are sick of hearing it too, and will no doubt be annoyed that it gets mentioned in ANOTHER review, but heck, that's what happens when your frontman fronted one of the greatest post punk bands of all time! And yeah, we're talking about a Drive Like Jehu reunion, and yeah, we called them post punk, cuz what else do you call a band like that, a band that is essentially sounds like no one else. But whatever, we're wiping it from our minds. Then though, there's Hot Snakes to contend with Rick From Jehu's post-Jehu and pre-Obits combo, who were nothing like Jehu, but instead were a raw, sloppy, garage-y ball of super rocking fire. Which brings us to the Obits, who on first listen do in fact sound quite a bit like the Hot Snakes, due in no small part to the fact that it's Rick Froberg (or as Rick From Jehu as he's still know to many) singing and playing guitar, but this is altogether something new, a bit more refined and perhaps, a little like an older wiser Hot Snakes maybe, where the Hot Snakes were all pent up aggression, and wild thrashing garage stomp, the Obits traffic in something much more measured, but no less rocking. Still garage-y and super stomping, but tighter, more varied. Froberg sings as much as he howls and wails, the guitars here don't just crash and clang, they shimmer and twang, there's definitely a surf element, the drums crisp and tight, the guitars spidery and crystalline more than crunchy and heavy. These guys played at our SXSW showcase and were awesome, so kick ass and energetic, and so so tight, taking that garage rock thing they have down pat and adding in all sorts of unlikely -other- stuff, some Beefheart bits, plenty of Mudhoney rawk swagger, but all filtered through the Obits unique take on rock and roll, and that's basically what this is, rock and roll, not punk rock, not post punk, not post rock. Just rock, or okay, maybe RAWK.
Needless to say, if you're a fan of any of Froberg's bands, especially Hot Snakes, this will definitely hit the spot. But even if you don't know what the hell we're talking about, Jehu this, Hot Snakes that, as long as you're into bad ass rock and roll, groovy garage, indie jangle, or any combination thereof, you should definitely check these guys out.
Cool packaging too (Froberg's an incredible artist as well btw!), all vintage and old comic book looking, the cd is in a cool Japanese style mini gatefold jacket with an equally cool (sort of creepy) printed inner sleeve, the lp similarly housed...
MPEG Stream: "Widow Of My Dreams"
MPEG Stream: "Pine On"
MPEG Stream: "Fake Kinkade"

OBITS I Blame You (Sub Pop) lp 14.98
We know, we know, it's too much to hope for, and it's never gonna happen, but somehow we just can't seem to stop thinking about it, and we're sure these guys are sick of hearing it too, and will no doubt be annoyed that it gets mentioned in ANOTHER review, but heck, that's what happens when your frontman fronted one of the greatest post punk bands of all time! And yeah, we're talking about a Drive Like Jehu reunion, and yeah, we called them post punk, cuz what else do you call a band like that, a band that is essentially sounds like no one else. But whatever, we're wiping it from our minds. Then though, there's Hot Snakes to contend with Rick From Jehu's post-Jehu and pre-Obits combo, who were nothing like Jehu, but instead were a raw, sloppy, garage-y ball of super rocking fire. Which brings us to the Obits, who on first listen do in fact sound quite a bit like the Hot Snakes, due in no small part to the fact that it's Rick Froberg (or as Rick From Jehu as he's still know to many) singing and playing guitar, but this is altogether something new, a bit more refined and perhaps, a little like an older wiser Hot Snakes maybe, where the Hot Snakes were all pent up aggression, and wild thrashing garage stomp, the Obits traffic in something much more measured, but no less rocking. Still garage-y and super stomping, but tighter, more varied. Froberg sings as much as he howls and wails, the guitars here don't just crash and clang, they shimmer and twang, there's definitely a surf element, the drums crisp and tight, the guitars spidery and crystalline more than crunchy and heavy. These guys played at our SXSW showcase and were awesome, so kick ass and energetic, and so so tight, taking that garage rock thing they have down pat and adding in all sorts of unlikely -other- stuff, some Beefheart bits, plenty of Mudhoney rawk swagger, but all filtered through the Obits unique take on rock and roll, and that's basically what this is, rock and roll, not punk rock, not post punk, not post rock. Just rock, or okay, maybe RAWK.
Needless to say, if you're a fan of any of Froberg's bands, especially Hot Snakes, this will definitely hit the spot. But even if you don't know what the hell we're talking about, Jehu this, Hot Snakes that, as long as you're into bad ass rock and roll, groovy garage, indie jangle, or any combination thereof, you should definitely check these guys out.
Cool packaging too (Froberg's an incredible artist as well btw!), all vintage and old comic book looking, the cd is in a cool Japanese style mini gatefold jacket with an equally cool (sort of creepy) printed inner sleeve, the lp similarly housed...
MPEG Stream: "Widow Of My Dreams"
MPEG Stream: "Pine On"
MPEG Stream: "Fake Kinkade"

OBITS I Can't Lose / Military Madness (Record Store Day) (Sub Pop) 7" 5.50

OBITS One Cross (Stint) 7" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
When it comes to full throttle driving and anthemic guitar driven rock, our hearts are so closely aligned with the San Diego scene of the 90's. You know, the one that spawned such awesome bands as Drive Like Jehu and Rocket From The Crypt. Rick Froberg, who was in Drive Like Jehu and then later in Hot Snakes is back with a brand new band, Obits. Their debut is this smokin' two song 7" that finds him picking up right where he left off with Hot Snakes. His delivery, guitar playing and vocals have this ability to just make us melt as his songs always sound so good on first listen but its the repeated listens where they really start to burn in our ears so so right.

OCCASION, THE Cannery Hours (Say Hey) cd 15.98
The Occasion set their cauldron of somber psychedelia on the fire to simmer, and the slowly spiralling vapors wafting up into our ears are quite a pleasure. Much of Cannery Hours' beautiful smoldering embers may easily be aligned with the shadowy, expansive likes of Black Heart Procession, Destroyer as well as Godspeed You Black Emperor, and seem to draw ample inspiration from Pink Floyd and perhaps even This Heat. Subdued yet emotive male vocals and contemplative picked guitar lines give way to the fevered piano, crashing cymbals, and swelling waves of guitar distortion.
MPEG Stream: "Register My Complaint"
MPEG Stream: "The Maiden"

OCEAN Pantheon Of The Lesser (Important Records) cd 14.98
When talking about this band Ocean, there's always an obvious temptation to liken their music to giant waves crashing upon the shore, which we shall indeed succumb to here. 'Cause of their name, which they share with another heavy band, The Ocean from Germany (this Ocean is the one from the coastal city of Portland, Maine) and 'cause of their massive, relentlessly cycling sound. Large rocks, over the aeons, would easily be turned to tiny grains of sand, by the action of Ocean. Even within the limit of the running time of a compact disc, Ocean surely hints at such power. Over the course of these two loooooong tracks here (35:50 and 23:04), Ocean's repetitive riffs and percussive detonations surge and crest, washing in and out with regularity and ponderous force, slowwwww and steady, building up almost imperceptibly. Beautiful to our ears, or to those of anyone else equally as enamored by crushing, moody, majestic sludge-metal!
The anguished vocals, guttural gasps, oftimes like gasses escaping from a subterranean crypt, or (a more appropriate analogy) the final cries of drowning men from a sinking ship intermingled with the bellowings of some leviathan of the depths, put us in mind of the ultra-doooom of Khanate, as do the varied levels of carefully sculpted feedback and distortion. There is some guest singing (in Japanese, we believe) from Yoshiko Ohara of fellow doombringers Bloody Panda on the first track, but even her cleanly-sung lamentation eventually gives way to "vokill" style throat-abuse.
During much of her turn at the mic, as well as at other junctures on this disc, (the) Ocean calms and quiets, yet the listener remains adrift at sea. Doomed to drown, sinking down into into the stillness of the deeps, an undersea abyss where of course the darkness and pressure make this even heavier! Not so good for actual shipwreck victims, but metaphorically excellent for those of us into this sort of music - a combination of dirgey funereal doom and loud/soft post rock prettiness, truly elegant -and- extreme. If you liked Ocean's earlier effort for Important (Here Where Nothing Grows), and/or the likes of Bloody Panda, Conifer, Lesbian, Khanate, Thou, Pelican, etc., this is probably for you! And we must also mention the packaging; a white digipack, with text and engraving-style artwork in metallic silver ink. Very classy-looking.
MPEG Stream: "The Beacon"
MPEG Stream: "Of The Lesser"

OCEAN, THE Monument / Fork Lashing Eye (43rd Parallel) lp 14.98

OCEANSIZE Effloresce (Beggars Banquet) cd 10.98

OCS 2 (Narnack) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Record number two from SF scene kingpin John Dwyer's (Coach Whips, Zeigenbock Kopf, Hospitals, ex-Pink And Brown, ex-Burmese etc.) solo bedroom project OCS. The first OCS record released on tUMULt a couple years back (and still available!) was a big ol' double disc collection split right down the middle, one disc of sweet acoustic musings, and one disc of ear splitting noisy chaos. Well, for record number two Dwyer's abrasive Mr. Hyde is tucked safely away, and we are presented with his sweeter, gentler Dr. Jeckyll. 2 is a ramshackle collection of stumbling, sloppy Appalachia, Sentridoh-ish introspective mumbling jangle, and rickety 4-track folk. Dreamy and sleepy, rambling and sun dappled. Tape hiss, and amplifier buzz, snippets of found sound, and buried-in-the-mix sing-songy vocals augment ragged meandering ragas, droning acoustic dirges, and all manner of indie-rock/bedroom-folk detritus.
MPEG Stream: "Mike D"
MPEG Stream: "Banjo Sold For Rent"
MPEG Stream: "Killed Yourself"

OCS 3 (Yik Yak) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ah, the sweeter side of John Dwyer. It's always been a struggle for Dwyer, between his sweat soaked spazz rock, club smashing, instrument battering side (Landed, Pink And Brown, Coachwhips) and his lonely boy, mix tape, bedroom, acoustic and sensitive side (OCS). Well it appears, that for the time being at least, with the end of the Coachwhips, OCS is Dwyer's main focus. Dr. Jeckel has regained control and banished Mr Hyde to wait patiently in the dakness....
Like the first OCS record, released on Andee's tUMULt label, this is a massive, beuatifully packaged double disc collection of beautifully ramshackle, intimate and home recorded lo-fi indie bedroom folk. However, unlike the tUMULt release, where disc two was a clattery, crunchy, crashing NOISE record, both discs here are chock full of simple strummed guitars, echoey percussiony, big empty room rhythmic clatter, distant distorted melancholy melodies, haunting reverby electric guitar, quavery falsetto vocals, drowsily affected jangle shuffling snare drums and hazy atmospheres....all occasionally peppered with swooping stuttering psych rock space effects, chirping birds, and creaking rattling soundmakers of all kinds. For fans of Sentridoh, Shrimper and all things 4-track, lo-fi, jangley, shuffley and strummy! The lp is is the OCS '3' record only, you gotta buy the double cd to get both '3' and '4'!
MPEG Stream: "If I Had A Reason"
MPEG Stream: "Second Date"
MPEG Stream: "The Pool"

OCS 3 & 4 (Narnack) 2cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ah, the sweeter side of John Dwyer. It's always been a struggle for Dwyer, between his sweat soaked spazz rock, club smashing, instrument battering side (Landed, Pink And Brown, Coachwhips) and his lonely boy, mix tape, bedroom, acoustic and sensitive side (OCS). Well it appears, that for the time being at least, with the end of the Coachwhips, OCS is Dwyer's main focus. Dr. Jeckel has regained control and banished Mr Hyde to wait patiently in the dakness....
Like the first OCS record, released on Andee's tUMULt label, this is a massive, beuatifully packaged double disc collection of beautifully ramshackle, intimate and home recorded lo-fi indie bedroom folk. However, unlike the tUMULt release, where disc two was a clattery, crunchy, crashing NOISE record, both discs here are chock full of simple strummed guitars, echoey percussiony, big empty room rhythmic clatter, distant distorted melancholy melodies, haunting reverby electric guitar, quavery falsetto vocals, drowsily affected jangle shuffling snare drums and hazy atmospheres....all occasionally peppered with swooping stuttering psych rock space effects, chirping birds, and creaking rattling soundmakers of all kinds. For fans of Sentridoh, Shrimper and all things 4-track, lo-fi, jangley, shuffley and strummy!
MPEG Stream: "If I Had A Reason"
MPEG Stream: "Second Date"
MPEG Stream: "The Pool"

OCS (OH SEES) Get Stoved (4) (KSR) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

OCTIS Mithring (Rock Is Hell) lathe cut 5" record 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
5" lathe cut of that skronky skree we love so much. Limited to 50 copies or something insane like that. We only got a handful.

OCTIS Mithring II (Rock Is Hell) lathe cut 5" record 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Part II of the mighty Mithring cycle from screeching skronk and skree mongers Octis. Impossibly convoluted and gloriously obtuse. Utterly and completely fucking RULING!!!
The bad news is, of course, that this spiffy 5" lathe cut is ultra limited to only 50 copies, of which we were allotted about 5!! So fastest 5 get 'em, the rest of you will just have to struggle along through the rest of your miserable lives with that gaping Octis shaped hole in your heart...

OCTIS Mithring III (Rock Is Hell) lathe cut 5" record 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Part III of the mighty Mithring cycle from screeching skronk and skree mongers Octis. Impossibly convoluted and gloriously obtuse. Utterly and completely fucking RULING!!!
The bad news is, of course, that this spiffy 5" lathe cut is ultra limited to only 50 copies, of which we were allotted about 5!! So fastest 5 get 'em, the rest of you will just have to struggle along through the rest of your miserable lives with that gaping Octis shaped hole in your heart...

OCTIS Ocrilim (Troubleman Unlimited) cd 11.98
Fretboard brainiac Mick Barr (of Orthrelm, Crom-Tech, Quix*o*tic, and Octis) is back with a new album from his solo manifestation Octis (and is also now living here in San Francisco, playing in the Flying Luttenbachers). Ocrilim is one 33 minute track of squiggly quasi-metallic guitar and drum machine. Electro-shock therapy too expensive? Try this! A tinny drone jabbed and jarred with manic outbursts of hyper spazz guitar, with which the drum machine can barely keep up. It's, in a word, maddening. And of course we love it.
MPEG Stream: "Ocrilim [excerpt 1]"
MPEG Stream: "Ocrilim [excerpt 2]"

OCTIS Uppragn Srilimia Ixio Or Ocrilm Nollfithes Mrithixyl (Peterbilt) 2cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Solo project of Mick Barr, formerly of DC superheroes CROM TECH! Octis is the polar opposite of Mick's other current band, Orthrelm, which wields lengthy pummeling epics. Octis is seventy two tracks of lightning fast lo-fi speed metal guitar solos backed by a drum machine set at 380 bpm. Released on Guy Picciotto's Peterbilt label, this comes packaged on two five inch business card style cds. Ridiculous and fucking insane.
RealAudio clip: "Untitled"

OCTIS / CHILD ABUSE split (Forge) 7" 3.98
Punishing split. One half insane technical freakout, one half chaotic noise damage. You figure out which is which...

OCTOBER COUNTRY s/t (Rev-Ola) cd 14.98
Michael Lloyd, the creative force behind October Country, might be more familiar to some AQ customers as a member of the legendary West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. While OC is not nearly as drug addled and far out as the WCPAEB, their sunshine-y, shimmery soft pop, equal parts Beach Boys, Beatles and Byrds, is still flecked with hints of lysergic psychedelia and brief glimpses of jangly trippiness.
Lloyd was a musical prodigy: publishing deal at age thirteen, composed the soundtrack for Spielberg's first short film, played in a group called the New Dimensions as well as the WCPAEB. Through some random circumstances he began writing songs for the newly christened October Country (after a song he wrote, they were formerly the Last Two) and eventually became their primary songwriter and a sort of de facto band member.
The sound is light and breezy, sunny and care free. Think the Free Design, the Hollies, the aforementioned three B's. All bubby bouncy bass, jangly guitar, playfully honking horns, occasional sweeping strings, and lots of glorious harmonies.
Definitely not a 'weird' record at all, just a really awesome lost pop classic!
MPEG Stream: "October Country"
MPEG Stream: "Painted Sky"

OCTOMUTT Hot Stove (Drizzoletto Music) cd 14.98
Octomutt swiftly follow up their recent Pretty Side album with this pipin' Hot Stove. When the second song (the album's title track) kicked in, we imediately noticed the vocal presence and anticipated that the album was going to be quite a lively (almost feisty) affair in comparison to its considerably more gentle instrumental predecessor. Just check out that tune's thumpin' churn! The rest of the album however settles into a more loping, folky blues pace. As usual, the SF duo's fantastic musicianship is in full bloom as they spin their latest quirky musical yarns. Nice!
MPEG Stream: "Hot Stove"
MPEG Stream: "Marlene Dietrich Singing Lili Marlene"

OCTOMUTT Pretty Side (Drizzoletto Music) cd 5.98
Fine veteran SF musicians Ted Savarese and Ashley Adams refuse to follow flavor of the day trends, instead they continue to follow their own muse. This time their song selection weighs heavy on respectful cover versions which might involve sweet lullabies, old tyme waltzes, old movie and show tunes (for instance, the theme from the 1960's Tammy series which starred Debbie Reynolds) and/or outbreaks of jazz -- all beautifully performed with loving care. The entirely instrumental Pretty Side is much less obviously trippy and offkilter than their previous self titled album or Savarese's other project Drizzoletto, but it's no less whimsical. Their intimate arrangements of guitar, bass, accordion and trumpet might remind you of a bygone era when things moved at a much slower pace.
MPEG Stream: "Tammy"
MPEG Stream: "The Way You Look Tonight"

OCTOMUTT s/t (self-released) cd 5.98
Another project from the folks who brought us the quirky Drizzoletto Live At KXLU disc a short time ago. Octomutt are Ted Savarese and Ashley Adams and they weave meandering guitars and slinking loops with an easygoing anchor of standup bass. There's a definite down home, earthy feel to Octomutt's music -- seeming very casual and off the cuff -- however an occasional detour into more trippy, eccentric territory is certainly not out of the question. They're joined on the final track "Monkey And The Dolphin" by Drizzoletto co-hort and man about town Ralph Carney (tenor saxophone, flute and bongos).
MPEG Stream: "I Been Thinkin'"
MPEG Stream: "Monkey and the Dolphin"

OCTOPUS Restless Night: The Complete Pop-Psych Sessions 1967-1971 (Rev-ola) cd 16.98
Reissue of obscure British pop-psych band from the early seventies. Sounds like a perfect mix between The Pretty Things and The Beatles, so if you dug the Aerovons, or Truck, you might want to check this out too. Contains their lone 1971 album, Restless Night, and ten bonus tracks, including a dead on cover of The Beatles "I Am The Walrus".

OCTOPUS PROJECT + BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW, THE The House Of Apples And Eyeballs (Graveface) cd 11.98
Whoa, the mixed bag of words that make up not only the groups' band names but also the album's title sure reflect the mixed bag that is the music! Each track is radically different from the next. It's almost as though you're listening to a compilation. A little bit of everything. if you dug Black Moth Super Rainbow all on their own with their album Dandelion Gum, then you're gonna keep the love alive with The House of Apples and Eyeballs, their collaboration with The Octopus Project.
Squiggly synth tentacles wrap their suckers around the lite funky grooviness. Clitter clatter percussive sounds both from a drum kit and a drum machine, softly strummed guitar chords, and spacey vocoded vocals are chopped up, tumbled together and baked in the summer sun. Tweaked, fluffy wooziness. If your town still has a rollerskating rink, they should have this playing non-stop!
MPEG Stream: "Marshmallow Window"
MPEG Stream: "All The Friends You Can Eat"

ODESSA (CHEN) One Room Palace (self-released) cd 12.98
Very lovely! Odessa Chen is quite a one-woman band, composing, singing and performing nearly all of the instruments for this, her debut album. Her voice soars gracefully from childlike whisper to haunting wail to crystal clear heights over the dramatic waves of guitars, keyboards, strings and percussion. Charles Denison provides backing vocals on the fifth song "Fringe" making for a nice earthy counterpoint. The atmosphere is filled with heartache and yearning. Definitely for fans of the impassioned voices of Tori Amos or Sarah McLachlan.
MPEG Stream: "Where Heaven Should Be"
MPEG Stream: "Fringe"

OF (LOREN CHASSE) The Buried Stream (Jewelled Antler) cd 13.98
Yeah we know, here at Aquarius Records it's always Jewelled Antler this, Jewelled Antler that. They're our friends, we're big fans, and we wax enthusastic about all the great music they make all the time (heck there's at least one other Jewelled Antler item on this very list). And we know a lot of you out there are equally enamoured of the Jewelled Antler thing. If that's you -- and like us, make sure to get EVERY Jewelled Antler related release that comes out -- then you can pretty much stop reading this right now and just buy this darn disc, you need it / want it / must buy it. But if you're more of the casual Jewelled Antler fan, or not yet familiar with their stuff but curious, then, well, we'll say pretty much the same thing, just buy it! Yep, that's because this new Of opus is one that we'll be pointing Jewelled Antler novices to as a true JA essential (and not just 'cause its in print and on cd, as opposed to being one of their many out of print cd-rs, although that helps). Of is the "instrumental" solo project of JA linchpin Loren Chasse, whom you may also know from such sonic congregates as Thuja, Blithe Sons, Child Readers, Coelecanth, and Id Battery among others. He's done other solo recordings under the L.Chasse name but as Of he takes his textural, field recording approach and makes it into something more overtly, hauntingly musical, something like a one-man Thuja, his ear exploring both the wilds of the woods and the sounds he could conjure on his own with an array of instruments and objects. Allan immediately recognized (with nostalgia) the field recordings of Pennsylvanian night-time buzzings incorporated in the track "Glowing Prints". Such sounds of nature merge perfectly with Chasse's own darkened drones, percussive textures, distorted strum, shimmering tones from bells and bowls, wheezing harmonium, etc. It's music to drift off to sleep to, to dream strange dreams and then awake immersed in sound, wondering where and what you are. Utterly utterly beautiful. What a darn great second Of album! (fyi: the first, The Infant Paths, originally a cd-r, is to be reissued soon on cd as well!)
MPEG Stream: "Underground Cloud"
MPEG Stream: "Axes"

OF (LOREN CHASSE) The Infant Paths (Jewelled Antler) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Oooh this is good. Haunting, gentle, abstract-seeming but musically very pretty stuff, in the vein of the best folk/drone from Tower Recordings and Kemialliset Ystavat, Popul Vuh and Brian Eno. Perhaps you've heard the Atrium Musicae "Musique de la Grece Antique" disc? This too sounds like imaginary ancient music, maybe made by wood-spirits before the dawn of man. An elemental, atmospheric sonic ritual. Of is the new solo project of AQ-pal Loren Chasse. You might know him from Thuja, Id Battery, Blithe Sons, Child Readers, Coelacanth, numerous other "Jewelled Antler" projects... There was an Of track on Jewelled Antler's Heat & Birds compilation, and this cd-r is the debut full-length release from Of, dedicated to Loren's grandmother who passed away recently. Now maybe you're wondering, doesn't Loren already record solo as under his own name, putting out stuff like that great Hedge of Nerves cd on Anomalous, so what's with this Of moniker? Well, with Of, Loren takes the field recording / experimental sound collage ideas that he brought to Id Battery and his previous solo projects and brings it into a live-recorded, improvised *musical* context, where --this is important-- in addition to minidisc and contact mic, he's also playing more traditional sorts of musical instruments. Kinda like a one-man Thuja, or Blithe Sons or Child Readers. There's guitar, oud, bells, harp, pipes, whistles, bowed wires, harmonium, drumkit, and a 150 year old mellodion (pump organ) employed here, plus the usual assortment of rocks, sticks, and other natural debris that Loren "plays". Also to be heard is record crackle from an old Victrola, and recordings of wind and water made by his mother on her sailboat. All lovingly lo-fi home (and outdoors -- in California, Maryland, and Pennsylvania) recorded and mixed with handheld tape recorder, mindisc, and computer. Sleepy, dark, and meditative, "The Infant Paths" is a perfect example of the Jewelled Antler aesthetic, a musical methodology where lapping water sounds complement harmonium drones and carefully plucked guitar strings; tinkling bells and crackling branches accompany simple, fragile melodies found on broken organ keyboards; where nature and the environment are musical collaborators with poetic souls like Mr. Chasse.
Unlike Blithe Sons or Child Readers, this is all instrumental -- nope, you won't hear any vocals from Loren here, the only singing is done by birds. Someone else (Richard Youngs, Greg Weeks, the Blithe Sons themselves) might have been tempted to sing over these tracks, but they're plenty magical without any wispy vocals or lyrical content. Dense and detailed, suitable for your own dreams and reveries. Wow. We knew he had it in him, but still we're impressed. One of our favorite releases by Mr. Chasse yet!
MPEG Stream: "The Lamp Shell Path"
MPEG Stream: "Theodolites And Chains"
MPEG Stream: "Torus At The Sunrise Turn "

OF (LOREN CHASSE) The Quartz Pond (Jewelled Antler) cd-r 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not only did Thuja's Loren Chasse so very recently grace us with a phenomenal full-length cd from his solo project Of (reviewed last list), he has also now just brought in a handful of these Of cd-rs he originally produced to sell on Thuja's December jaunt to a festival in Scotland. Maybe 12 bucks might seem just a little pricey for a 25 minute cd-r, but Loren's made 'em look really nice (each one with an individual leaf-rubbing and handwritten credits) and more importantly, the music makes it well worth it. The first, five minute track begins with some pleasantly harsh distortion before settling into a soothing drone, Chasse weaving together both field recordings and his own instrumental improvisations into one seamless, organic whole. This is but the warm-up for the other, twenty-minute track on here that's an exquisite late-night humid dreamscape that you won't want to wake up from, which makes hypnotic use of what I think could be frog croakings but also sound a lot like a ticking clock... Needless to say, any and all Of fans need this, and as well it's recommended to all of you into nocturnal, eternal nature-boy drone!
MPEG Stream: "The Quartz Pond pt. 1"

OF (LOREN CHASSE) The Sun & Earth Together (Ultra Hard Gel) cd 12.98
Loren Chasse, one of the chief swamis of the collective Jewelled Antler sound through such projects as Thuja, Blithe Sons, Child Readers, Franciscan Hobbies, Ov, and too many more to list (boy, they used to crank out those cd-rs!), records solo under the moniker Of (the similarly named Ov being the duo of Chasse with his wife and AQ-employee Christine, full disclosure). Simply put, we love Of (and Ov), of course... and are always happy when Chasse takes some time away from his other activities (the somewhat less musical of which being his day job as a public school teacher) to craft a new Of album, a phantom tendril from his own personal dreamworld reaching through our shared reality to caress our ears and cause imaginary crystals to glow softly somewhere within that part of our minds attuned to such blissful vibrations. Not to make this sound like any sort of New Age fluff though, as while as ethereal and meditative as this is, Chasse always incorporates some primitive grit into his work, his music full of feedback hiss, quiet distortion, ambient elemental field recordings of nature, the magnified rubbings of rocks and plants, objects close to the ground, part of the earth, illuminated (and given shadow too) by the radiation of a far-off, flaming star.
The music of The Sun and Earth Together is akin to a slowly turning mobile, as if it were giving off drones and tones as well as glinting with color and the reflections of light. As light shimmers, so does this music. As light dims, it dims too. The abstract sculptural shapes of this imagined mobile move in beautiful indeterminate patterns, much as the sounds Chasse conjures from disparate sources* as cymbalom and stones, autoharp and voice, bells and bowls, guitar and zither all drift delicately, and droningly, in phosphorescent clouds and constellations. This disc clocks in at 51 minutes, consisting of four tracks, each one longer than the last, from the three minute opener "Ignimbrites" to the 26 minute closing title track. All composed of tingling, whispered layers of lo-fi loveliness, gentle and graceful and ultimately glorious.
*we're guessing on some of these...
MPEG Stream: "Archangelic Curtain"
MPEG Stream: "Ignimbrites"
MPEG Stream: "Vog Rings"

OF MONTREAL Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse (Kindercore) cd 14.98
More candy-coated lo-fi Beatles-esque pop chews from Kevin Barnes and friends (some of which are fellow Elephant 6ers Julian Koster, Scott Spillane, and Eric Harris). A super earnest and tweeee theme album of sorts with some unexpected, interesting and odd segues of circus-iness and pianos. The cd packaging includes a cd booklet of elaborate, very Byrds-esque, swirly, rainbow felt-pen illustrations to accompany 14 of the 22 tracks, as well as a fold-out lyric sheet. It seems Mr. Barnes has found his pace, comfortably and confidently filling the E6 boots left empty by the Olivia Tremor Control. Plus if you stick around 'til the 13th track you'll get a little bit of storytime too. Rollicking and fun.

OF MONTREAL Early Four Track Recordings (Kindercore) cd 13.98
Kevin Barnes recorded these songs on a four track before moving to Athens, GA, to fall in with the super talented and inspiring Elephant 6 posse of popsters (Neutral Milk, Olivia Tremor, Apples etc). Much better than most musicians' four track "early" stuff I can think of, this release sports lush melodies, honest-to-gosh songs you can tell he labored over, and heartstraining sensitivity a la Neutral Milk Hotel. Luckily the charmingly lo-fi production doesn't get in the way, but adds to the light, bedroom quality of the record. Pretty, plaintive and sincere. It might be a little too sweet for some folks (in the past they've triggered definite swoons from some listeners and decisive spit from others), so listen to the sound clips first. Bonus weirdness: all songs named after Dustin Hoffman ("Dustin Hoffman Needs a Bath," "Dustin Hoffman Eats the Soap," "Dustin Hoffman's Wife Makes a Sarcastic Remark, Cuts the Head Off a Duck, Places It Where the Tub Was and Begins to Groan," etc).
RealAudio clip: "Dustin Hoffman Thinks About Eating the Soap"
RealAudio clip: "Dusitn Hoffman Needs a Bath"

OF MONTREAL Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? (Polyvinyl) cd 16.98
If you've followed the evolution of ex-Elephant 6-ers Of Montreal it won't come as a total surprise when you hear the spazzed out sugar-pop songs that make up this new outing. Over the years they've slowly shed their Elephant 6 roots and dipped their feet into more dramatic and charismatic waters. Their last outing Sunlandic Twins was chalk full of instantly catchy dance floor gems. And with Hissing Fauna they've sort of turned into Sparks playing at a teenage dance party! And this is sure to be a hit with all the kids, and for good reason, it took a while but the indie rockers finally learned how to shake their asses and make music that demanded such movement.
MPEG Stream: "Suffer For Fashion"
MPEG Stream: "Gronlandic Edit"

OF MONTREAL Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? (Polyvinyl) 2lp 19.98
If you've followed the evolution of ex-Elephant 6-ers Of Montreal it won't come as a total surprise when you hear the spazzed out sugar-pop songs that make up this new outing. Over the years they've slowly shed their Elephant 6 roots and dipped their feet into more dramatic and charismatic waters. Their last outing Sunlandic Twins was chalk full of instantly catchy dance floor gems. And with Hissing Fauna they've sort of turned into Sparks playing at a teenage dance party! And this is sure to be a hit with all the kids, and for good reason, it took a while but the indie rockers finally learned how to shake their asses and make music that demanded such movement.
MPEG Stream: "Suffer For Fashion"
MPEG Stream: "Gronlandic Edit"

OF MONTREAL Satanic Panic In The Attic (Polyvinyl) cd 13.98
Many of the Elephant 6 Collective members have been resurfacing as of late. Not only have the wonderful Olivia Tremor Control's exploratory pop albums been reissued, but many of the bands in the E6's second tier are stepping forward with new albums! Of Montreal are one of those bands. In the E6 family, Of Montreal have always been sorta like OTC's younger less adventurous, more toothsome brother. This time around on Satanic Panic In The Attic, it sounds like Kevin Barnes and co. have taken it easy on the cookie jar and explored a wider palette of musical styles (than the usual E6 folk, psychedelic and pop). Indeed, this just may be their most focused and least obtuse album to date. Fear not though dear fans of their trippy pop sound, it's still very much in bloom with moments of pure psychedeli-twee (just check out their songtitles and lyrics)!
MPEG Stream: "Erroneous Escape Into Erik Eckles"
MPEG Stream: "Vegan In Furs"

OF MONTREAL Skeletal Lamping (Polyvinyl Record Co.) cd 15.98
Of Montreal sure have come a long way in the decade since their birth. While they began life as the next generation torch carriers for the Elephant 6 scene, their sound has evolved into their own very distinct, eclectic and ambitious colorful pop music that's not afraid to shake asses and lay on lots of dramatic sass in the process. Skeletal Lamping finds them continuing their Sparks like take on grandiose and multipart pop suites with all songs bleeding into each other as Kevin Barnes sings boldly about his sexual desires and curiosities. Barnes for sure sounds like someone who needs to be at the center of attention at all times and his lyrics can often sound like they should be coming from someone half his age but as long as he keeps creating such entertaining and creative pop then we can live with that. And the packaging on both the cd and vinyl is as colorful, elaborate and compelling as the sounds contained inside.
MPEG Stream: "For Our Elegant Caste"
RealAudio clip: "Nonpareil Of Favor"
MPEG Stream: "Plastis Wafers"

OF MONTREAL Skeletal Lamping (Polyvinyl Record Co.) 2lp 29.00
Of Montreal sure have come a long way in the decade since their birth. While they began life as the next generation torch carriers for the Elephant 6 scene, their sound has evolved into their own very distinct, eclectic and ambitious colorful pop music that's not afraid to shake asses and lay on lots of dramatic sass in the process. Skeletal Lamping finds them continuing their Sparks like take on grandiose and multipart pop suites with all songs bleeding into each other as Kevin Barnes sings boldly about his sexual desires and curiosities. Barnes for sure sounds like someone who needs to be at the center of attention at all times and his lyrics can often sound like they should be coming from someone half his age but as long as he keeps creating such entertaining and creative pop then we can live with that. And the packaging on both the cd and vinyl is as colorful, elaborate and compelling as the sounds contained inside.
MPEG Stream: "For Our Elegant Caste"
RealAudio clip: "Nonpareil Of Favor"
MPEG Stream: "Plastis Wafers"