INK & DAGGER Philapsychosis (Revelation) 7" 3.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

INK & DAGGER The Fine Art Of Original Sin (Initial) cd 13.98
Vampiric emo-no-wave-techno-metal. Listen to them. The Philadelphian children of the night. What beautiful music they make. ...Take the weirdest keyboard black metal (Arcturus/Septic Flesh), the prog-post-punk & male vocals of Dischord band Circus Lupus, occasional Cradle of Filth style female vocals, and gothic corpsepaint (really) and add a little Autechre & you've got Ink & Dagger, more or less.

INK AND DAGGER s/t (Buddyhead) cd 14.98
Long, long awaited final release from this now sadly defunct Philadelphia band, who blazed their own musical trail combining emo punk rock, math-core, electronics, and no-wave...that unique formula, not to mention their kick-ass guitarist and of course their band-defining obsession with vampires, made Ink & Dagger a big AQ favorite. This self-titled album, released after many months delay, sees them incorporating more of a riffy '70s metal influence, while still retaining their moody, complex mix of weirdness. For fans of Circus Lupus, Ruin, Coalesce, Fugazi, and, let's face it, Led Zeppelin! In other words, recommended.
RealAudio clip: "The Lines Of Lies"
RealAudio clip: "Part Time Prophet"

INNER SPACE, THE Agilok & Blubbo (Wah Wah) cd 22.00
This is one of those records that we always thought we were just going to hear about, maybe hear a song or two on some compilation, but never actually get to hear in its entirety. So we're THRILLED to see this pre-CAN album, a soundtrack to a film that never came out (how come those are always the best?!), finally seeing the light of day. And what a tripped out, acid soaked, free-pop-jazz-rock odyssey it is!
Recorded in 1968 by a lineup that included Irmin Schmidt, Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit who a year later would make their debut as Can with the release of Monster Movie, listening to these sounds one for sure can hear the seeds of what would become Can's distinctive krautrock sound, but this also displays a much more fried, disjointed and mind altering side to these way ahead of their time music makers. While mostly an instrumental affair that at times reminds us of the equally colorful and fucked up Jean Claude Vannier concept album L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches, there are a few tracks which have vocals courtesy of Irmin Schmidt, but the true show stopper is when Rosy Rosy, a film actress in Germany at the time, takes the mic for "Kamerasong", a track we imagine folks like Broadcast and Stereolab have played on repeat a billion times (like we have now!). While plenty of the songs here hint at the more song based Can records to come, lots of Agilok & Blubbo is much more about sprawling, scrappy, tripped out and fucked up delight, the kind of sounds modern day colorful noise makers like Kemialliset Ystavat and Sunburned Hand Of The Man would bow down to. What makes the record so enjoyable is how its paced, just when things have gotten way deconstructed and abstract they snap into more of a catchy, driving melody and then continue on in more bizarre directions and into outer dimensions. Warped, damaged and engaging in all the right ways!
MPEG Stream: "Es Zieht Herauf"
MPEG Stream: "Kamerasong"
MPEG Stream: "Michele Ist Da"

INNER SPACE, THE Agilok & Blubbo (Wah Wah) lp 30.00
NOW IN STOCK ON VINYL!
This is one of those records that we always thought we were just going to hear about and be teased by a song or two on a rare compilation but never actually get to hear all of. So it was with total excitement when we saw that this pre-CAN album recorded as a soundtrack to a film that never came out (how come those are always the best!) is finally seeing the light of day. And what a tripped out, acid soaked, free-pop-jazz-rock odyssey it is! Recorded in 1968 by a lineup that included Irmin Schmidt, Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit who a year later would make their debut as Can with the release of Monster Movie. Listening to these sounds one for sure can start to hear the seeds of what would become Krautrock legend, but this also shows a much more fried, disjointed and mind altering side to these way ahead of their time music makers. While mostly an instrumental affair that at times reminds us of the equally colorful and fucked up Jean Claude Vannier concept album L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches, there are a few tracks which have vocals courtesy of Irmin Schmidt, but the true show stopper is when Rosy Rosy, a film actress in Germany at the time takes to the mic for "Kamerasong" a track we imagine folks like Broadcast and Stereolab have played on repeat a billion times (like we have!). While a few tracks like that do show and hint at the more melodic, song based side of Can that would emerge brightly on records like Ege Bamyasi and Tago Mago, lots of Agilok & Blubbo is much more about sprawling, scrappy, tripped out and fucked up delight that modern day colorful noise makers like Kemialliset Ystavat and Sunburned Hand Of The Man would drop their jaws in awe and take notes as they listened. What makes the record so enjoyable is how its paced, just when things have gotten way deconstructed and abstract they snap into more of a catchy, driving melody and then continue on in more bizarre and outer dimensions. Warped, damaged and engaging in all the right ways!
MPEG Stream: "Es Zieht Herauf"
MPEG Stream: "Kamerasong"
MPEG Stream: "Michele Ist Da"

INNER TUBE s/t (Pacific City) lp 17.98
The latest release from Pacific City Sound Visions, the label run by Spencer Clark, one half of the late great floorcore noise duo The Skaters. He's in Inner Tube, joined by none other than Mark McGuire of Emeralds, and the results are pretty baffling, but brilliant in their own way. The sounds of Inner Tube seems to hew much closer to those of the OTHER Skater, James Ferraro, with a wildly fractured recapitulation of the cheesiest music of the eighties, in this case, what sounds like the theme music from BayWatch or Miami Vice, but with more shredding guitar. What? Yep, imagine Joe Satriani via Ariel Pink, and you'll be getting warmer, fuzzy guitars, propulsive beats, synthy swirls, some seriously retro eighties pop, but with endlessly shredding psychedelic leads, total shredfest, but wedded to old school sort of electro pop synth rock. There are a few tracks, where things get a bit murkier and moodier, and a little bit soundtracky, but the majority of the record sets itself firmly in shredding eighties retro pop, but suitably warped and weird. Might shed some light on the proceedings to have Clark himself explain the impetus / genesis of Inner Tube:
"The bliss and ecstatic power of Australian beach music has kept me in this positive mental attitude that I wanted to communicate to everyone around me. Mark and I began to be in touch, and started to really connect in our exotic fascination with Australia and its surf culture. We decided to record an album together with impressions from these private movies and their tunes. Mark travelled numerous times to Pacific City Studios so that we could make this album together (and eventually moved here). At one point, a woman visiting Hotel California who I hadn't met before, mentioned she thought it was strange that I played so much Australian music. I told her about my fascination with Storm Riders, the sickest Australian movie of all time. She immediately told me that her Uncle had a big part in the movie. The guy's name is Rabbit Bartholomew. He is a magical person in this Storm Riders movie and has been an inspirational to surfers everywhere. He wrote this letter to Mark and I: 'Hey Spencer, Great to get ya letter. Christel gave me a bit of insight. Really cool how you guys were talking about Storm Riders and our family connection, that's meant to be bra. For sure, send me a demo, I'll give ya some feedback. That's really cool about Inner Tube and the beloved zone, that's it mate, right on the money.' We then realized that we were to travel to the Gold Coast in Australia to record Inner Tube Part Deux, and play a Surf Festival put on by Rabbit Bartholomew's sister. The story just keeps on going, so Mark and I are really stoked to have you guys check this out with us..."
Ummm, yep. Doesn't make a whole lot more sense now does it. Or does it? Regardless, we dig it!
Comes in suitably garish dayglo surfer style jacket, and includes a huge equally garish / dayglo poster of Clark and McGuire.

INNOCENCE MISSION Small Planes: Lost And Found Songs 1996-2001 (What Are Records?) cd 16.98
The Innocence Mission have been around the block a few times - since 1982 actually in some shape or form. Problem is, so much time passes between each of their releases that their fans have often been left fretting that the band is no more. This collection presents them in all their wistful pop glory. And once again, the comparisons to The Sundays cannot be ignored, but perhaps imagine that this time Bjork has stepped in on vocals in a few spots. Eleven lilting, wintery songs.
RealAudio clip: "Today"

INSECT WARFARE Endless Execution Thru Violent Restitution (625 Thrashcore) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

MPEG Stream: "Repulsed By Radiation"
MPEG Stream: "Bestial Destruction"
MPEG Stream: "Chainsaw Justice"
MPEG Stream: "Execution Mania"

INSTANT AUTOMATONS Another Wasted Sunday Afternoon (Hyped2Death) cd 13.98
UK DIY lo-fi avant-punk, with home-made synths and drum machine, utterly distorted guitar n' bass, and some rather clever, sardonic lyrics pertaining to both society at large and their friends in particular -- yup, it's another one from the Messthetics vaults, as it were (see our reviews of Messthetics Greatest Hits and Animals & Men on our last two lists). Lincolnshire's Instant Automatons got their start as a schoolboy band in 1974, with early influences like Hawkwind and Kraftwerk, and suitably futuristic "instruments" sourced from their school's physics lab! The punk rock revolution of '77 came along just as they left school and pretty soon they'd picked their "vaguely self-mocking" name (out of a hat) and started recording in earnest, becoming pioneers of the nascent cassette music scene -- they were one of the first to advertise that if you sent 'em a blank cassette, they'd dub their album onto it and send it back, free of charge... the pre-internet precursor to downloading it seems. They kept at it for a few years, and so here's a sort-of "best of", consisting of 26 tracks, some previously unreleased, others compiled from various rare cassette and vinyl releases circa 1978-1982, including such numbers as "Short Haired Man (In A Long Haired Town", "Violence", "New Muzak", and "Gillian Is Normal". Lots of wise-ass wisdom to be found in the words to these and other songs. The Instant Automatons surely liked to take the piss, which makes for an entertaining listen. For instance, the atonal, spaced-out track "Electronic Music", with lines like "electronic music is the curse of the working classes" and "electronic music makes you unfit" is still pretty amusing today.
MPEG Stream: "Worcester Ave"
MPEG Stream: "Armchair Politics"

INSTITUT FUER FEINMOTORIK (IFF) Abgegriffen (Marriage) lp 16.98

INTELLIGENCE, THE Crepuscule With Pacman (Born Bad) cd 16.98
We just got done raving about the brand new record from weirdo garage-pop punks The Intelligence, when what should show up, but ANOTHER new record, well, not actually new, but new to us! Originally released in 2009, on the French label Born Bad, and only showing up here for the first time in the last few days, but we're not complaining, in fact it's like some sort of garage punk Christmas. And like Everybody's Got It Easy But Me, Crepuscule With Pacman is another killer chunk of whatthefuck garage pop that manages to be catchy and jangly and fuzzy, and yet totally bafflingly bizarre. Crepuscule is much more raw and low fidelity, but it definitely suits them, the songs super stripped down, and repetitive, a but minimal, a little murky, but still impossibly catchy. the more we listen to these guys, the more we're surprised so many people dig em, cuz they are definitely difficult. The songs here run the gamut from frenetic angular almost new wave, to Velvets-y dronedirge, from crunchy atonal post punk noise rock to stripped down classic sixties style jangle pop, but really, whatever these guys are doing, they're just a little bit off, a little bit twisted, making the tracks here sound like some sort of alternate universe garage pop band, whose very existence and interruption of the space time continuum, cause their music to warp and warble, but every time we begin to think that (and yes, we think that a lot), they'll slip into some totally perfect pop, or unveil a ridiculously masterful hook. Mixing synths and surf rock, twisted guitars, and warped outsider pop into something that we can't get enough of, and should definitely appeal to fans of groups like Thee Oh Sees, Bare Wires, Ty Segall, White Fence and all the rest, who like their garage pop on the seriously skewed side of the sonic spectrum.
MPEG Stream: "My Ears Are Dust"
MPEG Stream: "Intromentals"
MPEG Stream: "I Walk In A Lonely Light"
MPEG Stream: "Astrology"

INTELLIGENCE, THE Crepuscule With Pacman (Born Bad) lp 21.00
Also on vinyl...
We just got done raving about the brand new record from weirdo garage-pop punks The Intelligence, when what should show up, but ANOTHER new record, well, not actually new, but new to us! Originally released in 2009, on the French label Born Bad, and only showing up here for the first time in the last few days, but we're not complaining, in fact it's like some sort of garage punk Christmas. And like Everybody's Got It Easy But Me, Crepuscule With Pacman is another killer chunk of whatthefuck garage pop that manages to be catchy and jangly and fuzzy, and yet totally bafflingly bizarre. Crepuscule is much more raw and low fidelity, but it definitely suits them, the songs super stripped down, and repetitive, a but minimal, a little murky, but still impossibly catchy. the more we listen to these guys, the more we're surprised so many people dig em, cuz they are definitely difficult. The songs here run the gamut from frenetic angular almost new wave, to Velvets-y dronedirge, from crunchy atonal post punk noise rock to stripped down classic sixties style jangle pop, but really, whatever these guys are doing, they're just a little bit off, a little bit twisted, making the tracks here sound like some sort of alternate universe garage pop band, whose very existence and interruption of the space time continuum, cause their music to warp and warble, but every time we begin to think that (and yes, we think that a lot), they'll slip into some totally perfect pop, or unveil a ridiculously masterful hook. Mixing synths and surf rock, twisted guitars, and warped outsider pop into something that we can't get enough of, and should definitely appeal to fans of groups like Thee Oh Sees, Bare Wires, Ty Segall, White Fence and all the rest, who like their garage pop on the seriously skewed side of the sonic spectrum.
MPEG Stream: "My Ears Are Dust"
MPEG Stream: "Intromentals"
MPEG Stream: "I Walk In A Lonely Light"
MPEG Stream: "Astrology"

INTELLIGENCE, THE Everybody's Got It Easy But me (In The Red) cd 13.98
Brand new record from these aQ beloved lo-fi garage rock noise poppers and right off the bat they're in full-on confuse mode. Instead of a wild rollicking blast of crunchy guitars and pounding drums, we're treated to a woozy bit of druggy minimal drum machine driven folk, all steel string strum and Casio skitter, laced with tinkling melodies, it's actually pretty cool, definitely a dramatic shift. But there's more going on that meets the ear. Soon the song devolves into a repetitive groove, the drum machine rhythm now sort of fucked up and skipping and glitching out, with a single strum every measure, over which the vocalist sings a number, starting with one, then two, and he keeps counting, and we honestly had no idea when he would stop, but he does, at 44 for some reason, and then says "Ladies and gentlemen, the band", at which point the band proper kicks in, playing a properly garage rocking version of the song, and suddenly it's all perfect. and that weird whatthefuck intro only makes us love these guys all the more.
From there on out, the band kick down another clutch of twisted garage rock weirdness and warped jangle pop noisiness, but barring a few seriously far out jams, the band are surprisingly polished, as are the songs, fuzzy and hooky and jangly, slipping occasionally into strummy folkiness, or soaring epic shoegaziness, but always returning to some crunchy catchy pop, that for all it's outwards normality, is still quite twisted, whether it's bizarre arrangements, strange effects, maddeningly repeated parts, new wave-y angularity, all deftly woven into a seriously addictive slab of outsider garage pop that while crunchy and fuzzy and jangly enough to appeal to the whole Thee Oh Sees / Bare Wires / Blasted Canyons crowd, might just be a little too weird and warped for heavy rotation with casual listeners, but because of that, seems to transcend the classification of simple 'garage pop', and becomes something much more fucked up and weirdly arty, which makes this a new fast fave.
MPEG Stream: "I Like LA"
MPEG Stream: "Hippy Provider"
MPEG Stream: "Evil Is Easy"
MPEG Stream: "Techno Tuesday"

INTELLIGENCE, THE Everybody's Got It Easy But me (In The Red) lp 14.98
Also here on vinyl...
Brand new record from these aQ beloved lo-fi garage rock noise poppers and right off the bat they're in full on confuse mode. Instead of a wild rollicking blast of crunchy guitars and pounding drums, we're treated to a woozy bit of druggy minimal drum machine driven folk, all steel string strum and Casio skitter, laced with tinkling melodies, it's actually pretty cool, definitely a dramatic shift. But there's more going on that meets the ear. Soon the song devolves into a repetitive groove, the drum machine rhythm now sort of fucked up and skipping and glitching out, with a single strum every measure, over which the vocalist sings a number, starting with one, then two, and he keeps counting, and we honestly had no idea when he would stop, but he does, at 44 for some reason, and then says "Ladies and gentlemen, the band", at which point the band proper kicks in, playing a properly garage rocking version of the song, and suddenly it's all perfect. and that weird whatthefuck intro only makes us love these guys all the more.
From there on out, the band kick down another clutch of twisted garage rock weirdness and warped jangle pop noisiness, but barring a few seriously far out jams, the band are surprisingly polished, as are the songs, fuzzy and hooky and jangly, slipping occasionally into strummy folkiness, or soaring epic shoegaziness, but always returning to some crunchy catchy pop, that for all it's outwards normality, is still quite twisted, whether it's bizarre arrangements, strange effects, maddeningly repeated parts, new wave-y angularity, all deftly woven into a seriously addictive slab of outsider garage pop that while crunchy and fuzzy and jangly enough to appeal to the whole Thee Oh Sees / Bare Wires / Blasted Canyons crowd, might just be a little too weird and warped for heavy rotation with casual listeners, but because of that, seems to transcend the classification of simple 'garage pop', and becomes something much more fucked up and weirdly arty, which makes this a new fast fave.
MPEG Stream: "I Like LA"
MPEG Stream: "Hippy Provider"
MPEG Stream: "Evil Is Easy"
MPEG Stream: "Techno Tuesday"

INTELLIGENCE, THE Fake Surfers (In The Red) cd 13.98
To the list of lo-fi noise popping shit gazing garage rockers, Thee Ohsees, Mayyors, Psychedelic Horseshit, Times New Viking, Blank Dogs, Wavves, and the like, you can now add the Intelligence. We've seen some live footage of these guys on YouTube, and they kick up a pretty crazy racket, but on record, they're much more subdued and trippy, crafting dark brooding echoey gloom pop, with muted drumming, soft focus jagged guitar crunch, woozy weary vocals, everything surrounded by a haze of delay and tape hiss and amp buzz, positioning these guys closer to groups like Ariel Pink, Holy Shit, and the like, but then when you think you have 'em pegged, they kick out a surfy, groovy hand clappy jam, that sounds surprisingly like "Walking On The Sun" by Smashmouth (we know, we know, but it's true!) although somehow in their hands it sounds WAY cooler. Crunchy guitars, distorted vox, big booming drums, clanging and chiming chords, warm whirring organ, it's also the closest the Intelligence get to sounding like Thee Ohsees weirdly enough. The rest of the record is a much more twisted lo-fi jangly proposition, with many of the songs sounding like creepy sixties garage rock (Fuzztones?) or skiffle-ly reverbed soft pop, but even then, the songs sound fragmented and twisted, with circusy keyboards adding a definite haunting vibe, and some really odd, but oddly catchy hooks. Acoustic guitars, rubbery basslines, trashy practice space drums, and weary deadpan vocals, all woven into some cool, laid back garage jangle, occasionally exploding into a bit of pounding crunch chug, but usually slipping back into something more washed out and groovy.
Not sure what it is, but we just can't stop listening to this. Which is pretty much the best recommendation we can give...
MPEG Stream: "South Bay Surfers"
MPEG Stream: "Tower"
MPEG Stream: "Fuck Eat Skull"

INTELLIGENCE, THE Fake Surfers (In The Red) lp 10.98
To the list of lo-fi noise popping shit gazing garage rockers, Thee Ohsees, Mayyors, Psychedelic Horseshit, Times New Viking, Blank Dogs, Wavves, and the like, you can now add the Intelligence. We've seen some live footage of these guys on YouTube, and they kick up a pretty crazy racket, but on record, they're much more subdued and trippy, crafting dark brooding echoey gloom pop, with muted drumming, soft focus jagged guitar crunch, woozy weary vocals, everything surrounded by a haze of delay and tape hiss and amp buzz, positioning these guys closer to groups like Ariel Pink, Holy Shit, and the like, but then when you think you have 'em pegged, they kick out a surfy, groovy hand clappy jam, that sounds surprisingly like "Walking On The Sun" by Smashmouth (we know, we know, but it's true!) although somehow in their hands it sounds WAY cooler. Crunchy guitars, distorted vox, big booming drums, clanging and chiming chords, warm whirring organ, it's also the closest the Intelligence get to sounding like Thee Ohsees weirdly enough. The rest of the record is a much more twisted lo-fi jangly proposition, with many of the songs sounding like creepy sixties garage rock (Fuzztones?) or skiffle-ly reverbed soft pop, but even then, the songs sound fragmented and twisted, with circusy keyboards adding a definite haunting vibe, and some really odd, but oddly catchy hooks. Acoustic guitars, rubbery basslines, trashy practice space drums, and weary deadpan vocals, all woven into some cool, laid back garage jangle, occasionally exploding into a bit of pounding crunch chug, but usually slipping back into something more washed out and groovy.
Not sure what it is, but we just can't stop listening to this. Which is pretty much the best recommendation we can give...
MPEG Stream: "South Bay Surfers"
MPEG Stream: "Tower"
MPEG Stream: "Fuck Eat Skull"

INTELLIGENCE, THE Males (In The Red) cd 13.98
We first heard The Intelligence on a split with Thee Oh Sees, which makes sense, considering both bands traffic in the same sort of stripped down, raw and sweaty garage punk, and we were pretty nuts about The Intelligence's first full length, Fake Surfers, which demonstrated that these guys weren't nearly as blown out or in the red as many of their compatriots, their sound more low slung, reminding us of groups like the Wipers and the Leaving Trains as much as groups like the Mayyors, Blank Dogs, Wavves and the like. The guitars muted and muddy, a crunchy jangle, the vocals less a distorted wail, and more a reverbed croon, the songs simple and stripped down, but catchy as fuck, and super poppy, raw and urgent, most hovering around the two minute mark, short sharp blasts of fuzzy reverby garage pop, replete with buried in the mix synths, and some fuzzy background vox... and what on the surface sounds pretty straight ahead, will crumble right before your ears as the band unleash some sort of insanely hook filled chorus, or a bad ass earworm of a bridge, like on the awesomely titled "Tuned To Puke", which features a pounding rhythm and a looped sounding cyclical woozy main riff, the vocals sticking close to the main melody, but then the guitars soar, unleashing a shimmering bit of jangle, laced with some 'ooooh'-ing vox, and then it's right back to the churn and crunch again. But it's those moments that make The Intelligence so special, and make their songs stick in your head. And like Fake Surfers before it, every listen of Males just makes us want to hear more...
MPEG Stream: "Bong Life"
MPEG Stream: "Tuned To Puke"
MPEG Stream: "Sailor Itch"

INTELLIGENCE, THE Males (In The Red) lp 13.98
We first heard The Intelligence on a split with Thee Oh Sees, which makes sense, considering both bands traffic in the same sort of stripped down, raw and sweaty garage punk, and we were pretty nuts about The Intelligence's first full length, Fake Surfers, which demonstrated that these guys weren't nearly as blown out or in the red as many of their compatriots, their sound more low slung, reminding us of groups like the Wipers and the Leaving Trains as much as groups like the Mayyors, Blank Dogs, Wavves and the like. The guitars muted and muddy, a crunchy jangle, the vocals less a distorted wail, and more a reverbed croon, the songs simple and stripped down, but catchy as fuck, and super poppy, raw and urgent, most hovering around the two minute mark, short sharp blasts of fuzzy reverby garage pop, replete with buried in the mix synths, and some fuzzy background vox... and what on the surface sounds pretty straight ahead, will crumble right before your ears as the band unleash some sort of insanely hook filled chorus, or a bad ass earworm of a bridge, like on the awesomely titled "Tuned To Puke", which features a pounding rhythm and a looped sounding cyclical woozy main riff, the vocals sticking close to the main melody, but then the guitars soar, unleashing a shimmering bit of jangle, laced with some 'ooooh'-ing vox, and then it's right back to the churn and crunch again. But it's those moments that make The Intelligence so special, and make their songs stick in your head. And like Fake Surfers before it, every listen of Males just makes us want to hear more...
MPEG Stream: "Bong Life"
MPEG Stream: "Tuned To Puke"
MPEG Stream: "Sailor Itch"

INTERNAL/EXTERNAL Featuring... (K) cd 12.98
Finally in! This is the all-star K Records/Olympia, WA scene collaboration/compilation. Is that enough 'slashes' for ya? A recording project co-ordinated by a gentleman by the name of Paul E. Schuster. These are all his songs which he asked his musical friends to augment and accessorize. Kinda like Stephin Merritt's project The 6ths, but maybe a bit more diverse in the ensuing interpretations and outcome. Calvin Johnson, Lois Maffeo, Kathleen Hanna, Slim Moon, Carrie Brownstein... they're all here.

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Nothing We Can Control (Overcoat) cd 14.98
International Airport is comprised of Glasgow indie-scene veterans Aggi of the Pastels (as soon as the vocals began, I knew it was her) and Tom Crosley of Drag City folk duo Appendix Out (Tom is also in Pastels). But, International Airport is much less singsong pop than Pastels. Softly floating pastoral goodness, mostly instrumentals but with a few vocal tracks. It will not blow you away (it's far too demure for that) but it may make your dreams sweet. With appearances by members of Incense and Belle and Sebastian. What a lovely world it would be if the masses looking for the new Sea and Cake album would turn their attention to International Airport.
RealAudio clip: "De Merging Van Bruin en Groen"

INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER Sov Gott Rose-Marie (Silence) cd 17.98
Finally available again!! The late sixties Swedish musical aggregation that was Parson Sound / International Harvester / Harvester / Trad, Gras Och Stenar (really all one evolving band) was basically an example of the genre we've decided to call "international krautrock". Like a Scandinavian Amon Duul, these freaks tap into some decidedly cosmic psychedelic sounds, and aren't on some sunshiney '60s flowers and beads trip. No, their sound certainly acknowledges death and darkness. We've already raved about the Parson Sound collection released earlier this year. "Sov Gott Rose-Marie" ("Sleep Tight, Rose-Marie") was the next step for this group, recorded under their new name International Harvester (taken from the American heavy machinery company, but also intending a Harvester / Grim Reaper double-meaning, with International giving it a political bent). This album, released in 1969 on the Finnish label Love Records, now makes a long-awaited cd appearance on Silence (along with their follow-up under the shortened name Harvester). It's pretty fucking great. If you've heard and loved the Parson Sound like we did, just come and buy this now! It's got grinding cello, baying horns, hippie percussion, mesmerizing jams *and* sudden jarring juxtapositions, from total mellowness to the very heavy. International Harvester mix folk music (though not to the extent they did on their next album, "Hemat"), jazz, field recordings (singing birds, barking dogs), lullabies, and more into their mind-blowing stew of psychedelic "free rock", which is also full of Terry Riley / Eastern inspired repetition and drone. Lyrically, this is just as radical, not shying from religion and politics.
Silence has added an incredible, lengthy (24 minute!) bonus track called "Skordetider" ("Harvest Times") that the band originally intended for an album B-side but never used. It's hypnotic, powerful jam that could have fit well on that Parson Sound release. In other words: wow! Additionally, this cd features extensive liner notes documenting the group's history (the same essay is also found in Silence's reissue of the Harvester album, but with different photos). A perfect companion to that Parson Sound double cd, this is definitely one of the reissues of the year for us.
MPEG Stream: "Sov Gott Rose-Marie"
MPEG Stream: "There is No Other Place"
MPEG Stream: "Skordetider"

INTERNATIONAL HELLO s/t (Holy Mountain) lp 14.98

INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND Safe At Home (Sundazed) cd 14.98

INTERPOL Antics (Matador) cd 14.98
Sophmore records are so tricky. Especially when they follow the HUGE BREAKTHROUGH MASSIVE HIT RECORD. What can a band do? Why do you think there are so many amazing debut records? It's because the band has been waiting their whole life to release that record. Years and years to work on those songs. Years and years of playing those songs, until they are perfect and tight. The second album is cursed by the fact that it has to be written and conceived beneath the fallout of the first, often written on tour, in hotels and on buses which for most bands is not at all how they are used to writing songs. Such is the case with Interpol. Their debut, Turn On The Bright Lights, was perfect. Dark and catchy and funny and gloomy and chock full of perfect post-punk post-new wave pop classics. Everyone we know loved that record. Metalheads, punk rockers, whatever. It didn't matter. It was that good. So then the question is how did Interpol weather the sophmore slump. Disappointment is inevitable right? Well, track one definitely threw us off, a slow maudlin tail dragger, a lot like our least favorite track on Bright Lights. The next track "Evil" was definitely a return to form, but there was still something a little off, not as good maybe? We couldn't put our finger on it. We were all a little bit bummed. Sure it sounded pretty good. The whole record did, but we were all disappointed and sort of wrote it off as an 'oh well' and figured we'd just go back to Bright Lights. But a funny thing happened. We all kept putting Antics back on the stereo, all of us. And gradually we all came to the realization that Antics is a fucking amazing record!! Maybe more subtle, a little darker, not so immediately catchy, but isn't that what a second record should be? No one wants to hear the same record again, and lord knows the band doesn't want to play those songs over again. So yeah, this record is awesome. As good as Bright Lights, just different. Which is a good thing. A great thing actually. It takes some growing, but all great records do. "Evil" is punky and funky and about as upbeat as Interpol get, with sing songy, over ennunciated vocals, super reverbed guitar and a irresistable rhythmic bounce. And once you get to track five "Slow Hands", the single, you're definitely sold. "Slow Hands" definitely sounds like it could have come straight off Bright Lights, but with a decidedly more Strokes-like jangle that gives way to classic Interpol minor key chug and haunting reverbed piano chorus. After that you might as well just give in and admit that this is probably going to be one of the best records of the year. Antics has quickly turned into one of those rare records (New Pornographers, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc.) that we have to -force- ourselves not to listen to so we won't burn out on it! So good!
MPEG Stream: "Evil"
MPEG Stream: "Slow Hands"
MPEG Stream: "Not Even Jail"

INTERPOL Antics (Matador) 2cd 14.98
Interpol's second record gets the deluxe (if slightly premature) reissue treatment with a new double disc version. The second disc features some extra B-sides / unreleased tracks: "Song Seven", "Narc (Paul Banks Remix)", "Not Even Jail (Daniel Kessler Remix)", "Fog Vs. Mould For The Length Of Love", "Public Pervert (Carlos D Remix)" as well as three quicktime videos, including the ultra creepy puppet car crash hospital video for "Evil" and the cool ultra trippy backwards slo-mo video for "Slow Hands". Here's what we had to say about the record last time around:
Sophomore records are so tricky. Especially when they follow the HUGE BREAKTHROUGH MASSIVE HIT RECORD. What can a band do? Why do you think there are so many amazing debut records? It's because the band has been waiting their whole life to release that record. Years and years to work on those songs. Years and years of playing those songs, until they are perfect and tight. The second album is cursed by the fact that it has to be written and conceived beneath the fallout of the first, often written on tour, in hotels and on buses which for most bands is not at all how they are used to writing songs. Such is the case with Interpol. Their debut, Turn On The Bright Lights, was perfect. Dark and catchy and funny and gloomy and chock full of perfect post-punk post-new wave pop classics. Everyone we know loved that record. Metalheads, punk rockers, whatever. It didn't matter. It was that good. So then the question is how did Interpol weather the sophmore slump. Disappointment is inevitable right? Well, track one definitely threw us off, a slow maudlin tail dragger, a lot like our least favorite track on Bright Lights. The next track "Evil" was definitely a return to form, but there was still something a little off, not as good maybe? We couldn't put our finger on it. We were all a little bit bummed. Sure it sounded pretty good. The whole record did, but we were all disappointed and sort of wrote it off as an 'oh well' and figured we'd just go back to Bright Lights. But a funny thing happened. We all kept putting Antics back on the stereo, all of us. And gradually we all came to the realization that Antics is a fucking amazing record!! Maybe more subtle, a little darker, not so immediately catchy, but isn't that what a second record should be? No one wants to hear the same record again, and lord knows the band doesn't want to play those songs over again. So yeah, this record is awesome. As good as Bright Lights, just different. Which is a good thing. A great thing actually. It takes some growing, but all great records do. "Evil" is punky and funky and about as upbeat as Interpol get, with sing songy, over ennunciated vocals, super reverbed guitar and a irresistable rhythmic bounce. And once you get to track five "Slow Hands", the single, you're definitely sold. "Slow Hands" definitely sounds like it could have come straight off Bright Lights, but with a decidedly more Strokes-like jangle that gives way to classic Interpol minor key chug and haunting reverbed piano chorus. After that you might as well just give in and admit that this is probably going to be one of the best records of the year. Antics has quickly turned into one of those rare records (New Pornographers, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc.) that we have to -force- ourselves not to listen to so we won't burn out on it! So good!
MPEG Stream: "Evil"
MPEG Stream: "Slow Hands"
MPEG Stream: "Not Even Jail"

INTERPOL Antics (Matador) lp 11.98
Sophmore records are so tricky. Especially when they follow the HUGE BREAKTHROUGH MASSIVE HIT RECORD. What can a band do? Why do you think there are so many amazing debut records? It's because the band has been waiting their whole life to release that record. Years and years to work on those songs. Years and years of playing those songs, until they are perfect and tight. The second album is cursed by the fact that it has to be written and conceived beneath the fallout of the first, often written on tour, in hotels and on buses which for most bands is not at all how they are used to writing songs. Such is the case with Interpol. Their debut, Turn On The Bright Lights, was perfect. Dark and catchy and funny and gloomy and chock full of perfect post-punk post-new wave pop classics. Everyone we know loved that record. Metalheads, punk rockers, whatever. It didn't matter. It was that good. So then the question is how did Interpol weather the sophmore slump. Disappointment is inevitable right? Well, track one definitely threw us off, a slow maudlin tail dragger, a lot like our least favorite track on Bright Lights. The next track "Evil" was definitely a return to form, but there was still something a little off, not as good maybe? We couldn't put our finger on it. We were all a little bit bummed. Sure it sounded pretty good. The whole record did, but we were all disappointed and sort of wrote it off as an 'oh well' and figured we'd just go back to Bright Lights. But a funny thing happened. We all kept putting Antics back on the stereo, all of us. And gradually we all came to the realization that Antics is a fucking amazing record!! Maybe more subtle, a little darker, not so immediately catchy, but isn't that what a second record should be? No one wants to hear the same record again, and lord knows the band doesn't want to play those songs over again. So yeah, this record is awesome. As good as Bright Lights, just different. Which is a good thing. A great thing actually. It takes some growing, but all great records do. "Evil" is punky and funky and about as upbeat as Interpol get, with sing songy, over ennunciated vocals, super reverbed guitar and a irresistable rhythmic bounce. And once you get to track five "Slow Hands", the single, you're definitely sold. "Slow Hands" definitely sounds like it could have come straight off Bright Lights, but with a decidedly more Strokes-like jangle that gives way to classic Interpol minor key chug and haunting reverbed piano chorus. After that you might as well just give in and admit that this is probably going to be one of the best records of the year. Antics has quickly turned into one of those rare records (New Pornographers, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc.) that we have to -force- ourselves not to listen to so we won't burn out on it! So good!
MPEG Stream: "Evil"
MPEG Stream: "Slow Hands"
MPEG Stream: "Not Even Jail"

INTERPOL Our Love To Admire (Capitol) cd 14.98
If slow and steady wins the race, Interpol's third album will surely be in the winner's circle... but what's the prize? Moody post punk pop for the masses? Maybe! Their first release on a major label happens to be their most moderate and perhaps most broadly appealing. Few studio pyrotechnics and overarching productions, Our Love To Admire is simply a solidly crafted and executed. Tastefully tame, it is. In particular Paul Banks sullenly tormented vocals are more restrained that on either of their previous albums. In some ways this is a plus. That is, his performance comes across as much more effortless, but we do miss some of his bombastic anguished ennunciations. After a couple listens we can say that none of the songs have jumped out and bitten us on the nose nor nailed us in the heart quite yet. However much like Antics did, we have a sneakin' suspicion that this will be a 'grow on you' album, gradually taking root with each listen. (Andee listened to it on the plane back from New York, in an exhausted sleep deprived stupor, and emerged with Our Love To Admire as one of his new favorites, its languid droniness and laid back dolor the perfect soundtrack for being lost in strange cities, being trapped in grey walled airports, staying up all night, and wandering through sweltering summer city streets!)
Psst, for super fans and collectors, there's also a limited deluxe version which comes in an elegant black hardcover book style package with a 24-page booklet and 18"x24" poster. Don't know exactly how limited it will be, so hop to it if you wanna secure a copy for yourself.
MPEG Stream: "Pioneer To The Falls"
MPEG Stream: "Mammoth"

INTERPOL Our Love To Admire - Deluxe Edition (Capitol) cd 21.00
If slow and steady wins the race, Interpol's third album will surely be in the winner's circle... but what's the prize? Moody post punk pop for the masses? Maybe! Their first release on a major label happens to be their most moderate and perhaps most broadly appealing. Few studio pyrotechnics and overarching productions, Our Love To Admire is simply a solidly crafted and executed. Tastefully tame, it is. In particular Paul Banks sullenly tormented vocals are more restrained that on either of their previous albums. In some ways this is a plus. That is, his performance comes across as much more effortless, but we do miss some of his bombastic anguished ennunciations. After a couple listens we can say that none of the songs have jumped out and bitten us on the nose nor nailed us in the heart quite yet. However much like Antics did, we have a sneakin' suspicion that this will be a 'grow on you' album, gradually taking root with each listen. (Andee listened to it on the plane back from New York, in an exhausted sleep deprived stupor, and emerged with Our Love To Admire as one of his new favorites, its languid droniness and laid back dolor the perfect soundtrack for being lost in strange cities, being trapped in grey walled airports, staying up all night, and wandering through sweltering summer city streets!)
This deluxe version comes in a hardcover book style sleeve, with a bunch of extra photos and a poster, but no extra music....
MPEG Stream: "Pioneer To The Falls"
MPEG Stream: "Mammoth"

INTERPOL Remix (Matador) cd ep 4.98
We recently listed the double cd reissue of Interpol's Antics, with an extra disc of remixes. For those of you who really wanted the remixes but didn't want to have to buy the whole dang thing over again, here you go. Four tracks, just the remixes: "Song Seven", "Narc (Paul Banks Remix)", "Not Even Jail (Daniel Kessler Remix)", "Fog Vs. Mould For The Length Of Love", "Public Pervert (Carlos D Remix)".
MPEG Stream: "Narc (Paul Banks Remix)"
MPEG Stream: "Not Even Jail (Daniel Kessler Remix)"

INTERPOL Remix (Matador) 4x12" 25.00
We recently listed the double cd reissue of Interpol's Antics, with an extra disc of remixes. For those of you who really wanted the remixes but didn't want to have to buy the whole dang thing over again, but felt like spedning a crapload of dough on some insanely deluxe packaging, here you go. Four tracks, just the remixes: "Song Seven", "Narc (Paul Banks Remix)", "Not Even Jail (Daniel Kessler Remix)", "Fog Vs. Mould For The Length Of Love", "Public Pervert (Carlos D Remix)" in a ridiculously elaborate gatefold foldout embossed quadruple lp set. Only got a few of these since we weren't sure if anyone would care about a $25 version of a $5 cd ep.
MPEG Stream: "Narc (Paul Banks Remix)"
MPEG Stream: "Not Even Jail (Daniel Kessler Remix)"

INTERPOL s/t (Matador) cd 13.98
The best way to enjoy Interpol these days, is to probably stop hoping they'll write anything as iconic and awesome as "Obstacle 1", or "PDA", or "Evil", or "Narc", or "Slow Hands". Their debut Turn On The Bright Lights was pretty much perfect, packed with classics, almost all of the way through. Antics, after that, was pretty dang good, with some of those above mentioned jams ranking among the band's best, but with some filler for sure. Then came Our Love To Admire, which while enjoyable, was more about the sound, and the voice, hearing the SOUND of Interpol, most folks seemed to decide, was maybe as close as we'd get to hearing THOSE songs. So with the band's switch back to Matador, hopes were definitely not high, at least in terms of hoping for a classic. Most folks we know dig Interpol, and would buy the new one either way. Again, maybe mostly to hear THAT SOUND. But then we heard the single "Lights", and damn if it wasn't a serious chunk of brooding CLASSIC sounding Interpol, the main riff a killer, the whole thing moody and intense and evocative, the band sounding fierce. So suddenly, hopes got a little bit higher.
And so now we have the full length, on a new (old) label, with a new bass player (Dave Pajo of Slint, Papa M and a ton of others), and while we'd still say "Lights" might be the best jam here, the whole record is pretty damn great, maybe what some might call a return to form. Dark and brooding, catchy as fuck, the Interpol sound in full effect. Opener "Success" starts things off with a catchy chunk of dour new wave pop, the bass sounding a bit more fuzzy and muscly (or is that just our imagination), and the rest of the record following suit. First listen didn't knock our socks off, but every listen since has found our socks progressively a bit more knocked off every time. The hooks are huge, the sound is lush, the tendency to brood and not rock out seems to have found a balance this time around, there are some electronic drums on a few tracks, and then there's the surprisingly strong, darkly mysterious closing songsuite, "Try It On", with its skittery drum machine, looped sounding piano and glitchy synths, the lush, smoldering dramatic doom ballad "All Of The Ways", that sounds almost more like the Editors (which is not a bad thing at all), and finally the record closer "The Undoing", another haunting epic, with more electronic drums, a strangely baroque sounding arrangement, and a surprisingly sunshiney sheen glowing from within it's black sonic heart. So good. So good in fact, that when we've played this to death, which is looking to be inevitable at this point, we're gonna go back and revisit Our Love To Admire and see if maybe there was something we missed, here's hoping...
MPEG Stream: "Lights"
MPEG Stream: "Success"
MPEG Stream: "The Undoing"

INTERPOL s/t (Matador) lp 15.98
The best way to enjoy Interpol these days, is to probably stop hoping they'll write anything as iconic and awesome as "Obstacle 1", or "PDA", or "Evil", or "Narc", or "Slow Hands". Their debut Turn On The Bright Lights was pretty much perfect, packed with classics, almost all of the way through. Antics, after that, was pretty dang good, with some of those above mentioned jams ranking among the band's best, but with some filler for sure. Then came Our Love To Admire, which while enjoyable, was more about the sound, and the voice, hearing the SOUND of Interpol, most folks seemed to decide, was maybe as close as we'd get to hearing THOSE songs. So with the band's switch back to Matador, hopes were definitely not high, at least in terms of hoping for a classic. Most folks we know dig Interpol, and would buy the new one either way. Again, maybe mostly to hear THAT SOUND. But then we heard the single "Lights", and damn if it wasn't a serious chunk of brooding CLASSIC sounding Interpol, the main riff a killer, the whole thing moody and intense and evocative, the band sounding fierce. So suddenly, hopes got a little bit higher.
And so now we have the full length, on a new (old) label, with a new bass player (Dave Pajo of Slint, Papa M and a ton of others), and while we'd still say "Lights" might be the best jam here, the whole record is pretty damn great, maybe what some might call a return to form. Dark and brooding, catchy as fuck, the Interpol sound in full effect. Opener "Success" starts things off with a catchy chunk of dour new wave pop, the bass sounding a bit more fuzzy and muscly (or is that just our imagination), and the rest of the record following suit. First listen didn't knock our socks off, but every listen since has found our socks progressively a bit more knocked off every time. The hooks are huge, the sound is lush, the tendency to brood and not rock out seems to have found a balance this time around, there are some electronic drums on a few tracks, and then there's the surprisingly strong, darkly mysterious closing songsuite, "Try It On", with its skittery drum machine, looped sounding piano and glitchy synths, the lush, smoldering dramatic doom ballad "All Of The Ways", that sounds almost more like the Editors (which is not a bad thing at all), and finally the record closer "The Undoing", another haunting epic, with more electronic drums, a strangely baroque sounding arrangement, and a surprisingly sunshiney sheen glowing from within it's black sonic heart. So good. So good in fact, that when we've played this to death, which is looking to be inevitable at this point, we're gonna go back and revisit Our Love To Admire and see if maybe there was something we missed, here's hoping...
MPEG Stream: "Lights"
MPEG Stream: "Success"
MPEG Stream: "The Undoing"

INTERPOL s/t ep (Matador) cd single 4.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Interpol aren't groundbreaking or anything, but boy does this NYC quartet sound good. (They probably look good too, got the 'scrod' style DOWN.) The singer's voice has the arch desperation of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. The music is dominated by intertwining guitars that're sometimes angular and choppy, sometimes pensively creating a lush blanket of minor key intensity. Very Factory Records, very Echo & the Bunnymen... but not annoyingly so, for a modern group. I like it! This is a three song, inexpensive teaser single in preparation for the full length to be released August 2002.
RealAudio clip: "PDA"
RealAudio clip: "NYC"

INTERPOL The Black EP (EMI) cd ep 11.98
What to do with the most hyped band in the land (except for maybe the Strokes) while the world waits for a new album to drop? That's right an EP of alternate versions of tracks we already love! Six tracks, the first, "Say Hello To The Angels", from their brilliant full length Turn On The Bright Lights, the second, NYC, a demo version from 2001. The other 4 are from the Black Session, live recordings for French Radio, of the tracks "Obstacle 1", "Specialist", "Leif Erickson", and "PDA". The live versions are a little sloppy and the vocals aren't always 'on' but it's fun to hear the band let down their hair, loosen their ties, and rock a little. Definitely for hardcore Interpol fans. And if you're not, get their Turn On The Bright Lights and you soon will be.
MPEG Stream: "NYC (demo)"
MPEG Stream: "Obstacle 1 (Black Session)"

INTERPOL Try It On (Matador) 12" 11.98
Three remixes of this track from Interpol's most recent record, reworked by Ikonika, Banjo Or Freakout and Salem. Yep, Salem! Odds are while all three mixes are pretty cool, that's the one that will most likely seal the deal.
Ikonika takes Paul Banks' original vox and drapes them over some swirling strings, and some skittery dubstep big beats, lacing the track with squiggly effects and bloopy synth melodies. Banjo Or Freakout leave some of the original track intact, but bookend those bits with some heady psychedelic swirl and dreamy looped mesmer.
Salem basically obliterate any trace of the original track, barring some chopped and screwed snippets of Banks' vox and a tiny bit of guitar right at the end, leaving just a fantastically twisted wreckage of classic cough syrupy Salem trip out, the sounds all woozy and warped, total dreamy drag, the primitive drum programming, over thick crunchy swells of symphonic synth, effects swirling all over the places. Hell, if you didn't know it was a remix, you could easily believe this was yanked right off their King Night full length. Worth it for the Salem mix alone for sure, but even more worth it for all three!!
MPEG Stream: "Try it On (Salem Remix)"

INTERPOL Turn On The Bright Lights (Matador) cd 10.98
The Strokes, Andrew W.K., The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Liars, and now Interpol are part of a recent rash of New York punkish bands birthed from the music hype machine as the great salvation of rock 'n' roll. Strange that these bands would garner such praise, since none of them operate outside of the arena of the homage -- either as ironic hyperbole in Andrew W.K. or as The Strokes' downward mobility to blue collar rockisms. Of all the aforementioned bands, Interpol seem the most interesting as they've managed to successfully resurrect Ian Curtis, a task that hasn't really met with much success in other bands. I mention just Curtis, as his persona seems to resonate much more strongly with Interpol than Joy Division as a whole. Sure there are ghosts of Factory's post-punk jaggedness and mororsely bleak temperament; but Interpol's forceful minor keys offer other roadstops past The Strokes' take on brightly-colored, guitar jangle and the sublime washes of fuzzy feedback heard in the early '90s shoegazer bands (MBV, Ride, Slowdive, etc.). Musically, Interpol's debut "Turn On The Bright Lights" is an excellent marriage of those aforementioned styles; but like Joy Division, Interpol is driven by a charismatic singer with a flair for dramatic bombast and a predilection for angst. Paul Banks, Interpol's singer, is a rare breed in the contemporary world of depressed vocalists who have typically followed the emo-centric whimper and scream approach of Sunny Day Real Estate to infuse any lyrical content with immediacy and passion. Instead, Banks can actually really sing, his nervous vibrato echoing the musical accompaniment played between depressed weariness and urgent conviction.
Much of Interpol's aesthetic choices and lyrical content (love / hate relationships, urban isolationism, and sexual dependency) have already been done to death, but few have been able to do them as well. "Turn On The Bright Lights" is a fantastic record and actually lives up to all of the hype that has surrounded it.
RealAudio clip: "Untitled"
RealAudio clip: "Obstacle 1"
RealAudio clip: "Say Hello To The Angels"
RealAudio clip: "Stella Was A Diverr And She Was Always Down"

INTERPOL Turn On The Bright Lights (Matador) lp 12.98
The Strokes, Andrew W.K., The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Liars, and now Interpol are part of a recent rash of New York punkish bands birthed from the music hype machine as the great salvation of rock 'n' roll. Strange that these bands would garner such praise, since none of them operate outside of the arena of the homage -- either as ironic hyperbole in Andrew W.K. or as The Strokes' downward mobility to blue collar rockisms. Of all the aforementioned bands, Interpol seem the most interesting as they've managed to successfully resurrect Ian Curtis, a task that hasn't really met with much success in other bands. I mention just Curtis, as his persona seems to resonate much more strongly with Interpol than Joy Division as a whole. Sure there are ghosts of Factory's post-punk jaggedness and mororsely bleak temperament; but Interpol's forceful minor keys offer other roadstops past The Strokes' take on brightly-colored, guitar jangle and the sublime washes of fuzzy feedback heard in the early '90s shoegazer bands (MBV, Ride, Slowdive, etc.). Musically, Interpol's debut "Turn On The Bright Lights" is an excellent marriage of those aforementioned styles; but like Joy Division, Interpol is driven by a charismatic singer with a flair for dramatic bombast and a predilection for angst. Paul Banks, Interpol's singer, is a rare breed in the contemporary world of depressed vocalists who have typically followed the emo-centric whimper and scream approach of Sunny Day Real Estate to infuse any lyrical content with immediacy and passion. Instead, Banks can actually really sing, his nervous vibrato echoing the musical accompaniment played between depressed weariness and urgent conviction.
Much of Interpol's aesthetic choices and lyrical content (love / hate relationships, urban isolationism, and sexual dependency) have already been done to death, but few have been able to do them as well. "Turn On The Bright Lights" is a fantastic record and actually lives up to all of the hype that has surrounded it.

INTERSYSTEMS Peachy (Streamline / Cortical Foundation) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Quite possibly the reason for Intersystem's being was to re-create John Cage's "Indeterminancy" but with a hell of a lot more drugs involved. "Peachy" is the first album from Intersystems and dates back to 1967. While the group had expanded throughout their brief career with the addition of several visual artists (such as the installation artist Michael Hayden), Intersystems' core members were poet / acid prohet Blake Parker and electronic knob twiddler John Mills-Cockell. "Peachy" simply featured that core duo with Parker offering his best John Cage impression in the recitation of emphatically spoken vignettes of lysergically apocalyptic poetry, and Mills-Cockell playing David Tudor with his surreal punctuations through electronic noise and musique concrete elements. The end result is very strange, even for Aquarius' tastes, and is certainly worth checking out if you're into Nurse With Wound.

INVADERS There's A Light There's A Way (Fresh) cd 17.98

INVERTEBRATES Garagezilla (Spineless) cd 9.98

INVISIBLE CITIES Watertown (Noisy Frog) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hey indie pop fans, check out this fine new Bay Area band! Invisible Cities easily go from fun, bouncy indie pop to considerably darker somber numbers in the wink of an eye. The first few gal-sung songs brought to mind a thoroughly charming combination of Bangles style sweetness, Lois' indie chutzpah, and the smart crunch of Throwing Muses. At the fifth tune "Shooting Star" though, a fella steps up to the mic lending a more slouchy boyishness to the proceedings a la Quasi or Portastatic, and he returns for the title track too. A very promising debut!
MPEG Stream: "Instaglo"
MPEG Stream: "Shooting Star"

INVISIBLE CONGA PEOPLE In a Hole (DFA) 12" 11.98

INVISIBLE CONGA PEOPLE Weird Pains / Cable Dazed (Italians Do It Better) 12" 9.98
While not straying too far from the rest of the Italians Do It Better catalog (which we'll admit we're big suckers for!) Invisible Conga People definitely, defiantly have their own identity. A bit more dark and brooding then most of their labelmates, there is most definitely a really rich sense of atmosphere in their slow burning electronic sizzlers. You can tell there is some love for the minimal leanings of krautrock and post punk channeled into their dark corner of a seedy dance club. This isn't as much for the dancefloor (though it would be on dancefloors we would frequent) as it is for late wasted nights alone in your bedroom when you just want to close your eyes and get lost in some sizzling sensations. Full on sensual seduction!

INVISIBLE HANDS, THE Insect Dilemma/Disallowed (Abduction) 7" 9.98
Here's another Record Store Day find for you! The Invisible Hands is one of the new projects for the Sun City Girls' Alan Bishop, here working with a cadre of Egyptian musicians to produced a decidedly less volatile sound than what we are used to from Bishop in either the Sun City Girls or his solo project Alvarius B. All of the material found on this super limited 7" comes from the Alan Bishop songbook, with the medley on the A side of "Insect Dilemma / Disallowed" culled from the legendary 330,003 Crossdressers From Beyond The Rig Veda album by the Sun City Girls and the self-titled 2lp from Alvarius B respectively. The B side is a cover of a Moroccan folk song entitled "Lili Twil", but those who know the SCG back catalogue will recognize the tune as "Cruel & Thin" also from 330,003 Crossdressers From Beyond The Rig Veda, but with Bishop reconfiguring the words into neological gobbledigook. Musically, this follows what Bishop arranged for the Invisible Hands album released earlier in 2013, with straightforward rhythm sections straddling the desert blues ethos and American indie-rock songsmithery, with the lead guitars buzzing with Arabic intonations and fanciful flourishes. The cover of "Lili Twil" is sung by Aya Hemeda, whose languid vocals do recall the beautiful folk melodies that Selda recorded back in the '70s.
To top it all off, when you buy an Invisible Hands 7", you will be automatically entered in a contest to win either an Invisible Hands banner or an Invisible Hands throw pillow, both of which feature crudely painted Egyptian imagery of minstrels and cats eviscerating chickens.

INVISIBLE HANDS, THE s/t (Abduction) cd 15.98
What?! A somewhat sort of sensible Alan Bishop recording? We had thought the amazing Baroque Primitiva from 2011 might have been the most polite thing the former Sun City Girl had ever released; but his latest project under the moniker Invisible Hands might just take the cake, as this one can be downright lovely, not too far from Giant Sand or Calexico weirdly enough. Nope, there's none of the misogyny or misanthropy which Bishop routinely tosses into his lyrics for the Sun City Girls or as Alvarius B, and most definitely nothing as rude and wild and over the top as his Uncle Jim pseudonym; and that may have to do with the company he's keeping. The Invisible Hands ensemble is comprised of members of the Egyptian rock band Eskenderella; and they recorded this album in the summer of 2011 after the ousting of Hosni Mubarak and the upheaval that spread throughout Northern Africa. Perhaps, the timing was such that it would be unwise to record an album with the sorts of provocative subjects that Bishop is generally known for; but then again, it might have been equally improper to have recorded an album that might have been offensive to an Egyptian sensibility. To Bishop, it might be one thing to offend his politically correct audience in America and another thing to offend his hosts in Egypt, 'cause that would be rude. Eh. Or hell, maybe we're just getting a glimpse of a lesser seen sonic side to this musical misanthrope...
Either way, the album's arrangements are lovely and spacious, mostly driven by acoustic guitar with plenty of those Morricone nods common to the Bishop songbook, but there's some more aggressive turns with the theatrical gravity of Tom Waits and a few incendiary psychedelic moments that had us wondering aloud "Hey, when is somebody gonna reissue Torch Of The Mystics?" In fact, one of the songs here "Black Weather Shoes" is a pretty radical reinterpretation of an old Sun City Girls track from their record Grotto Of Miracles. We've been told that there's an Arabic version of these recordings under the Arabic name El Ayadi El Khafeyya, but that's only being sold in the Middle East. Major bummer, dude! That would be a very cool thing to hear, although this is cool as it is. Let's petition the White House and force them to comment on an Alan Bishop record!
MPEG Stream: "Black Weather Shoes"
MPEG Stream: "Black Blood"
MPEG Stream: "Death Zoo"

INVISIBLE HANDS, THE s/t (Abduction) 2lp 29.00
NOW ON VINYL!
What?! A somewhat sort of sensible Alan Bishop recording? We had thought the amazing Baroque Primitiva from 2011 might have been the most polite thing the former Sun City Girl had ever released; but his latest project under the moniker Invisible Hands might just take the cake, as this one can be downright lovely, not too far from Giant Sand or Calexico weirdly enough. Nope, there's none of the misogyny or misanthropy which Bishop routinely tosses into his lyrics for the Sun City Girls or as Alvarius B, and most definitely nothing as rude and wild and over the top as his Uncle Jim pseudonym; and that may have to do with the company he's keeping. The Invisible Hands ensemble is comprised of members of the Egyptian rock band Eskenderella; and they recorded this album in the summer of 2011 after the ousting of Hosni Mubarak and the upheaval that spread throughout Northern Africa. Perhaps, the timing was such that it would be unwise to record an album with the sorts of provocative subjects that Bishop is generally known for; but then again, it might have been equally improper to have recorded an album that might have been offensive to an Egyptian sensibility. To Bishop, it might be one thing to offend his politically correct audience in America and another thing to offend his hosts in Egypt, 'cause that would be rude. Eh. Or hell, maybe we're just getting a glimpse of a lesser seen sonic side to this musical misanthrope...
Either way, the album's arrangements are lovely and spacious, mostly driven by acoustic guitar with plenty of those Morricone nods common to the Bishop songbook, but there's some more aggressive turns with the theatrical gravity of Tom Waits and a few incendiary psychedelic moments that had us wondering aloud "Hey, when is somebody gonna reissue Torch Of The Mystics?" In fact, one of the songs here "Black Weather Shoes" is a pretty radical reinterpretation of an old Sun City Girls track from their record Grotto Of Miracles. Unlike the cd, the lp DOES feature the tracks that were recorded in Arabic, which are found on the second piece of wax. Same songs, different mixes, different language. We lamented the English version being our only option with the cd, now we've got both! Thanks, Alan!
MPEG Stream: "Black Weather Shoes"
MPEG Stream: "Black Blood"
MPEG Stream: "Death Zoo"

INVISIBLE THINGS Home Is The Sun (Porter Records) cd 14.98
Home Is The Sun is the debut from guitar and drums duo Invisible Things, which is made up of Mark Shippy, he of late great weirdo noise rockers U.S. Maple, and Jim Sykes of Parts & Labor. On the surface, this might initially seem like a cool chunk of slightly angular, sort of experimental avant rock, which it most definitely is, but it's also a lot more than that. While the first few minutes to explode right out of the gate in proper rock song form, complete with vocals and everything, sounding a bit like Polvo actually, or yeah, U.S. Maple, but it doesn't take long for that song to fracture into its actual form, a loose billowing cloud of abstract textured guitar noise, which is beautiful and blissed out, and we would have been happy if that's stretched out to fill up the whole record, but that's really only part of what's going on here.
Apparently, the drumming is based on Sri Lankan percussion, and is applied to a modern rock drum kit, the result is a wild and loose, polyrhythmic sprawl of free percussion freakout, flitting from rhythmic churn, to wild frenzied chaos, to abstract propulsive pummel, the guitars thus left to work their way around Sykes' constantly mutating rhythms. And Shippy is more than up to the task, his guitar unfurling frantic gouts of wildly tangled psychedelic freakouts one second, lush textural shimmer the next, the two surprisingly synchronized, what could have been a mess of free rock wankery, somehow coalesces into proper songs, albeit wildly fractured and dizzingly abstract and obtuse songs, but they're eminently listenable, the vocals drifting in and out, hazy and settled way down in the mix, the sound shifting constantly, but all of the tracks woven into one epic song suite, somehow sounding not at all improvised, it's obvious that much of this WAS, but somehow these two lock tight from the very first few minutes, and react to each other, the results super dynamic, rife with gorgeous sonic tension, and some surprising melodies. The overall somehow both loose and tight at the same time, the two players able to each drift off into the ether and let loose with dense clouds of sound, but somehow never losing sight of the other, and when everything does settle down into something more traditionally 'rock' sounding, it's pretty exhilarating, but it's not long before the sound splinters, and things warp and mutate once again. But the magic here is just that, the constant shifts, the wild tangles, the far out exploration, somehow, those seemingly free and abstract elements are part of a way bigger picture that isn't always visible, but IS always felt. Imagine the weirdest, loosest, free-est, avant indie noise rock record ever, one that includes all the stuff you love about indie/noise rock, all the tropes, all the sonic signifiers, but then ignores them completely, or more accurately, reimagines them, and somehow recontextualizes them into something at once entirely new, but also eminently beholden to what came before. A new favorite for sure!
MPEG Stream: "Before.The.Seventh."
MPEG Stream: "Because.It's.Not.Real.Yet."
MPEG Stream: "Major.Counterpoint."
MPEG Stream: "Accepting.New.Forms."

INVISIBLE THINGS Home Is The Sun (Porter Records) lp 17.98
Home Is The Sun is the debut from guitar and drums duo Invisible Things, which is made up of Mark Shippy, he of late great weirdo noise rockers U.S. Maple, and Jim Sykes of Parts & Labor. On the surface, this might initially seem like a cool chunk of slightly angular, sort of experimental avant rock, which it most definitely is, but it's also a lot more than that. While the first few minutes to explode right out of the gate in proper rock song form, complete with vocals and everything, sounding a bit like Polvo actually, or yeah, U.S. Maple, but it doesn't take long for that song to fracture into its actual form, a loose billowing cloud of abstract textured guitar noise, which is beautiful and blissed out, and we would have been happy if that's stretched out to fill up the whole record, but that's really only part of what's going on here.
Apparently, the drumming is based on Sri Lankan percussion, and is applied to a modern rock drum kit, the result is a wild and loose, polyrhythmic sprawl of free percussion freakout, flitting from rhythmic churn, to wild frenzied chaos, to abstract propulsive pummel, the guitars thus left to work their way around Sykes' constantly mutating rhythms. And Shippy is more than up to the task, his guitar unfurling frantic gouts of wildly tangled psychedelic freakouts one second, lush textural shimmer the next, the two surprisingly synchronized, what could have been a mess of free rock wankery, somehow coalesces into proper songs, albeit wildly fractured and dizzingly abstract and obtuse songs, but they're eminently listenable, the vocals drifting in and out, hazy and settled way down in the mix, the sound shifting constantly, but all of the tracks woven into one epic song suite, somehow sounding not at all improvised, it's obvious that much of this WAS, but somehow these two lock tight from the very first few minutes, and react to each other, the results super dynamic, rife with gorgeous sonic tension, and some surprising melodies. The overall somehow both loose and tight at the same time, the two players able to each drift off into the ether and let loose with dense clouds of sound, but somehow never losing sight of the other, and when everything does settle down into something more traditionally 'rock' sounding, it's pretty exhilarating, but it's not long before the sound splinters, and things warp and mutate once again. But the magic here is just that, the constant shifts, the wild tangles, the far out exploration, somehow, those seemingly free and abstract elements are part of a way bigger picture that isn't always visible, but IS always felt. Imagine the weirdest, loosest, free-est, avant indie noise rock record ever, one that includes all the stuff you love about indie/noise rock, all the tropes, all the sonic signifiers, but then ignores them completely, or more accurately, reimagines them, and somehow recontextualizes them into something at once entirely new, but also eminently beholden to what came before. A new favorite for sure!
MPEG Stream: "Before.The.Seventh."
MPEG Stream: "Because.It's.Not.Real.Yet."
MPEG Stream: "Major.Counterpoint."
MPEG Stream: "Accepting.New.Forms."

IOTA Tales (Small Stone) cd 14.98
Detroit's Small Stone label is the one of the most reliable "stoner rock" standard bearers these days. While we don't necessarily like everything they put out, you can bet your bong it's ALL stoner rock. And they do have some great bands on their roster, a few that really push the stoner rock thing into interesting psychedelic directions, including recently reviewed discs from AQ faves Los Natas (El Nuevo Orden De La Libertad) and Sons Of Otis (Exiled), both highlights on our last couple lists. So we figure its worth checking out other stuff on the label, and guess what? Here's one from last year that we had overlooked when it came out, but just one listen and we knew we should get some copies in and review it!
Basically, we could describe Salt Lake City's Iota as being a mixture of trippy Hawkwindiness and more aggressive blues based hard rockin', sorta like (early) Soundgarden or Skin Yard meets the heavier, more spaced out sounds of Sons Of Otis or UFOmammut. One reason we mention Soundgarden and Skin Yard is 'cause of the grungy melodic vocals, which bear a certain resemblance to that of those bands, but otherwise this is HEAVIER and SPACIER than any Seattle grunge for sure. And it's not like the singing is the focus of any of this, whereas interstellar jamming IS. However, it's easy shorthand to say Soundgarden + Sons Of Otis, when you hear this you know what we mean.
The five tracks on this 50 minute disc are programed so you get the two stormers out of the gate, tracks 1 and 2 being the throbbing metallic riff attacks of "New Mantis" and "We Are The Yithians", respectively. Then, it's time to blast off and bliss out, as tracks 3 and 4 are extended trips into the alien drug fantasies depicted in the disc's cool cover art. Those two cuts, "The Sleeping Heathen" (10:42) and the even more massive, nearly 23 minute "Dimensional Orbiter", are equally as heavy as the disc's first two tracks, but just a lot more spaced out. Then there's the fifth and final track, Tales closing with the 8+ minute bluesy nod scene that is the harmonica-laced "Opiate Blues", though it still seems it's a transmission from outer space, despite the earthier overt blues element.
Like we said, one listen and we were bowing down, Iota's Tales pushing all our psychedelic stoner rock buttons, with killer guitar soloing, scifi freakiness, sheer heaviosity, and surprisingly excellent vocals. Very, very cool.
MPEG Stream: "New Mantis"
MPEG Stream: "Dimensional Orbiter"
MPEG Stream: "Opiate Blues"

IQU AND FRIENDS Teenage Dream Remixes (K) cd 10.98
What was your teenage dream? IQU (formerly a trio known as ICU, now a duo, but still pronounced ee-koo) and friends give hints to their adolescent aspirations in the liner notes of this cd. "Teenage Dream" just happens to be the name of an IQU song (featuring some very rock guitar and various samples of Japanese singing, greetings and spoken word), and it gets the remix up and down by such pop electronic luminaries as Looper (aka Stuart David ex-Belle And Sebastian) and Sonic Boom. The latter track is one of the two cd-only bonuses. The other is IQU's own K.O. treatment. Quite boogie-worthy indeed.