IQU WITH MIRANDA JULY Girls on Dates (K) cd 9.98
Better known as ICU, this Olympian electronica trio provides a minimalist downtempo electro squiggle for Miranda July to do her best Laurie Anderson impression.

IRAN Dissolver (Narnack) cd 15.98
The eagerly anticipated follow up to the nearly perfect noise pop tUMULt twofer of Iran's s/t and Moon Boys albums, whose sound was a strange hybrid of Pavement-y jangle, Sebadoh sad boy folky flutter, and full bore crumbling Merzbowian noise. We described Iran back then as Smog covering Skullflower, Pavement on Siltbreeze, Harry Pussy covering Built To Spill, you get the idea. But much has changed in the years and years since those records were recorded.
First off, Iran mainman Aaron Aites moved to Norway and made a movie about black metal called Until The Light Takes Us (doing the festival circuit, maybe coming to a theater near you soon!), then returned to the states ending up in New York (instead of SF) and reconnecting with former Iran member Kyp Malone, now of course in TV On The Radio (Kyp also played in an awesome band out here in SF called Rocket Science and The Nigger Loving Faggots, wonder how come that band never gets mentioned in TVOTR press releases haha), and spent a good long while recording Dissolver with Kyp, two new bandmates as well as Kyp's TVOTR bandmade Dave Sitek, producer extrordinaire, handling the production. Sounds like a recipe for a hit record, and Dissolver is definitely about as close to a hit record as Iran's come. To give you an example, I (Andee, who put out those first two Iran records) heard this playing up in the front of the store, went up to see what was playing thinking it was either the Evan Dando solo record, or some weird Lemonheads disc. A lot of that has to do with Aites' voice, which is definitely Dando-esque (in the old days it was buried in buzz and hiss), but also, the new sound is all super well produced jangle, lush guitars, skittery drumming, and multitracked vocals, plenty of harmonies, oooh's and aaah's, even a bit of soul here and there.
There are still some noisy experimental bits, but on Dissolver those are relegated to their own tracks, like "Digital Clock And Phone", a swirl of processed psych guitar, but even that ends up sounding less chaotic and more textured and cool. There are also some moments of punky thrash, bits of blown out pop psych and various shades of jangle and drift, but this is basically just a classic sounding slab of nineties style indie pop, a little modernized maybe, a little more fucked up and freaked out than usual, but catchy and hooky as hell. Fair warning to the noise poppers that loved the first two Irans, the pop is fully in tact, but the noise is sadly (for some) nearly no more...
MPEG Stream: "Buddy"
MPEG Stream: "I Already Know You're Wrong"
MPEG Stream: "Airport '79"
MPEG Stream: "Digital Clock And Phone"

IRAN s/t (tUMULt) cd 11.98
Another twisted missive from, the tUMULt laboratories, finds aQ Andee's label dipping its toes into pop, and recoiling in horror, as it pulls its feet back covered in muck and crud. Iran take 'Indie rock' and bury it in fuzz and hiss, taking ultra catchy pop, and dragging it through the detritus of lo-fi noise rock, picking up an ungodly assortment of buzz and blur and scuzz. Imagine a Pavement record on Siltbreeze. Or Sebadoh, if Lou Barlow was a jaded fuck instead of a sappy romantic. Or old Smog covering Skullflower. Or Harry Pussy playing Built To Spill. A beautifully cacophonous mess. Iran play damaged folk music, bombarded on all sides by a wild assortment of squeals and shrieks, static and hiss, and speaker clogging grit. Huge and slowly shifting, dronescapes that evolve into perfect little pop songs and then explode into jagged shards of high end skree. Iran are psychedelic and textural and noisey and totally catchy, hardcore, hook-filled low fidelity un-pop noise. Pop. Plus fucking wicked 'tiger' cover art.
MPEG Stream: "Pick Up/Stillborn"
MPEG Stream: "San Diego"

IRAN s/t (Vulgar Tango) lp 8.98
The debut full length from SF noise pop weirdos Iran, released on cd by our very own Andee's tUMULt label, but available first on vinyl, via Vulgar Tango, run by one of the guys in Iran, who recently discovered a stash of these gathering dust, and let us have 'em! We haven't seen copies of Iran on vinyl in close to ten years, so now's your chance, to dip you toes into some early 2000s SF noise pop, and recoil in horror, as you pull your feet back covered in sonic muck and audial crud. Iran take 'Indie rock' and bury it in fuzz and hiss, taking ultra catchy pop, and dragging it through the detritus of lo-fi noise rock, picking up an ungodly assortment of buzz and blur and scuzz. Imagine a Pavement record on Siltbreeze. Or Sebadoh, if Lou Barlow was a jaded fuck instead of a sappy romantic. Or old Smog covering Skullflower. Or Harry Pussy playing Built To Spill. A beautifully cacophonous mess. Iran play damaged folk music, bombarded on all sides by a wild assortment of squeals and shrieks, static and hiss, and speaker clogging grit. Huge and slowly shifting, dronescapes that evolve into perfect little pop songs and then explode into jagged shards of high end skree. Iran are psychedelic and textural and noisy and totally catchy, hardcore, hook-filled, low fidelity, un-pop noise. Pop. Plus fucking wicked 'tiger' cover art. With a cool printed clear plastic insert.
MPEG Stream: "Pick Up/Stillborn"
MPEG Stream: "San Diego"

IRAN The Moon Boys (tUMULt) cd 11.98
This is the second missive from one of San Francisco's greatest NOISEPOP bands EVER, not 'noise pop' in the jangly-pop-punk-San-Francisco-festival-Creeper-Lagoon-Overwhelming-Colorfast-Fastbacks sense but the gorgeous-pop-songs-buried-under-a-thick-splattery-wall-of-buzz-hum-whir-skree-guitars-set-on-self-destruct-Beatles-flitered-through-Skullflower sense. Like Sebadoh or Pavement being backed up by Throbbing Gristle or Whitehouse. Or Nurse With Wound fronted by Elliott Smith. If you get our drift. For record number two, Iran scaled back the noise just a bit and let the pop shine through. And shine it does. Gorgeous, heart-breaking, voice-cracking lo-fi love (and un-love) songs, delivered in a wavery falsetto, over gentle guitars, naive drumming and strange but wonderful backgrounds woven from vocals, amp hum, guitar buzz, as well as rumbling low end and squealing feedback. When the noise does kick in, it's not noise for noise sake, Iran handle the squirming serpent with a deft hand, molding gorgeous sonic squalls and speaker shredding skree from overdriven amps and detuned guitars, with buried melodies and strange and mysterious rhythms laying beneath the storm, like looking through a murky pond at the secret life below. Adventurous indie rockers could very well be looking at their new favorite band, and experimetal/avant garde-niks may just find themselves developing a sweet tooth, cause everyone know the sugar goes down easier with a mouthful of medicine.
MPEG Stream: "Four Armed Star"
MPEG Stream: "We Could Go Away For A While"
MPEG Stream: "The Moon Shines Bright"

IRAN / CHURCH STEPS s/t (Dial) 10" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
These two San Francisco bands, take their indie rock streaks, and bury them under a layer of buzz and hiss and electronic skree. Iran sound a little like the Grifters if they were on Siltbreeze, and you were listening to them through a shortwave radio. The Church Steps take the lofi, and use the hifi to make it sound even more lo fi. Both sound beautifully damaged.

IREPRESS Samus Octology (All Indians, No Chiefs) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
You'd think Neurosis and Isis would be getting royalties at this point for the sheer number of bands that have 'borrowed' their sound. Then again, if that's how it worked, everybody in Slint and the Pixies would be millionaires. But as we've stated repeatedly in the past, maybe there's nothing new under the sun, and yeah all bands steal/borrow/are influenced by other bands, but it's what you do with those borrowed sounds afterwards that makes a difference. Sure, without Neurosis there would be no Isis, but Isis took their Neurosis obsession and went in a whole new direction and created their own super distinctive sonic world. Hence most of the Isis and Neurosis influenced bands we love, have done just that, taken certain parts, and incorporated their own angle, added their own unlikely influences, and created a sound that if not ALL their own, was at least a unique take on a familiar sound.
Irepress definitely fit right in that whole post rock metal crowd. So all you fans of Isis, Pelican, Rosetta, Mouth Of The Architect, Tides, Grails, Angel Eyes, Conifer and the like, can probably just stop right here and press that BUY button and be done with it. But for those of you who are maybe a little saturated in terns of the whole postrockmetal thing, and wonder why exactly you should free up precious space on your cd shelf for Irepress, well, we'll tell you.
First off, these songs are just awesome. angular and complex, convoluted and tense. Emotional and super catchy. Not as metal as a lot of their brethren, but still pretty dang heavy, crunchy riffs, that go from jagged and harsh, to smooth and spacey often in the same song. But what makes Irepress really stand out is their unabashed, over the top progginess. Sure the genre itself has a built in prog aspect, with long songs and lots of parts, but Irepress take it even further, with LOTS of super proggy spacey breakdowns, swoony and blissed out, but mathy and a bit noodly as well, guitars are muted and understated, weaving complex soundscapes of subtle shuffle incorporating hand drums, trumpet, spaced out FX, drifting minor key melody, lots of delay and reverb, and a whole bunch of super unexpected little flourishes before lurching back into some loping monstrous metallic groove. Some of those parts sound like Santana, others like Genesis, but the thing is, they aren't just little breaks, they are as much a part of the sound and the songs as the crushing riffage or the mathy post rock. It's a strange combination, it takes a little while to get used to, imagine some jammed out fusion breaking into some almost Maidenesque guitar over a chugging metalcore breakdown, or some blissed out percussive ambience slowly building into a massive sludgy epic. Beyond the bands unique progginess, a lot of the riffs themselves are really strange, cobbled together from or broken up into convoluted chugs and soaring high end leads, bits of indie jangle and some seriously downtuned crunch.
A super strange band for sure, pushing lots of our favorite buttons, moody math rock, crushing metallic groove, spacey proggy noodle, dreamy ambience, all pretty dizzying actually, which is exactly why we can't seem to stop listening to this!
MPEG Stream: "Pah No"
MPEG Stream: "Samus"
MPEG Stream: "Pistole"

IREPRESS Sol Eye Sea I (Translation Loss) cd 14.98
The first Irepress record was one of those essential discs for folks into that whole post rock metal hybrid Neur-Isis thing, Pelican, Rosetta, Mouth Of The Architect, Tides, Grails, Angel Eyes Conifer, and yeah, we still love that stuff. And Irepress's take on that sound was definitely bad ass, angular and complex and mathy, but with plenty of spaciness and a little bit of fusion(!), we know, we know, that's a scary word, but in the context of the songs it was just another element that sounded so right. If anything, this new Irepress is like a way more advanced version of the first record, which makes sense. The songs are way more epic, the playing is incredible, so tight and impossibly tangled and intricate, the fusion aspect is cranked up a bit too, which to some might be a bit off putting, but as far as we're concerned it makes Irepress just that much weirder. In fact a few times throughout the record the band slip into something almost funky, with handclaps and weird jangly guitars, but whenever that happens, you're usually only seconds away from an explosive blast of Meshuggah like chug, or soaring Godspeed-ish slow builds.
Anyone into the above mentioned bands, or THAT sound, these guys are definitely stretching the boundaries, the opening track is a dense chug fest, with crazy stop start lurching rhythms, and a long cool stretch where the band infuses little flurries of grinding crunch into glimmering chiming drifts of ethereal guitar, and then a cool sort of hard to describe groove, where the guitar seems all swathed in glitchy electronics. Cool stuff.
And the whole record is pretty out there, definitely not your typical post metal thing at all. Lots of long mellow melodic bits, and some of the metal parts are super intense and grindingly brutal, but those are more than balanced by all the weirdness, fucked up almost jungle jams, woozy melancholy buzz, soaring tangles of lead guitar, lurching start stops, plenty of programmed beats, and weird power metalisms, although most of the record is definitely spent shimmery and jangly and in that 'fusion' mode, which only makes the heavier parts that much more explosive and intense. But be warned, folks looking for nonstop heaviness will either be confused or disappointed, we however are digging this big time!
MPEG Stream: "Diaspora"
MPEG Stream: "Rhintu"
MPEG Stream: "Barrageo"

IRIS, DONNIE Back On The Streets / King Cool (Universal) cd 14.98

IRON & (AND) WINE Boy With A Coin (Sub Pop) cd ep 3.98
A little sneak peek at what's to come on the new Iron & Wine album which isn't comin' out until September. Oh cruel world, can we wait that long?! Well, we're just gonna have to. So in the meantime let's enjoy this one album track and two b-sides. Fifteen quality minutes of Iron & Wine is better than nothing. There's no drastic departures, maybe a few variations in instrumentation is all. Sam Beam sticks to his tried and true sleepyhead folk pop dreaminess.
MPEG Stream: "Carried Home"
MPEG Stream: "Boy With A Coin"

IRON & (AND) WINE Passing Afternoon (Sub Pop) cd ep 3.98
In a perect world, we would have a new Iron And Wine record every day. EVERY DAY! We NEVER get sick of Sam Beam and his summery dream folk. Lilting and sweetly melancholic. Shimmering crystalline melodies and hushed angelic vocal harmonies over lush and suble instrumentation. So so gorgeous. But since we will apparently never get our wish of a daily Iron And Wine, this three track ep will have to hold us over. One track from the recent album and two unreleased tunes. All three absolutely PERFECT!
MPEG Stream: "Communion Cups And Someone's Coat"

IRON & (AND) WINE Such Great Heights (Sub Pop) cd ep 3.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Okay, is this lame or is it awesome? Sub Pop has re-released Iron & Wine's admittedly fantastic rendition of "Such Great Heights" (one of their labelmates Postal Service's bestest songs). The cover version originally appeared on PS's 2003 ep by the same name. While we're more than happy to hear the song again, we're not so sure as to whether folks need to buy it again. Granted there are two previously unreleased live recordings from Radio Vienna, but the pair don't veer all that far from the original studio versions. They are "Naked As We Came" (the studio version can be found on Our Endless Numbered Days) and "Trapeze Swinger" (the studio version was on the In Good Company movie soundtrack). Plus, the cover art is just a hurriedly dashed off pencil crayon copy of the cover to Our Endless Numbered Days. We don't wanna get all harsh on Sam Beam and co. but, geez! That said, if you missed the title track the first time around and/or are an Iron & Wine completist, this may still become a cherished addition to your music library.
MPEG Stream: "Such Great Heights"
MPEG Stream: "Trapeze Swinger"

IRON & (AND) WINE The Creek Drank The Cradle (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
There was a time where we would buy ANYTHING that came out on Sub Pop. ANYTHING. And we still kind of miss those days once in a while. Where you didn't say "I like, ya know... Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Nirvana", you just said "Yeah, I like Sub Pop". Where there was a label 'sound': you know, grunge or whatever, you knew that if you liked Tad and the Thrown Ups and Mudhoney, you were probably gonna dig the Afghan Whigs and Soundgarden. And we were the first to balk when Sub Pop started deviating from their 'sound'. A sound so comfortable and familiar. But whether it was a desperate attempt to battle the massive grunge backlash or just label heads Jon and Bruce showing their age, or an attempt to actually do something really new and exciting, the end result is a catalogue at once brilliant, and totally confounding, perfect, but not right at all. Sure there were some real stinkers, and some records that were definitely 'friend rock' (you know, the only reason we put this out is because they're our friends), but nonetheless some of the most essential and under appreciated gems of the last decade exist -because- of this varied and eclectic take on indie/underground music. The two Zumpano records are all time unanimous aQ favorites, and there's the twangy rootsy country rock/pop of Beachwood Sparks and Chapaquidick Skyline, the gorgeous stripped down pop of Damien Jurado, as well as Mark Kozelek, Mark Lanegan, the Pernice Brothers and this one, the debut from Florida's Iron And Wine, a one-man-and-his-4-track, stripped down, Southern, country/folk/mope rock wash of dirgey back woods ballads sung in a plaintive whisper accompanied by banjo and acoustic guitar. SOOOOOOO NICE. So nice in fact, that this would definitely have been our record of the year if it wasn't for the near simultaneous release of the equally brilliant, but infinitely darker, Woven Hand record. And that said, it's definitely threatening to overtake the 'Hand as one of our most listened to records. You've all heard the lonely boy with a guitar, dreamy twangy heartbroken singer songwriter. It's been done to death (but what hasn't? Don't get us started!) But once in a while it's just -done right-. So right in fact, that it transcends its meager aspirations and becomes a volatile and intense emotional piece of art. Such is the case with Iron And Wine. Simple songs are strummed and plucked, the vocals are sort of whispered/sung, melodies surface occasionally to embed themselves permanently in your brain, banjos and acoustic guitars gently lift the vocals above the fuzzy dreamy ambience with a recording quality that makes everything sound like it's dappled with morning sunlight. Think a less damaged Elliott Smith. Think America or Bread (but think it in a nice way, c'mon). Think early Sebadoh without the jokes. Think Sentridoh recording for Folkways 50 years ago. Think Bread recording for K records and playing basements in Olympia. If there was any justice in the world, this would be the record all the little grrrls would put on their mix tapes, this would be the hapless singer songwriter that gets co-opted by the man and inexplicably records soundtracks and ends up playing a song on the Grammies and this would be the next big thing (which since this was first released, actually sort of is/did!!). But at the time, it seemed like it never would be, so that just leaves us with Iron And Wine, a twangy, shimmery, dreamy missive full of aching heartbreak, unrequited love, wistful hope, bitter resentment, untapped faith and inevitable diappointment, and a soul soothing contentment with the ways of the world. The perfect record to wile away breezy summer afternoons, to drive aimlessly through the rain, music keeping time with the windshield wipers, to fall asleep to, or to break the heart that keeps yours from breaking. One of the nicest records this year.
MPEG Stream: "Upward Over The Mountain"
MPEG Stream: "Weary Memory"
MPEG Stream: "Muddy Hymnal"
MPEG Stream: "Bird Stealing Bread"
MPEG Stream: "Southern Anthem"

IRON & (AND) WINE The Creek Drank The Cradle (Sub Pop) lp 15.98
There was a time where we would buy ANYTHING that came out on Sub Pop. ANYTHING. And we still kind of miss those days once in a while. Where you didn't say "I like, ya know... Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Nirvana", you just said "Yeah, I like Sub Pop". Where there was a label 'sound': you know, grunge or whatever, you knew that if you liked Tad and the Thrown Ups and Mudhoney, you were probably gonna dig the Afghan Whigs and Soundgarden. And we were the first to balk when Sub Pop started deviating from their 'sound'. A sound so comfortable and familiar. But whether it was a desperate attempt to battle the massive grunge backlash or just label heads Jon and Bruce showing their age, or an attempt to actually do something really new and exciting, the end result is a catalogue at once brilliant, and totally confounding, perfect, but not right at all. Sure there were some real stinkers, and some records that were definitely 'friend rock' (you know, the only reason we put this out is because they're our friends), but nonetheless some of the most essential and under appreciated gems of the last decade exist -because- of this varied and eclectic take on indie/underground music. The two Zumpano records are all time unanimous aQ favorites, and there's the twangy rootsy country rock/pop of Beachwood Sparks and Chapaquidick Skyline, the gorgeous stripped down pop of Damien Jurado, as well as Mark Kozelek, Mark Lanegan, the Pernice Brothers and this one, the debut from Florida's Iron And Wine, a one-man-and-his-4-track, stripped down, Southern, country/folk/mope rock wash of dirgey back woods ballads sung in a plaintive whisper accompanied by banjo and acoustic guitar. SOOOOOOO NICE. So nice in fact, that this would definitely have been our record of the year if it wasn't for the near simultaneous release of the equally brilliant, but infinitely darker, Woven Hand record. And that said, it's definitely threatening to overtake the 'Hand as one of our most listened to records. You've all heard the lonely boy with a guitar, dreamy twangy heartbroken singer songwriter. It's been done to death (but what hasn't? Don't get us started!) But once in a while it's just -done right-. So right in fact, that it transcends its meager aspirations and becomes a volatile and intense emotional piece of art. Such is the case with Iron And Wine. Simple songs are strummed and plucked, the vocals are sort of whispered/sung, melodies surface occasionally to embed themselves permanently in your brain, banjos and acoustic guitars gently lift the vocals above the fuzzy dreamy ambience with a recording quality that makes everything sound like it's dappled with morning sunlight. Think a less damaged Elliott Smith. Think America or Bread (but think it in a nice way, c'mon). Think early Sebadoh without the jokes. Think Sentridoh recording for Folkways 50 years ago. Think Bread recording for K records and playing basements in Olympia. If there was any justice in the world, this would be the record all the little grrrls would put on their mix tapes, this would be the hapless singer songwriter that gets co-opted by the man and inexplicably records soundtracks and ends up playing a song on the Grammies and this would be the next big thing (which since this was first released, actually sort of is/did!!). But at the time, it seemed like it never would be, so that just leaves us with Iron And Wine, a twangy, shimmery, dreamy missive full of aching heartbreak, unrequited love, wistful hope, bitter resentment, untapped faith and inevitable diappointment, and a soul soothing contentment with the ways of the world. The perfect record to wile away breezy summer afternoons, to drive aimlessly through the rain, music keeping time with the windshield wipers, to fall asleep to, or to break the heart that keeps yours from breaking. One of the nicest records this year.
MPEG Stream: "Upward Over The Mountain"
MPEG Stream: "Weary Memory"
MPEG Stream: "Muddy Hymnal"
MPEG Stream: "Bird Stealing Bread"
MPEG Stream: "Southern Anthem"

IRON & (AND) WINE The Sea & The Rhythm (Sub Pop) cd ep 9.98
Hard to know exactly what to say about this record. I gushed endlessly about the full length, and it being one of my 2 or 3 favorite records of the year. And like any great record, you're always left wanting more. So here ya go. MORE. More of the same. Five more songs of sun dappled, melancholy strum and twang, totally understated, but all the more powerful because of it. Wistful and heart wrenching, dreamy and soulful, mournful and completely perfect. Simple acoustic guitar strum and plucked banjo weave simultaneously lush and spare, perfect little folk masterpieces. Lyrics of surprising depth and intimacy are given subtle urgency by Sam Beam's gorgeously smooth croon, equal parts Elliott Smith, Joe Pernice, and Nick Drake, with a melodic sense that is uncannily Bread like. And that is NOT a bad thing. Everyone who bought the full length definitely needs this, and those who didn't, it's an inexpensive way to convince you that you need BOTH. The perfect addendum to one of the best records of the year.
MPEG Stream: "Jesus The Mexican Boy"
MPEG Stream: "Someday The Waves"

IRON & (AND) WINE Woman King (Sub Pop) cd ep 9.98
It's really difficult for a musician to develop a distinct sound, and then to progress from record to record in such a way, that your 'sound' continues to grow and change without losing the elements that made it so unique and personal in the first place. Sometimes, if you like a band enough, you don't mind if every record sounds the same, ten more songs that sound like the last ten songs you absolutely loved can only be more of a good thing, right? But it's the folks who do manage that delicate balancing act of moving forward but remaining true to their original vision that continue to truly inspire and blow us away. Iron & Wine happen to be one of those bands. After two full lengths and one ep in about two years, this newest ep takes Iron & Wine's hushed melancholia, with its gently strummed guitars, Sam Beam's whispered/sung breathless vocals, sweetly miserable arrangements, and brings the songs' emotional urgency to the fore, where before it was only hinted at lyrically and alluded to in minor key melodies and bleak lyrical imagery. This new batch of songs is much more aggressive in tone, reflected by more percussion, more propulsive tempos and a bigger reliance on different instrumentation (violin, piano, etc.) adding a sonic veil of death and despondency to this already mournful / melancholy song cycle. But even without these changes, there seems to be no end to Sam Beam's songwriting genius. Every song is a new dreamlike world, populated by pain and sorrow, hope and happiness, love and loss, immediately warm and recognizable, like a long lost memory from your childhood, or a song you already love and cherish, but at the same time each song is a wholly unique new musical discovery full of unlikely melodies and gorgeous musical landscapes that stick with you, as if the song is an experience you lived through and remember, catchy, timeless and totally unforgettable.
MPEG Stream: "Woman King"
MPEG Stream: "Jezebel"

IRON & (AND) WINE Woman King (Sub Pop) 12" 9.98
It's really difficult for a musician to develop a distinct sound, and then to progress from record to record in such a way, that your 'sound' continues to grow and change without losing the elements that made it so unique and personal in the first place. Sometimes, if you like a band enough, you don't mind if every record sounds the same, ten more songs that sound like the last ten songs you absolutely loved can only be more of a good thing, right? But it's the folks who do manage that delicate balancing act of moving forward but remaining true to their original vision that continue to truly inspire and blow us away. Iron & Wine happen to be one of those bands. After two full lengths and one ep in about two years, this newest ep takes Iron & Wine's hushed melancholia, with its gently strummed guitars, Sam Beam's whispered/sung breathless vocals, sweetly miserable arrangements, and brings the songs' emotional urgency to the fore, where before it was only hinted at lyrically and alluded to in minor key melodies and bleak lyrical imagery. This new batch of songs is much more aggressive in tone, reflected by more percussion, more propulsive tempos and a bigger reliance on different instrumentation (violin, piano, etc.) adding a sonic veil of death and despondency to this already mournful / melancholy song cycle. But even without these changes, there seems to be no end to Sam Beam's songwriting genius. Every song is a new dreamlike world, populated by pain and sorrow, hope and happiness, love and loss, immediately warm and recognizable, like a long lost memory from your childhood, or a song you already love and cherish, but at the same time each song is a wholly unique new musical discovery full of unlikely melodies and gorgeous musical landscapes that stick with you, as if the song is an experience you lived through and remember, catchy, timeless and totally unforgettable.
MPEG Stream: "Woman King"
MPEG Stream: "Jezebel"

IRON & THE ALBATROSS s/t (self-released) 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.
HOORAY! BACK IN STOCK!
Ara Anderson's sure stacked the decks in his favor for his debut release with a supporting cast that includes the beloved Jolie Holland on vocals, guitar and violin (perhaps repaying the kind favor of his stellar performance on her own Escondida album), and fine SF composer Erik Walker (psst, we also just got his wonderful album in stock on which you can also hear Mr. Anderson play). Much like that of Ms Holland, Mr. Anderson's music has an earthy, somber old tyme-y feel that's quite an anomaly these days. Much like the namesake of the seventh song ("Musee Mechanique" - the fabulous antique penny arcade here in SF) it's almost as though he's conjured his songbook pages from a very distant yesteryear. Richly expressive instrumentals are woven from player piano style ivory-tickling frolicks, wheezily congested horns, downtrodden strings and sullen woodwinds among other things -- occasionally off-kilter, whimsically carnivalesque, and often very melancholic. You might even wonder if Anderson was a silent movie score composer in a past life. The easiest (or, ahem, laziest) comparison that could be made is that many of these songs sound very much like the intimate rough-hewn music of Tom Waits minus the voice of Tom Waits (and actually Anderson has appeared on a couple of Waits' albums, Blood Money and Alice!), while others can be likened to the eccentric splendor of the Tin Hat Trio. Fans of both (as well as the abovementioned artists) should certainly take note of this talented gent. Simply wonderful!
MPEG Stream: "Musee Mechanique"
MPEG Stream: "Chinese Opera"

IRON & WINE / THE LOW ANTHEM Daytrotter Sessions (Daytrotter) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Originally intended to be released for Record Store Day, this split lp features long time aQ faves Iron And Wine, teamed up with new aQ faves the Low Anthem, both performing live (from a recent tour they did together). The four Iron And Wine tracks are expanded to a whole 100 minute set with the download coupon, and is heavy on the newer stuff, with a whole band, fairly rocking, big drums, horns, synths, if you dig the new sound, the new songs sound great live, as do the old ones. Not for newbies so much as for already-fans. The flipside finds the Low Anthem doing their dark brooding folk thing, taming a rowdy crowd, their sound, lush and dreamlike, haunting and meditative, lush vocal harmonies, all melancholy and sweetly moody, nearly 30 minutes of folky softly psychedelic drift.
LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES. Supposedly only available and indie stores, it's apparently already out of print, we have just 5 copies left, and then that's it! Comes in a full color jacket, with a swank letter pressed 2 color silk screened insert, and includes a download coupon, with the Low Anthem tracks and the WHOLE Iron And Wine set.

IRON AND WINE Around The Well (Sub Pop) 2cd 14.98
Seeing Iron And Wine perform live in the store recently was a revelation. We've long been huge fans of Sam Beam and his gorgeous hushed country folk (and even the later, more ramped up, full band sound), but seeing him play live, with just an acoustic guitar, and hearing the SOUND he conjured all by his lonesome, was totally breathtaking, impossibly lush and expansive, while remaining totally whispery and intimate, intricate fingerpicked guitar that didn't sound intricate, and his voice, so warm and soothing and almost angelic, and of course the songs, totally lovely and captivating and emotional and moving (we spied at least one person in the crowd at the I&W instore fighting back tears!).
Around The Well is a collection of odds and ends, B-sides, unreleased tracks, radio sessions, live performances and coolest of all, a whole bunch of unlikely covers. The songs throughout tend more toward his earlier stripped down, guy-and-his-guitar sound, which as far as we're concerned is what we like the best, it does seem to be in some sort of chronological order, as by the end of the second disc, Beam is joined by a full band, and while still stripped down, the songs are kitted out with bass and piano and even drums here and there (featuring Joey Burns of Calexico).
Not sure what to say about Iron And Wine that we haven't already. Check the multitude of gushing reviews on the aQ site, listen to the sound samples, Iron And Wine are just amazing. Beam creates some of the most moving, achingly heartfelt modern country folk we've ever heard, his voice is magic, his guitar playing sublime, even here, on what amounts to a collection of songs that didn't make it on the records proper, there's not a bad one in the bunch. And the above mentioned covers, Postal Service, Flaming Lips, New Order, even Stereolab, Beam totally makes them his own, folks not familiar with the originals would certainly be forgiven for assuming they were I&W originals.
It says a lot that a singles / B-sides comp holds up to an artist's records proper, but Around The Well certainly does, lately we find ourselves digging this as much as The Creek Drank The Cradle, the debut record that started it all. Like all Iron And Wine, so very recommended. The triple vinyl version includes a download coupon for mp3s of all the tracks, by the way.
MPEG Stream: "Dearest Forsaken"
MPEG Stream: "Peng!"
MPEG Stream: "Waitin' For A Superman"
MPEG Stream: "Such Great Heights"

IRON AND WINE Around The Well (Sub Pop) 3lp 23.00
Seeing Iron And Wine perform live in the store recently was a revelation. We've long been huge fans of Sam Beam and his gorgeous hushed country folk (and even the later, more ramped up, full band sound), but seeing him play live, with just an acoustic guitar, and hearing the SOUND he conjured all by his lonesome, was totally breathtaking, impossibly lush and expansive, while remaining totally whispery and intimate, intricate fingerpicked guitar that didn't sound intricate, and his voice, so warm and soothing and almost angelic, and of course the songs, totally lovely and captivating and emotional and moving (we spied at least one person in the crowd at the I&W instore fighting back tears!).
Around The Well is a collection of odds and ends, B-sides, unreleased tracks, radio sessions, live performances and coolest of all, a whole bunch of unlikely covers. The songs throughout tend more toward his earlier stripped down, guy-and-his-guitar sound, which as far as we're concerned is what we like the best, it does seem to be in some sort of chronological order, as by the end of the second disc, Beam is joined by a full band, and while still stripped down, the songs are kitted out with bass and piano and even drums here and there (featuring Joey Burns of Calexico).
Not sure what to say about Iron And Wine that we haven't already. Check the multitude of gushing reviews on the aQ site, listen to the sound samples, Iron And Wine are just amazing. Beam creates some of the most moving, achingly heartfelt modern country folk we've ever heard, his voice is magic, his guitar playing sublime, even here, on what amounts to a collection of songs that didn't make it on the records proper, there's not a bad one in the bunch. And the above mentioned covers, Postal Service, Flaming Lips, New Order, even Stereolab, Beam totally makes them his own, folks not familiar with the originals would certainly be forgiven for assuming they were I&W originals.
It says a lot that a singles / B-sides comp holds up to an artist's records proper, but Around The Well certainly does, lately we find ourselves digging this as much as The Creek Drank The Cradle, the debut record that started it all. Like all Iron And Wine, so very recommended. The triple vinyl version includes a download coupon for mp3s of all the tracks, by the way.
MPEG Stream: "Dearest Forsaken"
MPEG Stream: "Peng!"
MPEG Stream: "Waitin' For A Superman"
MPEG Stream: "Such Great Heights"

IRON AND WINE Kiss Each Other Clean (Warner Bros. ) cd 14.98
We got a taste of Iron And Wine's new sound on the Walking Far From Home cd ep released a while back, the title track of which opens up the new full length as well, so we figured we oughta just revisit what we said about that track when we first heard it:
Still present are Sam Beam's gorgeous vocals, and the lush instrumentation, piano, guitar, but what is missing, is the low key almost lo-fi sound, and in its place, is a seriously lush production, not to mention a fleshed out band, complete with piano, keyboard, background vocals (which swoop and soar E.L.O. style!) and all sorts of buzzy basslines, and random dubbed out percussion. It's jarring at first, but it only takes a few seconds where you begin to wonder why Beam didn't try his hand at lush dubbed out orchestral pop before, cuz "Walking Far From Home" is totally fantastic. The sort of song that will finally get folks to listen to Iron And Wine, who might have found the old stuff too folky. We're definitely hearing some Animal Collective, and other forward thinking pop groops too, seems unlikely, but damn, we've listened to this song about 20 times. So great.
And since then, we've probably listened to that song another fifty times at least. And it still sounds just as good, and just as exciting as it did the first time. And once you hear Beam and Co. playing this lush, Technicolor pop music, it makes the old stuff sound more like sketches of what was to come. Nothing will ever replace those records, they're gorgeous and practically perfect just the way they are, but it was definitely time for Beam to try something new. And this new direction is pretty fantastic, although it's bound to alienate plenty of long time I+W fans. The sound is way more slick, and thus more commercial, some of these tracks, it's not hard to imagine hearing them on a commercial, or in Starbucks, but maybe that speaks more to the times than to the particular sound, cuz really, the sound is not THAT far removed, it is the same voice, and the same songwriter after all, and the last few I+W records were moving in this direction anyway, it's the same songs, just cleaned up, and dressed in organs and chimes, and swirling harmonies, and keyboards and synthesizers, but it's still Beam's voice that defines the sound, whether it's the almost Beach Boys sounding harmonies of "Tree By The River", or the whispery croon on the weirdly funky "Monkeys Uptown", or the old school I+W vox laced over the dubbed out wah guitar driven psychedelia of "Rabbit Will Run", it still sounds distinctly like Iron And Wine and nobody else. And these experiments are still rooted in the timeless sound of Iron And Wine's old records, "Half Moon" stripped down, could have been off his debut, but here, with extra harmonies, the song sounds almost like Iron And Wine covering Fleetwood Mac, and "Godless Brother In Love" at its core sounds like classic Iron And Wine, but here it's piano instead of guitar that drives the song, not to mention strings and lush vocal harmonies, and thus musically it sounds more like Joanna Newsom or Antony or Rufus Wainwright, but it suits him, this all does (well most of it, there is one clunker, a WAY too funky groover with too much sax. No amount of tripped out synth or lovely vocalizing can tip those scales back). All in all, a wonderfully eclectic and exciting new chapter in the ever evolving sound of Iron And Wine, and one that we're digging quite a bit.
MPEG Stream: "Walking Far From Home"
MPEG Stream: "Me And Lazarus"
MPEG Stream: "Tree By The River"

IRON AND WINE Kiss Each Other Clean (Warner Bros. ) lp+cd 23.00
We got a taste of Iron And Wine's new sound on the Walking Far From Home cd ep released a while back, the title track of which opens up the new full length as well, so we figured we oughta just revisit what we said about that track when we first heard it:
Still present are Sam Beam's gorgeous vocals, and the lush instrumentation, piano, guitar, but what is missing, is the low key almost lo-fi sound, and in its place, is a seriously lush production, not to mention a fleshed out band, complete with piano, keyboard, background vocals (which swoop and soar E.L.O. style!) and all sorts of buzzy basslines, and random dubbed out percussion. It's jarring at first, but it only takes a few seconds where you begin to wonder why Beam didn't try his hand at lush dubbed out orchestral pop before, cuz "Walking Far From Home" is totally fantastic. The sort of song that will finally get folks to listen to Iron And Wine, who might have found the old stuff too folky. We're definitely hearing some Animal Collective, and other forward thinking pop groops too, seems unlikely, but damn, we've listened to this song about 20 times. So great.
And since then, we've probably listened to that song another fifty times at least. And it still sounds just as good, and just as exciting as it did the first time. And once you hear Beam and Co. playing this lush, Technicolor pop music, it makes the old stuff sound more like sketches of what was to come. Nothing will ever replace those records, they're gorgeous and practically perfect just the way they are, but it was definitely time for Beam to try something new. And this new direction is pretty fantastic, although it's bound to alienate plenty of long time I+W fans. The sound is way more slick, and thus more commercial, some of these tracks, it's not hard to imagine hearing them on a commercial, or in Starbucks, but maybe that speaks more to the times than to the particular sound, cuz really, the sound is not THAT far removed, it is the same voice, and the same songwriter after all, and the last few I+W records were moving in this direction anyway, it's the same songs, just cleaned up, and dressed in organs and chimes, and swirling harmonies, and keyboards and synthesizers, but it's still Beam's voice that defines the sound, whether it's the almost Beach Boys sounding harmonies of "Tree By The River", or the whispery croon on the weirdly funky "Monkeys Uptown", or the old school I+W vox laced over the dubbed out wah guitar driven psychedelia of "Rabbit Will Run", it still sounds distinctly like Iron And Wine and nobody else. And these experiments are still rooted in the timeless sound of Iron And Wine's old records, "Half Moon" stripped down, could have been off his debut, but here, with extra harmonies, the song sounds almost like Iron And Wine covering Fleetwood Mac, and "Godless Brother In Love" at its core sounds like classic Iron And Wine, but here it's piano instead of guitar that drives the song, not to mention strings and lush vocal harmonies, and thus musically it sounds more like Joanna Newsom or Antony or Rufus Wainwright, but it suits him, this all does (well most of it, there is one clunker, a WAY too funky groover with too much sax. No amount of tripped out synth or lovely vocalizing can tip those scales back). All in all, a wonderfully eclectic and exciting new chapter in the ever evolving sound of Iron And Wine, and one that we're digging quite a bit.
MPEG Stream: "Walking Far From Home"
MPEG Stream: "Me And Lazarus"
MPEG Stream: "Tree By The River"

IRON AND WINE The Shepherd's Dog (Sub Pop) cd 14.98
Ahhhh. Finally. A new Iron And Wine. Another delicate intimate breathy song cycle from Mr. Sam Beam. Every record is an absolute gem, and this one is no different. But wait, this one is actually quite different... Still a gem, but a whole new sonic world, much more varied and lush, expansive and haunting, with what sounds like a serious backup band, other voices, strings and percussion, it would be enough to get our heads spinning if the songs weren't so goddamn perfect.
In the past, on other Iron And Wine records, you know those slow motion shots of fields and plains, the horizon going on forever in every direction, the sun making rainbow flares, and little bits of dust and pollen drifting in the hot afternoon sun, billowy white clouds drifting in a deep blue sky... that's what those records sounded like. Exactly. Slow and lazy and languorous, soft focus, hushed an intimate. Eyes closed, you were immediately transported to some lost field filled with flowers, laying in the breeze, staring at the sky, the blades of grass tickling your skin... But with each successive record, the sound of I+W got a little bit darker, a little bit less fluttery and folky, more rocking, but never veering too far from that immediately recognizable safe and warm sound... until now.
This is a dark record, especially for Iron And Wine, minor key, intense, propulsive, with a strange steely edge, a little ominous, and yeah, just a little bit dark. Not all the way through, glimmers and hints here and there. But on some songs, like "White Tooth Man", the sound is definitely edgy and slightly sinister, electric slide guitar offering up menacing little filigree, the strumming more insistent than usual, even the vocals are frenzied, slipping into a gorgeous falsetto. All very tense. The rest of the record is more classic I+W sounding, that mysterious dark edge, more a shadow in the background, but the sound is like a whole 'nother band, lots of percussion, drumming, warm organ, harmonica, electric guitar, it almost pushes the sound into Eagles / America territory, bands Iron And Wine definitely had some affinity with in the past, but now made more solid, sonically. It's definitely a nice change, and lets the songs spread their wings. And while these changes were hinted at on the Woman King ep, Beam and Co. have definitely made those changes more sweeping, creating a whole new Iron And Wine sound in the process. And those aren't the only changes, check out "Boy With A Coin", with its strange almost electronic rhythms, weeping slide guitars and stuttery handclap backdrop, strange and alien sounding but really really cool.
Maybe this new sound is not quite as intimate, it no longer sounds like Beam is sitting at the foot of your bed, singing for you, whispering in your ear, every song a special personal lullaby, but these new songs have other riches to offer, layers of sound to unwrap, melodies to unfurl, now it's more like sitting in some strange clearing, late at night, around a fire, all the players cloaked in shadow, the branches casting strange black shapes on the ground, the songs coming to life and filling the night air with music both lovely and haunting, mysterious and familiar...
MPEG Stream: "Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car"
MPEG Stream: "White Tooth Man"
MPEG Stream: "Love Song Of The Buzzard"

IRON AND WINE The Shepherd's Dog (Sub Pop) lp 14.98
Ahhhh. Finally. A new Iron And Wine. Another delicate intimate breathy song cycle from Mr. Sam Beam. Every record is an absolute gem, and this one is no different. But wait, this one is actually quite different... Still a gem, but a whole new sonic world, much more varied and lush, expansive and haunting, with what sounds like a serious backup band, other voices, strings and percussion, it would be enough to get our heads spinning if the songs weren't so goddamn perfect.
In the past, on other Iron And Wine records, you know those slow motion shots of fields and plains, the horizon going on forever in every direction, the sun making rainbow flares, and little bits of dust and pollen drifting in the hot afternoon sun, billowy white clouds drifting in a deep blue sky... that's what those records sounded like. Exactly. Slow and lazy and languorous, soft focus, hushed an intimate. Eyes closed, you were immediately transported to some lost field filled with flowers, laying in the breeze, staring at the sky, the blades of grass tickling your skin... But with each successive record, the sound of I+W got a little bit darker, a little bit less fluttery and folky, more rocking, but never veering too far from that immediately recognizable safe and warm sound... until now.
This is a dark record, especially for Iron And Wine, minor key, intense, propulsive, with a strange steely edge, a little ominous, and yeah, just a little bit dark. Not all the way through, glimmers and hints here and there. But on some songs, like "White Tooth Man", the sound is definitely edgy and slightly sinister, electric slide guitar offering up menacing little filigree, the strumming more insistent than usual, even the vocals are frenzied, slipping into a gorgeous falsetto. All very tense. The rest of the record is more classic I+W sounding, that mysterious dark edge, more a shadow in the background, but the sound is like a whole 'nother band, lots of percussion, drumming, warm organ, harmonica, electric guitar, it almost pushes the sound into Eagles / America territory, bands Iron And Wine definitely had some affinity with in the past, but now made more solid, sonically. It's definitely a nice change, and lets the songs spread their wings. And while these changes were hinted at on the Woman King ep, Beam and Co. have definitely made those changes more sweeping, creating a whole new Iron And Wine sound in the process. And those aren't the only changes, check out "Boy With A Coin", with its strange almost electronic rhythms, weeping slide guitars and stuttery handclap backdrop, strange and alien sounding but really really cool.
Maybe this new sound is not quite as intimate, it no longer sounds like Beam is sitting at the foot of your bed, singing for you, whispering in your ear, every song a special personal lullaby, but these new songs have other riches to offer, layers of sound to unwrap, melodies to unfurl, now it's more like sitting in some strange clearing, late at night, around a fire, all the players cloaked in shadow, the branches casting strange black shapes on the ground, the songs coming to life and filling the night air with music both lovely and haunting, mysterious and familiar...
MPEG Stream: "Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car"
MPEG Stream: "White Tooth Man"
MPEG Stream: "Love Song Of The Buzzard"

IRON AND WINE Walking Far From Home (Warner Bros. ) cd ep 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A "Black Friday Record Store Day" 3 song teaser for the new Iron And Wine full length due early next year, and our first glimpse of I&W's new sound. Still present are Sam Beam's gorgeous vocals, and the lush instrumentation, piano, guitar, but what is missing, is the low key almost lo-fi sound, and in its place, is a seriously lush production, not to mention a fleshed out band, complete with piano, keyboard, background vocals (which swoop and soar E.L.O. style!) and all sorts of buzzy basslines, and random dubbed out percussion. It's jarring at first, but it only takes a few seconds where you begin to wonder why Beam didn't try his hand at lush dubbed out orchestral pop before, cuz "Walking Far From Home" is totally fantastic. The sort of song that will finally get folks to listen to Iron And Wine, who might have found the old stuff too folky. We're definitely hearing some Animal Collective, and other forward thinking pop groops, seems unlikely, but damn, we've listened to this song about 20 times. So great.
And the two exclusive non-album tracks are equally kick ass. "Summer In Savannah" is all jazzy and krautrocky, you can almost imagine the song rearranged for OLD Iron And Wine, lazy and softly strummed, but here, the basslines buzz, the guitars are alternately jangly and jagged, there's an almost funky vibe, playful xylophone like melodies, more lush background vocals, swooping backwards effects. Again so unexpected. And then there's "Biting Your Tail", which might be the most surprising of the bunch. A weird bit of minimal electro pop, all clipped skittery beats, buzzing basslines, squelchy electronics, all laid beneath lush vocals, steel drum like melodies, and some glistening psychedelically shimmery crescendos, and a distinctly rhythmic post rock vibe running throughout.
Wow. We never would have guessed, but we're definitely digging this big time, and are dying to hear the full length...
MPEG Stream: "Walking Far From Home"
MPEG Stream: "Biting Your Tail"

IRON AND WINE Walking Far From Home (Warner Bros.) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A "Black Friday Record Store Day" 3 song teaser for the new Iron And Wine full length due early next year, and our first glimpse of I&W's new sound. Still present are Sam Beam's gorgeous vocals, and the lush instrumentation, piano, guitar, but what is missing, is the low key almost lo-fi sound, and in its place, is a seriously lush production, not to mention a fleshed out band, complete with piano, keyboard, background vocals (which swoop and soar E.L.O. style!) and all sorts of buzzy basslines, and random dubbed out percussion. It's jarring at first, but it only takes a few seconds where you begin to wonder why Beam didn't try his hand at lush dubbed out orchestral pop before, cuz "Walking Far From Home" is totally fantastic. The sort of song that will finally get folks to listen to Iron And Wine, who might have found the old stuff too folky. We're definitely hearing some Animal Collective, and other forward thinking pop groops, seems unlikely, but damn, we've listened to this song about 20 times. So great.
And the two exclusive non-album tracks are equally kick ass. "Summer In Savannah" is all jazzy and krautrocky, you can almost imagine the song rearranged for OLD Iron And Wine, lazy and softly strummed, but here, the basslines buzz, the guitars are alternately jangly and jagged, there's an almost funky vibe, playful xylophone like melodies, more lush background vocals, swooping backwards effects. Again so unexpected. And then there's "Biting Your Tail", which might be the most surprising of the bunch. A weird bit of minimal electro pop, all clipped skittery beats, buzzing basslines, squelchy electronics, all laid beneath lush vocals, steel drum like melodies, and some glistening psychedelically shimmery crescendos, and a distinctly rhythmic post rock vibe running throughout.
Wow. We never would have guessed, but we're definitely digging this big time, and are dying to hear the full length...
MPEG Stream: "Walking Far From Home"
MPEG Stream: "Biting Your Tail"

IRON BUTTERFLY Heavy (Rhino) cd 12.98

IRON BUTTERFLY In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (Atco) lp 12.98

IRON CLAW s/t (Vintage / Rockadrome) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Rockadrome's Vintage label has been on a roll of late, delving into the misty, musty, mystic proto-metal past to find some heavy holy grails - first and foremost, our recent Record Of The Week, 1972's self-titled album by Jerusalem! Also a reissue from New Zealand heavies Human Instinct, and now this, the eagerly awaited yet ultra obscure collection of previously unreleased tracks from a '70s Scottish band called Iron Claw. Well, previously unreleased except for bootlegs, which accounts for the anticipation with which we looked forward to this fully authorized, carefully compiled disc. Iron Claw never managed to put out an album in their lifetime, but they did record quite a few studio demos circa 1970-1974, which is what you'll hear here. And yes the Claw is HEAVY.
We've heard plenty of bands over the years who have tried to sound like Black Sabbath in various ways. A lot of our favorites in fact, being as into doom metal as we are. But before Witchfinder General and Saint Vitus and Trouble, before Candlemass and Cathedral, before Sleep and Sheavy and Electric Wizard and Witchcraft... there was Iron Claw. They didn't grow up listening to Black Sabbath albums. No, this is a band who fell under Black Sabbath's spell after seeing 'em play... in 1969! That was *before* the first Sabbath album came out, please note. (Which brings up another interesting story - apparently Iron Claw's bassist had actually recorded that Sabbath gig - and not long ago made a pretty penny selling the tapes to Ozzy and Sharon, it being the earliest known live Sabbath material extant.)
Pretty soon after this "revelation" of seeing Sabbath, the mostly teenaged blues rock combo Iron Claw became what must have been the world's first Black Sabbath tribute band, doing Sabbath covers, while simultaneously working on original material for the first time. So the influence of Sabbath over Iron Claw's own songs is pretty strong, especially in the guitar dep't, less so with the vocals. But for heaviness and a general doomy vibe, Iron Claw are clearly indebted to Iommi & Co., while also reminding us of such bands as T2, May Blitz, Nazareth, and Budgie. Maybe some Grand Funk Railroad too. This was heavy stuff, especially for the era. Heck you've got to admit that the band name (which comes from the lyrics to King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man") is pretty darn metal. IRON CLAW!!! Plus, good grief, they did a song called "Skullcrusher" in 1970 when everybody else (except for Sabbath) was all peace and love and flowers and beads. Inspired by Sabbath they sure were, but they get credit for being one of the first, taking it (down?) to the next level of underground downer rock worship and metallic menace. Later on when bands like Judas Priest and then the whole NWOBHM thing took over, these guys must have known they'd been ahead of the curve.
The sixteen tracks here span several years and several slightly differing Iron Claw lineups, and we were impressed by all of 'em, from their earliest, rawest recordings like the lumbering, blown-out "Clawstrophobia" (about the mental breakdown of someone stuck in an elevator!) to the riffy blitz of "Crossrocker" to their occasional attempts at something more 'pop' (but still heavy, even with horns, as on "Loving You").... all the way to the proggier final phase of Iron Claw's existence, on tracks like "Winter", with flute, yay! There's also a bit o' harmonica on "Strait Jacket" (a la "The Wizard"). But mostly, the Claw is all crunching guitar distortion, pounding drums and wailing vocals. Plus, psychedelic freakiness abounds in interludes (like the backwards Mellotron at the start of "Pavement Artist" and the spooky tripped out FX going into "Devils" - a song inspired by the band seeing the premiere of the Ken Russell movie of the same name at the Edinburgh Film Festival).
It's all pretty badass early doom action. Seriously we think folks into Sabbath (of course), Witchcraft and suchlike are gonna be blown away by a lot of this. And it's a really nicely done disc, the cd booklet featuring photos and several pages of band history, along with lyrics and notes on each track written by one of the surviving Iron Claw dudes (sadly, a couple of the members have passed away already). Sound-wise, it varies, generally lo-fi but pretty decent for demos, and not nearly so rough as that Bedemon disc ferinstance. No complaints there. Way to go Rockadrome, again! Now that they've unearthed the Claw, perhaps we can look forward to a sequel second cd of archival live material - we'd love to hear Iron Claw's cover of "War Pigs" with complete with their use of Ozzy's original, alternate lyrics....
MPEG Stream: "Skullcrusher"
MPEG Stream: "Sabotage"
MPEG Stream: "Rock Band Blues"
MPEG Stream: "Winter"

IRON DOGS Cold Bitch (Dying Victims Productions) cd 10.98
The Iron Dogs are a Stratocaster-wielding power trio playing '80s inspired denim n' leather, punked out speed metal, that sorta sounds like a hybrid of Speedwolf and Slough Feg. They hail from the far northern climes of Ottawa, Canada, where it's not that hard to find husky sled dogs to pose with a naked bloody warrior woman in the snow for the cover photo of your album, apparently! That somewhat cheesy cover pic and the band's fairly generic name (they're on a label whose roster includes at least two other "Iron" bands, Iron Kobra and Iron Curtain, by the way), while piquing our curiosity, had actually kept our expectations low; little did we know that Iron Dogs would become one our our favorite new metal bands once we actually heard 'em - indeed Allan here has become a little bit obsessed, proclaiming this to be his fave metal album of the year thus far, though technically it came out in 2012, but definitely hasn't been widely distributed or reviewed. Seriously, as you can imagine, we listen to so much new music here all the time that if something winds up in actual heavy rotation, garnering repeat play, can't wait to go home and listen to that disc again and AGAIN status, it's something pretty special.
Their name provides a few clues. First off, it clearly references two of their biggest influences, namely Iron Maiden and the English Dogs. With Maiden, we're talking first two albums, short haired singer Paul di'Anno era, and English Dogs, they were an '80s punk band who just happened to do a couple of amazing heavy metal albums - so yeah, think NWOBHM at its closest intersect with '77 punk. Also, "Iron Dogs" was a song from the first album by Canadian speed metal pioneers Exciter, so they're named after that too. And they live up to it all, totally back alley punk, totally fist waving metal, plus they possess their own special, undefinable X-factor that just puts this over the top.
Vocalist/guitarist Jo Capitalicide is no Paul Di'Anno but his rushed, rough vocals still possess yobbish punk charm and sound both sincere and spirited, and totally works with this music, which is soooooo energetic and catchy, played with sloppy, off-the-rails abandon. The lo-fi garage production is totally PERFECT for this too. The combo of their rollicking riffs and the raw sound is just killer, Iron Dogs rockin' like excited, inspired kids.
Lead off cut "Razors Of Doom" gallops into view riding a riff that's straight up Iron Maiden Paul Di'Anno era. Ooooh-yeah. Then the magnificent "Dragon Chord" appears, a song that's somehow a punk rock version of mystical Manilla Road metal. Literally fantastic. Next up, "Wrath Of The Barbarians" has got another one of those classic Maiden-ish riffs to it, it's (again) quite a stormer... but heck we could go on and on talking about each and every one of the nine tracks on here, they're all great, full of hooks and feeling, it was friggin' tough to pick which ones to make sound samples of, or maybe it was easy since we couldn't go wrong with any of 'em.
Basically, THIS is metal at both its purest, and punkest. It's practically joyous. Probably not for everyone, but if you "get" this you'll really really love it.
By the way, anybody who might be worried that the aforementioned cover or album title is (however quaintly) not that PC, should be comforted by this note from inside the cd: "Iron Dogs is fiercely anti-fascist! Homophobes, sexist idiots & bigots: F.O.A.D.!!" They also proudly state: "Only Fender Stratocasters were used in this recording! Total Strat-metal!" Maybe that's the X-factor?
MPEG Stream: "Wrath Of The Barbarian"
MPEG Stream: "Dragon Chord"
MPEG Stream: "Death's Driver"
MPEG Stream: "Cold Bitch"

IRON LUNG Sexless / No Sex (Prank) cd 11.98
We've long been fans of Seattle's Iron Lung, but this is the first time they've made it on the aQ list, it's about time too, after about a million splits and a couple proper full lengths. A drums and guitar duo, not that you'd ever know it from their sound, Iron Lung are dense and thrashing, lurching and pounding, thrashing and grinding modern power violence.
And yeah, we know that all the real power violence bands are dead and gone (Man Is The Bastard, Infest, No Comment, Spazz, Crossed Out) and that most bands these days who call themselves power violence, are typically NOT, and are just trying to garner cool cred by aligning themselves with the above mentioned bands. As far as we know, Iron Lung don't consider themselves power violence, probably more like thrashcore, or just hardcore, but their sound is way too varied and fucked up and metal to be so simple to describe. Sure there's plenty of thrashing and blasting, but the band spend just as much time plodding along doomily, with some serious metallic riffing, and plenty of lurching stop/start arrangements, huge slabs of churning downtuned groove and caveman like pummel, but even at their doomiest, the tracks still occasionally splinter into atonal angular melodies, mathy off kilter rhythms and freaked out squalls of tangled grind. Brief bursts of complex fury, stretched into churning, sprawling mini power violence epics.
Awesome cover art by Rudimentary Peni's Nick Blinko!!
MPEG Stream: "Pig Hands"
MPEG Stream: "Stone Hands"
MPEG Stream: "Future Corpses"
MPEG Stream: "Sexless // No Sex"

IRON LUNG Sexless / No Sex (Prank) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've long been fans of Seattle's Iron Lung, but this is the first time they've made it on the aQ list, it's about time too, after about a million splits and a couple proper full lengths. A drums and guitar duo, not that you'd ever know it from their sound, Iron Lung are dense and thrashing, lurching and pounding, thrashing and grinding modern power violence.
And yeah, we know that all the real power violence bands are dead and gone (Man Is The Bastard, Infest, No Comment, Spazz, Crossed Out) and that most bands these days who call themselves power violence, are typically NOT, and are just trying to garner cool cred by aligning themselves with the above mentioned bands. As far as we know, Iron Lung don't consider themselves power violence, probably more like thrashcore, or just hardcore, but their sound is way too varied and fucked up and metal to be so simple to describe. Sure there's plenty of thrashing and blasting, but the band spend just as much time plodding along doomily, with some serious metallic riffing, and plenty of lurching stop/start arrangements, huge slabs of churning downtuned groove and caveman like pummel, but even at their doomiest, the tracks still occasionally splinter into atonal angular melodies, mathy off kilter rhythms and freaked out squalls of tangled grind. Brief bursts of complex fury, stretched into churning, sprawling mini power violence epics.
Awesome cover art by Rudimentary Peni's Nick Blinko!!
MPEG Stream: "Pig Hands"
MPEG Stream: "Stone Hands"
MPEG Stream: "Future Corpses"
MPEG Stream: "Sexless // No Sex"

IRON MAIDEN Final Frontier (Universal) cd 14.98
Well here we go, Iron Maiden album number 15, potential post-reunion disappointment #???... or maybe not. Crikey, we can't tell any more. In fact, before we comment on this album, the first thing we need to do is take back what we said about the Iron Maiden album before the Iron Maiden album before this one, Dance Of Death. Listened to it again (and again) the other day, and actually it's pretty decent, with a few great songs in fact ("Paschendale" mos def). Not at all the disappointment we claimed it was when it came out. Sorry about that guys. And while the cover still sucks, you can flip it over, the booklet's back cover photo looks better.
So, we're not even sure we trust ourselves to review this new one. Who knows what we'll think about it in a couple years? Maybe just let folks buy it (and they have been!) and decide for themselves. Though of course if you don't already have Killers, Number Of The Beast, Piece Of Mind, et. al. we actually won't LET you buy this, you need to get the original '80s classics first. But if you're a Maiden fan, then the question we'll ask is, have you heard all their Bruce-back-in-the-band reunion albums? We loved 2000's Brave New World, made it a Record Of The Week (really), then were mistakenly meh (until recently that is!) about 2003's Dance Of Death, and thought 2006's A Matter Of Life And Death was all right, but flawed, definitely over-long... The Final Frontier is flawed too, and longer even than AMOLAD, but not as glum and gloomy, much more bright and varied. And it's NOT the sci-fi concept album that it might appear at first glance, in fact the title track (which is joined to a surprisingly experimental, almost Hawkwindish space-metal intro entitled "Satellite 15") isn't about the outer space final frontier of Star Trek fame at all, instead it seems to be about dying, facing the final frontier of DEATH, and whatever may lie beyond. All right, a few further notes...
PROS: It's IRON MAIDEN, dude!! And even 21st century Iron Maiden, despite their unfettered tendency towards long-winded progginess (and sometimes cheesy poppiness) have that special X-factor (ahem, well...) that makes 'em sound like nobody else. Gosh, we can't be objective, really, since we're pre-programmed to respond to the soaring sound of Bruce's voice and the gallop of Steve's bass and the harmonized guitars of Dave and Adrian (um, and Janick?) and the battery of ol' Nicko... not to to mention the visage of Eddie on the cover (a much better cover this time than than the last couple, by the way, with Eddie starring as both Alien and Predator it would appear).
CONS: Well there's that aforementioned long-winded progginess etc. This album is 76 minutes for crying out loud, their longest yet! Featuring ten (long) songs, many of which once again display the "repeat the song title as the chorus waaaaaaay too many times" syndrome they've been suffering from for a while. And needless to say, they're never ever gonna write another "Hallowed Be Thy Name" or "Aces High", can't be done. Though they could probably come closer with a little more aggression, and editing...
Yet, at the same time, it's the (relatively) shorter rockers, like the single "El Dorado" early on in the album tend to be the weakest tracks here, but the uber melodic prog epics later on, in the second half of the record, like "Isle Of Avalon", "Starblind", and "When The Wild Wind Blows", are quite stirring and satisfying to our adjusted-for-expections 21st Century Iron Maiden desires... or again maybe it's that Pavlovian response of ours kicking in. Basically, we're enjoying this for what it is, cringing a bit at some parts, totally digging others, sometimes 'cause they sound like old Maiden, sometimes 'cause they don't (ferinstance the spacey, fusiony, jammy guitar parts in "Isle Of Avalon" and elsewhere). If you DO like reunion Maiden, like us, then all we can say is, this is a your-milage-may-vary situation. Right now, repeated spins of this are still eliciting guilty grins from the Maiden fans at AQ.
NB. we're stocking the regular compact disc edition, and the double picture disc vinyl... but not the special "mission edition" cd, which despite some bonus web-only content it allows you to access, doesn't seem worth the extra bucks.
MPEG Stream: "Coming Home"
MPEG Stream: "Isle Of Avalon"
MPEG Stream: "When The Wild Wind Blows"

IRON MONKEY/CHURCH OF MISERY We've Learned Nothing/Murder Company (Man's Ruin) split cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
10" records by both bands, now in the handy cd format. Japan's Church of Misery churn out the psychedelic serial-killer-fixated '70 styled Sabbath-dirge, while England's Iron Monkey play an Eyehategod-ish sort of ugly sludge metal (including a Corrosion of Conformity cover, from back when CoC were good). Thus, this disc is absurdly heavy indeed.

IRON TONGUE Dogs Have Barked, The Birds Have Flown (Neurot) cd 14.98
We weren't sure what to expect from this, a new band on Neurosis' Neurot label featuring the singer from, Southern sludge heavies Rwake, but we can tell you it sure wasn't this. A sort of brooding soulful classic rock? Twang flecked Southern hard rock? Brooding metallic singer songwriter moodiness. A little of all of those? The label namedrops Down, and Crowbar, which in theory sort of apply, but Iron Tongue are not nearly s heavy as either. At least much of the time. We're actually reminded quite a bit of the recent Neurot compilation of Townes Van Zandt covers, especially on the opener, Iron Tongue has the same sort of apocalyptic folk, wasted country rock vibe, the music laid back and lush, a big band, with whirring organs, even soulful female backup vocals, which was a surprise, and does actually sound kinda weird at first, or at least out of place, but once you're in the mindset of where these guys and gals are coming from, it totally fits. We also hear lots of Raging Slab, and aQ faves Antler, as well as one of our all time favorite singers, Mark Lanegan, Iron Tongue vocalist Chris Terry's whiskey soaked rasp the perfect foil for the group's slow burn heavy Southern rock. And it is heavy at times, in fact much of the record is spent rocking pretty hard, the band locking into extended jams, lead guitars shredding over smoldering grooves. And on tracks like "Witchery", the band get all bellowy and bellicose, the sound muscular and indeed a little bit sludgey, but then they'll slip right back into something more moody, like "7 Days", with its slippery slide guitar, and boy/girl vocal harmonies, again getting downright soulful, which might be a bit much for some metalheads, but hell, we're digging it, some seriously hooky hard and heavy southern rock, what's not to love?!
Folks expecting Rwake style sludge will definitely be bummed, but fans of Raging Slab, Antler, Skynrd, and other Southern/stoner rockers, should definitely check this out!
MPEG Stream: "Ever After"
MPEG Stream: "Witchery"
MPEG Stream: "Moon Unit"

IRVING KLAW TRIO Utek Pahtoo Mogol (Road Cone) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
2nd album from our favorite Capt. Beefheart-meets-Jon-Spencer band, featuring Wooly Bugger editor Jeff Fuccillo.

IS s/t (Awesome Vistas) lp 14.98
A new batch of Awesome Vistas is always a cuse for celebration around here, so we're pretty thrilled to get not one, but TWO new AV jams, Flower Of Flesh And Blood, reviewed elsewhere on this list [no, not this list, the original list it was on] and this, the simple titled Is, which is the soundtrack music for an art exhibit by Chris Johanson, who also happens to be the Awesome Vistas head honcho.
For this project, Johanson gathered up a whole mess of kick ass guests, including Sam Coomes (Quasi), Tom Greenwood (Jackie O Motherfucker), Sara Lund (Unwound), Emil Amos (Grails), Tara Jane O'Neil, Nick Bindeman (Acre) and more, to create a gorgeous abstract drift of folky percussion, soft wheezing drones, and looped mesmer.
Two twenty minute side long tracks, the first begins with an awesome looped start stop figure, before expanding into something more free and folky and free jazzy, drums and flutes and acoustic guitars and cellos, eventually growing to a muted frenzy, like a free jazz / free folk / drum circle psych jam, think Avarus, No Neck Blues Band, Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Jackie O, but with a bit more of a chamber music vibe. Quite nice.
The second track is much more folky and hippy, definitely reminding us of the Finnish forest folk, with tribal rhythms, hand drums, shakers and random percussion, fluttery flutes, detuned guitars and chanted vocals, total psychedelic spaced out Wicker Man folk that slowly sprawls and then dissipates.
Gorgeous hand silkscreened sleeves with a photocopied insert, and yeah, probably limited too...

ISBELLS s/t (Zeal) cd 11.98
From the same label that brought us the most recent record of dark apocalyptic folk from Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat, comes this gorgeous bit of dreamy folkiness, recorded in an old stable in Belgium, Isbells create a lush softly strummed folky pop that reminds us of both Bon Iver and Iron And Wine. Mainman Gaetan Vandewoude has an impossibly gorgeous crystal clear voice, and has crafted the perfect musical backdrop for that voice, adding just the occasional bit of slide guitar, gentle horns here and there, scattered percussion, and spidery bits of extra melody, but for the most part, needing nothing but an acoustic guitar and his voice, the songs surprisingly lush, most warm and sun dappled, but occasionally, slightly dark and dreamily dramatic.
This is fast becoming a new favorite. Just listen to the sound samples, if you're anything like us, you'll be immediately smitten. So good!!
MPEG Stream: "As Long As It Takes"
MPEG Stream: "Without A Doubt"
MPEG Stream: "Reunite"
MPEG Stream: "My Apologies"

ISENBERG, KATE The Time Comes On Humming Tracks (self-released) cd 11.98
A new self-released solo album by this lovely SF singer/songwriter, Kate Isenberg! If you like your pop music dulcet. pretty and downright easy on the ears, Isenberg's spartan voice and guitar numbers are so for you! Charming!

ISHIKAWA, AKIRA & COUNT BUFFALO Uganda (Tiliqua) cd 34.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This incredible far out and fantastic Record Of The Week has been out of stock for a while, seemingly out of print, but recently the label discovered a stash, so we grabbed as many as we could, and you now have one more chance (most likely your last) to grab one of these before they're gone for good. You won't regret it, everyone we know who bought a copy freaked out and declared it one of their new all time favorites, and for good reason as it's an amazing, mind blowing, tripped out chunk of pure sonic inspiration. It's strange and beautiful and weirdly heavy, and proggy and tribal and it's funky as all get out... Here's our original review from when we first made it our Record Of The Week:
It's no longer out of the ordinary for a rock band to look beyond rock for inspiration. Or a jazz band, looking to expand their sound. It definitely makes sense as musicians are generally constantly striving to explore, to open their minds, their music, searching for unique instruments, new ideas, new sounds, even looking for something much more ineffable, something more spiritual. Psychedelic rock bands have typically looked East, The Beatles are probably the prime example of a rock band looking to India for musical AND spiritual inspiration. But on a much smaller scale, modern music develops and expands by incorporating new influences, the more 'exotic' the better. So for years, we could watch bands do just that, incorporate new instruments, sitars, tablas, whatever, alternate tunings, Eastern scales. Jazz musicians on the other hand, tended to look to Africa for inspiration, the tribal drumming, the vocal chants, all found their way onto tons of amazing records, amazing in part because of what they borrowed from the African music that was their genesis, as with many many discs by the Art Ensemble, Coltrane, Don Cherry, etc., etc.É
So if all this borrowing and influence is so commonplace, what's the big deal with this disc, a deluxe reissue of a rare 1972 LP entitled Uganda, by Japan's strangely named Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffalo? Well to begin with, imagine a Japanese jazz drummer in the early seventies, so obsessed with African music, that not only are his records already rife with African influences, but he eventually travels there, and proceeds to play with local musicians, collects indigenous instruments, and returns, driven to realize the record he knows he must make, Uganda, a record that manages to sound like African music, jazz and psychedelic rock, while sounding like nothing else. Ishikawa teamed up with fellow percussionist Larry Sunaga, a bassist and guitarist, and a saxophonist, who instead of playing sax, composed all four lengthy pieces here, the results are amazing. Dense, dizzying, abstract and tribal, fuzzy and tripped out, long stretches of solo hand drum percussion, furious acid fuzz freakouts (courtesy of guitarist Kimio Mizutani, from Love Live Life+1, People, and other freaky Japanese '70s psych units), chanting and handclaps, all woven into an expansive, sprawling divine chunk of out there Afro-fuzz-psych-jazz-rock divinity.
Take the first track "Animals and Dawn", nearly 12 minutes long, and over those 12 minutes, the song veers and drifts through about ten distinctly different sounds and styles, all held together by the relentless African drum jam that runs through all four tracks. Beginning with what sounds like some strange low end synth buzz, those drums kick in, intense and hyper rhythmic, amazingly recorded, so on headphones it sounds like drums are all around you. That buzz, pulses and undulates beneath the frenzied drumming, and this goes on for almost 3 minutes, which is when some wild super distorted acid psych guitar swoops in, jagged and freaked out, spitting out soaring wah wah drenched buzz, before the bass joins in and the drums coalesce into a more recognizable groove, and the band nails it, heavy, slithery proto-metal, churning and pounding, eventually locking into a super technical prog workout, and then dropping out completely, again leaving just the drums, which are soon joined by hand clapping, and chanted African style vocals. Finally, for the last four minutes or so, the band unwinds a groovy jazzy prog workout, still underpinned by those same rhythms, but now the bass carries the groove, letting the guitar go wild, wild psychedelic leads all tangled up in great strange shapes over the groovy rhythm below. Eventually, the song is swallowed up by effects, reverb, delay, echo, as if the band were playing on some huge elevator, as we sit on the surface, listening as the band slips further and further into darkness. Holy shit. If this were a $30 single, that track alone would make this essential for folks into psychrock, proto-metal, free jazz, avant African music or really anyone into strange and fantastical sounds.
The second track, "Asking For Love", once again begins with African drums, the two percussionists, offering up wild tangled beats for nearly two minutes, until in swoops a weird synthy buzz, which quickly transforms into a seriously Led Zep worthy riff, the drums a strange counterpoint to the distinctly rock and roll riffage, and the vocals soaring and shouting, but this kick ass riff fades out only after a minute, and we're back to more dense drumming, Mesmerizing and hypnotic, locking into incredible grooves, veering off into off kilter time signatures here and there, but always returning to that groove. This continues until about one minute from the end, when the bass and guitars explode in a buzzing psychedelic freakout, the drums mirroring the intensity of the axes, locked into an ever expanding supernova of blown out sound, until the furious explosive finish. Whew.
Track three (on the original, the start of side 2) "Battle", begins with some straight up jazz prog, angular and complex, the drums and guitars locked tight, the whole thing convoluted and intricate, stopping suddenly after 30 seconds, at which point an African thumb piano plucks out a delicate music box melody, while in the background, other strange instruments scrape and thump and honk, eventually blossoming into a full on Afro-jam, the drums pounding away, male and female vocals, call and response over the mesmeric beats below, but again, this only lasts a few minutes before switching gears and launching right back into the angular prog that opened the track. This happens a couple more times. Long stretches of abstract percussion, plenty of buzz, and rattle, melodies played out on mysterious African instruments, separated by brief blasts of that buzzing tangled prog, which is exactly how the track finishes off.
The closer, "Pygmy" begins with a groovy walking bass line, a cowbell heavy almost-funk rhythm, eventually some acidic wah wah guitar, and suddenly we're in some serious seventies, Blaxploitation soundtrack style jazz funk, the bass a constant presence, that groove irresistible, the vocals soulful, the percussion still busy and intense, beneath the more static rhythm driving the songs. The guitar and vocals get all tangled up, the vocals more sort of scatting, the guitar offering up jagged shards of high end, or unfurling soaring psychrock leads, the bass and guitar locking into step right at the end, for one final super tight psychprog finish.
It almost seems ridiculous to describe each song in detail, as that's only part of the story. All four tracks work together, leading into one another, offering up bits from pervious songs, giving up little sonic hints as to what might come later, and it's not just the arrangements, it's the feel, the mood, the vibe, and while mere description might make some of the songs sound schizophrenic, flipping back and forth from part to part, some parts lasting only a few seconds, nothing could be further from the truth. The composition here is as deft as the performance, the arrangement is simultaneously free and abstract, yet, tight and composed. The songs breathe and open up, drift and wander, but never seem to lose their direction, and the grooves ever present, even if on the surface the band seem to be drifting though inner space.
Uganda is truly unique, freaky and far out for sure, but most definitely an essential chunk of jazzy, proggy African Japanese psych rock bliss, organic, expansive, epic, rhythmic, space-y, proggy, heavy and funky!! If you've got Julian Cope's Japrocksampler book, you'll find it in his Top 50 list of Japanese psych essentials, right above the debut from Flower Travellin' Band.
As with all Tiliqua releases, gorgeously packaged. This one is housed in a full color miniature box, printed front and back, with a Japanese style obi of course, and inside extensive liner notes in both Japanese and English, with tons of photos. And it is limited of course, not sure how limited, but judging from how quick past Tiliqua releases fly out of here, better to be safe than sorry. And this is actually the first in a new Tiliqua series called Distorted Oriental Sensory Perceptions 1969-1978 focusing on "Obscure Japanese Psychedelic rock artifacts." We can hardly wait to see what they dig up next... there's a lot of others on that Japrocksampler list we'd love to hear...
MPEG Stream: "Wanyamana Mapambazuko"
MPEG Stream: "Na Tu Penda Sana"
MPEG Stream: "Vita"

ISIDORE DUCASSE s/t (Blackest Rainbow) lp 17.98
Super limited new lp from the duo, Isidore Ducasse, which is Jefre Cantu-Ledesma (Root Strata, Tarentel, etc.) and his ex-Tarentel partner Trevor Montgomery. Named for the 19th century French poet better known by his pen name Comte de Lautreamont, this unit was originally formed to create the soundtrack for a Western, and while the film never materialized, the eventual soundtrack, this record right here, works just fine on its own, being darkly evocative and well able to conjure up visions of some lost West in the minds of the listeners.
Definitely mining territory similar to groups like Earth and Barn Owl, the vibe is dusty and windswept, desolate and dreamlike, opening with chiming melodies, delicate and hushed, over soft swells of tape hiss and amp buzz, the record slowly unfolding as a series of hazy, shimmery drones, all moonlit and washed out, peppered with languorous twang, streaks of warm fuzz and deep low end thrum. Stretched out atmospheres that drift from lush layered buzz, to soaring string like majesty, swoonsome melodies surfacing amidst slow swirling clouds of soft focus distortion. There are moments where the record veers into way more abstract territory, with the duo capable of conjuring up some sweet cosmic dronemusic or more minimal abstract drift, and those moments definitely have their place, and do evoke some fantastic and mysterious tableaus that no doubt play out in whatever imaginary western these sounds now accompany, and there is enough of those sounds that this will no doubt hit the spot for those into drone/drift minimalism, but the core of the record remains a dark twang flecked drift, a dreamy, otherworldly ambience, a slo-mo avant country drift, that will no doubt appeal to fans of Barn Owl, Earth, Scenic, Morricone and the like. So nice.
Pressed on 140 gram vinyl, LIMITED TO 500 COPIES!
MPEG Stream: "Mesmeric And Savage"
MPEG Stream: "Early Thoroughfare"
MPEG Stream: "Here Lies A Youth... Of Consumption"
MPEG Stream: "Irrepressible Shudder"

ISIS In The Absence Of Truth (Ipecac) cd 17.98
What can we say about Isis that we haven't already said at this point. They are the masters. The Lords of epic, brooding, slow burn, metallic post rock majesty. And rightfully so. Every record has managed to push forward, exploring new territory, without losing what it is that makes us like them so much. Which is tough to do. But Isis make it seem effortless.
Sure, you can blame them for the recent glut of mediocre moody epic math rock. But it's really not their fault. Everytime a band happens upon a 'new' sound, a sound that is dramatic, and exciting, a sound that captures the ears of jaded music fans, well, undoubtedly in the wake of that band will follow an army of wannabees.
But Isis remain unfazed. They sit within their castle, atop a mountain of mighty riffs, and sharp craggy melodies, gazing down from the heavens. Free to do whatever they want with their sound, even if it pisses off the masses, especially if it pisses off the masses.
So with In The Absence Of Truth, Isis have again redefined and reassessed, resulting in a new record that is distinctly less metal, and much more moody and expansive. Lots of tribal drumming, crooning vocals, the metallic chugs aren't huge back-breaking riffs, instead they are part of the sonic landscape, contributing to the texture almost more than the overall heaviness. Where Isis were once worshippers at the altar of Neurosis, they have now pretty much entirely shed their Neurotic trappings and emerged butterfly like to display their new shape and blindingly resplendent colors. Rare is the heavy band that is as adept at crafting epic soundscapes, creating tension and weaving elaborate sonic tapestries as they are at crushing and pounding and pummeling, but Isis are definitely that rare band.
However, don't be misled by all this talk of mood and ambience, a lot of In The Absence Of Truth is very heavy, and is quite metal, vocals howl and downtuned riffs crush, drums pound and the bass throbs, the band transforming into a swaying lurching metallic behemoth. BUT, these huge bursts of metallic might are placed with care, used sparingly, the way a writer judiciously doles out his exclamation points, each blast nestled between lengthy sonic explorations and slow meandering moody mathiness, resulting in a super dynamic and entirely captivating slab of subtle heaviness.
MPEG Stream: "Wrists Of Kings"
MPEG Stream: "Dulcinea"

ISIS In The Absence Of Truth (Robotic Empire) 2lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
OK, now Isis are getting in on the confusing multiple version thing, but, c'mon, you know you love it!! This is the domestic vinyl version of the most recent Isis record In The Absence Of Truth. It's on Robotic Empire, it's of course incredibly limited, the ones we have are on black vinyl, maybe not as collectable as the colored versions, but everyone knows black vinyl sounds better... Nice thick gatefold jackets, printed inner sleeves. Anyway, there is another version reviewed elsewhere on this list, it's the Japanese import version, almost the same artwork, except it has an obi and is on colored vinyl. Oh, and it's insanely expensive. But knowing you Isis fans, you'll probably want both this one AND the pricey Japanese version, and why the heck not, it's a fucking kick ass record:
What can we say about Isis that we haven't already said at this point. They are the masters. The Lords of epic, brooding, slow burn, metallic post rock majesty. And rightfully so. Every record has managed to push forward, exploring new territory, without losing what it is that makes us like them so much. Which is tough to do. But Isis make it seem effortless.
Sure, you can blame them for the recent glut of mediocre moody epic math rock. But it's really not their fault. Everytime a band happens upon a 'new' sound, a sound that is dramatic, and exciting, a sound that captures the ears of jaded music fans, well, undoubtedly in the wake of that band will follow an army of wannabees.
But Isis remain unfazed. They sit within their castle, atop a mountain of mighty riffs, and sharp craggy melodies, gazing down from the heavens. Free to do whatever they want with their sound, even if it pisses off the masses, especially if it pisses off the masses.
So with In The Absence Of Truth, Isis have again redefined and reassessed, resulting in a new record that is distinctly less metal, and much more moody and expansive. Lots of tribal drumming, crooning vocals, the metallic chugs aren't huge back-breaking riffs, instead they are part of the sonic landscape, contributing to the texture almost more than the overall heaviness. Where Isis were once worshippers at the altar of Neurosis, they have now pretty much entirely shed their Neurotic trappings and emerged butterfly like to display their new shape and blindingly resplendent colors. Rare is the heavy band that is as adept at crafting epic soundscapes, creating tension and weaving elaborate sonic tapestries as they are at crushing and pounding and pummeling, but Isis are definitely that rare band.
However, don't be misled by all this talk of mood and ambience, a lot of In The Absence Of Truth is very heavy, and is quite metal, vocals howl and downtuned riffs crush, drums pound and the bass throbs, the band transforming into a swaying lurching metallic behemoth. BUT, these huge bursts of metallic might are placed with care, used sparingly, the way a writer judiciously doles out his exclamation points, each blast nestled between lengthy sonic explorations and slow meandering moody mathiness, resulting in a super dynamic and entirely captivating slab of subtle heaviness.
MPEG Stream: "Wrists Of Kings"
MPEG Stream: "Dulcinea"

ISIS In The Absence Of Truth (Japanese Version) (Daymare) 2lp 45.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
OK, now Isis are getting in on the confusing multiple version thing, but, c'mon, you know you love it!! This is the fancy imported Japanese version, on Daymare Recordings, of the most recent Isis record In The Absence Of Truth. Not to be confused with the domestic version on Robotic Empire. This is of course incredibly limited, the ones we have are on either clear, or red vinyl, and which color you get will be COMPLETELY RANDOM, so please DO NOT request a particular color. Nice thick gatefold jackets, printed inner sleeves. These are super expensive, they're imports, they have almost the exact same artwork as the domestic version, except for a Japanese style obi, and obviously the colored vinyl. But knowing you Isis fans, you'll probably want both this one AND the Robotic Empire one, and why the heck not, it's a fucking kick ass record:
What can we say about Isis that we haven't already said at this point. They are the masters. The Lords of epic, brooding, slow burn, metallic post rock majesty. And rightfully so. Every record has managed to push forward, exploring new territory, without losing what it is that makes us like them so much. Which is tough to do. But Isis make it seem effortless.
Sure, you can blame them for the recent glut of mediocre moody epic math rock. But it's really not their fault. Everytime a band happens upon a 'new' sound, a sound that is dramatic, and exciting, a sound that captures the ears of jaded music fans, well, undoubtedly in the wake of that band will follow an army of wannabees.
But Isis remain unfazed. They sit within their castle, atop a mountain of mighty riffs, and sharp craggy melodies, gazing down from the heavens. Free to do whatever they want with their sound, even if it pisses off the masses, especially if it pisses off the masses.
So with In The Absence Of Truth, Isis have again redefined and reassessed, resulting in a new record that is distinctly less metal, and much more moody and expansive. Lots of tribal drumming, crooning vocals, the metallic chugs aren't huge back-breaking riffs, instead they are part of the sonic landscape, contributing to the texture almost more than the overall heaviness. Where Isis were once worshippers at the altar of Neurosis, they have now pretty much entirely shed their Neurotic trappings and emerged butterfly like to display their new shape and blindingly resplendent colors. Rare is the heavy band that is as adept at crafting epic soundscapes, creating tension and weaving elaborate sonic tapestries as they are at crushing and pounding and pummeling, but Isis are definitely that rare band.
However, don't be misled by all this talk of mood and ambience, a lot of In The Absence Of Truth is very heavy, and is quite metal, vocals howl and downtuned riffs crush, drums pound and the bass throbs, the band transforming into a swaying lurching metallic behemoth. BUT, these huge bursts of metallic might are placed with care, used sparingly, the way a writer judiciously doles out his exclamation points, each blast nestled between lengthy sonic explorations and slow meandering moody mathiness, resulting in a super dynamic and entirely captivating slab of subtle heaviness.
MPEG Stream: "Wrists Of Kings"
MPEG Stream: "Dulcinea"

ISIS Live IV - Selections 2001-2005 (Robotic Empire) 2lp 25.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We only got a handful of these, so odds are they will be gone quick, as the last volume disappeared in the blink of an eye. This long in the works vinyl version of the now out of print cd is finally available, but not for long
There was a time not so long ago, where the idea of mixing metal with post rock was a unique one. The thought of taking massive slabs of downtuned heaviness and mixing 'em up a bit with some moody rhythmic bits or some angstful angular bits was just a flight of fancy. A whole slew of metal bands influenced as much by Slint as Neurosis? Hardly. Well, here we are, 2008, and you pretty much can't turn around without bumping into a post rock metal band, or a metallic post rock band. Which is okay, cuz it's a sound we can definitely get behind, in fact we've been championing that sort of stuff for ages, maybe even before it had a name or was an actual musical movement. Isis were definitely one of the first of this new breed of metallic post rockers, and as such continue to hone their sound, push the boundaries and give all those young whippersnappers something to shoot for. The last proper full length was epic and majestic. A deft Neurosis / Godspeed hybrid. Expansive and majestic, but controlled and precise. Some folks have labeled it intellectual metal or something similar, but for us, it's just heavy, and complex, cinematic and gorgeous kick ass rock. In addition to proper releases, Isis have released a series of live recordings, capturing the band live, where, not only do they sound slightly heavier, and a little bit more loose (a good thing), they also stretch out, and let the songs breathe, let riffs repeat, add parts, even improvise, from dark moody drones to blown out space jams. It's awesome to hear a band at the top of their game, a band who seem to be all about control, let loose and just rock (or drone or shuffle or whatever). Live Selections 2001-2005 is the 4th live release so far, and collects material from 2001 through 2005, including on air radio performances, as well as live shows from the Troubadour, CBGB, the Middle East and more. Of all the live records, this is probably the loosest and weirdest. The songs sound great (of course) but the band takes way more chances, parts are twisted and stretched out, long parts turn into epic jams, there's even a lengthy improv / jam loosely inspired by Nirvana's "Endless Nameless". The songs sound fantastic, epic, soaring, heavy, brooding, beautiful, great recordings, amazing sound, essential for Isis fans for sure.
But the packaging, wow! Custom letterpressed gatefold jackets, really minimal and quite striking, we have the HONEY colored vinyl, a sort of translucent brown, limited to 524 copies, we only got about 10 of those, so act fast...
MPEG Stream: "Gentle Time"
MPEG Stream: "Glisten"
MPEG Stream: "Improv 1 / Endless, Nameless"

ISIS Panopticon (Ipecac) cd 17.98
Admittedly, when we first heard Isis, it was like we had discovered another Neurosis. The similarities were striking, the downtuned sludge, the massive riffs, the earth crushing epics. But there can be only one Neurosis, and Isis were quick to figure that out, gradually embracing melody and mathrock as much as metallic bombast. The result was a divine melding of Neurosis and Godspeed You Black Emperor. On Panopticon, Isis move even further from their crusty metallic forbears, becoming much more contemplative and measured, subtle and melodic. Roiling waves of minor key metal-crush do still bookend most of the tracks, but the emphasis is on dreamily seasick waltzing post rock intricacy. Minimal and massive, melancholy and and cinematic, you could definitely imagine that this is what it would sound like if a band like Tarentel decided to make a 'metal' record.
The tracks here are all epic and mesmerising, slow burning post rock workouts that build and build and build. Lots of clean vocals too, a definite Alice In Chains vibe here and there, which is not at all a bad thing. Many of the songs slowly devolve into Loop-like psychedelic jams, guitars to oblivion. And it's sonically divine. Isis still get lumped under the metal umbrella, but this sounds much more like a rock band, an experimental heavy rock band who just happen to like their guitars loud and who at the drop of a hat, can whip out a riff that destroys all comers!
MPEG Stream: "So Did We"
MPEG Stream: "Backlit"

ISIS + AEREOGRAMME In The Fishtank 14 (Konkurrent) cd 11.98
So what do you get when you take a band who specializes in grand and epic, super sweeping metallic post rock epics, and put them in a studio with another band who specializes in grand and epic, super sweeping metallic post rock epics? Yeah, it's sort of a trick question. The answer in case you weren't able to figure it out on your own, is: grand and epic, super sweeping metallic post rock epics! Not really a surprise then. But who cares really. If that's your cup of tea, then drink up, this will for sure hit the spot.
These two monsters of metallic post rock got together for the In The Fishtank series and whipped up these three songs, and if you're a fan of either band, you'll pretty much need this. The first track sounds a lot more like Aereogramme, brooding and slow building, loping minor key math rock, that shimmers and shuffles, eventually joined by soft vocals, while the drums get more and more affected and dubbed out. Track two is a lot heavier on the Isis, and we do mean heavier. A chugging juggernaut, slithery slow crawl, with reverbed vocals and chiming melodies, and huge howled choruses. The final track is back to the mellower side, slowly drifting guitar shimmer and droning ambience, soft swells of melody and drums way up in the mix, super dubbed out, the whole thing sounding like some sort of post rock dub version of a Sigur Ros B-side. Nice!
MPEG Stream: "Low Tide"
MPEG Stream: "Delial"

ISLAJA Blaze Mountain Recordings (Ecstatic Peace) cd 12.98
Islaja is pretty much our dreamdate... 'cause after all, doesn't the collective AQ personals ad state that we're really into Finnish forest freak folk? And gentle late night moodiness? And heartbreakingly beautiful, breathy vocals, sung in a language we don't understand? Droning yet melodic psychedelic soundscapes? Yep, we're swooning over here. We even think it's kinda cute that young miss Islaja (aka Merja Kokkonen) is flipping the bird on the album cover! But, we're a little jealous of the shirtless dude standing next to her, that must be her partner Jukka Raisanen, who along with Kokkonen herself plays the music heard here. We also have to contend with Thurston Moore (hey, he's a married man), who has stepped in to arrange Islaja's first domestic release on his Ecstatic Peace label, after three wonderful previous releases on the Finnish label Fonal that had us (and presumably Thurston) swooning when we all first heard 'em.
This new Islaja is just as good as any of those. Actually, Blaze Mountain Recordings is a live album, featuring versions of some songs originally found on Islaja's Fonal releases (like "Pete P" from Ulual Yyy), performed with perhaps even more intimate magic. This collection of songs is as dreamy and drowsy sounding as you'd expect, full of twilight melodies and chiming abstraction.... and sorta sounds like the Jewelled Antler folks on a dreamdate of their own with the lovely Islaja. Delicate and mopily relaxed, or sometimes dark and sinisterly nervous, always with the restraint of small sounds (some played on toy instruments?) that allow Islaja's singing (a bit Cat Power, a bit Bjork) to carry the day. Swoon swoon swoon, our hearts are yours Islaja.
MPEG Stream: "Emoa Ikava"
MPEG Stream: "Pete P"

ISLAJA Keraaminen (Fonal) cd 17.98
It's no secret we have a deep love of so many of the sounds that come from the Finnish underground, and Islaja is one of the most golden treasures to come from that magical region. It's been over three years since we've heard new material from her, but with artists of this quality, whose songs are so meticulously constructed, we totally understand and appreciate that it takes a good deal of time to create a new album. And man oh man was the wait worth it, as Keraaminen is her most bold, up front, crisp and riveting work to date. Her earlier songs were very much buried in layers of rustic dirt, muddied and mysterious, but with her mystical sounding voice cutting through the fog. But now she has reached a place where she is confident and assured enough to strip away the excess layers while maintaining such gorgeous and evocative atmospheres, and her voice sounds as powerful, and alluring as ever. While previous outings have found her being compared to Bjork, that comparison maybe seems more apt here, as on this record she is able to use her voice as such a strong instrument conveying such striking and mesmerizing emotions. And for people who haven't heard Islaja before but love folks as haunting and varied as Zola Jesus, Fever Ray, Beth Gibbons, Jane Birkin, Brigitte Fontaine, Laurie Anderson, Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, and Jarboe, we imagine you'll probably fall very much in love with the sounds on this record. We definitely have!
Recorded in locations all across the globe, in Helsinki, Berlin, Grand Popo, and Hong Kong, this is an album that transcends both geographical and musical borders. We've loved all her albums, and this one has grabbed us from our initial listen and we've been listening to it multiple times a day since it arrived, and this will probably be a record that pops up on several of our year end favorite lists too!
MPEG Stream: "Joku Toi Radion"
MPEG Stream: "Otakun Uhkaus"
MPEG Stream: "Ihmispuku"