J CHURCH One Mississippi (Honest Don's) cd 13.98
Long awaited fifth full-length from these SF pop-punk stalwarts J Church. Prior to its release, there were rumours that this cd was possibly going to be a double album, but nope, they fit all 26 songs on one cd. This time around taking their time recording at Lucky Cat Studios, Lance, Adam and Jeff are taking it a bit more laidback -- leaving more room for the melodies to shine through. Whether this shift in pace is due to a very alarming health scare or new love, who knows? J Church are back and sounding fresh and in high spirits. Adding to the light springy air of this record are the sweet vocals of the lovely Kelly, formerly of SF's PEE. Particularly key tunes: "Anybody" and "The Track". Great stuff.

J CHURCH Palestine (Honey Bear) cd 13.98
The resilience, strength and determination of Lance Hahn of pop-punk vets J Church are unquestionable. He's soldiered forth in the face of much adversity - health problems and a fire that consumed his home and Honey Bear Records headquarters. This new collection follows their Meaty, Beaty, Shitty Sounding (2001) and their great One Mississippi (2000), but actually was intended as a follow-up to 1996's Drama Of Alienation which preceded One Mississippi. Still with me? Needless to say, JC's Lance Hahn is super prolific, a tireless songwriter and road warrior. This cd displays his honest, no-frills, capture-the-moment recording processes. It was recorded whenever and wherever worked for them - both budget and timewise. In fact, many of these recordings were done years ago, and due to a number of obstacles, are only now seeing their release. That said, there are some rough spots, unfixable flaws, and downright murky moments in these recordings, but fans of J Church know full well what the band's all about, and that's doing the best with what's at hand and maintaining a sense of immediacy. Lance's lyrics address both the personal and political. Thus, to further encourage the grassroots exchange of ideas, he also includes a suggested reading list along with the lyric sheet in the liner notes. That list includes works by Nagisa Oshima, Hans Richter, Paul Avrich among others.
RealAudio clip: "Star Of The Show"
RealAudio clip: "Not Proud Of The USA"

J CHURCH / STORM THE TOWER split (Honest Mike's Broken Rekkids) cd 14.98
Maybe it's just 'cause we miss our ol' pal Lance Hahn, ever since he moved off to Austin, TX a little while back, that reviewing this release by his melodic, energetic pop-punk band J Church just makes us all nostalgic, thinking about when we could count on seeing Lance almost everyday hanging out here at Aquarius. But of course we're happy he's happy over there in Texas, and we're also happy to report that J Church is as vital as ever. This split teams five tracks performed by Lance Hahn's new Texan J Church lineup with four cuts by another Austin-based band, Storm The Tower, who play a Black Flagish, vaguely metallic style of hardcore. Their side is no let down, while J Church's half adds five fine new songs to the vast J Church discography, ranging from galloping pop punk anthems to explorations in guitar noise texture. Opening track "Terror Or Love" we almost thought was '80s metal before Lance's distinctive, earnest, diy vocals kicked in on the chorus!
MPEG Stream: J CHURCH "Terror Or Love"
MPEG Stream: STORM THE TOWER "Feeding The Filth Eater"

J. K. & CO. Suddenly One Summer (Sundazed / Beatrocket) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Self-described by J.K. himself, Suddenly One Summer "was actually a spiritual realization through LSD." Certainly a dark psych album with hazy morose, Moby-Grape-style vocals that sound as if they're being uttered by a cosmic being somewhere beyond the next galaxy... or, in real life, a fifteen year old musical prodigy who journeyed from Vegas to Vancouver to make this album in 1968. J.K. was reportedly obsessed with the Beatles, and the record's got all your standard late '60s stylish accessories: sitar, a 30-second spaced out intro to "get you in the mood" as the acid kicks in, a sprinkle of backwards guitar, etc. Nice, if a bit underwhelming, given that we'd heard amazing things about this before actually hearing it. First time this album has been available since its release in '68.
RealAudio clip: "Little Children"
RealAudio clip: "The Times"

J.C. SATAN Hell Death Samba (Slovenly) cd 13.98
We flipped over this French/Italian fuzz/garage/noise pop combo after an aQ pal insisted we'd dig em. And dig em we did. So much so that we proclaimed "Odyssey Of Love" the opening track of their first record our jam of the year, and here it is months and months later an we find ourselves still blasting that jam regularly, along with the rest of the record.
And then out of nowhere came a brand new full length of J.C. Satan's peculiar brand of psychedelic noise pop, and if anything, this latest record cranks up the noise considerably, at least over the first few tracks, so the pop, while still most certainly present, is often buried beneath crumbling walls of guitar crunch, or strange sing song vox, or wild squalls of psychedelic freakout. Thick crunchy riffs, wild chaotic drumming, lots of jangle and soaring melody, the first half of the record fierce and frantic, the sort of thing that would have the crowd sweaty bouncing wildly, the sort of band that would be a perfect match for our own Oh Sees.
But as the record progresses, the noise seems to abate bit, revealing the jangle pop underneath, with the sound slipping from old school Modest Mouse to quirky Blonde Redhead, but their own twisted and slightly noisy take on both. Check out "Crystal Snake" with its weird slow build almost Sun City Girls sounding melodies all woven into some seriously heavy fuzzy garage rock crunch, or "Close To Me", all slithery jangle rock ballad, replete with crashing noisy chorus, or "Abandon" which takes the Beach Boys' dreamy surf pop and makes it even more dreamy, all hazy and druggy, or "In The Light", that sounds downright Beatles-esque, albeit a bit more warbly and lysergic.
The heavy buzzy noisy garage rock perfectly balanced by the more washed out and woozy dream pop, and yet another record from these guys (and gals) we can't seem to get enough of.
MPEG Stream: "Hell Death Samba"
MPEG Stream: "Dear Dark J."
MPEG Stream: "Heil Mary"
MPEG Stream: "Misunderstood"

J.C. SATAN Hell Death Samba (Slovenly) lp 13.98
We flipped over this French/Italian fuzz/garage/noise pop combo after an aQ pal insisted we'd dig em. And dig em we did. So much so that we proclaimed "Odyssey Of Love" the opening track of their first record our jam of the year, and here it is months and months later an we find ourselves still blasting that jam regularly, along with the rest of the record.
And then out of nowhere came a brand new full length of J.C. Satan's peculiar brand of psychedelic noise pop, and if anything, this latest record cranks up the noise considerably, at least over the first few tracks, so the pop, while still most certainly present, is often buried beneath crumbling walls of guitar crunch, or strange sing song vox, or wild squalls of psychedelic freakout. Thick crunchy riffs, wild chaotic drumming, lots of jangle and soaring melody, the first half of the record fierce and frantic, the sort of thing that would have the crowd sweaty bouncing wildly, the sort of band that would be a perfect match for our own Oh Sees.
But as the record progresses, the noise seems to abate bit, revealing the jangle pop underneath, with the sound slipping from old school Modest Mouse to quirky Blonde Redhead, but their own twisted and slightly noisy take on both. Check out "Crystal Snake" with its weird slow build almost Sun City Girls sounding melodies all woven into some seriously heavy fuzzy garage rock crunch, or "Close To Me", all slithery jangle rock ballad, replete with crashing noisy chorus, or "Abandon" which takes the Beach Boys' dreamy surf pop and makes it even more dreamy, all hazy and druggy, or "In The Light", that sounds downright Beatles-esque, albeit a bit more warbly and lysergic.
The heavy buzzy noisy garage rock perfectly balanced by the more washed out and woozy dream pop, and yet another record from these guys (and gals) we can't seem to get enough of.
MPEG Stream: "Hell Death Samba"
MPEG Stream: "Dear Dark J."
MPEG Stream: "Heil Mary"
MPEG Stream: "Misunderstood"

J.C. SATAN Sick Of Love (Slovenly Recordings) cd 13.98
Recommended to us by an aQ pal (thanks Hank!) as most likely being 'right up our alley', we were pretty excited to check out this French / Italian outfit, heck, they're called JC Satan, and the record cover is a pretty intense and bizarre painting of a masked man covered in blood and sores, surrounded by two topless demon women, one wearing a pentagram, the other with 666 carved on her belly, the trio standing between two big pillars of smoke, but the drawing is not 'metal scary', more cartoonish, which should have been our first hint that this 'Satan band was not at all metal, and instead, trafficked in something else entirely. That something else in this case is some fantastic fuzz poppy garage rock, a sound much more in like with Thee Oh Sees and the Fresh And Onlys and the like than anything remotely heavy or evil.
In fact the opening track "Odyssey Of Love" might be out new favorite garage pop jam, all big chiming reverby guitars, pounding echoey drums, Beach Boys-ish vox, sweet female background vocals, dreamy and hooky and washed out and hazy and a little bit druggy. But wait, the second track "Prehistoric Love" is just as good, more laid back and low slung, with some impossibly distorted guitars, that blown out, peaking production making everything that much more murky and muddy, but with a soaring chorus, kick ass drumming, and some rad howled female screams, this is some dark buzzy fuzzy garage rock bliss for sure.
"Your Place" gets all spaced out an minimal, like some lost lo-fi NZ drone pop gem, a smoldering garage rock ballad, all spidery melodies, and woozy, weary boy/girl harmonies, "Itaca" is also laid back and dreamily druggy, sounding like Mazzy Star via Dum Dum Girls, "The Day" gets things going again, with some Lyres like riffage, some knuckle dragging drum pound, and more of that meter pegging production, while "You Are Good" is another warped dirgey blast of sixties style reverb heavy garage-y groove, and so it goes, a dark and mysterious collection of deliriously druggy fuzzed out garage rock from this Euro crew, the sort of thing that should have the current crop of fuzz pop garage rockers anxiously checking their rearview mirrors...
Most definitely recommended for fans of Thee Oh Sees, Blasted Canyons, Ty Segall, Bare Wires, Davila 666, etc...
MPEG Stream: "Odyssey Of Love"
MPEG Stream: "Prehistoric Love"
MPEG Stream: "Your Place"
MPEG Stream: "The Day"

J.C. SATAN Sick Of Love (Slovenly Recordings) lp 13.98
Reviewed this a while back on cd, but never listed the vinyl!
Recommended to us by an aQ pal (thanks Hank!) as most likely being 'right up our alley', we were pretty excited to check out this French / Italian outfit, heck, they're called JC Satan, and the record cover is a pretty intense and bizarre painting of a masked man covered in blood and sores, surrounded by two topless demon women, one wearing a pentagram, the other with 666 carved on her belly, the trio standing between two big pillars of smoke, but the drawing is not 'metal scary', more cartoonish, which should have been our first hint that this 'Satan band was not at all metal, and instead, trafficked in something else entirely. That something else in this case is some fantastic fuzz poppy garage rock, a sound much more in like with Thee Oh Sees and the Fresh And Onlys and the like than anything remotely heavy or evil.
In fact the opening track "Odyssey Of Love" might be out new favorite garage pop jam, all big chiming reverby guitars, pounding echoey drums, Beach Boys-ish vox, sweet female background vocals, dreamy and hooky and washed out and hazy and a little bit druggy. But wait, the second track "Prehistoric Love" is just as good, more laid back and low slung, with some impossibly distorted guitars, that blown out, peaking production making everything that much more murky and muddy, but with a soaring chorus, kick ass drumming, and some rad howled female screams, this is some dark buzzy fuzzy garage rock bliss for sure.
"Your Place" gets all spaced out an minimal, like some lost lo-fi NZ drone pop gem, a smoldering garage rock ballad, all spidery melodies, and woozy, weary boy/girl harmonies, "Itaca" is also laid back and dreamily druggy, sounding like Mazzy Star via Dum Dum Girls, "The Day" gets things going again, with some Lyres like riffage, some knuckle dragging drum pound, and more of that meter pegging production, while "You Are Good" is another warped dirgey blast of sixties style reverb heavy garage-y groove, and so it goes, a dark and mysterious collection of deliriously druggy fuzzed out garage rock from this Euro crew, the sort of thing that should have the current crop of fuzz pop garage rockers anxiously checking their rearview mirrors...
Most definitely recommended for fans of Thee Oh Sees, Blasted Canyons, Ty Segall, Bare Wires, Davila 666, etc...
MPEG Stream: "Odyssey Of Love"
MPEG Stream: "Prehistoric Love"
MPEG Stream: "Your Place"
MPEG Stream: "The Day"

J.T.IV Cosmic Lightning (Galactic Zoo Disk / Drag City) lp+dvd 24.00

JAAR, NICOLAS Space Is Only Noise (Wordsandsound / Circus Company) cd 17.98
We had never heard of Nicolas Jaar before, a well renowned techno producer apparently, but we were immediately blown away by Space Is Only Noise, which seems to be only tangentially 'techno', to our ears it's more a collection of brooding electronic ballads, exploring the world of slo-mo soul already being mined by folks like Burial and How To Dress Well, but In Jaar's hands, that sound becomes something else entirely, just have a listen to the opener "Etre", after a minute or two of lapping waves, and some strange samples, Jaar creates a gorgeous landscape of mournful melody, and strangely clipped and stuttered vocals, the remove most of the sound and render those voices more as rhythm, the combination of the two is so mysterious, and so otherwordly, and when he then introduces the sound of children playing, it ends up being gorgeous and creepy, as the piano grows more dissonant and chaotic. Heck, we would have been happy with a whole record of just that. But there's so much more going on. "Colomb" takes some Pop Ambient swirl and adds a strangely stuttery handclap beat, and some strange autotuned vocals, the resulting croon, both warm and sensual, and strangely alien. Elsewhere, like on "Too Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust", Jaar channels Gainsbourg, and creates a dark rainy day ballad, that is techno only by merit of the programmed rhythms, "Keep Me There" is another sultry soundscape of skittery beats, liquid samples, dramatic melodies, handclap rhythms, and strange processed vox.
We could go on, track by track, but you should have a measure of what's going on here, and how much we're digging it. A mix of French pop, minimal techno, slo-mo soul, downtempo electronica, with a heaping helping of strange samples, moody warped vocals, lush textures, subtly twisted percussion, and smoldering moodiness to burn, is making this a new favorite for sure. Fans of Blue Daisy, Burial, How To Dress Well, Holy Other, Kode 9, Swarms, Balam Acab, Shlohmo, as well as dark brooding electronic pop music, would do well to check this out!
MPEG Stream: "Etre"
MPEG Stream: "Colomb"
MPEG Stream: "Too Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust"
MPEG Stream: "Keep Me There"

JAAR, NICOLAS Space Is Only Noise (Wordsandsound / Circus Company) lp 23.00
Now also on vinyl!!
We had never heard of Nicolas Jaar before, a well renowned techno producer apparently, but we were immediately blown away by Space Is Only Noise, which seems to be only tangentially 'techno', to our ears it's more a collection of brooding electronic ballads, exploring the world of slo-mo soul already being mined by folks like Burial and How To Dress Well, but In Jaar's hands, that sound becomes something else entirely, just have a listen to the opener "Etre", after a minute or two of lapping waves, and some strange samples, Jaar creates a gorgeous landscape of mournful melody, and strangely clipped and stuttered vocals, the remove most of the sound and render those voices more as rhythm, the combination of the two is so mysterious, and so otherwordly, and when he then introduces the sound of children playing, it ends up being gorgeous and creepy, as the piano grows more dissonant and chaotic. Heck, we would have been happy with a whole record of just that. But there's so much more going on. "Colomb" takes some Pop Ambient swirl and adds a strangely stuttery handclap beat, and some strange autotuned vocals, the resulting croon, both warm and sensual, and strangely alien. Elsewhere, like on "Too Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust", Jaar channels Gainsbourg, and creates a dark rainy day ballad, that is techno only by merit of the programmed rhythms, "Keep Me There" is another sultry soundscape of skittery beats, liquid samples, dramatic melodies, handclap rhythms, and strange processed vox.
We could go on, track by track, but you should have a measure of what's going on here, and how much we're digging it. A mix of French pop, minimal techno, slo-mo soul, downtempo electronica, with a heaping helping of strange samples, moody warped vocals, lush textures, subtly twisted percussion, and smoldering moodiness to burn, is making this a new favorite for sure. Fans of Blue Daisy, Burial, How To Dress Well, Holy Other, Kode 9, Swarms, Balam Acab, Shlohmo, as well as dark brooding electronic pop music, would do well to check this out!
MPEG Stream: "Etre"
MPEG Stream: "Colomb"
MPEG Stream: "Too Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust"
MPEG Stream: "Keep Me There"

JACASZEK Glimmer (Ghostly International) cd 11.98
Norwegian label Miasmah has long been home to a stable of artists creating the sorts of sounds we can't ever seem to get enough of: dark, brooding, electronic flecked hauntological cinematic soundscapes, and late night mysterious classical infused dronemusic, artists like Elegi, Macus Fjellstrom, Gultskra Artikler, FNS, Kreng, Jasper TX, and of course Jacaszek, aka Polish electro-acoustic composer and soundscaper Michal Jacaszek, and while Jacaszek only made one record for Miasmah, it was such a perfect fit, that it was easy to imagine Jacaszek as emblematic of the label's sound. But here we are a few years later, and Jacaszek has already moved on to a new label, but thankfully taken that 'Miasmah' sound with him. And if anything, this new one is even more fully realized than Treny, which was already a unanimous aQ fave. And really how could it not be? Like Treny before it, Glimmer unfurls a ghostly world of blur and shadow, of hum and thrum and glitch and crackle. Operating in a darkened world not that far removed from the Caretaker or Philip Jeck or Demdike Stare, albeit with a bit more of a classical bent, Jacaszek conjures up haunting brooding soundworlds of lush shimmering strings, of echo drenched harpsichord, of woozy loops and hazy staticky record crackle, soft slow swells, that grow so distorted and intense, they slip easily into the red, transforming into something much more harrowing than the music of many of his sonic brethren. The sound threatening to collapse or explode, an urgent pulsing, nearly grinding buzz, that as quickly as it blossomed, seems to slip right back into languid expanses of soft focus drift. Horns and strings, acoustic guitars, all layered delicately into creaking faded stretched of hushed mesmer, an old timey chamber music, transmitted from the other side, much of the sound damaged and decayed as it crossed over, resulting in some darkly alien dronescaping, that slips easily from warped, looped murky moody ooze, to lush, almost pop flecked cinematic post classical drift, the sound at either end of that sonic spectrum flecked with bits of glitch, and audio detritus, the sound seeming to gradually fade and flake as the record spins, almost as if on the next play, it would sound even more washed out and hazy.
There are moments where the sound coalesce into something much more polished, and more traditionally musical, but even then, the music is underpinned by an ominous foreboding, wreathed in strange muted loops, and mysterious sonic fragments, as if being listened to through some sort of dusty old sonic veil, loveliness gradually darkening, shadows lengthening, melodies unwinding and growing subtly more menacing, the recording revealing more and more crackle, swirls of hiss like little dustdevils, all woven into some sort of otherworldly funereal threnody, dreamlike and lovely, but always on the verge of drawing the listener into the mysterious dark place from which these haunting sounds emanate...
MPEG Stream: "Goldengrove"
MPEG Stream: "Dare-Gale"
MPEG Stream: "Pod Swiatlo"
MPEG Stream: "Windhover"

JACASZEK Glimmer (Ghostly International) lp 17.98
Norwegian label Miasmah has long been home to a stable of artists creating the sorts of sounds we can't ever seem to get enough of: dark, brooding, electronic flecked hauntological cinematic soundscapes, and late night mysterious classical infused dronemusic, artists like Elegi, Macus Fjellstrom, Gultskra Artikler, FNS, Kreng, Jasper TX, and of course Jacaszek, aka Polish electro-acoustic composer and soundscaper Michal Jacaszek, and while Jacaszek only made one record for Miasmah, it was such a perfect fit, that it was easy to imagine Jacaszek as emblematic of the label's sound. But here we are a few years later, and Jacaszek has already moved on to a new label, but thankfully taken that 'Miasmah' sound with him. And if anything, this new one is even more fully realized than Treny, which was already a unanimous aQ fave. And really how could it not be? Like Treny before it, Glimmer unfurls a ghostly world of blur and shadow, of hum and thrum and glitch and crackle. Operating in a darkened world not that far removed from the Caretaker or Philip Jeck or Demdike Stare, albeit with a bit more of a classical bent, Jacaszek conjures up haunting brooding soundworlds of lush shimmering strings, of echo drenched harpsichord, of woozy loops and hazy staticky record crackle, soft slow swells, that grow so distorted and intense, they slip easily into the red, transforming into something much more harrowing than the music of many of his sonic brethren. The sound threatening to collapse or explode, an urgent pulsing, nearly grinding buzz, that as quickly as it blossomed, seems to slip right back into languid expanses of soft focus drift. Horns and strings, acoustic guitars, all layered delicately into creaking faded stretched of hushed mesmer, an old timey chamber music, transmitted from the other side, much of the sound damaged and decayed as it crossed over, resulting in some darkly alien dronescaping, that slips easily from warped, looped murky moody ooze, to lush, almost pop flecked cinematic post classical drift, the sound at either end of that sonic spectrum flecked with bits of glitch, and audio detritus, the sound seeming to gradually fade and flake as the record spins, almost as if on the next play, it would sound even more washed out and hazy.
There are moments where the sound coalesce into something much more polished, and more traditionally musical, but even then, the music is underpinned by an ominous foreboding, wreathed in strange muted loops, and mysterious sonic fragments, as if being listened to through some sort of dusty old sonic veil, loveliness gradually darkening, shadows lengthening, melodies unwinding and growing subtly more menacing, the recording revealing more and more crackle, swirls of hiss like little dustdevils, all woven into some sort of otherworldly funereal threnody, dreamlike and lovely, but always on the verge of drawing the listener into the mysterious dark place from which these haunting sounds emanate...
MPEG Stream: "Goldengrove"
MPEG Stream: "Dare-Gale"
MPEG Stream: "Pod Swiatlo"
MPEG Stream: "Windhover"

JACASZEK Treny (Miasmah) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ah, the Miasmah label, can they do no wrong? Not if darkly moody, cinematic soundscapes are your thing. It you like stuff on Type, for whom Miasmah's boss records as Svarte Greiner, you'll like Miasmah's releases too. Previously, this Norwegian label has brought us several dreamily eerie (or eerily dreamy?) discs by the likes of Elegi, Gultskra Artikler, and (highlighted just a few lists ago) the latest from Jasper TX. Now, Polish electro-acoustic composer Michal Jacaszek makes his Miasmah debut. His rustling electronics are melded with classical strings (cello and violin played by Ania Smiszek-Wesolowska and Stefan Wesolowski) and, crucially, the lovely vocals of Maja Sieminska, which seem inspired by the liturgical chant of medieval 'early music'.
It's all quite intimately lonesome, and somber, and very beautiful. Sieminska's ghostly, gossamer singing sighs amidst those mournful chamber strings, humming glitch and crackling drone, and occasional electronic "beats" that sound more like drops of water, slowly dripping from stalactites... as if you're in some vast dark cavern, Sieminska's siren voice drawing you ever deeper into the catacombs, entranced. One of our new favorite drifting-off-to-sleep records, its many shades of grey so, so very gorgeous.
MPEG Stream: "Lament"
MPEG Stream: "Walc"

JACASZEK Treny (Miasmah) lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON VINYL!!
Ah, the Miasmah label, can they do no wrong? Not if darkly moody, cinematic soundscapes are your thing. It you like stuff on Type, for whom Miasmah's boss records as Svarte Greiner, you'll like Miasmah's releases too. Previously, this Norwegian label has brought us several dreamily eerie (or eerily dreamy?) discs by the likes of Elegi, Gultskra Artikler, and (highlighted just a few lists ago) the latest from Jasper TX. Now, Polish electro-acoustic composer Michal Jacaszek makes his Miasmah debut. His rustling electronics are melded with classical strings (cello and violin played by Ania Smiszek-Wesolowska and Stefan Wesolowski) and, crucially, the lovely vocals of Maja Sieminska, which seem inspired by the liturgical chant of medieval 'early music'.
It's all quite intimately lonesome, and somber, and very beautiful. Sieminska's ghostly, gossamer singing sighs amidst those mournful chamber strings, humming glitch and crackling drone, and occasional electronic "beats" that sound more like drops of water, slowly dripping from stalactites... as if you're in some vast dark cavern, Sieminska's siren voice drawing you ever deeper into the catacombs, entranced. One of our new favorite drifting-off-to-sleep records, its many shades of grey so, so very gorgeous.
MPEG Stream: "Lament"
MPEG Stream: "Walc"

JACKIE O MOTHER FUCKER Freedom Land (Very Friendly) cd 17.98
There was a time where we were pretty obsessed with Jackie-O Motherfucker. They definitely put out some amazing material. Nice freeform jams that offered up sounds new and exciting. But it seems, that maybe, that time is past. Tedious instrumental passages and really horrible vocals, mixed weirdly too but not really in a good way. Not sure what happened, but whatever it is, we wish it hadn't. Definitely don't bother with this one, there are plenty of other amazing JOMF records still available.
MPEG Stream: "Devotion"
MPEG Stream: "Ghost Ride"

JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER Ballads Of The Revolution (Fire) cd 15.98
Your first impulse might be to assume that the title of JOMF's new record, Ballads Of The Revolution, was not meant to be taken literally, but in some weird way, these six tracks are indeed balladic, albeit in a distinctly Jackie-O style, opening with a traditional, and following that with a Lucky Dragons cover, before getting to the originals, but right out of the gate, the sound is drifty and dreamy, slide guitars slippery over warm reverbed twang, deep crooned vocals, brushed drums, all hazy and rainy afternoon sounding. The Lucky Dragons cover is all skittery percussion and muted bleated horns, as well as the soft honeyed vocals of Honey Owens aka Valet, now seemingly a full time Motherfucker. The song gets gradually more and more dense and clattery, eventually morphing into something distinctly noisy and chaotic and not at all ballad-like.
The four originals also veer away from ballad territory, but not entirely, the vocals in the first original are quite prominent, soaring in a cloud of soft reverb, over an almost krautlike groove, wrapped in a Spacemen 3 like haze, the following track, is all mumbled vox over spacey FX, and drum machine skitter, total druggy trip out drift, before another spacekraut jam that finds the band getting a little Hawkwindy, the vocals again heavily effected, drifting through space, while the band lock into a serious psychrock fuzz guitar groove, before finally finishing off with another sort-of-ballad, Appalachian guitar, simple lilting vocals, lovely female background vox, fuzzy minimal leads, very much like some lost seventies acid folk jam, gorgeous stuff.
MPEG Stream: "Nightingale"
MPEG Stream: "Dark Falcon"

JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER Fig. 5 (ATP) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another long out of print JOMF gem gets the deluxe reissue treatment. Here's our review from the first time around:
Jackie-O Motherfucker's sound is not the aggro fury the name might imply. Rather this Portland/New York/Baltimore ensemble prefers freeminded improvisational stylings that delve into the meandering Americana of Souled American, but with the psychedelic pastoral jazz freakouts of the No Neck Blues Band or the Sun City Girls. Through delicate plucks of banjo, melancholic slide guitars, and creaking violin, Jackie-O Motherfucker wanders through avant garde deconstructions of what could be folk standards -- "Amazing Grace" makes an appearance with only a single sax riff betraying its presence. So nice.
MPEG Stream: "Analogue Skillet"
MPEG Stream: "Native Einstein"

JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER Our Nakedness Was Our Picket Sign (Europe 2002) (Cast Exotic) 2cd 19.98
Finally available again!
Northwestern psychedelic space/free/avant rockers Jackie O Motherfucker return from a massive European tour and all we got was this lousy live double cd. Just kidding. It's hardly lousy. In fact, this may be one of our favorite JOMF recordings to date. Which makes sense, since live is where a large improvisatory ensemble can let loose and do what they do best. Improvise. Wander. Meander. Get lost. And explore. Mantra like, barely-there-vocals, guitars buzzing like sitars, subtle shuffling percussion, warm drones, occasional sputters and half melodies from the turntables, guitars and basses melt into the background, blending into the sonic foliage, while everything rustles and shimmers, breathes and stretches. Like free jazz filtered through a thick haze of painkillers and potsmoke. Lethargic, lugubrious, cinematic and at times almost nightmarish. Really nice! Includes a West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band cover, of all things...
MPEG Stream: "2"
MPEG Stream: "3"

JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER The Cryin' Sea (Awesome Vistas) lp 14.98
Another super limited release from Portland (formerly SF) based artist Chris Johansen's Awesome Vistas label. We flew through the last two, the Oh Sees' Peanut Butter Oven EP and Linda Hagood's Pink Love Red Love (the Oh Sees is WAY gone, but we might have a few of the Hagood left), so we expect the new ones to fly out of here just as fast.
The Cryin' Sea is the latest from folk drone free noise collective Jackie-O Motherfucker, whose last disc Freedom Land was a bit of a flop around these parts. But thankfully The Cryin' Sea has not only righted that wrong, it also finds the band returning to more of a folk sound, at least on the opener. A loping meandering shuffle, with mumbled vocals, simple propulsive drumming, and spidery reverby guitar lines. A bit like a super stripped down No Neck, Jackie-O let the song unfurl lazily, allowing the track to morph into some super blissed out krautrock, which could easily have filled out the whole side but ends up ending way too soon. That's followed up by something a bit more abstract, an angular assemblage of buzzing metallic melodic fragments, bits of guitar twang spread out over sizzling tinkling percussion, muted voices, and distant shimmering drones, before the vocals return and the song gets a bit folky again. The side closer is a caustic slab of bedroom buzz, the guitars crunchy and buzzing, the vocals distorted and garbled, the drums a buried plod, a lilting, darkly pretty dirge.
As if that weren't enough, the B-side is a single side long song, the title track captured live in Finland, and sounding much more like 'classic' JoM: sputtery percussion, moaned abstract vocals, bits of turntable whir and mutated samples, eventually giving way to strummed guitar, simple motorik drum beat, and some gorgeous super stripped down krautrockiness, that over the course of the rest of the disc becomes looser and looser, more and more free, finishing off with a burst of soft cacophony. Really nice. And JoM now counts among its membership Nick Bindeman, the man behind bigtime aQ drone faves Tunnels (he may have been in JoM for a while, but we only just noticed).
As with all Awesome Vistas, cool cover art designed by Johnasen himself. Hand screened black green and purple images on SUPER thick old style lp sleeves, with a photocopied insert.
LIMITED TO 400 COPIES!!!

JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER The Magick Fire Music (Ecstatic Peace) lp 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
When this showed up at Aquarius, I made a stupid comment to a customer who was curious about this record. I said that Jackie-O Motherfucker were somewhat of a Tom Sawyer / Huck Finn communal project featuring a bunch of random No Neck Blues Band style "pipe fighting" and jazz improv. I did mention to him that I hadn't listened to it and was basing my opinion on the free-jazz / Americana-folk stylings of Jackie-O's previous outing "Fig. 5."
Now that I've actually cracked the duct-tape seal which encases the two records and immersed myself in the wonders of "The Magick Fire Music," I must gladly admit that I was very very wrong. There certainly is a rustic Tom Sawyer / Huck Finn aspect to the Portland ensemble's sound, but there is much less of the expected jazz element. Instead, Jackie-O Motherfucker has carved out a sound that is emotively quite similar to the post-rock melancholia of Godspeed / Sigur Ros but with none of their overly dramatic orchestrations.
The album opens with a buried collage of shortwave radio heterodyning and disconnected voices, but emphatically steps forward with a guitar duet between a saddened David Pajo-esque riff and an intertwining effects-laden chimed tone. After the clunky twang of Jew's harps on "Bone Saw," Jackie-O returns to the evocative, spacious, and cinematically Western riffs (especially on the breathtakingly melancholy "The Cage"), as an effective means of transcribing sound into a psychic landscape that is strangely similar to the aforementioned Godspeed. While Godspeed brackets their tight orchestrations around a social pessimism that eventually leads to cathartic enlightenment about how shitty the world is around us, Jackie-O Motherfucker settles back into a drugged stupor of oddly psychedelic grooves, something I prefer. A very, very good record!

JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER U Sound Volume 2 (usoundarchive) 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.
Run by Tom Greenwood and Josh Stevenson, both from Jackie-O Motherfucker, the U Sound series documents lost, hidden and forgotten musical history. Volume 2 features excerpts from two live Jackie-O Motherfucker shows in Portland and Vancouver back in 2000, showcasing the collective in both free-jazz freakout mode with constant saxophone squiggliness and non-rhythmic drum patter; as well as a couple of tracks of Appalachian folk scrambled into Parson Sound / Harvester druggy trances, the sound that made their recent "Liberation" album so engaging. Nicely recorded through a minidisc with binaural microphones and released as a CD-R.
RealAudio clip: "Charms Of The Viper (Live)"
RealAudio clip: "Ray-O-Graph (Live)"
RealAudio clip: "The Pigeon (Live)"

JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER U Sound Volume 3 (usoundarchive) 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.
More live recordings from the Portland improv collective Jackie-O Motherfucker from 2001 from shows in Portland and Vancouver. This document opens with their often squiggly saxophone mellowing out into sultry almost snake charmers' slinkiness, fronting lots of vibraphones and random drum fills. Jackie-O continues through a couple of similar tracks until the rhythm section kicks into a laid back frontporch jig and the sax solo takes a backseat to tranced out ringing guitar chords. Again, nicely recorded through a minidisc with binaural microphones and released as a CD-R.
RealAudio clip: "Pray (Live)"
RealAudio clip: "She Cuts Heart Shapes (Live)"

JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER U Sound Volume 4 (usoundarchive) 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.
Again, ESP-style revisionist jazz kicks off these two sets from Jackie-O Motherfucker from live shows in their native Portland and Seattle. Of all of the U Sound archives of Jackie-O live shows Volume 4 is the most free-jazz oriented, even their amazingly cinematic orchestration "The Pigeon" almost doesn't actualize itself because almost everybody's doin' their own thing. Again, nicely recorded through a minidisc with binaural microphones and released as a CD-R.
RealAudio clip: "Pigeon (Live)"

JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER Valley Of Fire (Textile) cd 15.98
Valley of Fire finds Jackie-O Motherfucker settling down a bit, and that's not a bad thing.
There have been more bands and more releases embracing the type of song-writing that K Records and Bloomington punx have been quietly working on for years than we could possibly try to count. Part of what's punk about it is that you really only need to know a few major-key progressions, maybe a major scale or two, and you're good to go. But sometimes it's nice to see more developed artists play with the tension between folk and the avant garde. So basically, this release seems to have increased focus on song-writing, less on noisy freak-outs or improvisation -- although here's still some, and a whole lot more vocals. Maybe this record is more for the uninitiated trying to get to the bottom of Jackie-O, or those hesitant to commit to some of their longer, stranger works. Still, somewhat hesitantly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "The Tree"
MPEG Stream: "We Are / Channel Zero"

JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER Wow / Magick Fire Music (ATP Recordings) 2cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally back in print, although unfortunately at a slightly higher price. But it's still worth it! What a great record!
The one-two punch that proves Jackie O Motherfucker just might be capable of edging out their more hyped contemporaries, the No Neck Blues Band and Sunburned Hand Of The Man, in the bid to rule the world of US-underground-free-psych-folk-weirdness.
There certainly is a rustic Tom Sawyer / Huck Finn aspect to this Portland ensemble's sound, but there is much less of the expected jazz element. Instead, Jackie-O Motherfucker have carved out a sound that is emotively quite similar to the post-rock melancholia of Godspeed / Sigur Ros but with none of their overly dramatic orchestrations.
The album opens with a buried collage of heterodyning shortwave radio and disconnected voices, but emphatically steps forward with a guitar duet between a sad David Pajo-esque riff and an intertwining effects-laden chimed tone. After the clunky twang of Jew's harps on "Bone Saw," Jackie-O returns to the evocative, spacious, and cinematically Western riffs (especially on the breathtakingly melancholy "The Cage"), as an effective means of transcribing sound into a psychic landscape that is strangely similar to the aforementioned Godspeed. While Godspeed bracket their tight orchestrations around a social pessimism that eventually leads to cathartic enlightenment about how shitty the world is around us, Jackie-O Motherfucker shrug their shoulders and settle back into a drugged out, dreamy drawly musical stupor of oddly psychedelic grooves which somehow seems way more appealing.
MPEG Stream: "Bone Saw"
MPEG Stream: "The Cage"
MPEG Stream: "Jugband 2000"

JACKS Vacant World (Sweet Dandelion) lp 32.00
Domo arigato! Now here's a nice import vinyl reissue of this essential late '60s Japanese psychedelic rock record, the genius debut by 'Group Sounds-gone-gloomy' band the Jacks. Along with underground cult heroes Les Rallizes Denudes, The Jacks were another early, influential home-grown Japanese psych band, just ask Keiji Haino, whose outfit Fushitsusha covered the Jacks' classic "Marianne" on the second Tokyo Flashback volume.
With stinging Quicksilver psych guitar leads and melancholy vocals, the Jacks' legendary Vacant World, from 1968, is a truly gorgeous album of delicacy, darkness, and murk, that words like 'timeless' and 'dramatic' well describe. Its sparse, sad beauty makes it one of AQ overlord Allan's favorite '60s psych artifacts ever (although fellow AQ overlord Andee isn't as into it, but then, he doesn't really like Can or the Velvet Underground, either). Unlike other noted Japanese 'GS' bands like The Mops or The Challengers, these guys were not mainly, merely doing covers of the rock hits of the day from San Francisco and London, no. While Western garage and blues and psychedelic rock certainly shaped their sound, the Jacks seem uniquely Japanese, uniquely Jacks as well.
Though there's fuzz guitar on here, it's much more about atmosphere, moodiness, melody. The lyrics too, were apparently somewhat subversive, not that we'd know for sure. Totally recommended, especially to those of you into the more gentle and balladic side of more current Japanese psych acts like Ghost, LSD-march, Up-Tight, Nagisa Ni Te, etc.
Pressed on red vinyl, identical to its original issue, we're told.
MPEG Stream: "Marianne"
MPEG Stream: "Vacant World"

JACKS, THE Vacant World / Super Session (Shagadelic Records) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fans of current underground Japanese psych stuff (Acid Mothers Temple, Keiji Haino, Ghost, Nagisa Ni Te, etc.) who'd like to delve into the early psychedelic era precursors of those acts have been lucky lately, what with that Les Rallizes Denudes double cd finally having some availability, and the Flower Travellin' Band disc we recently recommended too. As we mentioned in our Rallizes review, The Jacks were the other crucial home-grown Japanese psych band, an admitted influence on Fushitsusha certainly, who once covered The Jacks' classic "Marianne". And we just managed to get a few imported copies of this 2-on-1 disc by 'em, released last year on the Japanese Shagadelic label. Not only does it have the ten tracks of their legendary "Vacant World" but also another 11 constituting their follow-up album "Super Session" (both 1968), plus three rare bonus tracks (two from singles, one live). The booklet provides discographical information and album/single art.
With stinging Quicksilver psych guitar leads and melancholy vocals, "Vacant World" is a truly gorgeous album of darkness and murk that words like delicate, dramatic, and timeless well describe. Its sparse, sad beauty makes it one of Allan's favorite '60s psych artifacts ever, though not everyone else here is so moved. Unlike other noted Japanese 'GS' bands like The Mops or The Challengers, these guys were not mainly, merely doing covers of the current rock hits of the day from San Francisco and London. While Western garage and blues and psychedelic rock certainly shaped their sound, The Jacks seem uniquely Japanese, uniquely Jacks as well.
Now for two warnings: The second album on here, Super Session, unfortunately does seem to delve into a more commerical, less special sound. It's as if some producer or record exec told 'em they had to be more like the competition. As a result, this does venture into a bar rock zone that's not at all on par with "Vacant World". And if you like saxophone, they get into that here too. A very different mood from the debut indeed. Oh well. But it's still cool to have, kitschy fun.
Ok, here's the second catch: we ONLY have 6 of these in stock right now, so if you need this, act fast...dunno when/if we can get more, unfortunately.
MPEG Stream: "Marianne"
MPEG Stream: "Vacant World"

JACKS, THE Vacant World / Super Session (Shagadelic Records) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fans of current underground Japanese psych stuff (Acid Mothers Temple, Keiji Haino, Ghost, Nagisa Ni Te, etc.) who'd like to delve into the early psychedelic era precursors of those acts have been lucky lately, what with that Les Rallizes Denudes double cd finally having some availability, and the Flower Travellin' Band disc we recently recommended too. As we mentioned in our Rallizes review, The Jacks were the other crucial home-grown Japanese psych band, an admitted influence on Fushitsusha certainly, who once covered The Jacks' classic "Marianne". And we just managed to get a few imported copies of this 2-on-1 disc by 'em, released last year on the Japanese Shagadelic label. Not only does it have the ten tracks of their legendary "Vacant World" but also another 11 constituting their follow-up album "Super Session" (both 1968), plus three rare bonus tracks (two from singles, one live). The booklet provides discographical information and album/single art.
With stinging Quicksilver psych guitar leads and melancholy vocals, "Vacant World" is a truly gorgeous album of darkness and murk that words like delicate, dramatic, and timeless well describe. Its sparse, sad beauty makes it one of Allan's favorite '60s psych artifacts ever, though not everyone else here is so moved. Unlike other noted Japanese 'GS' bands like The Mops or The Challengers, these guys were not mainly, merely doing covers of the current rock hits of the day from San Francisco and London. While Western garage and blues and psychedelic rock certainly shaped their sound, The Jacks seem uniquely Japanese, uniquely Jacks as well.
Now for two warnings: The second album on here, Super Session, unfortunately does seem to delve into a more commerical, less special sound. It's as if some producer or record exec told 'em they had to be more like the competition. As a result, this does venture into a bar rock zone that's not at all on par with "Vacant World". And if you like saxophone, they get into that here too. A very different mood from the debut indeed. Oh well. But it's still cool to have, kitschy fun.
Ok, here's the second catch: we ONLY have 6 of these in stock right now, so if you need this, act fast...dunno when/if we can get more, unfortunately.
MPEG Stream: "Marianne"
MPEG Stream: "Vacant World"

JACKSON 5 ABC (Motown) lp 21.00
So sad. So Good!

JACKSON, MICHAEL Thriller (Special Edition) (Sony) cd 17.98
... in which we discover that there was a baby tiger present at the Thriller album photo shoot. Bonus stuff included, namely a demo version of "Billie Jean", interviews with Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton, the unused second verse of Vincent Price's "Thriller" voiceover reading, and of course a new booklet with photos galore.

JACOPO Mai Come Ora (Last Stop Records) cd 9.98
Jacopo Di Nicola is an Italian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose band is locally based here in San Francisco. Inspired by European cafe rock, Tropicalia and global rhythms, Jacopo manages on his debut cd to show a wide variety of styles and directions but keep it encapsulated as a satisfying whole. Treading a path between the baroque pop of Lucio Battisti and the frenetic rhythms of Manu Chao, Jacopo manages to charm with infectious songs sung in both Italian and English and unique instrumentation including mandolins, hand percussion, and some rather masterful kazoo playing! Nice!
MPEG Stream: "La Mia Citta"
MPEG Stream: "Stati Emozionali"
MPEG Stream: "Stolidi Pensieri"

JACULA In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum (Black Widow) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
BACK IN STOCK AT LONG LAST!!! We've been out of this for ages, after making it a Record Of The Week last summer on list number 221. We wish we would have been able to get it back in time for Halloween but it was not to be. But this record is great anytime of the year, so grab it now if you haven't already. It's a bit cheaper too this time around as well. Here's our rave review from before:
What's the scariest and creepiest of instruments? Could it be the downtuned electric guitar, that sound that marks all things dark and heavy and brutal and grim? Or could it be the cello with its soaring keening deep throated moan? Well we might posit, especially in light of this Jacula record, that the creepiest of all instruments is most certainly the church organ. Surprising that an instrument used chiefly to inspire and praise can illicit such utter unease and create such a pervasively creepy ambience. And that's pretty much what Jacula is all about, creepy ambience. Thick and haunting washes of warm rich church organ drone, resonant and reverberant, sometimes accompanied by simple pounding drums or mournful folky guitar melodies or wild psychedelic freakouts or soaring female operatic vocals or even occasional lyrics spoken ominously in Italian, but more often than not it's just the massive and ominous swells of a church organ. So effectively and utterly evil sounding. Jacula are sort of like a doom metal soundtrack to a Dario Argento movie. Goblin meets Skepticism! A Krautrock Thergothon? But is's not all mellow murky moodiness, tracks three and four, "Triumpratus Sad" and "Veneficium", both feature seriously fuzzed out, almost punk rock riffs, that sound about a decade before their time, insistent and completely heavy, even more so when they're eventually joined by a pounding one-drum beat or strident atonal piano or wild swirling progrock keyboards. Amazing! It's no wonder we sold the first couple of copies we got in of this to members of local black metal bands Ludicra and Leviathan!
In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum (literally "The Poison Is Always At The End"), which was supposedly recorded in an English castle, was originally released in an edition of only 300 copies in the late sixties and has been completely unavailable until just recently (this reissue cd is not entirely new, but it took us until now to get enough copies to list). Formed in 1968, Jacula even counted a medium as a member of their band who we assume was critical to the process of creating this record, considering that In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum was "Composed By Spiritualist Seance (1966-1969)" Woah! And for those of you well versed in sixties and seventies prog, be aware that this reissue is NOT the same as the Jacula record released in the early seventies (1972's Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus), even though for some strange reason Black Widow has given it pretty much the exact same cover.
MPEG Stream: "Ritus"
MPEG Stream: "Magister Dixit"

JACULA Tardo Pede (Black Widow) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

JACUZZI BOYS Bricks Or Coconuts (Mexican Summer) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Awesome sun soaked lo-fi garage pop from Miami, that's overflowing with awesome hooks and colorful personality. Somehow these tracks are infused with a baked lackadaisical stoner vibe yet the songs are so damn fast, immediate and out of control catchy. Yes, lo-fi garage pop is a very crowded field these days, but damn, as long as folks keep cranking out shit that's this good, our ears still have plenty of room. And this really is that good. All three songs on this 7" totally rule, and we still love this format, the best for an introduction to a band. Show us you can make a few perfect songs, worthy of us getting up to lay the needle down over and over and then you have won us over for when your full length comes out. Fans of Wavves, Thee Oh Sees, Dum Dum Girls, Ty Segall, Best Coast, etc. will be all over this. Like all things Mexican Summer this is limited so grab one now so you don't have to go hunting on eBay later.
Comes with a coupon for a digital download of the songs as well.

JACUZZI BOYS Glazin' (Hardly Art) cd 12.98
Record number two from these Florida fuzz poppers, their first for Sub Pop subsidiary Hardly Art, and it's brimming with sunshiney jangle and fuzzy caffeinated glammy teenage power pop. These guys take classic sixties garage rock, and filter it through the current crop of retro garage rock, but unlike the twisted sonic lysergy and noisy reverbery of their sonic brethren, these guys keep it simple, their sound lightly psychedelic, heavily sundazed, a little bit dreamily wasted, heavy on the jangle and crunch, the big choruses, the sing alongs, lots of ooooh's and aaaaah's, the drums are simple but propulsive, and these guys definitely know their way around a hook, there's a Ramones vibe too, but it's more Ramones via the Beach Boys maybe, and there are occasional bits of sonic fuckery, a little bit of cool reverbed vocals now and again, but Jacuzzi Boys are way more concerned with whipping up some fun, sunny, beach pop bliss, and they pretty much nail it. Way recommended for fans of Ganglians, the Drums, Crocodiles, Jaill, Kids On A Crime Spree, the Soft Pack and other similarly minded pop combos.
MPEG Stream: "Vizcaya"
MPEG Stream: "Glazin'"
MPEG Stream: "Silver Sphere (Death Dream)"

JACUZZI BOYS Glazin' (Hardly Art) lp 14.98
Record number two from these Florida fuzz poppers, their first for Sub Pop subsidiary Hardly Art, and it's brimming with sunshiney jangle and fuzzy caffeinated glammy teenage power pop. These guys take classic sixties garage rock, and filter it through the current crop of retro garage rock, but unlike the twisted sonic lysergy and noisy reverbery of their sonic brethren, these guys keep it simple, their sound lightly psychedelic, heavily sundazed, a little bit dreamily wasted, heavy on the jangle and crunch, the big choruses, the sing alongs, lots of ooooh's and aaaaah's, the drums are simple but propulsive, and these guys definitely know their way around a hook, there's a Ramones vibe too, but it's more Ramones via the Beach Boys maybe, and there are occasional bits of sonic fuckery, a little bit of cool reverbed vocals now and again, but Jacuzzi Boys are way more concerned with whipping up some fun, sunny, beach pop bliss, and they pretty much nail it. Way recommended for fans of Ganglians, the Drums, Crocodiles, Jaill, Kids On A Crime Spree, the Soft Pack and other similarly minded pop combos.
MPEG Stream: "Vizcaya"
MPEG Stream: "Glazin'"
MPEG Stream: "Silver Sphere (Death Dream)"

JAFFE, SARA Salt And Water (Cherchez La Femme) cd ep 14.98
Ms Sara Jaffe (former guitarist for SF's Erase Errata) heeded the call of the classroom, moved out east a short while ago and now calls Boston home. Academia might take up much of her time out there but clearly music continues to flow in her veins. Her hushed heart-on-her-sleeve songs as a solo artist definitely stand in stark contrast to the angular, somewhat cerebral punch of her old band's. Salt And Water's five acoustic folksy numbers are ultra intimate and Spartan. Wistfully pretty.
MPEG Stream: "Walking Tour"
MPEG Stream: "Port Authority"

JAGA What We Must / Spydeberg Sessions (NinjaTune) 2cd 16.98
Considerate, slightly pensive, intelligent, emotionally-balanced, fun-loving, stylish, SCANDINAVIAN, really into lying in a beautiful field on a clear night staring at stars, and really REALLY into lavishing you with loads of attention. Sound like a pretty sweet boyfriend? A boyfriend named... Jaga??
Hmmm, I know that was pretty weird, but it just seems like this double cd album from Norway's mega 10-piece band, Jaga (formerly Jaga Jazzist), is the perfect mate for plane or train travel, curling up with at night to read by the fire, afternoon painting sessions in the studio, and, oh, I don't know, dining on smoked salmon by the sea at sunset in a futuristic floating space-bar made of ice.
Jaga's latest -- a limited edition 2cd album, What We Must/Spydeberg Sessions -- is a stylistic culmination of their cosmic space jazz form. AND NOW! With more guitars! What We Must (the first disc) takes this trippy dippy blissful ride through a jazzy cosmos that doesn't seem TOO many light years away. Definitely their/his most mature and well-formed album to date. Every instrument, including all those electronic, is perfectly balanced in the mix. At no point does one speak more loudly above the others. That is, until the second song on the second disc!
All I Know Is Tonight (on disc 2) apparently is a "rough rough mix", but I love it! A nearly raging guitar lashes out at you in the first few measures before settling down into the musical pit. We must say, the roughness is really quite wonderful. The polish of their proper album songs almost lacks character in a way, leaving you to float around intelligently in their prozac'd smooth-space-jazz blissdom. It's nice to have both here. Glad they included this second disc! Other treats on it include demos of "Mikado", "Stardust Hotel" and "Swedenborgske Rom".
Fans of Sea and Cake, Tortoise and other like-mindedly thoughtful Thrill Jockey post-rock type artists should truly love this record. For you, it will take that sound to a new level. Level '05. Fans of Jaga's earlier works should be radiantly pleased with this. Tres recommended!
MPEG Stream: "All I Know Is Tonight"
MPEG Stream: "Oslo Skyline"

JAGA JAZZIST Magazine (Smalltown Super Sound) cd 14.98
Originally a Norwegian-only release from 1998, Jaga Jazzist's Magazine is this hybrid post-rock/jazz ensemble's especially jazz-oriented second album. Now re-issued and available globally, it contains the song "Plym", recorded and produced by Helge Sten (aka Deathprod, also known from Supersilent) and "Seems To Me", a mellow and beautifully presented solo-ish offering from band-member Martin Horntveth. The songs on Magazine are far less electronically considered than their later releases, much more human than machine for the maverick Norwegian 10-piece. Well worth checking out!
MPEG Stream: "Jaga Ist Zu Hause"
MPEG Stream: "Seems To Me"

JAILL That's How We Burn (Sub Pop) cd 14.98
For every band the hype machine catapults into the stratosphere of underground indie rock next big thing-ness, a hundred others get pushed aside, forgotten or ignored, many of those WAY more deserving of the accolades, and the praise, and more importantly, the ears of the listener, but for whatever reason, wrong label, no hyped tours, bad business sense, no blogosphere freakouts, no connections to other even cooler bands, those bands can only do so much, which often means simply making an incredible record, that practically nobody hears. Some bands tough it out, make more records, eventually getting noticed, and then everyone can return to that old record and finally proclaim it a masterpiece, and lament the fact that it was so overlooked, but many bands put everything they have into that record, energy, creativity, money, time, and when nothing happens, they just give it up, which is always a sad sad thing.
So what does that have to do with Wisconsin psych pop combo Jaill? Nothing really, other than the fact, that these guys have been around since 2002, have released a bunch of other records, but with That's How We Burn, have made probably the best, catchiest psychedelic indie pop record of the year, maybe the last several years, yet they rarely pop up on blogs, we rarely hear tastemakers shouting from the mountaintops about Jaill, or about That's How We Burn. Compare that to, say, Best Coast, who we also love, but whose every move, every sound is covered by every blog in the world. It's weird, cuz this Jaill record, holy shit, for folks who hear hundreds of new records every month, many of them amazing, for ONE SINGLE record to get played over and over, as in 5, 6 even 10 times a day, well as far as recommendations go, it's pretty tough to beat. But as with most pop records, it starts with one song, that one song that sinks it's hooks into you, and won't let go, and no matter how good the rest of the record is, you just can't stop yourself from listening to that same song over and over and over. And on That's How We Burn, that song is "Thank Us Later", from the first few seconds, you'll be hooked, the slithery melody, the weird drum fill, the echoey guitar jangle, and then when the vocals come in, all weary, slipping from croon to almost falsetto, and then the chorus, a fucking KILLER, the sort of chorus that some bands build a whole career on, and then there's an equally catchy bridge, the whole song pretty much perfect, a little bit surf rock, a little bit Brit rock, a little bit modern garage pop, but the song itself, it's the kind of jam any of the current crop of lo-fi garage poppers would KILL for, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Sic Alps, Male Bonding, we could go on and on, but the songs on Jaill stand up to anything any of those bands can come up with, and then some.
And where as lots of records we love have one of those opening one-two-three punches, an opening salvo that slays, and makes the whole record super front loaded, but on That's How We Burn, those one-two-three punches are everywhere, in fact, pick a song, and it's the first in one of those kick ass salvos, and yeah, sure, the opening three tracks are tough to beat, "The Stroller" is dark and hypnotic and a little bit gloomy, mixing in some Interpol and Rapture to their more slacker surfy sound, and weirdly it suits them big time, and it has a wicked crunchy chorus, the whole thing driven by some serious bad ass riffing, and some cool harmony vocals, which leads right into "Everyone's Hip" which sounds more slackery, a little bit like the Soft Pack or the Strokes, mixed with a bit of pavement, with a weird angular verse, and totally insanely hooky bridge and a cool doo wop-y chorus. Finally, "On The Beat" finishes off that opening salvo with something a little bit more laid back and laconic, the guitars droney and hypnotic, and another irresistible chorus, lots of crunch and thump and chug, and some cool vocal harmonies.
Which leads us right into "Thank Us Later", 1-2-3 salvo number two, and of course we STILL aren't tired of listening to it, but after another time through, we're led right into "Summer Mess" an awesome stripped down acoustic jam, with some snarky lyrics, but with the heartfelt delivery, and the amazing melody, it's pretty tough to fight, and finally, another guitar comes in, and some simple percussion, making the last 30 seconds lush and sunshiney and summery. And finally part 3, "She's My Baby", a driving groover, with another cool chugging guitar part, clanging chiming chords, and yet ANOTHER amazing chorus, which by now should lead you to the conclusion that these guys know their way around a hook, and aren't afraid to jam a whole mess of them into a single song.
We could keep going, another three-fer, starting with "Snake Shakes", which begins with the bassline from Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants you", before the vocals transform the song into something much more lilting and jangly... But you get the drift, pretty much every song here is awesome, catchy and crunchy and jangly and hooky, and unlike the horde of bands today who think enough reverb and weird lo-fi production techniques will disguise the fact that there's nothing going on underneath, Jaill, don't bother, cuz they don't need to, maybe that's why they're not getting the hype the so deserve, not noisy enough, not weird enough, not lo-fi enough, not hazy sixties girl group enough, but fuck it, who cares, this rules, we love it, and we think you will too, and we can't offer up any more hype than making this an aQ Record Of The Week and the thousand or so words you just finished reading...
MPEG Stream: "Thank Us Later"
MPEG Stream: "The Stroller"
MPEG Stream: "Everyone's Hip"
MPEG Stream: "Summer Mess"

JAILL That's How We Burn (Sub Pop) lp 15.98
For every band the hype machine catapults into the stratosphere of underground indie rock next big thing-ness, a hundred others get pushed aside, forgotten or ignored, many of those WAY more deserving of the accolades, and the praise, and more importantly, the ears of the listener, but for whatever reason, wrong label, no hyped tours, bad business sense, no blogosphere freakouts, no connections to other even cooler bands, those bands can only do so much, which often means simply making an incredible record, that practically nobody hears. Some bands tough it out, make more records, eventually getting noticed, and then everyone can return to that old record and finally proclaim it a masterpiece, and lament the fact that it was so overlooked, but many bands put everything they have into that record, energy, creativity, money, time, and when nothing happens, they just give it up, which is always a sad sad thing.
So what does that have to do with Wisconsin psych pop combo Jaill? Nothing really, other than the fact, that these guys have been around since 2002, have released a bunch of other records, but with That's How We Burn, have made probably the best, catchiest psychedelic indie pop record of the year, maybe the last several years, yet they rarely pop up on blogs, we rarely hear tastemakers shouting from the mountaintops about Jaill, or about That's How We Burn. Compare that to, say, Best Coast, who we also love, but whose every move, every sound is covered by every blog in the world. It's weird, cuz this Jaill record, holy shit, for folks who hear hundreds of new records every month, many of them amazing, for ONE SINGLE record to get played over and over, as in 5, 6 even 10 times a day, well as far as recommendations go, it's pretty tough to beat. But as with most pop records, it starts with one song, that one song that sinks it's hooks into you, and won't let go, and no matter how good the rest of the record is, you just can't stop yourself from listening to that same song over and over and over. And on That's How We Burn, that song is "Thank Us Later", from the first few seconds, you'll be hooked, the slithery melody, the weird drum fill, the echoey guitar jangle, and then when the vocals come in, all weary, slipping from croon to almost falsetto, and then the chorus, a fucking KILLER, the sort of chorus that some bands build a whole career on, and then there's an equally catchy bridge, the whole song pretty much perfect, a little bit surf rock, a little bit Brit rock, a little bit modern garage pop, but the song itself, it's the kind of jam any of the current crop of lo-fi garage poppers would KILL for, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Sic Alps, Male Bonding, we could go on and on, but the songs on Jaill stand up to anything any of those bands can come up with, and then some.
And where as lots of records we love have one of those opening one-two-three punches, an opening salvo that slays, and makes the whole record super front loaded, but on That's How We Burn, those one-two-three punches are everywhere, in fact, pick a song, and it's the first in one of those kick ass salvos, and yeah, sure, the opening three tracks are tough to beat, "The Stroller" is dark and hypnotic and a little bit gloomy, mixing in some Interpol and Rapture to their more slacker surfy sound, and weirdly it suits them big time, and it has a wicked crunchy chorus, the whole thing driven by some serious bad ass riffing, and some cool harmony vocals, which leads right into "Everyone's Hip" which sounds more slackery, a little bit like the Soft Pack or the Strokes, mixed with a bit of pavement, with a weird angular verse, and totally insanely hooky bridge and a cool doo wop-y chorus. Finally, "On The Beat" finishes off that opening salvo with something a little bit more laid back and laconic, the guitars droney and hypnotic, and another irresistible chorus, lots of crunch and thump and chug, and some cool vocal harmonies.
Which leads us right into "Thank Us Later", 1-2-3 salvo number two, and of course we STILL aren't tired of listening to it, but after another time through, we're led right into "Summer Mess" an awesome stripped down acoustic jam, with some snarky lyrics, but with the heartfelt delivery, and the amazing melody, it's pretty tough to fight, and finally, another guitar comes in, and some simple percussion, making the last 30 seconds lush and sunshiney and summery. And finally part 3, "She's My Baby", a driving groover, with another cool chugging guitar part, clanging chiming chords, and yet ANOTHER amazing chorus, which by now should lead you to the conclusion that these guys know their way around a hook, and aren't afraid to jam a whole mess of them into a single song.
We could keep going, another three-fer, starting with "Snake Shakes", which begins with the bassline from Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants you", before the vocals transform the song into something much more lilting and jangly... But you get the drift, pretty much every song here is awesome, catchy and crunchy and jangly and hooky, and unlike the horde of bands today who think enough reverb and weird lo-fi production techniques will disguise the fact that there's nothing going on underneath, Jaill, don't bother, cuz they don't need to, maybe that's why they're not getting the hype the so deserve, not noisy enough, not weird enough, not lo-fi enough, not hazy sixties girl group enough, but fuck it, who cares, this rules, we love it, and we think you will too, and we can't offer up any more hype than making this an aQ Record Of The Week and the thousand or so words you just finished reading...
MPEG Stream: "Thank Us Later"
MPEG Stream: "The Stroller"
MPEG Stream: "Everyone's Hip"
MPEG Stream: "Summer Mess"

JAILL Traps (Sub Pop) cd 14.98
We made Jaill's That's How We Burn our Record Of The Week back in 2010, and here it is more almost two years later, and literally the only thing that is keeping us from STILL listening to that record constantly, is a NEW Jaill record the third full length since 2009 from this psych pop outfit from Milwaukee, and while ANY record that is the follow up to one as obsessively and slavishly listened to as That's How We Burn is already set up to be a disappointment, all it took was a few listens to Traps to convince us that while this might not be our favorite Jaill record, it's our second favorite, and that alone puts it miles ahead of pretty much all of the other indie pop records out there. The secret weapon on That's How We Burn was "Thank Us Later" (which to this day, remains the most played tune in Andee's iTunes), which definitely ranks up there as one of our favorite pop jams ever. On Traps, that honor this time around ends up being a tie between album opener "Waste A Lot Of Things", and the record's final track "Stone Froze Mascot". "Waste A Lot Of Things" is a perfect slab of jangly indie pop, beholden to much of what came before, but so distinctive it could only be Jaill, a little surfy, a little indie rock, but the melodies, the vocals, the strange arrangements, the lush production, the impossible hooks and killer chorus. We'd been listening to that track nonstop, and it wasn't the first time we listened to the whole record all the way through, that we finally discovered "Stone Froze Mascot", which sounds like a weirdly new wavey dub version of a track from the first record, fuzzy synth low slung bassline, up-stroke guitar, hazy la la la background vocals, weird FX, the vocals dubbed out too in places, the whole thing so impossibly catchy, and yet still so weird.
And it's not just those bookends, with every listen, we discover a new favorite. "Everyone's A Bitch" is a current fave, all big guitar jangle, and chiming classic pop chorus, although "I'm Home" is another doozy, all off kilter and woozy but crazy catchy, and "Perfect Ten" a sort of stripped down sleeper hit, hell, we're on the verge of just going through the whole record song by song. New favorite pop record hands down, and the only record that's managed to bump the first Jaill or the recent Mrs Magician record, which is saying a LOT. Anyone who loved That's How We Burn, needs this, and anyone after some crazy catchy off-the-beaten-path slightly off kilter indie rock, you could not do better than this. Already secured a spot on some of our year end top ten lists, and it's only June!
MPEG Stream: "Waste A Lot Of Things"
MPEG Stream: "Stone Froze Mascot"
MPEG Stream: "Everyone's A Bitch"
MPEG Stream: "Perfect Ten"

JAILL Traps (Sub Pop) lp 15.98
We made Jaill's That's How We Burn our Record Of The Week back in 2010, and here it is more almost two years later, and literally the only thing that is keeping us from STILL listening to that record constantly, is a NEW Jaill record the third full length since 2009 from this psych pop outfit from Milwaukee, and while ANY record that is the follow up to one as obsessively and slavishly listened to as That's How We Burn is already set up to be a disappointment, all it took was a few listens to Traps to convince us that while this might not be our favorite Jaill record, it's our second favorite, and that alone puts it miles ahead of pretty much all of the other indie pop records out there. The secret weapon on That's How We Burn was "Thank Us Later" (which to this day, remains the most played tune in Andee's iTunes), which definitely ranks up there as one of our favorite pop jams ever. On Traps, that honor this time around ends up being a tie between album opener "Waste A Lot Of Things", and the record's final track "Stone Froze Mascot". "Waste A Lot Of Things" is a perfect slab of jangly indie pop, beholden to much of what came before, but so distinctive it could only be Jaill, a little surfy, a little indie rock, but the melodies, the vocals, the strange arrangements, the lush production, the impossible hooks and killer chorus. We'd been listening to that track nonstop, and it wasn't the first time we listened to the whole record all the way through, that we finally discovered "Stone Froze Mascot", which sounds like a weirdly new wavey dub version of a track from the first record, fuzzy synth low slung bassline, up-stroke guitar, hazy la la la background vocals, weird FX, the vocals dubbed out too in places, the whole thing so impossibly catchy, and yet still so weird.
And it's not just those bookends, with every listen, we discover a new favorite. "Everyone's A Bitch" is a current fave, all big guitar jangle, and chiming classic pop chorus, although "I'm Home" is another doozy, all off kilter and woozy but crazy catchy, and "Perfect Ten" a sort of stripped down sleeper hit, hell, we're on the verge of just going through the whole record song by song. New favorite pop record hands down, and the only record that's managed to bump the first Jaill or the recent Mrs Magician record, which is saying a LOT. Anyone who loved That's How We Burn, needs this, and anyone after some crazy catchy off-the-beaten-path slightly off kilter indie rock, you could not do better than this. Already secured a spot on some of our year end top ten lists, and it's only June!
MPEG Stream: "Waste A Lot Of Things"
MPEG Stream: "Stone Froze Mascot"
MPEG Stream: "Everyone's A Bitch"
MPEG Stream: "Perfect Ten"

JAKOB Solace (Graveface / Midium) cd 13.98
Another entry in the ever expanding brooding epic post rock sweepstakes, and another winner. What can we say? We love this stuff. This one comes from the band Jakob, hailing from New Zealand of all places. And here we were thinking that New Zealand was all abstract noise, jangle pop and droning sludge. But these guys are none of those. Instead, they follow in the deeeeeep sonic footprints of bands like Mogwai, Isis, Godspeed and the like.
Darkly mesmerizing, slow building, melancholy and moody, slow shifting epics that build into explosive sonic climaxes. Jakob are not one of those metal / post rock hybrids, but they do get heavy, although instead of relying on just distorted guitars and downtuned chug, their heaviness results from melody and intensity, huge walls of chaotic guitar, dense with spaced out FX, whirled into roiling clouds of psychdrone freakout, a logical extension of the riff or melody that has been growing in intensity from the songs' very first hushed whisper.
To be totally honest, nothing here is mind blowing or never-heard-before, but these guys are so good, these songs so emotional and intense, the instrumentation so subtle and precise, the long builds so tense and harrowing, the explosion of sound at the songs' climax so furious and white hot, it almost does sound like something you've never heard before, these guys manage to make these sounds new and fresh, exhilarating, intense, epic and majestic....
Which is really all that matters.
MPEG Stream: "Malachite"
MPEG Stream: "Pneumonic"

JAKOB Subset Of Sets (Midium) cd 15.98

JAM, THE All Mod Cons (Polydor) lp 12.98

JAM, THE This Is The Modern World / All Mod Cons (Universal Music) cd 15.98
2-on-1 reissue.

JAMES GANG Rides Again (MCA) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
Now part of that special $5 cd sale deal, so there's no excuse not to own a copy of this vintage heavy classic (even just to check it out if you haven't heard it before). Here's an expanded version of what we said about this when we first listed the cd version some years ago:
Newly remastered and reissued, the James Gang indeed "Rides Again", the title of this, their 2nd album, from 1970. Their first and third albums, Yer Album (1969) and Thirds (1971) have also received the same treatment, and we have 'em, but this is our favorite. Guitarist Joe Walsh (pre-Eagles, y'know) and his biker rock cronies Dale Peters and Jim Fox supply the famed '60s headbang "Funk #49" on this disc, along with extended musical suite "The Bomber" and some beautiful acoustic tunes mixed into the electric rawk. A classic indeed.
Also, does the lettering/logo on the cover look at all familiar? It should, to anyone with who has seen our aQ logo. Heh heh heh. That's how much we like this one...
MPEG Stream: "Funk #49"
MPEG Stream: "The Bomber"
MPEG Stream: "Ashes The Rain And I"

JAMESES Caribou (Captured Tracks) 7" 6.98
Yet another one man band cooking up glorious batches of home brewed hazy garage-y dream pop, this one going by the curious name of Jameses, aka Adam Perry (yep, not James), and for a sound that is done to death on a daily basis, this guy manages to make us dig it all over again. A soft focus fuzz wrapped around super textured and ever shifting cascading sheets of pulsing, swirling heavily effected guitars, all wrapped around layered, overlapping melodies, anchored to some rumbling cloomy basslines, and peppered with yelped reverby vox. A little cold wave-y especially on the A side, while the B side gets even more washed out and druggy, a sort of fun house mirror / circus midway psych pop, rife with all manner of warped effects and seriously twisted production, all while managing to remain fantastically poppy and catchy.
MPEG Stream: "Caribou"