JAPANCAKES Loveless (Darla) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
As has been very well documented, we LOVED Japancakes' 2004 Waking Hours (it made many folks' year-end lists), then last month their new full length Giving Machines was released and we thought it was good, but nowhere near the previous album's splendor. Now only a month later, they drop this one on us, and... it's causing us undue pain, anguish and anger! In case you didn't already guess from the title, this is Japancakes' complete cover of My Bloody Valentine's beloved, inimitable album. If their intention was to transform it into absolutely bland schlock... we'll they've succeeded. Think: easy listening suitable for ice rinks and beauty pageants, not even good for kitsch value. Some may ask "why are you making such a big deal about it?" But it IS a big deal. We're not saying MBV's original is sacred or anything and we're sure Japancakes had their heart in the right spot, and these tracks are probably a blast for 'em to play, but to us this is just one big bummer. Completely shameful and unnecessary... and the boring cover art only adds insult to injury.
MPEG Stream: "Loomer"
MPEG Stream: "When You Sleep"

JAPANCAKES s/t (Kindercore) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Instrumental twee metronome pop with lots of squiggly analogue synths and that constant quick paced guitar strum that harkens back to the earliest Stereolab recordings.

JAPANCAKES Sleepy Strange (Kindercore) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Gliding away from the overly twee side of pop that Kindercore has become most known for, it's Japancakes. And quite a refreshing change it is for this label. Languid, country-tinged melodies on flute, guitar, strings and keyboards weave together to form a blanketing warmth. Although this album is comprised of only seven tracks, fear not! Four of them are of the lengthier variety (including a 12 minute closing track), allowing Japancakes to fully envelope you in their slide and twang mood. Quite nice, indeed.
RealAudio clip: "Waiting"

JAPANCAKES Waking Hours (Warm) cd 13.98
This record is absolutely stunning. So fucking perfect. Sweetly melancholy, dark and dolorous. Fuzzy foresty drones beneath dreamy gentle flutters of lap steel and warm organ, weeping strings and stark wintry pianoscapes. The spare wide open country ambience of Souled American, the deserty twang of Calexico, the slow burning intensity of Godspeed, the baroque lilt of Rachel's. Definitely one of the most beautiful records you will hear this year. Period. So why the fuck call your band Japancakes? Are you a joke band? Do you play children's birthday parties? Do you wear costumes? Do you realise that Japancakes is not a good pun? And that a name like that will deter almost every casual listener from checking out your amazing record at all? I'm even a little embarassed to tell folks to "check out this band Japancakes, they're really good." Many years ago, I found myself in a bar in the midwest, and noticed a 'musician wanted' flyer on the wall. This midwestern metal band, in need of a "shredding lead guitarist", had an extensive list of influences, all serious and heavy and brutal. The band then specified as most of those flyers do "no flakes, no druggies, etc." and then stressed the fact that the band was deadly serious and poised for success, and only serious applicants need apply. The name of the band? The Dangerous Dingleberries. I shit you not. C'mon, how serious can you be? Now granted, the name Japancakes is not nearly as bad as the Dangerous Dingleberries, but the questionable judgement does indeed seem quite similar and quite perplexing. And while we'll never know just how talented those Dingleberries were, let me assure you once again, that Waking Hours is absolutely one of the most utterly beautiful, atmospherically evocative, and soul stirringly emotional records we've heard in a long long time. Fans of Calexico, Sparklehorse, Hotel Alexis and all things ghostly country and shimmery twang definitely need to explore the sonic world of Japancakes (sigh). So just do your very best to ignore one of the lamest band names ever and you will be richly rewarded. So highly recommended!!
MPEG Stream: "Keep Drawing Suns"
MPEG Stream: "Thumb On The Scale"

JAPANDROIDS Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl) cd 13.98

JAPANDROIDS No Singles (Polyvinyl Record Co.) cd 12.98
Not a new record, but a reissue of Japandroids' first two self released eps, and holy shit is this stuff awesome. Heavy, crunchy, hooky, another guitar/drums two piece who can kick up a pretty intense sound, and who wrap that sound into some pretty kick ass ultra dynamic jams. In the past we described the Japandroids as No Age crossed with Superchunk, and that may be even more applicable on these early recordings.
Just listen to the first track and see if you're not sold. The whole first half a lurching stop start crunch, swirling guitars, shouted background vox, crashing drums, the two locked into a killer pounding super rhythmic workout, almost like some sort of noise rock, softened up just a bit so it's closer to indie rock, and then the song shifts gears halfway through and the guitars slip into something much more melodic, as do the vocals, and suddenly we're in serious mix tape territory, the duo channeling classic nineties post rock. Awesome. And that's just the first track. Some of the other songs are way more poppy, channeling more of a Weezer style vibe, but still filtered through their noisy two piece situation, and even at its poppiest, constantly slipping into something mathier or crunchier, and alternately, even at their most jagged, like on some of the tracks from the first (and older) ep, the two can't help but let some poppiness seep into the proceedings. Killer stuff. We can't stop listening to this, which is leading us to believe that we just might like this collection even more than their proper full length...
MPEG Stream: "Darkness on the Edge of Gastown"
MPEG Stream: "No Allegiance to the Queen"
MPEG Stream: "Couture Suicide"

JAPANDROIDS No Singles (Polyvinyl Record Co.) lp 21.00
Not a new record, but a reissue of Japandroids' first two self released eps, and holy shit is this stuff awesome. Heavy, crunchy, hooky, another guitar/drums two piece who can kick up a pretty intense sound, and who wrap that sound into some pretty kick ass ultra dynamic jams. In the past we described the Japandroids as No Age crossed with Superchunk, and that may be even more applicable on these early recordings.
Just listen to the first track and see if you're not sold. The whole first half a lurching stop start crunch, swirling guitars, shouted background vox, crashing drums, the two locked into a killer pounding super rhythmic workout, almost like some sort of noise rock, softened up just a bit so it's closer to indie rock, and then the song shifts gears halfway through and the guitars slip into something much more melodic, as do the vocals, and suddenly we're in serious mix tape territory, the duo channeling classic nineties post rock. Awesome. And that's just the first track. Some of the other songs are way more poppy, channeling more of a Weezer style vibe, but still filtered through their noisy two piece situation, and even at its poppiest, constantly slipping into something mathier or crunchier, and alternately, even at their most jagged, like on some of the tracks from the first (and older) ep, the two can't help but let some poppiness seep into the proceedings. Killer stuff. We can't stop listening to this, which is leading us to believe that we just might like this collection even more than their proper full length...
MPEG Stream: "Darkness on the Edge of Gastown"
MPEG Stream: "No Allegiance to the Queen"
MPEG Stream: "Couture Suicide"

JAPANDROIDS Post-Nothing (Polyvinyl) cd 13.98
What would happen if you somehow mixed the chaotic two piece post punk frenzy of No Age with the earnest, fuzzed out classic kinetic yowled indie rock of Superchunk? Odds are it would end up sounding a lot like Japandroids. A guitar and drums duo, who kick up a killer racket, with crunchy fuzzed out riffage, super distorted wild drumming, some seriously anthemic jams, and minimal lyrics, most repeated over and over and over, ripe for wild sweaty basement show sing alongs, the vocals are high and keening and emo(tional), the band are wild and woolly, not all that tight, just rough and raw and loose enough to make this whole record feel like they're playing right there in the room with you, like any minute you could find yourself careening into the drum kit, or you could suddenly be sprawled on the floor with the guitar player and a bunch of kids writhing right next to you covered in beer and wrapped in feedback. Sweaty and intense, energetic, super rocking and WAY fun, these guys must KILL live, and although lots of bands do, most have trouble capturing that live energy on record, but Japandroids don't seem to have any problems there at all.
MPEG Stream: "The Boys Are Leaving Town"
MPEG Stream: "Young Hearts Spark Fire"
MPEG Stream: "Wet Hair"

JAPANDROIDS Post-Nothing (Polyvinyl) lp 15.98
What would happen if you somehow mixed the chaotic two piece post punk frenzy of No Age with the earnest, fuzzed out classic kinetic yowled indie rock of Superchunk? Odds are it would end up sounding a lot like Japandroids. A guitar and drums duo, who kick up a killer racket, with crunchy fuzzed out riffage, super distorted wild drumming, some seriously anthemic jams, and minimal lyrics, most repeated over and over and over, ripe for wild sweaty basement show sing alongs, the vocals are high and keening and emo(tional), the band are wild and woolly, not all that tight, just rough and raw and loose enough to make this whole record feel like they're playing right there in the room with you, like any minute you could find yourself careening into the drum kit, or you could suddenly be sprawled on the floor with the guitar player and a bunch of kids writhing right next to you covered in beer and wrapped in feedback. Sweaty and intense, energetic, super rocking and WAY fun, these guys must KILL live, and although lots of bands do, most have trouble capturing that live energy on record, but Japandroids don't seem to have any problems there at all.
MPEG Stream: "The Boys Are Leaving Town"
MPEG Stream: "Young Hearts Spark Fire"
MPEG Stream: "Wet Hair"

JAPANTHER Come Back Home (Spirit Animal) 7" 5.98
First release from this new SF label comes in the form of this kick ass single from Brooklyn art/pop/punk rockers Japanther, who on these tracks seem to have ditched all their warped artiness in favor of something much more immediate, a fuzzed out stripped down noise pop crunch, all murky riffage, practice space drum pound, and distorted reverbed vocal croon, jangly, hooky as hell, three short sharp garage pop gems that sound a little bit like Guided By Voices if they found themselves on In The Red.
The weirdest stuff going on here is the occasional sample, the quick one at the beginning, and the looped crackly old RnB record that starts out "Oh Washington", which the band then seamlessly transform into a dreamy chunk of organ driven garage pop blissout, all vocal ooooh's and swoonsome chordal shimmer, a washed out slab of glimmery soft focus sunshiney fuzz pop murk, which is well worth the price of admission all on its own.
Includes a cool mini comic book, and a download code!
MPEG Stream: "Oh Washington"
MPEG Stream: "Come Back Home"

JAPANTHER Dump The Body In Rikki Lake (Menlo Park) cd 12.98

JAPANTHER Yer Living Grave (Menlo Park) cd 10.98



MPEG Stream: ""
MPEG Stream: ""

JARBOE Introducing The Sweet Meat Love And Holy Cult (Paradigms) 7" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
First vinyl release from the UK's Paradigms label, who over the last few months have brought us amazing releases from Amber Asylum, Hjarnidaudi, Blueprint Human Being, Throne Of Katarsis, Utlagr, Titan, the Angelic Process, as well as the gorgeous Walking With Ghosts compilation reviewed elsewhere on this list. And as first (vinyl) releases go, this one's a doozy. Jarboe, formerly of the mighty Swans, who has for years been crafting dark and mysterious musicks on her own, returns with a new extended ensemble and new dark tribal sound. Her new group, The Sweet Meat Love And Holy Cult features some seriously expansive instrumentation, two drummers, cello, violin, piano, acoustic guitars, rebab, vocals and sitar. A big ensemble, but it doesn't sound overblown, instead it manages to still sound immediate and intimate. Especially on side A, a swirling ambience of warped effects, muted minor key melodies, and strange shimmering metallics, underpin Jarboe's haunting vocals, which build and build, layer upon layer, until the track becomes a sea of tangled voices, slipping and drifting in and out of unlikely harmonies. From within this dense cloud of vocal tangle emerges a dirgey steel string guitar, and suddenly it sounds like some modern outsider psych folk jam, all strummy and drifting, with soaring sorrowful vocals woven delicately into the reverberating steel strings. Side B is a little more chaotic, clangy, clattery and dense, tribal rhythms, some primitive krautrock jam, topped again by Jarboe's wailing vocals. The whole thing is thick with natural reverb, like it was recorded live in a cave or a cathedral. Gradually, mournful strings materialize way back in the mix, giving the whole track a subtly sorrowful vibe, and ends up sounding like a string section jamming with a sonically overpowering No Neck / Avarus orchestra. Which sounds amazing! Definitely one of the nicest and most powerful post-Swans recordings we've heard from Jarboe.
SUPER LIMITED. ONLY 600 COPIES PRESSED. Packaged in a thick full color sleeve, with a truly haunting, beautiful painted portrait of the lady herself on the cover.

JARBOE Mahakali (The End) cd 12.98

JARBOE Over (Crouton) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Although this release is primarily credited to former Swan, Jarboe, it is actually just as much the work of Chris Rosenau and Jon Mueller (aka Telecognac). She wrote and recorded the song "Under" which would become the raw material for the tracks that make up "Over". The duo deconstructed the song, chopping both the vocals and instrumentation (mainly piano and postrock-ish guitar) to pieces, and adding their own percussion, synths and clarinet. Be forewarned the Jarboe's vocals have been so masticated that they're barely recognizable. Three tracks in all (the first and last are quite lengthy).

JARBOE Thirteen Masks (Atavistic) cd 15.98

JARBOE & JUSTIN K. BROADRICK J2 (The End) cd 13.98
Apparently this album hit the Billboard "New Age" charts! Not sure how or why, you wouldn't think that a collaboration between one of the Swans and a member of Godflesh would qualify as New Age (and it really isn't!). Downtempo electronica with some avant-garde elements, more like, with hints of doomic menace. If you're looking for the crushing metallic guitars of Godflesh, you won't quite find them, though many passages are deep and dark and spooky enough to remind us of Broadrick's current project Jesu.
The deal with this perhaps inevitable collaboration (inevitable given Broadrick's obvious Swans fandom, and Jarboe's openness to collaborative ventures, witness her earlier disc with Neurosis), is that it's JB making mostly electronic backgrounds for Jarboe to do her thing vocally... operatic excesses, and mewlings and moanings... so obviously you've got to be into "her thing". Some are, some aren't. The ambient, layered and looped wailings of the opener, "Decay", should separate the two camps pretty clearly. Some will find Jarboe's vocals to be full of mystery and emotion, others, simply irritating (though it's only on "Tribal Limo" that we really got annoyed with her, the track featuring weird Diamanda Galas yodelling over junky Gang Gang Dance-ish beats).
That said, for those into Jarboe, there's a lot to like here. And we can kind of see how, New Age or not, this could crack the charts on the strength some of the better cuts, like "Let Go" which sounds a lot like Portishead or Bjork, Jarboe effecting a babygirl voice under a blanket of crackley drone, accompanied by a spare snare thwack...
MPEG Stream: "Let Go"
MPEG Stream: "Tribal Limo"

JARSE Alas (Fonal) 7" 13.98

JARVINEN, ANNA Jag Fick Feel (Hapna) cd 16.98

JARVIS STREET REVUE Mr. Oil Man (Lion Productions) cd 14.98
Canadian '60s artifact, well actually it's from 1971 but sounds way more sixties boomer rock. From remote Thunder Bay, they were hippies with environmental concerns, hence this album's biggest claim to fame, the heavy protest rocker "Mr. Oil Man", all 12 minutes of it. They also do a "Mr. Business Man" for good measure. This digipak reissue includes 9 bonus tracks and a booklet of liner notes and sheet music! Though the booklet is for some reason on the outside of the digipak, not the best packaging concept in our opinion.
MPEG Stream: "Mr. Oil Man"
MPEG Stream: "20 Years"

JASPER TX A Darkness (Lidar Productions) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Brand new full length from one of our favorite new outfits, the strangely named Jasper TX, the work of one man, a Mr. Dag Rosenqvist, who as you might have presumed, is not, in fact from Texas. And actually, based on the music of Jasper TX, it's a bit difficult to even begin to guess where Mr. Rosenqvist hails from. One minute we're tempted to suggest some tiny village in the Alps, surrounded on all sides by snowy peaks and lush verdant forests. Moments later, we'd guess he was from the desert, existing amidst miles and miles of wide open space, the sky threatening to swallow the world whole. Another theory would be that Jasper TX comes from nowhere, or at least, nowhere we would recognize, an alternate universe perhaps, and alien land, somewhere different, dark, mysterious, separated from our world by a thin gauzy veil, so as we glimpse into that world we see and hear a reflection of our world, but one that is slightly skewed, obfuscated, fuzzy and blurry and indistinct. Which is precisely why we seem to love it so much.
Like many of his sonic brethren, Rosenqvist takes simple bits of pop music, and pulls them apart, wrapping them in bits of crackle and hum, and setting them amidst soft warm melodies and dreamy shimmering soundscapes. A sort of abstract, spaced out ambient post rock might come close. But it's not really that simple to describe. It's effervescent, weightless, dreamlike, but at the same time, dark and heavy and intense. Each song a struggle between the two. A subtle tension that imbues the songs with emotion and urgency, even at their most blissed out and laid back.
A Darkness, as the title implies, might just be a tad bit darker than past outings, although the first track might not immediately let on. it's a doleful warm summer afternoon drift of soft focus post rock guitar, all minor key and meandering melody, floating along a slow flow of strange static and buzzing hum. But after that, it's a slow descent into a darker place, thick washes of warm drone and whirling winds of hiss and buzz, looped vocal snippets, strange beeping and distant industrial grind, before breaking through the black sky in a burst of effulgent bliss, still minor key and miserable, but briefly unhindered by the black buzz of the preceding 8 minutes. The next track is a desert-y drift, like Godspeed covering Calexico, harmonicas and little bits of twang hover amidst a dense reverbed soundscape, like a blown out and stripped down Galaxie 500. Beyond that, the sound continues to darken, huge billowing clouds of low end rumble and metallic shimmer, muted FX drenched snatches of distant piano, peppered with strange scrapes and scratches, footsteps? Someone digging? All very mysterious and haunting.
The record ends with the epic 20+ minute "Some Things Broken, Some Things Lost", a glistening slow motion drift, everything sparkling and glimmering, crystalline guitars smeared into long slow streaks of sound, melodies muted and blurred, gorgeous and ethereal, before transforming into a skipping crackly glitchscape, a whirring minimal drone hovers beneath a storm cloud of record crackle and a skipping record rhythm, before slowly blossoming into world of warm melody, a sonic expanse streaked with oranges and yellows, dark burnished reds, guitars flittering like little birds, just bits of melody against a stained glass sky. So lovely...
MPEG Stream: "Better Days To Come"
MPEG Stream: "Destroy Detroit (The Sign Of Buildings Never Built)"

JASPER TX An Index Of Failure (Handmade Birds) lp 22.00
Jasper TX, how we will miss you! An Index Of Failure marks the final installment for Jasper TX, although the man behind this dream-time drone-rock project will be continuing to record under his own name, that being Dag Rosenqvist... and hopefully, he'll be retaining the same moodscaping and slippery alternation between post-rock ambience (e.g. Stars Of The Lid, Labradford, Barn Owl, and perhaps a rhythmless Mogwai) and the electro-acoustic soundsculpting of a Tim Hecker or a Jonathan Coleclough. That said, the title is apt, given this is a collection of tracks that were originally commissioned for various compilations or were collaborations that never quite got off the ground with Rosenqvist completing the original material by himself. The sad chords on the first track sound like they could have come from a Rhodes organ that leads into a beautifully shimmering wash of guitar drone, and that resonant, echo-laden radiance continues on the second track, about which Rosenqvist quips that it was just recorded with voice and guitar, although the expansive blur and wash speaks to a much larger, if hushed orchestra of instruments quietly layering timbre on top of timbre. Piano and tape experiments get reworked through Rosenqvist's tricks and techniques, culminating in what is undoubtedly one of his finest moments - the grandiose, oceanic crescendo of desolate guitar chords, slow marching rhythms, and densely washed out blur of post-Nadja distortion on "Days Above The Tide." So beautiful!
Handmade Birds printed up a few more of these than they normally do, with an edition of 500, all on winter grey-sky vinyl.

JASPER TX Black Sleep (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.
It's actually been a while since we've heard from Jasper TX, aka Dag Rosenqvist. For a brief spell, JTX was churning out releases like a Machinefabriek or Aidan Baker. And to be honest, we actually didn't mind, as we've loved pretty much everything Rosenqvist has released. In fact, the very first Jasper TX release, I'll Be Long Gone Before My Light Reaches You, still ranks as one of our favorite discs, and in some ways was sort of the first of this new breed of obfuscated blurred ambience we've come to love so much.
Anyway, finally a brand new full length, one epic 51 minute track, split into 6 movements, and right out of the gate, we're smitten, deep dark swells, washed out barely there melodies, distant hiss, and a strange buried pulse, that seems to surface and then disappear, like some mysterious beasts heartbeat, growing louder as it reaches the surface, only to fade away as it disappears back into the depths. Long drawn out tones, shimmery reflective, before it slips into something MUCH more minimal, the second movement, a super low-end drift, barely audible through speakers but in headphones it's a powerful seismic rumble, rippled with strands of whispery static, and more buried barely audible rhythms. It's only on track three that the record takes on anything songlike, a loping lilting guitar, unspooling a dreamy laid back melody, a keyboard picking out a simple harmony over the top, all underpinned by a soft dronelike murmur.
But the respite is brief, Black Sleep is indeed true to its title, narcotic and very dark, murky and mysterious, the record shifts into some abstract assemblage of thumps and bumps, before they fade out leaving a distant ominous whir, spread out like a slow moving black sonic sea, before shifting back again to song, the guitar returning, this time suspended amidst dense layers of static shimmer, low end rumbles, laced with bits of grit and glitch, of hiss and static, all very moody and intense, threatening to build to something climactic, but instead, shifting slowly forward, resolutely and mournfully.
The final part, clocking in at nearly 20 minutes, begins with a cacophony of buzzing and scraped strings, a manic exploration of a piano's inside, still surrounded by shards of electronic glitch, the static and buzz creating accidental rhythms over a distant machine-like hum, before a melody surfaces, minor key and melancholy, the notes appearing one at a time as deep swells, the distant drones building in density and intensity, never quite exploding, but building to a muted murky chordal climax, majestic, but still subdued, before as all things drone must, it fades to silence.
Definitely not the prettiest Jasper record (that honor still goes to I'll Be Long Gone) but certainly the darkest, and maybe the most mysterious sounding, a musical rendering of the Black Sleep, which to our ears can only be death, and as a soundtrack to slipping off our mortal coils, we'd be hard pressed to do much better than this.
MPEG Stream: "Black Sleep Part III"
MPEG Stream: "Black Sleep Part IV"

JASPER TX I'll Be Long Gone Before My Light Reaches You (Lampse) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's funny that after years of everybody striving for better sound quality, better recording equipment, higher fidelity, a sound closer and closer to pristine perfection, wax cylinder to 78 to lp to cassette to compact disc.... that we here at AQ tend to lean in the exact opposite direction. Sure that record's great, we'll think, but imagine if it was swathed in murky distortion, or drenched in a dense swirl of tape hiss! Record crackle? Yes, please. This constant quest for sonic perfection seems like a reflection of exactly what is wrong with society in general, a constant striving for some unattainable ideal, the march of progress, sacrificing character and feeling and emotion for faceless smooth 'perfection' in the process. But those imperfections are exactly what make things interesting and unique and totally unlike anything else. But as much as we love lesser than pristine sound quality, it's worth pointing out that when, for example, we hear a compilation of old blues 78's often cleaned up, obviously the scratches and pops and hiss were not at all intended, and thus realistically have no place in the music, at least from the musician's point of view, but as a byproduct of degradation and the passing of time and the fragility of primitive recordings, the sound of that decay becomes representative of the time passed, and the history within the music. So when we hear old 78's or long lost wax cylinder recordings, we don't want them cleaned up and digitally restored, the sound of the music wrapped in warm scratchiness and murky lo fidelity, gives the music a special kind of character, like the lines on our faces, or metal oxidizing into cool greens and blues. And I guess that's what appeals to us about the music of Philip Jeck and Tim Hecker and William Basinski and the like. Musicians who create modern music, but who take that music and affect it in a way that makes it sound antique or otherworldly, damaged and decayed, sometimes by utilizing modern techniques, but just as often by employing old turntables and antiquated recording techniques, the music on its own is of course beautiful, but even more so with a rough patina of age and weariness, of whir and hiss, the musical equivalent of an old sepia tone photograph, edges all creased and folded, the images blurry and indistinct. It's more romantic, and way more mysterious.
But it takes more than just slapping on some fuzz, or recording on a broken old reel to reel machine. There was a glut recently of electronica pop hybrids, where a band would sprinkle some bloops and bleeps over some generic strummy pop, and suddenly what was once a crappy pop band became some sort of experimental avant post pop group. Bullshit. Just like anything, it's more than the process, more than the technique, it's some ineffable combination that creates magic. Magic like Jasper TX.
The work of one man, Dag Rosenqvist, and recorded at home in Sweden, Jasper TX sounds like so much more. A fuzzy travelogue, soft smeared images from lost lives and faded memories. A gentle lilting post rock, transmitted through time, picking up all sort of sonic detritus on the way, a message from another world, faded like an old postcard. A futuristic version of the unearthed 78. Imagine music nerds in 2066, discovering a mysterious compact disc, "rarely see those anymore...", unearthed in a trunk in some old abandoned house, marveling and the murky mystery of this record, and the beautifully fuzzy and foggy melodies, the droney timeless beauty. Jasper TX manages to evoke all sorts of feeling and emotions, some of the sounds, the methods, are clearly modern, but the whole record, every sound, every melody, is steeped in warm warbly mystery, even the title, I'll Be Long Gone Before My Light Reaches You, hints at the emotional disconnect, that faded photo, undelivered postcard, translated into music. Each track is a snapshot, a sonic glimpse into the past, or a future that was never meant to be, a melancholy soundtrack full of shadows and whispers, a slow shuffling shimmer, a loping lazy rhythm, drifting beneath a warm swirly wash of thick guitar fuzz and what sounds distinctly like the sound of surf crashing on the shore, a thick wash of My Bloody Valentine guitar and M83 buzzy shimmer over a lilting minor key guitar and delicate piano, long stretches of lustrous, sun dappled drones, over slow shifting chordal washes, and a creeping morose melodic crawl, soaring strings and gentle fingerpicked guitars, all muted and mumbled, as if heard from underwater, the light bending and wavering hypnotically, tinkling music box melodies drenched in reverb and broadcast from tin speakers hung from trees, the fog thick and the moonlight dull and grey, soft strummy guitars smeared into whisps of dreamlike whir, each track thick with sorrow, or regret, or hopelessness, not overt, but conveyed through the subtle soft light each track is cast in, warm overcast evening glow, the pale spill of the crescent moon, the diffuse flush of predawn light, glimmering and glistening soft and bittersweet. The heart of the record is the appropriately titled "My Heart Is Broken, I've Lost My Way", a nine minute slow build, warm wheezing layers of organ, over ambient clatter, mic sounds, footsteps, a weary, woozy wanderingly soft soundscape, gentle swells, each hovering and gliding dreamlike, an angelic theremin-like skree way in the background, while an alien melody is played out on top, crafted from glitched out crackling instrument buzz, an abrasive squelch, cutting in and out, easily the 'hardest' sounds on the record, like someone trying to get a message through from another dimension, a groaning distorted guitar, broadcast intermittently through the ether, creepy and strangely haunting. The record closes with the just as eerie "All Those Broken Birds Singing Winter Into Spring", a final look back, before fading into nothing, soft lilting guitar, over a whisper soft drift of minor key shimmer and minimally morose melody. So totally and absolutely perfect.
MPEG Stream: "Blown Out To Sea, I'm Never Coming Back"
MPEG Stream: "Braille"

JASPER TX In A Cool Monsoon (Pumpkin Seeds In The Sand) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
For a while there it was a pretty even race, Machinefabriek versus Jasper TX. Both bands offering up releases after releases, super limited, 3"s, whatever, it just seemed like it would never stop, and we didn't want it to, everything we heard was fantastic. Then suddenly it seemed like Jasper TX dropped out of the race, leaving Machinefabriek to keep us sated with disc after disc of dreamy fuzzy blissed out sound.
Well, if In A Cool Monsoon is why we were waiting to hear from Jasper TX, it was well worth the wait. And the wait ended up being even longer than planned, as this disc was recorded and released months and months back, but there was some problem with the mastering and the discs were trashed, and the record was remastered and now, finally, it's here, sounding just the way it was intended to.
And it's divine, and more of what we love about Jasper TX. Not at all lo-fi or minimal, this is a lush, expansive song cycle, sounding like it was recorded and performed by a full band, guitars drums, strings, squalls of feedback, languid and long form stretches of moody cinematic instrumental slowcore, dreamy and spacious, laced with drones but not a drone recordÉ
The opening track is the first sign things have changed, a brief minute and a half chunk of super distorted crumbling electric guitar, chopped up bits of acoustic guitar, thick corrosive sonic swells, really pretty bur intense and noisy. But then the second track is just the opposite. A simple spare tribal drum line, a languorous bass line, chiming guitar harmonics, and a warm wheezing organ melody over the top. It sounds like Scenic or Low or Bjorn Olsson or something, meandering and wide open, subtly epic and cinematic.
There are some drone tracks, but even those are rife with texture and melody, "Summer" is all layered organs, the layers shifting and beating against one another, all sorts of overtones drifting in and out of earshot, but one of the organs is always working through a sweet sad melody, while the others drone on in the background.
"Waking Up" is one of the highlights, with it's delayed reverbed Spacemen 3 like guitar line, drifting in an expanse of soft space, the guitar joined by another, and then another, each offering a complimentary melody, the song is briefly interrupted by a thick swath of My Bloody Valentine style blissed out buzz, before slipping back into it's shimmering drift. The final track, "Falling From The Sky Like A Flock Of Burning Birds" is all smeared blurs of indistinct melody, tinkling chimes, soft swells of backwards guitar, distant whirs and drones, climaxing with a dense flurry of low end piano, epic and grandiose, before slowing down and darkly droning until the end, the chiming melodies, fading like the last light of the day.
MPEG Stream: "Still A Tiny Light"
MPEG Stream: "Bending Spoons"
MPEG Stream: "Summer"

JASPER TX Singing Stones (Fang Bomb) cd 23.00

JAUMET, ETIENNE Night Music (Domino) cd 14.98
We love it when something unexpected, unknown, and essentially totally off our radar shows up and then completely blows us away! Which is exactly what happened with this chunk of epic cosmic psychedelic space-out by French artist Etienne Jaumet. By the looks of his photo on the cover we first thought this was going to be some sort of smarty pants singer songwriter, Jarvis Cocker sort of thing, but talk about about how you shouldn't judge a book by its cover! Instead, Night Music is one of the most satisfying and fully realized analog synth driven discs we've heard in ages. Imagine Goblin and Kraftwerk gliding through cosmic space, as the record's opening 20+ minute track really does evoke some sort of interstellar autobahn, the listener whirling through the stars and sky, Night Music a deep rich and nuanced soundtrack for that late night cosmic excursion. We also think about some of our fave modern psych-space rockers, like try to imagine Expo 70 remixed by Jonas Reinhardt, or Arp channeling Franco Battiato or Subway stretched way out into a sonic stratosphere pioneered by Conrad Schnitzler and Klaus Schulze. Folks who dug the Altres record we listed last time should definitely dig this too. We'd also bet the Black Devil Disco folks and both Zombi and Zomby lovers will find loads to love on Night Music. Oddly enough when we starting doing some digging to find out more about Jaumet we discovered he was in a group called Zombie Zombie (not however, related to the above Zomby/i's).
You can tell that Jaumet also has a deep love of cosmic free-jazz as he introduces subtle saxophone on parts of the record with perfectly understated results, bringing to mind Herbie Hancock's Sextant album for sure, and also Sun Ra as reimagined by Four Tet, particularly on that epic opener "For Falling Asleep" - the very next track sure says "wake up", though, bringing in more of a techno thump to the proceedings, but still staying wonderfully spaced out. Pretty much every time we play this in the store either a customer or one of us who works here asks if this is a reissue of some long lost kosmiche gem, maybe from Germany in the 1970s. In fact we found out that Jaumet based the sequencing of the record on many of those same amazing cosmic psych records from the '70s, where first side of the vinyl is one long track and the other side is filled with shorter tracks. Jaumet also has such an obvious understanding of composition, especially how to stretch tracks out without letting them overstay their welcome, and thus Night Music is just long enough to totally transport us to another dimension, yet focused enough to stay listenable and sonically complex the entire time.
Something which only makes us love this record even more was the discovery that long time AQ favorite, '70s French folk-psychstress Emmanuelle Parrenin adds her voice as texture on a couple tracks (sounding very Yoko Ono, at times) as well as playing harp and hurdy gurdy. Furthermore, the mix was "directed and imagined" by none other than Carl Craig and you can totally tell, as the whole record flows with such a lush layered sound and driving pulse that is both immediately satisfying and utterly hypnotic!
MPEG Stream: "For Falling Asleep"
MPEG Stream: "At The Crack Of Dawn"
MPEG Stream: "Mental Vortex"

JAUMET, ETIENNE Night Music (Domino) lp 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We love it when something unexpected, unknown, and essentially totally off our radar shows up and then completely blows us away! Which is exactly what happened with this chunk of epic cosmic psychedelic space-out by French artist Etienne Jaumet. By the looks of his photo on the cover we first thought this was going to be some sort of smarty pants singer songwriter, Jarvis Cocker sort of thing, but talk about about how you shouldn't judge a book by its cover! Instead, Night Music is one of the most satisfying and fully realized analog synth driven discs we've heard in ages. Imagine Goblin and Kraftwerk gliding through cosmic space, as the record's opening 20+ minute track really does evoke some sort of interstellar autobahn, the listener whirling through the stars and sky, Night Music a deep rich and nuanced soundtrack for that late night cosmic excursion. We also think about some of our fave modern psych-space rockers, like try to imagine Expo 70 remixed by Jonas Reinhardt, or Arp channeling Franco Battiato or Subway stretched way out into a sonic stratosphere pioneered by Conrad Schnitzler and Klaus Schulze. Folks who dug the Altres record we listed last time should definitely dig this too. We'd also bet the Black Devil Disco folks and both Zombi and Zomby lovers will find loads to love on Night Music. Oddly enough when we starting doing some digging to find out more about Jaumet we discovered he was in a group called Zombie Zombie (not however, related to the above Zomby/i's).
You can tell that Jaumet also has a deep love of cosmic free-jazz as he introduces subtle saxophone on parts of the record with perfectly understated results, bringing to mind Herbie Hancock's Sextant album for sure, and also Sun Ra as reimagined by Four Tet, particularly on that epic opener "For Falling Asleep" - the very next track sure says "wake up", though, bringing in more of a techno thump to the proceedings, but still staying wonderfully spaced out. Pretty much every time we play this in the store either a customer or one of us who works here asks if this is a reissue of some long lost kosmiche gem, maybe from Germany in the 1970s. In fact we found out that Jaumet based the sequencing of the record on many of those same amazing cosmic psych records from the '70s, where first side of the vinyl is one long track and the other side is filled with shorter tracks. Jaumet also has such an obvious understanding of composition, especially how to stretch tracks out without letting them overstay their welcome, and thus Night Music is just long enough to totally transport us to another dimension, yet focused enough to stay listenable and sonically complex the entire time.
Something which only makes us love this record even more was the discovery that long time AQ favorite, '70s French folk-psychstress Emmanuelle Parrenin adds her voice as texture on a couple tracks (sounding very Yoko Ono, at times) as well as playing harp and hurdy gurdy. Furthermore, the mix was "directed and imagined" by none other than Carl Craig and you can totally tell, as the whole record flows with such a lush layered sound and driving pulse that is both immediately satisfying and utterly hypnotic!
MPEG Stream: "For Falling Asleep"
MPEG Stream: "At The Crack Of Dawn"
MPEG Stream: "Mental Vortex"

JAVELINA Beasts Among Sheep (Translation Loss) cd 14.98
Any record that starts with a solid 30 seconds of feedback is definitely gonna be good, and then when it explodes into a frenzy of melodic crusty metal, with super distorted howled vocals (and some competing black metal shrieks), spidery harmonized guitar melodies and thick swells of stonery sludge, it pretty much seals the deal. Which is precisely the case with Beasts Among Sheep, the latest from Philly's Javelina, named for a tusked swine that terrorizes the Southwest, killing small animals and destroying gardens, but this Javelina is something way more imposing and terrifying, a lurching, ultra distorted sludge metal juggernaut, that takes what could be a head spinning kitchen sink approach to their craft and instead fuses all sorts of disparate elements into something super heavy, groovy, melodic and rocking, definite references would include NOLA bands like Kylesa, Baroness, Down, Eyehategod, Crowbar, that same sort of swampy groovy and downtuned sludge, but the guitars are straight up NWOBHM, often busting out incredible harmonized leads right in the midst of a plodding tarpit sludge workout. And the vocals, flip from cookie monster growl to demonic shriek, giving the record a totally different vibe, the bass driving everything, especially when they slow it down and get all brooding and doomy, but shit, the riffs, some of the most kick ass riffing we've heard in ages. Fans of Mastodon and High On Fire will probably dig the shit out of this too, but it's away weirder and rawer and so much more catchy and fucked up and original as far as we're concerned. Be sure and stick around after the records' doomcrustprog blowout closer "Beware The Wrath Of The Patient Man", for the frenzied crust sludge secret track tucked away at the end.
Absolutely essential heaviness for sure...
MPEG Stream: "You're Gonna Hate This"
MPEG Stream: "A Little Paranoia Goes A Long Way"
MPEG Stream: "Towers Of Silence"

JAVERLING, RICKARD Two Times Five Lullaby (Yesternow Recording) cd 15.98
A debut album from a Swedish travelin' man that has totally won us over. Instrumental songs for a long daytime drive in the country. A beautiful pastoral ambiance that speaks of Javerling's time living in Glasgow and Ireland. You can almost see the wet green grass, the clouds floating in the blue sky, the birds soaring in soft circles. Imagine the instrumentation of Sufjan Stevens or if Colleen traded in her electronics and moved to the country. Erik Malmberg of Sagor and Swing makes guests on two of our favorite songs. So soothing and tender but never too sweet or syrupy. A musical world where nothing crazy or out of the ordinary happens but the sheer beauty of the surroundings totally and utterly sweeps you off your feet. So lovely!
MPEG Stream: "Track"
MPEG Stream: "Brandon Bay - Out To Steal!"

JAWBOX For Your Own Special Sweetheart (De Soto / Dischord) cd 13.98
When it comes to classic nineties indie rock, you pretty much had to love Jawbox. Along with Sunny Day Real Estate and Drive Like Jehu and Hum and a handful of others, that was the long drive mixtape unattainable crush soundtrack of our twenties, big muscular crunchy guitars, killer melodies, unforgettable hooks, big pounding drums, and songs that KILLED. In fact, speaking of songs that killed, Jawbox's "Savory" is probably one of those songs we've listened to about a million times. A minor hit, even had a video on MTV, but rightfully so, with its killer start stop riffing, awesome lyrics, amazing solo, it's definitely one of the best jams of the nineties, and thus it's saying a lot that most of the other tracks on For Your Own Special Sweetheart are nearly as good. It's definitely emo, but so much more, post punk, post rock, math rock, pop even, with super unique arrangements, seriously fierce chops, and above all SONGS, incredible unforgettable songs. Some folks here think Jawbox sounds like Steve Albini gone pop, with that throbbing bass and big dry drum sound, angular guitars, and anthemic choruses, but really, these guys (and gal) helped define a sound, and an era, and it still sounds fresh and amazing more than 15 years later. If you somehow missed out on this back in the day, do yourself a favor and pick this up, you don't know what you've been missing.
Includes all of the B-sides from the "Savory" single, all of which are as good as anything on the record proper.
MPEG Stream: "Savory"
MPEG Stream: "Breathe"
MPEG Stream: "Chicago Piano"
MPEG Stream: "68 (Bonus Track)"

JAWBOX For Your Own Special Sweetheart (De Soto / Dischord) lp 14.98
When it comes to classic nineties indie rock, you pretty much had to love Jawbox. Along with Sunny Day Real Estate and Drive Like Jehu and Hum and a handful of others, that was the long drive mixtape unattainable crush soundtrack of our twenties, big muscular crunchy guitars, killer melodies, unforgettable hooks, big pounding drums, and songs that KILLED. In fact, speaking of songs that killed, Jawbox's "Savory" is probably one of those songs we've listened to about a million times. A minor hit, even had a video on MTV, but rightfully so, with its killer start stop riffing, awesome lyrics, amazing solo, it's definitely one of the best jams of the nineties, and thus it's saying a lot that most of the other tracks on For Your Own Special Sweetheart are nearly as good. It's definitely emo, but so much more, post punk, post rock, math rock, pop even, with super unique arrangements, seriously fierce chops, and above all SONGS, incredible unforgettable songs. Some folks here think Jawbox sounds like Steve Albini gone pop, with that throbbing bass and big dry drum sound, angular guitars, and anthemic choruses, but really, these guys (and gal) helped define a sound, and an era, and it still sounds fresh and amazing more than 15 years later. If you somehow missed out on this back in the day, do yourself a favor and pick this up, you don't know what you've been missing.
Includes all of the B-sides from the "Savory" single, all of which are as good as anything on the record proper.
MPEG Stream: "Savory"
MPEG Stream: "Breathe"
MPEG Stream: "Chicago Piano"
MPEG Stream: "68 (Bonus Track)"

JAWBREAKER 24 Hour Revenge (Communion) cd 0.00

JAWBREAKER Bivouac (Communion) cd 0.00

JAWBREAKER Dear You (Blackball) cd 13.98
Finally. MY favorite Jawbreaker record gets reissued. For years I've had a crappy cd-r copy because I was unwilling to spend $50 or $100 on Ebay for a copy. And I know, Unfun is the best Jawbreaker record. No need to email me and tell me how much Dear You sucks and that I'm a dumbshit. I'm well aware that Dear You, while being Jawbreaker's major label debut, also represented a stylistic shift that alienated most of their fans. Outside of Green Day, Jawbreaker were one of the most discussed punk rock sell outs. But hell, as far as 'sell out' records go, this is definitely one of the best. A lot of the raw energy of early Jawbreaker may have gotten a little lost in the shuffle. But not a bad sacrifice for the amazing songwriting and the killer production. Crunchy chugging riffs, Blake's throaty rasp, Adam and Chris's tight-as-fuck rhythm section, and just killer songs. Dear You owes way more to Nirvana and nineties indie/college rock than it does to crusty Gilman Street punk rock. By the time Dear You was recorded Jawbreaker were getting too old for that shit anyway. And you can definitely hear shades of Blake's future project Jets To Brazil in the poppy songsmithery and occasional indie jangle. Re-issued on Jawbreaker drummer Adam's Blackball label after years of legal wrangling with their former label Geffen. Includes bonus tracks and the video for their should-have-been-a-hit "Fireman".
MPEG Stream: "Save Your Generation"
MPEG Stream: "I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both"
MPEG Stream: "Fireman"

JAWBREAKER Etc. (Blackball) cd 13.98
The demise of this awesome punk pop group broke many hearts. And though you thought you'd heard everything that they recorded, thankfully there is more. A plethora of b-sides, compilation tracks, and unreleased songs from 1988-1995 collected together on this long-awaited cd released on Jawbreaker drummer Adam Pfahler's Blackball Records. One thing's for certain, they sure did cover a heap of hits in their time: REM, U2, The Psychedelic Furs, The Misfits, and The Vapors.
With super extensive liner notes from the tireless pen of Aaron Cometbus (whose Cometbus Omnibus book is also listed here!) as well as complete release info and cover art, not to mention comments from the band members themselves.
RealAudio clip: "Equalized"
RealAudio clip: "Caroline"
RealAudio clip: "Gutless"

JAWBREAKER Etc. (Blackball) lp 15.98
The demise of this awesome punk pop group broke many hearts. And though you thought you'd heard everything that they recorded, thankfully there is more. A plethora of b-sides, compilation tracks, and unreleased songs from 1988-1995 collected together on this long-awaited cd released on Jawbreaker drummer Adam Pfahler's Blackball Records. One thing's for certain, they sure did cover a heap of hits in their time: REM, U2, The Psychedelic Furs, The Misfits, and The Vapors.
With super extensive liner notes from the tireless pen of Aaron Cometbus (whose Cometbus Omnibus book is also listed here!) as well as complete release info and cover art, not to mention comments from the band members themselves.
RealAudio clip: "Equalized"
RealAudio clip: "Caroline"
RealAudio clip: "Gutless"

JAWBREAKER Live 4/30/96 (Blackball) cd 13.98

JAWBREAKER Unfun (Shredder) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The fiery album that started things rollin' for beloved Bay Area punk pop trio Jawbreaker rolls again! Yup, perhaps following the lead of Jawbreaker's Adam Pfahler who recently rereleased a bunch of his band's back catalog on his own label Blackball, Shredder Records has re-issued Unfun fifteen years after its initial release. Yay! Yay! Yay!
MPEG Stream: "Imaginary War"
MPEG Stream: "Wound"

JAWBREAKER Unfun (Blackball) cd 13.98
There are those bands from your youth that you liked, some that you loved, and then those special few that managed strike a nerve, to get inside your psyche and speak right to you in a way that almost nothing else could. For many of us, Jawbreaker were that band! They were a group you would become obsessed with, get tattoos of their logo, memorize their lyrics, drive hundreds of miles just to see them if they didn't play in your hometown. Makes us feel old, but this is the 20th anniversary of their amazing debut, Unfun, which came out in 1990 and was the soundtrack to ours and so many others coming of age. Punchy, catchy, and fast yet filled with so much raw emotion and personal conviction. While they played a lot at places like Gilman Street and were associated with the now made-famous-by-Green-Day East Bay punk scene, there was something much more vital and real in Jawbreaker's music than in so many of their contemporaries. Their music was for people who loved the sweat, energy and passion of punk but also hated the rigid/forced and contrived politics and fashion that the music was so often aligned with. This was a new voice. While other bands were singing copycat tired played out songs about smashing the state, Jawbreaker were writing songs about real moments in life that we could all relate to. It was the soundtrack to the house party you felt awkward at, the first encounter with that person you had a crush on, the solitary moments when you found yourself walking aimlessly with a zine in your back pocket and duct tape holding your shoes together as you tried to figure out what was coming next in your life.
Unfun was smart pop-punk, not the Warped Tour/Epitaph brand that would soon sweep over the nation. It was born from the influences of '80s bands like Husker Du, The Replacements and Rites Of Spring. They truly were going against the punk rock grain at the time which was ruled by very narrow minded scene politics and silly posturing. With lyrics like 'Sorry we're not hard enough to piss your parents off', they were actively distancing themselves while critiquing the clique/silly nature of the scene they were thrown into, yet they embodied so many of the real reasons why people fall in love with punk rock in the first place. While the sound was definitely quite different, their music had the same kind of integrity and passion as Fugazi. They meant every single note, every single word. And for sure the words are such a big part of Jawbreaker's legacy. Front man Blake Schwarzenback was like the J.D. Salinger of the '90s punk/indie rock generation. He had an insight and ability to really nail so many truths about interpersonal relationships, daily life, and constant struggles with the mundane, as well as crises of spirit, of love and loss. Yet the music never let the lyrics overpower, as the band was such a triumphant and kick ass and tightly connected unit.
Putting this on all these years later, not only do a flood of emotions and memories hit us, but it still sounds so fucking good and relevant! Since Jawbreaker were so true to their own vision (even if it meant that the punk police of the time thought they were too soft or didn't have the right haircuts) they were able to create a music with so much true soul and such an undying spirit that it still holds up so strongly to this day. An absolute all time classic and favorite!
This remastered reissue also includes some bonus tracks from the Whack & Bite ep, which are great too, but it hardly matters, as the record is pretty much perfect as it is.
MPEG Stream: "Want"
MPEG Stream: "Softcore"
MPEG Stream: "Busy"
MPEG Stream: "Lawn"

JAWBREAKER Unfun (Blackball) lp 13.98
There are those bands from your youth that you liked, some that you loved, and then those special few that managed strike a nerve, to get inside your psyche and speak right to you in a way that almost nothing else could. For many of us, Jawbreaker were that band! They were a group you would become obsessed with, get tattoos of their logo, memorize their lyrics, drive hundreds of miles just to see them if they didn't play in your hometown. Makes us feel old, but this is the 20th anniversary of their amazing debut, Unfun, which came out in 1990 and was the soundtrack to ours and so many others coming of age. Punchy, catchy, and fast yet filled with so much raw emotion and personal conviction. While they played a lot at places like Gilman Street and were associated with the now made-famous-by-Green-Day East Bay punk scene, there was something much more vital and real in Jawbreaker's music than in so many of their contemporaries. Their music was for people who loved the sweat, energy and passion of punk but also hated the rigid/forced and contrived politics and fashion that the music was so often aligned with. This was a new voice. While other bands were singing copycat tired played out songs about smashing the state, Jawbreaker were writing songs about real moments in life that we could all relate to. It was the soundtrack to the house party you felt awkward at, the first encounter with that person you had a crush on, the solitary moments when you found yourself walking aimlessly with a zine in your back pocket and duct tape holding your shoes together as you tried to figure out what was coming next in your life.
Unfun was smart pop-punk, not the Warped Tour/Epitaph brand that would soon sweep over the nation. It was born from the influences of '80s bands like Husker Du, The Replacements and Rites Of Spring. They truly were going against the punk rock grain at the time which was ruled by very narrow minded scene politics and silly posturing. With lyrics like 'Sorry we're not hard enough to piss your parents off', they were actively distancing themselves while critiquing the clique/silly nature of the scene they were thrown into, yet they embodied so many of the real reasons why people fall in love with punk rock in the first place. While the sound was definitely quite different, their music had the same kind of integrity and passion as Fugazi. They meant every single note, every single word. And for sure the words are such a big part of Jawbreaker's legacy. Front man Blake Schwarzenback was like the J.D. Salinger of the '90s punk/indie rock generation. He had an insight and ability to really nail so many truths about interpersonal relationships, daily life, and constant struggles with the mundane, as well as crises of spirit, of love and loss. Yet the music never let the lyrics overpower, as the band was such a triumphant and kick ass and tightly connected unit.
Putting this on all these years later, not only do a flood of emotions and memories hit us, but it still sounds so fucking good and relevant! Since Jawbreaker were so true to their own vision (even if it meant that the punk police of the time thought they were too soft or didn't have the right haircuts) they were able to create a music with so much true soul and such an undying spirit that it still holds up so strongly to this day. An absolute all time classic and favorite!
This remastered reissue also includes some bonus tracks from the Whack & Bite ep, which are great too, but it hardly matters, as the record is pretty much perfect as it is.
MPEG Stream: "Want"
MPEG Stream: "Softcore"
MPEG Stream: "Busy"
MPEG Stream: "Lawn"

JAY, JEREMY A Place Where We Could Go (K Records) cd 14.98
Jeremy Jaw emerged as one of our favorite new voices last year. His debut ep Airwalker swept us off our feet and we've been in love with the dreamy boy from the city of angels ever since. There were also several 7"s and an there's an amazing instrumental soundtrack Dreamland that we hope to get our hands on soon.
A Place Where We Could Go, though, is actually the first proper full length from Jeremy and it shows a very different side to his sound. While Airwalker reminded us of some lost early '80s gem from the Factory records vaults, the songs here have much more in common with the rebels and heartthrobs of an even more bygone era of the '50s and '60s. Jeremy's swooning voice and romantic vision has us thinking more of folks like Richie Valens, Buddy Holly and French pop singers Jacque Dutronc and Francoise Hardy. Much less rock and full band sounding then the Airwalker ep, this is way more in a singer songwriter style, which will no doubt also bring comparisons to Jonathan Richman. We love how Jeremy is so confident and brave in his unabashed romantic world view and it's so refreshing to hear a young male voice that's not whining for once! Still so young and at such an exciting creative moment, there are lots of new songs he played while he was in SF that we were so excited about that aren't even on this album and will be on upcoming 7"s (check out the great new Alpharhythms 7" on this list!) and the new album that he says is already just about finished. A Place Where We Could go is much more of a grower and a bit less immediate then his other outings and while we prefer when Jeremy rides more of a groove into his songs, this album is still quite a delight to listen to.
MPEG Stream: "Beautiful Rebel"
MPEG Stream: "Escape to Aspen"

JAY, JEREMY A Place Where We Could Go (K Records) lp 13.98
Jeremy Jaw emerged as one of our favorite new voices last year. His debut ep Airwalker swept us off our feet and we've been in love with the dreamy boy from the city of angels ever since. There were also several 7"s and an there's an amazing instrumental soundtrack Dreamland that we hope to get our hands on soon.
A Place Where We Could Go, though, is actually the first proper full length from Jeremy and it shows a very different side to his sound. While Airwalker reminded us of some lost early '80s gem from the Factory records vaults, the songs here have much more in common with the rebels and heartthrobs of an even more bygone era of the '50s and '60s. Jeremy's swooning voice and romantic vision has us thinking more of folks like Richie Valens, Buddy Holly and French pop singers Jacque Dutronc and Francoise Hardy. Much less rock and full band sounding then the Airwalker ep, this is way more in a singer songwriter style, which will no doubt also bring comparisons to Jonathan Richman. We love how Jeremy is so confident and brave in his unabashed romantic world view and it's so refreshing to hear a young male voice that's not whining for once! Still so young and at such an exciting creative moment, there are lots of new songs he played while he was in SF that we were so excited about that aren't even on this album and will be on upcoming 7"s (check out the great new Alpharhythms 7" on this list!) and the new album that he says is already just about finished. A Place Where We Could go is much more of a grower and a bit less immediate then his other outings and while we prefer when Jeremy rides more of a groove into his songs, this album is still quite a delight to listen to.
MPEG Stream: "Beautiful Rebel"
MPEG Stream: "Escape to Aspen"

JAY, JEREMY Airwalker (K) cd ep 5.98
Wow! We've got ourselves a big time winter crush! A youngster living in LA, Jeremy Jay has made an ep that we've been playing on repeat pretty much nonstop since we first got our ears on it. By far the best thing K has put out in ages. While it's a brand new record it has a charm and feel that made many of us think it was some amazing lost gem from the early eighties. Tapping into the poppier side of the early Factory vaults, Jeremy Jay's Airwalker reminds us of great early '80s records by The Wake and The Go-Betweens. He's like some amazing twee incarnation of Ian Curtis. Imagine Kings Of Convenience doing Joy Division covers. This is one of those rare records that just about everyone on the AQ staff has been smitten by. It's pretty impossible not to get swept away by his young fey pop chops filled with a richness and spark that demands you to pay attention. Somehow managing to cover both Blondie and Siouxsie & The Banshees while making those songs his own, this is a kid we're pretty certain the world will be taking notice of very soon. We haven't been this enamored with a new, young indie-pop voice in ages. This could very well sneak on to some of our best of 2007 lists. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Airwalker"
MPEG Stream: "Angels On The Balcony"

JAY, JEREMY Airwalker (K Records) 7" 4.50
Jeremy Jay won a very special place in our hearts with his short but so great ep debut on K which came out at the end of last year. Recently he played an amazing live show here in San Francisco followed by a great instore here at AQ. We finally were able to get our hands on the Airwalker 7" which has two of our favorite songs from the ep on one slab of vinyl. "Airwalker" is the irresistible title track that has become a big hit on our local college radio station KUSF and on 'Sigh 2' it's "We Stay Here (In Our Secret World)" a song we could listen to over and over and over and never get sick of, how perfect is that for the 7" format. With his debut full length just around the corner we can get lost in some of Airwalker's magic a little bit longer until there's a new batch of songs to sway in the sky with.
MPEG Stream: "Airwalker"
MPEG Stream: "We Stay Here In Our Secret World"

JAY, JEREMY Alpharhythm (K) 7" 4.50
No one has mastered the art of the infectious ep or 7" in recent times quite like Jeremy Jay, laying down the kind of tracks that you want to listen to over and over and over, and his latest single continues the smoking hot streak. "Alpharhythm" catches its sultry groove right from the get go and unfolds into a dancey hot number. It's the kind of song that would be perfect if the art kids, outcasts and dreamers actually got to make the soundtrack to their perfect prom. The B side, "Moonbeam Window", though very brief is so great, with a hot/cold vibe and a sound that feels like it's some lost post-punk gem recorded in a garage filled with smoke machines and an old glimmering disco ball hanging from the ceiling. There is something about Jeremy Jay's music that is just so effortless and is undeniably the essence of cool. Highly recommended!

JAY, JEREMY Dreamland (Saint Ives) lp 13.98
Awesome instrumental score that Jeremy Jay created for a short film called Dreamland. Lots of moody and sensual piano playing. So rad!

JAY, JEREMY Love Everlasting (K Records) 12" 6.98
Oh Jeremy, we can never get enough of your airwalking dreamy and dancey delights!
The 12" is such a perfect format for his songs, as he really is a singles artist in so many ways. Creating such memorable songs that can stand on their own and lend themselves to obsessive repeated listens. Love Everlasting is the late night, slow burning dance floor with a disco light shining bright side to Jeremy's arsenal of charming and seductive songwriting. You can almost see the steam rising off these tracks as you lay the needle into the grooves. This is exactly what you would want to hear the DJ throw on as it gets close to closing time and you're sipping your last drink and all you want to do is slow dance the final moments of the blurry, fun-filled night away. So great!

JAY, JEREMY Slow Dance (K) cd 14.98
Whether sizzling with sensual dancefloor jams or slowburnin' with melodies and late-nite disco sounding keyboards, the newest Jeremy Jay record has reaffirmed that this young man from Los Angeles has a very special ability to create songs that make you swoon as they seep into your consciousness. The sort of swoonsome songs that will get your body moving like Molly Ringwald circa Sixteen Candles / The Breakfast Club!
With a sound that's equal parts '50s innocence, early '80s new romantic, and late night disco clouds of heaven, Slow Dance finds Jeremy Jay proving that he truly has a unique vision and voice. His debut ep, Airwalker, was like some lost Factory gem while the debut full length A Place Where We Could Go had more of a singer songwriter vibe, Slow Dance finds Jeremy Jay riding such sweet grooves with a record that while less rocking than Airwalker and more dancey then A Place Where We Could Go, soars delightfully, jam packed with such sparkling romantic pop chops. This is exactly the sort of record that could unite fans of melty disco delights those who thrive on a steady diet of The Smiths. There is no denying the infectious charisma that simply oozes from Jeremy and his music. His songs and stage presence reminds us of another eighties movie trope: that beautiful rebel you desperately want to go to prom with, and you do, but then you guys ditch out early and he drives you to inspiration point and plays you his new song. Slow Dance sounds almost how we imagine David Bowie, if he were in his early 20's today and releasing records on Italians Do It Better. It's kind of ridiculous how many times we've played this already, just within the first week of its arrival, and we don't think we're going to grow tired of it anytime soon. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Gallop"
MPEG Stream: "We Were There"
MPEG Stream: "Canter Canter"

JAY, JEREMY Slow Dance (K) lp 15.98
Whether sizzling with sensual dancefloor jams or slowburnin' with melodies and late-nite disco sounding keyboards, the newest Jeremy Jay record has reaffirmed that this young man from Los Angeles has a very special ability to create songs that make you swoon as they seep into your consciousness. The sort of swoonsome songs that will get your body moving like Molly Ringwald circa Sixteen Candles / The Breakfast Club!
With a sound that's equal parts '50s innocence, early '80s new romantic, and late night disco clouds of heaven, Slow Dance finds Jeremy Jay proving that he truly has a unique vision and voice. His debut ep, Airwalker, was like some lost Factory gem while the debut full length A Place Where We Could Go had more of a singer songwriter vibe, Slow Dance finds Jeremy Jay riding such sweet grooves with a record that while less rocking than Airwalker and more dancey then A Place Where We Could Go, soars delightfully, jam packed with such sparkling romantic pop chops. This is exactly the sort of record that could unite fans of melty disco delights those who thrive on a steady diet of The Smiths. There is no denying the infectious charisma that simply oozes from Jeremy and his music. His songs and stage presence reminds us of another eighties movie trope: that beautiful rebel you desperately want to go to prom with, and you do, but then you guys ditch out early and he drives you to inspiration point and plays you his new song. Slow Dance sounds almost how we imagine David Bowie, if he were in his early 20's today and releasing records on Italians Do It Better. It's kind of ridiculous how many times we've played this already, just within the first week of its arrival, and we don't think we're going to grow tired of it anytime soon. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Gallop"
MPEG Stream: "We Were There"
MPEG Stream: "Canter Canter"