NO JOY Ghost Blonde (Mexican Summer) cd 13.98
These days noise pop bands are a dime a dozen. And we could count the number of shoegaze bands popping up on one hand, if that hand had about thousands fingers, and to be fair, it's a sound we love, and so in many cases, we can be less than discerning, we just love hearing those thick coruscating guitars, the soaring melodies, the lush walls of sound, spaced out and dreamy and fuzzy and buzzy and blissy. So what is it exactly that makes a band stand out from the pack? Songs, sure, you can't be a pop band of any stripe without songs. But it's more than that. Something ineffable. Songs sure, and the sound, of course, but just as importantly there are a handful of intangibles that all have to fall into place perfectly. Or at least perfectly IMperfectly. And more often than not, it's not something that can be created consciously. All a band can really do, is to follow their hearts, create the sound they hear in their heads, and try their best to realize that sound, to render that sound in all the glorious shades and colors and textures it needs to become more than just music, to transcend and become something magical, something special.
And that happens more than one might think, or expect, enough monkeys with typewriters as the saying goes, or in this case enough punk rock kids with guitars and a 4 track. Most recently it was the amazing record by Bay Area outfit Weekend, whose record captured everything we love about this sound, and now there's this, the debut full length from female fronted shoegaze noisepoppers No Joy, which moniker be damned, is about the most gloriously joyful record we've heard in ages.
In some ways, No Joy's Ghost Blonde is the perfect compliment to that Weekend record, a distinctly feminine variation of the same formula, the overall sound is more dreampoppy and hazy, the vocals ethereal and ephemeral and is the perfect counterpoint to the bands thick wall of sound, infusing clean guitar jangle, a distinctly nineties indie rock vibe, all wound into a pretty perfect chunk of pure pop JOY.
If you're anything like us, it should only take about the first 60 seconds of album opener "Mediumship" thick crunchy jangle guitar wrapped in a field of wild tangled feedback, the vocals drifty and pretty, and then when the song kicks in, we're totally transported, crunchy, fuzzy, hooky, heavy, shoegazey-y, plenty of ooooh's and aaaaah's, the sort of song you never want to end, and that you'll find yourself playing over and over and over. Which pretty much applies to every track here.
There are definitely some broodier moments, and some abstract psychedelic ambient drift, even some slightly atonal Sonic Youth inspired guitar tangle, but those elements are smoothly woven into the group's hazy, softly noisy, girl groupish, crunchy, jangly shoegazey dream pop bliss.
Definite contender for pop record of the year, and a record which will no doubt send lots of folks scrambling to redo their prematurely finished year end lists! Rightfully so!
MPEG Stream: "Mediumship"
MPEG Stream: "Heedless"
MPEG Stream: "Maggie Says I Love You"

NO JOY Ghost Blonde (Mexican Summer) lp 24.00
These days noise pop bands are a dime a dozen. And we could count the number of shoegaze bands popping up on one hand, if that hand had about thousands fingers, and to be fair, it's a sound we love, and so in many cases, we can be less than discerning, we just love hearing those thick coruscating guitars, the soaring melodies, the lush walls of sound, spaced out and dreamy and fuzzy and buzzy and blissy. So what is it exactly that makes a band stand out from the pack? Songs, sure, you can't be a pop band of any stripe without songs. But it's more than that. Something ineffable. Songs sure, and the sound, of course, but just as importantly there are a handful of intangibles that all have to fall into place perfectly. Or at least perfectly IMperfectly. And more often than not, it's not something that can be created consciously. All a band can really do, is to follow their hearts, create the sound they hear in their heads, and try their best to realize that sound, to render that sound in all the glorious shades and colors and textures it needs to become more than just music, to transcend and become something magical, something special.
And that happens more than one might think, or expect, enough monkeys with typewriters as the saying goes, or in this case enough punk rock kids with guitars and a 4 track. Most recently it was the amazing record by Bay Area outfit Weekend, whose record captured everything we love about this sound, and now there's this, the debut full length from female fronted shoegaze noisepoppers No Joy, which moniker be damned, is about the most gloriously joyful record we've heard in ages.
In some ways, No Joy's Ghost Blonde is the perfect compliment to that Weekend record, a distinctly feminine variation of the same formula, the overall sound is more dreampoppy and hazy, the vocals ethereal and ephemeral and is the perfect counterpoint to the bands thick wall of sound, infusing clean guitar jangle, a distinctly nineties indie rock vibe, all wound into a pretty perfect chunk of pure pop JOY.
If you're anything like us, it should only take about the first 60 seconds of album opener "Mediumship" thick crunchy jangle guitar wrapped in a field of wild tangled feedback, the vocals drifty and pretty, and then when the song kicks in, we're totally transported, crunchy, fuzzy, hooky, heavy, shoegazey-y, plenty of ooooh's and aaaaah's, the sort of song you never want to end, and that you'll find yourself playing over and over and over. Which pretty much applies to every track here.
There are definitely some broodier moments, and some abstract psychedelic ambient drift, even some slightly atonal Sonic Youth inspired guitar tangle, but those elements are smoothly woven into the group's hazy, softly noisy, girl groupish, crunchy, jangly shoegazey dream pop bliss.
Definite contender for pop record of the year, and a record which will no doubt send lots of folks scrambling to redo their prematurely finished year end lists! Rightfully so!
MPEG Stream: "Mediumship"
MPEG Stream: "Heedless"
MPEG Stream: "Maggie Says I Love You"

NO JOY s/t (Mexican Summer) 7" 5.98
Two song blast from this rad new duo who tap into some shredding, grungy, post-punk shoegaze glory. There's a really cool late '80s Sonic Youth vibe to these songs too, recalling some of the awesome sprawling and rocking moments of SY records like Sister, Evol and Daydream Nation. We really like how these two songs if pushed one way or another could either be full on shoegaze or total post-punk rockers, but instead they are able to unite those worlds so beautifully. Claiming that a band is like a cross between My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth feels like both hyperbole and unfair to the band to ever live up to those epic influences, and to be honest there have been hundreds of bands who have tried and failed. But these two songs sound so damn refreshing and exude an element of cool that you just can't fake. We can't wait to hear more! And like most/all things on Mexican Summer this is limited so grab one now or see you on eBay later...

NO MEANS NO The Worldhood of the World (Alternative Tent.) cd 13.98

NO MOTIV Daylight Breaking (Vagrant) cd 14.98

NO MOTIV Diagram for Healing (Vagrant) cd 14.98
Latest in the new movement of punk rock bands turning into pop rock bands (ala the Get Up Kids, Into Another, Sensefield, Dashboard Confessional, everything on Vagrant). And don't get me wrong, I'm all for it. It's just funny how the kids now have their Get Up Kids patches nestled comfortably next to their Earth Crisis and Doom patches. Whatever. No Motiv have all the right ingredients, kick ass power pop, great riffs, great production, good singer, stupidly innocuous emo lyrics. But somehow they manage to just barely miss the mark. I mean, this -is- a good record (the first track is just awesome), the songs just seem a little one dimensional. On first listen we were touting them as the next great pop band, but on further listens, the songs all blended together and became less and less memorable (except that first track!). But if you're itching for a pop fix, and love the Get Up Kids, Reggie And The Full Effect, Green Day and the Descendants then this should hit the spot.
RealAudio clip: "Celebrate"
RealAudio clip: "Give Me Strength"
RealAudio clip: "Only You"

NO NECK BLUES BAND At 6am We Become The Police (Locust) lp 17.98
Vinyl only soundtrack to the forthcoming No Neck Blues Band dvd, featuring we can only guess judging from the album cover, naked dudes and weird bits of machinery. But really, nothing about these guys should surprise us anymore. They've been following their own idiosyncratic trajectory from day one, and unlike most bands, they seem to grow further and further out with every new record. At 6am is another gloriously clattery, abstract rhythmic workout, tribal, primitive, feral, but spiritual and otherworldly. It's of course all about the drums, percussion, thumps,and pounds, and rattles and crunch, and clang and bang, but woven into long dark undulating dreamscapes, ominous and haunting and mysterious, lots of dark magic going on, creaking moaning guitars, bits of squeak and creak, streaks of feedback, disembodied voices. In fact, on listening to this, were more inclined to think the picture on the sleeve isn't from the movie, but is just a regular old No Neck performance. That's exactly how this sounds, like naked writhing bodies lit by flickering firelight, masked drummers, a strange symphony of shadow and light.
Elsewhere, long form low drones are introduces, fragmented chords, muted muffled voices, all smoothed out and blurred into stretches of dark ambient free folk shimmer, but always with a distinctly dangerous vibe, heavier on the shadow than the light, squalls of free jazz like percussive clatter lead into moaning choruses, Henry Flynt like fiddle freakouts. One of the tracks begins like a No Neck / Avarus forest drum jam, but slowly evolves into something almost space rocky, lots of effects, warbly guitar melodies, delay, drifting bits of tinkle and chime, fragments of African drumming that drift in and then fade out again, and then finally, the last track is a strangely lo-fi soundscape of brittle tones and abstract percussion, long shimmery high end drones, and muted old timey sounding ambience, until the band lock into a gorgeous outro, that sounds a bit like a gamelan, but all distorted and jazzy and atonal. Awesome as always! Definitely harkening back to the NNCK sound of old, in fact this stuff IS old, from the archives, ferinstance two of these tracks were recorded (but not used) for the soundtrack to 1997's Gummo, and Lord knows they would have been perfect, dark and creepy and abstract and twisted and gorgeous.

NO NECK BLUES BAND CINo 51 (Kelippah) lp 21.00
Got a tiny handful more of these in, last chance...
Another new lp from this avant rock free-psych collective, hot on the heels of their already out of print YTIU, which we reviewed a couple lists back. This is a continuation of sorts, culled from the same sessions, and while not quite as limited, definitely limited enough that once we run out we won't be able to get more. So won't go into too much detail about this one, needless to say, folks who bought YTIU are definitely gonna want this one too, and anyone who missed out on the first one still has a chance to nab one of these. Two sidelong tracks, the first one playing out more like a multipart songsuite, the sound swinging wildly, beginning with wheezing organs and buzzing guitars, loose, super abstract drumming, dirgey and atonal, flecked with sci-fi FX, tripped out and weirdly dubby, blossoming into a sort of looped mesmer, drifting through fields of glitch and static, the sound shifts and becomes a droned out Eastern style raga, buzzy and trance-y, before shifting once again, stripped way down, just gnarled melodies, and skeletal rhythms, mostly hi-hats over a dense smoldering cinematic drone, laced with murky percussion and a thick woozy low end.
The flipside feels more like a single track, starting out super spare, again very abstract, in the distance moaning strings, reverbed percussion, psychedelic guitar buzz, unfurling snake charmer melodies, about halfway through the sound seems to grow more detuned and deconstructed, beginning a slow build, the an explosive last few minutes, a surprisingly heavy space-psych freakout, that quickly becomes glitched out, as if the tape player was malfunctioning, that sort of Faxed Head, old worn tape, busted tape deck sort of weirdness, the sounds seeming to ooze and melt and gradually grind to a halt. Cool!
Super limited, these are the last copies we'll be able to get, the covers are hand painted with paste on artwork. The covers are all bent, due partially to them being handpainted we think, and thus, a few of the records are VERY slightly warped, it's barely noticeable, and doesn't effect playback at all as far as we can tell (then again, it's NNCK, so it always -sounds- warped), but these are the only copies we'll ever get, so if you're super anal, or the record collector nerd type, you might wanna pass...

NO NECK BLUES BAND Clomeim (Locust) cd 14.98
The label goes on and on about how this latest No Neck Blues Band record is a watershed moment, a defining release in their oeuvre, a new sound, a clarity of vision never heard before on past releases, but we have to say we simply don't agree. At this point NNCK are in a privileged position, one they most assuredly earned, a position of power for sure. They just do what they do, theirs a sound that borrows from many sources, but that is distilled into something utterly unique, so yeah, they do what they do, but they do it better than ANYONE else. Period. Maybe that's what the label was actually trying to say before they got bogged down in artspeak. Regardless, this is another fantastic NNCK missive, one that sprawls across lots of genres and sounds, but manages to stay together by force of will and the innate talent of the players who have been honing their craft in this setting, with these players for nearly 15 years. And it shows.
The record begins like the rock band equivalent of an orchestra tuning up, guitars twang and detune, percussion clanks and thumps, everything drifts aimlessly, but as the track progresses, the various pieces seem to slowly flow together, a female voices surfaces, and croons over the settling chaos beneath, eventually leaving the chaos to sort itself out, a bit like a more serene forest folk combo, accordions wheeze (or is that a harmonica), guitars shimmer and squiggle, the drummer offers up washes of cymbals and eventually a slow simple stripped down groove, and without even realizing it, the whole mood and sound has shifted, and we're in some twangy meandering moody krautrock slowjam, that builds gradually to a seriously psychedelic crescendo, before the next track explodes with a flurry of skronky horns and maniacal vocalizing (a la Yoko), and woozy slide guitar, that track eventually builds to a strange sort of jazz metal blowout, pounding drums, growled demonic vocals, the slide still slithering all over and those Yoko like vocals still going crazy, definitely the toughest track on the disc. But maybe the most interesting.
The rest of the disc slips seamlessly from slow burning outrock sprawl, to propulsive space rock groove, to super minimal scrape and thunk, to wah wah guitar drenched soft pop balladry, to glimmering abstract free jazz freakout, to super tripped out psych rock weirdness, to gorgeous swirling soft focus dronemusic, but the thing is, within those various sounds, NNCK, twist everything all up, adding all kinds of sonic detritus, haunting noises, mysterious rumbles, ghostly voices, droning buzz, swirling ambience, adding extra layers, uncomfortable harmonies, taking perfectly pretty melodies and pulling them apart, in lesser hands, the whole structure would crumble, but NNCK possess only greater hands, perfect to hold it all together, and shape and stretch and form those sounds into something distinctly and utterly No Neck.
MPEG Stream: "Silurist"
MPEG Stream: "The Coach House"
MPEG Stream: "Ministry Of Voices"

NO NECK BLUES BAND Clomeim (Locust) 2lp 29.00
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!
The label goes on and on about how this latest No Neck Blues Band record is a watershed moment, a defining release in their oeuvre, a new sound, a clarity of vision never heard before on past releases, but we have to say we simply don't agree. At this point NNCK are in a privileged position, one they most assuredly earned, a position of power for sure. They just do what they do, theirs a sound that borrows from many sources, but that is distilled into something utterly unique, so yeah, they do what they do, but they do it better than ANYONE else. Period. Maybe that's what the label was actually trying to say before they got bogged down in artspeak. Regardless, this is another fantastic NNCK missive, one that sprawls across lots of genres and sounds, but manages to stay together by force of will and the innate talent of the players who have been honing their craft in this setting, with these players for nearly 15 years. And it shows.
The record begins like the rock band equivalent of an orchestra tuning up, guitars twang and detune, percussion clanks and thumps, everything drifts aimlessly, but as the track progresses, the various pieces seem to slowly flow together, a female voices surfaces, and croons over the settling chaos beneath, eventually leaving the chaos to sort itself out, a bit like a more serene forest folk combo, accordions wheeze (or is that a harmonica), guitars shimmer and squiggle, the drummer offers up washes of cymbals and eventually a slow simple stripped down groove, and without even realizing it, the whole mood and sound has shifted, and we're in some twangy meandering moody krautrock slowjam, that builds gradually to a seriously psychedelic crescendo, before the next track explodes with a flurry of skronky horns and maniacal vocalizing (a la Yoko), and woozy slide guitar, that track eventually builds to a strange sort of jazz metal blowout, pounding drums, growled demonic vocals, the slide still slithering all over and those Yoko like vocals still going crazy, definitely the toughest track on the disc. But maybe the most interesting.
The rest of the disc slips seamlessly from slow burning outrock sprawl, to propulsive space rock groove, to super minimal scrape and thunk, to wah wah guitar drenched soft pop balladry, to glimmering abstract free jazz freakout, to super tripped out psych rock weirdness, to gorgeous swirling soft focus dronemusic, but the thing is, within those various sounds, NNCK, twist everything all up, adding all kinds of sonic detritus, haunting noises, mysterious rumbles, ghostly voices, droning buzz, swirling ambience, adding extra layers, uncomfortable harmonies, taking perfectly pretty melodies and pulling them apart, in lesser hands, the whole structure would crumble, but NNCK possess only greater hands, perfect to hold it all together, and shape and stretch and form those sounds into something distinctly and utterly No Neck.
MPEG Stream: "Silurist"
MPEG Stream: "The Coach House"
MPEG Stream: "Ministry Of Voices"

NO NECK BLUES BAND Ever Borneo (Seres / Sound@ One ) lp + 7" 31.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've noticed that in lots of our reviews we make reference to the No Neck Blues Band. Assuming, of course, everyone would know exactly what we were talking about. But then we discovered that we had only really reviewed two of their previous records, one with only a single sentence! Certainly, it seems, not enough to warrant so many comparisons. What neglect for a band to whom we constantly refer! But this dearth of reviews is mostly due to the scarcity and limited nature of most of their releases. Currently, there is only one double cd available, a reissue of a release from a few years back as well as a sort-of-bootleg lp. And now this new vinyl package.
For us at AQ, the name No Neck Blues Band has become synonymous with the sort of stumbling/free/improv/space/psych/drum-circle/hippy/tribal free jams that we love so much (Avarus, Kemialliset Ystevat, Anaksimandros, Thuja, Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Jackie O Motherfucker, etc.). NNBB is a loose collective of hippies, shamans, musicians and hangers on that seem to be able to effortlessly conjure up wild, free and totally mesmerising jams reminiscent of the ESP Records roster, the thudding primitve, dirge-psych of German Oak, and the spaced out psychedelic krautrock of Amon Duul. In the past we described their sound as "loose & stumbling, trippy neo-kraut, free 'sort-of-jazz' improvised jams, drunken drones and hypnotic hums" and that sound hasn't changed too much. If anything it's gotten a little poppier, albeit in the loosest sense of the term, and a little more structured. But it's still some of the best transcendental, tribal, droning, rhythmic, hypnotic free sort-of-rock we've ever heard. NNBB have never been ones to skimp on packaging and this time around is no different: a thick slab of vinyl housed in a gorgeous, cloth bound lp sleeve (like an old hardcover book) with embossed text and pasted-on image on the cover. Also comes with a bonus 7" from a 'related' group called Mount Analog, although to my eras, the two songs on the 7" fit perfectly with the sounds on the lp. Also comes with two pages of NNBB rants. Curious and typically indecipherable.
A bit price-y for sure, but as with all NBBB releases, it's limited, will soon be out of print, and considering how little of their stuff is readily available, fans of all of the above mentioned bands as well as folks into all things tribal/hippy/pschedelic will be kicking themselves if they miss out.

NO NECK BLUES BAND Languid Red Marchetti (Planazaum) lp 30.00
Awesome archival release from one of the most referenced bands on this here aQ list. Whenever we need to describe something abstract and clattery, stumbly and mysterious, percussive and otherworldly, rhythmic and fractured and psychedelic, we'll often invoke this long standing New York based free form sonic institution. And this disc is a definite reminder of why we were so immediately taken with this band when we first heard them close to 15 years ago.
Languid Red Marchetti was recorded in 1994, close to the birth of the band, and features a stripped down quartet, and the sound is raw, feral, super abstract, very percussive and atmospheric, all clang and clatter and scrape, buzz and rumble and skree, a cacophonous exploration of time and space, what sounds like disparate bursts of crunch and creak, woven into an almost lyrical expanse of sound. Sometimes hushed and sinister, other times angular and primitive, the record ebbs and flows, drifts gorgeously between two extremes, spending most if its time right in between, a lush jagged world of rhythm and sound, noise and texture.
Any one into NNBB will definitely be all over this, especially if you miss the No Neck of old, performing in squats, with busted up old gear, wrapped in old blankets, wreathed in shadows, dimly lit spaces, magical mystery conjured from the ether, every performance some sort of alchemical ritual, some ancient rite, like something you might stumble on in the forest, an ages old musical communion with nature, or the spirits, or the darkside, an abstract avant improv filtered through some grimy, fractured junkyard punk rock, totally transcendent.
A bit pricey, but NNCK records are almost more art than sound, as much visual and tactile as sonic, Languid Red Marchetti is no different. limited to just over 300 copies, housed in a printed full color inner sleeve, a gorgeous full color spot varnished jacket, includes a thick paper insert with some truly dense liner notes.

NO NECK BLUES BAND Live At Ken's Electric Lake (Locust) 2cd 23.00

NO NECK BLUES BAND Nine For Victor (Victo) cd 16.98
Of all the bands we reference in other bands' reviews, the No Neck Blues Band has to be the most frequently mentioned. For a while there, this ever mutating collective had such a distinct sound, that whenever another band tried to do some sort of free, tribal, pagan, ritualistic, percussion based free jam, we couldn't help but compare them to the godfathers of the tribal drum circle Ur-drone space jam, the mighty No Neck.
Even today after countless releases, tons of tours and a whole bunch of worshippers at the altar of NNCK (Sunburned Hand, Avarus, etc...), No Neck still effortlessly outdo most of their contemporaries, a free noise, what-the-fuck folk, tribal improv juggernaut, able to spin delicate webs of soft sound as easily as a Crash Worship worthy drumjam free for all.
Nine For Victor is a live set recorded back in 2005, and wanders wantonly through all of the various sounds No Neck dabble in, deftly making them all flow seamlessly. Throbbing underwater bass, wheezing spaghetti western harmonica, electronic bleeps and bloops, fuzzed out synths, long stretches of Terry Riley like high end piano flutter, underpinned by barely there percussive shuffle and muted guitar strum, spaced out cinematic drones with keening high end melodies, weird creaking percussive clatter, angular jazz piano, dense clouds of shakers and drums, cricket like percussion, a clattery rattling near-drone, krautrocky slowjams with wild lead guitar and buzzing basslines, all tangled up and interwoven, overlapping, creating a ramshackle but surprisingly cohesive whole.
MPEG Stream: "The Cacao Grinder"
MPEG Stream: "Lady Vengeance"

NO NECK BLUES BAND Parallel Easters (Sound@One) 2cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of three new NNCK releases, this double cd released on the band's own Sound@One label, is another massive and gorgeous slab of primal psychedelic free folk tribalism. Unlike the relative tranquility and dreaminess of the two simultaneously released lps (reviewed elsewhere on this list), this double cd leans a bit more in the jagged / dissonant direction. Fear not though, there are still plenty of blissed out, stumbly folknoise soundscapes, cobbled together with scraped and bowed instruments, subtle percussion and soothing rumbles. But there also happens to be plenty of squealing feedback, rapturous moans and groans, pounding drums and bells, angular guitar melodies, speaker punishing primitive Krautrock thump, silverware drawer clatter, erratic drum circle madness, skronky horns and maniacal Melt Banana-like vocalising. Somehow NNCK manage to take both extremes and meld them into one super satisfying, surprisingly listenable whole.
MPEG Stream: "Rasing The Low Road"
MPEG Stream: "Weaving & Then Waving Straps"
MPEG Stream: "The Bruce Effect"

NO NECK BLUES BAND Qvaris (5 Rue Christine) cd 14.98
Yet another freaky transmission from whatever otherworldly outpost these mysterious NY free jazz / drone rock / outsider avant hippy tribalists call home, and lordy, is it a gloriously moody creep! A series of slithering, warbling, shimmering, stumbling psychedelic jams deftly constructed from grinding electric guitars, pounding krautrock rhythms, haunting quavering organs, alien little pizzicato melodies, all swirling and swaying in a dense murky haze. However, unlike the delicate ambience and unstructured abstraction of past NNCK efforts, Qvaris is downright rocking, with at least half the tracks held together by shuffling, stomping, swinging drum beats. Those tracks are especially reminiscent of krautrock legends German Oak, with their strangely claustrophobic vibe and dense unfunky funk. The less structured bits scattered throughout are sparkly kaleidoscopic flares, free floating stretches of smeary ambience and glistening radiance. The combination of the two, surprisingly lush and lustrous. All of Qvaris sounds much more composed and less improvised than most NNCK material, which makes the whole record sound less 'New Weird America' and more like some weird psych rock / post rock band whose propulsive rocking manages to get sort of twisted and tangled, into a deliriously druggy moonlit tumble through the looking glass.
Judging from the cryptic liner notes, the album artwork, and the video on the NNCK website (http://www.theserth.com), the new record seems to somehow concern a certain sacred object, that appears (at least to our untrained eyes) to be a sequined eggplant, which in some strange way makes perfect sense when you're dealing with the cracked vision of the No Neck Blues Band. But don't let the addition of sparkling vegetables to the mix throw you off, this is some of the most gorgeously dreamy and drone-y and drugged out psychedelic free folk noise rock you'll ever hear!
MPEG Stream: "The Doon"
MPEG Stream: "Live Your Myth In Grease"

NO NECK BLUES BAND Qvaris (5 Rue Christine) 2lp 16.98
Yet another freaky transmission from whatever otherworldly outpost these mysterious NY free jazz / drone rock / outsider avant hippy tribalists call home, and lordy, is it a gloriously moody creep! A series of slithering, warbling, shimmering, stumbling psychedelic jams deftly constructed from grinding electric guitars, pounding krautrock rhythms, haunting quavering organs, alien little pizzicato melodies, all swirling and swaying in a dense murky haze. However, unlike the delicate ambience and unstructured abstraction of past NNCK efforts, Qvaris is downright rocking, with at least half the tracks held together by shuffling, stomping, swinging drum beats. Those tracks are especially reminiscent of krautrock legends German Oak, with their strangely claustrophobic vibe and dense unfunky funk. The less structured bits scattered throughout are sparkly kaleidoscopic flares, free floating stretches of smeary ambience and glistening radiance. The combination of the two, surprisingly lush and lustrous. All of Qvaris sounds much more composed and less improvised than most NNCK material, which makes the whole record sound less 'New Weird America' and more like some weird psych rock / post rock band whose propulsive rocking manages to get sort of twisted and tangled, into a deliriously druggy moonlit tumble through the looking glass.
Judging from the cryptic liner notes, the album artwork, and the video on the NNCK website (http://www.theserth.com), the new record seems to somehow concern a certain sacred object, that appears (at least to our untrained eyes) to be a sequined eggplant, which in some strange way makes perfect sense when you're dealing with the cracked vision of the No Neck Blues Band. But don't let the addition of sparkling vegetables to the mix throw you off, this is some of the most gorgeously dreamy and drone-y and drugged out psychedelic free folk noise rock you'll ever hear!
MPEG Stream: "The Doon"
MPEG Stream: "Live Your Myth In Grease"

NO NECK BLUES BAND Re: Mr. A Fan (Trademark of Quality) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More stoned, spaced out, rhythmic free-rock bliss out from AQ faves the No Neck Blues Band. This is a live set from a year or two back released only on lp. Mr. A Fan unfurls like a thick, warm blanket of fuzz, with subtle thumps and rattles, mumbled, incoherent vocalising, druggy guitars and underneath it all, a doggedly steady rhythm turning what would otherwise be a hippy-ish mess, into some primo modern krautrock. Think Reynols covering German Oak or Jandek jamming with the 'Dead or Yahowah playing the Amon Duul songbook or Hawkwind unplugged. Weird and wild and wooly and beautifully fucked up. And as always, so totally great! Sorry, we only have 3 copies still hanging around, so act fast!

NO NECK BLUES BAND Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones But Names Will Never Hurt Me (Revenant) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It came as a bit of a surprise to realise that we've never listed the No Neck Blues Band before, especially considering how often we reference them in reviews, whenever we're trying to describe some sort of stumbling and stoned, improvised hippie tribal psychedelic free-folk. So after hearing about how all these bands sound like the NNBB, here's the real thing. Part of the reason they've yet to be listed is the relative obscurity and scarcity of their releases, often vinyl only, or self released (one of the cds that we've stocked in the past we had to buy directly from them at a show). So this is basically their only currently available release, and it comes courtesy of the late John Fahey's Revenant label. And somehow the NNBB seem to fit right in nestled comfortably between Fahey faves Charley Patton, the Bassholes, and Doc Boggs. The No Neck Blues Band practice a loose improvisational style somewhere between the weird free jazz of the sixties ESP-label artists and the rich American tradition of back-woods blues and back-porch folk. Of course, being that the NNBB are NYC based and have played/performed with Thurston Moore, Sabir Mateen and a host of other Manhattan hipsters, some of the whole East Village/downtown-scene vibe gets filtered into the mix. 'Sticks And Stones...' continues the NNBB's quest for transcendence, building epic spirituals from shuffling snares, mumbled and chanted vocals, rattles and chimes and assorted junkyard percussion, scraping strings, skronking horns, wheezing reeds, muted jazzy guitars and shamanistic ruminations muttered and whispered over and under the rich tapestry of drugged out sound. While the record is stretched out and rambling and very very free, they do lapse into some hypnotic grooves at times, bringing to mind Can, Neu, the Grateful Dead, Amon Duul and the like. But these tranquil interludes often end up exploding into pagan orgies of wild reeds and catfight-in-a-kitchen percussion, with the band speaking in tongues and testifying like possessed madmen. The No Neck Blues Band have somehow managed to be totally prolific and dangerously unique, but completely mysterious and underground at the same time. They are definitely one of the most creative and original bands in the US today, straddling the line between high brow avant-art-rock and rock-brut. So fucking good. The packaging is also quite interesting, a small square of plywood, branded with the NNBB logo on one side, and a cd tray attatched to the other, with a scalloped cd booklet under a piece of plastic all attatched with tiny triangles of velcro and with a paper label along all four edges. Quite cool.
RealAudio clip: "The Natural Bridge"
RealAudio clip: "Assignment Subud"
RealAudio clip: "Back To The OMind (I'd Rather Not Go)"

NO NECK BLUES BAND Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones But Names Will Never Hurt Me (Sound@one) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is a re-issue of a cd that was originally released a few years back on John Fahey's Revenant label. The original version was quite labor intensive in its physical production, involving wood-branding and plexiglass and velcro, and was therefore impossible to keep in print. Thankfully here at last is the new version, released on No Neck Blues Band's own Sound@one label, and while not as extravagant, it's still quite spiffy. And a fantastic record to boot. It came as a bit of a surprise to realise that we've hardly listed any No Neck Blues Band records, especially considering how often we reference them in reviews, whenever we're trying to describe some sort of stumbling and stoned, improvised hippie tribal psychedelic free-folk. So after hearing about how all these bands sound like the NNBB, here's the real thing. Part of the reason they've yet to be listed is the relative obscurity and scarcity of their releases, often vinyl only, or self released (one of the cds that we've stocked in the past we had to buy directly from them at a show). So this release, originally came courtesy of the late John Fahey's Revenant label. And somehow the NNBB seem to fit right in, nestled comfortably between Fahey faves Charley Patton, the Bassholes, and Dock Boggs. The No Neck Blues Band practice a loose improvisational style somewhere between the weird free jazz of the sixties ESP-label artists and the rich American tradition of back-woods blues and back-porch folk. Of course, being that the NNBB are NYC based and have played/performed with Thurston Moore, Sabir Mateen and a host of other Manhattan hipsters, some of the whole East Village/downtown-scene vibe gets filtered into the mix. 'Sticks And Stones...' continues the NNBB's quest for transcendence, building epic spirituals from shuffling snares, mumbled and chanted vocals, rattles and chimes and assorted junkyard percussion, scraping strings, skronking horns, wheezing reeds, muted jazzy guitars and shamanistic ruminations muttered and whispered over and under the rich tapestry of drugged out sound. While the record is stretched out and rambling and very very free, they do lapse into some hypnotic grooves at times, bringing to mind Can, Neu, the Grateful Dead, Amon Duul and the like. But these tranquil interludes often end up exploding into pagan orgies of wild reeds and catfight-in-a-kitchen percussion, with the band speaking in tongues and testifying like possessed madmen. The No Neck Blues Band have somehow managed to be totally prolific and dangerously unique, but completely mysterious and underground at the same time. They are definitely one of the most creative and original bands in the US today, straddling the line between high brow avant-art-rock and rock-brut. So fucking good.
RealAudio clip: "The Natural Bridge"
RealAudio clip: "Assignment Subud"
RealAudio clip: "Back To The OMind (I'd Rather Not Go)"

NO NO'S, THE Tinnitus (Animal World) cd 13.98
A perky Portland quartet with guitars and female vocals that wiggle the tuning meter at times. Kinda early '90s Olympia, kinda like Velocity Girl or Excuse Seventeen.

NO. 2 No Memory (Chainsaw) cd 12.98
Neil Gust (the non-Elliott Smith half of the still under-appreciated Heatmiser) returns to prove that Elliott Smith wasn't the only thing that made Heatmiser so great. Beautiful, understated pop songs, catchy, and moving... Certainly for fans of Elliott Smith / Heatmiser (duh), Quasi, etc... Highly recommended!

NO. 2 What Does Good Luck Bring? (In Music We Trust) cd 13.98
Neil Gust and co. return with their second full length. While their debut No Memory from 2000 was an impressive collection of lovely, emotive, pop songs that got the thumbs up around AQ, this album falls a little short of that mark. Not a bad album by any means, but pales in comparison to its predecessor. It's alternately more rocked-up and more twangy, and a bit less infectious. Full of crunchy guitars and those classic college radio, sensitive male vocals. Check out their song "Traveling" and see if you agree... Bob Mould crossed with Elliott Smith? Yeah, I know it's easy to compare Gust with his former Heatmiser bandmate, but the similarities do exist. Heck, that group boasted a triad of amazingly talented songwriters (Quasi's Sam Coomes being the third point in the triumvirate). So it is a bit surprising and equally disappointing that this sophomore release for No.2 is less than stellar.
RealAudio clip: "For The Last Time"
RealAudio clip: "Traveling"
RealAudio clip: "Is It True"

NOBUNNY First Blood (Goner) cd 13.98
If you've dug the songs of Hunx & His Punx, chances are you are a Nobunny fan even if you didn't know it, as he's the masked man responsible for writing most of the music for Hunx over the last few years. Besides giving musical inspiration to his friend Hunx, Nobunny has been a busy dirty garage pop peddler of his own. His raw and feisty live shows have become legendary, and with First Blood he's crafted his most immediate and catchy offering yet, with his trademark mixture of Cramps like grit, Ramones like bounce and Hasil Adkins outlaw garage prowess. We hope he's playing on Halloween as it would be so fun to all dress up like drunken bunnies and hop up and down to these songs in wasted and haunted delight.
MPEG Stream: "Ain't It A Shame"
MPEG Stream: "(Do The) Fuck Yourself"
MPEG Stream: "Motorhead With Me"

NOCTURNAL PROJECTIONS Nerve Ends in Power Lines (Raffmond) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
New Zealanders Peter and Graeme Jefferies (Cake Kitchen, 2 Foot Flame, etc etc etc) circa 1981-83.

NODZZZ Innings (Woodsist) cd 13.98
Another fun outing of scrappy Jonathan Richman inspired stripped down garage pop from these local boys.
MPEG Stream: "Always Make Your Bed"
MPEG Stream: "True to Life"
MPEG Stream: "Primitive"

NODZZZ Innings (Woodsist) lp 14.98
Another fun outing of scrappy Jonathan Richman inspired stripped down garage pop from these local boys.
MPEG Stream: "Always Make Your Bed"
MPEG Stream: "True to Life"
MPEG Stream: "Primitive"

NODZZZ s/t (What's Your Rupture?) 12" 14.98
Man we wanted to rave on and on about Nodzzz's amazing single "I Don't Wanna Smoke (Marijuana)" possibly the catchiest song of 2008 but sadly the 7" went out of print before we could ever get our hands on it. But luckily these San Francisco garage popsters have this great new 12" out to fulfill our Nodzzz fix. Refreshingly energetic and punk in spirit, Nodzzz craft super catchy rudimentary garage pop that's equal parts sassy and bratty. With hints of Jonathan Richman's bravado and charisma along with shots of inspiration from the smarter side of garage rock as well as obscure new wave bands who we imagine the band collects tons of rare vinyl from. We're excited to see what the future holds for Nodzzz.

NOEL, LEYNA From The Mouth Of The Jar (self-released) cd-r 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've seen some pretty elaborate and unique packaging come through the store over the years, but this delicate and exquisitely hand made affair by local songstress Leyna Noel is really in a league of its own. She hand made each sleeve which comes in antique linen that she sewed individually and stitched shut, inside the lyrics and liner notes are printed on ledger paper from 1945. So much love and work went into making these lovely looking cd's that we almost didn't want to have to cut one open to listen to it. But luckily this is one of those great cases where the labor and visual aesthetic perfectly captures the warm and intimate songs contained inside.
From The Mouth of The Jar opens with the richest sounding Hammond organ and then Leyna takes the mic and matches that wave of warmth with her strong and gorgeous voice. With rich instrumentation throughout provided by Leyna and a cast of her comrades including members of Viking Moses, this is music that really is a step above most of the recent singer songwriter/folk sounds, never forgetting that it takes spirit and passion to make a song soar, and Leyna's songs ooze with so much genuine soul. Her delivery and arrangements conjure images of kindred spirits like Joanna Newsom, Edith Frost, Mira Billote (White Magic) and Cat Power. A record that really is like someone sharing with you an honest and thoughtful part of themselves, a feeling for you to cherish as you walk by their side, your spirit warmed by the true comfort they exude. The amount of time and work it took to construct these is baffling and needless to say there is a very small run of them so grab one while you can!
MPEG Stream: "Yellow Eyes"
MPEG Stream: "Speedboat Wake"
MPEG Stream: "Make Bright"

NOH MERCY s/t (Superior Viaduct ) cd 12.98
Our pal Weasel Walter (of tUMULt recording artists Hatewave, also the Flying Luttenbachers, as well as a million other noisy projects) recently wrote about this Noh Mercy reissue on his ugEXPLODE blog (weaselwalter.blogspot.com). We knew we couldn't really do a better job reviewing it, so we just asked Weasel if we could use his write up, and he was nice enough to say yes. So, take it away, Weasel:
Archival releases springing forth headily from bygone eras somehow make me infinitely more excited than anything being released from the present morass of overkill we currently endure. At the risk of sounding like a moldy fig, there are many elements missing from much of today's music in terms of what I want to hear. Punk came during the Seventies and said "Everyone can do it!" Unfortunately, everyone did it and now one has to dig even harder and longer to find contemporary jewels in this all-encompassing, instantly accessible, post-categorized modern mess.
Noh Mercy were a female duo based in San Francisco during the late Seventies. Their music is powerfully minimal, most often stripped-down to the barest elements of voice and drums, sometimes peppered with raw keyboards or guitar. Anyone familiar with this obscure group probably knew them from a pair of iconoclastic tracks appearing on the murky, elusive Earcom 3 double seven inch compilation on UK post-punk imprint Fast Product Records. The brazenly succinct assault entitled "Caucasian Guilt" from that record featured a panache and solidity which set it apart from the more atavistic musical standard of their New York No Wave counterparts; vocalist Esmerelda's vitriol showed impressive subtlety and range matching the kinetic, precise drum tattoos of co-conspirator Tony Hotel. This was a band as truly talented as they were weird.
The 2012 archival Noh Mercy release on Superior Viaduct begins with "Caucasian Guilt" and includes the other Earcom comp track ("Revolutionary Spy"), eight never-before-heard tracks from the same July 1979 session as well as four stunning live cuts from an August 1979 concert. The studio tracks were recorded in a basement, but they are appealingly transparent and unadorned, revealing the naked focus of the duo's performances. These ten tracks are based on raw invention, not production. Modern bands should take heed of this: ideas before technology. This is why the old shit sounds so good, folks.
After four tracks of the expected drum/vocal duets (including an amusing deconstruction of the Lennon/McCartney chestnut "Girl"), the throbbing "Lines" arrives as a refreshing contrast with Esmerelda essaying coldly over outbursts of percussive slide guitar racket and sour synthesizer. The following "Bloodhound Blues" is built on a foundation of jazzy tom-tom drum figures and squishy, phased keyboard chords. It is formally traditional in many ways, allowing the passionate vocals to run rampant. Unlike many New Wave poseurs of the time, Esmerelda could really belt out a tune with serious confidence. The melodramatic vocals are impossible to miss and her performances here are intense and colorful. "Cross The Line" and "The Meek Shall Inherit The Mess" continue in the fuller sounding, keyboard drenched mode, while "The Meek . . ." incorporates odd rhythmic meters and tempo changes that reveal musical ambition pushing beyond the other tracks in the "studio" set.
Anyone buying the vinyl version will miss out hard by not getting the four killer live tracks included only on the cd version. The other day I heard a clerk at a record store tell somebody wryly that "vinyl is back." Really? What I see is mindless clones paying 30 bucks for lame back-catalog bullshit that used to be in the dollar bin for decades before this dubious "revival" began. I can't believe how much money people are paying for this shit because they've been told "vinyl is back." Whatever. Congratulations, record industry. You have found a new wave of materialistic lemmings to wallet-rape. I guess, you know, records are, uh, "bigger" or whatever, so, go for it. All I know is I get to savor the frigidly perfect cd audio with the bonus tracks in my lonely little dungeon, sans all the pops and clicks and "warmth" some of you will inflict on yourselves in the dubious name of analog purity.
"Furious" kicks off the quartet of live tracks in a deranged, stop-start construction of barely-contained lyrical outrage and keyboard noise. The oddly idealistic anti-bouncer screed "Storm The Stage" ("...And those dudes with the flashlights/Yelling 'Stay in your seat'/Knock 'em out of your way/Kick 'em with your feet/'Cuz you'll be on that stage!") bubbles along amusingly without drums, Hotel manning an aquatically phased guitar in addition to vocals and keyboards. "Wicked Sister" and "Ode To Frances Farmer" operate vaguely within the same repetitive/motorik realm as beloved period LA synth-punks The Screamers, but once again Esmerelda's impressive pipes outclass the competition on the former while the vividly catchy dissonance of the latter instrumental is compositionally distinctive on its own terms.
Noh Mercy hit the skids and went their separate ways by 1980 without releasing a proper album. This great release expands the group's reputation quite ably with careful audio mastering/restoration of the old master tapes and a beautiful layout featuring great photos, liner notes and lyrics. Anyone interested in the top tier of so-called "post-punk" bands needs to run to this release post-haste.
MPEG Stream: "Girl"
MPEG Stream: "Lines"
MPEG Stream: "The Meek Shall Inherit The Mess"

NOH MERCY s/t (Superior Viaduct ) lp 14.98
Our pal Weasel Walter (of tUMULt recording artists Hatewave, also the Flying Luttenbachers, as well as a million other noisy projects) recently wrote about this Noh Mercy reissue on his ugEXPLODE blog (weaselwalter.blogspot.com). We knew we couldn't really do a better job reviewing it, so we just asked Weasel if we could use his write up, and he was nice enough to say yes. So, take it away, Weasel:
Archival releases springing forth headily from bygone eras somehow make me infinitely more excited than anything being released from the present morass of overkill we currently endure. At the risk of sounding like a moldy fig, there are many elements missing from much of today's music in terms of what I want to hear. Punk came during the Seventies and said "Everyone can do it!" Unfortunately, everyone did it and now one has to dig even harder and longer to find contemporary jewels in this all-encompassing, instantly accessible, post-categorized modern mess.
Noh Mercy were a female duo based in San Francisco during the late Seventies. Their music is powerfully minimal, most often stripped-down to the barest elements of voice and drums, sometimes peppered with raw keyboards or guitar. Anyone familiar with this obscure group probably knew them from a pair of iconoclastic tracks appearing on the murky, elusive Earcom 3 double seven inch compilation on UK post-punk imprint Fast Product Records. The brazenly succinct assault entitled "Caucasian Guilt" from that record featured a panache and solidity which set it apart from the more atavistic musical standard of their New York No Wave counterparts; vocalist Esmerelda's vitriol showed impressive subtlety and range matching the kinetic, precise drum tattoos of co-conspirator Tony Hotel. This was a band as truly talented as they were weird.
The 2012 archival Noh Mercy release on Superior Viaduct begins with "Caucasian Guilt" and includes the other Earcom comp track ("Revolutionary Spy"), eight never-before-heard tracks from the same July 1979 session as well as four stunning live cuts from an August 1979 concert. The studio tracks were recorded in a basement, but they are appealingly transparent and unadorned, revealing the naked focus of the duo's performances. These ten tracks are based on raw invention, not production. Modern bands should take heed of this: ideas before technology. This is why the old shit sounds so good, folks.
After four tracks of the expected drum/vocal duets (including an amusing deconstruction of the Lennon/McCartney chestnut "Girl"), the throbbing "Lines" arrives as a refreshing contrast with Esmerelda essaying coldly over outbursts of percussive slide guitar racket and sour synthesizer. The following "Bloodhound Blues" is built on a foundation of jazzy tom-tom drum figures and squishy, phased keyboard chords. It is formally traditional in many ways, allowing the passionate vocals to run rampant. Unlike many New Wave poseurs of the time, Esmerelda could really belt out a tune with serious confidence. The melodramatic vocals are impossible to miss and her performances here are intense and colorful. "Cross The Line" and "The Meek Shall Inherit The Mess" continue in the fuller sounding, keyboard drenched mode, while "The Meek . . ." incorporates odd rhythmic meters and tempo changes that reveal musical ambition pushing beyond the other tracks in the "studio" set.
Anyone buying the vinyl version will miss out hard by not getting the four killer live tracks included only on the cd version. The other day I heard a clerk at a record store tell somebody wryly that "vinyl is back." Really? What I see is mindless clones paying 30 bucks for lame back-catalog bullshit that used to be in the dollar bin for decades before this dubious "revival" began. I can't believe how much money people are paying for this shit because they've been told "vinyl is back." Whatever. Congratulations, record industry. You have found a new wave of materialistic lemmings to wallet-rape. I guess, you know, records are, uh, "bigger" or whatever, so, go for it. All I know is I get to savor the frigidly perfect cd audio with the bonus tracks in my lonely little dungeon, sans all the pops and clicks and "warmth" some of you will inflict on yourselves in the dubious name of analog purity.
"Furious" kicks off the quartet of live tracks in a deranged, stop-start construction of barely-contained lyrical outrage and keyboard noise. The oddly idealistic anti-bouncer screed "Storm The Stage" ("...And those dudes with the flashlights/Yelling 'Stay in your seat'/Knock 'em out of your way/Kick 'em with your feet/'Cuz you'll be on that stage!") bubbles along amusingly without drums, Hotel manning an aquatically phased guitar in addition to vocals and keyboards. "Wicked Sister" and "Ode To Frances Farmer" operate vaguely within the same repetitive/motorik realm as beloved period LA synth-punks The Screamers, but once again Esmerelda's impressive pipes outclass the competition on the former while the vividly catchy dissonance of the latter instrumental is compositionally distinctive on its own terms.
Noh Mercy hit the skids and went their separate ways by 1980 without releasing a proper album. This great release expands the group's reputation quite ably with careful audio mastering/restoration of the old master tapes and a beautiful layout featuring great photos, liner notes and lyrics. Anyone interested in the top tier of so-called "post-punk" bands needs to run to this release post-haste.
MPEG Stream: "Girl"
MPEG Stream: "Lines"
MPEG Stream: "The Meek Shall Inherit The Mess"

NOIR, JIM Tower Of Love (Barsuk) cd 13.98
Is a fresh wave cresting of bands heavily inspired by Brian Wilson and The Beatles and maybe some E.L.O. too (who themselves were obviously very influenced likewise)? Yup, sure seems so. Picking up the psych-tinged pop baton from the likes of Olivia Tremor Control, Flaming Lips and Apples In Stereo is one particular young Mancunian named Jim Noir. As yummy as this Tower Of Love is -- utterly dreamy and creamy with sparkly bits -- it's hard to ignore the fact that many guitar licks, vocal harmonies and melodic passages are outright pickpocketed from the abovementioned bands. But you know what? Who cares? Noir manages to take the borrowed bits and whip them into something if not new, at least really catchy and fun to listen to. There is also a weird murky production element at play, that when listening to this at home, had us occasionally feeling like we were hearing music seeping through the floor from the apartment downstairs. Which gives Noir's pop goodness a distinctly droney (and to us quite pleasing) aftertaste.
For fans of all of the above as well as Kings Of Convenience and The Shins too.
MPEG Stream: "Eanie Meeny"
MPEG Stream: "Turbulent Weather"

NOISE ADDICT Meet the Real You (Grand Royal) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Teenager Ben Lee from Australia.

NOISE ADDICT Meet the Real You (Grand Royal) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Teenager Ben Lee from Australia.

NOISEGATE As We Were Walking (Manufracture) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's a little difficult to consider Noisegate a metal band. Although their live persona, which features lots of slow motion headbanging while they hold down various keys on their samplers, clearly gives reason to peg them as metallers, a careful examination of their music (at home, on one's stereo) is finds a subtley that betrays their evil grimaces. As We Were Walking is the third CD release from Noisegate, and consists of bleak isolationist material from their 2nd tUMULt release, Suspended Animation, Vol. 1, performed live on tour in Europe. Opening with two very cold tonal synth modulations, Noisegate sets out on a dark ambient trek that builds up to deep windswept blasts and various tinklings from wind chimes. Think Lull, Main, Final, or Lustmord.

NOISETTES What's The Time Mr. Wolf? (Universal / Motown) cd 10.98
First, a short-hand point of ponder: What if the Squirrel Nut Zippers were reincarnated as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs? Hmmm. Hot stuff? Actually, yes!
Allow us to elaborate...
Characterized by the come hither / cold shoulder / scarlet clawed vocals of singer/bass player Shingai Shoniwa, the Noisettes' tightly wound, fiery music stirs up visions of times long past of unsavory characters inhabiting dark lit speakeasys. Lots of smoke and steaminess. Really, where was this London trio when the movie makers were putting together the soundtrack for Frank Miller's Sin City? Their tempestuous noirish rock keeps the joint jumping with plenty of plot and tempo twists of its own. Can you smell the burnt rubber as the hip kids get all hot under the collar for this mighty band? Oooh, just watch the sparks fly.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Give Up"
MPEG Stream: "Nothing To Dread"

NOIZE CREATOR Deferred Media (Ambush) cd 14.98
Stefan Senf, founder of Suburban Trash Industries and longtime veteran producer of many, many fucked up hardcore d'n'b/gabba/fuckstep singles on labels like Zod, Appareil, SixSixtySix, Brutal Chud, etc., has been picked up for a long overdue full length by London's king of brutal hardcore mashup DJ Scud and his Ambush imprint. Clocking in at just under a half hour, "Deferred Media" is a unrelenting onslaught of distorted beats, ripping shards of harsh noise and bass -- tons of bass! Certainly for fans of Ambush, DHR, Praxis, Brooklyn Beats, et al.
RealAudio clip: "Per Thousand"

NOMEANSNO 0 + 2 = 1 (Alternative Tentacles) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

NOMEANSNO Mama (Wrong Records) cd 13.98
Elsewhere on our site you'll find our two favorite Nomeansno records, Wrong and The Day Everything Became Isolated And Destroyed, both Records Of The Week, as they were destined to be, considering lots of us here consider those to be ALL time favorites, which makes it even weirder that some of those very same people had never even HEARD of Mama, also recently reissued.
Mama turns out to be the very first recordings from the brothers Wright, before they added a guitar player, total proggy mathy poppy rhythm section genius, even back then, in 1982! If you think Nomeansno sound weird by early nineties punk rock standards, imagine a band like that in Canada in the early eighties, playing local clubs or bars, people must have been very very confused. Cuz even in these early recordings, the band is pretty much fully formed, pulsing sinewy basslines, mathy complex drumming, and the same sort of strange sung spoken vocals, the same snarky vocals, but back then there was also a bunch of keyboards, which added another strange vibe to their sound. And the funk element was way more in play, a few tracks are definitely flat out funky, but even then, the band twist it all up into something unique, although nothing here is really punk rock exactly. It's a cool glimpse into the sounds and songs that would eventually get transformed into the post punk math prog juggernaut that NMN would eventually become.
We weren't sure what to think at first, but the more we listen to this, the more we're digging it. Tripped out, stripped down, sort of new wave. At least one of the tracks does get pretty fierce, and sounds like it could maybe be a demo for a track from the first record, "No Rest For The Wicked", fast and furious, buzzy, a little bit heavy, the bass already a force to be reckoned with, but then the track after sounds like some twisted cruise ship lounge band whatthefuck. Definitely confusing, but that's part of their charm.
The four bonus tracks are from a 7" that preceded the release of Mama, and feature guitar finally, as well as sax on one song, and an early version of "Forget Your Life" which would later show up in a different version on The Day Everything Became Nothing, but this is the raw, original lo-fi version, and again, it sounds surprisingly true to the final version, except for some wonky keyboards, that we almost wish they had included in the new version.
Cool stuff for sure, but definitely only for fans, mere dabblers should first pick up Wrong and The Day Everything Became Isolated And Destroyed, but trust us, you shan't remain dabblers for long.
MPEG Stream: "Living Is Free"
MPEG Stream: "Rich Guns"
MPEG Stream: "My Roommate Is Turning Into A Monster"
MPEG Stream: "No Sex"

NOMEANSNO One (Alternative Tentacles) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Definitely the days of 'Wrong' or 'The Day Everything Became Nothing' are long past, but the Brothers Wright and co. can still pummel any of today's sorry excuses for punk into submission and admiration. Still maintaining the awesomely thunderous bass presence and sharp wit they're known and respected for. All hail the raging greatness of NoMeansNo. This is album #12. Still going strong and showing no signs of stopping. Includes covers of songs by the Ramones (heavy and sludge-y) and Miles Davis (long and strange).

NOMEANSNO One (Alternative Tentacles) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Definitely the days of 'Wrong' or 'The Day Everything Became Nothing' are long past, but the Brothers Wright and co. can still pummel any of today's sorry excuses for punk into submission and admiration. Still maintaining the awesomely thunderous bass presence and sharp wit they're known and respected for. All hail the raging greatness of NoMeansNo. This is album #12. Still going strong and showing no signs of stopping. Includes covers of songs by the Ramones (heavy and sludge-y) and Miles Davis (long and strange).

NOMEANSNO The Day Everything Became Isolated And Destroyed (Wrong Records) cd 13.98
When reviewing a record you've had and treasured and loved for years, or decades, the pressure to do it justice is immense, so much so, that it seems almost impossible. But once in a while you gotta try. So here we go. Two of the MOST essential punk rock / post punk records ever, recently remastered and reissued, which gives us the opportunity to not only gush about records that have been on constant rotation since we were in our early twenties, records that totally changed the way we listened to music, but to also hopefully turn on the few folks who may have missed out, or who may not have even been alive when these records came out.
Nomeansno, from Canada, most folks know the name, but not everyone has actually heard these guys, but almost every single person we know who has, was never the same. The sound is super rhythmic and mathy, punk rock, but totally proggy as well, the focal point is on the bass and drums, manned by two brothers, Rob and John Wright, one of, if not THEE, tightest rhythm sections ever, the bass lines thick and throbbing and distorted, the drums chaotic but so tight and precise, the guitar, handled by a member who always remained unnamed - "Someone (but we're not sure who)" credited with "other things" on one record, or "none of your fucking business" on another - which is ironic cuz the guitar playing besides being BAD ASS was also so integral to the sound, they were a punk rock band after all. And the vocals, super high in the mix, dramatic, howled, crooned and yelped, melodic but raw and rough, sometimes sort of spoken, but always sharp tongued, spewing some of the best and funniest and intense lyrics. And as always, none of that would mean shit if the songs weren't great, and these songs are GREAT, so hooky and heavy and weird, a testament to these guys is that even the most obtuse tangled whatthefuck jam will stay lodged in your head forever.
Then there's the funky aspect, which we had planned to discuss at length, but listening to this again, the funkiness is implied, subtle, based entirely on the fact that almost all the songs are bass driven, and some are weirdly stripped down to just bass and drums and vocals, but this is not bullshit funky, this is elements of funk used the way they were meant to be, mixed into a churning, super complex, angular, jagged set of songs that manage to be both heavy and crushing and confusionally complex while still being poppy and hook filled and so goddamn catchy.
We tried to pick just one of these reissues to focus on, but eventually could only get it down to two, so both seemed like ideal candidates for Record Of The Week, especially considering that at least half of the folks here freaked the fuck out when we got these back in. We'll talk about each separately, but we have to suggest just buying both, you won't regret it, they're equally classic and timeless and heavy and catchy and far out and freaking awesome!
The Day Everything Became Isolated And Destroyed is a compilation of sorts, collecting the album Small Parts Isolated And Destroyed from 1988 and The Day Everything Became Nothing 12" from that same year, but for most of us, these two have always been bundled together so The Day Everything Became Isolated And Destroyed plays like one long, surprisingly cohesive record. And right out of the gate it's a killer, with the manic bass heavy groove of "The Day Everything Became Nothing", with crunchy guitar and over the top vocals, and a dense super tangled arrangement, and seconds after hearing it for the first time, we knew these guys were gonna be our new favorite band, and other punk rock bands were gonna have to step it up a notch. We could seriously go track by track, it's been long enough now that every single track here is seared into our brains, the kind of record where even the spaces between songs are part of the flow of the album, but we can definitely pick out a few highlights.
"Dark Ages" might just be one of our favorite songs ever, from its super mathy freaked out intro, to the loping hooky bass groove, the minimal guitar flourishes, the killer chorus, the super weird drum part, it's like some insane progged out punk rock opera crammed down into 5 minutes, just listen to the sound sample, if you're not smitten after this one, we might just have to give up on you! "And That's Sad" is a looping super complex rhythmic workout, with some cool, moody minor key breaks, that all gradually build right back up to the frenetic freakout that opened the track. If you slowed down "Small Parts Isolated And Destroyed", it would probably sound like Harvey Milk, a super spare, sludge-y stop start work out, that sounds like no other band at the time, or hell even now. "Victory" is a brooding drift of low slung bass, and muted tribal drumming, but as with all NMN, these long passages are separated by unbearably catchy choruses and here too, some tangled mathiness, that never seems showy or flashy or unreasonably complex, it's how these songs needed to sound, every part, no matter how weird or superfluous seeming, is perfectly places, and a few listens in no one could disagree. "Teresa, Give Me That Knife" is about as punk as these guys get, furious, frenetic, blasting drums, frantic guitars, with an insanely technical chorus, and a haunting creeped out prechorus, that is just as catchy as any other part of the track. And then there's "Real Love", most folks' favorite, a weird sort of heavy punk rock doom ballad, big crunchy guitars, long sprawling breakdowns, some crushing drumming, the chorus a lumbering almost waltz, with dramatic howled vox, which switch to a spoken croon in the 'verses', finishing off with a massive blown out super heavy sprawling outro, and again, the song, as unlikely as it maybe sounds on the surface, or with a glancing listen, is impossibly catchy, and somehow having heard it maybe hundreds of times, we're still not anywhere close to being sick of it.
Easily an all time, lifetime, desert island top 10 favorite for sure. And thus, just about as recommended as a record can be!
MPEG Stream: "Dark Ages"
MPEG Stream: "Dead Souls"
MPEG Stream: "Forget Your Life"
MPEG Stream: "Teresa, Give Me That Knife"
MPEG Stream: "Small Parts Isolated And Destroyed"

NOMEANSNO The Day Everything Became Nothing / Small Parts Isolated And Destroyed (Alternative Tentacles) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

NOMEANSNO Wrong (Alternative Tentacles) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

NOMEANSNO Wrong (Wrong Records) cd 13.98
When reviewing a record you've had and treasured and loved for years, or decades, the pressure to do it justice is immense, so much so, that it seems almost impossible. But once in a while you gotta try. So here we go. Two of the MOST essential punk rock / post punk records ever, recently remastered and reissued, which gives us the opportunity to not only gush about records that have been on constant rotation since we were in our early twenties, records that totally changed the way we listened to music, but to also hopefully turn on the few folks who may have missed out, or who may not have even been alive when these records came out.
Nomeansno, from Canada, most folks know the name, but not everyone has actually heard these guys, but almost every single person we know who has, was never the same. The sound is super rhythmic and mathy, punk rock, but totally proggy as well, the focal point is on the bass and drums, manned by two brothers, Rob and John Wright, one of, if not THEE, tightest rhythm sections ever, the bass lines thick and throbbing and distorted, the drums chaotic but so tight and precise, the guitar, handled by a member who always remained unnamed - "Someone (but we're not sure who)" credited with "other things" on one record, or "none of your fucking business" on another - which is ironic cuz the guitar playing besides being BAD ASS was also so integral to the sound, they were a punk rock band after all. And the vocals, super high in the mix, dramatic, howled, crooned and yelped, melodic but raw and rough, sometimes sort of spoken, but always sharp tongued, spewing some of the best and funniest and intense lyrics. And as always, none of that would mean shit if the songs weren't great, and these songs are GREAT, so hooky and heavy and weird, a testament to these guys is that even the most obtuse tangled whatthefuck jam will stay lodged in your head forever.
Then there's the funky aspect, which we had planned to discuss at length, but listening to this again, the funkiness is implied, subtle, based entirely on the fact that almost all the songs are bass driven, and some are weirdly stripped down to just bass and drums and vocals, but this is not bullshit funky, this is elements of funk used the way they were meant to be, mixed into a churning, super complex, angular, jagged set of songs that manage to be both heavy and crushing and confusionally complex while still being poppy and hook filled and so goddamn catchy.
We tried to pick just one of these reissues to focus on, but eventually could only get it down to two, so both seemed like ideal candidates for Record Of The Week, especially considering that at least half of the folks here freaked the fuck out when we got these back in. We'll talk about each separately, but we have to suggest just buying both, you won't regret it, they're equally classic and timeless and heavy and catchy and far out and freaking awesome!
Wrong, from 1989, was the follow up to the life changing Small Parts album and The Day Everything 12" from the year before, and guess what, it too was life changing, managing to take the sounds and songs from the records before and make them heavier, more complex, more intense. The opener "It's Catching Up" is just so heavy and intense and brutal, the bass about as thick and distorted as it can get and still nail the flurry of rapid fire notes, the drums are devastating, not sure why this guy wasn't a drum god to all the aspiring drummers out there (although he was to Andee, who did get his autograph way back in the day), the guitars sharp and jagged, all wrapped around an insanely catchy hook, and somehow they manage to make it sound punk as fuck at the same time. "The Tower" might be our favorite here (amongst a record full of favorites), with its dirgey Black Flag vibe, more impossibly thick and distorted bass, and a weird staccato chorus, with one of the strangest and most anguished vocal parts ever, but so hooky, which leads right into a killer tangle of head spinning mathiness. Another favorite (like we said, they ALL rule), is "Rags And Bones", with easily one of the best bass lines ever, and some tangled complex drumming to go with it, some bizarre lyrics and a total pure pop chorus, of course doused in distortion and punked up a bit. "Brainless Wonder" is impossibly dense and heavy, like a skipping Black Flag record, before it slips into something a bit more groovy. "Two Lips, Two Lungs And One Tongue" is a short sharp blast of weird vocal / instrumental tangle, with the band locked into the repeated titular phrase. And then there's "All Lies" which is sort of the "Real Love" of Wrong, an epic punk rock prog rock sort-of-ballad, long sprawling moody breakdowns set between dense tribal math rock workouts, moving and emotional and dramatic, all building slowly to a killer super catchy stop start chorus.
Phew, we're just about gushed out. If you can't tell, we love this record A LOT, and The Day Everything Became Isolated And Destroyed, both are easily all time favorites, desert island discs for you list making nerds, essential listening for anyone into punk rock, post punk, pop punk, heaviness, hookiness, great music... as we were listening to this again, Allan asked me why bands weren't good anymore, and I couldn't really think of an answer. Absolutely and totally and utterly recommended.
This remastered reissued has two bonus tracks from a 7" released by Mr Wrong, aka NMN bassist Rob Wright, which sound a whole lot like the record proper!
MPEG Stream: "It's Catching Up"
MPEG Stream: "The Tower"
MPEG Stream: "All Lies"
MPEG Stream: "Rags And Bones"
MPEG Stream: "Two Lips, Two Lungs And One Tongue"

NOMEANSNO You Kill Me (Alternative Tentacles) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

NOMI, KLAUS Eclipsed: The Best Of Klaus Nomi (Razor & Tie) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Operatic, plastic, geometric. Absolutely astounding. The pinnacle of the wonderfully strange. Klaus Nomi (1944-1983) was all this and so much more. Prior to his solo career, he performed with David Bowie on Saturday Night Live. Watching his striking performance on the 'Urgh! A Music War' video (which is very recommended), you get the sense that he's at once both fearless and terrified. Although this compilation features some eyebrow-raising cover choices --- "Ding Dong" (yes, from the 'Wizard of Oz"), "You Don't Own Me" and "Just One Look". the highlights ("Total Eclipse" and "Simple Man" to name but two) far out shine these very odd numbers. Simply amazing.

NOMI, KLAUS / ANDREW HORN The Nomi Song (Palm Picture) dvd 22.00
Ms Cup has long been a Klaus Nomi devotee, but -- save for his one song appearance in the Urgh! A Music War film and the now out-of-print Eclipsed: Best Of Klaus Nomi compilation -- there's never been enough documentation from back in the day to satiate any craving for this ultra stylized, provocative and enigmatic figure. So she was thrilled and a bit trepidatious to hear that a documentary was being made. After many failed attempts to go see the film in the theater, she was then delighted to hear that it was coming out on dvd. Her verdict? Superlatives galore. This fantastic documentary was made with absolute loving care and imaginative attention to detail. One of the most obvious (and unique) examples of this comes in the segments featuring the voice of Nomi's aunt. "Why just her voice?" you might ask. Well, apparently she's really camera shy, and the filmmakers came up with a novel way to present her likeness in the film. They crafted accurately detailed miniature dioramas of various locations (such as her living room with a mini slide projector and backyard with shrubbery and garden hose) in which they sat a paper doll with a picture of her face. The interview clips (each filmed in front of a very thought out, appropriate backdrop), audio and video footage sheds much light on his life and music career (including more background info about the abovementioned Urgh! appearance), totally capturing the vitality, tragedy and defiance of Nomi the individual as well as of the underground New York New Wave scene as a whole during those years. He cut such a striking, unmistakable, indelible silhouette. Unforgettable.
The dvd includes a bunch of exclusive remixes by Scissor Sisters' Ana Matronic, Richard Barone, The Moog Cookbook and Man Parrish (formerly of The Fast, Man2Man and more!)

NOMO Ghost Rock (Ubiquity) cd 16.98

NONDOR NEVAI The A Capella Cantata (Flemish Masters) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This record sucks. But goddamn it's SO good. Released on the truly cult Flemish Masters label, this has to be one of the most fucked cds ever. So much so that Andee really wanted to make it record of the week. But when you listen to the sound sample you'll understand why we didn't. Maybe. Basically what this is, is some guy, talking, singing and sort-of-testifying over scratchy records ranging from Saturday Night Fever to Stryper. The vocals are heavily reverbed and way higher in the mix (if you can call it 'a mix') than the 'backing tracks.' The subject matter ranges from himself, to pseudo-apocalyptic prophecies, to monsters (sort of), to all kinds of other stuff, but most of it is almost-incomprehensible, rambling, possibly drug-induced ravings. Surreal and amazing and completely stupid. In other words, COMPLETELY ESSENTIAL. (!)
RealAudio clip: "Breach Of Contract"
RealAudio clip: "Weirdo On Disco Mountain"
RealAudio clip: "Is This Good For Vulva?"