AZURE RAY November (Saddle Creek) cd ep 11.98
In general I can't really handle female vocalists of the overly-breathy school of emotiveness. You know, the kind of voice that's become such a mainstream-adult-radio staple -- the Jewel / Fiona Apple axis. Their whispered voices are breaking oh so emotionally as if they're gonna cry all over the $800 Roberto Cavalli jeans their stylist told them to wear. Harrumph. And yet, while the ladies of Azure Ray do wield overly breathy voices, they don't milk it dry; they're not manipulating nor overdoing it. They simply have natural, lush voices suited to softly singing *this close* to the mic. Same thing with the cello which is usually terribly predictable in indie rock, but here it's wielded so genuinely. Azure Ray might have some superficial qualities in common with the aforementioned studio puppets, but listen close and you'll see they're the real thing.
This very pleasant, quiet half-hour EP from the Georgia-based duo has become a favorite of Windy's. The title track "November" is so astonishingly pretty that I was struck the same way as when I first heard Mazzy Star -- by how instantly accessible and melodic it is. In fact its chorus positively reminds us of ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All".
The delicately plucked acoustic guitars are embellished with piano, steel drums, and nice, subtle stereo separation effects. Features a Townes Van Zandt cover. Together with their producer Andy Lemasters (of Now It's Overhead, another AQ-fave), Azure Ray have also toured as Bright Eyes' band.
RealAudio clip: "November"
RealAudio clip: "For the Sake of the Song"

AZUSA PLANE Cheltenham (10") Ochre 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The two Jasons of Azusa Plane make more of their rainy day droning psychedelia for twin guitars. Limited edition.

AZUSA PLANE The Highway's Jammed With Broken Heroes ((K-RAA-K)3) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
After a long hiatus since the last Azusa Plane album, Jason DiEmilio has reinvented himself as an angularly avant-guitarist with aspirations of making another David Grubbs album. "The Highway's Jammed With Broken Heroes" is the first release of Azusa Plane in this mode. The first of the two lengthy tracks on this album is a spartan affair of assorted errata: forced guitar plucks, various cable buzz pops, and lots of microphone bumping. It is so clumsy and spastic as to warrant FE's Jimmy Johnson to state that "this has such comedic aspirations that even Neil Hamburger will probably have to sit up and take notice." The other track also takes a clunky approach to a series of acoustic guitar loops, with various clatters and whirs topping everything off. The whole affair seems painfully forced, without much expression in the improvisation. Perhaps he should've stuck with the bliss rock.

AZUSA PLANE Tycho Magnetic Anomaly (Camera Obscura) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"All sounds on this cd originated from a Fender guitar" it says on the very Corpus Hermeticum-like folding paper sleeve. The Azusa Plane is a very pleasant space-drone type project out of Clifton Heights, PA.

Ã+ (CHECKSUM) 12345678 (Boskite) cd 10.98
Checksum is the collaboration between San Francisco leftfield indie mainstays Jeff Palmer (Granfaloon Bus, Sunny Day Real Estate) and Greg Freeman (Pell Mell, Virginia Dare, Lowdown Studios), taking spartan instrumentation not far from late period Talk Talk or the first Tortoise record to occasional lap top / dubby trickery.

B-52'S Funplex (Astralwerks) cd 14.98

B.B. BLUNDER Workers' Playtime (Long Hair) cd 23.00

B.G. Checkmate (Cash Money) cd 16.98
Latest from the Bling Bling guy, with Cash Money guests Juvenile, etc.

B.O.S. O-Land (Angelika Kohlermann) cd 16.98
An Austrian band (we think) playing what they (or their label) like to call "slo-mo-kraut-progck". Hmm? Well what this is, is downtempo, bass-heavy post-rock with half-buried whispery female vox, all kinda creepy and emotionally portentous. The drummer's rhythms are plodding, head-nodding. There's lots of electronics filling out the sound, with both grand, dark synth washes and glitchy details. It's a late night cinematic sound, very moody, but maybe not quite as gripping as the vocalist wants it to be. It gets more interesting when they get heavier and freak out a bit instrumentally, adding clarinet, trumpet, violin, etc. to the mix.
MPEG Stream: "Uv"
MPEG Stream: "My Friend"

BAADER BRAINS The Complete Unfinished Works Of The Young Tigers (Waking Records / Clean Plate / Empyre) 12" 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Baader Brains. This is one of those wonderful instances where the name kind of says it all: frenzied, powerful, pummeling hardcore punk mixed with the aesthetics and politics of extreme Marxist urban guerilla movements. It's by no means a novel combination, but it's incredibly rare for a band of this ilk to be so well done and for every one of its elements to have been given so much obvious consideration. Musically, The Complete Unfinished Works Of The Young Tigers takes the majority of its queues from Damaged-era Black Flag and the Gravity Records catalog, but manages to still sound vibrant, and totally current. It's muscular, angular, fractured and anthemic all at once and recalls everything that makes us excited about this particular brand of punk rock (post-hardcore, or whatever you want to call it). This should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the pedigree of Baader Brain's membership: Mike Kirsch and Jose Palafox (guitar and drums, respectively) have done time in some of the heaviest hitters of the West Coast US hardcore scene since the late '80s. Kirsch, in particular, is a revered figure in the Bay Area, having lent his talents on guitar, vocals and electronics to a long list of bands including Fuel, Torches To Rome, and Please Inform The Captain This Is A Hijack; while Palafox's drumming has been an integral part of Struggle, The Swing Kids, and Yaphet Kotto. Both also did time in the mighty Bread and Circuits, who sole LP is an underrated classic. Suffice to say, if you have even a passing interest in the catalogs of Ebullition, The Mountain Collective, Level Plane, or Gravity Records, this is going to freak your beak.
Where Baader Brains becomes (as the youth say) some seriously next level shit, is with everything that surounds the music itself and their uncanny ability to balance the two without either one outshining the other. The group's devotion to the aesthetic of leftist paramilitary revolution is beyond impressive, while their command and use of its related tropes and references is encyclopedic. The packaging, album art, liner notes and samples that bridge most of the songs together manage to string together a bewildering series of shout outs (both blatant and subversive) to everything from the RAF to the Khmer Rouge to the PFLP to the Black Panthers and more (there's even some John Zerzan-style future primitivism thrown in there for good measure)! It's a flood of images, sounds and references that manages to capture the frenetic audio-visual overload of the band's live show, something that we here in the Bay Area are lucky enough to get to see on a semi-regular basis (picture ever-evolving uniforms of the Young Tigers, imposters posing as the actual band being run off the stage at gunpoint, tiger striped balloons falling from the ceiling, split screen video projections, and a seamless integration of live music and samples all crammed together in about 20 minutes of whip-tight performance). Baader Brains' commitment to its rigorous aesthetic is so complete and so all-encompassing in its mix of different media, that it almost makes more sense to think of this LP as a small part of a much larger piece of ongoing performance art. That said, this is a seriously ass-kicking record and those of you with no interest in the band's political leanings or no knowledge of the references will find nothing lacking in the record's musical content.
Unsurprisingly, The Complete Unfinished Works Of The Young Tigers comes lavishly packaged to the point that it took three separate labels to come up with enough resources to make it happen. You get a full-colour jacket printed inside and out), an LP-sized obi, two separate inserts, and a fully printed inner sleeve. It's seriously over-the-top, it's limited to 1000 copies worldwide (300 of those are on swirled yellow and black vinyl and yes we have a handful of those, but will be doled out RANDOMLY!!!), and is selling out all over the place. Don't sleep on this one - this is one of the most exciting hardcore records we've heard in a long time, and we can't recommend it highly enough!
MPEG Stream: "Year Zero"
MPEG Stream: "Boiling at the Gates"
MPEG Stream: "Be Seeing You at Camp Delta"

BABIES, THE Our House On The Hill (Woodsist) cd 13.98
Record number two from this collaboration between members of the Woods and the Vivian Girls, and like their debut, it again sounds exactly like the membership might lead you to believe, at least at first: twangy jangly pop, sweet boy/girl vocals, fuzzy and hooky, girl group classic pop smithery mixed with more modern/retro garage-iness, definitely falling squarely into that 'Woodsist' sound, which obviously makes sense. But the interesting thing about Our House On The Hill, is that after a few songs in the beginning, especially "Slow Walkin'", which is a dead ringer for Best Coast, the influences become less obvious; as the record progresses, the songs darken, and become much more interesting, the melodies more minor, the sound more tense and complex, still classically poppy, but definitely more charged and hauntingly psychedelic. In fact those first two tracks seem light and fluffy in comparison to the rest of the record, which is hitting us hard, the way the most recent Woods record did. "Mess Me Around", is a dark pop gem, with some sinister lyrics, cool dueling multiple guitar lines, drawled vox, the vibe insistent and propulsive, and a killer chorus. "Get Lost" too, cranks up the psychedelic vibe, with swirling squalls of psych guitar, and wraps ghostly female vocals around the chorus, and again it's gorgeously dark and driving, and so it goes, the whole record unwinding, like some ultra personal, minor key jangle pop classic, laced with lots of ooooh's and aaaah's, hooks galore, some of the tracks ghostly and folky, stripped down and skeletal, even the occasional lap steel, and some lush and lovely strings, and while there are moments throughout that drift closer to that opening salvo, the bulk of the record is a much more shadowy, and dreamily dark. Great stuff!
MPEG Stream: "Mess Me Around"
MPEG Stream: "Get Lost"
MPEG Stream: "Baby"
MPEG Stream: "Chase It To The Grave"

BABIES, THE Our House On The Hill (Woodsist) lp 14.98
Record number two from this collaboration between members of the Woods and the Vivian Girls, and like their debut, it again sounds exactly like the membership might lead you to believe, at least at first: twangy jangly pop, sweet boy/girl vocals, fuzzy and hooky, girl group classic pop smithery mixed with more modern/retro garage-iness, definitely falling squarely into that 'Woodsist' sound, which obviously makes sense. But the interesting thing about Our House On The Hill, is that after a few songs in the beginning, especially "Slow Walkin'", which is a dead ringer for Best Coast, the influences become less obvious; as the record progresses, the songs darken, and become much more interesting, the melodies more minor, the sound more tense and complex, still classically poppy, but definitely more charged and hauntingly psychedelic. In fact those first two tracks seem light and fluffy in comparison to the rest of the record, which is hitting us hard, the way the most recent Woods record did. "Mess Me Around", is a dark pop gem, with some sinister lyrics, cool dueling multiple guitar lines, drawled vox, the vibe insistent and propulsive, and a killer chorus. "Get Lost" too, cranks up the psychedelic vibe, with swirling squalls of psych guitar, and wraps ghostly female vocals around the chorus, and again it's gorgeously dark and driving, and so it goes, the whole record unwinding, like some ultra personal, minor key jangle pop classic, laced with lots of ooooh's and aaaah's, hooks galore, some of the tracks ghostly and folky, stripped down and skeletal, even the occasional lap steel, and some lush and lovely strings, and while there are moments throughout that drift closer to that opening salvo, the bulk of the record is a much more shadowy, and dreamily dark. Great stuff!
MPEG Stream: "Mess Me Around"
MPEG Stream: "Get Lost"
MPEG Stream: "Baby"
MPEG Stream: "Chase It To The Grave"

BABIES, THE s/t (Shrimper) cd 13.98
This one shouldn't need much of a description. The debut full length from this new group featuring Kevin Morby from psychedelic stoner folk garage poppers Woods, and Cassie Ramone from girl garage group the Vivian Girls, and it sounds just like you'd expect/imagine/hope. A perfect mix of the two. Fuzzy, jangly, ramshackle boy/girl lo-fi garage rock / indie pop, big crunchy guitars, simple pounding drumming, droned out repetitive melodies, and some seriously killer hooks. A little bit Velvets, a little Ramones/Misfits (in that sort of hooky poppy punkness), some stonery psychedelia, lots of bouncy and poppy pep, plenty of echo and reverb, the songs slipping from wild and punky and loose and loud, to more dark and layered and less raucous, to hazy and sun dappled and folky. And of course the dueling boy/girl vox and the occasional harmonies which result only seal the deal.
Fans of both Woods and Vivian Girls will of course dig, but so will anyone into Thee Oh Sees, The Dum Dum Girls, Royal Baths, the Mantles, Brilliant Colors, Male Bonding, Parting Gifts, Home Blitz, the Vaselines, Vermillion Sands, Grass Widow and the rest of the current crop of garage-y jangle poppers...
MPEG Stream: "Run Me Over"
MPEG Stream: "Sunset"
MPEG Stream: "All Things Cme To Pass"

BABIES, THE s/t (Shrimper) lp 14.98
NOW ON VINYL!
This one shouldn't need much of a description. The debut full length from this new group featuring Kevin Morby from psychedelic stoner folk garage poppers Woods, and Cassie Ramone from girl garage group the Vivian Girls, and it sounds just like you'd expect/imagine/hope. A perfect mix of the two. Fuzzy, jangly, ramshackle boy/girl lo-fi garage rock / indie pop, big crunchy guitars, simple pounding drumming, droned out repetitive melodies, and some seriously killer hooks. A little bit Velvets, a little Ramones/Misfits (in that sort of hooky poppy punkness), some stonery psychedelia, lots of bouncy and poppy pep, plenty of echo and reverb, the songs slipping from wild and punky and loose and loud, to more dark and layered and less raucous, to hazy and sun dappled and folky. And of course the dueling boy/girl vox and the occasional harmonies which result only seal the deal.
Fans of both Woods and Vivian Girls will of course dig, but so will anyone into Thee Oh Sees, The Dum Dum Girls, Royal Baths, the Mantles, Brilliant Colors, Male Bonding, Parting Gifts, Home Blitz, the Vaselines, Vermillion Sands, Grass Widow and the rest of the current crop of garage-y jangle poppers...
MPEG Stream: "Run Me Over"
MPEG Stream: "Sunset"
MPEG Stream: "All Things Cme To Pass"

BABLICON In A Different City (Misra) cd 13.98
Somewhere between free jazz reeds, Savage Republic-ish percussion and Spaceheads-like electronics manipulation...this Chicago trio are a better bet than, say, the new Isotope 217. Of course that's not saying much. BUT, if you're interested in this simply because it boasts a member of Neutral Milk Hotel (not Jeff), be wary. Very wary.

BABLICON The Orange Tapered Moon (Misra) cd 13.98

BABY CARROT Play Every Day (Some Guy Down The Street) cd 9.98
High quality downer pop from local darlings Baby Carrot, who've been toiling away for several years now, and just may have made their best record yet. Play Every Day contains thoughtful indie-rocking on the order of Rex, Codeine, Karate, or Pavement. Inching towards epic and always dolefully melodic.
RealAudio clip: "Chinese Food + Donut"
RealAudio clip: "Forgot to Read"

BABY GRANDMOTHERS s/t (Subliminal Sounds) cd 17.98
THIS JAMMING FUZZ FAVE, AT LAST REPRESSED! This '60s Swedish psych trio is pretty obscure - they only ever officially released one record, a 7" single that came out in Finland only - but they haven't been forgotten 'cause the guys in this band eventually went on to play with such bigger, better-known acts as Mecki Mark Men and Kebnekajse. If you picked up that Psychedelic Phinland compilation we highlighted not long before we first got this in, you've heard "Being Is More Than Life" the B-side of their 7", it appears here too along with the A-side "Somebody Keeps Calling My Name" and several previously unreleased live recordings from the era (1967-'68), for a full hour of music in all.
The Baby Grandmothers really liked to jam, they had a thrice-weekly (Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays!) residency at the short-lived psychedelic Stockholm club FILIPS, where much of the live material found here was recorded - there's a reproduction of a flier in the cd booklet advertising them appearing at FILIPS with AQ faves Parson Sound (oh for a time machine!). So if you dig mostly-instrumental electric guitar oriented psych improv, dosed with plenty of feedback and fuzz, there's plenty here to turn you on, from stoned moody meanderings to freaked out solo spasms. It's all rather raw and energetically alive.
The lengthy liner notes in the photo-illustrated 15-page cd booklet tell the whole Baby Grandmothers story, from their origins in a R&B combo called the T-Boones to gigs opening for Jimi Hendrix to their transformation into the Mark II line-up of the prog-psych act Mecki Mark Men and beyond.
MPEG Stream: "Saint George's Dragon"
MPEG Stream: "Somebody Keeps Calling My Name"

BABY GRANDMOTHERS s/t (Subliminal Sounds) 2lp 34.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON VINYL.... and limited to 500 copies.
This '60s Swedish psych trio is pretty obscure -- they only ever officially released one record, a 7" single that came out in Finland only -- but they haven't been forgotten 'cause the guys in this band eventually went on to play with such bigger, better-known acts as Mecki Mark Men and Kebnekajse. If you picked up that Psychedelic Phinland compilation we highlighted a while back, you've heard "Being Is More Than Life" the B-side of their 7", it appears here too along with the A-side "Somebody Keeps Calling My Name" and several previously unreleased live recordings from the era (1967-'68), for a full hour of music in all.
The Baby Grandmothers really liked to jam, they had a thrice-weekly (Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays!) residency at the short-lived psychedelic Stockholm club FILIPS, where much of the live material found here was recorded -- there's a reproduction of a flier in the cd booklet advertising them appearing at FILIPS with AQ faves Parson Sound (oh for a time machine!). So if you dig mostly-instrumental electric guitar oriented psych improv, dosed with plenty of feedback and fuzz, there's plenty here to turn you on, from stoned moody meanderings to freaked out solo spasms. It's all rather raw and energetically alive. Gets played a lot in the store and we always are like, what's this? it's great.
MPEG Stream: "Saint George's Dragon"
MPEG Stream: "Somebody Keeps Calling My Name"

BACHDENKEL Lemmings (Ork) cd 17.98
Several cool things about this newly reissued album, originally released in 1973 (recorded in 1970). First, it's called Lemmings. Who doesn't have a soft spot for those doomed little critters? And then there's the cover art, a black and white drawing depicting a flood of rather spooky looking lemmings, under a starry night sky, with an owl hovering ominously above... But most importantly, the music! The music on Lemmings makes it a bit of a cult classic in the annals of British prog rock. Darkly melancholic, super melodic and gentle, yet quite powerful too, as the guitarist occasionally lets loose with some really tasty, acid psych soloing... the warm vocals are another strong suit, both feeding into emotional epics, songs of alienation (as Lemmings is subtitled) and Eastern-influenced hippie philosophy.
Bachdenkel began as a Birmingham UK psych pop outfit called The U NO Who. They then changed their name to the much more you-don't-know-who Bachdenkel, and finding little success in England, hove off to France where they could really indulge themselves in going fully prog, though they never lost their knack for the '60s psych pop side of things, reminding us sometimes of AQ faves Kaleidoscope, with the heavier edge of a T2 or NSU.
Maybe 'cause they were based in France, and did their own unique untrendy thing, focussing on songs more than flash, they remained fairly obscure, but this album (the first of two, the second of which, Stalingrad, we've yet to hear) is nonetheless worthy of consideration as a prog masterpiece, up there with the much better known likes of early King Crimson.
Reissued by Ork, a division of Cherry Red, this disc is has been remastered by original producer Karel Beer, and features 3 bonus tracks including an unreleased single from 1969. Also, the cd booklet is stuffed with liner notes and photos detailing the whole Bachdenkel story.
MPEG Stream: "Translation"
MPEG Stream: "An Appointment With The Master"
MPEG Stream: "The Settlement Song"

BACHELORETTE Do The Circuit (Drag City) 7" 5.98
Bachelorette is responsible for one of our favorite new albums, My Electric Family has been in constant rotation here for months now. It's proven to be on of those rare records that only gets better and sinks in deeper with repeated listens.
So two brand new tracks from this New Zealand songstress was bound to make us (and you) way happy, especially since they are such great songs and not just some random throwaway jams. The A-side "Do The Circuit" kind of sums up all that we love about Bachelorette, such great use of electronics, the swaying, sexy and hypnotic vocals and swirling melodies, all making for one of those perfect play over and over again 7" songs. The B-side "I Want To Be Your Girlfriend" is fueled by a rad primitive sounding drum machine, crunchy guitars and really awesome lyrics about Bachelorette wanting to be someone's, you guessed it, girlfriend. It has this awesome bubblegum new wave vibe that sounds a bit like Bjork covering Gary Numan!

BACHELORETTE End Of Things (Drag City) lp 13.98
One of our favorite albums of 2009 came from the New Zealand songstress, Bachelorette. Her record My Electric Family was on constant rotation winning us over so big with it's dreamy mix of smart songwriting and a creative mix of electronics and lush instrumentation. It wasn't until we reviewed that record that we learned there was actually more Bachelorette floating around out there. We had missed the boat on her earlier outings, 2005's The End Of Things and 2006's Isolation Loops never made it onto our radar, due in part to the fact that they didn't have much/any US distribution. Luckily Drag City has just reissued both those great records on vinyl so we have two new delicious and dreamy pop records to keep us warm with this winter.
Both albums flow with such a soft, seductive touch with that weightless energy and aura of light psychedelia that reminds us of early outings by Broadcast and Saint Etienne.
We love both of the albums so can't really recommend one over the other, they both are so great!

BACHELORETTE Isolation Loops (Drag City) lp 17.98
One of our favorite albums of 2009 came from the New Zealand songstress, Bachelorette. Her record My Electric Family was on constant rotation winning us over so big with it's dreamy mix of smart songwriting and a creative mix of electronics and lush instrumentation. It wasn't until we reviewed that record that we learned there was actually more Bachelorette floating around out there. We had missed the boat on her earlier outings, 2005's The End Of Things and 2006's Isolation Loops never made it onto our radar, due in part to the fact that they didn't have much/any US distribution. Luckily Drag City has just reissued both those great records on vinyl so we have two new delicious and dreamy pop records to keep us warm with this winter.
Both albums flow with such a soft, seductive touch with that weightless energy and aura of light psychedelia that reminds us of early outings by Broadcast and Saint Etienne.
We love both of the albums so can't really recommend one over the other, they both are so great!

BACHELORETTE My Electric Family (Drag City) cd 14.98
We somehow missed the boat on the first two Bachelorette albums but now that the band has landed on Drag City, all the folks who slept on Bachelorette will finally get a chance to experience the utterly charming musical magic of this multitalented New Zealand songstress.
Bachelorette employ a keen pop sensibility as well as a fresh use of electronics, all the while finding inspiration in distinctly left-field musics, creating songs that are so totally engaging and memorable. You can definitely here bits of Broadcast, Bjork, and Goldfrapp, but Bachelorette rises is so much more than her inspiration, easily soaring over the mostly underwhelming hordes aiming for the same sound. The strength of Bachelorette is how she absorbs all sorts of disparate sounds and ideas ('60s psych-pop, Delia Derbshyre-esque electronics, girl groups, and we can't help but think that her song "Mindwarp" might be a tip of a hat to Patrick Cowley's classic hi-nrgy classic of the same name) and deftly weaving them together into so many different musical landscapes, which makes the whole album totally coherent, songs that flow with an ease and assured seduction that has us under her spell. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "The National Grid"
MPEG Stream: "Mindwarp"
MPEG Stream: "Long Time Gone"

BACHELORETTE My Electric Family (Drag City) lp 15.98
Now available on vinyl!
We somehow missed the boat on the first two Bachelorette albums but now that the band has landed on Drag City, all the folks who slept on Bachelorette will finally get a chance to experience the utterly charming musical magic of this multitalented New Zealand songstress.
Bachelorette employ a keen pop sensibility as well as a fresh use of electronics, all the while finding inspiration in distinctly left-field musics, creating songs that are so totally engaging and memorable. You can definitely here bits of Broadcast, Bjork, and Goldfrapp, but Bachelorette rises is so much more than her inspiration, easily soaring over the mostly underwhelming hordes aiming for the same sound. The strength of Bachelorette is how she absorbs all sorts of disparate sounds and ideas ('60s psych-pop, Delia Derbshyre-esque electronics, girl groups, and we can't help but think that her song "Mindwarp" might be a tip of a hat to Patrick Cowley's classic hi-nrgy classic of the same name) and deftly weaving them together into so many different musical landscapes, which makes the whole album totally coherent, songs that flow with an ease and assured seduction that has us under her spell. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "The National Grid"
MPEG Stream: "Mindwarp"
MPEG Stream: "Long Time Gone"

BACHELORETTE s/t (Drag City) cd 14.98
Aw, we needed some new sounds to swoon over and thankfully New Zealand's Bachelorette has a brand new album that's had us swaying and daydreaming since the moment it arrived. We were huge fans of her last album, My Electric Family, and also we got to see her open for El Perro Del Mar a year or so back, and that only furthered our appreciation of her wonderful musical magic. Her voice melts so perfectly above the warm and woozy instrumentation, a sound with such flowing ease and floral elegance. Songs that sound like modern day hymns or fables, both so intimate and inviting. We hear hints of Bjork's Vespertine mixed with Broadcast and Mirah. It's a record that makes us want to wear all white and frolic in a lush garden filled with bright red strawberries, shining yellow lemons, and the greenest grass that hugs the earth as far as the eye can see. How's that for swooning? Bachelorette has crafted another immaculate and smart pop record that will have us swooning for a long time to come.
MPEG Stream: "Grow Old With Me"
MPEG Stream: "Digital Brain"
MPEG Stream: "The Light Seekers"

BACHELORETTE s/t (Drag City) lp 17.98
Aw, we needed some new sounds to swoon over and thankfully New Zealand's Bachelorette has a brand new album that's had us swaying and daydreaming since the moment it arrived. We were huge fans of her last album, My Electric Family, and also we got to see her open for El Perro Del Mar a year or so back, and that only furthered our appreciation of her wonderful musical magic. Her voice melts so perfectly above the warm and woozy instrumentation, a sound with such flowing ease and floral elegance. Songs that sound like modern day hymns or fables, both so intimate and inviting. We hear hints of Bjork's Vespertine mixed with Broadcast and Mirah. It's a record that makes us want to wear all white and frolic in a lush garden filled with bright red strawberries, shining yellow lemons, and the greenest grass that hugs the earth as far as the eye can see. How's that for swooning? Bachelorette has crafted another immaculate and smart pop record that will have us swooning for a long time to come.
MPEG Stream: "Grow Old With Me"
MPEG Stream: "Digital Brain"
MPEG Stream: "The Light Seekers"

BACHI DA PIETRA Non Io (Die Schachtel) cd 17.98
Dunno why, but we're suckers for sinister mumbling in Italian, accompanied by glitchy droning music... which brings us to this, another cd in Die Schachtel's "Zeit" series, which means original, interestin' Italian experimentalism in a nice embossed digipack, a la previous releases like A and Christa Pfangen. This time, it's a disc from a duo known as Bachi Da Pietra ("The Worms Of Stone" or something like that), who delve deep into what could be considered a form of avant-blues... no please don't run away, we really like this! The slow and sad "blues" here are so blown apart that it's more about a mood than anything that ol' Robert Johnson would recognize, though dealings with the Devil seem possible in both cases.
Bachi Da Pietra's music is damaged, dark, droning, doleful, doomed... almost like a depressed Italian Jandek playing in the style of Earth's Hex album...? Or Radian gone "wooden guitar"? Other comparisons could be made to Sinistri, and Larsen.
An ominous moodiness pervades, stark tension increasing, as insistent beats and acoustic guitar strum are deconstructed to accompany the whispery, lonely-sounding vocals (sung in Italian, with English translations provided in the cd booklet). The percussion and guitar playing both sometimes sound like splintering sticks, and you can practically hear the smoke curling up from the singer's inevitable cigarette.
MPEG Stream: "Casa Di Legno"
MPEG Stream: "Altri Guasti"
MPEG Stream: "Fisica Elementare"

BACHMANN, ERIC To The Races (Foreign Leisure) cd 13.98
Now, finally in stock on cd!
First things first, the sticker on the front of this cd says "debut solo record from Crooked Fingers' Eric Bachmann". Uhhh, we thought Crooked Fingers *was* Eric Bachmann's solo persona. What's up with that?! Now we've gotta say that everyone's got their own hang-ups, and for us with regards to Mr. Bachmann, they've been two-fold. We can't shake the stunning vocal resemblance between Bachmann and Neil Diamond (when we hear Bachmann we hear Diamond... not a bad thing, mind you!), and we can't help but yearn for his Archers Of Loaf days. Yeah we know, gotta let it go. This fine album does much to dismantle one if not both of those distractions though (pssst... with regards to the latter, we were pleased to report last list that Archers Of Loaf's Icky Mettle album just got reissued! yay!). Whether his music goes under the moniker Crooked Fingers or Eric Bachmann, it consistently steeps your ears with an overriding sense of weathered weariness and resignation. And yet on To The Races, his voice has acquired a surprising lightness (almost boyishness) to it not present on his previous recordings. His songs no longer seem slumped on a bar stool, but have taken to the outdoors with a broader scope and scale. There are actual glimmers of hope in these songs. That certainly seems to be the central distinction between Bachmann as Crooked Fingers and Bachmann as the official solo Eric Bachmann.
MPEG Stream: "Man O War "
MPEG Stream: "So Long Savannah"

BACHMANN, ERIC To The Races (Foreign Leisure) lp 12.98
First things first, the sticker on the front of this LP says "debut solo record from Crooked Fingers' Eric Bachmann". Uhhh, we thought Crooked Fingers *was* Eric Bachmann's solo persona. What's up with that?! Now we've gotta say that everyone's got their own hang-ups, and for us with regards to Mr. Bachmann, they've been two-fold. We can't shake the stunning vocal resemblance between Bachmann and Neil Diamond (when we hear Bachmann we hear Diamond... not a bad thing, mind you!), and we can't help but yearn for his Archers Of Loaf days. Yeah we know, gotta let it go. This fine album does much to dismantle one if not both of those distractions though (pssst... with regards to the latter, we're pleased to report that Archers Of Loaf's Icky Mettle album just got reissued! yay!). Whether his music goes under the moniker Crooked Fingers or Eric Bachmann, it consistently steeps your ears with an overriding sense of weathered weariness and resignation. And yet on To The Races, his voice has acquired a surprising lightness (almost boyishness) to it not present on his previous recordings. His songs no longer seem slumped on a bar stool, but have taken to the outdoors with a broader scope and scale. There are actual glimmers of hope in these songs. That certainly seems to be the central distinction between Bachmann as Crooked Fingers and Bachmann as the official solo Eric Bachmann. Note: the cd isn't here yet, just the vinyl version, but of course there will be a cd. Soon.
MPEG Stream: "Man O War "
MPEG Stream: "So Long Savannah"

BACHWIND Psychedelic Warlords Resin Their Bows (Spinefarm) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, MAINLY BECAUSE IT WAS AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE! HEE HEE! SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Space rock gone classical? Yes! It's a drugs and flutes thing you wouldn't understand. We got turned on to these guys by our friends in Circle. This band from Finland started as a standard-issue jamming stoner space rock outfit, doing the heavily effected, free form freakout thing. Not quite so damaged as countrymen Doktor Kettu or Avarus, but close. But, perhaps tiring of the more untrained approach, one long dark Arctic winter they spent woodshedding, studying up on their classical chops. And they also drafted in some drop-outs from the local conservatory of music to help out. Now they make their debut as Bachwind, doing, among other things, a monster magnetized adaptation (a very loose adaptation) of Johann Sebastian Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier 1: Prelude & Fugue No. 2 (BWV 847) of 1738, with an instrumental lineup that includes both fuzz bass and viola, analog synth and harpsichord. It's Avarus meets Apocalyptica, basically. Recommended, of course.
MPEG Stream: "Well-Tempered Clavier 1: Prelude & Fugue No. 2"

BACK OFF CUPIDS s/t (Drunken Fish) cd 13.98
Back Off Cupids is the side-project of John Reis (Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From The Crypt) having made these recordings from 1994 - 1996 off and on between RFTC tours / recordings. A wide variation of mostly instrumental pseudo-math-rock / post-punk stuff not far from Pavement or Polvo's earlier / more expressive songsmithery... thus much closer to Jehu than Rocket.

BACKDOOR MEN, THE Sodra Esplanaden #4 (Subliminal Sounds) cd 16.98
With all the retro-sixties rock coming out of Sweden (Dungen, The Hives, The Works), one could mistakenly think that Sweden was somehow a land that time forgot where the sixties never fell out of fashion. In fact the opposite was quite true for pioneering garage rockers The Backdoor Men and their contemporaries The Stomachmouths (big faves of ours, see AQ New Arrivals list #166). In 1980 when the group first formed, as The Pow, mod was hardly something understood by their fellow Swedes -- who preferred reggae, new wave or heavy metal -- and the sharply dressed outcasts were constantly derided or attacked. Their home town of Almhult has the claim to fame of being the site of the first Ikea store, if that's any indication of the culture the group was up against. In 1984 with the tiny mod scene splintering and otherwise deteriorating, the group changed their name to The Backdoor Men and cultivated a turbo-charged sound that fused the sounds of English punk with sixties garage. Along with a clear influence from the Rolling Stones, the band owed much to the music of the Sonics, the Chocolate Watch Band and the Music Machine (covers of the three bands are included with this anthology). In contrast to contemporaries the Stomachmouths, the music of the Backdoor Men is a great deal more jangly, with slower tempos and more noticeable shades of soul and R&B latent from their mod days. This reissue comes with a nicely printed 18 page booklet with a detailed bio on the band and archival photos.
MPEG Stream: "Out of My Mind"
MPEG Stream: "Inside Out, Upside Down"
MPEG Stream: "Magic Girl"

BACKSTABBERS INCORPORATED Kamikaze Missions (Trash Art!) cd 12.98
There aren't a whole lot of badass bands from New Hampshire. Hell, there aren't a whole lot of any kind of bands from New Hampshire. But if Backstabbers Incorporated are any indication of the kind of unrestrained metallic fury that lurks just below the surface of their seemingly placid New England home state, then we'll give New Hampshire a much wider berth in our future travels.
Furious downtuned metallic punk rock crossover, with grinding riffs, thrashing drums, throbbing low end, howled vocals, but all packed into incredibly chaotic and head spinning arrangements, with plenty of plodding doomy breakdowns, and full on near-noise blow outs. Super intense and emotional. Way too metal for most punk rockers, this is fucking brutal and heavy and utterly pummeling. Think old Neurosis, Converge, Drop Dead, SSD and the like. Awesome.
MPEG Stream: "We Attack At Dusk"
MPEG Stream: "Voorhees, Krueger, Myers And Bush"
MPEG Stream: "Like Virgin Vinyl... In Bed"

BAD ACID Tab 6 dvd+ cd-r+ magazine 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Okay drug rock freeks, space rock explorers, doomlords, sludge demons, prog obsessives, metal maniacs, stoner dudes, noise nerds, and basically most of the other folks who read this here aQ list, Bad Acid is the magazine for you. And calling Bad Acid a magazine is a bit of a misnomer. It's more of a multimedia spacemetaldoomprogsludgenoise experience. You think we're exaggerating? A seventy minute dvd, an ELEVEN HOUR mp3 audio disc, a nearly two hour long label sampler, AND a 60 page booklet/magazine packed with liner notes, articles and interviews.
Packed with SO many aQ favorites, but just as many new bands we'd never heard, a bunch who could very well turn into new favorites. We've barely scratched the surface, since if we spent 14 hours on each review, the list would be, oh, about 5 items long. But from what we've heard / seen / watched so far, this latest issue of Bad Acid is pretty essential.
The dvd first, a series of music videos, film excerpts and slide shows, we were mostly excited about the scenes from an Antonius Rex movie, Antonius Rex being the dude from JACULA!! Tripped out and satanic and appropriately what-the-fuck. Some killer live footage of doom mongers Ogre, a killer art gallery slide show from the Malleus artist collective, featuring an awesome soundtrack from Morkobot, a Northwinds video, and then some more obscure stuff, Manatees tour video, Wicked Minds video, King Suffy Generator video, Lento live footage and tons more. All woven together by some super creepy animated menus.
Then there's the cd-r, featuring 11 hours of mp3's from Moss, Danava, White Hills, Barbara, Hey Colossus, Orange Sunshine, Capricorns, Khlyst, Acid King, Heresi, Raw Radar War, Fire Witch, Taint, Orange Goblin, Shinjuku Thief, Litmus and those are just the bands we know and already dig. 57 bands total, 102 tracks, tons of new bands to check out and discover. Also included is a label sampler focusing on the Bone Structure cd-r label, whose releases run the gamut from raw black metal, to buzzing industrial noise, to black ambient to grinding industrial weirdness. We actually have some BS stuff on the way, to be reviewed on the list soon, but this is a killer way to check out tons of stuff on the label.
And then there's the actual magazine component, with notes on each of the bands on the cd-r, a feature on each of the bands on the dvd, tons of info about Bone Structure and the bands on the label, as well as interviews with Fire Witch, Taint, Orange Goblin, and probably most exciting of all Alan Dubin, formerly of Khanate, talking about his new band Gnaw, which features folks from Burning Witch, Thorr's Hammer, Atavist, Enos Slaughter and Ike Yard(!). Man, we can't wait to hear that.
All of the above packaged in a standard dvd style case, with killer cover art from the Malleus Rock Art Lab. A bit pricey due to the weak dollar and the expensive overseas shipping, but pretty well worth it.

BAD ACID Tab 8 magazine+dvd-r 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yet another incredible collection of far out sights and sounds from the folks at Bad Acid. Everything from sludge to doom to psych to stoner rock to noise to weird jazz to fractured electronics to post rock and pretty much every stop in between. Rumor is that Bad Acid might be shifting to a monthly release schedule, which is certainly fine with us, but considering how much stuff is jammed into each Tab, we have no idea how these guys will be able to pull it off. But here's hoping, cuz not only is every issue loaded with tons of mp3s and videos and live performances from bands we already love, but also included are tons of bands we'd never even heard of before, many of which end up being be big time favorites.
This time around, the audio compilation includes tracks from Gnod, Harvey Milk, Oxbow, Trollmann Av Ildtoppberg, Moss, 5ive, Berkowitz Lake & Dahmer, Blue Sabbath Black Cheer, Zu, Btong, Skull Defekts, Burmese, Cadaver Eyes, Pendo, L'Otracina, Enablers, Outrageous Cherry, Millions, Kenji Siratori, A Fashionable Disease, and that's just the bands we know, there are FORTY FIVE other bands!!! The dvd features Bay Area stoner stalwarts Acid King, as well as a whole mess of mostly new to us bands, offering up promo videos, live sets as well as animation and other visual weirdness. There's also a label sampler included on the disc, and then there's still the printed magazine! A thick dvd sized booklet, overflowing with interviews and articles and features and reviews, with most of the bands featured on the dvd as well all the notes for the artists included on the dvd (both the audio and video portion). Easily one of the most amazing resources for tripped out weird underground and independent music, and for discovering new bands, or even for actually finally hearing bands you'd always wondered about, it's a big ol' earful, and an eyeful, so best to set aside some serious listening / reading time, and just dive in. After all, since they might be bumping up their schedule, you might only have the next 30 days to make it through all this Bad Acid before you have Tab 9 to contend with...

BAD ACID Tab 9 magazine+dvd-r 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
All right doom / grind / stoner / sludge / heavy music obsessives, it's time for your now monthly (!) fix of extreme heaviness, in the form of the latest Tab of the Bad Acid audio/video zine, which is supposedly gonna be a monthly occurrence, which is definitely good for our ears, but makes keeping up a bit tough. But if you're into heavy sounds, then you're pretty much for sure gonna want one of these.
First there's a DVD, this time featuring a couple aQ faves, Mono, Le Ira De Dios and Blood Fountains, a few bands we'd heard of: The Atlas Moth, Seven That Spells, as well as a whole bunch of new-to-us artists: Das Bluul, El Thule, !Xazzaz! and more. And that's sort of what makes Bad Acid so awesome, a few favorites, but even more new discoveries.
Which is where the insane and epic audio compilation comes in. Check out this list: Circle, Cough, Skitliv, White Hills, Pelican, Weird Owl, Vincent Black Shadow, Poochlatz, Tusk, Grey Daturas, The Atlas Moth, Ufomammut, Sunroof!, Kemialliset Ystavat, Lords Of Bukkake, Atlas Sound, Eternal Elysium, and that's just the bands we've heard of. There are about 50 or 60 more!
Then there's a sample for the Murkhouse label, as well as an art gallery, and that's just the DVD.
There's also a huge printed magazine, with reviews of ALL the bands featured, plus interviews with Ancestors, White Hills and more. Not to mention the bad ass cover art. Housed in a dvd case, killer stuff, better grab one of these quick so you have time to digest all these heavy sights and sounds before it's time for Tab 10!!!!

BAD ACID Tab VII dvd-r+cd-r + mini-magazine 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally, Tab 7 of BAD ACID, the "warped outsider music bible", is here, covering pretty much everything we love, from postrock to shoegaze to doom to sludge to grind to ambient to electronic to punk to garage. A massive dose of sensory overload, sounds, images, text, music, videos, interviews, articles, from a ton of bands we know and love, as well as a ton more of which we've never heard.
The previous issue of Bad Acid was a huge hit around here, we could barely keep it in stock, even though it was crazy expensive because of the WEAK dollar and the overseas shipping. But the dollar is not so weak anymore, so this issue is WAY cheaper, but thankfully no less kick ass.
First up, there's a DVD-r, featuring interviews with the Melvins and Celtic Frost, videos from Phantomsmasher, Jacula (!!!!!!) among others, as well as live footage of Morkobot, Ramesses and Isis! Then there's a SEVENTEEN HOUR, ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN band mp3 audio cd-r, featuring tracks from Witchcraft, Otesanek, Coffins, Tenhornedbeast, Numinous Eye, Seven That Spells, Rahdunes, Stumm, Primordial Undermind, Saviours, Aldebaran, Lietterschpich, Journey To Ixtlan, Jamnation, Grave In The Sky, Ovo, Von Thronstahl, Tractor, Zodiacs, Wicked Minds, Gentlemans Pistols, South Saturn Delta, Eptileptinomicon (one of our favorite band names ever) and loads of others.
Finally there's 90 pages of full screen PDF sleeve notes, full color and super psychedelic, featuring lengthy interviews with Sons Of Otis, Ovo, Randy Holden / Blue Cheer, Rahdunes, Fuckbuttons, Helios Creed from Chrome, and Lazarus Blackstar among others! Good grief.
And just to get an idea of how sprawling and expansive and nearly overwhelming Bad Acid is, here's an abbreviated list of the hundred plus bands, new to us, some of which are bound to become new favorites: Resting Rooster, Total System Failure, High Watt Electrocutions, Spitting Off Tall Buildings, Tigrova Mast, The Black Pine, Ventura, Bang Lassi, Tetrix, Phononics, Baby Woodrose, St. Erik, Army Of Flying Robots, Vomm, A Horse Called War, Dyse, Invasion, The Deep Blue, Couldron, El Thule, Sailor Winters, Malachia, Sermoniser, Propane, Nosmaus, Dead.Circuit, Tetriori, Astra, Aftercare, Zone Six, Holy Calibre, Church Of Hed, Rise To Thunder, Cellardoor, Bikini Eyebolt, Motley Motion, Vibravoid, Space Shuttle Pilots, Oresund Space Collective, Forever Changing Concept, Stunt Cock, and again, more more more.
Packaged in a psychedelic dvd sized, 8 panel booklet, with some cool tripped out illustrations, and liner notes.
Total essential reading / viewing / listening for all heavy droney spaced out post kraut free noise jazz avant electronic outsider sound obsessives!

BAD ACID The Burnout Issue (Tabs 10,11,12) 3 x dvd-r + mini-magazine 27.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sad sad news, UK underground heavy/spacey/metallic/psychedelic magazine/compilation Bad Acid is no more. Longtime readers of the aQ list have no doubt enjoyed an issue or two (or three or four) of this sprawling publication, a combination printed zine, and computerized PDF zine, complete with an audio component that usually clocks in at at least 12 hours, sometimes twice that. It's been 10 years, and Bad Acid editor Dave Gedge has a family, and kids, has been losing money (magazines, even ones as amazing as Bad Acid are most definitely a labor of love) and furthermore is a Buddhist, so in addition to simplifying his life, Gedge has simply been burnt out, which is why this final salvo is called The Burnout Issue. And this final issue is the only bit of silver lining, but WHAT a silver lining it is. This final issue is in fact, THREE issues, #10, #11 and #12, and while the printed part might be the most minimal yet, it's more than made up for by the contents of the 3 dvd-r's. This time, the magazine itself is more of an index, as it takes EIGHT pages, in tiny text, to list all the bands and songs and videos and interviews and articles.
As usual, it's split into sections, the first is the PDF magazine, accompanied by music from each band as well as a review of the band's most recent record. Some of the bands in the magazine this time around: Carlton Melton, Aluk Todolo, Bong, Plastic Crimewave Sound, Sylvester Anfang, Residual Echoes, White Hills, Der Blutharsch, GNOD, Jazzfinger, Grey Daturas, Hooded Menace, Necro Deathmort, The Gates Of Slumber, Flood, The Wounded Kings, Full Blown Expansion, Hey Colossus, Ancestral, Isis, Pelican, Scott Kelly of Neurosis, Sutcliffe Jugend, The Accused, Inade, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Atomic Bitchwax, Snail, The Twilight Sad, Ramesses, Ufomammut, Witchsorrow, Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound, Slomatics, Root, Nordvargr, Antonius Rex, Russian Circles, Centurions Ghost, Nebula, Freedom Hawk, Steve Von Till of Neurosis, Leeches Of Lore, Dianogah, Sardonis, Torche, Turzi, Ancestors, L'Acephale, and loads more, including TONS of bands we had never heard of.
The second section is the interviews, and features Meads Of Asphodel, Nadja, Expo 70, Centurions Ghost, Vincent Black Shadow, Gnaw, Unearthly Trance, At War With False Noise, Old Corpse Road, Alice Donut, and more! The next section features label profiles of Denovali, Rocket and Future Noise, featuring loads of recordings from lots of bands on each label.
Then there's a section of bonus audio, with still more tracks, including jams from Sundial, B*Tong, Disappears, Fire Witch, Realmbuilder, Jex Thoth, White Buzz, Rich Hoak, Loscil, Jonas Reinhardt, Fauna, Big City Orchestra, and once again, a whole mess of bands we've never heard.
There's also a bunch of videos, by Total Fucking Destruction, White Hills, Psychofagist and a bunch more, some short films as well, and finally, a section of bonus MP4's, featuring promo videos from Expo 70 and others, and more short films and live footage.
Phew! It's epic and sprawling, and is equal parts rad bands you know and new discoveries. Way recommended for anyone who likes music AT ALL. But definitely Bad Acid leans toward the heavy and the psychedelic and the left of center. So yeah, obviously WAY recommend, and while Bad Acid will continue on in a different, bloggier, form, it just won't be the same, so you best buy this final issue of Bad Acid and add it to that shelf of magazines you keep and treasure and reread...

BAD BRAINS Black Dots (Caroline) cd 15.98
In case you missed it on our mystery themed in-between list last week, something we reviewed just for that, for the first time...
It's pretty much acknowledged that Bad Brains are one of the most influential American bands of the 20th century, having blown the minds of every young hardcore band in the D.C. and New York scenes and beyond. Their sound went way further than just "punk" or "rock", blending jazz, fusion, and reggae into something that defies simple classification. While most people might be familiar with the group from their godly self-titled debut and after, Black Dots collects early material recorded at the then fledgling Inner Ear Studios from a session in 1979. The studio at that point was in owner/engineer Don Zientara's basement, with band members situated inside while H.R. did his thing in the backyard. It's easy to imagine how cramped things were, but between song banter reveals a band in good spirits as they tear the living fuck out of their early material. Bad Brains in '79 weren't as fast, distorted, and manic as they would become, but the chemistry is still totally unbelievable, sounding both loose and ridiculously tight at the same time. And even with modest recording gear the band sounds HUGE. This looser style works particularly well for their reggae numbers, always a point of contention with many fans. These recordings almost sound like some hyper charged group from the 60s taking things into new worlds. Not many bands could sound this bad ass while also sounding like they are having the most fun ever - but I guess if you wrote songs like "Pay To Cum", "Regulator", "Banned In D.C.", "Attitude" and everything else here, you'd also be having the best time ever. Loads of personality with this band (check out H.R.'s hilarious kiss off of "Bye, Celeste" at the end of "Red Bone In The City", their reworking of "God Save The Queen"), it's completely easy to see why they were such a force to be reckoned with. They were just different. Better. And again, completely bad ass. There's almost no point in going on with this review, sure you'll have some people who prefer what Bad Brians became, but others will tell you that music kind of doesn't get any better than this, stripped to its bare form. Whatever the case, it all leads to the same recommendation: ESSENTIAL.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Need It"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Bother Me"
MPEG Stream: "How Low Can A Punk Get?"

BAD BRAINS Black Dots (Caroline) lp 12.98
In case you missed it on our mystery themed in-between list last week, something we reviewed just for that, for the first time...
It's pretty much acknowledged that Bad Brains are one of the most influential American bands of the 20th century, having blown the minds of every young hardcore band in the D.C. and New York scenes and beyond. Their sound went way further than just "punk" or "rock", blending jazz, fusion, and reggae into something that defies simple classification. While most people might be familiar with the group from their godly self-titled debut and after, Black Dots collects early material recorded at the then fledgling Inner Ear Studios from a session in 1979. The studio at that point was in owner/engineer Don Zientara's basement, with band members situated inside while H.R. did his thing in the backyard. It's easy to imagine how cramped things were, but between song banter reveals a band in good spirits as they tear the living fuck out of their early material. Bad Brains in '79 weren't as fast, distorted, and manic as they would become, but the chemistry is still totally unbelievable, sounding both loose and ridiculously tight at the same time. And even with modest recording gear the band sounds HUGE. This looser style works particularly well for their reggae numbers, always a point of contention with many fans. These recordings almost sound like some hyper charged group from the 60s taking things into new worlds. Not many bands could sound this bad ass while also sounding like they are having the most fun ever - but I guess if you wrote songs like "Pay To Cum", "Regulator", "Banned In D.C.", "Attitude" and everything else here, you'd also be having the best time ever. Loads of personality with this band (check out H.R.'s hilarious kiss off of "Bye, Celeste" at the end of "Red Bone In The City", their reworking of "God Save The Queen"), it's completely easy to see why they were such a force to be reckoned with. They were just different. Better. And again, completely bad ass. There's almost no point in going on with this review, sure you'll have some people who prefer what Bad Brians became, but others will tell you that music kind of doesn't get any better than this, stripped to its bare form. Whatever the case, it all leads to the same recommendation: ESSENTIAL.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Need It"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Bother Me"
MPEG Stream: "How Low Can A Punk Get?"

BAD BRAINS Build A Nation (Oscilloscope) cd 14.98
We really didn't have very expectations for this one as most big time punk reunion records have been pretty dismal and depressing. But we're happy to report that this is not bad at all, in fact it's pretty damn good! With the original lineup together and Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys on production duties, Build A Nation was recorded like the good old days, right to tape. Of course nothing Bad Brains could do will ever replicate the fire and intensity of their legendary ROIR debut, but this is for sure better then any of their releases in the '90s. Going back to their roots the record finds a nice balance of punk rock songs and HR's love of roots reggae and offers up a much less metallic slant then their last several discs. You can tell that Adam Yauch put a lot of love and care into recording his heroes and he really was able to get a sound from the band that represents so much of the best parts of who they are. Any self-respecting punk/punk-lover knows that Bad Brains are one of the most important bands in the history of American Hardcore so it's very nice to hear a new record from them that kicks serious ass...
MPEG Stream: "Build A Nation"
MPEG Stream: "Jah Love"

BAD BRAINS I Against I (SST) cd 16.98

BAD BRAINS Live At CBGB 1982 (MVD Visuals) dvd 16.98
Bad Brains were (are?) arguably the greatest hardcore band of all time, and this collection of killer footage from three consecutive nights of shows way back in 1982 definitively demonstrate what a powerhouse they were. 1982 was indeed a good year for H.R. and the boys for sure, and by the looks of the crowd bounding all over the stage -at times it's hard pick out the actual band members -- they can do no wrong.
The dreads may still short at this stage, and yes, there are a few Rasta soliloquies here and there, but for the most part, the mosh level stays high. Frontman H.R. is always in command, staking out his little portion of the stage, and while axeman Dr. Know is still developing his craft, even back then, he was already blowing minds. And it sure is pretty weird to see the bald white kids skanking around to the stony-Jah riddums... But that's part of what made Bad Brains so bad ass. It's a very racially diverse crowd and everyone seems to be there to mosh or skank and not to fight or fuck shit up. Which is pretty cool.
The footage itself has a wonderful quality to it, especially for the era, the audio is good and it seems as though the video was compiled using the best songs from each of the three nights at CBGB. You can't go wrong with this, and we'd be hard pressed not to recommend this as CRUCIAL to your '80s hardcore video archive.

BAD BRAINS Quickness (SST) cd 12.98

BAD BRAINS Rock For Light (SST) cd 12.98

BAD BRAINS s/t (ROIR) lp 15.98

BAD DUDES Eat Drugs (Kill Shaman) lp 14.98

BAD DUDES s/t (Brain Burger) cd 14.98
Oh man, these Bad Dudes will for sure push all your smart alecky, manic prog, fuzzy synth, indie pop, angular art metal buttons and then some. Imagine the Champs, Upsilon Acrux, XRBXR, Zebulon Pike, Pinback, and Behold The Arctopus, in a dark alley, ready to rumble, armed only with synths, drum machines, gameboys, dayglo metal guitars, lots of zippers and wristbands, and of course vocoders. The resulting bloodshed sounds a bit like Rob Crow fronting Mr. Bungle, while they hold a new wave dance competition in the room next door. Wild and weird and fun and funny and a little bit confusing but in a good way!
MPEG Stream: "Megasquid"
MPEG Stream: "Xombie"
MPEG Stream: "Rum Siero"

BAD GRID The War On Huh? (Public) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The War On Huh? is the first full length from Bad Grid (aka Mark Nemeth and Paul Brown) and it's comprised of a baker's dozen lo-fi, electronic pop/rock songs laden with socio-political commentary on "Generals And CEOs", "Barbara Bush" and "Radical Republicans" with plenty of newsreel soundbites (unfortunately they've included a bunch of already way too over-played Bush clips). The vocals are delivered in a low, somewhat sullen speak-sing style reminiscent of Daniel Ash. As a result their statements in songs such as "Solution Song" and "Enjoy Your Life" occasionally come across as somewhat passive or defeatist rather than rallying. May seem a bit contradictory, but they get their message across -- raising awareness while keepin' things downbeat.
MPEG Stream: "Evidence Song"
MPEG Stream: "Enjoy Your Life"