PIERCE, GARRETT All Masks (Crossbill) cd 11.98
Wow! Bay Area troubadour Mr. Garrett Pierce has continued to nurture and refine his songcraft in a big big way. All Masks blossoms and flourishes onwards from his previous two releases (a now out of print self-titled cdr from 2004 and the full length beauty Like A Moth which was released on Crossbill Records in 2006). Some of the songs on his latest album verge on the epic yet still maintain his intimate earthy heart. The core of his composed, yet at ease music is solidly rooted in the traditions of good ol' Americana, but this time he's incorporated some '60s pop styled gently rockin' sway (check out "Tonight"!) and gorgeous orchestral embellishments (as heard on the opening track "Your Feet In Wet Cement") to very tasteful good effect. He's fine lyricist too. From his pen flows richly evocative poetic phrases and fully realized story telling. Wonderful! Actually if you dug his fellow singer/songwriter friend Matt Bauer's last album The Island Moved In The Storm which also had a similar 'coming into one's own' feel this is very much for you (psst, Mr. Bauer makes a banjo and vocal guest appearance on one song)! Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Your Feet In Wet Cement"
MPEG Stream: "Tonight"

PIERCE, GARRETT s/t (self-released) cd-r 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On his self-titled first album SF singer/songwriter Garrett Pierce treads the well-worn path previously and currently trodden by such fine earthy pop gents as Mark Eitzel, Will Oldham, Mark Kozelek, and Jason Molina... and he more than holds his own among these vets. An impressive debut.
MPEG Stream: "River"
MPEG Stream: "Fresno"

PIERCED ARROWS Descending Shadows (Vice) cd 13.98
The sudden breakup of garage punk legends Dead Moon caught more than a few people off guard, but we safely assumed Fred and Toody Cole, rock n' roll lifers by definition, wouldn't sit still for too long. Now Fred and Toody are back at it with new drummer Kelly Halliburton, and fans of the Coles' vast musical history will surely rejoice. The sound is not too far removed from Dead Moon - in fact, we might go as far as to say that it isn't in any way removed - so if you dig scuzzy, no frills rock free of all bullshit, this will be right up your alley. Descending Shadows cuts right to the point with production that is upfront and immediate, not at all over the top, working perfectly for these impassioned tunes. Vocals are split pretty evenly between the Coles and there is plenty of great husband and wife punk harmonizing. The songs are full of classic Pacific Northwest fuzz and grit, with Toody's simple driving basslines and Halliburton's steady pound working right alongside Fred's melodic riffing. For fans of Dead Moon, this one is a no brainer, while Descending Shadows is also a highly worthy place to start for the uninitiated. Really awesome stuff, not surprisingly.
MPEG Stream: "This Is The Day"
MPEG Stream: "Paranoia"
MPEG Stream: "On The Move"

PIERCED ARROWS Descending Shadows (Vice) lp 15.98
Now available on vinyl!
The sudden breakup of garage punk legends Dead Moon caught more than a few people off guard, but we safely assumed Fred and Toody Cole, rock n' roll lifers by definition, wouldn't sit still for too long. Now Fred and Toody are back at it with new drummer Kelly Halliburton, and fans of the Coles' vast musical history will surely rejoice. The sound is not too far removed from Dead Moon - in fact, we might go as far as to say that it isn't in any way removed - so if you dig scuzzy, no frills rock free of all bullshit, this will be right up your alley. Descending Shadows cuts right to the point with production that is upfront and immediate, not at all over the top, working perfectly for these impassioned tunes. Vocals are split pretty evenly between the Coles and there is plenty of great husband and wife punk harmonizing. The songs are full of classic Pacific Northwest fuzz and grit, with Toody's simple driving basslines and Halliburton's steady pound working right alongside Fred's melodic riffing. For fans of Dead Moon, this one is a no brainer, while Descending Shadows is also a highly worthy place to start for the uninitiated. Really awesome stuff, not surprisingly.
MPEG Stream: "This Is The Day"
MPEG Stream: "Paranoia"
MPEG Stream: "On The Move"

PIERRE HENRY Messe Pour Les Temps Present (Mercury France) cd 25.00
Recently remixed by the likes of Coldcut, Fatboy Slim, William Orbit and a bunch of French people, this is the ORIGINAL ballet soundtrack that Pierre Henry scored in the late 60s, a truly bizarre mixture of psych rock and musique concrete. Rare import, hence the price.

PIERRE, L. Touchpool (Melodic) cd 14.98
L.Pierre... haven't we seen your face before? Hmmm, you kinda look like that Scottish lad Aidan Moffat, but you're French, right? Besides, your new instrumental album sounds nothing like his band Arab Strap. So you couldn't be one and the same, could you? Ah, but you are!
Each track on Touchpool is composed primarily from processed loops and programmed rhythms (although his fellow Arab Strapper Malcolm Middleton does step in to contribute some guitar on the fourth track "Baby Breeze"), and each evokes a different hazy atmosphere which could easily be put to good use on a film soundtrack. One odd moment on the album though is the sixth song "Velbon" on which Moffat, err, Pierre (formerly Lucky Pierre by the way) seems to be solemnly prodding at the melody to "Ave Maria" but never fully launches into it (and just as strangely brings it to a rather abrupt end). Likewise, there's not a great deal of development in the course of each of the other tracks neither. They tend to gradually come into view, linger in one place for a spell, and then fades away. Some folks may find this to be haunting and hypnotic, while others might find themselves seeking more stimuli after a few minutes.
MPEG Stream: "Jim Dodge Dines At The Penguin Cafe"
MPEG Stream: "Velbon"

PIERRE, L. Touchpool (Melodic) lp 14.98
L.Pierre... haven't we seen your face before? Hmmm, you kinda look like that Scottish lad Aidan Moffat, but you're French, right? Besides, your new instrumental album sounds nothing like his band Arab Strap. So you couldn't be one and the same, could you? Ah, but you are!
Each track on Touchpool is composed primarily from processed loops and programmed rhythms (although his fellow Arab Strapper Malcolm Middleton does step in to contribute some guitar on the fourth track "Baby Breeze"), and each evokes a different hazy atmosphere which could easily be put to good use on a film soundtrack. One odd moment on the album though is the sixth song "Velbon" on which Moffat, err, Pierre (formerly Lucky Pierre by the way) seems to be solemnly prodding at the melody to "Ave Maria" but never fully launches into it (and just as strangely brings it to a rather abrupt end). Likewise, there's not a great deal of development in the course of each of the other tracks neither. They tend to gradually come into view, linger in one place for a spell, and then fades away. Some folks may find this to be haunting and hypnotic, while others might find themselves seeking more stimuli after a few minutes.
MPEG Stream: "Jim Dodge Dines At The Penguin Cafe"
MPEG Stream: "Velbon"

PIG DESTROYER Phantom Limb (Relapse) cd 14.98
Who would have thought a band with name like Pig Destroyer, and heck, a band that -sounded- like Pig Destroyer, would be super popular, but just check out the sticker on the front of the new Pig Destroyer record Phantom Limb: "For fans of Slayer, Mastodon, Lamb Of God, Melvins, Black Dahlia Murder, Cephallic Carnage." Huh? Cephallic Carnage makes sense but the rest? It seems like maybe they're just saying, "If you like heavy music, this is heavy too, so you'll probably like it." Which is certainly true, but Pig Destroyer are way heavier and weirder and more extreme than most of those bands, but then again who are we to complain if the Alternative Press youth of today are digging shit like Pig Destroyer along with their Slipknot, way better than A.F.I. of Aiden.
But as much as we dig PD, we're still surprised at how popular they've become. They're definitely great, but not -that- great. Maybe if you have a limited exposure to grind, we can see how they might blow your mind. But personally we tend toward Pig Destroyer's drum machine drive alter ego Agoraphobic Nosebleed, who take the metallic grind of PD, and speed it up, twist it all around, and chop it into short sharp blasts of furious impossibly technical fury.
But fuck it, we're nitpicking, sure we like AnB more, but this is some seriously heavy and brutal metalgrind insanity. These guys totally destroy, and totally shred, super convoluted arrangements, confusional mathiness and superhuman tempos, all wrapped in super downtuned chug and blown out distortion, howled vocals and buzzing bass, lots of the tracks slip into a more straight ahead thrashing punk which we're not so into, but the blasting parts are face meltingly intense and so awesome, and PD do kick out some damaged sea sick doomy jams here and there that are pretty kick ass. And hell there are plenty of super catchy killer riffs dotting Pig Destroyers hyperspeed grindscapes.
So yeah, maybe we love Agoraphobic Nosebleed a bit more than PD, and this is definitely not our favorite Pig Destroyer disc (that would probably be the Painter Of Dead Girls comp, or maybe their debut full length Explosions In Ward 6), but fuck it, this is still severed heads and hacked-off shoulders above most grind, and definitely heavy enough to please most metalheads and grindfreaks alikeÉ
MPEG Stream: "Rotten Yellow"
MPEG Stream: "Jupiter's Eye"
MPEG Stream: "Deathtripper"
MPEG Stream: "Girl In The Slayer Jacket"

PIG HEART TRANSPLANT Nature b/w Nurture (Deer Healer) 7" 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Folks went nuts for the PHT full length we reviewed a few weeks back, so here we have two new slabs of murky, muddy, downtuned sludge drenched power violence. Both tracks are gloriously crusty and filthy and so so so heavy, and would have fit perfectly on the full length.
One side features a massive lurching riff over machinelike drumming and howled vokills, pounding and relentless but strangely hypnotic almost like a sludgier Geronimo. The flip side is even doomier and more spaced out, with crushing low end, squiggly streaks of feedback, all wound into a lumbering grinding slow motion behemoth, with glass gargling vocals all beneath a thick layer of buzzy grit.
The weird part about this 7" is that both tracks, each side, features essentially an entirely different lineup! There's only one guy who plays on both sides and on one he plays drums, while on the other he plays bass. We knew they were a sort of collective and this seems to prove it. Especially considering that both sides definitely and distinctly reek of that filthy blackness that could only be Pig Heart Transplant.
LIMITED TO 400 COPIES. Packaged in hand stamped plain red sleeves with a printed red bottom obi.

PIGEONS Hearts (Olde English Spelling Bee) 7" 8.98
Second of two new seven inches from the Olde English Spelling Bee label (the other by Ducktails, reviewed elsewhere on this list), two new tracks from husband and wife psych folk duo Pigeons, whose sound is like a modern take on that classic seventies Wickerman acid psych folk sound, but a bit more twisted, flecked with bits of electronics, effects, not to mention fairly unorthodox arrangements, which is no doubt aided by the involvement of various guests including some No Neck Blues Band-ers.
The A side starts out all softly psychedelic and folky, sweetly strummed acoustic guitars, lush vocal harmonies, subtle slippery lap steel, but then all of sudden in swoops some weirdly almost funky bass, along with swirls of effected melodies and distorted psychedelic guitar leads making it sound almost like some strange psych folk / Portishead / no wave hybrid, but all the disparate elements woven into something dark and lovely.
The B side begins with brittle, skeletal old school style drum machine, horns and tendrils of distorted guitar, an odd assortment, but again Pigeons are able to fuse those bits and bobbles into a gorgeously off kilter hazy seventies sounding bit of lo-fi folk pop, laced with angular guitars, buried vox, and other bits of sonic weirdness, managing to sound strange and mysterious but still lush and lovely.

PIGEONS Si Faustine (Olde English Spelling Bee) lp 19.98
Pigeons are a Northwestern husband and wife psych folk duo, augmented by members of No Neck Blues Band and other NNBB offshoots, and this is Pigeons full length number two, released appropriately enough on the always kick ass Olde English Spelling Bee label, and this is indeed a gorgeous chunk of psychedelic folk, dark and heavy and hypnotic, big simple motorik drumming, distorted psychedelic guitar leads, simple acoustic guitar strum and heavenly ethereal vocals, not to mention various keyboards, and bits of percussion, total Wicker Man seventies style acid folk, but definitely modernized, imagine a young hippy folksinger in the UK in the seventies, suddenly transported to now, hooking up with the new breed of lysergic bedroom folk pop alchemists, well, this is the most likely result, at its core, pure lilting dream folk, but all wrapped up in strange swooping backwards guitars, fluttering flutes, detuned doomy riffs, skittery percussion, glitchy electronics, buzzy swaths of processed effects drenched psychswirl, wild spidery melodies, tons of reverb, and strange little bits of sonic detritus, all blurred into gorgeously lush lysergic acid folk, at once timeless and classic sounding, but also weirdly modern, almost like a Karen Dalton or Vashti Bunyan for the warped lo-fi garage pop set. Which is just as good as it sounds.
Housed in super swank tip on style jackets, comes with a download coupon as well!
MPEG Stream: "Wrong Man"
MPEG Stream: "Fade Away"

PIGEONS They Sweethearstammers (Soft Abuse) lp 16.98
One of our favorite instores in recent memory was a super special appearance by East Coast psych folk outfit Pigeons, who we already loved on record, but who proved to be even more entrancing in person, performing an amazing set for a small but utterly rapt audience. Their sound over the last few records has gradually grown more and more lush, more dreamy and druggy, and more shoegazey. We thought their last record Liasons was basically the culmination of this evolution, but then along comes They Sweethearstammers, which manages to up the ante on Liasons in pretty much every way. It's weirder, trippier, the strange sort of Portishead-y downtempo electronic elements even more twisted and strangely incorporated into the group's newly expanded sound, the vocals are more powerful, confident, often heavily effected, the bass is fuzzy and driving, adding a weird sort of gloomy pop vibe, from the very first track on They Sweethearstammers we knew we were in for something special. Sounding like some strange hybrid of lost seventies acid folk, some outsider British trip hop and Mazzy Star, all blurred into a gorgeously hazy drug drenched chunk of fuzzed out folky jangle pop. That buzzing bass driving everything, even mirroring the guitar melody here and there, acoustic guitars over jangly chorus laden electrics, everything layered and sun dappled, and of course some killer super distorted psych leads, all woven into a super catchy pop song. And that's just track one. It only gets weirder, and keeps getting better from there.
"Tout Nulle Part" is all gloomy and low slung, with some strange zither like buzz, some surfy twang, a little Morricone, a little Serge Gainsbourg, that driving fuzzy bass still holding everything down, the vocals lush and sensuous, the vibe dirgey and droney, but still strangely and hauntingly poppy, the song gradually coming apart as it goes, becoming more and more abstract, eventually dissipating in a cloud of electronics and detuned melodies. "Dead Echo" opens with some reverbed drumming, some super distorted vox, and what sounds like electric piano, or at least heavily effected guitar, the drums doing a sort of slo-mo 'funky drummer' shuffle, everything hazy and washed out and dreamily druggy, sounding a bit like a folkier, more tripped out Blonde Redhead. "Chances" is a strange one, big production, sassy glamorous vocals, some wah wah guitars, plenty of dubbed out production, what started out sounding super commercial, seems to grow more and more strange and lovely, eventually transforming into a cool murky bit of droney doom pop, before slipping right back into that opening groove. "Red Friend" is some lush perfect folk pop, very Beatles-esque, but even more lovely and lysergic. "Tournoi" reminds us of Ween, which is not a bad thing, it's the strange production, and the weird guitar sounds, maybe it sounds more like Mazzy Star with Dean and Gene Ween backing them up, either way, it's some gorgeously druggy psych pop for sure. "Lauren" starts off all tripped out experimental industrial, feedback, and rhythmic thumps, detuned twang and sci-fi shimmer, before slipping smoothly into some dark folk mesmer, while "The Welcome" is a lush murky sprawl of dirge dreaminess, a sort of muddy psych ballad, laced with strange acoustic guitar tangles, and lush layered drones, maybe the most deliriously mesmerizing track on the record, which leads right into closer "Cogville", which finishes things off with a brief bit of swirling tripped out horn laden dream pop chamber psych.
So great, not that we expected anything less, we just didn't expect something so far our and so far from where they started. So utterly and whole heartedly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Behind The Reeds"
MPEG Stream: "Tout Nulle Part"
MPEG Stream: "Dead Echo"

PIGEONS Visions Of The Valley (Soft Abuse) 7" 10.98
Latest batch of woozy, dreamlike downtempo psychedelic folk from this husband and wife duo, and like their previous efforts, they subtly hybridize Portishead style trip hop with seventies style acid folk, the results are sublime, spidery guitars, hand claps (!), thick almost synthy sounding low end, skeletal rhythms and angelic reverbed vocals. The tracks drift and hover and shimmer, but occasionally are peppered with bits of psych rock fuzz and crunch, that sounds like it could have been lifted from the Latin American installment of those Love, Peace & Poetry comps, but the fuzz is fleeting, slipping quickly back into more dreamy drift.
The B side is even more melodic and melancholy, ditching the handclaps and more overtly programmed drums, introducing subtle wah guitars, and adding even more haze to the mix, the vocals positively dripping with space-y echo, both tracks here, haunting and lovely, and way recommended.

PIGS Illuminati House Party (Sugar Mountain) lp 12.98
There's lots of ways we find out about cool new bands. We finally listen to a promo that came in the mail, or a customer raves about them, or we read about 'em in a fanzine or on the internet, etc. etc. One of the best ways though, is to randomly see a band playing live that you've never heard of before, and be impressed. That's the deal with how we discovered local SF heavies Pigs.
I (Allan) just moved into a new apartment here in the Mission, that's not too far from the Potrero del Sol skatepark. On one of the days I was moving stuff, I could hear live music coming from the direction of the park, where they do sometimes have outdoor shows. Sounded like yr basic punk rock, but then a band started playing that - as best I could tell from several blocks away - sounded much more metallic and interesting, with shredding guitar leads and chunky riffage and everything. And obviously very loud. So, needing a break from my moving tasks, I wandered over to the park posthaste to check out what was going on. When I got there, the band I'd heard was still playing, and they were GREAT. Super heavy, fairly hairy power trio (boy drummer, girl bassist, bearded dude guitarist / sometime vocalist) kicking out the jams big time, sorta like a scrappier, scuzzier Melvins, in their earliest, fastest, punkiest incarnation. Like, with some more Motorhead mixed in. I had a blast watching the rest of their set, totally into it, already wondering if they had any recordings I could get my hands on for Aquarius. Also wondering, just who the heck they were. Well both questions were soon answered when the drummer held up a garish purple, very DIY looking handscreened LP emblazoned with the name Pigs, saying they'd just put this record out. Better yet, moments later a friend of mine appeared, who it turned out was friends with band as well, and told me that he'd just been telling Pigs before they played that they should bring their album down to Aquarius. And so they did, a week or so later, not just the limited vinyl but also a cd version too.
Just like their live set, the album is a blast (of distortion, among other things). Sometimes slow and sludgy, equally often full of frenzied jamming, Illuminati House Party is pure metal-punk underground awesome, with more than a few nods to classic rock catchiness. Pigs traffic in Black Sabbathy riffs (most definitely in "Lurch"), their songs furthermore having plenty of rollicking swing to 'em a la both Sabbath and Sleep. The guitarist constantly peels off tangly, widdly leads like they're coming back into style. All the tracks here (11 of 'em) rule, from the sick-o smartassery of "Hard Lovin' Van", a song with gnarly Ginnish licks and hoarse, strangled vox that could almost be an old Tad tune (some of the lyrics: "let's go the lake, and feed the ducks...get in the van, take the candy"), to the even more punk "Population Control", to the wasted doom of "Hessian's Revenge" and sheer shred of "Surf's Up". And then there's the epic instrumental 3-part rifftastic "Taser Trilogy" wherein Pigs show off their Champsy chops, not to mention stoner sense of humor (and not for the first time on this record). Yeah, great stuff!
Is it possible to imagine an unholy hybrid of, um, Electric Wizard, Breadwinner, and, er, Pissed Jeans?? Pigs might be it. Soooo glad I was within earshot of the skatepark that day!
MPEG Stream: "Hard Lovin' Van"
MPEG Stream: "Surf's Up"
MPEG Stream: "Taser Trilogy I: V.V.E.T.C."

PIGS Illuminati House Party (Sugar Mountain) cd-r 8.98
There's lots of ways we find out about cool new bands. We finally listen to a promo that came in the mail, or a customer raves about them, or we read about 'em in a fanzine or on the internet, etc. etc. One of the best ways though, is to randomly see a band playing live that you've never heard of before, and be impressed. That's the deal with how we discovered local SF heavies Pigs.
I (Allan) just moved into a new apartment here in the Mission, that's not too far from the Potrero del Sol skatepark. On one of the days I was moving stuff, I could hear live music coming from the direction of the park, where they do sometimes have outdoor shows. Sounded like yr basic punk rock, but then a band started playing that - as best I could tell from several blocks away - sounded much more metallic and interesting, with shredding guitar leads and chunky riffage and everything. And obviously very loud. So, needing a break from my moving tasks, I wandered over to the park posthaste to check out what was going on. When I got there, the band I'd heard was still playing, and they were GREAT. Super heavy, fairly hairy power trio (boy drummer, girl bassist, bearded dude guitarist / sometime vocalist) kicking out the jams big time, sorta like a scrappier, scuzzier Melvins, in their earliest, fastest, punkiest incarnation. Like, with some more Motorhead mixed in. I had a blast watching the rest of their set, totally into it, already wondering if they had any recordings I could get my hands on for Aquarius. Also wondering, just who the heck they were. Well both questions were soon answered when the drummer held up a garish purple, very DIY looking handscreened LP emblazoned with the name Pigs, saying they'd just put this record out. Better yet, moments later a friend of mine appeared, who it turned out was friends with band as well, and told me that he'd just been telling Pigs before they played that they should bring their album down to Aquarius. And so they did, a week or so later, not just the limited vinyl but also a cd version too.
Just like their live set, the album is a blast (of distortion, among other things). Sometimes slow and sludgy, equally often full of frenzied jamming, Illuminati House Party is pure metal-punk underground awesome, with more than a few nods to classic rock catchiness. Pigs traffic in Black Sabbathy riffs (most definitely in "Lurch"), their songs furthermore having plenty of rollicking swing to 'em a la both Sabbath and Sleep. The guitarist constantly peels off tangly, widdly leads like they're coming back into style. All the tracks here (11 of 'em) rule, from the sick-o smartassery of "Hard Lovin' Van", a song with gnarly Ginnish licks and hoarse, strangled vox that could almost be an old Tad tune (some of the lyrics: "let's go the lake, and feed the ducks...get in the van, take the candy"), to the even more punk "Population Control", to the wasted doom of "Hessian's Revenge" and sheer shred of "Surf's Up". And then there's the epic instrumental 3-part rifftastic "Taser Trilogy" wherein Pigs show off their Champsy chops, not to mention stoner sense of humor (and not for the first time on this record). Yeah, great stuff!
Is it possible to imagine an unholy hybrid of, um, Electric Wizard, Breadwinner, and, er, Pissed Jeans?? Pigs might be it. Soooo glad I was within earshot of the skatepark that day!
MPEG Stream: "Hard Lovin' Van"
MPEG Stream: "Surf's Up"
MPEG Stream: "Taser Trilogy I: V.V.E.T.C."

PIL Plastic Box (Virgin) 4cd 52.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
No, not a reissue of Metal Box but rather a brutally immense four cd collection spanning Public Image Limited's career from the beginning into the early 90's as pop media saboteurs. This band still has no equal. Aside from being a sort of giant best-of, it contains BBC and Peel Sessions and some remixes (no, not drum 'n' bass versions). In a big grey jewel case embossed with silver and filled with great liner notes. Consume.

PILIA, STEFANO Healing Memories and Other Scattering Times (Last Visible Dog) cd 12.98
An extremely pretty, moody, mellow droney solo album from Italian electric guitarist Stefano Pilia... we neglected to list this when it came out some months ago but realized a) it's great and b) he's a member of recent AQ Record Of The Week scoring group 3/4hadbeeneliminated, so some of you just might want to know about this! Healing Memories was previously released a few years ago as a cd-r by Last Visible Dog, but now LVD have updated it with extra tracks and issued it as a real cd. As it should be, since it's quite nice indeed. Constructed mostly with tones and textures from an electric guitar, with some synth and electronics, tape loops and turntable. Slowly unfolding instrumental soundscapes that shiver with sensitive beauty. Restrained, relaxed, gorgeous. For fans of the likes of James Blackshaw, Steven R. Smith, and Giuseppe Ielasi.
MPEG Stream: "The Holy Sailor"
MPEG Stream: "...Present Tension"

PILIA, STEFANO The Suncrows Fall and Tree (Sedimental) cd 14.98

PILL WONDER Jungle / Surf (Underwater Peoples) lp 17.98
First proper full length from these guys, a reissue of an out of print cassette, after appearances on the two Underwater Peoples samplers, and it's a killer. A totally tripped out chunk of tropical outsider pop damage. Acoustic guitars and simpler percussion, dreamy summery harmony vocals, all tangled up with huge swaths of fractured noise and crumbling distortion, twisted xylophone melodies, and swirling effects, long stretches of murky dirgey fuzz pop, muted drums, animal sounds (!), warped melodies... Imagine the Beach Boys, crossed with Animal Collective, crossed with lots and lots of cough syrup, smeary and blurry and dreamy. The guitars are effected and warped and pulled into glimmering streaks and jangly shard, the riffs are looped into stuttery almost synth sounding rhythms, acoustic guitars buzz and shimmer, beneath layers of feedback and percussive clatter and clang, swaths of hiss and blown out fuzz, the sound very much like the tropical lo-fi pop of Ducktails, but WAY WAY more tweaked and ramshackle and druggy and psychedelic and noisy and freaky. Which in case you couldn't tell, means we're loving this BIG TIME.

PILLARS AND TONGUES Pass And Crossings (Empty Cellar) lp 14.98

PILLARS OF SILENCE s/t (self-released) cd-r 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
What a stunning debut! Pillars of Silence are a San Francisco band featuring members of Conspiracy of Beards and Brilliant Colors with an ensemble of talented friends who add nice touches throughout including Sean Smith, Jeffrey Luck Lucas and engineer Jesse Parsons, who worked the boards on other great San Francisco debuts by folks like Tussle, Pale Hoarse and Vetiver. But truth be told none of that matters so much, as it's the songs and music that Pillars of Silence have crafted on this debut that stand out so dramatically. These songs melt with such a satisfying and lasting warmth. Lush reverb, textured but never too busy instrumentation and such gorgeous vocals that come together to create songs that have that rare ability to feel both familiar and so totally new and refreshing. There are lots of comparisons to throw around, we hear the smoke and haziness of Mazzy Star and Opal, the crisp and truthful delivery of Smog and the lush and melancholic delivery of Moon Pix-era Cat Power. There are so many songs from this record that we already know will become staples of mixes we make for friends, crushes and true loves. Pillars Of Silence have earned themselves a place near Citay and Vetiver as another of San Francisco's finest songsmiths. Highly recommended! You best act fast on this one as they didn't press too many of them.
MPEG Stream: "Please Call Me"
MPEG Stream: "Ode"
MPEG Stream: "Guilty Hands"

PINBACK Autumn Of The Seraphs (Touch & Go) cd 14.98
In this day of constant change and the pursuit of the new and the (unnecessarily) 'improved', it's nice to have an element of comforting constancy... like the music of Pinback. Now closing in on a decade of music making together, Rob Crow, Zach Smith and co. have built a body of music that remains true to itself and its fans, amazingly consistent without being redundant. Why mess with a good thing? Pinback haven't, instead they continue to write totally compelling songs that have the ability to simultaneously give you goosebumps and make your body move. We are always in awe of how Pinback are able to craft a sound that is so driving and punchy while also being so heartfelt and emotional. We love just about everything Rob Crow makes in his never ending side-project excursions (Goblin Cock, Other Men, Optiganally Yours, The Ladies, etc.) but when he and Zach come together to make Pinback records something so special happens, the music those two make is most definitely greater then the sum of its parts. One of the best bands around today now have another great album under their collective belt. Highly recommended!
p.s. the first batch of these come with a bonus disc with 3 extra songs not on the album.
MPEG Stream: "Good To Sea"
MPEG Stream: "From Nothing To Nowhere"
MPEG Stream: "Walters"

PINBACK Autumn Of The Seraphs (Touch & Go) lp 14.98
In this day of constant change and the pursuit of the new and the (unnecessarily) 'improved', it's nice to have an element of comforting constancy... like the music of Pinback. Now closing in on a decade of music making together, Rob Crow, Zach Smith and co. have built a body of music that remains true to itself and its fans, amazingly consistent without being redundant. Why mess with a good thing? Pinback haven't, instead they continue to write totally compelling songs that have the ability to simultaneously give you goosebumps and make your body move. We are always in awe of how Pinback are able to craft a sound that is so driving and punchy while also being so heartfelt and emotional. We love just about everything Rob Crow makes in his never ending side-project excursions (Goblin Cock, Other Men, Optiganally Yours, The Ladies, etc.) but when he and Zach come together to make Pinback records something so special happens, the music those two make is most definitely greater then the sum of its parts. One of the best bands around today now have another great album under their collective belt. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Good To Sea"
MPEG Stream: "From Nothing To Nowhere"
MPEG Stream: "Walters"

PINBACK Blue Screen Life (Ace Fu) cd 16.98
Much anticipated new full length from Rob Crow (Heavy Vegetable / Thingy / Optiganally Yours) and Zack (Three Mile Pilot). Jeff first thought this was the new Modest Mouse until it started sounding like the Sea & Cake. Oddly enough the last thing any of us thought it sounded like was Pinback. It does sound a lot like those two bands, but that's by no means a dis on Pinback. The results are actually better than both those bands' recent efforts. Wonderfully warm, wistful and emotive quality pop.
RealAudio clip: "Offline P.K."
RealAudio clip: "Talby"

PINBACK Blue Screen Life (Ace Fu) 2lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Out of the blue, now here on vinyl! Here's what we said about the cd way back when (2001) about Pinback's second album:
Much anticipated new full length from Rob Crow (Heavy Vegetable / Thingy / Optiganally Yours) and Zack (Three Mile Pilot). Jeff first thought this was the new Modest Mouse until it started sounding like the Sea & Cake. Oddly enough the last thing we thought it sounded like was Pinback. We would agree to its sounding like those two bands, but that's by no means a dis on Pinback. The results in our opinion are actually better than both those bands' recent efforts. Wonderfully warm, wistful and emotive quality pop.

PINBACK Information Retrieved Pt. A (Temporary Residence) 7" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A super limited, and super swankly packaged Record Store Day release from our pals at Temporary Residence, two brand new tracks from the mighty Pinback. The A side is classic Pinback, all loping basslines and lush vocal harmonies, poppy, dreamy, melodic and gorgeously minimal. The B side might be our favorite Pinback jam in a while, it sounds almost like slo-mo Heavy Vegetable, in the phrasing, and the mathy arrangement, still minimal and stripped down, but the bass and vocal interplay and the hooks make it a killer.
And the packaging is killer too, a printed paper bag designed to look like a evidence bag, sealed shut with special red Record Store Day tape, each one stamped and dated. Inside there's a full color sleeve, the inside printed to look like some sort of redacted document, and also included is a little insert with some mysterious computer code printed on it. So cool!
VERY LIMITED!! We have a handful up for grabs, but since it was a Record Store Day release, these won't be around for very long, and when we run out, that'll be it!

PINBACK Information Retrieved Pt. B (Temporary Residence) 7" 6.98
Another super limited, and super lovingly packaged Record Store Day release from our pals at Temporary Residence, this one for Black Friday, and the second part of a set, the first half of which was released on Record Store Day proper earlier this year.
The A side is classic Pinback, that bass driven loping pop that sounds like no one else. Super melodic and lush, there seems to be strings too, which give parts of the track a subtle E.L.O. vibe, catchy and darkly melodic, surprisingly dramatic and intense near the end, and as always the vocals sound AMAZING. The B side like one of the tracks on the first volume, sounds a lot like some sort of Heavy Vegetable / Pinback hybrid, the phrasing and complexity of the vocals is the HV element, that chiming melodic bass and dreamy melodies, the Pinback. Another killer song, and one that like the A side, we find digging almost more than anything off the last record proper.
Stick around 'til the very end too, there's a strange secret track, a glitchy high pitched buzz, brief, but very mysterious, could be some sort of secret code, related to the weird cryptic conspiracy artwork.
And like Pt. A, the packaging is super swank, a printed paper bag designed to look like a evidence bag, sealed shut with special red Record Store Day tape, each one stamped and dated. Inside there's a full color sleeve with some super haunting images of a forlorn house and some strange sort of machine, the inside printed to look like some mysterious redacted governmental document, and also included is a little insert with what appears to be a transcription of some overheard conversation. So cool!
VERY LIMITED!! We have a bunch of these, but since it was a special Black Friday / Record Store Day release, these will probably sell out quick.

PINBACK Nautical Antiques (Ace Fu) cd 14.98
Nautical Antiques is a collection of b-sides, tour only ep songs, and alternate versions from the first few years of Pinback's existence (1998-2001). Once again demonstrating just why this band deserves all the hype. The proof is in the totally well crafted perfect pop songs. There is a richness to Pinback's sound that allows their melodies to sink right into your soul. There are some serious gems here not on any of their proper releases which makes this absolutely essential. Effortlessly catchy and so fluidly flowing, hands down one of the best bands around, and you can definitely add this to the growing body of evidence proving that point!
MPEG Stream: "Clemenceau"
MPEG Stream: "Anti-Hu"

PINBACK Offcell (Absolutely Kosher) cd ep 11.98
While Three Mile Pilot and Heavy Vegetable have been long-time AQ favorites, it took us a little bit longer to fall under the spell of Pinback, the post-pop creation from Armistead Burwell Smith IV (from Three Mile Pilot) and Rob Crow (HV, Thingy). In fact, Pinback's epic second album "Blue Screen Life" almost slipped under our radar entirely. Pinback's charm can be found precisely in how understated their notions of grandiose pop can be. Perhaps the best comparisons to Pinback's sound especially in their atypical progressions of minor chords through ecstatic crescendos would be Built To Spill's "There's Nothing Wrong With Love" and "Perfect From Now On," with Pinback's additional flares found in Smith's technically-impressive skills at bass fingerpicking and the emo-tinged vocal harmonies from both Smith and Crow. "Offcell" is another excellent outing for Pinback, although like their other records the returns on this short 5 song EP grow stronger with repeated listenings. As before, Pinback does not offer the typical indie-rock songwriting fodder for chorus / bridge / verse; rather their ambitious songs present increasingly complex pop structures of catchy melodies intertwining with smoldering waves of guitar dissonance and their vocal counterpoints and harmonies. Teasingly short at 28 minutes long, "Offcell" certainly has whetted our appetite for the next full length, scheduled in 2004 through Touch and Go.
MPEG Stream: "Grey Machine"
MPEG Stream: "Victorius D"

PINBACK s/t (Tree) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Rob Crow (Heavy Vegetable, Thingy) takes his music into much more of a downer territory than that of his previous outings. With intertwining vocal duets, lazy-day rhythms, yet effortlessly catchy indie-pop mellowness. Pretty darn great and pretty darn recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Tripoli"
MPEG Stream: "Chaos Engine"

PINBACK Some Voices (Absolutely Kosher) cd ep 9.98
Until the boys get around to serving us another new full length, Absolutely Kosher has thankfully reissued this beautiful ep of theirs which was originally issued two years ago. Pinback, for those unfamiliar, is a duo featuring Rob Crow of Heavy Vegetable / Thingy / Optiganally Yours and Zack from Three Mile Pilot. The two are consummate performers and songwriters, the type of people who just ooze music all the time. I can remember when Rob Crow did a solo in-store here several years back. He was playing a guitar through a small battery powered amp (designed to look like a miniature Marshall amp.) He was rocking out -- had everyone in the entire store completely absorbed -- and as he was reaching the very end of the crescendo of the song he was playing, his battery powered amp fell off the used LP bin it was resting on, struck the floor and scattered batteries everywhere. Rob Crow apologetically got down on his hands and knees to retrieve the batteries. After fumbling around for a minute to get them back in and the case snapped tight, Rob immediately went back into his song to finish the last 2 seconds of the feedback cadence he had left to play. The playfullness, sincerity, and deadpan humour are evident in the music Rob and Zack write as a team. They sound like a pair that has been playing together all their lives. The type of guys who had a blast coming up with tricky rounds to sing just for the fuck of it. As Pinback, they have an innate ability to write absolutely infectious pop songs, with lilting melodies, often counterpointed with one another in effortless ways -- never sounding contrived. On top of it all, the two record all their music themselves in Zack's bedroom, which you'd never believe listening to their records. Whenever we play this in the store someone invariably purchases a copy (this goes for either of their full lengths as well.)
RealAudio clip: "Some Voices"
RealAudio clip: "Trainer"
RealAudio clip: "June"

PINBACK Summer In Abaddon (Touch & Go) cd 14.98
Heirs to the indierock throne? We certainly think there's an argument in support of it. Once again Zac and Rob don't disappoint on Summer In Abaddon, their first major-independent label release. They continue to efforlessly write songs that can take the best elements of say, Modest Mouse at their zenith -- we're talking catchy hooks -- but with a finer tuned sense of lyricism, a smoother rhythmmic flow and, well, some damn fine finger picked melodic bass lines from Zac. As on their previous releases, Zac and Rob write and record all the songs themselves. And while this might be a count against some artists, both the musicianship and recording skills of this pair is beyond reproach. In fact, their years of woodshedding together has turned them into a veritable sonic unit, effortlessly harmonizing with one another like an indiepop equivalent to the Louvin Brothers channeling the teen angst mopeyness of Tears For Fears. It's no wonder the Pinback army grows stronger with every release.
MPEG Stream: "Sender"
MPEG Stream: "Fortress"
MPEG Stream: "AFK"

PINBACK Summer In Abaddon (Touch & Go) lp 14.98
Heirs to the indierock throne? We certainly think there's an argument in support of it. Once again Zac and Rob don't disappoint on Summer In Abbadon, their first major-independent label release. They continue to efforlessly write songs that can take the best elements of say, Modest Mouse at their zenith -- we're talking catchy hooks -- but with a finer tuned sense of lyricism, a smoother rhythmmic flow and, well, some damn fine finger picked melodic bass lines from Zac. As on their previous releases, Zac and Rob write and record all the songs themselves. And while this might be a count against some artists, both the musicianship and recording skills of this pair is beyond reproach. In fact, their years of woodshedding together has turned them into a veritable sonic unit, effortlessly harmonizing with one another like an indiepop equivalent to the Louvin Brothers channeling the teen angst mopeyness of Tears For Fears. It's no wonder the Pinback army grows stronger with every release.
MPEG Stream: "Sender"
MPEG Stream: "Fortress"
MPEG Stream: "AFK"

PINEBENDER Working Nine To Wolf (Lovitt) cd 12.98

PINETOP SEVEN Bringing Home the Last Great Strike (Self-Hel p/Truckstop) cd 14.98
The criminally underrecognized Pinetop Seven have been plugging away for years, as they watched Lambchop, Whiskeytown, the Old 97s and a handful of their alt-country peers hit it (relatively) big. But with their fourth album, Pinetop Seven's time has finally come. The band takes simple country ballads, stretches and expands them, adding strings and lush textures, bizarre and exotic instrumentation, and create gut wrenching, brutally intimate country epics. The vocals are deep and trembly like the guy singin' 'em might be about to have a breakdown -- Roy Orbison channeled through Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke, and Chris Isaak. You know how bands like Godspeed and Blackheart Procession reside at the dark murky end of the indie rock spectrum? That's what Pinetop Seven is to the alt-country scene. And in the same say that Godspeed is, at this point, only barely connected to an "indierock" sound, Pinetop are only tangentially "country" by way of their slight twang. What gets us is that it's also perfectly accessible, dark music that in a perfect world would be on adult radio all the time. This is real honest-to-god music that lingers in your brain for a while -- it's about as far from trendy and flash-in-the-pan as you can get. Very accessible, very deep, and very highly recommended.
Note: we also have one of their previous albums, "Rigging the Toplights", which is one of Andee's absolute favorites of all time.
RealAudio clip: "On the Last Ride In"

PINETOP SEVEN Lest We Forget (Self Help) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A special album from Pinetop Seven, a staff fave band whose simple dark ballads are augmented with strings and lush textures, bizarre and exotic instrumentation, all resulting in gut wrenching, brutally intimate country epics. The vocals are deep and trembly like the guy singin' 'em might be about to have a breakdown -- Roy Orbison channeled through Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke, and Chris Isaak.
This tour-only disc is officially now only available via direct mailorder from the band, but we convinced 'em to let AQ have a few. Various songs that had to be left off previous albums (although they're great songs and NOT filler), plus a 32-minute improvised soundtrack to the silent film Wind. Oh, and a surprisingly good *remix* of a song called Mission District, that's actually quite evocative and wonderful, bringing out some of the most sombre qualitites of the band's sound via looped repetition and added rumbling rhythms.
RealAudio clip: "Mission District"

PINETOP SEVEN Rigging The Top Lights (Atavistic) cd 14.98

PINETOP SEVEN The Night's Bloom (Barbary Coast) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Easy Company"
MPEG Stream: "Fringe"

PINHAS, RICHARD East / West (Cuneiform) cd 15.98
Another early Richard Pinhas album has been reissued! East/West was his fourth solo outing and was originally released in 1980. As the title suggests, the sounds are definitely reminiscent of those from the far east and west, more so the former than the latter perhaps. That said, the eleven tracks are incredibly varied. Check out the kinetic shimmering cityscape of "Kyoto: Kyoto #3", the slinking Fripp inspirations of "La Ville Sans Nom" and Beautiful May", the fevered unprocessed and vocoder'd vocals of the driving prog "Houston 69 Part 1". As with most every Pinhas solo album (and those of his band Heldon), East/West is a wealth of cyclical rhythms, looming atmospheres and near-industrial textures. In fact, it may also pique the interest of fans of Download if it hasn't already. As we were digging this, it made us want to revisit the seemingly likeminded The Eyes Of Stanley Pain from 1996. Included are two previously unreleased bonus tracks!
MPEG Stream: "Houston 69 Part 1"
MPEG Stream: "La Ville Sans Nom"

PINHAS, RICHARD Iceland (Cuneiform) cd 13.98
Did you know electronic music pioneer and guitarist for the mighty '70s prog rock band Heldon, Richard Pinhas was recently in the Bay Area to play two criminally underpromoted shows? Yes, fortunately the word of mouth reached our ears at the very last minute, and some of us were able to attend this rare event. It was his first time performing in SF and only his second visit to the city in twenty five years. Less than ideal sound and somewhat awkward stage set up aside, Pinhas on guitar, his laptop collaborator Jerome Schmidt and drummer Antoine Paganotti made the most of the situation, holding the small audience rapt for the duration of their performance. Quite possibly the most intimate and casual setting in which he's performed in years. Pinhas' musical path has travelled from early loose rock jams into absolutely tight prog precision and outwards through richly textured atmospheric soundscapes.
Iceland is his third solo album which was released back in 1979. It focuses on the latter two directions, flowing seamlessly from one into the other and back again. The sixth track "The Last Kings Of Thule (Part 2)" highlights the deep influence Robert Fripp's snaking sinewy guitar work has had on Pinhas who slinks his way into far more dystopic territory. While the eighth track titled "Greenland" flows out into an epic expanse of overlapping cyclical synthesizer sequences. The album closes with the twenty four minute long Eno-friendly frosty shimmering dronescape of "Wintermusic". Meditative and beautiful. The album as a whole could be the perfect soundtrack to a winter night's Aurora Borealis. A majestic, hypnotic wonder.
MPEG Stream: "The Last Kings Of Thule (Part 2)"
MPEG Stream: "Greenland"
MPEG Stream: "Wintermusic"

PINHAS, RICHARD L'Ethique (Cuneiform) cd 15.98
Hurrah, we have a double dose of Richard Pinhas for you this week!
We've just stocked and reviewed the latest album from this French prog pioneer (Metal/Crystal, his collaboration with Wolf Eyes and Merzbow. Check out what we had to say about it elsewhere on this aQ List!), but we've also just gotten a reissue of a stellar album of his that we've never carried before! L'Ethique was recorded back in 1982 and orginally released in 1991. The ten tracks (the original nine plus one bonus cut) enshrouds your headspace with immensely atmospheric and propulsive French prog. Some here found it to closely resemble that of Magma as well as his own band Heldon (such as on "The Western Wail Pt. 1"). The latter isn't really all that surprising since his Heldon bandmates contributed a good deal to the proceedings. This album covers a lot of territory - moving through stretches of both glorious beauty (such as on "Melodic Simple Transition") and reelingly ominous aggression (such as on "Belfast" and the bonus track"Southbound"). Heavy with electronics, analog synthesizers and processed electric guitars, this is sure to satiate any cravings for the dark, heady and dystopic. Yes, highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Belfast"
MPEG Stream: "Melodic Simple Transition"
MPEG Stream: "The Western Wail Pt. 1"

PINHAS, RICHARD Metatron (Cuneiform) 2cd 19.98
Metatron is the brand new album from Richard Pinhas, well respected as both a solo artist and member of '70s French electronic rock trailblazers Heldon. He's joined by an equally revered group of players from around the globe -- his former Heldon bandmates Didier Batard (bass), Patrick Gauthier (synthesizer) and Alain Renaud (guitar), Magma's Antoine Paganotti (drums), Philipe Simon (violin), Djam Karet's Chuck Oken Jr. and his frequent collaborator Jerome Schmidt (laptop). The twelve lengthy tracks on Metatron effectively integrate the many facets of Pinhas' illustrious career from Heldon's early mid-'70s raw rock jams to their later jaw-droppingly tight propulsive synth prog rock to his slinky intricate Fripp inspired guitar pieces to his more recent solo shimmeringly hypnotic soundscape works. Yes, it's all here and yes, it's quite a feast for the ears. The only parts that we could do without might be the bits with spoken word, the music is just fine all by itself, Mr. Pinhas!! Ah well, that's just our knee-jerk reaction to that sort of thing...
MPEG Stream: "Aleph Number 1"
MPEG Stream: "Metatron(ic) Rock"

PINHAS, RICHARD Single Collection 1972-1980 (Captain Trip) cd 26.00
Richard Pinhas is the mastermind behind French '70s synth-prog-proto-industrial pioneers Heldon, who combined spacey analog electronics with punkish attitude, hypnotic rhythms, and Robert Fripp-style flights of electric guitar. Next to Magma they're one of our all-time favorites from France.
Japan's Captain Trip label has been digging into the Heldon/Pinhas vaults, bringing us some cool live recordings reviewed here not long ago, and now this. Packaged in a handsome silvery metallic mini-LP styled jacket, this cd collects Pinhas's various singles releases as a solo artist, under the Heldon moniker, and in various other earlier guises -- starting with his heavy psych act Schizo from 1972, who were obviously heavily influenced by Hendrix, sounding also quite a bit like the "heavy metal thunder" of Steppenwolf! Those tracks, such as "Schizo (And The Little Girl)" and "Paraphrenia Praecox", certainly fit with the so-called Francais Metal de Proto scene we've been digging lately, bands like Les Variations and Docdail. Cool! That's only the first four tracks and already we're pretty excited.
This disc also contains singles from Heldon, one-off spin-off band T.H.X., and Pinhas solo, all progressively getting more and more into a space age new wave prog thing that fans of the band Zombi will love, cult sci-fi writer Norman Spinrad even showing up for a guest vocals on the paranoid groove of "Houston 69". While some of these singles are are in fact extracts from albums (Heldon's "Baader-Meinhof Blues" for instance), others were only available in this format (like T.H.X.'s version of Joe Meek's classic instrumental "Telstar"!). So this is essential for any dedicated Heldon fan -- and in a lot of ways a great single-disc introduction to the the Pinhas oeuvre, one that's more eclectic and extreme than we'd previously imagined, ranging from Schizo's ponderous psych to the circa-1980, NYC Disco-Not-Disco cool of his solo singles! And as we said, this comes handsomely packaged, with a cd booklet including track details and images of each 7" release compiled here.
MPEG Stream: SCHIZO "Paraphrenia Praecox"
MPEG Stream: HELDON "Perspectives 1"
MPEG Stream: RICHARD PINHAS "Houston 69"

PINHAS, RICHARD Tranzition (Cuneiform) cd 14.98
Where do you go once you've collected everything Robert Fripp has ever recorded? (Yes, even including Sacred Songs, his mid '80s collaboration with Daryl Hall...). Try Richard Pinhas. He's likely to tell you himself (although it'd be in French) that he's Fripp's number one fan. Pinhas (and his old band Heldon) have a long history, since the mid '70s, of churning out minimalist prog records, many of which directly express a certain devotion to the sounds pioneered by Fripp and Eno with their multiple reel tape loop system (it was the title "In the Wake of King Fripp"â that convinced me to buy, not without a little embarassment, the beautiful Heldon record Allez Teia years ago). On Tranzition we find Pinhas & band (himself on guitar & electronics, with a violinist, a drummer and a "laptop boy") sculpting blissful and edgy atmospheres. The skittering drum beats are repetitious and seductive, the songs spacious and evolving. Perhaps Pinhas has also become a fan of Godspeed You Black Emperor! because he does resort on one track to an unnecessary and slightly irritating voice sample (as always, it'd be better if it weren't in English!). Also we note a song title from the Pinhas disc prior to this: "GSYBE (Thanks To)"! Even so, we can forgive this old-timer his indulgences (at least he's still checking out new music) and appreciate this rare example of a fan actually outdoing his heroes. If you're one of those who finally gave up on King Crimson a while back, you might find yourself getting excited over this release, hearing in it what could've been... [AQ thanks Loren Chasse for this review...hmm maybe we should put him on the payroll.]
MPEG Stream: "Tranzition"
MPEG Stream: "Aboulafia Blues"

PINHAS, RICHARD & MERZBOW Rhizome (Cuneiform) cd + dvd 15.98
Thee prolific master of Japanese noise, Merzbow, once again teams up with French '70s synth-prog veteran, guitarist Richard Pinhas of AQ faves Heldon. Their first collaboration, the double disc Keio Line from 2008, was quite a success, Merzbow's electronic noise tempered into more of a sci-fi synth enhancement to Pinhas's glorious pulsating psychedelic guitar drone. The two made such beautiful music together, that they continued the collaboration on another double disc, with Wolf Eyes (!) joining in as well. Now, here Merzbow and Pinhas are again, with a cd -and- dvd package, documenting a live duo performance (Merzbow: laptop(s), Pinhas: guitar and "loop system") at the Sonic Circuits Festival in our nation's capital, September 2010. The five tracks on the hour-long cd ebb and flow with shimmering glitch and stutter, it's a fuzzy warm bath of distortion/drone that's loudly blissful, and on occasion even melodic! Meanwhile, the dvd disc features video excerpts from the same performance, so you can see just what these two are up to on stage.
Lovely stuff, for fans of Pinhas in particular, and the not-so-harsh side of Merzbow.... As one reviewer has said, they're like an updated version of Fripp & Eno, and that's not far off the mark.
MPEG Stream: "Rhizome 1 - 010011010011011"
RealAudio clip: "Rhizome 2 - 100101000111010"

PINHAS, RICHARD (W/ MERZBOW & WOLF EYES) Metal/Crystal (Cuneiform) 2cd 22.00
Though it's 2011 already, turns out there's still some cool 2010 releases we haven't yet gotten a chance to list. We try to keep ahead of the curve, but we can't always get to everything of course. Here's one we don't want to overlook, though. A couple years ago, veteran French guitar/synth maestro Richard Pinhas (of Heldon fame) teamed up with infamous Japanese noise maker Merzbow for a fantastic double disc entitled Keio Line. That combo of '70s cosmic prog-rock electronics and harsh noise/drone was a winner. Here's the sequel, another double disc this time teaming Pinhas not just with the prolific Merzbow but also everyone's favorite underground American noise mavens Wolf Eyes!! Good lord. Batten down the hatches, people! And not only that, but Pinhas cohorts Antoine Paganotti (Magma), Didier Batard (Heldon), and Patrick Gauthier (Heldon, Magma, Weidorje), among others, also contribute on several of the tracks here... of which there are six, sprawling across the two discs.
The first track, disc one, entitled "Bi-Polarity (Gold)", is nearly 16 minutes of rhythmic spaced-out stoner-funk, with skittering drums and plenty of shimmering guitar widdle amidst much glorious hiss, feedback, and distortion. Groovy. Track two, "Paranoia (Iridium)" is almost as long, at 14:21, and is a searing, soaring, synthy soundscape, kind of like an extreme version of Fripp/Eno. Neither of those first two tracks features Merzbow or any of the Wolf Eyes, and that's just fine. Track three, "Depression (Loukoum)", at last brings those guest stars in, giving 'em plenty of space (the track clocks in at about 29 minutes), for a piece that's kind of a combo of the first two tracks. More free jazzish drumming, layered with droning pulsations and washes of shimmering guitar and electronics. It's sorta like Frippertronics meets a spacey Acid Mothers Temple jam, real nice! We are sure a lot of you, who like the AMT and the Necks and the more abstract Circle stuff, will dig this.
Disc two continues the collaboration, with two more epics from the full Pinhas+Merzbow+Wolf Eyes ensemble, "Hysteria (Palladium)" and "Schizophrenia (Silver)", both each almost 30 minutes. The harsh noise/power electronics element is definitely upped on "Hysteria", which starts off like a field recording from a mad scientist's laboratory and by the end gets quite destructively distorted; very Merzbowian indeed. Awesome and satisfying. "Shizophrenia" is rather like "Depression", but rocks out much more, in a psych prog freakout kind of way, before its over. Wow. And finally, the disc finishes up with a solo, seven minute Pinhas piece, "Legend", a calming coda after the intense ensemble action that precedes it.
Gotta hand it to Pinhas, after 40+ years of music making, keeping yourself challenged and on the cutting edge can't be easy, but this is definitely one way (a great way) to do it. Meanwhile, Merzbow and the Wolf Eyes guys must have been floatin', to get to jam with one of the fellows who helped pioneer much of the music they love. Maybe next time Emeralds, Kawabata Makoto, or Oneothrix Point Never can pay their respects. Recommended, even (or especially) to those who are more used to buying releases on, say, Not Not Fun than Cuneiform.
MPEG Stream: "Bi-Polarity (Gold)"
MPEG Stream: "Depression (Loukoum)"
MPEG Stream: "Hysteria (Palladium)"

PINHAS, RICHARD / MERZBOW Keio Line (Cuneiform) 2cd 16.98
Yes, that's right. Japanese noise maestro Masami Akita, aka Merzbow, teamed up here with guitarist Richard Pinhas of pioneering '70s French synth-prog act Heldon in a Tokyo studio last year. An unexpected collaboration, perhaps, but a successful one - two action-packed discs worth! Here at AQ you could call us Merzbow fans - one of us even dutifully reviewed EVERY SINGLE FREAKIN' DISC in the 50-cd Merzbox that came out a few years ago. He's not only pretty much thee originator of Japanese noise but we still find him to be one of the genre's most interesting practitioners. But since Merzbow is, almost by definition, so prolific, we can't get excited about every single release he puts out (the obi blurb here claiming "He has recorded and released nearly 100 cds" may be the understatement of the century... isn't it more like 1000??). This one, though, we are quite excited about. 'Cause Pinhas is another AQ fave. We love Heldon, and also enjoy much of his solo work since the '70s, right up to 2006's Metatron.
So, what does the Merzbow-Pinhas summit sound like? It's plentiful and varied, but the basic impression is that of Merzbow's fried electronic noise zips and zaps like someone shooting down spaceships amidst Pinhas's glimmering, glorious Frippish guitar drone. Merzbow is credited with EMS Synthi A and "all noises" though Pinhas, with his guitar and "loop system" isn't exactly quiet. As Merzbow's machines emulate the sound of a sparking, arcing live electric wire, electricity shooting sparks in sizzling patterns, Pinhas keeps the pleasurable pulse of his guitar going and going. There was obviously much mutual admiration here, between "Merzdon" and "Heldrow" as one of the track titles puts it, Merzbow thrilled to play with one of his '70s heroes, Pinhas quite aware of how he paved the way for further extremes of experimental, electronic music, but not resting on his laurels at all. They bring out the best in each other, easily making this one of our favorite recent documents from either artist. Pinhas sure can't wimp out here, and Merzbow keeps his contributions psychedelically listenable.
This is available as a double cd on Cuneiform, or a deluxe triple vinyl set on the Dirter Promotions label. Expensive, but quite fancy.
MPEG Stream: "Chaos Line"
MPEG Stream: "Fuck The Power (and Fuck Global Players)"

PINHAS, RICHARD / MERZBOW Keio Line (Dirter Promotions) 3lp 42.00
Yes, that's right. Japanese noise maestro Masami Akita, aka Merzbow, teamed up here with guitarist Richard Pinhas of pioneering '70s French synth-prog act Heldon in a Tokyo studio last year. An unexpected collaboration, perhaps, but a successful one - two action-packed discs worth! Here at AQ you could call us Merzbow fans - one of us even dutifully reviewed EVERY SINGLE FREAKIN' DISC in the 50-cd Merzbox that came out a few years ago. He's not only pretty much thee originator of Japanese noise but we still find him to be one of the genre's most interesting practitioners. But since Merzbow is, almost by definition, so prolific, we can't get excited about every single release he puts out (the obi blurb here claiming "He has recorded and released nearly 100 cds" may be the understatement of the century... isn't it more like 1000??). This one, though, we are quite excited about. 'Cause Pinhas is another AQ fave. We love Heldon, and also enjoy much of his solo work since the '70s, right up to 2006's Metatron.
So, what does the Merzbow-Pinhas summit sound like? It's plentiful and varied, but the basic impression is that of Merzbow's fried electronic noise zips and zaps like someone shooting down spaceships amidst Pinhas's glimmering, glorious Frippish guitar drone. Merzbow is credited with EMS Synthi A and "all noises" though Pinhas, with his guitar and "loop system" isn't exactly quiet. As Merzbow's machines emulate the sound of a sparking, arcing live electric wire, electricity shooting sparks in sizzling patterns, Pinhas keeps the pleasurable pulse of his guitar going and going. There was obviously much mutual admiration here, between "Merzdon" and "Heldrow" as one of the track titles puts it, Merzbow thrilled to play with one of his '70s heroes, Pinhas quite aware of how he paved the way for further extremes of experimental, electronic music, but not resting on his laurels at all. They bring out the best in each other, easily making this one of our favorite recent documents from either artist. Pinhas sure can't wimp out here, and Merzbow keeps his contributions psychedelically listenable.
This is available as a double cd on Cuneiform, or a deluxe triple vinyl set on the Dirter Promotions label. Expensive, but quite fancy.
MPEG Stream: "Chaos Line"
MPEG Stream: "Fuck The Power (and Fuck Global Players)"

PINK I'm Not Dead (LaFace) dualdisc 19.98
We gotta admit, we sorta love Pink. Of all those MTV pop girls, she has to be our favorite. She's the sort of tomboy, badass, spitting, belching beauty, that if you met her anywhere -other- than MTV you'd fall head over heels. Either that or she'd be the best friend who you suddenly realize is actually REALLY HOT. Cue teen movie montage NOW! Can't say ALL of her music does it for us though. We all loved "Get The Party Started", why the fuck not? That was a killer song. The rest of that record was so-so, but there are plenty of records without a single track as good as that single. The new record follows a similar path, she's still the sort-of non-conformist trash talking bad girl, although this time that vitriol has taken the shape of the best song on the record "Stupid Girl", a wicked dis of all things Paris, Nicole, Ashley, Jessica, Britney, Lindsey and the whole stable of Star magazine IT girls. It's a killer track, sort of like "Get The Party Started" part two, but the lyrics are so snarky and the video seals the deal, with Pink, taking on various MTV slut personas, in short shorts washing a car, carrying around a tiny little dog, driving with a latte and a cellphone, engaged in a nightshot sex video, backup dancing for 50 Cent, but all of them done just tongue in cheek enough to be right on. The rest of the record is surprisingly -rock-, not rock enough to actually be a rock record, but there's way more band sounding songs that dance floor fillers. We're sure there's probably a couple other good songs on here, but we can't stop listening to "Stupid Girl" long enough to find out.
The dualdisc includes the "Stupid Girl" video, which is funny as shit, a bloopers/outtakes reel, and some sort of MTV style, making of the video.
MPEG Stream: "Stupid Girl"

PINK Missundaztood (Arista) cd 16.98
The demise of the tv show Star Search back in 1995 (who knew it lasted even that long?!?) left many show biz hopefuls wonderin' "Now what am I gonna do?!" Well, without middle man Ed McMahon, many clearly made it straight to the major labels and top 40. These more than capable, but snoringly devoid of individuality, soul or personality r&b/pop vocal gymnasts litter the radio dial today. Of course, there are certainly a few exceptions though it's often hard to find them in all the clutter. With 'Missundaztood', Pink sets herself apart, exuding plenty of confidence, personality and fun. Yeah, it's fluffy and ultra-produced. Yeah, there's some overwrought teen soul balladry and the first song really reminded me of Sheryl Crow's hit "All I Wanna Do", but it also is a really exuberant, sassy, good time and she does have a great voice. Capturing high-spirited, teenage bounce with the single "Get The Party Started" or conveying the world weary tone of someone twice her age (on "Misery" with Steven Tyler). You may already be familiar with Pink from her previous 'Can't Take Me Home' album, but this is actually a lot more fresh and spunky with fewer diva-esque moans. Seems she's taken the wheel of this boogie bus -- kicking the serious party butt.
RealAudio clip: "Get The Party Started "
RealAudio clip: "Misery"