NOWIK, WILLIAM Pan Symphony In E Minor (Guerssen) lp 26.00
We hate to say it, or maybe we don't really hate to say it, but it seems like, well, you could pass a (rather draconian) law that no new music is allowed to be recorded or released, EVER, and even then, just by virtue of folks digging up and reissuing old obscure recordings from the '60s, '70s, etc., there'd still be enough awesome releases for Aquarius at least to still have a kick ass New Arrivals list of reviews every two weeks, right?? The cool reissues that keep on coming seem like proof of this. Here's the latest great example.
Long forgotten, private press, early '70s American psych-prog, rather pastoral (it's dedicated to the pagan Greek god Pan after all), masterminded by some earnest, bearded prog nerd doing his musicianly best to emulate his English/European heroes of the day, shades of Pink Floyd and King Crimson. That sorta sums up this all-instrumental album, recorded by composer William Nowik with a little help from his friends somewhere in upstate New York back in 1974. Except, that doesn't quite convey quite how fantastic and unusual Pan Symphony In E Minor really is! Possibly Nowik was into krautrock too, and we do know that the Master Musicians Of Joujouka had some influence on his musical vision of Pan.
Nowik's meticulously crafted, moody song-suites flow gorgeously, making precise sudden shifts as well. There'll be mellow rustic folkiness one moment, then -wham- it starts rockin' out with some fairly heavy guitar riffing, but then things wend and wind along further, and it's back to all-acoustic folk or jazzy bliss, but wyrd y'know, and then wyrder, with parts that are downright experimental, such as the passage towards the end of the disc which sounds like people climbing stairs while a church organ plays, followed by the sounds of a ticking clock, then plinking thumb piano...
There's just something ELSE to Nowik's music, an x-factor (the -actual- influence of Pan, perhaps?) that's hard to define but makes it more than just another obscure '70s prog effort. He takes things further, the music goes places other than where you'd expect, and dwells there longer, before heading off in another surprising direction (acoustic folky groove morphing into disjointed funk, ferinstance, at one point). But in all cases it really pulls you naturally there along with it. And it's beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Much will appeal to fans of Six Organs of Admittance, among other acts (Citay too?), we think.
The cd booklet is filled with enthused liner notes & lots of vintage b&w photos, giving a glimpse into the album's creation and the subsequent career of its creator. Since only a mere handful of copies were originally pressed in '74, and it was barely distributed to boot, thank Pan that it's been reissued and more folks can enjoy this today.
We will note one oddity of the cd reissue: though there's 14 tracks listed, the actual disc is only indexed into 3 tracks (one very short, two quite long). Doesn't really matter though, as you should listen to the whole thing all the way through every time anyway...
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 2"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 3"

NOXAGT s/t (Synesthetic Recordings) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Kjetil Brandsdal may be known best for his antique, guitar-grit drones that got released on Corpus Hermeticum and Ecstatic Peace, but he's also been quite active in the "Nor Wav" scene in his native Norway. Where much of the No Wave sensibilities have been resurfacing in the US through the angular, noise-core, costume rock of Pink & Brown and Lightning Bolt, Brandsdal's Noxagt finds comfort in the weird sense of humor found in Arto Lindsay's DNA and the Los Angeles Free Music Society. The 50 (!!!) very short tracks that comprise Noxagt's debut CD have been randomly sequenced to provide a truey bizarre mix between rev-ed up Swell Maps / Pussy Galore swamp rock, hammering drum machine abuse, idiosyncratic, lo-fi techno productions, a really dumb / fucking great cover of Europe's "The Final Countdown," electronic tinkertoy squiggles that have this very Euro-trash, very plastic feel to them, and lots of quick Naked City skronky speed. This is one of those records that would qualify for Andee's trademarked quote "ridiculous, fucked-up, and totally great."
RealAudio clip: "Ch Dron"
RealAudio clip: "Drid Machine"
RealAudio clip: "Final Countdown"
RealAudio clip: "Formule Norvegienne"
RealAudio clip: "Paid In Cunt"

NOXAGT s/t (Load) cd 14.98
Whoops, we didn't list this already? Nope? Well maybe it's 'cause everytime we put on this latest album from these all-instrumental Norwegian avant-rock wreckers to "review" it, we ended up making fists and punching walls, which makes it hard to type. Finally though we've manage to bang out a few words about this, Noxagt's 3rd album for the Load label (not to be confused with their out of print, also self-titled debut from 2001 predating their Load career). And as usual, it's a doozy, if their low-slung, sharp-edged brand of dark AmReppy / Skin Grafted noise rawk makes you woozy. See-sawing rhythmic and riffy angularity, heavy duty pummel for fans of Shellac and Scratch Acid and Oxbow and other edgy and dark but not quite metal outfits along those lines. There's shards of feedback and sheets of skree, lashed to sprongy, bass-lurching moodiness on these seven tracks, culminating in a 12-minute dirge-drone album-ender called "The Impious One".
Noxagt-followers will note one big change here: the violin (which had added a Nordic folkloric element to the sound of their previous album, The Iron Point) has left the band and been replaced with baritone guitar from a member of Noxagt bassist Kjetil Brandsdal's other band, Ultralyd.
Yep, in the '90s these guys woulda fit nicely on such labels as AmRep, Skin Graft and Trance Syndicate wethinks, with Load being the current heirs to that whole scene, eh?
MPEG Stream: "Histrionix"
MPEG Stream: "Soft Sugar"

NOXAGT s/t (Load) lp 10.98
Whoops, we didn't list this already? Nope? Well maybe it's 'cause everytime we put on this latest album from these all-instrumental Norwegian avant-rock wreckers to "review" it, we ended up making fists and punching walls, which makes it hard to type. Finally though we've manage to bang out a few words about this, Noxagt's 3rd album for the Load label (not to be confused with their out of print, also self-titled debut from 2001 predating their Load career). And as usual, it's a doozy, if their low-slung, sharp-edged brand of dark AmReppy / Skin Grafted noise rawk makes you woozy. See-sawing rhythmic and riffy angularity, heavy duty pummel for fans of Shellac and Scratch Acid and Oxbow and other edgy and dark but not quite metal outfits along those lines. There's shards of feedback and sheets of skree, lashed to sprongy, bass-lurching moodiness on these seven tracks, culminating in a 12-minute dirge-drone album-ender called "The Impious One".
Noxagt-followers will note one big change here: the violin (which had added a Nordic folkloric element to the sound of their previous album, The Iron Point) has left the band and been replaced with baritone guitar from a member of Noxagt bassist Kjetil Brandsdal's other band, Ultralyd.
Yep, in the '90s these guys woulda fit nicely on such labels as AmRep, Skin Graft and Trance Syndicate wethinks, with Load being the current heirs to that whole scene, eh?
MPEG Stream: "Histrionix"
MPEG Stream: "Soft Sugar"

NOXAGT The Iron Point (Load) cd 13.98
Second Load release from this dark and weird instrumental band from Norway featuring our pal Kjetil Brandsdal, whom the more 'experimental' among you might know as a solo drone musician. But playing bass and baritone guitar in Noxagt he makes a much more *rock* racket. Actually Noxagt are hard to pin down, surely fitting in among the other Load label misfits while doing something unlike anyone else. That's because their sound has evolved from the short sharp 'Nor Wave' punk fuckery of their earlier releases into something...folky. But very heavy. The instrumentation is key. Along with Kjetil's bass, and the drumming of Jan Kyvik, what stands out is the viola (and violin and piano) played by Nils Erga. The Iron Point is an album his of cyclic string drones wedded to crunching, spronging bass and sometimes almost black metallish blasting drums. With sudden prog-rock changes, punk/metal urgency, and the aforementioned folkish melody...all instrumental except for the vocals of guest Hagbard Heien on traditional tune "Kling No Klokka" which is a fine surprise. Speaking of surprises, the disc concludes with Noxagt covering "Regions of May" by Tom Rapp of Pearls Before Swine! Gentle yet bomastic, it's lighter than what's come before yet totally fits in on an album that overall we think is Noxagt's best yet, wherein they've really developed into something more melodic, more 'folky' yet even heavier and more focussed than before. And, continuing a tradition begun on their last album, there's smart ass liner notes courtesy of noted British smart ass Stefan Jaworzyn (ex-Skullflower). Also, again production by noted producer Billy Anderson, who knows as much as anyone about heaviness. (Nice cover/design by the way -- you can tell Kjetil is a big record collector.)
MPEG Stream: "Acasta Gneiss"
MPEG Stream: "Svartevatn"

NOXAGT The Iron Point (Load) lp 10.98
Second Load release from this dark and weird instrumental band from Norway featuring our pal Kjetil Brandsdal, whom the more 'experimental' among you might know as a solo drone musician. But playing bass and baritone guitar in Noxagt he makes a much more *rock* racket. Actually Noxagt are hard to pin down, surely fitting in among the other Load label misfits while doing something unlike anyone else. That's because their sound has evolved from the short sharp 'Nor Wave' punk fuckery of their earlier releases into something...folky. But very heavy. The instrumentation is key. Along with Kjetil's bass, and the drumming of Jan Kyvik, what stands out is the viola (and violin and piano) played by Nils Erga. The Iron Point is an album of his cyclic string drones wedded to crunching, spronging bass and sometimes almost black metallish blasting drums. With sudden prog-rock changes, punk/metal urgency, and the aforementioned folkish melody...all instrumental except for the vocals of guest Hagbard Heien on traditional tune "Kling No Klokka" which is a fine surprise. Speaking of surprises, the disc concludes with Noxagt covering "Regions of May" by Tom Rapp of Pearls Before Swine! Gentle yet bomastic, it's lighter than what's come before yet totally fits in on an album that overall we think is Noxagt's best yet, wherein they've really developed into something more melodic, more 'folky' yet even heavier and more focussed than before. And, continuing a tradition begun on their last album, there's smart ass liner notes courtesy of noted British smart ass Stefan Jaworzyn (ex-Skullflower). Also, again production by noted producer Billy Anderson, who knows as much as anyone about heaviness. (Nice cover/design by the way -- you can tell Kjetil is a big record collector.)
MPEG Stream: "Acasta Gneiss"
MPEG Stream: "Svartevatn"

NOXAGT Turning It Down Since 2001 (Load) cd 13.98
There's a lot of weird stuff going on with this Noxagt band. First, it's maybe not the kind of band you would imagine finding experimental drone guitarist Kjetil Brandsal fronting. And playing bass no less. You might not expect it, but once you hear it, it makes perfect sense. And Noxagt has an instrumental line-up that you definitely don't see everyday: bass, drums, and...viola! But once you hear the viola, again it makes perfect sense. And you also then wouldn't necessarily expect to find this band on Rhode Island's Load records, although they fit quite nicely between the neanderthal noise rock of Pink And Brown and the spastic grind prog of Lightning Bolt. So here we are, the second record from Norway's Noxagt, a sludgy thud rock band in the finest tradition of pummelling crunch and spastic clomp. Pretty fucking heavy for just a bass and a viola. Take some Jesus Lizard, some Load rock, some Bulb rock, some eighties Homestead rock, and some modern noise rock (Laddio Bolocko maybe) and mush it all together into a stinky little rehearsal space or an even stinkier little van, and you get this brief (26 minutes) blast of burly, instrumental quasi-abstract abrasiveness. Produced by heaviness guru Billy Anderson (Sleep, High On Fire, Cathedral, etc.) with really funny liner notes by Stefan Jaworzyn (Skullflower, Whitehouse, Ascension, etc.) And the inside is one of those amazing pictures that when you stare at it long enough with your eyes blurred just the right way a hidden 3-D image pops up. So cool!
MPEG Stream: "Mek It Burn"
MPEG Stream: "Cupid Shot Me"

NOXAGT Turning It Down Since 2001 (Load) lp 15.98
There's a lot of weird stuff going on with this Noxagt band. First, it's maybe not the kind of band you would imagine finding experimental drone guitarist Kjetil Brandsal fronting. And playing bass no less. You might not expect it, but once you hear it, it makes perfect sense. And Noxagt has an instrumental line-up that you definitely don't see everyday: bass, drums, and...viola! But once you hear the viola, again it makes perfect sense. And you also then wouldn't necessarily expect to find this band on Rhode Island's Load records, although they fit quite nicely between the neanderthal noise rock of Pink And Brown and the spastic grind prog of Lightning Bolt. So here we are, the second record from Norway's Noxagt, a sludgy thud rock band in the finest tradition of pummelling crunch and spastic clomp. Pretty fucking heavy for just a bass and a viola. Take some Jesus Lizard, some Load rock, some Bulb rock, some eighties Homestead rock, and some modern noise rock (Laddio Bolocko maybe) and mush it all together into a stinky little rehearsal space or an even stinkier little van, and you get this brief (26 minutes) blast of burly, instrumental quasi-abstract abrasiveness. Produced by heaviness guru Billy Anderson (Sleep, High On Fire, Cathedral, etc.) with really funny liner notes by Stefan Jaworzyn (Skullflower, Whitehouse, Ascension, etc.) And the inside is one of those amazing pictures that when you stare at it long enough with your eyes blurred just the right way a hidden 3-D image pops up. So cool!

NSU Turn On, Or Turn Me Down (Breathless) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NSU's record taught me (Allan) a little lesson. I came across a cd reissue of the lone LP by this obscure Scottish sixties psych band a couple years ago, and picked it up for its heaviness potential (it had been described as being really heavy by an overseas dealer). At first hearing, though, the heaviness I wanted wasn't really there. I had been hoping for a proto-metal album like, say, Toad or Leaf Hound, and so was disappointed and set the NSU aside. But then, some weeks later, I gave it another chance and, as so often happens when you aren't judging something by your wishful expectations but instead taking it on its own terms, I ended up really really liking it. I realized, this was a pretty nifty album with some marvelous songs and vibe from a pretty cool band, that while not quite competition for Black Sabbath or Blue Cheer, still operates on the cusp of proto-metal heavy, sixties style, and surely provides lots of wailing guitar! So now we're quite happy to have this in stock, a new nice digipack cd reissue of what we've come to regard as a bit of a gem, if you have any sort of a soft spot for Cream-y British '60s guitar blues psychedelia! Originally released in 1969 on Stable, the same label (and year) as the record by Lemmy's old band Sam Gopal that we love so much, and that this reminds us of just a bit, especially the more mellow and laid back parts, and they also share a penchant for lyrical subject matter that tends towards the dark and/or druggy! One song is even simply titled "Stoned".
So again, a lesson, give stuff more than one listen! You never know what you might like better then second time... We're still wondering, though: N.S.U.? What's it stand for? It's a Cream song, right?
MPEG Stream: "Turn Me On, Or Turn Me Down"
MPEG Stream: "You Can't Take It From My Heart"

NSU Turn On, Or Turn Me Down (Earmark) lp 24.00
NSU's record taught me (Allan) a little lesson. I came across a cd reissue of the lone LP by this obscure Scottish sixties psych band a couple years ago, and picked it up for its heaviness potential (it had been described as being really heavy by an overseas dealer). At first hearing, though, the heaviness I wanted wasn't really there. I had been hoping for a proto-metal album like, say, Toad or Leaf Hound, and so was disappointed and set the NSU aside. But then, some weeks later, I gave it another chance and, as so often happens when you aren't judging something by your wishful expectations but instead taking it on its own terms, I ended up really really liking it. I realized, this was a pretty nifty album with some marvelous songs and vibe from a pretty cool band, that while not quite competition for Black Sabbath or Blue Cheer, still operates on the cusp of proto-metal heavy, sixties style, and surely provides lots of wailing guitar! So now we're quite happy to have this in stock, a new nice digipack cd reissue of what we've come to regard as a bit of a gem, if you have any sort of a soft spot for Cream-y British '60s guitar blues psychedelia! Originally released in 1969 on Stable, the same label (and year) as the record by Lemmy's old band Sam Gopal that we love so much, and that this reminds us of just a bit, especially the more mellow and laid back parts, and they also share a penchant for lyrical subject matter that tends towards the dark and/or druggy! One song is even simply titled "Stoned".
So again, a lesson, give stuff more than one listen! You never know what you might like better then second time... We're still wondering, though: N.S.U.? What's it stand for? It's a Cream song, right?
MPEG Stream: "Turn Me On, Or Turn Me Down"
MPEG Stream: "You Can't Take It From My Heart"

NUCLEUS Live In Bremen (Cuneiform) 2cd 26.00
Early '70s jazz rock fusion from this British band, pioneers in the field, who later contributed members to Soft Machine. With an instrumental line-up that included trumpet, piano, oboe, sax, flute, bass, guitar, and drums, this never before released live 1971 radio concert recording demonstrates the funky rhythmic drive of the band, and features some of the wild acid guitar skronk of the legendary Ray Russell in his only recorded (and previously unknown) appearance with Nucleus! With him on board, this is not quite so loose and out-limits pushing as Miles' 70s rock/jazz ensembles, but gettin' there.
MPEG Stream: "Song For The Bearded Lady"

NUDGE As Good As Gone (Kranky) cd 14.98
Featuring folks from some other Portland aQ faves like Fontanelle, Strategy, and Valet, Nudge seem to have really hit their stride and found their voice on this, their fourth outing. With the wonderfully melty and psychedelic vocal delivery of Honey Owens (Valet, Jackie O Motherfucker) swirling in the midst of subtle electronics and smoky instrumentation, As Good As Gone kind of sounds like some amazing amalgamation of Mazzy Star, Grouper, Windy & Carl and Nite Jewel, if they all joined forces for a blissed out 4AD inspired late night musical love affair. Dazed and hazy in all the right ways, with such a nice touch on the electronics that gives the record its unique slant on cloud surfing shoegaze glory. So good!
MPEG Stream: "Two Hands"
MPEG Stream: "Tito"
MPEG Stream: "Dawn Comes Light"

NUDGE As Good As Gone (Kranky) lp 13.98
Featuring folks from some other Portland aQ faves like Fontanelle, Strategy, and Valet, Nudge seem to have really hit their stride and found their voice on this, their fourth outing. With the wonderfully melty and psychedelic vocal delivery of Honey Owens (Valet, Jackie O Motherfucker) swirling in the midst of subtle electronics and smoky instrumentation, As Good As Gone kind of sounds like some amazing amalgamation of Mazzy Star, Grouper, Windy & Carl and Nite Jewel, if they all joined forces for a blissed out 4AD inspired late night musical love affair. Dazed and hazy in all the right ways, with such a nice touch on the electronics that gives the record its unique slant on cloud surfing shoegaze glory. So good!
MPEG Stream: "Two Hands"
MPEG Stream: "Tito"
MPEG Stream: "Dawn Comes Light"

NUDITY The Nightfeeders (Discourage) 12" 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Nightfeeders is the newest release from Olympia Washington's, Nudity! This group of self-proclaimed astral travellers brings us a highly limited, vinyl-only 12" of heavy kraut freak-out! Their sound is huge and galactic, bluesy and blown out, the perfect formula for some solid psychedelic jams. Music that makes you want to knock over amps and take your shirt off. Get this one before it's too late, we only have a handful... you don't want to be shirtless without it.

NUGENT, TED Double Live Gonzo! (Rock Candy) cd 17.98

MPEG Stream: "Yank Me, Crank Me"
MPEG Stream: "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang"
MPEG Stream: "Cat Scratch Fever"

NUGENT, TED Scream Dream (Rock Candy) cd 17.98

MPEG Stream: "Wango Tango"
MPEG Stream: "Scream Dream"
MPEG Stream: "Hard As Nails"

NUGENT, TED Weekend Warriors (Rock Candy) cd 17.98

MPEG Stream: "Need You Bad"
MPEG Stream: "I Got The Feelin'"
MPEG Stream: "Weekend Warriors"

NUIT NOIRE Fantomatic Plentitude (Armageddon) cd 9.98
Faerical blasting punk rocker!!! France's new wave black crust dynamic duo Nuit Noire. We went nuts for this band the first time we heard them, expecting some sort of grim black buzz, seeing as they were signed to a black metal label, were distributed by black metal distros, etc., but instead we had our blocks knocked totally off, by their furious short sharp bursts of super tweaked angular riffing, flurries of chaotic drumming, and some of the most tweaked damaged whiny yelpingly brilliant vocals ever! All tangled up into a confusional blackened aggro metallic pop, part punk rock, part grim buzz, part no wave, part new wave.
In the past we described Nuit Noire as sounding like a black metal Rudimentary Peni, but we're also hearing plenty of Christian Death, Joy Division, Crass and weirdly enough, on this new one more than ever, the Toy Dolls, mostly due to vocalist Tenebras' voice which is a dead ringer for the Toy Dolls' Olga.
This new disc is half new tracks, half older classics recorded live. All of em fantastic of course. The new tracks are even shorter and poppier and more fucked up than before. Take the second track "I Am A Fairy", a crusty gloomy jam, with a killer main riff, streaks of high end new wave squiggle, and the vocals, just repeating the title over and over and over, super fast, then drawn out and crooned, while the music beneath shifts from hooky and poppy to blasting and buzzing. Or how about "I Love You", another furious eighties crust punk jam, but with some black buzz spread over the top, and a totally strange, but incredibly catchy vocal line, sung sort of like "I love yooooooooooooo, I love yooooooooooooou". The rest of the tracks range from loping eighties grooves to washed out dreamy murk to chaotic old school punk rock to full on lo-fi grim black metal, usually all in the same song.
It's really hard to describe the sound, we're pretty surprised this stuff appeals to black metallers at all, there is some buzz and some serious riffing, but it's way more punk, and way more new wave, and the vocals are so strange and high and hysterical and freaked out and over the top, they sort of define Nuit Noire's sound, and are definitely the element that will make it or break it for you.
The live tracks are awesome. And if we didn't know it would have been hard pressed to even realize they were live. Almost the exact sound quality (maybe they're just live in the studio, but then why re-record old songs?) heavy and buzzy and furious and catchy as fuck. Even a wicked version of their "Faeries Of Paper" a song we proclaimed to be one of "the best songs EVER" with one of the greatest catchiest weirdest riffs we've ever heard. A few of the other live tracks we hadn't heard before and are just as good, if not even better than the songs we already loved.
Need more reasons to love these guys? Howabout the cool pencil drawings of the band members, one depicted as a huge monster-armed drumming demon, head cloaked in shadow, the other a faerie, in tunic and cape, big eyes and pointed ears, mic cable wrapped around a broadsword stuck in the ground. Or howabout the photo on the back of the cd, a very skinny, nearly naked band member, clad in a loin cloth and a cape, holding a guitar aloft in one hand, a sword in the other, cape spread out like the wings of a bat.
C'mon!!! How much more perfect can a band be? So goddamn recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Les Fees Volent Dans La Nuit"
MPEG Stream: "I Am A Fairy"
MPEG Stream: "Fantomatic Plentitude"
MPEG Stream: "Nuit Blanche"

NUIT NOIRE Infantile Espieglery (Todestrieb) cd 12.98
We love this band so much. We were never able to get enough of their last record to list, but now that the new one is here, it's time to finally share our crazy love of this band with the loyal AQ faithful.
Ostensibly a black metal band, but sonically anything but. Imagine a super lo-fi, sort of new wave, gothy crusty punk rock band but with buzzing insectoid riffing and occasional furious blast beats. Sort of like a black metal Rudimentary Peni, with a vocalist who sounds a bit like a cross between Roz Williams of Christian Death and Mark E. Smith from the Fall. Whiney and snotty, super dramatic and over the top, even at their most buzzing and black, the vocals kick in and the band is transformed back into some crusty black new wave weirdness. And the guitar parts are super weird, strange harmonies, a little new wave, but a little NO wave as well. But the band themselves don't consider their music to be black metal anyway. A quick look at their website reveals the fact that they consider themselves "faerical blasting punk!" Just check out the note from the band on their website:
"Nuit Noire is the only faerical blasting punk band in the world. The music comes directly from the depths of the night, where the fairies stay hidden from the humans. We love them and they love us."
Woah. Just one more reason to love these guys. Weird angular guitars, fucked up arrangements, damaged new wave riffing, some black blasts, a demonic shriek here and there, all that and faeries too!!
MPEG Stream: "Creatures Of The Night"
MPEG Stream: "Are You Ready For The Night?"
MPEG Stream: "Turn On Your Light"
MPEG Stream: "Enfant Spectre"

NUIT NOIRE / HIS ELECTRO BLUE VOICE split (Avant!) 7" 7.98
The return of our favorite masters of faerical blasting punk! Who else could it be but Nuit Noire? We just raved about their most recent disc, the brilliantly titled Fantomatic Plentitude, and were already hankering for more when what should show up, but MORE!
This split 7" matches up Nuit Noire with Italian noisy new wavers His Electro Blue Voice, who end up being a perfect match for the Nuit Noire.
What can we say about Nuit Noire that we haven't said before. A blackened buzz wrapped around spiky crusty new wave-d punk rock. A blackened Rudimentary Peni. The guitars kinetic and buzzy, the drums rapid fire and frenetic, the vocals a wild caterwaul. These two new tracks are awesome. Crusty and catchy, lo-fi and super rocking. The opener is mostly instrumental, an epic extended intro, leading up to what could very well be the NN theme song: "Faerie Punk", ultra catchy and with some of the best lyrics EVER:
Stardust all around the drums
Stardust all around the guitar
Stardust blown away from the high speakers
Stardust everywhere on stage
Faerie punk in the moonlight
Faerie punk in the starlight
Faerie punk far in the night
Faerie punk on stage tonight
Hell yeah! The lyrics just reaffirm what the music is already saying. Wild forest faerie freaked out black new wave crusty punk pop madness.
So who could possible share a split with these guys? His Electro Blue Voice are up to the challenge, and are a pretty good match, their moody bass heavy new wave post punk, perfectly balancing NN's high end howl. Their sound is very 45 Grave, like some band you might have seen play the Scream in LA in 1985. Murky Joy Division riffing, wrapped around lugubrious Cure rhythms, the vocals a throaty gothy croon, the first track playing out lie a more metal Smiths, the second, some sort of dark doleful surf rock, with a Dick Dale riff stretched across and expanse of moody melancholia.

NULL AND VOID Possibilities (Bunkerpop) lp 16.98
Usually when the description of a band is too good to be true, it actually is. We can't even count the times we've gotten descriptions of bands to check out that read like "Nirvana, with John Bonham behind the kit, playing ELP style prog epics, but in the style of Sabbath, all remixed by the Caretaker", okay, that actually does sound amazing, but our point exactly, that's not even remotely possible, and if it is, we promise to listen to nothing else forever! But in most cases, that hyperbolic and entirely inaccurate description ends up being essentially worthless, as not a single part of the description, applies to any element of the music. So when this long lost slab of classic California post punk was described to us as Chrome's Half Machine Lip Moves meets Brian Eno's Here Come The Warm Jets, we were most definitely suspicious, and skeptical. And when we threw it on, we were even more confused, the record opening with a track called "Bach Variations", which is in fact Bach, but played in the midst of a wild thunderstorm, pelted with crashes of thunder, wreathed in the sound of rainfall, lots of tape hiss and sonic detritus, it's weird and not a little bit Caretaker-y, and then "Japanese Forest" comes in, and while we're no less confused, we're into this big time. No surprise that this had been making the blog rounds for ages. Apparently this was Null & Void's third record, and was rejected at the time for being too weird, which is tragic, cuz it's so good, but they were right, it IS weird, seriously warped and gloriously fucked up. "Japanese Forest", adds a distinctly Asian melody, to moaning slo-mo synth throbs, and a laconic laid back vocal, the result is haunting and beautiful and darkly poppy. But then as soon as "When I Fell Down" started up, that whole Chrome/Eno thing didn't seem so far fetched, we'd maybe throw in some Bowie as well. Glammy and swaggery, fractured and lo-fi, total warts and all recording, streaks of feedback, sudden stop/starts, all adding a distinctive whatthefuck factor to the proceedings.
"Einstein's Theory Of Relativity, No. 2" is another creepy industrial sci-fi glam ballad, that has a total Eno / Chrome / Bowie vibe, and is laced with awesomely weird bursts of white noise static, disrupting an otherwise sweet slab of garage glam swagger, which then slows down into a woozy washed out psychedelic echo drenched dirge, before big booming drums start things up again.
Check out "Our New Life", which might be the 'hit' here, way better produced, and with a killer pounding new wave / punk rock vibe, with swirling synths and fuzzed out bass, the song splintering into a weird sing-songy sort-of-chorus part way through, the buzzing synths mirroring the vox, before the whole thing explodes into a serious chunk of blown out Warm Jets style blissout, before a final bit of drum driven glam rock croon. So twisted, and so fucking great!
And it never lets up, the rest of the record flitting from classic glammy weirdo pop, to groovy, almost funky grooviness, to almost Suicide like drone-pop, to free form synth freakouts, to violin flecked classic rock super jams, rife with progged out organs, tangled psych guitars, and shredding leads, before finishing off with the three part songsuite "A Dream Wah!", which begins as a piano ballad, before splintering into some sort of avant glam-psych breakdown, before shifting into a garage rock shuffle, all soft focus jam band groove, which quickly devolves into a dark sprawl of ominous crooning, only to blossom into one more glamrock stomp, before fading into a weird collaged outro, sort of bookending the rainstorm outro, all tape hiss, and found sounds, murky melodies, and mysterious voices, disappearing into the background of hiss and hum.
Reissue of the year hands down!!! Absolutely essential and totally recommended!!!
MPEG Stream: "Bach Variations"
MPEG Stream: "Japanese Forest"
MPEG Stream: "Einstein's Theory Of Relativity, No. 2"
MPEG Stream: "The Motorcycle Song"
MPEG Stream: "The Philosophy Song"

NUMAN, GARY Living Ornaments '79 (Beggars Banquet) 2cd 10.98
How do you like this amazing bargain? Two jam-packed discs of Gary Numan live recordings for only $10.98, and it's by no means at the expense of quality! All three volumes of his Living Ornaments trilogy are fantastic live documents not only of Numan in his prime as a fine composer and dynamic showman, but also of analog synthesizers being performed in the rock arena. They (and the bandmembers playing them) were seriously put through a workout during these concerts. Keep in mind that analog synth sounds aren't preset, and those instruments also had a habit of drifting out of tune. So that means if the synth player required a different sound he would need to specifically dial it in each time (adjusting all the necessary parameters... often quite a complex process). Certainly makes these performances all the more awesome and a blast to hear a quarter of a decade later! Not to mention Numan's unmistakable, expressive vocals and masterly compositions. This is the real deal! It's definitely none of that lame preset arpeggiated excuse for synth music that's been plaguing our ears of late. It's unfortunate that Numan gets lumped in with the vacuous '80s new wavers 'cause music has so much more depth, both compositionally and emotionally. Seriously, if "Cars" hadn't been such a big hit (and thus thereafter unfairly condemning Numan to 'one-hit-wonder' status), his body of work would be viewed in a much different light (probably more critically lauded, and albeit probably much less widely popularized). An added bonus are all of the live photos of the spectacular stage and lighting set-up. He truly reciprocated all the love his fans bestowed upon him. Stunning! Completists will probably want all three volumes (there's some repeating of songs throughout), but if you think you only want one then this is the one to get!
MPEG Stream: "Are Friends Electric?"
MPEG Stream: "Tracks"

NUMAN, GARY Living Ornaments '80 (Beggars Banquet) 2cd 10.98
How do you like this amazing bargain? Two jam-packed discs of Gary Numan live recordings for only $10.98, and it's by no means at the expense of quality! All three volumes of his Living Ornaments trilogy are fantastic documents not only of Numan in his prime as a fine composer and dynamic showman, but also of analog synthesizers being performed in the rock arena. They (and the bandmembers playing them) were seriously put through a workout during these concerts. Keep in mind that analog synth sounds aren't preset, and those instruments also had a habit of drifting out of tune. So that means if the synth player required a different sound he would need to specifically dial it in each time (adjusting all the necessary parameters... often quite a complex process). Certainly makes these performances all the more awesome and a blast to hear a quarter of a decade later! Not to mention Numan's unmistakable, expressive vocals and masterly compositions. This is the real deal! It's definitely none of that lame preset arpeggiated excuse for synth music that's been plaguing our ears of late. It's unfortunate that Numan gets lumped in with the vacuous '80s new wavers 'cause music has so much more depth, both compositionally and emotionally. Seriously, if "Cars" hadn't been such a big hit (and thus thereafter unfairly condemning Numan to 'one-hit-wonder' status), his body of work would be viewed in a much different light (probably more critically lauded, and albeit probably much less widely popularized). An added bonus are all of the live photos of the spectacular stage and lighting set-up. He truly reciprocated all the love his fans bestowed upon him. Stunning! Completists will probably want all three volumes (there's some repeating of songs throughout), but if you wanna start with one then Living Ornaments '79 is the one to get first.
MPEG Stream: "Down In The Park"
MPEG Stream: "Complex"

NUMAN, GARY Living Ornaments '81 (Beggars Banquet) 2cd 10.98
How do you like this amazing bargain? Two jam-packed discs of Gary Numan live recordings for only $10.98, and it's by no means at the expense of quality! All three volumes of his Living Ornaments trilogy are fantastic documents not only of Numan in his prime as a fine composer and dynamic showman, but also of analog synthesizers being performed in the rock arena. They (and the bandmembers playing them) were seriously put through a workout during these concerts. Keep in mind that analog synth sounds aren't preset, and those instruments also had a habit of drifting out of tune. So that means if the synth player required a different sound he would need to specifically dial it in each time (adjusting all the necessary parameters... often quite a complex process). Certainly makes these performances all the more awesome and a blast to hear a quarter of a decade later! Not to mention Numan's unmistakable, expressive vocals and masterly compositions. This is the real deal! It's definitely none of that lame preset arpeggiated excuse for synth music that's been plaguing our ears of late. It's unfortunate that Numan gets lumped in with the vacuous '80s new wavers 'cause music has so much more depth, both compositionally and emotionally. Seriously, if "Cars" hadn't been such a big hit (and thus thereafter unfairly condemning Numan to 'one-hit-wonder' status), his body of work would be viewed in a much different light (probably more critically lauded, and albeit probably much less widely popularized). An added bonus are all of the live photos of the spectacular stage and lighting set-up. He truly reciprocated all the love his fans bestowed upon him. Stunning! Completists will probably want all three volumes (there's some repeating of songs throughout), but if you wanna start with one then Living Ornaments '79 is the one to get first.
MPEG Stream: "I Die: You Die"
MPEG Stream: "We Are Glass / Outro"

NUMAN, GARY Pure (Eagle) cd 15.98
Sigh. Here it is, the new full length from Gary Numan. Despite his recent escapades with the likes of Fear Factory (who covered his hit single "Cars") and because of his more recent involvement with Stephin Merritt's Sixths project, I had such high hopes for this record, but those hopes were quickly dashed. From the bad demo-like package design (ugly font, ugly photos) to the disappointing music. It seems this album should have been released back in the mid-80s. In fact, track 7 is a deadringer for Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence". There are brief moments when the Numan of old shines through, but those moments are so few and far between. Sadly most of the time, the vocals are overly effected and affected. The music, paint by numbers neo-industrial (think "Antichrist Superstar" Marilyn Manson). By the time I got to the second to last song my heart had sunk so low, but it was about to sink even lower 'cause that song "Little In Vitro" sounds so creepily like that overplayed Chris Isaak "I Don't Want to Fall in Love" song... no no no. Too much to bear.

NUMAN, GARY Telekon (Beggars Banquet) cd 14.98

NUMAN, GARY The Pleasure Principle (Beggars Banquet) cd 14.98

NUMAN, GARY + TUBEWAY ARMY Replicas Redux (Beggar's Banquet) 2cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's always a joy to rediscover an album from your youth that's stood the test of time, offering not only a comfy nostalgic feel but also remaining wonderfully listenable decades later. This one's a keeper, and we don't even really need the bonus disc of b-sides and other extras included in this expanded 2008 tour edition. The alternate renditions of "Down In The Park" and "Are 'Friends' Electric?"will surely geek the super duper fans though!
On a passing glance at the synthesized surface of Gary Numan's music it'd be easy to dismissed it along with the hordes of '80s new wave fluff and cheese. Heck, he was the king of British new wave back then! However if you move past your feelings good or bad for his ultra hit single "Cars", you'll be rewarded with near classical compositional elegance, heartbreakingly beautiful melodic interludes, not to mention Numan's remarkably emotive voice expressing his dystopic Philip K. Dick, W.S. Burroughs and J.G. Ballard inspired lyrics. All these things stand in stark contrast to the emotionless android chill commonly associated with the genre, and ultimately that's the point that's made crystal clear when hearing Replicas nearly three decades after its original release. While it certainly appeals to the new waver in all of us, it delivers so much more!
MPEG Stream: "Are 'Friends' Electric?"
MPEG Stream: "Down In The Park (early version)"
MPEG Stream: ""

NUMAN, GARY / TUBEWAY ARMY Premier Hits (Beggar's Banquet) cd 14.98
There are those of us who cannot imagine our lives without the alienated plaints of Gary Numan. Here, finally, are his hits. 18 tracks. Two versions of "Cars". "Stormtrooper in Drag"! All digitally remastered. Life is now, at last, worth living.

NUMBER TWELVE LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU, THE Put On Your Rosy Red Glasses (Piermont) cd 10.98
When we made the newest record by An Albatross record of the week a while back, we were pretty sure there could be no band faster and more convoluted and more prog and more fucked up, but I think maybe we were wrong. The curiously named The Number Twelve Looks Like You (fyi: it was the title of a Twilight Zone episode), take the furious grind prog of An Albatross, ditch the keyboards, and focus on being faster and more complicated and more totally baffling. And succeed, BIG TIME.
Every track here is a mind blowing tangle of complex convoluted leads, super mathy, ultra complicated arrangements, some of the most impossibly dexterous drumming EVER, as well as a cacophony of shrieking vocals, downtuned chugs, blown out crumbling production, and strange almost mosh like breakdowns. Huge blasts of hypergrind are butted right up against almost catchy melodic riffing, before the two somehow collide and join forces and become some ultra impossible melodic hypergrind. Or something. We're tempted to declare this the grind record of the year, but most grindheads would be baffled. Same with metalheads, there's so much space, and weird pop, and so many what-the-fuck moments, that it's impossible to call this a metal record either. But we can safely say it's one seriously fucked up, weird and wonderful, heavy and confusional, convoluted metallic psych prog freaked out grind. Seriously heavy weird shit that just might be your favorite record of the year, if you're into seriously heavy weird shit that is.
And as if to prove our point, and maybe draw attention to their numerical monicker, the last 4 tracks are some sort of baffling Number Twelve suite. Track nine is called "Die" and is 12 seconds of silence. Track ten is also called "Die" and is also 12 seconds of silence. Track eleven, also called "Die", all silence. Track TWELVE is 12 minutes and 12 seconds long, all silence, EXCEPT for the last 12 seconds, which consist of a 12 second long drum and kazoo jam. Fuck. Yeah.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Get Blood On My Prada Shoes"
MPEG Stream: "Jesus And Tori"
MPEG Stream: "Blue Dress"

NUMBER TWELVE LOOKS LIKE YOU, THE Mongrel (Eyeball) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Imagine Nation Express"
MPEG Stream: "El Pinata De La Muerte"

NUMBER TWELVE LOOKS LIKE YOU, THE Nuclear. Sad. Nuclear. (Eyeball) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "The Devil's Dick Disaster"
MPEG Stream: "Texas Dolly"

NUMBERS Death (Tigerbeat6) cd 13.98
Numbers, all by themselves, have a firm handle on taking the tools of punk rock and using them as instruments of total dancefloor destruction, making them prime candidates for re-interprations of their songs that highlight, rather than obliterate, their inherent status as dance tunes. Some of the tracks on this new remix album do just that, some don't, and as is to be expected from a remix album I guess, some of these tracks work a whole lot better than others, although overall, "Death" is really pretty solid. Most of the mixes here are in the hands of the good-humored glitchmeisters of the Tigerbeat 6 roster, many of whose aims seem to be more idiosyncratic than the simple forging of club-friendly tunage from the Numbers raw material. The best tracks, like Dymaxion's mix of "What Is The Product?" and Caro's take on "Intercom," fracture and extrapolate cold neo-disco from the already thumpin' Numbers beat. Gold Chains inserts himself, friendly and joshing like, into the musical dialogue on his take on "Prison Life" through the additional vocals; the party jams are duly delivered by Kid 606; controversial faux-teutonic trio Zeigenbock Kopf turn "I Like Having These Things" into, uh, a Zeigenbock Kopf song. It's a tribute to all the mixers that it's not immediately noticable that a couple songs are tackled more than once (or twice). Other remixers include Electronicat, Stars As Eyes, Dwayne Sodhaberk, Original Hamster, Kit Clayton, GD Luxxe, Dat Politics and Uprock.
MPEG Stream: KID 606 "We Like Having These Things (Williamsburg Rmx)"
MPEG Stream: GOLD CHAINS "Prison Life (GC Remix)"

NUMBERS Ee-Uh! (Troubleman Unlimited) cd 11.98
Here's a half-live, half studio half dozen from Numbers. The lo-fi live three were recorded in Oakland at a big ol' warehouse 'demolition' party. A messy, raucous EP that's sure to please fans, we'd imagine.

NUMBERS In My Mind All The Time (Tigerbeat6) cd 13.98
Here's the new one from the Numbers, those neo-New Wavers who are a popular part of the much-hyped San Francisco scene. Robotic dancefloor punk from ex-members of Xerobot, all quirky and jerky, yelpy and bloopy. If you're already into 'em this won't disappoint I'm sure. However, I have to say that a few nights back I happened into a bar where a Judas Priest tribute band was playing. I think they were named Sad Wings of Destiny, from up north someplace, though they looked liked they'd just stumbled drunk out of a Castro bar. And even though they weren't getting every song 100 percent right, they totally rocked. It was very punk and fucked up, spirited and fun and very very campy. The Numbers of course are going for a quite different sort of '70s / '80s retro vibe. But the point is Sad Wings of Destiny (or was it Screaming For Vengeance?) would have blown them off the stage. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, except to say that while the Numbers record is not necessarily bad, I liked a messed-up Priest tribute band better way better. They had the songs, they had the attitude, and never mind what's trendy. PRIEST!!
MPEG Stream: "Go To Show"
MPEG Stream: "Disease"

NUMBERS Life (Tigerbeat6) cd 12.98
Remember that band Xerobot that were around during the Midwest No Wave craze of the mid nineties? Numbers is ex-members of Xerobot, and everybody is gaga for No Wave in SF right now. Catchy punk rawk, chaotic choppy guitar, screamy/shouty boy/girl vox though distorted makeshift microphones -- it's all good, but the amateurish homemade synth bleeps and token Moog distract from the totally fierce guitarwork. Influences definitely include Gang of Four and Wire. Ten songs, nineteen and a half minutes. Tigerbeat6. Down with the scene.
RealAudio clip: "Prison Life"
RealAudio clip: "I'm Shy"

NUMBERS Now You Are This (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
Long gone are the days of the bratty and sassy Numbers, when the band first hit the scene a few years back. These days Numbers have refined their love of electronic tinged rock, taking cues from sonic pioneers like '70s Brian Eno and early Gary Numan as well as some hints of Krautrock.
As always they have their Moogs and other rad instruments on full throttle (check out their awesome Octave Cat and the always handy shruti box, both of which help create lots of the drones that run through many of the songs on Now You Are This). With vocalist Indra singing lead on a majority of the tracks and irresistible momentum of that most of these songs, we could definitely see Numbers teaming up with kindred spirits Electrelane sometime in the future for a meeting of the musical minds that would make a lot of sense, and most likely sound fantastic.
MPEG Stream: "Fantasy Life"
MPEG Stream: "Mind Hole"

NUMBERS Now You Are This (Upset The Rhythm) 2lp 17.98
Now Available on vinyl!
Long gone are the days of the bratty and sassy Numbers, when the band first hit the scene a few years back. These days Numbers have refined their love of electronic tinged rock, taking cues from sonic pioneers like '70s Brian Eno and early Gary Numan as well as some hints of Krautrock.
As always they have their Moogs and other rad instruments on full throttle (check out their awesome Octave Cat and the always handy shruti box, both of which help create lots of the drones that run through many of the songs on Now You Are This). With vocalist Indra singing lead on a majority of the tracks and irresistible momentum of that most of these songs, we could definitely see Numbers teaming up with kindred spirits Electrelane sometime in the future for a meeting of the musical minds that would make a lot of sense, and most likely sound fantastic.
MPEG Stream: "Fantasy Life"
MPEG Stream: "Mind Hole"

NUMBERS W (Tomlab) 7" 6.98

NUMBERS We're Animals (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
Wow...This is their best yet! Their first for Kill Rock Stars (after three releases on Tigerbeat 6) and the shift in labels also marks a major shift in sound for this SF trio. While Numbers became known for their diy approach to electro-pop, "we're animals" finds them ready to move on and into different directions. The sound is much fuller and you get the feeling that lots of thought was put into making a full album as opposed to just throwing together a bunch of songs. In lots of ways this is sort of like their Milk Man (the Deerhoof album, that is). Guitars and keyboards which take their cue from early Eno rock albums with moments of washed out sounds that shimmer and sizzle. No more traces of gimmickry. What hasn't changed for Numbers is that their presence and energy is still undeniable. So nice to see when a band has the courage to make a change that might alienate their past fan base but in the process come out on the other end with a record so much better then if they had just continued to go through the expected motions.
MPEG Stream: "Desert Life"
MPEG Stream: "The Fuck You Garage"

NUMBERS + ADULT. Numbers + Adult. = This Seven Inch (Kill Rock Stars) 7" 3.98
If this split 7" had come out a few years ago, it would've probably seemed like a bit of an odd pairing, but these days SF's (formerly much more no-wave influenced) Numbers and Detroit's (formerly very singularly electro-botic) Adult. are soundin' pretty chummy. Where they've found their common ground is in the raw, retro punky pit. Both songs in this split 7" equation feature snarky female vocals and underlying herky-jerk rhythms. Adult. percolates a dark, itchy "Monologue" and Numbers proclaim at a slower tempo "Me Me" punctuated by choppy guitars. Sure to please fans of both bands.

NUMBERS / EMERGENCY split (Archigramophone) 12" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Four songs by SF faves Numbers are paired with five songs from sadly defunct Portlanders Emergency, including a cover by late 70's NYC post-punk group Come On.
Numbers approach everyday technology (photography, TV,) from a distance to produce angular pop that has the power to drive people to dance themselves into sweaty heaps. Two of these songs also appear on their debut full length cd "Numbers Life" on Tigerbeat 6. The Emergency side features bratty/erudite vocals (courtesy Ethan Swan-Scahill, who runs Archigramophone along with drummer Paul Dickow), high pitched guitar anti-melody lines and some damaged punk disco beats. Obnoxious and good, though not as excellent as their lp "The Less I Know" (also on Archigramaphone).

NUMINOUS EYE Clockwork Moon (Nod And Smile) lp 11.98
Latest lp from local shoegazing psych duo of guitarist/vocalist Mason Jones (ex-Subarachnoid Space) and drummer Mike Shoun (Thee Oh Sees), both of whom augment Numinous Eye's sound with copious synths and effects. Amped up and/or blissed out, it's hypnotic stuff, some songs riding waves of distorted guitar and roiling drums, others more laid back and mellow, with gentle singing, these more song-y songs still featuring echoing, extended spacey guitar passages over steady, tasteful drum beats (Shoun in Caesura '90s era mode, his old post-rock band), with Mason's gentle, sensitive vocals drifting over top, hinting at Galaxie 500 - though some comparisons soundwise could also be made to the psychedelic stylings of fellow San Franciscans Wooden Shijps, as well as to some of Mason's pals in the Tokyo psych scene (previous Numinous Eye releases have featured contributions from members of Acid Mothers Temple and Up-Tight among others). Recommended - as is this list's other ex-Subarachnoid Space related release, by Eight Bells!
Vinyl-only, comes with digital download code though. And boy is it a thick slab of 180-gram vinyl.
MPEG Stream: "As You Like It"
MPEG Stream: "Building Dreams"
MPEG Stream: "Will You Let It Fade"

NUMINOUS EYE Live/Studio (Little Mafia) 12" 9.98

NUMINOUS EYE The Farthest Thing (Charnel Music) cd-r 9.98

NURSE WITH WOUND Paranoia In Hi-Fi (United Dirter) cd 4.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's a special sampler disc that was intended to sell for only 99 pence in the UK; but even with the horrible exchange rate and shipping costs, Paranoia In Hi-Fi is still a reasonable $4.98 on this side of the pond. BUT! There's a catch. You have to walk in the door of Aquarius and buy this disc in person! The idea that Nurse With Wound, Dirter Promotions, and Cargo Distribution collectively had, was to encourage the multitudes of Nurse With Wound fans and newcomers to get out into the independent shops and maybe purchase something else alongside this nicely priced cd... so no mailorder for this.
Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound has engineered this anthology as a teasing sampler into the wild and weird world of NWW, by collaging the tracks into a seamless mix and then splicing that collage into 79 separate tracks, making it downright foolish to rip this thing into mp3s. Yup, this is a mega-mix meant to be listened to from beginning to end. True to NWW form, it's a rollercoaster of dada cut-ups, splattered noise, horrifying ambience, post-krautrock jams, and psychedelically inclined musique concrete. We do hear bits from The Sylvie & Babs Hi-Fi Companion, Homotopy To Marie, the Stereolab collaboration, Alice The Goon, the hilarious NWW mash-up with James Chance, and the Inflatable Sideshow alter ego which appropriates Black Sabbath of all things. To all of these things, we here at Aquarius once again say "Thank you, Mr. Stapleton!"

NVH / BEN CHASNY ....Plays The Book Of Revelations (Yik Yak) lp 21.00
We're not sure who NVH are, but what have they done with Ben Chasney?! A while back we had a super limited cassette release from Six Organs Of Admittance's Ben Chasny and the mysterious NVH, with the same title oddly enough. Needless to say, we sold out of those tapes and left loads of people wanting, and while this lp only release has the same title, it is NOT the same music. One song from the tape is duplicated here, but other than that this is all new music.
So what's this whole Chasny / NVH thing about anyway, well, you won't find any dreamy folky prettiness here. This lp is all about the noise. The noise a guitar and god knows what else can conjure up. This is some serious noiserock. Heck, there's no rock to speak of, this is just good ol' noise. But not really -just- noise, there's a whole lot going on. It's just all wrapped in some of the most corrosive seriously damaged skree we've heard in ages. Guitars careen everywhere, huge walls of crumbling distortion tumble onto blown out riffs, FX drenched squiggles are everywhere, angular melodies are twisted and tangled into psychedelic squalls, riffs are pulled apart into squealing keening roaring parts and hurled separately into the mix bouncing wildly off each other. Here and there the blown out rumbles coalesce into thick buzzing drones, and pretty melodies drift in and out, but are quickly overpowered. Imagine locking Keiji Haino and Kawabata Makoto in a a tiny room, armed with nothing but guitars, distortion pedals and a wall of amps each, dueling to the death, the results recorded and played back through a bank of busted effects. Wild and weird. And pretty fucking awesome. But definitely another one for the iron eared...
Packaged in a super elaborate fold out sleeve, all black, with black printing, black inner sleeve, and the outer jacket unfolds into a massive (upside down?) crucifix!!
Super limited too, so don't snooze on this one....

NVH / BEN CHASNY ...Plays The Book Of Revelations (Folding) cassette 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Super limited cassette tape of Six Organs Of Admittance's Ben Chasny and NVH! Please note: tht's N V H not N M H (i.e, Neutral Milk Hotel) as some customers have mistakenly thought! Released by AQ pal Mike Donovan (Sic Alps, Big Techno Werewolves, Nam, Sounds Of The Barbary Coast, The Ropers, Dial Records) as part of his ongoing cassette tape series. Only about 200 of these are being made, so needless to say, don't snoooooze! Pssst... we also have a small number of some other Folding cassette releases, all with hand made covers -- a couple of short ones from Death Sentence: Panda and Donovan's own current band Sic Alps, plus one by Dark Yellow Swans (aka Yellow Swans) and a compilation he compiled with artist Chris Johanson called SSSSSOSS2. Dust off yer cassette deck!

NYMPH s/t (Social Registry) cd 14.98
Holy shit! Yes we know that's a pretty over the top and perhaps cliche way to start off a review but there is really no other way to jump into talking about how rad this record is without screaming those words loud and proud. We first heard about Nymph from our pal Tomo (Tussle, Coconut) and he's not one to say something is awesome when it isn't, so we knew we had to check them out. And luckily Social Registry has stepped up to help get the sound of Nymph into more and more ears, as only a few of us actually got to hear the cd-r they released themselves. With this proper release finally available, we hope and think lots of folks will be getting way into Nymph, and their awesomely psychedelic witched out sounds overflow with sparkles of golden dust and magical dissidence. Imagine a much more stoned OOIOO dipping their toes into some free jazz creek while filtering it through their own unique take on no wave, but twisting it all up into something much more expansive. Like Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band interpreted by Gang Gang Dance and Death: Sentence Panda, or a pack of stoners breaking into Deerhoof's practice space and blasting out long jams that you can't help but play as loud as possible. For sure one of the coolest new bands we've heard in a long while!
MPEG Stream: "II-Yo"
MPEG Stream: "Namu"
MPEG Stream: "Reeds Of Osirion"

O LEVEL (INC. TEENAGE FILMSTARS) A Day In The Life of Gilbert and George: 1977-1980 (Artpop!) cd 17.98
We made the recent reissue of Teenage Filmstars' Star a Record of the Week, and plan on doing the same for the other TF records as soon as they're reissued. Furthermore, one person who works here even proclaimed TF better than My Bloody Valentine, and sticks by that inflammatory claim! But much like MBV, TF weren't always masters of tripped out backwards space psych, in fact long before TF became a swirling spaced out bliss rocking psychedelic juggernaut, they were a kick ass, old school jangly UK punk rock band. Teenage Filmstars mainman Ed Ball, and his partners Daniel Treacy and Joseph Foster also did time in the Television Personalities, and would later go on to start the Rev-ola, Artpop! and Creation labels. That's some serious pop star power for sure.
But back then, things were much simpler, especially the sound, many of these tracks are indeed credited to Teenage Filmstars instead of O Level, but TF were a whole different beast, channeling the sound of the Kinks, the Who, the Jam, the Undertones, the Rezillos (who even get name checked on one song), all angular post punk and groovy garage-y stomp, catchy and hooky and simple and rollicking and more pop than punk, whereas the O Level tracks seem a bit more abstract, a bit more out there, than the TF tracks, which are more catchy and energetic, but to be fair, if the tracks were uncredited to one band or the other it might be difficult to tell them apart. They are basically the same band after all.
There are some amazing tracks here, the all time classic "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape", the melancholy summery strum of "I Love To Clean My Polaris Missile", the Beatlesesque "Everybody's On Revolver Tonight", some tracks even a have a bit of ska guitar here and there, lots of bloopy dubby bass, the guitars are angular and jangly, the vocals are all over, a Cockney growl one minute, a sweet croon the next, and the songs are fun, catchy, noisy, poppy, the lyrics are super clever and snarky too, sometimes sharp and funny, other times subtly dark, all in all a killer comp of seminal UK punk / pop and a brilliant glimpse at the roots of a sound and scene that would eventually blossom into a serious obsession!
Amazing packaging, all the original tracks, tons of bonus tracks, lots of photos, super entertaining and confusional liner notes, almost as fun to read as the record is to listen to.
MPEG Stream: O LEVEL "Pseudo Punk"
MPEG Stream: O LEVEL "O Levels"
MPEG Stream: TEENAGE FILMSTARS "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape"
MPEG Stream: TEENAGE FILMSTARS "The Odd Man Out"
MPEG Stream: O LEVEL "Stairway To Boredom"
MPEG Stream: TEENAGE FILMSTARS "I Love To Clean My Polaris Missle"