BIS Social Dancing (Grand Royal) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Oh boy, what have Bis become? High energy dance pop...big emphasis on the dance. Fun, bouncy, '80s-gloss dancefloor hits in the making.

BISHOP, RICHARD SIR God Damn Religion (Locust) cd+dvd 21.00
Those surviving Sun City Girls are always up to something. Travelling the world, probably. But also releasing stuff. Alan Bishop regularly wows us with amazing field recordings on his Sublime Frequencies label. In the case of "Sir" Richard Bishop we tend to expect his usual guitar improv ragadelica. But what about... a motion picture!?! That's what we have here, a dvd disc containing director SRB's half hour EPIC cinematic bad trip entitled God Damn Religion. It's a colorful, kaleidoscopic, sometimes stroboscopic collage of imagery drawn from the darker side of the human religious experience from around the world, ancient and modern, western and "primitive"... Pretty intense stuff. Frightening, frenzied. An overwhelming procession of sex and violence, hellish tortures and ribald pleasures. Demons and devils. Multilimbed Hindu gods and fallen Christian angels. Suffering sinners. Savage rites. All these gratuitous graphics crammed together like a flip book succession of details from Sun City Girls album covers. A segment (one of many) devoted to depictions of leering, long-tongued devils in the European tradition is followed by footage from a shrine of overgrown sculptural phalluses in Bangkok... Elsewhere SRB drops in scenes of witches and devils cavorting taken from the '20s silent film Haxan, as well as examples of "Buddhist torture paintings" he photographed in Southeast Asia.
We'd guess, rated R. Definitely not for kids, epileptics, or the impressionably Christian. The rest of us should find it quite fascinating, maybe even hypnotic. Maybe you'd even GET religion after being exposed to this, though presumably the idea is to make you sick of it. It's certainly a psychedelic visual experience, like a rapid fire glimpse into the Sun City Girls' graphic archives, and is excellently edited. The soundtrack music by SRB is of course an effective component too...
And in fact as a bonus, the first edition of this dvd comes with an extra disc, a cd version of the previously vinyl-only 2006 SRB album Elektronika Demonika, which is as scary as it sounds, four long tracks of claustrophobic ethno-industrial rhythmic, droney weirdness!! Pretty trippy, a funhouse flying saucer of a noisefest that itself would likely twist your mind even without the disturbing, sexually and demonically-charged visuals that it accompanies as a portion of the soundtrack to the God Damn Religion dvd...
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 3"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Fingering The Devil (Latitudes 0:07) (Latitudes / Southern) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The newest in the frustratingly limited Latitudes series. Former contributors have included the Grails, Shit & Shine, Will Whitmore, Ginnungagap and Ariel Pink (don't bother asking, they are all long gone). Here we have the Sun City Girls' Sir Richard Bishop, in his solo guitar Improvika mode. Very much in the spirit of the current American Primitive / neo Appalchia sound, exploring similar territory as Jack Rose, Stephen Basho-Jungans, Charlie Schmidt and of course John Fahey, but on these improvised tracks, Bishop injects a healthy dose of flamenco which is sort of surprising. Not that Bishop isn't well versed in various musics of the world, he most definitely is as any number of SCG records will attest to, but it still sounds a little surprising in this context, but the result is truly gorgeous. Moody and emotional, dark and dense, dreamy and lyrical. Just Bishop and a steel string guitar unfurling dense tangles of intricate fingerpicking, as well as slow contemplative melodies, all rich with Spanish flavor. Occasionally Bishop goes for an Eastern raga like vibe instead, and ends up sounding closer to UK guitarist James Blackshaw or Rose at his most drone-y. So so lovely indeed!
Comes packaged in a super intricate hand screened die cut fold over sleeve with a full color insert. The cover has a breathtaking silver foil stamped embossed frontpiece and each copy is hand stamped and numbered. Limited to 1000 copies worldwide, 500 of which made it to the United States, about 50 of which made it here. So you know what that means!
MPEG Stream: "Abydos"
MPEG Stream: "Dream Of The Lotus Eaters"
MPEG Stream: "Romany Trail"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Fingering The Devil (Latitudes 0:07V) (Latitudes / Southern) lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've all been going nuts for Southern's Latitudes series, super limited releases from Ginnungagap, Shit And Shine, Ariel Pink, Grails, Paradise Island, and elsewhere on this list, new ones from Magik Markers and Circle! Well the fine folks at Southern have decided to press a few of those Latitudes discs on vinyl! The first of which is Fingering The Devil from the Sun City Girls' Sir Richard Bishop, in his solo guitar Improvika mode. Very much in the spirit of the current American Primitive / neo Appalachia sound, exploring similar territory as Jack Rose, Stephen Basho-Jungans, Charlie Schmidt and of course John Fahey, but on these improvised tracks, Bishop injects a healthy dose of flamenco which is sort of surprising. Not that Bishop isn't well versed in various musics of the world, he most definitely is as any number of SCG records will attest to, but it still sounds a little surprising in this context, but the result is truly gorgeous. Moody and emotional, dark and dense, dreamy and lyrical. Just Bishop and a steel string guitar unfurling dense tangles of intricate fingerpicking, as well as slow contemplative melodies, all rich with Spanish flavor. Occasionally Bishop goes for an Eastern raga like vibe instead, and ends up sounding closer to UK guitarist James Blackshaw or Rose at his most drone-y. So so lovely indeed!
Comes packaged in a cool diecut sleeve, a variation on the immediately recognizable Latitudes cd packaging, although this time, white on black instead of white on brown. Includes the same insert as the cd. Pressed on cool grey splatter vinyl. And of course, SUPER SUPER LIMITED!!!
MPEG Stream: "Abydos"
MPEG Stream: "Dream Of The Lotus Eaters"
MPEG Stream: "Romany Trail"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Plays The Sun City Girls (No Fidelity) 7" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Sun City Girls' Sir Richard Bishop, recorded live in 2005, tackling two prime Sun City Girls tracks, solo on steel string acoustic guitar, and the results are quite lovely. Gorgeous, stripped down acoustic versions of "Space Prophet Dogon" (maybe our favorite Sun City Girls song ever) and "Esoterica Of Abyssynia", both retain some of their Eastern flair, but sound more like some lost Basho or Fahey track. So cool.
Packaged in a plain brown cardstock jukebox style sleeve. Not sure how limited this is, probably very, we have about a dozen.

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Polytheistic Fragments (Drag City) cd 14.98
Sir Richard Bishop has been on a roll of late, making killer alchemical guitar compositions on a variety of labels such as Locust and Southern's Latitude series. Now perched for awhile on Drag City, Bishop has anointed us with probably his best and most diverse work yet. Featuring 11 concise compositions, Bishop's frame of reference varies wildly from flamenco to the early jazz stylings of Django Reinhardt. Most of the tracks have a much lighter tone compared to his last release "While My Guitar Violently Bleeds". But most notably on Polytheistic Fragments is the inclusion of a couple of amazingly beautiful piano compositions, such as the 8 minute centerpiece "Saraswati" that features languid piano cycles accompanied by droning tamboura that in a perfect world would be the only music we would ever need.
MPEG Stream: "Elysium Number Five"
MPEG Stream: "Cemetary Games"
MPEG Stream: "Saraswati"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Polytheistic Fragments (Drag City) lp 14.98
Sir Richard Bishop has been on a roll of late, making killer alchemical guitar compositions on a variety of labels such as Locust and Southern's Latitude series. Now perched for awhile on Drag City, Bishop has anointed us with probably his best and most diverse work yet. Featuring 11 concise compositions, Bishop's frame of reference varies wildly from flamenco to the early jazz stylings of Django Reinhardt. Most of the tracks have a much lighter tone compared to his last release "While My Guitar Violently Bleeds". But most notably on Polytheistic Fragments is the inclusion of a couple of amazingly beautiful piano compositions, such as the 8 minute centerpiece "Saraswati" that features languid piano cycles accompanied by droning tamboura that in a perfect world would be the only music we would ever need.
MPEG Stream: "Elysium Number Five"
MPEG Stream: "Cemetary Games"
MPEG Stream: "Saraswati"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD The Freak Of Araby (Drag City) cd 14.98
First off, nice pun Sir Richard, nice pun! With a title like The Freak Of Araby, do we really even need to review this? Well, probably not for SRB's legion of fans, who will already have an idea of what to expect here from this master of exotic, intricate guitar playing. For them, the prospect of a new solo album by SRB is automatically a pleasant one, and purchase should occur as automatically as one picks up the new releases on ethnic field recordings label Sublime Frequencies, run by Bishop's brother and fellow former Sun City Girl, Alan. Plus we've heard it, and recommended it too!
Inspired by the music of late Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid among others, here SRB presents ten tracks of instrumental improvisations (?) in a Middle Eastern mood. Delicate and detailed, sultry and sandy. Opener "Taqasim For Omar" is quite traditional-sounding, but elsewhere Bishop's electric guitar takes on almost a surfy twang, and thoughts of dusty Spaghetti Western soundtracks might enter ones mind whilst enjoying this record. Most of the tracks feature percussion and other supporting instrumentation, but the focus is certainly on Bishop's adept and evocative six string manipulation. By Sun City Girls standards, this is easy listening, and certainly lovely, reminiscent of some of the SCGs' most accessible stuff. However, echoey FX get laid on thick during track nine, "Sidi Mansour", in case you forgot the "Freak" part of this album's title, while the tenth and final number "Blood-Stained Sands" really shakes things up by abandoning guitar in favor much multilayered buzzing saz (we think it is), for a seven and a half minutes of dervishly whirling, droning delirium that ends the album leaving no doubt about SRB being The Freak Of Araby indeed.
MPEG Stream: "Barbary"
MPEG Stream: "The Pillars Of Baalbek"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD The Freak Of Araby (Drag City) lp 15.98
First off, nice pun Sir Richard, nice pun! With a title like The Freak Of Araby, do we really even need to review this? Well, probably not for SRB's legion of fans, who will already have an idea of what to expect here from this master of exotic, intricate guitar playing. For them, the prospect of a new solo album by SRB is automatically a pleasant one, and purchase should occur as automatically as one picks up the new releases on ethnic field recordings label Sublime Frequencies, run by Bishop's brother and fellow former Sun City Girl, Alan. Plus we've heard it, and recommended it too!
Inspired by the music of late Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid among others, here SRB presents ten tracks of instrumental improvisations (?) in a Middle Eastern mood. Delicate and detailed, sultry and sandy. Opener "Taqasim For Omar" is quite traditional-sounding, but elsewhere Bishop's electric guitar takes on almost a surfy twang, and thoughts of dusty Spaghetti Western soundtracks might enter ones mind whilst enjoying this record. Most of the tracks feature percussion and other supporting instrumentation, but the focus is certainly on Bishop's adept and evocative six string manipulation. By Sun City Girls standards, this is easy listening, and certainly lovely, reminiscent of some of the SCGs' most accessible stuff. However, echoey FX get laid on thick during track nine, "Sidi Mansour", in case you forgot the "Freak" part of this album's title, while the tenth and final number "Blood-Stained Sands" really shakes things up by abandoning guitar in favor much multilayered buzzing saz (we think it is), for a seven and a half minutes of dervishly whirling, droning delirium that ends the album leaving no doubt about SRB being The Freak Of Araby indeed.
MPEG Stream: "Barbary"
MPEG Stream: "The Pillars Of Baalbek"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD While My Guitar Violently Bleeds (Locust Music) cd 14.98
Sir Richard Bishop's latest offering of altruistic guitar ragas is thankfully not limited this time around and is mesmerizingly pastoral despite the violence eluded to in the pun-y title. Three long tracks begin with flamenco-tinged Neo-Appalachia before turning down darker, drony and dirgy paths and finally emerging into the third and longest track that combines Indian mysticism with old-world European romantic beauty. What else do we need to say? this is simply outstanding!
MPEG Stream: "Smashana"
MPEG Stream: "Mahavidya"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD While My Guitar Violently Bleeds (Locust Music) lp 21.00
Now repressed, and once again available on vinyl! We never were able to get enough to list originally, so we're especially glad it's back. Here's what we said about the cd version:
Sir Richard Bishop's latest offering of altruistic guitar ragas is mesmerizingly pastoral despite the violence eluded to in the pun-y title. Three long tracks begin with flamenco-tinged Neo-Appalachia before turning down darker, drony and dirgy paths and finally emerging into the third and longest track that combines Indian mysticism with old-world European romantic beauty. What else do we need to say? This is simply outstanding!
MPEG Stream: "Smashana"
MPEG Stream: "Mahavidya"

BISON Earth Bound (Forest) cd 14.98

BITTER BITTER WEEKS Peace Is Burning (High Two) cd 16.98
It's weird. We can describe some stuff like nobody's business, dark drones and buzzing black metal, freaky folks and found sounds, harsh noise and weirdo electronic music, but for some reason, pop music seems the hardest to review. Which might be what makes the best pop music so timeless. It's some ineffable something that in some ways is actually impossible to describe, the music contains some mysterious magic, it's what makes songs stick in your head. And your heart. Some impossible chemistry, there's a moment when the drums and the guitars, the bass and the vocals, the voice and the melody, just click, and suddenly, what is just a regular old rock band, and just a plain old song, is transformed into a piece of music, that stirs your soul and that can stick with you forever, whatever is going on in your life, right at that moment, is somehow fused to the music that accompanies it. That record you loved when you broke up with the love of your life, 10 years later it still makes you weep, that first song on the mixtape given to you by someone special, still gives you a little thrill, the first music that made you want to start your own band, the songs that got you through the tough timesŠ there's a reason people NEED music.
And the more music you listen to, the more you realize that the best pop music is the simplest. No amount of overdubs, or crazy psychedelia, or far out production or instrumental prowess can disguise a mediocre record. Granted that stuff can definitely be mixed in such a way, that a record can be total ear candy, but without the songs and the hooks, candy is all it is, sweet and fizzy and then it's gone.
We first discovered Bitter Bitter Weeks a few years ago, aka Brian McTear, an engineer and producer from Philadelphia, and we're sort of kicking ourselves for only getting BBW on the list now, not sure what exactly kept us from reviewing any of those records, especially considering that the first two discs were on constant rotation. Still are actually. That's the problem with so many records to review and only so many hours in the day. But we're finally trying to make it right. The first two BBW records were mostly acoustic affairs, just McTear and an acoustic guitar, it was all about the songs and the voice, the vocals so emotive and intense, warm and familiar, a high, almost falsetto (slipping into a full on falsetto here and there), but rich and rough, and the songsŠ so so gorgeous, perfect indie pop, hell perfect pop period, just so goddamned good, that we were convinced that McTear HAD to be a guy from some other band that we knew, but nope, he was an engineer, and BBW was his first real project. This latest record finds McTear expanding his previously solo outing to a full band and as hard as it is to believe, considering how much we loved those stripped down discs, it sounds even better. 
The songs are still simple and spare, but manage to be lush and layered, clouds of jangle guitar, wrapped around McTear's gorgeous voice, the melodies lilting and perfect, subtle harmonies everywhere. The first song alone is worth the price of admission. A killer main riff, that manages to be heavy and crunchy, but without losing any of its jangle, a cool dark smoky twang in the guitar, intricate but understated drumming, the whole song propulsive and intense, the vocals soaring and lovely, the main hook absolutely unforgettable. This is where writing about music all falls apart, where words begin to fail to describe something that is essentially magical, not sure what else to say. Catchy, lovely, a bit rocking, emotive, lilting, jangly, by now you probably know if this is your cup of tea or not. Listen to the first sound sample, if you're not sold after that, then you have a black black heart devoid of pop and we pity you! The closest comparison we can come up with is maybe My Dad Is Dead, that same sort of dour beauty, minor key melancholia, a definite nineties indie rock / college rock jangle vibe, but at its core, just timeless and practically perfect pop.
MPEG Stream: "Once And For All"
MPEG Stream: "Writing Letters"
MPEG Stream: "Danger In The Halls"

BITTERS, THE Wooden Glove (Captured Tracks) lp 14.98

BIXBY, DAVE Ode To Quetzalcoatl (Guerssen) cd 17.98
What a long strange trip it was for Dave Bixby, from a young man playing covers in a folk pop band in the sixties, to spending a year high on LSD, to discovering God, to then becoming disillusioned with God, to contemplating suicide, to finally speaking to God (or having God speak to him) and thus recording both Ode To Quetzalcoatl and most of its follow up, Second Coming, eventually released under the name Harbinger, both records chronicling Bixby's life and struggles with spirituality and drugs.
Ode To Quetzalcoatl, originally a super rare private press release, that regularly fetched thousands of dollars, was and maybe still is one of the most legendary/infamous downer/loner folk records ever, the recording sparse and mournful, mostly just acoustic guitar, reverb laden vocals, occasional harmonica or flute, but mostly just guitar and vocals, but it was enough, so haunting and heartwrenching, the lyrics twisted and depressive, so miserable and dark and anguished, the reverb only adding to the otherwordliness, the guitar lazy and languorous, the melodies minor key and melancholy, a little like Jandek if he could actually sing and play guitar. And was a recovered drug addict, born again Christian.
A simply gorgeous slab of super personal doomfolk from before there even was doomfolk, for fans of Nick Drake, Bill Fay, Roy Harper, Charles Manson and all dark mysterious folkmusic...
MPEG Stream: "Drug Song"
MPEG Stream: "Free Indeed"
MPEG Stream: "I Have Seen Him"
MPEG Stream: "666"

BIXBY, DAVE Ode To Quetzalcoatl (Guerssen) lp 26.00
What a long strange trip it was for Dave Bixby, from a young man playing covers in a folk pop band in the sixties, to spending a year high on LSD, to discovering God, to then becoming disillusioned with God, to contemplating suicide, to finally speaking to God (or having God speak to him) and thus recording both Ode To Quetzalcoatl and most of its follow up, Second Coming, eventually released under the name Harbinger, both records chronicling Bixby's life and struggles with spirituality and drugs.
Ode To Quetzalcoatl, originally a super rare private press release, that regularly fetched thousands of dollars, was and maybe still is one of the most legendary/infamous downer/loner folk records ever, the recording sparse and mournful, mostly just acoustic guitar, reverb laden vocals, occasional harmonica or flute, but mostly just guitar and vocals, but it was enough, so haunting and heartwrenching, the lyrics twisted and depressive, so miserable and dark and anguished, the reverb only adding to the otherwordliness, the guitar lazy and languorous, the melodies minor key and melancholy, a little like Jandek if he could actually sing and play guitar. And was a recovered drug addict, born again Christian.
A simply gorgeous slab of super personal doomfolk from before there even was doomfolk, for fans of Nick Drake, Bill Fay, Roy Harper, Charles Manson and all dark mysterious folkmusic...
MPEG Stream: "Drug Song"
MPEG Stream: "Free Indeed"
MPEG Stream: "I Have Seen Him"
MPEG Stream: "666"

BJORK Alarm Call (Polygram UK) video 41.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
9 versions of "Alarm Call", including ones by "Bjeck" (Beck), Matmos, Andy Bradfield and Mark Bell. Plus a video directed by Alexander McQueen, bad boy clothing designer.

BJORK Alarm Call (Polygram UK) 3cdsingle box 32.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
9 versions of "Alarm Call", including ones by "Bjeck" (Beck), Matmos, Andy Bradfield and Mark Bell. Plus a video directed by Alexander McQueen, bad boy clothing designer.

BJORK Alarm Call (Matmos Mixes) (Polygram UK) 12" 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While there are 4 remix singles of Bjork's "Alarm Call," the only one of any merit is from Matmos who deconstructs her vocals into snippets of vocoded utterances and breathy slurs. The heady downtempo electro breaks and squiggly sampling weirdness that one expects from the San Francisco duo dominate their two remixes. Beck (here cutely identified as "Bjeck") adds an exceptionally good carnivalesque mix on flipside.
The other 3 mixes which we do have in stock feature DJ Krust with his two brittle drum & bass reworkings on one of the singles, a dreadful single of handbag house courtesy of Alan Braxe and Ben Diamond, and the last single from LFO member Mark Bell, who coincidentally co-wrote the original song with Bjork.

BJORK Debut (Elektra) cd 16.98

BJORK Debut - Surrounded (DualDisc) (Rhino) dualdisc 17.98
Ooops, meant to list this last time with Homogenic and Post...
Hey, have you heard of this newfangled technology? It's called a dualdisc. A CD on one side, a DVD on the other! Pretty good idea except you should be forewarned that these discs do not play on every cd player nor every dvd player. For one thing they are thicker than 'normal' cds and dvds. Yeah, we know these things aren't all that new, but we felt the need to elaborate a bit 'cause they do seem to cause some confusion and disgruntlement.
Anyhoo, Bjork fans probably already own these just-released reissues of her early albums, right? And everyone else is to some degree or other probably pretty darn familiar with them too just by their omnipresence, eh? Sooo are introductions to these albums all that necessary?
We will say that Bjork really got her post-Sugarcubes solo ball rolling on this one back in 1993, didn't she? Who'da thunk that over the years she'd roll it into such a Katamari Damacy-like colossal mammoth of a body of work (and if you don't know what that means, well then, you don't know FUN! Google it!). At times and often all at once, she's wickedly mischievous, sugary sweet, coyly sexy, quirkily charming, and elegantly sophisticated. Pushes all the right buttons! Continues to delight old fans and new listeners (if there are any left!) alike.
What we will bring to your attention today though is that these dualdisc Bjork reissues are all subtitled 'Surrounded'. Why? Because a major feature on the dvd side of each one is a Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound version of the album. So why listen to this album 'just' in stereo, when you can have some "Big Time Sensuality" pulsating though your whole living room!? Of course, if you do want the stereo option, the cd side has that for ya too in a freshly remastered state. To sweeten the deal even further, there's also five of her deliriously delicious videos -- "Human Behaviour", "Venus As A Boy", "Play Dead", "Big Time Sensuality" and "Violently Happy" -- which are also in Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound. Swoon.
Psst, we should add that for all of you SERIOUS Bjork fans there's also a deluxe seven dualdisc Surrounded boxset which includes her six studio albums plus the Drawing Restraint 9 soundtrack!

BJORK Family Tree (Elektra) 6cd 60.00
Bountiful new, rare and previously unreleased Bjork! Six cds totalling 35 tracks in all - five mini 3" cds and one full size - stunningly packaged in a cool pink tupperware-ish box with an embossed white slipcover. The first two discs are named "Roots". They exemplify how she drew from the Icelandic cultural and natural environment. Containing five tracks each including "Cover Me" and "Joga (Strings and Vocals)". The third "Beats" features four cuts of her experiments with electronic rhythms. The fourth and fifth are grouped together as "Strings" and contain nine tracks including alternate versions of "Cover Me", "Hunter" and "Bachelorette". The sixth is her "Greatest Hits" as selected by Ms Gudmundsdottir herself - not to be confused with the concurrently released single cd "Greatest Hits" which was compiled by fan vote on Bjork.com. In the process of assembling this extensive retrospective package, Bjork spent six months revisiting works from her past. The results are remarkable, revealing her awesome artistic evolution and leaving the listener eager to discover her next pursuits.

BJORK Gling-Glo (Takk!) cd 25.00
A hard-to-find import from Bjork who performs vocal jazz numbers entirely in Icelandic.

BJORK Greatest Hits (Elektra) cd 17.98
A guy came into the store the other day, pointed at this cd and said "How's this Bjork cd?" Uhhhh. What more can be said other than that it's her greatest hits - well, at least fifteen of 'em as chosen by her adoring masses (via a vote on her website)! Dedicated fans must already own all of the albums from which these songs originated, but in case you need the highlights all neatly gathered on one disc, this is for you. Needless to say, this is a truly luminous and fanciful array.
A super bonus treat is the final, previously unreleased track "It's In Our Hands"! Prior to its appearance on this cd, the song was only exposed to the world at her live performances.
Special note: a very different greatest hits collection is included in her 6cd boxset that was released simultaneously. How is it different? Well, the selection was chosen by Bjork herself.

BJORK Homogenic (Elektra) cd 16.98
Even weirder than her last record, with orchestrated stuff and more jazz/lounge crooning. Cover is a Photoshop masterpiece art-directed by Alexander McQueen that must be seen to be believed.

BJORK Homogenic - Surrounded (DualDisc) (Rhino) dualdisc 17.98
Hey, have you heard of this newfangled technology? It's called a dualdisc. A CD on one side, a DVD on the other! Pretty good idea except you should be forewarned that these discs do not play on every cd player nor every dvd player. For one thing they are thicker than 'normal' cds and dvds. Yeah, we know these things aren't all that new, but we felt the need to elaborate a bit 'cause they do seem to cause some confusion and disgruntlement.
Anyhoo, Bjork fans probably already own these just-released reissues of her early albums, right? And everyone else is to some degree or other probably pretty darn familiar with them too just by their omnipresence, eh? Sooo are introductions to these albums all that necessary?
Back in '97 we had this to say: Even weirder than her last record (Post), with orchestrated stuff and more jazz/lounge crooning. The cover image is a Photoshop masterpiece art-directed by fashion designer Alexander McQueen that must be seen to be believed. Pretty much the same can be said for the otherworldly music in all of its elaborate intricacies.
What we will bring to your attention today though is that these dualdisc Bjork reissues are all subtitled 'Surrounded'. Why? Because a major feature on the dvd side of each one is a Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound version of the album. So why listen to Bjork's third full length Homogenic 'just' in stereo, when you can have her "Alarm Call" resonating though your whole living room!? Of course, if you do want the stereo option, the cd side has that for ya too in a freshly remastered state. To sweeten the deal even further, there's also five of her deliriously delicious videos -- "Joga", "Bachelorette", "Hunter", "Alarm Call" and "All Is Full Of Love" -- which are also in Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound. Swoon.
Psst, we should add that for all of you SERIOUS Bjork fans there's also a deluxe seven dualdisc Surrounded boxset which includes her six studio albums plus the Drawing Restraint 9 soundtrack!

BJORK Hunter (Polygram UK) video 41.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
6 versions of Hunter spread over three cd singles, some featuring remixes by U-ziq and State of Bengal. Plus the absolutely great Funkstorung remix of "All if Full of Love", and the DJ Krust remix of "So Broken". We don't expect to be able to stock these again, and supplies are very limited.

BJORK Hunter (Polygram UK) 3cdsingle box 32.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
6 versions of Hunter spread over three cd singles, some featuring remixes by U-ziq and State of Bengal. Plus the absolutely great Funkstorung remix of "All if Full of Love", and the DJ Krust remix of "So Broken". We don't expect to be able to stock these again, and supplies are very limited.

BJORK Live At Cambridge (Elektra) dvd 24.00
Live DVD from Bjork's 1998 tour supporting "Homogenic" with the musical accompaniment of the Icelandic Octet and Mark Bell.

BJORK Live At Shepherds Bush Empire (Elektra) dvd 24.00
Live DVD from the 1997 tour in support of "Post". Previously available in VHS format.

BJORK Livebox (One Little Indian) 4cd + dvd 56.00
We've had a couple of these in stock for a little while, hidden away on a shelf behind our front counter where nobody ever seems to see 'em (along with such other items as the giant Yahowah 13 disc box set, several of Cup's delightful Sog Mongeys, a 2cd reissue of Japan's Tin Drum, both Nuggets box sets, a weird video tape-in-a-bag-of-ephemera from the Japanese Augen label, and of course we can't neglect to mention the ZZ Top box set that looks like a Texas barbeque shack and comes with little cardboard standup ZZ Top figures, which Allan's gonna buy if nobody else does). So we thought at least a few of y'all would want to know about this Bjork box. Basically, it's one disc of songs from Bjork's Debut album performed live, one of songs from Post live, one from Homogenic live, one from Vespertine live, and a fifth bonus DVD disc of video footage. Plus a 36 page booklet all in a handsome lil' box with art and text in that cool Bjork font. Whoo-hoo! And if you want the ZZ Top box too, maybe we can work a deal...just kidding, Allan doesn't want anyone to buy it, so he can have it...

BJORK Medula Videos (Elektra) dvd 15.98

BJORK Medulla (Elektra) cd 17.98
The conscious decision to use only the human voice in musical compositions is nothing new -- the unadulterated vocals of a cappella soul groups and barber shop quartets immediately spring to mind -- however, few mainstream artists have brought this approach to today's popular music (okay, we remember Bobby McFerrin). The choice to use only one 'instrument' initially seems to be potentially limiting, but of course Bjork's not limited at all. Her voice on its own has an arguably unsurpassed power and expressiveness. Now, add to that a number of other artists of her meticulous choosing (Mike Patton, Robert Wyatt...), and she can't be stopped. Granted Bjork also has the luxury of state of the art recording technology at her beck and call to mutate and accommodate any sound (directly from a human source or otherwise) into something altogether unrecognizably different (and decidedly non-human sounding) for her sonic pallette. Indeed, many of Medulla's tracks are stunning examples of a near-magical fusion of human vocal ability, composition and studio wizardry. You won't encounter much in the way of her deliriously wonderful pop songs here (not unexpectedly, this is something that seems to have already put off a few Bjork fan AQ customers upon their initial listens, but we'd recommend giving the album a little more time, and you might discover it sinking its non-pop hooks into you), instead you'll find what is perhaps her most challenging, otherworldly, abstract work to date. There's two versions of this available, digipack vs. regular jewel case. The high price digipak version differs from the normal jewel case version ONLY in that it is a digipak (duh) but also contains a small poster. Worth two extra bucks? You decide. Also realise that if you're the poster hanging type, all of the liner notes in this version are on the back of the poster, so you'll have to get a real good look at 'em before this goes up in your locker! So basically, we'd recommend opting for the regular jewel case edition...
MPEG Stream: "Where Is The Line"
MPEG Stream: "Submarine"

BJORK Medulla (Ltd. Edition) (Elektra) cd + poster 19.98
The conscious decision to use only the human voice in musical compositions is nothing new -- the unadulterated vocals of a cappella soul groups and barber shop quartets immediately spring to mind -- however, few mainstream artists have brought this approach to today's popular music (okay, we remember Bobby McFerrin). The choice to use only one 'instrument' initially seems to be potentially limiting, but of course Bjork's not limited at all. Her voice on its own has an arguably unsurpassed power and expressiveness. Now, add to that a number of other artists of her meticulous choosing (Mike Patton, Robert Wyatt...), and she can't be stopped. Granted Bjork also has the luxury of state of the art recording technology at her beck and call to mutate and accommodate any sound (directly from a human source or otherwise) into something altogether unrecognizably different (and decidedly non-human sounding) for her sonic pallette. Indeed, many of Medulla's tracks are stunning examples of a near-magical fusion of human vocal ability, composition and studio wizardry. You won't encounter much in the way of her deliriously wonderful pop songs here (not unexpectedly, this is something that seems to have already put off a few Bjork fan AQ customers upon their initial listens, but we'd recommend giving the album a little more time, and you might discover it sinking its non-pop hooks into you), instead you'll find what is perhaps her most challenging, otherworldly, abstract work to date. There's two versions of this available, digipack vs. regular jewel case. The high price digipak version differs from the normal jewel case version ONLY in that it is a digipak (duh) but also contains a small poster. Worth two extra bucks? You decide. Also realise that if you're the poster hanging type, all of the liner notes in this version are on the back of the poster, so you'll have to get a real good look at 'em before this goes up in your locker! So basically, we'd recommend opting for the regular jewel case edition...
MPEG Stream: "Where Is The Line"
MPEG Stream: "Submarine"

BJORK Post (Elektra) cd 16.98

BJORK Post - Surrounded (DualDisc) (Rhino) dualdisc 17.98
Hey, have you heard of this newfangled technology? It's called a dualdisc. A CD on one side, a DVD on the other! Pretty good idea except you should be forewarned that these discs do not play on every cd player nor every dvd player. For one thing they are thicker than 'normal' cds and dvds. Yeah, we know these things aren't all that new, but we felt the need to elaborate a bit 'cause they do seem to cause some confusion and disgruntlement.
Anyhoo, Bjork fans probably already own these just-released reissues of her early albums, right? And everyone else is to some degree or other probably pretty darn familiar with them too just by their omnipresence, eh? Sooo are introductions to these albums all that necessary?
What we will bring to your attention today though is that these dualdisc Bjork reissues are all subtitled 'Surrounded'. Why? Because a major feature on the dvd side of each one is a Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound version of the album. So why listen to Post (originally released in 1995) 'just' in stereo, when you can have Bjork's "Army Of Me" completely engulf you in the privacy of your own home!? Of course, if you do want the stereo option, the cd side has that for ya too in a freshly remastered state. To sweeten the deal even further, there's also a half dozen of her deliriously delicious videos -- "Army Of Me", "Isobel", "It's Oh So Quiet", "Hyper-ballad", "Possibly Maybe" and "I Miss You" -- which are also in Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound. Swoon.
Psst, we should add that for all of you SERIOUS Bjork fans there's also a deluxe seven dualdisc Surrounded boxset which includes her six studio albums plus the Drawing Restraint 9 soundtrack!

BJORK Selmasongs: Music From The Motion Picture 'Dancer In The Dark' (Elektra) cd 16.98
Can Bjork do no wrong? Well, her record label certainly can, by making $19 the suggested list price for this new 35 minute long (mini) album! Fortunately we're able to offer it for a little less, although our suppliers will probably jack up the price once our initial supply runs out... However, Bjork (and past Bjork collaborator, producer Mark Bell) have come up with a nice little disc here, the soundtrack (or at least, songs from soundtrack) to the eagerly awaited 'round these parts, Cannes film festival award-winning, Bjork-starring film by Lars Von Trier. It's certainly very "soundtracky" at first listen, super orchestral and all, but there's some very interesting technoish weirdness to be found here too. It seems that Bjork and co. have been listening to the the Raster school of clicks and cuts electronica (along with the Art of Noise and, Jim thinks, Gilbert & Sullivan). "Surface noise" crackle (a la Pole and, well, Portishead) and crinkly rhythm programming mixes nicely with That Voice on the track "Scatterheart".
Yes, That Voice. When it comes down to it, even $19 wouldn't be too much to pay to hear this brilliant woman sing. We're hopeless Bjork fans, I guess, but "Selmasongs" is, as we expected, a joy, even if it isn't another "Homogenic". Can't wait for a real full-length Bjork album tho, one where she's free from the distractions of acting in a movie and constrained by cinematic convention / directorial needs. ...Oh, and we should mention that she duets with a few folks on this disc, among them Catherine Deneuve and Radiohead's Thom Yorke.

BJORK Telegram (Elektra) cd 12.98
This is REALLY good. Rerecorded reinterpretations of songs from Bjork's Homogenic album, plus one brand new song. The people involved include Mark Bell (of LFO), The Brodsky Quartet, Tricky, deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie, Howie B., Dillinjah, and Talvin Singh. Ranges from dancefloor-ready techno to weird neoclassical sparseness to jungle. Wow!

BJORK Vespertine (Elektra) cd 12.98
More of the same from Mistress Bjork (thus, no disappointment). Making appearances are Herbert (Dr Rockit), Console, harpist Zeena Parkins and our pals from Matmos. One track has an Oval sample and Bjork sings some e.e. cummings lyrics. And one song is written by Harmony Korine.
RealAudio clip: "Pagan Poetry"

BJORK Vespertine (cd+dvd) (Rhino) dualdisc 17.98

BJORK Vespertine: Live At Royal Albert Hall 2001 (One Little Indian) dvd 21.00

BJORK Volta (Atlantic) cd 19.98
Who else but Bjork could get the congotronics of Konono No. 1, the infectious production of Timbaland, the extraordinary drumming of Chris Corsano, the majestic kora playing of Toumani Diabate, the spastic noiserock of Brian Chippendale from Lightning Bolt and the emotionally charged voice of Antony (from Antony And The Johnsons) all together on one single record? Nobody else of course. This decade has found Bjork experimenting with a wide range of formats and modes of expression. With Vespertine she practically gave a how-to-exercise on infusing the laptop with warmth and personal poetry. Selmasongs reminded us that it's still possible to create a meaningful, sad and beautiful musical. Medulla, found her experimenting with the possibilities of the human voice and her collaboration with her beau Matthew Barney for The Drawing Restraint 9 allowed her to further explore her love of the avant-garde and the myriad of sounds found all over the world. In many ways Volta carries pieces from each of those projects and intertwines them in pop minded ways, some songs are dancey and charged, others dramatic and dripping with passion, and despite the wide variety of guests, it's still her singular voice and vision that holds everything together. She's one of those rare artists who manages to appeal to almost everyone, be they metalhead or popkid.
The album starts with Bjork singing "We Are The Earth Intruders...", and we are thrilled to be included in that 'we', something we'd be hard pressed to say about any other artist. But when Bjork sings 'we' it's nearly impossible to resist joining in and being a part of her endlessly creative, colorful and inspiring world of sound.
MPEG Stream: "Earth Intruders"
MPEG Stream: "The Dull Flame Of Desire"
MPEG Stream: "Innocence"
MPEG Stream: "I See Who You Are"

BJORK Voltaic (One Little Indian) 2cd+2dvd 56.00
For those who can't get enough Bjork (we know who you are) how about this, the two audio compact disc, two video dvd disc edition of Voltaic, the live companion to the eccentric Icelandic singer's latest album Volta! No, we're not reviewing it, really, just letting you know it's here... calling your name...

BJORK & FUNKSTORUNG All Is Full of Love (Fat Cat) cd 9.98
Funkstorung has previously made a name for themselves with a few singles for their Mask label (which could be seen as an anagram for Skam - who are certainly the origin for Funkstorung / Mask in terms of aesthetics). If you liked the last Autechre and Boards of Canada records, you shouldn't let this pass you by! Funkstorung fractures three different remixes from the last track from Bjork's Homogenic album that range from disjointed breakbeats to weird drum & bass.

BJORK, BRANT Keep Your Cool. (Duna) cd 16.98

BJORK, BRANT AND THE OPERATORS s/t (The Music Cartel) cd 14.98
Stoner rock's best known drummer, Mr. Brant Bjork (he's the former sticksman of both Kyuss and Fu Manchu) presents his second solo disc. In spite of the "and the Operators" part of the band name, this really IS a solo record, as Brant sings, drums, plays guitar, and actually handles *all* the instruments (all except for the crunchy keyboards)! In a nutshell, we'd describe it as a laid back, good time stoner rock record full of bubblegum riff rockers, psych jams, and lotsa New Wavey synth action. New Wave stoner rock? Yep, it's really kinda like Queens Of The Stone Age meet The Cars! Lyrically, Brant sometimes approaches the lowest common denominator realm of Foreigner's "Hot Blooded", though we suspect his words are really meant as Andrew W.K. or Tenacious D style ironic humor. Here's a sample from lead-off track "Hinda65":
"Ain't nothing gonna stop the rock tonight...I got rock tonight...feeling good it's so right...I got the rock tonight...ain't nothing gonna stop the rock tonight."
It's all knowingly dumb, good fun. I wasn't expecting much from this record, and as a result was pleasantly surprised and captivated by the catchy, summertime stuff Brant came up with here. The album closes with some dentist office funk to mellow you out after all the rock tonight.
RealAudio clip: "Hinda65"
RealAudio clip: "My Ghettoblaster"
RealAudio clip: "Cheap Wine"

BLACK ANGELS, THE Directions To See A Ghost (Light In The Attic) cd 13.98
They're never gonna be our favoritest band, but we can't help but like 'em a lot. Why not an absolute favorite? 'Cause these guys and gals from Austin, Texas, are maybe just a little bit too safe, too obviously derivative in their sound. But then why do we like 'em so much anyways? No, not because they have a song here called "Mission District", but 'cause their sound is one we love, one built on bands that ARE our faves: Spacemen 3, Loop, Joy Division, and of course the Velvet Underground, from whom they copped their name ("Black Angel's Death Song" being a track from Velvet Underground and Nico, and The Black Angels make the connection explicit by naming their publishing company Death Song). The Black Angels sure do a good job of synthesizing and celebrating their influences, creating throbbing, druggy, hypnotically repetitive spaced out psychedelic pop, full of fuzzy guitars and swirling sitars, heavy and jammy, moody and melodic too. With floating female vocals that remind us not only of Nico, but also a bit of Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Directions To See A Ghost is this band's second album, the cd again packaged in a deluxe digipack, with a tactile, op-art cover design like their debut, Passover. And if you liked the music on that one, you'll like this too. What they lack in originality, they make up for in solid, sounds-like-something-we-already-know-and-love songwriting and soundmaking of the shoegazing variety. We'd especially recommend this to fans of Wooden Shjips, they definitely have something in common, a retro psych vibe with several shared inspirations. Though, the Shjips experiment more, while The Black Angels are content to emulate. That said, they do it well, and if you like what they like, this will be a satisfying listen indeed!
MPEG Stream: "You On The Run"
MPEG Stream: "Deer-Ree-Shee"

BLACK ANGELS, THE Directions To See A Ghost (Light In The Attic) 3lp 33.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
They're never gonna be our favoritest band, but we can't help but like 'em a lot. Why not an absolute favorite? 'Cause these guys and gals from Austin, Texas, are maybe just a little bit too safe, too obviously derivative in their sound. But then why do we like 'em so much anyways? No, not because they have a song here called "Mission District", but 'cause their sound is one we love, one built on bands that ARE our faves: Spacemen 3, Loop, Joy Division, and of course the Velvet Underground, from whom they copped their name ("Black Angel's Death Song" being a track from Velvet Underground and Nico, and The Black Angels make the connection explicit by naming their publishing company Death Song). The Black Angels sure do a good job of synthesizing and celebrating their influences, creating throbbing, druggy, hypnotically repetitive spaced out psychedelic pop, full of fuzzy guitars and swirling sitars, heavy and jammy, moody and melodic too. With floating female vocals that remind us not only of Nico, but also a bit of Siouxie and the Banshees.
Directions To See A Ghost is this band's second album, the cd again packaged in a deluxe digipack, with a tactile, op-art cover design like their debut, Passover. And if you liked the music on that one, you'll like this too. What they lack in originality, they make up for in solid, sounds-like-something-we-already-know-and-love songwriting and soundmaking of the shoegazing variety. We'd especially recommend this to fans of Wooden Shjips, they definitely have something in common, a retro psych vibe with several shared inspirations. Though, the Shjips experiment more, while The Black Angels are content to emulate. That said, they do it well, and if you like what they like, this will be a satisfying listen indeed!
MPEG Stream: "You On The Run"
MPEG Stream: "Deer-Ree-Shee"

BLACK ANGELS, THE Passover (Light In The Attic) cd 11.98
Man has this band been hyped to death. There are plenty of next big things, a new one very week, but we have been hearing about this band for ages without actually hearing them until now. And you know what? They're pretty good. Not sure if we'd necessarily include them in our personal list of 'next big things' but hell if this is the band with the golden ticket, the one that's getting the push and will end up all over MTV we could sure as hell do a whole lot worse. The Black Angels' very retro vibe definitely reminds us of the Raveonettes. But where the Raveonettes channeled that whole Spector girl group vibe, the 'Angels lean more toward a druggy shoegaze thing, taking much influence from Loop, Spacemen 3 and of course the Velvet Underground. Along with lyrical themes of '60s radical Vietnam-era politics, death and darkness, the Black Angels also do some musical time traveling with plenty of super sixties fuzz guitar, and that sort of jangly snare like it's attached to a tamborine, and some truly druggy tranced out vocals (that remind us quite a bit of Georgian garage rockers the Rock*A*Teens). At their most rocking there's even a hint of UK psych rockers the Heads, but for the most part this is warm and reverby, laid back and blissfully drugged out. We would be remiss if we didn't mention the fact that there are some moments when the vocals are wailing and dramatic and the sound veers dangerously close to U2 territory, but that's really a small complaint considering how gloriously druggy and droney the rest of the record is.
We may not have been as gaga over the record as 99 percent of the music press, but we sure as hell are blown the fuck away by the packaging!! This disc comes in the most amazing digipack, an op-art pattern of black and white spirals, but all of the spirals are embossed, raised up, so it's nice to touch and the added third dimension makes the lines swirl and shimmer. It's like some crazy textured sixties mod popart carpet shrunk down and wrapped around a cd. WOW!
MPEG Stream: "The First Vietnamese War"
MPEG Stream: "Black Grease"

BLACK ANGELS, THE Passover (Light In The Attic) 2lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on vinyl...
Man has this band been hyped to death. There are plenty of next big things, a new one very week, but we have been hearing about this band for ages without actually hearing them until now. And you know what? They're pretty good. Not sure if we'd necessarily include them in our personal list of 'next big things' but hell if this is the band with the golden ticket, the one that's getting the push and will end up all over MTV we could sure as hell do a whole lot worse. The Black Angels' very retro vibe definitely reminds us of the Raveonettes. But where the Raveonettes channeled that whole Spector girl group vibe, the 'Angels lean more toward a druggy shoegaze thing, taking much influence from Loop, Spacemen 3 and of course the Velvet Underground. Along with lyrical themes of '60s radical Vietnam-era politics, death and darkness, the Black Angels also do some musical time traveling with plenty of super sixties fuzz guitar, and that sort of jangly snare like it's attached to a tamborine, and some truly druggy tranced out vocals (that remind us quite a bit of Georgian garage rockers the Rock*A*Teens). At their most rocking there's even a hint of UK psych rockers the Heads, but for the most part this is warm and reverby, laid back and blissfully drugged out. We would be remiss if we didn't mention the fact that there are some moments when the vocals are wailing and dramatic and the sound veers dangerously close to U2 territory, but that's really a small complaint considering how gloriously druggy and droney the rest of the record is.
We may not have been as gaga over the record as 99 percent of the music press, but we sure as hell are blown the fuck away by the packaging!! This disc comes in the most amazing digipack, an op-art pattern of black and white spirals, but all of the spirals are embossed, raised up, so it's nice to touch and the added third dimension makes the lines swirl and shimmer. It's like some crazy textured sixties mod popart carpet shrunk down and wrapped around a cd. WOW!
MPEG Stream: "The First Vietnamese War"
MPEG Stream: "Black Grease"