BLACK TWIG PICKERS Hobo Handshake (VHF) cd 13.98

BLACK VOMIT Jungle Death (Rusty Axe) cd 9.98
It's been a while, more than a year in fact, since we last got a batch of TRUE SHEFFIELD BLACK PSYCHEDELIA, but it's finally that time once again. We were beginning to jones pretty hard. For those of you who can't quite figure it out from the name of the genre, this stuff is black metal, and psychedelic, and most (if not all) of the bands hail from Sheffield in the UK. Beyond that, this stuff is pretty hard to describe, from blown out grinding blackened psychedelic post rock to chugging in-the-red blacknoise to glistening soft focus krautdrone to pounding distorted sludge to processed machinelike buzz and stutter, and we're not even just describing the genre, most of the bands somehow manage to incorporate all of those elements into one fractured fucked up and seriously and gloriously schizophrenic sound.
We'd been waiting for a proper real cd (non cd-r) release from any of these guys, and while there have been rumors of a new Ice Bound Majesty full length on tUMULt (!), it was Black Vomit who were ultimately immortalized in aluminum and plastic first, thanks to those twisted freaks at Rusty Axe. But even by Rusty Axe's already freaky standards, Jungle Death is some seriously twisted avant heavy black weirdness. The sort of stuff that will have your standard black metal knuckle dragger scratching his head and reaching for the nearest Dimmu Borgir cd.
The metal component of black vomit is a sort of metal that sounds like it was cooked up by Tim Hecker, Philip Jeck, Aidan Baker and Justin Broadrick would have conjured up in some underground lair, with no small amount of black magic. Guitars that roar and howl, piled on top of one another until they're so thick, they threaten to collapse your stereo speakers like miniature black holes, the riffs grind and buzz, blurred and smeared into huge heaving walls of blown out white hot sound, usually weirdly processed too, so buried beneath the roiling surface, lurk all manner of electronics and glitch and hiss and static. Sometimes the heaviness stumbles into streaks of sonic black tar, slowing the sound down into some blown out glacial trudge, and even then, it's no ordinary doom, the sound glistens and glows, it's heaviness more a function of staring into some alien sun, the beams of light transformed into sound, wrapping you in thick sheets of effulgent buzz and black hued shimmer.
The various bits of skull crushing heaviness are balanced by some of the coolest drone and ambient music we've heard, from the rumbling, muted and melodic low end intro, that sounds like some creepy krautrock bassline slowed waaaaay down, to the glistening glitched out sun dappled shimmer of "Conderlint5", with it's mysterious alien voices and skittery crystalline textures, to the moaning lonely spidery guitar drift of "Last Cries Of The Lost".
The record starts out damaged, and just gets more and more fucked and freaked out as it progresses, looped tribal drumming wreathed in swirling static, laced with strange samples, gives way to stuttering processed electronic grind, which slowly transforms into a sea of warped drones and Oval like glitches, all smoothed out into an undulating underwater soundscape, wrapped in jagged shards of distorted crunch and sonar like beeps. A brief bit of indie jangle, all minor key strum and sad lilting melody, explodes in a flurry of crumbling stumbling ultra distorted post rock pound, before slipping into some almost Pop Ambient sounding drift, only to again transform into some impossibly twisted bit of cinematic mood music, complete with haunting strings, and dubbed out drums, finally opening up into "Dark Beloved Cloud", the longest track on the record, all Burzumy and murky and buzzy and blackened, woozy and off kilter, with more processed vocals, tons of effects, long stretches of tripped out psychedelic minimalism, before the pounding D-beat climax, and then a soft focus shimmery fade out, which leads directly into the record closer, a warm warped swirl of deeeeeep thrum, and slow moving melodic murk, again shot through with echo drenched voices and bits of electronic twinkle and glimmer, fading out into nearly 5 minutes of near silence. Weird.
But so fucking mind blowing. Totally wiping out any boundaries between drone music and black metal and ambient noise and electronic grind and whatever other fucked up sounds these freaks fuse into their totally genius and totally unique TRUE SHEFFIELD BLACK PSYCHEDELIA!!
MPEG Stream: "A Premonition Of Inevitable Doom"
MPEG Stream: "Deluge From Hell"
MPEG Stream: "Vigilance Night"
MPEG Stream: "Constdernt"

BLACK, FRANK Christmass (Cooking Vinyl) cd+dvd 16.98
An "unplugged" Frank Black lets it all hang out on this limited edition cd and dvd set which compiles live acoustic and studio tracks that he recorded during his summer 2006 solo acoustic tour. The live footage featured on the dvd was shot at a performance in Sacramento, CA on that very same tour. Frankly (ha ha!), he hasn't sounded this good in years. His voice nails all of the far reaches of his broadly expressive range -- alternately intently focused, wildly reckless and lyrically piercing. The recordings are warm, reverb-y and sprinkled with audience hootin' and hollerin'. Some tunes do fare better than others however. Unfortunately like a bull in a china shop, he sorta tramples a few beloved old Pixies classics in the process. They might still please the diehards tho'.
MPEG Stream: "Bullet"
MPEG Stream: "Wave Of Mutilation"

BLACK, FRANK Fast Man, Raider Man (Back Porch) 2cd 21.00
Whoa! Twenty seven songs fill Frank Black's latest full length, a double-disc set! And it's a peculiar one. Not in a trippy wigged out eccentric kind of way, but just very unexpected and uncharacteristic. On the first disc, he's gone completely '70s country roots rock! This would be less unsettling if there were some tell-tale Frank Black Francis-isms in there somewhere, but after a few listens we haven't registered a single one! The one thing that should've given him away-- that is, his voice -- doesn't sound like him a bit. Sorta deep and gruff and weathered... or to put it another way, imagine Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Glen Campbell all rolled into one. Don't get us wrong this is not a bad album. It's exceptionally well done. The songwriting's as solid as ever, but it just comes across as very faceless. Was this a conscious decision? We assume so. However, that alone is the surprise (and ultimately for us the disappointment) of the first disc of Fast Man, Raider Man.
Now, moving on to the second disc, we breathe a soft sigh of relief. From the first song "In The Time Of My Ruin", things are definitely more identifiably Black and characteristic of an album by such a (usually) distinct musical personality. That said, oddly enough we found many of the songs on Disc Two to be quite reminiscent of Van Morrison too. Having him swing into a rendition of "Brown Eyed Girl" would not be at all out of place.
Non-diehard Frank Black fans might find themselves wishing he'd released the two cds separately.
MPEG Stream: "In The Time Of My Ruin"
MPEG Stream: "If Your Poison Gets You"

BLACK, FRANK Frank Black Francis (Spin Art) 2cd 15.98
There was a time, before this current Pixies rennaisance came about, when a lot of us were jonesing for something, anything, by the Pixies that was even remotely rare or otherwise previously unreleased. Time was that your best bet to get anything was in mp3 format through ye olde file sharing program. Never the most satisfying way of scratching an itch if you're a music geek. We eventually got satisfaction with the BBC sessions, the Complete B-Sides, and The Blue Tape, but there are still some genuine nuggets out there worth putting on disc. A friend of mine, a swaggering pirate of the ethernet, once scored on a pillage a copy of "I'm Amazed" featuring Frank Black singing and accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. I've kept it in my treasure chest ever since. I swear sometimes I think it's better than the version with the full band that was eventually released. I always knew that if there was this one track, that there must be more out there. And why the hell wasn't anyone willing to make a little money selling it to me? Thank you Spin Art. For now we have that and 13 other gems from that same session, all classic Pixies tracks, all solo Frank Black on acoustic guitar. Like "I'm Amazed" these are all great. Whether it was all recorded in one session -- the result of a burst of inspiration -- or not, they're all quintessential un-restrained Frank Black. Obviously not intending these recordings would ever be released Frank gives running commentary on some songs "there's supposed to be screaming here", and even sings several guitar solos and a bass line. If they'd spent a few bucks more on the original recordings they could have been released as they were in 1987 and had almost as much impact as the Pixies.
In an interesting addition to these seminal brain stormings is a second disc of classic Pixies tracks that Pere Ubu's David Thomas & Two Pale Boys re-recorded in 2003. We had hoped that this was going to be another collection of solo Frank on acoustic. Instead it's Thomas laying down all sorts of tracks -- guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, sequencers, effects -- using copious amounts of delay and, for the most part, destroying the great work the Pixies had done. To be fair, there are a few interesting moments: an added harmony on "Caribou" that's quite beautiful, some VU/Conrad-esque violin stylings on "Into the White" and a drugged out version of "Monkey Gone To Heaven". Just be sure to take off the disc when you've had enough of the 15 minute dub remix of "Planet of Sound" (never the best Pixies song to begin with). But after all is said and done we can't complain and can still recommend this with a clean conscience. After all, it's priced as one disc, so with the second one you can take it or leave it.
MPEG Stream: "I'm Amazed"
MPEG Stream: "Oh My Golly"
MPEG Stream: "Caribou"

BLACK, FRANK Honeycomb (Back Porch) cd 15.98

BLACK, FRANK Show Me Your Tears (Spin Art) cd 15.98

BLACK, FRANK & THE CATHOLICS Devil's Workshop (Spin Art) cd 15.98

BLACK, FRANK & THE CATHOLICS Dog In The Sand (What Are Records) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Though most of the throngs of Pixies fans poo pooed Frank Black's solo workings after disbanding the Pixies, both his eponymous first release and second -- "Teenager of the Year" -- were true underrated gems. Even now, I find myself picking up these albums to play more than any of the later Pixies releases, or any other rock record for that matter. So it was understandably a bit of a disappointment when "The Cult of Ray" was released, and following it, two more very disappointing Black albums. At the time, to me, it seemed that maybe a good deal of the creativity that went into making those albums was to the credit of producer / bass player / keyboardist Eric Drew Feldman (of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band & Pere Ubu) or guitarist Jeff Morris Tepper (also a Beefheart as well as a Tom Waits alum) as Cult Of Ray found these two conspicuously absent and the album self-produced by Black. With his sixth solo release though, Black may be returning to his prior songwriting glory. Returning to play with Frank for a few tracks on this album is former Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago, and Tepper lends a hand on banjo for one track ("St. Francis Dam Disaster"). To be sure, this isn't a 100% great album but it's got enough great songs on it to be an excellent short album if you just program your cd player to skip tracks 1, 2 & 6 -- at least for starters (your results may vary) and see how they grow on you in time. Among the awkward moments on this album that may require some getting used to are a couple tunes in which Mr Black apes the Rolling Stones ("I've Seen Your Picture" and especially "Hermaphroditos") and an homage to FM radio rock ("If It Takes All Night"). But there are some truly great songs on here, as good as anything he's done since the Pixies, which make this album worth giving a shot -- certainly if you own and or cherish copies of his first solo outing or "Teenager Of The Year"-- replete with Frank Black's wonderful ability not only to slip in and out of his wonderful falsetto, but his almost patented way of switching from a scream to a croon. Let's hope this is a sign of even better things to come from Frank.
RealAudio clip: "St. Francis Dam Disaster"
RealAudio clip: "The Swimmer"

BLACK-EYED SNAKES It's the Black-Eyed Snakes (Chair Kickers' Music) cd 13.98
This release proves how multi-faceted and talented Mr. Alan Sparhawk (of Low) is. In Black-Eyed Snakes, he switches gears from the sloooow Low loveliness to all rockin' blues garage with dirgy guitar and distorted telephone mic'd vocals. Playing it punk and dirty and very Billy Childish, yet also in the same raw, bluesy vein of Skip James and Muddy Waters. Fans of The White Stripes or Coachwhips, take note.
RealAudio clip: "Honey"
RealAudio clip: "Big Black Train"

BLACK-EYED SNAKES Rise Up (Chairkicker's Music) cd 14.98
Garagey blues rock meets Sonic Youth guitar squall. Yep, it's the second raw n' grungy platter from Minnesota's Chicken-Bone George and company. Chicken-Bone being better known to most as Alan Sparhawk of Low, y'know. This side project already proved with their debut from last year that Mr. Sparhawk's got some shitkickin' punked-out blues in him that Low's lovely slow sadness can't quite capture. And we're glad to hear it. Lemme crack open a brewski and crank this up. Sound distorted? Well that's the ideer ain't it! There's a dozen tracks here, including a stab at "Bo Diddley", each one fulla moanin' hollers, menacing grooves, high-energy exuberance and sheer noisy fun. Some w/ slide guitar guestin' by Tim from Califone btw. We like how it's all retro n' all but you can't quite guess what's gonna happen next, this is more creative and artier than it seems... Definitely a band in the running in the current garage revival for sure, if you're into Coach Whips and The Husbands and of course The White Stripes etc. make no mistake you oughta party with the Black-Eyed Snakes too.
MPEG Stream: "Mexican Half-Stick"
MPEG Stream: "Cornbread"

BLACK. FRANK & THE CATHOLICS s/t (Spin Art) cd 15.98
Former Pixies kingpin's latest release, doesn't disappoint.

BLACKBEARD I Wah Dub (More Cut) cd 17.98
Seeing as how Decibel, the Pressure Sounds anthology of dub plates by legendary UK producer / guitarist / band leader / engineer / sound system operator Dennis Bovell, did so well here it was kind of a no brainer to pick up this classic collection of dub-umentals Bovell released in 1980 under the moniker Blackbeard. Unlike much of the other dubs from this time, the tracks that make up I Wah Dub were not culled from vocal tracks, but designed solely as instrumentals. (Interestingly enough, it was only a year later that Adrian Sherwood would release his first African Head Charge album My Life In A Hole In The Ground.)
MPEG Stream: "Electrocharge"
MPEG Stream: "Jazzz"

BLACKOUT BEACH Light Flows The Putrid Dawn (Soft Abuse) cd 13.98
What this is, is a solo album from Carey Mercer, the singer/main songwriter of love-'em or hate-'em Canadian indie-rock weirdos Frog Eyes. And like so many a front man's solo album, it sounds just about exactly like his regular band! Maybe a little bit more subdued and intimate, but closer to Frog Eyes than anything else. In his case, there's a good, unavoidable reason for it: his unique, feverish Tom Waits-meets-Bjork-at-the-wrong-end-of-a-Victrola-horn vocals mean *everything* he does sounds like Frog Eyes, it's such a part of their/his sound. It probably should be called a Frog Eyes record (like Ego Scriptor, the acoustic album he did by himself not long ago)...but I'm sure he has his reasons for calling it Blackout Beach instead. You can scratch you head over that along with much else as you listen to this, as Corey pours his heart out through songs that sound somewhere betwixt nursery rhymes and a homeless guy talking to himself, but in a good way (we think). Kind of whispery and cryptic and surreal and emotive, all good things eh? Frog Eyes fans will want this, and it's not a bad place to start for anyone else intrigued by what we just said about Mercer's singing and songwriting. PS. in case you were wondering since sentence one, we love 'em!
MPEG Stream: "The Stuttered XXX Breeze XXX"
MPEG Stream: "The Quiet Merchant Gets His Song Too"

BLACKOUTS History In Reverse (K) cd 14.98

BLACKPOOL LIGHTS This Town's Disaster (Curb Appeal) cd 14.98
We don't care what anyone tells us, you're never too old for emo. Especially emo made by guys our age! We were pretty bummed when the Get Up Kids called it a day a recently. They were responsible for one of our favorite records ever, Something To Write Home About, a totally kick ass collection of catchy, heavy raucous poprock emo anthems. Later GUK records didn't pack the same wallop, although a recent live record was pretty kick ass. Various band members moved on, starting other bands, side projects, solo records, all that, but none of them had the same sort of magic. This Town's Disaster is the debut release from Get Up Kids' guitarist Jim Suptic and is about as close as I think we're ever gonna get. And it's good enough for us. This is like a modern emo version of classic nineties college rock. You can hear the Replacements A LOT, jangly guitars, rough raspy melodic vocals, simple steady drumming. Killer hooks, lots of instantly catchy choruses, perfect headphone rock / mixtape material / breakup tuneage for sure. Been listening to this nonstop!
Comes in a cool six panel digipack with killer cover art that looks like it was done by the same guy who did the equally cool art on Something To Write Home About.
MPEG Stream: "This Town's Disaster"
MPEG Stream: "Blue Skies"
MPEG Stream: "Empty Tank"

BLACKS, THE Nom De Guerre (Tricycle Records) cd 9.98
This new SF trio whip out some down'n'dirty trash tunes with the rock'n'roll basics -- vocals, guitar, drums and tambourine. The vocals are delivered in a deliciously distressed, smeared sneer. Just imagine a female fronted piss'n'vinegar descendant of Jesus And Mary Chain, and you'll have some idea of where The Blacks are comin' from. We think they would fit great at a gig alongside fellow Bay Area hotties The Husbands and Von Iva.
MPEG Stream: "Raincoat"
MPEG Stream: "The Flame"

BLACKSHAW, JAMES Celeste (Tompkins Square) cd 14.98
We went on an on in the original reviews of these Blackshaw records, about what a shame it is that records this good were doomed to remain limited cd-r's, some kept getting reissued, but always in runs way too limited...
Finally, someone (thanks Tompkins Square!) had the good sense to gussy these discs up and give them the actual proper cd reissue they so deserve.
This amazing record from James Blackshaw is totally different from what you might expect, considering it was originally released on Campbell Kneale's Celebrate Psi Phenomenon label, home to all things whir and rumble and skree and grrr and rrroooaarrr. This is a whole 'nother ball of... um.. steel strings apparently. Long before Blackshaw was a household name (at least in modern freak folk and neo-Appalachian lovin' households) we were fawning over this gorgeous chunk of modern acoustic guitar alchemy. Celeste is made up of two 15 minute tracks (one played in open C major tuning, the other in open C minor) of totally mesmerizing Appalachian raga folk, performed mainly on 12-string acoustic guitar with occasional farfisa organ and cymbals. Fans of John Fahey, Jack Rose, Matt Valentine and all things free folk will be completely blown away. There's still an element of drone in the repetitive raga-like riffing, but this is mainly and most definitely a weird and wonderful modern avant bluegrass / folk record. Lovely!
Remastered and with new artwork.
MPEG Stream: "Celeste Pt. 1"

BLACKSHAW, JAMES Litany Of Echoes (Tompkins Square) cd 14.98
With each new James Blackshaw release, we're always amazed at how someone who works within such a small musical framework can continuously exceed our expectations. Definitely a favorite among favorites of solo guitarists, Blackshaw has bulked up his arsenal of compositional approaches by introducing for the first time the use of piano as a key element. Bookending the album are two long form pieces of solo piano in a minimalist style that remind us of Charlemagne Palestine or Lubomyr Melnyk. When the twelve string is first heard on the second track, it's not before we're set up with a foundation of resonant timbres of violin and viola (played by Fran Bury) that give weight to the airy modal improvisations of the guitar. Adding subtle layers of richness and dynamics, the strings ground and support the ringing overtones of the 12 string creating complex harmonies to the pulsating melodies. We can't imagine we'll ever tire of hearing Blackshaw's shimmering textural pieces. Amazing how sound so deep, dark, damp and resonant can be so transcendentally uplifting.
MPEG Stream: "Gate of Ivory"
MPEG Stream: "Past Has Not Passed"
MPEG Stream: "Echo And Abyss"

BLACKSHAW, JAMES Lost Prayers & Motionless Dances (Tompkins Square) cd 14.98
Of these three new James Blackshaw cd reissues of long out of print cd-r's, Lost Prayers & Motionless Dances is the only one of the three that we never managed to carry at all. We've long gone on and on about how records this good deserve to be heard by more than the 100 or 200 lucky folks who manage to get their hands on the limited cd-r's, and finally, someone (thanks Tompkins Square!) had the good sense to gussy these discs up and give them the actual proper cd reissue they so deserve.
Originally released as a cd-r on Digitalis, limited to 200 copies in 2004, this one slipped right under our radar, which is a huge shame as it is just as good as Sunshrine or Celeste. But it's also quite different. Where as the other discs focus on Blackshaw's deft fingerpicking, and mastery of the steel string guitar, this disc is just as much about the drone and the ambience. Not to say, Blackshaw doesn't get to unleash dexterous little tangles of Appalachian filigree, but those stretches of strum and shimmer are set amidst thick harmonium drones and blissed out field recordings.
The disc begins with a warm whirring drone, all thick wheezes and rich lustrous chords, Eastern melodies, drawn way out into long soft smears. Eventually the guitar joins in, but simple spare strums, soft chords, and gentle fingerpicking, nestled amidst the softly undulating harmonium in the background, the sounds of crickets chirping in the distance, bits of slippery sitar style squiggles. The sound gradually slips into something much more familiar, 'that' Blackshaw sound we love so much, a lot like the other reissued discs, until the guitar fades out, leaving a murky muted shimmer, which soon fades out as well, leaving nothing a strange high end hiss-scape of weird processed percussion and shortwave radio, peppered with bits of high end jangle and distant upper register guitar scrape and disembodied clatter, before the track finally shifts gears once again, filling the last few minutes with urgently strummed guitar, big chunky chords, moaning harmoniums, and billowing splashes of deep resonant cymbal shimmer, a glorious kinetic finish to a another gorgeous sprawling languorous guitardronedrift.
Remastered and with new artwork.
MPEG Stream: "Lost Prayers & Motionless Dances"

BLACKSHAW, JAMES Sunshrine (Tompkins Square) cd 14.98
We went on an on in the original reviews of these Blackshaw records, about what a shame it is that records this good were doomed to remain limited cd-r's, some kept getting reissued, but always in runs way too limited...
Finally, someone (thanks Tompkins Square!) had the good sense to gussy these discs up and give them the actual proper cd reissue they so deserve.
Sunshrine was originally released on Digitalis, 1000 copies that time, but still not enough, which makes sense when you hear how goddamn beautiful this disc is.
More gorgeously lush neo-Appalachia... Two tracks, the first an extended thirty minute epic, a lush and completely gorgeous steel string raga, huge majestic sweeps of intricately finger picked guitar, dense with reverb, accompanied by sarod, harmonium, Farfisa organ, glockenspiel, bells and bowed cymbals. Overwhelmingly beautiful and impossibly otherworldly. Expressive and aggressive but completely delicate and introspective at the same time. The end of the track is especially powerful when the guitars fade out and all that is left is the thick wheezing drone of the harmonium and a cloud of tinkling bells. The final three minutes is a very Fahey-esque, steel string guitar workout, gorgeous folky twang, simple and so breathtaking.
Remastered and with new artwork.
MPEG Stream: "Sunshrine (Excerpt)"

BLACKSHAW, JAMES Sunshrine / Celeste (Bo Weavil) lp 27.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Managed to get about 20 more of these back in. But these could very well be the last copies...
A very limited (and very expensive) lp version (pressed on nice thick vinyl and housed in a gorgeous sleeve) of the two most recent releases from guitarist James Blackshaw (one a new cd reviewed elsewhere on this list, the other a cd-r release from earlier in 2005). We only got a handful of these and once they are gone, they are probably gone for good.
Here's what we had to say about the Celeste cd-r:
Celeste is made up of two 15 minute tracks (one played in open C major tuning, the other in open C minor) of totally mesmerizing Appalachian raga folk, performed mainly on 12-string acoustic guitar with occasional farfisa organ and cymbals. Fans of John Fahey, Jack Rose, Matt Valentine and all things free folk will be completely blown away. There's still an element of drone in the repetitive raga-like riffing, but this is mainly and most definitely a weird and wonderful modern avant bluegrass / folk record. Lovely!
And here's what we have to say about Sunshrine:
More gorgeously lush neo-Appalachia from James Blackshaw, finally released on a real cd instead of an ultralimited cd-r, which makes perfect sense as this is way too good to be so limited. Two tracks, the first an extended thirty minute epic, a lush and completely gorgeous steel string raga, huge dense sweeps of intricately finger picked guitar, dense with reverb, accompanied by sarod, harmonium, Farfisa organ, glockenspiel, bells and bowed cymbals. Overwhelmingly beautiful and impossibly otherworldly. Expressive and aggressive but completely delicate and introspective at the same time. The end of the track is especially powerful when the guitars fade out and all that is left is the thick wheezing drone of the harmonium and a cloud of tinkling bells. The final three minutes is a very Fahey-esque, steel string guitar workout, gorgeous folky twang, simple and so lovely.
MPEG Stream: "Sunshrine (Excerpt)"
MPEG Stream: "Celeste Pt. 1"

BLACKSHAW, JAMES The Cloud Of Unknowing (Tompkins Square) cd 14.98
Like John Fahey's "Transcendental Waterfall", The UK's James Blackshaw can always be counted on for rich cascading 12-string rushes of beauty and mystique. Here are five dense and layered pieces that truly display Blackshaw's virtuous gifts, ones that seem to unearth new mysteries with each new release, and further carve his own distinct niche apart from his Takoma/Windham Hill progenitors. Here on some tracks, it sounds like he has some subtle string accompaniments that keep the vibrating natural harmonic overtones of Blackshaw's guitar in good company, without seeming to play it safe. And the sparsely plucked but gaseous third track, "Clouds Collapse" and final refrain of the last track, "Stained Glass Windows" show Blackshaw hasn't let go of his sonically experimental leanings. Quite mesmerizing!
MPEG Stream: "Running To The Ghost"
MPEG Stream: "Clouds Collapse"

BLACKSHAW, JAMES The Cloud Of Unknowing (Tompkins Square) lp 14.98
Like John Fahey's "Transcendental Waterfall", The UK's James Blackshaw can always be counted on for rich cascading 12-string rushes of beauty and mystique. Here are five dense and layered pieces that truly display Blackshaw's virtuous gifts, ones that seem to unearth new mysteries with each new release, and further carve his own distinct niche apart from his Takoma/Windham Hill progenitors. Here on some tracks, it sounds like he has some subtle string accompaniments that keep the vibrating natural harmonic overtones of Blackshaw's guitar in good company, without seeming to play it safe. And the sparsely plucked but gaseous third track, "Clouds Collapse" and final refrain of the last track, "Stained Glass Windows" show Blackshaw hasn't let go of his sonically experimental leanings. Quite mesmerizing!
MPEG Stream: "Running To The Ghost"
MPEG Stream: "Clouds Collapse"

BLACKSHAW, JAMES The Glass Bead Game (Young God) cd 14.98
So on his last album, Blackshaw stepped into new territory with some orchestral instrumentation, even laying down a few piano tracks. And even though we didn't think it was possible, he just might have outdone himself, yet again, with his most dynamic album to date, The Glass Bead Game, released on the infamous Young God Records. Most aQ costumers are well aware of the talent and mystery that surrounds Mr. Blackshaw and his twelve-string mastery. And while we've really dug all of his numerous past albums, it seems like Blackshaw has never sounded so confident in his mantra-like finger picking and ornate compositions. With the freedom to compose works for piano, strings, flute, clarinet and a choir, Blackshaw's vision has grown from a small sprout into a sea of blooming vines.
It baffles us how cinematic this stuff is. These tracks all tell epic tales of being lost at sea, nighttime woodland campfires, sad goodbyes and lonely mornings, all without any lyrics. Sometimes there are these moments where Blackshaw will simply change chords and suddenly the piece takes on a whole new feel, a whole new sound, and you can't help but feel emotionally struck. His playing is so recognizable and distinguished from his solo-guitar peers, a perfect marriage of patients and skill, droning and droning on one chord only to build suspense and anticipation before suddenly revealing the next movement, so good! And there's something about his playing that is so European, so different from the Americana-type sound of other finger pickin' contemporaries. Blackshaw's pieces seem to shimmer with an ethereal haze that faintly glows like an old lantern in the woods, casting flickering light on faces of spirits in the night.
The Glass Bead Games starts things off running with a lush harmonium drone and Blackshaw's quick, raga-esque finger picking soaring above. Gradually female vocals and strings creep in to blanket Blackshaw's guitar in a silky ambience, creating an almost dreamlike experience. We really love how the vocals have this Philip Glass or Steve Reich orchestral kind of vibe. Instead of long swells the voices are short, repetitive wordless ohs and ahs, kind of like some carousel organ or angelic harp. "Cross" builds and retreats in some cosmic ebb and flow, continually swirling with deep, melodic range and heartfelt emotion, all with the twelve string at its glowing core. "Bled", the second track, begins with a slow, contemplative mood. Notes plucked then left to dissipate into thin air. Somber and desolate, the piece only grows into a dark journey through Eastern ragas and into celestial radiance, only to return in the 9th minute to the opening, contemplative passage.   
The album comes to a gorgeous close with the 18 minute "Arc". With James on the piano, he builds from quiet contemplative drops of rain into huge waves of quickly flourishing arpeggios, not all that different sounding from his guitar picking. We totally love how his style and aesthetic remains intact, whether he's sitting at the piano or with a guitar on his knee, his close attention to detail and use of hypnotic, emotionally captivating melodies shines throughout. Notes flickering and shimmering about as overtones soar above like clouds. There's so much about this record that you can get fully wrapped up in, so much detail it would be impossible to absorb it all in just one listen. We've already been listening to Glass Bead Game for over a week, and still new details keep popping out of the woodwork. And to top it off, beautifully fitting, earth-toned artwork of various birds of prey perfectly adorns the album with some magical visual hex. By far our favorite Blackshaw album to date and quite possibly his best, highly and fully recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Cross"
MPEG Stream: "Bled"

BLACKSHAW, JAMES Waking Into Sleep - Goteborg 27.05.06 (Kning Disc) cd 14.98
AT LAST REPRESSED, BACK IN STOCK... but still probably quite limited (Kning Discs are usually not long for this world!) live release from AQ fave UK guitarist James Blackshaw. Recorded in Goteborg, Sweden at the end of May this year, Blackshaw's live performance of the best of his catalog (Sunshrine, Celeste, and two songs from O True Believers) does not disappoint. For those who are not familiar with Blackshaw's majestic 12-string finger picking abilities (O True Believers was record of the week, a few lists back), this live document is a true testament to his amazing skills. Not a note is out of place and the sound quality is breathtaking. Don't miss out, we may or may not be able to get any more of these when we run out...
MPEG Stream: "Sunshrine"
MPEG Stream: "Spiralling Skeleton Memorial"

BLACKWATER PARK Dirt Box (Spalax) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
CD reissue of the lone 1972 album from this German hard rock outfit with an English vocalist. This is the band that '70s-loving Swedish death-progressive metallers Opeth named their most recent opus after, leading us to think that it might be a weirdo prog-folk group or something -- certainly not heavy-duty boogie rock, which is what it is! But, it's pretty good. If you're looking for cosmic krautrock sounds, look elsewhere -- but if you enjoy early hardrock/proto-metal stuff like Led Zep or (another German band with a British singer) Lucifer's Friend, or dig the current champions of that sound, The Want, then check this out. (Why Opeth rate them so highly, we still don't know -- not that this is bad, far from it, we quite like it, it's just far from unique as well...)
RealAudio clip: "One's Life"

BLAKE BABIES God Bless The Blake Babies (Zoe) cd 16.98
While some bands' reunions can leave you cringing, wishing they'd let your warm sonic memories of them glow on unscathed, the return of the Blake Babies does no such thing. They haven't fallen into the unfortunate reunion traps of trying too hard to recapture the magic (resulting in lackluster regurgitation of their old selves), nor of attempting to come back with a whole new and uncharacteristic sound (leaving old fans scratching their heads in bewilderment). In fact, just hearing the very first song made my heart leap with joy. It seems they've fallen back in step with each other with great ease and grace. All their jangling guitar and girl/boy vocals intact, it's as if they never went away. Although some might find her childlike voice a bit cloying (as I have many many times), Juliana Hatfield's knack for writing pop hooks a-plenty is undeniable, and now that she's back with Frida Boner and John Strohm, the BB magical pop chemistry is back and brewing up a sweet storm! With special guests Jake Smith (Mysteries of Life) and Evan Dando (Mr. Lemonhead who also penned one of the songs with Ben Kim). Includes a cover of Madder Rose's "Baby Gets High".

BLANCHARD, JACK & MISTY MORGAN Life And Death (And Almost Everything Else) (The Omni Recording Corporation) cd 17.98

BLANCHART, JACK & MISTY MORGAN Weird Scenes Inside The Birdhouse (The Omni Recording Corporation) cd 17.98

BLANK DOGS Diana (The Herald) (Sacred Bones) 12" 14.98
We aQuarians have been jonesin' for anything to do with Blank Dogs as of late, as they are one of those rare groups that EVERYONE at the store goes crazy for. The sound is murky, dark, more than a tad bit goth, and masterfully lo-fi, but at the end of the day, Blank Dogs are essentially a pop band, and a damn fine one at that. Since it took a while for them to enter our radar, we are getting to gleefully sift through an extensive catalog of eps and lps from the past few years while patiently waiting for the upcoming full length on In The Red.
This ep, released back in 2007, but newly available, is certainly worth the price of admission for the two songs which open each side of the record, but the others are quite impressive as well. "Leaving The Light On" and "Scenes From A New Town" are certainly among the most beautiful, melancholy, and just plain weird Blank Dogs songs to date. Things are kept moving with a steady drum machine beat as the overall melodies are shaped by single note guitars and bass lines that give the songs the feeling of some surf rock/goth hybrid with surprisingly anthemic choruses. Coupled with a recording fidelity that sounds like a crackling transmission from some parallel reality, creepy analog synthesizers galore, and Blank Dogs' spectral vocals, you'd be forgiven if you assumed these recordings might have been recorded at any point within the last thirty years. That said, there is nothing retro about Blank Dogs, nor would you call them (or more appropriately, "him" at this point) "ahead of their time". Instead, the music seems to exist simply OUT of time, which is probably why we have found Blank Dogs so very striking. A typically stellar release from this eccentric, hyper prolific pop machine.

BLANK DOGS On Two Sides (Troubleman) lp 12.98
Back in 2007, Mike Sniper started recording again, after digging out the 4-track he had back in high school that he hadn't used in about a decade. Since then, Sniper has been on a tear with his one-man darkened fuzz-pop machine Blank Dogs, earning him a whole slew of invitations for records, singles, cassettes, and whatnot. Admittedly, we didn't catch wind of Blank Dogs until his amazing album The Fields arrived on our doorstep just in time for Christmas 2008. So we've dug up the On Two Sides LP, a vinyl only edition which Blank Dogs released on Troubleman earlier in 2008; and damn, if it isn't a fantastic album as well.
On Two Sides may be more of a paisley punk pop record for Blank Dogs; but fear not, there's plenty of bouncy goth references to take us back to The Cure and Joy Division. Just think Head On The Door and Love Will Tear Us Apart as the pinnacles of conveying mopiness within a bouncy dark pop song. Sniper's spiky guitars are often coupled with springy basslines that really seem to hybridize Simon Gallup of The Cure and Peter Hook of Joy Division, as the bass often dictates the melody while the guitar lends to the atmosphere. In doing so, these songs enjoy a manic-depressive teen angst meets teen freedom vibe, but made all woozy as if buzzed from that first ever nicotine rush. Given all of the cheap electronics, tinny drum machines, trebly distortion, and overblown fuzz that are especially applied to the indecipherably garbled vocals, Blank Dogs also share plenty of that fucked-up demented pop genius that Ariel Pink and John Maus seem to have monopolized in recent years.
Really fantastic stuff!

BLANK DOGS Seconds (Captured Traces) 12" 14.98
It's pretty much Blank Dogs 24/7 in AQ-land as of late. We recently made their/his latest record, The Fields, Record Of The Week and it truly was one of those rare albums that every single one of us at the store had fallen deeply in love with. So we were more then thrilled to see this brand new 12" arrive with four more great tracks all recorded earlier this year.
Picking right up where The Fields left off, all four tracks here are super immediate and lo-fi rockers with a damaged Joy Division feel and twisting, disjointed melodies that you can't help but get stick in your head. While the slick side of a dark romantic New York might be exemplified by Interpol, Blank Dogs represents the more seedy, fucked up and authentic underbelly of the Big Apple. While it's a tad less dark then past outings, these songs still kill. "Keeping All The Time" might just be our new favorite Blank Dogs song with its fuzzy synths, and live drums played by Ryan Naideau (Dustheads, Extremis). We're so excited to finally get to see Blank Dogs live! They'll be playing in San Francisco later this month, we have no idea what the set up will be but as long as we get to hear these songs and all our favorite tracks from The Fields we have a feeling we'll be pretty damn happy.

BLANK DOGS The Fields (Woodsist) cd ep 11.98
Everyone at aQ is super open minded when it comes to music, we all love all kinds of sounds, but each of us definitely has our favorite, our specialties, whether it be black metal, or indie rock or drone or post rock or power pop or whatever. So when a record shows up that has *everybody* freaking out, that's usually a sign that said record is something special, and in those cases we definitely try to mark the occasion by making that record our Record Of The Week.
Such is the case with The Fields by Blank Dogs, or should we say Blank Dog singular as this is a one man operation, some cat named Mike Sniper who for the last few years has been practically gushing limited cd-r's and tapes and short run releases, most so limited that for most of us, The Fields is our first real exposure to Sniper's gorgeous woozy lo-fi new wave, and new wave is really what this is, whereas a lot of the other Blank Dogs releases were super noisy and abrasive, The Fields is hooky and catchy and jangly, total perfect gloom pop, albeit drenched in plenty of tape hiss and amp buzz. Equal parts The Cure and Joy Division, huge fuzzed out downer basslines, simple drum rhythms or programmed beats, all wreathed in thick swirls of murky effects, fuzzy clouds of bloop and bleep, synthesizers spewing squiggly melodies, or unfurling thick undulating ribbons of warm buzz, and then the vocals, deep and drowsy, weary and worn, a mournful croon, super emotional and darkly evocative, all of those parts stitched together into haphazard perfect pop gems.
It's a super short record, seven songs in twenty minutes, but it's darn near perfect, the opening bass line and drum part are total Cure worship, all gothy and gloomy, with an irresistible hook buried in the mix, the deep main croon balanced by a weird processed almost falsetto, fucked up effects careening all over the place in the background, smoothly segueing into "Now Signals" the indie mixtape hit of the year if there ever was one, a sort of Interpol meets Magnetic Fields by way of Sebadoh, a simple guitar jangle over woozy synths, and a sweet sad boy vocal, until it shifts gear into a killer super rocking, heavy guitar bridge, that slips into a warm, almost heavy chorus, before returning to that lo-fi jangle and shimmer of the verse.
"Passing The Light" has a wicked blown out buzzy bass line, that would shame Interpol, the Joy Division melody strung between a constellation of glistening effects, the vocals dripping with delay and reverb and distortion, and again, all wrapped around a wicked hook. The last few tracks get almost frenetic, and mix in some classic pop era Eno into the moody new wave gloom, finishing things off with the weirdly ebullient "Spinning", that manages to glow and pulse with energy while retaining plenty of the rest of the record's glorious downer doompop vibe.
Of course this is on Woodsist, which has been on a roll lately releasing one amazing gem after another: Crystal Stilts, Wavves, Pocahaunted, Meneguar, and now Blank Dogs!! Even though we're only a few weeks into 2009, there's no doubt this disc will find its way onto lots of folks year end lists!
MPEG Stream: "Now Signals"
MPEG Stream: "Before The Hours"
MPEG Stream: "The Other Way"

BLANK DOGS The Fields (Woodsist) lp 14.98
Everyone at aQ is super open minded when it comes to music, we all love all kinds of sounds, but each of us definitely has our favorite, our specialties, whether it be black metal, or indie rock or drone or post rock or power pop or whatever. So when a record shows up that has *everybody* freaking out, that's usually a sign that said record is something special, and in those cases we definitely try to mark the occasion by making that record our Record Of The Week.
Such is the case with The Fields by Blank Dogs, or should we say Blank Dog singular as this is a one man operation, some cat named Mike Sniper who for the last few years has been practically gushing limited cd-r's and tapes and short run releases, most so limited that for most of us, The Fields is our first real exposure to Sniper's gorgeous woozy lo-fi new wave, and new wave is really what this is, whereas a lot of the other Blank Dogs releases were super noisy and abrasive, The Fields is hooky and catchy and jangly, total perfect gloom pop, albeit drenched in plenty of tape hiss and amp buzz. Equal parts The Cure and Joy Division, huge fuzzed out downer basslines, simple drum rhythms or programmed beats, all wreathed in thick swirls of murky effects, fuzzy clouds of bloop and bleep, synthesizers spewing squiggly melodies, or unfurling thick undulating ribbons of warm buzz, and then the vocals, deep and drowsy, weary and worn, a mournful croon, super emotional and darkly evocative, all of those parts stitched together into haphazard perfect pop gems.
It's a super short record, seven songs in twenty minutes, but it's darn near perfect, the opening bass line and drum part are total Cure worship, all gothy and gloomy, with an irresistible hook buried in the mix, the deep main croon balanced by a weird processed almost falsetto, fucked up effects careening all over the place in the background, smoothly segueing into "Now Signals" the indie mixtape hit of the year if there ever was one, a sort of Interpol meets Magnetic Fields by way of Sebadoh, a simple guitar jangle over woozy synths, and a sweet sad boy vocal, until it shifts gear into a killer super rocking, heavy guitar bridge, that slips into a warm, almost heavy chorus, before returning to that lo-fi jangle and shimmer of the verse.
"Passing The Light" has a wicked blown out buzzy bass line, that would shame Interpol, the Joy Division melody strung between a constellation of glistening effects, the vocals dripping with delay and reverb and distortion, and again, all wrapped around a wicked hook. The last few tracks get almost frenetic, and mix in some classic pop era Eno into the moody new wave gloom, finishing things off with the weirdly ebullient "Spinning", that manages to glow and pulse with energy while retaining plenty of the rest of the record's glorious downer doompop vibe.
Of course this is on Woodsist, which has been on a roll lately releasing one amazing gem after another: Crystal Stilts, Wavves, Pocahaunted, Meneguar, and now Blank Dogs!! Even though we're only a few weeks into 2009, there's no doubt this disc will find its way onto lots of folks year end lists!
MPEG Stream: "Now Signals"
MPEG Stream: "Before The Hours"
MPEG Stream: "The Other Way"

BLANK DOGS Under And Under (In The Red) cd 13.98
Fuck YES! One of the most unstoppable and prolific projects in recent memory returns with full length #2... we think. Regardless, after a slew of limited run eps and singles, we were curious to see if Blank Dogs could handle the full length format as well as they - sorry, HE - did with the awesome On Two Sides lp a while back. It seems like some people were expecting Blank Dogs to crack under the pressure of increased exposure or in the face of a fiery hipster backlash. Well, we are happy to report that Under And Under more than ably delivers on all of the initial promise, another winner loaded with classic Blank Dogs and one of the most thrilling releases we have heard this year. It's pretty insane to think that someone could just keep churning this stuff out at such a rate with continually awesome results, but Blank Dogs sound as confident, or at least as melancholy, catchy, and propulsive as ever here. In terms of the actual sound, things haven't changed that much, which we consider a very good thing. The fidelity is maybe slightly higher, but just barely. The songs are a little tighter and more suited to a full length rather than an ep, making this one that will undoubtedly bring out more with repeated focused listens. But overall, this is just more of what we have loved since we came across Blank Dogs, with wandering bass lines, reverberated drum machines, super melodic single note guitar leads, and that awesome monotone voice all here in spades. In the end, Under And Under is a sure indicator that when it comes to actual songcraft, the man behind this project is clearly a cut above most others doing the lo-fi garage thing.
It's pretty accurate to mention bands like Joy Division and the Cure when describing this, but the more poppy numbers seem to follow a more Buzzcocksian approach while the transitions to the anthemic choruses are just classic pop. Some of these songs sound like fractured love songs, all warbly with upbeat guitar leads and weird spooky keyboards. They may be for all we know, though lyrical clarity has never really been an issue for Blank Dogs, the voice de-emphasized within the throbbing lo-fi recording almost like another instrument itself. These songs provide a nice contrast to the more menacing numbers, like the acknowledged hit (around these parts anyway) "Setting Fire To Your House" with its ominous bass and distinctive organ lead. Lo-fi but dense, Blank Dogs still sound like a lost Factory Records band being transmitted from some far away galaxy, but the whole album exudes a beautiful dreaminess that just can't be denied. There appears to be no end in sight for Blank Dogs, and we aren't complaining one bit.
MPEG Stream: "No Compass"
MPEG Stream: "L Machine"
MPEG Stream: "Setting Fire To Your House"
MPEG Stream: "Tin Birds"

BLANK DOGS Under And Under (In The Red) 2lp 15.98
Finally available on vinyl!
Fuck YES! One of the most unstoppable and prolific projects in recent memory returns with full length #2... we think. Regardless, after a slew of limited run eps and singles, we were curious to see if Blank Dogs could handle the full length format as well as they - sorry, HE - did with the awesome On Two Sides lp a while back. It seems like some people were expecting Blank Dogs to crack under the pressure of increased exposure or in the face of a fiery hipster backlash. Well, we are happy to report that Under And Under more than ably delivers on all of the initial promise, another winner loaded with classic Blank Dogs and one of the most thrilling releases we have heard this year. It's pretty insane to think that someone could just keep churning this stuff out at such a rate with continually awesome results, but Blank Dogs sound as confident, or at least as melancholy, catchy, and propulsive as ever here. In terms of the actual sound, things haven't changed that much, which we consider a very good thing. The fidelity is maybe slightly higher, but just barely. The songs are a little tighter and more suited to a full length rather than an ep, making this one that will undoubtedly bring out more with repeated focused listens. But overall, this is just more of what we have loved since we came across Blank Dogs, with wandering bass lines, reverberated drum machines, super melodic single note guitar leads, and that awesome monotone voice all here in spades. In the end, Under And Under is a sure indicator that when it comes to actual songcraft, the man behind this project is clearly a cut above most others doing the lo-fi garage thing.
It's pretty accurate to mention bands like Joy Division and the Cure when describing this, but the more poppy numbers seem to follow a more Buzzcocksian approach while the transitions to the anthemic choruses are just classic pop. Some of these songs sound like fractured love songs, all warbly with upbeat guitar leads and weird spooky keyboards. They may be for all we know, though lyrical clarity has never really been an issue for Blank Dogs, the voice de-emphasized within the throbbing lo-fi recording almost like another instrument itself. These songs provide a nice contrast to the more menacing numbers, like the acknowledged hit (around these parts anyway) "Setting Fire To Your House" with its ominous bass and distinctive organ lead. Lo-fi but dense, Blank Dogs still sound like a lost Factory Records band being transmitted from some far away galaxy, but the whole album exudes a beautiful dreaminess that just can't be denied. There appears to be no end in sight for Blank Dogs, and we aren't complaining one bit.
MPEG Stream: "No Compass"
MPEG Stream: "L Machine"
MPEG Stream: "Setting Fire To Your House"
MPEG Stream: "Tin Birds"

BLANK DOGS Waiting (In The Red) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A side "Waiting": super upbeat, very rocking, real drums, gang vocals, still the vocals way up in front. Again, Buzzcocksy...
B side "Splitting": very frantic, jerky rhythm, creepy synth worming about, leading the melodic structure, guitar slashing about in the background. Devo gone garage? (Without the vocals.)

BLANK TAPES, THE Daydreams (self-released) cd 12.98
This is how we like our indie pop. Raw and earnest, lush and hook filled, recorded on cassette tape then transferred to an old 8-track, the second album from Matt Adams expands on his debut from a couple years back that we dug big time. Now living in San Francisco after leaving Orange County, he has quickly become one of the finest songwriters in town. While he draws from greats like The Zombies, the Kinks and The Byrds, he manages to not sound like some nostalgic act. In fact there is a freshness and earnest quality to his songs that give them a very timeless feel. Kind of like Vetiver covering power poppers Zumpano. If anyone at Sub Pop is reading this, get the Blank Tapes on tour with The Shins, it will be a match made in pop heaven.
MPEG Stream: "In The Light"
MPEG Stream: "Daydream"

BLANK TAPES, THE Landfair (self-released) cd 10.98

BLANKET s/t (Via Mule) cd ep 5.98

BLANKETSHIP Klangwunder / The Sound Of Fun Surrounds You (Gigante Sound) cd-r 9.98
Following up last year's Teen Sounds, SF's Blanketship comes cruisin' along with more delightful aural collage adventures. This time things are a bit more drivin', maybe a bit darker and more aggressive. And unlike many of his past recordings which kept the listener constantly teetering off-kilter with their rapid fire juggling together of puzzle piece samples and mad rhythms, the nine tracks that comprise The Sound Of Fun Surrounds You has a few longer stretches that your ears and toes can catch a grasp of and groove along to for a few bars at least. But that's not to say this cd-r is without its fair share of surprise bursts and giggly bits, those come in spades on the Klangwunder half! Those eight tracks were composed with like-minded People Like Us on WFMU! Always a deliriously good time!
MPEG Stream: "Viva Butterfly"
MPEG Stream: "The St. John River"

BLANKETSHIP Summer Set (Gigante Sound) cd 11.98
Blanketship's second album starts off in a much more funky and trip-hop-y fashion than anything found on his previous cd Threeps, but it definitely doesn't stay put. This one-man band aka Jared Blum keeps things moving along, drawing from a plethora of inspirations and sound sources, but always keeping thoughts of pop in the back of his mind. Incorporating samples of psychedelia, jazz, earthen folk, field recordings, and world beat, he's pieced together each track on Summer Set, with some considerably more structured than others. Catchily groovy and playfully spirited.
MPEG Stream: "County Fare"
MPEG Stream: "Fuzzy"

BLANKETSHIP Threeps (G25 Productions) cd 11.98
This new cd from SF's one man band Blanketship compiles three of his cd-r and cassette eps (hence the title, get it?) from the last couple of years. In chronological order, they are: L'Homme Invisible, Captain Assure, and Willow Bend. However, the tracks -- 25 in all -- have been jumbled together into an all new running order. It flows very well, making for a delightful full length. Maybe we've gone a little bit nutty, but we thought she heard lil' kitties mewing throughout this cd (particularly on the track "Dwarfism"). Then again maybe it was all due to the fact that just moments earlier we were listening to the plentiful meowing on the Cats & Kittens cd. Nonetheless, this is not a bad thing! The sounds, whether they are indeed meows or not, totally complemented the overall soft 'n' soothing atmosphere. On each track, Blanketship craftily arranges a soundscape of electronic melodies, sampled sounds, programmed rhythms among other things resulting in an airy collage. Sometimes a bit ghostly, sometimes a bit '60s British mystery movie-esque, sometimes a bit like a kranky ol' videogame, quite often playful and novel. Nice!
MPEG Stream: "Dwarfism"
MPEG Stream: "Lackluster"

BLAST FURNACE s/t (Long Hair) cd 17.98
Copenhagen's rock scene in the early 1970s was so small and fertile that bands formed and reformed in various combinations of the same people. Case in point -- Blast Furnace came together in 1970, released a single great LP in 1971, and by 1972 3/4 of Blast Furnace had joined the band Culpeper's Orchard. It's kind of amazing that this record has been lost to all but the most die hard fans of Danish progressive rock, because it's so clearly great. The angst-filled (almost Faust-ish) vocals of Brit singer Tom McEwan take turns with super-expressive organ lines. And there are flutes eveywhere (which fills our flute obsessive Andee with joy).
And the arrangements are really good, making the most of minor key melodies so that nothing need be overstated. There aren't extended wanky instrumental passages here, for a prog band Blast Furnace edited themselves so well, leaving us wanting more. And, in fact, there is more -- a non-album track intended as a single has also been included on this cd. The disc starts off as classic and firece seventies prog, with complex melodic passages and some instrumental spacy jamming, but as the record progresses, the record veers dramatically from mostly instrumental prog, to super dramatic, almost goofy (in a good way) balladeering. The vocalist's deep baritone waxes poetic on ridiculous and far out subject matters, like the plight of Toytown, or poor sad Bobo the Clown. Sounds silly, and it sort of is, but it's really really good. Reminds us a little of AQ faves Paternoster (although not nearly as insane) or some super melodramatic seventies singer songwriter. But the combination of heartfelt ballads and searing prog action make this a weird and great find. Windy's new favorite record.
RealAudio clip: "Dr. Night"
RealAudio clip: "First and Last"
RealAudio clip: "Toytown"

BLAST ROCKS You're Fired (Spam) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If you're a fan of the lo-fi pop stylings of Owen and his Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, check out his energetic, a bit more amped-up pals The Blast Rocks. Playfully messy, lo-fi punky pop fancied up with casio keyboards that also reminded me of the Rondelles-related Albuquerque combo Luxo Champ or Olympia party pop king Gene Defcon.
RealAudio clip: "Joyce"
RealAudio clip: "My Boyfriend Is A Zombie"

BLESSURE GRAVE Learn To Love The Rope (Captured Tracks) 12" 14.98

BLIGHT Detroit: The Dream Is Dead - The Collected Works Of A Midwest Hardcore Noise Band (Touch & Go) cd 10.98
Blight was a short lived and misunderstood band that came out of the vibrant early 80's Midwest (more specifically Michigan) hardcore scene along with better know groups like Negative Approach, Necros, Crucifucks, Meatmen, The Fix, etc. Blight was made up of former members of The Fix, along with Tesco Vee of The Meatmen doing vocals here as well as "playing" trumpet! Yeah, these guys all held Ph.D's in "Hardcore 101" but Blight was about branching out from what had become a confined attitude/scene and thus the racket these guys created together as a band was more akin to Flipper or the Germs or Throbbing Gristle. There's even a bit of NY No-Wave going on with all the repetition and discordance and skronk that that entails. During the time Blight was active they released one 7" EP and played out only a handful of times. 23 years later, Touch and Go finally does this band justice in releasing this long lost (and hard to find) EP along with five unreleased songs from that same session, a pair from an earlier demo and the disc closes with a short live set from 1982 in Detroit. Fucking killer! Anyone into Butthole Surfers, Stickmen With Rayguns, Scratch Acid, Flipper and all of those bands who trafficked in gloriously abrasive thud and chaos should hear this.
Great packaging and extensive liner notes help make this exactly how all posthumous releases SHOULD be, an amazing, well researched, perfectly assembled reissue designed to preserve the past and expose folks today to a band who should definitely not be forgotten.
A truly unique band that stood out in a sea of clones even back in the day...
MPEG Stream: "Blight"
MPEG Stream: "Dream Is Dead"
MPEG Stream: "Bludgeon"

BLIND GUARDIAN Nightfall In Middle-Earth (Century Media) cd 15.98
Wow. This first domestic release by veteran German pomp-prog-power-metallers Blind Guardian kinda blew us away (Andee and Allan that is). Expecting ultra cheese in the vein of Hammerfall, we instead found this to be immense, amazingly produced (like, 124 track) epic concept album, at once lush, melodic and aggressive. Imagine a more metallic Queen doing a record about J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, and that's what you get here! No wonder they're so huge overseas.

BLITHE SONS Arm Of The Starfish (Family Vineyard) cd 14.98
You know how you can 'hear the sea' when you hold a conch shell up to your ear? Well imagine listening to a conch shell and hearing not just surf but also some gentle, haunting improvised psych-folk sounds inside there as well. That's what you get with this new Blithe Sons disc. Yes, Jewelled Antler drone minstrels Loren Chasse and Glenn Donaldson (1/2 of Thuja) return again with recordings from their travels to some of the more scenic, out of the way spots in the Bay Area. Did I say scenic? I mean sonic. The darkness of a dank old abandoned army bunker might not be the most picturesque sight 'round these parts, but the sounds Loren and Glenn conjure within its confines are a moody delight. Of course that bunker (and other sites these two visited) are near the quite picturesque Pacific, the ocean providing the seashore/undersea imagery and inspiration for Arm Of The Starfish. The hiss and hum of the Blithe Sons' field recordings of their own musical activities could be the sea in the distance... This cd is really lovely and droney and it makes me imagine that they have overloaded a ramshackle rowboat with their 'instruments' -- guitars, harmonium, bells, tape recorders, bits of driftwood, glassy pebbles, rusted metal, who knows? we're just guessing -- and floated out on an ancient lake, becalmed in the evening dusk, to sing softly as their boat slowly sinks and the sun sets.
MPEG Stream: "Sun Anenome"
MPEG Stream: "Foam"