BLACK BUG I Don't Like You / You A Grave (Avant!) 7" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Most female fronted, angry rock bands probably get tired of getting tagged Riot Grrl, especially since for all intents and purposes, Riot Grrl ceased to be relevant years ago, maybe even ceased to exist entirely. BUT, if anyone was hoping to spawn a revival, Black Bug would be the band to make it happen. The A side of this 7", "I Don't Like You" is a mother fucking ANTHEM. The main riff totally distorted and so in-the-red it threatens to just fall to pieces, but then the chorus kicks in, and another guitar, EVEN MORE distorted and heavy and high in the mix, lurches into action, and lays waste to EVERYTHING. The drums are a mere pitter pat when faced with such blown out riffage, but it doesn't even matter. The vocals, though, seal the deal, distorted, wrapped in effects, howled with haughty pissed intensity, as loud and corrosive as the guitars it snarls around. And the hook, shit, if you gussied it up and got rid of some of the guitars and re-recorded it in a real studio we're talking something like the Breeders' "Cannonball", but instead, as is, it's a fierce fucked up, filthy fucking ANTHEM!
Like the Raveonettes if they were 13 years old, obsessed with Turbonegro, and SO pissed at their shit for brains boyfriend. Or maybe Daisy Chainsaw, but with a singer who is less waifish and sexy, and more bad ass and scary as shit. Reminds us a bit of Monarch punk rock alter ego Rainbow Of Death.
The flipside is not quite the ANTHEM as the A side, but it still slays, processed synthy buzz, tons of effects, this one more groovy and almost dance-y, in a sort of robotic way, more sassy pissed girl vocals. It's not hard to imagine Black Bug waiting outside some dance club and then kicking the living shit out of Uffie. Hellz Yeah!!
Cool thick black and blue sleeve, pressed on coke bottle clear vinyl.

BLACK BUG, THE Life Is A Whore (Boomchick) 7" 6.98
The first 7" by this dynamic duo, was a serious blast of synth drenched post riot grrl fury, all new wave garage stomp and ass kicking punk rock genius! Record number two dials back the synth and new wave elements and ups the swaggery garage vibe, with these two new tracks. The A side features the boy half of this duo on lead vocals, shouting out a staccato invective over a groovy swinging garage jam, sounding a bit like a more upbeat Brainbombs, which is NEVER bad, simple, stripped down Pussy Galore / Royal Trux style RAWK.
The flipside finds Lily back on the mic, lamenting about how she knows she's not the prettiest girl but she doesn't need to hear that from YOU, all over another bad ass garage blues jam, some serious riot grrl revamped, a KILLER main riff, an amazing hook, all murky and muddy and blown out, fierce throaty, angry girl vox, if only the White Stripes were this bad ass.

BLACK COBRA Feather And Stone (At A Loss) lp 17.98
Finally available on vinyl!!
Two man heavy riff-machine Black Cobra return with another pummeling release on At A Loss. Picking up right where Bestial left off, Feather And Stone shreds from the start. Brutally punishing circular riffs, heavy as all hell doomy moments, throat ripping screams, and incredibly hard hitting and precise drums. The fact that this massive sound comes from two fellas is pretty damn amazing. The album has all kinds of peaks and valleys. Amidst the constant time signature shifting, and brain-burning riff heavitude, there are a couple of beautifully dark intros and outros thrown in, giving the album a very balanced feeling. But it's mostly just crushingly heavy and ripping. If you can imagine a heavier, much more misanthropic Karp, that's kind of what they remind us of. Feather And Stone is a must for anybody needing a little taste of thrashing triumphant, sometimes doomy and dark, sometimes fast and techy, but always heavy and punk as fuck ROCK music. It tastes good. This is also an enhanced disc, including some pretty righteous footage of the Cobra ripping at Roadburn! Proving these guys really are that HEAVY, even with just the power of two! For fans of Cavity, Karp, Floor, Torche, and things that kill shit!
MPEG Stream: "Five Daggers"
MPEG Stream: "Ascension"

BLACK CROWES Warpaint (Silver Arrow) cd 15.98

BLACK DEVIL DISCO CLUB 28 After (Lo) cd 14.98
Been just a little confused by this Lo Recordings release... and we're not the only ones. Ok, get this: a 1978 French disco single by the hitherto unknown Black Devil's Disco Club (perhaps, or was it titled Disco Club by an artist named Black Devil?) was reissued on 12" vinyl a couple years ago by the Rephlex label. 'Twas some pretty cool dance music for retro-minded folks, full of spacey electronics and bongo rhythms, the sort of thing that jaded DJs are always happy to dig up from the vinyl past. Now we get this album by the same artist... or is it? And is this new stuff, or old? Or a bit of both? (Most likely). Verrrrry mysterious. (Though we're sure that in certain circles all is obvious about this, not to us though.) Anyway, what really matters is, have we still got some pretty cool dance music for retro-minded folks? And the answer is yes. Super groooovy, what sound to us like sampled '70s Italo-disco synth beat stylings, full of analog sizzle. Goofily effected vox intrude amusingly as well, at times. It's a bit Giorgio Moroder, but more organic somehow. 6 tracks, 32 minutes, (maybe) 28 years in the making, and right on time, really.
The mystery of it all is heightened by the packaging -- an all black jewel case, with the credits ("written and produced by Bernard Fevre") and track titles printed only on the cardstock slipcover. Inside the jewelcase, in lieu of a cd booklet, you get a folded, 10" x 10" one-sided, black-and-white photo of Mssr. Fevre (presumably), taken back in '78? Dunno.
MPEG Stream: "The Devil In Us"
MPEG Stream: "I Regret The Flower Power"

BLACK DICE Beaches & Canyons (DFA) cd 14.98
It seems that art world darlings Black Dice have abandoned their super spastic noise assaults in favor of a more subtle, spacious, psychedelic approach, a path not unlike the one the Boredoms followed on the way to making "Super ae" and "Vision Creation Newsun." What happened? It's like someone set those responsible for "Cold Hands" loose in the forest with some shrooms, a couple Amon Duul records and a mission to get in touch with their primal selves. However they got their inspiration, the results are a glorious realization of intensity achieved through built-up layers of evocative, tension filled sound rather than freak-punk pummelling. This is an affair of shimmery guitars, cascading oscillations, tinkling chimes, and even a new agey wind line, worrisome until it gets obliterated via sample manipulation. An element of tribalism pounds its way into Beaches & Canyons, both through hypnotic drumming and yelping "Ah oh ah oh oh ah ah oh YEW! YEW! YEW! YEW!" vocal outbursts. The whole thing teeters precariously on the edge of hippy-dippydom, but Black Dice manages to pull off the jams while avoiding wanton self indulgence. Expansive, unexpected and awesome.
RealAudio clip: "Endless Happiness"
RealAudio clip: "Seabird"
RealAudio clip: "Big Drop"

BLACK DICE Beaches & Canyons (DFA) 2lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It seems that art world darlings Black Dice have abandoned their super spastic noise assaults in favor of a more subtle, spacious, psychedelic approach, a path not unlike the one the Boredoms followed on the way to making "Super ae" and "Vision Creation Newsun." What happened? It's like someone set those responsible for "Cold Hands" loose in the forest with some shrooms, a couple Amon Duul records and a mission to get in touch with their primal selves. However they got their inspiration, the results are a glorious realization of intensity achieved through built-up layers of evocative, tension filled sound rather than freak-punk pummelling. This is an affair of shimmery guitars, cascading oscillations, tinkling chimes, and even a new agey wind line, worrisome until it gets obliterated via sample manipulation. An element of tribalism pounds its way into Beaches & Canyons, both through hypnotic drumming and yelping "Ah oh ah oh oh ah ah oh YEW! YEW! YEW! YEW!" vocal outbursts. The whole thing teeters precariously on the edge of hippy-dippydom, but Black Dice manages to pull off the jams while avoiding wanton self indulgence. Expansive, unexpected and awesome.

BLACK DICE Broken Ear Record (Astralwerks) cd 16.98
Nothin' like starting off your morning with a big ol' cup of coffee and a big ol' earful (well, 37 minutes or so) of Black Dice. The cover art is, um, great...a pretty rainbow as the background, some nice fluffy clouds, and a lady's upturned bottom covered discreetly with little black cheerio things all pasted a bit left of center. Mmm, sonic AND visual collage.
"Broken Ear Record" has an almost consistent beat as its backbone that makes me think of mustached cartoon men working underground in a futuristic metropolis where things like dancing and pressing certain colored buttons are verboten but everyone does it anyway because it feels so damn good. This record is workin' in the kind of coal mine Devo would dig if they did things like dig coal mines. Things get a little Add N to (X)-y at times, not that that's a bad thing. As our lovely new staffer Kerry stated, track seven sounds a lot like a battle between a couple of toy dogs. And then someone whips out a jackhammer and things go a little nuts...but mind you not TOO nuts.
MPEG Stream: "Track 1"
MPEG Stream: "Track 2"

BLACK DICE Cold Hands (Troubleman Unlimited) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
As much as we LOVE the Black Dice these days, we weren't all that into them back in the day. When we first put this on, I was pleasantly surprised. The first song starts off with intense, rumbling and droning feedback, offset with what sounds like a malfunctioning music box. Actually quite cool. But it only takes a minute or two for everything to devolve to the lowest possible level. Yelping, screeching, stupid and inept, lame art-punk crap. Actually, referring to this as any sort of art might be pushing it. And their live show is about the same (but more violent); a noisey bar room brawl of smashed tables, broken mikes, and thrown chairs.

BLACK DICE Cone Toaster (DFA) 12" 6.98
The Brooklyn art-rock outfit Black Dice has an affinity for farting squiggles of electronic noise that left to their own devices would be very ugly and not very listenable. But Black Dice's 'Cone Toaster' single -- like its precursor album Beaches and Canyons -- salvages those sounds by interlacing them into really simple, tranced out percussive grooves and recalls the hyper-real esctacy and whimsically plastic psychedelia of The Boredoms' Vision Creation Newsun. Coincidentally, Yamataka Eye of The Boredoms is rumored to have contributed to the 'Cone Toaster' track. And Eye did in fact remix the b-side 'Endless Happiness' which comes from the Beaches and Canyons album. Released on the uber-hip DFA Records, so you don't need us telling you that this is cool. You already know.

BLACK DICE Creature Comforts (DFA) cd 14.98
Following up their recent Miles Of Smiles ep, here's a full-length of organic, electro-acoustic glitch and wild rhythmic overload from this hard-to-pin-down, arty outfit. Always one step ahead of our expectations, I guess...whatever they are. This features eight sometimes melodic, mostly fucked-up tracks electronic and somehow seemingly "ethnic" experimentation, one of them recorded live on their tour with Animal Collective. True, some of these tracks just sound like one sound effect after another, but the best ones on here are somehow really songs, though full of tape warped textures, hen-coop hullabaloo, and noisy beats. Lots of sounds falling past yr ears on here!
MPEG Stream: "Treetops"
MPEG Stream: "Creature"

BLACK DICE Creature Comforts (DFA) lp 14.98
Following up their recent Miles Of Smiles ep, here's a full-length of organic, electro-acoustic glitch and wild rhythmic overload from this hard-to-pin-down, arty outfit. Always one step ahead of our expectations, I guess...whatever they are. This features eight sometimes melodic, mostly fucked-up tracks electronic and somehow seemingly "ethnic" experimentation, one of them recorded live on their tour with Animal Collective. True, some of these tracks just sound like one sound effect after another, but the best ones on here are somehow really songs, though full of tape warped textures, hen-coop hullabaloo, and noisy beats. Lots of sounds falling past yr ears on here!
MPEG Stream: "Treetops"
MPEG Stream: "Creature"

BLACK DICE Load Blown (Paw Tracks) cd 14.98
Glitchy blippy trippy flipped out bombast from Brooklyn's own Black Dice! This is futuristic noise-rave music! An entirely beat driven sound, drawing on everything from Razor X-esque dance hall to the minimal sounds of the Chain Reaction label, but all filtered through the hypercolored sound pallet of the most forward thinking noise artists around. The music, while remaining noisy and abstract, is surprisingly hooky. Melodies are buried beneath the clanging of drum machines and dubbed out white noise textures. Heavily processed vocals float, from time to time, over a multimetric cacophony of layered rhythmic patterns, which results in something that is as infectious and groovy as it is disorienting and woozy. This music is how we imagine the club music of some super advanced race of space aliens might sound. Extraterrestrial crate bangers! If you dug on 2005's Broken Ear Record, or if you're just looking for something entirely refreshing and original in the world of "noise" music, this is definitely worth checking out.
MPEG Stream: "Kokomo"
MPEG Stream: "Scavenger"

BLACK DICE Load Blown (Paw Tracks) lp 17.98
Finally available on vinyl!
Glitchy blippy trippy flipped out bombast from Brooklyn's own Black Dice! This is futuristic noise-rave music! An entirely beat driven sound, drawing on everything from Razor X-esque dance hall to the minimal sounds of the Chain Reaction label, but all filtered through the hypercolored sound pallet of the most forward thinking noise artists around. The music, while remaining noisy and abstract, is surprisingly hooky. Melodies are buried beneath the clanging of drum machines and dubbed out white noise textures. Heavily processed vocals float, from time to time, over a multimetric cacophony of layered rhythmic patterns, which results in something that is as infectious and groovy as it is disorienting and woozy. This music is how we imagine the club music of some super advanced race of space aliens might sound. Extraterrestrial crate bangers! If you dug on 2005's Broken Ear Record, or if you're just looking for something entirely refreshing and original in the world of "noise" music, this is definitely worth checking out.
MPEG Stream: "Kokomo"
MPEG Stream: "Scavenger"

BLACK DICE Lost Valley (Tigerbeat6) cd ep 7.98
Reissued, in a new regular 5" cd format! This is what we said about Lost Valley when it was first released, and obviously some of our questions below were answered when their successful Beaches & Canyons full-length came out:
Tigerbeat 6 brings you a new ep from hardcore to freaky ambient turncoats Black Dice. Featuring sounds processed and tweaked with oudated electronics, ungrounded electrical buzz, and showcasing a big ol' tribal drum circle (uh oh). After an extended intro of floating tones, the second track brings us some of the fucked up noise rock that was conspicuously absent from a recent show here in SF. What will become of Black Dice? Will the youthful fashionistas learn to love the new Black Dice, or will they turn their backs? This ep is one teeny piece of the continuing saga.

BLACK DICE Miles Of Smiles (DFA Records) cd ep 9.98
Despite being on DFA, this sounds rather more like an Anomalous release. This two-track cd ep from Brooklyn's always-interesting, ever-exploratory, formerly-punk outfit Black Dice is a pleasant blend of electronic drones and samples and ethnic/krautrock flavoring. The thirteen minutes of the first, title track are heavily based on processed field recordings -- nighttime cricket noises, a purring feline, Thuja-ish stick crackling and other indistinct sources -- a mix that's then interrupted (or augmented) by what sounds like a some sort of blurrily recorded jamboree maybe from Africa or Southeast Asia. Following that, the fourteen minute track two, "Trip Dude Delay", dabbles in simple melody, effects and drifting vocals and sounds a bit more like a 'band' than the soundscape sampling of track one. Very mellow, very nice, even when they get louder and noisier halfway through (when their Boredoms Super Ae stylings are made evident).
MPEG Stream: "Miles Of Smiles"
MPEG Stream: "Trip Dude Delay"

BLACK DICE Miles Of Smiles (DFA Records) lp 11.98
Despite being on DFA, this sounds rather more like an Anomalous release. This two-track cd ep from Brooklyn's always-interesting, ever-exploratory, formerly-punk outfit Black Dice is a pleasant blend of electronic drones and samples and ethnic/krautrock flavoring. The thirteen minutes of the first, title track are heavily based on processed field recordings -- nighttime cricket noises, a purring feline, Thuja-ish stick crackling and other indistinct sources -- a mix that's then interrupted (or augmented) by what sounds like a some sort of blurrily recorded jamboree maybe from Africa or Southeast Asia. Following that, the fourteen minute track two, "Trip Dude Delay", dabbles in simple melody, effects and drifting vocals and sounds a bit more like a 'band' than the soundscape sampling of track one. Very mellow, very nice, even when they get louder and noisier halfway through (when their Boredoms Super Ae stylings are made evident).
MPEG Stream: "Miles Of Smiles"
MPEG Stream: "Trip Dude Delay"

BLACK DICE Monoman (DFA) 12" 11.98

BLACK DICE Peace in the Valley / Ball (Three.One.G) 7" & book 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NYC art-punk noise terrorists return with two new tracks on San Diego's Three.One.G. Comes with a deluxe forty page booklet of collage art and photos by drummer Hisham.

BLACK DICE Repo (Paw Tracks) cd 14.98
Brooklyn's Black Dice are back in action with another serving of their signature sampled and collagey, beat driven electro-noise. Repo turns and pulses like colors in a kaleidoscope, the sounds of cosmic tin cans colliding while clumsy break beats thud and pound. And while Black Dice fans won't be too surprised by anything on Repo, probably the coolest thing about this release is the 20 page booklet that comes overflowing with outrageous collaged black and white artwork by the band! Can you dig it??
MPEG Stream: "Nite Creme"
MPEG Stream: "Glazin"

BLACK DICE Repo (Paw Tracks) lp + booklet 17.98
Now on Vinyl!
Brooklyn's Black Dice are back in action with another serving of their signature sampled and collagey, beat driven electro-noise. Repo turns and pulses like colors in a kaleidoscope, the sounds of cosmic tin cans colliding while clumsy break beats thud and pound. And while Black Dice fans won't be too surprised by anything on Repo, probably the coolest thing about this release is the 20 page booklet that comes overflowing with outrageous collaged black and white artwork by the band! Can you dig it??
MPEG Stream: "Nite Creme"
MPEG Stream: "Glazin"

BLACK DICE Roll Up b/w Drool (Paw Tracks) 12" 10.98

BLACK DICE Smiling Off (Astralwerks) 2x12" 11.98
Looking for more Black Dice action? Well, here's three remixes (DFA, Luomo, and ZZ Pot), an edit, and a video of the song "Smiling Off" from the band's most recent Broken Ear Record. It's mostly beat-beat-beat on this one. The ZZ Pot remix is the most interesting of the bunch, being the least club-ready (though it's still got some of us dancin') and throwing a little more noise candy into the pot.
MPEG Stream: "Smiling Off [DFA remix]"
MPEG Stream: "Smiling Off [ZZ Pot remix]"

BLACK DICE Smiling Off (Astralwerks) cd single 8.98
Looking for more Black Dice action? Well, here's three remixes (DFA, Luomo, and ZZ Pot), an edit, and a video of the song "Smiling Off" from the band's most recent Broken Ear Record. It's mostly beat-beat-beat on this one. The ZZ Pot remix is the most interesting of the bunch, being the least club-ready (though it's still got some of us dancin') and throwing a little more noise candy into the pot.
MPEG Stream: "Smiling Off [DFA remix]"
MPEG Stream: "Smiling Off [ZZ Pot remix]"

BLACK ELF SPEAKS s/t (Mass Distribution) cd 9.98

BLACK ELK s/t (Crucial Blast) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Toggle"
MPEG Stream: "My Lil"

BLACK FICTION Ghost Ride (Howell's Transmitter) cd 11.98
Joining our beloved Mission District neighbors Ray's Vast Basement and The Modular Set on SF label (and arts collective!) Howell's Transmitter are two fine new groups, Black Fiction and Michael Zapruder's Rain Of Frogs.
Ghost Ride is Black Fiction's second full length (their self-titled debut came out last year). These curious popsters do their fair share of exploring and incorporating bits and bites of countless musical styles. When the dust settles and all the pieces settle, the outcome follows a similar patchwork-y path as Beck, Animal Collective and/or Elephant Six Collective (Olivia Tremor Control, Apples In Stereo, et al). Indeed, they might insert a tabla rhythm and a slice of soul here or a shufflin' hip hop beat there, but their sweet melodies and twee boy vocals reveal an indie pop core. Overall the album takes a laidback loping pace, however while that may be the case most of the time, occasionally it's as if a bright sunbeam comes along and stirs them into a minor frenzy of frolicking. Check out the ninth tune "Something Else" for an example of such an outburst. A delight.
MPEG Stream: "Something Else"
MPEG Stream: "You Must Not Bury Someone"

BLACK FLAG Damaged (SST) cd 14.98

BLACK FLAG Everything Went Black (SST) cd 16.98

BLACK FLAG Live (Visionary) dvd 23.00
DVD version of "the only available" Black Flag video, captured live in 1984 on their UK tour, in Bradford, England. It's well shot (w/ multiple cameras), with much of the attention, unsurprisingly, on frontman Henry Rollins. The sound is ok, but the vocals are much louder than the band and it certainly doesn't capture what they must actually have sounded like that night. So -- sonically tame, visually rad. And the music (Can't Decide, Slip It In, My War, Rat's Eyes, etc.) is great of course. Along with the 55 minute show, the DVD includes some extra features, none worth writing home about, like a Black Flag discography and a complete list of all Cherry Red cds available. Wow, what a perk. Still, something for fans to add to their collections.

BLACK FLAG Live '84 (SST) cd 15.98
Finally on cd after years in cassette-only purgatory, a totally rad Flag show from Frisco's The Stone back in the day. Loads of great Greg Ginn guitar strangulation and earnest hollerin' by Henry.

BLACK FLAG My War (SST) cd 14.98

BLACK FOREST / BLACK SEA Forcefields and Constellations (Bluesanct) cd 14.98
From the dark of the forest and the depths of the sea -- or more accurately from Rhode Island, although a lot of this was recorded on tour all across the US, live at various radio stations and other venues -- comes more minor-key melodies and drifting drones from this fine folk-psych outfit. Following up their sought-after (now out of print!) debut, Black Forest/Black Sea's second album sees them tinkering (but not much) with the same successful formula as their first. There's more tracks, and maybe more abstraction, but it's just as nice. Black Forest/Black Sea are nominally a duo but you'll hear from more than just two musicians here...proving themselves part of an underground free-folk family that stretches from SF to Philly to Finland, this disc features guests from Thuja and Charalambides, as well as samples taken from records by Fursaxa and Kemialliset Ystavat. Quite nice -- though we'd like to tell Bluesanct that next time they really should spring for more than a single thin square of paper for a cd insert, at least give us a four-page fold-over if not a full booklet...
MPEG Stream: "Nylon2"
MPEG Stream: "These Things"

BLACK FOREST / BLACK SEA Radiant Symmetry (Last Visible Dog) cd 13.98
Black Forest / Black Sea are one of those folky, psychedelic, improvisational bands who are probably *always* playing, in their home, with their friends, always just making music. If you looked in right now, you'd probably find their cello sawing away, with their guitar singing an improvised lullaby in a foreign tongue, omnichord and electronic junk sometimes flickering on in the background, as the band (there's two of 'em, plus likeminded souls drawn into their orbit) whiles away a summer night on the front porch or in the basement. Somesuch scenario seems likely anyway. And once in a while, recordings of bits and pieces of their musical life wind up on cd. Radiant Symmetry is their third, documenting some improv sessions and shows that have happened with the BF/BS duo not at home but on tour, traipsing the globe from the British Isles to Spain to Finland. Thereby insuring that friends like Daniel Padden and Alex Neilson and Markus Maki and Jan Anderzen, among others, make an appearance on this disc.
MPEG Stream: "track 2"
MPEG Stream: "track 5"

BLACK FOREST / BLACK SEA s/t (Last Visible Dog) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It seems the Last Visible Dog label can do no wrong of late, now bringing us this wonderful album of mellow, melancholy music full of folkish, creaky ambience from Black Forest/Black Sea. It's tailor-made for the Terrastock Nation, if you know what we mean. If you read Broken Face 'zine, or scarf up Jewelled Antler cdrs, or dig what the Wire calls "The New Weird America", or liked their track on the "Invisible Pyramid" compilation, well then this disc of psych-folk action ought to suit you like that shaggy beard suits Kawabata Makoto.
Black Forest/Black Sea are the Providence, RI duo of Jeffery Alexander and Miriam Goldberg (is one the forest and one the sea? dunno). Jeffery plays guitar and Miriam plays cello, primarily, but there's more than just guitar and cello in the mix. We know a couple of their friends help out at times with some shortwave, sax, and general knob-twiddling. But these songs mostly start with melodic guitar picking, oftimes unaccompanied, that may then be joined by doleful cello drone, wavering electronic organ, or perhaps some slow, steady percussion rhythm -- even, on one track, primitive electronic beats from a Casio or something -- always stirring echoes of old world folk and underground '70s kraut jamming. Much of this is instrumental, with what vocals there are -- it must be Miriam singing -- being quite haunting, sometimes simply lurking in the background, wordlessly, melding with the glitchy reel-to-reel tape noises and other non-instrumental, extra-musical textural effects this band employs that add depth and mystery to their simple but effective songs. From spacious droning, possibly improvised passages to downright tuneful 'folky' hooks, this works and works well. We can't see how any of AQ's psych/folk fan customers would want to pass this up. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Blackbird On Gray Sky"
MPEG Stream: "Banjo Song"

BLACK FOREST / BLACK SEA s/t (Music Fellowship) cd 15.98
Moody n' beautiful fourth album of improv-folk-drone from this Providence duo (plus some friendly guests, as usual, including Italy's Stefano Pilia). The two long tracks here incorporate mellow, meandering folkish melody and haunting old-tymey female vocal holler amid gentle psychedelic guitar drift and sometimes-harsher electronic feedback textures. If there's a leafy glade in a mystical, musical forest where you can find the Jewelled Antler posse jamming, and another clearing occupied by a picnicking Kemialliset Ystavat, then for sure a winding path through that same forest will eventually lead you to the campsite wherein Black Forest/Black Sea are so calmly, lovingly, free-form-freaking out. Quite nice! By the way, BF/BS's first album, released in 2003 on the Last Visible Dog label and now out of print, was *also* self-titled -- this one's all new.
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 2"

BLACK FRANCIS Blue Finger (Cooking Vinyl) cd 16.98
Oh, that unmistakable voice and guitar sound! They haven't truly been heard since the early days of the Pixies, have they? Yessiree folks. the more mild tempered Frank Black has stepped aside for the time being.
Perhaps more than a little bit amped and rejuvenated with the return of his mighty band, Black Francis is back. Conjuring the fiery spirit of The Pixies' heyday, Blue Finger's opening track "Captain Pasty" clears the cobwebs from all eardrums within throwing distance. He's even enlisted a female vocalist to accompany him, Ms Violet Clark. She's sure no Kim Deal, but Clark holds her own next to the formidable gent. From there he runs the gamut of his distinctly vigorous twang tinged rock goodness. It all sounds like someone or something has sparked a fire in his music makin' bones. Even when he slows things down on number such as "Discotheque 36", it's a bit less on the mark and a bit long-winded, but still a stimulating listen. The next tune, his cover of Herman Brood's "You Can't Break A Heart And Have It" kicks it all back into gear. Definitely an album highlight!
A side note: an odd moment comes at the album's halfway point. Towards the end of "Angels Come To Comfort You" a sound materializes that we originally thought was a truck backing up, but then it became apparent that it was supposed to be an ambulance siren. Weird.
MPEG Stream: "Captain Pasty"
MPEG Stream: "You Can't Break A Heart And Have It"

BLACK FRANCIS Sv N F Ng Rs (Cooking Vinyl USA) cd 10.98
We won't lie, the last several years have been pretty trying when keeping up with Frank Black's (aka Black Francis) releases. There have been some serious stinkers for sure, and some that were so middle of the road that it was hard to believe they came from the same man who led one of the quirkiest and most innovative and influential bands of the last twenty years. But we do have to give the man credit, you can tell in his post-Pixies life he's just been doing and recording exactly what he wanted. While the results have sometimes been less then riveting, his integrity has remained intact. And we knew in our Pixies loving hearts that it was just a matter of time before he would drop a record, probably without much publicity or fanfare, that would actually be really damn good -- and here it is!
Maybe it's because it was recorded and mixed in just seven days, but there is an urgency and excitement to this record that we haven't heard from Mr. Francis in such a long time. The songs are short, stripped down and filled with that eccentric and quirky quality that had been missing from his more recent work. The record's opener, "The Seus", has a Pere Ubu like disposition and from there the record has no dull or throwaway moments at all. Seven songs that clock in at about 20 minutes and while it might be his shortest release in a while it's also his best in years!
MPEG Stream: "The Seus"
MPEG Stream: "Seven Fingers"
MPEG Stream: "Garbage Heap"

BLACK FURIES Meanwhile Back In The States (Take Root) cd 7.98
Meanwhile, Back In The States... is the second release from The Black Furies, and it reveals a bit of a shift in direction. Tighter and punchier, their new sound borders on the cock rock party action of The Hives, The Hellacopters or even Turbonegro. Gooood times! So, the news that the band has recently signed to Gearhead Records makes total sense... much more so than if we'd heard the news following their last cd which was more of a straight forward punk rawk rally. They've sharpened their pop hooks, Turtle-waxed their guitars to a super gleam, and put a bit more imagination into their packaging to boot.
MPEG Stream: "Blacklist"
MPEG Stream: "No Money Down"

BLACK FURIES s/t (Take Root) cd 11.98
The Black Furies are a total no-frills band churning out straight-up beefy punk rawk. On this their debut album they come tearing outta the gates, seemingly ready to steamroll anyone and anything in their path. Their songs bring to mind the reckless energy of oldschoolers like the Stooges, D.O.A. and Black Flag or more recent brethren The Hellacopters and Turbonegro. Definitely the product of calloused fingers, bloodied knuckles and blistered vocal cords. Rad!
MPEG Stream: "Offer Resistance"
MPEG Stream: "Let It Rock"

BLACK HEART PROCESSION 2 (Touch & Go) cd 14.98
The somber musical beauty created by Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel (of Three Mile Pilot) Mario Rubalcaba, (of Thingy and Clikitat Ikatowi), and Jason Crane (trumpeteer for Back Off Cupid, Gogogo Airheart) is quite something to behold. Each song of their shadowy first album (yes, it was titled "1") slowly unfolded and enveloped the listener. And this their second album, is just as enchanting - if not more so. Steeped in deep melancholia, feel you heart grow heavy to mood-altering songs such as "Blue Tears" and "My Heart Might Stop". Simply gorgeous. Very recommended.

BLACK HEART PROCESSION 3 (Touch & Go) cd 14.98
Sure, Black Heart Procession's three albums have all sounded more or less the same, but like bands such as Dirty Three, Pole, and Low, Black Heart do one thing but they do it IMPECCABLY. As the title suggests, this is the third album from this "moody" rock band, with former members of Three Mile Pilot as well as folks from Rocket From The Crypt and Blonde Redhead. Doleful piano sits next to mournful male vocals and dark strummed guitar. Fans of Red House Painters, Palace, and Radar Brothers will LOVE this record, don't delay!
RealAudio clip: "Guess I'll Forget You"

BLACK HEART PROCESSION 3 (Touch & Go) lp 14.98
Sure, Black Heart Procession's three albums have all sounded more or less the same, but like bands such as Dirty Three, Pole, and Low, Black Heart do one thing but they do it IMPECCABLY. As the title suggests, this is the third album from this "moody" rock band, with former members of Three Mile Pilot as well as folks from Rocket From The Crypt and Blonde Redhead. Doleful piano sits next to mournful male vocals and dark strummed guitar. Fans of Red House Painters, Palace, and Radar Brothers will LOVE this record, don't delay!

BLACK HEART PROCESSION A Three Song Recording (Up) cd ep 4.50

BLACK HEART PROCESSION Amor Del Tropico (Touch & Go) cd 14.98
Following three remarkably similar albums (note: this is by no means a complaint 'cause each was a gorgeous richly hued work unto itself), Black Heart Procession have made a few shifts in direction and sound, and widened their scope considerably - the the first sign is the title (as opposed to its predecessors simply titled 1, 2 and 3). This album starts off with a slightly cocktail-hourish number that's anchored by a bossanova rhythm. Later songs encorporate old r&b / soul female backing vocal stylings ("A Cry For Love") as well as layered lead vocals with Pall singing in both his familiar mournful cry and a considerably deeper mannish tone a la Michael Gira or Mark Lanegan (at least I think that's Pall, I couldn't find mention of any other vocalists). Check out the somber, gorgeous final track "The One Who Has Disappeared". Much more diverse than past efforts, but still retaining their trademark languorous pace and mellifluous instrumentation.
RealAudio clip: "Tropics Of Love"
RealAudio clip: "A Cry For Love"
RealAudio clip: "The One Who Has Disappeared"

BLACK HEART PROCESSION Amor Del Tropico (Touch & Go) 2lp 17.98
Following three remarkably similar albums (note: this is by no means a complaint 'cause each was a gorgeous richly hued work unto itself), Black Heart Procession have made a few shifts in direction and sound, and widened their scope considerably - the the first sign is the title (as opposed to its predecessors simply titled 1, 2 and 3). This album starts off with a slightly cocktail-hourish number that's anchored by a bossanova rhythm. Later songs encorporate old r&b / soul female backing vocal stylings ("A Cry For Love") as well as layered lead vocals with Pall singing in both his familiar mournful cry and a considerably deeper mannish tone a la Michael Gira or Mark Lanegan (at least I think that's Pall, I couldn't find mention of any other vocalists). Check out the somber, gorgeous final track "The One Who Has Disappeared". Much more diverse than past efforts, but still retaining their trademark languorous pace and mellifluous instrumentation.
RealAudio clip: "Tropics Of Love"
RealAudio clip: "A Cry For Love"
RealAudio clip: "The One Who Has Disappeared"

BLACK HEART PROCESSION Between the Machines / After the Ladder (Suicide Squeeze) 7" 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

BLACK HEART PROCESSION Fish The Holes On Frozen Lakes (Galaxia) cd 5.98
Another short ep from the Black Heart Procession, who could easily be the ill-spirited doppleganger of the Elephant 6 troupe. With former members of Three Mile Pilot, this is almost like the Birthday Party covering Neutral Milk Hotel songs. Nice.

BLACK HEART PROCESSION Hearts And Tanks (Shinglestreet) cdep 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Moving onward from their livelier (relatively speaking), bossanova infused last album Amor Del Tropico, AQ fave gloomies Black Heart Procession glide gracefully into even more expansive, haunting and cinematic territory. As serene, lush and gorgeous as ever, its only flaw might be its rather steep import price tag for a four-song ep. Nonetheless, Hearts And Tanks will undoubtably cause much fan swooning. What more can be said? BHP craft some of the finest somber splendor around.
MPEG Stream: "Weakness"

BLACK HEART PROCESSION Love Sings A Sunrise / The Hideaway (Rocket Racer) 7" pic disc 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Those are the two songs on this new 7" from San Diego's low-key kings of melancholy. It's a picture disc, and we'll probably run out of 'em before you even get this list. Sorry.