400 BLOWS Angel's Trumpets and Devil's Trombones (GSL) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
No genuine angels nor devils are to be found in the ranks of 400 Blows nor is there anything remotely resembling a brass instrument. This L.A. trio is made up of mere mortals, three angry hardcore boys equipped with the punk rock basics. No superhuman strength, no kid gloves, but with just electric guitar, bass, drums and a mean set of vocal chords these guys churn out some ultra lean aggro sounds. In fact these eleven songs just might leave you more than a little bristly, bare fisted and bloody nosed.
MPEG Stream: "The Beauty Of Internal Darkness"
MPEG Stream: "Love You To Death"

400 BLOWS Black Rainbow (Tone Capsule) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Been hearing about this band for a while now. And I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. But this record pretty much erases all doubt from my mind. Crushing, pummelling low-fi math metal with lots of super complex arrangements, some serious riffage and some almost-catchy songs! Another band with the pointless guitar/drums/vocals/NO BASS lineup, but they manage to overcome the handicap of being a BASS-less heavy-rock band and whip up a minimal, spastic, sludgy and brutally lowend masterpiece.
RealAudio clip: "The Root of Our Nature"
RealAudio clip: "The World's Largest Miniature"
RealAudio clip: "The Long Wait For Nothing"
RealAudio clip: "The Wrong Song"

49TH PARALLEL s/t (Pacemaker) cd 15.98

50 FOOT WAVE Golden Ocean (BMG) cd 14.98
Here's the second fiery release from Kristin Hersh's rawked-up band 50 Foot Wave. Whereas the first was a six song ep, this is a full length (however please note that three of the eleven songs were plucked from the ep, the album's lead-off track "Long Painting", "Dog Days", and the ep's highlight "Clara Bow"). When we played this in the store, someone mistook it for L7. Does that give you some idea of what this sounds like? No? Well, how 'bout Hersh's screamed lyric "Shut the fuck up!"? Geeezus! While we wholly support 'gettin' it out' through your music, we're not sure if this style of hissy fit rock really suits Hersh's voice, and well... sometimes her feverish caterwauling just sounds like she's bringing up her lunch or a lung. Uh oh. To boot, Golden Ocean could really have done without the guitar noodly wank-offs that punctuate almost every song. Yikes. 50 Foot Wave were actually more effective on the ep format -- a quick sharp sock in the jaw versus a lengthy ear-tiring onslaught. They should've stuck with the original 50 Foot Wave plan of releasing an ep every few months. Ah well, this review will probably do little to dissuade her loyal fans (and may disgruntle a few), but this album will probably also do little to win her any new ones.
MPEG Stream: "Bone China"
MPEG Stream: "Pneuma"

50 FOOT WAVE s/t (Throwing Music) cd ep 7.98
Not one to rest on her solo and Throwing Muses laurels, Kristin Hersh move onwards with a new project called 50 Foot Wave. This is their fired-up debut EP. Sounds like Ms Hersh's been smokin' a few packs a day, her voice sounds like a grunged-out Stevie Nicks! Six frantically-paced garage rawk tunes driven by hoarsely sneered vocals, down'n'dirty gritty guitars, and a thumpin' raunchy rhythm section. They keep things at full throttle from start to finish. This is even more raw and feisty than her early 'Muses albums. Sort of disorienting at first, it may take old fans a few listens to get accustomed to her new direction.
MPEG Stream: "Bug"
MPEG Stream: "Clara Bow"

500MG Apocatastisis (Three Lobed Recordings) lp+cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Record number two from Michael Gibbons, of druggy space rockers Bardo Pond, another vinyl only release, as he continues to explore the more blissed out acoustic side of the whole ambient free floating space rock dream folk sound his main band has been such a crucial part of.
Side one of Apocatastisis almost plays out like some sort of sampler, each track, a facet of Gibbons' psych folk psyche, every one an homage to someone who informed his sound.
The opener is dark and minimal, disembodied bits of backwoods folk set amidst huge expanses of spacious ambience, bits of random sounds drift in the huge spaces between notes, the next track is a buzzing Eastern style raga, all dreamy and drawn out, the next simple muted chunk of folky strum and twang, the final track a full on blast of Henry Flynt style drone fiddle minimalism, keening and sawing relentlessly, emitting gorgeous wavery drones.
So if side A is a sampler, then side B demonstrates just what Gibbons can do, taking those influences and those sounds he loves and turning them into something distinctly his own. Two lengthy jams, the first begins with a thick sheet of fuzzy ambience, a muted noisy drone before drifting off leaving a simple mournful slide guitar, to unfurl super emotional melodies and weave a gorgeously folky dreamdrift. The second track is even more laid back, a back porch, lazy afternoon, rocking chair, just my guitar and the land as far as the eye can see, old timey, but sort of modern leaning Appalachian blues, melodic and melancholy, but with a strange twist at the end, the introduction of bizarre bits of spoken word, a man's voice drifting in and out amidst the slowly unwinding guitar melodies and distant buzz. Nice.
Apocatastisis is limited to 677 copies, but we managed to get a bunch of the SUPER LIMITED version, only 191 copies made (each hand numbered) which includes a bonus cd with an extra 15 minute track, and it's a corker!! Beginning with spidery steel string buzz over a thick wash of swirling shimmer, the guitar begins its slow thoughtful march, lazily meandering through all sorts of landscapes and backgrounds, little flutters of backwards guitar melody, dense clouds of spacey effects, crunchy slabs of crumbling distortion, the background continually shifting and transforming while the guitar remains simple and solid, sometimes getting a little distorted, buzzing a bit, but always settling back into its dreamy drift, weaving its way through a spaced out and abstract, gorgeously psychedelic soundscape.
MPEG Stream: "Apocatastisis (Bonus Disc)"

5IVE Hesperus (Tortuga) cd 14.98
The cover photo on this digipack release shows placid waters, probably some sheltered harbor near Boston, from whence this guitar-drums two-piece hail. The photo on the interior gatefold also depicts relatively calm seas. But the sonic waves that 5ive stir up are something else, bigger and meaner! 5ive's relentless and riff-repetitive, mostly-instrumental music is HEAVY all right. And thus, floats our boat, even as it tosses said boat about upon its stormy waves.
We've been waiting for some new 5ive for quite some time. This is their first full-length of new material in forever. 2006's Versus ep, featuring a couple remixes by Justin Broadrick (Jesu), only left us hankering for more... so we're glad to report that this new 5ive is finally here and it's got what we want. Thick n' distorted stoner rock meets post rock jams, full of loud soft dynamics for maximum sludgecore beauty and power. Tracks like "Heel" and "Big Sea" have plenty of rollicking psychedelic swing to 'em, after the pretty parts that set you up for the heavier hitting... and while the likes of "News II" gets up into the 12 minute range, even the shorter tunes here manage some epic, hypnotic heft. Fans of 5ive won't be disappointed, and if you haven't heard 'em before check this out if stuff like Pelican, Kinski, godheadsilo, Isis, Old Man Gloom, etc. is on your personal playlist.
MPEG Stream: "Gulls"
MPEG Stream: "Big Sea"

5TH DIMENSION, THE The Magic Garden (Rev-Ola) cd 15.98
Of our many guilty pleasures around here, one which we have little opportunity to highlight is our mad love for sixties mainstream pop. Not the little known obscurities necessarily, but the big budget LA productions as performed by groups like Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, The Mamas and The Papas, The Turtles, The Association, Spanky and Our Gang, and The 5th Dimension. While they all had charted hits, they all performed at a time when the musical landscape was changing, and their charted successes gave them the ability to explore less industry-influenced album-oriented material. They all had that odd record, most likely their least successful, but at least one truly stands the test of time, and because of its lack of commercial familiarity, actually sounds the most fresh of the bunch. Case in point, this wonderful soft psych Jimmy Webb-penned song cycle from The 5th Dimension. Basically the soulful black counterpart to The Mamas and The Papas, The 5th Dimension and Jimmy Webb had such an initial breakout hit and such award-winning success with their debut album, "Up Up and Away", that Jimmy Webb was handed complete arrangement and total writing control for the groups follow-up record, The Magic Garden. With production by Bones Howe, who helmed albums by The Association and The Turtles, The Magic Garden could easily be called the best record the 5th Dimension released, even though it was far from successful. Webb, struggling with manic-depression and a bitter breakup, used the song cycle format to chart his fragmented relationship with love. Using soft psych-tinged orchestral arrangements (including sitars!), dreamy harmonies and surrealistic lyrics, the songs weave together intricately, yet belie a darker sentiment underneath all the flower child imagery. For example, the only minor hit on here, the upbeat, "Carpet Man", is about a man who lets the women in his life walk all over him, While "The Worst That Can Happen" is about a former lover getting married to someone else. The best song however is the heart-stabbing Isleys-meet Scott Walker dark orchestral funk ballad, "Requiem: 820 Latham" that is atypical of the 5th Dimension's normally sunny hits. Filled with amazing orchestral breaks that beg to be sampled, this record was recently revealed in a Nick Drake biography to be one of his favorite records to listen to (along with Love's Forever Changes, and Van Morrison's Astral Weeks) due to its stellar orchestral production. And a bonus here is that Rev-Ola took the liberty of moving the contractually obligated cover, The Beatles "Ticket to Ride" to the end of the song cycle from its original location in the middle. The Carpenters always had the better approach to that cover (dour and depressed) anyway, so it's just best to skip that track altogether. Other than that, this is one of those bittersweet gems that fans of sixties pop and production will love!!!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Dreams / Pax / Nepenthe"
MPEG Stream: "Carpet Man"
MPEG Stream: "Requiem: 820 Latham"

60 WATT KID s/t (Absolutely Kosher) cd 12.98
60 Watt Kid arm themselves with some krautrock and psychedelic inspirations among other things, and put them through the rough'n'tumble settings of indie rock. Heaps of effected guitars, oozy keyboards, loosely drummed rhythms, processed samples, and distorted hoot'n'holler vocals. Very trippily mix'n'match, and very much along the oddly angled slant of bands such as Oneida and Liars. Mid-album album they go through a brief personality change, coming back down to earth as they drift off on a wistful folksy number "North American Road". Later still, they morph into Sea And Cake-ish post-rockers for a spell. They strike us as a very antsy, but they always find their way back to their strange space-psych stew.
MPEG Stream: "Everyday There's Something Special (Hold On I Gotta Take This Call)"
MPEG Stream: "North American Road"

7 YEAR RABBIT CYCLE Ache Horns (Free Porcupine Society) cd 14.98
A Bay Area super group of sorts featuring Rob Fisk (ex-Deerhoof, Badgerlore), Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu), Kelly Goodefisk (ex-Deerhoof), Ches Smith (superstar drummer, he's played with Tom Waits, John Zorn, Mr. Bungle, Nels Cline, Fred Frith, etc.) and George Chen (k.i.t., man about town). Ok now that we've got that out of the way on to the music. This is lovely and dark folk rock. You can for sure hear the remnants of the Deerhoof past that some of the members share, and a collective art-punk past that recalls moments of Saccharine Trust / the weirder side of SST, all delivered in a much more dusky, dusty woods kind of way. With one foot planted in improv free rock and another in darkwoods folk, 7 Year Rabbit Cycle hold tight to their punk roots with one hand while their other runs its fingers through dirt, leaves and soil.
MPEG Stream: "Puppies"
MPEG Stream: "Pirate"

7000 DYING RATS Season In Hell (He Who Corrupts) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "Altar Of Goat Skulls"
MPEG Stream: "Hack To Bits"
MPEG Stream: "Annihilator The Devastator"
MPEG Stream: "Horrible"
MPEG Stream: "We Had "Dying" In Our Name Way Before All Those Metalcore Cocksuckers Came Along"

731 Live On PBS 106.7 FM 06.12.2006 (Testsubject) cd 3.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
A seriously corrosive chunk of ultra blown out frenzied power violence from down under. Or as the sleeve proclaims over and over around the border "raw-grind-violence". And that's just what this is, violent, raw, and grind. Recorded live on the radio, 7 tracks, 12 minutes, of buzzing blown out riffage, churning chugging guitars, screeched shrieks, bellowed howls, furious octopoidal drumming, relentless blastbeats, pounding doomy plod, all wound up into a face melting explosion of power violence fury.
Fans of any of the recent crop of power violence warriors will definitely dig: Iron Lung, Endless Blockade, and it's always good to know the spirit of Crossed Out, MITB, Drop Dead, No Comment still burns bright worldwide.
Super limited cd-r, pretty sure it's out of print already, we only have a handful of copies...
MPEG Stream: "A Most Deafening Silence"
MPEG Stream: "Record Collector Dissctor"

764-HERO We're Solids (Up/Suicide Squeeze) cd 8.98
On tour with Modest Mouse, fellow Pacific Northwest pop heroes.

86 (THE BAND) True Life Songs and Picture (Fresh Corn) cd 10.98
86 is a local quartet who play a down home concoction of sweetly sincere male harmonies over a rollicking twangy rock backdrop, made with chiming strummed guitars and fingerpicked banjo. Eschewing pretentiousness, their lyrics instead celebrate the mundane aspects of a regular guy's life, and it's a nice combination, easy and fun. It's not as original or singular as the brilliant Dieselhed, another local band that features a similar combo of sounds, but it's pretty good nonetheless, perhaps like a cross between Dieselhed and the Old 97s.
RealAudio clip: "You are a Star"
RealAudio clip: "How to Get There"

90 DAY MEN (It(Is)It) Critical Band (Southern) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
After a couple singles and a stellar EP, Chicago art-punks The 90 Day Men finally release their debut album. And it's chock full of jerky rhythms, lo-fi guitar screech and fake British accents. Judging from the cover art, it seems like they're going for the cute boy band aesthetic, but the recording is nothing short of awful and the dynamics of the songs suffer because of it. The songs are so good, but the recording is so distracting. See them live first.

90 DAY MEN Panda Park (Southern Records) cd 14.98
90 Day Men have been firmly rooted in the Chicago post-rock / math-rock scene since 1995. Always a bit more challenging than most of their scene brethren, you gotta give them props not only for choosing their own distinct path -- and with this album in particular venturing into wholly different territory for themselves -- but also for shaking up the indie rock status quo with their bold choices. Granted some of said choices might fall short of their marks or fall in the 'acquired taste' category, but when they do nail them, 90 Day Men can be quite something to behold. With Panda Park they've gone through a transformation of sorts into something akin to baroque space-rock characterized by dramatic cascading keyboards. Where the highs and lows are most notable are in the vocal performances. They start off with deeply soulful vocals that soar and swoop (although 90DM's lead vocalist is male, we initially thought the singing on the lead off track was by a female vocalist, but nothing has confirmed this), then there's the more easy-on-the-ears moody hushed male vocals (very Mark Lanegan / Steve Von Till) on "When Your Luck Runs Out" and a very Bowie-esque "Silver and Snow" (some here even likened it to Harvey Sid Fisher or an unwell Scott Walker). At times elaborate, strange, arty and dissonant.
MPEG Stream: "When Your Luck Runs Out"
MPEG Stream: "Silver And Snow"

9TH WARD MARCHING BAND Sneakin Up The Street (Rhinestone) lp 17.98

A s/t (Die Schachtel) cd 18.98
Previously the Die Schachtel label has brought us several very cool reissues of some very obscure '70s art/prog/avant music from Italy -- such as Luciano Cilio, Prima Materia and Insiememusicadiversa. Weird and wonderful stuff. Now, they've got a brand new band for us, not a reissue (though it totally seems to fit in with their "thing"). It's apparently the first in a new series called Zeit devoted to the current-day Italian underground, and comes from a trio calling themselves A (actually, an A with what looks a little circular diacritical mark above it, which we can't reproduce on our website easily. Maybe we should write Aa, that might be the correct way to do it. Furthermore, Wikipedia tells us that in Norwegian, Danish and Swedish it's a word meaning rivulet or stream.). They've got a lot in common with fellow Italians (and AQ faves) Larsen, 3/4hadbeeneliminated, and Sinistri/Starfuckers, playing a sort of mysterious, mostly instrumental, deconstructed, experimental post-rock music. No wonder in iTunes it comes up as genre = "unclassifiable". They're definitely carrying on the tradition established by those '70s artists Die Schachtel has documented.
The percussive beat-booming and crackling drone of the disc's longest track, the sixteen minute "Something A Long Time Ago. And There Are No Buttons Either, Because" brings to mind This Heat. There and elsewhere Aa also conjure suggestions of Village Of Savoonga, Richard Youngs, Dean Roberts, and even Bohren & Der Club Of Gore, among other good things. Additionally, we'll mention that this was mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi, which isn't a bad reference point either if you've heard his music. We just can't resist this sort of semi-abstract, organic post-rock, with its rainy day piano, meandering guitar, tinkling clock-ticking textures, dreamy violin sawing, wordless (?) floaty vocals, glitchy electronics, and birdlike horn warble... all woven together gorgeously and with a sense of the dramatic. Very very nice. As is the packaging too!
By the way, the wordy song titles are all sentence fragments taken from a paragraph belonging to Mark Haddon's novel The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time.
MPEG Stream: "My Memory Is Like A Film. That Is Why"
MPEG Stream: "I Am Really Good At Remembering Things, Like The Conversation I Have Written Down In This Book, And What People Are Wearing, And What They Smelled Like, Because My Memory Has"
MPEG Stream: "A Smell Track Which Is Like A Soundtrack, And When People Ask Me To Remember Something I Can Simply"

A BOLHA Um Passo A Frente (Lion Productions ) cd 14.98
Following the Tetragon highlighted here last list, and other recent releases like Sergius Golowin and Guru Guru, what treat does the meritorious and meticulous reissue label Lion Productions have for us THIS week? Another obscure, freaky gem of dusty vintage, yes, but this time not krautrock, instead it's from another wonderful subgenre, that of Latin American psychedelia!
This Brazilian band flourished circa 1965-1978, starting off as a Beatlesy dance pop group called The Bubbles, before changing their name to its Portuguese equivalent A Bolha in 1970 and going for a harder, more progressive rock sound, inspired in part by the bands they'd seen on a trip to England, at the Isle of Wight festival. All this according to the extensive liner notes in the thick, illustrated cd booklet, which provides plenty of info about the band and their career, including their stint as backing band for Tropicalia star Gal Costa. But history aside, what matters is the music, and even today A Bolha's lively grooves are pretty great!
This album, Um Passo A Frente, was recorded and released originally in 1973, and is rightly considered a Brazilian rock classic of the era. These tracks (7 from the album proper, plus fantastic 2 bonus cuts included on this reissue) range wildly across the spectrum of pop psych / hard rock / Tropicalia, incorporating laidback vibes, vocal harmonies (all songs sung in Portuguese), sudden prog rock changes (and song lengths, a couple up to 9 and 10 minutes), swirling organ, acid rock guitar soloing, honkytonk piano plinkery, frenetic percussion, countryish blues moods, bubblegum boogiewoogie, and even some free jazz squealing sax (such as during side two's epic "A Espera", which also has some really great freak out moments for all of us flute fanciers!). If we had to pick, our favorite track might be "Tempos Constantes", mixing fuzzy guitar riffage n' rippery with out-and-out uptempo sunshiney pop, but it's a tough call. And then there's the bonus cuts. If anything, those two tracks from A Bolha's debut 1971 single are heavier / druggier / jammier than the preceding cuts on this disc, the band apparently lightening up a bit for the album two years later. Worth it for those two alone, almost!
Definitely one for fans of South American psych all told, if you like the likes of later Os Mutantes, Los Dug Dugs, Bango, Embrujo, Som Imaginario, Color Humano, Miguel Cantilo, et. al. And in some weird way, we're even reminded a bit of recent Comets On Fire output!
NB Although what we said above about Lion Productions being meticulous with their reissues is generally true, we did discover that despite their best efforts, the track listing and disc programming here is screwed up, for one thing tracks 6 and 7 appear to be switched around. Whoops! Lion is quite chagrined and will post corrected information to their website asap.
MPEG Stream: "Tempos Constantes"
MPEG Stream: "A Espera"
MPEG Stream: "Sem Nada"

A BOLHA Un Passo A Frente (Groovie Records) lp 32.00
Now, reissued on vinyl too!
This Brazilian band flourished circa 1965-1978, starting off as a Beatlesy dance pop group called The Bubbles, before changing their name to its Portuguese equivalent A Bolha in 1970 and going for a harder, more progressive rock sound, inspired in part by the bands they'd seen on a trip to England, at the Isle of Wight festival. They also spent some time as the as backing band for Tropicalia star Gal Costa. But history aside, what matters is the music, and even today A Bolha's lively grooves are pretty great!
This album, Um Passo A Frente, was recorded and released originally in 1973, and is rightly considered a Brazilian rock classic of the era. These tracks (7 from the album proper, plus fantastic 2 bonus cuts, which also appeared on the compact disc reissue we previously listed) range wildly across the spectrum of pop psych / hard rock / Tropicalia, incorporating laidback vibes, vocal harmonies (all songs sung in Portuguese), sudden prog rock changes (and song lengths, a couple up to 9 and 10 minutes), swirling organ, acid rock guitar soloing, honkytonk piano plinkery, frenetic percussion, countryish blues moods, bubblegum boogiewoogie, and even some free jazz squealing sax (such as during side two's epic "A Espera", which also has some really great freak out moments for all of us flute fanciers!). If we had to pick, our favorite track might be "Tempos Constantes", mixing fuzzy guitar riffage n' rippery with out-and-out uptempo sunshiney pop, but it's a tough call. And then there's the bonus cuts. If anything, those two tracks from A Bolha's debut 1971 single are heavier / druggier / jammier than the preceding cuts on this disc, the band apparently lightening up a bit for the album two years later. Worth it for those two alone, almost!
Definitely one for fans of South American psych all told, if you like the likes of later Os Mutantes, Los Dug Dugs, Bango, Embrujo, Som Imaginario, Color Humano, Miguel Cantilo, et. al. And in some weird way, we're even reminded a bit of recent Comets On Fire output!
(Oh, and unlike the slightly mixed-up cd reissue on Lion, this time around, the tracklisting appears to be correct regarding order and times.)
MPEG Stream: "Tempos Constantes"
MPEG Stream: "A Espera"
MPEG Stream: "Sem Nada"

A BROKEN CONSORT Crow Autumn (Tompkins Square) cd 14.98
Crow Autumn is the second record by A Broken Consort, aka Richard Skelton. He conjured up ABC as a project dedicated to his late wife who passed away in 2004, leaving a collection of sketches and photos, unfinished artwork, all of which inspired him to keep her memory alive, via posthumous collaborations, as well as various works of his own created in her memory. The last ABC record, Box Of Birch, was all blissed out drones and slow burning ragas, whereas Crow Autumn is more organic, more like an abstract assemblage of strings, a string quartet loosed from its traditional moorings perhaps. The sounds here are warm and lush, mediative and melancholic, the drone and raga elements are certainly still present, but the vibe is more acoustic, more raw and immediate and emotional, less processed and assembled.
Opening with a hushed, minimal stretch of warm washed out shimmer, the slow scrape of strings wrapped in reverb, the record quickly blossoms into a dense layered sprawl of metallic, shimmering strings, all overlapping, and slowly shifting, the overtones drifting in and out, the chords lush and intertwined, the notes occasionally spinning off into the ether, the pace is patient, and serene. At points there are distant melodies played on what sounds like a tiny piano, nearly obscured by a swirl of ethereal glimmering haze, but it seems the strings are the focal point of Crow Autumn, the tracks always seeming to gravitate toward a weightless expanse of suspended strings, plucked, scraped, bowed, the tones stretched out into warm billowy clouds, all very cinematic and dramatic, and strangely repetitive and looped sounding, so evocative of faded memory, of old photographs, of abandoned houses, of sunlight through old yellowed windows, of trees swaying in afternoon breezes, of long walks under grey skies, of sadness, loss, and longing. So beautiful, and heartfelt, and hypnotic.
Essential listening for fans of Leyland Kirby, the Caretaker, William Basinski, the Skelton solo record we reviewed a while back, the last A Broken Consort, and anyone into darkly meditative dream-drift-drone music...
MPEG Stream: "A Mercy Kill"
MPEG Stream: "Like Rain"
MPEG Stream: "Mountains Ash"

A BROKEN CONSORT Crow Autumn (Tompkins Square) lp 14.98
Crow Autumn is the second record by A Broken Consort, aka Richard Skelton. He conjured up ABC as a project dedicated to his late wife who passed away in 2004, leaving a collection of sketches and photos, unfinished artwork, all of which inspired him to keep her memory alive, via posthumous collaborations, as well as various works of his own created in her memory. The last ABC record, Box Of Birch, was all blissed out drones and slow burning ragas, whereas Crow Autumn is more organic, more like an abstract assemblage of strings, a string quartet loosed from its traditional moorings perhaps. The sounds here are warm and lush, mediative and melancholic, the drone and raga elements are certainly still present, but the vibe is more acoustic, more raw and immediate and emotional, less processed and assembled.
Opening with a hushed, minimal stretch of warm washed out shimmer, the slow scrape of strings wrapped in reverb, the record quickly blossoms into a dense layered sprawl of metallic, shimmering strings, all overlapping, and slowly shifting, the overtones drifting in and out, the chords lush and intertwined, the notes occasionally spinning off into the ether, the pace is patient, and serene. At points there are distant melodies played on what sounds like a tiny piano, nearly obscured by a swirl of ethereal glimmering haze, but it seems the strings are the focal point of Crow Autumn, the tracks always seeming to gravitate toward a weightless expanse of suspended strings, plucked, scraped, bowed, the tones stretched out into warm billowy clouds, all very cinematic and dramatic, and strangely repetitive and looped sounding, so evocative of faded memory, of old photographs, of abandoned houses, of sunlight through old yellowed windows, of trees swaying in afternoon breezes, of long walks under grey skies, of sadness, loss, and longing. So beautiful, and heartfelt, and hypnotic.
Essential listening for fans of Leyland Kirby, the Caretaker, William Basinski, the Skelton solo record we reviewed a while back, the last A Broken Consort, and anyone into darkly meditative dream-drift-drone music...
MPEG Stream: "A Mercy Kill"
MPEG Stream: "Like Rain"
MPEG Stream: "Mountains Ash"

A CAMP Colonia (Nettwerk) cd 16.98
A Camp = 1 part Cardigans (Nina Persson), 1 part Shudder To Think (Nathan Larson) and 1 part Atomic Swing (Niclas Frisk).
Colonia = their long awaited sophomore album (their first, import only disc was way back in 2001!).
Sounds promising... enticing even, right? But we're sad to say that our hopes were snuffed fairly swiftly.
As with her main band the downy dewy loveliness of the songs mis-directs the listener from the biting social commentary of her lyrics. On many of the songs here, they come across considerably more heavy-handed than ever before, making the contrast with the mellow soft rock and retro pop backdrop seem a bit forced. We were a bit surprised to hear that the album was being released by Nettwerk (record label and management company to the stars - Avril Lavigne, Sarah Maclachlan, etc), but after hearing Colonia it does make a bit more sense. This is a very glossily produced affair, very palatable for mainstream AOR. Actually her voice could easily be mistaken for the former (which around here is only a good thing if your last name is Connors). Both it and the music as a whole sound strangely homogenized and faceless. Alas, A Camp, alas! Mark "Sparklehorse" Linkous, who produced and performed on the first A Camp album, is pretty much MIA here, and that might be a big part of the problem.
MPEG Stream: "Stronger Than Jesus"
MPEG Stream: "Here Are Many Wild Animals"

A CAMP s/t (Stockholm) cd 27.00
Debut solo album from The Cardigans' Nina Persson produced / recorded by AQ fave Mark Linkous from Sparklehorse. Not as catchy and poppy as the Cardigans and not as delicate and hyper-produced as Sparklehorse, but still really really good. We loved the Cardigans and were completely bummed when they called it quits, but this just might fill the gap. The Cardigans were led by their guitarist, a metal obsessed pop songwriting genius, so his absence is quite noticeable. But what Persson lacks in songwriting skill she makes up for with -that- voice and a pretty great grasp of sparkly, shimmering, melodic and melancholic pop. Includes one of the best versions we've heard of Daniel Johnston's oft-covered 'Walking The Cow'. Unfortunately high priced import. No word yet on a domestic release.
RealAudio clip: "I Can Buy You"
RealAudio clip: "Walking The Cow (Daniel Johnston)"

A CERTAIN RATIO B-Sides, Sessions and Rarities (Soul Jazz) 2x10" 22.00
Essentially this limited double 10" set collects all of the tracks that didn't make it on the ACR "Early" vinyl but were featured on the cd.

A CERTAIN RATIO Early (Soul Jazz) 2cd 25.00
Finally at long last REPRESSED AND BACK IN STOCK! Here's what we said about this cool collection when we first listed it way back in 2002...
A Certain Ratio, who took their name from a lyric off Brian Eno's flawless pop album Taking Tiger Mountain, began their career alongside fellow Mancunians Joy Division back in the late '70s, crafting a sound that evolved through the bleak references of punk into a groove-oriented, party-funk band by the mid-'80s. Strangely enough, the band's first ventures (including their first single "All Night Party" which is featured on this Soul Jazz compilation) were drumless, until the self-professed Funkadelic fan Donald Johnson filled in A Certain Ratio's rhythmic lack with an explosive prowess that matched the band's original proclivity for militant death disco grooves that were as good as anything on the first two Public Image Limited albums. A Certain Ratio rounded out their earliest incarnation with the eerie baritone vocals of Simon Topping, who shared more than a few of the theatrical affectations of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. Throughout the early '80s albums on Factory, Topping's vocals took a less central role, as A Certain Ratio began focusing upon the rhythmic dynamic of Jeremy Kerr's increasingly overactive use of slap bass and Johnson's explorations into jazz and Brazilian rhythms. Like Joy Division's transformation into New Order, A Certain Ratio re-created themselves within the context of the mid-'80s UK club culture.
In addition to the first disc which collects many of their best songs (although hardcore ACR fans might take issue with some of the selections), what's extra nice about this reissue are the B-sides and rarities that comprise the second disc. Those of us who missed out the first time around will be surprised to hear that the driving dance-iness of those tracks were balanced out by the decidedly more gloomy sound typical of Joy Division's dark and angular choppiness. Far more punk than dance. Another fine case of a band's demos and rarities being a valuable good listen, instead of being collected for collectors' sake. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Do The Du"
MPEG Stream: "Knife Slits Water"
MPEG Stream: "All Night Party (7" mix)"
MPEG Stream: "Choir"

A CERTAIN RATIO Early (Soul Jazz) 2lp 27.00
Finally at long last REPRESSED AND BACK IN STOCK! Here's what we said about this cool collection when we first listed it way back in 2002...
A Certain Ratio, who took their name from a lyric off Brian Eno's flawless pop album Taking Tiger Mountain, began their career alongside fellow Mancunians Joy Division back in the late '70s, crafting a sound that evolved through the bleak references of punk into a groove-oriented, party-funk band by the mid-'80s. Strangely enough, the band's first ventures (including their first single "All Night Party" which is featured on this Soul Jazz compilation) were drumless, until the self-professed Funkadelic fan Donald Johnson filled in A Certain Ratio's rhythmic lack with an explosive prowess that matched the band's original proclivity for militant death disco grooves that were as good as anything on the first two Public Image Limited albums. A Certain Ratio rounded out their earliest incarnation with the eerie baritone vocals of Simon Topping, who shared more than a few of the theatrical affectations of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. Throughout the early '80s albums on Factory, Topping's vocals took a less central role, as A Certain Ratio began focusing upon the rhythmic dynamic of Jeremy Kerr's increasingly overactive use of slap bass and Johnson's explorations into jazz and Brazilian rhythms. Like Joy Division's transformation into New Order, A Certain Ratio re-created themselves within the context of the mid-'80s UK club culture. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Do The Du"
MPEG Stream: "Knife Slits Water"

A CERTAIN RATIO Live - America 1985 (Melodic) cd 14.98

A CERTAIN RATIO The Graveyard and the Ballroom (Universal Sound) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ah now this is more like it! The ACR retrospective that Soul Jazz / Universal Sound released a year or two ago was an honest, if partially flawed overview of ACR's occasionally problematic sound, developed during the height of the post-punk movement in the late '70s up through the mid '80s. Where I believe ACR really succeeded was in their earliest recordings documented here on The Graveyard and The Ballroom, which was originally released as a cassette on Factory and later through the Rev-Ola subsidiary of Creation. On these early recordings, A Certain Ratio struggled to balance the two dominant personalities of the group. On one hand there was Simon Topping with his grim poetry barked in a desperate baritone voice, on the other was self-professed Parliament fan Donald Johnson behind the drum kit. Johnson may have ultimately won whatever aesthetic battle took place ACR, but during these early recordings the band thrived on the tension between Topping's bleak vocals and Johnson's amazingly deft grooves. During that time period, ACR -- like many Factory bands including Section 25, The Wake, and Crispy Ambulance -- was accused of being Joy Division imitators. The skeletal Martin Hannent production and the similarity bewtixt Topping and Joy Division's singer Ian Curtis certainly enflame such accusations; yet the music of ACR with its choppy guitar angularity and percussive dexterity lent itself far closer to comparison with the post-punk grooviness of James Chance or ESG. Explosively groovy tracks like "Do The Du," "Crippled Child," and "All Night Party" put all the current roster of post-punk enthusiasts to shame.
This has long been one of my favorite recordings, and I'm very glad it's been reissued. That said, the choice of bonus tracks are a bit disappointing -- the first of which the excellent "And Then Again" appeared on The Old and The New, and the second of which "The Thin Boys" is a throw-away demo track.
MPEG Stream: "Crippled Child"
MPEG Stream: "All Night Party"
MPEG Stream: "Strain"

A CERTAIN RATIO To Each... (Universal Sound) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Originally released back in 1981 on Factory Records, A Certain Ratio's To Each was their first proper album, following their earlier recordings recently collected on the Graveyard and Ballroom album. For whatever reason, ACR decided to record this album in East Orange, New Jersey and brought resident Factory producer Martin Hannett with them for the session. In most circumstances, their choice of studios wouldn't really matter all that much; however, the band happened to catch ESG performing across the river in New York, took a liking to the band, and invited them to come back to the studio to record with Hannett, resulting in ESG's debut album!
As far ACR's time in the tri-state area goes, To Each showcased their greater push toward experimentation in their morose brand of punked out funk. The band's jagged guitars move further in the background while the rhythm section shares the center stage with Simon Topping's gloomy baritone and untrained trumpet blurts. At times, this album ventures into similar territory as Tones On Tails' skewed pop sensibilities and jet black moodiness; yet, ACR time after time returns to the funk. Strange as it may seem, ACR's debut begins to show their descent into the insipid sounds that dominated their mid to late '80s sound. To Each is certainly not as good as Graveyard and Ballroom, but has lots to write home about. This reissue also features two pretty solid dub tracks that they released back in the day under the pseudonym Sir Horatio.
MPEG Stream: "Felch"
MPEG Stream: "Forced Laugh"
MPEG Stream: "Winter Hill"

A CERTAIN RATIO To Each... (Universal Sound) 2lp 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Originally released back in 1981 on Factory Records, A Certain Ratio's To Each was their first proper album, following their earlier recordings recently collected on the Graveyard and Ballroom album. For whatever reason, ACR decided to record this album in East Orange, New Jersey and brought resident Factory producer Martin Hannett with them for the session. In most circumstances, their choice of studios wouldn't really matter all that much; however, the band happened to catch ESG performing across the river in New York, took a liking to the band, and invited them to come back to the studio to record with Hannett, resulting in ESG's debut album!
As far ACR's time in the tri-state area goes, To Each showcased their greater push toward experimentation in their morose brand of punked out funk. The band's jagged guitars move further in the background while the rhythm section shares the center stage with Simon Topping's gloomy baritone and untrained trumpet blurts. At times, this album ventures into similar territory as Tones On Tails' skewed pop sensibilities and jet black moodiness; yet, ACR time after time returns to the funk. Strange as it may seem, ACR's debut begins to show their descent into the insipid sounds that dominated their mid to late '80s sound. To Each is certainly not as good as Graveyard and Ballroom, but has lots to write home about. This reissue also features two pretty solid dub tracks that they released back in the day under the pseudonym Sir Horatio.
MPEG Stream: "Felch"
MPEG Stream: "Forced Laugh"
MPEG Stream: "Winter Hill"

A FASHIONABLE DISEASE s/t (My Pet Goat) 7" 4.50
Totally ass kicking and weirdly fucked brutality fills this little 7" from Santa Cruz's own, A Fashionable Disease! Another one of those what the fuck, seemingly impossible combinations of influences, synthesized in such a unique and successful way, that makes us kind of scratch our heads and lament that we haven't been turned on sooner. How do you describe this? Maybe filthyfreejazzcrustyfiedsatanicdamagedgrindpunkavantskronk? Or maybe just Crass meets Ayler meets Pig Destroyer meets Sun Ra meets Schoenberg meets Anal Cunt meets Mahavishnu. We don't fucking know, but it rules! Super demented, ultra damaged grind-jazz, complete with horn section! Putrid angular metallic guitar discordance, feculent terrorist manifesto screeched vocals, growling horns, blasting drums. The first cut, "Veal Medallions" starts with a blast of feedback before hurling into a psychotically chromatic guitar and piano line, ending up in a blasting tumult of throat tearing vocals and frenetically crazed drumming! Some of the lyrics from this number kind of sum up what these fellas are about... "skulls converge ruins/ rainbows ejaculate onto your face/ quiet in the piss-stained evening/ spring wind blows perfume of 1,000 rotting carcasses...". Fuck yes. The rest of the 7" is just as killer. Totally fucked and totally great! For fans of Zorn, Bathtub Shitter, Rudimentary Peni, Crass, Coltrane, Dystopia, Cecil Taylor, or anything filthy, proggy, grindy, avant-jazzy, and totally shredding! Recommended!

A HAWK AND A HACKSAW Foni Tu Argile (Leaf) 10" 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Further supporting their enchanting not-of-this-era aura, A Hawk And A Hacksaw have delivered a new 10" that is not only packaged in a beautiful vintage looking sleeve, but also plays at the olde tymey phonograph speed of 78rpm! So please keep in mind that if you want to listen to this record, you may not need a victrola, but you will need a turntable that is capable of spinning at 78rpm. "Foni Tu Argile" is a Greek urban folk song, a fiery instrumental number that graces their latest album Deliverance along with the two songs on the b-side (so if you are sans record player, you will still be able to get these tunes!). As always, so wonderful and passionate! Ultra limited pressing of 500!

A JOURNEY TO HAPPINESS ISLAND s/t (Mutable Press) lp 12.98
A children's album of sorts! As its creators Malcolm Felder, Gabe Boyer and company envisioned it, A Journey... is "not so much a parody of children's music, as in fact an exploration of the style of production that goes into the creation of a children's album." That said, it features characters who go by names such as leading man Mr. Tadpole, narrator/dermatologist (?) Dr. Esophagus, Mr. Chipmunk, Mr. Jeebee and the Sunflower Cabaret. The sounds are playful and quirky. Fun for a wider age group than you might expect!
A side note: If you dig this lp you might wanna check out the cd called The Textbook Tapes which is a tweaked, lo-fi sci-fi concept album created by the same folks.

A LILY Wake:Sleep (Dynamophone) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ready to get all blissed out? A Lily (aka James Vella) craftily strings together pearly chiming droplet sounds that form lullaby-perfect melodies. Fittingly murmured indistinct vocals provide more of an atmospheric presence than a lyrical one. Along with some stuttery glitch and picked guitar, they drift in and out of the soothing gauzy washes. Wake: Sleep will surely also appeal to fans of Germany's Morr Music label (LaliPuna, Styrofoam, Piano Magic, etc.) as well as the dreamy pop-tronics of Dntel and Album Leaf. Very nice!
This is another of the uncommonly sumptuous array of releases from the young music label Dynamophone. As we mentioned earlier in the review of labelmates Balustrade Ensemble, they've only been around since mid-2006, but already have a bountiful catalog with many more on the way. Particularly if you've been enjoying the recent aquatic drone releases on the Mystery Sea label, you might wish to check out the seemingly likeminded, but more melodically inclined Dynamophone artists. An absolute treasure trove of shimmering and dewy listening delights. Delve in immediately (also see: Balustrade Ensemble, Halou, Po, Pornopop, Disinterested, Curium, and R/R Coseboom)!
MPEG Stream: "I Am To You"
MPEG Stream: "Arms Around Sleep"

A MINOR FOREST Flemish Altruism (Constituent Parts 1993-1996) (Thrill Jockey) cd 13.98
We asked beloved AQ-reader Douglas Mosurak to say a few words about Andee's band's new record:
"October 22, 1996: Bay Area rock trio A Minor Forest stop indie rock dead. Their new double LP on Thrill Jockey is so incredible, and subsequently so complete, that no other records of its kind need to be produced anymore. Lesser bands of their stripe are currently being petitioned to break up immediately to save embarrassment. And while some people will miss, like, June of 44 or the Archers of Loaf for a little while, with the proper exposure to Flemish Altruism, they'll forget all about it. AMF manage to piece together everything good about every post-Big Black and every post-Heroin outfit into a seamless, epic sound; fairly dense, deeply emotional and thoroughly human. They have the sense of humor required to lift it off, too. Some of their songs prefer to hide in the corner; some lunge for your throat. Their style is such that their original ideas fill in with ones borrowed from their rich lineage in such a manner that pays tribute without disrespect. It's a thoroughly engaging sound that I'd rank up there with the Bitch Magnet discography, with the Bastro LPs, with the Gore records, with the cream of the Gravity crop, even with the Shellac album. Best rock record of 1996, and currently outweighing all proposed rock concepts until the close of the millenium. Buy two. Wow."

A MINOR FOREST Flemish Altruism (Constituent Parts 1993-1996) (Thrill Jockey) 2lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We asked beloved AQ-reader Douglas Mosurak to say a few words about Andee's band's new record:
"October 22, 1996: Bay Area rock trio A Minor Forest stop indie rock dead. Their new double LP on Thrill Jockey is so incredible, and subsequently so complete, that no other records of its kind need to be produced anymore. Lesser bands of their stripe are currently being petitioned to break up immediately to save embarrassment. And while some people will miss, like, June of 44 or the Archers of Loaf for a little while, with the proper exposure to Flemish Altruism, they'll forget all about it. AMF manage to piece together everything good about every post-Big Black and every post-Heroin outfit into a seamless, epic sound; fairly dense, deeply emotional and thoroughly human. They have the sense of humor required to lift it off, too. Some of their songs prefer to hide in the corner; some lunge for your throat. Their style is such that their original ideas fill in with ones borrowed from their rich lineage in such a manner that pays tribute without disrespect. It's a thoroughly engaging sound that I'd rank up there with the Bitch Magnet discography, with the Bastro LPs, with the Gore records, with the cream of the Gravity crop, even with the Shellac album. Best rock record of 1996, and currently outweighing all proposed rock concepts until the close of the millenium. Buy two. Wow."

A MINOR FOREST Inindependence (Thrill Jockey) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Simply put, this may be the last bastion of rock on Thrill Jockey, before they devolve into a purely electronic/jazz label. Sure we may be boasting a little, because A Minor Forest is our very own Andee Connors' band. But this truly is a great record of delicate math rock instrumentations executed with violent precision. AMF again spared no expense with the exquisite packaging!

A MINOR FOREST Inindependence (Thrill Jockey) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Simply put, this may be the last bastion of rock on Thrill Jockey, before they devolve into a purely electronic/jazz label. Sure we may be boasting a little, because A Minor Forest is our very own Andee Connors' band. But this truly is a great record of delicate math rock instrumentations executed with violent precision. AMF again spared no expense with the exquisite packaging!

A MINOR FOREST Inindependence (Thrill Jockey) 2lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Simply put, this may be the last bastion of rock on Thrill Jockey, before they devolve into a purely electronic/jazz label. Sure we may be boasting a little, because A Minor Forest is our very own Andee Connors' band. But this truly is a great record of delicate math rock instrumentations executed with violent precision. AMF again spared no expense with the exquisite packaging!

A MINOR FOREST So were they in some sort of fight? (My Pal God) 2cd 15.98
A year or so after the demise of A Minor Forest, comes this, a fairly comprhensive collection of impossible-to-find tracks from 7s, 10s, and compilations, as well as unreleased tracks from way back (2 or 3 from the 1991 demo). Also includes remixes from Loren Chasse (Id Battery), Dave Cerf (sound artist/voice mail terrorist) and Lesser, a bunch of sound experiments, some practice space recordings, a rejected(!) score for a straight-to-video zombie nun movie, a kick ass version of the Little River Band's 'Lady', and more!

A PERFECT CIRCLE Mer de Noms (Virgin) cd 16.98
Almost everyone I know loves Tool. Whether it's a guilty pleasure, never spoken of, or something one listens to in the store all the time tormenting my co workers. Err.. I mean *one's* coworkers...
Anyway Tool managed to barely avoid that whole Korn/Limp Bizket/Rage Against the Machine, by writing truly fucked, totally catchy and totally heavy epics, complete with jaw dropping musical prowess and bizarre Quay Brothers style videos.
That said, this is Tool frontman Maynard's interim project while killing time before the next Tool record. And like you would expect, it sounds a bit like Tool. But a lot of the bombast and pummel is absent, replaced with a meandering gothy moodiness. It's a good record, just not a great one. So if you're tired of waiting for a new Tool record, pick this up and it'll tide you over for a while. If you've never heard Tool, or are a fan or weird heavy music and just always assumed Tool were a bunch of MTV pussies, try Aenima (which we also carry) and I'm pretty sure you'll be blown away.
RealAudio clip: ""

A PERFECT CIRCLE Thirteenth Step (Virgin) cd 16.98

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS Exploding Head (Mute) cd 14.98
The return of 'the loudest band in New York' as A Place to Bury Strangers are constantly touted, and it's hard to say, just based on recordings if that's true or not, since generally, the louder a band is, the harder it is to record them and not lose the power that comes with volume. But APTBS's first record was indeed loud, and heavy, and fuzzed out and shoegazey and we totally loved it. Rumor was that this new record ditched much of the volume for more concise songwriting and a focus on melody, which had us a bit worried, but apparently for naught, since the first track "It Is Nothing" is a total amp melting Bailter Space style dream fuzz blowout, looped mantra like vocals, massive washes of blurred guitar, hypnotic drumming, in fact, somehow we ended up listening to that song about 5 times in a row before we bothered going any deeper into the record.
But the rest of the record is just as dense and noisy and heavy and blown out. The same sonic touchstones still apply, Jesus And Mary Chain, Loop, My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3 and especially Bailter Space. The vocals washed out and weary, the drums a solid propulsive pound the bass wiggly and melodic, but a band like this, it's all about the guitars, and they are a monster, seemingly always on the verge of careening out of control, throbbing and buzzing, soaring and screeching, grinding out thick chunks of caustic crunch, or unfurling a gauzy sheet of glimmery haze.
If anything, the new record seems more focused, the first one dipped its toes into all sorts of different sounds and moods, but this one is way more cohesive, the songs all sound like they belong together, albums like the way albums used to be, each song flowing into the next, the sequence sticking in your head as much as the songs themselves, and that too this time around, these songs are pure pop, they may be spikey and jagged on the surface, but the hooks are undeniable, and even the first time through we found ourselves humming bits throughout the day.
Not sure what else to say, other than: this record rules, maybe even more than the first one, anyone into all of the above mentioned noisemakers needs this big time, and who among the aQ faithful can resist a gorgeous chunk of blissed out drone rock shoegaze heaviness? Exactly.
MPEG Stream: "It Is Nothing"
MPEG Stream: "Exploding Head"
MPEG Stream: "I Lived My Life To Stand In The Shadow Of Your Heart"

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS Onwards To The Wall (Dead Oceans) cd ep 11.98
Brand new ep from this NY band, who as we mentioned in past reviews, were constantly being touted as 'the loudest band in New York', but as we also mentioned, that sort of thing rarely translates to record. Take NZ outfit Bailter Space, whose records ruled, and were definitely heavy, but didn't even begin to hint at that band's sheer power live, and their infamously ear destroying volume. These guys may very well be loud as fuck, but over the last few records, regardless of volume, they definitely seem to have been honing their songwriting chops, with each record sounding more and more focused and less an exercise in bash and pound, and more about wreathing their shoegazy jangle pop in plenty of blissed out shimmer and blurred space-y roooaaaar.
That said, the opening track here is MASSIVE, and DOES sound like maybe these guys could be the loudest band around, the bass thick and buzzy, the drums a reverby pound, the production spacious and epic, the vocals an echo drenched croon, drifting over the soaring guitar melodies, and churning rhythm, with the song exploding into some serious psychedelic sections, so blown out and in-the-red it totally sounds like it's doing damage to your speakers, or your eardrums, or both! The rest of the record dials back the crush a bit, getting a bit more moody and atmospheric, but that buzzing bass drives everything, whether it's the almost Interpol-ish sounding garage rock-y drift of "So Far Away", or the hazy washed out shuffle of the title track, or the frenetic new wave noise of "It'll Be Alright", which does match the intensity of the opener in places, until finally, the band wind down with the almost industrial sounding "Drill It Up", with it's muted guitar harmonics, THAT gorgeous noisy, buzzy bass, some galloping drum pound, more gauzy vox, all wound up into a killer blast of new wave shoegaze garage bliss.
MPEG Stream: "I Lost You"
MPEG Stream: "Onwards To The Wall"

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS Onwards To The Wall (Dead Oceans) 12" 15.98
Now here on vinyl! Brand new ep from this NY band, who as we mentioned in past reviews, were constantly being touted as 'the loudest band in New York', but as we also mentioned, that sort of thing rarely translates to record. Take NZ outfit Bailter Space, whose records ruled, and were definitely heavy, but didn't even begin to hint at that band's sheer power live, and their infamously ear destroying volume. These guys may very well be loud as fuck, but over the last few records, regardless of volume, they definitely seem to have been honing their songwriting chops, with each record sounding more and more focused and less an exercise in bash and pound, and more about wreathing their shoegazy jangle pop in plenty of blissed out shimmer and blurred space-y roooaaaar.
That said, the opening track here is MASSIVE, and DOES sound like maybe these guys could be the loudest band around, the bass thick and buzzy, the drums a reverby pound, the production spacious and epic, the vocals an echo drenched croon, drifting over the soaring guitar melodies, and churning rhythm, with the song exploding into some serious psychedelic sections, so blown out and in-the-red it totally sounds like it's doing damage to your speakers, or your eardrums, or both! The rest of the record dials back the crush a bit, getting a bit more moody and atmospheric, but that buzzing bass drives everything, whether it's the almost Interpol-ish sounding garage rock-y drift of "So Far Away", or the hazy washed out shuffle of the title track, or the frenetic new wave noise of "It'll Be Alright", which does match the intensity of the opener in places, until finally, the band wind down with the almost industrial sounding "Drill It Up", with it's muted guitar harmonics, THAT gorgeous noisy, buzzy bass, some galloping drum pound, more gauzy vox, all wound up into a killer blast of new wave shoegaze garage bliss.
MPEG Stream: "I Lost You"
MPEG Stream: "Onwards To The Wall"

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS s/t (Killer Pimp) cd 13.98
We'd been hearing about this band quite a bit, often touted by reviewers as being "the loudest band in New York", which is all well and good, but that sort of thing generally doesn't translate very well on record. What we can tell you, is that more than any band we've heard in ages, these guys have their My Bloody Valentine, Loop, Spacemen 3, Jesus And Mary Chain chops down pat. But before you get all exasperated as we would be likely to do, we do realize that the bands who actively rip off some or all of those bands couldn't be counted on your fingers even if you had a thousand hands. And most of those bands steal the sound, but then have no idea what to do with it anyway. And most of them don't even get the sound right.
So it's definitely saying a lot, when we can say that, yes, these guys owe EVERYTHING they have to MBV and Jesus And Mary Chain and Loop and Spacemen 3 but still manage to totally rule. And somehow, they manage to make all of this borrowing sound totally fresh and original and exciting, and loud and heavy and like they just might have made our new favorite record.
From the first track these guys have it nailed. Murky, fuzzy, lo-fi, super blown out, with a weird buzzy guitar sound, wrapped around an almost gothy Interpol-ish bassline and keyboard melody, but when the vocals came in we were immediately transported to Psychocandy era Jesus And Mary Chain, the vocals and melodies and even the drums buried beneath clouds of billowing crumbling distortion. The second track is even more in-the-red and distorted, a crashing wave of dissonant guitars, that gives way to some almost Stereolab like Neu!-worship, and some sing songy indie boy vocals, which of course are summarily crushed by the moaning massive bursts of guitar fury and what sounds like bleating horns in the chorus.
"To Fix The Gash In Your Head" begins with sputtering drum machine and is quickly ensconced in thick minor key swells all dramatic and gothy, and the other distinct side of the band is revealed, a sort of super charged extra heavy Depeche Mode, which is in no way a bad thing. But on this track especially, the vocals are super Dave Gahan, with some industrial Skinny Puppy-isms thrown in for good measure, but still the heart of the song is a throbbing synthy new wave. And it sounds amazing!
Later tracks veer from swirling washed out wall of sound dronerock, to murky doom pop, to super eighties John Hughes soundtrack electro-pop, to grungy distorted Grebo, to throbbing Joy Division miserablism, to rocking Swervedrivery shoegaze, to shimmering glimmering M83 blisspop, but always liberally doused with waterfalls of coruscating white light guitars, sheets of roiling feedback, massive walls of buzz and hiss. Noisy and chaotic and furious and epic but always with a heart of pure pop and a halo of washed out guitar shimmer. So great.
MPEG Stream: "Missing You"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Think Lover"
MPEG Stream: "To Fix The Gash In Your Head"
MPEG Stream: "The Falling Sun"

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS s/t (Important) lp 14.98
Now on vinyl!
We'd been hearing about this band quite a bit, often touted by reviewers as being "the loudest band in New York", which is all well and good, but that sort of thing generally doesn't translate very well on record. What we can tell you, is that more than any band we've heard in ages, these guys have their My Bloody Valentine, Loop, Spacemen 3, Jesus And Mary Chain chops down pat. But before you get all exasperated as we would be likely to do, we do realize that the bands who actively rip off some or all of those bands couldn't be counted on your fingers even if you had a thousand hands. And most of those bands steal the sound, but then have no idea what to do with it anyway. And most of them don't even get the sound right.
So it's definitely saying a lot, when we can say that, yes, these guys owe EVERYTHING they have to MBV and Jesus And Mary Chain and Loop and Spacemen 3 but still manage to totally rule. And somehow, they manage to make all of this borrowing sound totally fresh and original and exciting, and loud and heavy and like they just might have made our new favorite record.
From the first track these guys have it nailed. Murky, fuzzy, lo-fi, super blown out, with a weird buzzy guitar sound, wrapped around an almost gothy Interpol-ish bassline and keyboard melody, but when the vocals came in we were immediately transported to Psychocandy era Jesus And Mary Chain, the vocals and melodies and even the drums buried beneath clouds of billowing crumbling distortion. The second track is even more in-the-red and distorted, a crashing wave of dissonant guitars, that gives way to some almost Stereolab like Neu!-worship, and some sing songy indie boy vocals, which of course are summarily crushed by the moaning massive bursts of guitar fury and what sounds like bleating horns in the chorus.
"To Fix The Gash In Your Head" begins with sputtering drum machine and is quickly ensconced in thick minor key swells all dramatic and gothy, and the other distinct side of the band is revealed, a sort of super charged extra heavy Depeche Mode, which is in no way a bad thing. But on this track especially, the vocals are super Dave Gahan, with some industrial Skinny Puppy-isms thrown in for good measure, but still the heart of the song is a throbbing synthy new wave. And it sounds amazing!
Later tracks veer from swirling washed out wall of sound dronerock, to murky doom pop, to super eighties John Hughes soundtrack electro-pop, to grungy distorted Grebo, to throbbing Joy Division miserablism, to rocking Swervedrivery shoegaze, to shimmering glimmering M83 blisspop, but always liberally doused with waterfalls of coruscating white light guitars, sheets of roiling feedback, massive walls of buzz and hiss. Noisy and chaotic and furious and epic but always with a heart of pure pop and a halo of washed out guitar shimmer. So great.
MPEG Stream: "Missing You"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Think Lover"
MPEG Stream: "To Fix The Gash In Your Head"
MPEG Stream: "The Falling Sun"

A SCANNER DARKLY s/t (Gilead Media) cd ep 10.98
This Philip K. Dick obsessed band's debut offers six tracks of heavy, raging, artful metalcore. Named after one of PKD's paranoid sci-fi novels (soon to be a major motion picture directed by Richard Linklater!) these guys specialize in unleashed terror in the form of low-end dirge, screaming vocals and guitars, and battering drums. It's kinda like a post-rock band that's REALLY REALLY UPSET about something, combining the atmosphere of an imaginary, scary sci-fi soundtrack ('specially on the mostly ambient track six) with loud, fast, crushing 'core. For fans of Coalesce, Neurosis, Old Man Gloom, Discordance Axis, Isis, Knut and the whole Hydra Head scene.
MPEG Stream: "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?"
MPEG Stream: "Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said"

A STORM OF LIGHT As The Valley Of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver ÊMemories Fade (Profound Lore) cd 13.98
Latest slab of epic, apocalyptic, psychedelic doom from A Storm Of Light, the project of Josh Graham, who also plays in Red Sparowes, Blood And Time, and of course the psychedelic doom sludge granddaddies of them all Neurosis. So it makes sense that Graham's project explores similar sonic territory, but where Neurosis is all downtuned crush and bellowed howl, ASOL is more spaced out, more Hawkwind, more melodic, more atmospheric. Even moreso than the last full length, As The Valley spends much of its time drifting, and smoldering, hovering and shimmering, but when the songs do lock in, and get heavy, it's still on the melodic psychedelic side of heavy, the vocals the driving force, way up in the mix, wreathed in echo and delay, giving the sound a bit of a Kyuss vibe, which is definitely not a bad thing, but when the band do crush, the sound MASSIVE, the guitars impossibly heavy, the production epic, but those stretches of extreme heaviness surprisingly brief with the tracks more often than not slipping back into the broodier moodier minimalism that much of the record explores, and those pronounced vocals, and the vocal heavy mix, definitely give this As The Valley a distinctly pop vibe, which probably screams sell out to some, but to us, just makes this less a doom metal record, or a post doom record, or whatever you want to call it, and transforms it into something tougher to pigeonhole, a sort of pop flecked metallic psych, or psychedelic doom pop. But let's to put too much of an emphasis on the pop element, cuz this stuff is still pretty goddamn heavy, it just happens to have hooks and melodies, and chooses not to bury them, and instead flaunts them, and often lets the melody, instead of the riff, drive the song. Which is actually pretty refreshing...
MPEG Stream: "Missing"
MPEG Stream: "Collapse"
MPEG Stream: "Black Wolves"