BLACK HEART PROCESSION Six (Temporary Residence) cd 15.98
Remember when the Black Heart Procession used to be good? Well, it's not hard because that time is NOW! After the universally acknowledged disappointment that was The Spell, TBHP has returned to form beautifully with Six. There's lots of piano and strings and organs and maracas and moodiness and drama and WAY less guitar.
After the slow opening number "When You Finish Me", comprised mainly of the abovementioned piano and strings, there's "Wasteland", a catchy bass-and-vocals driven dirge. And although in their live shows it's obvious frontman Pall Jenkins' voice has not held up as well as one might have hoped, on record it still sounds great, especially in the slower, more spoken / less sung pieces. When the third song, "Witching Stone", opens with a catchy guitar riff and you think to yourself, "Oh no, not more guitar!" fear not, noble listeners, for once the guitar has served its purpose, it soon fades in the mix and is replaced by organs and extra percussion.
On the whole, the tone of the record seems somewhere between Three and Amore del Tropico. Six is occasionally moody and sparse like Three, but usually full and flushed out like Amore. Flashes of Latin rhythms pop up like skeletons of old friends. Also, bass guitar is an essential element to almost every song, whereas TBHP used to rely more on the low end of the piano.
Further on in the record we find "Suicide", probably the noisiest and most varied track on the record, one that definitely should be listened to on headphones. Building up in layers, a maraca here, an organ there, after a minute and a half, it explodes into a (gasp!) booty-shaking chorus filled with screaming synths and guitars that abruptly cuts off, only to be built back up again. Excellent.
Where TBHP really shine, though, is in their slow songs; they master a certain space that few bands can even enter. One of the best songs on the record, "Drugs", is also the shortest: a concise yet mind-expanding piano-and-strings ballad about, you guessed it, drugs.
The album comes on three formats, each slightly different from the others. The double lp comes on three-sided vinyl (the fourth side is etched artwork) and features different (and better) cover art than the cd. For you collectors, there is also a limited edition heart-shaped flash drive necklace that comes in a heart-shaped etched metal box. It contains the full album, a digital copy of the booklet & artwork and also a music video for the song "Witching Stone".
MPEG Stream: "Drugs"
MPEG Stream: "When You Finish Me"
MPEG Stream: "Rats"

BLACK HEART PROCESSION Six (Temporary Residence) 2lp 16.98
Remember when the Black Heart Procession used to be good? Well, it's not hard because that time is NOW! After the universally acknowledged disappointment that was The Spell, TBHP has returned to form beautifully with Six. There's lots of piano and strings and organs and maracas and moodiness and drama and WAY less guitar.
After the slow opening number "When You Finish Me", comprised mainly of the abovementioned piano and strings, there's "Wasteland", a catchy bass-and-vocals driven dirge. And although in their live shows it's obvious frontman Pall Jenkins' voice has not held up as well as one might have hoped, on record it still sounds great, especially in the slower, more spoken / less sung pieces. When the third song, "Witching Stone", opens with a catchy guitar riff and you think to yourself, "Oh no, not more guitar!" fear not, noble listeners, for once the guitar has served its purpose, it soon fades in the mix and is replaced by organs and extra percussion.
On the whole, the tone of the record seems somewhere between Three and Amore del Tropico. Six is occasionally moody and sparse like Three, but usually full and flushed out like Amore. Flashes of Latin rhythms pop up like skeletons of old friends. Also, bass guitar is an essential element to almost every song, whereas TBHP used to rely more on the low end of the piano.
Further on in the record we find "Suicide", probably the noisiest and most varied track on the record, one that definitely should be listened to on headphones. Building up in layers, a maraca here, an organ there, after a minute and a half, it explodes into a (gasp!) booty-shaking chorus filled with screaming synths and guitars that abruptly cuts off, only to be built back up again. Excellent.
Where TBHP really shine, though, is in their slow songs; they master a certain space that few bands can even enter. One of the best songs on the record, "Drugs", is also the shortest: a concise yet mind-expanding piano-and-strings ballad about, you guessed it, drugs.
The album comes on three formats, each slightly different from the others. The double lp comes on three-sided vinyl (the fourth side is etched artwork) and features different (and better) cover art than the cd. For you collectors, there is also a limited edition heart-shaped flash drive necklace that comes in a heart-shaped etched metal box. It contains the full album, a digital copy of the booklet & artwork and also a music video for the song "Witching Stone".
MPEG Stream: "Drugs"
MPEG Stream: "When You Finish Me"
MPEG Stream: "Rats"

BLACK HEART PROCESSION Six (Temporary Residence) usb stick 16.98
Remember when the Black Heart Procession used to be good? Well, it's not hard because that time is NOW! After the universally acknowledged disappointment that was The Spell, TBHP has returned to form beautifully with Six. There's lots of piano and strings and organs and maracas and moodiness and drama and WAY less guitar.
After the slow opening number "When You Finish Me", comprised mainly of the abovementioned piano and strings, there's "Wasteland", a catchy bass-and-vocals driven dirge. And although in their live shows it's obvious frontman Pall Jenkins' voice has not held up as well as one might have hoped, on record it still sounds great, especially in the slower, more spoken / less sung pieces. When the third song, "Witching Stone", opens with a catchy guitar riff and you think to yourself, "Oh no, not more guitar!" fear not, noble listeners, for once the guitar has served its purpose, it soon fades in the mix and is replaced by organs and extra percussion.
On the whole, the tone of the record seems somewhere between Three and Amore del Tropico. Six is occasionally moody and sparse like Three, but usually full and flushed out like Amore. Flashes of Latin rhythms pop up like skeletons of old friends. Also, bass guitar is an essential element to almost every song, whereas TBHP used to rely more on the low end of the piano.
Further on in the record we find "Suicide", probably the noisiest and most varied track on the record, one that definitely should be listened to on headphones. Building up in layers, a maraca here, an organ there, after a minute and a half, it explodes into a (gasp!) booty-shaking chorus filled with screaming synths and guitars that abruptly cuts off, only to be built back up again. Excellent.
Where TBHP really shine, though, is in their slow songs; they master a certain space that few bands can even enter. One of the best songs on the record, "Drugs", is also the shortest: a concise yet mind-expanding piano-and-strings ballad about, you guessed it, drugs.
The album comes on three formats, each slightly different from the others. The double lp comes on three-sided vinyl (the fourth side is etched artwork) and features different (and better) cover art than the cd. For you collectors, there is also a limited edition heart-shaped flash drive necklace that comes in a heart-shaped etched metal box. It contains the full album, a digital copy of the booklet & artwork and also a music video for the song "Witching Stone".
MPEG Stream: "Drugs"
MPEG Stream: "When You Finish Me"
MPEG Stream: "Rats"

BLACK HEART PROCESSION The Spell (Touch And Go) cd 14.98
Oddly enough, we were just musing aloud about the whereabouts of these ol' AQ faves, and -Poof!- like magic, The Spell appeared before us.
The last album by this San Diego band saw them taking a few detours from their trademark velvet-tapestried funereal march. The aptly titled Amor Del Tropico toyed with cocktail 'n' bossanova themes to good effect, but on The Spell they've found their way back into the shadowy folds. And we welcome them back with open arms 'cause while we certainly enjoyed Amor, it's been far too long without a full dose of the somber beauty that Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel do best. Once you've been bitten by that intoxicating old BHP (if you haven't already!) you'll know what we mean. Their bleakly despairing yet utterly beautiful second album, released in 1999 and simply titled 2, still succeeds in captivating virtually everyone within earshot. From the opening track "The Spell" offers a more straightforward rock feel with more prominent muscular electric guitars and hence a bit more momentum, but still maintains their trademark sense of utter desolation. Thumbs up on this downer!
MPEG Stream: "Tangled"
MPEG Stream: "The Letter"

BLACK HEART PROCESSION The Spell (Touch and Go) lp 16.98
Oddly enough, we were just musing aloud about the whereabouts of these ol' AQ faves, and -Poof!- like magic, The Spell appeared before us.
The last album by this San Diego band saw them taking a few detours from their trademark velvet-tapestried funereal march. The aptly titled Amor Del Tropico toyed with cocktail 'n' bossanova themes to good effect, but on The Spell they've found their way back into the shadowy folds. And we welcome them back with open arms 'cause while we certainly enjoyed Amor, it's been far too long without a full dose of the somber beauty that Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel do best. Once you've been bitten by that intoxicating old BHP (if you haven't already!) you'll know what we mean. Their bleakly despairing yet utterly beautiful second album, released in 1999 and simply titled 2, still succeeds in captivating virtually everyone within earshot. From the opening track "The Spell" offers a more straightforward rock feel with more prominent muscular electric guitars and hence a bit more momentum, but still maintains their trademark sense of utter desolation. Thumbs up on this downer!
MPEG Stream: "Tangled"
MPEG Stream: "The Letter"

BLACK HEART PROCESSION Tropics Of Love (Touch & Go) dvd 16.98
The visual accompaniment to Black Heart Procession's wonderful Amor Del Tropico album is actually a murder mystery movie cowritten and directed by Pall Jenkins! Laced with elements of film noir, wit and the band's distinct somber eccentricities, Tropics of Love features no spoken dialogue, instead the story is told through the album's 15 songs which define the fifteen chapters. At times, very David Lynchesque! The dvd also includes trailers, deleted scenes, outtakes, and a handful of previously unreleased instrumentals.

BLACK HEART PROCESSION + SOLBAKKEN In The Fishtank 11 (Konkurrent) cd 11.98
This new installment in the Dutch label Konkurrent's collaboratory series features more gorgeous somberness from the wonderful Black Heart Procession. In fact, if the title didn't betray the presence of the lesser known Solbakken, you'd probably never guess that this wasn't solely a BHP release. The lead-off track is a beauty graced with irresistable breathy French female vocal, and the remaining five are top-notch too. Each is heavily laden with BHP's characteristic cascading piano drops and velvety strings. An excellent follow-up to BHP's glorious Amor Del Tropico album.
MPEG Stream: "Voiture En Rouge"

BLACK HOLE Land Of Mystery (Andromeda Relix) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This Italian band's sole album from 1985 is a tough one to figure out. An oddity all right. They're definitely a metal band at heart -- the fast-paced, pre-album demo track "Midnight Madman" included here as one of four bonus cuts is proof of that -- but on their album itself, they somehow created a much more unexpectedly PSYCHEDELIC and spacey, synthy sound. Totally dark and gothic in a metal way, yeah, but lost in space at the back of a black hole (of course), a slowed-down, doomed-out, dosed-with-cough-syrup vibe, splicing bits of Voivod with the likes of Jacula... in fact, the lurching music on this crackly disc (mastered directly from a none-too-pristine vinyl copy, the original reels having been lost to time, and sounding to us all the better for it!) could be AQ-faves Jacula given an '80s metal makeover... the church organ strains that open "Demoniac City" surely set that tone. Meanwhile, the title track cops a riff from Sabbath's "Electric Funeral", as if to give the nod to their biggest influence we're pretty sure. But the doomy compositions of vocalist/bassist/organist Robert Measles (great name!!) also derive from phantasms far beyond our plane, we're pretty sure of that as well.
Those in the know about Italian '80s metal acts like Death SS, Paul Chain, Bulldozer and Dark Quarterer are aware that a bizarre, poverty-stricken sort of prog weirdness often infects the proceedings, and Black Hole are no exception. In their case, on this album, it makes for something really strange and special, creating a cultish legacy that led to this cd reissue. We're glad to get to hear it! Now it's time to burn the black candles and visit Black Hole's "Spectral World" ruled by "Blind Men And Occult Forces"...
MPEG Stream: "Land Of Mystery"
MPEG Stream: "Blind Men And Occult Forces"

BLACK KALI MA You Ride the Pony (I'll Be the Bunny) (Alternative Tentacles) cd 11.98
Gary Floyd (Sister Double Happiness, The Dicks) revisits punk rock roots with this ragin' disc. Lynn Perko (Sister Double Happiness) guests on vocals.

BLACK KEYS, THE Attack & Release (Nonesuch) cd 14.98

BLACK KEYS, THE Chulahoma (Fat Possum) cd ep 10.98
On Chulahoma, Black Keys play six songs by the late blues great Junior Kimbrough. It's not the first time they've covered his music. You might recall their right-on version of "Do The Rump" that was featured on their debut album back in 2002. Here they riff on both the garagey grit of their last album Rubber Factory as well as Kimbrough's traditional raw blues sound. An understated but kick ass tribute to an unsung blues giant!
MPEG Stream: "Have Mercy On Me"
MPEG Stream: "Work Me"

BLACK KEYS, THE Magic Potion (Nonesuch) cd 16.98
We play this game around AQ called "Why? Do you like it?" It's designed to not let us be prejudiced by preconceived notions when listening to music. Once in a while when we're playing a record and a co-worker asks what we're listing to, rather than just telling them, we'll respond instead with "Why? Do you like it?" Thus the person has to decide if they should be honest, risking embarrassment, 'cause if they say they hate it, it might be something they own and supposedly love, and if they say they love it, it could be that record they claim to hate. It actually works out pretty well. We've all had to fess up to liking stuff we supposedly hated. And we've discovered that records we thought we loved (or at least owned) that we didn't really care for all that much.
It's kind of hard to be unaffected by all the things -other- than the music. Stuff you read, how popular a band is, other folks who like the band. It all colors your opinions whether you want it to or not. So, we always just sort of figured we would hate the Black Keys. I'm not sure we ever even heard them, they just sort of seemed like a band we would hate. Then we went to Arthurfest in L.A. last year, and happened upon a stage where some bad ass blown out psychedelic blues rock band was completely destroying. A two piece, just guitar and drums, and they were loud and heavy, soulful and freaked out. Well, it ends up it was the Black Keys and we were forced, happily we might add, to change our tune. And while once in a while, the Black Keys will dip into bad blues or boring jam rock, for the most part, we have to admit, we really dig these guys! After that fateful show, we went back and checked out their records and that just cemented it. These guys kick ass.
So here we have the latest, not sure if this is the 4th or 5th, but it's another blast of blown out proto-metal psychedelic blues. We're usually opposed to bands who choose to ditch an instrument. No bass player, just drums and bass, whatever. It usually sounds like something is missing. Not so here. These guys sound a little stripped down sure, but it suits them. Gives the guitar room to slither all over the place. A warm wild buzz, over a relentlessly groovy drummer, who pounds and shuffles, and hangs all over every riff, like he's adding his own imaginary bass lines. And the vocals are killer, lazy and sun baked, perfectly complimenting the fuzzy psychrock guitar jams. We hear a lot of Groundhogs, some Zeppelin, which is awesome! A few folks here, thought they heard some Fabulous Thunderbirds. Which is maybe not so. It all sort of depends on what sort of musical background you're bringing to the table. Either way, it's hard to resist this Magic Potion, a gloriously fuzzy, laid back, groove laden, buzzy blues rawk and roll concoction.
MPEG Stream: "Just Got To Be"
MPEG Stream: "Your Touch"
MPEG Stream: "You're The One"

BLACK KIDS Partie Traumatic (Columbia) cd 13.98

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Sonic Brew (Spitfire) cd 15.98
Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde (he of the trademark pick squeals) rocks with a brand of hard, dirgy rock. Southern-tinged (a la CoC) stoner metal? 'Cause it's Zakk the stoner metal contigent might not pick up on this, but it actually blows away most other efforts in the genre: it's super heavy, full of (of course) great guitar playing and some excellent songwriting. Zakk handles the vocals too, with a voice again reminescent of CoC's Pepper Keenan. For fans of Acid Bath, Alice in Chains, Down, etc.

BLACK LIPS 200 Million Thousand (Vice) cd 14.98
Atlanta's kings of the garage return with their fifth long player, another disc chock full of sleaze and grit, but also emphasizing the melodies and tunefulness that have been present in Black Lips songs since day one. After their surprising ascent to semi-mainstream success since signing to Vice, the band may have mellowed a tad in their overall sound, but make no mistake, this hardly represents a more "mature" Black Lips. Obviously, this is a very good thing for anyone who has followed the band since their urine/vomit soaked early days, and the dementia and overall insanity that has always defined the Black Lips remains thankfully intact. At the same time, 200 Million Thousand contains enough sing-along catchiness that it is sure to win them some new fans as well. A pleasant murkiness shrouds the recording, lending a certain "out of time" feel that places the group in a realm many of its contemporaries would kill to inhabit.
MPEG Stream: "Drugs"
MPEG Stream: "Starting Over"

BLACK LIPS Good Bad Not Evil (Vice) lp 15.98
Now available on vinyl!!!
More swaggering trash rock from these rowdy Georgian peaches. Good Bad Not Evil is a heckuva wild party spewing sinewy electric guitars and sneering gang vocals. Bet they worship at their homemade altar to garage rawk gods The Sonics, The Gruesomes and The Monks each and every night. Super fun, especially after a few stiff shots.
MPEG Stream: "I Saw A Ghost (Lean)"
MPEG Stream: "It Feels Alright"

BLACK LIPS Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (Vice) cd 13.98
The Black Lips kick ass live... and occasionally they do so in Spanish... at least on this cd which captured the band live in Tijuana... with gallons of tequila, beer and a mariachi band in tow among other things and beings. A wild, fist-pumpin', eyes comin' unfocused, clothing comin' undone, trashy garage rawk train wreck drenched with sweat and the above mentioned intoxicants. We suspect that countless brain cells were obliterated this eve.
MPEG Stream: "Sea Of Blasphemy"
MPEG Stream: "Dirty Hands"

BLACK LIPS Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (Die Slaughterhaus) lp 14.98
Now on vinyl too!
The Black Lips kick ass live... and occasionally they do so in Spanish... at least on this cd which captured the band live in Tijuana... with gallons of tequila, beer and a mariachi band in tow among other things and beings. A wild, fist-pumpin', eyes comin' unfocused, clothing comin' undone, trashy garage rawk train wreck drenched with sweat and the above mentioned intoxicants. We suspect that countless brain cells were obliterated this eve.
MPEG Stream: "Sea Of Blasphemy"
MPEG Stream: "Dirty Hands"

BLACK LIPSF Good Bad Not Evil (Vice) cd 14.98
More swaggering trash rock from these rowdy Georgian peaches. Good Bad Not Evil is a heckuva wild party spewing sinewy electric guitars and sneering gang vocals. Bet they worship at their homemade altar to garage rawk gods The Sonics, The Gruesomes and The Monks each and every night. Super fun, especially after a few stiff shots.
MPEG Stream: "I Saw A Ghost (Lean)"
MPEG Stream: "It Feels Alright"

BLACK MAGIC DISCO s/t (Important) cd 14.98
This experimental supergroup, comprised of Tom Greenwood of Jackie O Motherfucker, the Opalia brothers from My Cat Is An Alien and frequent MCIAA collaborator, Ramona Ponzini, recorded these 4 untitled long-form improvisations live during a two month 2005 European tour. Sounding at times like early Ash Ra Tempel or Cosmic Jokers, the acid-y and druggily unhinged early krautrock influence is more apparent in this live setting than on previous studio-recorded outings from either camp, showcasing an immediate onstage chemistry that is refreshingly engaging!
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 1"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 3"

BLACK MAYONNAISE Ttssattsr (Emperor Jones) cd 13.98
Our pal Cayce (of Golden Hotel, also maybe you've seen his picture on our website, he's one of the long-haired manly men modelling our muscle-T's -- which we still have a few of, oddly enough, even though we're out of all our other shirts...) brought this new release to our attention, which we might have otherwise ignored on account of the somewhat dodgy sounding band name they possess. Black Mayonnaise? Eww. But Black Mayonnaise are definitely AQ-material, Cayce was right. Self-described (it says it right on the back cover) as "Warped Lunar Sludge-core", this band is akin to a lo-fi melding of SUNNO))) and Godflesh. It is sludgy and doomy, but not so much heavy or riffy, more just ominous and creepy and droney and dubby and distorted... Imagine plodding, repetitive, hypnotic, echoey drum machine hits mixed with mellow Merzbow-ian drone, whilst gargling, not-even-vocals bubble up from a tarpit of rumbling bass, amidst sundry sci-fi synth noises and the distant wails of whales and wookies. And there's a 'cover' song on here too, "Graveyard" by the Butthole Surfers, a choice that speaks volumes.
Listening to this disc is like stumbling through a miasma AND slowly sinking into a mire. We love it! Chances are there's only one guy behind Black Mayonnaise, and he recorded this in his bedroom -- but it sounds more like it was recorded in a moist, dark cave...perhaps the cavernous stomach of some extraterrestrial monster. Gastro-intestinal, interstellar doom, anyone? If that sounds good to you like it does to us, then this is quite recommended (thanks Cayce!).
MPEG Stream: "Narcotic Fog"
MPEG Stream: "Floating Body II"

BLACK MERDA The Folks From Mother's Mixer (Funky Delicacies) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
FINALLY REPRESSED AND BACK IN STOCK!
For this one, I (Allan) have got to tell a little story... 'round Christmastime I was back home in Pennsylvania, where I spent one of my evenings hanging out with some old pals who I know from one of my hometown's record stores. You know, some folks in a basement, with some beers, something funny-smelling being smoked (no, not by me), and lots and lots of records being spun, mostly jazz and funk and R&B 'cause that's what these friends of mine dig the most. Well, one record comes on that immediately makes me say, hey, this sounds like something that shoulda been on that Chains And Black Exhaust compilation from a couple years ago. Real bad-ass, fuzzed-out psychedelic '70s funk. My friends hadn't seen that comp, but perhaps you have since you're reading this and we did pretty well with it here at AQ. Sadly it's long gone now. Well, another track (a nice bluesy number) goes by, and then boom, there's a song that WAS indeed on that comp! All chunky wah-wah groove and grunting badassitude, "Cynthy-Ruth" turns out it's called, and one of the highlights on Chains and Black Exhaust ('twas track three).
The record my host was spinning was a vinyl reissue of the first album circa 1970 by Detroit's "folk rock funkateers" (it said right on the cover), a band called Black Merda. We kept listening and it was clear that this was a pretty killer album from an obscure bunch of "black rock" pioneers, contemporaries of Funkadelic and similiarly influenced by Jimi Hendrix. Dang, I immediately figured that no doubt quite a few of you who dug Chains And Black Exhaust would want this!
So when I got back to work here at AQ, I had to track it down. My diligent investigations revealed that both this first album and its 1972 sequel Long Burn The Fire (released under the shortened sobriquet Mer-da) were soon to be reissued together on a single cd. And this is it, The Folks From Mother's Mixer (the name of one of the songs from the Mer-da LP).
Overall, there's a doomy, druggy vibe again akin to a lot of early Funkadelic, an atmosphere that can be mellow but menacing, dark and gloomy, with loosely-chanted choruses full of socially-conscious protest lyrics. And yes, there's a buncha funky heavy groovers in the style of "Cynthy-Ruth" alongside a goodly amount of laid back psychedelic blues-rock jamming in the Hendrix vein. Fans of early Funkadelic won't be disappointed at all. Their somewhat cleaner, brighter second album perhaps ain't as good as the first, but definitely also has its strong points and you'll be glad it's on here too.
Comes packaged with Afro-filled photos and lengthy liner notes that tell the whole Black Merda story, from their days as Edwin Starr's backing band to to their embrace of '60s heavy electric guitar rock to their signing to Chess Records (the famous blues label was trying to get into the psychedelic, underground rock thing at the time) and brief shot at fame to the eventual derailment of their career due to forces beyond their control. Now, 30+ years later, Black Merda's music gets another chance to turn on, funk up, and weird out music fans.
MPEG Stream: "Cynthy-Ruth"
MPEG Stream: "Prophet"
MPEG Stream: "Good Luck"

BLACK METEORIC STAR Death Tunnel (DFA) 12" 8.98

BLACK METEORIC STAR Dreamcatcher (DFA) 12" 8.98

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise (Record Store Day) (Graveface) 7" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another Record Store Day artifact (thanks to everyone who came out for RSD!!!) that we managed to get enough of, so we'd have a few left after the big day, to share with the aQ faithful who don't have a local record store to call their own, or who just consider US their indie record shop.
A little taster of the upcoming Black Moth Super Rainbow full length. This 7" is limited to 500 copies, pressed on orange vinyl, and was whipped up just for Record Store Day. It features the awesomely titled jam "Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise" from the new album, which is everything we could have hoped for, all druggy and swirly and sun dappled and psychedelic. There are strings and warn whirring synths, and breathless dreamy vox, and lilting melodies, not super freaked out or spastic, although there are hits of swooping electronics and glitchy bits, but for the most part this is just some awesomely new wave flecked jangly futuristic psych pop.
The flipside offers up a drastically different demo version, that actually sounds more like Blackmoth, skittery drum machines, the main melody plucked out on a banjo, disembodied vocodered vocals, the strings pushed way up in the mix, much more of a hip hop / trip hop vibe, more effects and swooping swirling synths, really rad, and exclusive to this here 7".
Can NOT wait for the new record, but this will hold us over until then...

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Dandelion Gum (Graveface) cd 11.98
In pretty much every respect, this sprawling new album from Black Moth Super Rainbow is overflowing with whimsy and trippy fun -- from the lengthy head-scratchin' song titles to the color-drenched cover art to the Bruce Haack-y vocoded vocals to the breezy ten-speed rollerskate synthesizer'd funkiness. Imagine if Black Dice or the Flaming Lips took a swing at electro and new wave, and your brain might go into a delirious tizzy with the delightful chew of Dandelion Gum.
MPEG Stream: "Jump Into My Mouth And Breathe The Stardust"
MPEG Stream: "Neon Syrup for the Cemetery Sisters"

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Dandelion Gum (Graveface) 2lp 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We just had a super limited number of these, ultra deluxe, scratch and sniff, hand numbered from a batch of 500. Those are all gone, but the label discovered a box of lps in the warehouse, exactly the same in EVERY way, -except- they're not numbered. So if you missed out, one more chance to snap one of these up before they're gone...
When this album first came out (on cd), we all dug it, quite a bit, so we wrote a little blurb about it, sold a bunch. But somehow, this record, and this band, has continued to grow on us, big time! This, and the two BMSR reissues, get played incessantly, and now in retrospect, we LOVE LOVE LOVE this record. So much so that we feel like maybe we should go back and rewrite the review and gush endlessly. And maybe we will. Eventually. But for now, this record, this aQ fave, this genius chunk of dizzying synth pop perfection, has been reissued on vinyl, SUPER LIMITED, an ultra deluxe double lp, pressed on extra thick swirled pink vinyl, super heavy full color gatefold sleeve, each with a scratch and sniff bubblegum bubble on the front cover! And as if that weren't enough, there's also am exclusive bonus track, that's not on the cd, and is only available HERE!
Until we have time to rewrite the review, and blather on endlessly about how much we love it, this short and sweet review will have to do:
In pretty much every respect, this sprawling new album from Black Moth Super Rainbow is overflowing with whimsy and trippy fun -- from the lengthy head-scratchin' song titles to the color-drenched cover art to the Bruce Haack-y vocoded vocals to the breezy ten-speed rollerskate synthesizer'd funkiness. Imagine if Black Dice or the Flaming Lips took a swing at electro and new wave, and your brain might go into a delirious tizzy with the delightful chew of Dandelion Gum.
MPEG Stream: "Jump Into My Mouth And Breathe The Stardust"
MPEG Stream: "Neon Syrup for the Cemetery Sisters"

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Dandelion Gum (Limited Edition) (Graveface) 2lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
When this record first came out, we all dug it, quite a bit, so we wrote a little blurb about it, sold a bunch. But somehow, this record, and this band, has continued to grow on us, big time! This, and the two BMSR reissues, get played incessantly, and now in retrospect, we LOVE LOVE LOVE this record. So much so that we feel like maybe we should go back and rewrite the review and gush endlessly. And maybe we will. Eventually. But for now, this record, this aQ fave, this genius chunk of dizzying synth pop perfection, has been reissued on vinyl, SUPER LIMITED, an ultra deluxe double lp, pressed on extra thick swirled pink vinyl, super heavy full color gatefold sleeve, each hand numbered, all in the upper 400's as it's already out of print, each with a scratch and sniff bubblegum bubble on the front cover! And as if that weren't enough, there's also am exclusive bonus track, that's not on the cd, and is only available HERE!
Until we have time to rewrite the review, and blather on endlessly about how much we love it, this short and sweet review will have to do:
In pretty much every respect, this sprawling new album from Black Moth Super Rainbow is overflowing with whimsy and trippy fun -- from the lengthy head-scratchin' song titles to the color-drenched cover art to the Bruce Haack-y vocoded vocals to the breezy ten-speed rollerskate synthesizer'd funkiness. Imagine if Black Dice or the Flaming Lips took a swing at electro and new wave, and your brain might go into a delirious tizzy with the delightful chew of Dandelion Gum.
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES! We only got 15. Already out of print, so sorry, these will probably go crazy quick...
MPEG Stream: "Jump Into My Mouth And Breathe The Stardust"
MPEG Stream: "Neon Syrup for the Cemetery Sisters"

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Don't You Want To Be In A Cult (Mexican Summer) picture disc 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Warehouse find (at a supplier of ours). The last few copies we're gonna see of this, we just got 5, so act quick...
Another tasty and colorful slab of vinyl from BMSR. No one delivers warm, warped and fuzzy melodic electronic jams better then these guys. We've fallen deeply in love with their sound over the last few years and they have yet to disappoint. This picture disc offers two great new instrumental tracks that showcase their slower and more warped and warbly side. Still filled with such delicious hooks but we love that these longer tracks allow them to space out and get a little more cosmic and psychedelic. It's still unmistakably BMSR, their signature sound all oozy and melty and drippy and druggy and divine...
The picture disc comes with a coupon for a free download, but you can't beat listening to this on your turntable and watching the colored wax spin around and around as you get lost in their catchy orbit. Very limited so jump on this while you can!

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Drippers (70s Gymnastics) cd ep 11.98
Black Moth Super Rainbow have made quite an impact in the last couple years with their crunchy and poppy take on analog electronic pop, a sound that falls so near the more playful side of Boards Of Canada, and has us imagining what it might sound like if Air covered Daft Punk, using busted up old equipment, the result would have to be oh so charming and satisfying.
Drippers is essentially a collection of outtakes and unreleased tracks, but this is no throwaway ep. In fact we've been playing this nonstop, loving how thick and distorted the sounds here are and marvelling at BMSR's ability to conjure up such catchy and washed out electronic pop delights. The fact that they got Mike Watt to play on one of our favorite tracks ("Black Yogurt") has us even more smitten. Complete with a scratch n' sniff cover, this is music that engages all the sensations and keeps us coming back for more and more.
(FYI, 10" vinyl version forthcoming...)
MPEG Stream: "Black Yogurt (Featuring Mike Watt)"
MPEG Stream: "We Are The Pagans (Dandelion Gum Outtake)"

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Drippers (70's Gymnastics) 10" 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now available on vinyl! And it still has the scratch and sniff cover too!!!
Black Moth Super Rainbow have made quite an impact in the last couple years with their crunchy and poppy take on analog electronic pop, a sound that falls so near the more playful side of Boards Of Canada, and has us imagining what it might sound like if Air covered Daft Punk, using busted up old equipment, the result would have to be oh so charming and satisfying.
Drippers is essentially a collection of outtakes and unreleased tracks, but this is no throwaway ep. In fact we've been playing this nonstop, loving how thick and distorted the sounds here are and marvelling at BMSR's ability to conjure up such catchy and washed out electronic pop delights. The fact that they got Mike Watt to play on one of our favorite tracks ("Black Yogurt") has us even more smitten. This is music that engages all the sensations and keeps us coming back for more and more.
MPEG Stream: "Black Yogurt (Featuring Mike Watt)"
MPEG Stream: "We Are The Pagans (Dandelion Gum Outtake)"

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Eating Us (Graveface) cd 13.98
After the tease that was the Record Store Day 7", it's finally here, a brand new full length from Black Moth Super Rainbow, who continue to create rainbow wrapped, keyboard drenched, big drummed, new wave-d outsider bliss pop. We can't seem to get enough.
The record opens with the track from that Record Store Day single, the excellently titled "Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise", all druggy and swirly and sun dappled and psychedelic. There are strings and warm whirring synths, and breathless dreamy vox, and lilting melodies, not super freaked out or spastic, although there are bits of swooping electronics and streaks of glitch and hiss, but for the most part this is just some awesomely new wave flecked jangly futuristic psych pop. Which pretty much describes this whole record. For some reason we thought maybe it would be super heavy or totally twisted, but if anything, the songs are more fully realized, the sound still lush and slightly cracked, but all of BMSR's drugged out psych tendencies are harnassed into proper songs, that wouldn't sound at all out of place in a mix between the Flaming Lips and M83. The drums hold it all together, big and booming, processed sometimes, but usually loud, if not, theyr sublte and skittery, and there are synths EVERYWHERE, soaring and buzzing and whirring and shimmering, the guitars are minimal, more for a bit of filigree here and there, except when a bit of crunh or chug is required. And the vocals, all dreamy and heavily effected, whether it's vocoder or autotuning, they're perfectly matched to the glimmering kaliedoscope of sound that is constantly swirling and changing shape and color.
The majority of the record is surprsingly laid back, blissed out and sun dappled, a lot of it sounds almost folky, a little new age-y for sure, we also hear bits of old school pop groups like the Free Design, the Cowsills, even a bit of Stereolab here and there, there are lots of fluttery flute, acoustic guitar, lilting melodies, soft drifty twang, but all tangled up with some of the more buzzy new waveiness, and everything shot through with just the right amount of space aged, futuristic polish. So good. The perfect late afternoon, cloudy day, mix tape, dreamy drifty, future chill out disc for sure.
MPEG Stream: "Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise"
MPEG Stream: "Dark Bubbles"
MPEG Stream: "Twin Of Myself"
MPEG Stream: "Gold Splatter"

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Falling Through A Field (Graveface) cd 12.98
Whoa, Graveface Records, take it easy! Who do you think you are? Droppin' not one but two Black Moth Super Rainbow albums in our laps at once? We're not complaining, but don't *you* think Start A People and Falling Through A Field are just a lot of tunes to digest and enjoy at once? That's forty one total -- yes, we counted! Falling Through A Field is a reissue of their 2003 album and along with the seventeen original tracks comes a half dozen bonus tracks. The good thing about having this much BMSR is that you can put the cd on, then go ahead and drift off into daydream land without worrying that you're gonna have to change discs anytime soon. We fell so in love with their latest album Dandylion Gum, so when we found out there was earlier BMSR stuff we were both excited yet a little skeptical, maybe there was a reason we hadn't heard those early recordings, maybe the band was just coming into its own now. Luckily that was so not the case as these earlier recordings show that BMSR have been creating such irresistible and fuzzy sounding electronic pop from the get go. Falling Through A Field is so bittersweet in the most Technicolor soaked heartfelt way.
Kind of like if Boards Of Canada made a pop record or DNTEL's best album Life Is Full Of Possibilities. Filled with a feeling of yearning and analog electronics used so warmly that customers always think we're playing some worn out vinyl gem when we play this in the store. A testament to how warm, fuzzy and comforting BMSR are. So nice!
MPEG Stream: "Season For Blooming"
MPEG Stream: "I Think It Is Beautiful That You Are 256 Colors Too"
MPEG Stream: "Lake Feet"

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Start A People (Graveface) cd 12.98
Whoa, Graveface Records, take it easy! Who do you think you are? Droppin' not one but two Black Moth Super Rainbow albums in our laps at once? We're not complaining, but don't *you* think Start A People and Falling Through A Field are just a lot of tunes to digest and enjoy at once? That's forty one total -- yes, we counted!
Start A People is a reissue of their 2004 album and along with the sixteen original tracks comes a pair of bonus tracks. The good thing about having this much BMSR is that you can put the cd on, then go ahead and drift off into daydream land without worrying that you're gonna have to change discs anytime soon. We fell so in love with their latest album Dandylion Gum, so when we found out there was earlier BMSR stuff we were both excited yet a little skeptical, maybe there was a reason we hadn't heard those early recordings, maybe the band was just coming into it's own now. Luckily that was so not the case as these earlier recordings show that BMSR have been creating irresistible and fuzzy sounding electronic pop from the get go.
Like a much more playful and charming version of Air, listening to Start A People is like a psychedelic soundtrack to playing Candyland as a little kid. Filled with wonder, heavily processed vocals on some tracks and evoking all kinds of marvelous color. We keep falling deeper and deeper in love with Black Moth Super Rainbow!
MPEG Stream: "Snail Garden"
MPEG Stream: "Raspberry Dawn"
MPEG Stream: "I Am The Alphabet"

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Zodiac Girls (Suicide Squeeze) 7" 4.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

BLACK MOUNTAIN Druganaut (Jagjaguar) cd 10.98
We loved the recent full length Black Mountain record (except for the first track, see the full length review for more on that) a bastard mix of Sabbathy stoner rock, weird white soul and drone-y VU style dope rock. The best track by far was the massive "Druganaut", with it dueling male / female slacker vocals and THAT riff, the chorus that got our heads banging everytime it came on, no matter how hard we tried to fight it. The extended version here blunts the power of THAT riff just a bit, but not without good reason, as the whole track is stretched waaaaay out, and drenched in reverb, as well as all sorts of buzzy noodly synths and a thick layer of hiss, which makes the whole thing sound just that much more fucked up and drugged out. It sounds what we imagine the orginal would sound like if you were doped to the gills! The extra tracks are pretty killer too. "Buffalo Swan" is a droney, blissed out hypnotic drug jam, with plenty of ambient shimmer and bass driven breakdowns. Creepy and mysterious. "Bicycle Man" is a rollicking fuzz bass, jangle pop garage rock workout complete with nonsense lyrics and harmonica! And finally "No Satisfaction (Campfire Version)" sounds just like you would think, a simple Dylan / Stones piano and strummed acoustic guitar sing along, with a stomping rhythm and lazily drawled boy / girl vocals. A pretty kick ass (and pretty lengthy at 25 minutes) slab of druggy, seventies soul infused groove rock!
MPEG Stream: "Druganaut (extended)"

BLACK MOUNTAIN In The Future (Jagjaguwar) cd 14.98
Black Mountain have to be just about the best burn out seventies retro hard rock and stoned soul combo going. A druggy blend of chugging Sabbath riffs, Zeppelin bombast, smoldering slow burning after dark jams, late night FM radio ambience and wasted hypnotic Velvet Underground style junkie groove.
This record has been hyped beyond all belief, so you probably already read about it, or maybe even own it, but if not, it's definitely worth checking out.
There's nothing here quite as potent as "Druganaut", the monster metallic jam from their self titled debut, serious contender for one of THE heavy rock jams of all time. A killer riff, awesome dynamics, sexy and intense boy / girl vocals. The opening track on In The Future, "Stormy High" comes pretty darn close, partly by blatantly ripping off "Druganaut" actually, the opening riff is a killer, laid over warbling organs, but the minute it modulates, it begins to sound EXACTLY like "Druganaut", right down to the stop start verses, and the wailing Robert Plant like vocals, but this one does change it up a bit, with weird call and response vocals, and a bunch of fuzzy crunchy Deep Purple-y organ.
Their self titled record was pretty frontloaded, mellowing out quite a bit over the course of the rest of the disc, but hearing "Stormy High" we thought this might be the one where the band kept it heavy and rocking all the way through, but nope, this is a band that definitely and obviously doesn't want to just rock, which, the more we listen, we don't mind one bit. The rest of the record is all stoned and laid back, with killer hooks, and warm carnivalesque organs, soaring strings, and awesome falsetto vocals, it's easy to imagine listening to this stuff in your old beat up El Camino, parked at some make out spot, where all the kids hang out and drink and smoke, hoping to get laid or at the very least forget all about your crappy job and your shitty life. In The Future is all black lights and bongs, late night and leather vests, big amps and bellbottoms, even when it's heavy, it's not so much metal or rocking as it is soulful and grooving. There are some more heavy moments scattered throughout, the opening minute or so of "Tyrants", a swirling super dynamic guitar / organ duel, or the tribal psych jam of "Evil Ways" with some serious ELP worthy keyboards and wailing vox. But for the most part, In The Future is a groovy slab of heavy seventies stoner mood rock, tripped out, dark and dreamy, druggy and just a little bit witchy.
MPEG Stream: "Stormy High"
MPEG Stream: "Angels"
MPEG Stream: "Tyrants"

BLACK MOUNTAIN s/t (Jagjaguwar) cd 14.98
Definitely buy this record. But whatever you do, for chrissakes, SKIP THE FIRST TRACK. At least for now. Both Allan and Andee had written this band off completely, having only made it about 2 minutes into the first song, which is sort of limp wristed, east village, white dude soul brother, Beck meets the Velvet Underground with saxophone bouncy call and response lite rock. Ugh. It makes more sense in the context of the record. Sort of. First, skip to track two and prepare to be blown away. A totally stoned, seventies metal groove with flanged fuzz guitar, playing that sort of riff that you just can't help bob your head and rock out too. And then there's the vocals, sort of Queens Of The Stoneage rasp mixed with Palace style falsetto warble. The whole thing is perfect, like it's 1975, and you're high as a kite, sitting in the corner of a filthy Village squat, and the band playing is just blowing your fucking mind. Flares and frizzy long hair and probably even a smoke machine. Either that or the room is full of smoke already anyway. The next track is just as good. A funky boppy bass groove, that just sort of shimmies lazily for a few minutes, with minimal vocals ("uh huh....uh huh huh") and simple drumming, Until a truly Zeppelin worthy riff drops, with weird soulstyle vocals, male vs. female, hard to explain but they just sound perfect. And evoke that weird seventies burnout, White Panther metal vibe. Strangely, the rest of the record sort of drifts off in all directions, Bowie-ish glam rock, moody folky ballads, drum heavy Santana-ish psych rock, slow and moody prog rock, and almost Eagles-ish country, which is just about when that first track starts to make at least a little more sense. A little. Although we do find ourselves playing track 2 and 3 over and over and over, the whole record has really grown on us. Had this just been a 7" with those two tracks, it would have been the single of the year. SINGLE OF THE CENTURY! But as it is, it's just a big ol' beautifully druggy, slightly schizophrenic seventies style hard rock, rhythm and soul record that just happens to contain two of the heaviest grooves in recent memory!
MPEG Stream: "Don't Run Our Hearts Around"
MPEG Stream: "Druganaut"

BLACK MOUNTAIN Stormy High (Suicide Squeeze) 7" 4.98

BLACK OAK ARKANSAS The Knowbody Else '69 (Purple Pyramid) cd 16.98
Way back before Black Oak Arkansas became the wild, liquored up, Southern fried hard rocking musical party we all know and love, and well before James Mangrum strapped on a washboard and transformed into wild Jim Dandy, the ringmaster of the BOA traveling sideshow, there was a little band called the Knowbody Else, who barely hinted at what was to come.
Instead, the sound of the Knowbody Else, essentially the proto Black Oak, is more more laid back and groovy, druggy and stoney, lots of twang and jangle, the drums loping and lazy, lots of slippery slide, and Dandy's, er, Mangrum's vocals are awesome, scratchy and rough, a throaty ragged croon, melodious but still raw, a bit wild and slightly unhinged, like a cross between the guy from Nazareth and the guy from The Monks, basically even though he's super young, he sounds like some crazy old man with a beard fronting a hippie rock combo, which isn't all that far off, minus the old bit.
The opening track is so great, a killer hook, weirdo lyrics about candy bars, some awesome lightning fast slide guitar leads, lots of twang, and a killer shuffling swing rhythm, plus a wicked hook that sticks fast in your head and is damn difficult to get out.
The rest of the record follows the same sort of sonic path, groovy sixties hippie rock, a little like the Allman Brothers meets the Grateful Dead mixed with a little Canned Heat maybe, guitars unfurling dreamily, muted tribal percussion, some flute flutters in the background, warm warbling organ swells, gentle minor key strum, slide guitar melodies, soft swirling twang, occasional bursts of wild lead guitar, it sounds like we're describing some super limited freek folk cd-r, and folks who are into that stuff should definitely check this out, but for the most part, the Knowbody Else is dark and doleful country rock, most of it sounding like just a guy and his guitar, or maybe at the most a couple folks, not the massive outfit pictured on the cover. The songs though are slightly off kilter, a bit trippy and weirdly mysterious, the unique vocals and brooding moodiness, turning the music into something much more 'out there and dark' than most of the stuff from that era. Minus the first track, which is just a killer Southern rock jam!!
It's not hard to imagine, walking down some long stretch of buckling asphalt, nothing but fields and cows in every direction, stumbling upon some old dilapidated roadhouse, pushing open the door, dark inside, except for the dim lights from behind the bar, and the stage against the back wall, filled with a bunch of shirtless longhairs, kicking out these mellow jams. Awesome.
But then there are the bonus tracks from a few years latter, which feature Tommy Aldridge on the drums, who would go on to drum for Ozzy, Whitesnake and Pat Travers, and sound WAY more like the Black Oak we're used to, big heavy proto hard rock party grooves, heavy blues, with crunchy guitars, and big beats, the first of the two bonus tracks is a killer, sounding even more like Nazareth, or maybe Blackfoot, with some super heavy guitar, and Dandy's wailing vox. The second bonus track, titled "Jim Dandy" is a bit cheesy and is sort of skippable, but that first one definitely has us hankering for more of the BOA heavy stuff!
Comes in one of those weird new fangled rounded corner style cd cases, and while they last, includes a button and a patch for your fringed leather vest!
MPEG Stream: "Hold Me Down"
MPEG Stream: "In Your Quiet Home"

BLACK OX ORCHESTAR Nisht Azoy (Constellation) cd 14.98
This Montreal quartet gets its inspiration from traditional European Jewish music. But this is not schlocky watered down bar-mitzvah klezmer. Instead, it's a really nice melding of Jewish folk music, klezmer, and an appropriate amount of darkness in its solemn delivery. With touches of free jazz and post rock up their sleeves they tastefully bring the sounds of traditional Jewish music to a modern place without resorting to cliched samples or overtly electronic cop outs that scream 'hey we're so modern'. At times they almost sound like if The Dirty Three were from the old world and had a direct line to a vast and varied Jewish heritage. Black Ox Orchestar stay true to the roots they're paying homage to while also breathing new life into an old sound. Very nice.
MPEG Stream: "Bukharian"
MPEG Stream: "Violin Duet"

BLACK OX ORCHESTAR Nisht Azoy (Constellation) lp 16.98
This Montreal quartet gets its inspiration from traditional European Jewish music. But this is not schlocky watered down bar-mitzvah klezmer. Instead, it's a really nice melding of Jewish folk music, klezmer, and an appropriate amount of darkness in its solemn delivery. With touches of free jazz and post rock up their sleeves they tastefully bring the sounds of traditional Jewish music to a modern place without resorting to cliched samples or overtly electronic cop outs that scream 'hey we're so modern'. At times they almost sound like if The Dirty Three were from the old world and had a direct line to a vast and varied Jewish heritage. Black Ox Orchestar stay true to the roots they're paying homage to while also breathing new life into an old sound. Very nice.
MPEG Stream: "Bukharian"
MPEG Stream: "Violin Duet"

BLACK OX ORKESTAR Ver Tanzt (Constellation) cd 14.98
From Constellation, the label that brought us Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Silver Mt Zion, among others, comes the Black Ox Orkestar. But this Montreal group (with membership ties to the abovementioned bands I believe) isn't about epic post-rock. Rather, they specialize in music from the Old Country: Eastern European Jewish folk music interpreted with respect and youthful energy. Some of these tunes are stately, heavy with the weight of ancient tradition, some are swirling, passionate and outspoken. Unconstrained by klezmer orthodoxy, they draw on appropriate eclectic influences (Greek, Middle Eastern and Gypsy music) but don't attempt to hybridize with anything Godspeed-like either. If you like Davka, or Hala Strana, or suchlike, check this out.
MPEG Stream: "Shvartze Flamen, Vayser Fayer"
MPEG Stream: "Papir Iz Dokh Vays"

BLACK OX ORKESTAR Ver Tanzt (Constellation) lp 14.98
From Constellation, the label that brought us Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Silver Mt Zion, among others, comes the Black Ox Orkestar. But this Montreal group (with membership ties to the abovementioned bands I believe) isn't about epic post-rock. Rather, they specialize in music from the Old Country: Eastern European Jewish folk music interpreted with respect and youthful energy. Some of these tunes are stately, heavy with the weight of ancient tradition, some are swirling, passionate and outspoken. Unconstrained by klezmer orthodoxy, they draw on appropriate eclectic influences (Greek, Middle Eastern and Gypsy music) but don't attempt to hybridize with anything Godspeed-like either. If you like Davka, or Hala Strana, or suchlike, check this out.
MPEG Stream: "Shvartze Flamen, Vayser Fayer"
MPEG Stream: "Papir Iz Dokh Vays"

BLACK PLASTICS, THE Black Heat Black Lightning Black Plastic (Wesome) cd 5.98
The debut from Bay Area indie rock foursome The Black Plastics reveals something of a split personality. The band jumps back and forth between two distinct styles -- ramshackle lilting jangly post-rock songs and much more angstful, harder edged numbers. The former brings to mind bands such as Modest Mouse or Built To Spill, whereas the latter is more akin to Unwound, Cursive or Doug Martsch's pre-B.T.S. band Treepeople. Perhaps there's two different members handling the songwriting duties? Can't really tell from the liner notes as all the songs are credited to the band as a whole. Nonetheless, they execute both styles with ease, making for quite an enjoyable listen. One thing we do know though is that this album was recorded by the more than capable folks at indie rock studio heaven Tiny Telephone Studios. Way to go!
MPEG Stream: "Golden Sink"
MPEG Stream: "Telesavaliscaster"

BLACK PUS Down Down Da Drain / Bark Of The Tree (Skulltones / Corleone) 7" 9.98

BLACK SABBATH Master Of Reality (Castle) cd 14.98
Essential. We probably don't have to tell you that Master Of Reality is one of Black Sabbath's best, heck one of the best elpees EVER, with Tony, Geezer, Ozzy and Bill whumping out such classics as "Sweet Leaf", "Children of the Grave", "Into The Void", "Lord Of This World" -- good grief every track on here is brilliant!

BLACK SABBATH Paranoid (Castle) cd 14.98
Essential.

BLACK SABBATH s/t (Castle) cd 14.98
Only one of the most important debut albums in the history of rock and roll!!! Essential.

BLACK SABBATH Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Castle) cd 14.98
Essential.