V/A Turkish Delights (Grey Past) cd 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We are all quite excited about the cd release of Turkish Delights comp (though Byram's a bit irked 'cause he bought the original vinyl and now is faced with a cd version that adds 11 extra tracks!). In total, there's 26 tracks here, dating from 1965 to 1971, of some of the best garage psych that we've ever heard -- from Turkey or anywhere else for that matter. The Turkish rock scene appears to have begun in earnest in 1956 when the English instrumental group The Shadows made their impression on Turkish teens. Given that many people in Turkey didn't even speak English, it's pretty impressive how well they assimilated a completely foreign music and excelled in it better than most of their American and British counterparts. Some of the tracks like Mavi Isiklar's "Great Airplane Strike of 1967" (a Paul Revere & the Raiders cover) are spitting images of garage-psych from the occident, but others like Cem Karaca & Apaslar's "Suya Giden Alli Gelin" are unmistakably Eastern. It's these tracks, that combine the rock n' roll structure and instrumentation augmented with Turkish instruments, scales and singing that really kick ass. Those of you that have already picked up the excellent "Hava Narghile" compilation know what we mean, but what was great about that collection is exponentially better on this one! Get it.
Along with the new cd version, we now have more copies of the "Turkish Delights" LP (which was so hard to get when it first came out that we only ever had a handful and were never able to list it). 15 tracks on this baby instead of the 26 on the cd, but what you lose in bonus cuts you gain in, uh, vinyl. And the art looks better, we think.
RealAudio clip: CEM KARACA & APASLAR "Suya Giden Alli Gelin"
RealAudio clip: SELCUK ALAGOZ "Saklan Saklanabilirsen"
RealAudio clip: CAHIT OBEN "Halimem"

V/A Turkish Delights (Grey Past) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We are all quite excited about the cd release of Turkish Delights comp (though Byram's a bit irked 'cause he bought the original vinyl and now is faced with a cd version that adds 11 extra tracks!). In total, there's 26 tracks here, dating from 1965 to 1971, of some of the best garage psych that we've ever heard -- from Turkey or anywhere else for that matter. The Turkish rock scene appears to have begun in earnest in 1956 when the English instrumental group The Shadows made their impression on Turkish teens. Given that many people in Turkey didn't even speak English, it's pretty impressive how well they assimilated a completely foreign music and excelled in it better than most of their American and British counterparts. Some of the tracks like Mavi Isiklar's "Great Airplane Strike of 1967" (a Paul Revere & the Raiders cover) are spitting images of garage-psych from the occident, but others like Cem Karaca & Apaslar's "Suya Giden Alli Gelin" are unmistakably Eastern. It's these tracks, that combine the rock n' roll structure and instrumentation augmented with Turkish instruments, scales and singing that really kick ass. Those of you that have already picked up the excellent "Hava Narghile" compilation know what we mean, but what was great about that collection is exponentially better on this one! Get it.
Along with the new cd version, we now have more copies of the "Turkish Delights" LP (which was so hard to get when it first came out that we only ever had a handful and were never able to list it). 15 tracks on this baby instead of the 26 on the cd, but what you lose in bonus cuts you gain in, uh, vinyl. And the art looks better, we think.

V/A Turkish Freakout (Bouzouki Joe) cd 17.98
Three little words guaranteed to get us all excited: Turkish psych comp. That's all it takes. (A fourth word, used in the title here, "Freakout", doesn't hurt either.) Compilations like Turkish Delights, Hava Narghile, and the Turkish installment of Love Peace & Poetry have all been staples here at AQ, and have turned us on to so many amazing bands like Mogollar, Ersen, and 3 Hur-el. Our only worry with a new Turkish psych comp is that it will redundantly duplicate tracks we've already got, but fortunately that's not the case with this one, only a few of the 18 tracks here had we heard before, with some of the artists being completely new to us. And, also, awesome!
Focusing solely on selected rare 45 rpm 7" singles releases, dating from the late '60s to 1980, this comp is evidence that it was a groovy decade in Istanbul for sure. Funky -and- folky (yes, often at the same time), these tracks incorporate all the fuzz guitar, ethnic instrumentation, percolating percussion, exciting rhythms, and soulful vocals we've come to expect from the Turkish psych scene. It's a mesmerizing mix, there's a lot of highlights here, we can't really mention 'em all, but just to give you an idea, the first track, by Okay Temiz, sounds almost like it could come from that soundtrack by Rockford Kabine we made Record Of The Week recently, a sultry and "exotic" instrumental groove with some wild whoopin' elements that remind us of a Jean-Claude Vannier production. Then there's the cinematic strings and quasi doomy-riffing of Erkin Koray's dramatic "Sev Digim". And Alpay's "Seni Dilenyorum" is one we'd play for a friend wondering what all the vintage Turkish psych fuss is about. If they didn't dig that, we'd feel real sorry for them.
In addition to those, the line-up of artists here includes Kardaslar, Cem Karaka, Apaslar, Beyaz Kelebekler, Ajda Pekkan, Sevil & Ayla, Baris Manco, Rifat Oncel, Ersen, Onder Bali, and Arif Sag. And fortunately, the deluxe digipack includes a thick 40 page booklet, full of liner notes about 'em all, along with original 45 sleeve art. Nicely done, as comps/reissues go. And on top of that, most of the other Turkish psych collections we mentioned at the top of this review are now out of print, so this will become a go-to comp for us in one of our favorite genres.
MPEG Stream: BEYAZ KELEBEKLER "Esmerim"
MPEG Stream: ALPAY "Ah Berelim"
MPEG Stream: ERKIN KORAY "Estarabim"
MPEG Stream: AJDA PEKKAN "Kaderimin Oyunu"

V/A Turkish Freakout 2: Psych-Folk 1970-1978 (Bouzouki Joe Records) cd 21.00
We're always saying we just can't get enough of that vintage Middle Eastern psych music, hence a sequel to last year's great Turkish Freakout comp is quite freaking welcome! Here 'tis, 17 more tracks from rare Turkish records (mostly 7" singles) of the seventies, by some artists we'd heard of, and plenty of others we hadn't. As with volume one, there's definitely lots of great tunes here we hadn't come across before! The lineup includes: Baris Manco, Edip Akbayram, Cem Karaca + Mogollar, Afet Serenay, Kerem Guney, Gokben, Gulcan Opel, Sevil and Ayla, Kamuran Akkor, Ozel Turkbas, Perihan, Sakir Oner Gunham, Sirin, and Kenan. Lush and lively stuff all of it, like belly dancing music taken to psychedelic extremes.
Amongst these tracks, you'll hear lots of lovely female singers, moody men too, and the rhythms of stately folk dances infused with FUZZ, with orchestral strings, electric saz, synth, indeed wild Moog madness, flutes and whistling, wah wah guitar and funky drum breaks, stuff that's groovy and spacey and exotically poppy. The usual in other words.
There's a thick 36 page booklet stuffed inside this digipack, one reason it's so thick is they devote a whole page to a full color reproduction of the single sleeve or lp jacket from which each of these tracks is taken. On the facing page, some commentary from the anonymous compiler.
If you look through the booklet, you'll no doubt notice Afet Serenay. She has two cuts on here, both from her 1978 full-length lp Bir Of Ceksem. So that album cover is reproduced twice, and that's cool 'cause she's worth a second look for her fashion sense alone, posing on the cover of her record wearing a colorful rainbow striped wool sweater/dress and matching legwarmers. Wow. Also, one of Serenay's tracks, "Maden Dagi", you might recognize from the beloved Selda's somewhat different version of the same tune (they're folk songs after all) on her album Vurulduk Ey Halkim Unutma Bizi (aka Vol. 2). Likewise, the Edip Akbayram track here, "Mehmet Emmi" was also done by Selda.
Just like the first installment, worth freaking out over if you love Turkish psych - or any such international sounds - like we do. FYI, the gatefold double lp vinyl version we have now comes with a limited, bonus 7".
MPEG Stream: KEREM GUNEY "Aglayi Aglayi"
MPEG Stream: PERIHAN "Nerden Nereye"
MPEG Stream: KENAN "Viens Dans Ma Vie"

V/A Turkish Freakout 2: Psych-Folk 1970-1978 (Bouzouki Joe Records) 2lp + 7" 27.00
We're always saying we just can't get enough of that vintage Middle Eastern psych music, hence a sequel to last year's great Turkish Freakout comp is quite freaking welcome! Here 'tis, 17 more tracks from rare Turkish records (mostly 7" singles) of the seventies, by some artists we'd heard of, and plenty of others we hadn't. As with volume one, there's definitely lots of great tunes here we hadn't come across before! The lineup includes: Baris Manco, Edip Akbayram, Cem Karaca + Mogollar, Afet Serenay, Kerem Guney, Gokben, Gulcan Opel, Sevil and Ayla, Kamuran Akkor, Ozel Turkbas, Perihan, Sakir Oner Gunham, Sirin, and Kenan. Lush and lively stuff all of it, like belly dancing music taken to psychedelic extremes.
Amongst these tracks, you'll hear lots of lovely female singers, moody men too, and the rhythms of stately folk dances infused with FUZZ, with orchestral strings, electric saz, synth, indeed wild Moog madness, flutes and whistling, wah wah guitar and funky drum breaks, stuff that's groovy and spacey and exotically poppy. The usual in other words.
There's a thick 36 page booklet stuffed inside this digipack, one reason it's so thick is they devote a whole page to a full color reproduction of the single sleeve or lp jacket from which each of these tracks is taken. On the facing page, some commentary from the anonymous compiler.
If you look through the booklet, you'll no doubt notice Afet Serenay. She has two cuts on here, both from her 1978 full-length lp Bir Of Ceksem. So that album cover is reproduced twice, and that's cool 'cause she's worth a second look for her fashion sense alone, posing on the cover of her record wearing a colorful rainbow striped wool sweater/dress and matching legwarmers. Wow. Also, one of Serenay's tracks, "Maden Dagi", you might recognize from the beloved Selda's somewhat different version of the same tune (they're folk songs after all) on her album Vurulduk Ey Halkim Unutma Bizi (aka Vol. 2). Likewise, the Edip Akbayram track here, "Mehmet Emmi" was also done by Selda.
Just like the first installment, worth freaking out over if you love Turkish psych - or any such international sounds - like we do. FYI, the gatefold double lp vinyl version we have now comes with a limited, bonus 7".
MPEG Stream: KEREM GUNEY "Aglayi Aglayi"
MPEG Stream: PERIHAN "Nerden Nereye"
MPEG Stream: KENAN "Viens Dans Ma Vie"

V/A Twenty Years Of Dischord (Dischord) 3cd 23.00
This box set commemorates Dischord's first 20 years as a label and is an amazing and lovingly put together artefact. Three cds, with one track from each band on the label (including one track from each band on the seminal "Flex Your Head" compilation). The third disc is all unreleased material and contains some very early video footage of The Untouchables, The Teen Idles, SOA, Faith, Void and Deadline. 73 songs in all (21 unreleased) and a 134 page book with full page bio for each band written by Ian MacKaye, Jeff Nelson and Henry Rollins. This label has been such an inspiration to so many labels, bands, stores, activists, individuals, whatever. Hard working and obviously still in love with music even after all these years. The box set is sequenced in chronological order which is kind of cool because you get a feel for the way the bands and the label progressed, and because it's such a family affair, being that all the bands were from D.C., there are people showing up in a several different bands, so it illustrates the individual changes and transformations as well. So nice.
The 50 bands are as follows:
Teen Idles, The Untouchables, State of Alert, Minor Threat , Void, Youth Brigade, Government Issue, Scream, Iron Cross, Red C, Deadline, Artificial Peace, Faith, Skewbald, Marginal Man, Gray Matter, Rites of Spring, Beefeater, The Snakes, Dag Nasty, Embrace, Soulside, Egg Hunt, One Last Wish, Fire Party, Ignition, Three, Shudder to Think, Happy Go Licky, Fugazi, Lungfish, Fidelity Jones, The Nation of Ulysses, Holy Rollers, Jawbox, Severin, The High-Back Chairs, Autoclave, Circus Lupus, Branch Manager, Slant 6, Hoover, Trusty, Smart Went Crazy, The Crownhate Ruin, The Warmers, The Make-Up, Bluetip, Faraquet, Q and Not U.
RealAudio clip: TEEN IDLES "Get Up And Go"
RealAudio clip: MINOR THREAT "Screaming At A Wall"
RealAudio clip: BEEFEATER "Just Things"
RealAudio clip: HAPPY GO LICKY "Twist and Shout"

V/A Two Million Tongues Festival (Bastet) cd 14.98
Plastic Crimewave along with the ever so busy Arthur Magazine curated this great fest in Chicago which took place earlier this year. A fest with AQ faves all over it. And this comp of bands who performed at the fest is a nice consolation for those of us who couldn't be there. Festival or no, this is simply one badass compilation! With everyone from Mountains to Josephine Foster, Tony Conrad to Hototogisu, No Neck Blues Band to Jack Rose, you can tell this was a fest put together with great taste and a sense of how important varied sounds is to keep folks' attention. None of the bands sound exactly the same, but there is a definite stylistic thread that runs throughout. Maybe we'll make it to the next Two Million Tongues Fest...until then we'll be hanging out right here with this.
MPEG Stream: NO NECK BLUES BAND "Pulse"
MPEG Stream: TONY CONRAD "Bowstring 1"
MPEG Stream: MOUNTAINS "Speaking"

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol. 15: Power Energy "On the High Wire" (Contact) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Things have been rather quiet from the U.S. Pop Life camp for quite some time, but Contact Records ringleader Yoko Sawai bursts back with two new compilations (complete with visuals). A huge U.S. pop music fan, she moved to New York from Osaka a couple of years ago, and has been tirelessly releasing cds of diverse indie music with the intent to introduce Japanese kids to the American bands she loves. Basically each release is themed geographic or stylistic - whatever catches her fancy. Initially they leaned towards soft'n'twee pop, but over the years they've gotten progressively more abrasive and angstful. Volume 15 is no exception! It contains a stellar cast of very now, blisterin' bands like the Liars (exclusive track), Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hella, Erase Errata, the Cherry Valence, and Enon (exclusive track). Please note: many tracks are previously (or soon to be) released in the U.S. however it's her hope that her comps will turn some Japanese kids onto the bands' albums from which these songs came. On this side of the Pacific however, they're the equivalent of a kickass comp tape from your friend Yoko.
RealAudio clip: LIARS "Bones So Clean You Want To Kiss Them"
RealAudio clip: PLATE TECTONICS "Defrost"

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol. 16: Extension of Electro "White Spaces Convergence" (Contact) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Things have been rather quiet from the U.S. Pop Life camp for quite some time, but Contact Records ringleader Yoko Sawai bursts back with two new compilations (complete with visuals). A huge U.S. pop music fan, she moved to New York from Osaka a couple of years ago, and has been tirelessly releasing cds of diverse indie music with the intent to introduce Japanese kids to the American bands she loves. Basically each release is themed geographic or stylistic - whatever catches her fancy. Initially they leaned towards soft'n'twee pop, but over the years they've gotten progressively more abrasive and angstful. Oh, and don't be mislead by the titles! She does take quite a few liberties with band categorization. For example, this one, "Extension Of Electro" features few artists who fall under or near the genre "electro", but somehow Yoko's enthusiasm overrides any urge to be nitpicky. Volume 16 contains a dozen tracks including ones by Soviet, Yume Bitsu, Thievery Corporation, Andrew Duke and Ghost Orchids. Please note: many tracks are previously (or soon to be) released in the U.S. however it's her hope that her comps will turn some Japanese kids onto the bands' albums from which these songs came. On this side of the Pacific however, they're the equivalent of a nicely packaged comp tape from your friend Yoko.
RealAudio clip: GHOST ORCHIDS "Carrier"
RealAudio clip: YUME BITSU AND DAVE LONGSTRETH "Reggae Mind Camera"

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.11: Looking for the Perfect Glass - California Post Punk (Contact) 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 disc is a Japanese import compilation with several familiar bands on it, including !!!, The Locust, OCS (local Tapas connoisseur, ex-Burmese fruitcake and current irritant for Pink & Brown John Dwyer), GoGoGo Airheart, Church Steps, Tristeza, Rumah Sakit, Out Hud, Tarentel and more. Most of the tracks are previously released, or forthcoming, with the exception of the Tarentel track and the Locust track (recorded live during their tour of Japan.)

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.14: Explanation Of Scientific Explosion - Chicago/Midwest (Contact) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This time around Japanese music fanatic Yoko Sawai and her label Contact Records shine the spotlight brightly on the Chicago/Midwest U.S. indie world. Illuminated by its beam are 17 prime examples of the area's angstful, emo, post punk, and predominantly boy bands including Owls, Dianogah, Sweep The Leg Johnny, 90 Day Men, Toe, Vermont, Pele, Milemarker, A-Set and Atombombpocketknife.

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.1: Counterattack Of U.S. Indie (Contact) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The very first volume of this wonderful pop series from Contact Records. A gal with a great love for American lo-fi pop, Yoko Sawai the sweetie pie behind this Osaka, Japan indie label, has gathered a more-than-lovely array of aural sweets. Highlights of these two dozen songs include the gorgeous, soaring gem Ninotchka's "I've Got Wings" (fyi, this cd is almost worth getting for this song alone! Previously available only on a 7" from Grimsey Records.), the super perky "Just Like Henry" by Dressy Bessy, and Of Montreal's fragile "It's Easy To Sleep When You're Dead". Also happily present: Aislers Set, Silver Scooter, and Kittycraft. Note: some of these tracks are previously released in the U.S.

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.2: Fanfare Of 2000 (Contact) cd 16.98
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The second installation of this American pop series from Japan. Much more eclectic than volume one. Quite a few familiar faces: Macha, Beachwood Sparks, I Am Spoonbender, Bright Eyes, The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group, Elf Power, and The Music Tapes. And yes, we should let you know that a number of these tracks are previously released domestically.

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.5: Invention To Be Nobody & Nowhere - Athens (Contact) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Usually Contact Records' boss Yoko Sawai can be found waving the pretty, sugar pop flag, but every once in a while she throws a bit of a twist into the works. Like rocking out front and center at a slew of heavy-duty The Locust / I Am Spoonbender / Convocation Of shows, or releasing this "experimental" music compilation in her U.S. Pop Life series. While the artists on this compilation are far from we would call experimental (no Maurizio Bianchis or Francisco Lopezs here), they definitely gently push the edges of Yoko's pop envelope. 16 tracks including Arab on Radar, The Faint, Swirlies, Lightning Bolt, Kilowatthours. Note: as with other U.S. Pop Life collections, some tracks have been previously released.

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.7: Random Access Music Machine - Experimental (Contact) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Contact Records head mistress Yoko Sawai recently made the mighty move from Osaka to New York City, but has shown no sign of slowing in her quest to compile a slew of cool, eclectic pop pursuits from all over the globe. Some of her recent releases included a cd from Calvin, Don't Jump! as well as 7"s from I Am Spoonbender and Yuji Oniki. On this the fifth volume of her U.S. Pop Life series, she focuses on Athens, GA. The track listing reads like a who's who of the Elephant 6 / Kindercore world including The Sunshine Fix (lead by former Olivia Tremor Controller Bill Doss), Japancakes, Of Montreal, and I Am The World Trade Center. Twenty tracks in all, many previously released in the U.S.

V/A U.S. Pop Life Vol.8: Journey To The End Of Twilight - North East (Contact) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Volume 8 of the U.S. Pop Life Series throws the spotlight on bands from the northeastern states: Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island to be exact. Decidedly less sweet than others in the series, this disc features songs from Rainer Maria, Lilys, Lenola, and Rebuilthangartheory. Please note: some tracks are previously released domestically.

V/A Ultra Chicks Vol. 6 cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally, the next volume in the amazing Ultra Chicks series. More fabulous FRENCH girl groups doing cool and sexy Sixties pop. As usual, this is super limited, of dubious legality (definitely a bootleg) and totally recommended. Don't delay though, not sure how long we can keep these in stock!
RealAudio clip: VAN DE BURGHT, REGGY "Eenzaam Op't Leidseplein"
RealAudio clip: CASELLI, CATERINE "Sono Qui Con Voi"

V/A Underwater Peoples Summertime Showcase 2009 (Underwater Peoples) cd 4.98
First cd release from this new-ish label specializing in that sort of woozy lo-fi pop sound that seems to be sweeping the nation, aQ included. Anyone into Blank Dogs, John Maus, Ariel Pink, Ducktails, Zola Jesus, Gary War, as well as other garage-y pop rockers like Oh Sees, the Intelligence, Ganglians, etc., will find that this awesome, bargain priced comp will probably hit the spot big time.
A few names we know, Ducktails, Julian Lynch, but a WHOLE bunch we don't (ahem, Frat Dad), but everything here taps into that same sort of DIY, broken 4-track, warped and twisted pop aesthetic that drives the above mentioned fave.
Frat Dad for instance, besides having the WORST band name, and the WORST song title ("Brosef") comes up with some cool reverby garage pop that would sound right at home between your Ty Segall record and your Oh Sees record. Pill Wonder are cool too, their songs sounding like Guided By Voices covering Beach Boys, all squiggly feed back and blown out bass wrapped around skittery drums and jangly guitars, and buried sort of lush harmonies. Real Estate are more songy, employing som reverb and delay, but for the most part relying less on texture and production, offering up two really nice twangy jams, one sort of rocking, one laid back and sort of Morricone-esque. Julian Lynch, a sometime collaborator with many aQ pop faves, has recently surfaced as an artist in his own right, and his tracks here are cool too, the Ducktails-ish calypso tropical pop of "Banana Jam Pt. 1" and the fuzzy loping indie dirge of "Droplet On A Hot Stone", with its distorted vocals and stumbling drums, wheezing synths, and murky ambience. It's all pretty good. Especially for all you who have been digging this particular sound lately, which we know is a LOT of you. Also included here are jams by Broken Trees, Liam The Younger, Andrew Cedermark, Family Portrait, Dana Jewell and Sad City.
A steal at $5!
MPEG Stream: JULIAN LYNCH "Banana Jam Pt. 1"
MPEG Stream: REAL ESTATE "Beach Comber"
MPEG Stream: FRAT DAD "Brosef"
MPEG Stream: PILL WONDER "Wishing Whale"

V/A Underwater Peoples Winter Review 2010 (Underwater People's) cd 5.98
The 2009 Summer installment of the Underwater Peoples label sampler was a big hit around here, super cheap, with tons of bands we dug, and a bunch more we had never heard, but end up digging as well. So hear we are a few months later and it's time for the second installment, for Winter 2010, and once again, lots of faves: Julian Lynch, Ducktails, Real Estate, some new discoveries like Pill Wonder (whose full length is reviewed elsewhere on this list), and the embarrassingly named Frat Dad, as well as a whole mess of new names, some of which will join the above on frequent play.
Much like Captured Tracks and Sacred Bones, Underwater Peoples have a sound, and a somewhat solid stable of regulars, so you sort of know what you're getting into, twisted, lo-fi pop, sometimes heavy on the tropical vibe, definitely a distinct surf vibe (or more specifically, some Beach Boys worship), some electronics, some jangly guitars, plenty of fuzz, lots and lots of reverb and delay and echo, but at the core of all these jams is pop, pure and simple, in all sorts of permutations.
Julian Lynch offers up some hazy electronic tinged groove pop, almost like a way more twisted and low fidelity Postal Service, with even dreamier vocals. Pill Wonder sound a bit like Fleet Foxes if they were less folk, and more tweaked pop, complete with lush harmonies and some fake synth strings. Ducktails do their drug addled broken 4-track, island tropical calypso dream pop thing, and it sounds as good as ever. Real Estate go all acoustic, and manage to whip up something pretty lovely and lush. Frat Dad unleash a super distorted chunk of blown out jangle pop. New names this time around that we're digging, Fluffy Lumber, with their warped eighties new wave synth pop, Big Trouble who sound a bit like Jesu or Nadja, if those guys recorded in their bedroom on an old tape deck, and Liam The Younger who kick up a seriously rad nineties sounding chunk of heavy shoegazey indie rock. But there's plenty more. So dig in. The price is definitely right, and odds are at least some (maybe even most) of these jams will end up on a future mix tape or on nonstop repeat play in your headphones...
MPEG Stream: JULIAN LYNCH "Es's"
MPEG Stream: PILL WONDER "Restless"
MPEG Stream: DUCKTAILS "Apple Walk"
MPEG Stream: FRAT DAD "Totally Afraid"
MPEG Stream: REAL ESTATE "Orchard"

V/A Unindie Listening (Janky) cd 5.98
FYI: This cd is subtitled "A DJ Mix Of Indie Rock And Hip Hop That's All Whirlwind Heat And Flash. By Matt Loomis And Aye Jay. Hosted By Fred Armisen Of SNL". Whoa, heat and flash... and Fred?! Who can resist that combo? If you're one of the few who require more cajoling, we can tell you that this mix disc comes from those folks who brought you the Indie Rock Connect The Dots Book as well as the Gangsta Rap Coloring Book. Here's a rundown of the artists whose material Loomis encorporated into his mash-ups. match-ups and scratch-ups: Steve Albini, Elliott Smith, Charizma, Peanut Butter Wolf, The Roots, Violent Femmes, Jeru The Damaja, Jay-Z, David Cross, Sonic Youth, Dead Prez, Pavement, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Newcleus, The Rapture, Christopher Walken, !!!, Sir Mix A Lot, Har Mar Superstar, Beat Happening, Modest Mouse, DJ Shadow, Flaming Lips, Fog and MF Doom. As you can see music worlds collide in this mix -- the indie hipsters and the hiphopsters. Many of the combos here may be more cause for head scratchin' than vinyl scratchin'! Seven tracks plus a not so "hidden" track for only six buckeroos. Nice.
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 4"

V/A Unknown Deutschland: The Krautrock Archive Volume 2 (Virgin) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Volume 2 features The Nazgul, Temple, Golem, Cozmic Corridors.

V/A Unknown Deutschland: The Krautrock Archive Volume 3 (Virgin) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Volume 3 features Golem, Galactic Explorers, The Nazgul, Baal, Chronos.

V/A Up All Night (Past & Present ) cd 17.98
Proto metal fiends, come get your fix! This new collection of "20 Heavy Nuggets From The Golden Age Of Hard Psych" is definitely in the tradition of other cool comps like White Lace And Strange, Downer Rock Genocide, The Electric Asylum, A Visit To The Spaceship Factory, Psychedelic Minds, etc. Just check out the lineup, names we know (and love) include the likes of Highway Robbery, Bang, Sir Lord Baltimore, Granicus, Power Of Zeus, Haystacks Balboa, Yesterday's Children, Tin House, SRC, and The Litter. Heavy hitters, all of 'em. Now you might already have some of these cuts, if you really are a hard psych / proto metal fiend, but you surely don't have 'em all. And even though we were familiar with a bunch of these bands, there's plenty more here we'd never had the pleasure of hearing before, and these obscurities fit right in with such illustrious company. Most of these tracks are taken from LPs, not singles, usually the band's one and only album, many of which have never been properly reissued or even if they have been, aren't in print anymore anyway.
So what we've got here is a deep survey of vintage late '60s, early '70s North American hard rock action, (proto) metallic, garagey, and psychedelic, chock full of crunching riffs, wild wailing guitars, and rough n' tough vocals. It's all pretty darn heavy for the era, if not quite to the extreme reached across the pond by heavy metal progenitors Black Sabbath (though Bang comes quite close - and hey look there's a song titled "Wrought Iron Man" by a band called Steeplechase). This comp includes the the most fuzzed out and stompin' version of frat rock chestnut "Gimme Some Lovin'" you've ever heard (by Euclid, from their album Heavy Machinery). Of course, fuzz is in copious supply all across this disc, erupting perhaps most savagely on the classic "Kingdom Come" by Sir Lord Baltimore, a majestic six and a half minute epic mixing tripped out lyrics with bursts of ultra distorted guitar. Being one of the tracks, like a few others here, that'd we'd have chosen ourselves for an all time ultimate proto metal mix.
FYI, the other bands on this disc we haven't mentioned yet are: Liquid Smoke, The Finchley Boys, Damnation Of Adam Blessing, Dragonfly, Jamul, Third Power, Head Over Heels, and Landslide. Among all 20, it's hard to pick faves, some are heavier, some are weirder/proggier, some are blusier, some are groovier, some are more melodic, you'll have to decide for yourself. But this is definitely a pretty badass acid rock comp! And thankfully the cd booklet includes informative commentary on each band/track.
MPEG Stream: TIN HOUSE "Be Good And Be Kind"
MPEG Stream: SIR LORD BALTIMORE "Kingdom Come"
MPEG Stream: HAYSTACKS BALBOA "The Children Of Heaven"

V/A Vancouver Special (Mint) cd 14.98
Let me say this right from the start, this compilation is worth having solely for the second track. An addictively catchy number by The New Pornographers and Neko. Yes, that is Neko as in the fabulous 'Neko Case and Her Boyfriends', this time taking a pop turn singing with her buddies Carl Newman (Zumpano, Superconductor) and Daniel Bejar (Destroyer). Ah, but there's so much more here! This is actually a benefit cd (all proceeds go to A Loving Spoonful which is a Meals on Wheels type service for HIV/AIDS patients) of all Vancouver artists. And what a good sampling of a healthy and diverse music scene it is. Bouncy retro-pop in the shape of Vancouver Nights and Capozzi Park. Noisy, messiness by July 4th Toilet and Thee Goblins (starring Nardwuar the Human Serviette). Space and synth rock from Pipedream and Radio Berlin. 24 songs in all.

V/A Velvet Tinmine (RPM) cd 16.98

V/A Velvet Underground & Nico By Castle Face And Friends (Castle Face) lp 14.98
Originally released last year some time, and available exclusively from the Castle Face website, due to some strange arrangement with the label and/or the band, this killer comp of all our Castle Face faves covering the Velvet Underground & Nico record in its entirety, is FINALLY more widely available, and should really not need that much of a description considering the lineup: Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Blasted Canyons, The Fresh & Onlys, The Mallard, Burnt Ones, Warm Soda, Kelly Stoltz and more! Plus we're guessing even this version is probably gonna disappear pretty quick. Fans of any and all those bands are definitely gonna want this and we can attest to the fact that even VU haters might find themselves digging this anyway.
Kelly Stoltz starts things off with his take on "Sunday Morning", which is lush and lovely and dreamily sun dappled, swirling synths drift beneath a slow stately rhythm, soaring strings and Stoltz's warm soft croon. Warm Soda, who are quick becoming our new Castle Face fave, crank up "I'm Waiting For The Man", into a cool, glammy lo-fi, jangle stomp. Ty Segall's "Femme Fatale", adds lots of feedback, and some Stoogesy swagger, noisy and chaotic and super rocking. Thee Oh Sees get seriously loose and free with "European Son", the whole thing a wild, loose, free-rock/free-jazz drift, all detuned guitars, fluttering flute, and wild splattery drumming. Blasted Canyons transform "Venus Furs" into an awesomely creepy sci-fi garage-synth dirge, while The Mallard add some tweaked guitar and woozy psych to their version of "There She Goes Again". Burnt Ones trip out Spacemen 3 style (which we know, is essentially also VU style), with their sprawling cover of "Heroin", and the Fresh & Only's turn "All Tomorrow's Parties" into what could essentially be a F+O original, adding thick swaths of swirling psychedelic synths shimmer. There's more, but by now you should definitely be sold.
MPEG Stream: TY SEGALL "Femme Fatale"
MPEG Stream: WARM SODA "I'm Waiting For The Man"
MPEG Stream: BLASTED CANYONS "Venus In Furs"
MPEG Stream: THEE OH SEES "European Son"

V/A Vertigo Mixed ...by Andy Votel (Family Recordings) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
At long last, back in stock in a somewhat decent quantity! Here's what we said about this, back in June when we made it a Record Of The Week on list #218...
Been listening to this non-stop since we got it. And selling 'em too, as soon as customers hear it (or even just hear about it, if they're like us). Wow. Now, you probably know that here at Aquarius we're partial to the prog. So, when we heard that a DJ mix of obscure tracks from the catalog of '70s UK label Vertigo, who specialized in prog, heavy psych, and weird-ass jazz rock was to be released, we were, well, psyched. And jazzed. And, uh, progged? Indeed. We were thinking that this could be something really great, as after all there were a lot of great records released on Vertigo (home of the famed "swirl" label). And great it IS, both in terms of the source material and the "60 course psychedelic smorgasbord" medley-like sound-collage approach taken to putting it together, which maximizes the amount of brilliant hooks and grooves that could be packed into one cd, while making for one dizzying, "swirl" worthy ride.
The story there is that DJ Andy Votel (who compiled the Folk Is Not A Four Letter Word disc we listed last time, among other things) was asked, in a dream-come-true moment, to put together a "best of Vertigo" collection. But since, in his own words, progressive rock tracks are "not short, they're EPIC" he was faced with a dilemma. How to fit more than just three or four songs on the cd?? His solution was to boil down his favorite Vertigo LPs to short excerpts, stitching together these many "vinyl snippets" into a 68 minute mega-mix. The overall effect is still very "prog" indeed, as it's definitely a prog move to jump around from one motif to the next, dynamically or schizophrenically changing things up in a short span of time. Yet it all flows well together, this could almost be one tour-de-force album from one AMAZING band!!
The credits list 38 songs by 29 artists, all from Votel's personal Vertigo vinyl collection -- Aphrodite's Child, Gracious, Colosseum, Affinity, Juicy Lucy, Uriah Heep, May Blitz, Warhorse, Gravy Train, Baker Gurvitz Army, Cressida, Patto, Flied Egg, Nucleus, Atlantis, Frumpy, Freedom, and many more, most of 'em hailing from the UK but also some from overseas, including Japan, Germany and Greece. Vertigo's best known signing has to be Black Sabbath, and while they don't appear in the credits I trust you'll hear something from 'em on here too, first thing (and later on as well, when Votel mixes the harp blowing from "The Wizard" into a May Blitz tune).
Thusly loaded with heaviness, groove, and Mellotrons, you get everthing from (old school) acid jazz to flutey prog to raw proto-metal -- all kinds of what gets called "hairy funk" here. Votel also makes use of interjections from what might be radio promo spots for Vertigo -- voices exclaiming "Vertigo! Vertigo!" and the like -- in order to smooth up his segues. In some ways, this might remind you a little bit of DJ Shadow's Entroducing, actually, not that these tracks have been fully edited into new compostions. But the love of dusty old prog grooves is the same.
Votel provides liner notes elaborating his enthusiasm for Vertigo (the label's role in his musical development, as a hip hop DJ with a fondness for prog) and his agonies over this project. Also you get a profile of Barry Winton, famed as the world's foremost Vertigo vinyl collector. And in addition, a portion of the cd booket is devoted to an appreciation of Keef, resident cover artist/graphic designer for Vertigo...which makes us think it would have been cool if they also presented a selection of covers here to look at, ah well.
Could be the best comp/DJ mix we've heard in ages. Boiling down an entire label to its essence over the span of one cd has got to be a tough task, and of course what Votel has selected is only a portion of the whole Vertigo story. But we can't nitpick with what he's done, this is a classy piece of work and deserving of kudos from all lovers of ye olde prog/psych. It might even convert some new lovers too! Recommended!!!
MPEG Stream: "track one"
MPEG Stream: "track two"

V/A Vile Vinyl Vol 1 (Past & Present) cd 17.98

V/A VPRO's De Avonden: Crossing Border 1998 (Cycle) 2cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Compilation of performances from the annual Crossing Border festival held in Holland. Adventurous radio station VPRO booked a stage, and this cd culls some of the best sets, with: Chris Knox, Lambchop, Songs:Ohia, Calexico, Kramer, Joost Visser, etc.

V/A Waking Up Scheherazade (Grey Past) lp 28.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

V/A Waking Up Scheherazade: Arabian Psych Nuggets (Grey Past) lp 28.00

V/A Wantage Hits Omnibus (Wantage) 2cd 12.98
Comps can be really hit or miss. Mostly miss usually. But one solution is just to make your comp bigger and bigger. More and more bands. Multiple cds. The even with a handful of misses, the hits will almost surely outweight the misses. One could be forgiven for assuming that Wantage employed this clever tactic with their massive double disc 21st release label compilation. But that would barely to begin to explain the presence of so many fucking hits. And even the misses are pretty good!
We've known Wanatage label lord Josh for way over a decade now. He used to be a one man welcome wagon in Missoula Montana, offering up places to stay, friendly conversation, shows in his living room, and eventually a label to put out records for you. He is an amazing guy with amazing taste. Lots of chaotic, noisy, heavy weirdness just like we like. So this compilation celebrates 20 releases and includes all kinds of bands, loads of which never even had releases on Wantage. Definitely a man after our own heart. So what we have here is two discs running the gamut from fucked up stoner rock, metallic new wave, thrashy pop, dirge-y drones and every single sound in between. Lots of names we know: Japanther, Oneida, Drunk Horse, Fireballs Of Freedom, Oblio Joes (the band Andee's band A Minor Forest played with EVERY time they played in Missoula), Bloodhag, Federation X, Dub Narcotic, Stinking Lizaveta, Noxagt, The Fucking Champs and more. Lots of names we didn't know: Stars Of The Dogon, Ass End Offend, Sparkles, Wadsworth, Mico De Noche, Johnny X And The Groadies, The Planet The, Sasshole, Actual Technology and a whole bunch of Latvian (!) bands. Also a track from AQ pals Castro, and one from the Narrows, a band Andee just discovered, who he predicts will rule the world one day. Funny and insightful liner notes and a WAY low sticker price make this a must have!
MPEG Stream: STARS OF THE DOGON "Jogging"
MPEG Stream: DRUNK HORSE "If You Stand For Nothing..."
MPEG Stream: THE NARROWS "Blue Light Shade"

V/A Warlock Pinchers Tribute (Braceface) cd 13.98

V/A Warp20 (Chosen) (Warp) 2cd 22.00
One of three new cd reissues commemorating Warp Records' 20th anniversary, all culled from the super swank, and prohibitively expensive boxset the label released a while back. We reviewed the 'Unheard' disc recently, which featured a handful of rare tracks from some of our all time Warp faves, Broadcast, Boards Of Canada, Autechre, Plaid, Clark, Flying Lotus, Seefeel, and while this one isn't quite as essential, it is basically a hugely bad ass Warp mixtape.
Essentially a greatest hits, it's two discs, one chosen by the fans, and one chosen by Warp co-founder Steve Beckett. Most of these are tracks you know, there are definitely a handful of surprises, especially on Beckett's disc, but it definitely feels like a lovingly complied greatest hits, with the fans' disc continuing lots of hits, and Beckett's mixing hits with some obscurities. Both discs are great, and barring the overlap with records already in your collection, it's pretty essential listening. Want to introduce someone to electronic music, need an electronic music primer covering the last 2 decades, just need a killer mix for the car or a party, then this should do the trick. The first disc has Aphex Twin's "Windowlicker", Boards Of Canada's "Roygbiv", Squarepusher's "My Red Hot Car", Autchre's "Grants Graf, Luke Vibert's "I Love Acid", and a bunch more. And while the second disc contains some classics from Grizzly Bear, Broadcast, Squarepusher, Seefeel and others, it also includes less likely jams from Jamie Lidell, Mike Ink, Xeper (Black Dog Productions), Nightmares On Wax, and loads more. Needless to say, killer stuff.
MPEG Stream: APHEX TWIN "Windowlicker"
MPEG Stream: BOARDS OF CANADA "Roygbiv"
MPEG Stream: SQUAREPUSHER "My Red Hot Car"
MPEG Stream: AUTECHRE "Grantz Graf"

V/A Warp20 (Recreated) (Warp) 2cd 25.00
One of three new cd reissues commemorating Warp Records' 20th anniversary, all culled from the super swank, and prohibitively expensive boxset the label released a while back. We reviewed the 'Unheard' disc recently, which featured a handful of rare tracks from some of our all time Warp faves, Broadcast, Boards Of Canada, Autechre, Plaid, Clark, Flying Lotus, Seefeel, and we review the 'Chosen' disc elsewhere on this week's list, featuring a two disc greatest hits compiled by both fans and the label, but this one is definitely the weirdest of the bunch. And maybe the most fun because of it...
Two discs of Warp artists, covering songs by other Warp artists. Born Ruffians, with their Pixies post punk jangle, tackle Aphex Twin's "Milkman", Maximo Park cover, Vincent Gallo's "When" and make it their own, giving it a synth new wave makeover, Clark reimagines Milanese's "So Malleable", and it gets even more gnarled and spastic and HEAVY, Hudson Mohawke transforms Jimi Tenor's "Paint The Stars" into a glimmering drift of sparkly ephemeral shimmer, Mira Clalix covers Boards Of Canada and turns it into chamber music bliss, Jamie Lidell covers Grizzly Bear, Seefeel covers Maximo Park(!) and creates a glutchy chunk of blurred new wave, Gravenhurst covers Broadcast and more more more. Some of the tracks are just gussied up a little, some are recreated with alternate shadings, subtly shifted sound palletes, while others are totally and wholly transformed. Cool.
MPEG Stream: BORN RUFFIANS "Milkman / To Cure A Weakling Child (Aphex Twin)"
MPEG Stream: MAXIMO PARK "When (Vincent Gallo)"
MPEG Stream: CLARK "So Malleable (Milanese)"
MPEG Stream: SEEFEEL "Acrobat (Maximo Park)"

V/A Watch Your Step: New Rubble Volume 3 (Past & Present) cd 17.98
'60 British beat singles compiled by Bevis Frond's Nick Saloman. 20 Tracks by the likes of, uh, The Little Darlings, Freddie Ryder, The Toggery Five, The Boston Crabs, The Huskies, Danny King, and more.

V/A Wayfaring Strangers: Ladies From The Canyon (Numero) cd 17.98
Could it really be time to take a look at the influence of Joni Mitchell? We never would of thought it before, but then again reissue label Numero Group oftens make strange and surprising choices in their releases. After releasing 3 compilations in a series of eccentric soul from the DeepCity, Capsoul and Bandit labels they do a complete 180 and begin a new series called Wayfaring Strangers. This first one is dedicated to the immediate influence of Joni Mitchell's Ladies of the Canyon and the wave of femme folk it inspired throughout the early seventies. Here, they focus on 12 gems from obscure or little known female recording artists. A lot of customers who gave no second thought to immediately buying up all of the Eccentric Soul series, seem to be in a quagmire about this one, and not many people are taking the baitÉyet.
While Joni haters will probably steer clear of this comp, for those of you on the fence let us assure you that the twelve rare cuts on this disc, culled from mostly private press releases, are not all Joni imitations. While Mitchell's influence is obvious, each artist brings their own unique and varied take to their songs (all originals with the exception of Ellen Shaw's cover of Marianne Faithful's "Sister Morphine"). The Numero Group does an outstanding job with the packaging as always, devoting a full 2 page spread to each artist with full color original album artwork and profiles on each artist. These records are crate digger's dreams, and the visuals and bios only serve to enhance the fragile homemade sincerity and beauty of some of these songs. Highlights include Shira Smalls "Eternal Life", a rumination on math and spirituality recorded at a Quaker boarding school, and Collie Ryan's "Cricket". Like the mighty Ladies of the Canyon itself, this CD may take repeated listening to work its charms. But there is no doubt in our minds that if you saw any one of these original records in a thrift store, bargain bin, or garage sale, you would whisk them away immediately, heart pounding as you brought them home and put them on, thanking your lucky stars that there is still magic in such simple things. Nice!
MPEG Stream: COLLIE RYAN "Cricket"
MPEG Stream: SHIRA SMALL "Eternal Life"
MPEG Stream: GINNY REILLY "Wildman"

V/A Wayfaring Strangers: Lonesome Heroes (Numero Group) cd 16.98
Another incredible installment in Numero Group's Wayfaring Strangers series, Lonesome Heroes is the male singer-songwriter counterpart to the series' first installment, Ladies of The Canyon. But instead of one artist serving as the thematic touchstone (Joni Mitchell and John Fahey were the key influences of the first two installments), there are several influences present, but the artists are unified by a moody tone of loneliness and introspection. You can hear traces of Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, Tim Hardin and Tom Rapp in this collection of private press wonder (one artist, Kieran White, the only singer from the UK and a member of Steamhammer, actually sounds a lot like Sam Beam from Iron and Wine!), but the songs that span the late sixties to the early eighties are neither love songs or protest songs. Nor do they connect in any real way to a folk music scene or its traditions. These 17 artists, mostly from America, were rambling individuals who more often than not wrote music for recording more than for performing, penning quiet songs about time spent and lost, regrets and joys, and nature as the mystical reminder of this ever present balance of life. The home studio has a big presence in the recordings casting a warm tape aura around the songs and making subtle studio effects (reverb, multi-tracking, panning) add interesting details to the compositions. It's not all just an acoustic guitar and a voice (though some of it is), but aural flourishes of flutes, pianos, and female backing vocals can also be heard throughout. Perfect for Sunday Morning listening! As usual, Numero Group do a great job with the packaging with an added booklet featuring photos of the original private press lps and mini-bios of all the artists here. Astonishing!
MPEG Stream: RICHARD SMYRNIOS "As I Walk"
MPEG Stream: KIERAN WHITE "Hummingbirds"
MPEG Stream: GEORGE CROMARTY "Little Children"
MPEG Stream: JOHN VILLEMONTE "I Am The Moonlight"

V/A We Are All Circling The Stars (Cosmos Recordings) cd 21.00

V/A We Are Not Together (Repsychled) cd 15.98
Peru's biggest Paul McCartney worshippers, We All Together, came out of a community of bands in Lima that shared the same love for dreamy Beatlesque pop. Eight of the bands are collected here: Monik, Cerro Verde, Laghonia, Smog, Illicit, FE 59 and others. Chronicling singles from the Mag label recorded between 1968-1974, the songs range from original compositions to covers of songs popularized by The Doors, Malo, and Lesley Gore. All quite nice.
MPEG Stream: BETO VILLENA & WE ALL TOGETHER "Suavecito"
MPEG Stream: MONIK "The World Is Getting Worse"
MPEG Stream: CERRO VERDE "I Lost A Game"
MPEG Stream: SMOG "Wicked Man"

V/A We Could Live In Hope: A Tribute To Low (Fractured Discs) cd 14.98
Over the past decade countless bands and fans both privately and publicly have bestowed much love and respect on the deeply inspiring and influential band Low. Here's just a dozen who've put they admiration on record by recreating the band's 1994 debut full length, I Could Live In Hope. The less familiar faces definitely outnumber the familiar ones -- Daniel G. Harmann, Pale Horse And Rider, The Strugglers, A Northern Chorus, Kid Dakota, Misc/Ill Lit, The Winter Blanket, and Migala. The folks you might recognize here are Low's contemporaries Mark Kozelek, Jessica Bailiff, Idaho and His Name Is Alive (featuring Nanang Tatang aka former Low tourmates Elizabeth Mitchell and Dan Littleton of Ida). All of the renditions stick remarkably close to the hushed, slow and gentle originals with the contributions from Bailiff and His Name Is Alive standing out as a definite highlights. Not unlike a warm group hug.
MPEG Stream: BAILIFF, JESSICA "Down"
MPEG Stream: HIS NAME IS ALIVE "Sunshine (super low rmx)"

V/A We Reach: The Music Of The Melvins (Fractured Transmitter) cd 13.98
All kinds of crazy versions of all kinds of crazy Melvins classics, by a line-up of mostly metalcore acts, presumably all artists who've been inspired by Buzz, Dale and Co. and for whom tangling with the heaviness of the Melvins is no huge stretch. Big names include Pig Destroyer (who've covered the Melvins before, here doing "Claude"), Isis and Agoraphobic Nosebleed (doing a brutal, nine minute version of "Boris" together! which reminds us, why isn't the band Boris on here?), High On Fire and Keelhaul (another team-up track, this one sounding like it was recorded live), Eyehategod, Mastodon, Strapping Young Lad, and others. But then there's also a handful we've never heard of before, and probably never will again. Everybody gets fully into the spirit of the thing, which is basically to attest that the Melvins, in a word, RULE. Of course, like most comps, it's a mixed bag. Not everything sounds great, but there are some gems. If you're a fan you'll want to check this out.
Bewarned, the first track, Mare's amazing improv-soul version of "Nightgoat" will have you wondering if you put the correct cd in your player. But if you skip ahead to hear the Dillinger Escape Plan doing "Honey Bucket" on track two you'll realize there's been no mistake. Of course, we like it best when tributes are done by bands who don't try to sound at all like the original -- though we can understand why so many of these metallic Melvins fan-bands on here are having a ball doing their best to sound just like 'em!
This comp gets bonus points for the Derek Hess artwork and the liner notes that basically say that tribute albums suck but the Melvins are the best band ever so what the heck, but it loses points for including no information about the partipating acts -- it'd be nice to have notes from each of them about their tracks. Well I guess we don't need Blessing The Hogs to tell us why they picked "Hog Leg".
MPEG Stream: ISIS / AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED "Boris"
MPEG Stream: DOG FASHION DISCO "Anaconda"

V/A Welcome Home / Diggin' The Universe (Woodsist) lp 14.98
Pretty badass compilation, featuring the leading lights from the Woodsist label stable, who also seem to represent more broadly the current state of underground music, as it seems most of these folks have released lots stuff on loads of other labels, the new band m.o. seemingly being to release as much as humanly possible, but like we've said before, fuck it, if it works, and it sounds good, why the hell not? And it's still sounding pretty goddamn good to these ears. This lp / cassette sampler, manages to pretty much perfectly lay out the Woodsist formula (which is what a label sampler is supposed to do anyway right?), variations on Summery jangle, woozy lo-fi production, reverb and delay, pretty sunshine-y sixties style pop rendered all warped and dreamily off kilter. The names will no doubt be familiar to most folks by now: Woods, Skygreen Leopards, The Fresh And Onlys, Ducktails, Art Museums, Moon Duo, The Mantles, White Fence and more, as will the sounds, from sun dappled hippified Byrds style folk pop to reverb drenched doo wop-y dream pop to lysergic organ driven hypno garage groove, to Velvets-y repetitive rocking psychedelia, to ethereal ephemeral blissed out drift, to old school punkish power pop to hushed and lush Appalachian guitarscapery, the biggest surprise and quite possibly our favorite track being Moon Duo's contribution, a super stripped down, spare and spacious, minimal, almost dubby bit of space kraut mesmer, which makes sense as it's a cover of a reggae jam by Errol Dunkley. In fact, a couple other bands try their hands at covers, Skygreen Leopards do The Cure and City Center tackle the Grateful Dead!

V/A Welcome To 1984 (Maximum Rock N Roll) lp 10.98
Reissued international hardcore punk comp from the punk bible... features Terveet Kadet, Crucifucks, Rattus, Raw Power, The Stalin, and many many more. Classic stuff.

V/A Welcome To The Beat Generation (Beatnik) lp 16.98

V/A Well Hung: 20 Funk-Rock Eruptions From Beneath Communist Hungary - Vol.1 (B-Music / Finders Keepers) cd 16.98
Back in stock, new lower price, now released domestically!
One of the most kick ass comps we've heard in a while! And there's been some good ones lately, of Nigerian '70s disco funk and French '80s electro punk, among others. But how can you beat funked up, progged out psych rock from Communist Hungary?? This comp resoundingly answers that question: you can't.
While this disc's title might be in poor taste this comp's curators exhibit EXCELLENT taste in groovy Hungarian psych/prog rarities from the sixties and seventies!!! Which is as you might expect, since these are the djs/diggers also responsible for such top notch sets as Welsh Rare Beat, Vertigo Mixed, and Prog Is Not A Four Letter Word. If you like those, you'll like this. (And, like us, will be eagerly anticipating volume 2, to be titled Hung Over, of course).
A couple of the bands here we know, only really 'cause of another B-Music related release, the disc by swingin' Hungarian sex symbol Sarolta Zalatnay, which featured her work with bands such as Locomotiv GT and Skorpios, both of which appear here along with a track by Zalatnay. In fact, the Hungarian scene was highly intertwined, as diagrammed by the handy "Well Hung Family Tree" that compiler Andy Votel has provided in the cd booklet... a cd booklet that by the way is super thick, packed with all the detailed liner notes from the knowledgeable Votel you could desire, color photos of the artists, album and singles covers, and a forward by none other than "Cini" herself, Sarolta Zalatnay! All the tracks are licensed from the source, Hungaroton Records, the whole thing sounds and looks great, it's an obvious labor of love. And what's not to love, 'cause all 20 tracks here are awesome. Tons of FUZZ guitar, swirling organ jamming, flutes going off, crazy instrumental breaks, wailing vocals, dancefloor filling beats galore. High energy stuff, man. Makes it seem like living under the heel of the Soviet boot of oppression wasn't all bad, at least these folks found the freedom of getting funky and freaky...
So, here's who's on here: Anna Adamis & Gabor Presser (the latter of whom has a big presence in many of these groups), Omega Redstar, Omega (2 cuts), Metro, Hungaria, Kati Kovacs (who sounds like Janis Joplin fronting Hard Stuff!), Katie Kovacs and Gemini, Corvina, Neoton, Tamas Somlo & Omega, Meteor & Demjen Ferenc, Illes (2 cuts from them too), Sarolta Zalatnay, Locomotiv GT, Nemenyi Bela and Atlantis, Piramis, Skorpio, and Bergendy.
From the fuzzy Bo Diddley shake of Omega Redstar, to the badass organ excess of Locomotiv GT, to the frantic funky synth sizzle of Illes (a band whom we recall from Prog Is Not A Four Letter Word as well)... well it's hard to pick highlights, they're all mega. Maybe Omega (sans Redstar) gets the nod for their epic 8 minute groover "Kergeskeziu Favagok", a full 3 minutes of which at least is occupied by a killer drum solo laced with field recordings of bird twitter! They also contribute a fuzzed out stomper a little later in the disc.
Ah, but it's all so good, Well Hung bringing together an amazing Eastern European melange of hard edged acid rock funk freakbeat that's part Chains And Black Exhaust, part wah wah '70s cop show kitsch, part Iron Curtain exotica... fun times in other words! Recommended.
MPEG Stream: CORVINA "A Tuz"
MPEG Stream: OMEGA "Kergeskeziu Favagok"
MPEG Stream: KATI KOVACS "Add Mar Uram Az Esot!"

V/A Welsh Rare Beat (Finders Keepers) cd 21.00
Compilations of long-lost '60s and '70s psych/pop/rock gems dug up from the far corners of the world by dedicated crate-digging record collectors are always considered a good thing here at AQ. We can just point to the Hava Narghile, Cambodian Rocks, Love Peace & Poetry and Thai Beat comps for some easy examples. But while we've been stoked on all sorts of stuff from Turkey, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, South Africa, and elsewhere, there's always room for more, and for new unexplored territories to freak out about. For instance, what about Welsh psych/prog/folk??? Aha, that's what Welsh Rare Beat is devoted to, as you've already surmised. The 25 tracks here, all of 'em pretty fantastic, were selected from the vaults of the home-grown Welsh indie record label Sain, which could easily be (as this comp argues) the coolest record label you've never heard of before. As the liner notes put it: "You like prog-rock with blueprint trip-hop beats? So did Sain. You like ethereal girl groups with mystical acid folk overtones? So did Sain. You like psychedelic rock operas based on druidism and witchcraft? So did Sain..." And they're not kidding. Psyche-Celtic hoe-downs, dreamy folk singing, Cymru pride protest rock, and incredible grooves abound. These songs are all sung in Welsh (a pleasing tongue we trust you'll find), and due to the language barrier (and doubtless related cultural/political issues) these artists are pretty much unknown outside their own land, despite being just as good as a lot of better known folks from elsewhere in the UK. Really, looking at the names here, we'd only ever heard of Meic Stevens before. Never Bran, Heather Jones, Endaf Emlyn, Y Tebot Piws, or Yr Atgyfodiad, let alone Y Dyniadon Ynfyd Hirfelyn Tesog! But that's what's so great about discs like this, getting turned on to the denizens of a whole new realm of record-collector fantasy. The cd booklet helps mightily in that department, featuring a great deal of text -- there's very detailed track-by-track info plus a lengthy essay that treats this music scene in a political/historical context. VERY thorough indeed. And it even includes an annotated map of Wales. This really well put-together labor of love was compiled by Andy Votel (so recently responsible for the fab Vertigo Mixed comp), Dom Thomas, and Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals who of course hail from Wales, and is released on the same label, Finders Keepers, that also brought us those equally obscure and awesome Jean Claude Vannier and Yamasuki discs.
MPEG Stream: BRAN "Y Gwylwyr"
MPEG Stream: HEATHER JONES "Nos Ddu"
MPEG Stream: ELERI LLWYD "O Gymru"

V/A Welsh Rare Beat (Finders Keepers) lp 27.00
Now in stock on vinyl! Compilations of long-lost '60s and '70s psych/pop/rock gems dug up from the far corners of the world by dedicated crate-digging record collectors are always considered a good thing here at AQ. We can just point to the Hava Narghile, Cambodian Rocks, Love Peace & Poetry and Thai Beat comps for some easy examples. But while we've been stoked on all sorts of stuff from Turkey, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, South Africa, and elsewhere, there's always room for more, and for new unexplored territories to freak out about. For instance, what about Welsh psych/prog/folk??? Aha, that's what Welsh Rare Beat is devoted to, as you've already surmised. The 25 tracks here, all of 'em pretty fantastic, were selected from the vaults of the home-grown Welsh indie record label Sain, which could easily be (as this comp argues) the coolest record label you've never heard of before. As the liner notes put it: "You like prog-rock with blueprint trip-hop beats? So did Sain. You like ethereal girl groups with mystical acid folk overtones? So did Sain. You like psychedelic rock operas based on druidism and witchcraft? So did Sain..." And they're not kidding. Psyche-Celtic hoe-downs, dreamy folk singing, Cymru pride protest rock, and incredible grooves abound. These songs are all sung in Welsh (a pleasing tongue we trust you'll find), and due to the language barrier (and doubtless related cultural/political issues) these artists are pretty much unknown outside their own land, despite being just as good as a lot of better known folks from elsewhere in the UK. Really, looking at the names here, we'd only ever heard of Meic Stevens before. Never Bran, Heather Jones, Endaf Emlyn, Y Tebot Piws, or Yr Atgyfodiad, let alone Y Dyniadon Ynfyd Hirfelyn Tesog! But that's what's so great about discs like this, getting turned on to the denizens of a whole new realm of record-collector fantasy. The cd booklet helps mightily in that department, featuring a great deal of text -- there's very detailed track-by-track info plus a lengthy essay that treats this music scene in a political/historical context. VERY thorough indeed. And it even includes an annotated map of Wales. This really well put-together labor of love was compiled by Andy Votel (so recently responsible for the fab Vertigo Mixed comp), Dom Thomas, and Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals who of course hail from Wales, and is released on the same label, Finders Keepers, that also brought us those equally obscure and awesome Jean Claude Vannier and Yamasuki discs.
MPEG Stream: BRAN "Y Gwylwyr"
MPEG Stream: HEATHER JONES "Nos Ddu"
MPEG Stream: ELERI LLWYD "O Gymru"

V/A Welsh Rare Beat 2 (Finders Keepers) cd 23.00
That the Welsh well of groovy folk and psych rarities from the '60s and '70s hasn't run dry, is plentifully proven by this album. Finders Keepers presents a second volume of Welsh Rare Beat, again compiled by DJ Andy Votel and two of the guys from Super Furry Animals. Lots of w's and y's in the artist and track names here, there's tunes from the the likes of Galwad Y Mynydd (also the subject of a separate reissue on Finders Keepers), Y Gwenwyn, YNhw, Y Tebot Piws, Chwys, Meic Stevens, Bran, Sidan, Morus Elfryn, Heather Jones, Edward H. Dafis, AD 73, Bara Menyn, Hergest, and more. No, we haven't heard of most of 'em either -- and the ones we do know, we probably heard first on the original Welsh Rare Beat. And while we'd rate that volume a little higher, there's treats galore here, from rustic acid folk to glammy rock to disco prog! Even a kids TV show character takes a stab at rock n' roll. All with a unique Cymaru bent, often with glorious traditional melodies woven through, and gentle voices singing in the slightly phlegmy and certainly indecipherable (to us) Welsh tongue. Informative liner notes are provided, though, to clue us to who these artists were and what they were on about.
MPEG Stream: ELERI LLWYD "Cariad Cyntaf"
MPEG Stream: SIDAN "Ar Goll"
MPEG Stream: CHWYS "Gwr Bonheddig"

V/A Welsh Rare Beat 2 (Finders Keepers) lp 30.00
That the Welsh well of groovy folk and psych rarities from the '60s and '70s hasn't run dry, is plentifully proven by this album. Finders Keepers presents a second volume of Welsh Rare Beat, again compiled by DJ Andy Votel and two of the guys from Super Furry Animals. Lots of w's and y's in the artist and track names here, there's tunes from the the likes of Galwad Y Mynydd (also the subject of a separate reissue on Finders Keepers), Y Gwenwyn, YNhw, Y Tebot Piws, Chwys, Meic Stevens, Bran, Sidan, Morus Elfryn, Heather Jones, Edward H. Dafis, AD 73, Bara Menyn, Hergest, and more. No, we haven't heard of most of 'em either -- and the ones we do know, we probably heard first on the original Welsh Rare Beat. And while we'd rate that volume a little higher, there's treats galore here, from rustic acid folk to glammy rock to disco prog! Even a kids TV show character takes a stab at rock n' roll. All with a unique Cymaru bent, often with glorious traditional melodies woven through, and gentle voices singing in the slightly phlegmy and certainly indecipherable (to us) Welsh tongue. Informative liner notes are provided, though, to clue us to who these artists were and what they were on about.
MPEG Stream: ELERI LLWYD "Cariad Cyntaf"
MPEG Stream: SIDAN "Ar Goll"
MPEG Stream: CHWYS "Gwr Bonheddig"