VANISHING, THE Still Lifes Are Failing (GSL) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From the electro-schtick of Soft Pink Truth's rewiring of punk to the DFA's revisitation of the 99 Records catalogue with a artful sense of irony, we are living in an age that has glorified certain stylistic conceits of the '80s. In looking at these revisionist histories, you could get the impression that the '80s were in fact very cool and had none of the banal dreck of disposable major label pop that persists today. Where most of the '80s retro fascination has its tongue firmly planted in cheek, The Vanishing exhumes the whole bloated corpse of the '80s Goth community. There's not just a bunch of black clothes, clove cigarettes, and blood-red wine to go with The Vanishing's Goth revivalism; there's also Nik Fiend's pasty white make-up, smeared black eyeliner, and ripped fishnet stockings and Daniel Ash's insistence on throwing sax solos into Bauhaus songs. Yeah, the Vanishing do a great job of reclaiming this particular Goth sound from the '80s; but that's also their undoing, as the Vanishing aren't really interested in attempting to update this sound. If they are attempting to do on Still Lifes Are Failing, well then they haven't done a very good job. But if it's The Cure's Pornography and Xmal Deutschland's Fetisch that their going for, well that's another story. The Vanishing's spry death disco grooves and primitive synth lines builds a seering claustrophobia which in most instance is the evil little sister of the DFA cocaine beats. So The Vanishing can only really be recommended if you've got that streak of Goth that tickles you from time to time. But if Adult. and The Rapture aren't dark enough for you, then boy do we have a record for you!
MPEG Stream: "Lovesick"
MPEG Stream: "Cuckoo Spit"

VANISHING, THE / VON IVA The Rebel Sounds Of Frisco Disco DJ Series (Princehouse) 12" 8.98
The batcave meets the blues rock on the dancefloor for this split by two Bay Area hotties!

VANNIER, JEAN-CLAUDE Electro Rapide (B-Music / Finders Keepers) cd 16.98
Jean-Claude Vannier is best known for his amazing work as an arranger and producer for some of French pop's greatest stars like Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, Francoise Hardy, and Brigitte Fontaine. We also got a taste of his singular, warped and mind melting musical vision when Finders Keepers unearthed his fucked up masterpiece from 1972, L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches.
Now they've dug deep into his vaults for this short but sweet (under half an hour) collection of rare, unreleased archival recordings from 1968-1973, that demonstrate what a master of mood and sound Vannier is. With tracks that range from tribal and trance inducing ("L'ours Paresseux 1969") to the perfect soundtrack for an absurdist cartoon ("Claquez Klaxons") to a chant filled show stopper that sounds like an Ella Jenkins record doused in acid ("Le Ballet Des Accouchesuses"). You can imagine how folks in the Stones Throw crew, or the late J Dilla, would be drooling over the chance to sample so many of these tracks. Vannier's music is like an amazing crossbreed of David Axelrod, Raymond Scott, and Joe Meek, but with such a pronounced French sensibility.
MPEG Stream: "Bombarde Lamentation"
MPEG Stream: "Le Ballet Des Accoucheuses"
MPEG Stream: "Claquez Klaxons"
MPEG Stream: "Je M'Appelle Geraldine"

VANNIER, JEAN-CLAUDE Electro Rapide (B-Music / Finders Keepers) lp 24.00
Now on import wax!
Jean-Claude Vannier is best known for his amazing work as an arranger and producer for some of French pop's greatest stars like Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, Francoise Hardy, and Brigitte Fontaine. We also got a taste of his singular, warped and mind melting musical vision when Finders Keepers unearthed his fucked up masterpiece from 1972, L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches.
Now they've dug deep into his vaults for this short but sweet (under half an hour) collection of rare, unreleased archival recordings from 1968-1973, that demonstrate what a master of mood and sound Vannier is. With tracks that range from tribal and trance inducing ("L'ours Paresseux 1969") to the perfect soundtrack for an absurdist cartoon ("Claquez Klaxons") to a chant filled show stopper that sounds like an Ella Jenkins record doused in acid ("Le Ballet Des Accouchesuses"). You can imagine how folks in the Stones Throw crew, or the late J Dilla, would be drooling over the chance to sample so many of these tracks. Vannier's music is like an amazing crossbreed of David Axelrod, Raymond Scott, and Joe Meek, but with such a pronounced French sensibility.
MPEG Stream: "Bombarde Lamentation"
MPEG Stream: "Le Ballet Des Accoucheuses"
MPEG Stream: "Claquez Klaxons"
MPEG Stream: "Je M'Appelle Geraldine"

VANNIER, JEAN-CLAUDE L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches (Finders Keepers) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
BACK IN STOCK!
Some reissues of long-lost gems arrive here with little fanfare and turn out to be great nonetheless. This one though, came our way emblazed with blurbs proclaiming its immense awesomeness quoting the likes of Jim O'Rourke, Tim Gane, Jarvis Cocker and David Holmes. And guess what? Those guys do indeed know what they're talking about! This IS pretty fantastic. Here we have an action-packed instrumental concept album whose title translates into English as The Child Killer Of The Flies, which musically narrates a simple but creepy story by Serge Gainsbourg (written *after* he heard the album, not before, and included the liner notes, explaining each track title) about the horrific revenge of flies on a child who had tortured them. This musical story-telling is by way of schizoid arrangements of tracks that range in sound from groovy pop to jazz to avant-garde tape music to fuzz guitar rock! Sounds good, eh? Good n' weird for sure.
L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches is a "Fellini-esque psychedelic symphony" originally released (but poorly distributed and relegated to general obscurity) in 1972, credited to a unknown group called Isolitudes. The man behind Insolitudes, though, was one Jean-Claude Vannier, a musician and producer from the happening '60s French pop ("Ye Ye music") scene who had scored film soundtracks and collaborated with Serge Gainsbourg, most famously providing the arrangements for Gainsbourg's highly-rated L'Histoire De Melody Nelson album (the reissue of which we wish we had in stock also, but haven't been able to get a hold of lately). This record is thereby cited as the follow-up to that one-of-a-kind conceptual classic. Itself it's pretty much one-of-a-kind too. Funky and groovy, as well as deliriously, disorientingly hallucinogenic, this will hit you with lush string arrangements one moment, sound effects of sheer terror the next... it's psych, it's prog, it's funk, it's musique concrete. There's even a chorus of car horns put to good use here! It's the freakiest 'sploitation soundtrack that never was. This cd reissue includes two bonus tracks from a rare 7" single entitled Point D'Interrogation, and also boasts extensive and informative (and quite laudatory) liner notes by DJ Andy Votel. Very recommended!
MPEG Stream: "L'Enfant La Mouche Et Les Allumettes"
MPEG Stream: "Le Roi Des Mouches Et La Confiture De Rouse"
MPEG Stream: "Mort Du Roi Des Mouches"

VANNIER, JEAN-CLAUDE L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches (B-Music / Finders Keepers) cd 16.98
Alright everyone, once more with feeling! Last year (2005) we got this amazing reissued treasure in stock and it came with two bonus tracks from a rare 7" single entitled Point D'Interrogation. We simply couldn't say enough glowing things about it! Now just one year later the album has been reissued again, not only with the pair of extra audio treats but also with an exclusive video of "L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches Et Les Allumettes" performed live on the Roland Petit Show ('twas a musical accompaniment to Yves Saint Laurent's fashion show)!
Here's what we said about the 2005 edition:
Some reissues of long-lost gems arrive here with little fanfare and turn out to be great nonetheless. This one though, came our way emblazoned with blurbs proclaiming its immense awesomeness quoting the likes of Jim O'Rourke, Tim Gane, Jarvis Cocker and David Holmes. And guess what? Those guys do indeed know what they're talking about! This IS fantastic. Here we have an action-packed instrumental concept album whose title translates into English as The Child Killer Of The Flies, which musically narrates a simple but creepy story by Serge Gainsbourg (written *after* he heard the album, not before, and included the liner notes, explaining each track title) about the horrific revenge of flies on a child who had tortured them. This musical story-telling is by way of schizoid arrangements of tracks that range in sound from groovy pop to jazz to avant-garde tape music to fuzz guitar rock! Sounds good, eh? Good 'n' weird for sure.
L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches is a "Fellini-esque psychedelic symphony" originally released (but poorly distributed and relegated to general obscurity) in 1972, credited to a unknown group called Isolitudes. The man behind Insolitudes, though, was one Jean-Claude Vannier, a musician and producer from the happening '60s French pop ("Ye Ye music") scene who had scored film soundtracks and collaborated with Serge Gainsbourg, most famously providing the arrangements for Gainsbourg's highly-rated L'Histoire De Melody Nelson album (the reissue of which we wish we had in stock also, but haven't been able to get a hold of lately). This record is thereby cited as the follow-up to that one-of-a-kind conceptual classic. Itself it's pretty much one-of-a-kind too. Funky and groovy, as well as deliriously, disorientingly hallucinogenic, this will hit you with lush string arrangements one moment, sound effects of sheer terror the next... it's psych, it's prog, it's funk, it's musique concrete. There's even a chorus of car horns put to good use here! It's the freakiest 'sploitation soundtrack that never was. The insert booklet boasts extensive and informative (and quite laudatory) liner notes by DJ Andy Votel. Very very recommended!
MPEG Stream: "L'Enfant La Mouche Et Les Allumettes"
MPEG Stream: "Le Roi Des Mouches Et La Confiture De Rouse"
MPEG Stream: "Mort Du Roi Des Mouches"

VANNIER, JEAN-CLAUDE L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches (Finders Keepers) lp 27.00
Repressed! Some reissues of long-lost gems arrive here with little fanfare and turn out to be great nonetheless. This one though, came our way emblazed with blurbs proclaiming its immense awesomeness quoting the likes of Jim O'Rourke, Tim Gane, Jarvis Cocker and David Holmes. And guess what? Those guys do indeed know what they're talking about! This IS pretty fantastic. Here we have an action-packed instrumental concept album whose title translates into English as The Child Killer Of The Flies, which musically narrates a simple but creepy story by Serge Gainsbourg (written *after* he heard the album, not before, and included the liner notes, explaining each track title) about the horrific revenge of flies on a child who had tortured them. This musical story-telling is by way of schizoid arrangements of tracks that range in sound from groovy pop to jazz to avant-garde tape music to fuzz guitar rock! Sounds good, eh? Good n' weird for sure.
L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches is a "Fellini-esque psychedelic symphony" originally released (but poorly distributed and relegated to general obscurity) in 1972, credited to a unknown group called Isolitudes. The man behind Insolitudes, though, was one Jean-Claude Vannier, a musician and producer from the happening '60s French pop ("Ye Ye music") scene who had scored film soundtracks and collaborated with Serge Gainsbourg, most famously providing the arrangements for Gainsbourg's highly-rated L'Histoire De Melody Nelson album (the reissue of which we wish we had in stock also, but haven't been able to get a hold of lately). This record is thereby cited as the follow-up to that one-of-a-kind conceptual classic. Itself it's pretty much one-of-a-kind too. Funky and groovy, as well as deliriously, disorientingly hallucinogenic, this will hit you with lush string arrangements one moment, sound effects of sheer terror the next... it's psych, it's prog, it's funk, it's musique concrete. There's even a chorus of car horns put to good use here! It's the freakiest 'sploitation soundtrack that never was. Very recommended!
MPEG Stream: "L'Enfant La Mouche Et Les Allumettes"
MPEG Stream: "Le Roi Des Mouches Et La Confiture De Rouse"
MPEG Stream: "Mort Du Roi Des Mouches"

VANNIER, JEAN-CLAUDE Roses (B-Music / Finders Keepers) lp 24.00

VANTZOU, CHRISTINA No. 1 (Kranky) cd 14.98
The name might not seem immediately familiar to you, but avid readers of the aQ list might remember Vantzou from her membership in aQ faves The Dead Texan, a Stars Of The Lid offshoot fronted by the Adam Wiltzie half of SOTL, and whose self titled (and now sadly out of print) full length on Kranky from a few years back, was a huge favorite around here. Vantzou provided the stunning visuals on the accompanying dvd, and also provided vocals, but here demonstrates quite a Stars Of The Lid like flair for dramatic cinematic soundscapery. The tracks here dark and dreamily brooding, all lush strings draped over distant mysterious drones, subtle smears of echo and reverb add just the right amount of mystery, layered swirls of sound billow around hazy washed out melodies, slow glacial swells of sound which give way to more traditional chamber music, only to quickly slip back into warm whirls of hauntingly majestic drift, notes and tones left to float and gently decay, sinking gradually through layers of reverberent shimmer, blurred and gently smeared into something that sounds more more akin to Indignant Senility or The Caretaker, and at times, like on record closer "Joggers", indeed like an even darker and more abstract Stars Of The Lid.
MPEG Stream: "Homemade Mountains"
MPEG Stream: "Prelude For Juan"
MPEG Stream: "Super Interlude Pt. 2"

VAPOUR THEORIES Joint Chiefs (The Lotus Sound) cd 16.98
Yet another Bardo Pond offshoot/side project, this time it's Bardo brothers John & Michael Gibbons, who manage to strike out for musical worlds beyond the reach of past Bardo missions, while retaining a tenuous sonic link to the Bardo Pond universe they helped create. Vapour Theories seem to be exploring their own world of drifting lilting spaced out Neo-Appalachia, simple strummed steel string guitars form the basis of the seven minute opener, and the twenty plus minute closer, while the two tracks in between are more of the abstract drone drift variety. The first track takes the buzzing steel strings and positions them above a distant psychedelic swirl of abstract psych guitar and droning saxophone, while the epic final track lets the guitars meander lazily, a gorgeously laid back soundscape of twang and strum, old time melodies wrapped in steel string buzz, lovely late afternoon dreaminess, minor key, but not really mournful, more sort of reflective and contemplative. And so lovely. The two tracks between, lean much more toward the brothers' Bardo Pond soundworld, the first, a buzzing high end drone, warm and fuzzy and super slow shifting, over a dense tangle of tablas, the second a truly blissful drift through a landscape of lazily unfurling reverb guitar, their notes suspended for ages before drifting off, melodies lazy and slowly intertwining, harmonics chiming and ringing out, a sonic pond full of delicately intersecting ripples.
For fans of Bardo Pond, the new wave of Appalachian guitar (Rose, Blackshaw, etc.) and all things dreamy and psychedelic.
MPEG Stream: "Apostacy"
MPEG Stream: "Blood Sacrifice (For JD)"

VARGHKOGHARGASMAL Drowned In Lakes (tUMULt) cd 11.98
Varghkoghargasmal. When we first discovered this German one man band, it was via a cassette, with a black and white photocopied cover, a washed out image of some wintry forest landscape, accompanied by the legend 'wooden metal'. Needless to say we were totally intrigued, only to discover, that there wasn't anything really that metal about it, or wooden even. Not sure if 'wooden' referred to the trees, or to acoustic guitars, but none of that mattered once we head the music inside. A twisted confusional mix of slowed down Dick Dale style surf riffage, stumbling drums, haunting melodies, warbly organs, all wrapped around a simple motorik almost krautrock groove. We had no idea what to call it, or really even what to think, other than being totally smitten, transfixed and ensorcelled. Definitely ensorcelled.
So here we have the brand new album from Avenger, the man solely responsible for Varghkoghargasmal, and if anything, it's even more haunting and mysterious, more creepy and strange, and somehow way more beautiful.
It's a difficult sound to explain, the guitars are clean, but are often still playing in a black metal style, frantic riffing or rapid picking, but just as often the guitars are spidery and minor key, unfurling lugubrious tendrils of creepy twang, or reverbed shimmer. The vocals are minimal, a hushed whisper here and there, a Viking style chant during one song, but it's mostly left to the music, which is incredibly evocative, it's like some sort of acoustic black metal, mixed with slowed down surf rock, dark languorous krautrock, and a distinct Morricone vibe as well. And then there are the drums, which by design or by happenstance, are a definite sonic focal point, as they are WAY up in the mix, and they are all over the place, the fills are chaotic, the rhythms stumble and stutter, but in their imperfections lie a truly unique sort of emotion and feeling not found in most music. The drums anchor everything, locking into foresty krautrock grooves, sputtering into dense little tumbling squalls, the prefect framework for Avenger's rickety moonlit jams.
Most of the songs creep and crawl, sometimes behind a curtain of rainfall, the sound of the forest spirits, flickering firelight, fireflies lighting up the canopy overhead, pianos pick out mournful melodies, the drums, lurching along, a perfectly imperfect accompaniment, organs wheeze, synths whir, steel strings twang, the whole thing so impossibly transcendent, effortlessly evoking ancient atmospheres and deep emotions. When the band lock into a more rocking groove, and the rhythm builds into something propulsive, the guitars stretch out into long streaks of buzzing melodies, the organ plays along like some old time music box, and the sound transforms before your ears and transports you to some truly mysterious otherworld.
There are some black metal references for sure, mostly the ambient bits of Burzum, and some of the riffing recalls suicidal black metal, albeit played with no distortion and more melancholy really than miserable, some of the more frenzied parts even sound like Iron Maiden played on acoustic guitars, and sometimes the guitars manage to sound like banjos, but still the creepiest and prettiest moments occur when the sound winds down into something much more minimal and muted, letting the keyboards weave fluttery melodies, over whirring drones and spare guitar melodies, only occasionally flecked with little flurries of haphazard drumming.
One of the few records that we can unequivocally describe as being utterly unlike anything else you will ever hear! Hauntingly beautiful, beautifully bizarre, and WAY WAY recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Autumn Rain"
MPEG Stream: "Far Away From The Earth..."
MPEG Stream: "...Near The Stars"
MPEG Stream: "Listen To The Wind"

VARGHKOGHARGASMAL / OCTOBER FALLS split (Deathstrike) 7" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Managed to dig up a few more copies of this, probably last copies ever...
One final teaser before the tUMULt release of Varghkoghargasmal's Drowned In Lakes full length. Another glorious slab of "wooden metal" from this German one man band, that as always, is not particularly metal, or wooden. In fact, it's more like some strange off kilter krautrock, warbly organs, stumbling drums, lurching grooves, off kilter tempos, simple downtuned clean guitar strum, haunting keyboard melodies, all tangled up into a gorgeous creepy forest jam. The track begins all doomy and droney, the keyboard wavering over the deliberate drumming and the muted riffing, very spare and space-y, eventually locking into a more propulsive groove, the drums impossibly off, in an amazing way, totally in their own dimension, the guitar a mere mumble, except for the spidery melody that holds the whole thing together, the keyboard louder than anything else. Imagine a cross between Avarus and Benighted Leams and you might get something close to Varghkoghargasmal. Awesome as always.
Splitting the disc with V. is October Falls, another one man band, this one from Finland, who specializes in dark ambient folk, and here, it's just that, all mournful minor key acoustic guitar, lilting and sorrowful, moody and meandering, so darkly pretty.
Super thick sleeves and jackets, a handful are on colored vinyl, so you might get lucky, LIMITED TO 300 COPIES, each one hand numbered.

VARIATIONS, LES Nador / Take It Or Leave It (Magic) 2cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Last list we featured Docdail and Triangle, now here's more rare Francais Metal de Proto for y'all, this time from Les Variations! That's right, another French band from the late '60s/early '70s playing an unexpected blend of hard rockin' proto-metal, psychedelic freakiness, Moorish exotica, and groovy pop. This double disc set includes Variations' first two albums -- Nador (1970) and Take It Or Leave It (1973) -- plus 13 bonus tracks.
Nador is the primary reason to get this, as Take It Or Leave It more-or-less lives up to its title. But Nador is a seriously smokin' album, with the exception perhaps of one cheesy commercial pop tune and a detour into oldies rock n' roll territory (the Jerry Lee Lewis piano-pounding of "Mississippi Woman"). At its best though, which is most of the time, Nador is the high-energy, heavy-duty French answer to the likes of Led Zep, the Rolling Stones, and the MC5! Zut alors! Pounding stormers like "Generations" and "What A Mess Again" are gonna please anyone into long-haired, bell-bottomed riff-rock. Meanwhile, Variations mix it up with segues into mysterious Moroccan hippie-raga, as on the acoustic instrumental title track. Basically imagine Leaf Hound with some North African ancestry. We've read that Nador was the heaviest album from a French band ever when it was originally released, and we believe it.
The bonus tracks following Nador are also equally badass, with lots of wild psych guitar and headbangin' rhythm action goin' on. "Come Along" sounds pretty much *exactly* like something by local San Francisco retro-stoner power trio Genghis Khan, actually. There's also the excellent psych-pop ballad "Down The Road" as well.
Disc two's Take It Or Leave It certainly rocks and rolls too, but starts to suffer from some of the fashion faux pas the '70s were known for, shall we say. Way too much honky tonk piano this time around, and overproduced arrangements. The psych side of things is long gone. But it has got its moments though. And several of the bonus tracks found on this disc most definitely live up to the killer standards of disc one ("I Was Down" and "The Jam Factory" ferinstance). So while Nador's great by itself, we're happy to have these two discs worth of Variations! Vive la Francais Metal de Proto!!
MPEG Stream: "What A Mess Again"
MPEG Stream: "Waiting For The Pope"
MPEG Stream: "Love Me"
MPEG Stream: "The Jam Factory"

VARNER, TOM The Window Up Above (New World) cd 15.98
"American Songs 1770-1998."

VASELINES Enter The Vaselines (Sub Pop) 2cd 15.98
Our definition of pure pop perfection would have to be Scotland's Vaselines! They embody everything a perfect pop band should be. They are charming and clever, dirty and sweet, sensitive and sassy. They have the ability to rock out or get all dreamy with equal potency. Coinciding with their reunion tour that will find them playing San Francisco in just a few days, Sub Pop has compiled pretty much all of their material onto this 2 disc collection. The first disc includes all of their studio recordings (the Son Of A Gun EP, the Dying For It EP, and the full length Dum Dum). The bonus disc includes three demo versions and two live shows from '86 and '88. Fair warning to fans, the first disc is identical to the Vaselines collection that came out a few years back, so if you have that, you'll be getting this for the demos and live stuff on disc two. Or cause you want it on vinyl, if you opt for that format. And if you have no Vaselines, well, needless to say this is ESSENTIAL.
Now that we have all that out of the way we can go back to gushing about why The Vaselines are the perfect pop band and how they pretty much influenced all the rad underground (and overground) pop stuff we've loved in the decades since they first hit the scene. Nirvana, Belle And Sebastian, Yo La Tengo, Hole, Vivian Girls, Beck, Dum Dum Girls, The Breeders and so many more owe so much of their sound, style and aesthetic to the Vaselines and everything they created during their short existence from 1986-1990. They predated the era when indie bands began to experience more widespread success and appreciation, but their songs and style pretty much set the blueprint for the alternative nation that would explode in the years following their breakup.
Listening to these songs is like hearing some crazy greatest hits collection as every single song is so totally classic and memorable, hard to believe that it's actually just their complete discography. Every song was truly unique and so goddamn catchy. Some of their songs were popularized when Kurt Cobain declared his undying love of the Vaselines and had Nirvana cover "Son Of A Gun", "Molly's Lips" and "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam". The Vaselines had a charisma that makes their songs appeal to such a wide cross section of music fans. They are the band K records wish they could have had, and have been trying to sign ever since. The Vaselines had the wit and smarts so many of their Glasgow followers try a little too hard to emulate, but most of all they had SONGS, songs that are so damn endearing and so completely timeless!
MPEG Stream: "Son Of A Gun"
MPEG Stream: "You Think You're A Man"
MPEG Stream: "Jesus Wants Be For A Sunbeam"
MPEG Stream: "Let's Get Ugly (Live)"

VASELINES Enter The Vaselines (Sub Pop) 3lp 23.00
Our definition of pure pop perfection would have to be Scotland's Vaselines! They embody everything a perfect pop band should be. They are charming and clever, dirty and sweet, sensitive and sassy. They have the ability to rock out or get all dreamy with equal potency. Coinciding with their reunion tour that will find them playing San Francisco in just a few days, Sub Pop has compiled pretty much all of their material onto this 2 disc collection. The first disc includes all of their studio recordings (the Son Of A Gun EP, the Dying For It EP, and the full length Dum Dum). The bonus disc includes three demo versions and two live shows from '86 and '88. Fair warning to fans, the first disc is identical to the Vaselines collection that came out a few years back, so if you have that, you'll be getting this for the demos and live stuff on disc two. Or cause you want it on vinyl, if you opt for that format. And if you have no Vaselines, well, needless to say this is ESSENTIAL.
Now that we have all that out of the way we can go back to gushing about why The Vaselines are the perfect pop band and how they pretty much influenced all the rad underground (and overground) pop stuff we've loved in the decades since they first hit the scene. Nirvana, Belle And Sebastian, Yo La Tengo, Hole, Vivian Girls, Beck, Dum Dum Girls, The Breeders and so many more owe so much of their sound, style and aesthetic to the Vaselines and everything they created during their short existence from 1986-1990. They predated the era when indie bands began to experience more widespread success and appreciation, but their songs and style pretty much set the blueprint for the alternative nation that would explode in the years following their breakup.
Listening to these songs is like hearing some crazy greatest hits collection as every single song is so totally classic and memorable, hard to believe that it's actually just their complete discography. Every song was truly unique and so goddamn catchy. Some of their songs were popularized when Kurt Cobain declared his undying love of the Vaselines and had Nirvana cover "Son Of A Gun", "Molly's Lips" and "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam". The Vaselines had a charisma that makes their songs appeal to such a wide cross section of music fans. They are the band K records wish they could have had, and have been trying to sign ever since. The Vaselines had the wit and smarts so many of their Glasgow followers try a little too hard to emulate, but most of all they had SONGS, songs that are so damn endearing and so completely timeless!
MPEG Stream: "Son Of A Gun"
MPEG Stream: "You Think You're A Man"
MPEG Stream: "Jesus Wants Be For A Sunbeam"
MPEG Stream: "Let's Get Ugly (Live)"

VASELINES, THE Sex With An X (Sub Pop) cd 14.98
It says something about a band that 20 years later, they sound just as good as they did before, if not even better. It also says something when the comeback single, the song they decide is THE ONE to announce their return, is not even the best of the new batch. We're of course talking about legendary Scottish twee poppers The Vaselines, who don't sound all that twee anymore. Which makes sense really, on the title track here though, "Sex With An X", they do a bit, getting about as twee as they're still capable, but to be fair, if the new record was a total throwback to the OLD Vaselines, it would be a bit disingenuous, a lot of that sound had to do with the time, the abilities, part of their charm, besides such perfect pop songs, was the overall amateurish ramshackle vibe of the band. But since the Vaselines disbanded, frontman Eugene Kelly went on to play in the much heavier, much less twee Eugenius, and like we mentioned in the review of the new single, the sound of the new Vaselines hews way closer to Eugenius than to the Vaselines. Darker, fuzzier, heavier, the playing tight and professional, the vocal harmonies more lush, somehow situating itself pretty perfectly between the na•ve pop of the Vaselines and the crunchy fuzzy jangle of Eugenius.
The record opener, "Ruined", after a little bit of warped music box warble, opens with some serious pounding crunch, the guitars thick and rough, the bass low slung, even the boy/girl vocals are pretty bad ass, not to mention some seriously blown out psychedelic lead guitars, but that leads directly into the more classically Vaselines sounding twee-ish title track, which then leads into the gorgeous smoldering groove of "The Devil's Inside Me", with it's hypnotic riffage, and hazy almost shoegazey chorus. "Such A Fool" is total nineties jangle pop, big guitar crunch and soaring harmonies, "Turning It On" is all stripped down and dramatic, a little Scott Walker, a lot Belle And Sebastian, "Overweight But Over You" is total Redd Kross retro power pop jangle crunch, "My God's Bigger Than Your God" sounds like a fuzz poppier Hoodoo Gurus, "Exit The Vaselines" is an epic and melodic closer, big fuzzed out guitars, acoustic strums, booming drums, soaring vocals, the perfect closer to a pretty much perfect pop record, from one of our favorite pop combos, who are most definitely back, and maybe better than ever.
MPEG Stream: "Ruined"
MPEG Stream: "Sex With An X"
MPEG Stream: "The Devil's Inside Me"
MPEG Stream: "I Hate The '80s"

VASELINES, THE Sex With An X (Sub Pop) lp 16.98
It says something about a band that 20 years later, they sound just as good as they did before, if not even better. It also says something when the comeback single, the song they decide is THE ONE to announce their return, is not even the best of the new batch. We're of course talking about legendary Scottish twee poppers The Vaselines, who don't sound all that twee anymore. Which makes sense really, on the title track here though, "Sex With An X", they do a bit, getting about as twee as they're still capable, but to be fair, if the new record was a total throwback to the OLD Vaselines, it would be a bit disingenuous, a lot of that sound had to do with the time, the abilities, part of their charm, besides such perfect pop songs, was the overall amateurish ramshackle vibe of the band. But since the Vaselines disbanded, frontman Eugene Kelly went on to play in the much heavier, much less twee Eugenius, and like we mentioned in the review of the new single, the sound of the new Vaselines hews way closer to Eugenius than to the Vaselines. Darker, fuzzier, heavier, the playing tight and professional, the vocal harmonies more lush, somehow situating itself pretty perfectly between the na•ve pop of the Vaselines and the crunchy fuzzy jangle of Eugenius.
The record opener, "Ruined", after a little bit of warped music box warble, opens with some serious pounding crunch, the guitars thick and rough, the bass low slung, even the boy/girl vocals are pretty bad ass, not to mention some seriously blown out psychedelic lead guitars, but that leads directly into the more classically Vaselines sounding twee-ish title track, which then leads into the gorgeous smoldering groove of "The Devil's Inside Me", with it's hypnotic riffage, and hazy almost shoegazey chorus. "Such A Fool" is total nineties jangle pop, big guitar crunch and soaring harmonies, "Turning It On" is all stripped down and dramatic, a little Scott Walker, a lot Belle And Sebastian, "Overweight But Over You" is total Redd Kross retro power pop jangle crunch, "My God's Bigger Than Your God" sounds like a fuzz poppier Hoodoo Gurus, "Exit The Vaselines" is an epic and melodic closer, big fuzzed out guitars, acoustic strums, booming drums, soaring vocals, the perfect closer to a pretty much perfect pop record, from one of our favorite pop combos, who are most definitely back, and maybe better than ever.
MPEG Stream: "Ruined"
MPEG Stream: "Sex With An X"
MPEG Stream: "The Devil's Inside Me"
MPEG Stream: "I Hate The '80s"

VASELINES, THE Sex With An X (7") (Sub Pop) 7" 5.98
First new music from these Scottish indie pop legends in 20 years, and it sounds like they never left. Well, almost. Some of us got to see the reactivated Vaselines play at the Sub Pop 20th anniversary celebration in Seattle, and they sounded incredible, the core two piece of Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee augmented by members of Belle And Sebastian, a lineup that lent some serious heft to their sound, that heft is well represented here on this 2 song teaser for their upcoming full length, only their second proper album in 2+ decades, and the first new music since 1990's full length Dum Dum.
And right out of the gate, "Sex With An X" sounds like it could have been beamed here straight from the early nineties, sure a little more full and lush, not nearly as ramshackle, but still playful and coy, jangly and simple, the lyrics mantra like, sweet boy / girl harmonies, a killer main melody, a little crunch, hand claps, summery pop perfection for sure. The flipside, "Roaster" though, which is exclusive to this single, is maybe even better (reason enough to buy this, since the A side will be on the full length), darker, and fuzzier, a little grungy and low slung, minor key, still laced with sweet harmonies, but much more reminiscent of Kelly's post Vaselines band Eugenius, Vaselines style jangly indie pop infused with a some spaced out shoegazey crunch. Both songs are really good, but we're so digging the B side, it kind of has us hoping for more of the same on the full length. We'll just have to wait and see...
Includes a download code as well.

VAST AIRE Look Mom... No Hands (Chocolate Industries) cd 14.98
Finally, for all the hip hop headz who were bummed by the end of the mighty Cannibal Ox, there's something to soothe the pain: The debut full length from Cannibal Ox's Vast Aire. We have to admit that we were a bit worried that the Def Jux beat makers (El-P, etc...) were a big part of Cannibal Ox's dark and damaged hip hop. Fear not. Madlib, RJD2, the Beatminerz and a handful of other folks have stepped in to keep things funky and fucked, just the way we like it. Bizarre loops and samples are cut and chopped into a bouncing, head nodding rhythms, stacked high with weird synth sounds, fuzzed out guitars, crackly record static, and all sorts of sonic randomness. Vast's flow is smooth with just a little rasp, spitting all sorts of dense and clever and way out rhymes. His smooth delivery is balanced out by a handful of guests including Aesop Rock, Sadat X, MF Doom, S.A. Smash and even his former CanOx partner Vordul.
MPEG Stream: "Krs-Lightly"
MPEG Stream: "Pegasus"

VATICANS, THE Guardia Svizzera Pontificia (Pure Filth) cd 13.98
There was a time when great poppy garage gems were being blasted out of just about every practice space here in San Francisco. It seems like those days are now gone, but luckily The Vaticans have filled that void with some totally fun-filled girl-group inspired garage-pop that hits its mark dead on. Like a more scrappy, stripped down take on early B-52's, the non-electro elements of Stereo Total or the no-frills garage stomp of The Headcoatees. Bubblegum garage-pop done oh so right!
MPEG Stream: "Commotion"
MPEG Stream: "I'll Treat You Right"

VAURA Selenelion (Wierd) cd 11.98
Wierd Records have brought us some amazing records over the last few years, from Led Er Est, Martial Canterel, Xeno & Oaklander, Staccato Du Mal and others, but this one might just be the coolest, and the weirdest (wierdest?) of the bunch. From the above mentioned bands, it's obvious that Wierd traffics in darkwave / coldwave / newwave music primarily, and this debut from Canadian outfit Vaura, definitely does fit in there, somewhere, sort of...
But unlike those bands, Vaura is HEAVY, the sound dense and epic, and times intense and downright crushing, while at others, droned out and dour. At their gloomiest, we're reminded of French retrowavers Soror Dolorosa, the sound a sort of death rock, beholden to groups like Joy Division and the Cure, but there's no denying the metal element, hinting at the likes of both Liturgy and Katatonia, which makes more sense when you know Vaura's pedigree. A group you might not expect to include members of Dysrhythmia, Kayo Dot, Secret Chiefs 3, and maybe most surprising of all Gorguts, who are responsible for what might be one of aQ's favorite death metal records of all time, Obscura. So the real question is maybe what is a death metal guy doing in a band like this, and how the heck did these weirdos and metalheads end up with a dark, gloomy, heavy record on Wierd? And really the answer is who cares. We're just happy to have this strange slab of moody heaviness, and it's quickly become the only thing we want to listen to.
The sound is a bit confusional, but only when you're trying to describe it, cuz on paper, it seems like a mess, like a weird whatthefuck that would never work, but in action, it's awesome. Hooky and heavy, brooding and moody and metallic, thick guitars, chiming and shimmering one second, churning and chugging the next, sinewy basslines, the vocals deep and dramatic, subtly processed, the songs proggy and intricate, some incredible drumming, the songs super melodic, even poppy in places, but occasionally peppered with bursts of gloom infused black metal, complete with blast beats, and deep ominous vox, atonal chords, often splintering into a grinding almost death metal, but more muddy and gothic and less distinctly metal, everything wreathed in cool textured psychedelic guitars, dense squalls of dark sonic energy, layered chordal thrum and swirls of FX and streaks of feedback. And while the sound seems to always return to a sort of dark, and heavy, gloom rock, it's what the group do to and with that sound that makes this so transcendent.
And while the record definitely works as an album, the individual songs and sound are super varied, from the washed out black metal flecked gloominess of "Obsidian Damascene Sun", with its furious double kick drumming, and swirling psychedelic guitar filigree, to the churning bombastic almost doom-ed heaviness of "Uncreated Light (Transfiguration)", to the strangely ritualistic sounding "The Column's Vein", all rumbling low end, and chanted monklike vox, to the acoustic gloom-folk of the title track, a gorgeously moving softly psychedelic steel string ballad, the record culminating in our favorite track, "The Zahir" which begins as a barely there rumbling drone, underpinning steel string guitar strum, some softly crooned vox and chiming harmonics, which disappear in a squall of massive distorted riffage and swirling feedback, the whole song transformed into a whirling propulsive sprawl of melodic drone-psych, a brooding slow build that becomes a heavy gloom pop, driving and intense, in comes some metal vokills and some tangled super catchy guitar melodies, all over tribal drumming, and thick buzzing guitars, the sound gradually falling apart, and transforming into a woozy detuned dirge, only to explode into a crushingly heavy, gloriously blown out Godspeed style epic outro, wild streaks of psych guitar, pounding chaotic drumming, clouds of swirling effects, definitely the sort of thing that should have been stretched out for another 20 minutes or so, but instead, collapses in a field of glitch and static, buzz and crumble. So fucking awesome. A practically perfect slab of heavy gloominess / gloomy heaviness. And a new aQ favorite for sure.
MPEG Stream: "Souvenirs"
MPEG Stream: "Drachma"
MPEG Stream: "The Emanation"

VAURA Selenelion (Wierd) lp 26.00
Wierd Records have brought us some amazing records over the last few years, from Led Er Est, Martial Canterel, Xeno & Oaklander, Staccato Du Mal and others, but this one might just be the coolest, and the weirdest (wierdest?) of the bunch. From the above mentioned bands, it's obvious that Wierd traffics in darkwave / coldwave / newwave music primarily, and this debut from Canadian outfit Vaura, definitely does fit in there, somewhere, sort of...
But unlike those bands, Vaura is HEAVY, the sound dense and epic, and times intense and downright crushing, while at others, droned out and dour. At their gloomiest, we're reminded of French retrowavers Soror Dolorosa, the sound a sort of death rock, beholden to groups like Joy Division and the Cure, but there's no denying the metal element, hinting at the likes of both Liturgy and Katatonia, which makes more sense when you know Vaura's pedigree. A group you might not expect to include members of Dysrhythmia, Kayo Dot, Secret Chiefs 3, and maybe most surprising of all Gorguts, who are responsible for what might be one of aQ's favorite death metal records of all time, Obscura. So the real question is maybe what is a death metal guy doing in a band like this, and how the heck did these weirdos and metalheads end up with a dark, gloomy, heavy record on Wierd? And really the answer is who cares. We're just happy to have this strange slab of moody heaviness, and it's quickly become the only thing we want to listen to.
The sound is a bit confusional, but only when you're trying to describe it, cuz on paper, it seems like a mess, like a weird whatthefuck that would never work, but in action, it's awesome. Hooky and heavy, brooding and moody and metallic, thick guitars, chiming and shimmering one second, churning and chugging the next, sinewy basslines, the vocals deep and dramatic, subtly processed, the songs proggy and intricate, some incredible drumming, the songs super melodic, even poppy in places, but occasionally peppered with bursts of gloom infused black metal, complete with blast beats, and deep ominous vox, atonal chords, often splintering into a grinding almost death metal, but more muddy and gothic and less distinctly metal, everything wreathed in cool textured psychedelic guitars, dense squalls of dark sonic energy, layered chordal thrum and swirls of FX and streaks of feedback. And while the sound seems to always return to a sort of dark, and heavy, gloom rock, it's what the group do to and with that sound that makes this so transcendent.
And while the record definitely works as an album, the individual songs and sound are super varied, from the washed out black metal flecked gloominess of "Obsidian Damascene Sun", with its furious double kick drumming, and swirling psychedelic guitar filigree, to the churning bombastic almost doom-ed heaviness of "Uncreated Light (Transfiguration)", to the strangely ritualistic sounding "The Column's Vein", all rumbling low end, and chanted monklike vox, to the acoustic gloom-folk of the title track, a gorgeously moving softly psychedelic steel string ballad, the record culminating in our favorite track, "The Zahir" which begins as a barely there rumbling drone, underpinning steel string guitar strum, some softly crooned vox and chiming harmonics, which disappear in a squall of massive distorted riffage and swirling feedback, the whole song transformed into a whirling propulsive sprawl of melodic drone-psych, a brooding slow build that becomes a heavy gloom pop, driving and intense, in comes some metal vokills and some tangled super catchy guitar melodies, all over tribal drumming, and thick buzzing guitars, the sound gradually falling apart, and transforming into a woozy detuned dirge, only to explode into a crushingly heavy, gloriously blown out Godspeed style epic outro, wild streaks of psych guitar, pounding chaotic drumming, clouds of swirling effects, definitely the sort of thing that should have been stretched out for another 20 minutes or so, but instead, collapses in a field of glitch and static, buzz and crumble. So fucking awesome. A practically perfect slab of heavy gloominess / gloomy heaviness. And a new aQ favorite for sure.
MPEG Stream: "Souvenirs"
MPEG Stream: "Drachma"
MPEG Stream: "The Emanation"

VAVOURA BAND Live - The Early Days (Ikaros Music) cd 17.98
As a rule, we're usually not so keen on live albums (from rock bands, that is -- jazz is another matter). Who needs to hear a bunch of crowd noise and clapping? Live albums are notorious for time-wasting drum solos, cliched stage banter, poor sound, bad mixes, and unwanted cover versions ("Hound Dog", y'know, that sort of thing). Plus half the time they're faked. Of course, that doesn't mean some aren't classics: Kick Out The Jams, Lights Out, Live At Last, Tokyo Tapes, Band Of Gypsies...
And while we're NOT suggesting that this particular recording by this late-'70s Greek hard rock outfit is as good as any of those, it is still pretty good for a live album from a band we've never even heard of before! And, it's also the only way you're gonna get to hear 'em since the Vavoura Band never made a studio album back then. And if you're into heavy '70s hard rock proto-metal action, you probably DO want to hear 'em. Heavy, bluesy, a little proggy, with some some ethnic folk influences, these guys (who were apparently famous for trashing their equipment a la The Who) manage to remind us of both Hawkwind and Black Sabbath at various points on this record. They also remind us of a really freaky longhaired '70s bar band in full guitar-splooge mode -- 'cause that's what they are, basically. Pretty cool. 12 tracks, 11 live, 1 studio, recorded mostly circa '77-'79 with one track from '81. English vocals for the most part.
MPEG Stream: "Alcatraz"
MPEG Stream: "Love Strunken' Man"

VAZ Chartreuse Bull (Sleeping Giant Glossolalia) lp 14.98
Not sure how we managed it, but this is the first we've heard from noise rock heavies Vaz, which is kind of weird for a couple reasons, one, this is their 3rd or 4th record so far at least, and those past records were on some seriously kick ass labels, and two, Vaz is in fact two members of the late great AmRep outfit Hammerhead, who we LOVED. But better late than never, and this is indeed a serious chunk of blown out super hooky and heavy noise rock, pop at its core for sure, but wrapped in some thick, crumbling ultra distorted riffage, not to mention some tripped out psychedelic guitar action, anchored by the drums, a wild chaotic pound, and the vocals, surprisingly melodic, which positions Vaz more alongside other poppier heavy rock combos like Torche, but Vaz definitely twists up their sound, atonal and off kilter, jagged and frenzied and frantic, sleeping easily from twisted crunch to soaring hookiness and back, with a definite brooding downer pop vibe running through some of the songs too. And some ridiculous hooks tucked amidst all that crunch and pound. We gave this a quick listen when it first came in, and thought it sounded pretty good, but when we finally sat down to really dig in, it quickly became a new fave, sounding suddenly like some impossible hybrid of Nomeansno, The Melvins and Torche, with a hint of the WipersÉ and we've been listening to it like crazy ever since, which pretty much says it all.
Killer stuff, and definitely recommended for fans of heavy pop and poppy heaviness.
Packaged in swank silkscreened jackets, includes a free download as well.
MPEG Stream: "Charteuse Blues"
MPEG Stream: "Blockade"
MPEG Stream: "The 2nd"

VAZ Demonstrations In Micronesia (X-Mist / Wantage) lp 15.98
We were lucky enough to have Vaz play our most recent South By Southwest showcase, and while we were already fans, of their previous band too, late great AmRep heavies Hammerhead, seeing Vaz live knocked our fucking socks off. Furious and heavy, mathy and dense, and impossibly tight. One of the best drummers we've seen the songs roiling, furious math/noise rock blowouts that totally decimated. This is a super limited reissue of their long out of print debut full length, and fins the band just emerging from AmRep mode, the sound super rhythmic, pummelingly hypnotic, but rife with crazy melodies, hooky as hell, which seems impossible when you're listening to these crushing noise rock blowouts, but these guys come from a time when melody and heavy rock crush were not enemies, it was all in how you got the two tangled up, and even a decade ago, Vaz had already mastered a unique strain of heavy/hooky/rhythmic/mathy noise rock that still sounds incredible.
Opener "Blocked By Satellites" melds a woozy groove to some skittery drumming, droned out guitar, and some seriously crushing riffage, a churning unfuckwithable noise rock gem, that is the perfect example of what made/makes these guys so good, a soaring crazy catchy chorus, the grinding verses and main riff still infused with a subtle bit of melody. But if that track is Vaz at their noise rock heaviest, follow up "Meld W/U-90" is a pop song by comparison, sounding like a precursor to the sludge pop of Torche, emotive vocals draped over wild almost tribal drumming, and layer after layer of buzzing guitar, it does slip into more chugging heaviness, but even then, that main melody will stay stuck in your head for AGES. Oh and yeah, there's some rad mathy freakout, but it leads right back into that crazy poppy verse. And so it goes, every track heavy and hooky in equal measure, weird arrangements, twisted almost-avant guitaring in places, a sound that definitely dates it to a specific time (actually, this originally came out in 2001, but it sounds gloriously mid nineties!), but one that pushes all our, and we're guessing your, heavy / noise / math rock buttons.
LIMITED TO JUST 100 COPIES, each cover hand silkscreened, and each a different color.
MPEG Stream: "Blocked By Satellites"
MPEG Stream: "Meld W / U-90"
MPEG Stream: "The Rheumatist"

VEE DEE Furthur (Criminal IQ Records) cd 14.98
Huh, what's this? Vee Dee? It's got black and white, 'fucked up and photocopied' looking graphics, let's put it on...wow, some unknown punk rock outfit from decades past? The first song "Flashes Of Her" could be something by Radio Birdman, or maybe even a song off of that Simply Saucer album... Now, this other track is reminding me of the Misfits. Good stuff. What's the story? Is this something outta the pages of Black To Comm fanzine? A band from one of those Bloodstains comps? Nope, these boys are from the here and now -- Chicago to be precise -- and they sure know how to make a retro-sounding (and looking) punk record that kicks ass. They obviously must have cool record collections. But of course that by itself doesn't mean when you get up on stage you're gonna kick the jams out in a manner worthy of your heroes. However, Vee Dee rise to the occasion: they are worthy. They've got the hooks and the history books, so to speak. As you listen to this, you'll hear echoes of classic '70s and '80s punk, everything from the Buzzcocks to Crime to Black Flag. Cleveland's various underground '70s heroes are doubtless another of Vee Dee's inspirations. Lyrically, they're brave enough to sing lines like "The son of Altamont / was dancing with sister Watts" and do songs about the "TV Police" and being a "Blood Zombie" and make it work. Some of the lyrics read like your stoner 11 year old brother wrote 'em but that's rock and roll poetry ain't it? Give me a catchy song called "Kaleidoscope Death Ray" any day! Allan's new rock fave, went straight into his iPod top 20...
MPEG Stream: "Flashes Of Her"
MPEG Stream: "Undertaker"

VEE, TESCO & DAVE STIMSON Touch & Go; The Complete Hardcore Punk Zine '79-83 (Bazillion Points) book 31.00
Holy shit, is this long overdue, another incredible publication from the mighty Bazillion Points publishing house, this one, a long in the works compilation of the complete collection of the legendary Touch & Go punk zine, not the label, WAY before the label, there was this zine, an incredible collection of incendiary, funny as fuck, snotty and irreverent punk rockness. The work of Dave Stimson and Tesco Vee of the mighty Meatmen, Touch & Go set out to chronicle all of the happenings in the punk rock world, positive AND negative, never hesitating to call bullshit on any band or any record, but just as likely to heap crazy praise on sounds or folks so deserving.
Most of us were too young to be reading T&G back in the day, during the zine's 4 year lifespan, 1979-1983, it was several years before we discovered punk rock, and over the years, we probably only ever saw one or two of the 22 published issues, and always wanted more. So for most of us, this our first chance to experience Touch & Go in its entirety.
Classic old school layout, xeroxed in black and white, and hand assembled, covering all things punk rock all over the Midwest as well as in LA and New York and San Francisco and Boston and any other place kids were making a racket. Inside you'll find pretty much all the bands that mattered (and STILL matter): Black Flag, Minor Threat, Negative Approach, Die Kreuzen, Poison Idea, The Necros, Crucifix, Iron Cross, Discharge, The Misfits, the Avengers, Battalion Of Saints, JFA, SSD, 7 Seconds, the Effigies, Bad Religion, the Minutemen, the Fix, Scream, Faith and more more more. The book also adds essays by Byron Coley (Forced Exposure), Henry Owings (Chunklet), Peter Davis (Your Flesh), Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat / Fugazi / Dischord), Steve Miller (The Fix), John Brannon (Negative Approach), Corey Rusk (Necros / Touch & Go Records), Tesco Vee (The Meatmen), Keith Morris (Black Flag / Circle Jerks) and Henry Rollins (Black Flag / S.O.A.)!
As with all Bazillion Points publications, the book looks incredible, color cover printed inside and out, oversized soft cover, glossy, embossed, with printed fold over flyleafs, and classic flyers covering the end papers, while inside, every single issue, and every single page, close to 600 of 'em actually, of arguably the most important punk rock zine EVER.
So totally recommended. No self respecting music nerd / punk rocker / zine freak should be without one of these...

VEEE DEEE Listen To This 1000x Then Kill Yourself (Fuckland Better Business Bureau) cd-r 9.98
Record number three from these American noisemakers living in Japan, who apparently have decided that while they're there, they should make the heaviest, loudest, ass kickingest RAWK possible, and hell, doesn't really seem like it could get more heavy, loud or kick ass. Or mean, it is called Listen To This 1000x Then Kill Yourself after all, and there's a note inside crediting there artwork to Stephen O'Malley, even though there's virtually no art at all, we can only assume they're taking the piss. But it's all about the sound inside, and contrary to all the above, it's actually surprisingly melodic, as well as murky, a little lo-fi, definitely super rocking. The first track is a pretty freaked out slab of cyclical hypno-noiserock, a bit like a less spazzed out Lightning Bolt, but from there on out, while still heavy and a bit noisy, it's much more melodic, the second track is all big booming guitars, chords ringing out, blurred and buzzy and droney, the drums abstract and splattery, the track after that is downright dreamy, a sort of Japanese psych take on the Necks, hypnotic, loping and washed out and dreamy, yet still distorted and in the red, just not KILL YOURSELF in the red, more like eyes closed letting the blissed out heaviness wash over you.
It might be the recording, but this new Veee Deee, for all its implied misanthropy is really listenable, heavy, and hectic, manic and a little metal sure, but really warm and psychedelic, even the last track, which is more unhinged and angular and chaotic, with wild free drumming and tangled guitar skree, it too is weirdly melodic and surprisingly not fucked up. The louder you play it, the more the heaviness and freakiness reveals itself, maybe that's true of all records, but even with headphones this is a seriously dense and heavy chunk of noisy psychedelic post rock radness. If you have the other two, definitely grab one of these while you can, but even if you missed out, this is definitely worth picking up for the heavy rhythmic psych inclined out there.
Comes in cool handmade packaging, and includes free link to what's basically another full-length: To All the Girls I've Loved Before - Which One of You Gave Me the Clap?, a hi-fi antithesis to Listen To This 1000x Then Kill Yourself.
MPEG Stream: "Fucked In The Heart"
MPEG Stream: "Love Is Magic, Magic Is Stupid"

VEEE DEEE s/t (At War With False Noise) 2x3"cd-r 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another blast of caustic freaked out psychedelic overload from this Japanese duo (well, they LIVE in Japan, they're Canadian, or at least one of em is), and while they may not BE Japanese, they sure sound Japanese. Trafficking in a sound that definitely touches on modern Japanese psych, White Heaven, Fushitsusha (even though the duo despise Mr. Haino), and the like, these two spit out fierce fiery ultra thick blasts of snarling buzz and in-the-red psychrock chaos.
But since they're a guitar and drums duo, their sound ends up going in all sorts of different directions. They don't kick up a Lightning Bolt style skree here as much as weave thick buzzscapes, the guitar impossibly heavy, unfurling massive layered waves of blown out buzz, the drums beneath pounding and skittering, shuffling and blasting away. If anything they fall closer to bands like the Psychic Paramount, rhythmic and HEAVY as all get out.
The first disc is just that, a fucking furious wash of thick buzzing guitars and octopoidal drumming, pausing partway through for some mathy postrock skitter and meander, before the band rev it back up, working their way through some pounding chaos, eventually returning to that soaring epicness of the opening few minutes. Some seriously majestic buzz. Verging on shoegaze territory, which is not a bad thing at all. And stick around after the fade out as the band return for a brief burst of buzz that we wish had gone on for the length of the disc again.
The second disc begins with some serpentine riffing, and some random drum splatter, and some howled vocals, and sort of drifts aimlessly for a while, very sort of old school emo, the vocals sparring with the drums while the guitars percolate underneath, but about 4 minutes in, the guitar kicks it up and starts roaring, spitting out gorgeous super distorted slabs of sound, the drums growing equally intense, the two sparring back and forth building to a serious frenzied freakout, before starting the process all over again, another gradual build from minimal splatter to full bore crush. Definitely some Ruins and Lightning Bolt going on here, and the band do it well, taking elements of those two influences but tangling them all up and smashing them to pieces, and tossing the pieces into a woodchopper and spraying them out the other side into your headphones.
Packaged in super fancy cd sized double dvd style digipak, cardstock covers facing out, lyrics and liner notes facing in, visible through the clear case, pro printed 3" cd-r's.
MPEG Stream: "Ikebukuro Incinerator (excerpt)"

VEEE DEEE s/t (self-released) cd-r 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not to be confused with the double e'd Midwestern punk rockers Vee Dee, this is the triple e'd Veee Deee and are North American (read: Canadian) expats living in Japan. Well, at least one of em. AQ customer and long time pal Clay, most well known around here for sending us scathing (and hilarious) anti Keiji Haino hate mail, doing his very best to get Allan all riled up, much to the snicker delight of Andee (another misguided Haino hater).
Anyway, this is all sort of funny, as the sound of Veee Deee is not all that far removed from Haino's white noise psychedelic squall. Whoever is handling the ax duties here, could probably meet Haino on the sonic field of battle and hold his or her own. Dense flurries of rapid fire runs, weird moaning chords, bits of reverbed soft strum, all wound around some fierce and furious drumming.
While there are some Haino-ish elements, this falls way closer to modern freaked out spazz rock a la Strom And Stress, Coptic Light, Hella, Lightning Bolt, especially on the first track, with the band locking into hyper complex convoluted grooves, occasionally slowing things down for some tripped out drift, other times erupting into full on distorted crumbling NOISE. Someone must be manning the recording deck, as there is plenty of fucked up glitch and production weirdness. The second track (of three) is much more rock, with a seriously angular riff, wailed emo vocals, the drums still a chaotic clatter, sounding a little bit like Drive Like Jehu, slowing down for some minimal groove a la Stinking Lizaveta.
The final track mixes the disparate sound of the first two, a definite post rock post punk groove, but here muted and muddy, buried in a sludgy mix, emerging from a cloud of glistening atonal guitar splatter, and throbbing bass, tinkling chime like ambience and what sounds like croaking frogs, and finishing off in a flurry of buzzed out distorted skree. Cool stuff. Can't wait to hear more...
MPEG Stream: "One"
MPEG Stream: "Two"

VEIL VEIL VANISH Change in the Neon Light (Metropolis) cd 16.98
The first proper full-length by San Francisco gothsters Veil Veil Vanish is one hell of a pop record. Drawing from '80s darkwave and '90s post-rock, "Change in the Neon Light" will easily find airplay in both dark, smoky dance clubs and dark, smoky bedrooms covered in Smiths posters. Although comparisons to The Cure are inevitable, they are not determinative. Sometimes Keven Tecon's voice resembles Robert Smith's in tone, but where Smith relied (more and more) on a facade of whiny drama, Tecon's drama seems angrier and truer. The music, too, is definitely harsher than anything The Cure ever did, and as much influenced by shoegaze and glam as anything else.
The album's eponymous opener glides along a cloud of synthesizer and bass guitar, sounding fuller and fuller as the song progresses. "Anthem For A Doomed Youth" adds a little crunch and grit, the heavily distorted bass contrasting nicely with the acoustic (or at least clean-sounding) guitar in the chorus. The fourth song "Modern Lust" might be the catchiest song on the record, the bouncy synth keeping the track moving and shaking, the lyrics kind of scary and breathy. "This is Violet" has some excellent rhythms and guitar work, loud and fast and heavy, and is easily the best song on the record. The production on the album (done by Atom of Yeah Yeah Yeah's fame) feels large but not overdone, the individual tones complimenting each other perfectly, leaving space and filling in holes when necessary. This is a well put together and well written record that comes highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Change In the Neon Light"
MPEG Stream: "Modern Lust"
MPEG Stream: "This Is Violet"

VEIL VEIL VANISH Into A New Mausoleum (self-released) cd 7.98

MPEG Stream: "What Will You Say Tonight"
MPEG Stream: "Midnight In The Rue Jules Verne"

VEIRS, LAURA Saltbreakers (Nonesuch) cd 15.98
Ooooh, if it's pretty smart girl pop you want, it's pretty smart girl pop you shall receive, and Laura Veirs is the gal for you!
After the reissue of her early countrified concept album Triumphs & Travails Of Orphan Mae, Saltbreakers takes her back to the more straight-up college radio pop sound. Rosy cheeked and lushly produced. We've said it before, but it does bear repeating that an easy comparison is to imagine a female fronted Death Cab For Cutie or Pinback. All three offer the most soothing aural salves for rattled nerves and ice cream-y charms to satiate any sweet tooth. Fans of Tegan And Sara, Mirah or Rilo Kiley also would do well to take note!
MPEG Stream: "To The Country"
MPEG Stream: "Cast A Hook"

VEIRS, LAURA Triumphs & Travails Of Orphan Mae (Raven Marching / Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
Following up her very well-received fifth album Year Of Meteors (released in 2005), indie songstress Laura Veirs shifts gears with a reissue of her second full length Triumphs & Travails Of Orphan Mae, originally recorded and self-released back in 2000.
It's a collection of charming story songs populated with country folk. Veirs immerses herself in the character of the slower paced rural landscape, adopting a bit of a twang in her singing and picked guitar and banjo. Nonetheless, her voice possesses a honey-pie pop kinship with those of the Ditty Bops gals who in turn recall the fine harmonies of early female trio the Andrews Sisters. Lazy day dreaminess pervades the album as it does her later recordings, but this album proves that Veirs can be plucky too both in sound and in spirit.
MPEG Stream: "Jailhouse Fire"
MPEG Stream: "Orphan Mae"

VEIRS, LAURA Year of Meteors (Nonesuch) cd 16.98
Apparently Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla and Ben Gibbard really really dig the music of this lady, and in-store play here has also drawn quite a warm response. Here's your chance to find out if you're gonna join in this Seattleite's love-fest too! Veirs' intelligent, sweet songcraft makes for a fitting female counterpart to that of fine boy-led pop bands such as AQ faves Pinback and the abovementioned Death Cab. Need proof? Simply check out one of the album's highlights, the second to last tune "Where Gravity Is Dead". Doesn't it snuggle in perfectly between those two bands? She's polished each song to a glistening glow. Her voice is somewhat reminiscent of Cat Power's Chan Marshall and maybe a bit like Mary Timony too, but the music also brings to mind the lushly composed likes of Rilo Kiley or the Cardigans. Leaps and bounds from where her last album 2004's Carbon Glacier left off. Lovely!
MPEG Stream: "Black Gold Blues"
MPEG Stream: "Where Gravity Is Dead"

VEKTOR Black Future (Heavy Artillery) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Last year we raved about the Insane Technical Sci-Fi Thrash Metal Mastery of this group's 2nd album, Outer Isolation. And, having subsequently seen 'em play n' slay live, we're even more convinced that Arizona's Vektor are one of thee very best metal bands currently going. Live, their music was complex yet ragin', these guys effortlessly, amazingly technical, but ready to party at the same time. Plus one of the guitarists has a tattoo on his arm that sez, 'Sci-fi or die', how cool is that?
Sadly, though, the record label Vektor was signed to, Heavy Artillery, has just folded. And so for the time being, the Outer Isolation cd is out of print, with its planned release on vinyl also in limbo. WTF? But, since Vektor has gotta be a hot property, we imagine they'll soon be signed to another label... However, for the time being, we can't get their newer album. But, we DID manage to grab a last few copies of this, their 2009 debut, for those that missed it. We didn't actually review it when it came out before, either, though we should have.
Utter next-level mind-boggling shred, that's heavy and hectic, and impossibly catchy too, like a brilliant mix of Voivod, Coroner, Destruction, and Megadeth. With their chugging rollercoaster riffs, exquisite neo-classical melodies, and outer space atmospherics, plus the vocalist's uncanny ability to switch from guttural tones to an inhuman shriek (they say in space, no one can hear you scream, but you'll hear this guy, and your dog will hear him better!), Vektor are one of the few 'retro-80s-thrash-revival' acts that we consider to be actually equal or superior to the best bands back then.
Basically, If you liked Outer Isolation, you'll like this too, in fact, how come you don't have it already?? And if you haven't yet heard any Vektor, well, check this out! But be quick, we only got like 5 copies, and then they're gone...
MPEG Stream: "Black Future"
MPEG Stream: "Asteroid"

VELOSO, CAETANO CE (Universal ) cd 17.98
Last year was a pretty great year for Tropicalia. With a reunited Os Mutantes touring all over the world, a killer Soul Jazz compilation that helped more ears fall in love with the thrilling sounds coming from Brazil in the oh so turbulent late '60s / early '70s. So it makes so much cosmic sense that one of the founders of Tropicalia, Caetano Veloso, starts off this year releasing one of his best and most rocking records in years. While his last few outings have veered towards the easy listening schmaltz side of the sonic spectrum with far too many ballads, Ce finds him all stripped down and exuding a youthful energy that we haven't seen or heard for years. Such vibrancy and color! It's so hard to believe he's 64 years old, and we'd be hard pressed to think of many other people his age still making music as compelling as the sounds on Ce, as this blows away anything folks like Bowie, McCartney or Young have made in recent years. Worth it alone for the opening track "Outro", a scorching almost indie-rock sounding anthem, which has our vote for one of the best songs of the year. The album as a whole is so solid and listen after listen we keep falling in love again and again with Veloso's song writing prowess. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Outro"
MPEG Stream: "Rocks"

VELOSO, CAETANO s/t (Tropicalia) (Lilith) lp 29.00
Now on vinyl! Here's what we said about the cd when we listed it before:
Summer's here and what better way to celebrate than to put on this gorgeous reissue of the very first Tropicalia record, the stunning 1968 debut of Caetano Veloso. As big in Brazil as Sgt. Peppers was in England and America, its fusion of Brazilian popular music with pop, psychedelia and politically pointed lyrics gave birth to the Tropicalia movement and earned Veloso a brief stint in jail for "anti-government activities". Today, even without understanding its political subtext, the celebratory freedom that is conveyed in these vivacious and effervescent songs couldn't resonate more. Leave it to the Brazilians to make the radically political a party as well. Fuck Yeah!
MPEG Stream: "Tropicalia"
MPEG Stream: "Ave Maria"

VELVET DAVENPORT Warmy Girls (Moon Glyph) lp 11.98

VELVET REVOLVER Contraband (RCA) cd 16.98

VELVET TEEN Elysium (Slowdance) cd 12.98
Here's this Bay Area band's lush follow-up to their warmly received debut, and it shows that they've certainly grown in leaps and bounds since then. Elysium's an impressively opulent affair comprised of seven lengthy grand pop orchestrations filled with richly dynamic strings, horns and piano. Very Burt Bacharach inspired and quite akin to Rufus Wainwright and the most recent album by Ken Stringfellow (ex-Posies). The longest track "Chimera Obscurant" is the cd's crowning jewel (or in other words, the album's highlight), a nearly thirteen minute long epic beauty. A remarkably bold and fully realized sophomore release.
MPEG Stream: "Penicillin (It Doesn't Mean Much)"
MPEG Stream: "Chimera Obscurant"

VELVET UNDERGROUND Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes (Polydor) 3cd 27.00
Three cds in a little cardboard box, documenting the post-Cale Velvets live in 1969, as recorded by mega VU fan Robert Quine. Back then he was just a guy in the audience with a cassette recorder, this was long before he made his own NYC punk history with Richard Hell & The Voidoids. His liner notes tell the story. Most of this stuff comes from a month-long Velvets stint in San Francisco, where Quine was living at the time, although there's a track from a show at Washington University in St. Louis, where Quine caught the Velvets while in law school there. The recording quality is about what you'd expect, bootleg indeed, but not so bad as to dissuade VU freaks. Of special note: several versions of "Sister Ray", including one clocking in at an exhausting/exhilarating 38 minutes! Another note: don't confuse this with another new VU live box from Japan that documents the post-REED Velvets -- we won't be stocking that...
RealAudio clip: "Femme Fatale (11-7-69)"
RealAudio clip: "Heroin (11-23-69)"

VELVET UNDERGROUND Live At Max's Kansas City (Atlantic / Rhino) 2cd 17.98

VELVET UNDERGROUND Peel Slowly and See (Polydor) 5cd box 69.00
New digitally remastered versions of the original 4 albums, 25 previously unavailable recordings (12 demos, 7 outtakes from the Loaded sessions, 6 live tracks).

VELVET UNDERGROUND Scepter Studio Sessions (Universal) lp 21.00

VELVET UNDERGROUND Under Review (Sexy Intellectual) dvd 21.00
More then almost any other band in rock history the Velvet Underground lent themselves to mystery, mystique, and endless trivia, hence the market for a dvd like this one. This documentary takes a look at the band's history starting from their early collaborations with Andy Warhol including the debut record with Nico. Moe Tucker (whose earnest recolections serve as the most interesting part of the movie) and Doug Yule (who replaced John Cale after White Light White Heat) are the two band members interviewed as well as numerous journalists, label folk, and other VU experts...

VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO s/t (4 Men With Beards) lp 17.98

VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO, THE Deluxe Edition (Polydor) 2cd 28.00
Deluxe version of the Velvet Underground's debut album. If you've never heard this record, for heavens sake don't wait a moment longer. If you already are familiar with the album, here are some possible reasons to buy this version: Two discs, second of which is entirety of album in *mono* format, plus 4 songs from the album in their 7" versions. Also includes 5 songs from Nico's debut album Chelsea Girl which features the VU as backup band. Btw, I don't think these Nico tracks are on the VU boxset Peel Slowly & See.
It must be said, though, that unless you're some sort of intense audiophile, or a VU completist, I'm not sure why you'd need the mono version of the album. Handsome packaging features transparent slipcase, glossy digipak, and yes, a peelable banana!
RealAudio clip: NICO "Winter Song"
RealAudio clip: VELVET UNDERGROUND "Run Run Run (Mono)"

VENA Nomadic (Paradigms) cd ep 11.98