VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRA s/t (VHF) 2lp 21.00
Originally released in 2004 in a criminally limited run of just 250 copies, this killer slab of classic psych/drone/raga is available again, however briefly, reissued on VHF, a swank double lp, accompanied by a live DVD (more on that in sec).
An amazing archival selection of tracks, performed by the 'classic' lineup: Mick Flower, Neil Campbell, Bridget Hayden, Adam Davenport, Julian Bradley, and right off the bat, it's total bliss, a thick droned out wash of heavy layered buzz, soaring upper register skree and pulsing low end throb woven into a feedback drenched psych-kraut raga, laced with all manner of fluttering woodwinds, warped FX, which sort of sets the template for the rest of the records, longform drugged out space psych ur-drone drift, the various tracks bleeding into one another, ending suddenly, the edits weirdly jagged, but it all contributes to the home brewed flavor of these incredible psychedelic explorations.
Pulsating guitars are blurred into thick swirling clouds, and draped over woozy low slung basslines and creaking electric guitar buzz, primitive ritualistic rhythms, pound and skitter through a fog of sci-fi bleeps and bloops, smatterings of splattery percussion drift atop processed guitars and streaks of string buzz and electronic squelch, the sound often coalescing into some seriously heady grooves, total mesmerizing minimal hypnorock krautjams that should have fans of Circle and Sylvester Anfang and Wooden Shjips losing their shit.
The second lp takes up right where the first one lets off, but dials it back a bit, with some tripped out alien folk, all looped steel string guitar and bloopy rhythm, which gradually becomes more and more driving, like some strange motorik electro folk, replete with keening vox and loose chaotic drumming, before slipping into some sweetly somnambulent buzz, a simple stumbling rhythm, beneath a sky of shimmery strum and hazy chordal wheeze. Soon the sound becomes almost funky, a strange sort of folk groove, that sounds like a field recording of some lost tribal folk, which dissipates leaving some gorgeously serene folk, all fuzzy and softly twangy, which almost immediately splinters into stretch of pulsing krautrocky grooviness, only to return to that washed out skyfull of swirling strums, this time with some skittery splattery free jazz drums added to the mix, and some atonal twang, before finishing off in a soft focus blaze of skronk flecked psychedelic thrum. So awesome.
The accompanying dvd includes some amazing live footage of the group, the video of varying quality, with two of the clips looking professionally shot/edited, the sound incredible, with the band mostly in full rock mode, bombastic and heavy, some seriously energetic psychedelic stuff, and also includes some amusing band commentary on one of the tracks!

VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRA The Momentary Aviary (Manhand) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRA The Queen of Guess (VHF) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On which perhaps our favorite troop of UK blissed out dronesters takes the percussive clatter, free jazz bleats, and latent Krautrockery of weird America's No Neck Blues Band and Sunburned Hand of The Man, adds some Eastern raga to the mix and then melds it to their already divine cosmic drones resulting in Vibracathedral Orchestra become perhaps the only true heir to the long vacant Krautrock throne. Epic and unfettered, VCO emit long peals of sweet sonics that leisurely unfurl into massive expanses of cosmic hippy bliss, but the pulsing rhythms and relentless throb, harness the ethereal ambience, and manage to squeeze free sonic strum into ultra hypnotic, pounding perfection.
MPEG Stream: "Our Head Shone Like A Stone"
MPEG Stream: "Magnetic Burn"

VICTORY & ASSOCIATES These Things Are Facts (Seismic Wave) lp 19.98

VIDA, BEN Mpls (BOXmedia) cd 14.98
From the band Town & Country...

VIDA, BEN Music For A Soft Epic (Root Strata) cassette 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not super familiar with Ben Vida, but this super limited cassette for Root Strata has definitely whetted our appetite for more. On two long form synthscapes, originally a soundtrack to a video projection / art installation, Vida takes the whole synthdrone sound, that frankly is getting a little played out, and twists it all up, most noticeably, constantly shifting the speed/pitch, creating unlikely melodies by speeding up the sound, then slowing it down, making those buzzing synths gorgeously woozy and warped and warbly. Not to mention that the whole thing is wreathed in field recordings of chirping crickets, bird song, and the subtle white noise of crashing surf, or burbling brooks, as well as adding extra panpipe like melodies, and some swirling sci-fi spacey fx, but subtly, the various elements, even the field recordings, shifting dramatically in volume, in the foreground one second, barely audible the next, the label describes it as some kind of sonic safari, and it really does sound like it, maybe like some synth/flute performance, taking place in some remote forest glade, the entire thing recorded onto a 4 track with dying batteries, the results, a dreamily druggy, atmospheric ambience, a warped ritualistic Jewelled Antler styled new age, and a seriously divine soft epic.
LIMITED TO 100 COPIES.
MPEG Stream: "Soft Epic, or: Savages of the Pacific West"

VIDEO NASTIES Amore E Rabbia (A Giant Fern) cassette 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is the first we've heard from the awesomely monikered Video Nasties, aka Montreal video artist Rob Feulner, whose sound is a mix of lo-fi psychedelic dub and noise drenched no-fi new wave synth damage. The opening starts out straight up dub, all upstroke guitar and swirling atmospheric shimmer, but soon, a buzzing warbling synth enters the mix, and the sound grows more woozy and washed out, druggy and darkly dreamy, the various effects cranked to 11, that dubbed out beginning soon submerged beneath a wild squall of echo and reverb and wild squiggles and blasts of high end skree, before gradually transforming into a more sort of spaced out droney drift, all scrabbling melodies and blurred chordal drift, before transforming again, into a heady bit of kosmische almost Reich-like carnivalesque home brewed synth wave minimalism.
The flipside explodes right out of the gate with a blast of ear piercing feedback, which gives way to some feedback drenched super distorted chords, sounding like an old Casio run through a million distortion pedals, a lilting synth-noise lullaby, driven by a weird industrial rhythm consisting of just short sharp blasts of white noise, the rest of the side shifting from strange distorted bloops and bleeps, to smeared layered textures, and finally another long stretch of pulsing cosmic synthscapery, that sounds like a lo-fi little brother to folks like Zombi or Majeure.
LIMITED TO JUST 25 COPIES!!! Each one housed in a gorgeous screen printed wooden box, along with a full color insert and a pin.
MPEG Stream: "Side One (exceprt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Side One (exceprt 2)"

VIKINGS INVASION Vol. 1 (Garden Of Delight) cd 21.00
Heavy bluesy kraut '70s stuff... very underground, but don't let anyone tell you they sound like Black Sabbath.

VILE CHERUBS The Man Who Has No Eats Has No Sweats (Afterburn) cd 13.98
Awesome old DC band.

VILE, KURT Childish Prodigy (Matador) cd 13.98
Riding high on the success of a string of releases, Kurt Vile seems poised to break into the spotlight with his Matador debut, Childish Prodigy. It's hard to imagine that not happening, because this stuff is just so great, recalling at various times everyone from Neil Young to the Stooges to shoegazing giants like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. At the end of the day, however, you could say this sounds like, well, Kurt Vile! The guy masterfully breathes life into sounds others have done and overdone by emphasizing what you love about this kind of thing and avoiding the pitfalls of getting lumped into a specific genre. It's pretty rootsy stuff, but everything is strong enough to avoid being pigeonholed, and while certain elements could be categorized as "retro" or "lo-fi", we would prefer to call it "classic" or "timeless". Kurt Vile is clearly someone who understands the importance of production; instead of half assing things on a cassette 8-track, these songs are not only well written, but recorded with a great attention to detail, making them awesome for late night headphone listening. The sounds are hazy and swirling with the perfect amount of grit, and really Childish Prodigy sounds like it could have been recorded any time within the last 30 years or so. But guess what? It's 2009, and Kurt Vile has ARRIVED.
The album begins with a re-recorded version of "Hunchback", lifting elements from the song "Freeway" off Constant Hitmaker, with some slight chord changes. The song flows with a nice lazy groove, like the Stooges after a couple bongloads, adding some distorted vocals to compliment the perfectly dirty analog sound. Kurt's folkier side is demonstrated on the following track, "Dead Alive", with fingerpicked electric guitar and some badass vocals up in the forefront as a fuzzy analog hiss rides steady in the background. "Overnight Religion" is a nice surprise, with an incessant drum machine beat carrying the song forward for over 7 minutes as the instruments lock in perfectly. "Monkey" is a melodic, slow burning rocker that successfully merges upbeat psych pop with a sound that incorporates elements from folk and shoegaze. And yeah, the guitars sound killer. The album flows really well, and certain melodic themes appear and reappear in different songs, helping to tie everything together perfectly.
It's been a great year for Kurt Vile, and one can only imagine that things will get even better for him now. We can't wait to see where this guy heads next!
MPEG Stream: "Hunchback"
MPEG Stream: "Dead Alive"
MPEG Stream: "Overnite Religion"

VILE, KURT Childish Prodigy (Matador) lp 17.98
Riding high on the success of a string of releases, Kurt Vile seems poised to break into the spotlight with his Matador debut, Childish Prodigy. It's hard to imagine that not happening, because this stuff is just so great, recalling at various times everyone from Neil Young to the Stooges to shoegazing giants like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. At the end of the day, however, you could say this sounds like, well, Kurt Vile! The guy masterfully breathes life into sounds others have done and overdone by emphasizing what you love about this kind of thing and avoiding the pitfalls of getting lumped into a specific genre. It's pretty rootsy stuff, but everything is strong enough to avoid being pigeonholed, and while certain elements could be categorized as "retro" or "lo-fi", we would prefer to call it "classic" or "timeless". Kurt Vile is clearly someone who understands the importance of production; instead of half assing things on a cassette 8-track, these songs are not only well written, but recorded with a great attention to detail, making them awesome for late night headphone listening. The sounds are hazy and swirling with the perfect amount of grit, and really Childish Prodigy sounds like it could have been recorded any time within the last 30 years or so. But guess what? It's 2009, and Kurt Vile has ARRIVED.
The album begins with a re-recorded version of "Hunchback", lifting elements from the song "Freeway" off Constant Hitmaker, with some slight chord changes. The song flows with a nice lazy groove, like the Stooges after a couple bongloads, adding some distorted vocals to compliment the perfectly dirty analog sound. Kurt's folkier side is demonstrated on the following track, "Dead Alive", with fingerpicked electric guitar and some badass vocals up in the forefront as a fuzzy analog hiss rides steady in the background. "Overnight Religion" is a nice surprise, with an incessant drum machine beat carrying the song forward for over 7 minutes as the instruments lock in perfectly. "Monkey" is a melodic, slow burning rocker that successfully merges upbeat psych pop with a sound that incorporates elements from folk and shoegaze. And yeah, the guitars sound killer. The album flows really well, and certain melodic themes appear and reappear in different songs, helping to tie everything together perfectly.
It's been a great year for Kurt Vile, and one can only imagine that things will get even better for him now. We can't wait to see where this guy heads next!
MPEG Stream: "Hunchback"
MPEG Stream: "Dead Alive"
MPEG Stream: "Overnite Religion"

VILE, KURT Constant Hitmaker (Gulcher) cd 11.98
We've been meaning to list this one for a while now, not sure if it had to do with the glut of purposefully lo-fi garage rock that's making the rounds these days, but it just sort of slipped under the radar. Too bad for us, because once we got around to actually listening to Constant Hitmaker, it became quite clear that not only is Kurt Vile NOT about half-assed garage rock, but he is in fact a very skilled and sincere songwriter whose talents will hopefully outlive the frenzied hype surrounding the genre he seems to have been lumped into.
Perhaps the best thing about this album is how effortless but totally genuine it all feels. Sure, "lo-fi" is an appropriate descriptor for the music within, but this should not be equated with "sounds like shit". On the contrary, Kurt has taken his decidedly non-professional recording situation and produced a set of songs that are lush, shimmering, and densely layered. At the heart of it all is a classy style of songwriting that appears, to us anyway, to have more to do with rootsy mid-'80s bands like the Embarrassment or even the Replacements, than it does with the Nuggets boxset or snotty '70s punk. With a primitive drum machine providing most of the rhythm, these songs come across as delightfully off kilter and less straightforward than they really are (this is not meant as a slight, by the way), and will probably be one of the reasons Kurt's records will not be filed in the Americana bin. There is also plenty of murky ambience and spaced out synths to add a slightly exotic touch, but never at the expense of the songs themselves. An air of experimentation permeates Constant Hitmaker, but only out of a love for pure sound, not as some stale academic bullshit. Kurt's vocals are delivered in a cool, slow drawl with a Dylan-esque cadence, and he's also a pretty damn fine guitarist, as evidenced on "Slow Talkers". Elsewhere on the record, slightly pastoral acoustic guitars and layered vocals create a nice ethereal mood, while other songs follow a more bouncing groove. The lyrics are cool and often quite endearing, like on "Classic Rock In Spring", where Kurt talks about ditching class to listen to Bob Seger and take acid. How can you argue with that? And if everything else on the album has not convinced you of this guy's natural talent, then the beautiful acoustic reprise of "Freeway" certainly should do the trick. Even the skeptics had to admit that it's pretty fucking great, perfectly exhibiting Kurt's natural melodic sense and the excellent transitions within his songs. It just can't be denied, this guy is good.
MPEG Stream: "Freeway"
MPEG Stream: "Slow Talkers"
MPEG Stream: "Best Love"

VILE, KURT Constant Hitmaker (Woodsist) lp 14.98
We've been meaning to list this one for a while now, not sure if it had to do with the glut of purposefully lo-fi garage rock that's making the rounds these days, but it just sort of slipped under the radar. Too bad for us, because once we got around to actually listening to Constant Hitmaker, it became quite clear that not only is Kurt Vile NOT about half-assed garage rock, but he is in fact a very skilled and sincere songwriter whose talents will hopefully outlive the frenzied hype surrounding the genre he seems to have been lumped into.
Perhaps the best thing about this album is how effortless but totally genuine it all feels. Sure, "lo-fi" is an appropriate descriptor for the music within, but this should not be equated with "sounds like shit". On the contrary, Kurt has taken his decidedly non-professional recording situation and produced a set of songs that are lush, shimmering, and densely layered. At the heart of it all is a classy style of songwriting that appears, to us anyway, to have more to do with rootsy mid-'80s bands like the Embarrassment or even the Replacements, than it does with the Nuggets boxset or snotty '70s punk. With a primitive drum machine providing most of the rhythm, these songs come across as delightfully off kilter and less straightforward than they really are (this is not meant as a slight, by the way), and will probably be one of the reasons Kurt's records will not be filed in the Americana bin. There is also plenty of murky ambience and spaced out synths to add a slightly exotic touch, but never at the expense of the songs themselves. An air of experimentation permeates Constant Hitmaker, but only out of a love for pure sound, not as some stale academic bullshit. Kurt's vocals are delivered in a cool, slow drawl with a Dylan-esque cadence, and he's also a pretty damn fine guitarist, as evidenced on "Slow Talkers". Elsewhere on the record, slightly pastoral acoustic guitars and layered vocals create a nice ethereal mood, while other songs follow a more bouncing groove. The lyrics are cool and often quite endearing, like on "Classic Rock In Spring", where Kurt talks about ditching class to listen to Bob Seger and take acid. How can you argue with that? And if everything else on the album has not convinced you of this guy's natural talent, then the beautiful acoustic reprise of "Freeway" certainly should do the trick. Even the skeptics had to admit that it's pretty fucking great, perfectly exhibiting Kurt's natural melodic sense and the excellent transitions within his songs. It just can't be denied, this guy is good.
MPEG Stream: "Freeway"
MPEG Stream: "Slow Talkers"
MPEG Stream: "Best Love"

VILE, KURT God Is Saying This To You (Record Store Day Version) (Mexican Summer) lp+cassette 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

VILE, KURT He's Alright (Matador) 7" 4.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SHIT YEAH. Kurt Vile returns with this 3 song teaser to his upcoming full length on indie rock powerhouse Matador, and if the scores of KV records we've been digging these last few months weren't confirmation enough, this 7" proves it: Kurt Vile is no fucking fluke, but the real deal. An honest, heartfelt songwriter and a damn fine guitarist who will no doubt be setting the world on fire with his catchy, melodic tunes and cool slow drawl vocals. "He's Alright" is a cool acoustic number, sort of Neil Young-ish with a nice upbeat acoustic guitar and some spacey electrics. It's simple and straightforward, but the production is lush and 100% bullshit free. The B-side kicks off with the brief "Farfisas In Falltime," utilizing the legendary titular organ to create a droney, buzzing looplike interlude before finishing up with "Take Your Time," another acoustic number showing off Kurt's fingerpicking proficiency and delightfully mushmouthed vocals.
This little record comes pressed on handsome marbled blue vinyl, and has us jonesin' for the day - not too far off now - that Kurt unleashes Childish Prodigy upon the world. We can't wait!

VILE, KURT In My Time (Matador) 7" 5.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Brand new three song single from psychfolk troubadour Kurt Vile, this one a teaser for his upcoming full length, which finds Vile in full on American singer/songwriter mode, channeling Springsteen and Big Star, lots of acoustic guitars, softly reverbed crooned vocals, plenty of jangle, simple spare drumming, a definite sort of seventies/eighties classic rock / power pop vibe, the opener especially has that Big Star feel, heartfelt and just a little bit melancholy, peppered with lush bursts of swirling melody, but for the most part a sweet slab of stripped down, sunshiney old school FM radio pop. The A side finishes off with a little bit of acoustic balladry, softly brooding and darkly dreamy.
The B side lands somewhere in between, offering up big jangly guitars like the A side, but set amidst strange almost eighties sounding drums, drawled vox, and woozy minor key melodies. The track is laced with gorgeous moody tendrils of Beatlesesque guitar filigree, and that pop sweetness is offset by some subtle dark droney elements, and an overall mood of melancholy mystery. Nice stuff as always. Definitely has us looking forward to the full length...

VILE, KURT Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador) cd 14.98
Kurt Vile can seemingly do no wrong. The momentum of the last few years has only strengthened the Kurt Vile-ness displayed on Smoke Ring For My Halo, full length #2 for Matador after the not-so-surprising success of his asskicking Childish Prodigy album. Kurt's increased stature was enough to bring in hotshot producer John Agnello, who ups the fidelity a bit while retaining the DIY approach and style that brought Kurt to everybody's attention in the first place. Yep, the results are pretty stellar, further solidifying this dude's standing in the rank of current American songwriters. He somehow manages to sound both contemporary AND classic. The guy is for real, and this is by far the best thing he has released... so far, anyway.
Smoke Ring For My Halo is the kind of album that gets better with each listen. It's production is laid back but totally pro, and the cast of supporting musicians includes Meg Baird from Espers, Mike Polizze of Purling Hiss / Birds Of Maya fame, and of course, KV's band the Violators. The camaraderie of this Philly crew totally shines through, and boy does it sound fucking GOOD. A skillful use of noise and other bits of experimentation are worked effortlessly into these impeccably crafted songs, the result of someone who can turn any simple melody into a bad ass classic.
The album begins perfectly with "Baby's Arms", a beautiful heartfelt number with a nice dose of melancholy that immediately announces its author's total confidence in his abilities. Next up is "Jesus Fever", riding out with an easy rocking groove that should explain why Matador snapped KV up. You can see how Kurt just oozes out music when you read the lyrics to songs like "On Tour", which one would imagine are a direct reflection of what it means to be Kurt Vile. Many - wait, scratch that - ALL of these songs are presented as hazy and coolly detached from reality, like "Society Is My Friend" with its lonely western vibe carried forward with shimmering 12 string guitar and spacey mellotron, and the solo fingerpicked number "Peeping Tomboy". The record closes with "Ghost Town", which is dramatic in a Midwestern sunset kind of way. YEAH! In a music world filled with more imitators than originators, Kurt Vile occupies a unique place and his identity is unmistakable. That is why he, and this record, completely rule.
MPEG Stream: "Baby's Arms"
MPEG Stream: "Jesus Fever"
MPEG Stream: "Puppet To The Man"

VILE, KURT Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador) lp 16.98
Kurt Vile can seemingly do no wrong. The momentum of the last few years has only strengthened the Kurt Vile-ness displayed on Smoke Ring For My Halo, full length #2 for Matador after the not-so-surprising success of his asskicking Childish Prodigy album. Kurt's increased stature was enough to bring in hotshot producer John Agnello, who ups the fidelity a bit while retaining the DIY approach and style that brought Kurt to everybody's attention in the first place. Yep, the results are pretty stellar, further solidifying this dude's standing in the rank of current American songwriters. He somehow manages to sound both contemporary AND classic. The guy is for real, and this is by far the best thing he has released... so far, anyway.
Smoke Ring For My Halo is the kind of album that gets better with each listen. It's production is laid back but totally pro, and the cast of supporting musicians includes Meg Baird from Espers, Mike Polizze of Purling Hiss / Birds Of Maya fame, and of course, KV's band the Violators. The camaraderie of this Philly crew totally shines through, and boy does it sound fucking GOOD. A skillful use of noise and other bits of experimentation are worked effortlessly into these impeccably crafted songs, the result of someone who can turn any simple melody into a bad ass classic.
The album begins perfectly with "Baby's Arms", a beautiful heartfelt number with a nice dose of melancholy that immediately announces its author's total confidence in his abilities. Next up is "Jesus Fever", riding out with an easy rocking groove that should explain why Matador snapped KV up. You can see how Kurt just oozes out music when you read the lyrics to songs like "On Tour", which one would imagine are a direct reflection of what it means to be Kurt Vile. Many - wait, scratch that - ALL of these songs are presented as hazy and coolly detached from reality, like "Society Is My Friend" with its lonely western vibe carried forward with shimmering 12 string guitar and spacey mellotron, and the solo fingerpicked number "Peeping Tomboy". The record closes with "Ghost Town", which is dramatic in a Midwestern sunset kind of way. YEAH! In a music world filled with more imitators than originators, Kurt Vile occupies a unique place and his identity is unmistakable. That is why he, and this record, completely rule.
MPEG Stream: "Baby's Arms"
MPEG Stream: "Jesus Fever"
MPEG Stream: "Puppet To The Man"

VILE, KURT Smoke Ring For My Halo (Deluxe Edition) (Matador) 2cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Kurt Vile's most recent full length has been reissued as a deluxe double version, the second disc a brand new ep (also available on its own as a vinyl 12") featuring tracks recorded during the same sessions, including a Bruce Springsteen cover! Read more about the ep at the end of the review, but first let's reiterate what we've said before about the record proper...
Kurt Vile can seemingly do no wrong. The momentum of the last few years has only strengthened the Kurt Vile-ness displayed on Smoke Ring For My Halo, full length #2 for Matador after the not-so-surprising success of his asskicking Childish Prodigy album. Kurt's increased stature was enough to bring in hotshot producer John Agnello, who ups the fidelity a bit while retaining the DIY approach and style that brought Kurt to everybody's attention in the first place. Yep, the results are pretty stellar, further solidifying this dude's standing in the rank of current American songwriters. He somehow manages to sound both contemporary AND classic. The guy is for real, and this is by far the best thing he has released... so far, anyway.
Smoke Ring For My Halo is the kind of album that gets better with each listen. It's production is laid back but totally pro, and the cast of supporting musicians includes Meg Baird from Espers, Mike Polizze of Purling Hiss / Birds Of Maya fame, and of course, KV's band the Violators. The camaraderie of this Philly crew totally shines through, and boy does it sound fucking GOOD. A skillful use of noise and other bits of experimentation are worked effortlessly into these impeccably crafted songs, the result of someone who can turn any simple melody into a bad ass classic.
The album begins perfectly with "Baby's Arms", a beautiful heartfelt number with a nice dose of melancholy that immediately announces its author's total confidence in his abilities. Next up is "Jesus Fever", riding out with an easy rocking groove that should explain why Matador snapped KV up. You can see how Kurt just oozes out music when you read the lyrics to songs like "On Tour", which one would imagine are a direct reflection of what it means to be Kurt Vile. Many - wait, scratch that - ALL of these songs are presented as hazy and coolly detached from reality, like "Society Is My Friend" with its lonely western vibe carried forward with shimmering 12 string guitar and spacey mellotron, and the solo fingerpicked number "Peeping Tomboy". The record closes with "Ghost Town", which is dramatic in a Midwestern sunset kind of way. YEAH! In a music world filled with more imitators than originators, Kurt Vile occupies a unique place and his identity is unmistakable. That is why he, and this record, completely rule.
Vile's latest ep of gorgeous downer folk / classic rock psychedelia, So Outta Reach, is included as the bonus disc here, and as mentioned above, features a handful of tracks recorded during the same sessions that produced Smoke Ring For My Halo, so it should come as no surprise that these tracks sound exactly how you might expect, as if that record were just six songs longer (which in this cd version it essentially is), and listening to these tracks now, all of them pretty great, it's hard to figure out just why they didn't make the cut at the time. Opener "The Creature" is so good, we might like it more than anything on the record proper, all dark fingerpicked guitar over shimmery drones, simpler shakers and pounded kick drum rhythm, Vile's vocals laid back and weary, the song dark and melancholy and so catchy, the bridge especially, a gorgeous tangle of fuzzy folk, which leads right back into the droned out psychedelic folk drift. The rest of the record follows suit, mixing Vile's underground leaning with a sound much more mainstream, big guitars, classic rock arrangements, in some ways this reminds us a little of a fuzzier more psychedelic take on the latest Arcade Fire, which makes sense as both Arcade Fire and Vile have an unabashed love of Bruce Springsteen, which Vile indulges here with his own version of Springsteen's "Downbound Train", which is pretty true to the original, just a bit more fuzz guitar, and Vile's distinctive slacker vox, and of course the wild psychedelic freakout at the finish, but if you can imagine Springsteen via Vile, you'll get a pretty good idea of what's going on here, and odds are if you dug Smoke Ring, you're gonna want this too. Even if it means buying Smoke Ring all over again...
MPEG Stream: "Baby's Arms"
MPEG Stream: "Jesus Fever"
MPEG Stream: "Puppet To The Man"
MPEG Stream: "The Creature"

VILE, KURT So Outta Reach (Matador) 12" 12.98
This latest ep from downer folk / classic rock troubadour Kurt Vile, features a handful of tracks recorded during the same sessions that produced Vile's most recent full length Smoke Ring For My Halo, so it should come as no surprise that these tracks sound exactly how you might expect, as if that record were just six songs longer (which in the cd version it essentially is, since it was included on a new version of Smoke Ring), and listening to these tracks now, all of them pretty great, it's hard to figure out just why they didn't make the cut at the time. Opener "The Creature" is so good, we might like it more than anything on the record proper, all dark fingerpicked guitar over shimmery drones, simpler shakers and pounded kick drum rhythm, Vile's vocals laid back and weary, the song dark and melancholy and so catchy, the bridge especially, a gorgeous tangle of fuzzy folk, which leads right back into the droned out psychedelic folk drift. The rest of the record follows suit, mixing Vile's underground leaning with a sound much more mainstream, big guitars, classic rock arrangements, in some ways this reminds us a little of a fuzzier more psychedelic take on the latest Arcade Fire, which makes sense as both Arcade Fire and Vile have an unabashed love of Bruce Springsteen, which Vile indulges here with his own version of Springsteen's "Downbound Train", which is pretty true to the original, just a bit more fuzz guitar, and Vile's distinctive slacker vox, and of course the wild psychedelic freakout at the finish, but if you can imagine Springsteen via Vile, you'll get a pretty good idea of what's going on here, and odds are if you dug Smoke Ring, you're gonna want this too.
So Outta Reach is available on its own as a 12" single, but if you want the cd version, you'll have to buy the new double disc version of Smoke Ring, which includes the ep as the second disc.
NOTE for mailorder customers, if you're considering ordering this: Unfortunately this week's shipment from Matador/4AD/XL arrived today with one corner of every single piece of vinyl in the box slightly bent, argh. So, don't order this now if you're super anal about such things. We'll get replacements next week. Folks buying this in person in the shop, of course, can see for themselves if they mind the bent corner or not. Sorry!
MPEG Stream: "The Creature"

VILE, KURT Square Shells (Matador) 12" 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Latest from this singer / songwriter psych folk troubadour, a seven song ep, originally released as a free download, now available as a super limited 12", and perfectly showcases Vile's sonic breadth, beginning with some stripped down folkiness, rife with Beach Boys melodies, but delivered in a lazy drawl, the whole thing underpinned by some muted synth squiggles and electronic drones. Super catchy, but also raw and rough and intimate. Which sort of describes Vile no matter what sound he's conjuring up. And on it goes from there.
Like on past records, Square Shells blends subtle psychedelia with bedroom folk and jangly indie pop, adding some druggy ambience, swirling spaced out effects, simple minimal drum machines, the result is a little shoegazey, a little twangy, with plenty of buzz and shimmer, and long stretches of instrumental ambient dronescapery, songs like "Losing Momentum (For Jim Jarmusch)" unfurl gorgeous swells of blissed out slowcore, reminding us of Roy Montgomery, or an even more minimal Spacemen 3, or maybe a soporific non propulsive Wooden Shjips, the sounds blurred and smeared into gauzy dreamscapes, all beneath a glimmering crystalline latticework of spidery guitar. "The Finder" is similarly spaced out and prismatic, a muted buzzscape, darkly psychedelic, and sweetly contemplative, hypnotic and mesmerizing, steel string buzz nestled amidst warm organ wheeze. While in between these chunks of gorgeous abstract minimalism Vile offers up some more traditional songcraft, mostly just acoustic guitar and voice, sometimes crooning over reverb drenched Appalachia, other times delivering almost traditional folk songs, finishing off with "Hey, Now I'm Movin", a Dylan-y jam, with stream of consciousness lyrics, simple strumming, even harmonica, and lots of 'yeah yeah yeah's, but Vile sends that 'classic' folk drifting through a hazy cloud of soft focus ambience, giving the whole track a druggy otherworldly feel, the perfect finish to this intimate, dreamlike ep...
MPEG Stream: "Ocean City"
MPEG Stream: "Invisibility: Nonexistent"
MPEG Stream: "Losing Momentum (For Jim Jarmusch)"

VILE, KURT Wakin On A Pretty Daze (Matador) cd 14.98
American rock troubadour Kurt Vile continues his slow march back in time, as if he wants to actually be playing classic rock, instead of being a modern indie rocker just channeling that classic rock. His sound has always displayed hints of the old classics that came before, the magic being in how masterfully he made them his own, and essentially erased the border, real or imagined between modern indie rock and classic radio rock. Cuz really, if you removed all the non musical signifiers from Kurt Vile, the cool indie label, the punk rock pedigree, the cool underground rock royalty who guest on his records, the various high profile tour mates, the blog hype, the look, the shaggy longhair rock and roller, what you'd be left with, would be JUST the music, and really, it's absolutely the kind of music you could play for your Dad, not to say this is necessarily Dad-rock, but it IS sort of some modern mutant strain of classic rock. Not beholden to punk, or post punk, or new wave or metal, but to classic songsmithery. And it's all on display, the songwriting obviously, but the production too, the arrangements, the sonic palette as a whole. And sure, there are plenty of unlikely, and very UN classic rock moments, but somehow, Vile weaves them into something that DOES really sound classic. Check out the weird skittery programmed sounding beats at the beginning of "Was All Talk", at first it sounds like it's turn into some weird Ariel Pink outsider pop thing, but instead, that skitter is deftly woven into warm guitar strum, swirling synths, and Vile's laid back vox. Speaking of which, it's hard not to hear a little Dinosaur Jr in Vile's music, which makes sense, as Dinosaur's Mascis was an unabashed lover of classic rock, and was often compared to Neil Young himself. But if you can imagine Dinosaur minus all the incendiary guitar heroics, it might not be all that far removed from Kurt Vile.
The nine+ minute opener definitely sets the stage, pastoral and laid back, strummy and summery and breezy, reminded us a bit of the Woods at first, only to late learn that the guy from the Woods guests on this here record. As do folks from Beachwood Sparks, Warpaint, Royal Trux, and others, all of whom to be under Vile's thrall, aiding him in crafting this gorgeous slab of jangle and strum, the sound warm and comfortable, and just a tiny bit raw around the edges. That said, this is most definitely his least 'underground' and 'indie' sounding record. If labels and the radio and MTV still worked the way they used to or in some cases even existed, this is the sort of record that would be bandied about as Vile's 'breakthrough', and who knows, maybe it still will be. And it should be, cuz it's gorgeous. The songs are CRAZY catchy, it's a total top-down, cruising down the coast on a summer afternoon kind of record. The songs already sound timeless. There's no doubt Vile is a songwriter of formidable talent, one who just follows his own muse, and it just so happens that that muse is some strange hybrid of Tom Petty, Neil Young, Jackson Brown, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison, which to most underground music punks might sound horrifying, but the proof is right here in Wakin On A Pretty Daze, which might just be our favorite Vile record yet. Classic indeed!
The cd comes in a full color four panel digipak, with a full color printed inner sleeve, and a booklet with lyrics, but while they last, we have the ULTRA limited, already out of print, super deluxe blue vinyl version, which features the same cover as the cd (and regular lp), with Vile standing in front of a big wall, covered in graffiti, but on the deluxe vinyl version, there is no graffiti, instead, it comes with a special sheet of stickers, with which you can use to apply the graffiti yourself, however you want! How cool is that?
MPEG Stream: "Wakin On A Pretty Daze"
MPEG Stream: "KV Crimes"
MPEG Stream: "Too Hard"
MPEG Stream: "Snowflakes Are Dancing"
MPEG Stream: "Air Bud"

VILE, KURT Wakin On A Pretty Daze (Matador) 2lp 27.00
American rock troubadour Kurt Vile continues his slow march back in time, as if he wants to actually be playing classic rock, instead of being a modern indie rocker just channeling that classic rock. His sound has always displayed hints of the old classics that came before, the magic being in how masterfully he made them his own, and essentially erased the border, real or imagined between modern indie rock and classic radio rock. Cuz really, if you removed all the non musical signifiers from Kurt Vile, the cool indie label, the punk rock pedigree, the cool underground rock royalty who guest on his records, the various high profile tour mates, the blog hype, the look, the shaggy longhair rock and roller, what you'd be left with, would be JUST the music, and really, it's absolutely the kind of music you could play for your Dad, not to say this is necessarily Dad-rock, but it IS sort of some modern mutant strain of classic rock. Not beholden to punk, or post punk, or new wave or metal, but to classic songsmithery. And it's all on display, the songwriting obviously, but the production too, the arrangements, the sonic palette as a whole. And sure, there are plenty of unlikely, and very UN classic rock moments, but somehow, Vile weaves them into something that DOES really sound classic. Check out the weird skittery programmed sounding beats at the beginning of "Was All Talk", at first it sounds like it's turn into some weird Ariel Pink outsider pop thing, but instead, that skitter is deftly woven into warm guitar strum, swirling synths, and Vile's laid back vox. Speaking of which, it's hard not to hear a little Dinosaur Jr in Vile's music, which makes sense, as Dinosaur's Mascis was an unabashed lover of classic rock, and was often compared to Neil Young himself. But if you can imagine Dinosaur minus all the incendiary guitar heroics, it might not be all that far removed from Kurt Vile.
The nine+ minute opener definitely sets the stage, pastoral and laid back, strummy and summery and breezy, reminded us a bit of the Woods at first, only to late learn that the guy from the Woods guests on this here record. As do folks from Beachwood Sparks, Warpaint, Royal Trux, and others, all of whom to be under Vile's thrall, aiding him in crafting this gorgeous slab of jangle and strum, the sound warm and comfortable, and just a tiny bit raw around the edges. That said, this is most definitely his least 'underground' and 'indie' sounding record. If labels and the radio and MTV still worked the way they used to or in some cases even existed, this is the sort of record that would be bandied about as Vile's 'breakthrough', and who knows, maybe it still will be. And it should be, cuz it's gorgeous. The songs are CRAZY catchy, it's a total top-down, cruising down the coast on a summer afternoon kind of record. The songs already sound timeless. There's no doubt Vile is a songwriter of formidable talent, one who just follows his own muse, and it just so happens that that muse is some strange hybrid of Tom Petty, Neil Young, Jackson Brown, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison, which to most underground music punks might sound horrifying, but the proof is right here in Wakin On A Pretty Daze, which might just be our favorite Vile record yet. Classic indeed!
The cd comes in a full color four panel digipak, with a full color printed inner sleeve, and a booklet with lyrics, but while they last, we have the ULTRA limited, already out of print, super deluxe blue vinyl version, which features the same cover as the cd (and regular lp), with Vile standing in front of a big wall, covered in graffiti, but on the deluxe vinyl version, there is no graffiti, instead, it comes with a special sheet of stickers, with which you can use to apply the graffiti yourself, however you want! How cool is that?
MPEG Stream: "Wakin On A Pretty Daze"
MPEG Stream: "KV Crimes"
MPEG Stream: "Too Hard"
MPEG Stream: "Snowflakes Are Dancing"
MPEG Stream: "Air Bud"

VILE, KURT Wakin On A Pretty Daze (Matador) 2lp 19.98
And here's the regular, cheaper vinyl version (with out the fancy graffiti sticker cover of the now-gone limited deluxe edition)...
American rock troubadour Kurt Vile continues his slow march back in time, as if he wants to actually be playing classic rock, instead of being a modern indie rocker just channeling that classic rock. His sound has always displayed hints of the old classics that came before, the magic being in how masterfully he made them his own, and essentially erased the border, real or imagined between modern indie rock and classic radio rock. Cuz really, if you removed all the non musical signifiers from Kurt Vile, the cool indie label, the punk rock pedigree, the cool underground rock royalty who guest on his records, the various high profile tour mates, the blog hype, the look, the shaggy longhair rock and roller, what you'd be left with, would be JUST the music, and really, it's absolutely the kind of music you could play for your Dad, not to say this is necessarily Dad-rock, but it IS sort of some modern mutant strain of classic rock. Not beholden to punk, or post punk, or new wave or metal, but to classic songsmithery. And it's all on display, the songwriting obviously, but the production too, the arrangements, the sonic palette as a whole. And sure, there are plenty of unlikely, and very UN classic rock moments, but somehow, Vile weaves them into something that DOES really sound classic. Check out the weird skittery programmed sounding beats at the beginning of "Was All Talk", at first it sounds like it's turn into some weird Ariel Pink outsider pop thing, but instead, that skitter is deftly woven into warm guitar strum, swirling synths, and Vile's laid back vox. Speaking of which, it's hard not to hear a little Dinosaur Jr in Vile's music, which makes sense, as Dinosaur's Mascis was an unabashed lover of classic rock, and was often compared to Neil Young himself. But if you can imagine Dinosaur minus all the incendiary guitar heroics, it might not be all that far removed from Kurt Vile.
The nine+ minute opener definitely sets the stage, pastoral and laid back, strummy and summery and breezy, reminded us a bit of the Woods at first, only to late learn that the guy from the Woods guests on this here record. As do folks from Beachwood Sparks, Warpaint, Royal Trux, and others, all of whom to be under Vile's thrall, aiding him in crafting this gorgeous slab of jangle and strum, the sound warm and comfortable, and just a tiny bit raw around the edges. That said, this is most definitely his least 'underground' and 'indie' sounding record. If labels and the radio and MTV still worked the way they used to or in some cases even existed, this is the sort of record that would be bandied about as Vile's 'breakthrough', and who knows, maybe it still will be. And it should be, cuz it's gorgeous. The songs are CRAZY catchy, it's a total top-down, cruising down the coast on a summer afternoon kind of record. The songs already sound timeless. There's no doubt Vile is a songwriter of formidable talent, one who just follows his own muse, and it just so happens that that muse is some strange hybrid of Tom Petty, Neil Young, Jackson Brown, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison, which to most underground music punks might sound horrifying, but the proof is right here in Wakin On A Pretty Daze, which might just be our favorite Vile record yet. Classic indeed!
MPEG Stream: "Wakin On A Pretty Daze"
MPEG Stream: "KV Crimes"
MPEG Stream: "Too Hard"
MPEG Stream: "Snowflakes Are Dancing"
MPEG Stream: "Air Bud"

VILE, KURT & THE VIOLATORS The Hunchback EP (Richie Records) cd ep 10.98
Ever wake up from a late night out on the town with that hazy, fucked up feeling in the head? Of course you have, so imagine that feeling translated into a an album of super damaged, super woozy garage filth. Kurt Vile and his boys the Violators bring us the Hunchback EP, an unholy combination of mid '70s Stones and a more gritty Spacemen 3. And even though the first couple tracks don't veer to far from the new wave of lo-fi garage rock, as the album plays through it dips into more cosmic and spacey realms of dreamy guitar. Makes us think of nighttime alleyways, smokey barroom depression, a drugged-out fried-out bad trip kinda vibe, all nicely put together with catchy riffs and tough guy in a leather jacket at-all-times kind of vocals. Dingy parking lot car show rock n' roll, with a fitting black and white photo of Vile on the cover in some empty lot in Philly (looking quite damaged himself). It's a perfect match for any fan of Thee Oh Sees, Wavves, or Wooden Shjips. Oh and make sure you play this sucker loud, definitely something you'd hear blasting from the rager next door. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "The Hunchback"
MPEG Stream: "Damn You"

VILE, KURT & THE VIOLATORS The Hunchback EP (Richie Records) 12" 13.98
Special new 2013 repressing, that now comes with a digital download of the record, which also includes bonus live material not previously released!
Here's our review of the original pressing, from 3 or 4 years ago:
Ever wake up from a late night out on the town with that hazy, fucked up feeling in the head? Of course you have, so imagine that feeling translated into a an album of super damaged, super woozy garage filth. Kurt Vile and his boys the Violators bring us the Hunchback EP, an unholy combination of mid '70s Stones and a more gritty Spacemen 3. And even though the first couple tracks don't veer to far from the new wave of lo-fi garage rock, as the album plays through it dips into more cosmic and spacey realms of dreamy guitar. Makes us think of nighttime alleyways, smokey barroom depression, a drugged-out fried-out bad trip kinda vibe, all nicely put together with catchy riffs and tough guy in a leather jacket at-all-times kind of vocals. Dingy parking lot car show rock n' roll, with a fitting black and white photo of Vile on the cover in some empty lot in Philly (looking quite damaged himself). It's a perfect match for any fan of Thee Oh Sees, Wavves, or Wooden Shjips. Oh and make sure you play this sucker loud, definitely something you'd hear blasting from the rager next door. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "The Hunchback"
MPEG Stream: "Damn You"

VILE, KURT / WOODS split (Woodsist) 7" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
To coincide with their recent summer tour, these two aQ faves offer up this awesome little split single, which really hardly needs a description, as at this point, both bands can seemingly pretty much do no wrong. That said, the first Woods song might be the best thing they've done, total classic sixties pop, which reminds us of the Kinks, and the Bee Gees, but a little bit quirkier and more psychedelic obviously, but it's just so warm and sunshiney and hooky, and the vocals sound better than they ever have, and the harmonies, so divine, cool weird drumming, catchy, but not traditionally so. One of those tracks we find ourselves listening to over and over and over. The second track is more of a trifle, a brief bit of bedroom folk, that sounds skeletal at first, but in its 1:40 manages to get weirdly lush and a little bit tripped out.
Kurt Vile kicks his side off with a brief 39 second opener, jaunty and a little bit silly, before getting into it proper, with some dark brooding moody folk, the first track hushed and intimate, just voice and guitar, some classic sounding folk, while the second track gets a little shoegazey, draping the acoustic guitar with some crumbling washed out haze and warbly organ, the perfect slab cloudy day dreamy folk drift. Awesome.
Probably crazy limited, we have a bunch, but not entirely sure we can get more when we sell out, so if you want one, don't dawdle.
MPEG Stream: WOODS "Skull"
MPEG Stream: KURT VILE "In-Out Blues"

VILE, KURT / WOODS split (Woodsist) 7" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
To coincide with their recent summer tour, these two aQ faves offer up this awesome little split single, which really hardly needs a description, as at this point, both bands can seemingly pretty much do no wrong. That said, the first Woods song might be the best thing they've done, total classic sixties pop, which reminds us of the Kinks, and the Bee Gees, but a little bit quirkier and more psychedelic obviously, but it's just so warm and sunshiney and hooky, and the vocals sound better than they ever have, and the harmonies, so divine, cool weird drumming, catchy, but not traditionally so. One of those tracks we find ourselves listening to over and over and over. The second track is more of a trifle, a brief bit of bedroom folk, that sounds skeletal at first, but in its 1:40 manages to get weirdly lush and a little bit tripped out.
Kurt Vile kicks his side off with a brief 39 second opener, jaunty and a little bit silly, before getting into it proper, with some dark brooding moody folk, the first track hushed and intimate, just voice and guitar, some classic sounding folk, while the second track gets a little shoegazey, draping the acoustic guitar with some crumbling washed out haze and warbly organ, the perfect slab cloudy day dreamy folk drift. Awesome.
Probably crazy limited, we have a bunch, but not entirely sure we can get more when we sell out, so if you want one, don't dawdle.
MPEG Stream: WOODS "Skull"
MPEG Stream: KURT VILE "In-Out Blues"

VILLAGE OF SAVOONGA 14 - 09 - 01 (Hausmusik / Kollaps) cd 13.98
Yay, it's a live recording from one of AQ's fave bands, the Bavarian post-rock combo known as Village of Savoonga! It seems, sadly, that they've broken up (too busy with Notwist, Lali Puna, Tied and Tickled Trio, and all their other projects, perhaps?) so this disc might well be their final release. Probably the last, or only other, chance anyone reading this (outside of Germany) got to hear VoS live was at the Aquarius Records 30th Anniversary party at the Bottom of the Hill here in San Francisco three years ago. Remember? We flew the Savoogan Villagers over here to play with Circle, Milk Cult, and Outhud. Kinda crazy, but *that's* how much we like this band! So, how's this live disc stack up to our memories (and their other albums)? Recorded at one of their final shows, at the annual Hausmusik Festival in September 2001, it sounds great, the band plays great, it's sheer post-rock mastery a la Slint. And it also sounds like maybe VoS had been revisiting... nay, scrutinizing their old This Heat records even more than usual. Their percussive rhythmic attack and live looping sound displayed here have that nervous energy we love. While drawing material from their albums Score, Philip Schatz, and their self-titled debut, this live show yet demonstrates an especially powerful, sinewy side to VoS, an intensity we recall from their performance at the AQ-party. Noisy, hypnotic, gritty. Talk about going out with a bang!
MPEG Stream: "My Mind Your Mind"
MPEG Stream: "Snails"

VILLAGE OF SAVOONGA 14 - 09 - 01 (Hausmusik / Kollaps) lp 13.98
Yay, it's a live recording from one of AQ's fave bands, the Bavarian post-rock combo known as Village of Savoonga! It seems, sadly, that they've broken up (too busy with Notwist, Lali Puna, Tied and Tickled Trio, and all their other projects, perhaps?) so this disc might well be their final release. Probably the last, or only other, chance anyone reading this (outside of Germany) got to hear VoS live was at the Aquarius Records 30th Anniversary party at the Bottom of the Hill here in San Francisco three years ago. Remember? We flew the Savoogan Villagers over here to play with Circle, Milk Cult, and Outhud. Kinda crazy, but *that's* how much we like this band! So, how's this live disc stack up to our memories (and their other albums)? Recorded at one of their final shows, at the annual Hausmusik Festival in September 2001, it sounds great, the band plays great, it's sheer post-rock mastery. It sounds like maybe VoS had been revisiting... nay, scrutinizing their old This Heat records even more than usual. Their percussive rhythmic attack and live looping sound displayed here have that nervous energy we love. While drawing material from their albums Score, Philip Schatz, and their self-titled debut, this live show yet demonstrates an especially powerful, sinewy side to VoS, an intensity we recall from their performance at the AQ-party. Noisy, hypnotic, gritty. Talk about going out with a bang!
MPEG Stream: "My Mind Your Mind"
MPEG Stream: "Snails"

VILLAGE OF SAVOONGA Philip Schatz (Communion) cd 13.98
Dark and lovely, abrasive tapes with interludes on piano and cello. Delicious, an AQ favorite. The Village is a modern German post-rock combo, part of the burgeoning Hausmusik scene, here making soundtrack-worthy music that certainly stands by itself.

VILLAGE OF SAVOONGA s/t (Hausmusik / Kollaps / Communion) cd 13.98
This is the CD reissue of the first Village Of Savoonga album (which was previously available only on vinyl through Hausmusik / Kollaps) and also features 5 extra tracks from hard-to-find singles and compilations. For those of you familiar with the brilliantly dark neo-krautrock on "Philip Schatz" and "Score," this early work from 1991-1994 may appear a little naive (with big ideas that haven't yet manifested into the grand statements of their later work.) These tracks have a Throbbing Gristle / Einsturzende Neubauten industrial flavor (grinding samples and banging metal percussion) topping off a Pavement-like jangliness. Yet for every track that plods with a heavyhandedness, there is a track that shines with a lot of great sonic ideas and fractured almost Faust-ian song snippets. This is a mixed bag, but there's enough good stuff on here to merit more than a few listens.

VILLAGE OF SAVOONGA Score (Kollaps/Communion) cd 12.98
Murky drama played out on guitars, tapes, electronics, and samplers, with a heavy dose of clanky percussion to remind you of their roots, Germany's Village of Savoonga possesses an enviably original sound that owes much to their krautrock forefathers, not the ultra-structured Kraftwerk, but the loose sound experiments of Faust. Spacerock fans will find so much to like, too, but expect more than just easy ambient layers, this record climbs mountains and fords streams. Totally excellent. This is their third album, and the record we've been recommending people buy if the new Tortoise just doesn't do it for ya...

VILLAGE OF SAVOONGA Score (Kollaps/Communion) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Murky drama played out on guitars, tapes, electronics, and samplers, with a heavy dose of clanky percussion to remind you of their roots, Germany's Village of Savoonga possesses an enviably original sound that owes much to their krautrock forefathers, not the ultra-structured Kraftwerk, but the loose sound experiments of Faust. Spacerock fans will find so much to like, too, but expect more than just easy ambient layers, this record climbs mountains and fords streams. Totally excellent. This is their third album, and the record we've been recommending people buy if the new Tortoise just doesn't do it for ya...

VILLAGES / DIVINE CIRCLE split (Hooker Vision) cassette 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A very nice split release from Hooker Vision, who are introducing us to these two outfits from Asheville, North Carolina. Villages (aka Ross Gentry) actually had a release on Hooker Vision a couple years back and has a more recent LP on Bathetic. We can report that the 25 minute offering from Villages on this tape is pretty killer stuff. After a desolate piano interlude, the tape swells with a fuzzy, shimmering treated guitar drone akin to those wondrous blurred noises from Tim Hecker and Christian Fennesz, gradually giving way to a somber interlude for plucked banjo and maudlin Appalachian fiddles. These moments locate the production as harkening from the south even with all of those digital pixel smears and melodic abstractions.
Divine Circles, we know even less about, but the opening melodies plucked on a violin are joined by complementary slow guitar riffs that do recall some of the more introspective moments of Godspeed You Black Emperor or even some of Aidan Baker's hypnotic dronework, before either party were to rip into a full-frontal, pathos laden crescendo. Here, Divine Circles keeps their sounds intimate and calm, slowly building the track in the round, with the violinist taking up the bow later on with gorgeous swells of arboreal melodies along with those slow dirgy guitars and some haunted female vocalizations. Definitely looking forward to more from both of these outfits. 50 minute in total for this cassette; and again with all those Hooker Vision tapes, this one is super limited to 100 copies.
MPEG Stream: VILLAGES "Apparitions"
MPEG Stream: DIVINE CIRCLE "26 Minutes"

VINCENT BLACK SHADOW More Deeper (Heartbreakbeat) cd 14.98
It's a good week for rock n' roll. Uh huh, look out, Baltimore (or as they prefer, "Baltamont") psychpunk badasses Vincent Black Shadow (the REAL Vincent Black Shadow) are back! If you heard their AQ (and Julian Cope) recommended debut, you know exactly what to expect. If you're new to the VBS, well, think wretched rawk action and psychotic reaction. Simply put, this is trashy Stooges worship at its uber-distorto, heavy-ass best!!! Just take a listen... that vocalist is a streetwalking cheetah with a heart fulla napalm, am I right?! Goddamn right I am. He's backed up by reckless riffing, the guitar strangulation plenty raw and primal. You're not gonna need to be told that this is obviously meant to be played loud. It's a throbbing testament to bouncing off the walls and breaking shit (and maybe rolling in broken glass and peanut butter). Ah, life's simple pleasures. File with such outwardly bound jams-kickers as The Heads, Cope's Brain Donor band, and Boris (circa Pink). But with more of an ugly attitude. Like maybe the Pissed Jeans wrestling with Plastic Crimewave.
Nine tracks, a little over a half hour. On the short side maybe, but that still means the cops are gonna show up to tell you to turn it down (and stop stomping around, jumping off the furniture, disturbing the neighbors, etc.) long before the record's over. Which means...fuck the neighbors, fuck the cops... you're going to jail.
MPEG Stream: "Dome City"
MPEG Stream: "Wooden Kimono"

VINCENT BLACK SHADOW Nazi Gold b/w Sheer Heart Attack (Semaphore) 7" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Just got a handful of these limited, lathe-cut (by Peter King in NZ, natch) seven inches directly from the now defunct Baltimore band Vincent Black Shadow, an outfit whose two full-length records we've previously raved about for bringing the Iggy-influenced, ugly ragin' raw rawk action with such authentic energy and attitude. Too bad they broke up, sadly before completing their third album which was to be called Baltamont. Some of the VBS boys are in a new band, called UNNH, and others in one called Murder, so we'll look out for those. In the meantime, we've got this final farewell 7" slab of VBS's psychotic party pleasing punk... Hear 'em kick out the jams in their usual Stooge-ly style on the A-side, "Nazi Gold". And then on the flip, you get their frantic interpretation of Queen's catchy speedster "Sheer Heart Attack", from News Of The World. With VBS singer's snotty sneering snarl, and their relentless rhythm section's careening drive, here it sounds almost like something by the Sex Pistols - more "God Save The Queen" than Queen! Well, the Sex Pistols meet The Sweet... which might have been what Queen was going for too, on the original, it came out in '77 after all.
LIMITED EDITION, clear vinyl, last copies.

VINCENT BLACK SHADOW s/t (Heartbreakbeat) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This self-titled platter from Baltimore psych-punk heavies Vincent Black Shadow came out as a limited edition LP last year, and we reviewed it saying we hoped it'd be on cd someday too, for the turntable-deprived. Lo and behold, here it is at last in the cd format. Also in our review, we said "Julian Cope needs to hear this... the label would be wise to send him a promo" and perhaps they took our advice, 'cause Cope ended up hearing it somehow and making it the June 2006 Album of the Month on his Head Heritage website, that's how much he liked it!
But if you didn't see our listing of the LP version, you might be curious about why both we and Mr. Cope liked Vincent Black Shadow so much. So, here's what else we said about VBS's debut: Piquing our interest, Blue Cheer and Boris are name-checked by the label, but what you'll really hear (and the press materials also mention this) is a heckuva lotta Iggy influence. The raw Iggster vocals and the grungy grooves hit that Stoogey sweet spot for sure. Definitely up the (grimy, dark, piss-coated) alley of anyone into Julian Cope's Brain Donor band... or Mudhoney, or Thee Hypnotics (remember them?) or, of course, The Stooges themselves. If swaggering drug-addled rawk with cowbell and blown out bass and wah guitar does it for you, that's what VBS does here pretty darn well. And it's true that describes some Blue Cheer and Boris too... we also hazarded a guess that they might be "a decent, drunken live proposition as well", and we'll have a chance next week (9/5/06 @ Cafe du Nord) to find out if that's indeed the case!
FYI: there's *another* band out there also calling themselves The Vincent Black Shadow (apparently, VBS was a famous motorcycle of the 1950s, it's got its own Wikipedia entry in fact -- one thing that's definitely cool about the bike was that the entire thing, including the engine block, was painted black!). This other VBS band are more of a major label thing, playing the Warped Tour, and very very different from what we consider the real VBS, so don't get their album accidentally...
MPEG Stream: "Child Of Orion"
MPEG Stream: "Real Wood"

VINCENT BLACK SHADOW s/t (Heart Break Beat) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's a vinyl only release, limited to 500 handscreened numbered copies natch, of this the debut platter from Baltimore psych-punk heavies Vincent Black Shadow. Piquing our interest, Blue Cheer and Boris are name-checked by the label, but what you'll really hear (and the press materials also mention this) is a heckuva lotta Iggy influence. The raw Iggster vocals and the grungy grooves hit that Stoogey sweet spot for sure. Julian Cope needs to hear this... the label would be wise to send him a promo. Definitely up the (grimey, dark, piss-coated) alley of anyone into Cope's Brain Donor band... or Thee Hypnotics (remember them?) or, of course, The Stooges themselves. Which reminds me, we've still gotta list those new deluxe Stooges reissues with the bonus discs... anyway, if swaggering drug-addled rawk with cowbell and blown out bass and wah guitar does it for you, that's what VBS does here pretty darn well. And it's true that describes some Blue Cheer and Boris too...
We'd like to hear more. Bet they might be a decent, drunken live proposition as well. And tho it's LP only, we'd encourage a cd release someday. For now though you gotta grab the LP before it's gone.
MPEG Stream: "Child Of Orion"
MPEG Stream: "Real Wood"

VINES Highly Evolved (Capitol) cd 16.98
We can't tell you if these Aussies are the next big thing or not, but they're definitely the next potentially big thing. And before overexposure and hype and all that end up making you hate 'em, you should at least give 'em a chance. Sure, they're being positioned as The Strokes Part II (and while they do have a song or two that remind us The Strokes, as well as the 'look', they're just as much on the Hives or White Stripes tip), and we know everyone's got an opinion about The Strokes. But whether you approve of those NYC'ers or not is irrelevant here, 'cause what The Vines really sound like (to these ears) is a cross between Nirvana or Mudhoney and Redd Kross. And, hey, that's not a bad thing. No complaints here. And besides, if the commerical plastic pop music you've got to endure on the radio, at the 7-11, the barber shop, the juice bar, at the mall, wherever, is totally fun, catchy, garagey rock with actual songs and guitar jangle and fuzz, that's a lot better than boy bands or Britney Spears or nu-metal ain't it?! More power to 'em. And hey -- the singer's accent is for once authentic. (Note: it's at a "nice price" for now, but we'll bet you anything that the list price will get jacked up to $18.98 in a few months when and if they do become a bonafide big thing -- in fact, it already went up from $10.98 to $16.98 and it's only been out a week, good grief...).
RealAudio clip: "Get Free"
RealAudio clip: "Country Yard"
RealAudio clip: "Outtathaway"

VIOLA CRAYOLA, THE Music: Breathing of Statues (Radioactive) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

VIOLENCE FOG / JERUSALEM SWF-Sessions Vol. 6 (Long Hair) cd 17.98
First off, Violence Fog is Allan's new favorite band name ever (sorry, Dirty Lust). As soon as he (me, I) saw it listed in one of our supplier's catalogs, I had to order it. Plus, the description said that it had flutes on it, so I knew that Andee would probably want one too. This split release between Violence Fog and Jerusalem brings together two previously unreleased, minor gems of early '70s krautrock prog/psych. Both bands are heavy jammin' outfits, not remotely "metal" (kinda laid-back in fact) but not wimps either (despite the flutes). Yes, that's flutes in the plural -- Violence Fog has *two* of 'em. (No flutes for Jerusalem but they're good anyways.) Both bands are your basic trippy hippies doing what they do (did) best...head music, man.
RealAudio clip: VIOLENCE FOG "New One"
RealAudio clip: JERUSALEM "Moon's New Way"

VIOLENCE FOG / JERUSALEM SWF-Sessions Vol. 6 (Long Hair) cd 17.98
First off, Violence Fog is Allan's new favorite band name ever (sorry, Dirty Lust). As soon as he (me, I) saw it listed in one of our supplier's catalogs, I had to order it. Plus, the description said that it had flutes on it, so I knew that Andee would probably want one too. This split release between Violence Fog and Jerusalem brings together two previously unreleased, minor gems of early '70s krautrock prog/psych. Both bands are heavy jammin' outfits, not remotely "metal" (kinda laid-back in fact) but not wimps either (despite the flutes). Yes, that's flutes in the plural -- Violence Fog has *two* of 'em. (No flutes for Jerusalem but they're good anyways.) Both bands are your basic trippy hippies doing what they do (did) best...head music, man.
RealAudio clip: VIOLENCE FOG "New One"
RealAudio clip: JERUSALEM "Moon's New Way"

VIOLENS Amoral (Friendly Fire) cd 14.98
We were pretty bummed out when psychedelic metallic space rock new wave weirdos Lansing-Dreiden decided to call it quits, all of their records were twisted and genius and were huge faves around aQ land, but we were psyched that at least some of those L-D's recently resurfaced in a new group called Violens, whose sound is way less obtuse and challenging, and way more poppy.
The new wave element is still in full effect, with a sort of eighties UK indie rock vibe, lots of jangle guitar, thick rubbery basslines, lush vocals, lots of harmonies, and while it may not seem weird on the surface, there are lots of sonic subtleties that keep Violens from being a straight pop band, moaning bleating horns, squalls of crunchy psychedelic guitar, wild tribal drumming, streaks of electronic buzz and that's just on the first song.
The vibe is definitely new romantic, with shades of the Smiths, Style Council, Simple Minds, OMD, even Duran Duran here and there, and barring the tripped out production, and weirdo elements, this really could be some eighties artifact dug up and reissued. That said, the songs here are pretty great, the opening track "The Dawn Of Your Happiness Is Rising" is the opening track for a reason, the retro pop hit of the season, and the one flecked with the most weirdness, without losing sight of the pop prize. "Trance-Like Turn" is another good one, a more broody washed out ballad, sounding more like Talk Talk, with lots of rumbling ambience, and swirling guitar shimmer and murky jangle. The record is just so full of eighties signifiers, sax solos here and there, deep new wave reverby crooned vocals, big lush production, but the way those elements are melded to the modern weirdness is what makes this work, whether it's the thick undulating low end buzz and fuzzy distortion that flows throughout "Another Strike Restrained" (which in every other way is pure eighties pop) or the Animal Collective flourishes that color "Acid Reign", or the distorted backwards guitar psych-out that closes "Are You Still In The Illusion?", it all manages to sound just right, the weirdness doesn't sound tacked on for weirdo alt cred, and the pop doesn't sound forced, it's lush and hooky and emotional and sincere, and those two disparate elements of the band somehow manage to balance, creating a pretty fantastic slab of modern retro pop, that we're digging BIG TIME.
MPEG Stream: "The Dawn of Your Happiness Is Rising"
MPEG Stream: "Full Collision"
MPEG Stream: "Acid Reign"

VIOLENS True (Slumberland) cd 12.98
In our review of the first Violens records, we spent a lot of time talking about how weird it was to listen to their music, in particular because in their previous incarnation, they were such a different sounding outfit, but since then we've actually gone back and re-listened to that old stuff, and can definitely see the connection, and the path from there to here doesn't seem nearly so unlikely. That group, Lansing-Dreiden, was definitely weirder, and while even back then they definitely had an eighties new wave MTV style pop thing going on, they mixed it with all sorts of more modern conventions, but it seems like maybe we've been basing that whole idea of Violens being so dramatically different on a single song, our favorite L-D song, which melded eighties MTV pop and crushing death metal, which to be fair, WAS pretty goddamn awesome. If anything, Violens are more of a real band, less of an experimental collective, so while that meant shedding some of the cool weirdness, it definitely meant these guys got a lot better, tighter, more polished, their songs gorgeous and lush and catchy, jangly and so melodic, where other bands of a similar stripe seem to be aping the eighties doing their best to sound like they actually were from the eighties, Violens seem to take a much more mature approach, obviously influenced by those bands and that sound, but instead of crafting some sort of homage, they simply make their own music, which definitely stands on it's own as modern jangle pop, but if you're old enough to remember the eighties, and all those bands, then that somehow makes it even better, the best of both worlds, fantastic new songs that are fresh and modern, but that are inherently infused with a bit of nostalgia.
And really Slumberland is the perfect home for this new record, the band actually moving away from the overt eighties new waviness into a sound that's much more classic pop, fuzzy and jangly, dreamy and divine, sounding weirdly a little more nineties this time around, and very much like a band that would have been on Slumberland back in the day as well!
MPEG Stream: "Totally True"
MPEG Stream: "Der Microarc"
MPEG Stream: "When To Let Go"

VIOLENS True (Slumberland) lp 14.98
In our review of the first Violens records, we spent a lot of time talking about how weird it was to listen to their music, in particular because in their previous incarnation, they were such a different sounding outfit, but since then we've actually gone back and re-listened to that old stuff, and can definitely see the connection, and the path from there to here doesn't seem nearly so unlikely. That group, Lansing-Dreiden, was definitely weirder, and while even back then they definitely had an eighties new wave MTV style pop thing going on, they mixed it with all sorts of more modern conventions, but it seems like maybe we've been basing that whole idea of Violens being so dramatically different on a single song, our favorite L-D song, which melded eighties MTV pop and crushing death metal, which to be fair, WAS pretty goddamn awesome. If anything, Violens are more of a real band, less of an experimental collective, so while that meant shedding some of the cool weirdness, it definitely meant these guys got a lot better, tighter, more polished, their songs gorgeous and lush and catchy, jangly and so melodic, where other bands of a similar stripe seem to be aping the eighties doing their best to sound like they actually were from the eighties, Violens seem to take a much more mature approach, obviously influenced by those bands and that sound, but instead of crafting some sort of homage, they simply make their own music, which definitely stands on it's own as modern jangle pop, but if you're old enough to remember the eighties, and all those bands, then that somehow makes it even better, the best of both worlds, fantastic new songs that are fresh and modern, but that are inherently infused with a bit of nostalgia.
And really Slumberland is the perfect home for this new record, the band actually moving away from the overt eighties new waviness into a sound that's much more classic pop, fuzzy and jangly, dreamy and divine, sounding weirdly a little more nineties this time around, and very much like a band that would have been on Slumberland back in the day as well!
MPEG Stream: "Totally True"
MPEG Stream: "Der Microarc"
MPEG Stream: "When To Let Go"

VIOLENT CHANGE s/t (Catholic Guilt) lp 14.98
Finally, a full length lp from these Bay Area noise pop / post punks and it more that fulfills the promise of their debut 7", which we sold a ton of and still listen to constantly. Violent Change is mostly Matt Bleyle, of the late great Sopors, an unsung local outfit who managed an lp and a 7" before hanging it up, but check our reviews of those Sopors records (as well as the VC single), and it'll definitely give you a rough idea of what to expect from this new Violent Change. And while the new record is still mostly all recorded by Bleyle on his own, VC is actually a proper band, featuring none other than Tony Molina, from pop geniuses the Ovens, whose debut solo record Dissed And Dismissed we recently raved about on the aQ list. And there's definitely an Ovens like pop element to VC, in fact Molina sings a couple songs here, and as you might expect, those tracks sorta sound like the Ovens, which is not a bad thing at ALL. And as a band, live, they KILL, having recently opened for the Ovens on one of their very rare performances. But we've been waiting for this record for ages, and it RULES.
As if to purposefully frustrate and confuse, as both the Ovens, VC, and all the related groups seem dead set on doing, the record opens with a blast of raw super lo-fi knuckle dragging garage rock, with goofy lyrics, stumbly and chaotic. But then that's definitely a big part of their sound, as much as the weird Pink Floydian psych pop of "Wasted Poets Overflow", a jangly strummy dreamy psychedelic drift, or the Guided By Voices / Ovens style fuzz pop hookiness of "Word Around Town", sung here by Tony from the Ovens, and at just over a minute, a practically perfect slab of lo-fi indie rock / noise pop. Those three songs pretty much lay out the VC sonic blueprint. The rest of the record careening wildly from crunchy angular lo-fi jangle, like on "Hate Is Not An Enemy", with it classic pop chorus, that reminds us of Nick Lowe, albeit a lot more rough and raw, to fuzzed out Stoogesy stomp, like on "Detention Camp", to crunchy sixties pop jangle, a similar sound that the Ovens mine, like on "Bitch For The Blind".
Then there's the hiss drenched lo-fi home recorded ballad "Save My Story" and the fuzzy Teenage Fanclub like "No One Left To Blame" (once again sung by Tony from the Ovens), the stripped down jangle pop of "Don't Ask Why" the classic Yellow Pills power poppiness of "I Don't Know Why", and the killer closer "Wal-Mart Parking Lot", which is some seriously fuzzed out psych pop that wouldn't be out of place on a Purling Hiss record. We could go on and on and on, but needless to say, every track here is a warped pop gem.
Fans of the Ovens, the Sopors, Purling Hiss, Guided By Voices, and any other purveyors of short sharp psychedelic jangle/noise pop, post punk will dig this like crazy!
LIMITED TO 330 COPIES!!
MPEG Stream: "Wasted Poets Overflowed"
MPEG Stream: "Word Around Town"
MPEG Stream: "Hate Is Not An Enemy"
MPEG Stream: "Save My Story"
MPEG Stream: "No One Left To Blame"
MPEG Stream: "I Don't Know Why"

VIOLENT CHANGE s/t (Sloth Mate Productions) cassette 3.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Debut release from this new SF band, born from late great punk pop weirdos the Sopors, who basically went mostly unheard outside of their little scene (which also included tUMULt pop heroes the Ovens!). And while we're doing our best to track down copies of the Sopors lp to review, we've got this new record from Violent Change, at the time of this tape essentially a solo record by Sopors mainman Matt Bleyle, although since, the band has been expanded to an actual group that includes Tony from the Ovens. And all of these mentions of the Ovens is not for nothing, cuz Violent Change definitely has the same sort of pop vibe as the Ovens, but where the Ovens take the Beatles and Weezer and the Champs, Violent Change are a much more twisted and lo-fi proposition, an obvious comparison is definitely Guided By Voices, in fact, we'd imagine fans of GBV would flip for these guys, who kick out perfect pop jams at the drop of a hat, but don't shy away from getting more punky, or twisting a perfectly good pop song into a gloomy chunk of deeply crooned post punk dirgery. That said, the bulk of this tape is some of THEE catchiest lo-fi pop you're bound to hear EVER, with excursion into blasting punk rock, noisy freakouts, and at least one track that is a dead ringer for the Ovens, but the whole thing all fuzzy, and ramshackle and gloriously lo-fi, and punky and catchy and probably the most listened to tape in the shop!!
MPEG Stream: "Suck On The Gun"
MPEG Stream: "Wasted Poets Overflowed"
MPEG Stream: "Feeding In The Dark"
MPEG Stream: "Racist"

VIOLENT CHANGE Suck On The Gun EP (Melters) 7" 5.50
For those who missed out on the super limited demo cassette from this SF lo-fi noise pop / post punk outfit, four of the tracks from that tape, have been re-recorded with a full band for this 7", and sound even better now. As we mentioned in our review of the now out of print tape, VC were born from late great punk pop weirdos the Sopors, who basically went mostly unheard outside of their little scene (which also included tUMULt pop heroes the Ovens!). And while Violent Change, at the time of that tape, was essentially a solo record by Sopors mainman Matt Bleyle, has since then, become a proper band, and now also includes Tony from the Ovens. And all of the above mentions of the Ovens is not for nothing, cuz Violent Change definitely has the same sort of pop vibe as the Ovens, but where the Ovens take the Beatles and Weezer and the Champs, Violent Change are a much more twisted and lo-fi proposition, an obvious comparison is definitely Guided By Voices, in fact, we'd imagine fans of GBV would flip for these guys, who kick out perfect pop jams at the drop of a hat, but don't shy away from getting more punky, or twisting a perfectly good pop song into a gloomy chunk of deeply crooned post punk dirgery. That said, the bulk of this four song 7" is some of THEE catchiest lo-fi pop you're bound to hear EVER, with excursions into blasting punk rock, noisy freakouts, and a moment or two here and there that position VC as a dead ringer for the Ovens, but the whole thing is way more fuzzy, and ramshackle and gloriously lo-fi, and punky and catchy and is definitely convincing us that Violent Change might be our (and possibly your) new favorite local band!
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES, each one hand numbered, includes a download coupon as well.
MPEG Stream: "Suck On The Gun"
MPEG Stream: "Feeding In The Dark"

VIOLENT FEMMES s/t (deluxe edition) (Rhino) 2cd 15.98
First, ever-popular album from this band, featuring such songs as "Blister In The Sun", "Please Do Not Go" and "Gone Daddy Gone". Rhino's deluxe edition tacks on eleven demos and singles tracks, plus a whole extra disc of live material!