BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE Feel Good Lost (Arts & Crafts / Noise Factory) cd 14.98
Here is the much anticipated reissue of Broken Social Scene's debut album. It's a much more stylistically even-keeled work than their highly acclaimed You Forgot It In People. More moody and post-rocky than its shimmerry and poppy follow up. The atmosphere is mysterious and vapourous with interwoven electronic down tempo grooviness, shimmering guitar string plucking, and slinking basslines. A perfect late night drive album if your vehicle just happens to be a hovercraft that can handle the freeways as well as the ocean.
MPEG Stream: "I Slept With Bonhome At The CBC"
MPEG Stream: "Love And Mathematics"

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE Feel Good Lost (Arts & Crafts / Noise Factory) 2lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON VINYL!
Here is the much anticipated reissue of Broken Social Scene's debut album. It's a much more stylistically even-keeled work than their highly acclaimed You Forgot It In People. More moody and post-rocky than its shimmery and poppy follow up. The atmosphere is mysterious and vaporous with interwoven electronic down tempo grooviness, shimmering guitar string plucking, and slinking basslines. A perfect late night drive album if your vehicle just happens to be a hovercraft that can handle the freeways as well as the ocean.
MPEG Stream: "I Slept With Bonhome At The CBC"
MPEG Stream: "Love And Mathematics"

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts) cd 15.98
All of the tentacles of the ever-evolving Canadian musical entity known as Broken Social Scene are involved in his and her own very active and very awesome musical projects (such as but not limited to Apostle of Hustle, Do Make Say Think, Feist, Metric, Stars, Weakerthans....) so it's not surprising that it often takes years for them to reconvene in a recording studio for a new BSS album. That said, each time they do they waste no time getting reacquainted. It really seems no catch-up period is needed, as they effortlessly breeze right back onto your stereo with some fresh but warmly familiar sounding songs. This time, the core members number a relatively scant six - Brendan Canning, Kevin Drew, Sam Goldberg, Justin Peroff, Charles Spearing, and Andrew Whiteman. Yes, they're all gents, but the awesome BSS female alumni are by no means absent. The triple vocal whammy of Leslie Feist, Emily Haines (of Metric), and Amy Millan (also of Stars) dulcetly shine together on one of the album's sweetest notes "Sentimental X's". The pared down number of band members definitely doesn't mean a paring down of creative juices. Although Forgiveness Rock Record is somewhat less sprawling in both stylistic feel and instrumentation than previous albums, the songs themselves are totally solid, fully realized and craftily arranged. Their sound is pretty unmistakable, at times ultra catchy'n'buoyant and at others dreamily blissed out. We've come to the conclusion that the John McEntire produced Forgiveness Rock Record pairs wonderfully alongside the latest album by their fellow kickass Canadian songsmiths the New Pornographers. The spring is absolutely bursting with delirious pop blossoms from our friends to the north!
MPEG Stream: "Texico Bitches"
MPEG Stream: "Art House Director"
MPEG Stream: "Sentimental X's"

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE s/t (Arts & Crafts) cd 16.98
You know 'em, and (a lot of) you love 'em! Aah, those Canadians! Yup, finally here's a new studio album from Broken Social Scene... almost doesn't need an introduction, does it? But for those who want one... If what you've loved about Broken Social Scene was their jumbled musical allsorts that comprised their 'breakthrough' album You Forgot It In People, hope it doesn't disappoint you to discover that this comes across as a more clearly defined album. It's certainly poppier and more energetic too, like one of the BSS offshoot band Metric. That said, as we've come to expect from the shape-shiftin' BSS, as you listen to this album you'll still be continuously reminded of numerous beloved ol' '90s college rock bands like Dinosaur Jr. Seems to be pretty intentional though, especially if you consider many of the song titles -- for instance, the second song titled "Ibi Dreams Of Pavement" sounds just like, uhh... Pavement, the third one "7/4 (Shoreline)" could easily be a Tsunami tune, etc. A nice way of describing this would be "pleasant in a warm, nostalgic sort of way... like an indie rock quilt". A somewhat harsher way of doing so would be "indie rock muzak". Ouch. Which will it be for you?
MPEG Stream: "Ibi Dreams Of Pavement"
MPEG Stream: "Swimmers"

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE s/t (Arts & Crafts) 2lp 21.00
Now available on vinyl!
You know 'em, and (a lot of) you love 'em! Aah, those Canadians! Yup, finally here's a new studio album from Broken Social Scene... almost doesn't need an introduction, does it? But for those who want one... If what you've loved about Broken Social Scene was their jumbled musical allsorts that comprised their 'breakthrough' album You Forgot It In People, hope it doesn't disappoint you to discover that this comes across as a more clearly defined album. It's certainly poppier and more energetic too, like one of the BSS offshoot band Metric. That said, as we've come to expect from the shape-shiftin' BSS, as you listen to this album you'll still be continuously reminded of numerous beloved ol' '90s college rock bands like Dinosaur Jr. Seems to be pretty intentional though, especially if you consider many of the song titles -- for instance, the second song titled "Ibi Dreams Of Pavement" sounds just like, uhh... Pavement, the third one "7/4 (Shoreline)" could easily be a Tsunami tune, etc. A nice way of describing this would be "pleasant in a warm, nostalgic sort of way... like an indie rock quilt". A somewhat harsher way of doing so would be "indie rock muzak". Ouch. Which will it be for you?
MPEG Stream: "Ibi Dreams Of Pavement"
MPEG Stream: "Swimmers"

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE You Forgot It In People (Arts & Crafts) cd 14.98
Judging from the number of folks who ask about this record and the crazy amount of press they seem to be getting, there's a good chance this might be the next big thing. But does it live up to the hype? I didn't think so at first, but on repeated listens I'm beginning to think it actually does. Part of they hype is based on the fact that Broken Social Scene is a pop band, but a pop band made up of underground experimental luminaries from the Godspeed You Black Emperor/Silver Mount Zion/Molasses/etc. scene, and you *can* tell once in a while, when certain parts turn into stretched out epics and others devolve into cinematic ambience. While those parts do help make the record unique, a pop record is not a pop record without hooks, and thankfully there are plenty of hooks to be found. Their sound is all over the map, from propulsive, heavily affected rhythms, shuffling and overlapping (a la late era Boredoms) to driving three chord NYC skinny tie rave-ups (track 4 sounds SO much like the Strokes) to sort of beat-inspired jazziness to loungy ambience with skittery electronic percussion. Mumbly indie boy vocals slip into warbly falsettos, Nick Drake-ish acoustic guitars lay warm and comfy under lush harmonies, melancholy melodies are obfuscated by really cool weird production, and it all sounds so damn pretty. I hear so many different bands in BSS: Built To Spill, The Strokes, Polyphonic Spree, Trackstar, Muse, Sea And Cake (especially the vocals), Tortoise, The Flaming Lips and even U2. Especially U2 on some parts! With the occasional Chicago-ish horns. Sounds like a mess? Well, it sort of is. But it works.
MPEG Stream: "Almost Crimes (Radio Kills Remix)"
MPEG Stream: "Capture The Flag"
MPEG Stream: "Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl"
MPEG Stream: "KC Accidental"

BROKEN SPINDLES s/t (Tigerstyle) cd 15.98
... is the solo project from The Faint's bassist Joel Peterson, and on many of the tracks here B.S. does indeed closely resemble those Nebraskan new wavers, but minus the vocals (although actually the first track immediately brought to mind the chiming intro to OMD's Dazzle Ships too). Overall though, it's a much more diverse affair: ultra thumpin' rump-shakage, prettily chiming glassy bell / harpsichord-y tones, glitchy digital abrasions, and thick blurts of analog synths. Band lineage aside, this is an adeptly executed collection of cool tracks which veers closely to industrial dance at times, and at others becomes quite moodily atmospheric.
RealAudio clip: "Videosection"
RealAudio clip: "A Dinner Party Ambience"
RealAudio clip: "Connection In Progress"

BROKENCYDE I'm Not A Fan But The Kids Like It (Break Silence Recordings) cd 14.98
By now you've no doubt heard these guys. Or at the very least, you've probably been sent the video for their song "Freaxxx" by a friend (or enemy). It's been viewed on YouTube about eight hundred gazillion times. And at least a gazillion of those times was US!
If we were really honest with ourselves, and based our love of a band entirely on these criteria: how many times have we listened to a specific song by this band, how many times have we watched a video by this band, how many hundreds of people have we sent a video by this band to, and how much time have we spent talking about this band, be it positive or negative? Well in that case these retarded Crunk-core goofs would be our favorite band EVER.
Ever since we first discovered these guys on YouTube, we, as well as many of our friends, have been totally obsessed. A bunch of slacker, girl-jean-ed, spikey hair, indie dorks playing a totally fucked up and dipshitty hybrid of Southern style crunk with all its low slung hip hop beats and buzzy synths, and screamo... the emo offshoot that involved, well, as far as these guys are concerned, lots and lots of screaming. So if you can imagine some white indie rockers rapping about Bentleys and Cristal and bitches and ho's while one of the guys screams dramatically every few seconds, while the band pout and preen, with a bunch of slutty looking indie chicks and a huge pink pig, well, you're either totally disgusted, totally mesmerized, or most likely BOTH.
It's like a trainwreck, both audial and visual, but at the same time, we CAN'T GET ENOUGH. Plenty of our friends have expressed a similar dilemma, an utter and extreme hatred for these guys, but the seeming inability to stop listening to them, watching the videos, or even buying their records. Yeah it's stupid, puerile, dumb as fuck, and a waste of brain cells and airwaves, but in some weird way, it's kind of clever, definitely fun, and to be totally honest, some of the sounds and songs do sorta rule. "Freaxxx" is the obvious jam, watch the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8F5YSA1Oz0
You just can't look away. And it's a little bit catchy. What the fuck?! We've dug way stupider and way more annoying stuff than this in the past, so why not just embrace it. Both Allan and Andee ordered their old ep, which also features the other jam "Bree Bree", the chorus of which is a screamed 'Breeeee Breee' meant to sound like an oinking pig. We shit you not.
So there you go, you can't fight it. You might as well buy it, you may not listen to it on your own, but we guarantee you'll play it for everyone you know. The ultimate "you WILL not believe this shit" disc. Which means in some insanely backhanded way, this is indeed recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Freaxxx"
MPEG Stream: "Booty Call"

BRONX, THE 3 (White Drugs / Original Silence) cd 14.98

BRONX, THE s/t (2003) (Ferret) cd 14.98
Besides having one of the best record covers in recent memory, a fanged mouth with dark viscous blood, dripping down the chin, spelling out THE BRONX, the Bronx also happen to be one of the heaviest, catchiest sort-of-punk-rock bands of the last year. Think a metalcore Strokes, or a poppier Coalesce, or some bastard offspring of Rocket From The Crypt, Quicksand, and the Hives. Garage-y AND poppy AND punky but so crunchy and heavy and completely kick ass. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Heart Attack American"
MPEG Stream: "They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy)"

BRONX, THE s/t (2006) (White Drugs / Island) cd 10.98
When we reviewed the debut full length from The Bronx way back in 2003, we described them as alternately sounding like a metalcore Strokes, a poppier Coalesce, or some bastard offspring of Rocket From The Crypt, Quicksand, and the Hives. And come record number two, not too much has changed. This is supercharged, sweat soaked, furious, foot stomping wild and wooly, heavy and groovy rock and roll. The only real difference is that their sonic palette has definitely expanded a bit. Some tracks are full on blown out near grind metalcore, others are all slithery swagger like some Aerosmith / Stooges mashup. Still others are some sort of stadium ready Southern rock all big choruses and plenty of distorted twang. A couple tracks actually remind us of long gone aggro rock faves Barkmarket, and once in a while we hear some At The Drive In, and the fact is, that the Bronx are a little bit of all of those things. But they take all of those bands, whip the various parts into a serious frenzy and go fucking nuts. And it's pretty damn irresistible. The songs are catchy and fun, heavy and fucked up, but like all the bands they borrow from, they're probably even more lethal live. But for now, if you're in need of some seriously freaked out RAWK, this should definitely hit the spot.
MPEG Stream: "Small Stone"
MPEG Stream: "Shitty Future"
MPEG Stream: "History's Stranglers"

BRONZE Copper (RVNG) lp 19.98
There has been a lot of anticipation hovering around this first full-length from San Francisco's psychedelic darlings Bronze. After a slew of relatively hard-to-find singles, Copper definitely delivers on the promise of those early recordings. No other record in recent memory has created the same conflicting compulsions: both to thrash around like a maniac on the dancefloor and to throw on the headphones while zoning out into outer space. With ultra-minimal instrumentation (at least live), Bronze has managed to mine an untapped vein of post-punk psychedelia. Space-echoed vocals, acoustic drums, and a home-built electronics box the size of a coffee can comprise all of Bronze's (visible) live gear. On Copper, they've flushed out their sound a bit with layers of synths, but not so much that it sounds overproduced or inauthentic. There's so much electronic music saturating record stores (including aQ!) right now, it's extremely refreshing to hear a band that obviously loves and listens to tons of electronic music but still uses acoustic drums. Too many bands that sound dynamic and exciting on record fall flat live because of the lack of an engaging drum sound. Brian Hock is one of the best drummers around when it comes to dance beats. Take a listen to The Vanishing's lp Still Lifes Are Failing if you doubt. Rob Spector, whose voice truly has its own timbre, at times sounds like Perry Ferrell minus the heroin rasp. His clear tone will glide above the music, then, all of a sudden, take a sharp left and dissolve into space-echo debris, creating a transition into the next part of the song. Brilliant. Bronze's electronics mystery man, on this record known as Miles Friction, built his instrument himself. You have to see it to believe it, and even after you've seen Miles play it, you still probably won't understand it. Covered in knobs and a few switches, it looks like a prop from an '80s sci-fi flick, and not a high-budget one.
Bronze's exact sound is difficult to pin down. Try to think somewhere in the range of Silver Apples mixed with Emeralds. Available on vinyl only, there's eight songs in all. One, "The Rouge Became," was available on an earlier 7" in a slightly different form. The vinyl comes with mp3 downloads of the entire record, plus a remix of "Parallels".
The cover has a small piece of actual metal (copper?) glued onto it. It looks super cool, but Copper might be one of those records you can't file in your collection in the normal way because the little metal tab could damage the record next to it. Oh well, guess you'll just have to frame the cover and leave the vinyl forever on your turntable!
MPEG Stream: "Showdown of Sorts"
MPEG Stream: "So Slow"
MPEG Stream: "Parallels"

BRONZE One Night in Mexico (Hex Grammofoonplaten) 7" 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

BRONZE s/t (Hobo Jungle) 10" 14.98
Can't think of a Bay Area band at the moment that's been so consistently capable of blowing us away live more than Bronze. Something so damn refreshing and exhilarating about their approach to rhythmic psychedelic post-punk, a sound overflowing with dizzying synths and syncopated rhythms that totally transport us to another dimension. So psyched we were finally able to get our hands on this, their debut recording. A beautifully packaged clear 10" with a bronze tinted embossed cover (there is a crazy limited edition version with an actual bronze cover! that we might get in at some point, but don't hold your breath!) but the classy packaging is just icing on the cake as it's the two wonderful songs in these grooves that dazzle and delight.
The sounds of underground luminaries like Silver Apples, Public Image Ltd., Suicide, and Throbbing Gristle are the launching point for Bronze's mind melting excursions into swirling and sizzling sonic mystery and melody, but they really do take those influences and craft a sound all their own. Not to be missed live, Bronze's stage presence and delivery are so damn action packed and captivating, and this debut recording offers a really nice glimpse of that fiery disposition. This is a band that truly deserves to get some world wide attention. So damn good!

BRONZE The Rouge Became / Wits (World Famous In SF) 7" picture disk 9.98
In their short time as a band everything that Bronze has touched has pretty much turned to gold... er, bronze. Without even a full length out yet, they've managed to win us and so many others with their mind melting live shows and the great slabs of wax they have put out (we still have a few of the 10"s left!). This brand new picture disc 7" continues their fiery streak, both songs so driving and infectious fueled by analog synths delivered with a Silver Apples like sensation. What's so cool about Bronze is that they aren't just about nailing a certain sound or style but they seem to be really interested in creating cool songs. The vocals are prominent yet they glide and warp with the textured instrumentation, so it all becomes part of the same swaying sound. It's kind of like if you stripped early Jane's Addiction of its LA rock tendencies and wrapped it around a Sonic Boom/Experimental Audio Research soundscape. Can't wait for the debut full length, but these two songs have been keeping us flipping this chunk of wax over and over as we can't get enough of these psychedelic pop gems. Limited to 500 copies so grab one fast. So damn good!

BROOKHAVEN Transitive Verses (Expel) cd 11.98
This new Brookhaven album unwinds like a slow waking from a dream. Nine hazy, mesmerizing instrumental beauties. In turn Transitive Verses brings to mind four 'M's -- M83, Mogwai, My Bloody Valentine and Morricone -- but wholly without being imitative. On this, their follow-up to 2001's Everything That Rises Must Rise, they've taken their music to a whole new plane. Some elements have been retained such as their warm shimmery guitar twang and their blend of acoustic drumming and programmed beats plus some lingering shadows of post-rock-ness, while others have been set aside for the time being. For one thing, although there is a heavier synthesizer presence on this album, this is definitely less woozily spacey than their previous work, and much more composed. Whereas much of Everything Rises took a gradual meandering path that drifted in and out of focus seemingly at random, their new material seems more fully realized, with each song following a more defined arch. The results are ultra dynamic, but somehow still thoroughly gentle at the same time. Wonderful!
MPEG Stream: "Transitive Verses"
MPEG Stream: "Static In The Valley"

BROOKHAVEN When The Chorus Walks (Expel Records) cd 11.98

BROOKHAVEN When The Chorus Walks (Expel Records) lp 11.98

BROSSEAU, TOM Cavalier (Fat Cat) cd 14.98
When we heard Tom Brosseau's last release, his concept album Grand Forks, we sensed his was a voice we'd be looking forward to hearing more from. It's good to know the folks at Fat Cat Records are making sure of it! This is his second album on the label (his first was 2006's Empty Houses Are Lonely). So intimate and immediate, each song is like a view though a magnifying glass held up to his heart. Occasionally the emotional intensity scorches the muted earthiness. Lilting and seemingly from a different time. For an inkling of Brosseau's sound, perhaps imagine a male counterpart to Jolie Holland. Sound good? It does to us! Produced by John Parish.
MPEG Stream: "Amory"
MPEG Stream: "Committed To Memory"

BROTHER JT Maybe We Should Take Some More? (Birdman) cd 13.98
Oh lord, this guy is on drugs... he must be! The man in question is Mr. John Terlesky alias Brother JT who you may be familiar with from his collaborations with the psych-rock combo Vibrolux. Actually he's been deep in the psychedelic scene since the '80s when he was a member of the Original Sins, and with this album it's clear he hasn't strayed from his course. It's a layered, diverse record sounding crazy and sometimes cool and totally laced with LSD. There is some heavy '60s psych guitar, that's nice, and some trippy spiritual stuff, that's somewhat awkward. I couldn't really figure this record out, but it was an intriguing - and at times a bit annoying - listen. Oh and did I mention this is a current release? Just sounds like it's from the drugged out days of yore.
RealAudio clip: "Jesus Guitar / 1st Thoughts"
RealAudio clip: "Moon Chant"

BROTHER JT3 Hang In There, Baby (Drag City) cd 14.98

BROTHERS RAVEN VSS-30 (Digitalis) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

BROTZMANN, CASPAR Mute Massaker (Thirsty Ear) cd 16.98
This latest cd of Caspar Brotzmann's uber-heavy post-Hendrix guitar explorations is now released domestically, although that doesn't make it any cheaper (but it's in a jewel case now instead of a digipak, and if you're a digipack hater like Allan, that's a plus). Beautiful, psychedelic, very good, go Caspar!

BROTZMANN, CASPAR Mute Massaker (Our Choice) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now in on lp! By the way, the review of this on the last AQ-list has come under fire from Allan, who agrees that this is a great record, but can't go along with the idea that it's any more 'ambient' than any other Caspar effort. That idea may in fact have be derived from a positive-but-misleading Terrorizer magazine review we saw...Hey, that's interesting: how many other artists do you see profiled in both the UK's magazine of 'adventures in new music' (The Wire) and the UK's magazine of 'extreme metal' (Terrorizer)? Not too many. Anyway, those who liked the post-Hendrix guitar drone hymns of Massaker classics like 'Koksofen' and 'Der Arbend Der Schwarzen Folklore' should pick this up!
After the crushing records that were 'Koksofen' and 'Merry Christmas' (his collaboration with FM Einheit), 'Mute Massaker' is practically an ambient affair. Six epic tracks,structureless and meandering but somehow completely focused, all starting out quiet and free, but eventually erupting into ferocious bursts of brutal rhythm, walls of thick guitar hum and waves of feedback. Epic and subtly brutal.

BROUGHTON'S RULES Bounty Hunter 1853 (Relapse) cd 14.98
So many modern bands are looking back to the eighties, and even the seventies for inspiration, which quite frankly to those of us who grew up during those decades, seems a bit surprising, and shocking, all of the stuff that seemed cool then, was quickly deemed "what the fuck were we thinking" not too long after, from MTV synth pop to yacht rock to fringed leather jackets to creepers to rubber bracelets to... well you get the point, the kids today are reclaiming out teenage shame and doing their damndest to make it cool.
But what we're waiting for, and it can't be long off now, is the nineties revival, grunge, post rock, math rock, bands who look to Rodan, Pitchblende, Polvo, Bitch Magnet and all those bands for their inspiration. There are definitely a few bands digging into that era, but maybe it's that it just hasn't been long enough for the younger generation to discover that stuff, lots of those bands are still playing, or playing again, which is totally okay, we can wait, as long as SOMEONE is still making that kind of music. And making it well. Which brings us to Broughton's Rules, made up of members of Pittsburgh's legendary math rockers Don Caballero and not so legendary but still bad ass math rockers Blunderbuss (whose song "Broughton's Rules" is where these guys got their name).
The label's spiel is "recommended if you like: Russian Circles, Sonic Youth, Slint, Shellac, Battles Pelican and The Psychic Paramount", and we certainly can't argue with that, we might also throw in the above mentioned bands Rodan, Polvo, Pitchblende, along with Table, Breadwinner, Bastro, Butterglove, Hose.Got.Cable, Crain, June Of 44, The For Carnation, Shipping News, Turing Machine, Phleg Camp, well, you get the drift. Obviously we love this stuff, and are psyched when some band can totally pull it off, and since these guys have basically been pulling it off since back in the day, it should be no surprise that this RULES.
Dense and lush and intricate, moody and melodic, complex and convoluted, heavy and super rocking, mathy and meandering, brooding and moody, droney and blissed out, the songs are epic and sprawling, but manage to still be catchy, and this isn't all instrumental, there are vocals, which make this eminently more appealing to the rest of the maybe-not-so-instrumental-math-rock-obsessed world, and while there is plenty dense heaviness, and some intense mathiness, there are moments that are sunshiney and melodic and major key, a good balance, and a hell of a good record. One of our new faves for sure.
Now bring on the nineties math rock revival!
MPEG Stream: "Bounty Hunter 1853"
MPEG Stream: "Disaster Of The Week"
MPEG Stream: "Night Smoker"

BROUGHTON'S RULES Bounty Hunter 1853 (Relapse) 2lp 23.00
NOW ON DOUBLE VINYL, LIMITED COLORED VINYL TOO!
So many modern bands are looking back to the eighties, and even the seventies for inspiration, which quite frankly to those of us who grew up during those decades, seems a bit surprising, and shocking, all of the stuff that seemed cool then, was quickly deemed "what the fuck were we thinking" not too long after, from MTV synth pop to yacht rock to fringed leather jackets to creepers to rubber bracelets to... well you get the point, the kids today are reclaiming out teenage shame and doing their damndest to make it cool.
But what we're waiting for, and it can't be long off now, is the nineties revival, grunge, post rock, math rock, bands who look to Rodan, Pitchblende, Polvo, Bitch Magnet and all those bands for their inspiration. There are definitely a few bands digging into that era, but maybe it's that it just hasn't been long enough for the younger generation to discover that stuff, lots of those bands are still playing, or playing again, which is totally okay, we can wait, as long as SOMEONE is still making that kind of music. And making it well. Which brings us to Broughton's Rules, made up of members of Pittsburgh's legendary math rockers Don Caballero and not so legendary but still bad ass math rockers Blunderbuss (whose song "Broughton's Rules" is where these guys got their name).
The label's spiel is "recommended if you like: Russian Circles, Sonic Youth, Slint, Shellac, Battles Pelican and The Psychic Paramount", and we certainly can't argue with that, we might also throw in the above mentioned bands Rodan, Polvo, Pitchblende, along with Table, Breadwinner, Bastro, Butterglove, Hose.Got.Cable, Crain, June Of 44, The For Carnation, Shipping News, Turing Machine, Phleg Camp, well, you get the drift. Obviously we love this stuff, and are psyched when some band can totally pull it off, and since these guys have basically been pulling it off since back in the day, it should be no surprise that this RULES.
Dense and lush and intricate, moody and melodic, complex and convoluted, heavy and super rocking, mathy and meandering, brooding and moody, droney and blissed out, the songs are epic and sprawling, but manage to still be catchy, and this isn't all instrumental, there are vocals, which make this eminently more appealing to the rest of the maybe-not-so-instrumental-math-rock-obsessed world, and while there is plenty dense heaviness, and some intense mathiness, there are moments that are sunshiney and melodic and major key, a good balance, and a hell of a good record. One of our new faves for sure.
Now bring on the nineties math rock revival!
MPEG Stream: "Bounty Hunter 1853"
MPEG Stream: "Disaster Of The Week"
MPEG Stream: "Night Smoker"

BROUGHTON, DAVID THOMAS It's In There Somewhere (Bird War) cd 16.98
Described as "One part Devendra Banhart and one part Daniel Johnston", David Thomas Broughton is like a nu-folk version of Ariel Pink. Earnest and heartfelt, but so so so damaged and strange. Incorporating detuned guitars, struggling malfunctioning drum machines, simple lo-fi organs, circusy keyboards, simple finger picked melodies, struggling Casio drum machines, all tangled up in expansive ultra personal folk songs, but folk bathed in lo-fi effects, backwards guitar loops, shimmering ambience, tape hiss, and pretty much whatever else Broughton could get his hands on or figure out how to get some interesting noise out of.
The opening track "The Circle Is Never Complete" is a gorgeous fractured folk fairy tale, a little cabaret, a little torch song, the vocals mumbled and dripping with reverb, the melody melancholy and lilting, the organ slowing down and speeding up, pitches constantly changing, the guitar unfurling delicate melodies, buzzing and scraping, the drums, a stumbling skitter, the vocals occasionally leap out as parts of the song suddenly attain high fidelity before slipping back into muted murk. So dreamy and sweetly sorrowful.
The whole record is an amazing, gorgeous, curious, damaged, child like, forward thinking slab of what-the-fuck folk, some tracks are drawn out and expansive, others are brief little fragments, all woven together into some twisted personal narrative, but the highlight has to be "Gracefully Silent" an 8+ minute drift of simple strum and gorgeous backwards guitar, so instantly warm and memorable, the sort of part in a song, that breaks your heart, especially when it ends and the song moves on to another part. Thankfully, that first backwards shimmer and strum continues throughout the whole track, with the addition of all sorts of mumbled vocals and random conversations, the track just drifts along as if it might continue on forever...
A cobbled together collection of old unearthed tracks, It's In There Somewhere plays as if it was composed to be this single suite of songs, every track perfectly flowing into the next, the record a gorgeous patchwork of dark and moody songsmithery, ramshackle but meticulously crafted, personal and private, a fascinating and lovely abstract bit of damaged folk dreaminess.
MPEG Stream: "Gracefully Silent"
MPEG Stream: "Circle Is Never Complete"
MPEG Stream: "I Don't Want To Believe You"

BROUGHTON, EDGAR BAND Wasa Wasa (Harvest / EMI) cd 15.98
Here's a heavy, hairy hippie band from the late '60s, early '70s British blues/psych/festival scene whom we've never really written about before, but since some cds of their albums just got a domestic reissue, we ought to mention 'em, starting with Wasa Wasa. You could maybe call the Edgar Broughton Band "proto-metal", or maybe even "proto-punk", at least on this album, their 1969 debut, which features such ragged riff sloggers as "Evil" and "Love In The Rain". Their proto-metal never got much harder than here, although their later, less fuzzed/more folked albums are worthwhile too, on their own merits.
The first thing you'll notice about the Edgar Broughton Band are Edgar's vocals, which rasp and wail in an exaggerated, eccentric backwoodsy way, often reminding us of Captain Beefheart, or sometimes a blend of Beefheart and Iggy from the Stooges (check out lead off track "Death Of An Electric Citizen", amongst others, for that). He's great at maniacal ranting too, as on this album's lysergic, 14 minute finale, "Dawn Crept Away". Combined with the heavyish, bluesy guitarwork and general pungent atmosphere n' attitude of radical longhaired freakdom, this is a disc that should appeal to fans of bands like the Groundhogs, Pink Fairies, and Hawkwind, comrades all. Arthur Brown's Crazy World and/or Kingdom Come too. Maybe even the Doors and the 13th Floor Elevators as well.
Definitely a tripped out classic of the era. You surely oughta pick this up before you get that Endless Boogie album we listed last time.
Includes 5 previously unreleased bonus tracks, including a nine minute "Untitled Freak Out"...
Or, in sum, as we said before: If you've been wondering about the EBB... this one's actually kinda heavy in a Pink Fairies psych freakout sorta way. The one to get.
MPEG Stream: "Death Of An Electric Citizen"
MPEG Stream: "Evil"

BROWN RECLUSE Evening Tapestry (Slumberland) cd 10.98
Another winner from Slumberland, the debut from Philly psychedelic sunshine poppers Brown Recluse, who weave warm lush orchestral pop epics, that manage to be mysterious and experimental, but at the same time timeless and classic. Equal parts Elephant Six, Brazilian Tropicalia, sixties symphonic pop like the Zombies and the Bee Gees, as well as the usual reverby pop suspects like Phil Spector and Joe Meek and Brian Wilson, not to mention, there are plenty of modern groups whose sounds are reflected here, whether by design or chance:
Belle And Sebastian, Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, High Llamas, Cardinal, and the way more obscure but HUGELY aQ beloved the Rollo Treadway...
Brown Recluse create their own fantastical pop other world, everything bathed in sunlight and painted bright primary colors, candy coated and wreathed in sparkling glimmering shimmer, all assembled from strange soft shapes, wreathed in reverb, layered and lush, melodies chime and drift dreamily, organs and calliopes evoke some mysterious carnivalesque pop past, the vocals are warm and mellifluous, the harmonies divine, guitars jangle, sometimes fuzzy and crunchy, just as often clean and crystalline, the arrangements are intricate and dynamic, each song like a mini pop(era), lilting and melodic and hooky and catchy and fuzzy and ethereal, soaring strings, horns, fluttering flutes, simple programmed beats, shuffling drums, all woven into one of the dreamiest collections of hazy classic psychedelic power pop we've heard in ages. Blossoming a little bit more every time we play it, this is fast becoming contender for pop record of 2011!
MPEG Stream: "Hobble To Your Tomb"
MPEG Stream: "Impressions Of A City Morning"
MPEG Stream: "Statue Garden"

BROWN RECLUSE Evening Tapestry (Slumberland) lp 13.98
Another winner from Slumberland, the debut from Philly psychedelic sunshine poppers Brown Recluse, who weave warm lush orchestral pop epics, that manage to be mysterious and experimental, but at the same time timeless and classic. Equal parts Elephant Six, Brazilian Tropicalia, sixties symphonic pop like the Zombies and the Bee Gees, as well as the usual reverby pop suspects like Phil Spector and Joe Meek and Brian Wilson, not to mention, there are plenty of modern groups whose sounds are reflected here, whether by design or chance:
Belle And Sebastian, Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, High Llamas, Cardinal, and the way more obscure but HUGELY aQ beloved the Rollo Treadway...
Brown Recluse create their own fantastical pop other world, everything bathed in sunlight and painted bright primary colors, candy coated and wreathed in sparkling glimmering shimmer, all assembled from strange soft shapes, wreathed in reverb, layered and lush, melodies chime and drift dreamily, organs and calliopes evoke some mysterious carnivalesque pop past, the vocals are warm and mellifluous, the harmonies divine, guitars jangle, sometimes fuzzy and crunchy, just as often clean and crystalline, the arrangements are intricate and dynamic, each song like a mini pop(era), lilting and melodic and hooky and catchy and fuzzy and ethereal, soaring strings, horns, fluttering flutes, simple programmed beats, shuffling drums, all woven into one of the dreamiest collections of hazy classic psychedelic power pop we've heard in ages. Blossoming a little bit more every time we play it, this is fast becoming contender for pop record of 2011!
MPEG Stream: "Hobble To Your Tomb"
MPEG Stream: "Impressions Of A City Morning"
MPEG Stream: "Statue Garden"

BROWN, BOBBY The Enlightening Beam of Axonda (Akarma) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The minute we first heard this we knew it was something weird and wonderful. Not to be confused with the Bobby Brown of "My Perrogative" and Whitney's boy-toy fame, this Bobby Brown was a Hawaiian surfer dude (check out his hair / shirt / puka shell necklace on the cover as well as song titles like "My Hawaiian Home") who in 1972 decided to share his "Universal One Man Orchestra" as well as his bizarre personal message of physics and religion (that's the Enlightening Beam Of Axonda, dig?) that his one man orchestra was designed to accompany. Confused? The Universal One Man Orchestra was a homemade percussion / string instrument incorporating elements of various instruments as varied as the Irish harp, sitar, hammer dulcimer, thumb piano, flute, koto and more, with a total of 311 strings in all, some of which were adapted to be played with the feet. The whole contraption designed so Brown could perform all of these songs live, as a one man band. As weird as that all sounds the end result is gorgeous, and darkly romantic, and not on the surface noticably 'weird'. A rich bed of buzzing sitar strings, throbbing bass and keening distant sonic wails, over a complex rhythmic framework, sort of African, sort of tribal, but very subtle and simple. Brown's voice is probably the most distinctive element, a thick, rich throaty croon, sounding at times quite a bit like Nick Drake. Supposedly Brown had a vocal range of six octaves (!) but the only time it's really noticable is when he pitches down to a chest rattling rumble, before soaring right back up to a tenor or almost-falsetto. These dreamy, slowly developing songs are scattered with all sorts of bizarre sound effects, presumably also produced by his home made orchestra, but sounding remarkably like some primitive synthesizer or ring modulator. In addition to creating the 'orchestra' he also built his own electronic pickups from discarded computer parts! If it weren't for the instrumentation and the bizarre lyrics, The Enlightening Beam of Axonda is so sweetly melodic and darkly beautiful, it definitely sounds like it could have been really popular outside the trippy hippy folky crowd that dug it at the time. There's even testemonials in the liner notes from Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys and Kenny Loggins! Here's a description of the record in Brown's own words: "An original contribution to the field of Religion And Science -- based on physics -- to my knowledge not yet discovered by other humanoids -- more Evolutionary than Einstein's revelations of Newtonian physics -- the application of this physics will perhaps (in fact) lead to the most significant change in the history of humanity (plus total religious unity.)" Wow. Not so sure about that. But we can guarantee that this will find a perfect home amidst all of your other wild and weird, folky and freaky cds. Note: this is an Italian import and everything's closed there for the month of August, so if when we run out we won't get more 'til September, so act fast or please be prepared to be patient.
MPEG Stream: "I Must Be Born"
MPEG Stream: "My Hawaiian Home"

BRUCES, THE The Shining Path (Misra) cd 14.98
The plurally named Bruces is actually lone gent Alex McManus. If his name doesn't immediately ring a bell, the folks he's played with sure will -- Lambchop, Vic Chesnutt, Bright Eyes. The multi-instrumentalist McManus has crafted a mesmerizing album of hushed, earthy folk. Very haunting and atmospheric, especially on songs like "Pilot Light" and "Nerviosa". Fans of the above mentioned artists as well as Mountain Goats and Will Oldham should certainly lend an ear to The Bruces. Wonderful!
MPEG Stream: "The Electric Halo"
MPEG Stream: "Pilot Light"

BRUCES, THE The War of the Bruces (Misra) cd 14.98
Alex McManus -- longtime member of Lambchop, musical collaborator with Vic Chesnutt, and touring member of Bright Eyes -- releases a second solo album under the moniker The Bruces. Super sincere, quiet, singer-songwriter material in the vein of the aforementioned acts, plus Wilco. McManus' voice has depth, somewhere between Jay Farrar and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.
RealAudio clip: "Do Si Do"

BRULLEN Schatzitude (Buback Tontrager) cd 14.98

BRUMIT, JON Vendetta Retreat: Motion Picture Soundtrack (Edgetone Records) cd 10.98
Jon Brumit's last audio outing was a a sonic tour through the city dump, a dark delirious soundscape of found sounds, rickety malfunctioning equipment, all manner of scratched records and discarded tape decks, broken down computers, all cleverly and gorgeously woven together into one of the coolest weirdest records we've heard. On Vendetta Retreat, the soundtrack to a yet to be released film, Brumit seems to have honed those already impressive organizational and compostitional skills, resulting in a record that had both Allan and Andee running to the front of the store to see what the heck was playing. In fact everytime we play this in the store everyone wants to know what we're playing as well. Vendetta Retreat starts off as a super minimal slab of "skipping cd" style plunderphonia, a super intense and spare soundscape of ultra brief fragments of found record, bursts of electric guitar, the briefest snatch of a vocal line, tiny frgaments of record crackle -- not sure if Brumit's sound source is still the junkyard, but it definitely sounds like maybe it is. These sparse musical fragments create a strange disembodied melody, jagged and compellingly imprecise. Eventually, the empty space behind these bursts and shards fills up with a darkly propulsive electronic framework, minimal and murky, a distant framework for the Brumit's strange Jeck-style broken turntable workout.
The second track takes the rough edit sound collage of the first track and fills it out with wild octopoidal tribal drumming, massive swells of cymbal sizzle and percussive bombast and wave after wave of layered drones, guitars thick with distortion and other effects, hiccupping loops buried beneath, barely audible, adding more texture than anything else, a huge swirl of rumble and whir like a noisier more abstract Growing, or Finnish hypnorockers Circle at their most unhinged and densely ambient. The final track is the logical extension of the track before, taking a dense swath of droney dirge as its fundamental loop, a repeating hypntotic stuttering krautrocky groove, that goes on and on and on (and if we had our way would keep going on and on forever). Imagine your favorite Circle record or some classic Faust track, with a scratch right in the middle, so it skips repeatedly, an unintentional loop, the perfect pulsing hypno riff, the best chunk of hazy repetitive riffing you can imagine, then over the top drape bits of gentle guitar filligree and clouds of disembodied notes. So amazing. One of those tracks that need never stop, we'd be happy to just drift off and bliss out until the end of time. The track evenutally falls apart, the riffs fade and dissipate, the jagged bursts of sound fragments return, this time even more strangely obtrusive, and wreathed in dense halos of echo and delay that send those shards reverberating into the ether, while underneath, the original minimal groove returns, also a bit more affected and damaged, until the whole thing fragments into its constituent parts before finally blinking out with one final blast of disembodied sound. Wow. Can't wait to see the film. And actually the film will be a compilation of clips and shorts collected over the next year, there's information on how to submit footage inside the cd. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
MPEG Stream: "Invisible / Hu / Man"
MPEG Stream: "Geography / Nowhere"

BRUNER Songs For A Friend (Numerophon) lp 15.98
One-sided lp of fragile loner folk by Linda Bruner, the female singer of recently discovered sixties psych band, Pisces. One original and five covers. Just her voice fraught with sadness and a guitar. Spare and lovely. The B-side features an etching of the cover photo.

BRUNETTES, THE Structure & Cosmetics (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
On the opening tune of their debut album The Brunettes defied our expectations that they were gonna sound something along the lines of cute-as-a-button sweetheart couples pop a la Mates Of State. Somewhere between the musical gangs The Polyphonic Spree and The Go Team, this new duo's song "Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth" is sitting pretty. That said, after the song's swirling bright chorus singing ends, the rest of the album settles into a more compact boy'n' girl presentation with tasteful orchestral pop flourishes here and there. It's definitely on the dreamboat Beatles-y side of the pop meter. Lyrically they sing about the frilly, the frivolous, and the strangely mundane. On the fourth song "Her Hairagami Set" and the fifth "Credit Card Mail Order", they sing about, you guessed it, hair accessories and credit card mail orders. Yeah, we know, we get it, they're metaphors, but still... Embedding social commentary in pop song lyrics can be a sticky business, easily coming off heavy handed, bluntly obvious, or simply awkward. Although they get props for the effort, The Brunettes haven't quite got that side of things down...
MPEG Stream: "Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth (B-A-B-Y)"
MPEG Stream: "Credit Card Mail Order"

BRUNO, BOBB Mellowdramas (Sleeping Giant Glossolalia) lp 14.98
Most folks probably know Bobb Bruno as the guitar player in sunshiney retro poppers Best Coast, although some aQ-ers no doubt know him as the man behind ultra heavy guitar/drums duo Goliath Bird Eater, and still others might remember him as a member of late great nineties indie rock weirdos the Polar Goldie Cats, so with all that in mind we weren't sure what to expect from this long in the works solo record, on which Bruno plays everything, but has some notable guests along for the ride (including Nels Cline, and Josh Klinghoffer from the Red Hot Chili Peppers!).
The title is your first clue, as these are in fact mellow sonic dramas, the opener is a dark, dreamy gloom pop gem, all murky chordal whir, shimmery organs, and some gorgeous torch song vocals, courtesy of Kandyce Lynn Crane, the song smolders and slithers, peppered with pizzicato strings, sounding a bit like a moodier creepier Best Coast actually, the music could maybe be a Best Coast 45 spinning at 16rpm, but regardless it's so lovely. The second track is another dark pop gem, this one more orchestral, sweeping and grand, a dreamy softly fuzzy epic, laced with some cool droned out buzz, it's the sort of sound you might have expected from Cardinal back in the day. "Loveletter" is another symphonic pop number, all swirling soaring strings, swaddled in mysterious electronic chitter, the melody theremin like, hazy and lush and again so lovely, the guitars warm and buzzy, and when the drums finally kick in, the song slips into a Mazzy Star like shoegaze drift, all dreamy slowcore, and again, the song features a cool, weirdly effected super melodic guitar solo.
The vocals return on "We Know You Know" which is all low slung, electro-skitter, which quickly blossoms into a sort of dubbed out Portishead-y downtempo shuffle, but with lush squalls of super distorted guitar and some gorgeous wordless vocals, the sound dark and dramatic and a little bit gothic, sounding like a more post punk shoegazey Zola Jesus, which is not at all a bad thing.
"Loners" is all murky lysergic slow jam, with James Blake like distorted slo-mo soul vox, the sort of track Balam Acab or Clams Casino might conjure up, woozy and washed out, warped and warbly. "Near Ecstasy" starts off all minimal and fuzzy, with some sweetly crooned vox, again sounding very goth, almost Kate Bush like at times, all over an almost krautrock sounding groove, wreathed in flanged synths and swirling gauzy thrum, and then finally, the record finishes with "Over", a strange bit of experimental synthscaping, that sounds like it was modeled after some Beach Boys outtake, pounding chords, overlapping, all over a hushed shimmer, finally coalescing into a fuzzy chunk of dream pop, with a sweet tinkling chime melody, only to seemingly melt into a warped stretch of druggy murk, that sounds more like the Skaters than anything, but a gorgeously tripped out finish to a pretty fantastic record. Not at all what we were expecting, but all the more exciting for that. Definitely for fans of dark, lush pop and hazy electronic dreaminess, we're actually digging this like crazy!
Cool bloody panda bear sweat sock cover art!
MPEG Stream: "Building"
MPEG Stream: "Look Out The Window"
MPEG Stream: "Loveletter"

BRUNO, BOBB The Shy Tuff Bunny Runs Away (Transparency) cd 14.98
Bobb Bruno plays in the quirky, instrumental LA post rockers the Polar Goldie Cats as well as in The For Carnation, but that might not prepare you for this, his *very different* solo disc, an instrumental electronica thing kinda in the Aphex Twin mould (also we'd compare this to: Lesser, Concentrick, Matmos). Weird, crunchy, noisy mad scientist soundtrack stuff with beats and sometimes melodies amid abrasive spastic metallic outbursts. Very frenetic and constantly in flux. Unlike a lot of current computer jockeys, it doesn't seem like Bruno's trying to hard to be cool or trendy, and he's into guitar as well as electronics -- indeed the ubiquitous (but always great) Nels Cline shows up playing slide on one song. We like.
RealAudio clip: "Jmic"
RealAudio clip: "Last, Lone"
RealAudio clip: "GWIII"

BRUNO, FRANKLIN A Cat May Look At A Queen (Absolutely Kosher) cd 13.98
Though we all believe Franklin Bruno a great songwriter, he's taken off on a journey all his own and I'm having trouble following along. It's a lot of "showtunes"-style adult contemporary, and at times sounds like he's trying to be, um, Gilberto Gil...or Wayne Newton. I tried, really I did, but I don't like this at all. Your mileage may vary, though, and given Bruno's past stellar work, I highly recommend you check out the soundclips yourself. Hokey, goofy and happy with twangy, irritating guitar, and cheesy horns. This is the lead singer of Nothing Painted Blue, whom we all think was great and half of the Extra Glenns, also highly regarded. This is his third solo album, with nice production values, half recorded with Dave Trumfio (Wilco, Mates of State, Handsome Family) and half with Craig Schumacher (Calexico, Giant Sand, Brokeback). Guests include members of Calexico, Nothing Painted Blue, Refrigerator and Jonathan Richman's band.
RealAudio clip: "Dashboard Issues"
RealAudio clip: "Lies On Your Lips"
RealAudio clip: "Janet Shaw"

BRUNO, FRANKLIN A Sand Dollar Relief Map (Shrimper) 7" 3.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

BRUNO, FRANKLIN Kiss Without Makeup (Absolutely Kosher ) cd 14.98
The indie-rock darling of loquacious eloquence turns from the smarty-pop of Nothing Painted Blue to the lounge stylings of the bittersweet crooner.

BRUNO, FRANKLIN Transubstantiation (Dark Beloved Cloud) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Crystal-perfect solo recordings by one of the most eloquent phraseturners around, Franklin Bruno of Nothing Painted Blue. Pressed onto clear vinyl on New Zealand's famous South Island manually-operated (?) lathe (meaning small print runs only), this single is strictly limited to 100 copies and is *only* available at 2 stores worldwide, Aquarius Records and Other in NYC.

BRUSH!? s/t (Shadoks Music) cd 15.98
Kudos to Shadoks for searching this one out! We'd never have heard it otherwise, and we're glad we did. Dude from early '70s Japanese psychedelic proto-metallers Flied Egg (who sounded a bit like Blue Cheer, and recorded for Vertigo!), by the name of Masayoshi Takanaka, made his recording debut in 1971 (yup) with this rare rare rare album of underground hippy conceptual weirdness, called Brush!? (punctuation theirs, but deserved). Quite a few other Japanese psych scenesters of the day participated as well. Results? There's some truly freaked out shit here, and some really lovely, folky parts too. It's an eclectic mix of the following ingredients, and more: acid fuzz guitar rockin', atonal electronic experiments, gentle pop grandeur, organ drones, raga-like jamming, avantgarde piano improv, Velvets/Dylan balladry, and West Coast/Woodstock Nation psych. In other words, all over the place, and pretty darn tripped out!! Hearing reissues of interesting '70s Japanese psych acts like Brush!?, Flied Egg, Far Out, Food Brain, Strawberry Path, Les Rallizes Denudes, etc. etc. it's clear that all the great psychedelic underground outfits active in Japan today, from Acid Mothers Temple to LSD-march to Green Milk From The Planet Orange to (of course) the Boredoms, are keeping alive a grand tradition begun some 30+ years ago!
Includes 20 page cd booklet full of all kinds of cool photos and drawings and lyrics (many of 'em in English). Seriously, we're pretty sure that if you could just take one look inside this cd booklet, you'd want to hear the album! On one of the tracks, in addition to musician credits for sitar and tabura [sic], we see this: "Lafing [sic]: Elf, Fairly [sic], Goblin." and "Effects: Crow, Raven, Fowl, Triton." WTF?? The song titles are good too: "All Most Cut Your Hair (including) I Did Cut My Hair", "Die A Dog's Death (In Vain)", and "Tomb Stone".
MPEG Stream: "The People Of Glass"
MPEG Stream: "Foolish Guy"
MPEG Stream: "Die A Dog's Death (In Vain)"

BRUTAL SNAKE Tiny Stubborn Lights Vs. Clustering Darkness (Diagnosis...Don't!) cd-r 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not only do the Grey Daturas kick up a serious noiserock ruckus, they also run their own cd-r label, the mysteriously titled Diagnosis... Don't! There are three new releases, and we managed to get a handful of each.
These guys have a soft spot in their little black hearts for NOISE with a capital N, as do we, and here comes Brutal Snake to give it to us. BUT, this isn't shrieking hissing facemelting noise, no, this is dark and ominous, creepy crawly, rumbling dronelike noise, which just happens to be our favorite. Lengthy expanses of black ambience, slow burning swells of muted guitar fuzz, deep cavernous tremors rumbling in the background, like watching black clouds drift by, each a gauzy wisp of low end shimmer, slowly changing shapes and spreading out across the sky. Totally and gorgeous and foreboding.
SUPER LIMITED cd-r (aren't they all?) ONLY 50 COPIES!!! Packaged in a cool stiff textured paper sleeve, with a complicated folded over Japanese style obi holding the disc in place, with the liner notes printed on the inside.
MPEG Stream: "Tiny Stubborn Lights Vs. Clustering Darkness Pt. 1"
MPEG Stream: "Arrows/Decades"

BRUTE HEART Lonely Hunter (Soft Abuse) cd 14.98

BRUTHERS, THE Bad Way To Go (Sundazed) cd 13.98

BRYANT, JIMMY Frettin' Fingers (Sundazed) 3cd 47.00

BRYANT, SHELBY Luscious (Smells Like) cd 13.98
We have to admit that when we first got this in, we jumped to the conclusion that Shelby Bryant was a gal singer/songwriter. Heh heh, Andee even misread aloud the album cover as "Shelby Lynn". Anyways, this Shelby is a fella, and he sings in a scruffy, thoughtful voice. His unassuming indie pop tunes brought to mind early Death Cab or perhaps a one-man Polyphonic Spree! Have to say though that his song "Patterns" drove us a bit nuts with it's relentless sing-song counting lyrics. Might be good for kids though!
MPEG Stream: "Wound By A Key"
MPEG Stream: "Patterns"

BS 2000 Simply Mortified (Grand Royal) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
As we're told in the liner notes, BS 2000 is Amery Smith and Adam Horowitz (aka one Beastie Boy). And they proceed to crank out the cheeziest of drum machine beats and meep-meep-y keyboard sounds. Silly dork music with lyrics that would make John S. Hall of King Missile smirk. No doubt they had a goofy good time recording this. And perhaps you too may have a goofy good time listening to it... but probably nowhere near as good.