CRAUSE, IAN Elemental (Tugboat) cd 9.98
In the mid-90s, Ian Crause had fronted Disco Inferno, one of those difficult to pigeonhole entities that led Simon Reynolds to coin the term post-rock. Crause had also helped out on the fantastic Piano Magic album "Low Birth Weight." Those two elements would make you think that a solo outing should make for an interesting listen... unfortunately not. Instead of experimenting with fractured melodies or electronic treatments on guitars, Crause turns in two tracks of '80s college rock sounding much like The Church.

CRAW Map. Monitor. Surge (Cambodia Recordings) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The new one from this cult heavy/emo/mathrock band.

CRAWLING CHAOS Homunculus Equinox (LTM) cd 21.00
To say that Homunculus Equinox is a more accessible record than Crawling Chaos' preceding album The Gas Chair is certainly true, but also a bit misleading since this album is as complex and weird as the best work of Amon Duul II, Brainticket, or Pere Ubu. The Gas Chair is just that odd of an album! Homunculus Equinox falls considerably far from the grim, Mancunian post-punk sound of Factory Records who released the aforementioned Gas Chair album. Even so, everything from Homunculus Equinos came from the same hours and hours of recordings that the band made during the Gas Chair sessions at their own studio back in 1981. This second album was self-released on their own Foetus Productions as a cassette. It's not really a surprise that Factory didn't release it, as Factory's in-house producer Martin Hannett was disgusted that Tony Wilson might consider releasing something as lo-fi as Homunculus Equinox. The remastering job on this CD renders the album with as much clarity as any given reissue from, say, 1967, but admittedly lacks the pristine surface that Hannett provided to Joy Division.
Homunculus Equinox is wilfully eccentric album, fully aware of its predecessors. Crawling Chaos produced a weird hybrid of indulgant Krautrock psychedelia, bleepity bloopy electronically driven space rock, and post-Morricone melodies that get so epic and bittersweet that it wouldn't be surprising if Quentin Tarantino appropriates Crawling Chaos for one of his upcoming soundtracks. Thoroughly surprising and vigorously challenging.
MPEG Stream: "Danger In Paradise"
MPEG Stream: "Heavy Luv"
MPEG Stream: "Taste Of Honey"

CRAWLING CHAOS The Gas Chair (LTM) cd 21.00
Typically dismissed by Brit-pop collectors as "the worst album to be produced by Factory Records," The Gas Chair is anything but. On the contrary, Crawling Chaos' bizarre fragmentation of art-rock, lysergic psychedelia, and primitive electronics should rank as one of the great, lost art-punk records to be re-discovered. Were it not for the fact that Tony Wilson did sign Crawling Chaos to Factory, The Gas Chair would have surely disappeared entirely never to have been heard again. But because LTM has dedicated their energies to reissuing the remainder of the Factory catalogue from the early '80s, The Gas Chair (as well as Crawling Chaos' self-released 2nd album Homunculus Equinox) have thankfully returned to print, and now here we are singing their praises.
Those Brit-pop afficionados are right in saying that there is very little in Crawling Chaos that has anything to do with the Martin Hannett's production or Joy Division's dour atmospheres or anything that remotely sounds like what a Factory band should sound like. Rather than punk antagonism or death disco grooves, the Crawling Chaos harken back to a broken psychedelia which rewires the already complex sounds of Can, Faust, Joe Meek, Comus, and Cro-Magnon. I'm not even sure that they would have found much solace in contemporaries such as Nurse With Wound, The Residents, This Heat, and The Lemon Kittens. As a result, Crawling Chaos don't really sound like much of anything else; but there is an intellect behind the band which keeps The Gas Chair from merely being weird for the sake of being weird. Elliptical post-punk effect dour brooding; oblique electronics meld with serpentine Arabic melodies; thoroughly disturbing pagan folk songs splattered with psychedelic noise, mirroring Comus and Cro-Magnon; Brian Eno-esque pop idiosyncracies disfigured and dislocated; mechanoid synth-punk workouts repleat with vocoder heavy vocals. There's always the possibility that The Gas Chair is a situationist joke, a grand piece of irony that was smarter than most everything around it. Perhaps the aesthetic wandering appealed to Tony Wilson's situationist desires; and that may be the only reason why he signed Crawling Chaos to Factory.
Regardless, The Gas Chair is infinitely more bizarre than the Homosexuals and executed with much greater panache than Metal Urbain, making it one of the best art-punk reissues to come out in a very, very long time.
MPEG Stream: "Macabre Royale"
MPEG Stream: "Guinness"
MPEG Stream: "Harry"
MPEG Stream: "Sex Machine"

CRAZY PEOPLE Bedlam (Gear Fab) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

CREAM ABDUL BABAR The Catalyst To Ruins (At A Loss) cd 12.98
This monstrous 7 piece experi-metal ensemble has been around for years now. Alternately referred to as either 'that metal band with the trombone player' or 'that band with the worst name ever.' Let's address both of those issues right off the bat. They do indeed have a trombone player. Although his presence isn't nearly as obvious on their older records. And yes, Cream Abdul Babar is one of the stupidest names ever. EVER. But it's like the Flaming Lips, after a while, no matter how dumb the name is, it just comes to be synonymous with the music. I'm at the point where I can actually recommend this band by name without cringing. And recommend them I do. Like crazy. This band fucking rules. Their last EP was one of my favorite records ever! Take a little Neurosis, mix in a little Jesus Lizard, a little metal core, and then, just the way AQ likes it, mix in all sorts of ambient weirdness (think a more DIY, less overtly metal Old Man Gloom). Heavy and hypnotically rhythmic, crushing riffs and screamed/almost sung vocals (almost emo, although on the very violent end of the emo spectrum) and a devastating rhythm section. All this and dark droning, backwards, looped ambience and dreamy shapeless rumbles too. It's so good it almost makes me glad they're called Cream Abdul Babar. Almost.
RealAudio clip: "Kill People"
RealAudio clip: "It's Hard To Sue When You're Laughing"
RealAudio clip: "E Is For Intelligent"

CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION Destructivist (Hactivist) cd 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Brutal noise collage from SF (relocated from Pittsburgh, PA) grind activists Creation Is Crucifixion. Three super long tracks of dynamic harsh electronics and rumbling drones. Comparisons to Bastard Noise inevitable, CIC's aural palette is similarly aligned with that of Monde Bruits or Russell Haswell's.

CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION In_Silico (Scorched Earth Policy) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Reissue (with improved artwork, and a jewel case so Allan can finally buy a copy) of this amazing slab of pummelling grind. Super political, and anti-technology, 1000 mile-an-hour, hyper complex and totally intense grindcore.

CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION / CRITICAL ART ENSEMBLE / CARBON DEFENSE LEAGUE Child As Audience ((R)TMark) cd/book 16.98
Awesome co-operative release between southwestern political grindsters Creation is Crucifixion, Critical Art Foundation and the Carbon Defense League. Beautiful box with a cd/cd-rom and a huge perfect bound book. The book examines the 'reverse engineering of the Nintendo Gameboy' and the concept of child as consumer. Translated into French, Dutch and German, as well as English. The cd contains 3 new tracks from Creation Is Crucifixion, blazing super technical metal grind a la Discordance Axis, as well as 4 ambient tracks with voiceovers relating to the 'child as audience' concept by the Critical Art Ensemble. The cd-rom portion contains development software by the Carbon Defense League. Cool.

CREATURES Anima Animus (Instinct/Sioux) CD 15.98
The Creatures have been a project since the early 80's as the rhythmic outlet for Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshees' drummer Budgie, but since the dissolution of the Banshees, Siousxie and Budgie have had much more time to concentrate on the Creatures project. The previous single "Eraser Cut" was an awesome outing that presented the Creatures with such potential as to possibly jumpstart the entire Goth subculture into finally making a good record again.
Unfortunately, Anima Animus does not live up to such potential. But that doesn't mean this is a bad album. Siouxsie's dark theatrics as the ice queen of the pop world are just as seductive and chilling as from Juju, while Budgie's rhythm section packs a punch of driving beats and eclectic Arabic flares. Glamour photos courtesy of Pierre & Gilles!

CREATURES, THE A Beastiary of (Polydor) cd 28.00
A great time for Siouxie and Budgie fans. Shortly after their stellar reunion tour come two incredible releases and a collection, indeed a beastiary of old ep's, lp's and singles from the early 80's. "Sad Cunt" is one kick-ass track (not on the 10") rolling-out Siouxie's pseudo tribal post-punk, without being retro; an amazing pairing with "Eraser Cut", four songs of Budgie's ecstatic, exotic percussion matched by Siouxie's theatrical chill. A Beastiary of includes the Wild Things ep, "Feast", and the "Miss the Girl" and "Right Now/Weathercade" singles. We are not only excited by these releases; we are grateful.

CREATURES, THE Eraser Cut (Polydor) cdep 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A great time for Siouxie and Budgie fans. Shortly after their stellar reunion tour come two incredible releases and a collection, indeed a beastiary of old ep's, lp's and singles from the early 80's. "Sad Cunt" is one kick-ass track (not on the 10") rolling-out Siouxie's pseudo tribal post-punk, without being retro; an amazing pairing with "Eraser Cut", four songs of Budgie's ecstatic, exotic percussion matched by Siouxie's theatrical chill. A Beastiary of includes the Wild Things ep, "Feast", and the "Miss the Girl" and "Right Now/Weathercade" singles. We are not only excited by these releases; we are grateful.

CREATURES, THE Hai (Instinct) cd 15.98
Having ventured to Japan for the "Seven Year Itch" reunion tour for the Banshees in 2002, Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie (who have also recorded a handful of albums together as The Creatures) had managed to arrange a recording session with Japanese Taiko drummer Leonard Eto. Budgie, already an accomplished percussionist known for his exotic flourishes and militant post-punk stomps, was thoroughly enamoured of Eto, and worked much of that extended session with multiple layers of marimba, gongs, hand drums, and big timpani crashes. But as with the Banshees, the Creatures focus upon Siouxsie's voice, which is as lovely, icy, and sensual as ever. Theirs is a simple formula that has worked well before with minimal accompaniment to Budgie's percussive mantras and Siouxsie's inimitable voice; and Hai doesn't veer off course at all, and is as good as anything that The Creatures have produced in the past.
MPEG Stream: "Say Yes!"
MPEG Stream: "Godzilla"

CREATURES, THE Sad Cunt (Polydor) 7" 4.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A great time for Siouxie and Budgie fans. Shortly after their stellar reunion tour come two incredible releases and a collection, indeed a beastiary of old ep's, lp's and singles from the early 80's. "Sad Cunt" is one kick-ass track (not on the 10") rolling-out Siouxie's pseudo tribal post-punk, without being retro; an amazing pairing with "Eraser Cut", four songs of Budgie's ecstatic, exotic percussion matched by Siouxie's theatrical chill. A Beastiary of includes the Wild Things ep, "Feast", and the "Miss the Girl" and "Right Now/Weathercade" singles. We are not only excited by these releases; we are grateful.

CREEPER LAGOON Remember The Future (Arena Rock) cd ep 8.98
Creeper Lagoon's first post-Dreamworks release finds its home on the Arena Rock Recording Company. An aching melancholia continues to flow throughout the music of this SF quartet (which also made them a perfect presence on the recent Nothing Left To Lose: Tribute To Kris Kristofferson compilation, they did a beautiful rendition of "Why Me"). Each of these five sleekly produced songs is steeped in the lushest of aches and yearnings even despite the uptempo-ness of a couple of them. Spacy, glistening and drifting, it stirred thoughts of an imaginary encounter between the Alan Parsons Project and producer David Fridmann (Sparklehorse, Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev). A lovely, subdued downer affair.
RealAudio clip: "The Way It Goes"
RealAudio clip: "Kisses And Pills"

CREEPER LAGOON Take Back the Universe and Give Me Yesterday (Dreamworks) cd 16.98
Before Creeper Lagoon were originally signed, 'they' were just a 'he,' and Creeper Lagoon was a completely different beast. It was back when San Francisco had more of a 'scene' and had at least a few more (than 2!) clubs to play, and Creeper Lagoon was a sort of home-recorded indie-noise-pop / hip-hop-trip-hop hybrid. A bastard Beck, if you will. Well, a few years have passed, and Creeper Lagoon have become (with no small amount of major label influence, I'd imagine) a regular old indie rock band being primed for MTV and commercial radio. That said, Creeper are still a good band--just a little more faceless than they were. Anyway, I don't think Dreamworks or MTV or Craig Kilborn (where we recently saw them perform a nice but not entirely remarkable song) are necessarily ready for something truly unique. So while this record is not bad--in fact, it's pretty good (great production, great playing)--it's a shadow of something that could have been really amazing.

CREEPER LAGOON Watering Ghost Garden (Spin Art) cd 8.98
Creeper Lagoon are the lauded local band whom the readers of, erm, Spin voted "Best New Artist of 1998" and who play pleasantly warm power-pop/alt-rock. Though this mini-album (6 songs) is certainly impeccably executed, one hopes that with the next album they will manage to blend their influences into a truly original sound, as on this album their influences are all too clear. Two songs sound like mellow Flaming Lips outtakes, and a couple are practically Tom Petty-ish in their doleful melodicism. It's pretty.
RealAudio clip: "Big Money Struggle"

CREEPS ON CANDY Wonders of Giardia (Alternative Tentcles) cd 10.98
Super ass kicking angular new wave. Heavy like you would expect from ex-members of Dead and Gone, but with generous helpings of The Fall, Pere Ubu, Television, Voidoids. Fans of the following should check out Creeps on Candy: VSS, Calculators, Slaves, Jesus Lizard, Neurosis, and East Bay crust-core as well as Chicago no-wave.

CREEPS ON CANDY Wonders of Giardia (Alternative Tentcles) lp 7.98
Super ass kicking angular new wave. Heavy like you would expect from ex-members of Dead and Gone, but with generous helpings of The Fall, Pere Ubu, Television, Voidoids. Fans of the following should check out Creeps on Candy: VSS, Calculators, Slaves, Jesus Lizard, Neurosis, and East Bay crust-core as well as Chicago no-wave.

CRESCENT By The Roads And The Fields (Fat Cat) cd 16.98
Crescent's fourth album By The Roads And The Fields veers towards jazz territory, though their origins began in the Bristol, UK version of post-rock which also spawned Flying Saucer Attack, Amp, and Movietone, whose members circulated through each project. Hints of the Crescent jazz persona were noticeable on their preceding albums Electronic Sound Meditations and the sublime, if overlooked masterpiece Collected Songs; however, those two albums were so encrusted with a thick patina of antique tape echo that the songs themselves decomposed into mere fragments of disembodied organ stabs, slow motion groovy stutters, and monotone vocals. By The Roads And The Fields leaves that tape echo machine in the corner, occasionally kicking it on, but mostly as a flourish to the new direction of Crescent -- a lazy meandering through Spanish guitar chords, sultry Latin jazz rhythms played at an incredibly slow pace, maudlin clarinet skronk, and the vibrato charm of an old electric organ. This isn't full-on Blue Note jazz, but is like a gypsy band of art rockers forgetting and remembering jazz standards while attempting to perform on a sunbleached, empty plaza overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. While holding little actual resemblance, Crescent's push into jazz parallels the loungecore jazz of Bohren and Der Club of Gore and the turgid atmospheres of Labradford. If you don't like jazz at all you might not care for it, but there is something special in this record that a lot of people are going to like.
MPEG Stream: "Spring"
MPEG Stream: "Structure and Form"

CRESCENT Collected Songs (Roomtone) cd 13.98
Due to Bristol's rather incestuous pool of avant rock bands, Crescent's name often appears in conjunction with Flying Saucer Attack, Movietone, Third Eye Foundation, and Amp. As it should, since members of Crescent have performed with all three of those groups. It is a tad disheartening to see customers buy Crescent records with the hope of hearing a cosmic drone of blissful feedback, only to find an antithetical abject muck, and then selling them back.
And you know what, there's absolutely nothing wrong with an abject muck, actually we really like abject muck. If you listen closely to the tracks that Matt Jones (Crescent's mastermind) has appeared on in Amp and Movietone, you'll realise that everything he touches ends up with a gritty lo-fi quality. And for Crescent's third album, he has taken up residence in a Bristol church to capture a rather humid, almost rusting sound on top of his very loose songs. A gothic (NOT in the Trench Coat Mafia definition) sensibility of decaying atmospheres, permeates the slow moving waves of sonorous basslines, loose hammond organ semi-improvisations, and skittering rhythms, somewhere between jazz and krautrock.

CRIB She Is Church (WIN) cd 12.98
Devin Sarno, who recently did a collaborative lp with Nels Cline (see elsewhere in this list, hopefully), here sculpts an aural sprawl of austere drones using only a bass guitar...

CRIME San Francisco's Still Doomed (Swami) cd 14.98
Kudos to John Reis' Swami label for finally making this long-awaited reissue a reality! San Francisco's Doomed featured Crime demos from '78 and '79, first saw the light of day a decade or so ago, and now is remastered and reissued with two bonus tracks and liner notes and photos and all that. So thanks to Swami, SF's *still* doomed. (It's been a good year for "holy grail" punk cd reissues: first Metal Urbain, now Crime!)
I guess there's three sorts of people reading this review: there's the folks who already know this band and have been waiting and waiting for something on cd and will be down here in, like, two seconds to buy a copy. Then there's those of you who have heard *of* Crime but never really heard them, who are curious if they really were as important, essential, kick ass of a punk band as you've been told... well, they are! So get down here now too. Finally, there's those of you for whom Crime is just another name, maybe you've heard of maybe not, but it's got no special significance. For you, the history lesson (in brief): Crime released their first single in '76, proclaiming themselves to be San Francisco's "First and Only Rock and Roll Band". That hyperbole of course ain't quite true but indicates the level of punk attitude you're in for here. Hard rocking, fast, and snotty, Crime were violent and stylish -- they kicked out the jams in SFPD uniforms and shades! This definitely belongs on the same shelf with your Iggy & the Stooges and Dead Boys discs...
This reissue includes 2 alternate-take bonus tracks from the same '76 session as their debut single (btw, a Crime singles comp is forthcoming someday on Revenant, we're told). Very recommended, punk fans! And, like Jim Jocoy's photo book We're Desperate, a reminder of when living in SF was actually probably pretty cool... not that it's not cool to be here now...but there ain't no freakin' bands like Crime prowling the city anymore these days, no sir!!
MPEG Stream: "San Francisco's Doomed"
MPEG Stream: "Feel The Beat"

CRIME San Francisco's Still Doomed (Swami) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Kudos to John Reis' Swami label for finally making this long-awaited reissue a reality! San Francisco's Doomed featured Crime demos from '78 and '79, first saw the light of day a decade or so ago, and now is remastered and reissued with two bonus tracks and liner notes and photos and all that. So thanks to Swami, SF's *still* doomed. (It's been a good year for "holy grail" punk cd reissues: first Metal Urbain, now Crime!)
I guess there's three sorts of people reading this review: there's the folks who already know this band and have been waiting and waiting for something on cd and will be down here in, like, two seconds to buy a copy. Then there's those of you who have heard *of* Crime but never really heard them, who are curious if they really were as important, essential, kick ass of a punk band as you've been told... well, they are! So get down here now too. Finally, there's those of you for whom Crime is just another name, maybe you've heard of maybe not, but it's got no special significance. For you, the history lesson (in brief): Crime released their first single in '76, proclaiming themselves to be San Francisco's "First and Only Rock and Roll Band". That hyperbole of course ain't quite true but indicates the level of punk attitude you're in for here. Hard rocking, fast, and snotty, Crime were violent and stylish -- they kicked out the jams in SFPD uniforms and shades! This definitely belongs on the same shelf with your Iggy & the Stooges and Dead Boys discs...
This reissue includes 2 alternate-take bonus tracks from the same '76 session as their debut single (btw, a Crime singles comp is forthcoming someday on Revenant, we're told). Very recommended, punk fans! And, like Jim Jocoy's photo book We're Desperate, a reminder of when living in SF was actually probably pretty cool... not that it's not cool to be here now...but there ain't no freakin' bands like Crime prowling the city anymore these days, no sir!!
MPEG Stream: "San Francisco's Doomed"
MPEG Stream: "Feel The Beat"

CRIME IN CHOIR s/t (Omnibus) cd 13.98
A sticker on the shrinkwrap proclaims "founding members of At The Drive-In and Hella", but don't go buying it just because of that fact. Really now, this sounds very little like either band (well, maybe they lean towards a more subdued Hella... which sounds like quite a nice thing to me). This is a half dozen very well-executed post-rock instrumentals that are both pretty and driving. My ears perked up even more from the third track "Come Here, Raider" and on when the instrumentation and arrangements get a little more fleshed out. Check it out!
RealAudio clip: "Come Here, Raider"
RealAudio clip: "Worldwide CB"

CRIME IN CHOIR The Hoop (Frenetic) cd 13.98
Leaps and bounds from their already impressive self-titled debut from a couple of years ago, Crime In Choir's second full length reveals sharper chops both in composition and musicianship. They've adapted a much more prog aspect into their post rock instrumental sound with definite shades of Goblin. A sophomore success from this mathy, Moogy San Fran quartet, who now have replaced drummer Zach Hill of Hella with drummer Jay Pellici of Dilute and 31 Knots. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Strong Beautiful Suspicious Horse"
MPEG Stream: "Magnetotail"

CRIME IN CHOIR Trumpery Metier (Gold Standard Laboratories) cd 14.98
You could call San Francisco's Crime In Choir a mathy, instrumental post-rock band, sure. But you could also call 'em a kick ass '70s progressive rock act (except that they're not actually from the '70s...). This is certainly prog rock, a la Van Der Graaf Generator, Yes, Goblin, PFM, Le Orme, Soft Machine, Magma, and other greats from the prog past. Definitely a delight for all the prog-fanciers among us here at AQ. We're pretty thrilled with this album, which we couldn't wait to hear after having just seen these guys live, performing in front of a projection of the 1973 Italian art film La Grande Bouffe, providing their own soundtrack to the gustatory grotesquery on screen. So perfect for Crime In Choir's cultivated brand of ripping, groovy bombast. They deliver on record too, this one (their third) being perhaps their best yet! The energetic pulsations of the crack rhythm section -- CiC's latest drummer extraordinaire* is now Tim Soete of The Fucking Champs, and on this album the bass is played by Seth Lorinczi, formerly of The Quails and long before that, the late great DC prog punkers Circus Lupus -- are matched by the mass of keyboards employed by Kenny Hopper and Jesse Reiner, along with the guitar of Jarrett Wrenn and Matt Waters' sax. Those synths are sometimes sinuous and sizzling, sometimes spacey and soaring, and ever present. And while we know the use of saxophone is a deal-breaker for some folks, Crime In Choir's tastefully restrained saxophonist eschews any smooth jazz cheesiness, either riffing brassily along with the keys and guitar, or supplying spiraling, screeching solos with gusto (when necessary, which is not that often). Definite points for non-sucky use of saxophone in other words! Furthermore, while their '70s prog lovin' sound is right on, so is the songwriting. They've managed to hit that sweet spot for instrumental bands, where these songs -could- have singing (they're melodious enough) but don't -need- a vocalist at all. They'll grab you regardless. File somewhere in between your Champs and Zombi albums, nearby to your collection of '70s progsters, and not far from your Citay cd (another excellent San Francisco band of prog revivalists with whom CiC have shared a member or two). Recommended!
*after having Hella's Zach Hill behind the kit on their first album, and 31 Knots' Jay Pellici on their second.
MPEG Stream: "Measure Of A Master"
MPEG Stream: "Complete Upsmanship"
MPEG Stream: "Land Of Sherry Wine And Spanish Horses"

CRIME IN CHOIR Trumpery Metier (Gold Standard Laboratories) lp 12.98
You could call San Francisco's Crime In Choir a mathy, instrumental post-rock band, sure. But you could also call 'em a kick ass '70s progressive rock act (except that they're not actually from the '70s...). This is certainly prog rock, a la Van Der Graaf Generator, Yes, Goblin, PFM, Le Orme, Soft Machine, Magma, and other greats from the prog past. Definitely a delight for all the prog-fanciers among us here at AQ. We're pretty thrilled with this album, which we couldn't wait to hear after having just seen these guys live, performing in front of a projection of the 1973 Italian art film La Grande Bouffe, providing their own soundtrack to the gustatory grotesquery on screen. So perfect for Crime In Choir's cultivated brand of ripping, groovy bombast. They deliver on record too, this one (their third) being perhaps their best yet! The energetic pulsations of the crack rhythm section -- CiC's latest drummer extraordinaire* is now Tim Soete of The Fucking Champs, and on this album the bass is played by Seth Lorinczi, formerly of The Quails and long before that, the late great DC prog punkers Circus Lupus -- are matched by the mass of keyboards employed by Kenny Hopper and Jesse Reiner, along with the guitar of Jarrett Wrenn and Matt Waters' sax. Those synths are sometimes sinuous and sizzling, sometimes spacey and soaring, and ever present. And while we know the use of saxophone is a deal-breaker for some folks, Crime In Choir's tastefully restrained saxophonist eschews any smooth jazz cheesiness, either riffing brassily along with the keys and guitar, or supplying spiraling, screeching solos with gusto (when necessary, which is not that often). Definite points for non-sucky use of saxophone in other words! Furthermore, while their '70s prog lovin' sound is right on, so is the songwriting. They've managed to hit that sweet spot for instrumental bands, where these songs -could- have singing (they're melodious enough) but don't -need- a vocalist at all. They'll grab you regardless. File somewhere in between your Champs and Zombi albums, nearby to your collection of '70s progsters, and not far from your Citay cd (another excellent San Francisco band of prog revivalists with whom CiC have shared a member or two). Recommended!
*after having Hella's Zach Hill behind the kit on their first album, and 31 Knots' Jay Pellici on their second.
MPEG Stream: "Measure Of A Master"
MPEG Stream: "Complete Upsmanship"
MPEG Stream: "Land Of Sherry Wine And Spanish Horses"

CRIPPLE BASTARDS Misantropo A Senso Unico (Deaf American) cd 11.98
The misanthropic Italian grindcore legends, the one and only Cripple Bastards, return with a brand-new full-length (no, not another singles collection!) on former Brutal Truth drummer Rich Hoak's Deaf American imprint. Giulio the Bastard, Alberto the Crippler, and the rest of the band continue their career of negative, brutal, political grind, as always spitting out short blasts of fast, noisy punk metal with secret prog-rock leanings, recorded raw and lo-fi on shitty equipment (but sounding fantastic). There's either 16 or 109 songs on here, depending on how you count the final track "94 x Flashback di Massacro" which is a re-recording of an old 94-track demo tape!
RealAudio clip: "Misantropo A Senso Unico"

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX A Love Of Shared Disasters (Invada) cd 14.98
What might you expect from a band featuring one part Mogwai, one part Electric Wizard, one part Pantheist, one part 3D House Of Beef (as well as maybe a few other random parts)? Most certainly not this. What we expected was some sort of super heavy, ultra dynamic loud-quiet-loud metal thing, but instead what we got was way more interesting. A moody, melancholic, moody, gothy, Victorian doom folk. Tragic Victorian ballads mixed with moody jangle rock dirges. More Decemberists, Black Heart Procession and Nick Cave than anything remotely metal.
From the opening track, a mysterious sort of sea shanty, we knew this was something completely unexpected. Whipping wind, creaking ship's rigging, chant like vocals, almost like Pirate style "yo ho ho"s, the music in the background wheezing and groaning. The perfect intro to a record of dark desolation and old time misery and sadness.
Recorded on a mix of modern gear and actual Victorian era equipment, these songs play out like miniature epics, the vocals world weary, the guitars shuffle and twang, the drums, mostly brushed, skitter along, the melodies minor key and mournful, while all around, strings moan and occasionally soar, and strange voices drift, harmonic shimmers reverberate in the dark, reverb, delay and echo give everything a washed out feel, occasionally the band does actually rock, but even then, it's some strange old fashioned cabaret, still wreathed in dark whir and murky mystery. On close listening, the songs are rife with all manner of strange microscopic sonic details, voices, creaks and groans, short wave radios, monk-like chants, swirling FX... all very haunting and mysterious, epic and dramatic.
Fans of the Decemberists, Black Heart Procession, Woven Hand, Godspeed and other likeminded cinematic miserablists will definitely dig, as will perhaps some of the more adventurous fans of CBP's members' more metallic pedigrees...
MPEG Stream: "Really, How'd It Get This Way?"
MPEG Stream: "The Whistler"
MPEG Stream: "Suppose I Told The Truth"

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX A Love Of Shared Disasters (Invada) 2lp 26.00
What might you expect from a band featuring one part Mogwai, one part Electric Wizard, one part Pantheist, one part 3D House Of Beef (as well as maybe a few other random parts)? Most certainly not this. What we expected was some sort of super heavy, ultra dynamic loud-quiet-loud metal thing, but instead what we got was way more interesting. A moody, melancholic, moody, gothy, Victorian doom folk. Tragic Victorian ballads mixed with moody jangle rock dirges. More Decemberists, Black Heart Procession and Nick Cave than anything remotely metal.
From the opening track, a mysterious sort of sea shanty, we knew this was something completely unexpected. Whipping wind, creaking ship's rigging, chant like vocals, almost like Pirate style "yo ho ho"s, the music in the background wheezing and groaning. The perfect intro to a record of dark desolation and old time misery and sadness.
Recorded on a mix of modern gear and actual Victorian era equipment, these songs play out like miniature epics, the vocals world weary, the guitars shuffle and twang, the drums, mostly brushed, skitter along, the melodies minor key and mournful, while all around, strings moan and occasionally soar, and strange voices drift, harmonic shimmers reverberate in the dark, reverb, delay and echo give everything a washed out feel, occasionally the band does actually rock, but even then, it's some strange old fashioned cabaret, still wreathed in dark whir and murky mystery. On close listening, the songs are rife with all manner of strange microscopic sonic details, voices, creaks and groans, short wave radios, monk-like chants, swirling FX... all very haunting and mysterious, epic and dramatic.
Fans of the Decemberists, Black Heart Procession, Woven Hand, Godspeed and other likeminded cinematic miserablists will definitely dig, as will perhaps some of the more adventurous fans of CBP's members' more metallic pedigrees...
MPEG Stream: "Really, How'd It Get This Way?"
MPEG Stream: "The Whistler"
MPEG Stream: "Suppose I Told The Truth"

CRISIS Holocaust Hymns (Apop Records) cd 21.00
One of many bands to call themselves Crisis, the British punk Crisis formed in 1977, forging alliances with Rock Against Racism and the Socialist Workers Party. Thus, Crisis established themselves as one of the earliest punk bands to use a musical platform as a vehicle to promote a leftist agenda. Musically, Crisis focused on the tight aggressive punk blueprint already established by The Buzzcocks and Warsaw; and the band broadcast their political messages through rudimentary / easily-decipherable lyrics in the form of anthemic proclamations delivered with an urgent cockney sneer. Over their brief four year career, Crisis' principal songwriters Douglas Pearce and Tony Wakeford (both of whom went on to form Death In June in 1981 with Wakeford later founding Sol Invictus) became disillusioned with the Trotskyist agenda they first espoused and acquired positions that would be more aligned with the aesthetics of anarchism. Holocaust Hymns compiles all of the tracks from their Hymns Of Faith mini LP as well as the tracks from their Peel Sessions and their three singles. Holocaust Hymns is a very important punk document that acts as a curious counterpoint to the bands that came after Crisis, most notably Death In June who has nurtured much controversy around their neo-Nazi imagery.
MPEG Stream: "Holocaust"
MPEG Stream: "White Youth"
MPEG Stream: "Frustration"

CRISPY AMBULANCE Plateau Phase (Factory Benelux) cd 18.98
Thanks to a Joy Division gig in which Cripsy Ambulance's singer Alan Hempsall successfully subbed for a missing in action Ian Curtis, the ties (not just in terms of sound) between Crispy Ambulance and Joy Division became quite solid. With a penchant for gloomy sound
sculptures more than post-punk pop, Cripsy Ambulance at their best could create unsettling almost sci-fi soundtracks, at their worst they fit in the same catagory with Joy Division, In Camera, and Wolfgang Press / Rema Rema (all circa 1981). And that is not a bad thing at all.

CRISPY AMBULANCE The Plateau Phase (LTM Compact Discs) cd 18.98
Thanks to a fateful Joy Division gig, where Crispy Ambulance singer Alan Hempsal successfully and secretly subbed for a missing Ian Curtis, The Ambulance seemed to be cursed with a reputation as pale imitatiors of Joy Division. But while at moments, Crispy Ambulance *are* dead ringers for Joy Division's post-punk pop, they were even more adept at crafting truly creepy gloom and haunting sound sculptures. At their best, they could create unsettling almost sci-fi soundscapes, and at their worst they could hold their own with their early 80's cronies Joy Division, In Camera, Wolfgang Press, etc. Totally excellent.

CRISTINA Doll In The Box (Ze Records) cd 16.98
Yup, things tend to come around full circle, don't they? Cristina and her then husband Michael Zilka conspired to cash in on the whole disco craze of the late '70s but with a biting sense of sarcasm and a smarty-pants arrogance. With Zilka founding the now legendary Ze Records and Cristina releasing the 'artfully dumb' single "Disco Clone" in 1978, the two certainly started out on the right foot. Jump forward some twenty-five years later with a post-punk / avant-disco revival exploding thanks to the likes of the LCD Soundsystem, the Rapture, and the rest of the DFA line-up, and Cristina and her now ex-husband Michael Zilka have conspired to cash in once again with the reissue of her first two albums. Doll In The Box was originally an eponymous LP on Ze, released back in 1980 and was produced by August Darnell (better known as the ringleader of Kid Creole and the Coconuts). Perhaps we're too familiar with the more-clever-than-thou sensibility of LCD Soundsystem's "Losing My Edge" that ripples throughout the entire post-disco retread, but Cristina's Doll In The Box sounds like a pretty straight forward disco album. Mind you, it's a mighty fine disco album with the rhythmic mono-pulse augmented by minimalist barrio swings, goof-ball covers (e.g. "Drive My Car" by The Beatles with Cristina affecting the air-headed breathiness of Marilyn Monroe), and lots of big, brash, baroque string section frilliness.
MPEG Stream: "Blame It On Disco"
MPEG Stream: "Disco Clone"

CRISTINA Sleep It Off (Ze Records) cd 16.98

CROM-TECH s/t (Gravity) cd 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Super weird alien spazz-core, like a no-wave Drop Dead, with "skronk" level set to kill.

CROM-TECH s/t (Slowdime) 12" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The fourth recording from this spastic guitar and drums duo, find them displaying some definite jazz leanings, and sounding more and more like Melt Banana. Short sharp songs of angular piercing guitars, strangled high pitched yelps (in a made up language of course), and epileptic drumming. Totally chaotic and abrasive and pretty darn amazing.

CROM-TECH X-Mas (Troubleman Unlimited) 7" 4.98

CROMAGNON Orgasm (ESP-Disk) cd 15.98
Yet another gem we somehow managed to miss, thankfully newly reissued to give us a second chance. (Well, not all of us missed it. Allan had the previously reissued version at one point, and got rid of it somehow. He just wasn't ready for it back then. Now he owns it again!) And a few of our customers have responded with the customary "Oh that record! I love that record. I've had that record for years." So for those of you, like us, managed to somehow miss it, we present to you Cromagnon.
An anomaly, even on the always far out ESP label, Cromagnon was the result of two top 40 songwriters (accustomed to producing bubblegum pop) who seemed to have completely lost their minds. I mean they must have, to produce something as wacked as this record. Austin Grasmere, Brian Elliot, and their mysterious 'Connecticut Tribe' spewed forth 50 minutes of primitive dada-ist folk psych.
Chanting, tribal percussion, short wave radio, maniacal, almost black metal vocals, hysterical laughter, bagpipes all coalesce into something ridiculous and amazing.
Track one "Caledonia" sounds like a strange hybrid of Comus and In Extremo, with bagpipes, jaw harp, crickets, raspy chants and teutonic percussion ("Caledonia" was even covered later by industrialists Test Department). Later on in the record is an alternate version of "Caledonia" from the b-side of the original lp, slowed down to a third of the speed, producing an impenetratable swampy murk. "Ritual Feast of The Libido" features a groaning and moaning vocal over whirring and rumbling machinery. Then comes "Fantasy", where a faux Beach Boys intro almost convinces us that Grasmere and Elliot have returned to their bubblegum roots, that is until it devolves into a messy seven minutes of garbled laughter and clattering percussion. Today this all still seems pretty damn crazy, so back in 1968 when it was recorded it must have really freaked people out, even despite the pervasive drug culture of the time...
So for those of you who aren't already veterans of the Cromagnon experience, and definitely for those of you who were blown away by the Comus, and for everyone who is in need of a new favorite fucked record, this is it. Now a unanimous AQ fave.
MPEG Stream: "Caledonia"
MPEG Stream: "First World Of Bronze"

CROMAGNON Orgasm (Get Back) lp 15.98
Thought we should mention that we have this slab of classic weirdness on vinyl now too... a favorite old ESP release, not a free jazz session but a freaky hippie jam that couldn't be replicated in this day and age. Here's some of what we had to say about one of the previous cd editions (and it is still in stock in that format, btw):
An anomaly, even on the always far out ESP label, Cromagnon was the result of two top 40 songwriters (accustomed to producing bubblegum pop) who seemed to have completely lost their minds. I mean they must have, to produce something as wacked as this record. Austin Grasmere, Brian Elliot, and their mysterious 'Connecticut Tribe' spewed forth 50 minutes of primitive dada-ist folk psych.
Chanting, tribal percussion, short wave radio, maniacal, almost black metal vocals, hysterical laughter, bagpipes all coalesce into something ridiculous and amazing.
Track one "Caledonia" sounds like a strange hybrid of Comus and In Extremo, with bagpipes, jaw harp, crickets, raspy chants and teutonic percussion ("Caledonia" was even covered later by industrialists Test Department). Later on in the record is an alternate version of "Caledonia" from the b-side of the original lp, slowed down to a third of the speed, producing an impenetratable swampy murk. "Ritual Feast of The Libido" features a groaning and moaning vocal over whirring and rumbling machinery. Then comes "Fantasy", where a faux Beach Boys intro almost convinces us that Grasmere and Elliot have returned to their bubblegum roots, that is until it devolves into a messy seven minutes of garbled laughter and clattering percussion. Today this all still seems pretty damn crazy, so back in 1968 when it was recorded it must have really freaked people out, even despite the pervasive drug culture of the time... definitely for those of you who were blown away by the Comus, and for everyone who is in need of a new favorite fucked record, this is it. Now a unanimous AQ fave.
MPEG Stream: "Caledonia"
MPEG Stream: "First World Of Bronze"

CROOK, MARYROSE WITH THE RENDERERS Ghosts Of Our Vegas Lives (Tinsel Ears) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sure, a lot of people win big in Vegas, but before even hearing New Zealander Maryrose Crook's solo album, we couldn't help but be struck with the thought that the album's title only conjures thoughts of shattered dreams, drowning sorrows, fallen angels and utter bleakness. Upon hearing the music we realize that it too absolutely encapsulates all of that, but it evokes a period long before the neon lights obliterated the starry desert nights. Of course, this is all assuming that the Vegas referred to in the title is the one in Nevada. For much of Ghosts Of Our Vegas Lives, Ms Crook and The Renderers linger in smoldering folk balladry. It's a territory Crook knows and navigates well, but she stokes the flames of country rock for a couple of swaggering numbers late in the album (check out "Blood Of The Angels") also to very good effect.
MPEG Stream: "Ghosts Of Our Vegas Lives"
MPEG Stream: "Blood Of The Angels"

CROOKED FINGERS Bring On the Snakes (Warm) cd 14.98
Also known as former Archers of Loaf-er Eric Bachmann. Here he sounds not unlike a hoarse, embittered Neil Diamond. Join him as he continues his slow ride on the bummer train. Plucking away at his battered old guitar and regaling you with tales of sorrow and pain from an empty boxcar as it creeps and lurches through the hills in the chilly evening air. Taking him farther and farther from his Archers off-kilter pop past. Faint sampled sounds and guest female vocals only add to the sombre mood. With beautiful sleeve art. All parchment-y and translucent like an old aquatic x-ray.
RealAudio clip: "Devil's Train"

CROOKED FINGERS Dignity & Shame (Merge) cd 14.98
As on his past fine releases under the moniker Crooked Fingers, album number four brings us an Eric Bachmann who still sounds a lot like a ragged Neil Diamond (particularly on songs such as the fifth track "Destroyer"), however he now seems far less depressed and on the brink of collapsing off his barstool. In fact as Dignity & Shame starts off with the gently hand-drummed and trumpet-laced song "Islero", you'd almost think you were hearing a lost Calexico instrumental or similarly that you've stepped into a Morricone-scored old western. This lone track does hint at Bachmann's potential for much more expansive atmospheric work, but as the rest of the album sticks to more standard song structures, it seems to be an isolated excursion. Sure the heavy duty aches are still present, but they're tempered by pretty things like the female vocals backing him up on the "Twilight Creeps" and "Sleep All Summer" or the spartan wisps of slide guitar on "You Must Build A Fire". Perhaps this album marks the appearance of a distant light at the end of his lengthy tunnel of melancholia? Y'know, come to think of it, while this album may win Bachmann a few new fans with it's more stable, mellow presentation, it conversely just might bum out a few old Crooked Fingers fans who've loved to ride his serious bummer trips. That said, we think it's sorta nice to hear a few glimmers of hope in Bachmann's music.
MPEG Stream: "Twilight Creeps"
MPEG Stream: "Sleep All Summer"

CROOKED FINGERS Dignity & Shame (Merge) lp 15.98
As on his past fine releases under the moniker Crooked Fingers, album number four brings us an Eric Bachmann who still sounds a lot like a ragged Neil Diamond (particularly on songs such as the fifth track "Destroyer"), however he now seems far less depressed and on the brink of collapsing off his barstool. In fact as Dignity & Shame starts off with the gently hand-drummed and trumpet-laced song "Islero", you'd almost think you were hearing a lost Calexico instrumental or similarly that you've stepped into a Morricone-scored old western. This lone track does hint at Bachmann's potential for much more expansive atmospheric work, but as the rest of the album sticks to more standard song structures, it seems to be an isolated excursion. Sure the heavy duty aches are still present, but they're tempered by pretty things like the female vocals backing him up on the "Twilight Creeps" and "Sleep All Summer" or the spartan wisps of slide guitar on "You Must Build A Fire". Perhaps this album marks the appearance of a distant light at the end of his lengthy tunnel of melancholia? Y'know, come to think of it, while this album may win Bachmann a few new fans with it's more stable, mellow presentation, it conversely just might bum out a few old Crooked Fingers fans who've loved to ride his serious bummer trips. That said, we think it's sorta nice to hear a few glimmers of hope in Bachmann's music.
MPEG Stream: "Twilight Creeps"
MPEG Stream: "Sleep All Summer"

CROOKED FINGERS Red Devil Dawn (Merge) cd 14.98
Admittedly we approached this new Crooked Fingers a bit gingerly. Really, just how far could Eric Bachmann travel down that slippery slope of bummerness? Well, from the looks of this, his third album as Crooked Fingers, it appears he's hit a bit of a ledge of hope and dusted himself off. Earlier recordings drew visions of a lone man completely embittered and beaten down. Hunched over a bar, his slumped shoulders bearing the full weight of his hopeless world as he drowned his sorrows with an endless line of whiskey shots. These days, things are brighter, much more lushly composed. Bachmann's certainly moved beyond the confines of his former bluesy twang in both musical and emotional scope. A clearer vision and broader presentation, it's almost a complete transformation. Still, his voice - warmer and softer than his former rasp - continues to resemble that of Neil Diamond, but overall this is much closer to Badly Drawn Boy or Elliott Smith. Hurrah!
RealAudio clip: "You Threw A Spark"
RealAudio clip: "Disappear"

CROOKED FINGERS Reservoir Songs (Merge) cd ep 10.98
Another all covers collection! What's the deal? Following in the recent pattern of other great bands' lead singers doing questionable solo all-covers releases (Red House Painters' Mark Kozelek, American Music Club's Mark Eitzel, et al), Archers Of Loaf-man Eric Bachmann unfurls his 5-song EP of heavy duty bummed out renditions of tavern jukebox classics by Neil Diamond, Kris Kristofferson, Bruce Springsteen, and Queen/David Bowie. So, how does it sound? Oh my, surprise! He *still* sounds like a haggard, whiskey-soaked Neil Diamond (especially on Diamond's own "Solitary Man"), but now somewhat more weary and gritty with a bit of Tom Waits in him. And on "Under Pressure", strangely enough he sounds like Springsteen. Each song is certainly well-performed with some nice plucky banjo, lap steel, cello, and euphonium, but the actual song choices are a bit, ummm, shall we say... odd. We have to ask, why oh why would he feel compelled to do something that he's gotta know he is going to be ridiculed for?
RealAudio clip: "Solitary Man"
RealAudio clip: "When U Were Mine "
RealAudio clip: "Under Pressure"

CROOKED FINGERS s/t (Warm) cd 15.98
Eric Bachmann has been sad. So sad after the demise of his former Archers of Loaf. He's been hanging out at the rock-star bar along with drunkards who have made their entire careers out of alcohol soaked ballads. Shane MacGowan and Tom Waits are there. So is Tim Foljhan and that guy from Arab Strap. That band... Drunk. Oh, and I think Nick Cave is shooting up in the bathroom with Keith Richards. Courtney Love would have been there but she's trying on Versace dresses and can't be bothered by such things. So, don't expect any quirky pop here, pull up a stool and drown your sorrows.

CROSBY, DAVID If I Could Only Remember My Name... (Atlantic) cd 12.98
When we highlighted those Graham Nash records a while back, some of us were hoping we would soon get other records from the Crosby, Stills Nash and Young camp, especially this one, David Crosby's only solo album of the period, If I Could Only Remember My Name. It took some cajoling to bring this record in as about half the store loves this record to death while the other half, er....well, let's just say they aren't quite as enthusiastic about it. But for those of us who love it, we are glad to finally share it. When you hear people talking about the "West Coast sound", we can't think of a more archetypical record than this. Mellow, shambolic, and laid back with that Laurel Canyon sun-tripped hippie vibe, this is the most sublime and transcendental recording to come out of the vast CSN&Y catalog, and that's including the member's mother bands, The Byrds, The Hollies and Buffalo Springfield. With loose song structures, soaring and often-wordless vocal harmonies, and Dead-ish guitar meanderings (a point of contention with the haters), this record's hippie earnestness may not be for everyone. But it stands as a musical pinnacle for the contemporary folk scene, freak or otherwise, and you can hear its influence clearly on bands like Skygreen Leopards, Bright Black Morning Light and Feathers. Hands down, it's the best wake-and-bake album ever!
MPEG Stream: "Music Is Love"
MPEG Stream: "Laughing"
MPEG Stream: "Song with No Words"

CROSSED OUT Discography (cd) 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
26+ tracks of hate-filled, bile-spewing, ultra-pissed grind. Sounds like old Napalm Death stumbling drunkenly (but at breakneck speed) down a muddy embankment, through an impenetrable swamp, hot on your trail and ready to kill you and gut you! Probably the only grindcore band that mattered (well, them and Drop Dead).