DESTROYER Destroyer's Rubies (Merge) cd 14.98
Don't wanna sound corny, but... awww to hell with it, we've gotta say that this Vancouver band must've plucked their Rubies from the Wicked Witch Of The West's ruby red slippers cause there's some magic happening here. Wow! Bandleader Dan Bejar's eccentric blend of folk, glam, psych and pop reaches new heights and depths on this, their sixth album. Destroyer's Rubies positively overflows with confidence, ambition and grandeur. Over the years, Bejar's music has drawn comparisons (by us and other folks) to the elder likes of Robyn Hitchcock, Harry Nilsson, David Bowie and Cat Stevens. This kinship has primarily resided in the lilting warbly vocal department, but there's also a good deal of similar shading in each of the songwriters' often cryptic and deeply personal tales. Ever the nomadic troubadour traversing the wilds of Canada at whim, Bejar's lyrical storytelling takes a similar roaming, stream of consciousness path. And it's such a pleasure to be able to join him for this ten song spell. Check out the album's centerpiece, and definitely one of its highlights "Looter's Follies". Fantastic in every sense of the word!
MPEG Stream: "Rubies"
MPEG Stream: "Looter's Follies"
MPEG Stream: "3000 Flowers"

DESTROYER Destroyer's Rubies (Scratch) 2lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on vinyl thanks to his Vancouver buddies at Scratch Records -- and with, on side D, a 23 minute bonus track to boot!!
Don't wanna sound corny, but... awww to hell with it, we've gotta say that this Vancouver band must've plucked their Rubies from the Wicked Witch Of The West's ruby red slippers cause there's some magic happening here. Wow! Bandleader Dan Bejar's eccentric blend of folk, glam, psych and pop reaches new heights and depths on this, their sixth album. Destroyer's Rubies positively overflows with confidence, ambition and grandeur. Over the years, Bejar's music has drawn comparisons (by us and other folks) to the elder likes of Robyn Hitchcock, Harry Nilsson, David Bowie and Cat Stevens. This kinship has primarily resided in the lilting warbly vocal department, but there's also a good deal of similar shading in each of the songwriters' often cryptic and deeply personal tales. Ever the nomadic troubadour traversing the wilds of Canada at whim, Bejar's lyrical storytelling takes a similar roaming, stream of consciousness path. And it's such a pleasure to be able to join him for this ten song spell. Check out the album's centerpiece, and definitely one of its highlights "Looter's Follies". Fantastic in every sense of the word!
MPEG Stream: "Rubies"
MPEG Stream: "Looter's Follies"
MPEG Stream: "3000 Flowers"

DESTROYER Streethawk: A Seduction (Misra) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now that Daniel Bejar has left the New Pornographers (yes, sadly it's true) to return to his solo wanderer's journey (with stops already in Spain and Montreal), this album appears almost as a marker of the occasion. Fear not, the NPs will continue forth, as will Destroyer. A much less pop venture than his previous full length "Thief", but still retaining the similar vocal delivery to that of Modest Mouse's Isaac and still giving a nod to the wonderful songsters Harry Nilsson and Robyn Hitchcock. Mind you, moments of this sound dangerously close to pop eccentric Jad Fair.
RealAudio clip: "English Music"
RealAudio clip: "Strike"

DESTROYER Thief (Catsup Plate) cd 14.98
Lead by one very talented Daniel Bejar - a fellow whose voice and songwriting draw shades and moods reminiscent of those of Robyn Hitchcock, Harry Nilsson, and Cat Stevens but ends up sounding like a more twee Modest Mouse (his voice is occasionally a dead ringer for Isaac Modest Mouse's indie warble)- Destroyer is a veritable Vancouver indie rock supergroup. Starring such notables as Jason Zumpano (yes, drummer and namesake of the wonderful Sub Pop pop group Zumpano here handling piano and keyboard duties) and John Collins (bassist/producer who has donned the colours of garage pop vets The Smugglers, The Evaporators, not to mention the noise pop crowd known as Superconductor). On 'Thief', Destroyer exhibits similar pop polish and flourish as that of Zumpano. At times rollicking, at times sensitive, pretty and low key. A great summer album.

DESTROYER This Night (Merge) cd 14.98
At long last Destroyer (aka Dan Bejar and co.) receives some well-deserved widespread distribution, thanks to the wonderful Merge Records. The previous three albums (Thief, City Of Daughters and Streethawk) were released on small indies, and as a result probably haven't reached as many hungry ears as they deserve. For those unfamiliar, apart from his fine solo efforts Mr. Bejar was also a significant songwriting force along with Carl Newman for the New Pornographers' Mass Romantic album, lending his distinct, slightly more eccentric lyrical twists to their pop magic. But shortly thereafter, he took to the road, travelling from Vancouver to Montreal, Spain, New York, and who knows where else. Somewhere in there he found time to write and record these fifteen songs. A modern day roaming minstrel? He's joined on this album by Fisher Rose (former NP drummer), Chris Frey and Nicolas Bragg. This Night is full of his oft-obtuse, yet deeply poetic writings, and is perhaps his most fleshed out, lush and consistent album to date. Swimming against the current flood of singer/songwriter folk-inflected melancholia, Bejar's songs do more than tug at the heartstrings or play with the emotions. This is not the music of a quick fix although his sweet jangly pop hooks do surface every so often ("Here Comes The Night"). Almost seeming from a different time, the first three songs alone will sweep you up into his world - keeping you on your toes with tempo shifts and his particular vocal inflections - and draw you back again with each listen. Recommended.
RealAudio clip: "This Night"
RealAudio clip: "Here Comes The Night"
RealAudio clip: "Trembling Peacock"
RealAudio clip: "Goddess Of Drought"

DESTROYER This Night (Merge) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yes, now on vinyl! At long last Destroyer (aka Dan Bejar and co.) receives some well-deserved widespread distribution, thanks to the wonderful Merge Records. The previous three albums (Thief, City Of Daughters and Streethawk) were released on small indies, and as a result probably haven't reached as many hungry ears as they deserve. For those unfamiliar, apart from his fine solo efforts Mr. Bejar was also a significant songwriting force along with Carl Newman for the New Pornographers' Mass Romantic album, lending his distinct, slightly more eccentric lyrical twists to their pop magic. But shortly thereafter, he took to the road, travelling from Vancouver to Montreal, Spain, New York, and who knows where else. Somewhere in there he found time to write and record these fifteen songs. A modern day roaming minstrel? He's joined on this album by Fisher Rose (former NP drummer), Chris Frey and Nicolas Bragg. This Night is full of his oft-obtuse, yet deeply poetic writings, and is perhaps his most fleshed out, lush and consistent album to date. Swimming against the current flood of singer/songwriter folk-inflected melancholia, Bejar's songs do more than tug at the heartstrings or play with the emotions. This is not the music of a quick fix although his sweet jangly pop hooks do surface every so often ("Here Comes The Night"). Almost seeming from a different time, the first three songs alone will sweep you up into his world - keeping you on your toes with tempo shifts and his particular vocal inflections - and draw you back again with each listen. Recommended.
RealAudio clip: "This Night"
RealAudio clip: "Here Comes The Night"
RealAudio clip: "Trembling Peacock"
RealAudio clip: "Goddess Of Drought"

DESTROYER Trouble In Dreams (Merge) cd 14.98
Chock up another dandy from Destroyer! Love, travel and other projects (New Pornographers, Swan Lake, Hello Blue Roses among others) sure haven't kept Daniel Bejar from his main musical outlet. Unlike many other multi-taskin' music folks these days, with Bejar nothing gets the short end of the stick. You can always count on consistently high caliber pop songcraft, artful arrangements, wryly witty and obtuse lyrics, and that voice -- equal parts Donovan, Marc Bolan, and Cat Stevens. Ultra liltingly sensitive and so darn Canadian-earnest! And it's all stamped with the indelible, unmistakable mark of the Bejar... Free spirited and fantastic!
MPEG Stream: "Foam Hands"
MPEG Stream: "Leopard Of Honor"

DESTROYER Trouble In Dreams (Merge) lp 21.00
Chock up another dandy from Destroyer! Love, travel and other projects (New Pornographers, Swan Lake, Hello Blue Roses among others) sure haven't kept Daniel Bejar from his main musical outlet. Unlike many other multi-taskin' music folks these days, with Bejar nothing gets the short end of the stick. You can always count on consistently high caliber pop songcraft, artful arrangements, wryly witty and obtuse lyrics, and that voice -- equal parts Donovan, Marc Bolan, and Cat Stevens. Ultra liltingly sensitive and so darn Canadian-earnest! And it's all stamped with the indelible, unmistakable mark of the Bejar... Free spirited and fantastic!
MPEG Stream: "Foam Hands"
MPEG Stream: "Leopard Of Honor"

DESTROYER Your Blues (Merge) cd 14.98
Always keeping his audience on their toes and following his own eccentric whim, Canadian musical vagabond Dan Bejar (also an erstwhile member of the New Pornographers) shook things up a bit and took a slightly different path for this, his fifth Destroyer album. He, along with (fellow New Pornographer) John Collins and Collins' JC/DC Studio partner Dave Carswell, brought his trusty acoustic guitar and percussion to the recording sessions, but also chose to delve into the land of MIDI programming! We heard rumors a month or so ago about this being an album of radical changes for Bejar, however the actual results aren't all that drastic nor alienating nor all that MIDI apparent. In fact, they're pretty darn consistently top-notch Bejar albeit much more grand and lush in orchestration a la Van Dyke Parks or Bacharach. Give a listen to one of the album's highlights, the lovely "New Ways Of Living". Aaaah, definitely right up there with his last few albums! More gorgeously heartfelt, melancholy epic pop, with Bejar's unmistakable keening sad boy voice that always gets us!
MPEG Stream: "New Ways Of Living"
MPEG Stream: "What Road"

DESTROYER AND FROG EYES Notorious Lightning and Other Works (Merge) cd ep 10.98
Geez Mr. Bejar, the paint is barely dry on your last album Your Blues and you're already revisiting and reworking some of those songs! Unlike other artists whose intentions (and their record label's) might be more suspect (i.e, marketing ploys, etc), Bejar's artistic sincerity is untarnished. You do believe that this ep's existence is not due to an unhappiness / dissatisfaction with his previous renderings. No, not at all. Instead, perhaps inspired by the volatile artistry of his recent tourmates (and AQ faves) Frog Eyes, Bejar has approached these songs with a slightly more unhinged vision. Whereas Your Blues was thoroughly composed and grand, this is much more stripped down and guitar-driven. The contrast is immediately noticeable from just one look at the two releases' cover art - the subject matter is the same, but the brush and pen strokes are drastically different, one is calmly shaded while the other is almost violently slashed out. What these six songs really unveil though is the fresh, potent chemistry that flows between Bejar and the Frog Eyes crew who perform with him on this release. Sparks fly with a tingly energy! Check out one of the cd's highlights, the title track "Notorious Lightning" on which F.E. mainman Carey Mercer joins Bejar at the mic. Pretty darn great! Should cause much cross-pollination between the two bands' fanclub memberships.
MPEG Stream: "Notorious Lightning"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Become The Thing You Hate"

DESTROYER AND FROG EYES Notorious Lightning and Other Works (Merge) 12" 10.98
Now on vinyl!
Geez Mr. Bejar, the paint is barely dry on your last album Your Blues and you're already revisiting and reworking some of those songs! Unlike other artists whose intentions (and their record label's) might be more suspect (i.e, marketing ploys, etc), Bejar's artistic sincerity is untarnished. You do believe that this ep's existence is not due to an unhappiness / dissatisfaction with his previous renderings. No, not at all. Instead, perhaps inspired by the volatile artistry of his recent tourmates (and AQ faves) Frog Eyes, Bejar has approached these songs with a slightly more unhinged vision. Whereas Your Blues was thoroughly composed and grand, this is much more stripped down and guitar-driven. The contrast is immediately noticeable from just one look at the two releases' cover art - the subject matter is the same, but the brush and pen strokes are drastically different, one is calmly shaded while the other is almost violently slashed out. What these six songs really unveil though is the fresh, potent chemistry that flows between Bejar and the Frog Eyes crew who perform with him on this release. Sparks fly with a tingly energy! Check out one of the cd's highlights, the title track "Notorious Lightning" on which F.E. mainman Carey Mercer joins Bejar at the mic. Pretty darn great! Should cause much cross-pollination between the two bands' fanclub memberships.
MPEG Stream: "Notorious Lightning"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Become The Thing You Hate"

DESTRUCTO SWARMBOTS The Mountain EP (Public Guilt) cd ep 7.98
What kind of sounds would you expect from a band called Destructo Swarmbots? Don't bother guessing because you'd probably be way off. No squealing, grinding metallic mayhem here, instead this mysterious duo offer up three extended tracks of warm and creepy, fuzzy rumbling drone. As if you were sneaking through a mazelike series of tunnels, only to discover a whole legion of Destructo Swarmbots, secretly toiling away in an underground cavern, assembling some mysterious organic machine, and the huge space reverberates with the ominous humming and whirring of the 'bots incessant laboring. Definitely for the drone minded among you. Cool 3" cd packaged in a normal sized jewel case.
MPEG Stream: "36 Beautiful Songs"

DESVEAUX, ANGELA Wandering Eyes (Thrill Jockey) cd 14.98
Ahh, the eyes they may be wandering, but Canadian country/folk songstress Angela Desveaux knows where she's goin' with her impressive debut on Thrill Jockey. Indeed, her first full length is a remarkably accomplished, golden affair with quite a luminous array of guests, mostly pals from a little Montreal music scene you just might be familiar with (former Arcade Fire drummer Howard Bilerman, Hanged Up's Genevieve Heistek, Harris Newman, Wooden Stars' Mike Feuerstack, and Mike Moya of Molasses, Set Fire To Flames, Hrsta et al). She alternately brings to mind the sweet youthful earnestness of current girlish singers such as Jenny Lewis or Laura Veirs and the aching world weariness and womanly wisdom of Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch (in press photos she actually looks like she could be Welch's long lost younger sister), leaning more heavily in the range of the latter two. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Heartbeat"
MPEG Stream: "Good Intentions"

DETROIT COBRAS Baby. (Bloodshot) cd 14.98
While we're sure the Detroit Cobras remain as volatile and fiery as ever in the live setting, but for their newest album Baby, it sounds like they've toned down the flammables just a bit. At a few points in the very first song, it wouldn't seem at all unlikely for the band to segue right into "Dancing In The Streets" (the original Martha & The Vandellas version, not the Bowie/Jagger one, mind you!), we bet they'd do a pretty rad rendition (that is, if they haven't already, which wouldn't be at all surprising since covers make up the bulk of their repertoire). Perhaps, this might disappoint a few of their old fans who are more accustomed and addicted to the sweat'n'whisky soaked retro blues rawk recklessness, but it just might win them a bunch more on their surprising new label home, the Americana haven Bloodshot Records. When taken in the context of their new usually alt-country-centric label digs, the guitars take on more of a desert twang, the bass a more gunslinger stance, and the drums a galloping pace. But of course it's Rachel Nagy's soulful vocals that define the Cobras' ultra rad sound, and as always her performance keeps you riveted right up front and center. Psst, this is an 'enhanced cd' which means it includes a video for their tune "Cha Cha Twist"!
MPEG Stream: "Slipping Around"
MPEG Stream: "The Real Thing"

DETROIT COBRAS Life, Love And Leaving (Sympathy For The Record Industry) cd 13.98
This is the second full length from this band, not new really but worth bringing to your attention. They really do live in Detroit, they don't tour much, but when they do they put on a kick ass show, see them if you get a chance. As I (Sadie) wrote in my review of Mink Rat or Rabbit, they formed back in 1994, and two albums, 3 singles, and several personnel changes later, they are still kickin' serious garage ass!!! Sure, they -are- a cover band: they cover mostly old Stax / Motown songs, but the ones they pick, and and the fire and fury and sexiness and funkiness that they add is what makes them so special. Lead singer Rachel has the deepest sexiest voice ever. EVER! Fans of old soul and garage, especially the Nuggets and Pebbles comps definitely need to check these cats out!!
RealAudio clip: "Hey Sailor"
RealAudio clip: "Find Me A Home"
RealAudio clip: "Cry On"

DETROIT COBRAS Mink Rat or Rabbit (Sympathy For The Record Industry) cd 13.98
This is yet another cd that is not new but is -so- important to our Sadie that we are listing it now. "Mink Rat or Rabbit" was the first release by this lovely Detroit quintet, a band I just can't shut up about. I've convinced, like, seven of my friends to buy this and when I play it in the store someone always wants to buy it. The Detroit Cobras formed back in 1994, and two albums, 3 singles, and several personnel changes later, they are still kickin'. Yes, they are a cover band. They cover mostly old Stax / Motown songs. But the ones they pick, and how they do it, is what makes them so special. They add just the right amount of snarl and toughness. Lead singer Rachel has the deepest sexiest soul voice ever. God you have to hear it. I would do anything to have a voice like hers. They also do obscure covers of more current stuff, like Greg Oblivian's "Bad Man" (track 5), in which they changed the lyrics from self deprecating to mean and dissing: "I'm a bad girl but I'm too good for you". Anyone who likes old soul and garage has to hear this band. I know they are all covers but some of the covers are *better* than the originals and that is saying a lot when you know the covers are of artists such as Otis Redding, Ike Turner, Irma Thomas and Ronnie Mack! For fans of the tougher songs on the Nuggets and Pebbles compilations for sure.
RealAudio clip: "Putty (In Your Hands)"
RealAudio clip: "Bad Girl"
RealAudio clip: "Slummer (The Slum)"

DETROIT COBRAS Tied & True (Bloodshot) cd 14.98
We weren't expecting a new album yet from the mighty Detroit Cobras, but they went and surprised us with the super satisfying Tied & True. On this their fourth full length they continue on with the more 'reigned in' but no less potent approach heard on their last album Baby -- exuding barrels of '60s girl group charm and sass coverin' old Stax and Motown gems in their own tight yet loose rock'n'roll fashion. All the raw grit, the sultry soul and the lusty blues you've come to love and count on from this band is here in spades. This time around Rachel Nagy's always awesome, lusty voice frequently reminded us of a young Chrissie Hynde. Go figure! Great stuff!
MPEG Stream: "As Long As I Have You"
MPEG Stream: "Puppet On A String"

DETROIT COBRAS Tied & True (Bloodshot) lp 14.98
NOW ON VINYL!!!!!
We weren't expecting a new album yet from the mighty Detroit Cobras, but they went and surprised us with the super satisfying Tied & True. On this their fourth full length they continue on with the more 'reigned in' but no less potent approach heard on their last album Baby -- exuding barrels of '60s girl group charm and sass coverin' old Stax and Motown gems in their own tight yet loose rock'n'roll fashion. All the raw grit, the sultry soul and the lusty blues you've come to love and count on from this band is here in spades. This time around Rachel Nagy's always awesome, lusty voice frequently reminded us of a young Chrissie Hynde. Go figure! Great stuff!

DEUTER Aum (Kuckuck) cd 15.98
Out of all the classic New Age artists, the one that gets a definite pass around here is Deuter. Though many of his later records (Nada Himalaya excluded) venture into the cheesier areas of the new age genre, his early records are great examples of German kosmiche music and are just as good as Popol Vuh, Cluster and Agitation Free. For instance, Aum, which we just got in to list for the first time (though it's not a new reissue). Aum was recorded in 1972 and released a year after his debut record, D. While D was more about tape effects and studio experiments, Aum is his first obvious venture into a more spiritually based musical practice. Sounds of storms and birds, guitars and flutes open up the disc in what could be a track by South American psych-folk groups Satwa or Congregacion (or even Citay or The Alps!). But the following tracks venture into a quiet but pensive meditation of tablas, and warbling bass, simmering sitar drones and subtle chanting. The track "Sattwa" is a sitar and piano interaction while "Surat Shabda" is a trance-y exploration using ethnic percussion instruments. But the longest and prettiest track is "Susani", an eight minute delayed electric guitar excursion around a few rhythmically repeating chords over low minor key vocal drones and far off ocean swells that burn off into a fading hum. It's definitely one of those limbo records, mining a deeper territory of minimalist composition with psychedelic effects that would eventually be marketed as New Age. But this is long before that genre got ruined, and any fan of the bands mentioned above should check this out for sure!
MPEG Stream: "Phoenix"
MPEG Stream: "Soham"
MPEG Stream: "Morning Glory"

DEUTER D (Kuckuck) cd 15.98
We finally got a hold of this reissue of electronic home-recording Krautrocker Deuter's first album. Subsequent releases devolved into New Age lameness, but this one, from 1971, is quite brilliant, a hallucinatory affair of studio experiments, tape effects, and guitar explorations. For fans of Sand, early Kraftwerk, or most of the Kranky contingent.

DEUTER Nada Himalaya (New Earth) cd 16.98
This was given to me as a gift, from a friend who shares the same love of the deep dark ominous drone as we do, and before he let me unwrap it, he had all of these provisos: ignore the horrible cover, promise to listen to it before you pass judgment, ignore the fact that it's on New Earth records and that it says "Music For Meditation" on the cover, ignore the rainbow logo and the cheesy landscape, ignore the blurbs on the back cover, basically, try to ignore everything BUT the music. I did, and I'm so glad I did. So now we must do the same for you, faithful AQ customer. Listen to the sound samples, close your eyes and let these gorgeous mystical drones carry you off.
Some of you may know of Deuter before he went all 'new age' -- he was responsible for D, an awesome early '70s Krautrock document of studio experimentation, tape effects, and guitar explorations. While this is a completely different beast, and may have been intended for a whole different audience, it's actually quite stunning. This definitely holds up to any of our favorite dronelords, Chalk, Coleclough, Mirror, in fact this is another one of those releases that if it were some super limited homemade cd-r imported from Finland packaged with twigs and some wire, people would be freaking out BIG TIME! So let's just pretend that this IS some weird obscure drone cd-r, that way we can skip all the bullshit and totally dig in to this divine droney drift.
Made completely from the sounds of Tibetan bells, bowls and chimes, these two tracks (skip the third track, a two minute recording of a burbling stream) are lengthy gorgeous meditational drifts, a deep sea of overlapping tones, shimmering resonance, slowly drifting ovetones, beating gently against each other, creating a dense swirl of microscopic colors and warm subtle shadings. Nearly fifty minutes of divine drone, simultaneously dark and ominous, bright and dreamy, close listening reveals layer after layer of hidden almost-melodies, super subtle mysterious sonic events, a divine dreamworld of deep drifting ambience. So totally and utterly amazing. Pretty awesome that one of our favorite new drone records is not a cd-r from Finland, but a cd from a German ex-hippie new age guru living in New Mexico. Fuck yeah!
MPEG Stream: "Nada Himalaya 1"
MPEG Stream: "Nada Himalaya 2"

DEVENDRA BANHART White Reggae Troll (XL) 12" 6.98
Special one sided, vinyl-only single featuring the 10 minute long "White Reggae Troll". This half-reggae / half punk disco jam, often performed live as an encore, shows Banhart stretching the freak-folk genre down a few different rollicking avenues. We believe this is a one time only pressing, so once they're gone we're not sure we can get them in again! Plus it's called WHITE REGGAE TROLL!!!

DEVIANTS Ptooff! (Get Back) lp 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Italian vinyl-only reissue of Mick Farren's 1968 pre-Pink Fairies psych-proto-punk band's best-loved album.

DEVIANTS, THE Ptoof! / Disposable (Mason Records) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

DEVIL DOLL Dies Irae (Hurdy Gurdy) cd 17.98
Another disc of horrifying progressive creepiness from Italian underground masters of the bizarre and the frightening, Devil Doll. Never was a band more suited to scoring horror films (since Goblin), but Devil Doll don't, they just weave epic and haunting filmless scores, leaving it to your imagination to come up with the ghastly images that must surely accompany music this horrific. Dark and meandering, strings and organs, and this time around a female opera singer accompanies Mr. Doctor's inhuman falsetto howl/growl. This is so good. Imagine a weirder, and occasionally more metal Goblin, with a vocalist who is Diamanda Galas, Dani Filth and Sainko Namtchylak all wrapped up in one hunchbacked pointy-eared hobgoblin. So good.
RealAudio clip: "One"
RealAudio clip: "Two"
RealAudio clip: "Three"

DEVIL DOLL Eliogabalus (Hurdy Gurdy) cd 17.98
Still even more haunting and lush frightscapes from this Italian troupe of musical miscreants. Orchestral and progressive and heavy and occasionally carnivalesque. Super distorted creep-out piano abruptly shifts to a melancholy soundscape underpinning mad Mr. Doctor's maniacal whispers as duelling distorted cellos and halloween violins explode into a haunted carnival complete with shuffling snares, burping tubas and violent squalls spinning from side to side courtesy of some extreme stereo panning. Imagine Godspeed You Black Emperor if they were raised on King Crimson and ELP, were forced to watch Fulci and Argento movies non stop, while listening to Wagner and Eighties Metal, huffing ether and drinking absinthe. Then add the most insane frontman ever, incorporating the best (or worst) parts of Marilyn Manson, Serge Gainsbourg, Rob Halford, the Gyuto monks, Dani Filth (Cradle of Filth), Geddy Lee, Klaus Nomi and Diamanda Galas. Ridiculous, amazing, and so completely recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Mr. Doctor"

DEVIL DOLL Sacrilege Of Fatal Arms (Hurdy Gurdy) cd 17.98
Another Devil Doll record that we finally managed to get our hands on. This is apparently a fan club only re-release and the sleeve warns that "this music can alter your mental health". It sure is strange enough that it might make you wonder what the hell you're listening to. An orchestra tunes up, some polite applause and then a Sousa-style march that is interrupted by what sounds like an Italian politician whipping an angry mob into a frenzy. Then it gets serious. Strings and organ accompany sinister chants in a liturgy of the damned that turns into a Goblin-esque prog workout. It's a crime that some horror film director didn't grab these guys cause they make some of the most tense, evocative faux soundtrack music we've heard (although this is supposedly an actual soundtrack). About 6 minutes into it, the Devil Doll we all know and love starts to materialise, with the unmistakable strains of Mr. Doctor's hissed/whispered/growled vocals taking over and leading the listener through a surreal maze of terror and insanity. Fans of Goblin will love this. One eighty minute track.
RealAudio clip: "The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms"

DEVIL DOLL Sacrilegium (Hurdy Gurdy) cd 17.98
More Devil Doll insanity. It seems unfair to always compare Devil Doll to Goblin, but it's sort of unavoidable as they both traffic in the same creepy proggy nightmarescapes and they are both so good. To be fair though, Devil Doll have more room to play since they aren't composing for actual films, which ends up making them a lot stranger. 'Sacrilegium' begins with a bang, soaring organs and seventies prog slowly overtaken by a demonic choir chanting some sacred rites. Then, Mr. Doctor, the high priest of Devil Doll, begins his serpentine recitation, of mysteries and tales of horror with his warbling raspy falsetto. Truly haunting and fucking far out. Again it's the vocals that keep this band so cult, but if you ask me, it's exactly what makes this band so amazing.

DEVIL DUB s/t (Black Hole) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Bay area "dub" band (which may actually be called Ben Wa, it's hard to tell) that features the likes of Buckethead, DJ Disk, Brain, and M.I.R.V.

DEVIL'S ANVIL, THE Hard Rock From The Middle East (Rev-Ola) cd 15.98
We LOVE this album, and have for a long time. We first reviewed a reissue of this "exotic" 1967 garage-fuzz gem back in 2001, in fact making it a Record Of The Week. That reissue was a somewhat odd 2-fer-1 deal that included an album by another, pretty much utterly unrelated '60s psych band, The Freak Scene, kinda cool but not Middle Eastern styled like The Devil's Anvil. And it was The Devil's Anvil that was the real treasure on that disc, as far as we were concerned. If you haven't heard it yet, you're in luck, 'cause it's just been reissued again, getting a disc all to itself this time, courtesy of vintage rock specialists Rev-Ola, who do their usual nice job with the packaging and all.
The cover art shows the band hangin' in the desert in front of the pyramids of Egypt - but don't be fooled, they were actually mostly Arab-AMERICANS, based in New York City. Still, their rock n' roll was as authentically "Middle Eastern" as their Turkish contemporaries. They could have held their own with the likes of Erkin Koray and Mogollar.
The Devil's Anvil got together in the happenin' mid sixties Greenwich Village scene, playing their Middle Eastern influenced music at folk cafes and rock clubs. Eventually they hooked up with classical musician-turned-rocker Felix Pappalardi (producer of Cream's Disraeli Gears, later to play alongside Leslie West in Mountain). He began playing bass with the band and eventually scored the group a record deal. The resulting album was truly one-of-a-kind and would certainly made greater impact had it not been released on the very eve of the Arab-Israeli war in 1967. Thus, we're told no New York radio stations would play it and unfortunately the album has remained an expensive collector's find until its cd reissue.
The rock contained herein is absolutely kick ass, with bluesy and impassioned Arabic vocals, electric (or at least amplified) oud, bouzouki, tamboura, durbeki as well as the usual rock suspects of (fuzz!) guitar, bass and drums. The majority of the tracks here are either rock arrangements of traditional Middle Eastern and Greek numbers or original compositions, but a couple are actually straight traditional numbers with no western instruments at all. Plus there's an excellent Middle Eastern-esque rock arangement of surf classic "Misirlou" (of course, a song with its roots originally in Greek rembetika) that's perhaps the best version ever recorded, in our humble opinion. And the record ends with a Devil's Anvil original that kinda reminds us of one of the Beatles' more Eastern-influenced tunes. This is about as good as it gets. Very, very highly recommended! Nay, ESSENTIAL.
The cd booklet of this new reish includes original album graphics along with brand new liner notes from one of the writers at Shindig magazine, and a blurb on the back that just might have been parapharased from -our- Record Of The Week review of this album.
MPEG Stream: "Wala Dai"
MPEG Stream: "Shisheler"
MPEG Stream: "Hala Laya"
MPEG Stream: "Basaha"

DEVIL'S BLOOD, THE Come, Reap (Profound Lore) cd 10.98
Profound Lore brings us this cd ep (five songs, nigh on 28 minutes) from The Devil's Blood, a female-fronted Dutch psychedelic hard rock act from Holland, who possess (or are possessed by?) a Satanic/occultic lyrical bent. Claiming inspiration from vintage sixties and seventies proto-metal and psych, The Devil's Blood have quite a lot in common with another "Blood" band with a witchy female vocalist reviewed here just last list, Blood Ceremony. We bet the two would get on famously. They sound different enough though, TDB not being so overtly retro-doom-metal, and more of a rockin' deal, no flutes or nothin'. Some '70s progginess comes in from the keyboards, infusing these tracks with cinematic bombast, but while this doesn't quite sound modern, it's not like they're trying to recreate the music of an earlier era, exactly, either. Although, like Witchcraft, they're big Roky Erickson fans, and cover the Rok's "White Faces" here.
Vocally, Jex Thoth haters might again have issues, but perhaps not. We're reminded a bit of Heart (who kicked ass upon occasion, don't you forget it, or let Sarah Palin ruin "Barracuda" for you). How else to describe this? Maybe imagine if Shocking Blue sang about Satan, and of course were quite a bit heavier too...
Sorta a surprise from Profound Lore, and a pleasant one. I guess not so strange since it kinda fits in with their recent Hammers Of Misfortune opus, the female vocals and keyboards and melodic content and all. Oh, and if you care, which we think you should, they get the thumbs up from Fenriz of Darkthrone, who included 'em on his list of record recommendations in the liner notes to Dark Thrones and Black Flags, reviewed here last list.
MPEG Stream: "The Heavens Cry Out (For The Devil's Blood)"

DEVILLOCK These Graves (Tone Filth) lp 15.98
We've been trying to track down some Devillock for ages, and while we've yet managed to get any cds, we have finally gotten a batch of this super limited lp. The solo ambient drone project of Tone Filth label head honcho Justin Chris Meyers (who also performs as Panther Skull), Devillock is a lot more dreamy and blissful than the name might lead you to believe.
Deep, dark distant sonic clouds rolling in at a snail's pace, tones are stretched out into long sinewy smears, bits of glitch and electronic skitter, bob along like detritus floating in some black stream. Everything enveloped in warm billowy buzz, eventually all tangled up with stuttering streaks of upper register skree, while in the background, the constant ebb and flow of cavernous churning industrial rumbles.
The flip side is similar, but if anything, even more abstract and minimal, sounding almost like a black ambient Niblock, all looooooooong tones, subtly shifting overtones, some super creepy slowed down monkey like growls and guttural vocalizations, and little chunks of gritty electronic static and muted buzzing interference. Haunting and serene, yet subtly fierce and intense.
Packaged in super subtle, hand painted chipboard sleeves, every one different, the front adorned with a super abstract bit of Pollock-y paint, LIMITED TO 333 COPIES, each copy hand numbered.

DEVO Duty Now For The Future / New Traditionalists (Virgin) cd 15.98

DEVO Live (Rhino) dvd 15.98
Whoo-hoo. Live Devo. Wait...live in 1996? Can these aged spuds still whip it like they used to back in the '70s and '80s? Well you gotta get this dvd to find out, though we can tell you we didn't not enjoy screening it, all the songs here are classics after all ("Girl U Want", "Mongoloid", "Uncontrollable Urge", "Jocko Homo" and a bunch more). Though it was a bit strange seeing 'em doing their thing in the daytime (in bright California sunshine even!) at an outdoor festival in front of a huge crowd. Most other Devo documents we've seen are more, shall we say, mediated by the band's unique, fucked aesthetic. Here they have less control over the presentation. Which reminds us, this dvd has the multiple camera angles feature. Also supposedly there's a band interview on here, but we couldn't locate it in the menu.

DEVO Live 1980 (Target Video) dualdisc cd / DVD 14.98
Spuds rejoice: it's live Devo, 1980! One of the best bands ever at the height of their powers, playing their "hit" songs to a stand-offish audience at the Phoenix Theatre in Petaluma, California. However, spuds also bewarned: with an insanely abrasive edit of scrappy video footage, it's hard to watch this baby all the way through in one sitting -- even for us die-hard fans! Despite this, and the fact that you can tell the band takes awhile to warm up on stage, when they do, holy spudboy, watch them go! A high note is their cover of "[I Can't Get No] Satisfaction". This particular performance reaffirms that it may possibly be the most amazing cover of all time. Also great performances of "Pink Pussycat", "Girl U Want" and "Freedom of Choice"... Instrument note-worthy are Bob Mothersbaugh's cloud-shaped guitar and Gerald Casale's custom bass.
This is in the dualdisc format, meaning you get the video on the dvd side of the disc, as well as an audio-only version on the cd flipside. And, as a bonus, there's footage of Dove, The Band of Love (Devo's easy listening alter-ego that a lot of Devo fans didn't seem to "get", somehow) performing three songs live, also from 1980!

DEVO Oh No It's Devo / Freedom Of Choice (Virgin) cd 15.98

DEVO Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology (Rhino) 2cd 29.00
Impressive and all-encompassing anthology of Devo (only the best band of the late 20th century!!) spanning their inception in Akron, Ohio in the mid '70s all the way through "Smoothnoodlemaps" and then some (sigh... yeah, I know, they probably could have stopped after "Oh No! It's Devo"). All in all this is a nice set though, and includes plenty of "unreleased" tracks and rare songs recorded for soundtracks throughout the years (including a song that Mark Mothersbaugh recorded for the game Interstate '82). Comes with a 50 page color booklet with a history of Devo and lots of wonderful pictures. Cool 3-D cover effect as well.

DEVO The Complete Truth About De-Evolution (Rhino Home Video) dvd 15.98
We've reviewed a bunch of fine DVD releases over these last few lists, but out of 'em all, my pick for the raddest has gotta be this Devo DVD. Of course, they're probably in my (Allan's) top five bands of all time list, so I'm somewhat biased already.
Lots of Devo fans may have seen much of this already on video tape or even laserdisc (there's several clips included here of the Devo boys explaining the virtues of the futuristic laserdisc format) but now you can see that stuff again, and more besides, on this DVD. You get the original Kent State post-graduate student film In The Beginning Was The End: The Truth About De-Evolution, that started it all and introduced the world to such characters as Booji Boy and General Boy and some mighty odd and awesome pop tuneage. Then there's pretty much all of Devo's pioneering, wigged-out music videos, from Come Back Jonee and Satisfaction through Whip It and Girl U Want to Through Being Cool, Love Without Anger, and Peek-A-Boo. And more. All amazing, fairly low-budget (rubber masks galore), and completely cracked. A couple of the songs from the tail end of their recording career aren't so hot but that's a small fraction of the mostly-genius-stuff on here. Then there's the special features, which include an historic b&w video clip from the first ever Devo gig (1972!), a bonus video (Bruce Connor's Mongoloid), an interview with Devo video collaborator/instigator Chuck Statler, still photo galleries of Devo memorabilia that are so extensive you have to watch 'em in slow motion, and -- perhaps best of all -- a bonus audio commentary track for the majority of the disc done by chief Devo spuds Gerald V. Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh! That alone makes this pretty much essential to all true Devo fans, even if you already have the original stuff on video cassette. Hours of de-evolved fascination and fun await, an incredible dose of Devo philosophy, history, music and visuals.

DEVOID s/t (Grave / Grindfreaks) cd 14.98

DEVOTCHKA A Mad & Faithful Telling (Anti) cd 16.98
Colorado quartet Devotchka do a lively jig down the path between the tweaked baroque pop of The Arcade Fire and the nouveau Balkan gypsy stylings of Beirut and Gogol Bordello. A Mad & Faithful Telling is a beauty capturing the band at its best, brisky tempo'd and impassioned with very Adrian Belew-esque swooping vocals and sweeping horns and strings following suit. This is music that'll leave your ears fevered and your cheeks flushed!
MPEG Stream: "Along The Way"
MPEG Stream: "Transliterator"

DFI s/t (Honey Bear) cd 13.98
What a very strange strange sonic stew DFI have made! This self-titled album on Lance J Church' s label offers up stretches of hardcore and metal heaviness (lots of guitar riffage a la Fucking Champs), cyclical post-rock patterns and some prog-ish moments too. Tempos and styles change at the whims of this one man band, as does the sound quality -- a bit murky at times -- which may be attributed more to the fact that these fifteen songs were recorded at six different locations. Punkish shred-metal silliness that totally keeps the listener on his/her toes to the very last track -- a cover of Norwegian black metal act Ulver's "Wolf And Passion"! The track before that: a drum-machine & guitar version of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight Of The Bumblebee"! Bonus points, also, for the cool Devo "New Traditionalists" inspired artwork on the inside of the cd insert.
RealAudio clip: "Casting The Genetic Vote"
RealAudio clip: "Wolf And Passion"

DIAGONAL s/t (Candlelight / Rise Above) cd 13.98
The other day we happened to have a used copy of a 1972 Nektar album called A Tab In the Ocean playing on the store stereo. (Nektar being a prog rocking band of Brits who had transplanted themselves into the krautrock scene of Germany in the '70s.) There was a customer in the shop who was digging it, who then said something to the effect of, "too bad they don't make music like this anymore". Of course, we were happy to inform him otherwise, that he needn't lament, and as proof we immediately directed him to this record by Diagonal that we had just installed on our New Arrivals shelf.
These guys are from Brighton, and might as well also be from the '70s, though in fact this album is their brand new, debut album, and the members of this seven-piece band are all 20-something years old. But if we played this for you and told you it was some "hairy funk" released on the Vertigo label circa '73 you just might be fooled. Diagonal display plenty of virtuosity on their various instruments, in the service of complex, programmatic song structures. There's some nice, melodic singing heard here and there, but much more in the way of long, instrumental passages, at turns moody and dramatic. Spaced out synths and jazzy organ jamming and fluttering flute (yes!) all figure into the mix, though with two guitarists and a crack rhythm section, Diagonal don't neglect to rock out upon occasion, sometimes in a fairly heavy (and precise) fashion. And as complicated as their material gets, these are indeed *songs*, not merely technical exercises for showing off their considerable chops.
They're obviously influenced by the likes of King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Genesis, Yes, Van Der Graaf Generator, and many much more obscure acts of the era (Gracious, anyone? Gnidrolog?)... but just as surely they're not unaware of today's mathrock scene (cf. Battles) though these guys do seem consciously retro, looking the part in long hair, beards, and vintage shop clothing (actually, that's not such an unusual style for kids these days, is it?).
Right on, there's been more cool modern-day prog showing up at Aquarius these past couple weeks than you can shake a Chapman Stick at! Crime In Choir, last list, and now Diagonal, well that's two anyway. (And neither use the Stick, don't get the wrong idea, as sometimes that's taking the prog thing just a little too far.)
Available on cd or as an import gatefold LP.
MPEG Stream: "Semi Permeable Men-brain"
MPEG Stream: "Cannon Misfire"

DIAGONAL s/t ( Rise Above) lp 24.00
The other day we happened to have a used copy of a 1972 Nektar album called A Tab In the Ocean playing on the store stereo. (Nektar being a prog rocking band of Brits who had transplanted themselves into the krautrock scene of Germany in the '70s.) There was a customer in the shop who was digging it, who then said something to the effect of, "too bad they don't make music like this anymore". Of course, we were happy to inform him otherwise, that he needn't lament, and as proof we immediately directed him to this record by Diagonal that we had just installed on our New Arrivals shelf.
These guys are from Brighton, and might as well also be from the '70s, though in fact this album is their brand new, debut album, and the members of this seven-piece band are all 20-something years old. But if we played this for you and told you it was some "hairy funk" released on the Vertigo label circa '73 you just might be fooled. Diagonal display plenty of virtuosity on their various instruments, in the service of complex, programmatic song structures. There's some nice, melodic singing heard here and there, but much more in the way of long, instrumental passages, at turns moody and dramatic. Spaced out synths and jazzy organ jamming and fluttering flute (yes!) all figure into the mix, though with two guitarists and a crack rhythm section, Diagonal don't neglect to rock out upon occasion, sometimes in a fairly heavy (and precise) fashion. And as complicated as their material gets, these are indeed *songs*, not merely technical exercises for showing off their considerable chops.
They're obviously influenced by the likes of King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Genesis, Yes, Van Der Graaf Generator, and many much more obscure acts of the era (Gracious, anyone? Gnidrolog?)... but just as surely they're not unaware of today's mathrock scene (cf. Battles) though these guys do seem consciously retro, looking the part in long hair, beards, and vintage shop clothing (actually, that's not such an unusual style for kids these days, is it?).
Right on, there's been more cool modern-day prog showing up at Aquarius these past couple weeks than you can shake a Chapman Stick at! Crime In Choir, last list, and now Diagonal, well that's two anyway. (And neither use the Stick, don't get the wrong idea, as sometimes that's taking the prog thing just a little too far.)
Available on cd or as an import gatefold LP.
MPEG Stream: "Semi Permeable Men-brain"
MPEG Stream: "Cannon Misfire"

DIAL (NZ) s/t (Robotic Empire) cd ep 6.98
Not to be confused with the Dial from NYC, this is crazy chaotic female fronted math grind metal craziness that RULES.
MPEG Stream: "If You're Not Battling You're Dead"
MPEG Stream: "Holy Silent War"

DIAL M FOR MURDER Fiction Of Her Dreams (Tapete) cd 17.98
Here's a question that gets tossed around here more and more in recent months: Is this new or old? Given how many bands who make druggy, atmospheric ritualism could have produced those sounds in 1972 or 2009 with equal aplomb. The Amen Dunes record Dia (2009) and Warlus' Songs album (1975) make for an interesting case study. Over the past twelve months, there's been another resurgence of black clad, post-punk thanks to some of the dour Goth reissues from Sacred Bones, which fit neatly next to the spunky Joy Divisionisms of Blank Dogs and the moping, black eyeliner tunes of this weeks ROTW Soror Dolorosa. Those could also be addressed with that same question: is this old or new? In the case of the dark, moody sounds of Dial M For Murder, the answer is, as hard as it might be to believe, "new."
Citing Joy Division and the Chameleons as their references, Dial M For Murder end up in a place remarkably close to Interpol. The vocalist David Ortenlof really does come across like Interpol's Paul Banks on a good chunk of the tracks, and almost like Mark Edwards from My Dad Is Dead on the others. Musically, the dark jangliness of the guitar and the punchy basslines situates around tight drum machine programming coming across like Ratatat reworking Joy Division singles. Gothic and haunting, but propulsive and poppy, really really cool stuff for sure.
MPEG Stream: "YouCan'tHaveMe"
MPEG Stream: "OhNo!"
MPEG Stream: "There'sNothingLeftToSee"
MPEG Stream: "NYC (NowYouCare)"

DIAL M FOR MURDER Fiction Of Her Dreams (Tapete) lp 17.98
Here's a question that gets tossed around here more and more in recent months: Is this new or old? Given how many bands who make druggy, atmospheric ritualism could have produced those sounds in 1972 or 2009 with equal aplomb. The Amen Dunes record Dia (2009) and Warlus' Songs album (1975) make for an interesting case study. Over the past twelve months, there's been another resurgence of black clad, post-punk thanks to some of the dour Goth reissues from Sacred Bones, which fit neatly next to the spunky Joy Divisionisms of Blank Dogs and the moping, black eyeliner tunes of this weeks ROTW Soror Dolorosa. Those could also be addressed with that same question: is this old or new? In the case of the dark, moody sounds of Dial M For Murder, the answer is, as hard as it might be to believe, "new."
Citing Joy Division and the Chameleons as their references, Dial M For Murder end up in a place remarkably close to Interpol. The vocalist David Ortenlof really does come across like Interpol's Paul Banks on a good chunk of the tracks, and almost like Mark Edwards from My Dad Is Dead on the others. Musically, the dark jangliness of the guitar and the punchy basslines situates around tight drum machine programming coming across like Ratatat reworking Joy Division singles. Gothic and haunting, but propulsive and poppy, really really cool stuff for sure.
MPEG Stream: "YouCan'tHaveMe"
MPEG Stream: "OhNo!"
MPEG Stream: "There'sNothingLeftToSee"
MPEG Stream: "NYC (NowYouCare)"

DIAMOND NIGHTS Once We Were Diamonds (Kemado) cd ep 5.98
Hmm. What hath The Darkness wrought? Bands that think it's ok to bust out the falsetto -- bands like Diamond Nights. To be fair, these guys are not nearly as over the top as The Darkness (whom we love by the way). And their singer's use of the higher pitch isn't any more pronounced than that of a bunch of current emo scene bands either. But, like the Darkness, the Diamond Nights guys seem to wear their retro influences proudly on their sleeves. And with a name like that, you might wonder how serious they are. Well we don't know, but we do like these five songs. You might too if you like good ol' classic rock. Track one, "Destination Diamonds", comes off like The Fucking Champs (or to be more accurate, Thin Lizzy) fronted by the guy from The Darkness. The subsequent tracks are less metal, more keyboardy and '80s new wavey really, reminding us of The Cars, Billy Idol and even Power Station! 18 minutes and 26 seconds of good times here, people.
MPEG Stream: "Destination Diamonds"
MPEG Stream: "That Girl's Attractive"

DIAMOND NIGHTS Popsicle (Kemado) cd 13.98
Damn, this has been in stock for a little while now -- some months now, in fact! -- but for some reason we didn't get around to checking it out 'til just the other day (even though we liked this band's previous ep, Once We Were Diamonds, reviewed here last year). Like we've said before, it's hard to keep up with everything... But better late than never. Everything that was cool about that ep is even cooler here on the full-length, which actually includes the two best songs from the ep, would-be/should-be hits "That Girl's Attractive" and "Destination Diamonds". If the latter track were the only thing you ever heard by Diamond Nghts you'd think they were fully trying to emulate both The Fucking Champs (and/or Thin Lizzy) and The Darkness. But DN have more tricks up their sleeves than just that -- the rest of Popsicle isn't all (ironic?) metal like that... though the adrenalized "It's A Shokka" definitely demonstrates a maybe tongue-in-cheek Judas Priest influence, and also sounds a heckuva lot like Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy". But other tracks here show that besides the Thin Lizzy and Queen albums that these guys undoubtedly love (there's no denying it), they have other influences too that aren't classic rock/metal. On tracks like "Drip Drip" (not the Comus song!) they've got a dancey '80s new wavey thing (hmm, also like Queen got into) going on. And at other moments the hooks and the vocals remind us of the White Stripes, and the chops underlying the pop make us think of 31 Knots... So while Diamond Nights can't lay claim to being the most original band ever, they're definitely talented and have managed to meld their collective influences together in some unexpected ways. Basically, this is everything that we wished the second, disappointing Darkness album would have been.
MPEG Stream: "Drip Drip"
MPEG Stream: "It's A Shokka"

DIAMOND WATCH WRISTS Ice Capped At Both Ends (Warp) cd 16.98
Scott Herren has shown over the years he's a man of many musical hats. Creating a wide range of sounds with his projects Prefuse 73, Savath & Savalas, Piano Overlord, etc. Diamond Watch Wrist finds him exploring warmly textured songs with moody and ghostly undertones. In fact this record would fit so nicely near Warp label-mates Grizzly Bear. Joined by Zach Hill of Hella on drums who plays in the most restrained and atmospheric fashion we've heard from him, Herren shows he's much more then an electronics wizard as he plays guitar, bass, pedal steel, clarinet and sings so nicely throughout the record, too. We hear the influence of late '90s lush indie bands like Bedhead and Red Stars Theory. Nice to find yet another side to Herren's multitalented musical leanings, same goes for Hill as well.
MPEG Stream: "Start Wrong"
MPEG Stream: "Onward Push Me Out"
MPEG Stream: "Taped Up Swagger (High School Version)"

DIAMOND, NEIL 12 Songs (Sony) cd 17.98
Neil Diamond at AQ??!! What is the world coming to? But before you start nodding your head and thinking the end has come, guess what? This is actually a really good record unlike anything else he's done in forever (Diamond fans just back off! No need to send us hate mail, we love Neil Diamond as much as you do, but you gotta admit it's been years since he did anything worthwhile). Thanks to the vision of Rick Rubin the world actually gets to hear Neil Diamond stripped down and raw for the first time. No multitrack schmaltzy vocal overdubs, no glossy production. Instead Rubin has actually stripped away all the bloat and corniness and gotten to the core of Neil Diamond, a performer you maybe never knew existed. At times it's almost like you're listening to Neil Diamond's take of a Giant Sand record! With a super solid cast of musicians playing on the record including the distinct organ sounds of Billy Preston, 12 Songs is not only by far the best thing Neil Diamond has maybe ever done, it's also a testament to the vision of Rick Rubin. Who else can say they've made great records with Johnny Cash, Run-DMC, Slayer and now Neil Diamond??
MPEG Stream: ""
MPEG Stream: ""