CONVOCATION OF..., THE Pyramid Technology (Tiger Style) cd 14.98
The oddly named The Convocation Of... is the current musical outfit lead by one Mr. Tonie Joy (who has played guitar in almost every influential hardcore band of the '90s: Moss Icon, UOA, Born Against, The Great Unraveling... the list goes on! Oh, and he runs the Vermin Scum record label too). This disc on Tiger Style is their second full length album (their first was on Gold Standard Laboratories). Raw, lean and full of a controlled angst like the slow tightening of knots and fists. Driven by a propulsive rhythm section and tense, sinewy guitars. Think Drive Like Jehu, VSS, Shellac, and the abovementioned bands.
RealAudio clip: "Crimson King's Deceit"

COODER, RY Chavez Ravine (Nonesuch) cd 21.00

COOK, MIRA Broken Bones (self-released) cd-r 9.98
We've been HUGE fans of Mira Cook since her first cassette, which we sold tons of when we first carried it about three years ago. Since then she put out her first full length which only made our love of her intimate, unique and honest music, grow stronger. We've been anticipating this release for a while now, and Broken Bones might just be her finest moment yet.
In so many ways Cook is a shining example of the true meaning of DIY. She teaches herself how to play different instruments, expands and experiments with the possibilities of her voice, and puts out her own records filled with songs that she writes, arranges and performs all by herself. That work ethic pays off and you can feel it in the sincerity and warmth in this new set of songs. While they still maintain the same immediacy and charm as her earlier work there is a deeper emotional impact as well as more space and breadth in these songs which truly work their way under our skin and into our subconsciousness. While folks like Tune-Yards and Dirty Projectors have become huge, there is something so much more organic, satisfying and subtle in Cook's songs that make us wish that SHE was the the one on the cover of so many magazines.
Cook has really mastered the use of repetition as means to create a trance inducing aura in her songs, and then her beautiful and mesmerizing voice and poignant lyrics just seal the deal. Stunning!
MPEG Stream: "Mercy"
MPEG Stream: "Song For Plants"
MPEG Stream: "Tropix"

COOK, MIRA s/t (self-released) cassette 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Nothing excites us more then discovering a new talent at the beginning of what we know will be a long run of brilliant and inspiring releases. Such is the case with this cassette-only release from Mira Cook. While dancing is her main mode of creative expression she began playing with tape loops, recording her beautiful voice and the various instruments in her bedroom, and started to construct these wonderfully simple yet elegant songs. Eventually, those sounds and songs demanded to move beyond the confines of her four walls and into the ears of music lovers everywhere. And hopefully that will begin to happen more and more, as she's started playing shows around town and is slowly becoming more comfortable with recording herself as well.
Many of us got to see Mira play live for the first time just a few weeks ago when she played a set at Irwin aQ's film screening over at ATA. You couldn't help but be won over by her glowing presence and her lovely songs, created by building harmonies from her looped voice and her subtle instrumentation (organ, marimba, dulcimer, etc.) with totally electrifying results.
While most of the current crop of loop-based musicians seem more interested in getting lost in muddy drones (which we like lots for sure) it's so nice to hear someone who sounds so assured and you can actually hear what is being sung and feel the meaning of the songs through their ghostly repetition. We're reminded a bit of Samara Lubelski, Bjork, or what it might sound like if you could match a voice to the delicate and intimate sounds Colleen creates with her dreamy instrumentals. There is something so pure and sincere that comes across in these songs, Mira Cook is not trying to be a part of any kind of scene or sound, instead she is following a very instinctual and unique vision and we have a feeling this is going to be one of those cassettes that you will be able to brag about owning in a few years. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Glass Of Water"
MPEG Stream: "Happy Organ"
MPEG Stream: "New Year"

COOK, MIRA Signs (self-released) cd-r 9.98
BACK IN STOCK!
With only a single cassette release to her name, Mira Cook has already become one of our favorite delicate, hypnotic music makers of the last few years. We've been lucky to get to see her play around town so much, each time watching as she adds a new self taught instrument to the mix, as she creates songs that are really like these miniature fairy tales of the everyday. Her cassette only release, was one of our best selling tapes of 2009, and for good reason. It introduced us to her unique, inviting and warm sensual world of sound. Signs contains some reworked versions of songs that appeared on the cassette along with a bunch of brand new tracks. Using loops as a way to create endless entrancing melody, and taking so sweetly to everything from dulcimer, to drum machines, to piano, to organ, etc., it's Mira's assured and captivating voice that transports us so utterly and completely. It's hard not to think about people like Joanna Newsom, Juana Molina and Bjork, as there is that same kind of unique vision, charm and golden presence in Cook's songs. We're also reminded a lot of that a capella record that Petra Haden made covering The Who's Sell Out. Like the musical equivalent of a Joseph Cornell box, every song on Signs is filled with such unique treasures!
MPEG Stream: "Going to Sleep"
MPEG Stream: "Drum Machine"
MPEG Stream: "Dulcimer Song"

COOLIES Master (Chapter Music) cd 16.98
We do love our lo-fi New Zealand indie rock, and South Auckland's Coolies apparently realize that we like it best really lo-fi... and noisy... 'cause that's what they deliver! We're not surprised we dig 'em so much, 'cause their current drummer happens to be Stefan Neville, of AQ-fave NZ noise-popsters Pumice (and The Futurians, etc.), and he also recorded, mixed and edited the material on Master. Otherwise consisting of girls (Tina and Sjionel), who started the band as teens, Coolies have been around since the late '90s, releasing a 7" back in 2000, and a 10-song tape recorded on a ghetto blaster... but this is their first full-length cd, comprising music made over the past four or so years since Stefan joined the band. Raucous, energetic, poppy, punky, "annoying" (their word), "brilliant" (also theirs, but we tend to agree), the ten tracks on Master, most of 'em short sharp shocks, should appeal to NZ noise nerds, as well as peeps into today's burgeoning garage punk girl-groop soundz like Vivian Girls, Brilliant Colors, Grass Widow... the DIYness of this also brings to mind those Messthetics comps of '80s UK cassette culture. Oh and we're also reminded of Kleenex/Liliput. In short, the Coolies are cool. If you're in the mood for some raw, angular, urgently rhythmic "pop" songs that is! From the same label that brought us recent the Record Of The Week by Fabulous Diamonds, another Down Under fave...
MPEG Stream: "Let's Pretend"
MPEG Stream: "Ghost Baby"
MPEG Stream: "Searching"

COOLIES Master (Chapter Music) lp 17.98
As promised, now available on vinyl!
We do love our lo-fi New Zealand indie rock, and South Auckland's Coolies apparently realize that we like it best really lo-fi... and noisy... 'cause that's what they deliver! We're not surprised we dig 'em so much, 'cause their current drummer happens to be Stefan Neville, of AQ-fave NZ noise-popsters Pumice (and The Futurians, etc.), and he also recorded, mixed and edited the material on Master. Otherwise consisting of girls (Tina and Sjionel), who started the band as teens, Coolies have been around since the late '90s, releasing a 7" back in 2000, and a 10-song tape recorded on a ghetto blaster... but this is their first full-length cd, comprising music made over the past four or so years since Stefan joined the band. Raucous, energetic, poppy, punky, "annoying" (their word), "brilliant" (also theirs, but we tend to agree), the ten tracks on Master, most of 'em short sharp shocks, should appeal to NZ noise nerds, as well as peeps into today's burgeoning garage punk girl-groop soundz like Vivian Girls, Brilliant Colors, Grass Widow... the DIYness of this also brings to mind those Messthetics comps of '80s UK cassette culture. Oh and we're also reminded of Kleenex/Liliput. In short, the Coolies are cool. If you're in the mood for some raw, angular, urgently rhythmic "pop" songs that is! From the same label that brought us recent the Record Of The Week by Fabulous Diamonds, another Down Under fave...
MPEG Stream: "Let's Pretend"
MPEG Stream: "Ghost Baby"
MPEG Stream: "Searching"

COOLIES, THE Bless The Babies + The Mothers (self-released) cd-r 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If this cd-r is any indication (which we assume it is, duh!) these Coolies are not those Simon & Garfunkel-covering punk rock-opera (!) guys from back in the '80s -- much to Andee's chagrin, mention of this band really got his hopes up. No although these Coolies are also punk rock, they're more of the lo-lo-fi and lo-lo-skilled sort. But they don't let that take away from their good times... nor will it take away from yours if you like your rawk super messy and super trashy. Actually if that's the case, your party might even rev up a notch if you pop this baby on your stereo. Just imagine if the Coachwhips were three teenage girls... lotsa yellin' and bangin' on drums and sloppy guitar chords and probably lotsa PBR (or the New Zealand equivalent to that brew). This release comes with a Coolies button for your backpack.
MPEG Stream: "Throwaway"
MPEG Stream: "I Salute U"

COOPER, ALICE Flush The Fashion (Rhino Encore) cd 13.98
First things first, allow us to proclaim that one song on this 1980 Alice Cooper album shines brighter than all the rest! That'd be "Clones (We're All)", the album's absolutely infectious, unexpectedly New Wave second track. It's another dose of AC social commentary, but this time it comes cloaked in the guise of remarkably clean synthesizer pop, a la Gary Numan. Makes for a very surprising contrast to Alice's trashy glam rock past which still lingers a bit in the album opener "Talk Talk", a cover of the garagey sixties Music Machine nugget. As for the rest of Flush The Fashion? Sorry, it simply pales in comparison, and hasn't aged quite as well, though it has its moments, and it's interesting to see ol' AC grapple with the onset of the eighties, dealing with such issues of the day as "Leather Boots", being "Nuclear Infected", and "Aspirin Damage". Plus, THAT one "Clones" song is sooooo good!
FYI, this is another one of those Rhino Encore reissues supposedly available only for a six-month window.
MPEG Stream: "Talk Talk"
MPEG Stream: "Clones (We're All)"

COOPER, ALICE From The Inside (Warner Bros) cd 13.98

COOPER, ALICE Welcome To My Nightmare (Atlantic) cd 16.98
Alice went solo in '75 with this slice of pop music horror theatre. Yup, no more Alice Cooper Band, just frontman Cooper, Alice himself (with producer Bob Ezrin and some pro studio hands like Dick Wagner and Tony Levin, even Kim Fowley). By the way, he performed the title track on the Muppet Show! There are indeed some campy classics on this reissue/remaster (with a few alternate take bonus tracks) but we say get the earlier discs first if you don't have 'em already!

COOPER, MYLES Gonna Find Boyfriends Today (Transparent) 7" 11.98
Since his old band The Passionistas called it quits, it seems like Myles Cooper has really come into his own, finding his voice and expressing himself in a wide range of mediums from his confessional/performative YouTube page, to his DJing and presence at the super fun High Fantasy night at Aunt Charlies (one of our favorite bars in the Tenderloin), and his live solo performances. "Gonna Find Boyfriends Today" is a super sugary beyond catchy, fairy tale of a song, kind of like Sesame Street merging into a campy night at a gay bar filled with smiles, rainbows, cotton candy, and an endless stream of sweet and cute boys. The B-side "Lord Love Music" is way more stripped down and raw sound reminding us a lot of a young Calvin Johnson or Ian Svenonius, stylized and super sassy. In some ways Cooper is like the version of Hunx & His Punx that you could take home to your mom, with a beguilingly preppy and wholesome demeanor, but what makes him intriguing is that you know under that surface something warped and more nuanced is going on.
This 7" has only been released overseas and is limited to 300 copies so best grab it super fast if you want one.

COPE, JULIAN Citizen Cain'd (Head Heritage) 2cd 24.00
Julian Cope. Druidic dunt-rocker, Head Heritage head, krautrock aficionado, megalith expert, and ex-pop sike rock star (with The Teardrop Explodes in the '80s). Here's his latest, a double disc rock fest, and it's very much the product of Julian Cope's various musical obsessions, the classic heavy psych rock he loves (visit www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung to read some of what he's written about so enthusiastically, educationally and entertainingly on the subject!).
The latest (July 2005) issue of The Wire magazine features a piece on Julian Cope. It's not about Cope's own music, really, but about how Cope's great taste in other people's music turned the writer on to lots of stuff that he'd have never heard about otherwise (this was in the pre-Internet dark ages of the '80s). In fact, the Wire scribe's crucial Cope record was an *interview disc* wherein Julian discussed such then-obscure faves as Can, The Stooges, Neu!, and Nick Drake.
Here at AQ, we've heard from Cope on a few releases in recent years -- there was his guest spot on SUNNO)))'s White 1 album, delivering some pagan poetry to go with their heavy duty drone, and also his band Brain Donor, that featured Cope and some members of Spiritualized wanting to be your dog Stooges-style. The Detroit influence comes through too on Citizen Cain'd, an album of clever, heavy psych and pop rock n' roll. Indeed, this could be a pretty darn great Iggy album!
Two sprawling discs with some epic length songs (and radio-worthy alternate universe hits, like the jangly n' distorted "Living In The Room They Found Saddam In" -- that also should get an award for its title/lyric, eh?). We're also really into the slow burn psych rock that disc one closer "I Will Be Absorbed" stretches out into, as well as the more almost indie-rock (but still sorta Iggish) styled stuff that occupies much of disc two.
Since we pretty much know Julian Cope for what he's a fan of, not what's done himself (as per that Wire article), we're happy to discover that all that good taste hasn't gone to waste regarding his own stuff... probably folks who've followed Cope's career over the years already know that. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "I Can't Hardly Stand It"
MPEG Stream: "I'm Living In The Room They Found Saddam In"

COPE, JULIAN Floored Genius (Island) cd 11.98
A best of from the druid dude.

COPE, JULIAN Japrocksampler (Bloomsbury) book 30.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
FINALLY! REPRINTED AND BACK IN STOCK!
One of the best album covers ever, for the Flower Travellin' Band's 1970 debut LP Anywhere, a photo of that band as naked Japanese hippy freak outlaw bikers ridin' free, adorns the cover of this book. Good choice! If that doesn't look cool to you, you don't need this volume. If it does, then queue up! The subtitle: "How The Post-War Japanese Blew Their Minds On Rock 'N' Roll" is perfectly illustrated by that cover picture.
Let's back up, though. British author Julian Cope, originally best-known as something of a rock star (with The Teardrop Explodes in the '80s and his subsequent solo career) has also long been entertaining and informing us all as a writer, an expert on the heavy and the ancient: both the stone circles of Megalithic Europe, and the stoned rock n' roll of the psychedelic/progressive variety, yesterday and today. His happenin' website, Head Heritage (www.headheritage.co.uk) should be bookmarked by everyone who looks at OUR site. Way back when, over a decade ago, Julian Cope published a slim little paperback volume called the Krautrocksampler, one fan's obsessive, opinionated look back at the wondrous krautrock scene of the '70s. If you've got one, you're lucky, they're out of print and hard to come by these days, going for $$$ on eBay (er, anyone with a spare copy, please contact Allan at the store, he foolishly never bought it when we used to sell 'em and has regretted it ever since, maybe we can work out a deal...). Another reason to pick up this new Japrocksampler while you can!
It's about the same approximate dimensions as the Krautrocksampler, but thicker (over 300 pages!) and hardcover, with color plates depicting various rare album covers in the center of the book, and black and white graphics throughout. Nicely done, the paper stock and binding bringing back memories of a particular type of book we used to have in school.
And, as you have probably figured out, it's the Japanese '70s rock companion to Cope's krautrock treatise. But because the Japanese underground music scene of the same era is comparatively a lot more obscure over here in the West, Cope had to do a lot more in-depth research to give us all a real history lesson, starting off all the way back in the aftermath of WWII. Moving forward, he devotes much attention to the experimental composers of the sixties, like Toshi Ichiyanagi, and (for a time) his wife, Yoko Ono. All sorts of radical "actions" and conceptual sound art get their due. Other early chapters include include investigations of the homegrown "Eleki" scene (Japanese surf music, sort of) and the "Group Sounds" phenomenon (Japan's reaction to the British Invasion). Then Heavy Rock hits, with freaks and festivals, and Cope digs with utmost detail into the behind-the-music stories of such artists as cover stars Flower Travellin Band, Speed, Glue & Shinki, and, perhaps most crucially ('cause they're so mysterious and influential), Les Rallizes Denudes. In all cases, he reveals lots of stuff we didn't know. Regarding Les Rallizes, ferinstance, apparently their original bass player was involved in a JAL jetliner highjacking back in 1970, which lead to innocent Rallizes leader Takeshi Mizutani being trailed by CIA agents, which may help explain his legendary reclusiveness!
The Japrocksampler also provides plenty of info about important intersection between the avant-garde theater scene and rock n' roll in the early '70s, with a chapter on the brilliant J.A. Caesar. There's also pages and pages on the Taj Mahal Travellers, Far East Family Band, the Tokyo Kid Brothers, and much much more. It's exhaustive, impressively connecting all kinds of dots. Probably equally obsessed fanboys will have facts to check and nits to pick (we're thinking of our pal JW in particular) but really, where else are you gonna find all this info in English?? And so entertainingly written? Nowhere. Anyone who's read the Krautrocksampler, or visited Head Heritage, knows that Cope's got a knack for writing that's both enthused and erudite, a bit like Lester Bangs with footnotes. You don't even really have to know (or have heard) what he's talking about to fall under his spell, which is helpful 'cause the one big drawback to reading the Japrocksampler is the frustration most folks are gonna have trying to track down and listen to a lot of the music being discussed. We do our best to stock a good selection of '70s Japanese psych/prog/experimental reissues, whatever we can get by bands like the Taj Mahal Travellers and Flower Travellin' Band, but even we had to cry when looking over the section of the book devoted to lengthy reviews of Cope's top 50 favorite Japrock albums. Some we've got, others... someday we hope! Maybe this book will spur some more reissue action.
Can't come up with too many criticisms, other than that he slams some records we like (Foodbrain!), seemingly omits Flied Egg, and we guess we're not sure exactly how politically correct the term "Japrock" is, though it's not any worse than saying "krautrock" when you think about it...
Basically, this is a fascinating read for anyone curious about the effects of rock n' roll on the artsy underbelly of an "alien" culture. A must have if you're already into this stuff, of course, but also totally recommended if you're just a little bit curious about this "secret history" 'cause of being exposed to all the wild, freaky sounds currently being made in Japan by bands like the Boredoms, Boris, and Acid Mothers Temple.

COPE, JULIAN You Gotta Problem (Head Heritage) 2cd 27.00

COPELAND, ERIC Alanon (Catsup Plate) lp 16.98

COPELAND, ERIC Alien In A Garbage Dump (Paw Tracks) cd 14.98
No doubt about it, Eric Copeland is a bona fide weirdo! In the best of ways, as his manic and often hyper musical stylings have reached near brilliance with his band Black Dice and on his great mind-melting solo outing from a couple years back. In fact we think we kind of prefer what Copeland does on his own these days more than the recent Black Dice outings, there's just something a bit more inventive, immediate and deliciously confusing and mind bending about his solo stuff. Alien In A Garbage Dump is a pretty appropriate title considering the warped way Copeland's musical mind seems to work. Utilizing busted, broken and discarded equipment, the sort of stuff most people would throw out, Copeland sees the opportunity to explore other dimensions, reachable only by using damaged electronics, old tapes, and warped loops that feel like they've been melted, messed with and burned beyond recognition.
Using repetition often to the point of exhaustion, some songs definitely a test of endurance, yet the rewards that come from sticking it out are totally worth it! We can hear the influence of monumental 20th Century experimental compositions like Terry Riley's "You're No Good" and Steve Reich's "Come Out" and "It's Going To Rain". Yet you can also tell that underneath the extreme left field sonic fuckery in which Copeland roams he also loves dizzying rhythms and pulsating waves of sound. It's kind of like Daft Punk records playing underneath an Astral Social Club freakout. There is also a really cool Seefeel influence that he of course takes and tweaks to create a totally different atmosphere. One of those records that you can't really just hear a bit or piece of to appreciate but instead it does really work best when you can blast it loudly and let it unfold with all its twists and turns from beginning to end. With plenty of turbulence, chaos, and moments of pure ecstatic joy, this is one fucked up musical journey worth jumping on board for!
MPEG Stream: "Alien in a Garbage Dump"
MPEG Stream: "Al Anon"
MPEG Stream: "Auto Dimmer"

COPELAND, ERIC Hermaphrodite (Paw Tracks) cd 14.98
Similar to the way Copeland's friend Panda Bear released his own little masterpiece earlier this year while taking a break from his main act the Animal Collective, Eric Copeland has made an equally amazing solo record of his own, which just so happens to come to us on the eve of his main act, Black Dice, releasing a new album.
Hermaphrodite finds Copeland displaying major cinematic flair. There is an intensity and density to the sounds on Hermaphrodite that make the listener feel like they've been whisked away, similar to the way the masters of the silver screen are able to transport audiences. Not many people can sculpt sound the way Copeland does, always in control of the way the sounds shifts and change shape, never feeling stiff or too smart for its own good. What makes Hermaphrodite such a special record is how physical the music seems. Like the strange songcraft he's developed in Black Dice, Copeland has become so adept at taking sounds to mysterious places and transforming them into rich visceral experiences, as intriguing to the mind as they are to the body. Hermaphrodite sounds like creatures from another planet were given some run down analog equipment, a broken old video game arcade machine, a glimpse into Gamelan music and assigned to score a lost film made by Michelangelo Antonioni and Alejandro Jodorowsky. One of those records that truly takes you on a wild ride you never want to get off. We're more than intrigued with this Hermaphrodite, we think we might be falling in love!
MPEG Stream: "Oreo"
MPEG Stream: "Hermaphrodites"
MPEG Stream: "Scumpipe"

COPTIC LIGHT s/t (No Quarter) cd 14.98
Andee and Allan just saw these guys play at CMJ in New York, on an amazing bill with Khanate, Psychic Paramount, Mouthus and Circle! It was an intense show and Coptic Light were an appropriate opener.
If you're into tricksy, mad-as-a-hatter yet quite arty instrumental post rock along the lines of Battles, Storm And Stress, Don Cab, and maybe Hella, you ought to hear this band. It's really no surprise that the Coptic Light trio in fact features the drummer formerly of Storm & Stress (admittedly not one of our favorite bands, we like Coptic Light a lot more), alongside ex- Bitch Magnet guitarist Jon Fine and bassist Jeff Winterberg (whose Rat A Tat Tat Birds indie rock photo book you might have seen). They specialize in complex, caffinated guitar/bass/drum entanglement, a very controlled chaos, all very precise and mathematical, with lots of tension being built up and rarely released. There's got to be a lot of internal counting going on in these musicians' heads, but the technical progness of it all is balanced by the textural zones the band makes room in their music to explore.
This debut cd consists of three songs, each respectively running to 14, 10 and 19 minutes or thereabouts. These songs (songs? should we call 'em that? maybe "tracks" or "pieces" would be better) are long enough that you kinda lose yourself in 'em, forgetting how they started and unconcerned about when or how they'll end, letting your ears be blissfully battered by the frenzies and Fripperies on offer, as the tracks veer from hectic bombast to quiet ambience, drifting off while threatening further percussive fury. It's a whole lotta clatter AND atmosphere. Definitely a good fit on No Quarter with the likes of Circle and Psychic Paramount.
Also we're pretty sure that "Eat It High School" is a great song title.
MPEG Stream: "Mix The Races"
MPEG Stream: "Eat It High School"

CORDERO En Este Momento (Bloodshot) cd 13.98
These former Atlantans now New Yorkers infuse a little flamenco into their impassioned music... no, not quite to the degree that local band Fla-metal do (yup, that band does flamenco metal!), but the fiery flair and graceful stomp makes itself felt throughout their fourth album En Este Momento. Many other styles are definitely entwined in the band's potent rock mix too -- Southwestern twang, pop, mariachi horns, murder balladry and a little bit of punk too. An easy reference point would be to imagine a rocked up Lhasa. Actually while we're musing, let's also imagine a duet between lead vocalist Ani Cordero and Ms De Sela... whoa! Not too far-fetched an idea really -- both ladies have musical friends in common (Calexico, Giant Sand). Sultry, lively and captivating. Psst, a extra little trivia tidbit: Ani was in Clone Project Gamma, the all-girl combo in Man Or Astro-Man's genius touring clone band project a number of years ago.
MPEG Stream: "En Este Momento"
MPEG Stream: "Gone With A Gamble"

CORIN TUCKER BAND, THE 1,000 Years (Kill Rock Stars) cd 15.98
For any fan of the now sadly defunct Sleater-Kinney, this record is a big deal, especially because it's so damn good. Don't expect some bastardized revisitation of Sleater-Kinney, though, 1,000 Years is something different: ever so slightly twangy, a little soulful, the beats minimal but masterful. Even Corin's iconic voice, the reason so many people either intensely loved or intensely hated Sleater-Kinney, has taken a different path. On every SK record, Corin's vocals were always right up in your face with an intensity that no other vocalist of her era could match. On 1,000 years, the vocals are layered in reverb and buried in the mix instead of riding on top of it, letting guitars and washes of organs or strings fill up the space. Corin's voice is so versatile and so good, however, that its strength is evident even though it rides low in the mix. You find yourself wanting it, needing it, so that when her voice does rise up, its impact is that much more emotional. Some highlights include "Dragon" which starts out as an acoustic ballad and then blossoms into swelling symphonic choruses, using Sara Lund's excellent percussion as a bridge between the two moods. The final song on the record, "Miles Away," is so beautiful, so perfect, so sad. Just piano, vocals and a bit of acoustic guitar. Those somewhat softer songs are tempered by garagey jams like "Riley" that do actually sound somewhat like Sleater-Kinney, if SK had added strings or piano and a bit of noisy experimentation to something off Dig Me Out or All Hands On the Bad One. Corin Tucker has surrounded herself with excellent musicians for her first solo outing, and the fact that she keeps her own voice out of the spotlight only serves to highlight just how powerful it is.
MPEG Stream: "1,000 years"
MPEG Stream: "Riley"
MPEG Stream: "Miles Away"

CORIN TUCKER BAND, THE 1,000 Years (Kill Rock Stars) lp 16.98
For any fan of the now sadly defunct Sleater-Kinney, this record is a big deal, especially because it's so damn good. Don't expect some bastardized revisitation of Sleater-Kinney, though, 1,000 Years is something different: ever so slightly twangy, a little soulful, the beats minimal but masterful. Even Corin's iconic voice, the reason so many people either intensely loved or intensely hated Sleater-Kinney, has taken a different path. On every SK record, Corin's vocals were always right up in your face with an intensity that no other vocalist of her era could match. On 1,000 years, the vocals are layered in reverb and buried in the mix instead of riding on top of it, letting guitars and washes of organs or strings fill up the space. Corin's voice is so versatile and so good, however, that its strength is evident even though it rides low in the mix. You find yourself wanting it, needing it, so that when her voice does rise up, its impact is that much more emotional. Some highlights include "Dragon" which starts out as an acoustic ballad and then blossoms into swelling symphonic choruses, using Sara Lund's excellent percussion as a bridge between the two moods. The final song on the record, "Miles Away," is so beautiful, so perfect, so sad. Just piano, vocals and a bit of acoustic guitar. Those somewhat softer songs are tempered by garagey jams like "Riley" that do actually sound somewhat like Sleater-Kinney, if SK had added strings or piano and a bit of noisy experimentation to something off Dig Me Out or All Hands On the Bad One. Corin Tucker has surrounded herself with excellent musicians for her first solo outing, and the fact that she keeps her own voice out of the spotlight only serves to highlight just how powerful it is.
MPEG Stream: "1,000 years"
MPEG Stream: "Riley"
MPEG Stream: "Miles Away"

CORNELIUS Drop (Matador) 12" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A decent single spun off from the last Cornelius album Point. This has three tracks: "Drop" from the aformentioned album, and two remixes of the same. The Kings of Convenience sweeten the already-Stereolabbish nature of the Cornelius original. It's kind of a surprise to see them doing a remix at all, since they're Sweden's answer to Belle & Sebastian. Herbert (a.k.a. Doctor Rockit) delivers a much more interesting remix, forcing the song to hiccup and stutter admirably.

CORNELIUS Drop (Matador) cd single 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A decent single spun off from the last Cornelius album Point. This has three tracks: "Drop" from the aformentioned album, and two remixes of the same. The Kings of Convenience sweeten the already-Stereolabbish nature of the Cornelius original. It's kind of a surprise to see them doing a remix at all, since they're Sweden's answer to Belle & Sebastian. Herbert (a.k.a. Doctor Rockit) delivers a much more interesting remix, forcing the song to hiccup and stutter admirably.
RealAudio clip: "Drop (Herbert remix)"

CORNELIUS Fantasma (Matador) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Both of SF's alternative weeklies have been praising this album high and low, so you can believe the hype, or not. The Aquarius staff thinks this recognizable-sample-heavy party record is merely okay, sounding kinda like a mediocre mixtape as opposed to a seamless whole. We recommend you take Cornelius' lead and get an Omoide Hatoba record instead (Cornelius' own label has released Hatoba stuff, and we feel that they fuck with a million different musical genres AND come out with a sound all their own, something Cornelius is trying not-so-successfully to do...)

CORNELIUS Fantasma (Matador) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Both of SF's alternative weeklies have been praising this album high and low, so you can believe the hype, or not. The Aquarius staff thinks this recognizable-sample-heavy party record is merely okay, sounding kinda like a mediocre mixtape as opposed to a seamless whole. We recommend you take Cornelius' lead and get an Omoide Hatoba record instead (Cornelius' own label has released Hatoba stuff, and we feel that they fuck with a million different musical genres AND come out with a sound all their own, something Cornelius is trying not-so-successfully to do...)

CORNELIUS Five Point One (Matador) dvd + cd 14.98
A dvd and a cd packaged in super jewel case, this is the latest from our favorite Japanese genre-defying pop genius, Cornelius. The dvd features a video clip for every song off of Cornelius' last album, Point. This is cool for two reasons: 1) Point was an awesome album, and 2) if you've ever seen Cornelius live, you know that video art plays a big part in his show and it's great stuff. And when you're done with the visuals (including the bonus TV commercials), there's the whole 'nother extra audio cd featuring a dozen remixes of Point tracks done by fans!

CORNELIUS Point (Matador) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ah, Cornelius. Japanese soundmeister. Label impresario. Citizen of the world. Promoter of the bowlcut.
A cynic might predict that this album would be full of cutesy lounge music and tired samples... indeed that's what I (non-Cornelius fan) thought. But actually, I'm happy to report this record is kinda really good. Point begins quietly, admirably not screaming for attention, utilizing static to create anticipation. Then it slips effortlessly into a Stereolab-like groove, where the chiming sampled voices of the Stereolab women (that is them, right?) hover over organic, stumbling drums and precise guitar strumming. The entire album runs at this loping, kooky pace. Like the dearly departed Esquivel, Cornelius uses the voices only as sonic elements; the lyrics are relatively nonsensical. And once in a while you'll even hear an honest to gosh distorted guitar solo, or insane speedmetal riffing superimposed over the mellowness, or a sweet cover of "Brazil". (These changes in tone are not gimmicky -- they're worked in seamlessly well.)
This is a consistent, fine album, just don't expect the cut and paste theatrics of his previous record Fantasma. Buy it if you don't like the recent Stereolab albums, this will satisfy that craving quite handily.
RealAudio clip: "Point"
RealAudio clip: "Brazil"
RealAudio clip: "Smoke"

CORNELIUS Point (Matador) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ah, Cornelius. Japanese soundmeister. Label impresario. Citizen of the world. Promoter of the bowlcut.
A cynic might predict that this album would be full of cutesy lounge music and tired samples... indeed that's what I (non-Cornelius fan) thought. But actually, I'm happy to report this record is kinda really good. Point begins quietly, admirably not screaming for attention, utilizing static to create anticipation. Then it slips effortlessly into a Stereolab-like groove, where the chiming sampled voices of the Stereolab women (that is them, right?) hover over organic, stumbling drums and precise guitar strumming. The entire album runs at this loping, kooky pace. Like the dearly departed Esquivel, Cornelius uses the voices only as sonic elements; the lyrics are relatively nonsensical. And once in a while you'll even hear an honest to gosh distorted guitar solo, or insane speedmetal riffing superimposed over the mellowness, or a sweet cover of "Brazil". (These changes in tone are not gimmicky -- they're worked in seamlessly well.)
This is a consistent, fine album, just don't expect the cut and paste theatrics of his previous record Fantasma. Buy it if you don't like the recent Stereolab albums, this will satisfy that craving quite handily.

CORNELIUS Sensuous (Everloving) cd 14.98
If only Beck's last outing was as creative and colorful as this! Cornelius tends to take his time between albums but when they finally drop and sound this good and this meticulously crafted, we realize it's well worth the wait. With an uncanny ability to be both challenging and so damn catchy, Cornelius continues his streak with great pop record after great pop records, never afraid to explore new sounds while still making the whole sonic experience so fun to listen to. Picking up nicely where Point left off, this new record is perfectly titled as there is a breezy and brainy sensuality at play, and as always Cornelius effortlessly travels in all sorts of directions throughout the record, without ever losing cohesiveness. When other folks try the same sort of thing you usually just feel lost and bewildered by the haphazard musical confusion, but when Cornelius takes you from dreamy to rambunctious, blissed out to bumpin' and fractured to smoothed out, you just close your eyes and let yourself go, being carried away by colorful waves of sound headed for another engaging adventure in sound. So nice!
MPEG Stream: "Beep It"
MPEG Stream: "Gum"
MPEG Stream: "Wataridori"

CORNELIUS Star Fruits Surf Rider (Matador) 12" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Matador UK is acting like the English majors by releasing two singles of the same song when the six tracks on these two releases could easily fit on one piece of vinyl or one cd. Cheesy label tactics. But these tunes are so darn charming, capitalist manipulations soon fly away like air blown popcorn. On blue: a Damon Albarn remix and "Surf Rider Blue" (tres jungley!) and on green: "Ball In -Kick Off" (tres funky!) and "Star Fruits Green" (accoustic guitar with string orchestration).

CORNELIUS Star Fruits Surf Rider (Matador) cdep 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Matador UK is acting like the English majors by releasing two singles of the same song when the six tracks on these two releases could easily fit on one piece of vinyl or one cd. Cheesy label tactics. But these tunes are so darn charming, capitalist manipulations soon fly away like air blown popcorn. On blue: a Damon Albarn remix and "Surf Rider Blue" (tres jungley!) and on green: "Ball In -Kick Off" (tres funky!) and "Star Fruits Green" (accoustic guitar with string orchestration).

CORNELL, CHRIS Carry On (Interscope) cd 15.98
File under: man rock.
Lookin' like he just stepped off the cover of GQ magazine, Chris Cornell leaves Audioslave behind and goes it alone once again for his second solo album. Over seven years after his last loner mission Euphoria Morning, the voice of Soundgarden, Temple Of The Dog and Audioslave remains as burly and gut-bustin' as ever, but the music surrounding it plays things ultra safe. It's super slick modern rock radio fodder and major motion picture soundtrack ready. Speaking of which, his theme song for the James Bond movie reappears here along with a cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" of all things. Is it a joke? Was it a dare? Who knows. It's just plain weird.
MPEG Stream: "She'll Never Be Your Man"
MPEG Stream: "Billie Jean"

CORNER TOUR The Come on Over (Out Of Round Records) cd 11.98
The local label Out of Round has been laboring quietly in the background, not calling a lot of attention to itself yet turning out record after record that are consistently of similar mood -- due to the fact that they all play on each others recordings. The homegrown label's "sound", then, is one of a grimy circus atmosphere, like Fellini's La Strada if it was set in some dusty corner of an urban American metropolis. There are lots of slowed down polkas and depressed waltz time-signatures, dour vocals, sad accoridans, and dolefully plucked guitars. Great mood music for the Tom Waits fan in all of us who feels like Waits is just too hip for his own good these days.
Check out www.outofroundrecords.com -- we carry all of their releases. For a limited time only, get an out of Round Records label sampler free with purchase of this disc.

CORNERSHOP Handcream For A Generation (Wiija) cd 17.98
Words cannot express how terrible this record is. What happened? The band whose music was a charming mix of indie rock, casio electronics and Indian melodies, all filtered thru the lens of politically aware British Asian youngsters, has made a record that's so awful the nicest thing I can say about it is "maybe it's a concept record?" Every song on Handcream for a Generation is done in a different style, as if the band was still looking to find their sound. But this is Cornershop's fourth album. I mean honestly, what is Tjinder Singh thinking?
1st song -- straight up soul, and who is singing? so totally unlike Cornershop that we took the cd out of the player just to make sure we hadn't accidentally put in a disc by Wilson Pickett.
track 2 - really bad wimpy halfhearted indie rock.
track 3 - bad house with muffled attempts at vocals.
track 4 - whose chorus goes "overgrown super shit".
track 5 - more soul music with embarassingly simple organ, bits of scratching.
track 6 - reggae! what are they thinking? who is singing "rastafari!"
track 7 - disco.
And there are five more tracks!
Arghhhh!
RealAudio clip: "Heavy Soul"
RealAudio clip: "Music Plus 1"
RealAudio clip: "Motion the 11"

CORNERSHOP Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast cd 15.98

CORNERSHOP When I Was Born For The 7th Time (Luaka Bop) cd 14.98
Tho it's doubtful that Cornershop will ever match the magic that was Jullander Shere, this is a fine strong album, boasting production by Dr. Octagon's The Automator (on "Candyman") and a cool version of "Norwegian Wood" sung in Punjabi.

CORNERSHOP Woman's Gotta Have It (Luaka Bop) cd 12.98
Their best album. Get this one first.

CORNUCOPIA Full Horn (Brain) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Krautrock / prog monster!!

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY Blind (Columbia) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY s/t (Candlelight) cd 15.98
In a way, it'd be way easier to review this if it was the debut album from some new, unknown band. Then we could just talk about how it's a dark, heavy album of often speedy stoner metal with cavernous, killer riffs and a seemingly old school hardcore punk edge to it, that SLAYS. There, we said it, and really, 'nuff said.
But, 'cause it's in fact the new album from the reunited three-piece lineup of seminal '80s punk/metal act Corrosion Of Conformity, the same lineup responsible for the CoC's all time crossover classic Animosity from 1985 (Mike Dean, Woody Weatherman, and Reed Mullin), it comes with a lot of baggage. Some folks, punk rock CoC purists, probably won't even listen to it, having given up on the band years ago after they "went commercial" in the '90s. And even fans of '80s CoC willing to give this a go, won't find an Animosity part II here anyway. Which could understandably have been the expectation, one subject to unavoidable disappointment. Others, into the band's latter day Southern stoner rawk thing, might not understand why they're doing an album without longtime frontman Pepper Keenan (he of Down fame, as well). So yeah, lots of baggage, that really we don't want to delve into much more here, 'cause what we're saying is, give this a chance on its own terms, it's actually damn good. This boldly self-titled album is its own beast, a blend of the old and the new really. And the trio for sure seem energized by this return (somewhat) to their roots. They sound like they MEAN it.
While Animosity it ain't, they did prove on tour not long ago that they still could rip it up on the old Animosity-era material live (causing many 40-year old fans to risk injury in the moshpit, boy that was a bit scary). And for sure some of the tracks here are written that way, like the feedback laden "Leeches" and the speedy chugger "Rat City", both barely over 2 minutes in length. But there's a lot more to this album than putting the punk back into CoC... they also bring the metal. So, it's more like if some of their (better) later stuff was done with Animosity-era attitude, by those same dudes. Certainly CoC's "Southern Sabbath" tendencies are on display on tracks like "The Doom" (natch). We know they were/are fans of Trouble, you can hear that here... Also (though it almost seems weird to say), some Melvins too.
And what about the vocals? At first, we too thought, hmm, if they're gonna have longtime bassist and former frontman Mike Dean sing again, wouldn't the idea be for him to growl and yowl like he did back in the day? Instead, he's much more melodic here than we remember (but still, sounds a heckuva lot more punk than Pepper). Dean snarls and spits, but also SINGS. And sounds pretty cool doing so, we think! Love his slightly gargled, high pitched, fists-clenched croon on the rippin' "Your Tomorrow" for instance. (Reed also takes the mic on a few tracks, too.)
So, for what it's worth to fellow CoC fans/followers, in our opinion this is definitely their best album since Deliverance, at least. And the most metal they've been since Blind. And the most punk since Technocracy.
But, we don't want only those folks who already knew what the initials CoC stand for to buy this! Anyone who hates bourgeois society but likes skateboards and Sabbath ought to check this out. Likewise if you're just into badass metallic doomed out rockin'. Like we said, it slays.
Oh, the Seldon Hunt version of the CoC skull that adorns the cover is pretty cool, by the way!
(We've got the digipack cd edition with 2 bonus tracks while they last, or the import vinyl version w/ bonus 7"...)
MPEG Stream: "River Of Stone"
MPEG Stream: "Leeches"
MPEG Stream: "Your Tomorrow"

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY Wiseblood (Columbia) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**

CORRUPTED El Mundo Frio (HG Fact) cd 28.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Boris may be the drone dirge darlings right now, but we've always had a soft spot for their more obscure countrymen Corrupted. Where Boris revel in cartoonish imagery, seventies kitsch, eighties heavy metal, bell bottoms, double neck guitars, and balls out rock and roll, Corrupted lurk in the shadows, sullen and distanced, weary and wary, crusty and curmudgeonly, wrapped in mystery, each record printed in stark black and white, a Japanese band singing exclusively in Spanish strangely enough, who are obliquely political, and much more grim and gloomy than Boris at their droniest. Every record a massive plodding slab of depressive doom, epic and monstrously heavy, but with stretches of delicate beauty. Rumors have been floating around of a triple cd, single three hour song, Corrupted release, but until that truly materializes, El Mundo Frio will probably remain the heaviest, creepiest, most beautiful, epic, expansive slab of slowcore doom drone you will ever hear. Ever. One hour and twelve minutes. A cloud of shimmering drone underpins hazy, haunting piano and warm chordal swells, plucked harps and simple finger picked guitars. For almost ten minutes, Corrupted creep along dreamily, stepping lightly, drifting lazily through a stark ambient soundfield, before the heavens collapse and the sky begins to fall in huge crushing chunks, and massive stabs of super distorted guitars swell and crumble into an abstract pounding rhythm. Completely heavy, but strangely lovely at the same time. A lilting melody is hidden somewhere beneath all that buzz and rumble. Eventually the stabs slowly mutate into a creeping, loping post rock rhythm, with minor key strums, simple shuffling drumming and growled semi-spoken vocals, before the whole thing fades to almost nothingness, revisiting the delicate shimmer of the beginning of the record. The last twenty five minutes are mostly ambient with snatches of that hypnotic post rock, and a brief but furious explosion of soul crushing heaviness with the same vocals delivered now in a glass gargling gurgle, and then the track drifts off into ten plus minutes of barely there dreaminess, mostly single notes on the harp drifting like snow flakes against a black night sky. So lovely. Easily the most fully realized 'doom' or 'dirge' track ever wethinks. So emotionally charged, so effortlessly complex and yet so utterly and beautifully simple. Somehow it's the perfect blend of Boris's Flood (our favorite Boris!), the doleful slowcore of Low, the abstract dirge of Harvey Milk, the epic expansiveness of Godspeed You Black Emperor, the metallic post rock of Pelican, the downtuned ultradoom of Skepticism, and the majestic dreaminess of Growing.
Mighty expensive but well worth it. Comes packaged in an extravagant hardcover book style digipak, with a gorgeous booklet, lots of abstract black and white landscapes, printed on vellum and overlaid other images. So nice!
MPEG Stream: "El Mundo Frio"

CORRUPTED Nadie (Throne) 12" 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of the very first releases from thee rulers of downtuned heaviness, of doomy sludge, Japan's Corrupted. Most of the folks reading this list are pretty well familiar with Corrupted, whose records rank among all our all time favorites, sludge or otherwise. We recently listed the rerecording of the group's debut album Paso Inferior, now we have a vinyl reissue of one of their very first recordings, the Nadie ep, originally releases way back in 1995! It's been remastered, has all new artwork legendary Japanese photographer Kyotaka Tsurisaki, it comes in a super deluxe gatefold sleeves, and comes with a big poster on nice thick paper, and beyond all that, it is three tracks of the heaviest, most crushingly beautiful music you'll ever hear.
Years before doom and sludge and drone was a viable musical direction, Corrupted were one of the few bands in the underground carving their own doomy slow motion path. Back in the day, they played with and toured with and shared splits with punk and grind bands, as while they may have not shared a sound, they shared an aesthetic and a DIY ethic. And even 12 years ago, Corrupted were already turning pounding drums, massive downtuned riffage and howled vocals (in Spanish of course) into something almost symphonic, majestic, epic, beautiful, while remaining punishing and brutal and heavy.
Nadie is three tracks, 45pm, two shorter tracks that pound and pummel, a third sidelong track that hints at the droniness that would infuse their later recordings, with sheets of Eyehategod-like feedback, long drawn out chords, gorgeous and trancelike, as amazing now as it was more than a decade ago, and this record definitely casts lots of the wannabe doomdronedirge outfits as unworthy to even lug Corrupted's gear around.
This is not just drone and sludge for drone and sludge's sake, these are SONGS, perfectly arranged, parts woven into other parts, melodies, and harmonies, it's incredible complex, which is why the music of Corrupted resonates, and continues to move well beyond the boundaries of the genre they find themselves defining.
The is, needless to say, totally essential. The bad news is that it is LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES! And is already out of print. We got a BUNCH, but judging from how quickly the last limited Corrupted record disappeared, these are bound to be gone in a flash.

CORRUPTED Paso Inferior (Frigidity Discos) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Japanese crust-sludge band, super slow, super heavy. Their new disc. Some facts: 1) they just toured the States. 2) their lyrics are all sung in Spanish. 3) the drummer used to be in Omoide Hatoba, Boredoms guitarist Yamamoto's weird jazz/pop project, but he quit when Omoide signed to a major. 4) this album features only one song, it's 40+ minutes long... Great vegging-out music for fans of Earth, Sleep, Eyehategod, Swans, etc.

CORRUPTED Paso Inferior (Frigidity Discos) lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
BACK IN STOCK ONCE AGAIN!!! LAST EVER COPIES DIRECT FROM THE LABEL!!!
A lot has changed since we first listed Paso Inferior nearly a decade ago. First, here's our very short review from way back then:
"Japanese crust-sludge band, super slow, super heavy. Their new disc. Some facts: 1) they just toured the States. 2) their lyrics are all sung in Spanish. 3) the drummer used to be in Omoide Hatoba, Boredoms guitarist Yamamoto's weird jazz/pop project, but he quit when Omoide signed to a major. 4) this album features only one song, it's 40+ minutes long... Great vegging-out music for fans of Earth, Sleep, Eyehategod, Swans, etc."
Well, all of that stuff still applies for sure, but this is not, as we initially thought, a vinyl reissue of the original cd. Instead this is a RE-recorded version of Paso Inferior, recorded in 2002, utilizing the same themes and melodies, but a whole new song, the A side sonically similar to the original, the B side, a droney blissed out drift, which is in fact an 'ambient version' of the original Paso Inferior!!
Since the original release, the group has released several more records, each slower and more epic than the last, even incorporating piano and acoustic guitar. And you can hear that in the reimagined Paso. Their appeal spread way beyond the punk rockers and hardcore kids who held them so beloved. Metalheads are Corrupted obsessed nowadays, as are the new breed of dronedirgedoom fanatics. But back in the Paso Inferior days, they were the underground kings of sludge, sharing splits with pretty much every power violence band that was up for it. A band that was spoken of in hushed reverent tones, but whose actual recorded output, included only a single full length, Paso Inferior. The spirit and power of the original are definitely present, but the sound is better, heavier, and weirdly pretty in that way only Corrupted seem to be able to pull off.
One sidelong doomsludge crawl, the guitars black and viscous, the track laced with squealing washed out feedback, the vocals a growled gurgle, the drums a loping lumbering pound, recent talk of a single 3 hour song don't seem at all far fetched when listening to the re-imagined Paso Inferior, there's something magical and mysterious about the music of Corrupted, no matter how slow or sludgey or stripped down, it never gets boring, it sucks you in and soothes your spirit, while it crashes and pummels, mesmerizing, hypnotic, so heavy, but weirdly transcendental.
The other half of the re-imagined Paso Inferior is another sidelong epic, this one dark and ambient, all shimmery drones, haunting melodies, mysterious voices, a dreamy drift rife with long tones, layered chords, but all muted and blurred and stretched into something more dark and lovely than grim and ominous, perfectly balancing the sludgey sprawl on the flipside.
All new artwork to go with the music, black on black, shiny on matte, the band logo and flames or drips or streaks of some kind, inside a printed insert, pressed on nice thick vinyl, and of course CRAZY limited. In fact this IS out of print now and we are very likely one of the only places with copies. Except maybe eBay. Which means, as always, these will go FAST. And once these LAST copies are gone, that's it.
MPEG Stream: "Paso Inferior Excerpt I"
MPEG Stream: "Paso Inferior Excerpt II"

CORRUPTED s/t (Third Culture) cdep 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
3 songs in 20 minutes of festering brutal heavy sludgecore 'sung' in Spanish by this band from Osaka. Features Chew, ex-Omoide Hatoba on tambor/drums.

CORRUPTED Se Hace Por Los Suenos Asesinos (HG Fact) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sadly, the legendary Japanese label HG Fact, longtime home to sludgelords Corrupted, closed up shop recently, rendering loads of amazing records gone for good, but Corrupted managed to acquire a handful of remaining copies of this otherwise out of print doom/sludge classic, and we got as many as we could from them - not many. So this is indeed available again, for what we're guessing will be a very, very limited time...
Here's our review from way back in 2004 when we first listed Se Hace Por Los Suenos Asesinos (and back when Boris were still a doom/sludge band as well):
It's time.
Be afraid.
Very afraid.
Or if you're a typical AQ customer and love your rock music glacier slow, tarpit thick and skull crushingly heavy, well then, in that case there's nothing to be afraid of!
Everyone may quake and tremble when the mighty Boris unleash a new slab of black hole mega dense heaviosity. And rightfully so. Few can keep up when it comes to slow motion riffage, tectonic pummel and massive planet destroying rock. But there is another....one who came before....one who resurfaces occasionally....to remind the world that this sleeping behemoth can rise at anytime and raze all that dare proclaim themselves HEAVY. That beast...is known as... the Corrupted. One of the few bands in Japan, nay the WORLD, that can go toe to toe with Boris and hope to survive, perhaps even triumph. Some of you may remember Corrupted's massive two disc set Llenandose de Gusanos, from 3 or 4 years back, one disc of minimal drones, one disc of crushing sonic sludge (and piano). Maybe the finest document of death/doom/drone/sludge ever recorded - except perhaps for the rumoured-to-exist triple disc (!) SINGLE SONG (!!) Corrupted epic that has yet to surface. But for now, we'll have to be happy with this new 35 minute monster. The disc opens with a 17 minute ambient folk dirge, just acoustic guitar and harshly whispered/grunted vocals. In Spanish (as always) and rumblingly hypnotic. Like a ultra grim, creepily acoustic Neurosis, all stripped down and stretched out. Never imagined just a voice and an acoustic guitar could be so fucking scary, but for almost twenty minutes, the low end folk sludge stretches on seemingly forever, narcoticizing and mesmerizing, before the second track drops like a ton of lead Marshall stacks. Massively loud and perplexingly heavy, HUGE slabs of downtuned guitars pour molten riffs down your willing throat, filling you with black tar melodies, jagged limb smashing drumming, and bass so low it seems to loosen the earth's crust around you. The final track picks up the pace, to barely midtempo, but certainly a breakneck speed for a lumbering behemoth like the Corrupted. Drummer Chew (formerly of Omoide Hatoba) gets to go all Animal on this track, smashing everything within reach, the only thing keeping him behind the kit is the impenetratable wall of mile-thick ocean-deep sonic sludge, like pouring a bucket of hot molasses on a porcupine. Or dropping a sea anenome in a vat of hot glue, or like listening to Black Sabbath with your ears full of mud. Where Boris is channelling all sort of seventies rock, and stoner riffage, albeit through their own slow motion filter, Corrupted are just really fucking scary. A huge uncontainable, slithering, squirming, unstoppable, slow-motion, crusty metallic black hole.
MPEG Stream: "Track One (Se Hace...)"
MPEG Stream: "Rato Triste"

CORRUPTED / NOOTHGRUSH (Reservoir) split cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
2 songs by Japan's kings of sludgemetal Corrupted, and 3 songs by Bay Area power violence doomsters Noothgrush. Like a chainsaw trapped in molasses or something...