SAGE FRANCIS W/ WILL OLDHAM Sea Lion (Epitaph) 12" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sounds like an odd pairing, but it works surprsingly well. Sage Francis, assembles a dark and dreamy Anticon-ish hiphop-scape, with Oldham supplying the main vocals in his trademark laconic drawl. You can almost imagine what a great palace song this would make if you sucked out all the groove. But that's precisely what makes it such a great hip hop track. It's just a great song. On the extended version Oldham And Francis are joined by Saul Williams which is super cool. The B side, is the track "Stuck" and features fellow whiney rapper, Atmosphere.

SAGITTARIUS Present Tense (Sundazed) cd 12.98

SAGOR & SWING Allt Hanger Samman (Hapna) cd 16.98
Sweden's Sagor & Swing are an instrumental drums and Hammond organ duo. HAMMOND ORGAN! We know some of you are crazy for the Hammond organ. We are too. And Hammond-freaks or not, this is a lovely, lovely record. Super melodic and dreamy, calm and mesmerizing. Eric Malmberg (organ) and Ulf Moeller (drums) take much inspiration from dark and sleepy Swedish forests, we're told, but we're sure the music of legendary Swedish '60s Hammond/drums duo Hansson & Karlsson is also a big influence! Malmberg actually plays a Hammond that Bo Hansson used on his beloved 1970 Sagan Om Ringen (Lord Of The Rings) album! Not only that, but he writes a comic strip published in a Swedish newspaper called -- get this -- Hansson & Karlsson In Outer Space. The duo's H&K obsession serves them well, without them becoming mere copyists at all. Some tracks are lively and spirited, with stick-in-your-head folk-derived hooks a la fellow Swede Bjorn Olsson (himself a sort of Bo Hansson protege), while others are more like slightly sinister Dario Argento/Goblinesque lullabies, that combine music box melodies with one-note ambient minimalism a bit like that one Aphex Twin-esque track on Burzum's Filosofem. Just a bit. Some Kraftwerk rhythms are hinted at as well, and Magyar Posse's cinematic epics too. This is definitely a universal AQ-staff fave, and we think you'll love it too. Apparently it's S&S fourth album, so we'll have to track down their other two asap!
MPEG Stream: "Grottmusik"
MPEG Stream: "Lovverk"
MPEG Stream: "Det Sista Aventyret"

SAGOR & SWING Melodier och Faglar (Hapna) cd 16.98
Second album from the fab Swedish drums and Hammond organ duo, preceeding Allt Hanger Samman which was such a hit around here. And this is just as nice!

SAGOR & SWING Orgelfarger (Hapna) cd 16.98
The first, totally wonderful album from this Swedish organ/drums duo. Along with their other releases, solid AQ fave material.

SAGOR & SWING Orgelplaneten (Hapna) cd 16.98
The AQ-fave instrumental electric organ and drums duo Sagor & Swing return! These Swedes' previous disc Allt Hanger Samman was a big hit here, especially among those of us (like Byram and Allan) for whom the dulcet tones of the Hammond organ are a siren song. This new disc, Orgelplaneten (not to be confused with their 2nd album Orgelfarger), is actually a bit different from Sagor & Swing's earlier recordings. The line up of course is still the same -- Eric Malmberg on organ and Ulf Moeller on drums -- but the mesmeric mellow folky aspect of their sound is played down (though not gone entirely), and their more uptempo rockin' side is played up. This album is jazzier, punchier, louder. It seems that they've left the dreamy Swedish forests and headed for the bright lights of the big city. It's a playful, brassy, swinging affair that reminds us a bit of Finnish Casio-hipsters Aavikko. And it still reminds us, even more than before in fact, of '60s Hammond n' drums combo Hansson & Karlsson, whom we already knew were Sagor & Swing's biggest inspiration. This is very Hansson & Karlsson indeed! Total retro-cool. So, while other Sagor & Swing cds might be a good soundtrack for an intimate dinner, this one's meant for a real party. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Idiom"
MPEG Stream: "Aventyr I Alperna"

SAHARA HOT NIGHTS C'mon Let's Pretend (Jetset) cd 13.98

SAHARA HOT NIGHTS Jennie Bomb (Jetset) cd 13.98
These girls kick so much ass. Four 20 year old Swedish girls kicking out the motherfucking jams like a more metal Runaways. They've been playing together since before they were teens, touring like crazy in Sweden and releasing two full length records. This is their first available in the U.S. and the timing is perfect what with the Hives/Vines/garage rock mania. Sahara Hot Nights spit out punky garage-y rock and roll, equal parts Kiss, the Helicopters and the Runaways. They sound a little like the harder, meaner sister of the Donnas. Heck, with the boyish garage rockin' good times boiling over on both sides of the Atlantic, it's high time we finally heard from the gals!
RealAudio clip: "Alright Alright"
RealAudio clip: "Keep Up The Speed"

SAHG I (Candlelight) cd 13.98
Who would have though that guys from Gorgoroth were capable of coming up with something like this? Sure it's dark and heavy. But it's not really that evil. It's more sort of spacey and groovy. Two words you never thought you'd hear in the same sentence as Gorgoroth. But here you go. This is the stoner doom side project of Gorgoroth's King Ov Hell, and it's pretty awesome actually. You just have to sort of pretend this has nothing to do with Gorgoroth, otherwise it just doesn't compute. Think Sabbath (the vocals get really Ozzy at some points) for sure, but the sound is more modern groovy stoner doom, huge riffs, lurching loping rhythms, killer leads and wailing vocals, definitely brought to mind late era, post-Messiah Candlemass (think From The 13th Sun) but the interesting thing is how much a lot of this sounds like dark grungy moperock a la Alice In Chains, or like a more metalized Agents Of Oblivion (but not so metal as to be Acid Bath). It's actually what makes this record so cool. It's definitely metal, but it's so dark and haunting and moody. Like some mad scientist took the genes of Deadboy And The Elephantmen, Black Sabbath, Alice In Chains and old Monster Magnet and created these four guys in some underground laboratory. Sounds good huh? Well, that's cuz it is. Heavy and groovy, dark and moody, sludgey and stonery. We like this more and more every time we listen to it.
MPEG Stream: "Repent"
MPEG Stream: "The Executioner Undead"

SAINT ANDRE s/t cd 9.98
Man, does this record remind me of Scrawl.
And I feel like no one in the band is probably that into Scrawl, but it's definitely a good reference point for St. Andre's sound. Kind of a weird mix of that classic 80's Homestead Records sound, meandering Polvo-ish detuned guitars, noisy walls of guitar (ala Sonic Youth) and soaring female vocals that start as a smooth croon and occasionally leap out in a fit of Sleater Kinney yelps. Melodies and scraggly guitar lines battle pounding drums and bursts of noise, and occasionally dissipate into dreamy droning post rock. This may be their last recording, as they are all going their seperate ways (one to watch making school!).

SAINT ETIENNE Finisterre (Mantra Recordings) cd 16.98
Whoa! Is this the new Saint Etienne? Sounds like they've become even more deeply ensconced in slick clubland than I remember. Granted they've always been sleek, polished, danceable pop, but on Finisterre they often seem aligned with the much more accessible glossy likes of Kylie Minogue or Garbage (the band) than ever before. The ultra prettiness simply seems to be less present and less distinctly their own. The focus continues to be shifted away from Saint Etienne's trademark - Sarah Cracknell's dreamy satin voice - in favor of bigger thumpin' beats, dialogue samples and *gasp* a rapper bustin' out rhymes. Is it just me or does anyone else find this somewhat strange?! Mind you, their seventh full length is not without its blossoming, lush flutes'n'strings moments. They just surface more sporadically, making for a less smooth'n'swooning experience than their past efforts, and more of a fun, groovy affair.
RealAudio clip: "Amateur"
RealAudio clip: "Soft Like Me"

SAINT ETIENNE Places To Visit (Sub Pop) 7" 3.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SAINT ETIENNE Places To Visit (Sub Pop) cdep 7.98

SAINT ETIENNE Tales From Turnpike House (Savoy Jazz) cd 17.98
When we saw this new album from those beloved Brits Saint Etienne we were puzzled by the fact that it was released on the Savoy Jazz label. We thought maybe they were aiming for a more adult contemporary audience or something... and/or maybe the label was in turn aiming for a hipper audience. When we heard this new album from those beloved Brits, the first track, while bearing the unmistakable stamp of Saint Etienne, conjured thoughts of an imaginary collaboration between Astrid Gilberto and Brian Wilson -- lush, sparkling and super pretty -- but a lot of the other tracks might just as easily appeal to fans of Gilberto's daughter Bebel. There are stretches of smooth, sophisticated lounge-iness and just as many of curvy house beat dance-iness. Positively swoonsome!
MPEG Stream: "Side Streets"
MPEG Stream: "I'm Falling"

SAINT VITUS Born Too Late (SST) cd 14.98

SAINT VITUS Hallow's Victim / The Walking Dead (S.O.S.) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
There were other great underground metal bands in the '80s who practiced what doom messiahs Black Sabbath preached: Trouble, Candlemass, Witchfinder General, Pentagram... But it was LA's Saint Vitus who took the Sabbath sound to even further extremes. They were heavier, slower, doomier than anyone else. Psychedelic, wasted, DOOM. This limited edition cd comprises their second full length LP and subsequent 12" ep, both originally released on seminal SoCal punk label SST. These garage doom metal masterpieces have never been available on compact disc before, and we were only able to get a few -- get 'em while you can. Transferred direct from vinyl, not master tapes, but you'll barely notice at the recommended playback volume (loud!) and with appropriate headbanging behavior. It's also well worth noting that "Hallow's Victim" and "The Walking Dead" both boast the vocal presence of Vitus' original singer, Scott Reagers. It's been a subject of some debate 'round here about who was the best Vitus vocalist, Reagers or his replacement, stoner rock "god" Scott "Wino" Weinrich (of The Obsessed and, now, Spirit Caravan). Andee opts for Wino, but Allan has always agreed with what it says in the liner notes here, which call Reagers "one of metal's greatest vocalists ever" and go on to say "contrary to popular belief, Vitus never sounded as spine-chilling without his incredible dramatic voice and astounding range." Amen.
RealAudio clip: "Mystic Lady"
RealAudio clip: "Prayer For The (M)asses"
RealAudio clip: "War Is Our Destiny"

SAINT VITUS Live (Southern Lord) cd 12.98
Doing a service to the doom community at large, Southern Lord follows up their reissue last year of the long out of print Saint Vitus album V (originally released on the German label Hellhound) with another reissue of an equally long-gone Hellhound release, the Saint Vitus live album, aptly titled Live. Recorded on their second European tour in the fall of '89, this includes live renditions of such classics as "Born Too Late", "Dying Inside", "Look Behind You", and "Clear Windowpane", as performed by the Vitus MK II lineup that featured Scott "Wino" Weinrich (of The Obsessed, later of Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand and Place Of Skulls) on vocals. Southern Lord's deluxe re-packaging preserves the original's awesome cover photo (one that makes Wino look like one scary dude, and guitarist Dave Chandler like a really insane hippy freak) and adds a swank 32 page booklet of previously unseen photos (note Chandler's sweat-drenced Dinosaur T-shirt in several of the pics). There's also a short paragraph of new liner notes by Chandler as well, who, always the wise-ass punk, observes that "the print on CD sleeves is always too fucking small to read, so what's the point?"
Basically if you're a Saint Vitus or Wino fan it's hard to see how you wouldn't want this! If you're not already into these guys, it'll certainly provide you with a handy collection of some of Vitus' best tunes, but we're not expecting to sell many of these to the Vitus-ignorant. This is for the fans, old and new. People who'll dig the between song stage banter, and truly appreciate the extended guitar jamming portions sometimes added to their tunes in the live setting. Yessir, this is a hour+ of ponderous riffage and wah-crazed soloing, warts and all, as only Vitus could muster. All hail.
MPEG Stream: "Born Too Late"
MPEG Stream: "Look Behind You"

SAINT VITUS Live (Southern Lord) 2lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on limited double vinyl like it should be. Here's some of what we had to say about the cd version of this reissue: Doing a service to the doom community at large, Southern Lord follows up their reissue last year of the long out of print Saint Vitus album V (originally released on the German label Hellhound) with another reissue of an equally long-gone Hellhound release, the Saint Vitus live album, aptly titled Live. Recorded on their second European tour in the fall of '89, this includes live renditions of such classics as "Born Too Late", "Dying Inside", "Look Behind You", and "Clear Windowpane", as performed by the Vitus MK II lineup that featured Scott "Wino" Weinrich (of The Obsessed, later of Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand and Place Of Skulls) on vocals.
Basically if you're a Saint Vitus or Wino fan it's hard to see how you wouldn't want this! If you're not already into these guys, it'll certainly provide you with a handy collection of some of Vitus' best tunes, but we're not expecting to sell many of these to the Vitus-ignorant. This is for the fans, old and new. People who'll dig the between song stage banter, and truly appreciate the extended guitar jamming portions sometimes added to their tunes in the live setting. Yessir, this is a hour+ of ponderous riffage and wah-crazed soloing, warts and all, as only Vitus could muster. All hail.
MPEG Stream: "Born Too Late"
MPEG Stream: "Look Behind You"

SAINT VITUS Mournful Cries (SST) cd 14.98

SAINT VITUS Reunion 2003 (Claude & Elmo Music) dvd 16.98
Saint Vitus! In the doom metal pantheon, this '80s SoCal band is waaay up there, in the select group of second-gen Sabbath disciples that also includes Pentagram, Trouble, Witchfinder General, and Candlemass. Originally recording for SST, they were the throwback doom punk hippies of the hardcore scene. Hence such tunes as "Born Too Late". All of this, you should already know, and if not, there's little point in reading further about this release. 'Cause basically this item is something for true Vitus fans, those among you who know (and care) what we're talking about when we say that Andee and Allan here have a ongoing dispute about who was the best Vitus vocalist, Scott Reagers or his replacement, Scott "Wino" Weinrich. Extra points if you chime in, "what about Christian Lindersson?" If you yourself have formed an opinion on that subject (and particularly if you're a Wino fancier) then there's a good chance you'll want this DVD document of the legendary St. Vitus reunited (Dave Chandler, Armando Acosta, and Mark Adams, with Wino at the mic), live for one show only at the Double Door in Chicago, 2003. Billed as "the heaviest show ever" and well it's freaking Saint Vitus, they can say that if they want!
Ok, what else do you need to know? It's limited and numbered, it's an official release, it's a real DVD not DVD-R, it's a pro production (done by the Doomednation folks) shot on four cameras (which allow for some crazy close-ups and a diversity of "film stock"). The sound is decent, though it's also almost -too much- like you're actually at the show 'cause of all the crowd chatter you can hear. And here's the set list: "Clear Windowpane", "Dying Inside", "White Magic/Black Magic", "Living Backwards", "I Bleed Black", "Zombie Hunger", "White Stallions", "Born Too Late", "Mystic Lady", and "Saint Vitus"!
Right from the get-go it's obvious how Dave Chandler's frazzled, fuzzed wah-wah soloing makes Vitus sound so unique. Yeah they're hugely influenced by Black Sabbath. Wino gets as Ozzy as he can be. But there's something even more burnt out and deviant and, well, punk about the Vitus approach... and Dave Chandler's psychotic, psychedelic guitar playing (and personality) is a big part of that. Hell we're AMAZED that the dude still looks exactly the same -- imagine having that fabulous furry freak brothers frizzy long hair for all those years!! Right on.

SAINT VITUS V (Southern Lord) cd 15.98
Of all the classic "doom metal" pioneers who kept the spirit of Black Sabbath alive in the '80s -- Trouble, Witchfinder General, Candlemass, Pentagram -- the most significant to me (Allan) by far is LA's Saint Vitus. Perhaps 'cause they recorded for seminal punk label SST, their influence was broad. In some way, you can thank Saint Vitus for side two of Black Flag's My War, for the Melvins, for SUNNO)))... "Stoner rock" owes them too. These guys were proudly retro '70s longhairs when it definitely wasn't cool, and for that they will forever be badasses. I pretty much like *all* of their albums, many of which aren't in print anymore. But this one, 1989's V (their 5th LP, natch) has just been reissued by the powers-that-be-doomed at Southern Lord. It's certainly classic Vitus, their final release with vocalist Scott "Wino" Weinrich before he split to reform The Obsessed for a brief and unsurprisingly ill-fated major label stint. And it was the first Vitus LP not to come out on SST. Instead it was released by the now long-defunct German doom specialists Hellhound. So, in the States, it was a hard to find import, and little publicized. For these reasons, V acquired quite a mystique -- some fans going so far as to consider it their best. I can't exactly agree with that -- for one thing, V is marred by perhaps the worst 2 minutes in Vitus' career ("When Emotion Dies", a sensitive acoustic number featuring Wino dueting with a female vocalist -- that ain't what Saint Vitus is all about!) -- but elsewhere on this slab you'll find some essential heaviness, from the psychedelic powerhouse opener "Living Backwards" to the wrenching, rocking "I Bleed Black" to the massive melancholy dirge of "Patra (Petra)" and the epic, shivering "Jack Frost". As well, tracks like "Angry Man" and "Ice Monkey" provide uptempo inklings of stoner rock to come... So, a prime Vitus platter that anyone with records by Electric Wizard/High On Fire/Spirit Caravan etc. ought to also own. And, there's more: Southern Lord have unearthed a video of Wino's first-ever performance fronting Vitus, shot by Larry Lally at the Palm Springs Community Center on May 16th 1986. It's included it on the cd as a bonus Quicktime file! It looks kind of like black and white '50s TV footage, but it's great to see and hear this vintage Vitus show, the band tearing through five classics including "Clear Windowpane" and "Saint Vitus".
MPEG Stream: "I Bleed Black"
MPEG Stream: "Patra (Petra)"

SAINT VITUS V (Southern Lord) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Of all the classic "doom metal" pioneers who kept the spirit of Black Sabbath alive in the '80s -- Trouble, Witchfinder General, Candlemass, Pentagram -- the most significant to me (Allan) by far is LA's Saint Vitus. Perhaps 'cause they recorded for seminal punk label SST, their influence was broad. In some way, you can thank Saint Vitus for side two of Black Flag's My War, for the Melvins, for SUNNO)))... "Stoner rock" owes them too. These guys were proudly retro '70s longhairs when it definitely wasn't cool, and for that they will forever be badasses. I pretty much like *all* of their albums, many of which aren't in print anymore. But this one, 1989's V (their 5th LP, natch) has just been reissued by the powers-that-be-doomed at Southern Lord. It's certainly classic Vitus, their final release with vocalist Scott "Wino" Weinrich before he split to reform The Obsessed for a brief and unsurprisingly ill-fated major label stint. And it was the first Vitus LP not to come out on SST. Instead it was released by the now long-defunct German doom specialists Hellhound. So, in the States, it was a hard to find import, and little publicized. For these reasons, V acquired quite a mystique -- some fans going so far as to consider it their best. I can't exactly agree with that -- for one thing, V is marred by perhaps the worst 2 minutes in Vitus' career ("When Emotion Dies", a sensitive acoustic number featuring Wino dueting with a female vocalist -- that ain't what Saint Vitus is all about!) -- but elsewhere on this slab you'll find some essential heaviness, from the psychedelic powerhouse opener "Living Backwards" to the wrenching, rocking "I Bleed Black" to the massive melancholy dirge of "Patra (Petra)" and the epic, shivering "Jack Frost". As well, tracks like "Angry Man" and "Ice Monkey" provide uptempo inklings of stoner rock to come... So, a prime Vitus platter that anyone with records by Electric Wizard/High On Fire/Spirit Caravan etc. ought to also own.
MPEG Stream: "I Bleed Black"
MPEG Stream: "Patra (Petra)"

SAINTS (I'm) Stranded (4 Men With Beards) lp 15.98

SAKADA Undistilled (Matchless) cd 17.98
Beyond the scope of AMM, percussionist Eddie Prevost and Keith Rowe have been exploring the synthesis of improvisation and digitized electronics through a handful of divergent ensembles. Where Rowe's M.I.M.E.O. was a massive 13 piece ensemble with a number of forceful egos struggling with each other for position in the stereo field, Prevost's Sakada -- a far less cumbersome trio working with Australian transplant Rosy Parlane and the London-based Basque who simply goes by Mattin -- succeeds in marrying specific textures found within an unconventional means of playing a drum kit and an unconventional means of digital sound. With Parlane and Mattin working the electronic workstations to generate radio static and controlled feedback manipulations (no clean samples here! everything's covered in a layer of grit), Prevost never strikes the heads of his drums once. Rather he scrapes metal objects around the rims, bows the cymbals, and rubs handheld motors on the skins themselves. Many of the sounds could have come from an Organum record; however, Sakada is far more of disjointed affair snarling and stumbling their way through 3 extended improvisations recorded in London and Barcelona in 2002.
RealAudio clip: "Audit - 20.01.02"

SALA-ARHIMO s/t (Last Visible Dog) cd 12.98
Yes, more delicate spectral music from Finland! Sala-Arhimo are a branch off of the Islaja tree... and if you're at all familiar with us here at AQ you know we're mighty fond of 'em. This self titled album is very hazy, Spartan and folk-tinged much like Islaja, but perhaps a bit darker, more somber and mournful. Lovely.
MPEG Stream: "Onnellisten Saari"
MPEG Stream: "Juuristosta Latvaan"

SALLY STROBELIGHT Starships In Silhouette (Weird Forest) lp 12.98
A druggy troll through a cough syrup drenched new wave underworld. Like waking up in some filthy sonic back alley, your head spinning, and you ears filled with fuzz. The memories of last night's little fragments, coming back to you in bits and pieces, some murky analog synths, some stumbling drum programming, lots of creepy low slung bass...but it's the druggy female voices that swirl around your head like some hangover halo, sultry and sexy but also distinctly alien, drenched in FX, cooing softly in your ear, a late night, narcoleptic narcotic lullaby. An Adult. 45 played at 16 rpm, Nico fronting some slow motion electroclash outfit, a mysterious damaged doom version of Glass Candy, a seriously fucked up new wave Portishead? Sally Strobelight is all of those things. A delightfully damaged, druggy, slow motion new wave electro dirge missive from some doomed and drug ravaged otherworld. Awesome.
LIMITED TO 200 COPIES!! Clear vinyl housed in a gorgeous in tranluscent, full-color vellum sleeve!
MPEG Stream: "You And I"
MPEG Stream: "Transcend The Obvious"

SALLY, ZAK Recidivist (La Mano) book 15.00
We don't carry a whole lot of books, so when we do, it has to be because there's something really special about it. Those of you who made it to the recent book signing here at aQ already know what's so special about this here book, but for those of you who didn't, we'll give you a little background.
Mr. Zak Sally spent a good portion of his life playing the bass guitar in slowcore outfit Low, he recently left the band to focus on his real love, art, drawing and self publishing. He began a series of graphic novels entitled Recidivist and started his own publishing house called La Mana and began to publish gorgeous and lovingly hand crafted books, graphic novels, posters and monographs.
One of which just so happens to be this, the latest and perhaps final installment in Sally's Recidivist series. The first of the series to be an actual book, amazingly bound with an off white textured cover and a black spine, featuring the striking image of an arrow piercing a very realistic heart on the front, a severed hand with a paint brush on the back, a beautiful old fashioned hard cover, the sort that creaks when you open it, the pages inside printed on nice thick paper. Almost worth buying just for that stuff. But lucky for us, the artwork and storytelling inside is just as compelling. Very reminiscent visually of Chester Brown (Ed The Happy Clown, Yummy Fur, I Never Liked You, Underwater, etc.), the artwork is precise but still loose and hand drawn looking switching often from white pages with black lines, to all black pages with white art, the effect is really fantastic. The story is obtuse, a little confusing, but in that way great graphic novels can be. Monkeys, a roadtrip, dark forests, humans with the heads of pigs, nudity, school girls, surgeries, cupid, wristwatches, canyons, gas stations, all woven together into a mysterious and fascinating narrative. Gorgeous to look at and riveting to read. SO highly recommended!

SALLYANGIE, THE Children of the Sun (Sanctuary / Castle) 2cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hippy Renfaire Britfolk from 1968, featuring a 15 year old, pre-"Tubular Bells" Michael Oldfield and his older sister Sally Oldfield! This was really Sally's project -- apparently she had some sort of sudden spiritual revelation that caused her to break off her University studies in literature and philosophy, and pick up a guitar to write what became the "Children of the Sun" album! Of course, musical talent and creativity wasn't unknown to the Oldfield family, as history later showed.
This brother-sister duo both sang (Sally better than Mike) and played acoustic guitar, accompanied by session musicans -- flute, and harpsichord and chamber string arrangements on two songs. While much of this album is quite twee indeed, portions are rather dark and melancholic... A song title like "The Murder of the Children of San Francisco" kinda tells you where they were at. Sadness, beauty, blue birds and evening mists...that sort of thing. Contacts with British folk-rock act Pentagle got the determined Sally the recording deal for The Sallyangie's one and only album, reissued now as a delightful artifact of a long-lost era, when lush psychedelic pagan madrigal music was at its prime!
Castle has packaged this reissue with a bonus disc of previously unreleased demo tracks from both Sally and Mike, recorded in the year or two after "Children Of The Sun" was first issued. These include three folky guitar improvisations from Mike, and two dreamy pop songs by Sally. But that's it for The Sallyangie, although Sally sang on several of Mike's popular albums in the early/mid seventies before striking out on a sucessful solo vocal career of her own in the New Age field. But this album, with Sally's lovely wavering voice, Mike's adept guitar picking, and an abundance of youthful, period charm, is certainly worth checking out regardless of the Oldfield siblings' later careers.
RealAudio clip: "River Song"
RealAudio clip: "Lady Mary"

SALLYANGIE, THE Children Of The Sun (Earmark) lp 21.00
Now reissued on vinyl! Here is what we said about it when the cd version was available (which it isn't anymore, sadly):
Hippy Renfaire Britfolk from 1968, featuring a 15 year old, pre-"Tubular Bells" Michael Oldfield and his older sister Sally Oldfield! This was really Sally's project -- apparently she had some sort of sudden spiritual revelation that caused her to break off her University studies in literature and philosophy, and pick up a guitar to write what became the "Children of the Sun" album! Of course, musical talent and creativity wasn't unknown to the Oldfield family, as history later showed.
This brother-sister duo both sang (Sally better than Mike) and played acoustic guitar, accompanied by session musicians -- flute, and harpsichord and chamber string arrangements on two songs. While much of this album is quite twee indeed, portions are rather dark and melancholic... A song title like "The Murder of the Children of San Francisco" kinda tells you where they were at. Sadness, beauty, blue birds and evening mists...that sort of thing. Contacts with British folk-rock act Pentangle got the determined Sally the recording deal for The Sallyangie's one and only album, reissued now as a delightful artifact of a long-lost era, when lush psychedelic pagan madrigal music was at its prime!
Sally sang on several of Mike's popular albums in the early/mid seventies before striking out on a successful solo vocal career of her own in the New Age field. But this album, with Sally's lovely wavering voice, Mike's adept guitar picking, and an abundance of youthful, period charm, is certainly worth checking out regardless of the Oldfield siblings' later careers.

SALOME s/t (Vendetta) cd 13.98
For the Biblically impaired out there, Salome was the stepdaughter of King Herod, ruler of Galilee, and her infamy comes from the fact that she was convinced by her mother Herodias to seduce her stepfather (euwww) with an eye to getting him to promise her anything she wished. And what she wished was the head of John The Baptist on a platter. Why? Because John condemned the marriage of Herodias and Herod. Harsh.
Thus Herod did her bidding, and she was able to present John's severed head on a platter, to her satisfied mother. One of the most gruesome Biblical moments for sure (although only one among MANY), that has oft been the subject of paintings and plays. But that sort of cold hearted brutality, that sort of gleefully grim bloodshed, how would that play out sonically? Well, perhaps a bit like Virginia's Salome, a female fronted slow motion sludge juggernaut, whose sound falls somewhere between Eyehategod, Khanate and Monarch. Four long songs, each a gloriously filth encrusted, downtuned dirge, with frontwoman Kat's vocals a raspy wraithlike shriek, that is at times a dead ringer for Khanate's Alan Dubin. The music, while definitely sludgey and pummeling is rife with surprising melody, even some of the slowest heaviest parts sound more like 16 rpm Sabbath than the more static and sludgey dronedirgedoom that's all the rage. But the band definitely mix it up, some lo-fi jangle here and there, some classic UK doom sounding mournful melody, some incredibly lugubrious chug and churn, some rocking parts that have a bit of a Melvins feel, all stretched out into slow slithery spaced out ultradooooooom.
The record closes with the 21 minute "Onward Destroyer", which while incredibly heavy and sooooo slooooow, manages to be weirdly pretty, with clean guitar melodies drifting in between the rest of the song's abstract spacious plod, almost like a funereal doom Low. Some awesome sheets of Eyehategod style feedback, with the band eventually kicking it up a notch, and -almost- rocking, a midtempo doomic groove, more harsh hellish vox, and an amazing stretch of feedback that sounds almost orchestral before the band pound out a sludgey groovy slow motion finale.
Monarch, Moss, Eyehategod, Khanate, Thou, Corrupted, Bunkur, if that sounds like your ideal playlist, then this is pretty much a no brainer. But for folks into troo classic doom more than this extreme modern variant, Salome might just be the perfect gateway to whet your appetite for something more black and more grim, and with a few more o's. Doooooooooooooooooooooooooom........
Both the cd and the lp are limited to 500 copies. The lp is already out of print, so when those are gone, that's it, but the cds should be around a bit longer, although probably not much.
MPEG Stream: "The Vivification Of Ker"
MPEG Stream: "White Tides"

SALOME s/t (Vendetta) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
For the Biblically impaired out there, Salome was the stepdaughter of King Herod, ruler of Galilee, and her infamy comes from the fact that she was convinced by her mother Herodias to seduce her stepfather (euwww) with an eye to getting him to promise her anything she wished. And what she wished was the head of John The Baptist on a platter. Why? Because John condemned the marriage of Herodias and Herod. Harsh.
Thus Herod did her bidding, and she was able to present John's severed head on a platter, to her satisfied mother. One of the most gruesome Biblical moments for sure (although only one among MANY), that has oft been the subject of paintings and plays. But that sort of cold hearted brutality, that sort of gleefully grim bloodshed, how would that play out sonically? Well, perhaps a bit like Virginia's Salome, a female fronted slow motion sludge juggernaut, whose sound falls somewhere between Eyehategod, Khanate and Monarch. Four long songs, each a gloriously filth encrusted, downtuned dirge, with frontwoman Kat's vocals a raspy wraithlike shriek, that is at times a dead ringer for Khanate's Alan Dubin. The music, while definitely sludgey and pummeling is rife with surprising melody, even some of the slowest heaviest parts sound more like 16 rpm Sabbath than the more static and sludgey dronedirgedoom that's all the rage. But the band definitely mix it up, some lo-fi jangle here and there, some classic UK doom sounding mournful melody, some incredibly lugubrious chug and churn, some rocking parts that have a bit of a Melvins feel, all stretched out into slow slithery spaced out ultradooooooom.
The record closes with the 21 minute "Onward Destroyer", which while incredibly heavy and sooooo slooooow, manages to be weirdly pretty, with clean guitar melodies drifting in between the rest of the song's abstract spacious plod, almost like a funereal doom Low. Some awesome sheets of Eyehategod style feedback, with the band eventually kicking it up a notch, and -almost- rocking, a midtempo doomic groove, more harsh hellish vox, and an amazing stretch of feedback that sounds almost orchestral before the band pound out a sludgey groovy slow motion finale.
Monarch, Moss, Eyehategod, Khanate, Thou, Corrupted, Bunkur, if that sounds like your ideal playlist, then this is pretty much a no brainer. But for folks into troo classic doom more than this extreme modern variant, Salome might just be the perfect gateway to whet your appetite for something more black and more grim, and with a few more o's. Doooooooooooooooooooooooooom........
Both the cd and the lp are limited to 500 copies. The lp is already out of print, so when those are gone, that's it, but the cds should be around a bit longer, although probably not much.
MPEG Stream: "The Vivification Of Ker"
MPEG Stream: "White Tides"

SALT Issue 5 magazine 4.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another blast of AQ style rock (you know exactly what we mean) with a healthy side dish of professional wrestling from AQ pal Kevin and his master-of-all-other-zines magazine Salt. Issue five features tUMULt's own 7000 Dying Rats, the hyper-literate metallic grind of Bloodhag, an amazing interview with one of Andee's favorite comic book artists Renee French, label feature on iDEAL Recordings, a review of Kawabata Makoto and Jojo Hiroshige live in Japan, former Man's Ruin rockers Croatan, the relatively little know Japanese band Syogana, some reflections on the ECW, reviews of underground wrestling videos, some comics, and even some record reviews. A great read. Send this guy some money so he can turn this thing into a regular magazine and knock the Wire and Spin and Magnet and Terrorizer on their asses!

SALT Issue 6 magazine 4.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally, after a whole year, another issue of one of our favorite magazines around. As we've said in the past, someone give this man a million dollars so he can make Salt an actual monthly magazine that would invariably replace the Wire, Terrorizer and any other relevent rags in one fell swoop. Super well informed, well written and with a very wide scope of music (and culture). This time around there are interviews with the mighty Antiseen, black metal underlord Wrest from Leviathan, local no-wavers Erase Errata, underground doom sludgeniks Southern Gun Culture, AMT pals Floating Flower, the cute and dorky Gravy Train!!!!, a ton or reviews (Boris, tUMULt, Load and more), a Boris UK tour diary written by AQ pal Daniel, drummer for the soon-to-be-huge doomsters Like A Kind Of Matador, and of course lots of wrestling: interviews with Hugh Rogue, Shark Boy and an indepth review of the IWA Mid-South King Of The Death Matches! Wow. Check it out.

SALT Issue 7 magazine 4.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally, after more than a year, Salt #7 sees the light of day!!! What's the big deal you ask? Well, if you'd been paying attention to the AQ list, you'd know that Salt and its one man staff Kevin somehow manages to kick the asses of all other alternative music mags around with just a beat up old borrowed PC and a photo copier. There's a serious dearth of killer underground music zines, especially ones that cover the sort of music we love, and especially ones that does it with such passion and humor, AND especially ones that are also obsessed with pro wrestling and are not afraid to stick a review of some big match right there between an article about Xasthur and an interview with Boris! As far as we know, there's only one magazine that fits the bill... SALT! So there, music snobs. This is easily our favorite magazine going now, and we still wish someone would just give Kevin a big ol' stack of money so he could start a real glossy magazine, it would totally destroy, equal parts Terrorizer, the Wire, Option, Buttrag, and whatever other weirdness he'd see fit to pack in there. This time around we've got an interview with Swedish metallic grind outfit Burst, unknown to us Ohio three piece rocking juggernaut Driver, an interview with Andy who runs the Riot Season label, a brief history of "Descent", a night of alternative metallic music and art in Leeds, that sounds so cool it makes us wish San Francisco was just a -little- bit closer to the UK, also a bunch of fliers from Descent, one man's alcohol fueled quest to travel across Europe to see SUNNO))), Boris, Circle and more, an interview with Bay Area black metal horde Draugar, an interview with the mighty Malefic of Xasthur, tons of record reviews, and of course a lengthy wrestling review of recent IWA events (as well as an interview with IWA rising star Josh Abercrombie) and finally an interview with Brody's Militia, a wicked thrashcore outfit from Ohio named for legendary wrestler Bruiser Brody. Phew. All hand assembled and photocopied. Lots of photos, and lots of illustrations courtesy of Kevin Salt himself. Here's hoping we don't have to wait a whole year for #8!!

SALT Issue 8 magazine 4.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another year, another Salt. In fact it's been way more than a year, maybe almost two, but it's always well worth the wait. No one does zines any more, which is a huge shame, loosed from the binds of relying on advertising, and someone else's money, a zine can cover anything, explore music, art, even wrestling, can opt for any layout, but the problem is, that without that monetary support, sometimes you are forced to wait years between issues, which is criminal. Especially with zines like Salt. Every time we review a Salt, we always end up sending out a request for somebody, ANYBODY, to get in touch with Sal mastermind Kevin, give him a bunch of money and set him up with a real magazine. All the other mags out there can breathe easy since that is probably unlikely to happen any time soon. But if it did. Decibel, Terrorizer, the Wire, Signal To Noise, your days would be numberedŠ
So issue 8, as is the pattern, is even better than 7, which was already kick ass. On the cover, a super striking drawing of Diamanda Galas, done by Kevin Salt himself, and inside, well hell, it's like a zine custom made for aQ. A Pharoah Sanders live review, a Suishou No Fune / RKF South By Southwest tour diary, an interview with comedy grind masters 7000 Dying Rats, an interview with aQ beloved dronescapers Hywl Nofio, Finland's masters of hypnorock and kings of the NWOFHM, Circle, a handful of record reviews, an interview with Malefic from Xasthur, an interview with the Clientele, and since Kevin is strangely fascinated with Professional Wrestling, there is an elegy for the now defunct ECW, including an interview with author, journalist and ECW expert John Lister, and finally, an interview with our very own Andee about tUMULt, a follow up of an original label spotlight in one of the earlier issues.
The mind boggles what this guy could do with a real magazine. Not that we really want anything to change with Salt. But we sure wouldn't mind if it came out every month. Heck, every week!
And for the first time, this issue comes bundled with a super limited, exclusive 3" cd-r from Hwyl Nofio. A fourteen minute track called "Christ Distort", another gorgeously sprawling expanse of metallic shimmer and blissed out buzz. Exclusive to this issue of Salt.
LIMITED TO 50 COPIES. Each mag/cd hand numbered.

SALT Issue Four magazine 4.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally another issue of one of our favorite zines. SALT seems to be the zine version of Aquairus, sharing the same taste in music as well as a similar sense of humor, and a similar joy in discovering new and exciting music. Kind of wish someone would give Kevin SALT a big pile of money so he could do a real magazine and knock the Wire and Terrorizer and Spin and whoever else on their collective asses. This time around an interview with The Summer In Between, an article on Texas' Monotremata Records, an extensive review of the Acid Mothers Temple UK tour, show by show, by Kevin and a handful of friends spread out around England, as well as an interview with AMT mainman Makoto Kawabata where he talks quite a bit about his love of professional wrestling. Also in this SALT, an interview with bay area noise monsters Burmese, an interview with Aufgehoben No Process, an interview with guitarist Gary Smith, an interview with cartoonist Chris Yambar, an article about Rock And Role Play Records, home of the mighty Teen Chtulu, Blood Hag, and perhapst the best named band in the world: The Powersofdarknessshallrainblooduponthiscityfor500years, and an interview with AQ faves BORIS! As with every issue, lots of stuff you already dig, but a bunch of stuff you probably don't yet but undoubtedly will. Buy SALT or at least send this guy all your money.

SALTER, HANS J. Maya / Horror Rhapsody (Citadel) cd 14.98
Collection of recordings from legendary Hollywood soundtrack composer Hans Salter, from the television series Maya (recorded in 1966) and a 24 minute suite of music from the films "Son of Frankenstein", "The Mummy's Hand", "Black Friday" and "Man Made Monster" (recorded in 1941.)

SALVATORE Clingfilm (Racing Junior) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Norway strikes again! The amazing Salvatore (not to be confused with the cryptic No Neck Blues Band offshoot K. Salavatore) is a mostly instrumental five piece band from that Scandinavian country. They share a lot with their Finnish neighbors (and AQ-faves) Circle: the motorik Neu! drum-pulse, spacey psych drone krautrock inclinations, dubby, echoey production techniques, and "circular" rhythm-based songwriting that generates a pleasant hypnotic state in the listener.
But Salvatore's urgent, headnodding music possesses a gorgeous charm of its own, as there's a lot more in the way of psychedelic guitar burn and use of feedback in their compositions than is usual with Circle. Some other bands that Salvatore seem to reference along with Circle and Neu!: Can, Pell Mell, Flying Saucer Attack, Village of Savoonga... not bad company.
From the first moment we heard this band, we thought: wow, we've *got* to get more of these, Salvatore is a natural for Aquarius! It took us a couple months, but we were finally able to import a bunch of both their first and second albums at a good price direct from Europe. And, after playing them in the store, we're pretty sure we were right about 'em -- we sold some immediately! So good. Both discs are totally recommended, with "Clingfilm" (2000) being overall more structured and melodically catchy and "Jugend" (also 2000) being perhaps more heady, intense, and soundscapey. And both, of course, are not just recommended, but *mandatory* for fans of Circle!
RealAudio clip: "Halloo!"
RealAudio clip: "Horsegirl"
RealAudio clip: "Schneekaos"

SALVATORE Fresh (Racing Junior) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. HOWEVER, A DOMESTIC VERSION IS NOW AVAILABLE, LOOK FOR THAT NEARBY.
The new album from our new favorite Norwegian instrumental 'post-rock' band, finally in stock (along with restocks of the two discs we listed before, "Clingfilm" and "Jugend")! We think people will like this quite bit, although we're slightly less gung-ho about it than we were about those other two albums, maybe just 'cause this one seems to concentrate more on the 'prettier' side of Salvatore. Nothing wrong with that, it's just less intense. It's very poppy and sunny and nice, taking their Neu! influence into the Stereolab realm I suppose. The Salvatore boys recorded this in Morocco at the same time as "Jugend" and I guess this is the light to that album's darkness. Their hypnotic, Circle-ular grooves still transport the listener into lazy reverie, with plenty of gentle psychedelic guitar drift/drone and everything from xylophone to accordion cropping up in the mix. "Chant of the No No's" adds some sampled female vocals (very hazy and mumbled and repeating), while "Stork" features some jazzy pocket trumpet. If you got either of the other two Salvatores already, and dug their mellower moments, then you'll want this. If you haven't checked Salvatore out yet, you might start with this one if you're more into Tortoise than you are into Circle. It's Salvatore's Sunday morning album, you could say, rather than the evening/late-night listens of their other discs. Quite nice.
RealAudio clip: "Chant Of The No No's"
RealAudio clip: "The Seven Colours Of Gnaff"
RealAudio clip: "Vogel"
RealAudio clip: "Dune"

SALVATORE Fresh (Rocket Racer) cd 13.98
Yay. A domestic release for this, with four bonus (remix) tracks, including on from a Black Heart Procession guy! Hopefully we'll soon have restocks of their other cds -- we've got 'em on backorder at the moment with our supplier overseas. [whoops, nope, turns out they're out of print...] Already on its way here (maybe here now), though, are import copies of Salvatore's newest, 4th album Tempo, which we'll of course alert you to when they arrive. In the meantime, we're quite happy to have their 3rd album Fresh around again.
This is more-or-less what we said about the original import version we stocked previously:
The new album from our new favorite Norwegian instrumental 'post-rock' band... We think people will like this quite bit, although we're slightly less gung-ho about it than we were about their first two albums, maybe just 'cause this one seems to concentrate more on the 'prettier' side of Salvatore. Nothing wrong with that, it's just less intense. It's very poppy and sunny and nice, taking their Neu! influence into the Stereolab realm I suppose. The Salvatore boys recorded this in Morocco at the same time as "Jugend" and I guess this is the light to that album's darkness. Their hypnotic, Circle-ular grooves still transport the listener into lazy reverie, with plenty of gentle psychedelic guitar drift/drone and everything from xylophone to accordion cropping up in the mix. "Chant of the No No's" adds some sampled female vocals (very hazy and mumbled and repeating), while "Stork" features some jazzy pocket trumpet. If you got either of the other two Salvatores already, and dug their mellower moments, then you'll want this. If you haven't checked Salvatore out yet, you might start with this one if you're more into Tortoise than you are into Circle. It's Salvatore's Sunday morning album, you could say, rather than the evening/late-night listens of their other discs. Quite nice.
MPEG Stream: "Chant Of The No-No's"
MPEG Stream: "The Seven Colours Of Gnaff"

SALVATORE Jugend - A New Hedonism (Racing Junior) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Salvatore's second album, subtitled "Music from and inspired by De Utvalgte's literary installation based on The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde", was recorded in Morocco for reasons unclear to us, although we could go on and draw comparisions to the wonderful trance music of that country. Salvatore don't end up sounding at all like the Master Musicians of Jajouka, of course, but they do sound inspired by sources and forces as deep as those at the root of the Master Musicians' music, if it's not blasphemous to say that about an electric-guitar wielding "postrock" band.
Read the review of Savatore's debut "Clingfilm" nearby to get the lowdown on these Norwegians, whose albums are a must for any fan of AQ-faves Circle.
"Jugend" is equally as good as "Clingfilm", with maybe more of the drone quotent, though that's a generalization. It does feature as its opening an eleven-minute epic called "Jugend II" that's an awesomely beautiful heavy guitar drone piece, each delicious wave of feedback-distortion seemingly designed to directly trigger your brain's pleasure centers. Play this one LOUD! Elsewhere on the album, mellow out to the dub effects of "Gallo" or the sheer beauty of "Ambrosia".
And let's just say that track three, "We Have Found The Enemy And He Is Us", may be the best Circle song Circle never wrote!
The theme of Wilde's "Dorian Gray" is the battle of Youth and Beauty with Time, with the lesson being: Live! Such exhortations make sense when in the grip of this music! A fucking great record.
Although Salvatore do remind us so strongly of Circle (and Circle offshoots like Ovalki, Ektroverde, and Pharaoh Overlord), it seems likely that such similarities are the result of shared influences rather than a direct ripoff. And, even if Salvatore *are* shamelessly copying the Circle blueprint, we can forgive 'em 'cause they do it sooooo well.
A final note: their brand new album, entitled "Fresh" will be arriving in a few weeks, we'll list it when we get it. And we hear that they are recording a fourth album in Chicago with Tortoise's John McEntire...
RealAudio clip: "We Have Found The Enemy And He Is Us"
RealAudio clip: "Jugend II"

SALVATORE Luxus (Glitterhouse) cd 15.98
We can't belive how tough it is to keep this in stock. So frustrating because we love this band so much and all of their other records are seemingly out of print. But we just managed to get another big batch of these in, but they probably won't last long...
Yes, at last! The new Salvatore is here! We've been trying to get this, their fifth album, for AGES. For whatever reason, these imports were tough to come by, but finally we've got 'em. And now that it's booming through our stereo here at the store, we know that it was worth the wait. First off, the love of Neu! still beats strongly in the hearts (and, um, beats) of these mostly instrumental Norwegian post-rockers. That motorik percussion propulsion that we love. Instant hypnosis in other words. Which means that they're still very much of the "Circle-ular" persuasion, leaning towards the likes of Tortoise and Trans Am too. Tortoise's John McEntire did the mix, in fact (and contributes drum machine on one track, "Brugata"). That's alongside drums, guitar x 2, organ, bass, "bassdrones", xylophone, vocoder, "sitter" (sitar?) -- and each track has a slightly different, usually expansive line-up of musicians and instrumentation. The bass and percussive elements are always quite strong, of course, but Salvatore still manage to make their music quite delicate too -- and although Luxus remains on the lighter side of Salvatore's output (the "poppier" path they've followed since 2002's Fresh), there are certainly bolts of electric darkness and grit shivering through these tracks, especially on the scarily reverberating "Fluxus"...while the combination of female vocals, strings, and "fake balaban" (presumably the middle-eastern sounding horn we hear) on the ten-minute-plus title track is simply gorgeous, not scary or dark at all. Speaking of balabans, Luxus establishes that ethnic influences are definitely a part of Salvatore's sound, something that they have in common with krautrockers Can, doubtless another inspiration of theirs. So, for fans of Can, Circle, Neu!, Tortoise, etc. Salvatore has produced another winning album, that we're so glad to finally have, to share with you.
MPEG Stream: "Hefe"
MPEG Stream: "Brugata"
MPEG Stream: "Luxus"

SALVATORE Tempo (Racing Junior) cd 14.98
About time we listed this -- we had limited quantities of the import version of this but now the latest from this Norwegian sensation has gotten a domestic US release. Yay we say 'cause Salvatore is a solid AQ fave. Like Finland's Circle, they're a sort of instrumental, psychedelic post-rock band who do a lot with repetition, riding the motorik Neu! krautrock rhythm into the 21st century. Indeed, the easiest description we can muster of their recent output is Circle + Tortoise = Salvatore. Take a listen and do the math yourself. Super pretty, super hypnotic stuff. Recorded in 2002 in Chicago by none other than Tortoise's John McEntire, Tempo follows on from Salvatore's previous album Fresh with more airy, dubby grooves. Supposedly they're done a live recording with ex-Can vocalist Damo Suzuki on the mic, which makes a lot of sense! Hope to hear that some (future) day... While we wish that Salvatore's first two, darker/heavier albums were still available, the "poppier" style of Fresh and now Tempo is quite enjoyable too.
MPEG Stream: "Easy"
MPEG Stream: "Tempo"

SALVATORE, K The Counterfeiter (Siwa) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
K Salvatore is an unspecified permutation of the modern-day, free-noise hippy collective The No Neck Blues Band. The Counterfeiter is the fourth album from this side project and is a sprawling loose improvisation for quiet horn flutter, wild flute trills, occasional guitar growl, and a clatter of semi-tonal wooden blocks against contact microphones (thereby following up K Salvatore's previous 'pipe fight' albums with a 'wood fight'). The production is purposefully coarse with the building flurries of K Salvatore's wild actions occasionally peaking out the analog recordings. Think Scratch Orchestra without any Fluxus conceptualisation, Amon Duul with less drum circle mantras, or Zoviet France completely stoned and lacking their trademark production work and effects. Or it could be our beloved Thai Elephant Orchestra, if they had been listening to Albert Ayler records instead of Thai temple music their whole lives. And, Siwa have outdone themselves with the super elaborate silkscreen work on the cover of this vinyl-only release!!!

SALVATORE, K. Ashmadai (Fusetron) 2lp 22.00
The newest release from this mysterious two man No Necked side project. A darkly damaged and demented abstract drone folk freakout. Soundiing not surprisingly like NNCK through the looking glass. A tripped out warped sonic funhouse of squiggly synth noodling, warbly wah guitar, haunting creaks, sporadic rhythmic clatter, dreamy blissy acoustic guitar strum, cicada like clicking minimalism, all wrapped up in thick layers of rumbling fuzzy ambience. Occasionally melodic fragments drift by, or bleeping blooping electronics surface, but for the most part. Asmadai is a mystical musical mystery in the form of warm muted underwater warble. So great. Another No Necked offshoot that can seem to do no wrong.
Two thick slabs of 45 rpm wax, housed in a gorgeously designed thick black and white sleeve.
And as with most things like this, VERY LIMITED!

SAMAEL Ceremony of Opposites / Rebellion (Century Media) cd 15.98
These Satanic Swiss metallers' last full album before the the beginnings of their "techno" metamorphosis (a transition which first yielded the amazing Passage disc, before several disappointing follow-ups), reissued with the pre-Passage Rebellion ep added on. A now value-added black metal classic.

SAMARAI CELESTIAL Isis Sun (Carrot Top) cd 14.98
Former Sun Ra Arkestra drummer chants and plays electronic finger drums, among other things, and wears a gold cape given to him by Mr. Ra. At a 1995 show in New York, his electronic drums temporarily refused to work, so he gamely chanted a single phrase whilst fixing the thing. Reminded me of the time Rick James was playing "Super Freak" on Solid Gold and one of the synthesizer's legs partially collapsed. Panic crossed his face but he played on.

SAMARTZIS, PHILIP Mort aux Vaches (Staalplaat) cd 16.98
Since the late '80s, having spent time in the avant-noise project Gum, Australian sound artist Philip Samartzis has been exploring the technological residue that most sound engineers spend lifetimes trying to eliminate. Not surprisingly, indeterminant buzzings, electrical disturbances, crossed wire interference, tape hiss, and the surface noise of vinyl are the current source materials for Samartzis' electro-acoustic compositions. While there have been plenty of examples involving the tactility of technological residue with as many conceptual agendas (e.g. Loren Chasse's "Hedge Of Nerves," C.M. von Hausswolff's "An Operation of Spirit Communication," Christian Marclay's "Record Without A Cover," etc.), Samartzis has developed a unique signature that favors a clincally precise compositional technique that is typically affiliated with the Raster-Noton and 12K camps of electronic music. However, within those tightly controlled sets of sound, Samartzis allows for all of the haptic blemishes and residual sounds to continue unchecked by any controlling mechanisms.
Recorded as part of Staalplaat's stellar "Mort Aux Vaches" series of radio broadcasts for VPRO radio, these three lengthy pieces may be Samartzis' best work to date. While many of the sounds (i.e. miniature clatterings, run-out groove vinyl crackle, and irritable strains of gossamer feedback) have been recycled from previous recordings, Samartzis has greatly improved upon the contextualization of those sounds, providing an open-ended arena for a number of phenomenological events and metaphoric disconnects.
While maintaining the same packaging principles as all of the earlier "Mort Aux Vache" releases with a single tri-folded piece of paper holding the cd in place with a brass fastener, the paper in question is a beautiful iridescent, 'shark-skin' paper.
MPEG Stream: "Variable Resistance"
MPEG Stream: "Soft And Loud"

SAMARTZIS, PHILIP Soft And Loud (Microphonics) cd 15.98
The Australian sound artist Philip Samartzis has been working out the details of his Soft and Loud concept through various sketches which have been released on the Grain and Variable Resistance compilations, as well as in his contribution to the Mort Aux Vaches Staalplaat series. The source material and some of the compositional strategies tie all of his Soft And Loud pieces together, but it quickly becomes clear with this disc that Samartzis at last has fully realized his ideas of the surgical articulations of tactile aural phenomena within temporally linear progressions. In other words, he melds the ideas of INGRM's musique concrete (especially Luc Ferrari) to the pristine electro-glitch aesthetics of Raster-Noton and 12K (especially Carsten Nicolai and Richard Chartier). However, Samartzis is not purely a formalist, for there is a sense of metaphor and introspection that is evident in his work. All of the material found throughout the Soft and Loud pieces is from field recordings that Samartzis made on several trips to Japan. These compositions speak with a hyper-reality of his own reflections upon Japan's incredibly complex culture. In particular, Samartzis concentrates on the unique dialogue between the artificial and the natural. Set against a stark backdrop of empty silences, Samartzis' composition is pinpricked with tactile events: cracklings, sinewave mantras, pneumatic crunches, nauseatingly happy pachinko themes, a maudlin Japanese flute much like Akio Suzuki, etc.
Even though some of the same materials have been presented before, it's unusual to have the opportunity to witness the progression of piece of music such as this. So many times, a composition stands as a monument to the genius of the musician; not so here, for Samartzis has worked out all of the blemishes and false starts (perhaps even encouraging them!) under the critical ears of a listening public. So what I'm trying to say is that even if you already have the earlier parts to the Soft And Loud series, it's well worth picking up this highly recommended album!
MPEG Stream: "Soft and Loud part 1"
MPEG Stream: "Soft and Loud part 4"
MPEG Stream: "Soft and Loud part 5"

SAMARTZIS, PHILIP Unheard Spaces (Microphonics) cd 14.98
The Australian sound artist Philip Samartzis is essentially presenting two bodies of work on Unheard Spaces, both of which are connected through the relationship between sound and emptiness. The first suite for Unheard Spaces is called "Absence And Presence" and opens with an abusive scrape across a cello announcing something of new direction for Samartzis. The pristinely crafted electro-acoustics which culminated in the dynamic Loud & Soft album have been replaced on the first half of Unheard Spaces with a series of spacious, yet expressionist clattering improvisations between Samartzis (electronics and field recordings), David Brown (guitar), Sean Baxter (drums), Anthea Caddy (cello), Thembi Soddell (electronics and field recordings), and Michael Vorfeld (percussion). However, Samartzis introduced one hell of a detour to the typical improvisational context: as he asked the participants to re-record what they had performed during the improvised session by memory and without the benefit of hearing what any body else was doing. The strategy is much more of a conceptual conceit that certainly adds to the randomness of the clusters of spluttering guitar, squealing sinewave oscillations, and tumbles of percussive improvisation.
The second half of Unheard Spaces (also called "Unheard Spaces") is something of an homage to the work of the late, great composer Luc Ferrari, whose cinematic musique concrete compositions brought an unnerving psychosexuality to his decentered collages. Perhaps less inclined for the lurid aspects of Ferrari's work (at least here, there's plenty of grotesqueries to be heard on his early Gum project of turntablist damage), Samartzis concentrates on the very subtle sounds within the urban landscape, Venice's landscape to be exact. The echoes from the various canals and antiquated passageways comprise the bulk of Samartzis' field recordings, with a healthy dose of watery sounds just to make sure you didn't forget this was Venice. What's clearly missing is the hustle and bustle of the city itself, as Samartzis has surgically removed almost all of the direct human presence. While the sound of cars and boats provides activity in the composition, the human voice is never the direct focal point; rather it's the elegant refractions of sound emerging from a labyrinth of a city. An impressive duality of improvisation and manipulated field recordings that would have easily been the jewel in INA-GRM's crown had this been recorded thirty years ago in Paris.
MPEG Stream: "Absence And Presence 02"
MPEG Stream: "Unheard Spaces 07"