SLOAN Parallel Play (Yep Roc) lp 25.00
A new Sloan record is big news around these parts, especially since the two resident Pop freeks at aQ count Canada's Sloan among their all time pop favorites! But the interesting thing about Sloan, is that every record, bar one or two, are definitely growers. We talked about this in the review of Action Pact, about how somehow all of the past Sloan records are on such constant rotation, even years later, and the songs so firmly lodged in our heads and hearts, that a new record can't help but disappoint. At least at first. Like every Sloan record so far, all it took was a handful of listens, and suddenly Parallel Play slipped effortlessly into Sloan's pantheon of perfect pop. They have a sound that is so distinct, the voices, the harmonies, the sounds of the guitars. A good example was when we were driving the other day, flipped on the radio, and heard two seconds of crunchy guitar, and immediately, we thought "Why is Sloan on NPR?" And whadda you know? It was indeed them. And weirdly enough, hearing Parallel Play in that context, helped win us over as well. Even though these guys are so talented, and write such amazingly catchy songs, you still don't hear them on the radio. So hearing that sound, THAT sound, all we could think was what a revelation Sloan must be for someone who had never heard them.
And so it remains. The sound incredibly varied, since the four members share songwriting duties, and thus vocal duties, and each of them can handle whatever instrument is left vacant, bass, guitars, piano, drums, after a while, Sloan fanatics definitely pick their favorites, but fuck it, they're all great, and Parallel Play is no different, right out of the gate, the band kick it off with the crunchy power pop anthem "Believe", a should-have-been hit single if we've ever heard one, and from there on out it's pure Sloan, a sound that could really be no one else, slipping from super bouncy pop, to stripped down rockers, to brooding ballads, and all the various stops in between.
As good a place to start as any for Sloan newbies, but we'll always be partial to Twice Removed and One Chord To Another. Another fantastic record from one of our all time favorite pop groups EVER!!
MPEG Stream: "Believe In Me"
MPEG Stream: "Witch's Wand"
MPEG Stream: "I'm Not A Kid Anymore"

SLOAN Pretty Together (Murderecords) cd 16.98
It happens to me every time. I can't wait to get the new Sloan record. I excitedly throw it on when it finally arrives and... I hate it. Seriously, every time. Myabe hate is too strong a word. But I am definitely disappointed and seriously bummed. So I listen to it some more, trying to figure out how a band that is so great can disappoint me. And I put the record on again, and I immediately think to myself, "Oh, this one, I like this song." And for a second I forget that I am listening to a -new- Sloan record that I DON'T LIKE. And then it happens with the next song, and the next song, and suddenly, I like it. With no warning or anything. And suddenly, again, I am able to proclaim "Sloan has still not made a bad album!" But let's not go crazy, this is by no means the best Sloan record ever. That honor still belongs to the practically perfect in every way 'Twice Removed.' But this is a great record. A great pop record. A great Sloan record. All four of the fellas still write and sing their own songs, trading off guitar and drum and piano duties, ensuring that the record is weird and varied enough to keep even the most jaded popster's attention, while not losing sight of the hook, of the -pop-. Like almost all the Sloan records, there might be a dud or two, but even so, Sloan continue to make some of the best pop around!
RealAudio clip: "The Life Of A Working Girl"
RealAudio clip: "In The Movies"
RealAudio clip: "The Other Man"
RealAudio clip: "I Love A Long Goodbye"
RealAudio clip: "Are You Giving Me Back My Love"

SLOAN Smeared (Koch) cd 15.98
Reissued 1993 debut from a fave band of ours! A brief synopsis of 'way back when': in grunge rock's heydays these then slightly grungey four Canadian lads got signed to Nirvana's label DGC. To put it mildly, back then their music butted heads with the grunge scene and with the label's expectations/demands, and continued to do so as time went on. Long story short, they got dropped from the label. Much to the chagrin of their non-Canadian fans and the misfortune of their potential new fans, this effectively putting a deadbolt on their stateside catalog... until now. Yes folks, it's time to restart you Sloan engines, and get 'em revvin' and rollin' all over again. This is *the* album which contains *the* stand-out song ("Underwhelmed") that started it all for these Canadian power pop/rock dynamos. The very Sonic Youth-y Smeared offers just a glimpse of the clever lyrical twists, fantastic pop hooks and harmonies that were to come.
MPEG Stream: "Underwhelmed"

SLOAN Twice Removed (Koch) cd 15.98
Yay! Yaaay! Finally the long-overdue domestic release of a bunch of albums by one of Andee and Cup's all-time fave Canadian pop bands... SLOAN! Yaaaaaaaaaay! Before the New Pornographers, before Arcade Fire, before Hot Hot Heat, before Godspeed You Black Emperor, Bassist Chris Murphy, drummer Andrew Scott, and dual guitarists Jay Ferguson and Patrick Pentland were rockin' and representin' for the land of the maple leaf! Twice Removed is by far Cup's favoritest album of theirs. She pretty much knows it by heart. So does Andee in fact! Perhaps you'll wanna get geekily acquainted too -- y'know, be able to distinguish a Chris song from an Andrew one or be able to recognize Jay's guitar playing from Patrick's? A general rule of thumb: the oft-falsetto-piped Murphy writes a lot of the more bombastic power pop songs such as the lead-off track "Penpals" which reportedly was based on a sneak peek at their former DGC labelmates Nirvana's fanmail, the angelic voiced Ferguson pens the peppier boyish pop tunes such as "Snowsuit Sound" (a definite album highlight if you had to single one out and maybe one of the greatest pop songs EVER!), bespectacled Pentland's contributes many of the slower heartfelt romantic numbers, and the drollest of the bunch Scott inserts a bit of slightly eccentric artiness. And that's not even taking into consideration how they support one another, fleshing out each song with great multi-part harmony backing vocals which elevate things to a whole 'nother level. Soooo good! With each of the four bandmembers contributing an equal share of the songwriting and singing, it's not difficult at all to imagine each of the fellows leading his own band, but fortunately for us they haven't 'cause of course their chemistry does add that significant intangible extra 'something'. While other bands frequently go through line-up changes with varying degrees of success, the founding foursome have stuck together for over a dozen years and maintained their high pop standard and their seemingly inexhaustible fountain of hooks that balances brains and balls. Ultra highly recommended, and if you disagree, well then you'll have to face the wrath of Cup (and Andee too)!
MPEG Stream: "Penpals"
MPEG Stream: "Snowsuit Sound"
MPEG Stream: "People Of The Sky"

SLOMATICS Kalceanna (Spirit Of Division) cd 9.98
It's really crazy how many little scenes there are all over the world, scenes that could very well remain hidden forever, so many bands, some insanely amazing bands, who are perfectly happy to just play shows locally, release cd-r's now and again, never to be heard outside their little circle. Some scenes are particularly rich, bursting at the scenes with kick ass groups that deserve to be heard by folks all over. One such scene that we've been particularly smitten with, is over in the UK, Leeds we think. Their most famous export, at least around aQ, is Like A Kind Of Matdor, who released their first, and only record posthumously on Andee's tUMULt label. A crushing slab of flute flecked accordion laced doom prog. Which leads us to the Slomatics, another incredibly heavy, crushing and pummeling doom behemoth, hailing from the very same scene, and due to have a split 12" with LAKOM come out someday. Their sound is slooooow and doooomy and heavy, but unlike the prog tendencies of their LAKOM scenemates, the Slomatics traffic in a sound more Melvins-y, more sludgey, think Grief, Eyehategod, Bongzilla, Harvey Milk, Electric Wizard at 16rpm, that sort of thing, but a bit more abstract, a little more spaced out, repetitive, the sound layered and dense, a bit psychedelic, but still at its core, heavy, brutal, slow and sludgy. There are some brief moments of off kilter mellowness, clean guitars, loping drums, but those moments don't last long, quickly obliterated by another wall of lurching, lumbering crush. Some of the heavy parts are laced with almost buried wailing leads, and the vocals are howled and heavily reverbed, but not of that really matters as much as the riffs, and the riffs here are amazing, downtuned, blown out crumbling and MASSIVE.
Our favorite thing about the Slomatics besides their crushing heaviosity? The line in the liner notes that reads: "Middle-aged professionals by day, aggro-sludge losers by night"!
Heavy, heavy, heavy, and so very recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Griefhound"
MPEG Stream: "By Thor"

SLOMO The Bog (Important) cd 14.98
The aptly-named UK dronedoom duo Slomo creep forth once more! These Julian Cope compatriots (the drude dude himself contributes a 30-second poetic spoken word coda to this album) also have given this disc a perfectly descriptive title, The Bog. Slomo's Chris "Holy" McGrail ("Moog Taurus, Sunn Mustang 6 string, clatter") and Howard Marsden ("Korg MS10 & MS20, hiss") exude and extrude one loooong 65 minute track of sinister yet soothing rumbling. This Bog is a fog of burbling electronics and feedback, naturally slow and low and quietly creepy. It's like gastric gurgling from the cathedraloid stomach of some cumbersome, slumbersome, subterranean behemoth. The droning sounds of what may be subtle cymbal shimmer combine with electronic textures from the duo's synths and guitars, sometimes smoothly soaring like underwater whale calls, whilst elsewhere developing into a much grittier, frying, throbbing buzz and crackle. Other gentle chimes and pulsations come
in to play as well, layered throughout this mesmeric, mysterious disc, which we could liken to a milder SUNNO))), perhaps sleeping and snoring and drifting in dream. Certainly recommended.
(By the way, we have just a few copies of a new cd-r in stock from Slomo member Holy McGrail in stock as well, his infamous plunderphonic Stooges tribute, Raw Power Suite, so please ask about it if you're interested.)
MPEG Stream: "The Bog [excerpt 1]"
MPEG Stream: "The Bog [excerpt 2]"

SLOMO The Creep (Important) cd 14.98
Finally available again! Now it's a real cd ( not a cd-r) and comes in spiffy new packaging courtesty of Important records! Here's what we said about the previous edition:
Could a band have a more perfect name? And an album a more perfect title? In this case, no. Slomo's The Creep is EXACTLY that. Creepy, creeping, slow motion music. One hour, one track, improvised and recorded live with minimal overdubs and "zero eye-contact" (it kinda sounds like it was recorded in total darkness, in fact). The ominous subterranean echoing seismic sounds of Slomo are the work of the UK's Chris McGrail and Howard Marsden. McGrail, as you might have guessed, is also the main guy behind heavy psych-dronesters Holy McGrail, whose Collecting Earthquakes was highlighted here last list. This heavy-lidded, cave-dwelling creature is a different, more somnolent beast, but if you liked that Holy McGrail disc we think you might like Slomo's The Creep too. It's something akin to a narcotized Earth or Black Boned Angel, but played with the spacious, quiet restraint of Bohren & Der Club Of Gore. The crunchy feedback on offer is both spooky and soothing. Appropriately, the cd booklet contains an old rhyme on the subject of this duo's namesake, a folkloric character known as Slomo for his generally slow and slothful ways. The final line says of Slomo: "Whose detractors do call static... but whose champions call Ecstasis?" Clearly McGrail and Marsden are of hold to the latter opinion, as do we.
This is an actual factory pressed cd, in a cool Important style gatefold cd sleeve, which supplants the now out of print cd-r version released on Julian Cope's Fuck Off And Di cd-r label that we listed back in September of 2005.
MPEG Stream: "The Creep [excerpt 1]"
MPEG Stream: "The Creep [excerpt 2]"

SLOMO The Creep (Fuck Off & Di) cd-r 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY. HOWEVER, IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE REISSUED ON CD SOMETIME IN 2006!
Could a band have a more perfect name? And an album a more perfect title? In this case, no. Slomo's The Creep is EXACTLY that. Creepy, creeping, slow motion music. One hour, one track, improvised and recorded live with minimal overdubs and "zero eye-contact" (it kinda sounds like it was recorded in total darkness, in fact). The ominous subterranean echoing seismic sounds of Slomo are the work of the UK's Chris McGrail and Howard Marsden. McGrail, as you might have guessed, is also the main guy behind heavy psych-dronesters Holy McGrail, whose Collecting Earthquakes was highlighted here last list. This heavy-lidded, cave-dwelling creature is a different, more somnolent beast, but if you liked that Holy McGrail disc we think you might like Slomo's The Creep too. It's something akin to a narcotized Earth or Black Boned Angel, but played with the spacious, quiet restraint of Bohren & Der Club Of Gore. The crunchy feedback on offer is both spooky and soothing. Appropriately, the cd booklet contains an old rhyme on the subject of this duo's namesake, a folkloric character known as Slomo for his generally slow and slothful ways. The final line says of Slomo: "Whose detractors do call static... but whose champions call Ecstasis?" Clearly McGrail and Marsden are of hold to the latter opinion, as do we.
This is a professional duplicated cd-r with quite lovely artwork, released in a limited edition of just 100 copies on Julian Cope's own cd-r label. We did get a bunch, but that's it, when they're gone we won't be able to get any more...so you'd better not be a Slomo yourself if you want one!
MPEG Stream: "The Creep [excerpt 1]"
MPEG Stream: "The Creep [excerpt 2]"

SLOTEK Hydrophonics (WordSound) cd 13.98
2nd album. AQ-fave mc Sensational guest raps on one track. Definitely for fans of Spectre and the dark, dubby, bass-heavy WordSound "sound" in general.

SLOTEK Hydrophonics (WordSound) lp 17.98
2nd album. AQ-fave mc Sensational guest raps on one track. Definitely for fans of Spectre and the dark, dubby, bass-heavy WordSound "sound" in general.

SLOTH A Whole Other World Of Fun aka 13 Songs 13 Samples (At War With False Noise) cd 10.98
Some of you probably already know Sloth, a mysterious band of Midwestern sludgelords who in the past shared splits with folks like Corrupted, Grief, Upsidedown Cross, Floor, Noothgrush and Grief, and sonically, these guys were a pretty perfect fit amidst such illustrious company, but even back in the day, the sound of Sloth was a bit cracked, a bit demented, hints of some serious psychosis lurking beneath their lurching, downtuned exterior.
Surprisingly, this is their first full length EVER, but maybe not so surprisingly, given a whole cd to stretch out on, the weirdness factor is through the roof. This is most definitely not a proper sludge record, although there are some seriously sludge-y moments. There's also lots of weirdo rock, a bit of classic sounding grunge, some Amrep style postpunk noise, some cracked pop, and some seriously what-the-fuck sonic action all over the place. It sounds a bit like a musical clusterfuck, and it sort of is, but in a good way, and all those disparate sounds sort of fitting together, like some musical Frankenstein's monster. Not to mention, as the title suggests, the record is split into 13 songs and 13 samples, with each sample, some as short as 4 seconds getting their own track.
So yeah, even with such an amazing sludge pedigree, we're not sure we would necessarily recommend this to those looking for something like Corrupted, Moss, Bunkur and the like. A Whole Other World Of Fun is more for folks who like their music, heavy, difficult, troublesome, confusional and very very very fucked up. Just have a listen to the sound samples and maybe it will start to make sense. Probably not though...
The record opens with some grungy redneck punk rock, somewhere between Scissorfight and Fucked Up, but with some killer riffing, some weird death metal grunts, and some awesome post rock-y breakdowns. The rest of the tracks are really all over the place, from creeping Slintish mathrock (complete with spoken word vocals) and a twisted howled banshee like chorus, to a super blown out space rock groove, with an ultra distorted riff, some bizarre vocals, and some haunting keyboards making it weirdly propulsive and a bit krauty, to a sea shanty forest folk sing along, to killer lo-fi buzzing indie rock, plodding primitive black metal and every stop in between. The only truly sludge-y track is "Pike Flower Shop", a lurching, stumbling ultradirge, but even then, it's peppered with weird electric organs, raspy vocals, and fucked up production. There's also a bit of a Ween vibe throughout the whole disc, that is if Ween were some sort of weirdo power violence band.
The record ends with a murky bass and drums plod, run through with buried in the mix group vocals, occasionally interrupted by a feral death metal howl, twice as loud as the rest of the music. Fucked up for sure, bizarre, but pretty damn cool. Which basically describes the whole record.
Way recommended, but only for folks with a twisted sense of humor and a taste for heavy, all-over-the-map weirdness.
NB. by the way, this band features none other than Derek Erdman, of "Kathy McGinty" fame!!
MPEG Stream: "The Wooleybear Looked At You?"
MPEG Stream: "A Night At The Park"
MPEG Stream: "UFO Zombies"
MPEG Stream: "Lagoons"

SLOTH A Whole Other World Of Fun aka 13 Songs 13 Samples (At War With False Noise) cd 10.98
BACK IN STOCK!! Some of you probably already know Sloth, a mysterious band of Midwestern sludgelords who in the past shared splits with folks like Corrupted, Grief, Upsidedown Cross, Floor, Noothgrush and Grief, and sonically, these guys were a pretty perfect fit amidst such illustrious company, but even back in the day, the sound of Sloth was a bit cracked, a bit demented, hints of some serious psychosis lurking beneath their lurching, downtuned exterior.
Surprisingly, this is their first full length EVER, but maybe not so surprisingly, given a whole cd to stretch out on, the weirdness factor is through the roof. This is most definitely not a proper sludge record, although there are some seriously sludge-y moments. There's also lots of weirdo rock, a bit of classic sounding grunge, some Amrep style postpunk noise, some cracked pop, and some seriously what-the-fuck sonic action all over the place. It sounds a bit like a musical clusterfuck, and it sort of is, but in a good way, and all those disparate sounds sort of fitting together, like some musical Frankenstein's monster. Not to mention, as the title suggests, the record is split into 13 songs and 13 samples, with each sample, some as short as 4 seconds getting their own track.
So yeah, even with such an amazing sludge pedigree, we're not sure we would necessarily recommend this to those looking for something like Corrupted, Moss, Bunkur and the like. A Whole Other World Of Fun is more for folks who like their music, heavy, difficult, troublesome, confusional and very very very fucked up. Just have a listen to the sound samples and maybe it will start to make sense. Probably not though...
The record opens with some grungy redneck punk rock, somewhere between Scissorfight and Fucked Up, but with some killer riffing, some weird death metal grunts, and some awesome post rock-y breakdowns. The rest of the tracks are really all over the place, from creeping Slintish mathrock (complete with spoken word vocals) and a twisted howled banshee like chorus, to a super blown out space rock groove, with an ultra distorted riff, some bizarre vocals, and some haunting keyboards making it weirdly propulsive and a bit krauty, to a sea shanty forest folk sing along, to killer lo-fi buzzing indie rock, plodding primitive black metal and every stop in between. The only truly sludge-y track is "Pike Flower Shop", a lurching, stumbling ultradirge, but even then, it's peppered with weird electric organs, raspy vocals, and fucked up production. There's also a bit of a Ween vibe throughout the whole disc, that is if Ween were some sort of weirdo power violence band.
The record ends with a murky bass and drums plod, run through with buried in the mix group vocals, occasionally interrupted by a feral death metal howl, twice as loud as the rest of the music. Fucked up for sure, bizarre, but pretty damn cool. Which basically describes the whole record.
Way recommended, but only for folks with a twisted sense of humor and a taste for heavy, all-over-the-map weirdness.
NB. by the way, this band features none other than Derek Erdman, of "Kathy McGinty" fame!!
MPEG Stream: "The Wooleybear Looked At You?"
MPEG Stream: "A Night At The Park"
MPEG Stream: "UFO Zombies"
MPEG Stream: "Lagoons"

SLOTH The Voice of God (The Music Cartel) cd 14.98
Crushing and crusty Sabbath-y doom from the label that brought you Electric Wizard and Roachpowder. Maybe not as earth shattering as those, but definitely worth checking out if you dig that sort of thing.

SLOUGH FEG Atavism (Cruz Del Sur) cd 14.98
Cavemen on the cover, and a title referring to being a throwback to an earlier era? Stentorian vocals? Powerful riffage? Philosophical concepts? Fleet-fingered guitar godliness? Heavy and hyper, loud and proud, leatherclad heavy metal with all sorts of unexpected twists, music from a band that is perfectly willing to be both silly -and- serious and utterly, un-ironically blur those distinctions? Yes! It must be...it is! A new album from The Lord Weird Slough Feg! (Or just plain Slough Feg this time around, it seems. But they're still plenty weird, lord are they...)
We've been singing the praises of this San Francisco heavy metal band for a few years now, so with the release of Atavism, their fifth full-length, I think we can assume that a lot of AQ-list-readers are perhaps already familiar with these guys, and maybe even devoted fans! So perhaps we needn't delve into the usual introductory description of the 'Feg (which would include the following: eccentric, epic, riff-tastic '70s and '80s lovin' heavy metal with a twin guitar attack that owes a lot to Iron Maiden, specifically Maiden's early Di'Anno era circa Killers). Instead we can say, first off, buy this! It's the new Slough Feg fer chrissakes. And it's freaking great -- could be their best yet, up there with Down Among The Deadmen anyway. Heck it's hard to pick a favorite record of theirs, but this one for sure has got all the insane guitar leads, dramatic vocals, exquisite harmonies, triumphal cadences, folky motifs, complex arrangements, and pulse-racing head-banging METAL you've come to expect from these guys.
Epic as they are, Slough Feg are also never ones for trying their listener's attention spans -- or their own. So all kinds of awesome riffs and ideas get artfully arranged into lean, mean tracks, all muscle, no flab. Indeed, Atavism clocks in at a concise 38 minutes, with several of the fourteen tracks, like "Robusto" and "Portcullis", being relatively brief (but action-packed) instrumental interludes. Their previous album, 2003's Traveller, was limited somewhat by the strictures of being a concept album, and Slough Feg seems more suited to a free-wheeling fandango like Atavism, that can range through time and space and rock out however and whenever it wants, allowing a song like the majestic "High Season V" to immediately segue into the '70s boogie-groove of "Starport Blues" (the lyrics of which make reference to Devo's Smart Patrol)... Likewise, the Thin Lizzyish "Hiberno-Latin Invasion" sits here comfortably next to an instrumental workout like "Climax Of A Generation", a track quite possibly inspired by Greg Ginn's Gone. Not to mention the declamatory acoustic introspection of "Atavism" or the doomy Homeric epic "Eumaneus The Swineherd" or the rollicking and defiant "I Will Kill You/You Will Die", etc. etc... all of 'em tightly and energetically interlocking, like they do it live. Delightfully prog one moment, headbangingly metallic the next, then suddenly off on a bluegrass-inspired tangent... from stuff that sounds like Slayer to stuff that sounds like show tunes, they are sworn to no rules, yet everything they do is unmistakably Slough Feg -- in large part to the larger-than-life vocal presence and unique style of singer/guitarist Mike Scalzi, whose baritone delivery has been accurately described by another reviewer as "like a warcry -- a lament and an oath all rolled in one". Hammers Of Misfortune fans know him too, but here in his own band he gets to fully unleash his vision of heroic, hectic metal madness.
Not too long ago we listed a 7" on which Slough Feg covered an obscure NWOBHM song called "Heavy Metal Rules". So true. And they've followed that up with Atavism to really prove the point! Heavy metal does indeed rule, and bands like Slough Feg (of which there aren't all that many!) are the reason why.
MPEG Stream: "Agnostic Grunt"
MPEG Stream: "I Will Kill You/You Will Die"
MPEG Stream: "Climax Of A Generation"

SLOUGH FEG Atavism (Forest Moon Special Products) lp 14.98
NOW ON VINYL!! Pressed on half-clear, half-translucent red wax, and limited to 500 numbered copies, going fast (we got a dozen). Here's our review of the cd version (which is a rave, and not alone in being so among reviews of this album as a quick Google search will attest!!):
Cavemen on the cover, and a title referring to being a throwback to an earlier era? Stentorian vocals? Powerful riffage? Philosophical concepts? Fleet-fingered guitar godliness? Heavy and hyper, loud and proud, leatherclad heavy metal with all sorts of unexpected twists, music from a band that is perfectly willing to be both silly -and- serious and utterly, un-ironically blur those distinctions? Yes! It must be...it is! A new album from The Lord Weird Slough Feg! (Or just plain Slough Feg this time around, it seems. But they're still plenty weird, lord are they...)
We've been singing the praises of this San Francisco heavy metal band for a few years now, so with the release of Atavism, their fifth full-length, I think we can assume that a lot of AQ-list-readers are perhaps already familiar with these guys, and maybe even devoted fans! So perhaps we needn't delve into the usual introductory description of the 'Feg (which would include the following: eccentric, epic, riff-tastic '70s and '80s lovin' heavy metal with a twin guitar attack that owes a lot to Iron Maiden, specifically Maiden's early Di'Anno era circa Killers). Instead we can say, first off, buy this! It's the new Slough Feg fer chrissakes. And it's freaking great -- could be their best yet, up there with Down Among The Deadmen anyway. Heck it's hard to pick a favorite record of theirs, but this one for sure has got all the insane guitar leads, dramatic vocals, exquisite harmonies, triumphal cadences, folky motifs, complex arrangements, and pulse-racing head-banging METAL you've come to expect from these guys.
Epic as they are, Slough Feg are also never ones for trying their listener's attention spans -- or their own. So all kinds of awesome riffs and ideas get artfully arranged into lean, mean tracks, all muscle, no flab. Indeed, Atavism clocks in at a concise 38 minutes, with several of the fourteen tracks, like "Robusto" and "Portcullis", being relatively brief (but action-packed) instrumental interludes. Their previous album, 2003's Traveller, was limited somewhat by the strictures of being a concept album, and Slough Feg seems more suited to a free-wheeling fandango like Atavism, that can range through time and space and rock out however and whenever it wants, allowing a song like the majestic "High Season V" to immediately segue into the '70s boogie-groove of "Starport Blues" (the lyrics of which make reference to Devo's Smart Patrol)... Likewise, the Thin Lizzyish "Hiberno-Latin Invasion" sits here comfortably next to an instrumental workout like "Climax Of A Generation", a track quite possibly inspired by Greg Ginn's Gone. Not to mention the declamatory acoustic introspection of "Atavism" or the doomy Homeric epic "Eumaneus The Swineherd" or the rollicking and defiant "I Will Kill You/You Will Die", etc. etc... all of 'em tightly and energetically interlocking, like they do it live. Delightfully prog one moment, headbangingly metallic the next, then suddenly off on a bluegrass-inspired tangent... from stuff that sounds like Slayer to stuff that sounds like show tunes, they are sworn to no rules, yet everything they do is unmistakably Slough Feg -- in large part to the larger-than-life vocal presence and unique style of singer/guitarist Mike Scalzi, whose baritone delivery has been accurately described by another reviewer as "like a warcry -- a lament and an oath all rolled in one". Hammers Of Misfortune fans know him too, but here in his own band he gets to fully unleash his vision of heroic, hectic metal madness.
Not too long ago we listed a 7" on which Slough Feg covered an obscure NWOBHM song called "Heavy Metal Rules". So true. And they've followed that up with Atavism to really prove the point! Heavy metal does indeed rule, and bands like Slough Feg (of which there aren't all that many!) are the reason why.
MPEG Stream: "Agnostic Grunt"
MPEG Stream: "I Will Kill You/You Will Die"
MPEG Stream: "Climax Of A Generation"

SLOUGH FEG Hardworlder (Cruz Del Sur) cd 17.98
San Francisco heavy metallists Slough Feg (aka The Lord Weird Slough Feg), led by vocalist/guitarist Mike Scalzi, have built up a deserved cult following over the years, whom we guarantee will NOT be disappointed with the contents of their latest epic, eccentric metal opus Hardworlder, their sixth full-length album. Indeed, Slough Feg's fans should be quite thrilled. And with luck Hardworlder will recruit some new devotees to the cult of 'Feg as well, they deserve it 'cause nobody but nobody makes albums with this sort of peculiar panache anymore these days. Not since the '80s, or even the '70s, from whence the guitars of Hardworlder seem to hail, and there's a heckuva lot of guitar here... memorable riffs and virtuoso solos and Maiden-ized twin axe harmonies... guitars guitars guitars! It's evident that Slough Feg's latest revised lineup (which features a change of drummer, and "Don" Angelo Tringali of cult doomsters Cold Mourning replacing Hammers Of Misfortune's John Cobbett on second lead guitar) has if anything only enhanced the "guitariness" of this band, as if that was imaginable. The Scalzi/Tringali dual guitar teamwork is phenomenal, and both guys peel off leads left and right, not just to impress with the notes they can play but because they simply can't contain their love for the raw beauty that can flow from fully cranked Gibson Les Pauls. They've got the power, and the responsibility, to play like they've taken up the torch of every great heavy metal band from the '70s and the '80s that's fallen by the wayside...
This album's title is a word they coined themselves, referring to the idea of a space-travelling adventurer bumming around on a rough planet in a bad part of the galaxy, a loner toughened by life on a "hard world" -- typified by Gully Foyle, the protagonist of sci-fi author Alfred Bester's 1956 classic The Stars My Destination (read it sez Allan and Andee!!). A book and character which provides the inspiration for the track "Tiger! Tiger!" as well as for the Kirby-esque comic-book illustration that graces this album's cover.
Interestingly, if you Google "Hardworlder", you'll find that Slough Feg managed to come up with a term that ONLY exists in connection with this album. You'll find their website, their MySpace page, their Wikipedia page, the review of Hardworlder in last week's Village Voice (yes, strangely enough, right next to the new Pharoahe Monch and Smashing Pumpkins -- how'd that happen??? The Village Voice says, "Badass sci-fi metal that it's finally cool to listen to"...we've been telling folks that for years...). You might also run across someone else's MySpace page, who goes by the handle Hardworlder -- but it turns out it belongs to an Australian university student who's a huge Slough Feg fanatic. He's gonna be happy when he hears this!
The album's opening one-two punch is hard to beat: the relentless build-up of adrenaline instrumental "The Return Of Dr. Universe" which leads us breathless into the impactful majesty of "Tiger! Tiger!", destined to be considered an instant classic in the Slough Feg canon we're sure!
But the rest of the album is up to that mighty task -- the majesty continues with midtempo maritime lament "The Sea Wolf", and thence through to the doomy riffs of the album's title track, and onward... Hardworlder seems to possess an anthemic, sweeping, saddened grandeur, a more uniform overall feel than its shorter and more schizo predecessor Atavism, although you'll find that Slough Feg sashay down all the (un)usual skyways and byways you might expect from them. The manly, melodic doom-paced epics coexist here with rollicking '70s styled hard rockers (such as "Frankfurt-Hahn Airport Blues", obviously a nod to Atavism's equally boogie-riffed "Starport Blues"). "Insomnia" starts off Thin Lizzyish to the max, but halfway through the band rides into the Halls Of Manowar, and a wordless Viking chorus rings out... The galloping requiem of the psychological tragedy "Poisoned Treasures" (reprised from their split 7" with Bible Of The Devil) will get stuck in your head, as will much more on this impossibly catchy album... And one of our favorite tracks here is the lengthy show-stopping instrumental "Galactic Nomad", with an almost-Allmans level of gorgeous guitar interplay, that could illicit a "we're not worthy" from The Fucking Champs themselves.
And while Hardworlder's obviously working the science fiction angle that proved popular for 'em on their concept album Traveller, it also serves up ye olde Celtic folk in the Slough Feg tradition -- in fact, one of the two (2) cover songs here is a version of "Dearg Doom" by '70s Irish folk-rockers Horslips. The other cover is "Street Jammer", originally by '80s American epic metal weirdists Manilla Road. Both are tributes to Slough Feg's influences in a general, not specific sense, since we happen to know that they'd never heard either band until years and years after Slough Feg's inception. Speaking of influences, if you listen close to "Street Jammer" you'll hear some Chuck Berry licks thrown in not found on the original... and we'll also note that Slough Feg deliberately selected an early Manilla Road song, that's a lot more hot rockin' than what people usually think of in connection with that band. Further, while we're usually more into covers that DON'T sound so much like the originals, in the case of these two songs it's OK that they do since a) they're pretty obscure and b) both still totally sound like Slough Feg could have written them.
Ok, we're rambling, and you get the idea... Hardworlder is another ripping masterwork from a band that will either dominate your metal-addled mind, or you just won't get. We hope you do. 'Nuff said.
MPEG Stream: "Tiger! Tiger!"
MPEG Stream: "Frankfurt-Hahn Airport Blues"
MPEG Stream: "Dearg Doom"

SLOUGH FEG Hardworlder (Iron Kodex) lp 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON VINYL!!! Super limited, numbered (500 copies) black vinyl, imported from Germany. We only have a handful. Packaged in a gatefold sleeve with lyric sheet insert and a black and white sticker of the Gully Foyle character on the cover. Here's what we said about the cd version when it came out last year:
San Francisco heavy metallists Slough Feg (aka The Lord Weird Slough Feg), led by vocalist/guitarist Mike Scalzi, have built up a deserved cult following over the years, whom we guarantee will NOT be disappointed with the contents of their latest epic, eccentric metal opus Hardworlder, their sixth full-length album. Indeed, Slough Feg's fans should be quite thrilled. And with luck Hardworlder will recruit some new devotees to the cult of 'Feg as well, they deserve it 'cause nobody but nobody makes albums with this sort of peculiar panache anymore these days. Not since the '80s, or even the '70s, from whence the guitars of Hardworlder seem to hail, and there's a heckuva lot of guitar here... memorable riffs and virtuoso solos and Maiden-ized twin axe harmonies... guitars guitars guitars! It's evident that Slough Feg's latest revised lineup (which features a change of drummer, and "Don" Angelo Tringali of cult doomsters Cold Mourning replacing Hammers Of Misfortune's John Cobbett on second lead guitar) has if anything only enhanced the "guitariness" of this band, as if that was imaginable. The Scalzi/Tringali dual guitar teamwork is phenomenal, and both guys peel off leads left and right, not just to impress with the notes they can play but because they simply can't contain their love for the raw beauty that can flow from fully cranked Gibson Les Pauls. They've got the power, and the responsibility, to play like they've taken up the torch of every great heavy metal band from the '70s and the '80s that's fallen by the wayside...
This album's title is a word they coined themselves, referring to the idea of a space-travelling adventurer bumming around on a rough planet in a bad part of the galaxy, a loner toughened by life on a "hard world" -- typified by Gully Foyle, the protagonist of sci-fi author Alfred Bester's 1956 classic The Stars My Destination (read it sez Allan and Andee!!). A book and character which provides the inspiration for the track "Tiger! Tiger!" as well as for the Kirby-esque comic-book illustration that graces this album's cover.
Interestingly, if you Google "Hardworlder", you'll find that Slough Feg managed to come up with a term that ONLY exists in connection with this album. You'll find their website, their MySpace page, their Wikipedia page, the review of Hardworlder in last week's Village Voice (yes, strangely enough, right next to the new Pharoahe Monch and Smashing Pumpkins -- how'd that happen??? The Village Voice says, "Badass sci-fi metal that it's finally cool to listen to"...we've been telling folks that for years...). You might also run across someone else's MySpace page, who goes by the handle Hardworlder -- but it turns out it belongs to an Australian university student who's a huge Slough Feg fanatic. He's gonna be happy when he hears this!
The album's opening one-two punch is hard to beat: the relentless build-up of adrenaline instrumental "The Return Of Dr. Universe" which leads us breathless into the impactful majesty of "Tiger! Tiger!", destined to be considered an instant classic in the Slough Feg canon we're sure!
But the rest of the album is up to that mighty task -- the majesty continues with midtempo maritime lament "The Sea Wolf", and thence through to the doomy riffs of the album's title track, and onward... Hardworlder seems to possess an anthemic, sweeping, saddened grandeur, a more uniform overall feel than its shorter and more schizo predecessor Atavism, although you'll find that Slough Feg sashay down all the (un)usual skyways and byways you might expect from them. The manly, melodic doom-paced epics coexist here with rollicking '70s styled hard rockers (such as "Frankfurt-Hahn Airport Blues", obviously a nod to Atavism's equally boogie-riffed "Starport Blues"). "Insomnia" starts off Thin Lizzyish to the max, but halfway through the band rides into the Halls Of Manowar, and a wordless Viking chorus rings out... The galloping requiem of the psychological tragedy "Poisoned Treasures" (reprised from their split 7" with Bible Of The Devil) will get stuck in your head, as will much more on this impossibly catchy album... And one of our favorite tracks here is the lengthy show-stopping instrumental "Galactic Nomad", with an almost-Allmans level of gorgeous guitar interplay, that could illicit a "we're not worthy" from The Fucking Champs themselves.
And while Hardworlder's obviously working the science fiction angle that proved popular for 'em on their concept album Traveller, it also serves up ye olde Celtic folk in the Slough Feg tradition -- in fact, one of the two (2) cover songs here is a version of "Dearg Doom" by '70s Irish folk-rockers Horslips. The other cover is "Street Jammer", originally by '80s American epic metal weirdists Manilla Road. Both are tributes to Slough Feg's influences in a general, not specific sense, since we happen to know that they'd never heard either band until years and years after Slough Feg's inception. Speaking of influences, if you listen close to "Street Jammer" you'll hear some Chuck Berry licks thrown in not found on the original... and we'll also note that Slough Feg deliberately selected an early Manilla Road song, that's a lot more hot rockin' than what people usually think of in connection with that band. Further, while we're usually more into covers that DON'T sound so much like the originals, in the case of these two songs it's OK that they do since a) they're pretty obscure and b) both still totally sound like Slough Feg could have written them.
Ok, we're rambling, and you get the idea... Hardworlder is another ripping masterwork from a band that will either dominate your metal-addled mind, or you just won't get. We hope you do. 'Nuff said.
MPEG Stream: "Tiger! Tiger!"
MPEG Stream: "Frankfurt-Hahn Airport Blues"
MPEG Stream: "Dearg Doom"

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD Down Among The Deadmen (Dragonheart) cd 21.00
San Francisco's epic metal geniuses unleash their third opus. Sheer heavy metal mastery. Damn! If you like some real, melodic heavy metal once and while (instead of the "brutality" and "evil" of that ol' black metal/death metal stuff we love too) the way they used to do it back in the '70s and '80s, with all the crazy fantasy lyrics and shredding dual lead guitar solos you can handle, then you need to hear these guys. This is their best yet, really, with better production than their previous disc, "Twilight Of The Idols", but with equally wicked songs. This band is usually described as a mixture of Maiden, Lizzy, and Sabbath... That's true, they're all that, and not in just a wanna-be, "those are our influences" kinda way either -- 'cause after listening to "Down Among The Deadmen" you could imagine Slough Feg getting in the wayback machine and sharing the stage with any of 'em at Castle Donnington and holding their own just fine! This is one of the only bands I know of where the musicians started as punk/rockers but realized that instrumental virtuosity and compositional craft characteristic of their childhood/teenage metal heroes WERE valuable and could be put to non-ironic, non-lame use. And were talented enough to do it. So, inspired by the past they are, but they're also their own weird thing, a cult act if there ever was one. With songs about Roger Corman movies ("Death Machine" is based on motorcycles-in-the-future David Carridine flick "Death Sport"), fantasy Celtic mythology (the "Heavy Metal Monk/Fergus Mac Roich/Cauldron Of Blood" tryptych) and the classic science fiction roleplaying game Traveller ("Traders & Gunboats"), with Mike's decidedly unordinary (but great) deepvoiced vocal majesty, and the plethora of amazing RIFFS, these guys rule!
For those who need an obscure indie/metal reference, it's kind of like The Champs meet Cirith Ungol or something; bizarre, epic, baroque, proud, a bit silly, masterful, very metal. So worthy of the delightful cover painting by cult D&D illustrator Erol Otus. The true heavy metal record of the year. Unbelievable!
RealAudio clip: "Death Machine"
RealAudio clip: "Walls of Shame"
RealAudio clip: "Warriors Dawn"

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD Down Among The Deadmen (Doomed Planet) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Striking another blow for true metal, which as we all know belongs on vinyl, collectable vinyl at that, our favorite San Francisco heavy metallers (featuring members of Hammers of Misfortune, don't forget) unleash their previously cd-only "Deadmen" opus on a good ol' fashioned LP. And thus, there's more room for the fab Erol "D&D" Otus cover art, and the back cover now boasts an old-school photo collage (try to spot Slough Feg-fan Allan, he's on there, with a tie and long hair even). So if you've got a turntable tough enough to deal with some real heavy metal, then get this... Here's the review we wrote about the original cd version:
San Francisco's epic metal geniuses unleash their third opus. Sheer heavy metal mastery. Damn! If you like some real, melodic heavy metal once and while (instead of the "brutality" and "evil" of that ol' black metal/death metal stuff we love too) the way they used to do it back in the '70s and '80s, with all the crazy fantasy lyrics and shredding dual lead guitar solos you can handle, then you need to hear these guys. This is their best yet, really, with better production than their previous disc, "Twilight Of The Idols", but with equally wicked songs. This band is usually described as a mixture of Maiden, Lizzy, and Sabbath... That's true, they're all that, and not in just a wanna-be, "those are our influences" kinda way either -- 'cause after listening to "Down Among The Deadmen" you could imagine Slough Feg getting in the wayback machine and sharing the stage with any of 'em at Castle Donnington and holding their own just fine! This is one of the only bands I know of where the musicians started as punk/rockers but realized that instrumental virtuosity and compositional craft characteristic of their childhood/teenage metal heroes WERE valuable and could be put to non-ironic, non-lame use. And were talented enough to do it. So, inspired by the past they are, but they're also their own weird thing, a cult act if there ever was one. With songs about Roger Corman movies ("Death Machine" is based on motorcycles-in-the-future David Carridine flick "Death Sport"), fantasy Celtic mythology (the "Heavy Metal Monk/Fergus Mac Roich/Cauldron Of Blood" tryptych) and the classic science fiction roleplaying game Traveller ("Traders & Gunboats"), with Mike's decidely unordinary (but great) deepvoiced vocal majesty, and the plethora of amazing RIFFS, these guys rule!
For those who need an obscure indie/metal reference, it's kind of like The Champs meet Cirith Ungol or something; bizarre, epic, baroque, proud, a bit silly, masterful, very metal. So worthy of the delightful cover painting by cult D&D illustrator Erol Otus. The true heavy metal record of the year. Unbelievable!
RealAudio clip: "Death Machine"
RealAudio clip: "Walls Of Shame"
RealAudio clip: "Warriors Dawn"

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD s/t (The Miskatonic Foundation) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
When people talk about the 'happening' San Francisco music scene, they're not usually talking about The Lord Weird Slough Feg -- unless it's a denim-clad German metalhead who's doing the talking! Then, perhaps you'll hear them rave about these guys. Utterly trend-free true heavy metal rock n' roll, equal parts Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Queen, Judas Priest, Manowar, Manilla Road...and some Black Flag too, but you'd have to really pay attention to hear that. Slough Feg's music is epic, rockin', riff-laden stuff with heroic vocals and tons of lead guitar. Their lyrics deal with fantasy, insanity, and Celtic myth. They released their first cd, a self-titled half-hour-long mini-album, on their own Beef Rock label back in 1996, and it has long since gone out of print. Since then, they've managed to develop a bit of a cult following in Europe (with two albums so far out on Italian metal label Dragonheart) as well as among a select group of enlightened American metal fans, including quite a few Aquarius customers. They also spawned the popular metal opera project Hammers of Misfortune (on Andee's tUMULt label). Now Miskatonic, the label run by Rich Walker of the godly British doom metal band Solstice, has done us the favor of reissuing Slough Feg's debut effort, with new packaging and, better yet, seven bonus tracks taken from Slough Feg's pitifully-circulated early '90s demo tapes. All remastered of course -- the demo tracks definitely sound better than before. It's nice to have this be available again, as the original cd featured several of Slough Feg's best songs: the Sabbathy "Shadows of the Unborn", the Irish jig "The Red Branch" (always a live favorite), parts III and IV of their prog-rock epic "High Season", the ripping yet melodic "20th Century Wretch", and others. The bonus tracks are equally great, including such otherwise unavailable Slough Feg classics as "The Mask" and the fuzzy, doomy "Headhunter", along with demo versions of "The Red Branch", parts I and II of "High Season", and "The Room" (a different version of which appeared on an obscure comp called "Metal Injection" a couple years ago).
They're definitely one of those love 'em or hate 'em bands, and lots of folks just aren't gonna "get" 'em. They're often seen to be too weird for a lot of metal fans, but also way too metal for everyone else. And the "extreme" metal crowd might find them too melodic as well. But for some -- not just me -- they're one of the best bands around. People who like The Fucking Champs for not-entirely-ironic reasons (or, actually, for those too, why not?) should check Slough Feg out. Slough Feg are *not* ironic, and *are* somewhat ridiculous, but they know it and have the nerve to do what they do anyway 'cause they love it. Besides, all that serious, dark, black, death metal can be pretty darn ridiculous too when you think about it or read the lyrics.
Amazingly (note: sarcasm), Miskatonic (and the band, who had a hand in it) has managed to totally capture the amateur, self-released design aesthetic of the original in repackaging this. From the black and white cover drawing of the Drune Lord Slough Feg in his cave (by Martin Hanford, who is better known for his Bal-Sagoth album covers) to the crappy caligraphic font used throughout to the poorly reproduced band photos, bad layout, and typos in the lyrics, this might actually look *worse* than the 1996 version the band put out themselves...oh well...at least the "underground" vibe is intact! And it's in print, with bonus tracks, so we really can't complain. Note, though, that the songs "Why Not" and "Highway Corsair" are accidentally run together as a single track (#5), instead of being tracks 5 and 6 the way they are listed on the back of the cd. Whoops. Perhaps the vinyl version, slated to appear at the end of the year on German label Metal Supremacy, will correct these superficial problems. But if you're not a vinyl diehard, this cd is certainly recommended now.
RealAudio clip: "Shadows of the Unborn"
RealAudio clip: "The Red Branch"
RealAudio clip: "High Season IV"
RealAudio clip: "Headhunter (demo)"

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD s/t (Metal Supremacy) 2lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on vinyl! Super duper double lp version of this SF metal band's debut album, complete with the same demo bonus tracks found on the cd reissue (seven of 'em, occupying vinyl sides C and D!), and bigger art (which is actually an improvement). We wrote thusly, in part, about the cd version:
When people talk about the 'happening' San Francisco music scene, they're not usually talking about The Lord Weird Slough Feg -- unless it's a denim-clad German metalhead who's doing the talking! Then, perhaps you'll hear them rave about these guys. Utterly trend-free true heavy metal rock n' roll, equal parts Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Queen, Judas Priest, Manowar, Manilla Road...and some Black Flag too, but you'd have to really pay attention to hear that. Slough Feg's music is epic, rockin', riff-laden stuff with heroic vocals and tons of lead guitar. Their lyrics deal with fantasy, insanity, and Celtic myth. They released their first cd, a self-titled half-hour-long mini-album, on their own Beef Rock label back in 1996, and it has long since gone out of print [recently reissued on Miskatonic, and as the vinyl you're reading about now, issued by Germany's Metal Supremacy in a limited edition of 500 copies]. Since then, they've managed to develop a bit of a cult following in Europe (with two albums so far out on Italian metal label Dragonheart) as well as among a select group of enlightened American metal fans, including quite a few Aquarius customers. They also spawned the popular metal opera project Hammers of Misfortune (on Andee's tUMULt label)...
It's nice to have this be available again, as the original cd featured several of Slough Feg's best songs: the Sabbathy "Shadows of the Unborn", the Irish jig "The Red Branch" (always a live favorite), parts III and IV of their prog-rock epic "High Season", the ripping yet melodic "20th Century Wretch", and others. The bonus tracks are equally great, including such otherwise unavailable Slough Feg classics as "The Mask" and the fuzzy, doomy "Headhunter", along with demo versions of "The Red Branch", parts I and II of "High Season", and "The Room" (a different version of which appeared on an obscure comp called "Metal Injection" a couple years ago).
They're definitely one of those love 'em or hate 'em bands, and lots of folks just aren't gonna "get" 'em. They're often seen to be too weird for a lot of metal fans, but also way too metal for everyone else. And the "extreme" metal crowd might find them too melodic as well. But for some -- not just me -- they're one of the best bands around. People who like The Fucking Champs for not-entirely-ironic reasons (or, actually, for those too, why not?) should check Slough Feg out. Slough Feg are *not* ironic, and *are* somewhat ridiculous, but they know it and have the nerve to do what they do anyway 'cause they love it. Besides, all that serious, dark, black, death metal can be pretty darn ridiculous too when you think about it or read the lyrics.
RealAudio clip: "Shadows of the Unborn"
RealAudio clip: "The Red Branch"
RealAudio clip: "High Season IV"
RealAudio clip: "Headhunter (demo)"

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD Traveller (Dragonheart) cd 21.00
AQ's favorite cult true heavy metal band, The (one and only) Lord Weird Slough Feg, are back with their fourth (can it be?!) compact disc of chaos and conquest, this time conjuring visions of cosmic adventure in a galaxy-spanning science-fictional Imperium of the sixth millenium AD, rather than the battlefields of the Celtic fantasy world which inspired such previous Slough Feg albums as "Down Among The Deadmen" and "Twilight Of The Idols", though they've taken some of their trademark Celtic-tinged riffs with 'em into the future.
Yep, the Feg boys have come up with a full-on scifi concept album here, each song contributing to a space opera story of far-future genetic warfare. It's convoluted and not just a little bit absurd (we'd expect nothing less from the Lord Weird) involving a megalomaniac mad scientist, dangerous alien spores, a hybrid race of sentient dogs known as Vargr (as pictured on the cover), asteroid miners, and a space pirate named Baltech Budapest who develops psionic powers after being turned into a dog-man! Huh? Well, all this is an excuse for Slough Feg to flex their collective metal muscles, showing off with dueling shredding guitar solos, majestic harmonies, dramatic vocals, shuddering doom riffs, and so forth. The European power metal legions traffic in such wares as well, but none with such flamboyant eccentricity and sheer insanity as the Slough Feg crew. Lost Horizon, Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, Hammerfall and the like might be more polished and synthesized, but for indomitable metal spirit and over-the-top anything-goes chutzpah you've got to hand it to San Francisco's Slough Feg, they'll take on all comers musically while upping the bizarreness quotient to impossible extremes. Raw, bombastic heaviness gives way to acoustic guitars, adrenalized thrash collides with show-tune catchiness, and the story of course is completely fucked. With their two Les Pauls going full bore, this is perhaps the last word in galloping, epic, multi-tracked guitar harmony metal... Their forbears like Iron Maiden, Queen, and Thin Lizzy should be proud (and a little confused). What Drunk Horse are to '70s boogie rock these guys are to '80s metal, except... Slough Feg really mean it! Even when it's hard to figure out *what* they mean.
Fans will probably agree that the grandiose "Traveller" is the Slough Feg album most similar to "The Bastard" by their sister band Hammers of Misfortune -- both being continuous narratives ("Traveller" having but one vocalist to handle all the roles however). But while the Hammers' masterful metal operetta seemed all Dungeons & Dragons, this concept record is actually specifically based on -- and named after -- a once-popular science fiction role playing game called Traveller, D&D's spacefaring cousin. The cover design, and some of the lyrics, will make a lot more sense if you're familiar with that game!
MPEG Stream: "High Passage/Low Passage"
MPEG Stream: "Asteroid Belts"

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD Traveller (Metal Supremacy) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
At long last, available (but just barely) as a vinyl LP, as all good heavy metal should be. We've just got a few (to be precise, four) copies and don't know when/if we'll be able to get more, ever. And it's in a handsome gatefold sleeve on pretty rad colored wax (red with black streaks). So Slough Feg fans (of which I know there's more than four), on your marks! As a formality, here's our review of the previously released cd version:
AQ's favorite cult true heavy metal band, The (one and only) Lord Weird Slough Feg, are back with their fourth (can it be?!) compact disc of chaos and conquest, this time conjuring visions of cosmic adventure in a galaxy-spanning science-fictional Imperium of the sixth millenium AD, rather than the battefields of the Celtic fantasy world which inspired such previous Slough Feg albums as Down Among The Deadmen and Twilight Of The Idols, though they've taken some of their trademark Celtic-tinged riffs with 'em into the future.
Yep, the Feg boys have come up with a full-on scifi concept album here, each song contributing to a space opera story of far-future genetic warfare. It's convoluted and not just a little bit absurd (we'd expect nothing less from the Lord Weird) involving a megalomaniac mad scientist, dangerous alien spores, a hybrid race of sentient dogs known as Vargr (as pictured on the cover), asteroid miners, and a space pirate named Baltech Budapest who develops psionic powers after being turned into a dog-man! Huh? Well, all this is an excuse for Slough Feg to flex their collective metal muscles, showing off with dueling shredding guitar solos, majestic harmonies, dramatic vocals, shuddering doom riffs, and so forth. The European power metal legions traffic in such wares as well, but none with such flamboyant eccentricity and sheer insanity as the Slough Feg crew. Lost Horizon, Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, Hammerfall and the like might be more polished and synthesized, but for indomitable metal spirit and over-the-top anything-goes chutzpah you've got to hand it to San Francisco's Slough Feg, they'll take on all comers musically while upping the bizarreness quotient to impossible extremes. Raw, bombastic heaviness gives way to acoustic guitars, adrenalized thrash collides with show-tune catchiness, and the story of course is completely fucked. With their two Les Pauls going full bore, this is perhaps the last word in galloping, epic, multi-tracked guitar harmony metal... Their forbears like Iron Maiden, Queen, and Thin Lizzy should be proud (and a little confused). What Drunk Horse are to '70s boogie rock these guys are to '80s metal, except... Slough Feg really mean it! Even when it's hard to figure out *what* they mean.
Fans will probably agree that the grandiose Traveller is the Slough Feg album most similar to The Bastard by their sister band Hammers of Misfortune -- both being continuous narratives ("Traveller" having but one vocalist to handle all the roles however). But while the Hammers' masterful metal operetta seemed all Dungeons & Dragons, this concept record is actually specifically based on -- and named after -- a once-popular science fiction role playing game called Traveller, D&D's spacefaring cousin. The cover design, and some of the lyrics, will make a lot more sense if you're familiar with that game!
MPEG Stream: "High Passage/Low Passage"
MPEG Stream: "Asteroid Belts"

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD Twilight Of The Idols (Dragonheart) cd 21.00
Now on cd, as an Italian import. Supreme true metal from San Francisco, for those who find The Champs too "indie-rock" (just kidding). Slough Feg is a cult band that takes their influences not from other cult bands but direct from the masters: Sabbath, Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Queen. Celtic folkisms collide with doom metal riffs, guitar leads run rampant over epic song structures, and the heroic vocals tell stories fantastic and weird...a metal masterpiece! We still have the domestic vinyl version on Doomed Planet as well, both have the keen Erol "D&D" Otus cover art.

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD Twilight of The Idols (Doomed Planet) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Full-on epic Heavy Metal from this San Francisco "celtic fantasy" power trio, in the tradition of Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, full of Iommi-worthy riffs, complex arrangements, real (not death-grunt!) vocals (kinda halfway betwixt Ozzy & Dio), and massive amounts of lead guitar! This is their second album, appropriately vinyl-only for now...their first album got a 4-out-of-5 rating in the UK's Terrorizer mag, and this one's better. Also, it includes perhaps one of the most obscure cover tunes ever chosen, "The Wizard's Vengeance," a track from an absurdly rare private-press 1979 lp by a bizarre American progressive rock act called Legend. This makes the perfect soundtrack to your next Dungeons & Dragons session, and indeed Twilight Of The Idols looks like a D&D module, with a fantastic cover painting by cult early-80's D&D artist Erol Otus!

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD / BIBLE OF THE DEVIL split (Threat Records) 7" 5.98
Here's one epick, metallic seven-inch piece of plastic indeed, released by brothers-in-metal The Lord Weird Slough Feg and Bible Of The Devil, to commemorate their several tours together (including one upcoming this summer... as part of which both bands will be appearing together at the first annual "Alehorn Of Power" festival in BOTD's hometown of Chicago, IL, alongside Manilla Road and Gates Of Slumber, among others!).
From San Francisco's Slough Feg, you get two songs on their side, a new one called "Poisoned Treasures" and a killer cover of "Shalala" by their Irish ancestors Thin Lizzy! Extremely rockin'. It's their first recording with new guitarist Angelo Tringali (of cult doom act Cold Mourning), who takes over from Hammers Of Misfortune's John Cobbett in Slough Feg's dual axe onslaught alongside Mike Scalzi. Meanwhile, on the flip, Bible Of The Devil take their twin flying V's into outer space with a rippin' tune called "Galactic Violator". Packaged with cool Masters of the Universe comic-booky cover art to boot, with a Galactus-dude on the BOTD's side of the split, mirrored by a horned barbarian guy on the Slough Feg side.

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD / IRONSWORD Hail Brittania Volume One - NWOBHM Tribute (The Miskatonic Foundation) 7" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Miskatonic Foundation -- the cultish, doomy metal label run by Rich Walker, guitarist for UK's Solstice -- has embarked upon a little tribute project here, releasing volume one of a proposed three-volume set of split 7" records devoted to cover versions of Rich's favorite New Wave Of British Heavy Metal songs. And we're not talking the anything obvious like Iron Maiden or Diamond Head, or even Tygers of Pan Tang or Tokyo Blade, we're talking bands like, uh, Nighttime Flyer and Desolation Angels! Real obscure stuff. And that's making a point about what was so incredible about the NWOBHM, the real underground acts that sprung up for just an amazing 7" or LP or two.
Rich recruited AQ faves and SF locals The Lord Weird Slough Feg to appear on volume one, sharing the 7" with Portugal's Manilla Road worshipping headbangers Ironsword. Slough Feg are of course a great choice for a NWOBHM tribute, even though they didn't get to do something off of Maiden's Killers... Volumes two and three are slated to feature Orodruin and Scavenger, and Twisted Tower Dire and Revered Bizarre.
And the neat thing about a 33 rpm single? Y'know everything sounds great at 45, that's the rule. Both bands' vocalists have voices low enough that on 45 they still sound like metal singers more than chipmunks... but of course you're supposed to play it on 33, and at that speed this is still a lot of fun! Slough Feg's rough-and-tumble cover of a song awesomely-entitled "Heavy Metal Rules" by Nighttime Flyer will endanger your sanity after the chorus gets stuck in your head, as it will. I don't think Slough Feg ever even had heard the song/band before Miskatonic sent 'em a tape from which to chose a track to do -- it was the b-side to Nightime Flyer's only release, a single from '79 -- but they picked it 'cause heck, how can you resist such a title/lyric? And the riffs are remarkably Fegesque in fact.
The NWOBHM nugget "Valhalla" by Desolation Angels is ably essayed by Ironsword, who have improved in leaps and bounds since their first album by the way. And they've always had the proper spirit for this sort of thing anyway.
This is clearly meant for serious fans...You gotta know Slough Feg and/or Ironsword, and what NWOBMH stands for. The bands being covered aren't even listed on the sleeve, just the song titles! Numbered and limited to 500. We've just got a few. Buy or die, Slough Feg fans! Same goes for NWOBHM freaks, Ironsword maniacs (there must be some) and rabid metal vinyl hounds.

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD / SOLSTICE split picture disc (Doomed Planet) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's one for metal vinyl collectors: a picture disc single featuring local heavy metal heroes The Lord Weird Slough Feg on one side, and epic British doom-lords Solstice on the other, each covering a tune by Manowar! (An admitted influence on the Brits, if not Slough Feg, although you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise). The Solstice side, featuring their super-heavy version of "Gloves of Metal", boasts high-school binder worthy pen-and-ink fantasy artwork from Twisted Tower Dire's Scott Waldrop. The Slough Feg side, on which they do one of Manowar's earlier, KISS-like tunes "Fasttaker", steals its art from the box for the Death Sport videotape. Play it at 45 (it's a 33) and singer Mike Scalzi's deeper-than-usual vocals actually end up in the range of the original's Eric Adams vox! And oh yeah, Death To False Metal!

SLOW LISTENER Only On My Own Am I Truly Loved (Celebrate Psi Phenomenon) cd-r 11.98
First in a new batch of releases from Campbell Kneale and his Celebrate Psi Phenomenon label. This one from some mysterious UK outfit called Slow Listener. Kneale has dubbed them slumberpunk which is as good a descriptor as any. Five tracks, the shortest 7 minutes, the longest 14, each an expansive sonic sprawl, from distantly drifting soft fuzzy warbles, to silvery slivers of high end twinkle and glimmer, from full on lo-fi vacuum cleaner hum, to crumbling soundscapes of muted melody and mumbled industrial clatter, from cavernous scrape and shriek, to effulgent streaks of white hot guitar grind, from gauzy soft focus melodic whir, to thick swirling shimmer, from dense blistering abstract space psych blow outs, to upper register sun dappled ur-drones, a gorgeous and utterly dreamy cacophony of sound.
Birchville, Skaters, Yellow Swans, Quetzolcoatl, Bonecloud, Bonus, Ghosting, you can now add Slow Listener to that ever growing list...
SUPER LIMITED AS ALWAYS!! NOT SURE WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET MORE WHEN THESE ARE GONE!
MPEG Stream: "Bad Santana"
MPEG Stream: "Sarcasm My Old Friend"

SLOW POISONERS The Days Of The Soft Breaks (Heyday) cd 11.98
The Slow Poisoners do what they do very very well! And that is, mainman Andrew Goldfarb and his merry band of minstrels craft a plethora of gleeful, slightly trippy retro 60s/70s-ish tunes, and they certainly seem to have a splendid time doing so. Their second full length is a characteristically playful affair filled with multi-layered vocal harmonies, gently tweaked lyrics and quirky harpsichord and organ embellishments. Make no bones about it (where did that saying come from anyway!), these Bay Area super-polished popsters have been deeply moved by the works of the Beatles and David Bowie. Song by song, the deep reverence is more than evident. As well, on a number of songs, there's an ample dose of Donovan-esque folky eccentricities too. Toothsome, intelligent and fun.
MPEG Stream: "Tomorrow Man"
MPEG Stream: "Strange Thing Happening "

SLOW POISONERS The God That Failed (Rocktopus) 7" 2.98
These SF eccentric songsters have released a new 7" that's chock full o' nuts - five suitably off-kilter new songs. The Slow Poisoners are definitely a hard group to pinpoint. Led by mainman Andrew Goldfarb, they've followed their muse hopping from genre to genre and mood to mood for five years now. Perhaps we could call this folk-glam? Hmmm... sorta, but not quite. Give 'er a spin!

SLOW READER s/t (Fueled By Ramen) cd 13.98
If angels started a pop band, they wouldn't sound like Built To Spill. They wouldn't sound like the Polyphonic Spree. They wouldn't sound like Grandaddy. They wouldn't sound like Elliott Smith. They would sound like Slow Reader. Although they would have to be angels that had broken hearts and who didn't know how to talk to that one girl, and who remember that one summer, and who are lonely and misunderstood, and who sit at home on their cloud writing perfect little pop songs, who even thogh they are angels sound sort of 'emo', who sing in perfect falsettos in perfect harmony and who sing about amputees and lost loves and drugs and stuff.
Slow Reader take elements of all of the above bands and mix them into a perfect, dreamy sweetpop confection. Not to intimate that this is light in any way. This is just as melancholy and dark as anything, it's just that the darkness is wrapped up all snug and tight in a radiant, delicate pure white cloud of rapturous sound, all pure and angelic, etherial and heavenly (to stretch this allusion to its breaking point). Heavily strummed acoustic guitars, pianos that tinkle and drop notes around your ears like spring showers, warm and rich organs that wrap everything in a dreamy haze, peculiar rhythms that range from super processed, heavily affected drums that sound almost electronic to "We Will Rock You" style handclap/footstomp percussion. But it's the vocals that really get me. Gorgeous and drenched in reverb, with a whispery urgency like Elliott Smith, capable of turning misanthropic tales of amputees into daydreamy lullabies. Outside of the Goldcard record reviewed elsewhere on this list, this is almost all I've been listening to. Fans of any of the bands mentioned NEED this.
Random note: Not sure what it is, but Slow Reader are the second brilliant pop band in recent memory to be born from weird punk/ska band roots (the first being The Stereo, who we've repeatedly raved about in the past). Not sure if it means anything, but it just seemed interesting.
MPEG Stream: "I Like You Most"
MPEG Stream: "Anesthetic For The Amputee"
MPEG Stream: "Politics Music And Drugs"
MPEG Stream: "Stupid Bet"

SLOWBLOW s/t (Mobile) cd 16.98
Slowblow whisper out the gentlest of folk-pop, and they're assisted in their quiet mission by some baby-girl cooing vocals courtesy of Kristin from fellow Icelanders Mum. Some of their songs are so frail that a full drumkit would surely overwhelm them, thus instead a soft beat is tapped out on a woodblock. The livelier numbers do feature a more fleshed out rhythm section complete with handclaps. Although most of the album is of the hushed and earthy nature, every so often Slowblow take an unexpected musical detour or two. For instance, while the fourth song "Second Hand Smoke" sounds like a secret menagerie of wooden and tin toys, the very next track is a raw, almost garagey and Fall-ish tune with distorted vocals and clatterous percussion. Then, it's back into a somber, countrified number with plucked banjo and beleaguered Arab Strap-y male vocals. Depending on your sugar tolerance, you might find the songs with Kristin's vocals a bit cloying, but overall this album is ultra wistful and pretty.
MPEG Stream: "I Know You Can Smile"
MPEG Stream: "Aim For A Smile"

SLOWDIVE Souvlaki (Creation) cd 12.98
My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive embody the term shoegaze. If you have, have had, or may one day have even the smallest interest in said genre, you have this or you need this. Guitars are simply texture, bass and drums take the driver's seat, and vocals flutter here and there. This is their second to last album, but kinda the last. After this was Pygmalion, which was recorded by only half the band's members (one more than the other) and caused Creation to kick them off the label. Oh, we should mention that Brian Eno produced one song, and he played on two. Not to mention any names, but one AQ staffer has a Slowdive tattoo -- Cameron. This record is more than recommended, it's essential.

SLOWER THAN (Army Arm) 7" 2.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of Andee's favorite local bands records two instrumentals for a children's production of Alice In Wonderland. Great!

SLOWSIX Private Times In Public Places (Western Vinyl) cd 14.98
The beautiful Slowsix cd Private Times In Public Places was originally released by Habit Of Creation back in 2004, and it has now been reissued on cd by Western Vinyl!
Here's what we said the first time around: Mesmerizing! Something new from the Brooklyn, NY Habit Of Creation label who brought us the two wonderful Edison Woods albums. If you dug Seven Principles of Leave No Trace, you'll surely wanna check this out! Slowsix is very much in the same glistening yet darkly mooded spirit as E.W. but less song-oriented and more soundscape-y. Treading solemnly in the footsteps of Philip Glass, their open, spacious aural atmospheres are crafted primarily from strings, guitars, sampled dialogue and Rhodes keyboards (both processed and clean).
Sound good? Yes. And don't let the fact that there is only three tracks mislead you. With a running time of 73 meditative minutes long, this is a perfect cd to sink in and drift off to... especially on such a chilly winter's day as today. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Evening Without Atonement (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Evening Without Atonement (excerpt 2)"

SLUMBER PARTY 3 (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
Slumber Party's third full length is indeed titled 3! The breezy follow-up to this Detroit, MI quartet's 2001 Psychedelicate album features more of their unadorned jangling electric guitars and casually sung vocals. Although most of their songs are straightforward barebones, lo-fi pop reminiscent of Velvet Underground (particularly on songs like the very "Waiting For My Man"-ish "No Sleep Tonight"), Lois and Marine Girls, they do weave into a porchswing-y, down-by-the-creek laidback earthiness on the harmonica'n'tambourine-laced seventh song "Black Heart Road". Nice.
MPEG Stream: "No Sleep Tonight"
MPEG Stream: "Black Heart Road"

SLUMBER PARTY Musik (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
We've said it before and we'll go ahead and say it again: Fans of Young Marble Giants, Marine Girls, Raincoats, Velvet Underground, check out these Detroit rock minimalists! Their music often sounds like it's from 'back in the day' (circa late '70s/early-mid '80s), but they're not. Aliccia Berg and co.'s fourth album Musik just came out and is mostly comprised of their usual sweet summery folksy tunes. Think: cozying up under a patchwork quilt rather than walloping your pals in a pillow fight.
That said, we'd add that this time it sounds like they've developed a little chip on their collective shoulder as there are also a few edgier post-punk-y numbers amongst the lilting pop tunes.
MPEG Stream: "Thin Is Wide"
MPEG Stream: "Madeupmind"

SLUMBER PARTY Psychedelicate (Kill Rock Stars) cd 13.98
This is the second full length from these four sweetie pies from Michigan. Gretchen, Aliccia, Marcie and Leagh make dreamy, retro and folky songs with sweet girl vocal harmonies. The guitar sound is soft and pretty. Low key and unassuming, this is quite reminiscent of the Marine Girls, Young Marble Giants and Yo La Tengo's Georgia Hubley. Nice!
RealAudio clip: "My Little One "
RealAudio clip: "Soldier"

SLUMPLORDZ, THA Present: Tha Yakuza In Don't Worry About The Kaliber (Stray) cd 12.98

SLUTA LETA If You Like Champagne On Ice? (Chocolate Industries) cd 8.98
Windy's new favorite record. After a slew of singles and remixes for a variety of respected labels including Cheap and Mego, the Swedish duo Sluta Leta release their American debut on Miami's trustworthy Chocolate Industries label. Man, there's only four songs on this EP but they're SO GOOD it makes me wanna get everything Sluta Leta has released. Their sound has been described as Throbbing Gristle meets Cibo Matto. I don't really hear the Cibo Matto part of it except in Sluta Leta's irreverent inclusion of sounds suggesting such disparate influences as noir gangster thrillers to entire-car-throbbing heaving bass and lounge music. In fact, it's in the way that Sluta Leta fucks with genres that makes the music sound so good. Abstract low end rumbles. Weird horns and sleazy ice queen vocals. Shuffling staticky digital breaks make for a lot of on-the-beat stops and starts, done so seamlessly and rhythmically that you find yourself unconsciously moving to beats that *aren't there*, that they've dropped out of the mix. Yeah, it's that good.
RealAudio clip: "You Know What I Mean!"
RealAudio clip: "Scoota 11"

SLUTA LETA Semi Peterson (Mego) cd 16.98
It's been simply ages since we last heard from Sluta Leta. 'Twas way back in 2000 when If You Like Champagne On Ice? came out and pleased our ears (it was a particular fave of Windy's). Now four years later what are these folks up to? Very much the same dynamic, eclectic multipersonality music!
A sampling of just how wide Sluta Leta's stylistic pendulum swings? Track 9 "Super Swede" swoons along with super sultry female vocals atop accordion and electronic allsorts. Then, on the following track called "Wirbla" Sluta Leta delights with bouncy playful yet severely squidgy digital goo.
MPEG Stream: "Super Swede"
MPEG Stream: "Wirbla"

SLY & ROBBIE Meet Bunny Lee At Dub Station (Jamaican) cd 15.98

SLY & ROBBIE Meet Bunny Lee At Dub Station (Jamaican) lp 14.98

SLY AND THE REVOLUTIONARIES Sensi Dub Vol. 1 (Om?) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SLY AND THE REVOLUTIONARIES WITH JAH THOMAS Black Ash Dub (Trojan) cd 14.98

SMALDONE, MICAH BLUE Hither And Thither (Tequila Sunrise) lp 25.00
We'd been hearing a lot about this here fella (and how could you forget a name like Micah Blue Smaldone?) but until now we'd never actually heard him, and we're please to say, this stuff is pretty dang great. Yet another steel string wrangler tossing his hat into the already crowded neo-Appalachia ring, but if it's good there's always room for more.
Smaldone's M.O. is not an unfamiliar one, dreamy laid back steel string guitar, jaunty melodies, deft fingerpicking, dreamy melancholy arrangements, but Smaldone's tracks have a distinctly old timey twang to them. Not quite Vaudevillian, but that sort of dusty old crackly 78 sort of feel. Plus, unlike most of his sonic contemporaries, he sings. And quite nicely too. A crooning, sometimes cracking sort of classic country voice. Warm and familiar, but definitely distinctive. Add some record crackle and some tape hiss and it wouldn't be tough to convince us that this was a reissue of some long lost sixties Takoma lp! Fans of Jack Rose, John Fahey, Robbie Basho and the like will totally love Mr. Smaldone.
Super deluxe thick cover, some seriously heavy vinyl, and a cool, hand screened lyric book insert.

SMALL ROCKS Carbondating (Hot Air) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yet another pseudonym for the insanely prolific Matt Wand, one half of Stock, Hausen & Walkman and Hot Air head honcho. Small Rocks is a bubbly squeaky beat monster that just might send Mouse On Mars, Atom (tm) and even Blectum From Blechdom running home to mommy. Like the aforementioned, Wand assembles warbly, wacked out rhythms and faux-exotica nuttiness but with a comedic element unlike anyone else. Of all the current Hot Air releases, Small Rocks comes closest to that original Stock, Hausen & Walkman sound.
RealAudio clip: "Carbon Dated"
RealAudio clip: "Ronco"

SMALLCOCK, DJ Yinyue (Dual Plover) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Don't know much about this artist, but "Yinyue" is supposedly an hour long journey through Beijing via static laden radio transmissions collected and manipulated by DJ Smallcock. Essentially, these recordings (all clocking in at 3:33, by the way) are split second snippets cut together via pressing pause / unpause on a tape recorder whilst flipping through various stations on the FM dial. Totally fucking stupid. Any asshole can do this bullshit. I just can't believe Dual Plover actually pressed this (presumably in large quantities) on an actual factory pressed disc and not on a cd-r in a small run. Too bad someone has too much money to throw around and no good sense to put out something somewhat interesting.
RealAudio clip: "Piece Of Shit"

SMASH Todas Sus Grabaciones (1969-1978) (Rama Lama Music) 2cd 23.00
Fuzz guitars, sitar-psych, blues licks, flamenco influences, anarchic comedy, melancholic pop brilliance: that's Smash! Nope, not something new at all, this is actually a 2001 release reissuing music much older than that. Y'know, not only do we try to review as many crucial new releases and newly reissued things as we can (which isn't nearly as many as there are, unfortunately!), there's also all kinds of not so new, but new to us (and quite possibly new to you, too) stuff that we come across and really really dig and want to let y'all know about too.
This would be one of those things, just discovered by Allan last year. Now we have finally got enough of 'em to write up on our list. Smash were a psychedelic rock band from Spain that flourished from 1969 to about 1972 or so, and this double cd compiles their complete recorded output as far as we can tell -- all their singles, both their albums Glorieta De Los Lotos and Esta Vez Venimos A Golpear (aka We Come To Smash This Time), and their half of a split LP. 32 tracks on two cds! And it's all pretty great. Since it's everything they ever did, the music here explores wide territory...from the blues to rustic folk to raga rock to psych pop to hard rock heaviness. Variously, Smash would seem to have been Spain's answer to the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Led Zeppelin, all. We're also reminded a bit of Os Mutantes at times. And we can make a couple of more modern comparisons: the slow n' sad beauty of Smash's "I Left You" totally could be a song off that Elope album we loved from last year, and their dark, drifting "Look At The R