STAPLES, STUART A. Leaving Songs (Beggars Banquet) cd 14.98
The solo album from Stuart Staples -- aka the singer for Tindersticks -- sounds very much like an album from... the Tindersticks. Granted his voice is pretty much the trademark of the band's sound and he is their central songwriter, but even still we might've anticipated that Staples would veer a little farther from their well-worn yet still utterly captivating path of somber melancholic chamber pop. Are we complainin'? Hell no. Sure to please his band's legions of devoted fans and dour romantics everywhere.
MPEG Stream: "One More Time"
MPEG Stream: "That Leaving Feeling"

STAPLETON, STEVEN & TONY WAKEFORD Revenge Of The Selfish Shellfish (Robot) 2cd 24.00
Over 30 years, Steven Stapleton has worked with countless musicians, miscreants, and madmen in the brilliantly surreal Nurse With Wound, and occasionally he's stepped beyond Nurse to engage in fully collaborative projects. His long-standing friendship with Current 93's David Tibet brings the most prolific non-Nurse collaborations (both with Current 93 and as Stapleton / Tibet pairings); but in 1992, a curious one-off project between Stapleton and Tony Wakeford (Sol Invictus, ex-Death In June) was released. The Revenge Of The Selfish Shellfish is certainly not a Nurse With Wound record, but it's also not a Sol Invictus record. The album finds itself in one of those unique locations that really exists on its own, but also manages to perfectly hybridize the aesthetics of both artists.
It's unfortunate that we've not posted much on Tony Wakeford, and for those not aware of his work, here's the brief synopsis. After working with Douglas Pearce in the anarcho-punk trio Crisis and later forming Death In June, Tony Wakeford's personal aesthetic took up a very dark, occultish take on British folk, even darker and more malcontent than those apocalyptic recombinations of Current 93. His vocal style was never terribly polished, with his mumbling delivery and blue-collar brogue probably serving the punk snarl of Crisis better than the stoically minimal arrangements of Sol Invictus. While some of the Sol Invictus records could be pretty painful to listen to, a few are downright classics, Trees In Winter and Against The Modern World being the two strongest.
We seem to recall Stapleton quipping somewhere that he felt Tony Wakeford's music was too po-faced and that his collaborative project was his own way of subverting Wakeford's agenda. The two genuinely seemed to enjoy each other's company, as the liner notes from both artists can attest; but one has to wonder if the flipside was true as well that Wakeford felt Stapleton's collages were too silly from time to time.
The atmosphere of the album is somber from the onset, with slashing drones not dissimilar to the Nurse album Soliloquy For Lilith, but situated into a gentle melody surrounded by gasping noises and eventually giving way to melancholy piano chords bounce off of oscillating drones. These collages of semi-melodic drones continue until a frenzied noise burst gives way to a quick interlude of Perez Prado inspired mambo shimmy. This leads to the albums centerpiece: a song-based diptych of "Lucifer Before Sunrise" and "Walk The White Ghost" (a haunting remix of the former), both of which center upon an archetypal Wakeford song of grim folk tunes that Stapleton twists to their profound benefit. The album concludes with an dubbed collage of spectral noises juxtaposed with more of that mambo grooviness that could only come from Stapleton.
For the reissue of the Revenge Of The Selfish Shellfish, there's a bonus disc with material unused from the original album, plus a series of remixes from irr. app. (ext.), Andrew Liles, and Brian Conniffe.
Very nice to have this record in stock again!
MPEG Stream: "The Frightening City"
MPEG Stream: "Lucifer Before Sunrise"
MPEG Stream: "Sea Slug (Unused Mix)"

STAR MAIDENS Original Soundtrack (All Score) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Heavy-duty cheesy soundtrack to Star Maidens, a U.K./German sci-fi television show from the '70s. The storyline? Men fighting for their freedom from the women of planet Medusa! Includes the song "Sex World". As performed by Barry Lipman and His Orchestra. Oozes sexy.

STAR OF ASH Iter.viator (Jester) cd 12.98

STARCHASER NETWORK s/t (Tarot Productions) cd 14.98
'80s retro sci-fi sexiness from these would-be Teutonic (actually Texan) clubgoin' droids known as Starchaser Network... two thirds of whom (Equitant and Proscriptor) are also key members of cult black metal thrash masters Absu!!! Actually that's not so strange, really, since we're already familiar with other Absu side projects that displayed far-from-black-metal tendencies. Absu drummer Proscriptor's solo recordings had their art-rock and new wave elements -- he even did covers of both Flock Of Seagulls and the Art Bears! There also has been two unusual offerings of Electro pastiche from Absu guitarist Equitant. Definitely if you dug those Equitant discs, you should check out Starchaser Network, whose influences are similar: Eno, Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, Pet Shop Boys, Egyptian Lover, Detroit Techno, etc.... yeah, apparently these guys were listening to more than just thrash back in the '80s. Thus all the darkly poppy, spacey-synthy, computer-grooved stuff here, with its decadent/deviant discotheque vibe.
We'd recommend skipping track one, "Sintro", though, as it is by far the weakest, mainly due to some unfortunately cringeworthy vocals. They should have left it off, rather than putting it first! The rest of the disc is better, and while much of this may quite well be a bit tongue-in-cheek, only on that first track does it seem like "the joke's on them". We wish that they would have included instead their rumored cover version of the theme from the the '80s TV show Knight Rider (which should give you some idea about where they're coming from conceptually!).
MPEG Stream: "Midnight Prowl"
MPEG Stream: "Nachricht"

STARCHILD / REBREATHER Split EP (Twin Earth Records) cd ep 14.98

STARES, THE Spine To Sea (Mimicry) cd 13.98
Debut recording from Seattle, Washington's Stares. While a quartet at their core, the group is handsomely lined out into an eleven-piece with French horn, viola & violin, English horn, oboe, celeste, vibes, flute, bass clarinet and cello all playing a part in their lush sound. The "orchesral" arrangements were scored by none other than tha Pacific Northwest's bow wielding wunderkind and Sun City Girls collaborator Eyvind Kang (who plays both the violin and viola on the tracks here). The wonderfully lugubrious tempos of their songs will no doubt remind listeners of the Radar Brothers. Like the Radar Brothers, but maybe also equally similar to Radiohead's OK Computer, the Stares lyrics (the singing duties are split equally between the male and female members) have a similar bleakness of outlook that's just thinly veiled by a warm blanket of opiate-like music. A further note must be made to Kang's orchestral arrangements, which are perhaps the most tasteful we've heard used with a rock band yet -- not burdensomely pretentious like many indie-chamber-rock attempts have been. The songs on Spine To Sea are often breathtakingly beautiful and eerily reminiscent of another era. This is another similarity the group shares with the Radar Brothers, albeit in a different way. For example, there's more than one instance on Spine To Sea when we're certain that the Stares are referencing (or channeling?) Eric Carmen's 70's superhit tear jerker "All By Myself". Creepy, beautiful, and recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Disconnected Again"
MPEG Stream: "1 2 3"

STARFUCKERS Brodo Di Cagne Strategico (electric eye helter skelter) 12" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The best release yet from this amazing Italian band who boldly live up to the description of their sound as "Funhausen" -- Stockhausen mixin' it up with Funhouse.

STARFUCKERS Infinitive Sessions (DBK Works) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On this new disc, the Starfuckers do a song called "Eternal Soundcheck", demonstrating an awareness of what most people are going to think about 'em...and it's true, most folks just aren't gonna get this. But, we urge you, give it a chance!
Italy's Starfuckers, if you're not familar with 'em, play an abstract, sparse, and totally unique brand of what they term 'rock concrete', something that kind of sounds like This Heat falling down the stairs, but trying to be really quiet about it. Percussive and full of near-silences, their almost-randomly-improvised-sounding music uses guitar, drums, and electronics to take the 'glitch' aesthetic out of the laptop arena and into that of the live band. It's as if they played 'normal' songs, then removed about 70 percent of the music, and shuffled the remaining sounds around. It's counter-intuitive, disjointed stuff, yet every dissonant chord played on the guitar, every bassy electronic rumble, every drum hit seems to have meaning, unknowable meaning. Attentive listening will reveal compelling rhythms and structures. If you dig the likes of US Maple, Supersilent, Kevin Drumm's solo guitar stuff, or that last guitar-less Fushitsusha record, you'll enjoy the Starfuckers. Indeed, you probably already do.
Ok, let's talk about "Infinitive Sessions": the first three tracks ("Blues Off", "Drive On", and "Off Blues") seem to follow on pretty directly from the stuff on their previous album "Infrantumi", kinda being more of the same (which is fine, 'cause there's not nearly enough of this stuff wethinks). One difference though: "Infinitive Sessions" is wholly instrumental, there's none of the Italian spoken in sinister whispers that cryptically caressed your ears on their prior releases, which perhaps is a pity.
Then the aforementioned "Eternal Soundcheck" ups the crackly drone quotient quite nicely for the next 12 minutes, before the final two tracks ("Funked X" and "Vamped X") reveal that the Starfuckers have gotten into a new and unexpected 'funk' bag! Not funk in any accepted form, of course, just the suggestion of funk via a 'funky' guitar sound. This caused their label to compare this record to The Contortions, Big Flame, and James Brown, but that's going way too far. They're MORE 'no wave' than The Contortions, and if the JBs ever laid down 'grooves' like these, The Godfather of Soul would have fined them, fired them, rehired, then fined and fired them again. Maybe a jazz cat like Miles Davis coulda gotten into this 'funk', but even he never took THIS much drugs. These tracks sound a bit like "Rated X" from Miles' "Get Up With It" turned into a 'Glitches' Brew' of funk fuckery.
We've never liked the term 'post-rock', as applied to such bands as Mogwai, Slint, A Minor Forest, and Shellac, however it seems to us that what the Starfuckers play is trully 'post-rock', in a very literal sense, and apparently that's the idea. The Starfuckers website (www.nanananan.it/starfuckers/) features the following statement from one Henry Clitus Colagetti, the President of something called CAMC (the Commitee for Abolition Of the Middle Class): ROCK IS DEAD, WHAT DRAGS ITSELF FOR MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS IS NOTHING ELSE THAT ITS CORPSE CONTINUOUSLY EXHUMED BY CULTURAL INDUSTRY.
ROCK IS DEAD IN 1975 WHEN LOU REED PUBLISHED "METAL MACHINE MUSIC" THAT DECREED THE END OF ROCK MUSIC.
"INFRANTUMI" BY STARFUCKERS IS THE FIRST ROCK ALBUM AFTER "METAL MACHINE MUSIC".
THE NEW ROCK, RESPECTING THE BASIC ELEMENTS THAT CONSTITUTE WHAT WAS ROCK MUSIC - REPETITION AND SIMPLICITY OF PLAYNG - RISES AGAIN BASING ON THE PRINCIPLES OF ASYNCHRONY, UNTUNING AND NEGATION OF EGO.
FUTURE IS ALREADY BEHIND YOU.
He's talking about "Infrantumi" but the sentiment applies to this new release as well, of course.
Best band ever? Well, WE rate these guys with Reynols, the Thai Elephant Orchestra, Fushitsusha, Faust, and few others in the pantheon of fucked but totally original and brilliant musical units.
RealAudio clip: "Drive On"
RealAudio clip: "Eternal Soundcheck"
RealAudio clip: "Vamped X"

STARFUCKERS Infrantumi (Drunken Fish) cd 12.98
First domestic full-length release from this strange & mysterious Italian group that specializes in minimal, experimental noise and sometimes Stooges-style freak rock (not really the latter on this album though)...

STARFUCKERS Sinistri (Undercover) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is a great record from a band recently profiled in the last issue of Bananafish magazine (and they cover "Dear Prudence" on the accompanying cd, remember?). For those who didn't happen to read that, the Starfuckers are an Italian group who combine krautrock, Stooges and experimental new music influence into a radical new aesthetic. As AQ-mascot John Whitson succinctly dubs them: "Funhausen."

STARGAZER / INVOCATION Harbringer [sic] / H.A.S.T.U.R. (Bird Of Ill Omen Recordings) lp 14.98
Some of you may laugh at the mention of an "Australian sound" in music, but when you take a look at the continent's musical output since the '60s, it's pretty clear that after taking cues from the rest of the world and putting their own spin on things, Australians have no doubt arrived at a pretty unique and insular sound, especially in the metal department. You have dISEMBOWELMENT, Portal, Grey Daturas, Halo, Vorak, Paramecium, and then the bands represented on this asskicking split full length, a reissue of a cd from way back in 1999: StarGazer and Invocation (featuring members who went on to play in the aforementioned Portal). Both bands whip up a frenzy of blackened death metal that is mindbogglingly technical and totally fucked, but never too weird for its own good, and it's hard to imagine any self-respecting metalhead not losing it over this split.
StarGazer start things off with their strangely esoteric blend of black and death metal. The music and "lyrix" to their side of the split date back to the early '90s, giving the band some years to flesh out their evil ideas into songs that sound, at times, IMPOSSIBLE. The guitars are thick and burly as fuck, the bass is dirty and distorted, and man do the drums sound great - no triggers here, just a dude who obviously knows his way around a drumkit. Super distorted punkish guitars, insane blasts and phlegmy growls all merge into a thick stew of relentlessly concentrated EVIL that also rocks pretty damn hard. The intense riffs and song structures here are pretty much incomprehensible, and if you needed any proof that there's more going on here than your average metal band, just listen to the "Outroduction" that concludes StarGazer's side, a melancholy, spacey ambient piece played in reverse. Killer stuff here.
Next up is Invocation's contribution, accompanied by the information that "Invocation has no political/racial views, WE HATE ALL LIFE!!!" Nice. The band, three dudes with crazy looks in their eyes and the intent to kill, definitely deliver the goods. Not quite as bizarre as Portal, Invocation nonetheless create insane blasts of avant garde death metal with tons of weird changes and totally skewed instrumentation that you might expect to find on a prog record. Not that you will be mistaking Invocation for Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, as the thrashing intensity and ridiculously tight playing will throttle you violently and put you in the shithouse with your neighbors for sure. Best of all is how "real" it all sounds, with guys who certainly know what it takes to ascend to the next level of metallic awesomeness without the need to succumb to any overproduced bullshit. Oh, and for the curious, H.A.S.T.U.R stands for "Horrific Ancient Sumerian Traditional Usurpurs [sic] Remembered". Something we can definitely get behind.
We can thank the folks at the awesomely named Bird Of Ill Omen Recordings for rescuing this one from the darkened vaults of time and unleashing it upon an unsuspecting world ten years after the fact. HAIL!

STARGAZER'S ASSISTANT, THE Shivers & Voids (Utech) cd 16.98
This side project from members of UK dark prog acts Guapo and Miasma & The Carousel Of Headless Horses presents a second album, following one from last winter on Aurora Borealis, and it's quite aptly titled: Shivers and Voids. That's what this sounds like. Creepy, soundtracky, dramatic droned out weirdness under the stars... stirring and sinister stuff, with martial drums and ominous keyboards. Stargazer's Assistant takes much more of an abstract, soundscapey approach to "prog" than do either Guapo or Miasma, though you will certainly hear some similarities.
This disc, which clocks in at just under 25 minutes all told, consists of 3 tracks but it may as well just be one long, programmatic piece, beginning with the nine minutes or so of "Night Soil", a seductive nightmare that finds the listener sleepwalking on a ghostly, imaginary battlefield somewhere, with explosive detonations and snare rolls violently sundering the heavy-drone-gloom that undergirds the track, making it even scarier. The title track then provides a 4 and a half minute interlude of clanking chains, acoustic guitar, and melodic, monkish chant, heavily layered and effected, delving a bit into Richard Youngs experimental folk territory, quite nice... And then "Dream Kingdom", at 11 minutes long this disc's truest epic, also serves up its most baleful bombast.
Should appeal to fans of the aforementioned acts, as well as the likes of Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat, Darsombra, and anything else you can imagine that would mix field recordings and doomy organ and electronic noise and droning loops... in other words, right up our alley, obviously!
MPEG Stream: "Night Soil"
MPEG Stream: "Shivers And Voids"

STARGAZER'S ASSISTANT, THE The Other Side Of The Island (Aurora Borealis) cd 14.98
BACK IN STOCK! We listed the new Stargazer's Asst. cd on Utech last list, here's their previous disc from earlier this year back in stock again as well...
The Stargazer's Assistant is the work of David J. Smith, who many of you might recognize as one of the masterminds behind modern day prog outfit Guapo, or his slightly more esoteric project Miasma & The Carousel Of Dead Horses.
The Other Side Of The Island is not just the name of this record, but a series of sculptures created by Smith from wax and coal and copper and lead (one example is the creepy image on the record's cover). A series of shapes with a deep backstory, the Earth, and the world beneath the surface, the rock and soil, the time that all of those layers of rock represent. These sculptures were part of an installation, for which The Other Side Of The Island is the soundtrack. And unlike the over the top progginess of Smith's other projects, the music here is a dark and mysterious soundworld, an audial representation of the above concepts, a journey into the depths below, and it sounds like it.
Utilizing harmonium, prepared guitars, percussion, tapes, samples, electronics and piano, Smith, along with his Miasma bandmate Daniel O'Sullivan, have crafted a truly scary chunk of buzzing doomy drone. We're not talking SUNNO))) or anything like that, no this is much more cinematic and expansive, more abstract and ambient, no riffs to be found, but guitars crunch and grind, wail and ring out.
The record opens with random bits of guitar scape and piano plonk, hovering over a deep dark swirling abyss, the track builds in intensity, the various elements growing more and more aggressive, darker and more ominous, the low end especially grows blacker and thicker, and eventually coalesces into a doomy drifting psychedelic ambience.
After a brief two minute interlude of industrial scrape and clatter, and some dreamily tripped out backwards vocals and guitars, the band slips right back into the second half of the opening track, a sort of slow burning spaced out style krautrock drift, all extended drones, and wordless vocals, buzzing coruscating electric guitars adding still more layers of psychdrone shimmer, a gorgeously smoldering ur-drone beneath a slithering slippery distorted riff, that flits and flutters like some restless spirit.
Definitely for fans of freaked out free folk, dark abstract ambience and the heart of the sun bliss out sound of krautspacedronemusick like Tangerine Dream, Popol Vuh, Expo 70, and the like...
MPEG Stream: "The Other Side Of The Island Pt. 1 (Excerpt)"
MPEG Stream: "The Other Side Of The Island Pt. 2 (Excerpt)"

STARK REALITY 1969 (Now Again) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

STARK REALITY Now (Stones Throw / Now-Again) cd 16.98
Here's a weird one. Imagine a late-sixties jazz-funk combo playing fucked up versions of children's songs written in the 40s and 50s by Hoagy Carmichael. Actually, you don't have to imagine that, if you just listen to this disc. 'Cause that's what's happening here. The first eight tracks on this cd were orginally released in 1970 as "The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop" LP. Dunno what kids thought of it, but the heads must have loved it, unless it tripped 'em out too much. The idea (hatched by Hoagy's son Bix, who worked at Boston's WGBH public TV station with musican Monty Stark, the leader of The Stark Reality) was to psychedelize ol' Hoagy's music for hippie youngsters. The result were these awkwardly funky, severely distorted (in every possible way), jazzed-out cuts, featuring Stark's crazily atonal fuzz-equipped vibes and bizarrely straight singing/rhyming. The music appeared in a WGBH kid's show, then was released on LP. That LP is apparently quite an expensive rarity these days, with those that have heard it either thinking it brilliant or insane or both. The LP track "Rocket Ship" was one of Windy's favorite cuts on Peanut Butter Wolf's recent "Jukebox 45" mix cd, and he has now reissued the whole album on his Stones Throw label, so we all can judge its merits, along with several non-Hoagy bonus cuts. The thorough liner notes do their best to explain the whole deal, and indicate that more than one lucky beat-diggin' hip hop DJ has made this their secret weapon.
It's utterly ridiculous yet oddly compelling. You'll either have to turn it off after two minutes or it'll become an all-time fave, that's the sort of record this is! Easily the most warped, heaviest jams ever on subjects like basic musical notation, remembering the number of days in each month, and recipes for cooking stew. I mean, some of this makes Sun Ra's wiggiest solos sound normal.
MPEG Stream: "Junkman's Song"
MPEG Stream: "All You Need To Make Music"

STARK REALITY Now (Stones Throw / Now-Again) 2lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Also, now available on vinyl! Reviewed last time here on cd, as follows: Here's a weird one. Imagine a late-sixties jazz-funk combo playing fucked up versions of children's songs written in the 40s and 50s by Hoagy Carmichael. Actually, you don't have to imagine that, if you just listen to this disc. 'Cause that's what's happening here. The first eight tracks on this cd were orginally released in 1970 as "The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop" LP. Dunno what kids thought of it, but the heads must have loved it, unless it tripped 'em out too much. The idea (hatched by Hoagy's son Bix, who worked at Boston's WGBH public TV station with musican Monty Stark, the leader of The Stark Reality) was to psychedelize ol' Hoagy's music for hippie youngsters. The result were these awkwardly funky, severely distorted (in every possible way), jazzed-out cuts, featuring Stark's crazily atonal fuzz-equipped vibes and bizarrely straight singing/rhyming. The music appeared in a WGBH kid's show, then was released on LP. That LP is apparently quite an expensive rarity these days, with those that have heard it either thinking it brilliant or insane or both. The LP track "Rocket Ship" was one of Windy's favorite cuts on Peanut Butter Wolf's recent "Jukebox 45" mix cd, and he has now reissued the whole album on his Stones Throw label, so we all can judge its merits, along with several non-Hoagy bonus cuts. The thorough liner notes do their best to explain the whole deal, and indicate that more than one lucky beat-diggin' hip hop DJ has made this their secret weapon.
It's utterly ridiculous yet oddly compelling. You'll either have to turn it off after two minutes or it'll become an all-time fave, that's the sort of record this is! Easily the most warped, heaviest jams ever on subjects like basic musical notation, remembering the number of days in each month, and recipes for cooking stew. I mean, some of this makes Sun Ra's wiggiest solos sound normal.
MPEG Stream: "Junkman's Song"
MPEG Stream: "All You Need To Make Music"

STARKEY Dementia (LoDubs) 12" 8.98
A brand new label focusing on grime and dubstep, from the same folks who do Anthem Records, responsible for the recent Birchville Frog Prince 7" as well as the amazing Brainbombs Stinking Memory 7" (both now out of print so don't ask).
The first release on LoDubs is a one sided 12" from Starkey, who has been popping up on dubstep comps all over the place lately, and this one sided 12" single is a killer. Dense and dark, with ultra damaged bass lines, all sorts of strange synth melodies, stuttering almost jungly rhythms, all tangled up and convoluted, and funky as fuck. Maybe one of the best dubstep tracks we've heard. Totally reminds us of recent AQ record of the week Milanese, which is most definitely a good thing.
Packaged in recycled brown paper sleeves, hand stamped with the label logo.

STARKEY Live - Record Release Party - Saturday April 11 (Lo Dubs) 2 x cd-r 16.98
We only have a handful of these, live double cd-r's, recorded at the record release party for that Starkey mix we reviewed a few lists back. A mix which KILLED by the way. And Starkey's live set is equally ferocious, packed with tons of unreleased jams and dubplates, some of the best dubstep we've heard EVER, crushing buzzing bass, swirling synths, jagged stuttering beats, the first track alone, a Starkey jam if we're not mistaken, is worth the price of admission alone, super intense and cinematic, about as heavy as dubstep gets. The only bummer about this collection, is that it's a live disc, so some of the tracks are interrupted by shout outs, but that's a minor complaint with a mix this strong.
There's practically no information, no tracklisting, no artist names, just two printed discs in a clear jewel case. But that almost makes it better. One big ol' mysterious collection of low slung grooves and pounding rhythms, a few have vocals, one or two get all grime-y, but throughout, the sound is devastating, so much bass, plenty of rumbling buzzing low end, some wild synthy squiggles, chopped up loops, weird melodies and fractured samples, all woven into dense speaker shredding bass bin crushing jams, and the beats, holy shit, stuttering, shuffling, skittering, if we were more inclined to dancing, this would definitely have us destroying dancefloors like there was no tomorrow. As it is, even us wallflowers can dig Starkey's deep dark dubbed out din.
MPEG Stream: "Track 01, Disc 1"

STARKEY NC 17 EP (Dead Homies) 2x12" 15.98

STARKEY Starkbass - A Continuous DJ Mix By Starkey (LoDubs) cd 14.98
It's always tough with DJ mixes, to figure out how much credit to give to the DJ, sure, we all have rad record collections, so why does this or that DJ get his mixtape pressed up and released as an actual cd and not us? Well, to be fair, some of those DJ's DO have way cooler record collections than any of us, and no matter how kick ass your mixtape skills are, there's something about actually having a job, that essentially IS making a mixtape every night for a living, that's gonna mean that person is probably gonna come up with some seriously kick ass mixes. That situation is made all the more reasonable when the DJ in question is also a music maker himself, which not only means he or she has a good ear for sounds and arrangements, but can link the mix with their own tracks, and assuming their tracks also kick ass, well then heck, we'll happily fork over our hard earned cash.
And such is the case with this mix from dubstepper Starkey, who offers up a pretty wild and schizophrenic mix, that does indeed touch on dubstep and grime, but spends most of its time careening wildly between techno and house and hip hop and Miami bass, all tangled up with bits of dubstep and techno, some jungle, and some stuff that doesn't at all fit in any one genre. That said, fans of all the dubstep mixes we've been digging over the last little while, Mary Anne Hobbs, Box Of Dub, Science Faction, will for sure want to check this out, and folks into techno and electronica, will probably find this an easy way to ease into those offshoots.
It's pretty solid all the way through, and from a mixing standpoint, the songs flow smoothy into each other, so much so that sometimes it's hard to tell when one stops and another starts, but there are some definite standouts, Drop The Lime's "Crazy Love" is an awesome chopped pop workout, very eighties, but all revved up and transformed into a lurching start stop stutter. DZ's "Oooh" is an awesomely heavy slab of woozy synth and dubstep skitter, fuzzy and new wavy, buzzy, almost like a grimier Justice, Zomby's "Aquafre5h" is a dizzying underwater bloopy groove, constructed almost entirely from eighties video game sounds, Pacheko offers seasickly ebb and flow of chopped synths and rumbling buzzing basslines, Food For Animals do their own 8-bit freakout, with skeletal drums over a constantly mutating wall of fractured electronics, and some weird murky rapping, and of course Starkey delivers 5 or 6 of his own tracks, ranging from dark harrowing dubbed out minimalism, to almost cheesy eighties disco, to pounding synth bangers, to a strange piano outro, all smoky and jazzy, laced with bits of intercepted radio transmissions and streaks of warm whirring hiss.
KILLER mix. And thus, needless to say, WAY recommended. Packaged in an eye popping bright orange jewel case. Total dancefloor destruction, easily one of the best mixes of the year. So far...
MPEG Stream: DZ "Oooh"
MPEG Stream: TOAST "Puppy Phat"
MPEG Stream: ZOMBY "Aquafre5h"
MPEG Stream: STARKEY "Swollen Glands"

STARKWEATHER Croatoan (Candlelight) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "Slither"
MPEG Stream: "Taming Leeches With Fire"

STARLIGHT MINTS Dream That Stuff Was Made Of (See Thru Broadcasting) cd 13.98
Dave Sardy of Barkmarket continues to surprise us with the remarkably lush pop that he's been putting out on his See Thru Broadcasting label. First he picked up AQ's beloved Radar Brothers, and now this. The most ultimately jangly bubble-gum, Brit-pop/Latin-psych, ornamented with violin, cello, trumpet and super-sweet vocal harmonies.

STARLIGHT MINTS Drowaton (Barsuk) cd 14.98
We had never cared much about the Starlight Mints in the past but after listening to Drowaton for about the MILLIONTH time, we are kicking ourselves big time. In fact we're not just kicking, we're hitting and punching and just generally beating the crap out of ourselves. How could we have missed a band this cool and this weird? Even Allan, who has VERY particular pop tastes, just came over to see what was playing.
As with all great pop records, it's sort of difficult to describe exactly what makes Drowaton so goddamned good. Sure it's catchy, but not obviously so, it takes a few listens before the hooks really catch, but when they do, you'll NEVER get 'em out. Almost every single person who works here hears something different: David Bowie, the Kinks, the Monkees, Bread, but it doesn't sound that retro at all, there are bits of Iron And Wine, Neutral Milk Hotel, New Pornographers, Arcade Fire, Nada Surf and stuff like that too.
Probably if we had to come up with a concise description, or find a genre that best describes Starlight Mints it would be something like psychedelic indie pop. Or dark poppy jangle psych. Something like that. Cuz it really is pretty darn psychedelic, lots of fuzzy synths, warped backwards electric guitar, strange falsetto trills, cool little sonic filigree, plenty of strange instrumentation, "tralalala" vocals, soaring strings, horns, heavily strummed acoustic guitars, some whistling, hand claps, all wrapped up into bursting-at-the-seams perfect pop songs. It's mostly the vocals that remind us of Bowie, a lazy sexy drawl that can swing smoothly into a wild croon before swinging right back again, but the heady psychpop stomp beneath already had us swooning. Hooky guitar crunch collides with effervescent keyboards, sixties pop shimmer gets all tangled up with indie downer bedroom folk, huge swaths of jubilant pop pomp hovers just above slithering swirls of moody piano and warm washes of synthesizer, pounding piano rides atop an unlikely horn section, simple shuffling drums pulse and pound underneath squalls of FX-drenched guitars and clouds of sweet vocal swoon. Wow. So so so good. All of you who dug the Nada Surf we made record of the week a while back will probably love this too. And anyone into ANY sort of killer off kilter pop should for sure give Drowaton a listen!
MPEG Stream: "Pumpkin"
MPEG Stream: "Torts"
MPEG Stream: "What's Inside Of Me?"

STARLITE DESPERATION Show You What A Baby Won't (Gold Standard Laboratories) cd 12.98
Recently made the move from San Francisco to Detroit... quite a fitting new homebase for this lanky trio who know the power of a well turned pout or cold stare. This is dark 'n' slinky "new rock". The Starlite Desperation also know how to manoeuver the rock'n'roll edges and curves to their advantage honing a sound that bands such as The Vue or The Go are also cruising towards. Please note: this is not their most recent release. No, that would be "Go Kill Mice" on Flapping Jet Records. This is however the cd version of their previously-only-on-vinyl LP which came out a couple years ago on the excellent G.S.L. label.

STARLITE DESPERATION, THE Violate A Sundae (Cold Sweat) cd ep 7.98
Welcome back Starlite Desperation! Having split back in 2001, they've risen again like a hot-wired phoenix with this fierce six song EP! It's a raunchy high octane rock'n'roll affair that gives ample nods to the Detroit rawk stomp of the Stooges and MC5. The gritty guitars buzz like a swarm of rabid bees while Dante Adrian sneers and howls his vocals which are more than a little reminiscent of The Cult's Ian Astbury. Very kickass!
MPEG Stream: "The Thing"

STARS Do You Trust Your Friends? (Arts & Crafts) cd 16.98
Here we have the latest, a remix record, from Stars. The band's statement in the liner notes to this aptly titled record asks: "Do You Trust Your Friends?/Would you let them redecorate your apartment?/Would you let them buy your clothes or groceries?/ And if you did, what would they change?/ If you made a pop record, and then gave it to them to make again, what would they do to it?" We suppose it depends who your friends are and where their skills lie. You might ask your interior designer friend to redecorate your apartment, and you might want your fashion forward friend to help you pick out an outfit for the big date, but you might not ask these same friends to remix your record - that's a whole 'nother deal! Luckily for Stars, their friends seem to include an all-star cast of music-minded folk, including: Junior Boys, The Stills, Montag, The Dears, and Apostle of Hustle.
DYTYF strays a bit from what we traditionally think of as a remix record. The friends you'd expect to do electro remixes did, but the rest are not electronic at all, instead, reimaginings of the original tracks. Hence the remix may be subtly felt (or possibly not at all) for those unfamiliar with Stars' music, which brings us to the supposed motivation of this record. If you were to ask someone to redecorate your apartment or provide wardrobe tips, it may be that you think they could do a better job than you could yourself...or, as is Stars motivation with this record, it may be exciting to see how things change. Stars are a great band who have put out several great pop records, and while their friends remixes are equally great, none are necessarily better than the originals (remix records rarely are). They do seem to stand apart from the original songs as simply great songs in their own right. Same pop song, different sensibilities. Thus, Stars conclude their declaration of motivations stating: "Friends are good for that. Inside of them is everything you would be if only you could be different."
MPEG Stream: "Sleep Tonight"
MPEG Stream: "What I'm Trying To Say Pt. 2"

STARS Do You Trust Your Friends? (Arts & Crafts) 2lp 21.00
Here we have the latest, a remix record, from Stars. The band's statement in the liner notes to this aptly titled record asks: "Do You Trust Your Friends?/Would you let them redecorate your apartment?/Would you let them buy your clothes or groceries?/ And if you did, what would they change?/ If you made a pop record, and then gave it to them to make again, what would they do to it?" We suppose it depends who your friends are and where their skills lie. You might ask your interior designer friend to redecorate your apartment, and you might want your fashion forward friend to help you pick out an outfit for the big date, but you might not ask these same friends to remix your record - that's a whole 'nother deal! Luckily for Stars, their friends seem to include an all-star cast of music-minded folk, including: Junior Boys, The Stills, Montag, The Dears, and Apostle of Hustle.
DYTYF strays a bit from what we traditionally think of as a remix record. The friends you'd expect to do electro remixes did, but the rest are not electronic at all, instead, reimaginings of the original tracks. Hence the remix may be subtly felt (or possibly not at all) for those unfamiliar with Stars' music, which brings us to the supposed motivation of this record. If you were to ask someone to redecorate your apartment or provide wardrobe tips, it may be that you think they could do a better job than you could yourself...or, as is Stars motivation with this record, it may be exciting to see how things change. Stars are a great band who have put out several great pop records, and while their friends remixes are equally great, none are necessarily better than the originals (remix records rarely are). They do seem to stand apart from the original songs as simply great songs in their own right. Same pop song, different sensibilities. Thus, Stars conclude their declaration of motivations stating: "Friends are good for that. Inside of them is everything you would be if only you could be different."
MPEG Stream: "Sleep Tonight"
MPEG Stream: "What I'm Trying To Say Pt. 2"

STARS Heart (Arts & Crafts) cd 15.98
Oh Canada! The land of such wonderful pop music! Toronto-based band Stars weave the dreamiest grand pop gems. Very much in the swirling orchestral electronic vein of Saint Etienne crossed with the sugar twee bliss of Belle & Sebastian with very sweetheart boy/girl vocals much like Postal Service (particularly on the title track). Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell sing atop a swelling sea of gorgeous strings, horns, woodwinds, keyboards and theremin. Fans of any/all of the above will surely welcome this into their... uh, heart. So lovely!
MPEG Stream: "Heart"
MPEG Stream: "Elevator Love Letter"

STARS In Our Bedroom After The War (Arts & Crafts) cd+dvd 14.98
Romance always seems to be in the air when this Canadian band is around! Though it can occasionally get a bit doe-eyed and squishy, the music of Stars is sweetheart pop that never loses its head. In Our Bedroom After The War is by far their most composed and lush album to date. Oftentimes, their more soft-jazz inflected pop is quite reminiscent of Sea And Cake or The Style Council (circa "My Ever Changing Moods"). Both breezy and brainy.
Note: We currently have the limited edition cd version which comes with a bonus dvd (featuring a 55 minute documentary with interviews and tour footage from their jaunts across Europe and North America in support of their last album Set Yourself On Fire).
MPEG Stream: "The Beginning After The End"
MPEG Stream: "My Favourite Book"

STARS Nightsongs (Le Grand Magistery) cd 14.98
Finding their home on the more than appropriate swanky pop label Le Grand Magistery (Momus, Kahimi Karie, etc) are this Montreal-based group who reveal a definite penchant for high drama. Light'n'fluffy but heavy in melancholia. They even deliver a cotton candy cover of The Smiths' "This Charming Man". Soft baby doll boy/girl vocals over sugar-frosted electronic beats and skitterishness. If you like Momus, St. Etienne and Magnetic Fields, and are looking for more clever, electronic chamber pop sweetness, look no further!
RealAudio clip: "This Charming Man"
RealAudio clip: "International Rock Star"

STARS Set Yourself On Fire (Arts & Crafts) cd 16.98
Aaah, first things first! Please note: DO NOT confuse this band with Andee's '70s pop-metal faves Starz (reissues to be reviewed on the next list). This is a situation where one letter can denote such a difference! I mean, heck, you only need to hear the first few strains of Set Yourself On Fire to realize this is a whole 'nother monster... a nice big fuzzy one carrying a giant bouquet of flowers rather than a spandex'n'denim-clad, axe-wieldin' one!
If you like your pop music to be on the lush and pretty side but with a little bit of an edge to it, this new Stars album might be your new favorite... really! More often than not on their third full length, this Canadian band have captured that perfect balance of the bittersweet heartache, the chamber pop elegance, the infectious hook and the energetic punch. Their swirling orchestral arrangements and dreamy soft sensitive boy/girl vocals are fully entwined with the crunchy electric guitars, woozy keyboards and solid rhythm section. Now we're not trying to just lump all the smartie-pop Canadians together, but Stars do seem like the gentler, prettier cousin of the more obtuse and swaggering Arcade Fire (Young & Sexy and Metric also come to mind as like-minded Canucks). One marked detour is the tenth song "He Lied About Death" which -- with its effected spoken-sung male vocals, stuttery beats, swells of distortion and piano key strikes -- is oddly reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails' '90s hit "Closer". Nonetheless (that song included), we can say Set Yourself On Fire is comprised of a baker's dozen pop treasures that'll surely sweep fans of the Delgados, more recent Belle & Sebastian, and maybe Postal Service too right off their feet. HOORAY FOR STARS!
MPEG Stream: "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead"
MPEG Stream: "Calendar Girl"

STARS Set Yourself On Fire (Arts & Crafts / City Slang) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON VINYL!
Aaah, first things first! Please note: DO NOT confuse this band with Andee's '70s pop-metal faves Starz. This is a situation where one letter can denote such a difference! I mean, heck, you only need to hear the first few strains of Set Yourself On Fire to realize this is a whole 'nother monster... a nice big fuzzy one carrying a giant bouquet of flowers rather than a spandex'n'denim-clad, axe-wieldin' one!
If you like your pop music to be on the lush and pretty side but with a little bit of an edge to it, this new Stars album might be your new favorite... really! More often than not on their third full length, this Canadian band have captured that perfect balance of the bittersweet heartache, the chamber pop elegance, the infectious hook and the energetic punch. Their swirling orchestral arrangements and dreamy soft sensitive boy/girl vocals are fully entwined with the crunchy electric guitars, woozy keyboards and solid rhythm section. Now we're not trying to just lump all the smartie-pop Canadians together, but Stars do seem like the gentler, prettier cousin of the more obtuse and swaggering Arcade Fire (Young & Sexy and Metric also come to mind as like-minded Canucks). One marked detour is the tenth song "He Lied About Death" which -- with its effected spoken-sung male vocals, stuttery beats, swells of distortion and piano key strikes -- is oddly reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails' '90s hit "Closer". Nonetheless (that song included), we can say Set Yourself On Fire is comprised of a baker's dozen pop treasures that'll surely sweep fans of the Delgados, more recent Belle & Sebastian, and maybe Postal Service too right off their feet. HOORAY FOR STARS!
MPEG Stream: "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead"
MPEG Stream: "Calendar Girl"

STARS The Comeback (Le Grand Magistery) cd ep 11.98
Twinkling electronic pop (oops, no pun intended) from Montreal, PQ. Charming and romantic a la The Cardigans, Kahimi Karie or St. Etienne. Wispy vocals murmur these five lullaby-like songs with an air of fluffy innocence. A scattering of minimal piano, horns and guitar lines add a bit of warmth to the proceedings.

STARS AS EYES Enemy of Fun (Tigerbeat6) cd 13.98
Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island and signed to Kid 606's Tigerbeat 6, Stars As Eyes certainly don't sound like they belong to either camp, as the duo has nothing in common with the aggro-costume-rock of Lightning Bolt or Arab On Radar nor is there much in common with the ironic-electro shock schtick endorsed by The Kid. Rather, Stars As Eyes embraces the instrumentation of rock within a context of pure electronica, fusing chopped 'n' diced rock riffs (complete with moderately heavy guitars, drums, and occasional bullhorn vocals) within a quirky, slightly sad structure of electronica (i.e. Mum, Boards of Canada).
RealAudio clip: "If I Could I Would Be You"
RealAudio clip: "Important Youth Movement"

STARS AS EYES Freedom Rock (Tigerbeat6) cd 14.98
This newest act on Tigerbeat6 isn't quite what I expected from the supercool, yet quirky and generally fucked tastes of Kid 606 and friends. Add the fact that just about any band from Providence is most likely to be an art-damaged in your face blast of aural terrorism. So imagine my surprise when I slapped this puppy on: the duo of Stars as Eyes create thick, lush, beautiful landscapes recalling early Autechre (circa Amber), Kit Clayton, Polygon Window and the like. I imagine that in protest of the current trends set by their clicks and cuts contemporaries, the duo of Steve Ferrari and Craig Four strive for more layered, dense atmospherics while still retaining a discerning amount of a (dare I say it) glitch aesthetic (think Funkstorung). Warm washes of analogue waves and fluttering tones are arranged in a pop fashion (tracks average about four minutes in duration); highly rhythmic, although their beats don't overwhelm or dominate the beautiful melodies hidden beneath the blankets of sound. Absolutely gorgeous.
RealAudio clip: "Le Punisher"
RealAudio clip: "Freedom Rock"
RealAudio clip: "Figure It Out"
RealAudio clip: "Retarded Future"

STARS AS EYES Important Youth Movement / People Kill People (Tigerbeat6) 7" 4.98
A couple of very brief encounters with the electronic duo known as Stars As Eyes (aka Steve Ferrari and Craig Four). One is oh so dreamy and pretty, the other a little more dissonant and unsettling. If you liked their album Freedom Rock this certainly will not let you down. Very lush and atmospheric, it leaves you wishing it was a 12" instead of a 7".

STARS AS EYES Loud New Shit (Tigerbeat6) cd 10.98
Stars As Eyes traverse through such varied musical terrain on their new cd that it almost sounds like a compilation of a bunch of different bands. Well, it actually is! Perhaps they've been drawing inspiration from their vast array of Tigerbeat6 labelmates (psst, check out the label's recent bargain-priced compilation Open Up And Say...@<%_|^[!] for a thorough sampling of their roster)? Actually this is more of a remix collection than an album proper. Of the dozen tracks, one third are new, and over half are remixes... which probably factors in greatly to the diversity of the track selection. It all starts familiarly Stars As Eyes-y. That is, chiming, airy electronic dreaminess (track 1 "Some Life"), then things darken and churn somewhat into something akin to 'industrial-lite' (track 2 "Rotten"). But wait! Let's not get all gloomy! Party down with some disco punk a la The Rapture, Outhud (track 5 "Falling Picture - Shy Child Remix"), and lighten back up with more soothing melancholic-tronica (track 9 "Our Light - Casino Versus Japan Remix"), then brood, brood, brood into some very moody Brit rock-ish songs (track 10 and 11 "La Methode Francaise - Dwayne Sodahberk Remix" and "Resistance Days - Mum Nostalgia"). Delightfully eclectic or puzzlingly wishy-washy, you decide.
MPEG Stream: "Falling Picture - Shy Child Remix"
MPEG Stream: "La Methode Francaise - Dwayne Sodahberk Remix"

STARS LIKE FLEAS Sun Lights Down On The Fence (Praemedia) cd 11.98
One of the three new and not so new titles just in from the electronic music label Praemedia (Tim Perkis' Motive album and the Praeface compilation are the other two)! Stars Like Fleas bring many different influences and styles to their musical palette -- fusing together elements of jazz, experimental soundscapes, chamber music and earthy folk. Vocals are less about conveying recognizable words and lyrics, instead they're layer upon layer of hushed yet emotive, seemingly sub-conscious murmurings and incoherent yearnings. Sort of like what you'd imagine the shy brother of TV On The Radio (or as someone here suggested, Gastr Del Sol meets the Grateful Dead with Michael Stipe singing!). These vocals ebb and flow atop gentle rhythms and glistening electronic and acoustic instrumental embers. On other tracks, S.L.F. bring in NYC art-jazz style horns and cyclical note patterns which also bring to mind moments of Laurie Anderson (track 4 "On A Generous Day"). The perfect soundtrack to kicking back and watching the afternoon passage of "sun lights down on the fence".
MPEG Stream: "Isabel Of Lilac"
MPEG Stream: "On A Generous Day"

STARS OF THE LID And Their Refinement Of The Decline (Kranky) 2cd 16.98
We've been huge fans of the Stars Of The Lid ever since their first record, Music For Nitrous Oxide, way back in 1995. And their last record, Tired Sounds Of... is a beloved favorite and all time AQ best seller. It's been fascinating to observe their sonic development, from murky guitar based 4-track bedroom guitar drones, all foggy and fuggy and murky and dreamlike, to their current sound, a more modern, almost classical sound, of rich reverberant swells, and lots and lots of space.
The Stars' sound has obviously become much more clear and well defined, polished even, but everything we loved about Nitrous Oxide is still present, albeit in slightly altered form. The Stars' were always about swells, ebb and flow, melodies and compositions played out over expansive stretches of oceanic shimmer, and that at least hasn't changed on And Their Refinement Of The Decline. Notes aren't just played, they begin as tiny sparkles, little distant glimmers, and gradually grow into thick rich whirs, or massive rumbles, before just as quickly fading away again. Oceanic is definitely an apt descriptor, as the music here, as on the more recent records, does have that feel, like some epic dimly lit sonic sea swirling and churning, sometime tranquil and barely moving, other times heaving and tumultuous. It's the sound of a new dawn, an impending storm, or the birth of a galaxy, it's so completely epic while at the same time managing somehow to be pastoral and contemplative and breathtakingly beautiful.
In the early days it was just 2 guitars and a four track, and the sound reflected that, much more gritty and fuzzy, the mood a lot darker, evoking the desert, the starry sky, a druggy dreamy innerspace of muted minimal shimmer. As the band grew, and added instruments, more players, recorded in real studios, the sound changed dramatically, and suddenly, instead of some indie bedroom project, the Stars were crafting pieces that could stand alongside any modern classical piece, while remaining dreamy and drone-y enough to tickle the ears of indie dronesters worldwide. Which is probably the most fascinating part of the Stars' sound. They were making music equally as expansive and epic and gorgeous 10 years ago, but those sounds were limited by the technology, by the band's meager recording set up. And only now it seems that the band is able to fully realize the sound they have been hearing, and essentially creating, all along.
There are guitars here and there, it is after all still the root of their sound, but they seem to be overshadowed by the other instruments (although it is often difficult to pinpoint the instrument creating many of the sounds), heavy on the strings, three violincelles and a harp, as well as a surprising arsenal of horns, two trumpets, flugelhorn and clarinet, AND a children's choir!! But it's not just the players or the instruments, but how they interact and the music they create, and here the results are divine. Many of the tracks do sound like bits of modern classical stretched out into languorous stretches of muted drone and subtle shimmer, like watching the planets from outer space, observing the epic drifts of solar systems and an infinity of cosmic interactions, but others definitely reference more earthly sonic treasures, "Apreludes (In C Sharp Major)" has some serious Morricone going on, and "Don't Bother They're Here" references Scott Tuma's washed out guitar work in Souled American. But whatever subtle flavor is introduced into each track, the sound is definitely and distinctly Stars Of The Lid. Their shift to double disc releases also seems to suit them, allowing their slow burning soft swell compositions plenty of time to sprawl and spread and evolve into epic and soul stirring soundscapes. But even two discs is not nearly enough as far as we're concerned, so everyone buy this one, so next time, these guys can release a four disc set, or a ten disc set or a twenty disc set...
MPEG Stream: "Dungtitled (In A Minor)"
MPEG Stream: "Articulate Silences Part 1"
MPEG Stream: "Dopamine Clouds Over Craven Cottages"

STARS OF THE LID And Their Refinement Of The Decline (Kranky) 3lp 26.00
Finally available on vinyl!
We've been huge fans of the Stars Of The Lid ever since their first record, Music For Nitrous Oxide, way back in 1995. And their last record, Tired Sounds Of... is a beloved favorite and all time AQ best seller. It's been fascinating to observe their sonic development, from murky guitar based 4-track bedroom guitar drones, all foggy and fuggy and murky and dreamlike, to their current sound, a more modern, almost classical sound, of rich reverberant swells, and lots and lots of space.
The Stars' sound has obviously become much more clear and well defined, polished even, but everything we loved about Nitrous Oxide is still present, albeit in slightly altered form. The Stars' were always about swells, ebb and flow, melodies and compositions played out over expansive stretches of oceanic shimmer, and that at least hasn't changed on And Their Refinement Of The Decline. Notes aren't just played, they begin as tiny sparkles, little distant glimmers, and gradually grow into thick rich whirs, or massive rumbles, before just as quickly fading away again. Oceanic is definitely an apt descriptor, as the music here, as on the more recent records, does have that feel, like some epic dimly lit sonic sea swirling and churning, sometime tranquil and barely moving, other times heaving and tumultuous. It's the sound of a new dawn, an impending storm, or the birth of a galaxy, it's so completely epic while at the same time managing somehow to be pastoral and contemplative and breathtakingly beautiful.
In the early days it was just 2 guitars and a four track, and the sound reflected that, much more gritty and fuzzy, the mood a lot darker, evoking the desert, the starry sky, a druggy dreamy innerspace of muted minimal shimmer. As the band grew, and added instruments, more players, recorded in real studios, the sound changed dramatically, and suddenly, instead of some indie bedroom project, the Stars were crafting pieces that could stand alongside any modern classical piece, while remaining dreamy and drone-y enough to tickle the ears of indie dronesters worldwide. Which is probably the most fascinating part of the Stars' sound. They were making music equally as expansive and epic and gorgeous 10 years ago, but those sounds were limited by the technology, by the band's meager recording set up. And only now it seems that the band is able to fully realize the sound they have been hearing, and essentially creating, all along.
There are guitars here and there, it is after all still the root of their sound, but they seem to be overshadowed by the other instruments (although it is often difficult to pinpoint the instrument creating many of the sounds), heavy on the strings, three violincelles and a harp, as well as a surprising arsenal of horns, two trumpets, flugelhorn and clarinet, AND a children's choir!! But it's not just the players or the instruments, but how they interact and the music they create, and here the results are divine. Many of the tracks do sound like bits of modern classical stretched out into languorous stretches of muted drone and subtle shimmer, like watching the planets from outer space, observing the epic drifts of solar systems and an infinity of cosmic interactions, but others definitely reference more earthly sonic treasures, "Apreludes (In C Sharp Major)" has some serious Morricone going on, and "Don't Bother They're Here" references Scott Tuma's washed out guitar work in Souled American. But whatever subtle flavor is introduced into each track, the sound is definitely and distinctly Stars Of The Lid. Their shift to double disc releases also seems to suit them, allowing their slow burning soft swell compositions plenty of time to sprawl and spread and evolve into epic and soul stirring soundscapes. But even three lps is not nearly enough as far as we're concerned, so everyone buy this one, so next time, these guys can release a four lp set, or a ten lp set or a twenty lp set...
MPEG Stream: "Dungtitled (In A Minor)"
MPEG Stream: "Articulate Silences Part 1"
MPEG Stream: "Dopamine Clouds Over Craven Cottages"

STARS OF THE LID Avec Laudenum (Sub Rosa) cd 14.98
Ssshhhh...you might miss this one, if you're not quiet. Formerly on the Kranky label, these Texan drone rockers manifest more of their trademarked shimmering ambience from guitars and four track experiments. Exactly the sort of music we wanna listen to at the end of a hectic day.

STARS OF THE LID Music For Nitrous Oxide (Sedimental) cd 14.98
Before there were a million 'drone' records, before every other person had their own cd-r drone music label, before anyone with a computer and a cd burner had their own 'drone project', and well before all it took was holding down a few keys on a keyboard or leaning a guitar against an amplifier to become an underground sensation, there was Stars Of The Lid. Armed with little more than a couple guitars, some effects and a four track, the duo of Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie were capable of crafting incredibly lush and expansive dronescapes unlike anything we'd ever heard. Quietly channeling the druggy drift of Spacemen 3, the blissful ambience of Brian Eno and the processed guitar based landscapes of post-Loop project Main, the duo conjured up long sprawling expanses of near static guitar drift, crumbling distortion and shimmering feedback sculpted into billowing stretches of soft swirling sound. Sites set high, even their early works aspired to the modern minimalism they would eventually master, but well before the group enlisted extra players and string sections and incorporated flutes and pianos and began crafting multi movement minimal epics, equal parts Arvo Part and Morton Feldman, the band's sound was much more raw and immediate, much more lo-fi, but somehow managing to sound lush at the same time, music so perfectly crafted it seemed to transcend its source. A gorgeous, living organic world of sound, evocative and cinematic, dark and brooding, soft and utterly beautiful.
Originally released way back in 1995, Music For Nitrous Oxide was the very first Stars Of The Lid release, and it's sound can be summed up by one of the song titles: "Tape Hiss Makes Me Happy". Apparently, so did strange samples, bizarre snippets of dialogue, and most importantly, thick smears of distorted guitar. Total bedroom ambient bliss, but light on the 'ambient', the music on Nitrous Oxide is anything but ambient, it moves and flows and buzzes and howls, the sound is not smooth, it's raw and rough, distorted and warped, the production low on fidelity, but heavy on hazy, gauzy, washed out shimmer. This is almost like the sound of old SUNNO))) records, with all the distortion removed. Slow motion riffage, unfurling lazily into thick tendrils of dark melody, textures and timbres stretched and smeared and smoothed and blurred, tape hiss everywhere, but instead of an impediment, the hiss is alive, swirling and undulating, another layer of warm whir, giving the sounds more texture and more grit. There is percussion, but it sounds like someone tapping on the body of the guitar, then slathering it in reverb and delay. The sounds of trains and cars driving by surface here and there, as do bursts of radio and short wave interference, but the core of all these pieces is delicately and perfectly arranged bits of guitar, whether they be looped streaks of whispery high end, or deep rumbling slabs of crumbling low end, the guitars are looped and repeated and all tangled up with other complimentary loops, allowed to spread out, to expand, to fill up the speakers and overflow, or to trickle out like a summer stream.
The sound shifts from hushed whisper to thick dense almost chaotic swirl, often in the same song. Deep bell like tones drift in wide open expanses of dreamily dramatic soft focus buzz, thick, super distorted guitar buzz is wound around a simple barely there drum beat, cymbals sizzle in a thick roiling black sea of disembodied and fragmented riffage, while elsewhere rubbery low end warbles beneath strange creaks and scrapes, swallowed whole by the occasional wash of blurred distorted buzz, and finally the sound of rainfall surrounds deep lush rumbling chords as they create an almost choral drone for perhaps one of the most moving pieces of drone music ever, certainly an impossibly perfect way to end the record.
Captivating, mesmerizing, one minute soft and shimmery, the next dense and heavy, but always perfect, always personal and intimate, always mysterious and utterly magical. The name Stars Of The Lid comes from the strange images you see when you close your eyes, electrical impulses, mysterious shapes and textures, and never has a name so perfectly reflected the sound of the band so named, and rarely, has band so perfectly represented something so ineffable in sound. Practically perfect. And absolutely essential.
MPEG Stream: "Adamord"
MPEG Stream: "Tape Hiss Makes Me Happy"
MPEG Stream: "Goodnight"

STARS OF THE LID Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid (Kranky) 2cd 16.98
Epic double cd masterpiece from Austin, Texas' kings of the lullaby drone. Stars of the Lid's sound, while similar to past efforts, has undergone some pretty dramatic changes. Their multi-layered 4-tracked guitars are still present in all their serene beauty and dark tranquility, but the sound is more lush and more detailed, with treated strings, organs, backwards tubular bells and field recordings adding even more depth to this already layered and impossible-to-grasp-in-one-listen recording. 'Tired Sounds...' is easily the Stars' most obviously melodic record, thanks in no small part to the addition of strings, horns and piano. Dreamy nocturnal slow motion drones are the glorious backdrop to the ebb and flow of dark sonic swells and soaring strings. While lots of 'drone' music sounds sinister and threatening, and often clinical and cold, the Stars manage to imbue their minimal soundscapes with warmth and humanity, and a sort of hope and joy. When the mood does change, it's more melancholic, lost, maybe lonely, never evil. Really human, organic emotions brilliantly conveyed through sound. So much avant / experimental music is technical and electronic, but the shimmering ambience of the guitars and the grit and grime of the recording, as well as the perfect arrangements make this music transcend its contemporaries, filling your ears with thick slow sound, until it slowly spreads through your whole body. Think Angus Maclise, Terry Riley, Brian Eno, Low, Alan Lamb's wire recordings, Pauline Oliveros' deep listening recordings, a more pastoral Skullflower, a more idyllic Total, John Cale, Godspeed You Black Emperor, the harmonium works of Hermann Nitsch, or Tony Conrad. But mix in those magic (non-academic) ingredients (rock background, songs, melodies) and you have probably one of the most beautiful recordings we have ever heard.
RealAudio clip: "Requiem For Dying Mothers part 1"
RealAudio clip: "Broken Harbors part 1"
RealAudio clip: "Austin Texas Mental Hospital part 1"

STARS OF THE LID Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid (Kranky) 3lp 26.00
Epic double cd masterpiece from Austin, Texas' kings of the lullaby drone. Stars of the Lid's sound, while similar to past efforts, has undergone some pretty dramatic changes. Their multi-layered 4-tracked guitars are still present in all their serene beauty and dark tranquility, but the sound is more lush and more detailed, with treated strings, organs, backwards tubular bells and field recordings adding even more depth to this already layered and impossible-to-grasp-in-one-listen recording. 'Tired Sounds...' is easily the Stars' most obviously melodic record, thanks in no small part to the addition of strings, horns and piano. Dreamy nocturnal slow motion drones are the glorious backdrop to the ebb and flow of dark sonic swells and soaring strings. While lots of 'drone' music sounds sinister and threatening, and often clinical and cold, the Stars manage to imbue their minimal soundscapes with warmth and humanity, and a sort of hope and joy. When the mood does change, it's more melancholic, lost, maybe lonely, never evil. Really human, organic emotions brilliantly conveyed through sound. So much avant / experimental music is technical and electronic, but the shimmering ambience of the guitars and the grit and grime of the recording, as well as the perfect arrangements make this music transcend its contemporaries, filling your ears with thick slow sound, until it slowly spreads through your whole body. Think Angus Maclise, Terry Riley, Brian Eno, Low, Alan Lamb's wire recordings, Pauline Oliveros' deep listening recordings, a more pastoral Skullflower, a more idyllic Total, John Cale, Godspeed You Black Emperor, the harmonium works of Hermann Nitsch, or Tony Conrad. But mix in those magic (non-academic) ingredients (rock background, songs, melodies) and you have probably one of the most beautiful recordings we have ever heard.

STARS, THE Perfect Place To Hideaway (Pedal Records) cd 19.98
Perfect Place To Hideaway is the second full-length album from way-cool Japanese psych scene vets The Stars, a band featuring former members of Tokyo flashbackers White Heaven. Guitarist Michio Kurihara (also of Ghost) is perhaps the best known -- you may recall we recently reviewed his fine solo album Sunset Notes, another Pedal Records release. This ain't White Heaven mark II though, as their inspiration stems not so much anymore from west coast '60s psych like The Doors and Quicksilver Messenger Service but just as much from downtown NYC in the '70s -- Television, No Wave, and maybe even avant-disco dance music... But don't worry, The Stars first and foremost are a guitar band. And guitars can be dangerous things. Much of the time, The Stars are happy just demonstrating the truth of that statement. But there's shiny pop moments here that let singer You Ishihara act the crooning rock star, and some simple blissful ones too. These varied six tracks include the moody groove of the 11-minute "Subway (aka Night Walker)", the crashing, apocalyptic, distorto stomp of "Ice Blues" (THE track for those who want to hear Kurihara wail White Heaven style), the angular repetition of "Double Sider", the too-funky "Lemonade", the placid instrumental "Electron Spin Carnnival", and gentle coda "The World I Left Behind".
MPEG Stream: "Ice Blues"
MPEG Stream: "Double Sider"

STARS, THE Today (PSF) cd 16.98
This has got the great guitar sound/playing of ex-White Heaven, current Ghost acid rock six-stringer Michio Kurihara. Other folks from that semi-legendary '90s Tokyo psych flashback unit are present, including leader/singer You Ishihara. The Stars debut ep features three tracks, 25 minutes of garage-psych-pop, worth it for fans of Kurihara but not probably not for the otherwise uninitiated.

STARS, THE Will (Pedal) cd 19.98
1st full length from this Tokyo new wave psych act, featuring former members of White Heaven.

STARSAILOR Love Is Here (Capitol / Hollywood) cd 10.98
We've had a minor flurry of requests for this UK quartet, who follow very much in the path and style of Coldplay or a less experimental Radiohead, and enjoy just as much hype from the British media. "Best new band"? I'm not so sure of that. Clearly the fuss over Coldplay was well deserved as they rose to the challenge of escaping the "flavor of the month" tag - creating some beautiful, complex, resonant music (check out their shimmering song "Trouble" for instance), but I don't think Starsailor are quite there yet. Nevertheless if you're looking for a bit more along those lines - lushly lulling and melancholic - you just might wanna check them out too...
RealAudio clip: "Fever"
RealAudio clip: "Lullaby"

STARSHIP BEER Nut Music: As Free as the Squirrels (Atavistic / Unheard Music Series) cd 14.98
Reissue of this long out-of-print LP, originally released on Land Mammal in 1979. Formed in the early '70's in upstate New York, Starship Beer obviously share a love for Captain Beefheart and free jazz, the group is augmented by the talents of Pat O'Brian and Kevin Whitehead. Although the music itself presents a lot of enthusiasm and spirit, the results seem less successful than the future work of Thinking Fellers or Sun City Girls. Remastered from the original master tapes with several previously unreleased bonus cuts and detailed liner notes.