SOUTHERN, TERRY Give Me Your Hump!: The Unspeakable Terry Southern Record (Koch) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Few literary geniuses have warped fiction, cinema and reportage as much as Terry Southern. This twisted mind was responsible for film classics "Doctor Strangelove" and the screenplay adaptation for Evelyn Waugh's "The Loved One." His stories were adapted into cult works such as Candy and the Magic Christian. His vision was often diluted to make it acceptable for American palettes. Here is a selection of his work in the raw, read by such luminaries as Michael O'Donohue and Allen Ginsberg. Unedited, his work is much more brazen and similar to the comedy stylings of another shy visionary Chris Morris. Not for the faint of heart. (Review provided by AQ-sweetheart Dale Shaw.)
RealAudio clip: "Blue Movie"
RealAudio clip: "Rimmers"

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA / CITY OF SHIPS split (The Perpetual Motion Machine) 12" 8.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
We went a little nuts for the debut release from Anduin a while back, the project of Souvenir's Young America keyboardist Jonathan Lee, taking SYA's Western tinged post rock doom, and stretching it out into something much more subtle and ambient. But SYA is back to remind us just why we were so into Lee and his crew in the first place, with two brand new tracks of sweeping epic, spacious and cinematic post rock, rivaling and perhaps surpassing any of their more well known contemporaries.
The guitars chime and ring out, the drums propulsive and subtly mathy, lots of deserty ambience, moody melodic swoon, crunchy almost metal guitars here and there, haunting blissed out stretches of soft strummy drift, slippery slide guitar and pulsing electronics. There are some haunting processed vocals, distant and heavily effected, tribal rhythms, lots of space, little bits of glitch here and there, slightly doomy, with a distinct twang, gorgeous and dark, but always mysterious and hauntingly dreamy. Can't wait for the next full length.
The flipside features a new (to us at least) group called City Of Ships, who prove to be a pretty good match for SYA, starting their side with some washed out ambience, glimmering guitar harmonies, shimmery cymbal washes, all before the band kick in and get all mathy with tangled squiggly guitar leads and hard hitting complicated drumming. And unlike SYA, City Of Ships are NOT instrumental, the vocals a raspy croon that get more and more wild eventually veering into almost emo territory, the sound a mix of June Of 44 and a mellower Neurosis. Long stretches of mellowy meandering peppered with jagged bursts of crunch and pound, the tracks building to seriously epic climaxes with grinding metallic guitars, angular and sharp, with howled vocals and wild chaotic drums. Good stuff.
Packaged in a super swank fold over 2 color hand screened gold colored sleeve, each one hand numbered, with a photocopied insert, and LIMITED TO ONLY 300 COPIES!!!

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA An Ocean Without Water (Crucial Blast) cd 14.98
Latest from AQ faves Souvenir's Young America, who have been slowly nudging their way to the top spot in the ever growing lineup of modern metallic post rock combos, the usual suspects, Isis, Tides, Conifer, Rosetta, Pelican, we love them all, and they all bring something fresh to a sound that is quickly becoming what Slint's loud/soft thing was to indie rock bands in the nineties.Ê
But there's just something about these guys that makes them seem extra special. They definitely seem to be the least metal of the bunch, but it's not just that they're the least metal, it's that they have no metal pretensions at all, as if it was super matter of fact, a compositional certainty, that specific parts were just meant to be distorted, and specific times the guitars need to be distorted and overdriven, and thus, it seems so much more of an organic part of their sound, instead of a constant build to the crashing climax and then back again, it's all very dense and layered, some songs stay quiet all the way through, and some are as punishing as the most metal of outfits, but for the most part, it's somewhere right in the middle.Ê
Less Neurosis and Isis, more Scenic or Calexico. The sound has a definite cinematic twang, sweeping and majestic, but not at all bombastic, instead windswept, forlorn, ghost town, emptiness as far as the eye can see. Organs warble and that harmonica wheezes, slide guitar slips and slithers, all draped over skeletal arrangements of bass and drums, loping, shuffling through dusty streets and arid concrete wastelands, the guitar left to color in around the edges, not so much riffing as shading...
The record beginsÊwith a huge pummeling crunch but soon blisses right out into that Souvenirs' haunting Morricone-is desert rock, complete with that gorgeously mournful harmonica, and simple tribal drumming. The melodies are mournful and melancholy, wrapped up in darkly contemplative epics, that spend way more time crawling beneath the hot desert sun, everything enveloped in those shimmering heat waves turning the landscape into a dreamy blurry otherworld, than they do bashing or crashing.Ê
The record closes with "Coragyps Atratus (Ego Te Absolvo)", which begins as an ambient drift, little slivers of guitar hovering over slow shifting low end murmurs, but the tape begins to crumble, the sounds gradually decaying right before our ears, a sort of Basinski / Jeckian dissolve, that builds to a fever pitch before the tape dies and the band grinds to a halt, and then immediately explodes back into action, but instead of over the top metallic crush, it's a strange tangled swirl of dense drumming and mournful slide guitar that fades into the background like a mirage.
So good. Metal fans might be disappointed by the lack of full on metal, butÊAn Ocean Without Water is as heavy as any metal record, just much more subtly so, and way more dark and personal and beautiful to boot.
MPEG Stream: "Mars Ascendent"
MPEG Stream: "Blood Alone Does Not A Father Make"
MPEG Stream: "Dark Was The Night Cold Was The Ground"

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA s/t (Under Roar) cd 9.98
We were a little put off by the band name, quite a mouthful, but we were super psyched when we got an earful of these guys' super aggressive, epic, post metal crunch. Tough to stand out these days in the super saturated genre pool that is metallic post rock but these guys manage to pull it off big time, borrowing equally from nineties post rock, crusty sludge, epic instrumental chamber rock, and then adding in their own 2 cents. Obviously fans of Pelican and Mogwai and Isis and Snowblood and all that stuff will want this. But there's a whole lot more going on. Some Morricone-ish spaghetti western twang, complete with harmonica, some Krautrock-y groove, some bits of twangy slide guitar, thick swaths of fuzzy drifting guitar ambience, dizzying angular riffing, dense tribal drumming, buzzing almost new wave sounding synths, some long stretches of moody indie jangle. But it's the bands' deft hand with melody and songwriting and arrangement that makes this record so moving. The focus is way more on mood and texture than heaviness or brutality (although it is occasionally both heavy and brutal), with the epic slow builds often taking up the majority of a song, or a crushing dirge suddenly collapsing into the prettiest dang melody you've ever heard. And c'mon, let's mention the slide guitar again. We're such suckers for the slippery dreaminess of slide guitar. We sort of wish it was everywhere, on every song, but as it is, when it does kick in, we get goosebumps.
So yeah, there's always room for one more on the post rock epic metal sludge bandwagon, as long as they're doing something new and different with the sound, and thus working hard to knock someone else off.
MPEG Stream: "Thirteen For Centaurus"
MPEG Stream: "Still Like The Hummingbird"

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA s/t (self-released) lp 9.98
We discovered a stash of these in the back room, one of our favorite discs, on vinyl and in custom just-for-aQ packaging. Some of the sleeves have slightly bent corners, but for the most part are otherwise perfect. Pretty sure these are gone, just wanted to give folks another crack at grabbing one of these...
We were a little put off by the band name, quite a mouthful, but we were super psyched when we got an earful of these guys' super aggressive, epic, post metal crunch. Tough to stand out these days in the super saturated genre pool that is metallic post rock but these guys manage to pull it off big time, borrowing equally from nineties post rock, crusty sludge, epic instrumental chamber rock, and then adding in their own 2 cents. Obviously fans of Pelican and Mogwai and Isis and Snowblood and all that stuff will want this. But there's a whole lot more going on. Some Morricone-ish spaghetti western twang, complete with harmonica, some Krautrock-y groove, some bits of twangy slide guitar, thick swaths of fuzzy drifting guitar ambience, dizzying angular riffing, dense tribal drumming, buzzing almost new wave sounding synths, some long stretches of moody indie jangle. But it's the bands' deft hand with melody and songwriting and arrangement that makes this record so moving. The focus is way more on mood and texture than heaviness or brutality (although it is occasionally both heavy and brutal), with the epic slow builds often taking up the majority of a song, or a crushing dirge suddenly collapsing into the prettiest dang melody you've ever heard. And c'mon, let's mention the slide guitar again. We're such suckers for the slippery dreaminess of slide guitar. We sort of wish it was everywhere, on every song, but as it is, when it does kick in, we get goosebumps.
So yeah, there's always room for one more on the post rock epic metal sludge bandwagon, as long as they're doing something new and different with the sound, and thus working hard to knock someone else off.
MPEG Stream: "Thirteen For Centaurus"
MPEG Stream: "Still Like The Hummingbird"

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA September Songs (The Perpetual Motion Machine) 12" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This out of print, super limited tour only tape, gets the super deluxe vinyl reissue treatment. Gorgeous thick, silkscreened sleeves, nice heavy vinyl, and besides all that, it's an AMAZING record.
Here's what we had to say about the tape when we first got it in:
A super limited tour only release from one of our favorite members of the continually growing metallic post rock contingent (you know, Isis, Conifer, Tides, Mouth Of The Architect) But unlike a lot of those groups, SYA is not even remotely metal. And we never thought we'd say it, but dang it if that isn't a bit refreshing. Sure they can whip up some metallic crunch. Some big heavy riffs, but at their core they are a post rock band, a math rock band, dark and tangled instrumental rock, moody and epic, massive and emotional. What is most surprising maybe about this 3 song tape is the presence of harmonica! HARMONICA!! And not just in the background. It's the one of the main melodic elements. And it sounds killer. Once you hear the opening track on September Songs, you'll wonder why the hell more bands don't have a harmonica player. But beyond the kick ass harmonica, this band just rules, huge convoluted riffing, strange mathy rhythms, thick swells of sound, killer complex emotional and heavy. Long stretches of dark brooding ambience, blissed out rhythmic shimmer, warm guitars over martial drums, slow building guitar jangle over mesmerizingly propulsive drumming, slippery slide and minor key melodic finger picking, there's really nothing not to love. The guys take a sound that's becoming more and more tired and turn it inside out and upside down, making their own sort of POST post rock, intense and alive and vibrant and super exciting.
And fucking harmonica!

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA September Songs (The Perpetual Motion Machine) cassette 4.00
A super limited tour only cassette release from one of our favorite members of the continually growing metallic post rock contingent (you know, Isis, Conifer, Tides, Mouth Of The Architect) But unlike a lot of those groups, SYA is not even remotely metal. And we never thought we'd say it, but dang it if that isn't a bit refreshing. Sure they can whip up some metallic crunch. Some big heavy riffs, but at their core they are a post rock band, a math rock band, dark and tangled instrumental rock, moody and epic, massive and emotional. What is most surprising maybe about this 3 song tape is the presence of harmonica! HARMONICA!! And not just in the background. It's the one of the main melodic elements. And it sounds killer. Once you hear the opening track on September Songs, you'll wonder why the hell more bands don't have a harmonica player. But beyond the kick ass harmonica, this band just rules, huge convoluted riffing, strange mathy rhythms, thick swells of sound, killer complex emotional and heavy. Long stretches of dark brooding ambience, blissed out rhythmic shimmer, warm guitars over martial drums, slow building guitar jangle over mesmerizingly propulsive drumming, slippery slide and minor key melodic finger picking, there's really nothing not to love. The guys take a sound that's becoming more and more tired and turn it inside out and upside down, making their own sort of POST post rock, intense and alive and vibrant and super exciting.
And fucking harmonica!

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA The Name Of The Snake (Init) cd 10.98
The return of one of our favorite instrumental post rock combos finds the band exploring and expanding. Their old sound, one we already dug pretty heavily, has gotten revamped and supercharged, and we're liking this new version even more, but fear not, the change is not that dramatic, and yeah, the harmonica is still present, and definitely adds a distinct and unique vibe. Plus this new cdep tacks on the long out of print September Songs release, first time ever on cd. But first let's talk about The Name Of The Snake...
Right our of the gate, the band explode into some seriously heavy metallic post rock heaviness, chugging riffs, big drums, soaring guitars, but before long they slip back into their more contemplative drift, getting all minimal and spacey, but here's where it gets interesting, the song shifts into a strangely chuggy chunk of doom, laced with some mournful harmonica, a strange juxtaposition, but what's precisely why it sounds so good. The track flits back and forth between the chug and drift, a slowly unfurling sonic tangle. The second track is more classic SYA, mathy and meandery, busy drumming, muted guitar crunch, some woozy melodies, big chiming melodies, and long stretches of cool backwards ambience.
After a short-ish track, of harmonic laced dark Appalachia, with strange percussion and haunting almost Western styled ambience, comes the records finale, the 10+ minute closer, a classic sounding super sprawling post rock epic, all slow builds and explosive choruses, thick pealing guitars and thick rumbling bass, and that harmonica, one of the few times we find ourselves wondering why more bands don't have harmonica. Heavy and melodic, moody and mysterious, fucking awesome!
As a bonus, the cd tacks on the out of print, super limited tour only tape / 12" September Songs, a post rock record, a math rock record, dark and tangled instrumental rock, moody and epic, massive and emotional. And of course, HARMONICA!! And not just in the background. It's the one of the main melodic elements. And it sounds killer. Once you hear the opening track on September Songs, you'll wonder why the hell more bands don't have a harmonica player. But beyond the kick ass harmonica, this band just rules, huge convoluted riffing, strange mathy rhythms, thick swells of sound, killer complex emotional and heavy. Long stretches of dark brooding ambience, blissed out rhythmic shimmer, warm guitars over martial drums, slow building guitar jangle over mesmerizingly propulsive drumming, slippery slide and minor key melodic finger picking, there's really nothing not to love. The guys take a sound that's becoming more and more tired and turn it inside out and upside down, making their own sort of POST post rock, intense and alive and vibrant and super exciting.
And fucking harmonica!
MPEG Stream: "Water (Forgetting The Past)"
MPEG Stream: "Vanishing (Remaining)"
MPEG Stream: "6:38"

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA The Name Of The Snake (Init) lp 14.98
The return of one of our favorite instrumental post rock combos finds the band exploring and expanding. Their old sound, one we already dug pretty heavily, has gotten revamped and supercharged, and we're liking this new version even more, but fear not, the change is not that dramatic, and yeah, the harmonica is still present, and definitely adds a distinct and unique vibe. Plus this new cdep tacks on the long out of print September Songs release, first time ever on cd. But first let's talk about The Name Of The Snake...
Right our of the gate, the band explode into some seriously heavy metallic post rock heaviness, chugging riffs, big drums, soaring guitars, but before long they slip back into their more contemplative drift, getting all minimal and spacey, but here's where it gets interesting, the song shifts into a strangely chuggy chunk of doom, laced with some mournful harmonica, a strange juxtaposition, but what's precisely why it sounds so good. The track flits back and forth between the chug and drift, a slowly unfurling sonic tangle. The second track is more classic SYA, mathy and meandery, busy drumming, muted guitar crunch, some woozy melodies, big chiming melodies, and long stretches of cool backwards ambience.
After a short-ish track, of harmonic laced dark Appalachia, with strange percussion and haunting almost Western styled ambience, comes the records finale, the 10+ minute closer, a classic sounding super sprawling post rock epic, all slow builds and explosive choruses, thick pealing guitars and thick rumbling bass, and that harmonica, one of the few times we find ourselves wondering why more bands don't have harmonica. Heavy and melodic, moody and mysterious, fucking awesome!
As a bonus, the cd tacks on the out of print, super limited tour only tape / 12" September Songs, a post rock record, a math rock record, dark and tangled instrumental rock, moody and epic, massive and emotional. And of course, HARMONICA!! And not just in the background. It's the one of the main melodic elements. And it sounds killer. Once you hear the opening track on September Songs, you'll wonder why the hell more bands don't have a harmonica player. But beyond the kick ass harmonica, this band just rules, huge convoluted riffing, strange mathy rhythms, thick swells of sound, killer complex emotional and heavy. Long stretches of dark brooding ambience, blissed out rhythmic shimmer, warm guitars over martial drums, slow building guitar jangle over mesmerizingly propulsive drumming, slippery slide and minor key melodic finger picking, there's really nothing not to love. The guys take a sound that's becoming more and more tired and turn it inside out and upside down, making their own sort of POST post rock, intense and alive and vibrant and super exciting.
And fucking harmonica!
MPEG Stream: "Water (Forgetting The Past)"
MPEG Stream: "Vanishing (Remaining)"
MPEG Stream: "6:38"

SP:MC Taiko Dub (Tempa) 12" 12.98

SPACE DUST No Kissing in Public cd 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Brother Love and company bring us lo-fi, dirgy, space-rock from New Zealand.

SPACE EXPLOSION (Purple Pyramid) cd 15.98
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Domestic issue of all-star "Legends of Krautrock" jam, with members of Cluster, Faust, Amon Duul and Guru Guru. These guys still have the cosmic vibe, quite nice a disc indeed.

SPACE MACHINE 2 (MIDI Creative) cd 27.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
You're out in space, at the bridge of a pod-shaped starship, blinking lights and cosmic sights on the viewscreen. THIS is the soundtrack. Or, you're exploring deep into inner space, in a isolation tank, or a drugged trance, watching colors play inside your closed eyelids. Again, THIS is the soundtrack. Assuming in either case you're got headphones on, hooked up to Space Machine 2!
Total kosmiche electronics action here, vintage analog synths doing their spaced-out bleepage and bloopage thing under the long-haired guidance of Maso Yamazuki, a Japanese psychedelic noisician extraordinare. This disc was released back in 2002, as part of Space Machine mastermind Maso Yamazaki's special "15th Anniversary Freakout Triplex" series, which also featured cds by two of his other acts, Masonna and Christine 23 Onna. We reviewed Christine 23 Onna's Acid Eater a few weeks ago and promised we'd get to the others in the Triplex soon, now that we're finally able to get a hold of 'em, expensive imports that they are. Space Machine, Maso's tribute to the likes of Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream, has always been a favorite 'round here, and right now this particular Space Machine album is the only one that seems to be in print! If you're a fan already, you know what to expect. This features four tracks, several of them quite lengthy, of wonderfully indulgent synthesizer knob-twiddling, soothing oscillations and droning textures... headphones, please!
MPEG Stream: "track 2"
MPEG Stream: "track 3"

SPACE MACHINE 3 (Important) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We had this on vinyl a while back, but now it's finally been re-issued on cd! The latest blast of analog synth madness from Takushi Yamazaki, othewise known as Masonna, the one man Japanoise wrecking crew, with a belt full of effects and a wall of white noise unparalleled. But don't expect any of that noise here. Space Machine is the vehicle that Yamazaki uses to indulge his fetish for rare seventies analog synths and all the spacy madness that they can conjure up. This is all swoosh and whir, bleep and swoop, like Acid Mothers Temple at their most unstructured, or better yet, like the music at the planetarium when you're soaring through galaxies, into the farthest reaches of the universe. Contains all of Yamazaki's "3" studio sessions as well as some live mayhem featuring Acid Mothers Temple's Kawabata Makoto. This should definitely hit the spot for those of you craving some freaked out buzzing blooping bliss.
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 2"

SPACE MACHINE 3 (Tiliqua) 2lp 27.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Latest blast of analog synth madness from Takushi Yamazaki, othewise known as Masonna, the one man Japanoise wrecking crew, with a belt full of effects and a wall of white noise unparalleled. But don't expect any of that noise here. Space Machine is the vehicle that Yamazaki uses to indulge his fetish for rare seventies analog synths and all the spacy madness that they can conjure up. This is all swoosh and whir, bleep and swoop, like Acid Mothers Temple at their most unstructured, or better yet, like the music at the planetarium when you're soaring through galaxies, into the farthest reaches of the universe. Gorgeous double lp on orange vinyl in a nice gatefold sleeve. Two sides of solo studio recordings, two sides of live mayhem, four sides of far out, freaked out buzzing blooping bliss.

SPACE MACHINE Cosmos From Diode Ladder Filter (Alchemy) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Osaka-based artist Takushi "Maso" Yamazaki has taken quite a turn these past couple of years. His more well-known alter-ego Masonna is best known for ear shredding cut'n'paste sonic assaults. Masonna's live performances consisted of Yamazaki screaming into two or three microphones, hurling himself onto effects boxes and destroying just about anything in his way. Yamazaki's interest in analogue electronics and modular synthesis was evident on his collaboration with Fusao Toda (of Angel 'In Heavy Syrup) -- Christine 23 Onna's "Shiny Crystal Planet" -- a hyper blend of '60s exotic breaks flooded with psychedelic synthesizers and tons of echo. As Space Echo, Yamazaki goes one on one with The Putney, a compact modular synthesizer developed in 1969 by EMS, as well as the Doepfer A-100 Modular system and a slew of echo machines for total tripped out effect! Not rhythmic like Christine 23 Onna, but very similar in Yamazaki's tweaked out knob twiddling and full on psych-distorto overload. The first in Alchemy's Inner Mind Music Series of cosmic psychedelia themed sonicscapes.
RealAudio clip: "6"

SPACE MACHINE Modular Series - Model-101 (Dimension Degenerator) (P Tapes) 3" cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Space Machine is Takushi "Maso" Yamazaki's outlet for the use and abuse of vintage analog synth equipment, where he leaves aside the violence and extremity of his work as Masonna in the "Japanese noise" idiom and instead attempts to channel the spirit of early '70s German electronic experimentalists like Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler. After three previous full-length recordings (Cosmos From Diode Ladder Filter on Alchemy being our fave) now comes the first two installments in a series of 3" eps, each of which sees Space Machine operating as a duo of Maso plus guest.
For Model-101, the guest is Hiroshi Hasegawa of C.C.C.C./Astro. He also plays the synthesizer. Recorded live at Penguin House in Tokyo, February 2004, this starts with a whoosh and whooshes onward and upward. It's a nice, dense twenty or so minutes of droning, whirring, bleeping spaced-out spirals of psychedelic synth!
On Model-102, Yamazaki and his synths team up with Acid Mothers Temple guitarist Makoto Kawabata for nearly twenty minutes of interstellar exploration, recorded live at Cafe Futuro in Osaka, Japan in April 2003. That it's recorded live in a cafe is evident on the disc, what with the murmer of conversation heard in the background, as Maso and Makoto and their machines hum and drone and drift and glow in the foreground. Abstract yet effective, it's actually incredibly mesmerizing and soothing. Of the two 3" discs, Model-101 is the more bleepy and loud and science fiction soundtracky, while Model-102 is quieter and perhaps less cliched. Both are recommended to all Space Machine/AMT/sci-fi synth fans.
MPEG Stream: "Dimension Degenerator"

SPACE MACHINE Modular Series - Model-102 (Orbit Vector Generator) (P Tapes) 3" cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Space Machine is Takushi "Maso" Yamazaki's outlet for the use and abuse of vintage analog synth equipment, where he leaves aside the violence and extremity of his work as Masonna in the "Japanese noise" idiom and instead attempts to channel the spirit of early '70s German electronic experimentalists like Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler. After three previous full-length recordings (Cosmos From Diode Ladder Filter on Alchemy being our fave) now comes a series of 3" eps, each of which see Space Machine operating as a duo of Maso plus guest.
For Model-101, the guest is Hiroshi Hasegawa of C.C.C.C./Astro. He also plays the synthesizer. Recorded live at Penguin House in Tokyo, February 2004, this starts with a whoosh and whooshes onward and upward. It's a nice, dense twenty or so minutes of droning, spaced-out spirals of psychedelic synth!
On Model-102, Yamazaki and his synths team up with Acid Mothers Temple guitarist Makoto Kawabata for nearly twenty minutes of interstellar exploration, recorded live at Cafe Futuro in Osaka, Japan in April 2003. That it's recorded live in a cafe is evident on the disc, what with the murmer of conversation heard in the background, as Maso and Makoto and their machines hum and drone and drift and glow in the foreground. Abstract yet effective, it's actually incredibly mesmerizing and soothing. Of the two 3" discs, Model-101 is the more bleepy and loud and science fiction soundtracky. Quieter and less cliched perhaps is Model-102. Both are recommended to all Space Machine/AMT/sci-fi synth fans.
MPEG Stream: "Orbit Vector Generator"

SPACE MACHINE Modular Series - Model-201 (Space-Time Echo) (P Tapes) 3" cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More analog synth hi-jinx from Japan's Space Machine (the retro electronica obsessed alter ego of Takushi Yamazaki aka Masonna). The nifty Modular Series of 3" cds, the first two of which paired Yamazaki and his synths up with equally psychedelic sparring partners, sees Yamazaki going solo for installments number three and four. Model-201 is the third in the series, and it's an impressive, oppressive 13+ minutes of squelching, zinging, droning electronics (specifically, Yamazaki's credited with playing the Maestro Echoplex EP-3 and P-tronic Sound Lab Mini-Synth here), not unlike the sound of a series of flying saucers taking off and landing at a busy Area 51 UFO base. Soothing music for your inner malfunctioning robot.
MPEG Stream: "Space-Time Echo"

SPACE MACHINE Modular Series - Model-202 (Zone Of Avoidance) (P Tapes) 3" cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More analog synth hi-jinx from Japan's Space Machine (the retro electronica obsessed alter ego of Takushi Yamazaki aka Masonna). The nifty Modular Series of 3" cds, the first two of which paired Yamazaki and his synths up with equally psychedelic sparring partners, sees Yamazaki going solo for installments number three and four. Model-202, Zone Of Avoidance is the fourth in the series, with Yamazaki utilizing Roland System 100, System 100M, and RE-501 to create close to twenty minutes of jittery, minimally repetitive dronage that arcs into a realm of Jurassic birdcalls as recorded by dying, batteries-running-down technology...or something. And just as Space Machine fetishizes their vintage equipment, P Tapes have managed to make these attractively designed 3" discs into fetish objects themselves for fans of this sort of electronic voodoo.
MPEG Stream: "Zone Of Avoidance"

SPACE MTN s/t (self-released) cd ep 5.98

SPACE NEEDLE Recordings 1994-97 (Eenie Meenie) cd 14.98
Space Needle were a strange bunch. Part of the mid-nineties indie rock scene, but only barely, something about them was just a little too weird, a complicated mix of pretty and creepy, a sonic world not immediately recognizable to the average Pavement fan or Yo La Tengo booster. Their sound was based not on guitar jangle but on strange rhythms and thick swaths of synthesizer. Probably had a lot to do with the fact that SN mainman Jud Ehrbar was a drummer. Vocals were appropriately indie sad boy style, from monotone Pavementy croon to reedy straining-to-hit-the-high-notes near falsetto, but they were dropped into totally alien landscapes. Those distinct vocals moped and dragged their feet amidst strange militaristic drum jams, thick washes of layered organs, serpentine low end synthbasslines, slithering and twisting chaotically beneath thick wheezing organ whir, strangely detuned guitars, strummed into hypnotic jangly jams over ultra simple motorik drumming, all the while, the vocals pushed WAY up in the mix, sort of languorous and deadpan, not so much drifting as sort of lazily shuffling. The melody almost entirely carried by the vocals (with occasional assistance from the synthesizer). The sound was definitely skeletal, often just vocals and drums, sometimes a simple throbbing bass line, but most of the tracks build to a massive climax, with guitars building into huge fuzzy drones, the synth lines getting more and more distorted, both swirling into thick squalls of blown out psychedelia.
At their heaviest, Space Needle almost sound like Loop or Spacemen 3, simple riffs repeated over and over, building a super hypnotic groove, while over the top, guitars and synths wrestle in a thick cloud of buzz and fuzz. But the rest of the time, they really sounded like no one else. Some tracks are just random sonic experiments, super washed out guitars or ultra distorted synths, locked into super hot, crumbling in-the-red, looped dirges. But the heart of Space Needle's sound was a hauntingly alien, lilting loping abstract indie rock, melancholy and super laid back, but also dark and slightly ominous. Phrases repeated over and over mantra like, the vocals almost sounding choral at moments, each track unfurling and taking its own sweet time as it ambles toward its inevitable end. A sonic allegory for the sadness and loss suffusing SN's whole sound.
This collection, gathers the best bits from Space Needle's two albums, and tacks on two live tracks, the best being a 15 minute long psych jam entitled "Where The Fucks My Wallet?", a live set staple that starts off all gentle guitar and builds into a wild sprawl of angular guitars and chaotic instrumental freakout, even a sort-of drum solo.
We sort of forgot how much we dug this band, but hearing these tracks again, man, they sound so fresh, and so fucking amazing, they've really held up well, unlike LOTS of their indie contemporaries. These tracks could just as easily be from some current experimental fucked up abstract noisepop cd-r band as a forgotten nineties indie rock outfit. Definitely enough jangle and sweet and sour melody to hit the spot for all you Blonde Redhead / Modest Mouse / Black Heart Procession / Yo La Tengo / Silver Jews indie rockers of today, but certainly fucked up enough to appeal to all you lovers of free noise and art rock weirdness as well, plus this is just the sort of record to give all those indierockphobes out there something to think about.
Includes liner notes, new artwork, and blurbs from the band about the recording of each track.
MPEG Stream: "Eyes To The World"
MPEG Stream: ""Dreams""
MPEG Stream: "Before I Lose My Style"

SPACE NEEDLE The Moray Eels Eat The Space Needle (Zero Hour) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Indie-pop-prog soundscapes, with cover art by Roger Dean.

SPACE OPERA s/t (Collector's Choice Music) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's another reissue of a '70s obscurity that we wanted to hear simply on the basis of what we'd read about it: apparently Space Opera were a band from Texas who blended Byrdsian 12-string psych pop with proggy avant-gardisms. They made just one album, released in 1973 on Epic, which has now been reissued on cd. We got it in and gave it a listen and...yes! It turns out what we'd read about Space Opera was pretty accurate. We hear some Beatles too, and Southern rock Skynrd-worthy balladry. It's probably the distorted fuzz guitar harmonies -- especially when employed in epic "minature symphonies" (like the progtastic seven-plus-minute instrumental "Guitar Suite") -- that are the highlights of this album for us, but the band's lighter moments are exquisite too. So impressive. They've got pop vocal harmonies, jazz and classical flourishes, country roots, complex arrangements, inventive effects, wow. We can understand why this band was once the biggest thing on the scene in Forth Worth... and may be again, as we hear the original members have reunited. Recommended. And, need we say again: hurrah for reissues (when they're as good as this)!
MPEG Stream: "Country Max"
MPEG Stream: "Holy River"

SPACE PONCH The World Shopping With... (Moikai) cd 14.98
Japanese synth-pop craziness compared to Perrey & Kingsley, Giorgio Moroder, and Yellow Magic Orchestra. And they're not kidding about the vocoder overload! Music for futuristic cartoon characters to party to. On Jim O'Rourke's always interesting Moikai label.

SPACE STREAKINGS (Skin Graft) 7"+comic book 5.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Japanese outerspace looniness.

SPACE TRAVELERS Black Hole (Future Primitive Sound ) 12" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A super limited single (only 700 were made!!!) from the Space Travelers which features DJ Quest (of Live Human) and Cue, whose title track "Black Hole" will appear on the upcoming Future Primitive compilation "Urban R(evolution)". The huge electro break is cast in a downtempo groove with flashy turntable tricks and elements of Missile Command-esque video game noise, horn flares, and funk bass snippets that almost resemble Tackhead. Z-Trip's "Further Explorations into the Black Hole" on the flip side fills out the minimalist electro funk of "Black Hole" with cut-up Sci-Fi narratives and a slightly different handclap driven break. Along with these two tracks, 'instrumental' versions of each respective track and bonus beats of the Z-Trip remix are also present.

SPACE VACATION s/t (self-released) cd-r 9.98
Glad to finally get to list something by these guys, an awesome local melodic metal band who we became fairly rabid fans of just from checking out their MySpace page a while ago, though when you hear 'em, you'll think its something we've been fans of ever since 1984 or so, long before MySpace or the Internet even existed, since they sound sooooooo '80s melodic NWOBHM / arena rock it's amazing. But they're a relatively young band from here in San Francisco, and this debut of theirs Allan here considers a top ten metal album of 2010, easy... and it's just a self-released cd-r, what in the old days you'd call a demo. Wish it was a real cd or vinyl album, it should be, these songs are really fucking good!
And please don't let the goofy name put you off, we were surprised too when when we first heard 'em, but Space Vacation are indeed one of the best '80s influenced, heavy but brilliantly poppy metal band we've come across in ages. With galloping riffs, shredding solos, catchy licks, stick twirling hard hitting drumming, and stick-in-yer-head choruses, what's not to love? Classic stuff. The vocals are key, the dude (who also plays lead guitar) is not afraid to SING. Though he'll also happily shut up and play his guitar, as on the Eddie Van Halen-esque instrumental break "Streaker". And the band as a whole is not afraid to be a little (or a lot) cheesy, but in a good way. Good enough to remind us of cool EARLY Def Leppard and other greats. And we'd put this up against anything today of that old school melodic metal ilk, like Priestess, Cauldron, whomever. And you ironic inde rock types can take solace in the clever, not as cliched as you'd think lyrics that both celebrate and subvert the cliches of heavy metal.
It's the pop element that puts this over the top, as our pal Glenn, another big SV fan, puts it, "it's like the most rudimentary NWOBHM from 1980 mixed with what you might get from a one-off juvenile indie-pop band formed as a joke by guys from Sloan and New Pornographers for a bachelor party for one of the members."
We'd already heard 6 or 7 of these tracks via their MySpace but the others, new ones, are cool too. There's a "blast off" count-down intro going into a track called "Space Vacation"... a bit forced perhaps, doing the band-name-song, but then they hit their stride with "Keith's Sister" and you realize you are on a rocket ride indeed. Songs that as soon as you hear 'em, sound like you've been rockin' out to them forever. And look out for the hidden bonus track(s) at the end... the extra-poppy drinking song "Wicked Hammid"! Something else to look for, online: the band's awesome/silly DIY practice space video for "Keith's Sister" on YouTube, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBREOCxXbH0.
If you couldn't tell, recommended, if you like to rock!
FYI We've also got a Space Vacation split 7" with an LA band called The Amplifiers, SV's side featuring "Keith's Sister", for those who want her on wax.
MPEG Stream: "Keith's Sister"
MPEG Stream: "Highway Master"
MPEG Stream: "Die! Heavy Metal!"

SPACE VACATION / THE AMPLIFIERS split (Champagne and Cocaine) 7" 4.98
See our review of the Space Vacation's s/t cd-r to see why you should pick this up! One of our fave tracks from that disc pressed to vinyl, on one side of this split single with a rockin' LA band we know nothin' about.

SPACE: 1999 (OST) (Silva) cd 16.98

SPACEBOY Getting Warm On The Trail Of Heat (Frenetic) cd 10.98
From the same label that brought us the awesome Champs (er, C4AM95) disc comes some more excellent local SF neo-metal action. Superheavy, technical grindish brutality with an obvious love of Voivod and jazz, and pot...recommended. LP version due soon.

SPACEBOY Searching The Stone Library For The Green Page Of Illusion (Southern Lord) cd 13.98
Spaceboy is San Francisco's oddest avant-metallic combo, starting with their name (and album title) and going from there. They smoke a lot of pot and play music like prog rockers gone death metal. Actually it sounds like half the band is playing death metal or metalcore, the other half jamming out trippy space/stoner rock. Not surprisingly, ex-Champs member and massive Magma fan Adam Cantwell plays bass.
This, their second full-length (and first for SoCal's premier doom metal label, Southern Lord, home to SUNNO))), Khanate, Warhorse, Boris, etc.) clocks in at nearly an hour. There's eleven tracks, with every odd-numbered track being a brief, spacey instrumental interlude. The songs proper are super-heavy and dark, full of complex technical metal guitars & drums, distorted vox, and stoned drone ambience.
All we can do is cite a bunch of stuff that this seems influenced by or kinda reminds us of: Neurosis, Voivod, Meshuggah, Mahavishnu, Hawkwind, King Crimson, Today Is The Day, Old Man Gloom...
Listening to this, though, is like trying to peer through some nebular haze in a distant galaxy. It's going to take a while to fully understand the advanced calculus at work here. One thing we do understand: it's heavy!
RealAudio clip: "Eye Pillow"
RealAudio clip: "The Monsoon"

SPACEBOY The Force That Holds Together A Heart Torn To Pieces (Howling Bull) 10" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
New 4-song release of cannabis-fuelled art-metal prog-pummell from this talented SF combo, one of the first non-Japanese releases on the up and coming Howling Bull America label. A bit spacier than their first album (...but not more boyish). For fans of The Champs (as this features an ex-Champ), Neurosis, Voivod, Alchemist, etc. Heavy.

SPACEBOY The Force That Holds Together A Heart Torn To Pieces (Howling Bull) cdep 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
New 4-song release of cannabis-fuelled art-metal prog-pummell from this talented SF combo, one of the first non-Japanese releases on the up and coming Howling Bull America label. A bit spacier than their first album (...but not more boyish). For fans of The Champs (as this features an ex-Champ), Neurosis, Voivod, Alchemist, etc. Heavy.

SPACEHEADS (Dark Beloved CLoud) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Mainly powerhouse percussionist Richard Harrison and trumpeter Andy Diagram (ex-Honkies and Dog Faced Hermans horn section) plus a host of others helping out in the recording process (Stock, Hausen and Walkman plus Marion of DFH singing like Bjork on one song, etc.), this record properly fits into the context of the electronic experiments of Tortoise, Skylab, and even the humorous DJ Food, without sounding overtly like anything but themselves. Ranging from sample-heavy (speeded-up gurgling laughter, prison worksongs) to dark slow intense & layered, much of this was recorded -live- to DAT, which will AMAZE you when you hear the record, laden as it is with vocal loops, echos, and triggered synths, fuzz trumpet through a whammy pedal, etc. We LOVE this album, and we hope it will open many ears to a new world of sound, as did Tortoise back in 1995. Live they're rumored to be as unbelievable as the Hermans -- those of you who attended recent years' DFH live shows will know what I mean.
Many of you were impressed with the wonderful set this British duo bestowed at Terrastock West. Described as "abstract dance music" (though it is plenty "rock" too), their sound comes from Andy Diagram's looped, distorted, feedbacked trumpet (!) and Richard Harrison's krautrocky percussion. One of the AQ-staff's favorite groups.

SPACEHEADS Angel Station (Merge) cd 14.98
A head-on collision between the ancient roar of trumpet and drums, and the spaceage buzz of electrified sound. One of the AQ-staff's favorite bands. You will be amazed when you hear the intensity, fullness, and melodicism of looped, sampled (live!) trumpet mixed with motorik, krautrockish drumming. Spaceheads will grace the Bay Area again with live shows in June.

SPACEHEADS Live 1999 (Insound) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Mostly tracks from 'Angel Station' (their most recent album on Merge), this is a great compilation of live tracks from their 1999 tour, including that amazing show at the Make-Out Room here in SF! Truly the awesome thing about Spaceheads is how splendidly they are able to deliver live the layers upon layers of clean sampling, funky trumpet and infectious rhythms found on their releases. You probably wouldn't even know this was a live recording if not for the applause that ends each track. Clocks in at just under an hour, but you'll wish it to go on and on.

SPACEHEADS Live 1999 (with extra artwork) (Evil Twin/Insound) cd 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've listed this item before, but now we've received an even fancier version with lots of artwork and photos. Mostly tracks from 'Angel Station' (their most recent album on Merge), this is a great compilation of live tracks from their 1999 tour, including that amazing show at the Make-Out Room here in SF! Truly the most awesome thing about Spaceheads is how splendidly they are able to deliver the layers upon layers of clean sampling, funky trumpet and infectious rhythms live that are found on their studio releases. You probably wouldn't even know this was a live recording if not for the applause that ends each track. Clocks in at just under an hour, but you'll wish it to go on and on.

SPACEHEADS Low Pressure (Merge) cd 14.98
Another album from AQ faves Spacehead, the London-based duo of powerhouse percussionist Richard Harrison and trumpeter Andy Diagram, whose otherworldly looped and sampled trumpet and other horns give Spaceheads their signature, singular sound. While previous albums saw the duo playing with prison worksongs and addictively krautrocky rhythms, this record does have some of that but also goes relentlessly in a new direction. Backwards whooshes marshalled into order, ominous rumblings, and lots of atmospherics mark the most experimental record these guys have made yet. There are even three remixes, two of them from the Bleach Boys (a duo which includes drummer Richard Harrison). Not their best work, nor the album to start with (that would be their selftitled one, or Angel Station), but if you've already got their other records and want to witness Spaceheads' sound develop, here ya go.
RealAudio clip: "Low Pressure"
RealAudio clip: "On a Clear Day"

SPACEHEADS AND MAX EASTLEY The Time Of The Ancient Astronaut (Bip Hop) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The UK duo Spaceheads have long been AQ staff favorites for their unique combination of the propulsive, addictive percussion of Richard Harrison and the otherworldy looped trumpet of Andy Diagram. And there have been times when we were so lulled by the endlessly evocative trumpet that we wish it would happen in slow-motion just to stretch out the blissfulness of it all. Well, on this new outing, Spaceheads have teamed up with Max Eastley, who wields The Arc (an electric acoustic monochord), and done just that -- removed the motorik syncopated driving beats and replaced them with shimmering cymbals and small percussive gestures and squiggles, while extending the trumpet into neverendingly evocative chilled-out washes of pure vibratoless horn. Although I am not quite sure what the monochord looks like or how it works, it sounds much like an early analogue moog synth, erupting in wails at times hellish and chaotic, at times placid and harmonious. An ambient record. Relaxing yet with an undercurrent that will unsettle you in a good way.
RealAudio clip: "The Black Drop of Venus"
RealAudio clip: "Generator X"

SPACEMAN, J. Guitar Loops (Treader) cd 17.98
A new solo outing by Jason Pierce of Spiritualized and Spacemen 3 fame! The embossed golden birdy on the front cover gives nary a hint of the music contained within the otherwise unassuming orange cardboard sleeve, but the title does offer some general parameters. This thirty five minute long one-take improv roams through lengthy lullingly hypnotic passages punctuated by occasional jarring outbursts of noisy distortion, skronkiness and gritty static. Spark up and sink in.
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 2"

SPACEMAN, J. & MATTHEW SHIPP SpaceShipp (Treader) cd 17.98
This match-up had to happen really, even if it was just so they could call the record SpaceShipp. Legendary Jazz pianist Matthew Shipp teams up with Spacemen 3's Jason Spaceman for two extended pieces of modern minimal dronemusic.
Apparently the two performed live together at Patty Smith's Meltdown Festival, and this recording is an extension / corollary of that performance. And it's a doozy. Shipp abandons the piano in favor of the Harmonium, while Spaceman wields his trusty Vox Starstreamer, the two conjure up some seriously deep drones. The opener is the 41 minute "Inner", and is a slow moving near static stretch of massive minimalism, the guitar and organ unfurling long tones, creating all sorts of layers and textures, complex overtones, and subtle barely there rhythms, the obvious references are Reich, Niblock and Palestine. The piece occasionally shifts and the tones become fuzzier, a bit more blown out and buzzy, but they quickly revert to their more murky washed out state. Total divine Ur-drone action, mesmerizing, hypnotic, and dreamlike.
The second track, "Outer", is only 11 minutes long, and features Shipp on the Celeste, creating delicate crystalline music box like melodies, while Spaceman creates all sorts of scrapes and buzz in the background, which slowly coalesces into a Spacemen 3 sort of looped buzz, the two elements at odds, but strangely complimentary, the combined sound woozy, warped and warbly, but still haunting and strangely lovely.
Gorgeously packaged like all Treader releases, this one features a blue matte paper fold over sleeve, with a metallic gold jellyfish embossed on the front.
MPEG Stream: "Inner"
MPEG Stream: "Outer"

SPACEMAN, J. / SUN CITY GIRLS Mister Lonely (Drag City) cd 14.98
Harmony Korine tapped both the Sun City Girls and Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman of Spiritualized and formerly of Spacemen 3) to write the soundtrack to his film Mister Lonely. No, it's not a collaboration; but rather two opposing forces that may or may not work within the context of the film. As of the release date of the soundtrack, the film has not been released, so we can't comment on how it work in the film. Much like the restrained interludes on recent Spiritualized albums, Pierce offers lushly cinematic arrangements with spectral guitar crescendos, pretty-pretty pastoral tunes from string and woodwind ensembles, and sustained eerie ambience; and the Sun City Girls don't. These tracks do account for the final recordings ever to be made by the Sun City Girls, as drummer Charles Goucher passed away shortly after their completion. That said, these SCG tracks are not as absurdly weird as some of their soundtrack ventures (e.g. Dulce, Juggernaut, and Piasa: Devourer Of Men), but Alan Bishop's off kilter croon emerges alongside the rickshaw guitar picking of his brother Richard, plenty of out of tune piano ditties, and some cacophony between a transistor radio and a harmonica. It goes without saying that the Girls had to deliver a spectacular cover of the Bobby Vinton tune "Mr. Lonely." Hey, is that Werner Herzog issuing some demonstrative claim between a couple of the tracks? Why yes, it is!
MPEG Stream: J. SPACEMAN "Blues 1"
MPEG Stream: J. SPACEMAN "Garden Walk"
MPEG Stream: SUN CITY GIRLS "Stooges Harmonica"
MPEG Stream: SUN CITY GIRLS "Mr. Lonely Viola"

SPACEMAN, J. / SUN CITY GIRLS Mister Lonely (Drag City) lp 17.98
ALSO NOW IN STOCK ON VINYL! Harmony Korine tapped both the Sun City Girls and Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman of Spiritualized and formerly of Spacemen 3) to write the soundtrack to his film Mister Lonely. No, it's not a collaboration; but rather two opposing forces that may or may not work within the context of the film. As of the release date of the soundtrack, the film has not been released, so we can't comment on how it work in the film. Much like the restrained interludes on recent Spiritualized albums, Pierce offers lushly cinematic arrangements with spectral guitar crescendos, pretty-pretty pastoral tunes from string and woodwind ensembles, and sustained eerie ambience; and the Sun City Girls don't. These tracks do account for the final recordings ever to be made by the Sun City Girls, as drummer Charles Goucher passed away shortly after their completion. That said, these SCG tracks are not as absurdly weird as some of their soundtrack ventures (e.g. Dulce, Juggernaut, and Piasa: Devourer Of Men), but Alan Bishop's off kilter croon emerges alongside the rickshaw guitar picking of his brother Richard, plenty of out of tune piano ditties, and some cacophony between a transistor radio and a harmonica. It goes without saying that the Girls had to deliver a spectacular cover of the Bobby Vinton tune "Mr. Lonely." Hey, is that Werner Herzog issuing some demonstrative claim between a couple of the tracks? Why yes, it is!
MPEG Stream: J. SPACEMAN "Blues 1"
MPEG Stream: J. SPACEMAN "Garden Walk"
MPEG Stream: SUN CITY GIRLS "Stooges Harmonica"
MPEG Stream: SUN CITY GIRLS "Mr. Lonely Viola"

SPACEMEN 3 DJ Tones (Space Age Recordings) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Lately we've been revisiting some of our old favorites, with Records Of The Week from Loop, the Telescopes and Swervedriver, but as much as we love those bands, and we do LOVE them a LOT, we can't help it, our hearts will always belong to Spacemen 3. The dreamiest and druggiest of the bunch, pretty much every record, every different stage of the band, every song, has utterly entranced us. Blurred and bleary jangle pop stretched out into meditative space rock mantras, no one could conjure up the same sort of woozy elegance that these guys could. And while this is not a new record proper, and most of us have spent years tracking down every bit of recorded Spacemen 3, even a new ep with alternate mixes and some rare gems has us all in a tizzy. And judging from the responses of aQ customers, you're probably the same way. We've been selling out of these over and over, and have only just now gotten enough to list.
So drug addled space rock freaks of the world, we give to you, DJ Tones, a super limited (only 2000 copies) ep, containing TWO PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS(!!!), a radically different mix of their Red Krayola cover, and on cd for the first time, a track called "I Love You", originally released as a white label vinyl only promo, limited to 50 copies. And finally, a studio version of the track "Ecstasy Symphony".
For folks who are new to Spacemen 3, this might not be the place to start, although it wouldn't necessarily be bad, but may we recommend Playing With Fire, or Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To, for the rest of you, the obsessed, buy this now.
Up first is "These Blues", a gorgeous laid back jangle pop jam, that might convince us that Oasis probably own some Spacemen 3 records, along with "Modulated Tones", a gorgeous fuzzy minor key minute and a half of looped echo drenched guitar, so great, the kind of thing that could have stretched out into a whole Spacemen 3 set, both those tracks UNRELEASED!
Their cover of the Red Krayola's "Transparent Radiation" is the Violin Mix, so besides the skeletal guitar and drawled vocals, the bulk of the song is carried by strings, and the result is pretty divine. "I Love You" is a weird one, a programmed beat, beneath a stuttering synth rhythm, super echoey vocals, spare guitars, all moody and woozy and eighties sounding. Quite cool for sure, a little garage-y, a bit poppy, and all very druggy and dreamy. And finally, "Ecstasy Symphony", nine minutes of lush drones, dense and layered, slow motion melodies played out over long streaks of near static sound, total divine, sun dappled ur-drone bliss.
Packaged in a trippy little paper sleeve, a bit pricey for 5 songs (although it is nearly half an hour) but for fans of all things Spacemen 3, absolutely worth it.
And again, LIMITED TO 2000 COPIES WORLDWIDE!
MPEG Stream: "Transparent Radiation (Violin Mix)"
MPEG Stream: "Modulated Tones"

SPACEMEN 3 DJ Tones (Great Pop Supplement ) lp 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON VINYL!! The cd version we previously highlighted went out of print lickety-split but thankfully there's now a vinyl edition, also probably quite limited...
Lately we've been revisiting some of our old favorites, with Records Of The Week from Loop, the Telescopes and Swervedriver, but as much as we love those bands, and we do LOVE them a LOT, we can't help it, our hearts will always belong to Spacemen 3. The dreamiest and druggiest of the bunch, pretty much every record, every different stage of the band, every song, has utterly entranced us. Blurred and bleary jangle pop stretched out into meditative space rock mantras, no one could conjure up the same sort of woozy elegance that these guys could. And while this is not a new record proper, and most of us have spent years tracking down every bit of recorded Spacemen 3, even a new ep with alternate mixes and some rare gems has us all in a tizzy. And judging from the responses of aQ customers, you're probably the same way.
So drug addled space rock freaks of the world, we give to you, DJ Tones, a super limited ep, containing TWO PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS(!!!), a radically different mix of their Red Krayola cover, and on cd for the first time, a track called "I Love You", originally released as a white label vinyl only promo, limited to 50 copies. And finally, a studio version of the track "Ecstasy Symphony".
For folks who are new to Spacemen 3, this might not be the place to start, although it wouldn't necessarily be bad, but may we recommend Playing With Fire, or Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To, for the rest of you, the obsessed, buy this now.
Up first is "These Blues", a gorgeous laid back jangle pop jam, that might convince us that Oasis probably own some Spacemen 3 records, along with "Modulated Tones", a gorgeous fuzzy minor key minute and a half of looped echo drenched guitar, so great, the kind of thing that could have stretched out into a whole Spacemen 3 set, both those tracks UNRELEASED!
Their cover of the Red Krayola's "Transparent Radiation" is the Violin Mix, so besides the skeletal guitar and drawled vocals, the bulk of the song is carried by strings, and the result is pretty divine. "I Love You" is a weird one, a programmed beat, beneath a stuttering synth rhythm, super echoey vocals, spare guitars, all moody and woozy and eighties sounding. Quite cool for sure, a little garage-y, a bit poppy, and all very druggy and dreamy. And finally, "Ecstasy Symphony", nine minutes of lush drones, dense and layered, slow motion melodies played out over long streaks of near static sound, total divine, sun dappled ur-drone bliss.
MPEG Stream: "Transparent Radiation (Violin Mix)"
MPEG Stream: "Modulated Tones"

SPACEMEN 3 For All The Fucked Up Children Of The World We Give You... (Sympathy For The Record Industry) cd 13.98

SPACEMEN 3 Forged Prescriptions (Space Age Recordings) 2cd 18.98
This is my second favorite Spacemen 3 record, second only to the breathtaking Playing With Fire (which we just listed last time and is still in stock). But the more I listen to this, the more it inches closer and closer. It follows the same sonic path as Playing With Fire, with shimmery, hazy, druggy garage rock drone scapes and occasional squalls of fuzzed out buzz-saw riffs, and while it lacks some of the dreamy summery ambience of PWF, it makes up for it in gritty urgency and bleary, cloudy atmosphere. Some of these songs appear elsewhere, but these are the definitive versions, the way the band had always intended them to sound, adding layers and layers of guitars that were impossible to replicate live. This double disc reissue collects demo versions covers, and previously unreleased songs, all of them amazing. From the opening track 'Things'll Never Be The Same', a blast of thick Stooges-y sludge, to the Velvets-esque 'Walking With Jesus', a fuzzy, sun-spangled, lo-fi drone-y ramble, all shimmery strum and sing-songy vocals, to the bluesy swagger of 'Come Down Easy' sounding like Delta blues broadcast from outer space and dipped in LSD, this stuff is all so good. Yet another band that allows a straight edge goodie-two-shoes like me to dabble in dark and dangerous, dreamy and druggy excess!
MPEG Stream: "Walking With Jesus"
MPEG Stream: "Come Down Easy (Demo Version)"
MPEG Stream: "Things'll Never Be The Same"

SPACEMEN 3 Performance (Fire Records) cd 15.98
Nice, now we have these essential albums available on cd too!
Performance was released to fulfill contractual obligations with Glass Records, sort of an easy solution before moving on to bigger things. Still, it comes completely recommended, as it captures Spacemen 3 in a live setting on the Perfect Prescription tour, and there's no reason to complain about that. Apparently they weren't exactly pleased with this particular set, and the drums are surprisingly low in the mix, but they tear things up just as you would expect, with the molten guitars taking over everything everywhere. Recorded in 1988 in a setting one could imagine the band being quite comfortable in - Amsterdam - Performance is a fiery run through some early classics, and it will no doubt give you further insight into Spacemen 3's revolutionary approach. Goddamn, there sure aren't any bands like this these days.
MPEG Stream: "Mary Anne"
MPEG Stream: "Take Me To The Other Side"
MPEG Stream: "Starship"

SPACEMEN 3 Performance (Fire Records) lp 16.98
It took over a month, but these hotcakes are finally repressed and back in stock!!
Hmm. There's no point in really "reviewing" Spacemen 3 records at this point. They're surely one of the top 10 greatest bands to ever exist and even with their influence touching so many bands everywhere, no one - NO ONE - sounds like Spacemen 3. They just got it in ways other bands couldn't. Simple as that. It sure is great to have the band's Glass Records output, their first three full lengths, available on vinyl (some nice 180 gram vinyl to boot) for the first time in God knows how long. They look amazing in their heavy duty sleeves, and after years of absorbing every molecule of the shitty looking Taang Records cd versions, seeing these records as they were initially presented puts things into perspective even more. They just look so classic, so timeless, and so many years later, it makes perfect sense why we felt like we uncovered some secret portal when we discovered this band. Any song they ever did is the perfect soundtrack to any moment of any or every day.
Performance was released to fulfill contractual obligations with Glass, sort of an easy solution before moving on to bigger things. Still, it comes completely recommended, as it captures Spacemen 3 in a live setting on the Perfect Prescription tour, and there's no reason to complain about that. Apparently they weren't exactly pleased with this particular set, and the drums are surprisingly low in the mix, but they tear things up just as you would expect, with the molten guitars taking over everything everywhere. Recorded in 1988 in a setting one could imagine the band being quite comfortable in - Amsterdam - Performance is a fiery run through some early classics, and it will no doubt give you further insight into Spacemen 3's revolutionary approach. Goddamn, there sure aren't any bands like this these days.
MPEG Stream: "Mary Anne"
MPEG Stream: "Take Me To The Other Side"
MPEG Stream: "Starship"