TWISTED WIRES One Night At The Raw Deal (Italians Do It Better) 12" 9.98

TWITCH, JD 10 Inches Of Fear (RVNG) 10" + cd 16.98
We love how in the last several years the walls between the punk rockers and DJ culture have come crashing down. So many of us grew up on punk rock but have grown to love the sounds of DJ'd dance floor delights. JD Twitch exemplifies this evolution so perfectly. He is someone with a deep love of punk rock, and whose roots are definitely in punk, but who has gone on to create some of the most smart and satisfying dance floor jams with his project Optimo.
With 10 Inches Of Fear, he revisits the raw punk sounds that were so influential in his musical development. This 10" features re-edits of Flux Of Pink Indians, Honey Bane, Zounds, and The Mob. Smartly he does very little to the tracks and lets their raw and urgent sounds rise to the surface. As a spectacular bonus the 10 inch comes with a cd comp packed with some of his favorite punk tracks of all time, in their original form. It truly is like being given the ultimate punk mix by a friend in 1986 or tuning in to the best college punk rock radio show ever. Classic songs by the Butthole Surfers, Sun City Girls (back when they were more of a bratty punk band), Big Black, Husker Du, Savage Republic, Crass, The Screamers, The Pop Group, etc. This has been making many of us so nostalgic for our early punk filled years that no matter how many different kinds of music in which we now revel, punk will always be such a strong part of our musical spirit. For those about to punk out we salute you!
We were only able to get a small handful of these so act fast, once they are gone that may be all she wrote.
MPEG Stream: "BUTTHOLE SURFERS - Mexican Caravan"
MPEG Stream: "MINUTEMEN - This Ain't No Picnic"
MPEG Stream: "BIG BLACK - Jordan Minnesota"

TWO DOLLAR GUITAR Ass Rhymes Double Ought Road Gang Tour EP (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.
The eighth in the series of tour support singles from MP3 conglomerate Insound is from Two Dollar Guitar. Tim Foljahn's country fried indie-isms are paired with Gram Parson's orchestrations for a beautiful ep. Highlight of this record: a gospel choir reciting Tim's crude request, "Please, don't shit on me" on the final track.

TWO DOLLAR GUITAR Burned And Buried (Oil City Recordings) cd 13.98

TWO DOLLAR GUITAR The Wear And Tear Of Fear: A Lover's Discourse (Smells Like) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "Cascade"
MPEG Stream: "The Wild Night"

TWO DOLLAR GUITAR Train Songs (Oil City / Smells Like Records) cd 10.98
"Pulse, motion, friction, drone; the quasi-erotic/sexual rhythms of locomotive travel. Trains are consummately musical machines, particularly in our age, where the boundary between 'noise' and 'music' is, at best, totally fluid. Like J.M.W. Turner's Rain, Steam, and Speed, wherein the painter attempts to grasp the vivid drama of technological encroachment on natural phenomena, Two Dollar Guitar's Train Songs likewise amplifies the fragile, intimate relations between the hyperational mnemonics of studio tape recordings and the raw flux of real-time aural physics." - from the ultra academic liner notes provided by Lionel M. Wise, PhD. UNC at Chapel Hill.
We just thought it was neat that there would be an alt.country version of Hoenniger's Pacific 231.

TWO DOLLAR GUITAR Weak Beats and Lame Ass Rhymes (Oil City Recordings) cd 13.98
After the brilliant yet thematically different "Train Songs" album and the experimental country of his La Lengua Asesina side project, Tim Foljahn's Two Dollar Guitar returns to the indie-country sounds of his first couple of albums. While comparisons to Cat Power or Will Oldham's Bonnie Prince Billy moniker are still valid, Two Dollar Guitar seems to shedding some of the alcohol-laden depression and writing some corkin' country stomps. Features Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley on drums (as always) as well as guests on a song or two including Nels Cline and Carla Bozulich (Geraldine Fibbers) and Tim Prodhomme (Fuck). And, in the unusual/unexpected covers department, we get the Styx song "Killroy Was Here"!

TWO GALLANTS s/t (Saddle Creek) cd 13.98
This SF band craft sturdy country rock with dusty roads 'n' harmonica friendly withered male vocals, and they've packed their third full length with it! Clearly Two Gallants' music is deeply influenced by the blues, the sort whose roots run deeeep in the southern swamps. Here's nine well scuffed, weathered and leathered songs that fit well alongside the strainin' with emotion Americana stylings of labelmates Bright Eyes and Eric Bachmann as well as My Morning Jacket or Waco Brothers. Real good!
MPEG Stream: "The Hand That Held Me Down"
MPEG Stream: "Ribbons Round My Tongue"

TWO GALLANTS s/t (Saddle Creek) lp 14.98
Now available on vinyl!
This SF band craft sturdy country rock with dusty roads 'n' harmonica friendly withered male vocals, and they've packed their third full length with it! Clearly Two Gallants' music is deeply influenced by the blues, the sort whose roots run deeeep in the southern swamps. Here's nine well scuffed, weathered and leathered songs that fit well alongside the strainin' with emotion Americana stylings of labelmates Bright Eyes and Eric Bachmann as well as My Morning Jacket or Waco Brothers. Real good!
MPEG Stream: "The Hand That Held Me Down"
MPEG Stream: "Ribbons Round My Tongue"

TWO GALLANTS The Throes (Alive) cd 14.98
Lately we've been getting quite a number of customers comin' in asking for these fellas. Two Gallants weave a solid nine rootsy rock songs with beleaguered male vocals right up front and center. Actually the vocals have an emotive gruffness sorta like a cross between Vic Chesnutt and Cat Stevens (or like what Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst might sound like in twenty years). Tempo and mood-wise The Two Gallants sure keep you on yer toes, easily go from smoky slowly winding somber odes straight into feisty harmonica and whisky-fueled rollickers and back again. Guitars get a hearty workout from the gentle plucking and feverish strumming. Nice.
MPEG Stream: "Crow Jane"
MPEG Stream: "Fail Hard To Regain"

TWO GALLANTS The Throes (Alive) 2lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A couple years ago this fine album by Two Gallants' was released on cd, and was quite warmly received around these parts. Well, we're pleased to report that it's finally made its way onto vinyl!
Here's what we said about the cd version back in 2004:
Lately we've been getting quite a number of customers comin' in asking for these fellas. Two Gallants weave a solid nine rootsy rock songs with beleaguered male vocals right up front and center. Actually the vocals have an emotive gruffness sorta like a cross between Vic Chesnutt and Cat Stevens (or like what Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst might sound like in twenty years). Tempo and mood-wise The Two Gallants sure keep you on yer toes, easily go from smoky slowly winding somber odes straight into feisty harmonica and whisky-fueled rollickers and back again. Guitars get a hearty workout from the gentle plucking and feverish strumming. Nice.
MPEG Stream: "Crow Jane"
MPEG Stream: "Fail Hard To Regain"

TWO GALLANTS What the Toll Tells (Saddle Creek) cd 13.98
San Francisco's Two Gallants second album has found a well-suited, comfy home on Nebraskan cool kids' label Saddle Creek! Funnily enough when we reviewed the band's last album The Throes, we compared their vocals to a more aged Conor Oberst (of of the label's breadwinnin' band Bright Eyes). Those similarities are still quite prominent, and fans of B.E. might also find themselves warmin' up all toasty to the sounds of What The Toll Tells. Mind you it's not all slow, hushed and brittle, weep in your pint, this is ragged, rugged country rock. Then again, actually Oberst has also been known to roughen and rile his music up on occasion hasn't he? Simply, we reckon they're all in good company. Perhaps this will open the door for some dandy collaborations?
MPEG Stream: "Las Cruces Jail"
MPEG Stream: "Long Summer Day"

TWO GALLANTS What The Toll Tells (Saddle Creek) 2lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on double LP too, and with a few extra goodies -- two bonus songs and a code for a downloadable mp3!
Here's what we said about the cd version: San Francisco's Two Gallants second album has found a well-suited, comfy home on Nebraskan cool kids' label Saddle Creek! Funnily enough when we reviewed the band's last album The Throes, we compared their vocals to a more aged Conor Oberst (of of the label's breadwinnin' band Bright Eyes). Those similarities are still quite prominent, and fans of B.E. might also find themselves warmin' up all toasty to the sounds of What The Toll Tells. Mind you it's not all slow, hushed and brittle, weep in your pint, this is ragged, rugged country rock. Then again, actually Oberst has also been known to roughen and rile his music up on occasion hasn't he? Simply, we reckon they're all in good company. Perhaps this will open the door for some dandy collaborations?
MPEG Stream: "Las Cruces Jail"
MPEG Stream: "Long Summer Day"

TWO LONE SWORDSMEN Big Silver Shining Motor of Sin E.P. (Warp) cd ep 8.98
Two Lone Swordsmen chase their recent Double Gone Chapel album with this six song ep (containing remixes and instrumental versions of three TLS tracks -- "Showbizz Shotguns", "Feast" and "Sex Beat"). Continuing in much the same stark dark vein, each track follows simple basslines, minimal repetitive synth melodies and uncomplicated programmed beats. The male vocals that appear on a few of the tracks are delivered in an electro-friendly cold monotone speak-sing. If you dug the change in direction that they took on their last full length (i.e, away from their mellow electronica past and towards an edgier, more 'rock' sound), then you just might dig this ep which sorta bridges their two musical personalities.
MPEG Stream: "Showbizz Shotguns"
MPEG Stream: "Sex Beat (Dub)"

TWO LONE SWORDSMEN Further Reminders (Warp) cd 15.98
The follow-up to "Tiny Reminders" from Andrew Weatherall (formerly of Sabres of Paradise) and Keith Tenniswood comes in the shape of a remix collection. They asked a few of their friends to have a go at some tracks from their last album. It begins (and ends) in a promising, dreamy dance beat-less manner courtesy of C-Pij but then quickly reverts into the less than thrilling, ambient-techno TLS are known for. But there are some nice moments in the reworking of songs by Calexico (a reciprocal remix for their contribution to Calexico's "Even My Sure Things Fall Through") and Lali Puna. But maybe it's the strength and beauty of those artists that raises them above the rest on this album. As well there are a few other detours from the 'Swordsmen's usual downtempo arena, most notably into some dubby territory on track 5 entitled "Neuflex" as remixed by Dry & Heavy.
RealAudio clip: "Neuflex Dry & Heavy Remix"
RealAudio clip: "Lali Puna Its Not The Worst"
RealAudio clip: "Calexico Tiny Reminder No 3"

TWO LONE SWORDSMEN Peppered With Spastik Magic (Rotten Golf Club) cd 15.98
What do the following artists have in common? Calexico, Starsailor, Lalipuna, St. Etienne, Luke Slater, Primal Scream, Howie B, Stereo MCs, Force Legato, Texas, Six By Seven, Alter Ego and Slam -- hmmm, any guesses? Well folks, they've all had their music remixed by Two Lone Swordsmen. Please note: Most tracks bear little resemblance to the original songs. If you're a fan of any/all of the abovementioned artists in search of more of the same, you'll probably want to continue your quest. If you dig late '90s IDM with skillful digital dismemberment of melody and Cuisinart-style fragmentation of beats, this might be for you. By the way, this compilation serves to warm up the decks in preparation for TLS' forthcoming full length due out in June.
MPEG Stream: LALIPUNA "Nin.Com.Pop (T.L.S. Remix)"
MPEG Stream: CALEXICO "Untitled 3 (Virus Style Mix)"

TWO LONE SWORDSMEN Stay Down (Matador) cd 13.98
This is lovely, melodic, burbling electronica from the famed Andrew Weatherall (Sabres of Paradise etc). Mellow and groovy, it's similar in concept to KLF's pastoral Chill Out, but underwater!

TWO LONE SWORDSMEN Stay Down (Matador) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is lovely, melodic, burbling electronica from the famed Andrew Weatherall (Sabres of Paradise etc). Mellow and groovy, it's similar in concept to KLF's pastoral Chill Out, but underwater!

TWO LONE SWORDSMEN Swimming Not Skimming (Emissions) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Second full-length from Andrew Weatherall's latest incarnation. Dark, brooding, burbly, epic, yet overtly relatively subtle (lots going on but you have to listen closely) experimental electronica...

TWO LONE SWORDSMEN The Double Gone Chapel (Warp) cd 14.98
For eight years IDM duo Two Lone Swordsmen have made pleasing electronic music, nothing to knock your socks off nor put your knickers in a knot, just well executed, predominantly downtempo tracks. Now they've ventured into some unchartered territory... at least for them. The Double Gone Chapel can easily be tagged their "rock album". What it actually resembles is a diluted version of analog synth slingers Add (N) To X who themselves became dilutions of their past more engaging selves years back. Vague jamming -- a la get a farty synthesizer sound, come up with a simple riff and repeat until 'groovy'. 'Cheers' to them for trying new things, but 'Boo' for feeling compelled to release it before getting their rock chops up to snuff. Cmon Warp, some quality control! There's so many other bands who do this much better. Offering a bright light amid all the dullness is the second to last song "Taste Of Our Flames". With its woozy male / female vocals and heavy fuzzed bass tones, this smokily intoxicating, somber number could've been a great album closer... but it isn't. Instead, they tagged on a redundant post-rockish instrumental. Adding one more confusing glitch in the TLS system this time around.
MPEG Stream: "Stack Up"
MPEG Stream: "Taste Of Our Flames"

TWO SHEDS & DAME SATAN split (Ghostmansion) 7" 3.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This new split 7" features a pair of well matched young bands from around these parts -- the Bay Area's Dame Satan and Two Sheds from Sacramento. They're druggy, dusky hued country folks who slink about in the shadows. Their all too brief two songs harken a woodsy winter chill. Can't wait for more! The record is pressed on the palest seafoam green vinyl and is packaged in a beautiful screen printed sleeve.

TWO SUNS s/t (Root Strata) dvd-r 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A super limited (only 100 copies!) dvd-r from film maker Paul Clipson with music by Tarentel's Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. The film is a beautifully abstract and paranoid impression of Southern California, filmed on grainy Super8, with lots of dizzyingly hypnotic footage of telephone wires, helicopters, cityscapes, gorgeously blurred out traffic lights and tail lights and street lights. There's late afternoon silhouettes, fuzzy smears of neon, rain drops on glass, cranes and docks, abstract streaks of passing cars and slick roadways, hillsides covered in windmills, the sun reflected on the sea, highways and green hills. So lovely. And haunting. As are the accompanying sounds created by Cantu-Ladesma, an ominous, buzzing, vocal drone, affected to the point that it still sounds organic, but not like a voice, more like streaks of sound, greys and blacks and browns, all smeared into blurred soundscapes of purr and whir and thrum, that perfectly compliment the shaky camera work, the grainy film stock, and the gorgeously and ominously mundane subject matter.
LIMITED TO ONLY 100 COPIES. WE ONLY GOT 20 COPIES SO ONCE THESE ARE GONE, THEY ARE GONE FOREVER.

TWO TON BOA s/t (Kill Rock Stars) cd 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

TYCHO Dive (Ghostly International) cd 11.98
Dive may be the latest release from the man known as Tycho, aka Scott Hansen, but it's the first thing of his most of us here have heard, and we have to say we're pretty swept away by Hansen's sonic vision, a musical accompaniment to some sort of abstract futuristic utopia, rendered in shades of glistening, sun dappled shimmer, abstract IDM skitter, and warm, lush, organic atmospheres. The sound is definitely shoegazey, and a little bit house-y, flecked with glimmers of new age ambience, wreathed in wisps of celestial ethereal drift, and smears of late night chill out electronica, all filtered through what to our ears sounds like a decidedly indie rock filter, with the occasional acoustic guitar and wistful melancholy melody woven deftly into glistening expanses of crystalline electronica, or minimal dreampop space-prog, all floating lazily beneath swells of swooshing synths and wreathed in woozy moodiness, and all driven by skeletal shuffles and warm liquid pulses, those pulses occasionally coalescing into a sort of eighties retro Knight Rider style groove, and briefly positioning Tycho's sounds alongside folks like Zombi and Umberto, but not only are the sounds here more prismatic and dreamy, they're also decidedly more rhythmic, and more IDM style electronic, definitely a retro-futuristic sort of dancefloor vibe, but only if you can imagine said dancefloor in the middle of a sun dappled meadow, beneath a blue sky and surrounded by rolling hills as far as the eye can see. It seems like those two elements wouldn't really work, but they kind of do, creating something minimal and groovy, but also tranquil and meditative, a sort of new age / soft focus electronic kosmische indie pop, that would be the perfect soundtrack to the romantic montage in some low budget experimental underground art film (or heck, these days, even some big budget car commercial)!
MPEG Stream: "A Walk"
MPEG Stream: "Hours"
MPEG Stream: "Daydream"

TYCHO Dive (Ghostly International) lp 22.00
Dive may be the latest release from the man known as Tycho, aka Scott Hansen, but it's the first thing of his most of us here have heard, and we have to say we're pretty swept away by Hansen's sonic vision, a musical accompaniment to some sort of abstract futuristic utopia, rendered in shades of glistening, sun dappled shimmer, abstract IDM skitter, and warm, lush, organic atmospheres. The sound is definitely shoegazey, and a little bit house-y, flecked with glimmers of new age ambience, wreathed in wisps of celestial ethereal drift, and smears of late night chill out electronica, all filtered through what to our ears sounds like a decidedly indie rock filter, with the occasional acoustic guitar and wistful melancholy melody woven deftly into glistening expanses of crystalline electronica, or minimal dreampop space-prog, all floating lazily beneath swells of swooshing synths and wreathed in woozy moodiness, and all driven by skeletal shuffles and warm liquid pulses, those pulses occasionally coalescing into a sort of eighties retro Knight Rider style groove, and briefly positioning Tycho's sounds alongside folks like Zombi and Umberto, but not only are the sounds here more prismatic and dreamy, they're also decidedly more rhythmic, and more IDM style electronic, definitely a retro-futuristic sort of dancefloor vibe, but only if you can imagine said dancefloor in the middle of a sun dappled meadow, beneath a blue sky and surrounded by rolling hills as far as the eye can see. It seems like those two elements wouldn't really work, but they kind of do, creating something minimal and groovy, but also tranquil and meditative, a sort of new age / soft focus electronic kosmische indie pop, that would be the perfect soundtrack to the romantic montage in some low budget experimental underground art film (or heck, these days, even some big budget car commercial)!
MPEG Stream: "A Walk"
MPEG Stream: "Hours"
MPEG Stream: "Daydream"

TYLER, CHARLES Charles Tyler Ensemble (ESP-Disk) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
When a friend made the mistake of loaning me the original lp version of this record, I fell immediately in love with it and refused to give it back. Luckily for him, and all of us, its turn has come in the line of ESP reissues.
This was the first recording as group leader from Tyler, who spent time playing baritone with Cecil Taylor and appears on Albert Ayler's "Bells" and the monumental "Spirits Rejoice." Bassist Henry Grimes and cellist Joel Friedman also played with Ayler, while drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson and Charles Moffet, who contributes orchestra vibes, both spent time drumming with Ornette Coleman.
Beginning with almost delicate interspersings of dual bass/ cello arco, prominent vibes, and Tyler's vibrato-heavy alto skittering, by the second track the quintet is in full frenzy mode (at times very reminiscent, understandably, of Ayler's detourned marches). All the players are awesome, from the hyper speed-bop to gentle and textural playing of Jackson, to the welcome brightness of Moffet's vibes -- but the real key to my love of this album is Joel Friedman's fantastic cello playing. Working frantically, Friedman stretches the full range of his instrument's notes and multiple textures in full throated, layered harmonic, truly intense fashion, and provides an extremely interesting focal point while never overwhelming Tyler's soloing. This is a great session of some very talented and under-appreciated musicians. Compelling listening.
RealAudio clip: "Strange Uhuru"
RealAudio clip: "Black Mysticism"

TYLER, CHARLES Eastern Man Alone (ESP) cd 14.98
Reissue of the second Charles Tyler recording for the seminal ESP Disk label in 1967 in which the former Ayler collaborator introduced a formative backing band consisting of solely a cellist and two bassists. "Eastern Man Alone", presents itself as a low end version of a string quartet backing a confidently mellow Tyler on alto. Really Nice.
RealAudio clip: "Eastern Man Alone"

TYLER, CHARLES Eastern Man Alone (ESP) lp 15.98
Reissue of the second Charles Tyler recording for the seminal ESP Disk label in 1967 in which the former Ayler collaborator introduced a formative backing band consisting of solely a cellist and two bassists. "Eastern Man Alone", presents itself as a low end version of a string quartet backing a confidently mellow Tyler on alto. Really Nice

TYLER, THE CREATOR Goblin (XL) cd 12.98
You'd have to have been living under a rock, to not have heard all the hype about Tyler the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt and the rest of the Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All crew, a collective of teenage rappers, producers, skaters and visual artists, who have in a matter of months gotten the whole underground all in a tizzy, the blogs gushing over every single thing these guys have done. And as always, our first impulse was to dismiss the whole thing as just another overhyped bit of internet bullshit. But all it took was hearing a couple songs, seeing the twisted videos, and seeing their killer live performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, to convince us that for once, the hype was well deserved.
Their sound definitely recalls the horrorcore sound of the nineties, especially the Gravediggaz, and while the band publicly deny the comparison, it's hard NOT to hear the connection, the vibe and production is super spare, creepy and intense, Tyler and his crew definitely strip it WAY down though, often JUST the beat, the rhymes, and a minimal amount of creeped out ambience. "Yonkers", the first single is the perfect example, with its super stripped down beat, weird industrial loop, and low slung bassline, over which Tyler spits some seriously fucked up and off kilter rhymes, and if you've seen the super stylized video, where he eats a live beetle and then hangs himself, it's pretty bad ass. "Sandwitches" is another good one, with it's horror movie like synth melody, draped over a swaggery, lumbering beat, a definite witch house vibe, but here all chopped up and stuttery, woozy, druggy and seriously demented. On a few tracks, Tyler dips into some warped woozy R&B, his flow transforming the sound into something that sounds more like Ariel Pink than R. Kelly, his vox pitched WAY down, multiple voices all tangled up, engaging in strange surreal conversations, but before too long, the sound slips right back into another sprawl of fractured warbly hip hop, oozing blackened off kilter grooves, the loops twisted and unraveling, the pitch constantly shifting, the perfect fucked up and fractured backdrop for Tyler's baffling and brilliant flow.
MPEG Stream: "Goblin"
MPEG Stream: "Yonkers"
MPEG Stream: "Tron Cat"
MPEG Stream: "Sandwitches"

TYLER, THE CREATOR Goblin (XL) lp 17.98
Now also in stock on vinyl!
You'd have to have been living under a rock, to not have heard all the hype about Tyler the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt and the rest of the Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All crew, a collective of teenage rappers, producers, skaters and visual artists, who have in a matter of months gotten the whole underground all in a tizzy, the blogs gushing over every single thing these guys have done. And as always, our first impulse was to dismiss the whole thing as just another overhyped bit of internet bullshit. But all it took was hearing a couple songs, seeing the twisted videos, and seeing their killer live performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, to convince us that for one, the hype was well deserved.
Their sound definitely recalls the horrorcore sound of the nineties, especially the Gravediggaz, and while the band publicly deny the comparison, it's hard NOT to hear the connection, the vibe and production is super spare, creepy and intense, Tyler and his crew definitely strip it WAY down though, often JUST the beat, the rhymes, and a minimal amount of creeped out ambience. "Yonkers", the first single is the perfect example, with it's super stripped down beat, weird industrial loop, and low slung bassline, over which Tyler spits some seriously fucked up and off kilter rhymes, and if you've seen the super stylized video, where he eats a live beetle and then hangs himself, it's pretty bad ass. "Sandwitches" is another good one, with it's horror movie like synth melody, draped over a swaggery, lumbering beat, a definite witch house vibe, but here all chopped up and stuttery, woozy, druggy and seriously demented. On a few tracks, Tyler dips into some warped woozy R&B, his flow transforming the sound into something that sounds more like Ariel Pink than R. Kelly, his vox pitched WAY down, multiple voices all tangled up, engaging in strange surreal conversations, but before too long, the sound slips right back into another sprawl of fractured warbly hip hop, oozing blackened off kilter grooves, the loops twisted and unraveling, the pitch constantly shifting, the perfect fucked up and fractured backdrop for Tyler's baffling and brilliant flow.
MPEG Stream: "Goblin"
MPEG Stream: "Yonkers"
MPEG Stream: "Tron Cat"
MPEG Stream: "Sandwitches"

TYMAH Funeral Fog (No Colours) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A few lists back we were singing the black praises of the grim, necro, frosty, raw black metal of Transylvanian trio Tymah. Not only do they masterfully blend the raw buzz of outfits like Darkthrone, Mayhem and Ulver into their own bleak fuzzy blackened sound world, but they are the rare black metal beast, a female fronted BM horde, she a demonic hellion whose banshee shriek and hellish riffing are the driving force behind these brutal black warriors. Funeral Fog is Tymah's demo cd, limited to 666 copies, which finds the band's sound even more murky and raw, and it almost sounds even better than their record proper. Opening with a Mayhem cover (title track "Funeral Fog") that hews pretty dang close to the original, Tymah, continue to spiral gloriously Southward, a relentlessly buzzing blast, thick swaths of corrosive riffing and thrash attack drumming, with insanely howled vocals, sounding quite a bit like Weakling at times. It's that perfect buzzing blackness we can NEVER EVER seem to get enough of. The bonus track ups the production a bit, shrugs off a bit of the murk, and in the process gets even buzzier and harsher. So good.
The disc also includes a video for "Transylvanian Dreams", gorgeous shots of forests and fires and fjords, the corpse painted band members superimposed, either in the studio, carrying torches and swords, or just a murky mysterious visage, shrieking harshly over the glorious background buzz.
LIMITED TO 666 COPIES. Each disc hand numbered!
MPEG Stream: "Funeral Fog (Mayhem cover)"
MPEG Stream: "Transylvania"

TYMAH Loquitur Cum Algo Sathanas (No Colours) cd 17.98
The return of Transylvanian black metal horde Tymah, who besides delivering a blackened howl equal parts Mayhem, Ulver and Darkthrone, also have the distinction of being one of the only black metal bands fronted by a woman.
Their last two records were furious blasts of buzzing Norwegian style blackness, and this one is no different. Many of the songs begin or end with slow, woozy, midtempo stretches of Burzumic buzz, but the bulk of the record is blasting old school blackness. Troo and grim. The drums a relentless blastbeat, beneath lightning fast riffs, and frontwoman Dim's hellish howl. The riffing isn't just fast and frantic, it's also epic and majestic, weaving triumphant melodies, and unleashing some killer hooks. Rare is the riff that sticks in your head like a pop song, but a handful of these songs have been lodged in our black skulls since we first got this in. Even one of the mailorder folks was just humming along to "In Devenit Satana" as these words were being written.
The sound is thick and intense, the guitars writhing and whirring and whipped up into an absolute blackthrash frenzy, the production full and HEAVY, none of that tinny lo-fi brittle buzz, this is the sort of blackness that crushes and pulverizes. Managing to sound true to the old masters, but to infuse their sound with energy and originality, much of it due to the axe mastery and throat shredding wail of the lady Dim. Folks are so impressed by that woman who sings for Arch Enemy, and rightfully so. She is pretty bad ass, but all she does is sing. Imagine her squaring off against Dim, bespiked and corpsepainted, axe in hand, atop a mountain of black amps, behind a wall of black fury, forest by her side. No contest.
Yet another fantastic grim black missive from quite possible our favorite band from Transylvania.
MPEG Stream: "Caedeban Dei"
MPEG Stream: "In Devenit Satana"

TYMAH Transylvanian Dreams (No Colours) cd 16.98
Ahhhhh, grim, necro, frosty, raw black metal. It's an acquired taste, but once you've tasted that black blood, there's no turning back. Whether it's Darkthrone's Transylvanian Hunger, Ulver's Nattens Madrigal, or any one of the legion of lesser known black hordes, it's a sound that soothes like only raw fuzzy, buzzy, Burzumic guitardrones and blurry battle blasts can. Hungarian black metal horde Tymah's take on this bleak, harsh and blackened buzz doesn't veer far from their influences, this is as grim and as true and as black as you could hope for, the majority of Transylvanian Dreams a dizzying blur, a near dronelike wash of low end rumble and insect swarm guitars, while beneath, a relentless lightning fast blast, and above, pure tortured yowls and demonic shrieks, which is where Tymah do truly distinguish themselves, as vocalist / guitarist Dim is a woman, a rarity for sure in black metal (and metal in general), not that you necessarily could tell from her harsh and harrowing, truly anguished sounding screech (very reminiscent of Weakling at times), but still there's something truly inspiring about a corpsepainted, be-spiked, axe slinging, sword swinging she-demon lurking wraithlike in that same black forest, holding her own and then some with the black metal boys club. And if for some reason those sorts of things don't do it for you, just close your eyes and forget we said anything, and you'll soon be basking in (unisex) black metal bliss.
MPEG Stream: "Atoklatomas"
MPEG Stream: "Vihar"

TYRANNOSAURUS REX A Beard of Stars (Universal) cd 16.98

TYRANNOSAURUS REX A Star Of Beards (Get Back) cd 16.98
A Star Of Beards (NOT to be confused with the album A Beard Of Stars) is a new compilation of unreleased tracks, live recordings and demos from mystical psych folk legends Tyrannosaurus Rex. Like most completist collections, the sound quality is not the greatest, but Tyrannosaurus Rex (before Marc Bolan discovered the electric guitar) was always a lo-fi beast, so fidelity may not matter to super fans. Not necessarily essential, but folks curious to hear the origins of freak folk, get in line right here!
MPEG Stream: "Deep Summer"
MPEG Stream: "Wind Quartets"
MPEG Stream: "Misty Coast of Albany"

TYRANNOSAURUS REX A Star Of Beards (Get Back) lp 22.00
A Star Of Beards (NOT to be confused with the album A Beard Of Stars) is a new compilation of unreleased tracks, live recordings and demos from mystical psych folk legends Tyrannosaurus Rex. Like most completist collections, the sound quality is not the greatest, but Tyrannosaurus Rex (before Marc Bolan discovered the electric guitar) was always a lo-fi beast, so fidelity may not matter to super fans. Not necessarily essential, but folks curious to hear the origins of freak folk, get in line right here!
MPEG Stream: "Deep Summer"
MPEG Stream: "Wind Quartets"
MPEG Stream: "Misty Coast of Albany"

TYRANNOSAURUS REX My People Were Fair and Had Sky In Their Hair... But Now They're Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows (Universal) cd 16.98
...But Now They're Content to Wear Stars (the full title). For fans of Devendra Banhart! The 1968 debut from the otherworldly hippie folk-psych duo of Marc Bolan and Steve "Peregrine" Took. Long before Bolan turned Tyrannosaurus Rex into T. Rex and went all glam and teeny-bopper on us, he made this wonderful warbly Middle Earth music.

TYRANNOSAURUS REX Prophets, Seers & Sages, The Angels Of The Ages (Universal) cd 16.98
Before Marc Bolan headed for glam rock gold with T. Rex he made (in my opinion) his best records as Tyrannosaurus Rex. With an amazing backwards folk flare, Bolan sang of sages, dragons and wizards. The stripped down recording style and experimental elements have made the Tyrannosaurus Rex recordings still ahead of their time. This is an album that takes you far away from reality while still having a total connection to nature. With the recent onslaught of the "free folk" movement their is no doubt that so many roads lead back to Tyrannosaurus Rex. Especially for Devendra Banhart, who when you hear this record you can't help but say oh my god Devendra sounds sooo much like Marc Bolan in this era - from voice to guitar styling and lyrical imagery. This expanded version includes an extra disc of alternate takes, the 45 version of "one inch rock", etc. Prophets, Seers & Sages... stands with Unicorn as not only my favorite Marc Bolan recordings but as one of my favorite albums of all time!

TYRANNOSAURUS REX Unicorn (Universal) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

TYRANNY Bleak Vistae (Firebox) cd 13.98

TYRANNY, BLUE GENE Out Of The Blue (Unseen Worlds) cd 15.98

TYVEK Blunt Instrumental EP (Night People) lp 15.98
Of all the current crop of weirdo garage poppers and minimal cold wavers, the one band who we WISH would shower us with a million releases is the one band that DOESN'T. So when there's a new Tyvek record, you can bet we're all over it. After the recent reissue of their killer debut 7" Mary Ellen Claims, which we played to death, and the Siltbreeze record that's been on nonstop rotation since we first got it in, comes this new record, a gorgeously packaged, short collection of songs, not all instrumental as the title implies, but like the other Tyvek jams, stripped down and catchy, a little stumbly and raw, urgent and hooky, a little new wave-y, a little punky, and way retro poppy, these songs rule, a couple of them almost sound unfinished, sans vocals, but it hardly matters, they're still killer slices of punky retro pop goodness. Most of the songs sound like they could have been yanked right off the Siltbreeze record, and then there's the sprawling final track, a long sprawling, hypnotic slab of warped and warbly minimal new wave pop, with strange murky bits of percussion, spidery guitars, everything muddy and washed out and druggy, almost wish they would have stuck this on on the other side and let it fill the whole thing up. but they couldn't cuz the flipside is silkscreened, a cool blue image on a clear slab of wax, next to a thick silkscreened sleeve, super nice, and probably super limited as well...

TYVEK Fast Metabolism (Mlady's / Water Wings) lp 14.98
The latest from these Detroit lo-fi noisepop garage rockers finds the band continuing to shed much of their overt weirdness, and settling into a sound that's much more classic eighties punk rock, or pop punk, the sort of sound that makes Tyvek sound more like some lost band we discovered on one of those Hyped2Death comps, which is not a bad thing at all.
Urgent and jangly, punky and frantic, the vox sung/spoken and WAY up in the mix, definitely reminding us of Mark E. Smith of the Fall, in fact some of this actually sounds like old Fall, snarly and snotty, swaggery and sinewy, three chord bash and trash infused with cool subtle melodic leads, loads of hooks, but wed to something much more raw and fuzzy than we would have expected from these guys in the past. Even the production sounds genuinely old school, brittle and tinny, and in-the-red, very four track, old punk 7"s vibe for sure, but thankfully these guys have not lost their knack for weirdo pop, and that stuff definitely still finds its way into their sound.

TYVEK Mary Ellen Claims (X! Records) 7" 5.98
Originally released in 2006, the debut 7" from these lo-fi noise pop garage punk rockers is available again. And anyone into the current crop of noisemakers like Ty Segall, Waaves, Oh Sees, Crocodiles, and all that stuff, should not sleep on Tyvek, their full length we reviewed a while back is a killer, and these two songs destroy as well.
In fact, the A side, "Mary Ellen Claims" might be their best jam ever, all short sharp jagged guitar jangle, yelped vocals, total eighties punk rock vibe, we hear a more lo-fi scrappy Jam actually, cool catchy new wave melodies all over the place, frenetic drumming, and as catchy as all get out. This track will become so lodged in your head guaranteed. The flipside is more of a trifle, but still pretty cool, the vocals spouting absurdist lyrics about different makes and models of cars among other things, delivered in a very Mark E. Smith like drawl, but underpinned by fuzzy bass, and slashes of angular guitar. Rad stuff. And apparently originals of this go for crazy cash on eBay, so now's your chance...

TYVEK Nothing Fits (In The Red) cd 13.98
Brand new blast of lo-fi noisy punk rock garage pop from this Detroit outfit, who seem to have shed much of the twisted weirdness that infused most of their past releases in favor of a blown out in-the-red urgency, short sharp songs, most clocking in at less than 90 seconds, rife with crunchy distorto guitars, pounding drums, distorted vocals, the record opener is about as poppy as it gets, with some sing-along gang vocals, and a killer main hook, that sort or reminds us of Home Blitz, snarky and loose, a little chaotic, but catchy as heck.
Most of the record hews to this formula, a couple riffs, simple and stripped down, the sound raw and primitive, but listen close and these seemingly simple tossed off jams reveal a whole lot of hookery beneath the surface, it took a few listens, but most of these songs are now lodged pretty seriously in our skulls.
The nearly 5 minute "Outer Limits" might be one of our favorite jams here, with a distinctive stop start riff, some rad guitar harmonics, and urgent yelped vox, and a super melodic bridge/chorus, not to mention an awesome 2 minute long droned out creepy sci-fi ambient outro. "Underwater To" is another good one, the punky crunch woven around some jangly guitars and a distinctly seventies power pop feel, with some awesomely hooky guitar melodies over the top.
Not as immediately freaky and fucked up as past Tyvek's but we're beginning to think that's not such a bad thing after all, and with every listen we're digging this more and more!
MPEG Stream: "4312"
MPEG Stream: "Animal"
MPEG Stream: "Nothing Fits"
MPEG Stream: "Blocks"

TYVEK Nothing Fits (In The Red) lp 13.98
Brand new blast of lo-fi noisy punk rock garage pop from this Detroit outfit, who seem to have shed much of the twisted weirdness that infused most of their past releases in favor of a blown out in-the-red urgency, short sharp songs, most clocking in at less than 90 seconds, rife with crunchy distorto guitars, pounding drums, distorted vocals, the record opener is about as poppy as it gets, with some sing-along gang vocals, and a killer main hook, that sort or reminds us of Home Blitz, snarky and loose, a little chaotic, but catchy as heck.
Most of the record hews to this formula, a couple riffs, simple and stripped down, the sound raw and primitive, but listen close and these seemingly simple tossed off jams reveal a whole lot of hookery beneath the surface, it took a few listens, but most of these songs are now lodged pretty seriously in our skulls.
The nearly 5 minute "Outer Limits" might be one of our favorite jams here, with a distinctive stop start riff, some rad guitar harmonics, and urgent yelped vox, and a super melodic bridge/chorus, not to mention an awesome 2 minute long droned out creepy sci-fi ambient outro. "Underwater To" is another good one, the punky crunch woven around some jangly guitars and a distinctly seventies power pop feel, with some awesomely hooky guitar melodies over the top.
Not as immediately freaky and fucked up as past Tyvek's but we're beginning to think that's not such a bad thing after all, and with every listen we're digging this more and more!
MPEG Stream: "4312"
MPEG Stream: "Animal"
MPEG Stream: "Nothing Fits"
MPEG Stream: "Blocks"

TYVEK s/t (Siltbreeze) cd 13.98
Here's a surprise from the Siltbreeze camp. Not that Siltbreeze hasn't dabbled in pop in the past, but it's been a while since they've released something this catchy. Lo-fi, but not like the current crop of shit gazers, punk rock, but not like PUNK, and pop, but not sugary sweet, Tyvek are twisted, slightly damaged, off kilter, fractured punk pop. Or something like that. The label name drops Mekons, Urinals, Feelies, Velvet Underground, and yeah, those bands are obviously influences, we also hear some Strapping Fieldhands (also once on Siltbreeze) as well as various New Zealand combos. For all it's fucked up weirdness, and willful stumble, these are some incredibly catchy songs, simple spare drumming, guitars that clang and chime and crunch, and vocals that strain to hit the high notes, sounding earnest and emotional, and fuck, hooks galore, some of these songs will stick in your head like CRAZY.
And even though it's not quite the same sort of thing, all of you into Blank Dogs, Psychedelic Horseshit, Times New Viking, The Intelligence, Gary War and all that garage-y shit-fi might just dig this too...
MPEG Stream: "Circular Ruins"
MPEG Stream: "Summer Things"
MPEG Stream: "Hey Una"
MPEG Stream: "Frustration Rock"

TYVEK s/t (Siltbreeze) lp 14.98
Here's a surprise from the Siltbreeze camp. Not that Siltbreeze hasn't dabbled in pop in the past, but it's been a while since they've released something this catchy. Lo-fi, but not like the current crop of shit gazers, punk rock, but not like PUNK, and pop, but not sugary sweet, Tyvek are twisted, slightly damaged, off kilter, fractured punk pop. Or something like that. The label name drops Mekons, Urinals, Feelies, Velvet Underground, and yeah, those bands are obviously influences, we also hear some Strapping Fieldhands (also once on Siltbreeze) as well as various New Zealand combos. For all it's fucked up weirdness, and willful stumble, these are some incredibly catchy songs, simple spare drumming, guitars that clang and chime and crunch, and vocals that strain to hit the high notes, sounding earnest and emotional, and fuck, hooks galore, some of these songs will stick in your head like CRAZY.
And even though it's not quite the same sort of thing, all of you into Blank Dogs, Psychedelic Horseshit, Times New Viking, The Intelligence, Gary War and all that garage-y shit-fi might just dig this too...
MPEG Stream: "Circular Ruins"
MPEG Stream: "Summer Things"
MPEG Stream: "Hey Una"
MPEG Stream: "Frustration Rock"

TYVEK Skyin (Exbx) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
There's just something about these guys. On the surface, they sound like they're just another one of the many lo-fi garage rock / warped pop bands that have been popping up over the last few years, but there's definitely something special about Tyvek, even as far back as 2004, which is when these tracks were recorded, they managed to transcend: simple, stripped down, jangly and rocking, totally catchy and utterly irresistible pop music, or garage, or punk. Whatever. Skyin features a handful of songs that would be re-recorded later, as well as a bunch of songs found only here.
We've raved about Tyvek before, but we're happy to do it again, totally ramshackle, lo-fi garage pop-punk genius, even more ramshackle here, recorded on a 4-track, in the band's house, loads of tape hiss, and drop outs and warble, the band even fuck up, A LOT, but they just keep going, starting again right where they left off, it makes the songs lively and fun, and immediate, and those fuckups then become part of the song, you can't imagine them not doing the intro three times in a row, or stopping right in the middle and talking for a second before deciding to keep going. Plus before very song, and during the slow, less rocking numbers, you can totally hear the music from whatever crappy old tapes they used leaking through, adding a whole 'nother confusional sonic element to their otherwise simple songs.
And ultimately it is about the songs. Simple, stripped down, crunchy and catchy, these songs sound fresh and vibrant, but also classic and timeless, like they could be some lost psychedelic power pop gem from the eighties recently unearthed and reissued, or some weird punk record, undiscovered until now, propulsive rhythms, yelped vocals, buzzy angular guitars, lots of jangle, hooks everywhere, totally rocking and oozing energy, that combined with the strange fucked up recording all adds up to some super rad, way recommended lo-fi noise pop. If you love Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall and all that stuff, these guys will knock your socks off.
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES. In recycled lp sleeves, with full color paste on cover art.

TZESNE Cliffs Under The Mist (Mystery Sea) cd-r 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Latest in the ever expanding sonic microverse that is the Mystery Sea label's super limited, gorgeously curated and meticulously assembled series of night-ocean dronemusic cd-r's. Each limited to 100 copies, and presented in beautiful full color packaging, and every one, a breathtaking disc of dark and meditative minimalism. Fans and obsessive collectors of releases from folks like Jonathan Coleclough, Andrew Chalk, Mirror, Ora, Organum, anything on the Drone Records label and other like minded dronelords, should absolutely consider every Mystery Sea release required listening.
From the Basque region of Spain comes the one man soundscaper known as Tzesne, with previous releases on Drone, Antifrost and a handful of other small labels, this is his first for Mystery Sea, and it's a perfect match. A deft blend of deep billowing blackness, and subtly processed field recordings. Of whispery ambience, and soft focus atmosphere. Three long tracks, that sprawl and drift, dense and ominous, pulsing clouds of muted black buzz, a sonic black cloth draped over a slowly undulating sea of dreamlike murk, and mysterious indistinct sonic activities. It's like laying on the ocean floor, observing life and movement above, all filtered through the dim prism of the constantly shifting waters, everything rendered in smeared streaks, and softly wavering shapes. All three tracks are ultra minimal, near static stretches of deep layered drone. The most musical moment being the second half of the second track, where the various layers coalesce into one thick ribbon of sound, a very Niblockian drone, huge layers all tangled and interwoven, rife with microscopic overtones that transform static shimmer into an intensely (yet still subtly) active sonic swirl. Then it's straight back into the gauzy blurred abyss, underwater, underground, a sleepy staticky world of whir and hum wrapped around the ghostly traces of barely perceptible melodies. So gorgeous. Another disc of perfect late night drift.
Beautiful packaging as always, and again, LIMITED TO 100 COPIES.
MPEG Stream: "The Path"
MPEG Stream: "Sunburnt Skin"