TAMAGAWA L'Arbre Aux Fees (Basses Frequences) 3x3"cd-r 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not sure how we discovered the Basses Frequences, and yes that is correct. Basses Frequences. Maybe an email, a recommendation, a chance discovery on the web. It hardly matters, what is important is that we DID discover them, and with the first handful of releases, we're already convinced they might be one of our new favorite cd-r labels.
Not only is the music amazing, but the packaging is totally elaborate and handmade, and quite original, some of the releases in metal tins, this one, the first release from a person / group called Tamagawa, comes in an oversized envelope, with an assortment of small cards and a huge folded cardstock replica of a mini stage lamp, which you can cut out and assemble and store these three mini 3" cd-r's in. Wow.
But cool packaging is never enough, the music on these here discs is divine. And quite varied, from warm washed out ambient dreaminess, to buzzing crumbling drones, to squiggly spaciness, to gorgeous glistening sun baked post rock, to reverb drenched guitar drift, to thick super distorted dirgedrone, and each of those allowed to shift and shimmer, change shape, and alter sound, transform from one into the other, and then back again, the drone is definitely the root of the music here, but even that is sometimes relegated to whirring way off in the distance, while harmonics sparkle and rhythms shuffle, but just as often, the drone wipes the slate clean, and all the OTHER elements drift and whirl in the background while the drone rumbles and buzzes.
The recordings are gorgeous, the sound crystalline, even at its heaviest and most distorted, the music still glows warmly, the edges soft and rounded, the vibe gentle and tranquil, meditative and hypnotic.
Way recommended for fans of drone and drift, of post rock and abstract ambience, and folks who are obsessive about releases from PseudoArcana, Digitalis, Students of Decay and other like minded labels, might just have to add Basses Frequences to that list.
LIMITED TO 200 COPIES! Packaged in an oversized sealed envelope with printed cards and a replica cut-out-and-assemble stage lamp!
MPEG Stream: "One"
MPEG Stream: "Two"

TAMAM SHUD Evolution (EM Records) cd 21.00
Last list we highlighted two somewhat unusual "surf music" reissues, by Farm and Peter Martin & Finch, both brought to us by our favorite Japanese reissue label, EM Records, as part of their Summer 2007 "EM Under Water Series"! Those were quite cool, and now we've got the remaining three discs in the series, all of 'em (like those first two) soundtracks to several now-legendary surfing movies from back in the sixties/seventies. With the exception of Farm (from the USA) all the bands in EM's series are Australian, and in all cases the movies they were doing soundtracks for were Australian productions and/or featured Australian surfers. And as before, this isn't your typical SoCal Jan & Dean, Beach Boys style surf music... it's *psychedelic* surf music. Well 2 out of 3 of these anyway (the Tim Gaze Band album being more of a yacht rock outing).
Now this one is a bonafide Australian garage psych rock classic! It's also the only disc in the "EM Under Water" series that we'd ever actually heard before, as there'd been at least one (possibly non-legit) cd reissue in the past, and so we already know it was a good 'un, which boded well for the series as a whole. Tamam Shud, who took their name from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (it's Persian for "The End"), were a heavy (for the era), fuzz-drenched psych pop combo who recorded two albums in their brief career. This was their first, from 1969, and it served as the soundtrack to a motion picture on the subject of surfing (natch) called Evolution. Which was appropriate 'cause these guys were indeed surfers, even if their music sounded a lot more like The Amboy Dukes, The Litter, and The Count Five than, say, The Ventures (though apparently earlier in the sixties they did, when they were called The Sunsets). It's total Nuggesty stuff (why "Mr. Strange" or one of the other 11 tracks on Evolution didn't appear on the Nuggets II box set is puzzling), with a "progressive", Sgt. Peppers bent, full of ripping wild FUZZ guitar soloing, stomping riffs, and catchy hooks. The Shud could do wigged out blues rock jamming, or they could do totally poppy vocal cuts...as long as there was plenty of freaky freeform fuzz action to go 'round, which, there was. Like we said, a classic, one any '60s psych lover will be happy to spin. This reish is of course presented with the usual deluxe-level of care and attention characteristic of EM Records, complete with lyrics, photos, graphics, movie stills, and extensive liner notes by both Aussie "surf music historian" Peter J. McParland and Evolution's director, Peter Witzig. And EM has also dug up three bonus tracks, from a 1972 ep called Bali Waters, material which appeared on the soundtrack to another surf move, Morning Of The Earth. Who knows, maybe there will be another "Under Water" series next year wherein EM will reissue The Shud's second album, 1970's Goolutionites And The Real People, which was a concept album against pollution... we can hope.
MPEG Stream: "Mr. Strange"
MPEG Stream: "Music Train"
MPEG Stream: "Too Many Life"

TAMAM SHUD Goolutionites And The Real People (Aztec Music) cd 24.00
Ready for an ecological concept album from an Australian psych/prog/pop act, circa 1970? We are, we've been waiting for a reissue ever since Tamam Shud's first album, Evolution, appeared on cd as part of EM Records' odd & enjoyable "Under Water Series" of psychedelic surf music last year. Released by the deluxe Aussie reissue imprint Aztec (who brought us Buffalo and Coloured Balls already), The Shud's wonderfully titled second album should charm all who loved the earlier one EM put out. And while we haven't really wrapped our brains around their whole Goolutionites concept, which probably is along the lines of "give a hoot, don't pollute!", we're certainly enjoying this groovy record.
The Shud's music here is mostly mellow and melodic, lazy and laidback and even loungey, but the album is littered (whoops) with sudden proggy shifts and somber mood swings (as befits the serious subject matter), and they are definitely capable of doin' some harder rockin' too, with the bluesy, fuzzy, acid-rock guitar leads getting whipped out often enough. It maybe reminds us of stuff like the Amboy Dukes, Cream, Vanilla Fudge, and (to cite another recently reviewed reissue) Mecki Mark Men. Plenty would qualify as Vertigo-esque "hairy funk" as Andy Votel would put it, like the loping riffery of "I Love You All".
This reish is handsomely digipacked, with a thick, info/photo packed booklet, and there's a whole bunch of bonus tracks too, weirdly some of 'em the SAME as the bonus tracks on EM's Evolution disc (the three cuts from the the Morning Of The Earth soundtrack, originally released as the Bali Waters ep) which you think someone would have realized was a bit redundant, but there's also four fairly rockin' (though sax-laced for some reason) numbers from a 1971 live performance, and a couple of especially sunny singles tracks too.
MPEG Stream: "I Love You All"
MPEG Stream: "Heaven Is Closed"
MPEG Stream: "Goolutionites Theme Part 2"

TAMARU Figure (Trumn) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Tamaru is a Japanese minimalist, who's not terribly well known outside of Japan, as this is only his second cd in well over a decade of making music. Both on this record and in performance, he uses little more than his bass guitar, a volume pedal, and a delay pedal; and with this process, he restricts himself to an open tuning, using only those four notes as the basis for his harmonic and subharmonic overtones. His thrumbing drones are the results from a decade of refining his craft, discovering which tones he can master, and seamlessly layering sound on top of itself. The eight tracks on Figure are all essentially variations on this same theme for lugubrious undulations of sound that organically ripple, echo, and hypnotize as if they were the cyclical patterns from waves moving across a relatively calm body of water. The first couple of tracks are pretty heavy constructs of tonal interplay within thundering drones stretched upon elongated bowings from his bass guitar, somewhat not all that dissimilar to the longform works by Jonathan Coleclough or Yoshi Wada. On "Stream," Tamaru allows for more of a traditional means of playing the bass, as rounded clouds of tone billow forth like some of the amorphous material from Rothko. "Juju" is a wavering mirage for overlapping drones and slippery swells of bass timbre; and "Room" is downright playful exercise in delay driven phase patterns. Any number of these pieces could be rendered successfully as sustained duration compositions, but Tamaru's economy of scale renders everything as a precious, tightly encapsulated gem of low end frequencies. Nicely done!
MPEG Stream: "Torso"
MPEG Stream: "Stream"
MPEG Stream: "Juju"

TAMARYN Figure (Trumn) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Tamaru is a Japanese minimalist, who's not terribly well known outside of Japan, as this is only his second cd in well over a decade of making music. Both on this record and in performance, he uses little more than his bass guitar, a volume pedal, and a delay pedal; and with this process, he restricts himself to an open tuning, using only those four notes as the basis for his harmonic and subharmonic overtones. His thrumbing drones are the results from a decade of refining his craft, discovering which tones he can master, and seamlessly layering sound on top of itself. The eight tracks on Figure are all essentially variations on this same theme for lugubrious undulations of sound that organically ripple, echo, and hypnotize as if they were the cyclical patterns from waves moving across a relatively calm body of water. The first couple of tracks are pretty heavy constructs of tonal interplay within thundering drones stretched upon elongated bowings from his bass guitar, somewhat not all that dissimilar to the longform works by Jonathan Coleclough or Yoshi Wada. On "Stream," Tamaru allows for more of a traditional means of playing the bass, as rounded clouds of tone billow forth like some of the amorphous material from Rothko. "Juju" is a wavering mirage for overlapping drones and slippery swells of bass timbre; and "Room" is downright playful exercise in delay driven phase patterns. Any number of these pieces could be rendered successfully as sustained duration compositions, but Tamaru's economy of scale renders everything as a precious, tightly encapsulated gem of low end frequencies. Nicely done!
MPEG Stream: "Torso"
MPEG Stream: "Stream"
MPEG Stream: "Juju"

TAMARYN Led Astray Washed Ashore (Troubleman Unlimited) 12" 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Released almost two years before The Waves, Led Astray Washed Ashore is a different kind of (awesome) record. It's power lies in being direct and driving: the drums are tribal, the layers of sound are starker and sparser. Though there's still a lot of nice washy reverb in places, Tamaryn's vocals are recorded without a lot of doubling or many effects. Where The Waves makes you feel like you're floating in a dream, Led Astray Washed Ashore is grounded in the close and crisp dynamic of mostly clean vocals and tom-heavy drumming. The first song, "Return to Surrender," has echoes of the darker songs of the Eurythmics. "The Unknown" is all chanting, tribal drumming, and what sounds like an organ: a cacophonous interlude between the energy of the opening track and the colder, more stark "Sarah In The Aeadrone." "Golden Song" sounds like the best song Siouxsie and The Banshees never wrote, though the sparkly guitar work is pure Rex Shelverton. "Ashore" and "Metal Beasts" continue the lyrical themes of death and water and drowning present on the entire record (including the cover). Yes! Truly, there's nothing more nourishing for a blackened soul than beautiful music about death.

TAMARYN Led Astray, Washed Ashore (self-released) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON CD!!!
Released almost two years before The Waves, Led Astray Washed Ashore is a different kind of (awesome) record. It's power lies in being direct and driving: the drums are tribal, the layers of sound are starker and sparser. Though there's still a lot of nice washy reverb in places, Tamaryn's vocals are recorded without a lot of doubling or many effects. Where The Waves makes you feel like you're floating in a dream, Led Astray Washed Ashore is grounded in the close and crisp dynamic of mostly clean vocals and tom-heavy drumming. The first song, "Return to Surrender," has echoes of the darker songs of the Eurythmics. "The Unknown" is all chanting, tribal drumming, and what sounds like an organ: a cacophonous interlude between the energy of the opening track and the colder, more stark "Sarah In The Aeadrone." "Golden Song" sounds like the best song Siouxsie and The Banshees never wrote, though the sparkly guitar work is pure Rex Shelverton. "Ashore" and "Metal Beasts" continue the lyrical themes of death and water and drowning present on the entire record (including the cover). Yes! Truly, there's nothing more nourishing for a blackened soul than beautiful music about death.
MPEG Stream: "Return to Surrender"
MPEG Stream: "Sarah in the Aeadrone"
MPEG Stream: "Metal Beasts"

TAMARYN Mild Confusion (True Panther) 7" 5.98
This record is a must have for anyone who bought The Waves or anyone wanting an introduction to the shoegazey brilliance of Tamaryn. It features an alternate take of "Mild Confusion," one of the best tracks on The Waves, and an unreleased song, "Light Shadows" that could have stood with pride anywhere on the full length. There's only a few of these left floating around (we got these from the artist herself) and it's doubtful if we'll ever get any more. Limited to 1000 copies and pressed on white vinyl.

TAMARYN T shirt T shirt 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We got in a limited number (five) of an exclusive Tamaryn tour t-shirt from their recent voyages with the Raveonettes! Featuring an outtake image from the cover shoot of The Waves, the shirt is screened on white cotton and won't be around for very long. Due to the limited nature of the shirt, it's ONLY available in size MEDIUM and we will NEVER have any more than we currently do, sorry petite and large people! Don't miss out, medium folks.

TAMARYN Tender New Signs (Mexican Summer) cd 10.98
Latest album of fuzzy, ethereal dreampop from this aQ beloved SF songstress, and like her past efforts, Tender New Signs is another glorious collection of lush retro pop loveliness, the sound a dreamy druggy pastiche of modern goth pop and classic shoegaze bliss out, all big chiming guitars, softly propulsive rhythms, low slung basslines, all the sounds doused in echo and reverb, and wreathed in big billowing clouds of crystalline 4AD shimmer, the sound this time around bolstered by a big eighties style drum sound on the more rocking tracks, but most of the record gloriously washed out and gauzey, due in no small part to a fantastically lush, layered production, all of this woven into a luxurious sonic backdrop for Tamaryn's gorgeous vox, breathy and sultry, settled way back in the mix for much of the record, existing more as another sonic layer, but on the slower numbers, slipping to the foreground, transforming those numbers into slowcore dreampop torch songs.
The record, while sonically cohesive, definitely lets Tamaryn and her band stretch out, unfurling an evershifting super varied songscape, slipping from soft focus slowcore dreaminess, to swoonsome jangle pop balladry, to driving, surprisingly rocking shoegaze crunch, to hushed haunting broodiness. So good. And as always, recommended for fans of Beach House, My Bloody Valentine, Mazzy Star, 4AD, etc.
MPEG Stream: "I'm Gone"
MPEG Stream: "While You're Sleeping, I'm Dreaming"
MPEG Stream: "Heavenly Bodies"
MPEG Stream: "No Exits"

TAMARYN Tender New Signs (Mexican Summer) lp 15.98
Latest album of fuzzy, ethereal dreampop from this aQ beloved SF songstress, and like her past efforts, Tender New Signs is another glorious collection of lush retro pop loveliness, the sound a dreamy druggy pastiche of modern goth pop and classic shoegaze bliss out, all big chiming guitars, softly propulsive rhythms, low slung basslines, all the sounds doused in echo and reverb, and wreathed in big billowing clouds of crystalline 4AD shimmer, the sound this time around bolstered by a big eighties style drum sound on the more rocking tracks, but most of the record gloriously washed out and gauzey, due in no small part to a fantastically lush, layered production, all of this woven into a luxurious sonic backdrop for Tamaryn's gorgeous vox, breathy and sultry, settled way back in the mix for much of the record, existing more as another sonic layer, but on the slower numbers, slipping to the foreground, transforming those numbers into slowcore dreampop torch songs.
The record, while sonically cohesive, definitely lets Tamaryn and her band stretch out, unfurling an evershifting super varied songscape, slipping from soft focus slowcore dreaminess, to swoonsome jangle pop balladry, to driving, surprisingly rocking shoegaze crunch, to hushed haunting broodiness. So good. And as always, recommended for fans of Beach House, My Bloody Valentine, Mazzy Star, 4AD, etc.
MPEG Stream: "I'm Gone"
MPEG Stream: "While You're Sleeping, I'm Dreaming"
MPEG Stream: "Heavenly Bodies"
MPEG Stream: "No Exits"

TAMARYN The Waves (Mexican Summer) cd 13.98
Sometimes a record can hit you in the face like a punch, other times the music can pierce you like a needle, sinking deep into a sensitive place without you even realizing it's still in your flesh. Tamaryn's debut album, The Waves, is like the latter. It's so light, pain and tension melt away while you listen, but also so sharp and brilliant, you can't get it out of your head. Strongly evoking the slowcore brilliance of My Bloody Valentine, the layered reverb on the guitars give the effect of distance while at the same time the dreamy vocals keep the listener close. A veteran of many outstanding bands (Vue, The Audience), Rex John Shelverton's guitar playing is tempered perfectly throughout the record, never seeking to override the vocals, filling in gaps and expanding outwards in huge planes of reverb wash. At times, like the song "Haze Interior," the atmosphere is hazy and slightly chilled, a frustrated plea for understanding from a loved one whose language you can't quite understand. The next song "Sandstone" builds from a punctuated guitar riff into a driving bass and drum beat that manages to make you nod your head while still leaving plenty of room in the mix for layers of vocals. If Beach House's Devotion and Mazzy Star's So Tonight That I Might See were to have some sort of precocious offspring, the result might very well be The Waves. Highly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "The Waves"
MPEG Stream: "Choirs of Winter"
MPEG Stream: "Haze Interior"

TAMARYN The Waves (Mexican Summer) lp 24.00
Now here on vinyl. Sorry, not cheap.
Sometimes a record can hit you in the face like a punch, other times the music can pierce you like a needle, sinking deep into a sensitive place without you even realizing it's still in your flesh. Tamaryn's debut album, The Waves, is like the latter. It's so light, pain and tension melt away while you listen, but also so sharp and brilliant, you can't get it out of your head. Strongly evoking the slowcore brilliance of My Bloody Valentine, the layered reverb on the guitars give the effect of distance while at the same time the dreamy vocals keep the listener close. A veteran of many outstanding bands (Vue, The Audience), Rex John Shelverton's guitar playing is tempered perfectly throughout the record, never seeking to override the vocals, filling in gaps and expanding outwards in huge planes of reverb wash. At times, like the song "Haze Interior," the atmosphere is hazy and slightly chilled, a frustrated plea for understading from a loved one whose language you can't quite understand. The next song "Sandstone" builds from a punctuated guitar riff into a driving bass and drum beat that manages to make you nod your head while still leaving plenty of room in the mix for layers of vocals. If Beach House's Devotion and Mazzy Star's So Tonight That I Might See were to have some sort of precocious offspring, the result might very well be The Waves. Highly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "The Waves"
MPEG Stream: "Choirs of Winter"
MPEG Stream: "Haze Interior"

TAMARYN Weather War (Hell Yes) 7" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

TAMBURO, MIKE Beating of the Rewound Son (Music Fellowship) cd 14.98

TAMBURO, MIKE Dance Enis Dance (Barl Fire) cd-r 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Mike Tamburo is another in the burgeoning free folk cd-r underground who through no fault of his own has been overlooked on our weekly new arrivals list. We do our best, but it's pretty dang impossible to keep up with the hundreds of new releases every week, but now we've got the chance to introduce you to the amazing dark musical world of Mr. Tamburo.
Dance Enis Dance is a 32 minute piece for acoustic guitar, Tibetan bowls, chromatic harmonica, e-bowm slide, hammered dulcimer and effects. The result is a modern raga, an epic multi part piece, that could have just as easily been a series of songs, but they are all deftly woven together into the whole. The first part is a simple bit of Appalachian strum that is gradually smeared into a blurry, fuzzy ambience, an effulgent streak of slow shifting buzz. The second 'movement' is super subdued, a dark dark drift, with bells and chimes ringing out over a muted background of warm chords and steel string shimmer, eventually drifting off only to be replaced by a flurry of dulcimer notes, a dense cloud of tangled melody, which is eventually overtaken by thick slabs of crumbling guitar distortion, throbbing and pulsing. The last few minutes are a see-saw, veering back and forth between delicate steel string folk with dreamy slide guitar offering up haunting minor key melodies, to wild fervent strumming and back again, culminating in a strangely atonal bacchanalian psychedelic denouement. Really good stuff. We can't wait to hear more.
This cd-r is packaged in a full color sleeve with a huge insert, art on one side, liner notes (and a poignant tale) on the other.
LIMITED TO 100 COPIES!
MPEG Stream: "Dance Enis Dance (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Dance Enis Dance (excerpt 2)"

TAME IMPALA Lonerism (Modular) cd 16.98
We really wanted to hate these guys. Another one of those bands who were nearly buried in blog hype and Pitchfork superlatives. But after about a million people came in looking for this record, we decided to give in, and we have to say, we're pretty glad we did. Hovering somewhere between classic psychedelic Beatles-esque pop (due in no small part to the vocalist's uncannily John Lennon like vox), and tripped out, studio-as-instrument experimental Flaming Lips style bombast, Lonerism is a pretty sweet slab of weirdo, electronic flecked avant pop, and one that we can easily see ourselves having discovered via some random cd-r sent to the shop. But as always, we're forced to re-learn the lesson, that just cuz it's popular, doesn't mean it sucks (although that IS what it means a lot of the time). It's easy to see why these guys blew up the way they did, they're the perfect mix of the Flaming Lips, Animal Collective and Phoenix, but grounded by some serious pop chops, some classic hooks that sound lifted straight out of some lost Beatles / Kinks / Queen B-side, and if that doesn't sound like a sweet combination, it should, cuz it IS. Opener "Be Above It" takes a looped sample of the title being spoken in a hushed whisper, adds a loping bombastic drum beats, swirls of sci-fi synths, everything doused in effects, so you're ready for some cosmic trip out, but then those Lennon-like vocals come in, and the song suddenly coalesces into a proper pop song, albeit an alien strain of strange mad scientist pop. And the cool thing is, it never gives into traditional song structure, instead, it's weirdly abstract and tranced out and mesmerizingly loop-y. The second track reins in the group's experimental proclivities, just a bit, bursting forth as a glimmering blast of prismatic fuzz pop, all swirling synths, and wild octopoidal drumming, very psychedelic, again heavy on the effects, and like the opening track, it plays like an intro transformed into a song, the Beatles vibe huge, as it is throughout, inevitable with that voice, but then out of nowhere, in swoop some seriously crunchy, crumblingly distorted guitars, the vibe suddenly Tropicalia via Elephant 6! Even at its pure poppiest, the sound seems to always (d)evolve into some warped FX heavy freakout, before inevitably making its way back again, which makes for a seriously lysergic listen.
And so it goes, the whole record, a pretty fantastic collection of fragmented avant experimental psych pop, that manages in equal measure to satisfy our classic pop music sweet tooth, while pushing all of our what the fuck outsider damaged freak pop buttons, which is a rare thing indeed. Even rarer that a fractured and fucked up sound like that would find such a wide audience, but we're thrilled when it does.
MPEG Stream: "Be Above It"
MPEG Stream: "Endors Toi"
MPEG Stream: "Apocalypse Dreams"

TAME IMPALA Lonerism (Modular) lp 21.00
We really wanted to hate these guys. Another one of those bands who were nearly buried in blog hype and Pitchfork superlatives. But after about a million people came in looking for this record, we decided to give in, and we have to say, we're pretty glad we did. Hovering somewhere between classic psychedelic Beatles-esque pop (due in no small part to the vocalist's uncannily John Lennon like vox), and tripped out, studio-as-instrument experimental Flaming Lips style bombast, Lonerism is a pretty sweet slab of weirdo, electronic flecked avant pop, and one that we can easily see ourselves having discovered via some random cd-r sent to the shop. But as always, we're forced to re-learn the lesson, that just cuz it's popular, doesn't mean it sucks (although that IS what it means a lot of the time). It's easy to see why these guys blew up the way they did, they're the perfect mix of the Flaming Lips, Animal Collective and Phoenix, but grounded by some serious pop chops, some classic hooks that sound lifted straight out of some lost Beatles / Kinks / Queen B-side, and if that doesn't sound like a sweet combination, it should, cuz it IS. Opener "Be Above It" takes a looped sample of the title being spoken in a hushed whisper, adds a loping bombastic drum beats, swirls of sci-fi synths, everything doused in effects, so you're ready for some cosmic trip out, but then those Lennon-like vocals come in, and the song suddenly coalesces into a proper pop song, albeit an alien strain of strange mad scientist pop. And the cool thing is, it never gives into traditional song structure, instead, it's weirdly abstract and tranced out and mesmerizingly loop-y. The second track reins in the group's experimental proclivities, just a bit, bursting forth as a glimmering blast of prismatic fuzz pop, all swirling synths, and wild octopoidal drumming, very psychedelic, again heavy on the effects, and like the opening track, it plays like an intro transformed into a song, the Beatles vibe huge, as it is throughout, inevitable with that voice, but then out of nowhere, in swoop some seriously crunchy, crumblingly distorted guitars, the vibe suddenly Tropicalia via Elephant 6! Even at its pure poppiest, the sound seems to always (d)evolve into some warped FX heavy freakout, before inevitably making its way back again, which makes for a seriously lysergic listen.
And so it goes, the whole record, a pretty fantastic collection of fragmented avant experimental psych pop, that manages in equal measure to satisfy our classic pop music sweet tooth, while pushing all of our what the fuck outsider damaged freak pop buttons, which is a rare thing indeed. Even rarer that a fractured and fucked up sound like that would find such a wide audience, but we're thrilled when it does.
MPEG Stream: "Be Above It"
MPEG Stream: "Endors Toi"
MPEG Stream: "Apocalypse Dreams"

TAMIKREST Toumastin (Glitterhouse) lp 29.00

TAMING THE OUTBACK 1986-1989 (Equation) cd 9.98
BACK IN STOCK, and at a super nice price!!
From the always amazing Equation Records, who in the past have brought us incredible records from groups like Fear Falls Burning, Bass Communion, Nadja, Landing, Organum, R.Y.N., Troum, Ultrabunny, Apse and more, comes this comprehensive collection of everything ever record by late Eighties UK new wavers Taming The Outback.
Never heard of these guys? Nor had we, but listening to this now, it's a little surprising they didn't make a bigger splash, the label describes them sounding like Killing Joke and Echo & The Bunnymen, which is not that far off.
The sound is dark and jangly, the guitars reverbed and chiming, the bass thick and gloomy, and the vocals, a super anguished dramatic delivery that's a dead ringer for Ian McCulloch, and a perfect match for the group's angular downer pop. We also hear plenty of old U2, back before they became stadium rock whores, that sort of brooding urgency they once trafficked in, and that seems to be the thing with TTO, their sound is dark, and a little bit sinister, a gloomy vibe that makes their sound that much more compelling, especially now, with so many bands looking back to that era to cop their sound, but ultimately unable to conjure up the same sort of passion and pathos. And while this isn't some earth shaking lost treasure discovery, it is pretty damn great, and for anyone into Eighties post punk, or who digs the current crop of retro Eighties rockers, but would rather hear the real thing, then this will definitely hit the spot. And where on first listen we were thinking this was just okay, repeated and frequent listening has found this to be a definite grower, and definitely revealed Taming The Outback as something special indeed.
The normal cd version comes in a gorgeous oversized Stoughton mini lp sleeve style gatefold jacket, with a big booklet, jammed with liner notes, pictures, interviews, articles and more. LIMITED TO 385 COPIES. The super deluxe version includes the same fancy cd version, but also an original copy of the band's only 7", a miniature reproduction of the Alive & Kicking fanzine, a sticker, a two sided mini poster, 4 badges and a special card insert designed by Organum's David Jackman, all housed in a super swank embossed box. LIMITED TO 75 COPIES!!
MPEG Stream: "Fire & Smoke"
MPEG Stream: "Blue Heart"
MPEG Stream: "Eight-Hour King"
MPEG Stream: "The Outback Theme"

TAMING THE OUTBACK 1986-1989 (Equation) cd + 7" + fanzine + sticker + badges + box 21.00
From the always amazing Equation Records, who in the past have brought us incredible records from groups like Fear Falls Burning, Bass Communion, Nadja, Landing, organum, R.Y.N., Troum, Ultrabunny, Apse and more, comes this comprehensive collection of everything ever record by late Eighties UK new wavers Taming The Outback.
Never heard of these guys? Nor had we, but listening to this now, it's a little surprising they didn't make a bigger splash, the label describes them sounding like Killing Joke and Echo & The Bunnymen, which is not that far off.
The sound is dark and jangly, the guitars reverbed and chiming, the bass thick and gloomy, and the vocals, a super anguished dramatic delivery that's a dead ringer for Ian McCulloch, and a perfect match for the group's angular downer pop. We also hear plenty of old U2, back before they became stadium rock whores, that sort of brooding urgency they once trafficked in, and that seems to be the thing with TTO, their sound is dark, and a little bit sinister, a gloomy vibe that makes their sound that much more compelling, especially now, with so many bands looking back to that era to cop their sound, but ultimately unable to conjure up the same sort of passion and pathos. And while this isn't some earth shaking lost treasure discovery, it is pretty damn great, and for anyone into Eighties post punk, or who digs the current crop of retro Eighties rockers, but would rather hear the real thing, then this will definitely hit the spot. And where on first listen we were thinking this was just okay, repeated and frequent listening has found this to be a definite grower, and definitely revealed Taming The Outback as something special indeed.
The normal cd version comes in a gorgeous oversized Stoughton mini lp sleeve style gatefold jacket, with a big booklet, jammed with liner notes, pictures, interviews, articles and more. LIMITED TO 385 COPIES. The super deluxe version includes the same fancy cd version, but also an original copy of the band's only 7", a miniature reproduction of the Alive & Kicking fanzine, a sticker, a two sided mini poster, 4 badges and a special card insert designed by Organum's David Jackman, all housed in a super swank embossed box. LIMITED TO 75 COPIES!!
MPEG Stream: "Fire & Smoke"
MPEG Stream: "Blue Heart"
MPEG Stream: "Eight-Hour King"
MPEG Stream: "The Outback Theme"

TANAKH Ardent Fevers (Alien8 Recordings) cd 14.98
Drowsy Americana-laced Indie rock from Jesse Poe and his revolving set of collaborators, this time including Isobel Campbell on cello and backing vocals. Less improvised, and more song-oriented than on previous efforts, Poe's voice recalls early Badly Drawn Boy or even Leonard Cohen at times. Soft but dusty, this set is best served with whiskey and a little heartache.
MPEG Stream: "5 am"
MPEG Stream: "Hit the Ground"
MPEG Stream: "Restless Hands"

TANAKH Dieu Deuil (Alien8 Recordings) cd 14.98

TANAKH Saunders Hollow (Camera Obscura) cd 15.98
Wow, we've gotten in three releases this week that starkly contrast with the sunny warm weather we've been having. Seemingly residing in the chilled shadows of dense forests and ancient stone chambers are the latest albums from Tanakh, Rothko and XXL (the collaboration between Xiu Xiu and Larsen). Dark, expansive beauties, all of them!
Go on, defy the sun or tuck these away for a suitably overcast autumn or winter eve.
Now based in Florence, Italy, former Virginians Tanakh are a musical collective whose somber folk rock in many ways draws easy comparisons to Montreal's Godspeed You Black Emperor family, Angels Of Light and Larsen. This is their sister album to last year's Ardent Fevers. Actually Saunders Hollow was recorded prior to that release, and is distinguished by the introspective yearning vocals of Michele Poulos. Those vocals make this album even more of a counterpart to Ardent Fevers as that disc featured mainman Jesse Poe's deep, weary tones. The final instrumental number "Illusions Of Separation" is well worth the price of admission alone.
Fans of all of the abovementioned will surely find a kindred spirit in Tanakh.
MPEG Stream: "Ladybird"
MPEG Stream: "Longer Than Sorrow"
MPEG Stream: "Illusions Of Separation"

TANAKH Villa Claustrophobia (Alien8 Recordings) cd 14.98
Tanakh are a new quintet (led by Jesse Poe from Richmond, VA) that just may pique the interest of those who've enjoyed the recent works of Michael Gira / Angels Of Light, Godspeed You Black Emperor and Larsen. Creating mysterious and expansive music with a rich earthiness and spiritual resonance. The complex, droning tones emitted from the various acoustic, electric and handmade instruments at times suggest the multi-layered sounds of throat singers. The raw, folky male vocals bring to mind those of the aforementioned Gira and the ghostly female voices drift across the soundscapes. A particular highlight is their rendition of the song "Gently Johnny" from The Wicker Man film soundtrack. The list of Villa Claustrophobia personnel is an impressive one with guest appearances by members of Palace, The Dirty Three, Lofty Pillars, Cracker and Ravi Shankar's band. Recorded and mixed by Joh Morand (Sparklehorse, Labradford) and Brian Paulson (Royal Trux, Slint).
RealAudio clip: "Devil's Interval"
RealAudio clip: "Gently Johnny"
RealAudio clip: "Tells"
RealAudio clip: "Mashah"

TANGERINE AWKESTRA Aliens Took My Mom (Mulatta Records) cd 14.98
The folks that brought us the fantastic Thai Elephant Orchestra disc are also responsible for the release of this almost as unusual album -- avant-garde jazz music made by an orchestra of Brooklyn pre- and grade-schoolers! They are definitely more skilled than the elephants, so maybe comparisons are not appropriate. But as with that cd, you'd not necessarily guess that these aren't some out-there adult humans making this music. Certainly Sun Ra fans will see some parallels here, and not just 'cause of Tangerine Awkestra's penchant for track titles like "Spaceships on the Empire State Building" and "Volcanoes Explode at the Center of the Earth". These dozen or so young (ages 2 to 9) musicians have crafted their own multi-part composition (programme music, no less, about an alien invasion of the earth!) as well as tackling some Bach and Sonny Rollins (we prefer their own stuff, though). The instrumentation includes percussion (lots of drums!), piano, violin, recorder, and more...drums... making for lots of Alice Coltrane-meets-Amon-Duul-ish moments. Very cool, fun, fresh stuff -- play it for your avant-jazz snob friends and see if they can guess what ESP-label free jazzer is responsible (not)!
RealAudio clip: "The Aliens Blow Up Antartica"
RealAudio clip: "The Navy Bombs Them"
RealAudio clip: "Everything Is Soft"

TANGERINE DREAM Alpha Centauri (Castle / Sanctuary) cd 14.98
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Tangerine Dream's second album from 1971. While it is a bit spacier and more synth-based than predecessor "Electronic Meditation", it's structurally much the same as the first, with lots of moody dark improv drones weaving and building into mad psychedelic rock jams. Mostly the change apparent here is that various synths and organs move to the fore while guitars, flute and drums hang out in the back, only dominating the sound in the loudest, rocking passages. This domestic reissue includes a bonus track, "Ultima Thule Part 1", an epic rocking single the group released in 1971. This one's also remastered, w/ slipcase, & liner notes from noted krauthead Julian Cope.
RealAudio clip: "Sunrise In The Third System"
RealAudio clip: "Ultima Thule Part 1"

TANGERINE DREAM Atem (Castle / Sanctuary) cd 14.98
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Armed with a Radio Shack's worth of new electronic toys, including the then new Mellotron, Tangerine Dream begins to sound a weensy bit closer to their eventual state of synthesizedness. But I stress the word "weensy" here, as Atem (1973) finds Tangerine Dream still well ensconced in the same psychedelic free-rock realm as their previous three albums (Electronic Meditation, Alpha Centauri, and Zeit). Bizzare vocal effects aside, a smattering of guitar and percussion are all that remain of the acoustic age of Tangerine Dream -- flute having been replaced by Edgar Froese's Mellotron replication of them. Along with Froese's new beast, the group's new artillery included a couple EMS VCS3 Synthesizers for Baumann and Franke. The resulting sound is even more atmospheric and whispy than ever. The title track, a twenty minute meandering opus, is perhaps the most similar to their earlier sound, with its pounding drums steadily increasing in volume and speed during the first part of the piece. But even there the percussion is no match for the enslaught of multiple organs and synthesizers with their ever building chords which drown out the drums before settling into a dark, ethereal soundscape. "Fauni-Gena" is almost like Tangerine Dream's take on Pink Floyd's "Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict", but heavier on the synths. The last track -- "Wahn" -- is probably the greatest anomaly in Tangerine Dream's ouvre, in which the trio practice their extended vocal techniques, laden with echo and accompanied by frenzied percussion and synths. This domestic reissue, like the others, comes remastered, with a slip case and liner-notes (though this time not by Julilan Cope, but by one Paul Russell.)
RealAudio clip: "Fauni-Gena"
RealAudio clip: "Wahn"

TANGERINE DREAM Electronic Meditation (Castle / Sanctuary) cd 14.98
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For those who still associate Tangerine Dream with sequencer dependent proto-nu-age music, here are a few domestic reissues of their crucial early albums which should dispel any further mistaken assumptions. Originally released in 1970, Tangerine Dream's first album "Electronic Meditation" is a totally way-out-there psychedelic tour de force featuring mainstay Edgar Froese, plus Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler -- kind of a krautrock supergroup though they didn't know it at the time! From improvised dark drones of amplified cello, electric guitar, flute, organ and drums to blasts of freak out noise to psychedelic fuzzed-out freak-out rock jams. Electronic Meditation is equal parts Algarnas Tradgrad and early Kraftwerk. Remastered, w/ slipcase, & liner notes from krauthead Julian Cope. Definitely a krautrock classic.
RealAudio clip: "Genesis"
RealAudio clip: "Ashes To Ashes"

TANGERINE DREAM Electronic Meditation (Earmark) lp 21.00
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Another in Earmark's awesome series of lp reissues, all in thick sleeves and on 180 gram virgin vinyl. Here's what we had to say about the cd reissue:
For those who still associate Tangerine Dream with sequencer dependent proto-nu-age music, here are a few domestic reissues of their crucial early albums which should dispel any further mistaken assumptions. Originally released in 1970, Tangerine Dream's first album "Electronic Meditation" is a totally way-out-there psychedelic tour de force featuring mainstay Edgar Froese, plus Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler -- kind of a krautrock supergroup though they didn't know it at the time! From improvised dark drones of amplified cello, electric guitar, flute, organ and drums to blasts of freak out noise to psychedelic fuzzed-out freak-out rock jams. Electronic Meditation is equal parts Algarnas Tradgrad and early Kraftwerk. Remastered, w/ slipcase, & liner notes from krauthead Julian Cope. Definitely a krautrock classic.

TANGERINE DREAM Ultima Thule: The Electronic Magic Of Tangerine Dream (Landmark) 2cd 9.98
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Fewer things could bring more delight for us kraut and space prog heads than a 2cd anthology of Tangerine Dream rarities compiled by Edgar Froese, and for such an affordable price! Froese, the one mainstay of the band through 13 different lineups (the band including in their ranks at one time both Conrad Schnitzler and Klaus Schulze), has provided a compelling overview of the musical evolution of the band from their psychedelic roots to their later period as electronic film score stalwarts and everywhere in between.
The double disc set begins way back before TD, with their 1967 pre-incarnation 7" single as The Ones, a band more rooted in the sixties psychedelic rock of Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead than the spacey sounds they embraced later on. But the real highlight of this set is the inclusion of TD's rare first 7" single from 1971, "Ultima Thule", an epic two part space rock excursion that begins in stratospheric Hawkwind territory in part one, but in part two takes a Magma like instrumental prog trajectory, that prefigures the minimal electronic direction the band would take through records like Electronic Meditation, Zeit and Alpha Centauri. The rest of disc one explores these sci-fi themed gaseous realms of gorgeous brooding ambience.
Disc two covers the bands' later, mostly early eighties output, which saw the band more as composers of action film music with a definte increase in rhythms and sequencers, but still with a spacey electronic edge. While John Carpenter may get all the credit as progenitor of all the latter day eighties arpeggiated synth worshippers like Jonas Reinhardt, Majeure, James Ferraro, and Umberto, Tangerine Dream was equally influential in this regard. A lot of the later period Tangerine Dream output can be sometimes cheesy, but the careful curation of this compilation shows there were also plenty of gems as well. This may prove to rethink the general attitude that TD had completely lost the plot, when they started turning to film score commissions, and rhythmic dance music in the eighties and nineties.
With one or two exceptions, most of this music here, as far as we can tell, has not been released on any of their major records, but there is little information to tell if these tracks ever saw proper release at all. So this is a very worthy exploration for the newly curious as well as for seasoned fans. Highly Recommended!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Ultima Thule (part 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Sunset in the Fifth System"
MPEG Stream: "Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmare"
MPEG Stream: "Exit To Heaven"
MPEG Stream: "Rare Bird"

TANGERINE DREAM Zeit (Castle / Sanctuary) cd 14.98
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Tangerine Dream's third album, originally released as a double LP in 1972. Zeit is probably the most subdued album of Tangerine Dream's early career. Apparently Edgar Froese canned bandmate Steve Schroyder after the release of Alpha Centauri, citing one too many "freak outs" which apparently rubbed the mellow Froese's fur the wrong direction (according to the liner notes here, Schroyder ended up joining the much more freak out friendly Ash Ra Temple upon his departure from Tangerine Dream.) Not surprisingly, Zeit is a much MELLOWER album than the band's previous two releases -- and even mellower than their fourth album, Atem. The album begins with the slowly morphing droning of a cello quartet, augmented by Froese on moog. It's probably the single most non-God Speed You Black Emperor recording that we get people asking "Is this God Speed You Black Emperor?" when we play it. It just goes to show how, almost thirty years after its initial release, Zeit still sounds fresh as the day it was recorded. Even the bubbling moog synth centered "Origin Of Supernatural Probabilities" has none of the cheesy proto-nuage trappings of Tangerine Dream's later works. Heavy on atmosphere and almost devoid of melody, the four album side songs that make up Zeit are some of the darkest -- and arguably, best -- material recorded by Tangerine Dream. And, like all the others in thise reissue series, this one comes remastered with a handsome slip cover and liner notes (which mostly consist of a blow by blow account of the album's contents that you can read along to as you listen and either agree, disagree, or agree to disagree with the author over their accuracy) by Paul Russell.
RealAudio clip: "Birth of Liquid Plejades"
RealAudio clip: "Nebulous Dawn"

TANGERINE DREAM SYNDICATE III Violins for III Stooges (Alchemy) cd 21.00
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Another in Alchemy's new Inner Mind Music series of spacey delights -- "Live at Alpha Centauri" it says on the inside. The Tangerine Dream Syndicate wears its influences proudly -- the band is made up of Tommy Conrad (cello, violin), Johnny Conrad (electronics, violin, voice), and DeeDee Conrad (bass, violin, voice). Yes, their names (and the album's title and the band name too) are a bit overt and silly but this is actually some really fine drone improv! Even though they'd like you to imagine that they're Tony Conrad's lost brothers, we suspect that beneath these assumed names you'd find some well-known Japanese underground noisicans. But they are indeed spiritual, musical brothers with the American violinist and his '60s Dream Syndicate colleagues, along with '70s German spacemeisters Tangerine Dream. It's a successful homage that makes for some mighty fine, late night drifting listening. It's just one track, nearly a full hour of high-end string drone, subsonic bass throb, and electronic swoosh. File in the "quite omnious yet strangely comforting" section of your cd collection.

TANGO SALOON s/t (Ipecac) cd 14.98

TANGORODRIM Justus Ex Fide Vivit (Southern Lord) cd 13.98
Lumbering, blasting, feedbacking, croaking, grunting. Tangorodrim's latest sounds like it was recorded by some unhappy, undead zombies who just crawled from the grave, after having been buried for years with electric guitars and beat up vinyl copies of old Celtic Frost and Mayhem albums packed in their coffins. This is their 4th album, and boy howdy is it a sick sounding unholy din indeed. Super raw, often dirgelike, and weird too -- check out these lyrics: "I am ready to carry that cross/But only if it's made of priest bones/Only if it weighted a ton of holly intestines/Red Magnet draws me near/May my way will not interfere with radiant snow plates". Uh, huh, what? And all this Christ-hating blackness flows from the lands of the Bible -- Tangorodrim are one of the rare Israeli black metal bands. As usual, the Southern Lord stoners know their quality cult black metal.
MPEG Stream: "When The Heirs Of The Horned Shamelessly Attack"
MPEG Stream: "Justus Ex Fide Vivit"

TANGORODRIM Those Who Unleashed (Aggressor Productions) cd 15.98
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TANGORODRIM Unholy And Unlimited (Southern Lord) cd 14.98
The first thing you'll probably notice about this record is that it's called Unholy And UNLIMITED, yet it is strangely indeed limited (to 1000, each copy numbered), says so right there on the back of the disc. But okay, so what? So maybe it's not actually unlimited, but it sure as hell is unholy!
Tangorodrim are from Israel and are self professed purveyors of "Antipriest Unholy Black Metal." So not only are they unholy, but they also have a thing against priests, although we just figured that unholy probably covered not being into priests as well. And if the huge Antipriest text on the back cover didn't send all you men of the cloth scurrying for cover, well have a gander at the song titles: "The Six In The Coffin (Not Including The Priest)", "Priestkiller", etc. So yeah, Tangorodrim do not like priests, and are not shy about it.
Unholy And Unlimited is record number three as far as we can tell from these hellhounds and is one seriously blasting buzzing pounding, furious as fuck unholy black racket! Wrest from Leviathan calls this sort of BM goat metal, lots of midtempos, really murky and simple and thrashy, with grunted howled vocals, not so much shrieks or demonic growls, more sort of freaked out wailing and howling. But most importantly, lots of grunts, and "uunnghh"s when the riffs kick in. That's the key to goat metal. Buzzy and thrashy and gloriously evil. We love it! If you're still not sure what it sounds like, just check out the dedication on the inside of the booklet: "In the beginning there was Hellhammer... Without form, and void... and Bathory and Darkthrone were there. And it was black metal - Unholy And Unlimited... And god saw that it was BAD..."
MPEG Stream: "Bestial Scent"
MPEG Stream: "The Six In The Coffin (Not Including The Priest)"

TANGORODRIM Unholy Metal Way (Aggressor Productions) cd 15.98
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TANI, NAOMI Modae No Heya (Tiliqua) cd 22.00
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Another release in Tiliqua's Erotic Oriental Sunshine series of Japanese erotic music from the sixties and seventies. We reviewed Kokotsu No Sekai from Japanese sexy action heroine Ike Reiko a few lists back, and now we have Modae No Heya from seventies bondage / S&M queen Naomi Tani, who recorded and released this album in 1979 to commemorate her withdrawal (ahem) from the world of porn.
And what better way to commemorate that sort of life change than with a record of Iroke Kayoyoku, a bastardized version of a more popular Asian music of the time, sexed up with chanteuse like crooning, and most important of all, an amazing array of moaning and groaning and cooing and giggling, as if in the throes of EXTREME passion.
Tani's take on Iroke Kayoyoku is similar to Reiko's (in fact it's not tough to imagine a sort of Eastern hit factory, churning out these discs, ready made for some sexy thing to croon and purr over...), a strange blend of easy listening soundtrack music and spaghetti Western themes, with lots of soaring strings and epic arrangements, sultry saxophones and twangy guitar, but unlike Reiko's disc, Modae No Heya is much more Asian sounding, with plenty of distinctly Asian instrumentation and Eastern melodies.
Anyone who has seen their fair share of Asian cinema and classic kung fu movies, will find the sound instantly recognizable. And for a record that is supposedly a vehicle for her sexy presence, Tani surprisingly spends a lot of time just hanging back and letting the music swoon and soar. But when she does take part, it's in a super intimate whisper in the ear, a playful purr with plenty of giggling and occasional bouts of passionate groaning.
Erotic and wild, moody and mysterious. And pretty darn bizarre. And of course, highly recommended for all fans of sounds both strange and sexy!
Packaged in a super deluxe Japanese miniature gatefold style cd sleeve, with a printed obi, saucy nude photos of Tani on the cover, and extensive liner notes in English and Japanese!
ULTRA LIMITED!!! Only 1300 copies pressed. Already almost sold out, so don't dawdle...
MPEG Stream: "1"
MPEG Stream: "2"
MPEG Stream: "3"

TANLINES Mixed Emotions (True Panther) cd 14.98
We really didn't know what to expect from this Brooklyn duo, whose pedigree not only includes goofy dance pop combo Professor Murder, but also legendary post/math rock outfits Don Caballero and Storm & Stress, we might have been expecting the impossible, some strange mix of the two, but instead, Mixed Emotions ends up being a super fun, fuzzy, bouncy, hooky, and yeah danceable, pop record, lots of squelchy synths, programmed drums, groovy rhythms, soaring intertwined vocals, chiming guitars, fuzzy riffs, handclaps, it's hard to know who to compared these guys too, it seems like folks who dig groups like Animal Collective, and who aren't averse to the more electronic/dance pop side of things would love these guys, but also people into stuff like Phoenix and Miike Snow. And the band definitely are a proper rock band, with songs like "Green Grass" melding their more electronic side with a super hooky fuzz pop indie jangle that's pretty dang irresistible. Opener "Brothers" is all brooding stripped down electro pop, but it "All Of Me", the single, that really demonstrates just how good these guys are, and why it wouldn't be that weird to hear these guys on commercial pop radio, it's the kind of super hooky, synth heavy, big chorus. pop gem, that makes people want to get up and move, even grumpy wall flowers like us.
And so it goes for the rest of the record, electro pop meets groovy fuzzy indie jangle, majestic almost orchestral electronic epics meet woozy tropical dreampop, synthy strings meet crooned percussion heavy new wave pop, all those various strains of electronic pop and classic indie songsmithery melting into one gloriously dreamy whole.
MPEG Stream: "All Of Me"
MPEG Stream: "Green Grass"
MPEG Stream: "Lost Somewhere"

TANLINES Mixed Emotions (True Panther) lp 16.98
We really didn't know what to expect from this Brooklyn duo, whose pedigree not only includes goofy dance pop combo Professor Murder, but also legendary post/math rock outfits Don Caballero and Storm & Stress, we might have been expecting the impossible, some strange mix of the two, but instead, Mixed Emotions ends up being a super fun, fuzzy, bouncy, hooky, and yeah danceable, pop record, lots of squelchy synths, programmed drums, groovy rhythms, soaring intertwined vocals, chiming guitars, fuzzy riffs, handclaps, it's hard to know who to compared these guys too, it seems like folks who dig groups like Animal Collective, and who aren't averse to the more electronic/dance pop side of things would love these guys, but also people into stuff like Phoenix and Miike Snow. And the band definitely are a proper rock band, with songs like "Green Grass" melding their more electronic side with a super hooky fuzz pop indie jangle that's pretty dang irresistible. Opener "Brothers" is all brooding stripped down electro pop, but it "All Of Me", the single, that really demonstrates just how good these guys are, and why it wouldn't be that weird to hear these guys on commercial pop radio, it's the kind of super hooky, synth heavy, big chorus. pop gem, that makes people want to get up and move, even grumpy wall flowers like us.
And so it goes for the rest of the record, electro pop meets groovy fuzzy indie jangle, majestic almost orchestral electronic epics meet woozy tropical dreampop, synthy strings meet crooned percussion heavy new wave pop, all those various strains of electronic pop and classic indie songsmithery melting into one gloriously dreamy whole.
MPEG Stream: "All Of Me"
MPEG Stream: "Green Grass"
MPEG Stream: "Lost Somewhere"

TAPE Luminarium (Hapna) cd 16.98
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Some folks try really hard to create pretty sounds, but there are those special folks who just naturally have some preternatural ability to create majestic beauty without it ever sounding forced or contrived. The Swedish trio Tape are shining examples of just such a group, able to make lush and textured sounds that are as engaging as they are pleasing. After a couple recent reissues of older Tape recordings, we were really excited to find what their new record would sound like. And with the opener "Beams" we were greeted with what might be a contender for our favorite song of the year! A song that invites you in with warm swirling analog synths and takes you on such a dreamy ride that it feels like being on a tranquil slide up in the clouds as it takes delicious soft turns and dips through the sky. Luckily the rest of the record follows and flows with equal beauty and such a delicate touch. Tape really put to shame just about everyone else who try their hand at dreamy instrumental post-rock. Their songs aren't as simple as just being moody or melancholic instead they truly create their own world, one that glows with a cascading and illuminating vision. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Beams"
MPEG Stream: "Reperto"
MPEG Stream: "Mystery Mutiny"

TAPE Luminarium (Immune) lp 14.98
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NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!! Some folks try really hard to create pretty sounds, but there are those special folks who just naturally have some preternatural ability to create majestic beauty without it ever sounding forced or contrived. The Swedish trio Tape are shining examples of just such a group, able to make lush and textured sounds that are as engaging as they are pleasing. After a couple recent reissues of older Tape recordings, we were really excited to find what their new record would sound like. And with the opener "Beams" we were greeted with what might be a contender for our favorite song of the year! A song that invites you in with warm swirling analog synths and takes you on such a dreamy ride that it feels like being on a tranquil slide up in the clouds as it takes delicious soft turns and dips through the sky. Luckily the rest of the record follows and flows with equal beauty and such a delicate touch. Tape really put to shame just about everyone else who try their hand at dreamy instrumental post-rock. Their songs aren't as simple as just being moody or melancholic instead they truly create their own world, one that glows with a cascading and illuminating vision. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Beams"
MPEG Stream: "Reperto"
MPEG Stream: "Mystery Mutiny"

TAPE Milieu (Hapna) cd 16.98
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For some reason the first album from this Swedish trio didn't excite us nearly this much -- we didn't even get around to reviewing it -- but this one is simply great, gorgeous. Theirs is a melodic yet abstract soundworld, very Jewelled Antler in approach, and very delicate. Field recordings + instruments in a calming, semi-improvised setting of simple song-sketches. Acoustic guitar, harmonium, trumpet, electronics, tapes... Hushed, droned, very pretty but not precious. A most pleasant half-hour indeed! From the Hapna label, who previously brought us Tape member Johan Berthling's marvelous drone collaboration with Oren Ambarchi, My Days Are Darker Than Your Nights. (Hapna is also the home to AQ-faves Sagor & Swing as well).
MPEG Stream: "Oak Player"
MPEG Stream: "Edisto"

TAPE Milieu Plus (Hapna) cd 17.98
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Hapna has reissued the second album from the Swedish trio Tape, in a digipack with new artwork and four bonus tracks (hence the Plus in the title) from the original 2003 recording sessions. They've done the same with Tape's first album as well (now Opera Plus) but for some reason that disc didn't excite us nearly as much as Milieu did (though we should probably use this opportunity to revisit it and see if we feel differently now). Actually, we didn't even ever review Opera, yet were immediately taken with Milieu. It's simply great, gorgeous.
Theirs is a melodic yet abstract soundworld, very Jewelled Antler in approach, and very delicate. Field recordings + instruments in a calming, semi-improvised setting of simple song-sketches. Acoustic guitar, harmonium, trumpet, electronics, tapes... Hushed, droned, very pretty but not precious. A most pleasant half-hour (plus) indeed! From the Hapna label, who previously brought us Tape member Johan Berthling's marvelous drone collaboration with Oren Ambarchi, My Days Are Darker Than Your Nights. (Hapna is also the home to AQ-faves Sagor & Swing as well amongst many others, by this time hopefully you all have some Hapna in your house).
MPEG Stream: "Oak Player"
MPEG Stream: "Edisto"

TAPE Mort Aux Vaches (Staalplaat) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

TAPE Opera Plus (Hapna) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

TAPE Revelationes (Hapna) cd 16.98
We knew after their breathtaking collaboration with Bill Wells last year that Tape were really reaching a zenith in their career. With a back catalog rich with so many beautiful records, it's so nice to see them continue to reveal subtle shifts in their sound and sonic scope. Revelations flows with such melancholic grace. Instrumental songs that are filled with rich tones and warm melody, taking you to some perfect place, evoking that feeling of staring out the window on a long drive, late at night when there is nothing left to say to the person in the seat beside you.
Other bands that have tried to create a sound like this end up falling so short, coming off as nothing more then post rock band with more moody intentions, but lacking the means or depth to make something really substantial. Tape exist on a totally different level, absolute masters of their craft. Nothing ever feels forced or contrived in their songs. There is an integrity in their compositions that allows you to sway back and forth and get lost in swirls of musical memory and long lost images of other times and places... An utterly gorgeous record.
MPEG Stream: "Dust And Light"
MPEG Stream: "Gone Gone"
MPEG Stream: "Byhalia"

TAPE Revelationes (Immune) lp 16.98
Now we've also got enough of Immune's vinyl version to list, here's what we said about the cd on Hapna a couple weeks ago:
We knew after their breathtaking collaboration with Bill Wells last year that Tape were really reaching a zenith in their career. With a back catalog rich with so many beautiful records, it's so nice to see them continue to reveal subtle shifts in their sound and sonic scope. Revelations flows with such melancholic grace. Instrumental songs that are filled with rich tones and warm melody, taking you to some perfect place, evoking that feeling of staring out the window on a long drive, late at night when there is nothing left to say to the person in the seat beside you.
Other bands that have tried to create a sound like this end up falling so short, coming off as nothing more then post rock band with more moody intentions, but lacking the means or depth to make something really substantial. Tape exist on a totally different level, absolute masters of their craft. Nothing ever feels forced or contrived in their songs. There is an integrity in their compositions that allows you to sway back and forth and get lost in swirls of musical memory and long lost images of other times and places... An utterly gorgeous record.
MPEG Stream: "Dust And Light"
MPEG Stream: "Gone Gone"
MPEG Stream: "Byhalia"

TAPE Rideau (Hapna) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.