V/A D-Trash Presents Rising Tide (D-Trash) cd 11.98

V/A Da Hip Hop Raskalz with Dave Soldier: Slammin' Grooves & Breakdowns (Mulatta Records) cd 16.98
Kids. Elephants. One thing they have in common: they're both cute. (And don't even get me started about baby elephants...) So, maybe it's no surprise then that Dave Soldier, best known in the AQ universe as the guy who brought us those two wonderful Thai Elephant Orchestra recordings (and also well known for his own Soldier String Quartet), would also be part of a project to help inner-city grade school kids express themselves as hip hop artists!! Or maybe it is a surprise. But either way, it's pretty cool! As "outsider" artists go, these kids are a bit more "normal" than musical elephants, but still totally charming and amazing. As soon as we found out about this we knew we had to hear it. And as soon as we heard it, we were hooked. These kids, 5-10 year olds from the Amber Charter School in East Harlem, NYC, are so obviously having fun. We're lucky to get to listen in. And they're young enough not to be trying too hard to sound like anything other than kids, no tweenage gangsta posturing here! The influence of commercial, MTV style hiphop is hardly apparent. In fact, a lot of this only sounds remotely like "hip hop" at all -- sure there's beats, and raps, and keyboards, but it's all a lot more spacey and weird and atmospheric than you might expect. ESPECIALLY on one of our favorite tracks, "Ghosty", sung by a little girl named Isabella. She's invented something new there. Genius.
Among the contributors to the 16 tracks found here, you're sure to find a few of your favorite new bands. And band names. Some of 'em are fairly ordinary kid stuff: The School Rock Band, Hiphop Skyhigh, Los Nonameos, Looneytunes, Tuff Kidz, ABC Group... but others are simply inspired. What group of arty white-belted 20-something noiseniks wouldn't be happy if they'd thought up 911 Rock N Roll Coyotes for themselves, for instance?? There's also Franchize Children, Boys & Girls Club Of The Night, and Muffletoes, to name a few other favorites. Basically, the kids got together in groups of four to write and play their own music, naming their "bands" themselves and basically being let loose to do their own thing.
So, what role did Dave Soldier and the teachers at the Amber Charter School play in hooking up these tunes? Well, unlike kid-metal project Rock Jack (another AQ fave, sadly out of print), the kids played all the music here as well as providing the vocals. Those are DEFINITELY kids on the keyboards! The beats were programmed by the kids too, though of course the recording was supervised by grown-ups. So adults gave guidance, but it's pretty clear that it's the kids' creativity being given full reign, certainly the lyrical subject matter of these songs had to come from the kids: candy, monsters, school, fried chicken, playtime, Barney... But don't think that it's all fun and games. Some of these tracks have fairly serious themes, like the Tuff Kidz' "I Don't Want You No More"!
In sum, totally recommended! If you like the vibe of things like Rock Jack, the Langley Schools Music Project, and the Kids Of Widney High, we think you'll dig dese Hip Hop Raskalz -- all of whom could easily be described as being hip hop versions of the Shaggs! Or, comparing this to some 'real' hiphop, we'd say a lot of this reminds us of a childlike version of AQ fave Sensational!!
MPEG Stream: CHELSEA & THE MIGHTY LIONS "T Rex"
MPEG Stream: ISABELLA "Ghosty"
MPEG Stream: 911 ROCK N ROLL COYOTES "1,2,3, Go"

V/A Dada et La Musique (Muza) cd 17.98
Dada is nearly 100 years old; yet the ideals of Dada which adamantly insisted on the negation of its own aesthetics and an espousal of transgressive irrationality still resonate with elements of contemporary culture. Due to the volatility of Dada and its resistance to grounding aesthetics, Dada has proven to be a very difficult movement to document; hence, the collection Dada et la Musique reads as a historical document that only sporadically taps into the agitation and provocation that Dada intended. There's no doubting the historical importance of Erik Satie in the development of 20th century composition; but Satie's playful and impressionistic piano works hardly engender the ideas of Dada. The same should be said for Authur Honegger and Francis Poulenc; yet all of these composers feature prominently on Dada et la Musique. After listening to Nurse With Wound, Luc Ferrari, R.H.Y. Yau, and Merzbow whose work may not be true Dada but comes closer to its lunacy, noise, abjection, and irrationality, we may be comparing apples and oranges. Yet the underlying question remains, are the musical entries on Dada et la Musique actually Dada? Probably not. Even the frenzied cacacophony of the semi-automated "Ballet Mechanique" by Georges Anthiel from 1917 engages a whimsy that could be mistaken for Carl Stalling's cartoon scores. So what makes this collection Dada is not really the music, but the sound poetry from Kurt Schwitters (e.g. the ever-baffling glossalia of Ursonate) certainly does qualify as Dada. There's plenty of sound poems from Raoul Haussmann, Richard Huelsenbeck, Jean Arp, Hugo Ball, and Tristan Tzara, many of which have conetmporary recitations and reinforce the fact that we need to learn French.
MPEG Stream: KURT SCHWITTERS "Ursonate"
MPEG Stream: GEORGE ANTHIEL "Ballet Mechanique"
MPEG Stream: RAOUL HAUSSMAN "Poemes Phonetiques"

V/A Dancehall 101 Vol.1. (VP Records) 2cd 16.98
In our attempt to get with the program on the Dancehall tip, we have just received this brand new comp of some of the best. The first cd features tracks by Red Dragon, Yellowman, Cutty Ranks, Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Red Rat, and more. The cuts are varied, none as hard as the "Ring The Alarm" track (by Buju Banton, on 400% Dynamite) that got us all hot and bothered before, but most are still quite good, with lots of aggressive, driving bass. The second, bonus, disk has a genuine radio dj mix with toasting and all. Comes with some very 'SEXY' cover art.

V/A Dancehall 2 (Soul Jazz) 2cd 25.00
Volume 2 in Soul Jazz's awesome series of Dancehall comps, a rough history of dancehall from the eighties and beyond, which for folks at aQ is of specific interest cuz you know we love us some dancehall, from the early days of reggae dancehall, to the super hard heavy modern raga dancehall, it all hits the spot, that groove, that rhythm, the sound, we can't get enough.
This volume picks up right where the first one left off, with another collection of classic jams from tons of legendary dancehall artists: Lone Ranger, Nicodemus, Yellowman, Shabba Ranks, Early B, Papa San, Buju Banton, Barry Brown, Johnny Osborne, Tiger, Ini Kamoe, Half Pint, Professor Nuts (!) and tons more.
The sound on this volume tends toward the more reggae side of dancehall's sound, groovy and mellow, lots of horns, shuffling rhythms (THAT rhythm), piano, that distinctive muted guitar strum, it's reggae but you can hear the dancehall sound taking form. The hardest tracks come from the folks you'd probably expect, Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, and a lot of that has to do with their bad-ass growly rough ragged voices and their super intense delivery, but all the tracks here are awesome. Anyone into the various Trojan comps, the Soul Jazz Dynamite comps, all the Studio One collections, will definitely one this (and the first volume as well!).
As with all the Soul Jazz releases, the cd version (not the lps, sadly) includes a massive booklet, with super extensive and meticulously researched liner notes and tons of amazing photos.
MPEG Stream: LONE RANGER "Barnabas Collins"
MPEG Stream: NICODEMUS "Dog Better Than Gun"
MPEG Stream: SHABBA RANKS "Respect"
MPEG Stream: TRINITY "Vampire"

V/A Dancehall 2: Volume One (Soul Jazz) 2lp 27.00
Volume 2 in Soul Jazz's awesome series of Dancehall comps, a rough history of dancehall from the eighties and beyond, which for folks at aQ is of specific interest cuz you know we love us some dancehall, from the early days of reggae dancehall, to the super hard heavy modern raga dancehall, it all hits the spot, that groove, that rhythm, the sound, we can't get enough.
This volume picks up right where the first one left off, with another collection of classic jams from tons of legendary dancehall artists: Lone Ranger, Nicodemus, Yellowman, Shabba Ranks, Early B, Papa San, Buju Banton, Barry Brown, Johnny Osborne, Tiger, Ini Kamoe, Half Pint, Professor Nuts (!) and tons more.
The sound on this volume tends toward the more reggae side of dancehall's sound, groovy and mellow, lots of horns, shuffling rhythms (THAT rhythm), piano, that distinctive muted guitar strum, it's reggae but you can hear the dancehall sound taking form. The hardest tracks come from the folks you'd probably expect, Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, and a lot of that has to do with their bad-ass growly rough ragged voices and their super intense delivery, but all the tracks here are awesome. Anyone into the various Trojan comps, the Soul Jazz Dynamite comps, all the Studio One collections, will definitely one this (and the first volume as well!).
As with all the Soul Jazz releases, the cd version (not the lps, sadly) includes a massive booklet, with super extensive and meticulously researched liner notes and tons of amazing photos.
MPEG Stream: LONE RANGER "Barnabas Collins"
MPEG Stream: NICODEMUS "Dog Better Than Gun"
MPEG Stream: SHABBA RANKS "Respect"
MPEG Stream: TRINITY "Vampire"

V/A Dancehall 2: Volume Two (Soul Jazz) 2lp 27.00
Volume 2 in Soul Jazz's awesome series of Dancehall comps, a rough history of dancehall from the eighties and beyond, which for folks at aQ is of specific interest cuz you know we love us some dancehall, from the early days of reggae dancehall, to the super hard heavy modern raga dancehall, it all hits the spot, that groove, that rhythm, the sound, we can't get enough.
This volume picks up right where the first one left off, with another collection of classic jams from tons of legendary dancehall artists: Lone Ranger, Nicodemus, Yellowman, Shabba Ranks, Early B, Papa San, Buju Banton, Barry Brown, Johnny Osborne, Tiger, Ini Kamoe, Half Pint, Professor Nuts (!) and tons more.
The sound on this volume tends toward the more reggae side of dancehall's sound, groovy and mellow, lots of horns, shuffling rhythms (THAT rhythm), piano, that distinctive muted guitar strum, it's reggae but you can hear the dancehall sound taking form. The hardest tracks come from the folks you'd probably expect, Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, and a lot of that has to do with their bad-ass growly rough ragged voices and their super intense delivery, but all the tracks here are awesome. Anyone into the various Trojan comps, the Soul Jazz Dynamite comps, all the Studio One collections, will definitely one this (and the first volume as well!).
As with all the Soul Jazz releases, the cd version (not the lps, sadly) includes a massive booklet, with super extensive and meticulously researched liner notes and tons of amazing photos.
MPEG Stream: LONE RANGER "Barnabas Collins"
MPEG Stream: NICODEMUS "Dog Better Than Gun"
MPEG Stream: SHABBA RANKS "Respect"
MPEG Stream: TRINITY "Vampire"

V/A Dancehall Stringbusters - Crunchy Guitar Instros From The '60s (Sundazed) cd 15.98
A swell comp of, like it says, crunchy guitar instrumentals from the sixties! That means, tracks by Link Wray and loads of likeminded folks we've never heard before: Riptides, Fireballs, Jay Bee & The Kats, Teddy & The Rough Riders, and more. 20 tracks total.

V/A Dancehall: The Rise Of Jamaican Dancehall Culture (Soul Jazz) 2cd 25.00
Avid readers of the list know we love dancehall, from classic dancehall reggae, right up to the more aggro super heavy junglized ragga dancehall. And those same readers are probably well familiar with the Soul Jazz label, and their amazing, elaborate, painstakingly assembled, meticulously researched reissue compilations. Every one packed with classics and rarities in equal measure, always with a massive booklet packed with liner notes, info about all the tracks, anecdotes, photos and whatever else they can squeeze in there. You probably can tell where this is heading. Soul jazz releases now number in the hundreds, but they have yet to release a bum disc. This double cd keeps the streak alive BIG TIME.
An awesome and comprehensive primer on dancehall reggae, done in the inimitable Soul Jazz style. Have a look at the artists: Yellowman, Tenor Saw, Chaka Demus And Pliers, Barrington Levy, Sister Nancy, Cutty Ranks, Super Cat, Cornell Campbell, Gregory Isaacs, Eek A Mouse, Clint Eastwood, and that's just the ones we know, there's also Half Pint, Reggie Stepper, Horace Ferguson, Toyan, Early B, Trinity, Lone Ranger, Michigan & Smiley, Triston Palmer, Lady Ann, Brigadier Jerry, Conroy Smith and more and more and more.
And the tracks! A bunch of essential jams, some have found there way onto other comps, but many have NOT. If you're like us, that dancehall rhythm is just irresistible, such a killer groove, whether it's wrapped around mellow guitar and smooth crooning, or jagged melodies and rough and raw toasting, we just can't get enough. Pretty sure you're feel the same after filling your ears with all these jams.
Includes tons of amazing photos as well extensive notes on each track, and each artist.
MPEG Stream: TENOR SAW "Pumpkin Belly"
MPEG Stream: CHAKA DEMUS & PLIERS "Murder She Wrote"
MPEG Stream: CUTTY RANKS "Chop Chop"
MPEG Stream: SUPER CAT "Trash And Ready"

V/A Dancehall: The Rise Of Jamaican Dancehall Culture Vol. 1 (Soul Jazz) 2lp 25.00
Never listed this on vinyl before, here it is... Avid readers of the list know we love dancehall, from classic dancehall reggae, right up to the more aggro super heavy junglized ragga dancehall. And those same readers are probably well familiar with the Soul Jazz label, and their amazing, elaborate, painstakingly assembled, meticulously researched reissue compilations. Every one packed with classics and rarities in equal measure, always with a massive booklet packed with liner notes, info about all the tracks, anecdotes, photos and whatever else they can squeeze in there. You probably can tell where this is heading. Soul jazz releases now number in the hundreds, but they have yet to release a bum disc. This double cd keeps the streak alive BIG TIME.
An awesome and comprehensive primer on dancehall reggae, done in the inimitable Soul Jazz style. Have a look at the artists: Yellowman, Tenor Saw, Chaka Demus And Pliers, Barrington Levy, Sister Nancy, Cutty Ranks, Super Cat, Cornell Campbell, Gregory Isaacs, Eek A Mouse, Clint Eastwood, and that's just the ones we know, there's also Half Pint, Reggie Stepper, Horace Ferguson, Toyan, Early B, Trinity, Lone Ranger, Michigan & Smiley, Triston Palmer, Lady Ann, Brigadier Jerry, Conroy Smith and more and more and more.
And the tracks! A bunch of essential jams, some have found there way onto other comps, but many have NOT. If you're like us, that dancehall rhythm is just irresistible, such a killer groove, whether it's wrapped around mellow guitar and smooth crooning, or jagged melodies and rough and raw toasting, we just can't get enough. Pretty sure you're feel the same after filling your ears with all these jams.
Includes tons of amazing photos as well extensive notes on each track, and each artist.
MPEG Stream: TENOR SAW "Pumpkin Belly"
MPEG Stream: CHAKA DEMUS & PLIERS "Murder She Wrote"
MPEG Stream: CUTTY RANKS "Chop Chop"
MPEG Stream: SUPER CAT "Trash And Ready"

V/A Dancehall: The Rise Of Jamaican Dancehall Culture Vol. 2 (Soul Jazz) 2lp 25.00
Never listed this on vinyl before, here it is... Avid readers of the list know we love dancehall, from classic dancehall reggae, right up to the more aggro super heavy junglized ragga dancehall. And those same readers are probably well familiar with the Soul Jazz label, and their amazing, elaborate, painstakingly assembled, meticulously researched reissue compilations. Every one packed with classics and rarities in equal measure, always with a massive booklet packed with liner notes, info about all the tracks, anecdotes, photos and whatever else they can squeeze in there. You probably can tell where this is heading. Soul jazz releases now number in the hundreds, but they have yet to release a bum disc. This double cd keeps the streak alive BIG TIME.
An awesome and comprehensive primer on dancehall reggae, done in the inimitable Soul Jazz style. Have a look at the artists: Yellowman, Tenor Saw, Chaka Demus And Pliers, Barrington Levy, Sister Nancy, Cutty Ranks, Super Cat, Cornell Campbell, Gregory Isaacs, Eek A Mouse, Clint Eastwood, and that's just the ones we know, there's also Half Pint, Reggie Stepper, Horace Ferguson, Toyan, Early B, Trinity, Lone Ranger, Michigan & Smiley, Triston Palmer, Lady Ann, Brigadier Jerry, Conroy Smith and more and more and more.
And the tracks! A bunch of essential jams, some have found there way onto other comps, but many have NOT. If you're like us, that dancehall rhythm is just irresistible, such a killer groove, whether it's wrapped around mellow guitar and smooth crooning, or jagged melodies and rough and raw toasting, we just can't get enough. Pretty sure you're feel the same after filling your ears with all these jams.
Includes tons of amazing photos as well extensive notes on each track, and each artist.
MPEG Stream: TENOR SAW "Pumpkin Belly"
MPEG Stream: CHAKA DEMUS & PLIERS "Murder She Wrote"
MPEG Stream: CUTTY RANKS "Chop Chop"
MPEG Stream: SUPER CAT "Trash And Ready"

V/A Dances And Trances: Sufi Rites And Berber Music From Taraoudannt Morocco (World Arbiter) cd 16.98

V/A Dandelion: The Complete Dandelion Records Singles Collection 1969-1972 3cd 42.00
Compilation of artists from John Peel's late sixties early seventies record label.

V/A Dark Matter: Multiverse, 2004-2009 (Multiverse) 2cd 19.98
Latest comp of genius dubstep and bass heavy grooves, and it's SO goddamn good, it's been hard to listen to anything else since we got this in. Avid readers of the aQ list no doubt know by now, how much we love dubstep, especially the harder, darker, bassier strains, which is precisely what you get here, two discs of some of the heaviest buzzing low end bass heavy jams of the last few years, the thread that connects them is not just a label, but a UK studio as well, where all these tracks were produced, before being released on various labels, and on various 12"s between 2004 and 2009.
Folks already way into dubstep will probably see the artists included and be sold: Vex'd, Joker, Skream, 2562, Pinch, Loefah, Cyrus and a bunch more, but anyone who's been digging the recent series of Soul Jazz dubstep collections, or like us, is always on the lookout for some seriously dense and heavy buzzy dubstep bliss, well then, this is definitely gonna hit the spot.
Both discs start off with killer jams from Vex'd, whose Cloud Seed record was our Record Of The Week a while back, and of course, these tracks rule just as hard, thick fuzzy bass, distorted synthy squelch, distorted toasting style vocals, lurching stuttery beats, the perfect way to kick off both discs for sure. Drop the needle anywhere though (yeah, we know, or the LASER or whatever), and you're bound to land on some seriously deliriously kick ass buzz and stutter, warble and crunch, Joker & Ginz's skwee-like "Purple City", Pinch & P Duddy's lumbering super blown out bass skitter anthem "War Dub", Circuit Breaker's super hypnotic low end pounding repeto-groove "Phonque", Joker's cinematic epic "Stuck In The System", with its moody string like melodies, and insanely thick bass warble and cool synth pulses, Cyrus's warbly Eastern tinged "Indian Stomp", October's super spare, dubbed out minimal "Euro Dance Hit" which is anything but, Loefah's clattery dubdronescape "System", not to mention a whole bunch of minimal Pole style digidub jams on disc 2.
Absolute bass bliss, and divine dubstep dreaminess, although not so much dreamy as dark, but still, WAY WAY recommended. Definitely one of our new favorite electronica comps, dubstep or otherwise...
MPEG Stream: JOKER & GINZ "Purple City"
MPEG Stream: PINCH & P DUDDY "War Dub"
MPEG Stream: JOKER "Stuck In The System"
MPEG Stream: VEX'D "Lion"
MPEG Stream: CIRCUIT BREAKER "Phonque (October Remix)"

V/A Dark Was The Night (A Red Hot Compilation) (4AD) 2cd 14.98
Pretty awesome that Matador got involved with the Red Hot Organization, a great international charity that works to raise funds and awareness about HIV and AIDS around the globe. Red Hot has aligned itself with the music world many times before for benefit comps you might remember like No Alternative, Red Hot & Blue, Red Hot & Rio, etc. This time out the Red Hot compilers got loads of heavyweights from the indie underground to contribute exclusive tracks and some cool collaborations for this double cd.
The track listing pretty much reads as a who's who of indie star power from the last several years and beyond: Yo La Tengo, Blonde Redhead, Cat Power, Spoon, The New Pornographers, Antony, Sufjan Stevens, Beirut, The Decemberists, the list goes on and on. There are also some really cool collaborations like Jose Gonzalez and The Books joining forces for a cover of the Nick Drake classic "Cello Song", Grizzly Bear and Feist team up to cover Vashti Bunyan's "Train Song", Kronos Quartet do an inspired version of Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was The Night", Sharon Jones & The Dapkings do a smoking version of the Shuggie Otis classic "Inspiration Information". Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian fame goes at it solo and Conor Oberst brings Gillian Welch into his world with a duet of a newly penned Oberst track. Like all comps there may be a few tracks that don't totally hit the mark, but the winners far outweigh the losers on this comp. The collection was produced by Bryce Desner of The National, and with over two hours of music and all proceeds going to this awesome charity this is pretty much a no brainer.
MPEG Stream: THE BOOKS FEATURING JOSE GONZALEZ "Cello Song "
MPEG Stream: YO LA TENGO "Gentle Hours"
MPEG Stream: SHARON JONES & THE DAPKINGS "Inspiration Information"
MPEG Stream: GRIZZLY BEAR & FEIST "Service Bell"
MPEG Stream: ""

V/A Dark Was The Night (A Red Hot Compilation) (Matador) 3lp 26.00
Pretty awesome that Matador got involved with the Red Hot Organization, a great international charity that works to raise funds and awareness about HIV and AIDS around the globe. Red Hot has aligned itself with the music world many times before for benefit comps you might remember like No Alternative, Red Hot & Blue, Red Hot & Rio, etc. This time out the Red Hot compilers got loads of heavyweights from the indie underground to contribute exclusive tracks and some cool collaborations for this double cd.
The track listing pretty much reads as a who's who of indie star power from the last several years and beyond: Yo La Tengo, Blonde Redhead, Cat Power, Spoon, The New Pornographers, Antony, Sufjan Stevens, Beirut, The Decemberists, the list goes on and on. There are also some really cool collaborations like Jose Gonzalez and The Books joining forces for a cover of the Nick Drake classic "Cello Song", Grizzly Bear and Feist team up to cover Vashti Bunyan's "Train Song", Kronos Quartet do an inspired version of Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was The Night", Sharon Jones & The Dapkings do a smoking version of the Shuggie Otis classic "Inspiration Information". Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian fame goes at it solo and Conor Oberst brings Gillian Welch into his world with a duet of a newly penned Oberst track. Like all comps there may be a few tracks that don't totally hit the mark, but the winners far outweigh the losers on this comp. The collection was produced by Bryce Desner of The National, and with over two hours of music and all proceeds going to this awesome charity this is pretty much a no brainer.
MPEG Stream: THE BOOKS FEATURING JOSE GONZALEZ "Cello Song "
MPEG Stream: YO LA TENGO "Gentle Hours"
MPEG Stream: SHARON JONES & THE DAPKINGS "Inspiration Information"
MPEG Stream: GRIZZLY BEAR & FEIST "Service Bell"
MPEG Stream: ""

V/A Darker than Blue: Soul from Jamdown 1973-1980 (Blood & Fire ) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Soulful, funky reggae trax from Jam-aica circa the mid to late seventies. Most of the cuts here are covers of R&B or funk hits, stuff originally by Curtis Mayfield, Kool & The Gang, War, Bobby Bland, Isley Brothers, and others -- even Randy Newman (by way of Nina Simone). There's even a Sugarhill Gang inspired rap track! Needless to say, in the hands of Alton Ellis, John Holt, Ken Boothe, Lloyd Charmers, and the others on this comp, these are killer, reggae-fied versions, mostly down-tempo and emotion-filled. The Blood and Fire label did a handsome job compiling this, and with the packaging too: the thick booklet not only includes commentary on every artist/track but is also full of beautiful, evocative black and white photos, courtesy the Magnum photographers collective. This has simply been flying out the door (even before we put a tag on the display copy). Recommended! (If you dig that Studio One Soul comp, doubly recommended!)
RealAudio clip: CARL BRADNEY "Slipping Into Darkness"
RealAudio clip: KEN BOOTHE "Is It Because I'm Black"
RealAudio clip: IN-CROWD "Mango Walk"
RealAudio clip: DELROY WILSON "Get Ready (12" mix)"

V/A Darker than Blue: Soul from Jamdown 1973-1980 (Blood & Fire ) 2lp 29.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We finally got some of these in on LP. Nice, thick slabs of vinyl. The cover art looks really nice also -- they chose not to use the blue filter, and left off all the text, which makes the photo much more impressive looking. Here's the description again from when we listed the cd: Soulful, funky reggae trax from Jam-aica circa the mid to late seventies. Most of the cuts here are covers of R&B or funk hits, stuff originally by Curtis Mayfield, Kool & The Gang, War, Bobby Bland, Isley Brothers, and others -- even Randy Newman (by way of Nina Simone). There's even a Sugarhill Gang inspired rap track! Needless to say, in the hands of Alton Ellis, John Holt, Ken Boothe, Lloyd Charmers, and the others on this comp, these are killer, reggae-fied versions, mostly down-tempo and emotion-filled. The Blood and Fire label did a handsome job compiling this, and with the packaging too: the thick booklet not only includes commentary on every artist/track but is also full of beautiful, evocative black and white photos, courtesy the Magnum photographers collective. This has simply been flying out the door (even before we put a tag on the display copy). Recommended! (If you dig that Studio One Soul comp, doubly recommended!)
RealAudio clip: CARL BRADNEY "Slipping Into Darkness"
RealAudio clip: KEN BOOTHE "Is It Because I'm Black"
RealAudio clip: IN-CROWD "Mango Walk"
RealAudio clip: DELROY WILSON "Get Ready (12" mix)"

V/A Darkthrone, Holy Darkthrone (Moonfog) cd 14.98
Quite possibly the ultimate Norwegian black metal disc EVER. This tribute compilation celebrates the 10 year anniversary of Norway's self-proclaimed "most hated band in the world" Darkthrone, an event that the band themselves suggested be commemorated with a mere backpatch! Lucky for us, their label had a more ambitious idea. Yes, most "tribute" discs suck, but not this one. How could it? The bands and cover material mesh perfectly, and with feeling. The best, evilest, most infamous black metallers in Norway (the likes of Emperor, Satyricon, Gorgoroth, Enslaved, Thorns, Gehenna, Immortal, and Dodheimsgard!) pay homage to one of the oldest, coldest, most trollesque bands on the scene. Totally deadly. Standout track: Thorns' almost "cybernetic" version of "The Pagan Winter".

V/A Dave Chapelle's Block Party (OST) (Geffen) cd 14.98
The movie ruled, right? If you didn't see it, do so... first off Dave Chapelle is of course incredibly funny and charismatic and clever (as you probably know). And the artists he's selected for his block party (that's what the film is, a documentary about a free concert Chapelle put on in Brooklyn) are all big name sort alt hip hop stars. Even if you don't think you're into The Roots or Jill Scott or whatever, you might find yourself a fan after viewing this! A feel good triumph!

V/A David Shrigley's Worried Noodles (Tomlab) 2cd 37.00
Once upon a time not so long ago a Scottish gent (and dandy, tweaked and twisted line drawing artist) named David Shrigley made an LP size book filled with his song-less song lyrics. 'Twas a novel concept which was welcomed and gobbled up by many -- the first edition sold out right away! Of course some of the folks who were charmed by it just happened to be musicmakers themselves, and the novel concept to compose and perform music for the lyrics was born. The awesome results (39 of them total!) are featured here on this double cd which comes packaged in its own cd-sized hardcover 100-page book. The list of contributors is nothing short of stimulating: David Byrne, Arab Strap's Aidan Moffat, TV On The Radio, Deerhoof, Mt. Eerie and Mt. Eerie's Phil Elverum, Grizzly Bear, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip, Trans Am, Islands, Tussle, The Dead Science, Final Fantasy, Scout Niblett, R. Stevie Moore, Cibelle, Les Georges Leningrad, Max Tundra, Yacht, Roger Ferguson, Dirty Projectors, The Curtains, Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Liars, and more! The renditions are as varied as you'd expect, ranging from the sparsely twee pop to the angular dance rock to the tenderest indie folk to the most anticipated indie art-rock perturberances. Still, not at all unexpected it's the elder statesman of the bunch David Byrne whose offering is most successful -- at once showing a genuine sensitivity to the original artist's work while maintaining his own artful and whimsical identity and making the song wholly his own! Pretty great.

V/A Daze Of The Underground (Godreah) 2cd 16.98
We admitted a while back to catching on unbelievably late to the drug addled, space rock brilliance of Hawkwind. What can you do? We've tried to make up for it, by listening to NOTHING BUT Hawkwind for hours at a stretch, trying to get everybody who walks in the door to buy at least one Hawkwind record, and trying desperately to convince AQ customer Cayce to start a Hawkwind tribute / worship band with us. We're still working on that last one. But on the subject of tributes, it's always nice to know that all over the world there are little enclaves of equally obsessed music freaks. One of those enclaves just so happens to be Godreah records in the UK, home to the Meads Of Asphodel, and fellow Hawkwind obsessives. So obsessive in fact, that they've scoured the globe looking for bands willing to put their Hawkwind love on display for all to see, on this here massive double cd compilation. It should of course come as no big surprise that some of our favorite groups just so happen to also have a thing for Hawkwind and put their music where their mouths are. The Meads Of Asphodel cover "Utopia", Circle turn "Don't Understand" into a suitably circular krautrock workout, Acid Mothers Temple take "You Know You're Only Dreaming" completely apart and turn it into an burst of interstellar freakout, and Sigh tackle Hawkwind's finest pop moment "Psychedelic Warlords..." and give it the ol' Japanese what-the-fuck treatment. And that's just four of the 27 tracks. Some familiar, Acid King, Farflung, Amorphis, but mostly loads of unknowns, all of them steeped in their own particular brand of fuzzed out freaked out spaced out Hawkwind worship! Massive batch of liner notes, complete with band photos and a track by track description of the group and their particular take on each song.
MPEG Stream: MEADS OF ASPHODEL "Utopia"
MPEG Stream: SIGH "Psychedelic Warlords"
MPEG Stream: CIRCLE "Don't Understand"

V/A Dead & Gone #1: Songs of Death (Trikont) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We're proud to be carrying the very hard to find German label Trikont, who have amassed an incredibly diverse selection of cds featuring music from all over the world. This particular compilation collects songs of death, from as wide-ranging a spectrum of artists as: Tom Waits, Albert Ayler, Robert Wyatt, and groups from Ghana, Italy, Holland, and much more.

V/A Dead & Gone #2: Songs of Death (Trikont) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We're proud to be carrying the very hard to find German label Trikont, who have amassed an incredibly diverse selection of cds featuring music from all over the world. This particular compilation collects songs of death, from as wide-ranging a spectrum of artists as: Nico, Diamanda Galas, Cassandra Wilson, local singer Gary Floyd, Lou Reed, Geto Boys (!), Lydia Lunch, Miranda Sex Garden, and many more.

V/A Dead Man Walking (CBS) cd 15.98
Soundtrack to the Susan Sarandon/Sean Penn movie. Previously unreleased songs from Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Johnny Cash, etc, Plus (if you can believe it) on 2 songs Eddie Vedder collaborates with Qawwali giant Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. You'd think such a pairing would sound awful, but it doesn't at all. Really.

V/A Death Before Disco (Princehouse) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The title for this compilation of gloom 'n' groove bands, "Death Before Disco" is a loaded historical allusion dating back to the late '70s, when rock purists held an irrational, fascistic antagonism toward the culture of euphoria and leisure that disco offered as a legitimate alternative to the American hegemony of straight, white-boy rock'n'roll. Well, with Princehouse themselves claiming that this compilation "represents where Princehouse is coming from and what we're into" (i.e. electro-punk dance bands who often exhibit plenty of disco slipperiness), "Death Before Disco" is an ill-fitting title to an otherwise good (and well-timed) compilation of mutant, death disco with tracks by Adult., I Am Spoonbender (previously unreleased, a reinterpretation of the song "Me And Me Rhythm Box" from the film Liquid Sky), The Pattern, The Numbers, The Vanishing, Ghost Orchids, Gogogoairheart, A Tension, Hint Hint, Dance Disaster Movement, The Pleased, The Lovemakers, Broker / Dealer, Paradise Boys, and Kill Me Tomorrow. Most all of the tracks had been featured on other albums, giving it a sort of K-Tel feel; but the curatorial decisions work well enough in favoring the infectiousness of rhythms dolled up with black eyeliner and plenty of artworld / designer-drug attitudes, typified by the excellent cuts from The Vanishing and Dance Disaster Movement. The compilation noticeably detours with two blue collar rock'n'roll cuts from The Pattern and The Pleased, the latter sounds *exactly* like The Strokes. Those strange additions aside, "Death Before Disco" is worthwhile medicine for those waiting for another fix of Fischerspooner or The Rapture.
MPEG Stream: VANISHING "Black Umbrellas"
MPEG Stream: DANCE DISASTER MOVEMENT "C'est La Vie"

V/A Death Before Distemper Vol. 2 (DC Recordings) cd 22.00
As early '80s electro pop and disco began their popular resurgence recently, it was only a matter of time before someone would find a way to pull it all together and create some sort of new synthesis. In fact, if you enjoyed any of the recent compilations we've carried of vintage French dark wave and post-punk, like Des Jeunes Gens Modernes, BIPP, or IVG, then we're pretty sure you'll like this as well, though it's music from the England of today. What's the difference? Overall, many of the tracks have the staccato, angular melancholy of those scenes, while retaining a more direct, propulsive, and dancey sort of momentum. There's also some definite space disco and hip-hop influence. Depth Charge presents a John Carpenter coming down on mushrooms epic that could be good friends with just about any Notwist song, then there's Kelpe with their skweee-ish take on the downtempo beats of groups like Boards of Canada. With sequenced live instrumentation, live bass, string sounds, and clean guitar riffs, The Oscillation later offer their Verve-like contribution - yes, as in the British pop band. All of the tracks on here have a sense of cohesion, but each project remains distinct enough, with ups and downs, to come across exactly how a good compilation should: a great mixtape. And sampler of sorts to the wares of the excellent DC Recordings label, the same folks who brought us the super cool Padded Cell and The Oscillation albums reviewed here recently, which you probably already realized. And most, maybe all, of the stuff here is previously unreleased, or remixed. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: DEPTH CHARGE "Castle of Doom"
MPEG Stream: KELPE "Shipwreck Glue"

V/A Death Before Distemper Vol. 2 (DC Recordings) lp 23.00
someone would find a way to pull it all together and create some sort of new synthesis. In fact, if you enjoyed any of the recent compilations we've carried of vintage French dark wave and post-punk, like Des Jeunes Gens Modernes, BIPP, or IVG, then we're pretty sure you'll like this as well, though it's music from the England of today. What's the difference? Overall, many of the tracks have the staccato, angular melancholy of those scenes, while retaining a more direct, propulsive, and dancey sort of momentum. There's also some definite space disco and hip-hop influence. Depth Charge presents a John Carpenter coming down on mushrooms epic that could be good friends with just about any Notwist song, then there's Kelpe with their skweee-ish take on the downtempo beats of groups like Boards of Canada. With sequenced live instrumentation, live bass, string sounds, and clean guitar riffs, The Oscillation later offer their Verve-like contribution - yes, as in the British pop band. All of the tracks on here have a sense of cohesion, but each project remains distinct enough, with ups and downs, to come across exactly how a good compilation should: a great mixtape. And sampler of sorts to the wares of the excellent DC Recordings label, the same folks who brought us the super cool Padded Cell and The Oscillation albums reviewed here recently, which you probably already realized. And most, maybe all, of the stuff here is previously unreleased, or remixed. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: DEPTH CHARGE "Castle of Doom"
MPEG Stream: KELPE "Shipwreck Glue"

V/A Debris Field (ICR / Bolton Museum) cd+book 21.00
Found a few of these copies lurking on the shelves in the closet, figured some mailorder folks might have missed out on it first time around...
Under the curatorial vision of Phil Mouldycliff, 13 artists embarked on a sound-art exhibition at the Bolton Museum, Art Gallery and Aquarium, whereby (to the best of our understanding) the artists were given access to the Museum's collections of natural artifacts to use within the installations and as sound making devices. In turn these installations (which also involved paintings, drawings, prints, sound, and sculptures fabricated by the exhibiting artists) became something of what Mouldycliff qualified as an "accumulation of fragments." The participating artists included Colin Potter, Loren Chasse, Keith Rowe, Max Eastley, Russell Mills, Julian Lees, Peter Oakley, Tom Phillips, Colin Fallows, Hugh Davies, Glenda Lees, Paul Mason, and Phil Mouldycliff.
As none of us had the good fortune of experiencing the exhibition, we can only comment on the catalogue (which artfully presents the numerous ideas behind all of the contributing artists) and the accompanying CD which features a mix of material produced for the catalogue by Colin Potter of various sounds produced by Rowe, Chasse, Mouldycliff and himself. As the disc begins, it's apparent who is the creator of those first sounds: AQ-fav sound artist Loren Chasse as he presents a delicate crackling of natural tactility above a rarified drone of accumulated environmental ambience (i.e. surf and wind), very much sounding like those heard on his The Air In The Sand release. The ominous shadows and oceanic rumbles which Potter has employed so successfully in Nurse With Wound, Monos, and Ora act as the glue holding the entire composition together, with Keith Rowe's small yet growling machines and vibrating strings only occasionally emerging from the din. Mouldycliff's contributions are a little harder to pinpoint, as we're honestly not all that familiar with his work (sorry Phil!). The disc itself is a wonderful listen, and certainly continues along what Mouldycliff intends, as "pathways through the assembled clutter as if exploring a debris field on the bottom of the sea."
MPEG Stream: "Debris Field Pt 1"
MPEG Stream: "Debris Field Pt 2"

V/A Decay (Ash International) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Third in Ash's three-part series of international sound sculpture/drone/electronic comps, this installment features European artists like AQ-fave Panacea, Mego's Fennesz, Noto, Francisco Lopez, and more. Abstract techno rubs goatees with minimalist noise.

V/A Deconstructing Beck (Illegal Art/Seeland) cd 8.98
Thanks to Nick at Addicted To Noise www.addictedtonoise.com for turning us on to this hilarious cd packaged in plain white cardboard box. Will Beck sue? Here are 13 artists such as the Evolution Control Committee, Corporal Blossom, and Steev Hise messing with the boy wonder. We do not know of any other stores that are carrying this yet, as it is mainly available at the Illegal Art website:

V/A Deep Concentration (Om) 2cd 15.98
Wow - a double cd of turntablist/breakbeat/jungle/hiphop flavors, featuring a real who's who: the X-Men, DJ Wally, Prince Paul, Cut Chemist, Peanut Butter Wolf, members of the Beat Junkies, Mumbles, Lyrics Born & Lateef, and others! Plus, for the technologically advanced, there's a bonus Mac/Windows95 CD-ROM interactive sample sequencer for looping your own beats. Cool.

V/A Deep Concentration Vol. 3 (Om) cd 15.98
Third in this series of turntablist compilations (following Deep and Deeper--why isn't this Deepest?). Starring Craze, Radar, T-Rock & Faust, People Under the Stairs, Ming & FS, DJ Revolution, Space Travelers, Plagaiwrists and more! Pretty killer, expanding notions of turntablism in more fertile directions.

V/A Deep Note: Music of 1970's Adult Cinema (O.S.T. Grammofonpladen) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now here's a collection that's guaranteed to titilate: 40 hot and sticky tracks from 70's porn flicks. And it's all over the musical map, from tracks that sound like they could be from a lost recording of Raymond Scott's 'Soothing Sounds For Sex' to some dark hippy improv space rock a la Jackie-O Motherfucker. Then there are the standard Las Vegas grind style go-go tracks, some jazz bits, funk, and just a whole lot of songs that are really hard to imagine anything naughty being committed over. Case in point: the several tracks on this disc from the film "Diary of A Horny Housewife" in which a woman waxes poetic about her sexual fantasies while Vince Guaraldi style piano tinkles away in the background. But I guess that's the porn industry. I imagine some cheap ass producer finishes a skin flick and then, having no interest in music, just hires anyone to make some music for it with little or no direction for what would be suitable. Which isn't to say this is a bad collection. Oh Contrayer Mon Frayer! This is a truly bizarre collection of a wild variety of songs that are held together by sex. In fact, a good 25% of the tracks on here are merely dialog and another 25% at least are musical numbers with uh... err... vocals, no... Let's just call it erotic scat singing. Which brings us to fidelity. Yep, as you might imagine these tracks were most likely recorded straight from the porn tapes that featured them. So those of you looking to have a high fidelity audio orgasm are going to have to look elsewhere as this is the only way we're going to hear them aside from renting the tapes ourselves. If you're looking for information on the artists, you won't find that here either as there are no liner notes. As a consolation there are a few pretty pictures to look at in their stead. This release gets two 'thumbs' WAY up.
RealAudio clip: MAUI WOWIE "Bedtime Bongos"
RealAudio clip: ORGASMATRON 75 "Lydia's Trip"
RealAudio clip: KNIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN "Opening Scene"
RealAudio clip: DIARY OF A HORNY HOUSEWIFE "The Swingers"

V/A Deeper Concentration (Om Records) 2cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A new compilation to follow the crowd pleasing "Deep Concentration" collection of turntablism and electronica with tracks from Mixmaster Mike, Rob Swift, DJ Spooky, Apollo & Fluid Motion, Beat Junkies, and many more! This is far more "hip hop" than the first volume. Also comes with MixMan program which you can stick in your computer and remix the sounds on the cd itself.

V/A Deeper Concentration (Om Records) 3lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A new compilation to follow the crowd pleasing "Deep Concentration" collection of turntablism and electronica with tracks from Mixmaster Mike, Rob Swift, DJ Spooky, Apollo & Fluid Motion, Beat Junkies, and many more! This is far more "hip hop" than the first volume. Also comes with MixMan program which you can stick in your computer and remix the sounds on the cd itself.

V/A Defcon 4 (Vortex) 2lp 12.98

V/A Definitive Jux Presents II (Definitive Jux) cd 16.98
Label sampler number two from the only hip hop label that seems to matter anymore, Def Jux. Dark and off kilter, aggressive and bizarre, funky and totally fucked. 12 tracks, 10 of which are previously unreleased. Features: El-P, Aesop Rock, Cannibal Ox, Mr. Lif, RJD2, Rob Sonic, Yak B@llz, Wurs, the Weathermen, Masai Bey, Atoms Family and Camu Tao.

V/A Definitive Jux Presents II (Definitive Jux) 2lp 16.98
Label sampler number two from the only hip hop label that seems to matter anymore, Def Jux. Dark and off kilter, aggressive and bizarre, funky and totally fucked. 12 tracks, 10 of which are previously unreleased. Features: El-P, Aesop Rock, Cannibal Ox, Mr. Lif, RJD2, Rob Sonic, Yak B@llz, Wurs, the Weathermen, Masai Bey, Atoms Family and Camu Tao.

V/A Definitive Jux Presents III (Definitive Jux) 2cd 16.98
Not sure we need to say anything about this. We all know Def Jux rules the hip hop underground. And rightfully so. El-p is one of the most creative artist / producers around, and as far as an insane stable of artists, c'mon, Aesop Rock, S.A. Smash, Murs, Cage, etc. This comp also introduces us to a handful of up and comers: Hangar 18, Rob Sonic, Despot, 4th Pyramid, the Perceptionists (Mr. Lif, Akrobatiks and Fakts One) and Carnage! All of them as wicked as you would expect! Gonna be a serious year of debut full lengths if this sampler is any indication. The cd comes with a bonus DVD featuring videos from El-P, Aesop Rock, C-Rayz Walz, and Mr. Lif.
MPEG Stream: THE PERCEPTIONISTS "Medical Aid"
MPEG Stream: HANGAR 18 "Beatslope (El-P Remix)"
MPEG Stream: 4TH PYRAMID "Aquatic"

V/A Definitive Jux Presents III (Definitive Jux) 2lp 19.98
Not sure we need to say anything about this. We all know Def Jux rules the hip hop underground. And rightfully so. El-p is one of the most creative artist / producers around, and as far as an insane stable of artists, c'mon, Aesop Rock, S.A. Smash, Murs, Cage, etc. This comp also introduces us to a handful of up and comers: Hangar 18, Rob Sonic, Despot, 4th Pyramid, the Perceptionists (Mr. Lif, Akrobatiks and Fakts One) and Carnage! All of them as wicked as you would expect! Gonna be a serious year of debut full lengths if this sampler is any indication. The cd comes with a bonus DVD featuring videos from El-P, Aesop Rock, C-Rayz Walz, and Mr. Lif.
MPEG Stream: THE PERCEPTIONISTS "Medical Aid"
MPEG Stream: HANGAR 18 "Beatslope (El-P Remix)"
MPEG Stream: 4TH PYRAMID "Aquatic"

V/A Definitive Jux Teaser 2005 (Definitive Jux) cd 5.98

V/A Delirium Of The Senses: Psychedelia In Italian Cinema (Cherry Red) cd 17.98
Psychedelia in film and Psychedelic music sometimes serve at cross-purposes. In films, trippy visuals and dreamy passages often define the strangeness of the music, a factor that is often missing when hearing the music out of context. While true psychedelic music can overbearingly take center attention, a quality that doesn't work with most narrative films. Take for instance this new Cherry Red collection of obscure Italian soundtrack pieces from master composers, Morricone, Umilani, Rota, Piccioni and others from the strange and trippy side of their filmography. While the films, such as Fellini's Toby Dammit (An Eli Roth horror favorite) and Polanski's What? featured creepy sub-plots, surrealistic dream interludes, drug freakouts, as well as off-beat comedy, spy capers and other absurdities, the musical approach was less psychedelic as we know it and more of a liberal cross-pollination of musical genres and forms. Eastern raga and jazz? Why not?
Baroque harpsichord and creepy organ dirges? Sure! Multi-tracked flutes and wah wah guitar? Awesome. While not everything here is as trippy as you would expect, this is a pretty extensive survey (28 tracks!) of little heard soundtrack music that will serve the creepy and surreal moments of your life quite well.
MPEG Stream: ENNIO MORRICONE "Beat No. 3 from Theorem"
MPEG Stream: ANTON GARCIA ABRIL & MARCELLO GIOMBINI "4 3 2 1...Morte!"
MPEG Stream: PIERRO PICCIONI "The Redcoat"
MPEG Stream: LUIS E. BACALOV "Rebus"

V/A Delta Dandies: Dance Bands In Nigeria 1936-1941 (Honest Jons) cd 13.98

V/A Delta Swamp Rock (Soul Jazz) 2cd 23.00
Another excellent compilation from Soul Jazz, even though we were a bit perplexed by it at first.
What we thought was going to be a southern rock primer (a la Marshall Tucker Band, Molly Hatchet, etc.) was only part of the story. Sure Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers are represented, but so are Johnny Cash, Joe South, Big Star, Boz Scaggs, and Cher(!?). It turns out the connection between these artists is behind the scenes, as the session players and studios behind much of seventies southern rock (namely Muscle Shoals, but also studios in Memphis and Nashville) had a hand in much of the country and soul production of the fifties and sixties. So this is more of a primer of the development of a regional sound, which comes across sound-wise as the peak of country crossover meets the roots of seventies rock, with the crossover acts edging towards rock, and the rock acts showing there mellower side. But it's all deep cuts here, no "Sweet Home Alabama", thankfully. Though some artists we thought should have been included are only represented through cover versions, which explains the presence of Cher who covers Dr. John's "I Walk On Gilded Splinters". But we were very happy to see Bobbie Gentry getting some love with three songs included. Often relegated to one hit wonder status, she made several great records with some of the finest southern production there is.
So those looking for more hell-raising, whisky drinking boogie rock, this might not be the comp for you. But those who dig the brilliance of southern studio production, this has that in spades! Here is a complete artist list: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Barefoot Jerry, Joe South, Bobbie Gentry, Area Code 615, Allman Brothers, Cher, Cowboy, Link Wray, Boz Scaggs, Leon Russell, Tony Joe White, Dan Penn, Linda Ronstadt, Big Star, Travis Wammack, Johnny Cash, and Billy Vera. Comes with a 68 page full color booklet chock full of pictures and history of this prolific musical region.
MPEG Stream: AREA CODE 615 "Stone Fox Chase"
MPEG Stream: CHER "I Walk On Gilded Splinters"
MPEG Stream: LINK WRAY "Be What You want To"
MPEG Stream: LYNYRD SKYNYRD "Comin' Home"
MPEG Stream: LEON RUSSELL "Out In The Woods"
MPEG Stream: BAREFOOT JERRY "Come To Me Tonight"
MPEG Stream: DUANE & GREGG ALLMAN "Morning Dew"
MPEG Stream: BOBBIE GENTRY "Mississippi Delta"

V/A Demonic Freak Scene (Time Bomb) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Total demonic freakbeat garage rock heaven! This disc has had everyone at AQ bouncing and bopping. We're all gonna go out and get skull and crossbones tattoos, shag haircuts and Voxx guitars. Seriously. This is a super wild garage fuzz blowout. Lots of customers in the store assumed this was some old old reissue, but figured it couldn't be cuz it sounded so good. But that should give you an idea of how great this comp is. Classic and old school sounding but at the same time super modern and rocking. We originally wanted to track this comp down when we discovered that Japanoise legend Masonna had a garage rock band ACID Eater, a sort-of spin off of his psychedelic noise combo Christine 23 Onna, but once we finally did get these in, we ended up digging all the bands equally.
ACID Eater is probably the heaviest of the bunch, a fuzzed out outer space graveyard blast of super blown out fuzz guitar, chaotic caveman drumming, killer Fuzztones style organ and superdistorted vocals, all wrapped in some freaked out far-out FX, a freakfuzz reverb that occasionally spin the vocals into oblivion like some weird garage dub, but other than that, this is surprisingly un-NOISEY and sort of straight ahead, but still super fierce and in-the-red. All four tracks are recorded ultra hot, so it feels like you're in some tiny sweaty underground club, pressed right up against the P.A. getting drenched in sweat and beer and getting blasted with a thick wall of full on garage RAWK!
Then there's The Go-Devils, an all female garage rock combo, with murky buzzy riffing, droning organs, and lazy drawled vocals, with some sixties girl group background vocals, super fuzzy with tribal drumming and some seriously catchy hooks, we even hear a little Redd Kross in there, must be the sort of psychedelic sixties vibe.
Finally there's the Bai Tones or the Bait Ones, sort of hard to tell from the album art, who are definitely the weirdest of the three, whose sound is sort of lazy and laid back, droney and midtempo. A sort of slithery stomp, with plenty of strange guitars, abstract riffs, wild harmonica, drawled distorted vocals and some super weird, distinctly un-garage rock-like droney buzzy parts, each song is dripping with dirgey swampy buzzy garage rock murk...SO KILLER. Makes us feel like it's 1982 and we're in some sleazy little dive, bouncing and dancing and sweating and going completely and gloriously deaf.
We're not always huge into garage rock, but all three of these bands totally and completely knocked us on our asses!! SO RECOMMENDED.
MPEG Stream: ACID EATER "A.C.I.D."
MPEG Stream: THE GO DEVILS "Hairy One"
MPEG Stream: BAIT ONES "Teenage Hate"

V/A Dervish Ceremonies (New Earth) cd 15.98

V/A Des Jeunes Gens Modernes (Naive ) 2cd 25.00
Just a month or so ago we listed the vinyl version of fantastic collection. Most of us picked it up, and we're probably going to do the same with this expanded double cd version as well. Afterall, the lp (already now gone and out of print, boo hoo) was great, but the vibrant and prolific scene that it showcases can hardly be summed up in just one disc! If you have the vinyl, the good news is that you have the vinyl, which, well, totally rules. The bad news is that the extra tracks on here are even better, and now you're going to want this too! End Data's "Jungle Soho," MKB Fraction Provisoire's "Fights in Technonights," and Martin Dupont's "Just Because" alone can sell this compilation. Ahhh! Truth be told, this is probably - if not definitely - the absolute best grouping of late '70s/early '80s French post-punk, cold-wave, new-wave, whatever we've ever heard. So, if you have even a passing interest in this type of music, welcome home. Here's what we said about the vinyl version:
If you've been keeping up with the fairly recent wave of late '70s, early '80s French post-punk and new wave experimentation, then you're definitely going to need this. Des Jeunes Gens Modernes - Modern Young People - oscillates between the pop electronics of Ruth and the angular guitar stabs of Metal Urbain. Officially, the compilation is in conjunction with a show at the Agnes B gallery in Paris, but for those of us too far to just stop by, this is the next best thing. Also, we've got to admit, college was a long time ago, and our French is pretty rusty. So, attempting to decipher the fold-up insert was a bit of a challenge, and instead of potentially embarrassing ourselves we'll just tell you that it's there. In addition to the bands mentioned above, there are some other rare favorites on here. Guerre Froide, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, and Charles de Goal all make appearances. You may remember Guerre Froide's "Demain Berlin" from the Flexi-Pop series, as well as the band Visible. If nothing else, let it be known: GF's absolutely anthemic and completely amazing "Ersatz" is finally available again! That alone makes this worth buying! For sure one of the better, if not the best, of the whole early '80s French electronic/punk revival compilations. If you've got any interest at all in that scene then you need to pick this up pronto, because there's no telling when half of these tracks will be available again!
MPEG Stream: END OF DATA " Jungle Soho"
MPEG Stream: MARTIN DUPONT " Just Because"

V/A Des Jeunes Gens Modernes (Naive ) lp 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If you've been keeping up with the fairly recent wave of late '70s, early '80s French post-punk and new wave experimentation, then you're definitely going to need this. Des Jeunes Gens Modernes - Modern Young People - oscillates between the pop electronics of Ruth and the angular guitar stabs of Metal Urbain. Officially, the compilation is in conjunction with a show at the Agnes B gallery in Paris, but for those of us too far to just stop by, this is the next best thing. Also, we've got to admit, college was a long time ago, and our French is pretty rusty. So, attempting to decipher the fold-up insert was a bit of a challenge, and instead of potentially embarrassing ourselves we'll just tell you that it's there. In addition to the bands mentioned above, there are some other rare favorites on here. Guerre Froide, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, and Charles de Goal all make appearances. You may remember Guerre Froide's "Demain Berlin" from the Flexi-Pop series, as well as the band Visible. If nothing else, let it be known: GF's absolutely anthemic and completely amazing "Ersatz" is finally available again! That alone makes this worth buying! For sure one of the better, if not the best, of the whole early '80s French electronic/punk revival compilations. If you've got any interest at all in that scene then you need to pick this up pronto, because there's no telling when half of these tracks will be available again!
MPEG Stream: END OF DATA " Jungle Soho"
MPEG Stream: MARTIN DUPONT " Just Because"

V/A Destroyers From The Western Skies (As Night Devours The Sun) (Kill Zone) cd 14.98
There was a time, not so long ago, when any self respecting metalhead would have scoffed at a black metal band from the United States. If it wasn't Scandanavian who gave a shit. Sure there were a few bands from Germany or Poland, even the UK, but the US seemed to have nothing to offer in terms of pure grim cult black metal. Well, plenty has changed, and now it seems, outside of a handful of bands from elsewhere, a lot of the truly important, personal and risk taking BM bands come from the US. In fact a good handful of our favorite BM comes from right here in California. If you've been following the AQ list, you've probably become plenty obsessed with the likes of Xasthur, Leviathan, Draugar and Inquisition. And rightfully so. In terms of black metal, these bands have been taking the sound of classic black metal and twisting it to suit their own devices, whether it's Leviathan's post rock flecked avant garde weirdness, or Draugar's demented brain melting confusional freak out, or Xasthur's doomy ultra depressive moodiness, they all offer totally unique and highly personal musical visions filtered through each group's singular perception of what black metal is and sounds like. But outside of black metal, each of these bands is making a wholly unique sound, a dark and dangerous outsider art, based in black metal certainly, but offering up totally original, bizarre and beautiful slabs of droney, dirgey, pummeling, pounding, ambient, abstract musical vision. Most black metal aficionados will no doubt be familiar with many of these bands, but those of you who can't get enough of all the above mentioned bands might find some new bands to obsess over. Mostly exclusive tracks from Leviathan, Xasthur (a Manes cover!), Draugar, Krieg, Azrael, Demoncy, Inquisition, Teratism, Thralldom, Cobalt, Engorge, Typhus, Summon, Bahimiron, Kult Ov Azazel, Harvist and Hordes Of The Lunar Eclipse.
MPEG Stream: XASTHUR "Maane's Natt"
MPEG Stream: LEVIATHAN "Hissing And Sullen"
MPEG Stream: DRAUGAR "Running From Us"