WHITE MAGIC Dat Rosa Mel Apibus (Drag City) cd 14.98
Ever since Mira Billotte hit the scene with her sister Christina in the band Quix*O*Tic several years ago she has been a force to be reckoned with. Blessed with an amazing voice that cuts right through into your soul and gives you goosebumps all over.
Her debut as White Magic, an e.p. titled Through The Sun Door, from a few years back took the more fantastical and ethereal side of Quix*O*Tic to exciting new heights. When White Magic toured for that record on the west coast they opened for Ghost and put on one of the most jaw-dropping performances we had ever seen. To this day, people who were there continue to talk about the fact that they got to witness something so special. Admirers like Joanna Newsom, Vetiver and Brightblack were all in attendance dancing their hearts out to White Magic's rich, commanding sounds. Fast forward a few years and we still only had that great show and that same handful of songs from the e.p. No full length, as well as rumors that there might never be one, and just two new songs on a Tylenol promotional cd (yes the pain medicine), a split with American Analog Set to tide us over. As our patience began to fade, we finally heard the news we had been waiting for, a new full length was on the way. Dat Rosa Mel Apibus is our reward for waiting so long and so patiently. And it was well worth it. With members of The Dirty Three and Gang Gang Dance, Mira was able to craft a record that resonates with a deep strength and an intense presence. The kind of record that is of course fun to listen to, but it's when you really allow yourself to enter its world when the real magic happens. Songs that suck you right into their raging emotional storm. Melodies that wrap themselves around your brain and tie your stomach up in knots. Like Bjork and Joanna Newsom, White Magic possess that same kind of singular voice and vision that makes their songs resonate with a long lasting power and a deep emotional resonance. So good.
MPEG Stream: "The Light"
MPEG Stream: "Sun Song"
MPEG Stream: "Song Of Solomon"

WHITE MAGIC Dat Rosa Mel Apibus (Drag City) 2lp 19.98
Ever since Mira Billotte hit the scene with her sister Christina in the band Quix*O*Tic several years ago she has been a force to be reckoned with. Blessed with an amazing voice that cuts right through into your soul and gives you goosebumps all over.
Her debut as White Magic, an e.p. titled Through The Sun Door, from a few years back took the more fantastical and ethereal side of Quix*O*Tic to exciting new heights. When White Magic toured for that record on the west coast they opened for Ghost and put on one of the most jaw-dropping performances we had ever seen. To this day, people who were there continue to talk about the fact that they got to witness something so special. Admirers like Joanna Newsom, Vetiver and Brightblack were all in attendance dancing their hearts out to White Magic's rich, commanding sounds. Fast forward a few years and we still only had that great show and that same handful of songs from the e.p. No full length, as well as rumors that there might never be one, and just two new songs on a Tylenol promotional cd (yes the pain medicine), a split with American Analog Set to tide us over. As our patience began to fade, we finally heard the news we had been waiting for, a new full length was on the way. Dat Rosa Mel Apibus is our reward for waiting so long and so patiently. And it was well worth it. With members of The Dirty Three and Gang Gang Dance, Mira was able to craft a record that resonates with a deep strength and an intense presence. The kind of record that is of course fun to listen to, but it's when you really allow yourself to enter its world when the real magic happens. Songs that suck you right into their raging emotional storm. Melodies that wrap themselves around your brain and tie your stomach up in knots. Like Bjork and Joanna Newsom, White Magic possess that same kind of singular voice and vision that makes their songs resonate with a long lasting power and a deep emotional resonance. So good.
MPEG Stream: "The Light"
MPEG Stream: "Sun Song"
MPEG Stream: "Song Of Solomon"

WHITE MAGIC Katie Cruel (Drag City) cdep 5.98
You know you must be just a little bit obsessed and seriously dying for new material by a band when two little songs are more than enough to tide you over! And that's precisely the case with this new 2 song single from White Magic. Their debut (also an ep) came out a few years back (and is now out of print!), and we've been waiting not so patiently for anything, a full length would have been ideal, but we can make do with this kick ass single!
Their debut ep had to be one of the best things EVER. Mostly the brainchild of Mira Billotte, who spent some time in an equally great band with her sister called Quix*o*tic. Mira has one of the most chilling and beautiful voices in indie rock without a doubt. The kind of voice that holds you down and forces you to surrender to its warmth and mystery. While folks like Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom have garnered most of the attention, it's only a matter of time before the world catches on to the White Magic.
These two songs are such a gorgeously cruel tease, while we are forced to continue waiting as patiently as we can. The first song is their version of "Katie Cruel", an amazing arrangement of a classic traditional we fell in love with after hearing Karen Dalton do it, but the White Magic version might be even better! After that, it's "Hold Your Hand In The Dark" a stunning original with immaculate piano playing and once again THAT voice, so effortlessly giving us chills and the grandest of goosebumps.
MPEG Stream: "Katie Cruel"
MPEG Stream: "Hold Your Hand In The Dark"

WHITE MAGIC New Egypt (Latitudes 0:13) (Latitudes / Southern) cd ep 13.98
It's almost impossible to keep ourselves still and write about this new White Magic release as every time we listen to it all we want to do is spin and jump around. We've only had New Egypt in our hands and ears for a week now but we've already lost count of how many times we've pressed repeat to hear this ten minute track over and over again. Like some kind of amazing mantra on love, hope, paranoia and what the future could hold, this is White Magic at their fiery and feverish best!
Taking some of the ingredients of what was previously our favorite White Magic song "One-Note" from their Through The Sun Door debut over four years ago and stretching it out with even more dynamics, more fire and a dizzying spell that casts its magic in such physical ways. What separates White Magic from the psychedelic folk masses is that they create music that actually creates a strong physical sensation as well as tapping into emotional realms. It's impossible to listen to "New Egypt" and not have your body start responding physically to the sounds, it's perfect for strapping on headphones and taking on the city and walking faster and with more purpose than ever before.
We'd been hearing that this was supposed to come out for several months, but somehow the timing of it finally arriving now seems so perfect for the crisp October air, as this really sounds like a ceremonial offering to the season of fall. There is a flame ignited at the core of what White Magic creates that's truly connected to all the Earth elements while still inhabiting a space that's filled with intriguing mystique. Make sure to play this one loud as we've found it resonates with such striking glory when it blasts through our skin and inhabits both the inner and outer realms of our psyche.
Packaged with the latitudes series usual classy cardboard aesthetic with a gold embossed pyramid on the cover giving a clue to the transcendental song that is within! While this one is a bit pricey for its length coming it at over a dollar a minute, the song makes that math equation a no-brainer as it really is a priceless gem!
MPEG Stream: "New Egypt"

WHITE MAGIC New Egypt (Latitudes 0:13) (Latitudes / Southern) lp 15.98
FINALLY AVAILABLE ON VINYL!! And like all Latitudes releases (especially lps), super limited! Here's our review of New Egypt from when we first had the cd...
It's almost impossible to keep ourselves still and write about this new White Magic release as every time we listen to it all we want to do is spin and jump around. We've only had New Egypt in our hands and ears for a week now but we've already lost count of how many times we've pressed repeat to hear this ten minute track over and over again. Like some kind of amazing mantra on love, hope, paranoia and what the future could hold, this is White Magic at their fiery and feverish best!
Taking some of the ingredients of what was previously our favorite White Magic song "One-Note" from their Through The Sun Door debut over four years ago and stretching it out with even more dynamics, more fire and a dizzying spell that casts its magic in such physical ways. What separates White Magic from the psychedelic folk masses is that they create music that actually creates a strong physical sensation as well as tapping into emotional realms. It's impossible to listen to "New Egypt" and not have your body start responding physically to the sounds, it's perfect for strapping on headphones and taking on the city and walking faster and with more purpose than ever before.
We'd been hearing that this was supposed to come out for several months, but somehow the timing of it finally arriving now seems so perfect for the crisp October air, as this really sounds like a ceremonial offering to the season of fall. There is a flame ignited at the core of what White Magic creates that's truly connected to all the Earth elements while still inhabiting a space that's filled with intriguing mystique. Make sure to play this one loud as we've found it resonates with such striking glory when it blasts through our skin and inhabits both the inner and outer realms of our psyche.
Packaged in one of those immediately recognizable black and white 12"s Latitudes sleeves with full color insert. And since it's only one song, the flipside is the SAME song, only the vinyl has been cut so the record plays from the inside out, plus al the stuff on the label is reversed too. Cool!
MPEG Stream: "New Egypt"

WHITE MAGIC Through The Sun Door (Drag City) cd ep 11.98
Somehow we'd gotten the mistaken impression that White Magic featured the vocals of Christina Billotte (Slant 6, Quix*o*tic, Casual Dots)...even listening to it didn't dispell that notion. That's 'cause the singer on this is actually Mira Billotte, Christina's sister, who's also in Quix*o*tic too. Her unlike-anyone-but-her-sister vocals are accompanied by her guitar and piano, plus the guitar and drums and handclaps of a couple other folks. There's six songs on this mini-album debut, mostly of artsy, moody, even a little bit bluesy indie-folk, culminating in the Heart-like rock finale of "Apocalypse".
MPEG Stream: "Keeping The Wolves From The Door"
MPEG Stream: "Apocalypse"

WHITE MAGIC Through The Sun Door (Drag City) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Somehow we'd gotten the mistaken impression that White Magic featured the vocals of Christina Billotte (Slant 6, Quix*o*tic, Casual Dots)...even listening to it didn't dispell that notion. That's 'cause the singer on this is actually Mira Billotte, Christina's sister, who's also in Quix*o*tic too. Her unlike-anyone-but-her-sister vocals are accompanied by her guitar and piano, plus the guitar and drums and handclaps of a couple other folks. There's six songs on this mini-album debut, mostly of artsy, moody, even a little bit bluesy indie-folk, culminating in the Heart-like rock finale of "Apocalypse".
MPEG Stream: "Keeping The Wolves From The Door"
MPEG Stream: "Apocalypse"

WHITE MEDAL Chance (Rebirth) / Northern Mist (Ravens Dusk) (Grief Foundation) 7" 8.98
White Medal! What an awesome name for a metal band. Not to be confused with white metal, or unblack metal, this is not any sort of Christian metal, this is some twisted damaged doom-ed blackened heaviness the likes of which we've never really heard before.
This stripped down UK horde, open up proceedings with gentle clean guitar, minor key melodies, a bit of dreamy drift, until the track explodes into a hyper distorted blown out chugfest, super stripped down and raw, but SO distorted, it was a bit difficult to tell if the band was plodding along doomily or blasting furiously, just a massive blown out rrrooooaaaaar. The drums pound away beneath an epic metallic riff that churns and throbs, slathered in blistering distortion, the sound almost more like Godflesh or Pitchshifter than black metal, too hot and loud to be lo-fi but the same sort of texture and timbre. Keyboards (it sounds like keyboards) enter the fray and the track builds to some sort of total majestic metal blow out. Like Godspeed versus Bone Awl or something.
The flipside starts with some static high end guitar buzz, and just like the A side, the song erupts into a furious chaotic pound, the sound on this side much more distinctly fast and blackened, but with the same super saturated ultra distorted guitar, buried drums and shrieked vocals, there are a few tranquil moments, the guitar still distorted and buzzy, just sort of hovering dreamily before the band launches back in.
The label compares this to stuff like Bone Awl, Ildjarn, Ancestors and stuff like that, and while we do hear a bit of that, the sound is also massive and majestic, making us think of bands like Godspeed, Menace Ruine and a bit of that postrockmetaldrone we dig so much. WAY recommended.
LIMITED of course, packaged in cool hand screened sleeves.

WHITE MEDAL Tread The Earth: Demo 08 (Grief Foundation) cassette + patch 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The return of White Medal. And that's MEDAL not METAL. There's nothing god fearing or white or light or positive or hopeful about the sound this grim horde spew forth. We had their 7" a while back, and it was a primo slab of blown out almost industrial sounding blackness. Like a black metal Godflesh, crossed with maybe some of the more raw stuff like Bone Awl or Ash Pool, but with a bit of post rock epic-ness mixed in. Not sure how all that stuff worked together but it did. We dug it big time.
So now here's release number two, this time a super limited cassette / patch combo, limited to 100 copies, and finds the band going in a bit more of a raw, old school black metal direction. Beginning with an awesome washed out creepy ambient intro, all clean guitar shimmer and dark moody creep, the band soon launch into a full on buzzy pound, the guitars murky and muddy, the drums a buried in the mix plod, the vocals weirdly effected, the whole thing gloriously gurgly and lo-fi, almost d-beat sounding at times, with some cool languid and woozy folky interludes.
The flip side is much more frenzied and furious and somehow even more-lo-fi, total washed out black buzz murk, everything wreathed in hiss and distortion and buried in an all mids and lows and no highs mix, making the sound almost sludgey and doomy even though the band is blasting frantically. So blurred and smeared, that the buzz and blast gets smudged into droning epic blackness, that occasionally slips back into crunch and chug, but more often swirls and shimmers, if the sound was even a tiny bit more washed out or even a little bit more lo-fi this could have ended up an awesome blackdrone record. Killer stuff. We definitely need to hear a full length from these guys one of these days.
Comes with a cool cassette sized embroidered black and white patch, featuring the band name, the legend: Tread The Earth, and a cool image of a strange skeletal figure wielding a scythe over a garden of what appears to be body parts.
LIMITED TO 100 COPIES!!!!!! We got about 20, and after that we will not be able to get more.

WHITE MICE ASSPhIXXXEATATESHUN (Load) cd 13.98

WHITE MICE Excreamantraintraveinanus (Blossoming Noise) cd 14.98

WHITE NOISE An Electric Storm (Island UK) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
White Noise's first album has long been one of the holy grails for kosmische / space rock collectors. Kinda strange, actually, 'cause it's actually more on the "exotica" silly Moog side of things, as opposed to a Klause Schultze or Conrad Schnitzler production... Released in 1968 on Island in a total vacuum, "An Electric Storm" could be a Perrey & Kingsley soundtrack to a Radley Metzger soft-core porn film with twee psyche pop vocal melodies (a la Beach Boys, Free Design, Monkeys) topped off with lots of wacky electronic squiggles that originated in the BBC's radio phonic workshop (home of the Dr. Who title track). White Noise's mastermind David Vorhaus keeps things pretty surreal with a track based around the recordings made at a orgy and with a precursor to the John Balance vocal mumbles about how "darkness was enshrouded by darkness and the darkness was deadeningly dark."

WHITE OUT WITH JIM O'ROURKE Drunken Little Mass (Ecstatic Peace) cd 13.98
Well it's got Jim O'Rourke on it, and that's really all that matters, right? But if you need to know more, this is the second album from improv group White Out, consisting of downtown NYC avant-musicians Lin Culbertson (analog synth, etc.) and Tom Surgal (drums/percussion). For this disc, they've invited maestro O'Rourke to sit in with his guitar and Powerbook. The result ranges from the spacey to the noisy, the crazed to the kinda quite lovely. Recorded in one take with no overdubs or studio effects, so there. For fans of experimental free non-jazz non-rock stuff...

WHITE RAINBOW Prism Of Eternal Now (Kranky) cd 14.98
If there's any justice in this world, it should be anytime now that Adam Forkner becomes a household name, well at least in houses that care about awesome underground music. His past bands, Yume Bitsu, Surface Of Eceyon and the ambitious project [[[[VVRSSNN]]]] all had amazing moments that swept us away, but we think it's in his newest incarnation as White Rainbow that he's truly tapped into some serious musical magic.
Much like his recent collaboration with Honey Owens for the limited cd-r by their duo World, Forkner has found a way to stretch out his sounds and tap into something transcendent. With it's Dr. Brommers inspired manic packaging, and it's equally metaphysical title, this is a record whose sounds are well able to back up the mysterious belief system its entire aura points at. Channeling the living spirit of folks like Terry Riley and LaMonte Young, Prism Of Eternal Now is not merely just a tribute to those icons but living proof of how their influence has touched and inspired a younger generation of musicians aiming to create dense, enchanting, and alive sounds.
The album reveals many different shades of Forkner's musical explorations. From the dreamy, subdued and shoegazey side to the active, relentless and spacious. This is music to get lost in, lost to and lost with. The kind of record you put on and that immediately has you drifting off in a million different directions. Forkner has made his own brilliant Rainbow In Curved Air for a new generation. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Pulses"
MPEG Stream: "For Terry"
MPEG Stream: "Mystic Prism"

WHITE ROCK Tarpit (Troubleman) cd 13.98
We've had this here for ages, but somehow, with all of records we have to review every couple weeks we only got around to listening to this a few days ago, and now that we have, we're really not sure how it slipped by us, being as we, like a lot of you, certainly do enjoy our daily dose of NWOUSFD. For those of you who don't know what that is, which would most likely be ALL of you since I just made it up, NWOUSFD stands for New Wave Of U.S. Free Drone and counts among it's main practitioners the Double Leopards, Skaters, Davenport, GHQ, Yellow Swans, Mouthus and the like. White Rock just so happen to be 2 parts Double Leopards and 2 parts Mouthus, the result being what you might imagine would be the perfect mix of the two. And truth be told, it's one of the best drone records we've heard in ages. But this isn't that sort of clinical ultra minimal drone, or even that organic slow moving pristine drone, no this is a ramshackle late night druggy abstract sort of drone, the kind of drone that could only come from your favorite Skullflower tape or Vibracathedral Orchestra tape or that very special tenth generation Hototogisu cassette you've had forever, left on the dash of your car in the hot sun for weeks and weeks, then left in the back pocket of your pants or in your bag or in the pocket of your jacket for the entirety of a three week road trip, during which time it gets wet, wrinkled and covered in sand only to be discoverd on your return home, where as you immediately throw it into your beat up old hand me down boombox, the one with the dying batteries and the blown speakers, you push play, using a piece of duct tape to hold down the button, and the sound that comes out is a gloriously gurgling murky morass of fuzzy, rumbling sludgy, crumbling drone. Two twenty plus minute tracks of instrumental ambience, with guitar grime spread like a thick paste over a rickety background of swirls and squalls, a foggy grey haze draped over streaks of subterranean gloom, bits of percussion surface, but it's as if they have corroded or melted to the point of being dull and worn and rounded smooth, a series of thumps and mumbles, angular but with all the jagged edges rubbed away, each beat and shuffle held under water, the rhythm bubbling up as a barely audible muted thrum, clang and clatter as heard through ears full of wet cotton. So delicate and beautiful but so ominous and creepy. There's a harsh grinding industrial edge, but it's being brodcast from a mile away, heard as echoes and reflections, each sound beginning to fray and distort as it travels over hills and through trees, obscured by clouds and falling ever so gradually earthward, each more and more indistinct, the sound dissipating into a late night soporific throb and whir, a sweetly suffocating stretch of thick nebulous sound that lays atop you like a warm wet blanket. So so nice.
MPEG Stream: "Untitled"

WHITE STAINS Exploratorium (Eroto Tox Decodings) cd 14.98
Back in stock!
While it's been noted that White Stains began in the mid-'80s as a garage band out of Sweden, the earliest known recordings of the group were inextricably linked to Genesis P-Orridge, as a couple of the White Stains members had founded a Swedish chapter of P-Orridge's Temple of Psychick Youth. By 1994, White Stains had decided to call it quits, leaving behind a series of dark electronic eccentricities over the course of 5 albums, including one album in the legendary Anckarstrom series which included exceptional releases from The Hafler Trio, John Duncan, Arcane Device, Zbigniew Karkowski, Phauss, and the Sons of God. Exploratorium is a collection of their more esoteric and abstract recordings, many of which had originated as soundtracks to experimental films and a couple of tracks from that Anckarstrom album. White Stains infuse an absurdly darkened glee to their synthesizer driven tunes, resembling the clunky fumble of Hans Edler or Keuhkot with plenty of Teutonic militant Der Blutharsch-esque overtones.
MPEG Stream: "Nela Chela"
MPEG Stream: "Power Trippin' Blues"

WHITE STRIPES De Stijl (V2) cd 14.98
White Stripes = Mr. Jack White (of The Go on vocals, guitar, piano) and Ms Meg (percussion). Although the sleeve design and photos stylistically suggest a more mod candy-striped music direction, this is bare-bones blues with riffin' and slidin' swerve around wheezing harmonica, spartan piano and violin. Quite good, indeed.

WHITE STRIPES Elephant (V2) cd 17.98
Ahhh the new long awaited White Stripes major label debut! At first listen I was scared that this was gonna be too slick 'n' radio friendly but I thought it would grow on me, and it did. It's really great. I can appreciate the tough position the band must have been in what with all the hype and expectations, and really they did a good job of keeping their charming qualities yet moving forward and doing new stuff, ya know 'evolving'. My (Sadie's) favorite record is still De Stijl for the stripped down bluesiness of it, but I am listening to this one over and over cuz it's new, and damn good too. The songs range from stadium rockesque guitar wankyness to simple simple stripped down rawness. The lyrics are clever and sweet yet mean as always. One song is sung by a girl whom I assume is Meg. Then there's this really funny track with both Meg and Jack White and guest Holly Golightly doing this lil' conversational piece. Kinda silly but I still eat it up. And a Bacharach cover, "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself". There's not much more to say really, if you are a White Stripes fan, and there are so many of us you probably are one, you won't be disappointed!
MPEG Stream: "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself"
MPEG Stream: "I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart"

WHITE STRIPES Get Behind Me Satan (V2) cd 17.98
Yay! The new album from Meg and Jack. Well of course this bad boy's gonna sell gadzillions of copies without any help from us, so this review is more of a cursory first impression kinda thing, more of a formality than anything else. But in case you care, the consensus here is that this is indeed pretty dang great! Get Behind Me Satan sure enough sounds like the White Stripes we all know and love. Not sure if it beats out their last one Elephant in any way, but it doesn't disappoint either. Andee thinks that it sounds like the 'Stripes are really channelling Led Zep 3 here... it's kinda acousticky, and Jack's doin' some Robert Plant for sure. Standout tracks (at first listen or three) include "Take Take Take" (which we all keep singing) and riffy opener/single "Blue Orchid".
MPEG Stream: "The Denial Twist"
MPEG Stream: "Take, Take, Take"

WHITE STRIPES s/t (V2/Sympathy For The Record Industry) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Meg and Jack's debut!

WHITE STRIPES White Blood Cells (V2/Sympathy For The Record Industry) cd 17.98
Ummm, can't say much about this band other than they're getting tons of press and are selling out venues like the Fillmore. People love 'em and Jack White's certainly got a great voice, and he's a lot less annoying and attitudinal than his contemporary-in-sound Jon Spencer, but I think I'm missing something here. Or maybe not. Upon listening to "White Blood Cells" (their hotly awaited third album) I put aside any preconceived opinion of how I thought I was supposed to react to the music and realized that it isn't the songwriting (good, garagey Detroit-style stomp) so much as it is the Iggy-tastic enthusiasm and love of making music that makes the White Stripes incredible. And I think it shows, just listen to the music -- it's not bad, but not the second coming either, but it definitely rocks. It makes you want to drink beer and fuck shit up. Just like rock n' roll should.
RealAudio clip: "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"
RealAudio clip: "Hotel Yorba"

WHITE STRIPES White Blood Cells (Sympathy For The Record Industry) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ummm, can't say much about this band other than they're getting tons of press and are selling out venues like the Fillmore. People love 'em and Jack White's certainly got a great voice, and he's a lot less annoying and attitudinal than his contemporary-in-sound Jon Spencer, but I think I'm missing something here. Or maybe not. Upon listening to "White Blood Cells" (their hotly awaited third album) I put aside any preconceived opinion of how I thought I was supposed to react to the music and realized that it isn't the songwriting (good, garagey Detroit-style stomp) so much as it is the Iggy-tastic enthusiasm and love of making music that makes the White Stripes incredible. And I think it shows, just listen to the music -- it's not bad, but not the second coming either, but it definitely rocks. It makes you want to drink beer and fuck shit up. Just like rock n' roll should.

WHITE STRIPES White Blood Cells (V2) cd + DVD 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Following the growing trend of recent albums being reissued with bonus material (dvds, videos, extra tracks, etc), V2 offers up a new run of the White Stripes' third album with a bonus dvd. Why? Because V2 are nice, generous folks? To extend the life of a popular album a little longer? Hmmm. Regardless, fans of Meg and Jack, here for you is the White Blood Cells cd with a dvd containing two "previously unreleased" extra tracks (actually they should instead be called "rare" 'cuz one of the songs "Lafayette Blues" was actually previously released and re-released on a 7", while the other "Hand Springs" was also formerly available on 7" and a compilation - I guess V2 didn't consider those to be officially "released") and four videos ("Hotel Yorba", "Fell In Love With A Girl", Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground", and "We're Going To Be Friends"). As for the album itself here's what we had to say about it last year when it was initially released:
People love 'em and Jack White's certainly got a great voice, and he's a lot less annoying and attitudinal than his contemporary-in-sound Jon Spencer, but I think I'm missing something here. Or maybe not. Upon listening to "White Blood Cells" (their hotly awaited third album) I put aside any preconceived opinion of how I thought I was supposed to react to the music and realized that it isn't the songwriting (good, garagey Detroit-style stomp) so much as it is the Iggy-tastic enthusiasm and love of making music that makes the White Stripes incredible. And I think it shows, just listen to the music -- it's not bad, but not the second coming either, but it definitely rocks. It makes you want to drink beer and fuck shit up. Just like rock n' roll should.
RealAudio clip: "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"
RealAudio clip: "Hotel Yorba"

WHITE STRIPES, THE De Stijl (Third Man / Warner) cd 12.98

WHITE STRIPES, THE Elephant (Third Man / Warner) cd 13.98

WHITE STRIPES, THE Get Behind Me Satan (Third Man / Warner) cd 14.98

WHITE STRIPES, THE Icky Thump (Warner Bros.) cd 16.98
It's hard to hate on a band as awesome as the White Stripes. So why bother?! If you're in the market for some slithery fuzzed out Zep infused garage rock stomp, can't do much better than the WS. Plus the title track is SO FUCKING GOOD, killer riff, crazy squiggly guitars, fractured synths, all wound up into a hook filled jam that DESTROYS. Dig it...
MPEG Stream: "Icky Thump"
MPEG Stream: "Conquest"
MPEG Stream: "St. Andrew (This Battle Is In The Air)"

WHITE STRIPES, THE Walking With A Ghost (V2) cd ep 6.98
Jack 'n' Meg fans, here's a lil' something to stuff in a stocking of someone near and dear (or of your very own)! Not sure why they chose to do so, but the duo have covered Canadian twin sisters Tegan and Sara's tune "Walking With A Ghost" and made it the title track of their latest release... and it's quite a different, strange and gnarly rendition if we do say so ourselves... but then again that might be a good or not so good thing depending on your particular palate. Also included are live versions of "Same Boy You've Always Known", "As Ugly As I Seem", "The Denial Twist" and "Screwdriver". Sure to please diehard fans, but it might not be the best place to start for someone who has yet to be White Striped.
MPEG Stream: "Walking With A Ghost"
MPEG Stream: "As Ugly As I Seem"

WHITE STRIPES, THE White Blood Cells (Third Man / Warner) cd 14.98

WHITE WHALE Wwi (Merge) cd 14.98

WHITE WINGED MOTH (Poon Village) cd 13.98
Solo project guitar from guitarist Dean Roberts of New Zealand's guitar/drone/pulse trio Thela. Poon Village delights us anew with lovely packaging, each sleeve is unique.

WHITE, JAMES Flaming Demons (Ze) cd 16.98

WHITE, JAMES AND THE BLACKS Off White (Ze) cd 16.98

WHITE, JIM Drill A Hole In That Substrate And Tell Me What You See (Luaka Bop) cd 16.98
Jim White's third album Drill A Hole In That Substrate And Tell Me What You See is brimming with warm, lovely songs (and it's also brimming with an unbelievable list of special guests... more on that later). Occasional atmospheric flutters of slide guitar slinks and horn flourishes mingle with White's smoky, achingly emotive vocals sorta like the more recent recordings by Calexico (he does bear a striking vocal resemblance to Calexico's lead singer Joey Burns), but when female vocals surface to join White's, the songs much more brings to mind Yo La Tengo's murmur-singing duo Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan. If you're familiar with either of those groups, you know they're superb company to keep, and actually the further into the album you go the more White leans into the more obtuse territory of Calexico's comrade Howe Gelb (just check out "Jesus Drove A Motorhome"). We should add however that although White's music may at times ring rather similarly to those artists', for the most part he definitely has his own thing goin' on. Sometimes soaring and elegant, sometimes lulling and earthy. Now, what about all those guest players that we alluded to earlier? Here goes: Aimee Mann, The Sadies, M. Ward, Bill Frisell, Joe Henry, Ralph Carney, Eyvind Kang and uh, the Barenaked Ladies. That's just scratching the surface. Plus it was produced by David Byrne. Wonderfully enveloping music for hideaway evenings far away from the hustle and bustle.
MPEG Stream: "Static On The Radio"
MPEG Stream: "If Jesus Drove A Motor Home"

WHITE, JIM Jim White Presents Music From Searching For The Wrong-Eyed Jesus (Luaka Bop) cd 16.98
Wow, this is fantastic! All on its own (i.e, even without the film for which it was made) Jim White's soundtrack to Searching For The Wrong-Eyed Jesus is one helluva stunning, evocative collection. The odd thing is, the film itself (by British filmmaker Andrew Douglas) was inspired by one of Jim White's previous albums. Funny how things come full circle, innit? Anyways, this will surely appeal to fans of Calexico and Giant Sand. The artists certainly weave similar musical tapestries, but whereas those Arizonans' music is drenched with Southwestern desert sunsets, Jim White's is conjured from the humid Deeep South. In addition to his own material, this cd includes songs by many AQ faves such as David Eugene Edwards of Sixteen Horsepower, Cat Power, Johnny Dowd, Maggie Brown, Handsome Family, Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, Lee Sexton, Trailer Bride's Melissa Swingle, David Johansen, Larry Saltzman, and spoken word from Harry Crews (one of Andee's favortie authors EVER!). Steeped in rich imagery with plenty of soul searching and haunting gothic chills, each individual artist's contribution converges magically with the rest, making for a deeply moving and cohesive aural journey. Really, if this soundtrack's impact is even a fraction of that of the film, we're gonna totally love it. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: WHITE, JIM "The Wound That Never Heals"
MPEG Stream: DOWD, JOHNNY WITH MAGGIE BROWN "First There Was"

WHITE, JIM Transnormal Skiperoo (Luaka Bop) cd 14.98

WHITE, SIMONE I Am The Man (Honest Jons) cd 17.98
Dreamy! Initially this struck us as being oh so very very adorable, but for those around here with a low tolerance for sugar its cumulative effect soon became too much. Their teeth started to hurt, and they fruitlessly tried to shield themselves in the metal section. Alright, that's an exaggeration! Simone White's voice is a little bit Regina Spektor and a little bit Sybille Baier and a little bit Rose Melberg. The production is seriously lux, with some of the nicest inclusion of brass instruments in a pop song we've heard in a long time. Everything is ultra soft and smooth. Hmmm, it's sort of Finchy too. Our only sticky point is that Ms White opts for a few lyrical trends that have become somewhat tired and overused, like uhh... anything about feathers! However, if you embrace your inner cute and twee darling self no matter what your age, this is so for you! Absolutely crushworthy!
MPEG Stream: "Roses Are Not Red"
MPEG Stream: "Sweetest Love Song"

WHITE, TONY JOE s/t (Sepia Tone) cd 13.98
This is a reissue of Tony White's second (or third?) solo album, and the one that is considered his best. A prolific songwriter (the stunning "Rainy Night in Georgia" as well as hits performed by everyone from Elvis to Etta James to Ray Charles), he's got this husky deep bass of a voice that he lets growl and croon over his own version of blues-based white soul. It's not blowing us away or anything, but it's good strong wellcrafted music.
RealAudio clip: "My Kind of Woman"

WHITEHEAD, PETER Now This (Out Of Round) cd 11.98
The local label Out of Round has been laboring quietly in the background, not calling a lot of attention to itself yet turning out record after record that are consistently of similar mood -- due to the fact that they all play on each others recordings. The homegrown label's "sound", then, is one of a grimy circus atmosphere, like Fellini's La Strada if it was set in some dusty corner of an urban American metropolis. There are lots of slowed down polkas and depressed waltz time-signatures, dour vocals, sad accordions, and dolefully plucked guitars. Great mood music for the Tom Waits fan in all of us who feels like Waits is just too hip for his own good these days.
Check out www.outofroundrecords.com -- we carry all of their releases. For a limited time only, get an Out of Round Records label sampler free with purchase any full length on the label.
Peter Whitehead is my favorite artist on the label. This Mission-ite is British-born and a cool instrument-maker, who croons downer vocals over otherworldy stringed instruments just "off"-sounding enough to be delightfully puzzling. Piano, mandolin, zither, siren, "spike fiddle", lyre. Very cool layers of lush metallic sounds acts as climaxes to his Michael-Stipe-like haunting verses.
RealAudio clip: "More"

WHITEHORSE Caverns (2005 Japanese Tour cd) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Record number two from Australian doom dirge juggernaut Whitehorse. And whaddaya know? It's another live record! But so what!?!? If they sound this heavy and this brutal live, why even bother going in the studio? In fact, we're sort of afraid of what might happen if these guys actually did make it into a studio. Not sure we could handle it! This is intense stuff. Massively heavy, so slow and plodding it's almost ambient, with huge stretches of near silence, while the crumbling remnants of the last riff drift earthward before the next riff comes crashing down. Shrieked inhuman screams, and plodding drum beats set at least a mile apart, moans and drifting guitars and cymbal sizzle drift like tendrils of black smoke between each Teutonic crush. Hell they even have a guy in the band credited with just "Rumblings." Fuck yeah! Think Khanate, Bunkur, Corrupted, Eyehategod. So so so good! Packaged in a beautifully printed oversized cardboard sleeve. And as always SUPER LIMITED!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Caverns"

WHITEHORSE Flames To Light The Way / Everything (Conspiracy) lp 29.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Our pals at Conspiracy Records, a label/distro based in Belgium, who in the past have brought us records by Boris, Jesu, Shora and more, are this year celebrating their 10 year anniversary. A decade of amazing music. From a bedroom based punk rock label, to one of Europe's most important and influential labels and distros, all we can say is HURRAY! And HUZZAH! It's always so exciting, when a bunch of folks get together to spread the word about great music, great WEIRD music, and survive, even thrive. Such is the case with Conspiracy. And as if that weren't already enough, just knowing that some great people were selling some amazing music, those sweeties at Conspiracy have decided to share the love with us. And you.
To celebrate their 10th anniversary, they've decided to do a super limited subscription series, 12 records over 12 months, each limited to somewhere between 200-500 copies, ONLY available to series subscribers. EXCEPT, they've decided to let AQ have 20 copies of each, we're the only store with copies of these subscriber only lps, and for a brief moment, we can offer them to you, our loyal AQ customers. Needless to say we are thrilled, as the series lineup reads like a who's who of AQ faves, as well as including a handful of lesser knowns. All pressed on super thick vinyl, and packaged in killer hand screened original art sleeves. But be warned, we only got 20 of each, and we will run out fast and we will not be able to get more. When we do run out, there is a chance you can still get one from Conspiracy direct, but what that means is act fast and prepare to leave empty handed.
Australia's masters of monstrous sludge return with an actual studio recording. Their first if we're not mistaken. After multiple live recordings, these guys finally made it into a studio and the result is much as we imagined. These guys are seriously heavy and frighteningly brutal! One side long epic, a massive slow build, like an apocalyptic metal tinged Godspeed, swirling cymbals, keening guitars, thick drifts of distorted fuzz, underneath gargled demonic vocals struggle to be heard above the swirling din, super abstract and nearly ambient, it takes almost half the side before the song kicks in properly and then you're done for. A slow motion math metal sludge jam of unprecedented proportions. Stumbling and crushing, swathed in space rock FX, sounding very Corrupted like, Whitehorse are an unstoppable dirge, with some wild off kilter drumming and strange arrangements, so strange in fact, that occasionally, the band bursts into spastic chaotic almost 'free' sonic freakouts, like Neurosis doing free jazz. Nicely compliments their unstoppable glacier like brutality. WOW.
Amazing cover art too, angular, black and gold metallic patterns, the same patterns are also silkscreened on the B side of the lp. Quite striking!

WHITEHORSE Live - Oct / Nov 2004 cd 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Falling somewhere between the ultra doom of Khanate, the metallic post rock pummel of Isis, and the shrieking feedback / bowel-loosening dirge of Earth / Sunn O))), Whitehorse kick up a serious racket. Rumbling ambient drones slip into screaming feedback which in turn become huge unstoppable walls of noise, occasionally interrupted by beautiful mellowed out melodic interludes. Crashing drums all over the place, high end guitar melodies shriek like sirens, and of course the howled hyper intense vocals add another layer of sonic skree to the mix. Recorded live, with a totally blown out, super distorted mix, that while losing a lot of the finer details, definitely makes the whole thing sound that much more aggro and chaotic and on the verge of total collapse. Seriously noisy and fierce as fuck. Can't wait to hear a studio record from these guys. But for now, this white hot blast of live fury will do just nicely. Packaged in a beautifully printed oversized cardboard sleeve, with some deranged apocalyptic liner note ramblings from artist Seldon Hunt.
MPEG Stream: "Ocean Turns To Black"

WHITEHORSE Live At Sinkagura, Osaka 29.06.2005 cd 9.98
In the review of the last Whitehorse cd, we went on a bit about their propensity for releasing eps, and live eps at that. And only a few days later we got a sheepish email from the band, seeing if we wanted copies of their new record, a live ep?!?! Arghhhh. Well, the band has promised us that next stop will be the studio for a proper studio recorded full length, but what the hell, another 30 plus minutes of soul crushing sludge can never be a bad thing, and in the case of Whitehorse it's a very very good thing indeed. This time, the live show in question took place in Japan, but the sound is not that far removed from the first two eps. A massive slow moving lumbering sludge metal behemoth, trudging through graveyards, and ruined villages, the depths of hell and everywhere in between. This two track set is actually a wee bit speedier than their other recordings, which is a lot like saying a turtle is a wee bit faster than a tortoise, as this is still slow motion tarpit doom, but the pace is not so funereal, instead the vibe is much more Eyehategod than Khanate this time around, still harsh and abrasive and brutally heavy, but there's almost a groove going on. Which definitely lends the proceedings a sort of stonery doom vibe. As always really fucking great! Fans of Corrupted, Khanate, Eyehategod, Bunkur, Moss and all that is slow and heavy will not be disappointed.
Packaged in a beautifully printed oversized cardboard sleeve. And of course, SUPER LIMITED!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Untitled (Live In Japan 2005)"

WHITEHORSE s/t (20 Buck Spin) 2cd 14.98
Finally, the first widely available full length (and then some!) cd release, after a handful of live eps, from Australia's masters of monstrous sludge, a double disc set collecting tons of previously released material from some of those long out of print cd-r's, a couple tracks from the long gone Conspiracy lp, and most importantly, a brand new studio recording in the form of the 22 minute track "The Unwelcome Return"! We'll get to that in a second, but first, a primer for those new to the downtuned brutality of Australia's Whitehorse, and folks who may have missed out .
Falling somewhere between the ultra doom of Khanate, the metallic post rock pummel of Isis, and the shrieking feedback / bowel-loosening dirge of Earth / SUNNO))), Whitehorse kick up a serious racket. Rumbling ambient drones slip into screaming feedback which in turn become huge unstoppable walls of noise, occasionally interrupted by beautiful mellowed out melodic interludes. Crashing drums all over the place, high end guitar melodies shriek like sirens, and of course the howled hyper intense vocals add another layer of sonic skree to the mix, plodding drum beats are set at least a mile apart, moans and drifting guitars and cymbal sizzle drift like tendrils of black smoke between each Teutonic crush. These guys are a massive slow moving lumbering sludge metal behemoth, trudging through graveyards, and ruined villages, the depths of hell and everywhere in between
Each track a massive slow build, like an apocalyptic metal tinged Godspeed, swirling cymbals, keening guitars, thick drifts of distorted fuzz, underneath gargled demonic vocals struggle to be heard above the swirling din, super abstract and nearly ambient, it takes forever before the songs kick in properly and then you're done for. Slow motion math metal sludge jams of unprecedented proportions. Stumbling and crushing, swathed in space rock FX, sounding very Corrupted like, an unstoppable dirge, with some wild off kilter drumming and strange arrangements, so strange in fact, that occasionally, the band bursts into spastic chaotic almost 'free' sonic freakouts, like Neurosis doing free jazz. Nicely compliments their unstoppable glacier like brutality. But the pace is not always so funereal the vibe is as much Eyehategod as it is Khanate, still harsh and abrasive and brutally heavy, but there's almost a groove going on here and there. Which definitely lends the proceedings a sort of stonery doom vibe. It's easy to hear bits of Corrupted, Khanate, Eyehategod, Bunkur, Moss and the like, but Whitehorse definitely add their own twisted slow motion spin.
A good chunk of this stuff is previously released. Avid AQ doomhounds may very well have 75% of this stuff, but odds are, due to the limited nature of the eps, and especially the Conspiracy lp (of which we only ever had 20 copies), a lot of you missed out on at least some of it. And besides all that, there's the brand new 20+ minute "The Unwelcome Return" to contend with... and whaddayaknow, another crushing, head caving slab of slow motion sonic dirgery, like Electric Wizard on some serious downers, spun at 16 rpm, a lumbering gargantuan crush, with a long stretch of swirling bass heavy ambience in the middle. A loping bassline amidst lowend rumbles and strange shuffling drumming, all wrapped in constantly shifting swells of white noise and buzzy hiss, before the whole track explodes again, trudging hellward and crushing every goddamn thing in its path. Including us. And we LOVE IT. 
Worshippers of all things doom and drone and sludge would do well to prostrate themselves before these mighty and unmerciful doomlords, and to welcome the oncoming sonic annihilation...
Packaged in a killer black on black, gloss on matte, mini gatefold lp style cd sleeve, with a full color insert!
MPEG Stream: "Fire To Light The Way"
MPEG Stream: "Everything Ablaze"

WHITEHOUSE Cruise (Susan Lawly) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yes, the notorious Whitehouse are still at it after twenty years. Love them or hate them, you've probably got a strong opinion about Whitehouse. While we at Aquarius do not necessarily agree with the lyrical content of past Whitehouse releases, some of us appreciate the *concept* of Whitehouse, William Bennett's realisation of "a sound that could bludgeon an audience into submission." On this, their sixteenth album, Whitehouse run the risk of losing some hardcore fanatics, while possibly gaining new ones. With the exception of the inclusion of "A Cunt Like You" (which can also be found on 1998's Mummy and Daddy), Cruise marks a new direction for Whitehouse. Tracks like "Princess Disease" and "Cruise (Force the Truth)" are atypically rhythmic, quite enjoyable in fact -- add some amen breaks and you've got the next DHR record! (Whitehouse Remixes, Alec???) Most notable about Cruise is an expansion of lyrical content by William Bennett, pulling us deeper into the depths of his complex and misunderstood mind. And in continuing the concept introduced on Mummy and Daddy, Cruise's centrepiece is a found sound collage of first hand experiences of sexual abuse, arranged by Peter Sotos. Brutal, yet probably the most accessible Whitehouse record to date. Sadly, no cover art by Trevor Brown this time around...
Whitehouse have always seemed to position themselves in close proximity to the artworld (while at the same time alienating themselves from the music world), and in doing so, may be positioning themselves closer to the accepted forms of transgressive art such as Vito Acconchi's public masturbation or Jeff Koon's airbrushed pornography. Whatever you may think about Whitehouse (i.e. if they are or are not 'art'), that which lies underneathe the packaging is certainly not going to change your mind about them. You probably know already if you need to own this. However, Whitehouse does change things up a bit on 'Cruise', taking their normally ear shredding shrieks, and lowering the ultra high frequencies to a more gritty mid-range analogue noise.

WHITEHOUSE Cruise (VFSL) 2lp 34.00
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!!
Yes, the notorious Whitehouse are still at it after twenty years. Love them or hate them, you've probably got a strong opinion about Whitehouse. While we at Aquarius do not necessarily agree with the lyrical content of past Whitehouse releases, some of us appreciate the *concept* of Whitehouse, William Bennett's realisation of "a sound that could bludgeon an audience into submission." On this, their sixteenth album, Whitehouse run the risk of losing some hardcore fanatics, while possibly gaining new ones. With the exception of the inclusion of "A Cunt Like You" (which can also be found on 1998's Mummy and Daddy), Cruise marks a new direction for Whitehouse. Tracks like "Princess Disease" and "Cruise (Force the Truth)" are atypically rhythmic, quite enjoyable in fact -- add some amen breaks and you've got the next DHR record! (Whitehouse Remixes, Alec???) Most notable about Cruise is an expansion of lyrical content by William Bennett, pulling us deeper into the depths of his complex and misunderstood mind. And in continuing the concept introduced on Mummy and Daddy, Cruise's centerpiece is a found sound collage of first hand experiences of sexual abuse, arranged by Peter Sotos. Brutal, yet probably the most accessible Whitehouse record to date. Sadly, no cover art by Trevor Brown this time around...
Whitehouse have always seemed to position themselves in close proximity to the artworld (while at the same time alienating themselves from the music world), and in doing so, may be positioning themselves closer to the accepted forms of transgressive art such as Vito Acconchi's public masturbation or Jeff Koon's airbrushed pornography. Whatever you may think about Whitehouse (i.e. if they are or are not 'art'), that which lies underneath the packaging is certainly not going to change your mind about them. You probably know already if you need to own this. However, Whitehouse does change things up a bit on 'Cruise', taking their normally ear shredding shrieks, and lowering the ultra high frequencies to a more gritty mid-range analog noise.

WHITEHOUSE Quality Time (Susan Lawly) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Repress of the 1995 headsplitter from the masters of extreme electronic music. "Quality Time", their fourteenth (by my count) record, is a massive subsonic masterpiece that transcends the majority of Whitehouse's early work. Along with the prior "Halogen", this record brings forth deeper, more abstract sonicscapes; minimal, ambiguous vocals and a powerful low frequency rumble to boot. Six tracks recorded at Steve Albini's studio in Chicago. Gorgeous cover art by Trevor Brown.

WHITELODGE Whitelodge (Beta-Lactam Ring) cd 13.98
Kinda like Legendary Pink Dots meets Labradford.

WHITEST BOY ALIVE, THE Dreams (Asound / Bubbles) cd 16.98
The sweet, dulcet pipes of one Mr. Erlend Oye can now be heard in a pop band other than Kings Of Convenience! It's The Whitest Boy Alive!
And yes, the name is quite fitting. You might say that Oye's body of work to date has been unflaggingly, Milquetoastily vanilla, and Dreams continues in similar fashion. Oye is an impeccable songwriter and this is his most guitar based outing yet with totally tasty instrumentation laying the perfect bed for his sweet alluring voice. He even reminds us of a younger Arto Lindsay with his suave stylings and undeniable charisma. Or like Sam Prekop taking one foot off the sea and onto the dance floor. This record stands out in all of its smooth, creamy, soft and soothing glory.
MPEG Stream: "Burning"
MPEG Stream: "Figures"

WHITEST BOY ALIVE, THE Rules (Bubbles) cd 16.98
While Erlend Oye is best known for his band Kings Of Convenience, there is something truly special that happens when he records under the Whitest Boy Alive moniker, cranking out some of the most infectious, breezy and immaculate sounding pop songs we've heard. His second album as The Whitest Boy Alive is just as potent as the debut we fell in love with a couple years back.
Breezing along somewhere between The Sea & Cake and The Junior Boys but somehow pretty much blowing both of those bands away in the way he creates songs that float with such ease yet have such solid impact, rife with sentiments that ring with such subtle truth. While it's not a surprise to have pop songs that deal with the nuance of human relationships and heartbreak, it is remarkable when those messages and simple vocal phrases are able to so simply and insightfully speak to universal truths. Oye truly has a way with words, but what makes Rules such a special record is that nothing ever feels forced or out of place, it all flows with such seamless perfection and allows you to skip and dance as your memory spins wildy off in a million different directions. There are so many songs here that have gotten totally stuck in our heads, but they are more than catchy, they are that rare kind of pop song that you actually WANT stuck there in your subconscious, perhaps never to escape. They're just that damn good!
We love how there are songs that take riffs from groups like Daft Punk and make them their own, while at the same time employing a subtle jazz aesthetic in some of the instrumentation that would fail so miserably in other hands but works so perfectly here. We could go on and on, but we'll stop by saying that this is for sure a major contender for pop record of the year!
MPEG Stream: "Courage"
MPEG Stream: "1517"
MPEG Stream: "Timebomb"