YOUNGS, RICHARD Making Paper (Jagjaguwar) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Richard Youngs has made some incredibly difficult music in his career of improv screech & splutter with Simon Wickham-Smith. But at the same time, he has produced a few records with some of the saddest songs to emerge from Scotland. Quite a feat giving trueblooded Scots Mogwai and Arab Strap a run for the money. On "Making Paper," Youngs is in sad song mode, sitting in front of a piano and slowly setting down delicate chords overwhich he sings extended floating notes with his crackling vibrato. These pieces could be based on archaic morality tales, but Youngs has forgotten most of the words and repeats a few syllables of the ghostly texts. Even with such a minimal arrangement, "Making Paper" achieves a quiet yet beautiful grandeur. Think of early Robert Wyatt or a melodic Gastr Del Sol.
RealAudio clip: "Only Haligonian"

YOUNGS, RICHARD May (Jagjaguwar) cd 13.98
Pathos makes for difficult subject matter, with the good intentions of an artist often getting derailed, ending up in a wasteland of Hallmark sentimentality. Yet, this eccentric Scotland based Cantabrigian has been pushing further into the artistry of Pathos with record after record that work surprisingly well, sounding amazingly, uh, UN-cheesy. Richard Youngs has been incredibly active of late in an eclectic array of projects. Notably, he's been participating in the acoustic avant-drone ensembles Sunroof! and the Vibracathedral Orchestra, and recently released a brilliant album of psychedelic miasma in collaboration with with Acid Mother's Temple frontman Kawabata Makoto. Yet his last batch of solo albums have seemingly been focused on reclaiming the archaic hymns of the Scottish Highlands. His latest, "May" is an incredibly rich album despite being minimally arranged for just acoustic guitar and voice (with no apparent effects or studio tricks, either). His traditional fingerpicking guitarwork and his slightly cracking falsetto voice approach entrancing repetition, and he never covers up his mistakes from missed chords or wandering melodies. The overall emotive effect is similar to those Albini-produced Low albums, dark and soul stirring. This album may not be as good another Youngs voice & guitar disc, 1998's profoundly sad "Sapphie" -- his beautiful memorial for a friend's dog who succumbed to cancer -- but "May" certainly makes for an enchanting listen.
RealAudio clip: "Wynding Hills Of Maine"
RealAudio clip: "Gliding"

YOUNGS, RICHARD River Through Howling Sky (Jagjaguwar) cd 14.98
This review comes courtesy of AQ pal Loren Chasse (whom you know as a Blithe Son and Thujan), who wanted to make sure we told y'all just how amazing this record is. We would have done so, of course, but we knew Loren could maybe do it better. So here's Loren's lil' love-letter to Mr. Youngs, whom we've got a crush on too:
You may not have ever seen Richard Youngs' face on the cover of The Wire or read anything of great length on him in any of the magazines, but let this only be a testament to his persistence at being truly "experimental"â in his craft. In a climate of Experimental Music where most artists' so-called experiments take place on their first record and become schtick from there on out, the music of Richard Youngs remains truly exciting with each release because we never know what to expect. And it's not that we really get the feeling that Youngs is trying too hard to come up with something NEW each time, each record seeming more like an attempt at translating his musical voice in some fresh way and keeping things interesting for his own enjoyment. Lately, Youngs' records on Jagjaguar have been distinguished by his lovely voice (much in the British folk tradition) but with an ever-evolving and seemingly playful take on instrumentation. Mostly, what these latest records give us are challengingly beautiful songs, often built on simple and crushing melodic phrases, lyrics sparse and mysterious, and fleshed out with incessant and often hypnotic atmospheres. This latest record, like most, is one that requires a few listens to really get inside the songs, as they are spread out over long and spacious durations. Youngs' approach on River Through Howling Sky is a bit bluesy, using mostly electric and some acoustic guitar, several drum tones, electronic effects and a constant sounding of chimes and bells that imbues these four songs with a haunting continuity, giving the record the feel of a suite, beginning on jagged edges and, fifty minutes later, ending in a somnabulic daze. We are reminded in style and a bit in sound of Keiji Haino's own jagged take on the blues, implying the genre with a particular kind of soulfulness in which the guitar wastes no time on the standard 6/8 rhythm but rather plays the role of the Delta shaman out invoking apparitions in sweltering moonlight with purposeful and sensitive eruptions. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Blossom"
MPEG Stream: "Sky Is Upon You"

YOUNGS, RICHARD Sapphie (Jagjaguwar) cd 12.98
Exquisitely beautiful! Richard Youngs has left the angular noisy twang from his collaborations with Simon Wickham-Smith for this eulogy for a dog, Sapphie, who he grew to love. Inspite of the pathos of this concept, this is a perfect piece of melancholia for classical guitar and Youngs' haunting voice, that fits in quite nicely with fellow Scotland residents / mope rockers Arab Strap and Mogwai. Previously on Oblique, now reissued on Jagjaguwar.
MPEG Stream: "Soon It Will Be Fire"
MPEG Stream: "A Fullness Of Light In Your Soul"

YOUNGS, RICHARD Sapphie (Jagjaguwar) lp 13.98
Now on vinyl! Another Richard Youngs fave of ours... here's what we said about the cd when it came out the first time:
Exquisitely beautiful! Richard Youngs has left the angular noisy twang of his collaborations with Simon Wickham-Smith for this eulogy for a dog, Sapphie, who he grew to love. In spite of the pathos of this concept, this is a perfect piece of melancholia for classical guitar and Youngs' haunting voice, that fits in quite nicely with fellow Scotland residents / mope rockers Arab Strap and Mogwai.
MPEG Stream: "Soon It Will Be Fire"
MPEG Stream: "A Fullness Of Light In Your Soul"

YOUNGS, RICHARD The Naive Shaman (Jagjaguwar) cd 14.98
Yes! First the new Ilk, then appearing on the cover of Wire magazine, then this! It's a blessed, bountiful season for Richard Youngs fans. (Funny, to think that he used to do a record label called No Fans).
The Naive Shaman (such a perfect title for a Youngs album... heck that's the darn review) is of Ilk's ilk for sure, and in line with many of the avant garde UK singer/songwriter's most moving and beautiful releases of experimental folk for the Jagjaguwar label in the past. Utilizing a backing of burbling electronics (including stabbing shards of feedback, but it's really very pleasant though) Youngs' voice is on display here, multiple vocal lines layered and interwoven. The droning, looping mellowness of the music provides this Youngs 'chorus' a lovely space in which to emote.
MPEG Stream: "Life On A Beam"
MPEG Stream: "Once It Was Autumn"

YOUNGS, RICHARD Under Stellar Stream (Jagjaguwar) cd 14.98
We talk a lot about music that puts us in a spell, or drones that elevate us to some hypnotic state of mind, but what's much even more rare, is to achieve one of those states, while also tapping into something more personal and immediate and intimate and haunting. Richard Youngs is a sonic shamen, conjuring up musical rituals that never fail to entrance and ensorcell us, we've raved about so many of his records in the past and his newest outing is definitely another winner, and is striking such a deep chord with us. His use of vocal repetition transforms these songs into otherworldly mantras, that we find ourselves NEEDING to listen to on a daily basis. With hazy instrumentation and hypnotic loops as the musical bed, Under Stellar Stream sounds like a magical collaboration between Robert Wyatt and William Basinski, as Youngs manages to merge a deep emotional impact with shimmery, softly nuanced dreaminess.
Listening to Under Stellar Stream evokes the sensation of watching an incredibly intense and beautiful film. Understated and emotional piano fluttering delicately, the sound restrained, yet expansive, the last two tracks if stripped of the vocals would sound right at home on an Andrew Chalk record. While Youngs definitely has a large devoted following we really think folks who might not have heard his records, but love the more haunting side of folks like Bonnie Prince Billy and Smog, might find much to love in the mysterious sound world of Richard Youngs. So fitting that the day we got this it was pouring outside as these are sounds so perfect for grey skies and rainfall, just standing beneath the bruised sky letting the raindrops fall where they may. Totally moving and gorgeous!
MPEG Stream: "All Day Monday And Tuesday"
MPEG Stream: "The Bells Of Spring"
MPEG Stream: "Broke Up By Night"

YOUNGS, RICHARD Under Stellar Stream (Jagjaguwar) lp 16.98
Also now here on vinyl!
We talk a lot about music that puts us in a spell, or drones that elevate us to some hypnotic state of mind, but what's much even more rare, is to achieve one of those states, while also tapping into something more personal and immediate and intimate and haunting. Richard Youngs is a sonic shamen, conuring up musical rituals that never fail to entrance and ensorcell us, we've raved about so many of his records in the past and his newest outing is definitely another winner, and is striking such a deep chord with us. His use of vocal repetition transforms these songs into otherworldly mantras, that we find ourselves NEEDING to listen to on a daily basis. With hazy instrumentation and hypnotic loops as the musical bed, Under Stellar Stream sounds like a magical collaboration between Robert Wyatt and William Basinski, as Youngs manages to merge a deep emotional impact with shimmery, softly nuanced dreaminess.
Listening to Under Stellar Stream evokes the sensation of watching an incredibly intense and beautiful film. Understated and emotional piano fluttering delicately, the sound restrained, yet expansive, the last two tracks if stripped of the vocals would sound right at home on an Andrew Chalk record. While Youngs definitely has a large devoted following we really think folks who might not have heard his records, but love the more haunting side of folks like Bonnie Prince Billy and Smog, might find muc to love in the mysterious sound world of Richard Youngs. So fitting that the day we got this it was pouring outside as these are sounds so perfect for grey skies and rainfall, just standing beneath the bruised sky letting the raindrops fall where they may. Totally moving and gorgeous!
MPEG Stream: "All Day Monday And Tuesday"
MPEG Stream: "The Bells Of Spring"
MPEG Stream: "Broke Up By Night"

YOUNGS, RICHARD & ALEX NEILSON Electric Lotus LP & Lotus Editions CD (VHF) lp+cd 15.98

YOUNGS, RICHARD & ALEXANDER NEILSON Ourselves (VHF) cd 13.98
Elsewhere on this list you'll find Scottish experimental folk singer Richard Youngs' latest proper solo album reviewed, the fantastic River Through Howling Sky. Here, though, if that wasn't enough, is kind of a surprise bonus release from Mr. Youngs. He and his percussionist friend Alexander Neilson originally recorded this live set for broadcast on a British radio show. Fortunately for those of us who didn't (or couldn't) tune in -- or who did, for that matter -- VHF has now put this music out on cd! Which is where it belongs for posterity's sake.
Above, for convenience, we refered to Youngs as an "experimental folk singer" but that's a meager and misleading (not to mention vague) description of what he's all about. In the past, often in collaboration with Simon Wickham-Smith, he's proved himself capable of some uniquely bizarre and intense noisiness. Over the past decade, though, his output has gotten more and more "musical" though no less unique. Ourselves is perhaps one for those with fond memories of his noisier days, though. Electric guitar, bowed cymbals, bells, and more are used to create three long, dense, droning tracks of utter abstract psychedelic beauty. This disc is definitely likely to be liked by fans of VHF's Vibracathedral Orchestra! And those who adore Young's haunting singing, and his take on trad-folk stylings, will find the final hymn-like track "God Bless The Master" especially pleasing.
MPEG Stream: "Beam"
MPEG Stream: "God Bless The Master"

YOUNGS, RICHARD & SIMON WICKHAM-SMITH 5 Years (VHF) cd 13.98
Because of their prolific nature it has become easy to take a new record from both Richard Youngs and Simon Wickham-Smith for granted, but the truth is they both have been putting out some mind blowing albums over the last several years and put to shame in quality & excellence many of their equally ambitious peers. Over the last 5 years Youngs and Wickham-Smith set out to meet once a year and record a ten minute track together. This recording is the culmination of those 5 years with each track named for the year it was created in. And wow how we love the results! This is the kind of record you want to make all aspiring experimental, knob twiddling, improv jamming, tape manipulating, concept having musicians to sit down, listen closely and take notes. Youngs & Wickham-Smith know so well how to reward patience by giving you these transcendent moments of total beauty. They get a trance going that becomes all encompassing and the next thing you know, you are totally wrapped up it its weird beautiful glory.
Since these two are known so well for their prolific nature it's nice to get to hear a project where patience and the passing of time come into play in such a nice way. Both Youngs and Wickham-Smith continue to flex their creative muscles, demonstrating an amazing ability to take experimental, manipulated sounds imbue them with a truly organic feel. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "2004"
MPEG Stream: "2006"

YOUNGS, RICHARD & SIMON WICKHAM-SMITH Lake (VHF) cd 13.98
The duo of Simon Wickham-Smith and Richard Youngs self-released this double album ten years ago to little acclaim until a Forced Exposure review enlightened the world (or well, at least the 300 people who bought out the only pressing). Reissued in cd format, this should enlighten the rest of us to the brilliance of these lauded British backcountry improv noisicians who have gone on to record amazing droneological experiments in recent years. Lake contains glockenspiel, handdrums, clocks, "scraper things", penny whistles, out of tune clock chimes, sampled collages, tons of fuzzed out guitar, and heaping doses of droning noises to please those who've learned to hear the lush textural beauty behind what others might call chaos.
RealAudio clip: "Lake Part 1"

YOUNGS, RICHARD / ALEXANDER NEILSON Beating Stars (HP Cycle) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Four lengthy tracks of ambient electronic shimmer. Gorgeous and dreamily exploratory. The first track features Youngs' tentative warble over a haunting theremin like drone, demarcated by a simple thudding rhythm and mellow chiming percussion. Like an Irish folk song performed acapella alongside a super subdued Wolf Eyes or an extra minimal Sunroof!. The rest of the record is mostly instrumental and filled with free form clouds of dreamy psychedelia woven from pealing feedback, ambient electronic chatter, complex shuffling rhythms, all keening and swirling lazily in the still air, very high up and very far out.

YOUNGS, RICHARD AND ALEX NEILSON Partrick Rain Dance (VHF) cd 13.98
Jandek's rhythm section (when Jandek's in Scotland, anyway) can be heard on their own, again, with this fine follow-up to their previous VHF release, 2004's Ourselves. Richard Youngs is the better known half of this duo, being a big fave here at AQ for both his gorgeous avant-folk recordings and his more (?) experimental, dronier works -- styles that tend to overlap often in his music, as they certainly do here on Partick Rain Dance. In the mix you'll hear, among other things, distorted Sun Ra-like synth, moaning vocals, free jazzy percussion, and what sounds like a belt sander. If we had to pick a favorite track, it would probably be the sixteen minute "Music Of The Last Sun" which features Youngs' usual beautiful vocals and guitar surrounded by wigged out electronics, hissing drones and free improv. But there's lots more to like on this cd for people who consider themselves fans of, say, both The Wicker Man and Wolf Eyes... For sheer abstract abrasiveness you've got "Big Aeroplanes" which layers feedback and what sounds like garbled shortwave static, while one of the prettier pieces on the disc would have to be "Noatak Beacon", a very ceremonial-sounding track for repeating voice and bells.
MPEG Stream: "Chamber"
MPEG Stream: "Music Of The Last Sun"

YOUNGS, RICHARD AND SIMON WICKHAM-SMITH 20 Years (VHF) lp + 3cd 35.00

YOUNGS, RICHARD AND TIRATH SINGH NIRMALA s/t (HP Cycle) lp 15.98
We've yet to review a record from Tirath Singh Nirmala (aka John Clyde-Evans) which is quite a feat considering the substantial body of work he's been amassing of late (mostly cd-r's) but it sort of makes sense that the first recording to be featured on our list would be the one that finds Nirmala teamed up with AQ fave Richard Youngs. The two are so suitably matched, it's tough to tell who's doing what, and ultimately, it matters not a whit, as for the duration of this disc, these two have become one, and seem to effortlessly conjure up a perfectly blissful and bucolic primal forest ambience. It's tough not to hear shades of Avarus, Anaksimandros, No Neck Blues Band and Sunburned Hand Of The Man, but Nirmala and Youngs manage to explore similar territory in their own unique way. The sound is at once primal, tribal and primitive. Simple percussion, reedy drones drifting over murky landscapes, wheezing wind instruments, breathy reeds and fluttering flutes, clattery hypnotic rhythms, slippery analog synths and swooping spacey FX, processed vocals, dense ambience and melancholy melodies, all woven into a gloriously glistening, and subtly tripped out, prismatic tapestry of sound. Wonderful.
Packaged in a gorgeous full color sleeve, with a tiny mysterious screen printed insert.

YOUNGSBOWER Relayer (VHF) cd 13.98
The first thing you notice on Relayer is that oh so familiar Bower 'shimmer' from so many Skullflower/Total/Hototogisu/Sunroof! records. But this collaboration with Richard Youngs keeps things firmly in 'shimmer' without ever pulling out the stops and letting loose with a torrent of free-noise-jazz-skree as both are wont to do. Youngs contributes his usual melodic playfulness adding an almost festive/Christmas-y feel. The whole record in fact exudes that sort of vibe, shimmery dreamy ambience, with curious but appealing instrumentation like calypso casio beats, noodly keyboard melodies, steady ch-ch-ch rhythms, far away guitar freakouts, and all sorts of hum and buzz. Noise-y but joyous and warm. Almost new-agey but in a good way. A VERY GOOD way. Maybe think George Winston on peyote!! Or a Total record on Windham Hill. Sounds bad maybe, but coming from me (Andee) you know those comments are high praise indeed. Really really great!
RealAudio clip: "Eagle Like A Fly"
RealAudio clip: "Iridescent Hosedown"

YOURS TRULY Domesticated (Ba Da Bing!) cd 14.98
Yoo hoo! Attention fans of the Magnetic Fields. Here's an album we think you just might like... especially if you particularly swoon to the Claudia-sung MF songs. Yours Truly aka Linda Smith and Paul Baroody make delicate synth-pop with simple, unobtrusive programmed drumbeats. And they're definitely not as big a bummer lyric-wise as Stephin Merritt and co. As a matter of fact, all you fans of the Aislers' Set, Book of Love (yes, there's a certain 80's spirit here), or any of Amelia Fletcher's projects (Marine Research, Heavenly, et al), tune in too!

YOUTH GROUP Casino Twilight Dogs (Anti) cd 13.98
The band known as Youth Group makes for a surprising indie pop addition to the eclectic Anti Records stable of artists (who include Tom Waits, Neko Case, Daniel Lanois, Jolie Holland and The Coup). They bring with them no big bells or whistles, just willowy, touching melancholia. Although we do have mixed feelings about their cover of Alphaville's "Forever Young" (which has already surfaced on the TV show The O.C.), the rest of the album is oh-so-comforting goodness like a cup o' cocoa on a drizzly day. Nice!
MPEG Stream: "Sorry"
MPEG Stream: "Forever Young"

YOUTH GROUP Skeleton Jar (Epitaph) cd 14.98
All you need to know about Youth Group is they sound a lot like Death Cab For Cutie circa their utterly perfect debut Something About Airplanes. In fact they almost sound too much like Death Cab. But under the current circumstances, we are forced to totally embrace that, and this record, like we never want to let it go. For most of us Death Cab have been on a slow spiral downward, songs got less catchy and their sound less unique as they progressed from record to record. Transatlanticism was a brief return to form, but now they sound like just every other emo sad boy MTV band. And that's where Youth Group come in. Lilting, melancholy indie rock like we haven't heard for years. Every song is hooky and jangly and sad, and practically perfect. Shuffling simple drumming underpins strummed acoustic guitars, and reverby arpeggiated electric guitar melodies, and soaring, sorrowful vocals, sort of sad boy, a bit of indie whine, but clear and resonant and most importantly totally heartfelt and earnest. We can't imagine the sort of world where EVERY song on this record wouldn't at some point find it's way onto a mixtape. In fact this record sent us straight back to 1990 and had us wanting desperately to make mixtapes for every cute girl (or boy) we ever had a crush on or who ever broke our heart. It's exactly that sort of sound. We hear that long lost New Zealand pop sound that seems to have vanished completely (could that have anything to do with the fact that Youth Group are from Australia, just a hop skip and a jump from NZ?), early nineties college rock, that sort of Death Cab / Postal Service indie emo, a bit of Decemberists like quirkpop, some huge swelling emo pop anthems, some Pavementy angular jangle, but all wrapped up into perfect little nuggets of sweet and swoonsome indie pop. We wanted to hate this record, we truly did, we wanted to write Youth Group off as Death Cab wannabees, as some long past its shelf life indie college rock, but something made us keep listening, and now we just can stop. Some of the songs here have most definitely slipped right into our pantheon of best indie pop songs ever! Wow. Okay, then. We're gonna go make us a mix tape...
MPEG Stream: "Shadowland"
MPEG Stream: "Skeleton Jar"
MPEG Stream: "Lillian Lies"

YPPAH You Are Beautiful At All Times (Ninja Tune) cd 14.98
One of the more refreshing Ninja Tune outings in quite a while. Yppah is the work of Joe Corrales, a young man from Texas, who like many in his generation, has come of age at a time where shoegaze guitars and emotive laptops have found a special place in his heart. He's found a way to bring those influences together as he integrates his guitar playing through massive delays into the mix of the nice electronica he creates which most definitely recalls the honey soaked nostalgia of early Four Tet. Cinematic and wide eyed, it's also easy to start hearing how the latest M83 might have sounded without vocals or what Tristeza would sound like if they leaned away from post-rock and more towards electronica. Quite nice.
MPEG Stream: "I'll Hit The Breaks"
MPEG Stream: "Ending With You"

YR ILIAD Welcome To Concrete (Paradigms) cd 11.98

YRSEL Requiem For The 3 Kharities (Aurora Borealis) cd 17.98
What do you get when you mix one part Swedish ultra dronelord Ondo, and one part French funereal doom sludge merchant The Austrasian Goat? Pretty much exactly what you might expect. And were probably hoping for. A sprawling expanse of abject sonic miserablism, huge heaving slabs of crumbling distortion and Teutonic rumble, thick swaths of buzz and rumble, tangled spidery minor key melodies, harsh hellish howls, extreme black ambience, or near glacial ultra doom, from the first track (of three) on, beginning with the above mentioned grim black crawl, the track seems to gradually ooze into something more drone than metal, the guitar chugs are blurred into long stretches of pitch black shimmer, eventually the track grows hushed, and ominous, a delicate drift of garbled voices and crystalline melody, all over a darkly swirling black sea of layered low end and slow shifting thrum. Eventually, things build back up with pounded reverbed piano, floating atop, ever escalating guitar drone incandescence, heavy and noisy, but weirdly pretty.
The second track, shortest of the three at a still impressive 16 minutes, starts off a billowing black cloud of sound, nightmarish ambience, laced with crackle and glitch, but mostly tranquil, if slightly malefic, the track explodes in a frenzy of almost black metal sounding fury, before slipping back into the blackened tranquility that preceded it, deep thick tones, slow motion melodies, echoing and filling the speakers with blackness, almost liturgical sounding, but some primitive black mass, some lost ritual, whispered voices lead the blackness, to a final climax of grinding crunch, lethargic riffage and chordal buzz, that gain manages to be lovely and heavy simultaneously.
Finally, the record closes with a soundtrack like sprawl of haunting otherworldly whisper and drift, tranquil, but foreboding, the piano returns, this time offering up haunting minimal melodies, while underneath, black winds whip and whirl, strings shimmer, all wrapped in a gauzey cloak of washed out buzz and distant low end rumble, like some strange hellish chamber music, or the soundtrack to some lost Italian horror film, gorgeously creepy and fiendishly evocative.
This one not so much for the doom metallers and sludgelords as much as for those who enjoy sounds both bleak and forlorn, miserable and depressingly beautiful, a creeping, soul stirring black ambient dronemusic, that is definitely heavy, but whose heaviness is tempered by the atmosphere, a soundworld grim and sinister, each of these sonic rituals a heavy black shroud for the dark of spirit.
Cool silver on black folded origami style sleeves, LIMITED TO 500 COPIES!!
MPEG Stream: "The Last Visions Of Aglaea"
MPEG Stream: "The Tears Of Euphrosyne"

YUASA, JOJI Obscure Tape Music Of Japan: Volume 1 (Omega Point) cd 23.00

YUASA, JOJI Obscure Tape Music Of Japan: Volume 4 (Omega Point) cd 23.00

YUCK s/t (Fat Possum) cd 13.98
Hard to believe these guys (and gals) are British, cuz the music they make is pretty much a dead ringer for nineties college/indie rock. Which is not a complaint at all, that's a sound we love and miss like crazy, and most of the bands who try it, can sometimes capture the sound, but rarely have the songs to go with it, but Yuck, who are indeed British, and also crazy young, have both, from the keening Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse) like vocals, to the super distorted leads a la Dinosaur Jr., to the lo-fi ramshackle sound and impossibly hooky melodies of old Pavement, all woven into something new and simultaneously not that new at all.
"Georgia" here is their big hit, and it's easy to see why, a sort of Swirlies style bit of shoegazey indie pop jangle drift, the guitars warm and fuzzy, the female vox all reverby and murky, the sound distorted and lo-fi, plenty of tambourine, and bop bop boy background vocals, jangly and hooky and so catchy, a total summer jam if there ever was one. But folks who think maybe Yuck were a one trick pony / one hit wonder are in for a serious surprise, as the record opens with a song we think is even better than "Georgia", with its fuzzed out Dinosaur guitars, and melancholy melodies, not to mention some killer super melodic leads. There's also a low slung bass heavy verse, the vocals laid back and slackery, backed up by spidery guitars, and then the chorus, a gorgeously hook filled explosion of slightly twangy sunshiney fuzz pop bliss. "The Wall" is just as good, casting the current garage rock sound of folks like Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall as something much more early nineties college rock, and "Shook Down" is all sun dapped soft focus jangle pop, with acoustic guitars, heartfelt vox and chiming melodies.
The rest of the record plays out much like you'd expect, from the strummy almost Brit pop sounding "Suicide Policeman" to the buzzy distorto pop of "Holing Out", from the moody, hazy almost Mazzy Star sounding "Suck" to the distorto dirge pop of "Rubber", it may play out like a flashback to the good old days, but Yuck definitely make that sound all their own, somehow creating something fresh and new, from a sound we can never get tired of.
So good!
MPEG Stream: "Get Away"
MPEG Stream: "The Wall"
MPEG Stream: "Shook Down"

YUCK s/t (Fat Possum) lp 14.98
Hard to believe these guys (and gals) are British, cuz the music they make is pretty much a dead ringer for nineties college/indie rock. Which is not a complaint at all, that's a sound we love and miss like crazy, and most of the bands who try it, can sometimes capture the sound, but rarely have the songs to go with it, but Yuck, who are indeed British, and also crazy young, have both, from the keening Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse) like vocals, to the super distorted leads a la Dinosaur Jr., to the lo-fi ramshackle sound and impossibly hooky melodies of old Pavement, all woven into something new and simultaneously not that new at all.
"Georgia" was their big hit, and it's easy to see why, a sort of Swirlies style bit of shoegazey indie pop jangle drift, the guitars warm and fuzzy, the female vox all reverby and murky, the sound distorted and lo-fi, plenty of tambourine, and bop bop boy background vocals, jangly and hooky and so catchy, a total summer jam if there ever was one. But folks who though maybe Yuck were a one trick pony / one hit wonder are in for a serious surprise, as the record opens with a song we thing is even better than "Georgia", with it's fuzzed out Dinosaur guitars, and melancholy melodies, not to mention some killer super melodic leads. There's also a low slung bass heavy verse, the vocals laid back and slackery, backed up by spidery guitars, and then the chorus, a gorgeously hook filled explosion of slightly twangy sunshiney fuzz pop bliss. "The Wall" is just as good, casting the current garage rock sound of folks like Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall as something much more early nineties college rock, and "Shook Down" is all sun dapped soft focus jangle pop, with acoustic guitars, heartfelt vox and chiming melodies.
The rest of the record plays out much like you'd expect, from the strummy almost Brit pop sounding "Suicide Policeman" to the buzzy distorto pop of "Holing Out", from the moody, hazy almost Mazzy Star sounding "Suck" to the distorto dirge pop of "Rubber", it may play out like a flashback to the good old days, but Yuck definitely make that sound all their own, somehow creating something fresh and new, from a sound we can never get tired of.
So good!
MPEG Stream: "Get Away"
MPEG Stream: "The Wall"
MPEG Stream: "Shook Down"

YUKMOUTH Thug Lord: The New Testament (Rap A Lot) cd 17.98

YUKMOUTH United Ghettos Of America (Rap A Lot) cd 17.98

YUKMOUTH United Ghettos Of America Vol. 2 (Rap-A-Lot) cd 15.98

YUME BITSU giant surface music falling to earth like jewels from the sky (BaDaBing!) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Minimal, spaced-out bliss/drone/mope rock heavy on the ambient side, for fans of Jessamine and the like. On Ben Goldberg's dependable BaDaBing imprint.

YUME BITSU s/t (K Records) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Over an hour of music from this Portland, OR quartet that just might float you off into outer space or at least get you airborne. Drifting and spacious guitars waft along with quietly percolating arpeggiated pulses and are met by high pitched male vocals that made me think of Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips. Actually overall Yume Bitsu echo a lower-fi, less intricate or expansive 'Lips, and lean more heavily on the gentle psych-space rock side of things along with the likes of Windy and Carl or Landing. Admirers of the latter two groups are probably already familiar with this group, and if they're not they certainly should be. This more than calming foursome includes Adam Forkner of Surface of Eceon and Jason Anderson also of Wolf Colonel. Listen with headphones right before sleepytime!
RealAudio clip: "track 1"

YURA YURA TEIKOKU na.ma.shi.bi.re.na.ma.me.ma.i (Mesh-Key) cd 11.98
This modern Japanese psychedelic pop band has been around forever (like, 15 years now at least), having recorded for underground labels like Captain Trip and PSF before making the jump to (in Japan) major-label status, we think. Over here of course they're still fairly unknown, but NYC label Mesh-Key is doing their best to change that, by issuing this 2003 live recording in the States (actually, the cd itself appears to be the actual Japanese release, but with an extra paper obi sleeve printed up by Mesh-Key added on to provide some English-language context). Over an hour long, the show documented here should definitely give prospective Yura Yura Teikoku fans a decent sampling of the band's charms, from the ghostly to the garagey, from chaotic crashing rockers to Velvets inspired, gentle poppiness. There's definitely enough in the way of intense Rallize-like distorto guitar on here to please those into YYT's colleagues LSD-March and Up-Tight (as on the track "Penetration" that starts off all "Twist And Shout" before they burn up their amps in a firestorm of guitar noise).
For those who follow the Tokyo psych scene, we should mention that Yura Yura Teikoku features one of the members of The Stars, and that Michio Kurihara (Ghost/White Heaven/The Stars) often guests on their records, though we don't know if he's on here or not...but he IS quoted in a blurb on the obi calling Yura Yura Teikoku "the greatest band in the world"!!
Limited to 700 copies, presumably because that's how many left-over cds from the Japanese cd pressing Mesh-Key was able to buy up? Limited vinyl also due soon from Mesh-Key.
MPEG Stream: "Penetration"
MPEG Stream: "Became A Star"

YURO, TIMI The Voice That Got Away Volume Two (RPM) cd 16.98
Reviewing this cd is bittersweet. Sadly this album's title states the truth, Timo Yuro passed away a few years ago, making her cherished recordings all the more so. Although it takes on many different tones and moods, her unbelievably powerful voice is unmistakable. Despite its title, this collection captures it perfectly in all of its glory. If you like '60s girl group pop, r&b and soul, you're probably already very familiar with Ms Yuro.
Note: this release is not new. It somehow slipped by us when it was first released back in '96, but we heartily tip our hat to dear Marc Cappelle of American Music Club for bringing to our attention recently!

YURT Native Tongue (Gnome Life) cassette 5.98

YVES / SON / ACE Parade Of Thought / Can't Sleep (Night People) lp 14.98
The strangely monickered Yves/Son/Ace is in fact a solo project from one of the members of gothic post punk new wavers Factums, who we dig big time, and Parade Of Thought / Can't Sleep totally pushes all the same buttons, and if anything is just more abstract and out there, taking the same elements employed to create the gloom pop of Factums but here pulls them apart, recontextualizes them, tangles them all up, worrying less about songs, and more about texture and mood, resulting in a super weird bit of gothy synthy drift.
Long whirring drones, overlap creepy minor key melodies, primitive drum machines bleep and bloop, vocals awash in delay and reverb hover ghostlike amidst the proceedings, the various elements sometimes seem to coalesce into proper songs, but just as soon splinter into spectral fragments, imagine your favorite cold wave band composing the soundtrack for a Victorian haunted house, or for some super abstract arthouse horror film, and this might be what it would sound like.
Super abstract and druggy, these song fragments seem to crumble to pieces, those pieces drifting and joining up with other pieces to make a new brief 'song', before the whole process repeats itself, horns bleat, rhythms stutter, synths whir and wheeze, vocals croon and yelp, effects swirl and swoop, what's not to love!?
Super cool packaging, clear vinyl, housed alongside a black on purple silkscreened sleeve, and like the other Night People records, probably pretty dang limited...

YVES / SON / ACE Unsung (Kill Shaman) 7" 6.98
Latest single from this Factums side project, and like their previous 12", the sound of Yves / Son / Ace is worlds removed from the Factums mothership, and while the sound here can maybe be loosely described as garage rock, the six songs here are all over the map, and even the ones that DO sound like the garage rock you're familiar with, Y/S/A manages to fuck it up big time. The opener is a dirgey murky slab of primitive outsider garage pop, driven by a simple skeletal rhythm and goofy sing-song vocals, while the next track quickly devolves into something darkly Jandek-ian, a damaged detuned folk, shambolic and on the verge of collapse, but then the sound lurches dramatically into a super blown out, noisy reverb drenched guitar heavy garage punk pound. From there things seem to get even further out, first some tripped out lo-fi new wave-y creep, which blossoms into a sort of deranged almost industrial sounding sci-fi surf rock before finally finishing off in a blaze of chaotic angular noise rock garage blooze. Definitely recommended for folks who like their garage rock/pop with a healthy dose of outsider WTF.

YYRKOON Occult Medicine (Osmose) cd 11.98