WEEKS, GREG Awake Like Sleep (Ba Da Bing!) cd 14.98
This is record number three for Greg Weeks, and the one that's really finally gotten our attention. His previous disc on Ba Da Bing! was a stripped down, boy-and-his-guitar folky singer-songwriter kinda record, and while he is still essentially playing folk music, on "Awake Like Sleep" he has begun to experiment with electronics and synthesizers resulting in a sound completely alien but warm and familiar at the same time: a sort of lilting chamber folk with electro-baroque flourishes, reminiscent of sixties and seventies folk-rock bands from England. Indeed, he's been compared to AQ-faves Comus, and while we don't think his stuff really sounds like those pagan freaks, there is a certain parallel, maybe as if one of the Comus dudes went solo. Where Comus was all maniacal and relentless, Weeks imbues his music with tension and a more subtle mania, borne of sadness and loneliness. These emotions manifest themselves as haunting melodies, dreamy flutes, church organs, discordant keyboards, spooky theremins, distorted bass, and warbling melodies that sound as if they were being played on a broken old turntable. It's all under a gauzy cloud of antiquated synth sounds and gently plucked guitars, invoking an alone-in-an-old-dark-house-on-a-moor kind of melancholia. The lyrics are simple and emotional, delivered in a plaintive almost whispered tenor that occasionally slips into a damaged falsetto that is completely heartbreaking. The most surprising aspect of what is essentially a folk record, besides the use of electronics and synthesisers, is the occasional spaced out psychedelic jam, with booming Bonham beats and swirling acid leads which build to moments where the song threatens to burst wide open, positively seething with barely restrained fury, like a huge black storm cloud threatening to unleash its violent storm. "Awake Like Sleep" never really gets all that heavy, but it's still really "heavy", if you know what we mean. People into the current strain of lo-fi bedroom folk-damaged indie-pop (for instance, Tower Recordings, P.G. Six, Neutral Milk Hotel and other Elephant Six stuff, or even a less twee Magnetic Fields) should like this!
RealAudio clip: "Made"
RealAudio clip: "Past Four Corners"
RealAudio clip: "These Days"

V/A Barry 7's Connectors (Lo Recordings) cd 16.98
Continuing in Lo's series of today's electronic artist's selections of "classic" unheard music (the first being Luke Vibert's Nuggets), Add N to (X)'s Barry 7 scours the libraries of Chappell, Southern and PIL for some rare gems screaming to be heard. For those unfamiliar, these libraries house music created by top session musicians in the 1960's and '70's specifically as background music for television and radio, and never intended for commercial release. This excellent collection covers everything from breezy, lush pop to wicked moog exotica, and (to my limited knowledge on the subject) mostly from France, Italy and the UK. There's the playful giddiness of Jiri Bezant / Jiri Malasek. The jarring echo-laden creepiness of Georges Teperino's "Weird Sounds No. 1". Lush exotic orchestrations ala Morricone courtesy of (another Italian film composer) Nino Nardini and Paul Piot / Paul Guiot. The spacey minimal electronic oddities of Cecil Leuter, The Johanna Group and J. Matthews. Straight up Moog exotica from Anthony King and France's largely recorded, but rarely acknowledged Roger Roger. Again, an excellent collection not just for seekers of prime "library music", but also for adventurous music enthusiasts looking for tweaked out exotic and early electronic music! Smooth!
RealAudio clip: ANTHONY KING "Forgotten World"
RealAudio clip: GEORGES TEPERINO "Wierd Sounds #1"
RealAudio clip: NINO NARDINI "Catch That Man"

V/A Barry 7's Connectors (Lo Recordings) 2lp 16.98
Continuing in Lo's series of today's electronic artist's selections of "classic" unheard music (the first being Luke Vibert's Nuggets), Add N to (X)'s Barry 7 scours the libraries of Chappell, Southern and PIL for some rare gems screaming to be heard. For those unfamiliar, these libraries house music created by top session musicians in the 1960's and '70's specifically as background music for television and radio, and never intended for commercial release. This excellent collection covers everything from breezy, lush pop to wicked moog exotica (and to my limited knowledge on the subject) mostly from France, Italy and the UK. There's the playful giddiness of Jiri Bezant / Jiri Malasek. The jarring echo-laden creepiness of Georges Teperino's "Weird Sounds No. 1". Lush exotic orchestrations ala Morricone courtesy of (another Italian film composer) Nino Nardini and Paul Piot / Paul Guiot. The spacey minimal electronic oddities of Cecil Leuter, The Johanna Group and J. Matthews. Straight up Moog exotica from Anthony King and France's largely recorded, but rarely acknowledged Roger Roger. Again, an excellent collection not just for seekers of prime "library music", but also for adventurous music enthusiasts looking for tweaked out exotic and early electronic music! Smooth!

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ACOUSTIC GUITAR TRIO s/t (Incus) cd 17.98
But not just *any* acoustic guitar trio: this is Nels Cline (a big AQ-favorite), Rod Poole (likewise), and Jim McAuley. Nels is best known for his jazz meets Sonic Youth style skronk, Rod Poole for his mesmerizing explorations in just-intonation guitar improv. McAuley we're not so familiar with, but he's apparently an expert classical guitarist, specializing in Renaissance and Baroque music. Together these three improvise wonderfully, producing a beautiful bramble of picking, strumming, and (from Poole) bowing. Although released on Derek Bailey's Incus label, this isn't as woolly as you might expect. While full of complexities and abstractions, it's not "difficult" listening at all.
RealAudio clip: "Inclusive"

AMFM Getting Into Sinking (Polyvinyl) cd 13.98
Already another release from Brian Sokel and Michael Parsell? Yes, hot on the heels of their March 2001 debut "Mutilate Us" comes "Getting Into Sinking" which reveals a much more dreamy, harmonious side to this duo. Just check out "And Then I Got To Thinking About The Animals" or "Come Suck Down A Cloud". Whereas their first record hopped around quite a bit stylistically, this is a cohesive collection of lovely, airy tunes with gentle guitars and vocals. They even cover a Leonard Cohen song and morph it into something decidedly Simon And Garfunkel-esque - from deeply somber to sweetly melancholic.
RealAudio clip: "And Then I Got To Thinking About Animals"
RealAudio clip: "Come Suck Down A Cloud"

AMFM Getting Into Sinking (Polyvinyl) lp 10.98
Already another release from Brian Sokel and Michael Parsell? Yes, hot on the heels of their March 2001 debut "Mutilate Us" comes "Getting Into Sinking" which reveals a much more dreamy, harmonious side to this duo. Just check out "And Then I Got To Thinking About The Animals" or "Come Suck Down A Cloud". Whereas their first record hopped around quite a bit stylistically, this is a cohesive collection of lovely, airy tunes with gentle guitars and vocals. They even cover a Leonard Cohen song and morph it into something decidedly Simon And Garfunkel-esque - from deeply sombre to sweetly melancholic.

AMOEBIL 200 Pills (a034 Pharmaceutical Labs / Black Bean & Placenta) cd 11.98
Skwidchy, fluttering, minimal breakbeats that keep going and going and going... from Italy. Go on, give those glo-sticks a workout. Eight tracks o'techno, two of which are live sets.

AMPS FOR CHRIST The Oak In the Ashes (Shrimper) cd 13.98
One of our favorite bands offers up another disc of their unique, unclassifiable sounds. This one really embraces a '60s hippie vibe, with occasional outbursts from their "power violence" past (AFC leader Barnes was the "noise guy" in California's seminal political-grind-crust band Man Is The Bastard). Electronically simulated Scottish bagpipes and the strains of other hand made, one of a kind instruments are blended in a tapestry of electric acid folk music. The instrumental passages are a wash of psychedelic electronics, while the delicate male vocals recall Nick Drake or early Meat Puppets. Unpredictable as always AFC is, "The Oak" also features female vocals in an exotic, faux-Middle Eastern mode, lo-fi dirge metal guitar freakout, horn-noodling free jazz improv, finally winds up with the nine minute carnival-noise abstraction of "Prepared Hammond For 5 Hands". Eclectic, but for the most part the focus of "The Oak" is the gorgeous folky songs, more-or-less layered with distortion and drone. Unfortunately we must give warning that there's several completely incongruous, godawful tracks of someone reciting bad beat poetry over too-loud drumming found here as well -- when listening to this, you should definitely make sure to program out tracks 4, 8, 11, 13, 16, 20, and 22 (which are short anyways, but they should have been shorter)! Regardless, skip them and this is a great 16-track AFC album, and thus recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Little Angel"
RealAudio clip: "Painter"
RealAudio clip: "As I Walked Out"

ANDY, HORACE Skylarking (Studio One) cd 14.98
Not to be confused with the 1997 release of the same name on Massive Attack's Melankolic label (basically a best of that included some Massive Attack tracks.) Skylarking was Andy's first album, produced by Coxsone Dodd and released in 1972. Along with the popular title track "Skylarking", Andy sings numerous covers including Ken Boothe's very R&B-esque "Don't Cry Little Girl" (titled "Don't Go" on the disc here), Cat Stevens' "Where Do The Children Play?" and the Roger Whittaker favorite "Mammy Blue". Each song gets Horace Andy's beautiful tremolo-laden tenor croon and, backed by the Sound Dimension, there's really not a dud on the album. Though they kind of butchered the original artwork of this cd reissue by cropping the hell out of the original photo that graced the lp and making it so the album's title takes up 25% of the cover art, they make up for it I suppose by adding a couple bonus tracks not originally available on the lp: "Oh Youth Man" and "Night Owl". Another thing worth mentioning in case you pick this up, you'll notice that the bio of Horace Andy in the liner notes state him as being born in 1971. Though he was pretty young when he recorded these tracks, that would be an amazing feat at one year old. No, he was actually born in 1951 and recorded these cuts at 21.
RealAudio clip: "Where Do The Children Play?"
RealAudio clip: "Skylarking"
RealAudio clip: "Don't Cry Little Girl"

ANTHRAX Spreading The Disease (Megaforce) cd 10.98
We couldn't resist. What better time than now to list one of Allan and Andee's favorite metal records?
Metalheads argue a lot. Which band is heavier. Which singer was the best. Who painted what album cover. Which bands are true metal. And one argument that rages on (at least around here) is which Anthrax singer was/is the best. While Allan and I both agree that current Anthrax throat John Bush (former Armored Saint frontman) is a great vocalist, we also both agree that he isn't very good in Anthrax. Allan tends to lean toward Neil Turbin, who sang on the first two, more decidedly thrash albums, and those records definitely contain some of Anthrax's finest moments. But it was Joey Belladonna who took Anthrax to the next level. His super high pitched wail added some melody to their thrash and opened a lot of people's ears to heavy music. And 'Spreading The Disease' is definitely the best of the Belladonna-era, pre baggy shorts and post 'new yawk hawdcoah'. Super heavy and surprisingly catchy, this record has stood the test of time far better than most eighties metal. A speed metal classic, highly recommended.
RealAudio clip: "A.I.R"
RealAudio clip: "Armed and Dangerous"

ARSONISTS Date of Birth (Matador) cd 14.98
Bushwick, Brooklyn-based Arsonists release their second album. Apparently the trio of MCs have a really loyal following, but maybe that's based on their live shows cos I find their rhyming a little clunky and stumbling, somehwat awkward and kind of obvious. If there are any hedz out there wanna disagree with me, I'd welcome your comments -- I *wanna* get it, I just can't see the light.
RealAudio clip: "Language Arts"

AUBE Rewriting The Book (Elsie and Jack) 2cd 16.98
Two disc set of remixes of Aube's 1999 disc "Pages From The Book", whose source material was solely an amplified Bible! Remixers of the Greatest Story Ever Told vary in extremes from the brutal aural assaults of Merzbow, Brume, Princess Dragonmom (Warn Defever of His Name Is Alive with Davin of Time Stereo), to the dreamy dancefloor electronica of The Remote Viewer, Supermassive and Disco Operating System, and everywhere in between. Sheffield's Hood incorporates sonic crackles of turning pages into a pop song all their own, V/VM create a rhythmic wall of noise that could easily be a dance track, if you're completely insane. Other remixers include Totemplow, Brian Lavelle, Wheaton Research, Drekka, Volcano The Bear, Sirconical, Pefkin, Vir, Flutter, Monera, Coeurl and Phosphene. 28 tracks in all! It's loud!

BASHO, ROBBIE Zarthus (Comet / Vangurd [sic]) cd 16.98
Robbie Basho: amazing, mystic guitarist. Robbie Basho: absurd, overwrought singer. Here you get a lot of his entrancing ethno-folk guitar, and also a bit of his sincere, but unintentionally silly vocals. Still, "Zarthus" is quite lovely, a blend of "Persian, Arabic, Western themes" played on 6 & 12 string guitars, accompanied by Ramand V. Raghavan's mrdangam. Originally a 1974 LP, now reissued on cd in a beautiful mini-LP sleeve.
RealAudio clip: "Khoda E Gul E Abe"
RealAudio clip: "Khalil Gibran"

BASTARD NOISE Throne Is Melting (Helicopter) cd 9.98
Sixty-two more minutes of wonderfully harsh, grinding noise from John Wiese and Eric Wood of Man Is The Bastard. Features two long ass tracks previously available, one on a really limited Japanese tour 3" cd-r, the other on a one sided 12" that we've had before. And it says Man Is The Bastard as well as Bastard Noise on the cover, which is confusing 'cause while there's members of MITB on here, it's really a Bastard Noise album, not a split release or anything like that... Those jokers Byram and Jeff say they are going to open a bakery in Berkeley called "Man Is The Batard". Food Not Bombs! Ha ha.
RealAudio clip: "Denied Psychotic Human Pt. 2"

BEACHWOOD SPARKS Once We Were Trees (Sup Pop) 2lp 11.98
Boy do Beachwood Sparks want to be the Byrds. From the psychedelic cover art to the super acid-drenched photo collage foldout poster, they're wearing their peace pendants and worn-in denim like they're conjuring the ghost of Gram Parsons. And hey, they do it really well. Recorded by Thom Monahan (Scud Mountain Boys), the music is syrupy sweet in a good way, without being fake or too pretentious -- it's genuine and rings true. There're chiming guitars that sound remarkably like Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacher 12-string, banjo workouts, male harmonies and a cheerful twang throughout. In a weird twist, Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis guests on two tracks, lending a subtly modern twist to the retro sound. Very Nice.

BEACHWOOD SPARKS Once We Were Trees (Sup Pop) cd 14.98
Boy do Beachwood Sparks want to be the Byrds. From the psychedelic cover art to the super acid-drenched photo collage foldout poster, they're wearing their peace pendants and worn-in denim like they're conjuring the ghost of Gram Parsons. And hey, they do it really well. Recorded by Thom Monahan (Scud Mountain Boys), the music is syrupy sweet in a good way, without being fake or too pretentious -- it's genuine and rings true. There're chiming guitars that sound remarkably like Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacher 12-string, banjo workouts, male harmonies and a cheerful twang throughout. In a weird twist, Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis guests on two tracks, lending a subtly modern twist to the retro sound. Very Nice.
RealAudio clip: "Confusion is Nothing New"
RealAudio clip: "By Your Side"
RealAudio clip: "The Sun Surrounds Me"

BEULAH The Coast Is Never Clear (Velocette) cd 16.98
San Francisco's Beulah cruise into their third full length with a breezy '70s feel, drawing them away from their formerly much more pronounced '60s Beach Boys/Beatles leanings. They still retain a few glimmers of rollicking Elephant Six-ness, but the E6 trademark horns, keyboards and ba-da-ba singalongs brim with much more polish and confidence than many of Beulah's more ramshackle, twee E6 cousins. Their buoyant, sunny melodies flow freely from their gleaming pop fountain. A wonderful follow-up to their lovely "When Your Heartstrings Break".
RealAudio clip: "Gravity Is Bringing Us Down"
RealAudio clip: "What Will You Do When Your Suntan Fades"

BJORGULFSSON, HEIMIR Machine Natura (Staalplaat) cd 13.98
Heimir Bjorgulfsson is one of the members of the Icelandic experimental electronic trio Stilluppsteypa, and presents "Machine Natura" as a part of Staalplaat's "machine series" for microscopic glitch music -- pretty much Staalplaat's answer to Ritornell. This 15 minute EP begins with two slightly out of phase sine waves that criss-cross into a noxious high pitched squeal. Bjorgulfsson abruptly brings this to an end, with several minutes of silence and incredibly quiet electronic activity. The volume remains very low, but tiny clatterings do begin to emerge out of the solitude. Of particular note is the packaging, which features all of the text etched into the jewel case. Altogether this is nicely done, but is yet another foray into sinewaves and silence really necessary?
RealAudio clip: "track 5"

BRAIN DONOR Love Peace & Fuck (Impresario) cd 19.98
Brain Donor is the latest musical offering from Krautrock aficionado Julian Cope, who qualifies this Stooges / thug rock outfit as his 'stuporgroup.' Along with longstanding collaborator Thighpaulsandra (who is also a member of Coil and Spiritualized), Cope has recruited the help of "Dogman and Keviar from Spiritualized." It's not clear who are really behind these pseudonyms, but this sounds very little like the halcyon gospel of Spiritualized. Brain Donor instead offers immediately punchy proto-punk riffs that could have easily been lifted from any of the "Funhouse" sessions, played with a glam metal attitude. You can tell these guys are having a ball acting like bad-asses. Totally dumb and totally fun.
RealAudio clip: "She Saw Me Coming"
RealAudio clip: "Odin's Gift To His Mother"

BROTHOMSTATES Qtio (Warp) 12" 11.98
A lengthy 6 track EP from new Warp signings Brothomstates, full of Funkstorific hip-hop mutilations and Autechrish rhythmic stumbles and Aphex-y disjointed ambience. Things could be promising for this IDM outfit.

BROTHOMSTATES Qtio (Warp) cd ep 8.98
A lengthy 6 track EP from new Warp signings Brothomstates, full of Funkstorific hip-hop mutilations and Autechrish rhythmic stumbles and Aphex-y disjointed ambience. Things could be promising for this IDM outfit.

BURGALAT, BERTRAND The Sssound of Mmmusic (Emperor Norton) cd 16.98
This highly influential, euro-lounge-pop producer, composer, arranger, label owner (Tricatel) and performer extraordinaire finally sees the U.S. release of his solo debut (with three bonus tracks unavailable on the European version). Playful '60s flair a-plenty. He's worked with and/or remixed an eclectic array of artists including Air, Ladytron, Mick Harvey, April March (who actually pops up on this album to sing "Tsom"), Nick Cave, Einsturzende Neubauten, and Depeche Mode. Actually you may already be familiar with his connection to some of these artists via the groovy compilation "The Genius of Bertrand Burgalat" from last year. 17 fluffy flights of fancy evoking Bain de Soleil visions with a suave and glistening sheen. Fans of Air, Serge Gainsbourg, Kid Loco and ah yes, the cocktail hour just might find the debonair Monsieur Burgalat rather appealing.
RealAudio clip: "Tsom"

CALL AND RESPONSE s/t (Emperor Norton Records) cd 13.98
Seem familiar? The very recent debut album from SF sunny pop group Call And Response is released anew on a different label. That's right they've made the move from Kindercore to Emperor Norton. And this release gets a spiffing up of sorts. New artwork, reworked tunes, rearranged song order and two extra songs! Now what did we say about this album back in AQ List #109?...
The debut album that's been building this Bay Area group quite a hefty buzz around town. And if plentiful pop pleasures with sunshine-y harmonies are your thing, you'll be buzzing madly as well. Although photos have presented them as sorta Elastica-esque ---all black-clad, raven-haired and lanky--- they are in fact much more a perky combination of Free Design, Stereolab and Beach Boys. But y'know I could have sworn I even heard hints of the Byrds doin' "Hey Mr Tambourine Man" in their song "Colors". Lots of la-la-las and ba-ba-bas. Recorded in Atlanta by The Sunshine Fix/ex-Olivia Tremor Control's Bill Doss.
So there you have it. I'd like to add that the C.A.R. rhythm section busts out some easygoing groovy boogieness (check out new song "All Night Long").
RealAudio clip: "All Night Long"
RealAudio clip: "When The Lights Are Out"

CAVITY On The Lam (Hydra Head) cd 14.98
From the state that gave us President George W. Bush's presidency and our first taste of anthrax panic, comes sludgemetal masters Cavity and their new album for Hydra Head. Just like their past efforts, the sweet smell of Sabbath is strong, mixed with the crusty stench of metalcore violence ... heavy, swinging stuff for fans of feedback, vocal venom, and riff-bludgeon (a la fellow Southern doomsters Eyehategod). All the "stoner" rockers here at AQ give it the thumbs up.
RealAudio clip: "Cult Exciter"

CEX Oops, I Did It Again! (Tigerbeat6) cd 14.98
Oops! It's the second full length from hyperactive emo / hip-hop / IDM whizkid Rjyan Kidwell. That's right, I said emo. In addition to the fluffy pop-laced hip-hop beats and whimsical sonic landscapes, Rjyan busts out his acoustic guitar and cries out all Tim Kinsella style. Of course, as on "(You're) Off The Food Chain", this is downright silly. But on tracks like "First For Wounds" and "I Said It Knowing Full Well I Had No Intention Of Doing It", the inclusion of guitar works wonderfully, somewhat reminiscent of the latest Fourtet record or (vaguely) Arab Strap. And like most hip-hop records, we could certainly do without the silly skits. Without them, I'd put "Oops" up against the likes of Boards Of Canada or early Autechre.

CEX / VENETIAN SNARES Connected Series Volume 2 (Klangkrieg) 12" 9.98
Second in Klangkrieg's Connected series (volume one featured DJ Scud and Pthalocyanine). Baltimore's Cex reworks the unstoppable Venetian Snares (aka Aaron Funk) and vice versa. Bubbly drill'n'bass from two prolific playas in underground electronica.

CLAYTON, KIT Lateral Forces (Surface Fault) (Vertical Form) cd 15.98
Hmmm. Joshua Kit Clayton offers a concept album of electronic music based upon the global seismic activities over the last two years, mixing in field recordings of water and rocks from the San Francisco Bay. After the surprising experiments found on the "Latke" Ep and the shortwave record for Phthalo, "Lateral Forces" falls back upon Clayton's early recordings which were almost note for note direct copies of the glitch-techno-dub of Pole and Vladislav Delay. Good, but not very original.

COHEN, LEONARD Ten New Songs (Sony) cd 17.98
This is Leonard Cohen's first release in 9 years. Rumour is, he spent a good amount of that time in a Zen monastery. His voice still has that same soul shattering, breathy deep quality that it always had. The years have treated him well it seems. This record is more smoothly produced than previous releases and absent are the crazy child background vocals. 'Ten New Songs' seems as much collaborator Sharon Robinson's record as Cohen's--she cowrote all the songs, plays most of the instruments (primarily a synth that seems to have plucked from a cheezy 1984 power ballad), and accompanies Cohen's gloomy croak with her own sweet crooning. Sadly this record is missing the harder edge and jaded air that I liked about his earlier stuff. The slick production sort of bugs me, but I still love -that- voice and his crazy fucked up mind.
RealAudio clip: "In My Secret Life"
RealAudio clip: "Here It Is"

COURTIS Albumina Blues (Freedom From) cd-r 7.98
Alan Courtis -- sometimes referred to as Anla Courtis -- has been instrumental in channeling the quasi-mystical visions of Miguel Tomasin into the brilliantly left of center drone-rock produced by the prolific Argentinian ensemble Reynols. From the infamous self-descriptive recordings of "Blank Tapes" to the mutant garage ploddings of "------", Reynols has created a multi-faceted vocabulary reflecting their anthropomorphic philosophy in which every object (such as rocks, chickens, pumpkins, dogs, humans, and tape hiss to name a few) has the potential to contribute to the surreal festivity of creating a Reynols album.
For "Albumina Blues," Courtis has struck out on his own with his debut CD -- actually, a CDr production from the terminally manic label Freedom From. Much like Reynols' tectonic re-interpretations of Pauline Oliveros, Courtis offers a series of slow moving drones from tape loops of controlled, closed circuit feedback systems and downpitched guitar distortion. Much like a grittier version of Robin Storey's hypnotic loops in Zoviet France and Rapoon, Courtis allows for these loops to speak on their own with subtle amounts of lo-fi effects and EQ modulation. There is an almost Industrial quality to this album with its tonal grimness and its methodical plod, but 'Albumina Blues' has the same oblique giddiness found on all of the Reynols albums. An album clearly worthy of inclusion in the grand Reynols pantheon.
RealAudio clip: "Poliestireno Expandido"
RealAudio clip: "Albumina Blues"

DE FACTO How Do You Dub (ReSTART) cd 10.98
The second cd from De Facto (featuring Omar and Cedric formerly of At The Drive-In... not to be confused with Mars Volta which is their other current project) comes by way of ReStart Records in El Paso, TX. We should note that of the eight tracks included, two ("Coaxial" and "Thick Vinyl Plate") can also be found on their first album "Megaton Shotblast" released on Gold Standard Laboratories. Leaning a bit heavier on the electronics this time around. Continuing on in their twisted, dark and dubby sonic explorations.
RealAudio clip: "Nux Vomica / Coaxialreturn"

DE FACTO How Do You Dub (ReSTART) lp 9.98
The second cd from De Facto (featuring Omar and Cedric formerly of At The Drive-In... not to be confused with Mars Volta which is their other current project) comes by way of ReStart Records in El Paso, TX. We should note that of the eight tracks included, two ("Coaxial" and "Thick Vinyl Plate") can also be found on their first album "Megaton Shotblast" released on Gold Standard Laboratories. Leaning a bit heavier on the electronics this time around. Continuing on in their twisted, dark and dubby sonic explorations.

DEALERSHIP TV Highway To The Stars (Keiki) cd 11.98
Comparisons to the wonderful, bright harmonies of the Posies, as well as Sloan and Velocity Girl immediately jump to mind. Bursts of fuzz-laden guitars. Perky boy/girl vocals that bounce along from English to Japanese to French and back again. If you're familiar with the annual San Francisco Noise-Pop music fest then you're probably already well aware of Dealership. They absolutely epitomize the warm'n'fuzzy sound and spirit of Noise-Pop! 14 super driving and catchy pop tunes.
RealAudio clip: "Tetsuo"

DEERHOOF My Pal Foot Foot (Nothing Fancy Just Music) 7" 3.50
Three new songs of fractured pop dreaminess from the SF trio, including a cover of The Shaggs' "My Pal Foot Foot". Also features Jeff's favorite Deerhoof track, "Sunny Forty Fours", a stripped down prog-pop lullaby with heavy analog synth stylings! Released on XBXRX's Nothing Fancy Just Music label out of Mobile, Alabama.

EHLERS, EKKEHARD Plays Albert Ayler (Staubgold) lp 13.98
The second solo recording from the former Autopoeses member, in which Ehlers samples fragments of Albert Ayler. However, it is debatable as to how much Ayler is actually present on this recording, musically. Consisting entirely of digitally altered cello recordings, these two sidelong pieces gently swell, teeter and expand, forming beautiful, haunting drones that lie beneath digital snippets of arhythmic ephemera. Like Stephan Mathieu, whom Ekkehard has collaborated with on this year's "Heroin" cd, Ehlers simply restructures a mundane cello recording into a wonderfully reticular songpoem. Very highly recommended.

ESTRADASPHERE Buck Fever (Web of Mimicry) cd 13.98
Second disc from these genre-hopping, Mr. Bungle-loving kids from Santa Cruz. Musically, they're obviously talented and are fearless in their pursuit of creating new, unusual sounds. Unfortunately, to these ears, "Buck Fever" falls a bit short in delivering the goods, and as a result is comparable to a watered down version of early Naked City or Mr. Bungle. Estradasphere fuses metal, jazz and other styles, but the emphasis here, unfortunately is on the (lite) jazz, funk and (ahem) surf rock. That's not to say that this disc isn't for the adventurous type, it just falls short in the "ummph" department here. By the way, Tim and Jason (bass and guitar, respectively) were in the band Don Salsa, whose "Kool-Aid Moustache in Jonestown" disc was a rabid Naked City-esque freak out.

ET SANS L'Autre (Locust) cd 15.98
God Damn You Black Side Projects!!! No longer can we simply go by the somewhat telling label Constellation Records to raise the Godspeed You Black Emperor antennae. No, now Alexandre St-Onge and Roger Tellier-Craig (of Godspeed! You Black Emperor and Fly Pan Am respectively) have branched out and onto Locust Records, with this textural noise-drone album, conjuring similarities to Keith Rowe rather than the standard Godspeed majestic crescendo affair. This 45 minute improvisation opens with growling low-end cello and simple acoustic guitar that continue for about 20 minutes before the duo kick on a shortwave which sputters out gravelly static, half-tuned stations, and erratic frequency shifts. St-Onge and Tellier-Craig then pick up contact microphones and scrape and grind across undefinable surfaces.

FABOLOUS Ghetto Fabolous (Desert Storm) cd 18.98
Fabolous follows in the footseps of Nelly, taking the big New York gangster commercial sound and flavoring it with a bit of the dirty south and striking gold. You can hear a bit of Jay-Z, Puffy and the like, but Fabolous just has that special something that pushes him over the top. It doesn't hurt that he's backed up by the mighty DJ Clue and gets help (production, singing, rapping) here and there from Ja Rule, DMX, the Neptunes, Lil' Mo, Timbaland, and more. Catchy and funky and fucking essential. Makes me wish I had a lowered Benz with dubs and a booming system. 'Can't deny it' is definitely the single of the year.
RealAudio clip: "Can't Deny It"

FAINT, THE Mote (Gold Standard Laboratories) 12" 9.98
Grab this up before it's gone! The Faint take on Sonic Youth's "Mote" for this one-off GSL release (their usual label is Saddle Creek) and they do so in supreme synth-rock style. They busted this track out for their encore at their recent show here in SF. These lanky Omaha new wavers are positively driving the kids wild. Triggering the dance mechanism in all. This vinyl-only release also includes two remixes by The Lack and Psyrendust as well as a track entitled "Dust" with fellow Nebraskans Bright Eyes.

FANFARE CIOCARLIA Iag Bari (Piranha) cd 15.98
From a little village called Ciocarlia, located in Eastern Romania, near the Moldavian border, comes this eleven-man brass and woodwind band of gypsies. Combining elements of traditional Romanian, Turkish and Gypsy music as well as Klezmer, this former wedding band (who've been known to have played weddings for up to twenty hours!) are also the fastest known brass band in the world (between 130 and 220 bpm)! Wild, schizophrenic and exciting, if you've ever seen the Yugoslavian cinema of Emir Kusturica (Time Of The Gypsies, Black Cat White Cat, or the epic Underground), you can begin to understand the intensity of Fanfare Ciocarlia. Also, remember those crazy FedEx adverts with the insane music? Byram feels compelled to Next Day Air something every time this disc gets played. Anyway, if you liked the Disco Bhangra cd (on John Zorn's Avant label), Taraf De Haidouks, or insanely fast klezmer, definitely check this out! "Iag Bari" is a fine, frenzied followup to FC's previous Piranha disc, "Baro Biao: World Wide Wedding" that we mentioned way back on list number 87!
RealAudio clip: "Iag Bari"
RealAudio clip: "Banatzeana"

FARRAR, JAY Sebastopol (Artemis) cd 15.98
Nothing special about our Northern California city of Sebastopol compelled Jay Farrar to name his new album as such, he just liked the sound of it. With an array of new (for a geetar traditionalist like Farrar) instrumentation like Roland keyboards, tambura, sax and melodica, and a bunch of non-traditional tunings that he both looked up and made up, Jay Farrar augments the trademarked dusty backroads sound that he perfected in Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt. His gritty introspective vocal tone is still intact, and the music is still much more grounded in "no depression" style country than his former bandmate Jeff Tweedy's work with Wilco, who're getting more pop with each record. Still, I have to admit this record doesn't have the instantly classic sound that Uncle Tupelo or even Son Volt featured. If you're new to Farrar, try to pick up Uncle Tupelo's Anodyne (fucking stunning!) or Son Volt's Trace first. Maybe I just have to get used to the slight development in his sound, and along with that Jay's newly-shorn locks with wire rimmed glasses (yech, we liked him better when he had stringy long hair and looked like Ian Christe!)
P.S. Gillian Welch and Kelly Joe Phelps guest.
RealAudio clip: "Voodoo Candle"
RealAudio clip: "Vitamins"
RealAudio clip: "Make it Alright"

FLUXION [spaces] (Vibrant Music) cd 16.98
A far cry from Fluxion's previous heroin house sounding discs for Chain Reaction, "[spaces]" may have been created with the same software, but is an incredibly slow moving affair with crawling digital rhythms being stretched out over expansive fields of synthetic grit. Somewhat like the isolationist pieces of Thomas Koner, who also contributed to the Chain Reaction discography with those seminal Porter Ricks records.
RealAudio clip: "Field 1"

FUGAZI Furniture (Dischord) 7" 4.50
Three song e.p. from the new Fugazi record 'The Argument'. Featuring three tracks exclusive to the single, including the song 'Furniture', and oldie but a goody that was up until now unreleased. Also features extra drumming from long time Fugazi roadie Jerry Busher.

FUGAZI Furniture (Dischord) cd ep 4.98
Three song e.p. from the new Fugazi record 'The Argument'. Featuring three tracks exclusive to the single, including the song 'Furniture', and oldie but a goody that was up until now unreleased. Also features extra drumming from long time Fugazi roadie Jerry Busher.

FUGAZI The Argument (Dischord) cd 11.98
Not sure what to say. Newest album from THE independent indie rock/punk rock band. Their first in 3 years. The sound is similar to 1998's 'End Hits' but they continue on their path towards melody and away from explosive emo. Lots of actual 'singing' and the first studio appearence of Jerry Busher, long time roadie and second drummer. If you're a Fugazi fan you probably already have this, or you're -about- to buy it. But if you're not, you'd be better off starting with 'Repeater' and going from there.
RealAudio clip: "Life And Lime"

FUGAZI The Argument (Dischord) lp 9.98
Not sure what to say. Newest album from THE independent indie rock/punk rock band. Their first in 3 years. The sound is similar to 1998's 'End Hits' but they continue on their path towards melody and away from explosive emo. Lots of actual 'singing' and the first studio appearence of Jerry Busher, long time roadie and second drummer. If you're a Fugazi fan you probably already have this, or you're -about- to buy it. But if you're not, you'd be better off starting with 'Repeater' and going from there.

GALLO, VINCENT When (Warp) cd 17.98
While it's probably true that the reason this album got released on hip UK electronica label Warp is that Vincent "Buffalo 66" Gallo is a famous guy, that doesn't mean it's a bad album. Some folks here at Aquarius wanted to assume that, but repeated listenings have made even the worst AQ Gallo-skeptics willing to admit that it's not bad. And some of us (Allan, for one), think it's pretty great. After all, there's a reason why the guy is famous, and it has to do with (aside from his striking good looks) the fact that he's talented. So forget your knee jerk reactions to his celebrity status and consider the possibility that unlike most actors-turned-musicians, he's managed to make some nice music. All right all right, what does it sound like? Well, it's NOT the full on prog rock opus that some of us were hoping Gallo's overt Yes obsession would produce, but it's a lovely, lonely singer-songwriter effort (with, indeed, echoes of the mellow pop psychedelia found on early King Crimson LPs). Introspective and quiet, having just a few sonic elements per song: a whispered vocal here, a xylophone there, some wistful piano and strummed guitar there, a fragmented drum beat here. A near-ambient, melancholic, almost-folky disc full of heartbreak and longing (well, it seems that way, not that we've studied the lyrics closely as yet). There's no more of anything (vocals, beats) than is absolutely necessary (which argues well for Gallo's genuine artistry) (well, except for some shameless courting of his famous friends like the filthy rich party girl Paris Hilton who's namedropped in the first track's title). The vocals make this kinda sound like what Smog or Jandek would sound like if they recorded for Warp. We're also reminded of Tarwater and even Chet Baker. Worth checking out, after all!
RealAudio clip: "When"
RealAudio clip: "Was"

GERBILS, THE The Battle of Electricity (Orange Twin) cd 13.98
Mellow, lo-fi Elephant 6ers The Gerbils rollick along like a travelling band of musical mischief makers. If this quartet of Scott Spillane, John D'Azzo, Will Westbrook and Jeremy Barnes look and sound familiar, well it's probably 'cause they've spent a great deal of non-Gerbil time in the ranks of Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control. Not to mention the usual plethora of tuneful assistance from their E6 kin (for example, ex-OTC/Sunshine Fix's Bill Doss, Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes, ex-OTC/Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't's Pete Erchick). At times, "The Battle of Electricity" may make you think you're in the middle of a boisterous Greek wedding reception. At other times, a singalong in a backyard treehouse. Released on Jeff Mangum's Orange Twin label.
RealAudio clip: "The White Sky"

GEROGERIGEGEGE None Friendly (Mink) cd 17.98
BEFORE YOUR READ THIS REVIEW, BE AWARE WE ONLY HAVE TWO COPIES. WE WILL NEVER GET MORE. BUT I REALLY LIKE IT AND WANTED TO GIVE MAILORDERS CUSTOMERS A CHANCE. SO FIRST TWO CUSTOMERS THAT ORDER IT GET IT. SORRY. AND ODDLY ENOUGH, I ALREADY HAVE A FEELING I KNOW WHICH TWO CUSTOMERS WILL BE THE ONES TO GET THEM. GO AHEAD, PROVE ME RIGHT.
Anyway, album number 132 (or something close to that) from Japanese noise musician / sound artist / professional masturbator Juntaro Yamanouchi. Gerogerigegege (loosely translated as vomit, diarhhea, ha ha ha) has gone through all sorts of sonic incarnations, noisy splatter punk, bombastic japanoise, experimental musique concrete, with some of those incarnations featuring the added bonus of Juntaro's trademark live and mic-ed masturbating. On 'None Friendly' (actually recorded in 1987), he tackles THE DRONE and it's quite a listen. Deep and sonorous, lush and mesmerising. I was convinced it was a synthesizer until I noticed on the sleeve, that it specifically points out that there was 'No synthesizer used.' So what the sound source actually is remains a mystery. Maybe it -is- processed masturbating. I mean, I hope it is. But either way, this is a fantastic record. One extended buzzing and humming, slowly developing hypnotic drone. Really great.

GESCOM Keynell (Skam) cd 9.98
Nowadays, Autechre invokes the Gescom moniker whenever the IDM duo wants to experiment outside of their well-defined Autechre sound as in their contribution the "Absolute Zero" compilation and their collage friendly MiniDisc only release. Yet during the beginning of Autechre's career, the difference between Gescom and Autechre recordings weren't as discernable. I'm pretty sure that Gescom was credited as "authoring" one of the tracks on the first Autechre album "Incunabula." Regardless, Gescom has released a handful of exceptional singles (mostly on the Skam label out of Manchester) that are certainly worthy of the reverence that often follow the Autechre albums. As those singles are really hard to find now or flatly out of print, the CD reissue of their third EP "Keynell" is a welcome arrival.
Skam has also sadly retained the annoying package that housed the vinyl with the re-issue of the cd, which is just a sleeve of plastic bubble wrap. Oh well, the music inside more than makes up for it. "Keynell 1" lumbers through chopped string samples, which form a surprisingly catchy piece of understated melody to match the steady tumble of a wooden eletro beat. While most Autechre / Gescom pieces contain signature elements that easily qualify them as being by Autechre or Gescom, "Keynell 1" holds remarkable similarities to fellow IDM forefather, Aphex Twin -- especially from the "On" ep or the Phillip Glass collaboration. "Keynell 2" is a return to the Autechre sound, with sputtering mechanical rhythms, cybernetic flanges, and subtle afterhour rave melodies that have been synchronized into an unlikely groove. The third track is one of the Mancunian duo's more minimalist pieces, with the infinite repetition of a filtered hip-hop beat laced with an elegant, yet melancholic synth melody. During the five years that have passed since Gescom released "Keynell," 'intelligent dance music' has run the risk of self-parody, in losing the intelligent element of its name by stupidly searching out overly complex rhythms (i.e. Richie Devine, Otto Von Schirach) or wallowing in the irony of being dorky (i.e. Cex). There was a time when IDM was a viable musical form, and "Keynell" is one that era's highlights.
RealAudio clip: "Keynell 1"
RealAudio clip: "Keynell 3"

GILBERTO, BEBEL Tanto Tempo Remixes (Six Degrees) cd 16.98
Ms Gilberto's popular album "Tanto Tempo" gets a proper remixing by such notables as Peter Kruder (minus Dorfmeister), King Britt, and 4Hero. So much more satisfying than the less than thrilling "Sem Contencao" remix ep that came out shortly after the album.

GOBLIN Nonhosonno OST (Pick Up) cd 18.98
After 22 years Dario Argento and Goblin reunited for this 2000 thriller. The music is as you might expect very Goblinesqe. Despite the technological breakthroughs that have occured since Goblin worked with Argento on such great films as Deep Red, not much has changed in the Goblin camp, with their signature sound intact: mysterious, melodic, dark and scary and proggy.
RealAudio clip: "Endless Love"
RealAudio clip: "Arpeggio-End Title Theme"
RealAudio clip: "The Rabbit"

GUERIN, JEAN Tacet (Elica) cd 16.98
Elica, the Italian label that brought us, among other things, the Confusional Quartet and Andre Almuro's "Delpi", has unearthed another lost recording. Jean Guerin's "Tacet" is a super rare LP, originally released on the French Futura label (Red Noise, Mahogany Brain, Jacques Berrocal, and other freaky stuff) back in 1970. Jazz drummer Guerin composed it as a soundtrack to some radical art film we haven't seen, but the music definitely stands on its own. It is a spacious sonic swamp of quirky academic electronics and avant-jazz horns. Eerie, echoey, effects laden soundscapes. Some strange, theatrical vocals. Mysterious, mostly quiet stuff. Very "20th century"!
Instrumention includes trumpets (and "trumpet-in water"), tenor saxophone, double bass, bass guitar, darbouka, percussions, rhythm machine, generator and VCS3. Reissued in a digipak with reproductions of the original album art and liner notes by Philippe Carles, co-author of the "Free Jazz, Black Power."
RealAudio clip: "Maochat"
RealAudio clip: "Gaub 71"

GURU Baldhead Slick & Da Click (LandSpeed) cd 17.98
Guru has one of the greatest voices in rap. Ice Cube's or DMX's are great too, but more mean and scratchy. I mean, when I imagine the devil, he sounds like Ice Cube. But Guru is smooth and effortless and his voice is deep and warm, and his flow is so ridiculous sometimes, like he always has way too much to say to fit it in the verse, but just keeps going and trails off into the next part. And Gang Starr was the shit, but post Gang Starr, Guru, started this Jazzmatazz crap and everything was smoooth and 'for the ladies'. But on 'Baldhead Slick...' The Guru has returned and this time the music is up to it. No smooth jazz, no chillout bullshit, this is hard and weird. The beats are slamming and the vocals are delivered with full force and maximum fury, but without losing the 'smooth'. Essential.
RealAudio clip: "Where's Our Money"
RealAudio clip: "Back 2 Back"

HAGGARD, MERLE Cheatin (Capital) cd 6.98
Apparently in an effort not to be out done by Columbia / American and their Johnny Cash "Love / God / Murder" trilogy, Capitol has decided to release a quartet of themed best of compilations -- Drinkin', Hurtin', Prison & Cheatin' -- from California's own bad boy of country Merle Haggard. Unlike many of his country contemporaries Haggard actually lived much of the life he sang about: struggling to make a living, living a life of crime and finally serving a prison sentence at San Quentin before straightening out and succeeding in his musical career. Along with all the expected studio recordings of Haggard's hits there are quite a few excellent live recordings thrown in here and there to boot, and what the series lacks in documentation -- no liner notes -- and brevity (each cd clocks in at around 30 minutes a piece) it makes up for big time in price. Nope, that's not a misprint there, they are really only 6.98 each. If you don't already have a healthy collection of Merle's music why not buy all four?
RealAudio clip: "High On A Hilltop"
RealAudio clip: "It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)"

HAGGARD, MERLE Drinkin (Capital) cd 6.98
Apparently in an effort not to be out done by Columbia / American and their Johnny Cash "Love / God / Murder" trilogy, Capitol has decided to release a quartet of themed best of compilations -- Drinkin', Hurtin', Prison & Cheatin' -- from California's own bad boy of country Merle Haggard. Unlike many of his country contemporaries Haggard actually lived much of the life he sang about: struggling to make a living, living a life of crime and finally serving a prison sentence at San Quentin before straightening out and succeeding in his musical career. Along with all the expected studio recordings of Haggard's hits there are quite a few excellent live recordings thrown in here and there to boot, and what the series lacks in documentation -- no liner notes -- and brevity (each cd clocks in at around 30 minutes a piece) it makes up for big time in price. Nope, that's not a misprint there, they are really only 6.98 each. If you don't already have a healthy collection of Merle's music why not buy all four?
RealAudio clip: "I Threw Away The Rose"
RealAudio clip: "Who'll Buy The Wine"

HAGGARD, MERLE Hurtin (Capital) cd 6.98
Apparently in an effort not to be out done by Columbia / American and their Johnny Cash "Love / God / Murder" trilogy, Capitol has decided to release a quartet of themed best of compilations -- Drinkin', Hurtin', Prison & Cheatin' -- from California's own bad boy of country Merle Haggard. Unlike many of his country contemporaries Haggard actually lived much of the life he sang about: struggling to make a living, living a life of crime and finally serving a prison sentence at San Quentin before straightening out and succeeding in his musical career. Along with all the expected studio recordings of Haggard's hits there are quite a few excellent live recordings thrown in here and there to boot, and what the series lacks in documentation -- no liner notes -- and brevity (each cd clocks in at around 30 minutes a piece) it makes up for big time in price. Nope, that's not a misprint there, they are really only 6.98 each. If you don't already have a healthy collection of Merle's music why not buy all four?
RealAudio clip: "Silver Wings"
RealAudio clip: "Every Fool Has A Rainbow"

HAGGARD, MERLE Prison (Capital) cd 6.98
Apparently in an effort not to be out done by Columbia / American and their Johnny Cash "Love / God / Murder" trilogy, Capitol has decided to release a quartet of themed best of compilations -- Drinkin', Hurtin', Prison & Cheatin' -- from California's own bad boy of country Merle Haggard. Unlike many of his country contemporaries Haggard actually lived much of the life he sang about: struggling to make a living, living a life of crime and finally serving a prison sentence at San Quentin before straightening out and succeeding in his musical career. Along with all the expected studio recordings of Haggard's hits there are quite a few excellent live recordings thrown in here and there to boot, and what the series lacks in documentation -- no liner notes -- and brevity (each cd clocks in at around 30 minutes a piece) it makes up for big time in price. Nope, that's not a misprint there, they are really only 6.98 each. If you don't already have a healthy collection of Merle's music why not buy all four?
RealAudio clip: "Mama Tried"
RealAudio clip: "Branded Man"

HALIFAX PIER Put Your Gloves On And Wave (Temporary Residence) cd 12.98
Second full length from Louisville / San Francisco-based band who conjure up the warm acoustic guitar / cello / violin dark gothic sound popularized by another Lousiville band Rachel's, then add murmured vocals to bring it down to earth. It's very emotional, wistful, and sad, and fans of Rachels will love it. One wishes it was a little less predictable (starting one track with a far-off train whistle... hmm, never heard that one before).
RealAudio clip: "That Old Grizzly Thing"

HINDLE, JAMES WILLIAM s/t (Badman) cd 13.98
Dark and lilting acoustic pop ala Red House Painters. No surprise as he is a friend of Mark Kozelek's, plays Kozelek's guitars, the record is produced by the same guy who produced the last Red House Painters record, and Hindle made his debut on Kozelek's recent tribute to John Denver. But all that said, there are some differences. Hindle has a high, crystalline voice, almost fey at timesand the instrumentation is sparse, often just an acoustic guitar. There's a gorgeous cover of the Bee Gees' 'I Started A Joke' and a great vesrson of Glen Campbell's 'Less Of Me'. Guests include Paula Frazer from Tarnation and Tim Mooney from American Music Club. And features photography by bad boy filmmaker Harmony Korine. Really pretty nice.
RealAudio clip: "I Started A Joke"
RealAudio clip: "Remember My Markings"

ICEBREAKER Extraction (Between the Lines) cd 16.98
Don't be confused by the name. We couldn't figure out why the band we remembered as sounding sort of post rocky and Tortoise-y could make a record like this. Well, they didn't. This Icebreaker is not from Chicago, but from Great Britain. And this Icebreaker was formed in 1989. Icebreaker is a 13 people member ensemble and features a small orchestra: flute, pan-pipes, keyboards, alto sax, tenor sax, piano, accordian, violin, cello, vibes, marimba, guitar and bass guitar. And the sound is some sort of avant modern classical, somewhere between Art Zoyd, Univers Zero and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. The first track is a piece called 'Mad Legs In a Sack' by Damian le Gassick and sounds -remarkably- like Penguin Cafe Orchestra, with wildly dueling horns and strings and pianos, doing a mad dance, sounding like the Queen's tea party was crashed by bumbling crooks. Playful and a tad silly and quite appealing. The second piece (26:40 long!) is called 'The Baby Bear's Bed' and is by Gordon McPherson. And at this point the sound changes drastically. Four minutes of angular, distorted solo electric guitar, until the guitar is joined by sparse, erratic drumming reminding us (sort of) of Gore or Harvey Milk. Then the bass joins in, all the while that guitar continues to play its relentless atonal melody. Soon flutes join in and the guitar finally drops out. Leaving the drums and sinister violins and cellos to weave a tense backdrop, playing what could be a creepy Italian horror film soundtrack. Then it's back to the madcap piano horn interplay for the rest of the piece. The disc finishes off with a 'remix' of the last piece, and it's a stretched out ambient whirl of distant horns, far away pianos, warm hums and dark drones that eventually erupt into a noisy reverb drenched miasma. A nice surprise. Fans of Art Zoyd, Univers Zero, Penguin Cafe Orchestra and the like will dig this.
RealAudio clip: "Mad Legs In A Sack 1"
RealAudio clip: "The Baby Bear's Bed 2"
RealAudio clip: "Goldylox"

IF THEN ELSE (Pause) (Emanate) cd 11.98
A review from "electronicmusicreviews.com" offered an interesting piece of personal history regarding Deno Vichas (aka If Then Else). He had apparently received a 6 month jail sentence for marijuana possession before recording this album. What is so strange about that piece of information is the resulting album sounds so stoned. It's clear that the experience of prison has left a sober and saddened mark upon If Then Else's IDM aesthetics, but I would be hard pressed to believe that Vichas has given up smoking pot, rehabilitated or otherwise. "(Pause)" is a very slow moving album of electronic dub basslines, hushed melodies, and quiet digital rhythms, that all blend together in a pleasant, atmospheric album of stoner introspection.
RealAudio clip: "Missing My Bong"
RealAudio clip: "Waiting"

IF THEN ELSE (Pause) (Emanate) lp 11.98
A review from "electronicmusicreviews.com" offered an interesting piece of personal history regarding Deno Vichas (aka If Then Else). He had apparently received a 6 month jail sentence for marijuana possession before recording this album. What is so strange about that piece of information is the resulting album sounds so stoned. It's clear that the experience of prison has left a sober and saddened mark upon If Then Else's IDM aesthetics, but I would be hard pressed to believe that Vichas has given up smoking pot, rehabilitated or otherwise. "(Pause)" is a very slow moving album of electronic dub basslines, hushed melodies, and quiet digital rhythms, that all blend together in a pleasant, atmospheric album of stoner introspection.

JACKSON, MICHAEL Thriller (Special Edition) (Sony) cd 17.98
... in which we discover that there was a baby tiger present at the Thriller album photo shoot. Bonus stuff included, namely a demo version of "Billie Jean", interviews with Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton, the unused second verse of Vincent Price's "Thriller" voiceover reading, and of course a new booklet with photos galore.

JAY-Z Blueprint (Roc A Fella / Def Jam) cd 17.98
Commercial hip hop deals another blow to the underground, by spitting out one of the best hip hop records of the year. Catchy and funky and funny and absolutely fucking perfect. Makes Puffy seem like the Young MC he really is.
RealAudio clip: "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
RealAudio clip: "Takeover"

JECK, PHILIP / VERGIL SHARKYA Full Moon Warship (Vergilreality) cd-r 12.98
A few months ago we received an email from a fellow in the UK asking if we were interested in a live unreleased Philip Jeck cd. And of course we said yes. Anyone who reads the AQ list regularly knows that in our eyes Jeck can pretty much do no wrong (with his previous 3 releases, Surf, Vinyl Coda III, and Vinyl Coda IV all being unanimous favorites). The fellow who emailed us was UK musician Vergil Sharkya, who joins Jeck on electric guitar and 'vocaliser' along with Stefen Kazassoglou on cello. 'Full Moon Warship' is quite a mixed bag, with the staticky record crackled soundscapes Jeck is so adept at, but also with some propulsive Krautrock-ish rhythms, droney almost-rock workouts and plenty of unidentifiable sounds and scratchy popping atmospheres. If you are a fan, you need this. If you're not yet, it's as good a place to start as any. Limited cd-r so be aware that we may run out, so don't dawdle!
RealAudio clip: "Track 1"
RealAudio clip: "Track 2"

JONES, JOE Solar Music At Sierksdorf, Ostsee (? Records) cd 22.00
This is the second cd documenting composer/inventor/sound artist Joe Jones' Solar Music released on the same label (part of the Hundertmark Art Gallery in Germany) that released the last Hermann Nitsch document. This disc is live and was recorded in the early morning of Sunday April 1st, 1984. The instrumentation on this recording is large zitar, 2 tamb, and tamba drum. The interesting thing is that Jones has built 'solar umbrellas' that use solar energy to mechanically play the instruments. I think I described Jones' 'solar music' best in list #115:
"A gauzy and cloudy shimmering wash of keening high pitched whines, hums and whirrs, and simple and slow, calculatedly tribal percussion. At times it sounds like Pelt or Skullflower, at others an ethereal otherworldly hippie jam ala Taj Mahal Travellers."
Totally essential for drone fanatics!
RealAudio clip: "Solar Music At Sierksdorf, Ostsee"

KID 606 / POSTERBOYS OF THE APOCALYPSE That's What I Got / No Angels (Tigerbeat6) 7" 6.98
Volume 5 in Tigerbeat6's "$" series. Kid 606 throws down another hip-hop slammer. Posterboys make a bunch of noise. Limited.

KID LOCO Kill Your Darlings (Atlantic) cd 17.98
Hmm. Kid Loco's newest full length is not as incandescently good as his A Grand Love Story, although it has its high points. The weed-smoking, ladies-lovin' French Kid Loco is writing more proper songs, as opposed to just sit-back-and-kick-it loungey electronica, and that's a good thing. At times the songs remind me of the delicately wistful Beautiful South, or even a lighter Everything But the Girl. The singers are the lilting Louise Quinn of Hardbody, and Tim Keegan of Departure Lounge / Blue Aeroplanes.
RealAudio clip: "Lucy's Talking"
RealAudio clip: "A Little Bit of Soul"

KNUT untitled (Hydra Head) cd 10.98
Knut are an intense Swiss metalcore band from Switzerland that seem to have found the perfect home on Hydra Head, their sound having much in common with Isis, Old Man Gloom and the like. This is their newest e.p. and teaser for their upcoming full length. Knut combine huge downtuned riffs, roaring vocals, pounding percussion all with a decidedly non-metal, almost indie rock feel to them. Makes the songs more interesting and infinitely more listenable. Dynamic and heavy but kind of melodic at the same time. Think Neurosis, Sepultura, Deadguy, Kiss It Goodbye. Big favorites around here! Allan and Andee like to think of Knut as one of those 'heavy indie rock bands' that heeded Andee and Allan's advice, and just went ahead and played metal. Great.
RealAudio clip: "Dissolve"

KOPSTEIN, JACQUES a (Frenetic) cd 11.98
Jacques Kopstein is actually Marty Anderson of local rockers Dilute. 'a' is his first solo record and it's pretty fucking great. Great, but really, really strange. Anderson plays all the instruments and does all the singing and even drew all the pictures. The disc starts off with wildly careening demented circus music but quickly mutates into gently strummed, dreamy and damaged folk pop, which is where it stays for most of the rest of the record. The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev come immediately to mind. Beautiful pop songs stretched and twisted and peppered with bizarre sounds and populated by peculiar instruments, Anderson's keening sad boy wail and catchy-as-hell hooks.
RealAudio clip: "Sunshine"
RealAudio clip: "Are To Spend Not Eternity"
RealAudio clip: "Power"

KRAFTWERK Somewhere In Europe lp 14.98
Two live sets of Kraftwerk captured with reasonably fine fidelity, one from a 1976 show in Paris (performing tracks from Ralf & Florian and Autobahn) and the other from a 1981 show in Utrecht (performing tracks from Computer World and Man Machine).

LANGLEY SCHOOLS MUSIC PROJECT, THE Innocence and Despair (Bar None) cd 15.98
Rural Canadian schoolkids ages 9-12, sixty of 'em, singing pop hits like "Space Oddity", "Good Vibrations", "I'm Into Something Good", and "Band On The Run", backed by shimmering, gamelan like percussion and sparse rock instrumentation??
Yes! And of course it's Irwin Chusid (of "In The Key of Z" fame, a specialist in "outsider" music) who's responsible for getting these 1976-77 recordings finally issued on cd for our enjoyment. Apparently these kids had a somewhat unorthodox music teacher, who, tapping into his student's musical enthusiasm, arranged and captured this amateur outpouring of charmingly naive genius...lovely yet fucked up. And funny. Yet so heartfelt and innocent. Over the course of these nineteen earnest tracks, you'll either lose your mind or fall in love with the Langley Schools Music Project. Genius or not, certainly Paul McCartney, the Beach Boys, Bowie, the Bay City Rollers, Fleetwood Mac, the Carpenters, the Eagles, Barry Manilow, etc. never sounded so...odd. "Lo-fi Spectorian majesty" indeed. It's like an all-Shaggs orchestra playing AM radio covers. We have to agree with John Zorn's cover sticker blurb: "Touches the heart in a way no other music ever has, or could." So terrible, yet so brilliant. Never intended for release (it was originally pressed as a limited double 12" for the kids and their families) but now the 2-track tape reels have been remastered, and this cd, with a detailed 16-page booklet featuring super cute photos of the kids, has been unleashed on the world! Great Christmas gift material, if we may be so bold.
RealAudio clip: "Space Oddity"
RealAudio clip: "Desperado"
RealAudio clip: "Rhiannon"

LE TIGRE Feminist Sweepstakes (Mr Lady) cd 13.98
Second full length from Le Tigre, the trio headed by ex-Bikini Kill wailer Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman, and new member JD Sampson. While there's nothing here as ferociously kickass as Le Tigre's "Bang Bang" (off the From the Desk of Mr Lady ep), this is still a fiery collection of message-laden lyrics wrapped around lo-fi electro beats, suffused with punk spirit. The gals are getting more and more funky with each release, you can tell they're big ESG fans.
RealAudio clip: "My Art"
RealAudio clip: "LT Tour Theme"

LE TIGRE Feminist Sweepstakes (Mr Lady) lp 10.98
Second full length from Le Tigre, the trio headed by ex-Bikini Kill wailer Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman, and new member JD Sampson. While there's nothing here as ferociously kickass as Le Tigre's "Bang Bang" (off the From the Desk of Mr Lady ep), this is still a fiery collection of message-laden lyrics wrapped around lo-fi electro beats, suffused with punk spirit. The gals are getting more and more funky with each release, you can tell they're big ESG fans.

LOW Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (Chair Kickers Music) cd ep 7.98
A few years back, Low played a Halloween show in Los Angeles in which they came out as the Misfits, complete with hyperbolic widow's peak, ghoulish corpse paint, and -- most shockingly -- a rather accurate performance of Misfits covers. While Low hasn't done anything with those Misfits songs since, they have cultivated an increasing repertoire of cover songs performed in their signature slow motion fashion. "Transmission" by Joy Division, "Jack Smith" by The Supreme Dicks, "Down By The River" by Neil Young, "I Started A Joke" by The BeeGees, "Lord, Can You Hear Me?" by Spacemen 3, that whole Christmas album, "Back Home Again" by John Denver, "Carnival Queen" by Jandek, and now "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me". Until they compile all of these covers onto an album like Nick Cave's "Kicking Against The Pricks," you'll have to seek them out individually.
Low really does try to out-do Morrissey's melodrama on "Last Night..." with Alan gently singing along to a quiet guitar strum over ringing feedback and an ample dose of reverb, before the band explodes in a majestic crescendo of theatrical excess. Add an original from Low and a video of the single "Dinosaur Act" off their "Things Lost In The Fire" album, and you've got yourself one fine cd single.
RealAudio clip: "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"

METALUX Fluorescent Towers (Hanson) lp 10.98
From the latest handful of releases on Ann Arbor's Hanson Records comes this Chicago trio of art twaddlers and tape manipulators, Metalux. Having been around for a few years without a record, and hearing much about their live shows, my hopes of a band over their self indulgent "experimental" beginnings - formulating a more refined and original creature- were cut short on my first listen. Unfortunately on "Fluorescent Towers", Metalux still sound like a new band. That's not to say you won't like this if you're into (the now defunct, yet legendary Chicago trio) Dot Dot Dot, Woof Pies or the (more appropriately cryptic sounding) Rubber O Cement). A complete mess, this record sounds like small children with electronic toys and open reels trying to recreate an homage to Royal Trux's even more fucked and disarrayed "Twin Infinitives". Unfortunately for Metalux, this sort of stuff practically clogs the record racks these days. Oh yeah, Metalux also features members of Bride Of No No and Nautical Almanac in their personnel. Great.

MODEST MOUSE Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks (Epic) cd ep 12.98
An eight song EP (golly, that's a big EP!) from Isaac Brock and company compiling some mostly recent Modest Mouse odds 'n' ends. Includes tracks from the "Night On The Sun" 12" which was gathered up from the recorded material that didn't make it onto their last proper album "The Moon And Antarctica". And in turn, some material from those very same sessions that didn't make it onto "Night On The Sun" surfaces here, as well as an odd mish-mash of a song called "The Air" which brings together a bunch of even older tunes of theirs. Modest Mouse completists take note!

MONEY MARK Change Is Coming (Emperor Norton) cd 16.98
Gotta say, I really liked Money Mark's first two full lengths. His instrumental debut "Mark's Keyboard Repair" and the more pop song-packed follow-up "Push The Button" were both fun and quirky. Well, this release sees The Mark returning to the solely instrumental realm. A slight disappointment for me. Simply put this is a well-executed, pleasant, easy-listenin' soundtrack. A nice laid-back listen filled with his usual funky grooviness, but lacking in heft or substance. Mind you this finds its home on Emperor Norton Records... not a label known for raising a ruckus.

MONEY MARK Change Is Coming (Emperor Norton) lp 14.98
Gotta say, I really liked Money Mark's first two full lengths. His instrumental debut "Mark's Keyboard Repair" and the more pop song-packed follow-up "Push The Button" were both fun and quirky. Well, this release sees The Mark returning to the solely instrumental realm. A slight disappointment for me. Simply put this is a well-executed, pleasant, easy-listenin' soundtrack. A nice laid-back listen filled with his usual funky grooviness, but lacking in heft or substance. Mind you this finds its home on Emperor Norton Records... not a label known for raising a ruckus.

MOTH WRANGLERS Never Mind the Context (Magnetic) cd 12.98
The debut full length from the Moth Wranglers, otherwise known as AQ-pal Chris Xefos (ex-King Missile) and LD Beghtol (Flare, and also one of the four vocalists from the Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs box). They have made a polished mellow record in a variety of styles -- downer lounge exotica country rock. With guests Stephen Merritt and Claudia Gonson (Magnetic Fields), Ken Stringfellow (The Posies), and members of Loud Family, Camper Van Beethoven, Klezmatics, etc.
RealAudio clip: "Miss Fire"
RealAudio clip: "I Never Will Marry"

MR. LEN Pity The Fool (Matador) cd 14.98
The Holy Trinity of underground hip hop, Company Flow / Def Jux / Anticon, can seemingly do no wrong. And here they strike again. This time it's Mr. Len of Company Flow, with a record of dark and sinister gloom-funk, all staticky a.m. radio wah wah and crunchy stutter-step rhythms and mutated Vince Guaraldi pianos. Like being in a Argento horror movie where all the creatures and creeps lurking in the alleys are demented rappers looking to rhyme you to death. This shit is sick! Loads of guest MCs including Chubb Rock, The Juggaknots, Steady Roc, Mr. Live, Q-Unique and a bunch more.
RealAudio clip: "Get Loose"
RealAudio clip: "The Hurt"

MY BLOODY VALENTINE This Is Your Bloody Valentine (Dossier) cd 18.98
There will be some of you who will not heed this review and pick this up simply because this may in fact be the earliest documentation of My Bloody Valentine. At this time in 1984, Kevin Shields' project consisted of an entirely different line-up than the one that produced such classics as "Loveless" and "Isn't Anything." With a Lux Interior / Glen Danzig ghoulish glam rock vocalist in Dave Conway, My Bloody Valentine's earliest sound lived up to their shock-horror-vampire name recalling the sloppy garage-tainted punk of The Birthday Party. Unfortunately, this is not nearly as good as the Birthday Party, and not even close to what they would later produce. Caveat Emptor.

NARITA, MUNEHIRO & SHOJI HANO Kyoaku No Intention (PSF) cd 19.98
High Rise axeman Munehiro Narita (known as King of Japanese Speed Freak Guitarist Heavy Motor Cycle Free Sound according to his website!) here teams up with Japanese free jazz drummer (and sometime Mainliner skinbeater, also fresh off another PSF-released duo with Derek Bailey) Shoji Hano for this drums/guitar blast. "Kyoaku No Intention" was actually the name of Narita's 1980-1982 guitar/synth project, which he started up again in the late nineties with a new lineup. Here's the first cd documentation we've seen of either incarnation. Three long tracks of primal psychedelic post-Hendrix improvised overdrive guitar and in-your-face drum excess. Compared to High Rise, just as "rock" but more out and less structured. For fans of the most freaked out Acid Mothers Temple stuff, although Narita is if anything a better guitar player than Kawabata Makoto. Although, Kawabata's got more hair.
RealAudio clip: "Wall"

NEW NATIVE FEATURING RADIOACTIVE Breakthrough (4sound) cd 9.98
Some of the best local hip hop we've heard in a while. Kind of upbeat (which usually turns me off immediately) but with a real sinister vibe and what sounds like a full on band: sliding guitars, funky bass, live sounding drums and actual catchy rock-ish choruses. The rhymes are slick, but also kind of syncopated and unorthodox, sometimes almost sung. Both vocalists have rough, kind of scratchy voices like Nine or Del after a pack of cigarettes and a fifth of Bourbon. Fans of Jurassic 5 will dig this.
RealAudio clip: "Breakthrough"

NEW ORDER Get Ready (Reprise) cd 17.98
Get ready ... to do what?! To flee from this disappointing cd, that's what. Appallingly schlocky rhymes abound... "You're everything to me, the sweetest symphony" and "What I mean to say is you keep the wolves at bay" Oh dear. Oh dear dear dear!

NURSE WITH WOUND Chance Meeting On A Dissecting Table Of A Machine And An Umbrella (United Dairies) cd 17.98
Infamously receiving a rating of "?????" instead of the normal star system employed by Sounds Magazine in 1979, "Chance Meeting On A Dissecting Table Of A Sewing Machine And An Umbrella" was the first release, from what would eventually be a massive catalogue of sonic absurdity, from the mighty Nurse With Wound. Steven Stapleton began this album and the Nurse With Wound project during the serendipitous moment when engineer Nicky Rogers asked Stapleton, if he ever felt like making some noise on the weekend to come on over to the studio. He called up his friends John Fothergill and Heman Pathak with the frantic proposition: "I've got some studio time, go buy an instrument and let's see what happens!" The three brought over a cheap organ, an accordion, a guitar with a treble booster, a ring modulator (which Stapleton was somewhat saddened by), and as many "little noise making items" that Stapleton could carry (drills, handsanders, vacuums are some of the more obvious items), and I guess they had access to the studio's in-house piano as well. After a mere 30 seconds of checking the levels and 'practice', Nurse With Wound began recording their first album. Random plucks, plinks, scrapes, and blurts from the NWW arsenal erupt with varying densities of reverb to create a surprisingly rich space for these improvisations. Making up for their lack of real musical training with years of collecting obscure music, Stapleton and company sat aloof amongst their mess, conjuring their own means of communication to some otherworldly plane. Obviously, Stapleton had enough sense to recognize that the power of studio editing, and didn't release this as a direct-to-tape improvisation. "A Chance Meeting..." could be between Faust, Pierre Henry, AMM, and Sun Ra, but Stapleton's own unique view of how such a meeting would sound and his own application of Surrealist thought kept this album from being merely a meeting of minds.
This is the recently remastered version of this album and also includes new (but unfortunately inferior) artwork (although the original cover is found within), and a new (but possibly unnecessary) track, which is a collage of David Tibet reciting the "Nurse With Wound List" -- the list of Stapleton's favorite bands, part of the liner notes to "Chance Meeting..."
RealAudio clip: "Two Mock Projections"
RealAudio clip: "The Six Buttons Of Sex Appeal"

O'NEIL, TARA JANE In the Sun Lines (Quarterstick) cd 14.98
Newest offering from O'Neil formerly of the mighty Rodan, although her post Rodan work bears little or no resemblance. Dark and twangy melancholia, rough around the edges, but rough the way your favorite warm coat is rough: frayed and tattered but still the coat you're wearing even though you have two new jackets hanging in the closet. Her best yet.

OMEN, THE OST (Varese Sarabande) cd 17.98
This soundtrack won an academy award in 1976 for best score and we can see why. It is so fantastic. Jerry Goldsmith also scored the original Planet of the Apes, Chinatown, Poltergeist, and the first Star Trek movie, among others. The Omen is full of maniacal chanting in latin and slow, super creepy instrumentals. Listening to this record made me feel like you feel as a child, when you're left alone and you're afraid to walk down the darkened hallway to the bathroom. It almost made me afraid to walk out back, behind Aquarius to get my bike where it was parked in one of the 'slaughterhouses'. Do you remember when Gregory Peck finds out his child's mother was a wolf and then shaves the patch of hair off his head to reveal the triple 6's? Ohhh... and do you remember in Omen Two when the black bird pecks the womans eyes out on the foggy road. The Omen one and two are irrefutably two of the most amazing 80's horror movies! But this soundtrack functions just as well by itself, a haunting and beautiful epic slice of evil!
RealAudio clip: "Ave Satani"
RealAudio clip: "Where Is He?"
RealAudio clip: "A Doctor, Please"

ONO, YOKO Blueprint for a Sunrise (Capital) cd 16.98
Well, Yoko Ono's always generated love-her or hate-her responses, and this new disc sure is no letdown in that department! For the Yoko Ono lovers at AQ (Allan, for instance), it offers some prime '70s style Yoko screech, proving that even at 68 years old she's still capable of stirring up a storm -- she's still got it. And for the folks here in the anti-Yoko camp (Andee, for one) she still has "it" as well (he's begging me to turn this off as I write this...) So, let's address this review to the Yoko fans, since the unconverted aren't going to be convinced. Ok, there's some cringe-worthy moments (too-simple moon/june style rhymes, the almost-always-a-bad-move reggae beat used on one track) but overall it's a great sounding, emotionally intense, catchy, eclectic disc, ranging from Talking Heads-ish funky pop to psycho-dramatic avant electronica. Her trademark primal scream vocals are still in full effect -- there's a lengthy live version of "Mulberry" that's fucking brutal! She sings "nice" too, on the disc's more pop moments. (Ok, Andee, I'll turn it off now...)
RealAudio clip: "I Want You To Remember Me "B""
RealAudio clip: "Soul Got Out Of The Box"
RealAudio clip: "I Remember Everything"

ORGANUM & THE NEW BLOCKADERS Pulp (Robot) cd 16.98
Again, Organum and The New Blockaders have released archival recordings without providing any information about those recordings. Fortunately, we here at Aquarius can subvert the two outfits' willful mysteriousness by providing a bit of information to go along with this album. Along with "Pulp" (a 7" released back in 1984), this album also features the "Wrack" LP from 1990 and the "Raze" 7" from 1994. All of these recordings had been painfully limited when they came out and strangely short in duration (a tendency that is becoming rather annoying in the Organum / David Jackman catalogue), making a full CD of this material well worth the investment.
When collaborating with the Rupenus Brothers (aka The New Blockaders), David Jackman (the ringleader for Organum) hedges for a punishingly abrasive tone to come from his arsenal of scraping metal and growling motors. The "Pulp" ep is no exception with multiple hand-grinders abusing piles of scrap metal. Yet, behind this noise, Organum and The New Blockaders offer a strangely calm organ sound that drones noxiously like the late-period, carcinogenic work of MB. "Wrack" find the two ensembles again grinding away at another pile of metal, but with Jackman's Kawasaki motorcycle humming in the background. I'm not kidding. "Raze" finds all of the textural grit collapsing into a blur of white noise. Still quite nervous in its construction. There is also a track given the unfortunate title of "No Title" that rounds out this album. Since Jackman has five or six releases with this name, it's hard to say what this is, exactly. Nevertheless, it fits within the harsh acoustic noise that Organum and The New Blockaders are masters in creating.
RealAudio clip: "Pulp 2"
RealAudio clip: "Wrack 2"
RealAudio clip: ""

OSBOURNE, OZZY Down To Earth (Epic) cd 16.98
A new Ozzy record! His first in quite a few years. And we have to say, it's not all that bad. The sound is a lot heavier, due in no small part to the return of Zakk Wylde (which is also why a lot of the songs sound quite a bit like Wylde's Black Label Society) and the Ozzfest nu-metal connection. But Ozzy's nasally whine is in fine form and some of the songs are even kinda catchy. Comes with a bonus video for your computer that features a synopsized history of Sabbath/Ozzy and some of the only footage of Ozzy with former guitarist Randy Rhodes, who died in a plane crash.

PAN AMERICAN / KOMET / FISHEROFGOLD Personal Settings (Quatermass) cd 16.98
"Personal Setting" is a split release of electronica-dub from Pan American, Komet, and Fisherofgold. Mark Nelson has transformed his Pan American from a slightly electronic version of Labradford (Nelson's other project) into a VladislavPoleKitClaytonDelay dub outfit, with deep rolling basslines and off-rhythm synthetic organ stabs adding to Nelson's penchant for late-night moodiness. I wouldn't be surprised to see the next Pan American album on Mille Plateaux. Despite applying similarly long delays as Pan American does on his tracks, Komet (aka Raster Noton founder Frank Bretschneider) tightens things up with a rigid rhythmic structure amidst the dubbed out bleep pixelation. Fisherofgold offers the loosest abstraction of dub, with fluctuating Chain Reaction-ist metallic washes, amorphous basslines, and reversed granular synthesis.

PER MISSION A Ritual Loop (Monitor) cd 14.98
Where would indie rock be today if the Rachels and Rodan had never existed. The kids would probably still be listening to the Dead Milkmen. Which to me doesn't seem like such a bad thing, but I digress.
Per Mission is Jason Noble of the Rachels doing his ambient electronica thing. Spoken word snippets whirring ambient noise, simple stuttering drum loops, smooth fuzzed out spacy trip hop. A little bland and mediocre, and a bit too hippy dippy with all the 'spiritual' spoken word stuff and the website all about how he fed his baby -- nobody would care probably if this didn't 'feature a member of the Rachels'.

PHOENECIA Odd Job Discrimination (Schematic) 12" 11.98
Not to be confused with the "Odd Jobs" remix cd, this new 12" of remixes sees Florida's IDM wunderkind Phoenecia get tackled by the likes of Adult., Matmos, Prefuse 73, Dino Felipe, Otto Von Schirach, and Jeswa. Nicola of Adult. replicates the vocal samples that Phoenecia took from "Me And My Rhythm Box" (from the film soundtrack of Liquid Sky) with icy determination.

PHOENECIA Odd Jobs (Schematic) cd 12.98
Back in stock! Seven outstanding remixes mutating Phoenecia's super-rubbery beats into even more rhythmically complex IDM from Autechre, Richard Devine, Push Button Objects, Ectomorphm Takeshi Muto, Soul Oddity (actually, this is one of their alter egos... of which they have many). A particular highlight? The awesome track utilizing samples of the song "Rhythm Box" from the film Liquid Sky. Ooooh!

PIMMON Electronic Tax Return (Tigerbeat6) cd 11.98
Australia's Paul Gough returns with another disc of noise and glitch recorded live earlier this year. Powerful and abraisive shards of digital ruptures that cover beautiful textures and found sounds. Like sifting through dogshit to find your lost diamonds, only not so gross. The hypothetical dogshit's kinda pleasant to listen to as well. Limited to 500 copies, comes in an annoying plastic clamshell case with no artwork.

PUSH BUTTON OBJECTS 360 Degree Remixes (Chocolate Industries) 2x12" 12.98
Push Button Objects, the Miami-based hip hop producer, here releases an interesting new track, 360 Degrees, with mic duties handled by Del tha Funky Homosapien and Def Jux's Mr Lif, and nice turntablist scratching courtesy three-time DMC champ DJ Craze. The original track is here, and it's excellent, plus you get 5 remixes, of which the best is certainly from El-P (Company Flow), who adds a heavy doom-laden creepiness to the original track. El-P was also the only remixer who thought to play with the stereo mix on the chorus, whose "Left, Right, Up, Down" just cries out for stereo separation tricks. The Herbaliser mix is also commendable, and the other contributors include Prefuse 73, DJ Spinna, and Kut Masta Kurt. Vinyl enthusiasts please note that the double 12" does NOT contain the Prefuse material, but does contain 3 versions of each DJ's mix (dirty, instrumental, clean).

PUSH BUTTON OBJECTS 360 Degree Remixes (Chocolate Industries) cd 13.98
Push Button Objects, the Miami-based hip hop producer, here releases an interesting new track, 360 Degrees, with mic duties handled by Del tha Funky Homosapien and Def Jux's Mr Lif, and nice turntablist scratching courtesy three-time DMC champ DJ Craze. The original track is here, and it's excellent, plus you get 5 remixes, of which the best is certainly from El-P (Company Flow), who adds a heavy doom-laden creepiness to the original track. El-P was also the only remixer who thought to play with the stereo mix on the chorus, whose "Left, Right, Up, Down" just cries out for stereo separation tricks. The Herbaliser mix is also commendable, and the other contributors include Prefuse 73, DJ Spinna, and Kut Masta Kurt. Vinyl enthusiasts please note that the double 12" does NOT contain the Prefuse material, but does contain 3 versions of each DJ's mix (dirty, instrumental, clean).
RealAudio clip: "360 Degrees (Original)"
RealAudio clip: "360 Degrees (El-P remix)"

RABELAIS, AKIRA Eisoptrophobia (Mille Plateaux) cd 14.98
Not just another member of the electronica community who programs code by day and is a Mille Plateaux superstar by night, Akira Rabelais has wonderfully romantic bone in his body that affects everything he does, including programming. If his cheerleaders are correct in their praise of his software applications, then Rabelais may in fact be programming code with the same jouissance that can be found in the magic realist writings of Borges. That's pretty heavy praise, and while we've not explored his software (the Argeiphontes Lyre - his most notable software - supposedly mutates pre-existing sound with subtle digital distortions and digitially knotted re-sampling techniques), his musical productions which employ his own programming creations are simply stunning. "Eisoptrophobia" is Rabelais' second album, consists of digital re-interpretations of piano pieces by Satie, Bartok, and Carte. Fortunately, these recordings are not wildly timestretched pieces of digital destruction (i.e. Speedranch, Janski-Noise, etc.); rather, they are incredibly spartan and dreamy. Rabelais leaves the structures of the pieces intact, at times extending into tone float drifts which merely hint at the original melody, others quietly reflect a Philip Jeck-like aura of fragile antiquity, and other resemble something far more acoustic in origin like Cage's prepared pianos. Altogether, a very successful album in terms of process, concept, and execution!
RealAudio clip: "Aposiopesis"
RealAudio clip: "Gymnopedie No.2"
RealAudio clip: "Notturno (loverly remix)"

REFRIGERATOR Comedy Minus One (Shrimper) cd 13.98
I've loved Refrigerator for so long that hearing a new album from them is like replacing one warm blanket with another. This lonesome downer rock quartet fronted by LA's Callaci brothers is back with one of their most upbeat albums yet... but don't let that make you think they're happy. They're still despondent, introspective, slow to laugh, but when you're down and out, Refrigerator will keep you company. Somewhere between Bob Dylan and Smog lies Refrigerator.
RealAudio clip: "Open Fan Mail"
RealAudio clip: "Never Nowhere"

RESTIFORM BODIES s/t (Anticon / Pointless) cd 15.98
Not directly related to the Anticon crew as far as we can tell (although they give shout outs to Dose One, Sole etc.) but they sure sound like it. Fucked up, malfunctioning hip hop weirdness, with whiny tongue twisting white boy flows, bizarre samples and off kilter loops, and truly demented stream of conciousness lyrics. Fans of Them, Aesop Rock, Dose One and Cannibal Ox will love this.
RealAudio clip: "Teleprompter"

REYNOLS / NO-REYNOLS s/t (Freedom From) cd 14.98
In keeping true to the uncanny laws of nature in the Reynolsian universe, No-Reynols came into creation because the world had slipped out of balance due to the invincible musical force that is Reynols. This is not to say that No-Reynols is the evil incarnation of Reynols or that No-Reynols is even the opposite of Reynols, but that the world hinges itself as interconnected series of counterbalances, and -- strange as it may sound -- too much Reynols may have been detrimental to the world as we know it. Thus, No-Reynols needed to exist. Just as Reynols draws its energy from the non-linear logic and mystical neologisms of Miguel Tomasin (who happens to suffer from Down Syndrome), No-Reynols centers around the anti-agendas of Juan Miguel Acevedo (who also has Down Syndrome). Behind chugging guitars and skitteringly motorik 4/4 rhythms (think a really sloppy Neu!), Acevedo utters wavering vocal wails and monosyllabic chants that place his voice as a vehicle for additional tones and rhythms. There are obvious similarities between No-Reynols and Reynols in this primitive approach to musical content, yet the use of the voice is certainly a dividing point, with Tomasin in turn barking non-specific phrases in Spanish.
RealAudio clip: REYNOLS "N9 Colesio Americama"
RealAudio clip: REYNOLS "Amete Pulpo Un Groda"
RealAudio clip: NO REYNOLS "2"
RealAudio clip: NO REYNOLS "7"

RIBOT, MARC Saints (Atlantic) cd 16.98
Simply solo guitar from one of the great stylists Marc Ribot, denizen of the downtown Knitting Facotry avant jazz scene. He puts his own flavorful, loping, precise take on pieces by Albert Ayler (three of them), Leonard Bernstein, The Beatles, John Zorn, John Lurie, and a few traditionals. Very stark, slow, and contemplative.
RealAudio clip: "Holy Holy Holy"

RICHMAN, JONATHAN Her Mystery Not Of High Heels And Eyeshadow (Vapor) cd 16.98
I saw the last 2 songs of Jonathan Richman's Live set opening up for Belle and Sebastian (who are rumoured to never have an opening band, except the Tindersticks, and I guess now Jonathon Richman). He was so personable and funny and gave me a warm feeling inside. This CD did the same. So sweet and lo fi and endearing. Cuddly man.
RealAudio clip: "Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow"
RealAudio clip: "Springtime In New York"

ROEDELIUS / SCHNITZLER Acon 2000/1 (Captain Trip) cd 18.98
Krautrock electronics legends and former collaborators in seminal proto-ambient-industrial act Kluster, Conrad Schnitzler (prolific solo artist, initial member of Tangerine Dream) and Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster, Harmonia, solo) get up to their old tricks for this hour-long set of experimental electronics recorded last year... Abstract, spacey stuff that could as easily be from the '70s as now. Japanese import, with cool looking, special op-art style cover.

ROTHKO Not Gone, Not Forgotton (Lo Recordings) cd 15.98
Although Rothko have been an AQ staff favorite for a while now, I was never quite convinced. Their moody ambient soundscapes tread dangerously close to new age for my taste. Thankfully this live album, while still mostly 'ambient', sounds so visceral and raw that there is no danger of any one mistaking this for new age. In fact when I first heard this playing in the store, I thought it was Skullflower or Total or something. Most of the tracks aren't quite that intense, but there's lots of tape hiss, lots of feedback, lots of tape distortion and LOTS OF BASS. This is some deep, dark, mellowed out, slowly buliding, rib cage rattling, woofer melting, stoned and spacy droning drug rock. I'm a believer. Now if only we could get those people in front of us to shut the hell up, we could relax and get lost...

SAINT VITUS Hallow's Victim / The Walking Dead (S.O.S.) cd 12.98
There were other great underground metal bands in the '80s who practiced what doom messiahs Black Sabbath preached: Trouble, Candlemass, Witchfinder General, Pentagram... But it was LA's Saint Vitus who took the Sabbath sound to even further extremes. They were heavier, slower, doomier than anyone else. Psychedelic, wasted, DOOM. This limited edition cd comprises their second full length LP and subsequent 12" ep, both originally released on seminal SoCal punk label SST. These garage doom metal masterpieces have never been available on compact disc before, and we were only able to get a few -- get 'em while you can. Transferred direct from vinyl, not master tapes, but you'll barely notice at the recommended playback volume (loud!) and with appropriate headbanging behavior. It's also well worth noting that "Hallow's Victim" and "The Walking Dead" both boast the vocal presence of Vitus' original singer, Scott Reagers. It's been a subject of some debate 'round here about who was the best Vitus vocalist, Reagers or his replacement, stoner rock "god" Scott "Wino" Weinrich (of The Obsessed and, now, Spirit Caravan). Andee opts for Wino, but Allan has always agreed with what it says in the liner notes here, which call Reagers "one of metal's greatest vocalists ever" and go on to say "contrary to popular belief, Vitus never sounded as spine-chilling without his incredible dramatic voice and astounding range." Amen.
RealAudio clip: "Mystic Lady"
RealAudio clip: "Prayer For The (M)asses"
RealAudio clip: "War Is Our Destiny"

SEA OF TOMBS s/t (Gravity) cd 11.98
Sea of Tombs are a heavy psychedelic instrumental bass/drums/guitar trio from Chicago. They have some membership ties to Lake of Dracula, Jaks, and Clikitat Ikatowi, although that's kinda irrelevant to whether anyone would like this or not. What is relevant: do you like loud, pounding, tripped out, stoner sound-scapes? If so, check this out, it's a excellent garagey, doomy brain-blast, despite having horrendous cover art that makes Grief albums look good.

SHAPE OF DESPAIR Angels of Distress (Spikefarm) cd 14.98
Album number two from these Finnish doom merchants and man does it make me want to just end it all. This music is dismal and bleak and totally hopelessly perfect. So slow and miserable and heavy and dark. Take the lo-fi doom of Skepticism, and beef up the guitars a bit, add some meldoic almost chantlike vocals. Or take AQ faves Katatonia and slow them down, waaaay down.
Shape of Despair deftly mix haunting funereal dirges with ultra crushing doom, but add gentle folk melodies and subtle but soaring strings. This is the sort of stuff that should be on the soundtrack to the new Lord of the Rings. You can just imagine being lost and alone in the forest, just waiting to die. So good.
RealAudio clip: "Angels of Distress"
RealAudio clip: "Fallen"

SIMIAN Chemistry Is What We Are (Astralwerks) cd 15.98
Trippy, psych-pop with textural electronic bloopy explorations flowing overtop which occasionally threaten to overwhelm the pretty spaced out melodies and wonderful falsetto harmonies. This Manchester quartet has drawn a few comparisons to Beta Band and Badly Drawn Boy, and it does have its share of lazy boy vocals, warm organ drones and programmed beats. However, overall they're actually more in line with labelmates Sweden's soothing popsters Kings of Convenience - only more quirksome- or perhaps Olivia Tremor Control. Includes two bonus tracks not available on the import version.
RealAudio clip: "Drop And Roll"
RealAudio clip: "One Dimension"

SISSY SPACEK s/t (Helicopter / Nu Form) cd 9.98
John Wiese (Bastard Noise) and his pal Cory Ronnau deliver what is probably the world's first plunderphonic grindcore record. Although in this case all of the plundering is self inflicted and self directed as the two record their own two piece (guitar and drums) blasting grind record and attack it with a razor blade (actually probably a laptop, but whatever) and spit out a garbled, sputtering, stuttering no-wave masterpiece. Think Oval, if he only scratched Drop Dead and Crossed Out cds. Nice.
RealAudio clip: "Track one"

SKULLVIEW Consequences Of Failure (R.I.P.) cd 14.98
First of all, you've got to admire a mostly unknown American swords-and-sorcery metal band that follows an album called "Kings of the Universe" with one titled "Consequences of Failure"! That definitely demonstrates a sense of realism amid the fantasy and an ability to laugh at oneself... Power and might are a big theme in metal, but these metal warriors know when they're licked, and have the courage to admit it -- and fight on! Of course, in a just world, they'd be huge, 'cause this, their third disc, is a damn good power metal album. Right from the get-go you'd swear it was an lost '80s Maiden LP. Their secret weapon is vocalist "Earthquake" Quimby (yes, Quimby -- good thing he's got a nickname). He's got the leather lungs of a Dickinson or Halford. And Skullview backs him up with some seriously kick ass, galloping tunes, sounding like the last album any of them bought was "Powerslave" or "Painkiller", or maybe something by Manowar or Candlemass... These guys just love metal, and if you love metal, you'll love Skullview too, 'cause they actually deliver (they don't deal merely in the trappings of '80s metal glory, but they actually have the talent to write and play solid songs). Oh, for the Sabbath fans out there, we should mention the bonus track: a cover of "Digital Bitch"!
RealAudio clip: "Time For Violence"
RealAudio clip: "Seek The Old Man For Knowledge"
RealAudio clip: "Armed With An Axe"

SLAYER God Hates Us All (American) cd 17.98
God hates us all, and has decided to punish us with probably the worst Slayer record ever.

SNOWPONY Sea Shanties For Spaceships (Dead Pan Alley) cd 16.98
Snowpony plays atmospheric electronic-pop. This British supergroup is made up of vocalist/ keyboardist Katharine Gifford -- a former member of Stereolab and Moonshake -- as well as onetime My Bloody Valentine bassist Debbie Googe and ex-Quickspace/Rollerskate Skinny drummer Max Corradi.
RealAudio clip: "Amsterdam"
RealAudio clip: "Crumpled 10"

SO-CALLED ARTISTS Paint By Number Songs (Mush) cd 14.98
More experimental hip hop from the Anticon collective, this time under the monicker So Called Artists. We have loved almost everything Anticon has come up with, unfortunately, So Called Artists is probably the weakest project so far. The bizarre samples and creative loops are still present but the rapping is painful. Reminds us of a bad poetry slam (as if there could be a good one). Lots of positive uplifiting stream of conciousness drivel, sung but mostly spoken, delivered in a monotone 'spoken word artist' style. Wouldn't even make it on open mic night at the Brainwash unless it was that homeless guy with just one shoe and the newspaper hat. Pass.

SOLE Learning to Walk (6Months / Anticon) cd 14.98
Man, these Anticon folks are prolific. Seems like someone from this crew has a new disc every couple weeks. This is a collection of previously recorded stuff spanning 1994-1998 from Anticon head honcho Sole. The tunes on 'Learning To Walk' sound a lot more simple and less experimental than a lot of the Anticon stuff. That's not to say it isn't good, 'cause it is. It's just straight ahead. But it still manages to be dark and creepy and catchy, with Sole's nimble white boy flow over looped downtuned guitars and simple funky beats. If you dug the Them record and the Aesop Rock definitely check this out.
RealAudio clip: "3rd Person"
RealAudio clip: "Prosperity"

SPARKLEHORSE Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot (Capitol) cd 16.98
The record that started it all. 'It' in this case being our neverending, undying love for Mark Linkous and the desperately beautiful Sparklehorse.
This is Sparklehorse's first album, finally available again on cd after being shamefully out of print for way too long. Certainly a must for anyone who's got both Good Morning Spider and It's A Wonderful Life, but also a great place to start for those who've yet to discover the wonderful musical realm of Mark Linkous. From the slow singing-right-in-your-ear intimate "Spirit Ditch" to the rockin' summer sing-a-long "Rainmaker" to the sort-of-hit "Someday I will Treat You Good", each tune that Linkous writes is a gem: lush ballads, twangy 'No Depression' pop and experimental musical miniatures. Though at times comparisons to Camper Van Beethoven sans art school pretensions are fitting, fans of Uncle Tupelo, Palace, Vic Chesnutt, Lambchop, Wisdom of Harry and great pop in general should all take heed and check out Sparklehorse. You won't be sorry.
RealAudio clip: "Rainmaker"
RealAudio clip: "Cow"
RealAudio clip: "Sad & Beautiful World"

SPAZZTIC BLURR s/t (Earache) cd 15.98
"Way beyond speed!! / Spazztic Blurr!!!! / There is no cure!! / For The Spazztic Blurr!! ... Let There Be Spazztic! -- Let there Be Blurr!"
Holy hell. We never thought that Earache would reissue this out of print record on cd! This 1988 LP of absurdist metal has been long sought after by Allan, 'cause he just loves the Spazztic Blurr song found on that classic Earache label "Grind Crusher" compilation. That song ("He-Nota-Home-Me-Marco") is found here along with 13 other examples of their brilliantly (?) mindless, stream of consciousness, dadaistic thrash songwriting. Ok, normally Allan doesn't approve of overtly silly joke bands. But these guys totally take their jokes into a shaggy dog realm of utter nonsequiturship. Lyrics about Burger King, boardgames, the Flintstones, the alphabet, hardcore punks and rappers...yes it's childish. But it's also 1988. And then there's the way they include descriptions of what's going on musically at each point in a song on the lyric sheet (some examples: "Distorted Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Distorted Guitar, Acoustic Guitar...", "Total Speed Metal Ending", "Weird Effect", "Surf Part", "Isn't It Neat How This Songs Jumps Right In?"). They were probably a huge influence on John Zorn! Kinda like Dead Milkmen meets the Suicidal Tendencies, for fans of Ludichrist, Lawnmower Deth, S.O.D., 7000 Dying Rats, that sort of thing.
RealAudio clip: "He-Nota-Home"
RealAudio clip: "Def Metal"
RealAudio clip: "Mexicalli"

STRANGULATED BEATOFFS Reverse Child Psychology (Nihilist) cd 12.98
Featuring ex-members of Drunks With Guns and White Suburban Youth although you would never know it from the sound. Besides having the best band name ever, the Beatoffs take simple stolen sounds and loop and distort them until they become incessant and repetetive and super hypnotic rhythms that either entrance or annoy. Often both. Almost dance-y at times, but more often, some sort of punk rock, lofi take on Steve Reich or Charlemagne Palestine. Now if only Steve Reich would play once a decade and spend two thirds of said performance showing a video tape of dancing monkeys! I love this band.

THULSA DOOM Seats are Soft But the Helmet Is Way Too Tight, The (This Dark Reign) cd 13.98
Yet more Scandinavian stoners getting high and rocking out. Groovy, fuzzy stoner rock, complete with wailing harmonica (!) and a vocalist that sounds quite a bit like Phil Lynott. The guitar sound is all Kyuss, warm and HUGE, with Queen style harmony guitars and Grand Funk vocals. And then there's that harmonica...
Fans of Thin Lizzy, Zen Guerilla, Kyuss and the like will eat this up!
RealAudio clip: "Centerfold Blues"
RealAudio clip: "You Go First"

TO ROCOCO ROT & I-SOUND Pantone ep (City Slang) cd ep 10.98
More entrancing downtempo mellow electronica from Dusseldorf's wonderful To Rococo Rot, who boast solo artists Robert Lippok and Schneider TM as members. There are 5 tracks, here -- 2 previously unreleased, and 3 that are reworked, very different versions from their previously-released versions. Undercurrents of throbbing yet very gentle bass rhythms augmented with chattery percussion and serene melodies. For fans of Boards of Canada, ambient Aphex Twin, etc. Not the most exciting music in the world but very forward thinking and perfect as music to soothe you while doing other activities.
RealAudio clip: "I Wanted to Meet Him"

TOMASIN, MIGUEL Wallmiyefterr (Freedom From) cd-r 7.98
Allan has long claimed that Miguel from Reynols sounds a lot like Brak from Space Ghost Coast To Coast (also the star of the cd "Brak Presents: The Brak Album Starring Brak"). Of course, Allan does not in any way mean for this to be an insult as he loves Reynols -and- Brak. Yet, never has such a comparison been more justified, as here Tomasin sounds more like Brak than on any of the Reynols albums. With just Tomasin rhythmically reciting his lyrics (all in Spanish, or I think they're all in Spanish) and his most confident percussion, there isn't all that much to this album, and leaves the same odd impression as the recent Jandek a capella records: they're certainly interesting artifacts of outsider art, but may not neccesarily command extended listens.
RealAudio clip: "Track 2"

TOOMEY, JENNY Antidote (Misra) 2cd 15.98
After a long absence from the indie scene this former Tsunami and Simple Machines Records gal returns with a double cd. And seems like she's leaving the indie pop realm behind in favor of a decidedly more mature, accessible sound. Her low voice affects a world weary tone a la Rickie Lee Jones or Carly Simon which along with some easy-listenin' horns and strings add up to warm, lush production. She's joined by Edith Frost, a fella from Ida, and some Lambchop folks. One disc recorded in Chicago, one in Nashville.
RealAudio clip: "Word Traffic"

TOYEN Did You Bring Me On National TV To Tell Me This? (Black Bean & Placenta) cd 11.98
This has the Casio-tinged sweetness of Takako Minekawa with a Mouse on Mars sense of playful melodicism. (Not that we're saying Toyen are quite on the level of MoM or Takako, of course.) From the eclectic Blackbean and Placenta record label. All tracks programmed in Music 2000 on a Sony Playstation.

TV POW Mort Aux Vaches: Being Nice Is Funny (Staalplaat) cd 15.98
This Chicago' trio of laptop chin scatchers offers another album of .................... ...................... .......................click..........................................................................................................................................................................................................clek........................................................................................clikcekcik.............................................................................................................clkckilckicCKilKCEk......................CKli............................................................................................................clk...................................................................................................................clki...............................................pop pow.........................clikc.....................................................................................................................zzzzzzzzz.

UNIVERS ZERO Crawling Wind (Cuneiform) cd 14.98
This starts off in a deceptively "happy" manner, before delving into the darkness that we generally expect from what's always been a superbly creepy chamber-prog band. "Crawling Wind" is this Belgian group's super-rare Japanese only 12" ep from 1983, now for the first time reissued on cd in remastered and expanded form -- the three tracks from the original plus three live tracks (from 1982, '84, and '79). UZ are at their eerie, Magma-meets-20th Century classical best on this disc. The liner notes provide a detailed history of the band, from some members' stint in Magma circa '72 to their involvement in overtly Lovecraftian bands Arkham and Necronomicon, pre-UZ. Flirtations with jazz and medieval music are also mentioned. And you can hear all that on "Crawling Wind". Recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Before The Heat"
RealAudio clip: "Influences"

WEEN God Ween Satan (Restless) cd 15.98
Before Ween were the soundtrack to every frathouse in the land, Windy and Andee worshipped at the altar of God Ween Satan. Less poppy, and WAY less polished, God Ween Satan is their first record and is full of catchy sloppy punky silliness and stupidly profound lyrics. Fans of later Ween, the Dead Milkmen and the Warlock Pinchers will feel right at home. Plus three unreleased bonus tracks!
RealAudio clip: "Birthday Boy"
RealAudio clip: "Fat Lenny"

WHITEHOUSE Quality Time (Susan Lawly) cd 18.98
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.

WIZARD Head of the Deceiver (Limb) cd 15.98
Normally, you can assume it's Andee or Allan reviewing the metal offerings around here. But Jeff was so unexpectedly entranced by this new disc (their fourth, we're told) from German speed metal outfit Wizard, that he had to have a go... With songs like "Drink The Magic Potion" and "True Metal", it's difficult to distinguish whether these guys are serious or not. Judging by their neck-breaking rhythms and crushing riffs, not to mention their technical changes and high pitched, Bruce Dickinson-esque vocalist, you'd think they'd be taking the metal world by storm, alongside huge acts like Children Of Bodom or Blind Guardian. But their goddamn ridiculous lyrics (which I kinda like, by the way) aren't gonna get them anywhere, except maybe when you're drunk and want a good laugh (which I did, along with my roommates -- who both love metal, it's not just an ironic thing). It's like when you sing along to triumphant metal songs, but would be embarrased to hell if anyone heard or saw you. Here's a sample lyric: "We play more metal than most people can take / Bad reviews and fat ass critics we don't care / We play metal for all metal heads / And not for rotten poser rats." So this fat ass poser critic says this is a great record, musically, but beware of really dumb lyrics. Of course, dumb lyrics and cool lyrics are often one and the same, at least if you're into metal, so don't get me wrong. If you like Manowar, you can deal with Wizard!
RealAudio clip: "Magic Potion"

WOLF EYES Dread (Hanson / American Tapes) lp 10.98
Ann Arbor, Michigan. Home to heavy, powerful dirge rock and noise from the likes of Gravitar and Universal Indians and the power electronics sabotage of Nautical Almanac. Somewhere in between lies the homemade electronics power sludge of Wolf Eyes. Aaron Dilloway (Mr. Hanson Records) heads this behemoth, always unpredictable -- from beat driven floor shakers to tweaked out electronics to skate rock covers, always entertaining, never disappointing. "Dread", the appropriately titled second full length from the trio (which boasts members of the aforementioned Nautical Almanac and Universal Indians as well as the legendary Galen), is a slow motion hyperemian snowball, destined for pure annihilation. Vinyl only, with handscreened covers, limited to 500. Act fast.

WOLF EYES s/t (Bulb) cd 12.98
This isn't so new, but we finally have some in stock. The first full length from Ann Arbor's doom electronic duo of Aaron Dilloway and Nathan Young, aka Wolf Eyes. Imagine a lo-fi Suicide focused on tweaked out homemade electronic destruction. Or a less punk Screamers. Flea market ghetto-tech for fans of Caroliner and the like.

XENAKIS, IANNIS La Légende D'eer (Montaigne) cd 14.98
Repressed, now at a more attractive price! Greek avant garde composer's 1977/78 46-minutework for 8-channel electronic tape. Challenging, to say the least. You dig Merzbow? Well try your mettle on this -- piercing tones from a true master.

ZORN City's Collapsing (But Not Tonight), The (Lux Nigra) cd 14.98
Not to be confused with New York saxophonist / composer John Zorn, this is East Berlin electronic artist Michael Zorn. Throughout the disc's twelve long tracks, Zorn jumps freely through lush techno soundscapes to thick sweaty electro to dub infused microhouse (ala Chain Reaction) without missing a beat or boring us listeners. Zorn maintains a club-friendly downtempo quality while weaving through so many styles on one disc, but it's hard to say if Zorn's really found his own voice. "The City...", however, is still an impressive debut and a pleasurable listen.

ZORN, JOHN Filmworks X: In the Mirror of Maya Deren (Tzadik) cd 17.98
From the accompanying obi strip: "Hypnotic, sensual and evocative music for Martina Kudlacek's brilliant and detailed documentary on the life and work of underground film legend Maya Deren. Mixing myth and ritual with avant-garde dance and film techniques, Maya forged a creative language that continues to resound in the very best of today's experimental artists. The music here moves from nostalgia to mystery, capturing the many moods of Maya's life and art. Performed by Erik Friedlander, Jamie Saft and Cyro Baptista, In the Mirror of Maya Deren also features the unique piano stylings of John Zorn over three dreamy string arrangements. From Klezmer to classical, Haitian drumming to Indonesian gamelan, easy listening to minimalism, this score is one of Zorn's most beautiful and touching listening experiences."
Alright, now that you've read all that, and if you're at all familiar with Zorn's Filmworks series, you probably know whether or not if you want / need this. I must admit, I didn't expect to like this disc, considering the high proliferation of compositions from Zorn in the past fifteen or so years. But the man always seems to come through somehow. One of the two major highlights of this disc are the subtle beauty in the performances of Erik Friedlander (actually some of the most touching and heartfelt playing that I've heard from him!). The other is the rare performance by Zorn on piano, beautifully rendered - a rare homage to his love of Feldman, maybe? There are moments of minimalist texture, however brief and overshadowed by Friedlander's sweet dynamicism. Always one to cross over styles and display technical virtuosity, this installment of Filmworks could do without the bongo drumming or faux-exotic parts, but then again, it is about Maya Deren whose films themselves included Haitian drumming in them. Overall a nice disc and one that almost lives up to its obi strip comments.
RealAudio clip: "Kiev 1"
RealAudio clip: "Filming"
RealAudio clip: "Nostalgia 2"

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V/A 500% Dynamite (Soul Jazz) cd 17.98
From the single most popular series of compilations of Jamaican music comes the highly anticipated fifth volume: 500% Dynamite. It seems as though, with every consecutive release in this series we sell more and more of them. It could be a snowball effect of more people being turned on to the series with every release, or it could be that the comps just keep getting better -- that there really is one hundred percent MORE dynamite involved in the creation of each consecutive release. So is this comp 100% better than 400% Dynamite? Well, the jury could still be out on this one, but it's definitely an explosive collection of Ska, Dub, Dancehall, Rock-steady and Reggae-soul of the kind that we've come to expect from Soul Jazz. The tracks that kind of put this comp on probation are few, but could require some fancy programming of your CD player. Sister Charmaine's dancehall track "The Body" gets VERY irritating with its incessant use of the "This Old Man" (or as Andee puts it: "the Nick Nack Paddywhack song") melody. The Red Rat track, "Goody 2 Shoes", is another bone of contention around here, with many loathing his prepubescent whine while others have found this track strangely growing on them. Everybody seems to agree though that the best track on this album is the hip hop remix of Tiger Ranks' "Party Wit Me" using Eminem's "My Name Is" as the backing track. Also quite nice is the Mudies All Stars instrumental track "Loran's Dance" which sounds almost as if it could have been an alternate take for Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly" film score. As well as the aforementioned there are tracks on here by Augustus Pablo ("East of the River Nile"), Joe Gibbs ("African Dub Chapter Three"), and a surprisingly disappointing cut of Toots & the Maytals' "Bam Bam", plus much more. If you've got all the other discs in this series you should probably consider picking this one up as well, but it appears as though the consensus around here is that 400% Dynamite (some say 300%) is still the best all around collection.
RealAudio clip: MUDIES ALL-STARS "Loran's Dance"
RealAudio clip: GIBBS, JOE "African Dub Chapter Three"
RealAudio clip: TIGER RANKS "Party Wit Me"
RealAudio clip: RED RAT "Goody 2 Shoes"

V/A 500% Dynamite (Soul Jazz) lp 19.98
From the single most popular series of compilations of Jamaican music comes the highly anticipated fifth volume: 500% Dynamite. It seems as though, with every consecutive release in this series we sell more and more of them. It could be a snowball effect of more people being turned on to the series with every release, or it could be that the comps just keep getting better -- that there really is one hundred percent MORE dynamite involved in the creation of each consecutive release. So is this comp 100% better than 400% Dynamite? Well, the jury could still be out on this one, but it's definitely an explosive collection of Ska, Dub, Dancehall, Rock-steady and Reggae-soul of the kind that we've come to expect from Soul Jazz. The tracks that kind of put this comp on probation are few, but could require some fancy programming of your CD player. Sister Charmaine's dancehall track "The Body" gets VERY irritating with its incessant use of the "This Old Man" (or as Andee puts it: "the Nick Nack Paddywhack song") melody. The Red Rat track, "Goody 2 Shoes", is another bone of contention around here, with many loathing his prepubescent whine while others have found this track strangely growing on them. Everybody seems to agree though that the best track on this album is the hip hop remix of Tiger Ranks' "Party Wit Me" using Eminem's "My Name Is" as the backing track. Also quite nice is the Mudies All Stars instrumental track "Loran's Dance" which sounds almost as if it could have been an alternate take for Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly" film score. As well as the aforementioned there are tracks on here by Augustus Pablo ("East of the River Nile"), Joe Gibbs ("African Dub Chapter Three"), and a surprisingly disappointing cut of Toots & the Maytals' "Bam Bam", plus much more. If you've got all the other discs in this series you should probably consider picking this one up as well, but it appears as though the consensus around here is that 400% Dynamite (some say 300%) is still the best all around collection.

V/A Attitude (Tigerbeat6) lp 14.98
Finally! The excellent, now out-of-print 3" cd gets the vinyl treatment it fully deserves. Fourteen artists pay "tribute" to the notorious gangsta crew from straight outta Compton. NWA get the Plunderphonics treatment from Kid 606, Lesser (with a ridiculous version of "Fat Girl on my Jock"!), Matmos, Hrvatski, Cex, Pimmon, Pisstank, Dat Politics, Christoph de Babalon, V/VM, Team Doyobi, Electric Company, Din S.T. and Pure! Manic and ridiculous and really really great. If you missed out on the cd, here's your chance!

V/A Bomb Anniversary Collection 1991-2001 (Bomb Hip Hop) 4cd 28.00
Ten years of groundbreaking hip hop releases celebrated in one package -- $28 for *four* discs, over 60 tracks spanning the entire Bomb Hip Hop catalog, and including unreleased stuff as well. This is the label run by SF's own David Paul, who with the Return of the DJ compilations that way early-on featured such now-famous folks as Z-Trip, DJ Faust, Shortee, the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, RJD2 (Def Jux), DJ Craze, Peanut Butter Wolf, DJ Static (Sweden), Knightz of Bass (German electro) etc. You can't go wrong, there's insane hip hop here, electro, turntablism, etc.
RealAudio clip: Z-TRIP "Rockstar part II"
RealAudio clip: INVISIBL SKRATCH PIKLZ "Invastion of the Octopus People"
RealAudio clip: KNIGHTZ OF BASS "KB-4"

V/A Embryo Compilation: 03 Adventures In Homemade Music (Cubby Control) cd-r 8.98
An assortment of tracks by 19 very disparate SF indie artists. The most odd is probably the inclusion of Lower Forty-Eight, who contribute a rumbling stoner rock track that bursts forth amid the much more abundant, low-key melodicism. The other 18 songs range from percolating electronic whirs to folky acoustic to perky pop. Highlights: the soothing "De Quel Planete Es tu?" by Brian Weaver (the man behind this compilation and member of mish-mash popsters The Cubby Creatures), Minmae's "Bluebird" a shadowy Howe Gelb/Giant Sand-ish track, the shifting soundscape of "The Aerialist's Tiara" by That Hideous Strength (aka Benjamin Tinker), and the young moody post-rock combo known as Shackleton (now sadly defunct).
RealAudio clip: SHACKLETON "Yo, Terminator... Meet The Album That Killt Me"
RealAudio clip: BRIAN WEAVER "De Quel Planete Es Tu?"

V/A Freakbitchlickfly (Violent Turd) lp 10.98
Unauthorized remixes of Missy Elliot's "Get Ur Freak On" by Kid 606, Kevin Blechdom, Max Tundra, Posterboys of the Apocalypse, Mortal & Chemist and Kid 666 (uh, Kid 606 again). Sure to go out of print quickly, if not destroyed by Miss E and Elektra's lawyers first. The Kid's "Take The Piss On" humorously plunders in the melody of A-Ha's "Take On Me".

V/A Honeymoon: The Key Love Songs of My Life By Cam (Chronowax) cd 17.98
This one's for the lovers. DJ Cam compiles songs that reflect his vision of 'happines, love and harmony' (-gag-). Anyway, features Grover Washington, Phat Kat, Coldcut, DJ Matsuoko, Bahamadia, Mr. Scruff, Henry Mancini and more.

V/A Indian Summer: A Sublime Mix of Spiritual Beats (Ministry of Sound) 2cd 17.98
What's one to do, after the Beauty Bar closes, or Tonic or whatever your local watering hole is, where us ugly people are not welcome? And you and your model junkie girlfriend need some music to make out to or nod off to. And she's really pretty 'exotic'. Well, then throw this puppy on. Faux Eastern chillout music from folks like Badmarsh and Shri, Jazzanova, Fun-Da-Mental, Fila Brazillia, Coldcut, Thievery Corporation, Leftfield, The Orb and tons more.

V/A Or Some Computer Music 2 (Or) cd 15.98
Or Records' second compilation of computer music finds its definition of computer music in the late '60s and early '70s, when huge mainframe computers were neccessary to calculate not quite random but sequentially diffuse algorithms for the making of computer music. Thus, this compilation reflects an anachronistic view of what futuristic music is supposed to sound like, conjuring numerous references to Subotnik, Parmegiani, and even Xenakis. Yet strangely enough, as some of the tracks begin in this mindset, the artists (in particular Phoenecia and Atau Tanaka) snap back into the contemporary discourse of technotic rhythms and abstract breakbeats forming structures around the originally formless sound. As one of the slight variations from the norm, Alberto de Campo - director of the Center for Research in Electronic Art and Technology - offers a Thomas Koner like construction of bells and cymbals and digitized drone, but with plenty of whirls and whistles hailing from the academic, rather than empathic camps of drone music. Jim O'Rourke's digression from his academic squiggle is a strange acoustic strum with a breathy woman singing a bit too high for her range. Farmer's Manual splutters granular synthetic chunks of sound amongst layered pure tones, with the rhythmic elements presenting themselves as a grittier permutation of the Raster/Noton glitch.

V/A Structure of Scientific Misconceptions, The / The System of Scientific Misconstructions (Toyo) cd 9.98
Volumes four and five of Toyo's Science Series of split singles, scientifically restructured for confusion and discomfort. Artists featured this time around (unintentionally?) reside in the regions of San Francisco, CA and Olympia, WA. Erase Errata kick off the disc with a structure handicapped chainsaw attack, followed by their show stopper "Marathon" (non-album version, mind you). The Need smash your teeth in with two fistfuls of crushing metal (including a cover of Judas Priest's "The Green Manalishi"). MeMe America (featuring Wynne of Tracy and the Plastics) offer a portion their unseen magnum opus "Part 2: Baby". San Francisco's Deerhoof grace this disc with their final recordings made over two years ago with Rob and Kelly still in the lineup. Possibly their finest songs ever laid down to tape - four brilliant, fractured pop songs that demand repeat listens. Blectum From Blechdom cough up two tracks of hyperelectro and a live rendition of the hilarious "Jump Jo Bones". The disc is rounded out by the pretty pop dreaminess of The KG (Tae of Kicking Giant with some dudes in the Microphones). All tracks exclusive, save for one Erase Errata track, available only on their self titled 7". Nice!
RealAudio clip: ERASE ERRATA "Marathon"
RealAudio clip: NEED "The Green Manalishi"
RealAudio clip: BLECTUM FROM BLECHDOM "Jump Jo Bones"

V/A Tired of Standing Still (Highpoint Lowlife) 2cd 13.98
A compilation chronicling the current state of the San Francisco 'scene'. Lots of familiar names here, but even more unfamiliar ones (might be due to the fact that the comp is filled out by 'solo' contributions from almost every member of Tarentel as well as other familiar artists under unfamiliar names). Two whole discs featuring the slow core of the Jim Yoshii Pileup, the post rock of Replicator and Caesura, the damaged sort-of-rock of Boxleitner, the dark minimalism of Sappington as well as tunes by Brian and Chris, Xiu Xiu, Broker/Dealer, Stratford 4 and a bunch more.

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DIW #3.3 magazine 3.00 On the cover: Jason Pierce of Spiritualized, plus articles on Beta Band, Hood, Pinback, Clinic, Trembling Blue Stars, The Faint, Sparklehorse, Tindersticks, Quasi, Jenny Toomey, Mercury Rev, Superchunk, Damon Albarn (Blur) on Gorillaz, Beulah, The Anniversary, a look back at Sub Pop, graphic designer Art Chantry, Death Cab for Cutie, Tobin Sprout, etc. We have a few copies of the magazine with a limited-to-500 7" featuring exclusive tracks from Sparklehorse, The Shins, and Mates of State. It's $5.95. Be sure to specify if you want the zine with or without the 7".

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A CAMP "s/t" (Stockholm) cd 27.00
A SILVER MT. ZION "Born Into Trouble As Sparks" (Constellation) cd/2x10" 14.98/15.98
ANDY, HORACE "Roots and Classics" (Recall) 2cd 16.98
BASTARD NOISE "Descent To Mimas" (Ground Fault) cd 9.98
BULLFROG "A Little Ropeadope Disc" (Ropeadope) cd 12.98
CONN, BOBBY "Golden Age" (Thrill Jockey) cd 14.98
DE LA SOUL "3 Feet High And Rising (limited edition version)" (Tommy Boy) 2cd 17.98
DEAD MEADOW "Howls From The Hills" (Tolotta) cd/lp 13.98/11.98
DIVA "OST" (Koch) cd 21.00
DOM "Edge of Time" (Second Battle) cd 19.98
DUNAJ "Rosol" (Indies / Pavian) cd 14.98
ELECTRIC EELS "Eyeball of Hell" (Scat) cd/2lp 13.98/19.98
FAUST "71 Minutes of Faust" (ReR Megacorp) cd 16.98
FAUST "The Faust Tapes" (ReR) cd 16.98
FONTAINE, BRIGITTE "Kekeland" (Virgin) cd 19.98
FREESTYLE FELLOWSHIP "Temptations" (Nu Gruv Alliance) 12"/cd/2lp 7.98/15.98/15.98
KAWABATA MAKOTO / RICHARD YOUNGS "s/t" (VHF) cd 13.98
KHAN, NURAT FATEH ALI "Final Moment" (Birdman) cd 13.98
LADD, MIKE "Activator Cowboy" (Ozone) 12" 7.98
LES SAVY FAV "Go Forth" (French Kiss) cd 14.98
LOCSIL "Triple Point" (Kranky) cd 14.98
MADLIB "Beat Conductor" (Stones Throw) 2x7" 10.98
MASAKATSU, TAKAGI "Pia" (Carpark) 2cd 17.98
MCPHEE, JOE "Underground Railroad / Live At Holy Cross Monastery" (Atavistic / Unheard Music Series) 2cd 17.98
METALUCIFER "Heavy Metal Chainsaw" (R.I.P) cd 14.98
PILOTE "Do It Now Man" (Domino USA) cd 14.98
PINBACK "Blue Screen Life" (Ace Fu) cd 14.98
POWERS COURT "Nine Kinds Of Hell" (Dragonheart) cd 16.98
RAH BRAS "Ruy Blas!" (Lovitt) cd 11.98
RALE "Twilight Soumrak" (Indies Records) cd 14.98
SILVA, ALAN "Skillfullness" (Get Back / ESP) lp 14.98
STARS OF THE LID "Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid" (Kranky) 2cd/3lp 15.98/17.98
STINKING LIZAVETA "III" (Tolotta) cd 13.98
SUNROOF! "Bliss" (VHF) 2cd 14.98
TANAKA NIXON MEETING "Twelve Inches Heaven" (Hell's Half Halo) lp 9.98
THAEMLITZ, TERRE "Oh, No! It's Rubato" (Mille Plateaux) cd 16.98
THIS HEAT "Deceit" (These Records) cd 18.98
TINDERSTICKS "Trouble Every Day Original Soundtrack" (Beggars Banquet) cd 22.00
TRANS CHAMPS "Double Exposure" (Thrill Jockey) cd ep/12" 10.98/
UNITED SUPREME COUNCIL "Oastem! Vibe Orchestra" (Eclipse) lp 13.98
V/A "Better Than The Beatles: A Tribute To The Shaggs" (Animal World Recordings) cd 13.98
V/A "Matanzas Cuba, ca. 1957: Afro-Cuban Sacred Music From The Countryside" (Smithsonian Folkways) cd 15.98
V/A "Soul of Angola: Anthologie de la Musique Angolaise 1965/1975" (Lusafrica) 2cd 28.00
WILL.I.AM "Lost Change OST" (BBE) cd 16.98


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SOFTEN YOUR SKULL: a benefit for Soft Skull Press


Poets, dancers, singers, and mucisians are joining forces at Modern Times Bookstore to help save Soft Skull Press. The alternative publishing company known for releasing fearless, progressive hip-hop/punk rock literature (including William Upski Wimsatt's lifechanging Bomb the Suburbs) is in danger of going under...but The Poetry Mission, San Francisco's premiere literary group, along with artists everywhere are stepping up to prevent Soft Skull Press from going silent. Scheduled to perform are Second Sunday's Mark Baamuti Joseph, electrifying hip hopper Seer, slam master Gary Glanzer, soulful singer-songwriter Carvell and the fiery Daphne Gottlieb, author of "Why Things Burn" available from Soft Skull Press. Food provided by Herbivore, Amnesia, Boogoloos, Valencia Whole Foods, and the New College Cafe. Sliding scale $5-25 with door prizes provided by Aquarius Records, Scarlet Sage, Good Vibrations, Burger Joint and more!! No one turned away.

TONIGHT! Friday Oct 19th -- 6:30 pm
Modern Times Bookstore -- 888 Valencia
www.softskull.com


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ART EXHIBIT: THE SPIRIT OF SOUND


OPENING RECEPTION INVITATION!

Reception: Thursday October 25, 2001 5:30-8:30PM

Aquarius Records and Creativity Explored are proud to present The Spirit of Sound, a visual presentation of music, two special exhibitions of artwork inspired by and about music. Both venues will simultaneously present artwork created by artists of Creativity Explored studios. Since Aquarius relocated to the Mission five years ago, the store has been the only consistent place to see a variety of art relating to music and is proud to be a part of this special show. Creativity Explored is a non-profit arts organization providing adults with disabilities the opportunity to express themselves through the creation of art. The Spirit of Sound features all things musical and promises to be a unique collaboration between two places truly invoking the spirit of the Mission District.

The shows encompass the artwork of bands, both real and imagined, along with paintings inspired by the sounds of the artists' own internal music. From the spiritual sound paintings and fiber pieces of Jack Moreci to Michael Loggins' simulated vinyl records (which feature his own curious song titles), to the musical portraits by Sara O'Sullivan, the artwork shows the power of music and the inspiration it brings to everyone. Other artists include Jimmy Miles, David "Elvis" Jarvey and Quintin Rodriguez. Exhibitions are curated
by Amy and Erik Auerbach, and will also feature a sound installation.


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SELECTED UPCOMING RELEASES


----> October 23rd
Aphex Twin "Drukgs" 2cd (Sire)
Mogwai "My Father My King" cdep on Matador
Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions "Bavarian Fruit Bread" cd on Rough Trade/Sanctuary
Godflesh "Hymns" cd on Koch
Goldie "goldie.co.uk" dj mix cd
Charley Patton "Screamin' and Hollerin' The Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton"
7cd set on Revenant with book by John Fahey!!! only $170
Christian Wolff "Burdocks" cd on Tzadik
Makigami Koichi "Hikashu History" cd on Tzadik (w/ Otomo Yoshihide)
Dilated Peoples "Expansion Team" cd on Capitol
Windsor For The Derby "The Awkwardness" cdep on Aesthetics
Bathory "Destroyer of the World" cd/lp on Black Mark

----> October 30th
Aphex Twin "Drukqs" 4lp on Warp
Tomahawk (Mike Patton, Duane Dennison & friends) cd on Ipecac
Future Pilot AKA "Tiny Waves, Mighty Sea" domestic cd on Domino US
Solefald "Pills Against Ageless Ills" cd on Century Media
Kings of Convenience "Versus" remix cd/lp on Astralwerks
Chicks On Speed vs. Kreidler cdep/12"
Peaches "Set It Off" cdep/12"
mu-Ziq "Tango 'n Vectif" 2cd reissue
Sunshine Fix "s/t" cd
Brian Jonestown Massacre "Bravery, Repetition and Noise"
Gorelord "Forcefed on Human Flesh" cd on Baphomet/House Core
Wurdulak "Ceremony In Flames" cd on Baphomet/House Core
Mortiis "The Smell of Rain" cd on Earache

----> also in October
v/a "Celebrities at their Worst! Vol. 3" 2cd on Mad Deadly Worldwide ...

----> November 6th
No-Neck Blues Band "Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones But Names..." cd on Revenant
Lovage (The Automator) "Music to Make Love to your Old Lady By" on 75Ark
The Coup "Party Music" cd/2lp on 75Ark (w/ new cover art...)
Apocalyptica "Cult" domestic cd on Spitfire
Magma "30th Anniversary" live concert DVD on Seventh Records
Tower Recordings "Folk Scene" now on cd on Communion, with 14 extra tracks!
Hood "Cold House" cd on Aesthetics
Adult "Misinterpreted" remix 12" on Ersatz Audio
Sigur Ros "Svefn-g-englar" cdep domestic reissue on PIAS/Fat Cat
Avalanches "Since I Left You" domestic cd on London/Sire
Destiny's Child "8 Days Of Christmas" cd on Columbia
Michael Gira and Dan Matz (Windsor For the Derby) "What We Did" cd on Young God
David Axelrod "s/t" domestic cd on Mo Wax/Beggar's Banquet
Robbie Fulks "13 Hillbilly Giants" cd on Bloodshot
v/a "Give The People What They Need: Songs of the Kinks" cd on Sub Pop
w/ Mark Lanegan, Mudhoney, Murder City Devils, more
Einsturzende Neubauten "Strategies Against Architecture III: 1991-2001" 2cd on Mute

----> November 13th
Anti-Pop Consortium "Ends Against The Middle" cd/lp on Wordsound
Belle And Sebastian "I'm Waking Up To Us" cdep/12"/7" on Matador
Rhapsody "Rain Of A Thousand Flames" cd on Limb
Rip-Off Artist "Pump" cd/2lp
Monolake "Cinemascope" cd
Chessie "Overnight" cd/2lp
Funki Porcini "Fast Asleep" cd/2lp on Ninja Tune
Impaled Nazerene "Absence of War Does Not Mean Peace" cd on Osmose
Cradle of Filth "Heavy Left Handed and Candid" live DVD on Abracadaver

----> November 20th
Enslaved "Monumension" cd/lp on Osmose
De La Soul "AOI: Bionics -- Better, Faster, Stronger" cd/lp on Tommy Boy
Silver Jews "Bright Flight" cd on Drag City
Teenage Fanclub "Howdy" domestic cd on Thirsty Ear

----> November 27th
Otto Von Schirach "Escalo Frio" cd/lp
v/a "Love Peace & Poetry: Japanese Psychedelic Music" cd/lp on QDK
v/a "Love Peace & Poetry: British Psychedelic Music" cd/lp on QDK
Pierre Bastien "Mecanoid" cd/lp on Rephlex

----> December 3rd
Four Tet "Paws" remix cdep on Domino US
Mark Kozelek "If You Want Blood" limited edition 2lp on Badman (his 2 albums + live tracks, on vinyl)


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"It's as though it's 1937 and I'm a bandleader named Freddie Hitler."
--Scott Ian of Anthrax on being in a band called Anthrax
in light of September 11th

"I will not die an ironic death."
--Scott Ian after stocking up on Cipro, the antibiotic used
to treat Anthrax

Love,
Windy Byram Jeff Andee Sadie Allan And Cup