KIRBY, LEYLAND Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was (History Always Favours The Winners) 3cd 26.00
It had to be an aQ Record Of The Week. Nearly four hours of warbly and washed out ambient beauty spread out over 3 cds (and 6 lps!), from the man behind the looped and warped ambient jazz minimalism of The Caretaker and the electronic fuckery of V/VM. We've been listing/reviewing the vinyl versions as they were released, part one: When We Parted My Heart Wanted To Die, part two: When Did Our Dreams And Futures Drift So Far Apart, and part three: Memories Live Longer Than Dreams (elsewhere on this week's list). We would have made the vinyl ROTW too, but we thought it was a lot to ask, 6 lps, nearly $80, so we held off, for THIS. A gorgeous compact collection of all 6 lps on 3 discs, in super minimal sleeves, gathered in an equally minimal and mysterious slipcover, printed to look like an old wooden crate. The art and the sound are all inexorably linked. The music of Kirby is mournful and mysterious, melancholy and otherworldly, everything shot through with a certain degree of sadness. Check the song titles: "When We Parted, My Heart Wanted To Die", "The Beauty Of The Impending Tragedy Of My Existence", "And As I Sat Beside You I Felt The Great Sadness That Day", "Tonight Is The Last Night Of The World", and the sounds those words represent, impart the same sense of heartbreak and loneliness, the music feels grey, like looking through a rain speckled dust coated window, at an old abandoned lot, the metal rusted, broken swingsets, collapsing barns, dead grass, mud and old pieces of wood, artifacts of a happier time, all reflecting the blackened sky above. But somehow, this isn't miserable music, it manages to be warm, and thick, and rich, and deceptively simple, lots of layers constantly shifting. It's definitely dronemusic, but not minimal or static, these sounds are alive, record crackle, buried voices, old record, warped instrumentation, sounds are looped and stretched and inverted, tied into knots and then pulled slowly and delicately apart. Fans of Philip Jeck, and Tim Hecker, and William Basinski, this is another gorgeously decayed artifact to add to your collection, evoking many of the same emotions as those like minded soundscapers, yet, the music of Leyland Kirby manages to sound unlike any of them.
This is the perfect soundtrack for introspection, for long nights, candlelight, grey days, windswept storm drenched hillsides, for drifting off, for huddling up with another and sharing warmth, dark, delicate and so beautiful. An incredible, sprawling collection of blurred ambience, obfuscated field recordings, and sad piano melodies hint at the furniture music of Erik Satie, the mood engineering of Angelo Badalamenti, and the emotional resonance of Basinski's Disintegration Loops.
While technically the vinyl wasn't Record Of The Week, it essentially has been, for a couple months now, just delivered in installments, each one a mysterious missive from some otherworld, those who have been keeping up, no doubt understand, and are surely already utterly and inexorably tangled up in Kirby's magical and mournful world of sound, but for the rest of you, who have yet to delve, to climb through, to step beyond, to lose yourself completely. Now is the time, and the message is clear, Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was...
MPEG Stream: "I"
MPEG Stream: "III"
MPEG Stream: "IV"

KING KONG DING DONG Youth Culture Index (self released) cd-r 7.98
Originally discovered by one of our pals at Root Strata, you can just imagine the emails:
"You guys gotta check out this band King Kong Ding Dong!"
"Um... really?"
"Seriously, they're so amazing, KING KONG DING DONG!"
"Ummm, okay..."
Originally we thought maybe it was all a ploy, and it was them messing with us, maybe they had recorded a bunch of stuff themselves and were trying to dupe us into heaping praises on what was essentially a joke, but we took their advice, sought out KKDD, and gave it a listen, and HOLY SHIT. All it took was about a minute of "Evil", and we were hooked. We made a sample, it's down below, we'll wait... listen, and read on...
After some woozy guitar and amp buzz and cord crackle, the band lock into a mesmerizing minimal groove, a loping melody, disembodied voices, swirls of effected buzz, simple tribal percussion, and then BAM, the main riff comes in, all languid and stoned sounding, super spaced out, just two notes, a weird sort of indie folk doom, crooned and hummed vocal harmonies underscore the warm warped riff and the stumbling drums wrapped around it. It's almost like some weird hybrid of Silvester Anfang, True Widow, Animal Collective and No Neck Blues Band or something. Raw and lo-fi, loose and shambling, but so darkly heavy and groovy and hypnotic. We listened to that track about 100 times, before we even moved on to the rest of the record, which was just chock full of sonic surprises. Nothing else on the record is quite like "Evil", the rest of the record flits all over the place from super abstract soundscapes to tuneful indie jangle, to vocal driven bliss out anti pop, to warm warped drone, but they are all somehow woven together into one organic, and constantly transforming whole.
Opener "Jample", winds a strange looped crunchy riff over a simple pounding beat, and some reverby "whooo"s, female vocals belt out an equally reverbed counterpoint, the whole thing building to a super tripped out effects heavy dream pop freakout.
Backwards guitars, lead out of that track into a gorgeous hazy acousticguitarscape, ethereal vocals definitely drifting into Animal Collective territory, but way more scrappy and lo-fi, shimmery sheets of indie jangle give way to blown out distorted drums and looped detuned melodies. Dreamy buzzy pop music gets twisted up into a strange Beach Boys dirge, all choral and chaotic, shot through with spidery high end melodies, which slips sweetly into a spare field of twinkle and twang, wrapped around distant drums and sweetly crooned falsetto vox. Then we're back to "Evil" again, which, heck, deserves yet another listen...
The final four offer up more off kilter outsider dream pop stumble, high crystalline vocals drifting over distorted drum splatter and looped guitar shimmer, soft swirls of effects drift beneath almost operatic sounding harmonies, a sort of twangy slowcore, but slowly crumbling into something much more atmospheric and abstract. After a brief fanfare, what sounds like a soft cacophony of horns, comes a strange harmonica loop, which erupts into some gorgeous, hazy, near perfect minimal space psych drone dream pop.
Shouldn't take long for the rest of the world to catch on. And wouldn't be surprised if these guys started getting hyped by Pitchfork or Matador or any other number of 'tastemakers', and heck, they deserve it, this stuff is mysterious and magical, and the fact that they're called King Kong Ding Dong, somehow only makes it that much better....
MPEG Stream: "Evil"
MPEG Stream: "A Violent Light"
MPEG Stream: "The Tiniest Anything"
MPEG Stream: "Jample"
MPEG Stream: "Here We Rest"

BROADCAST & THE FOCUS GROUP Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age (Warp) cd 14.98
Crystal balls, dark mirrors, Ouija boards, seances, creepy knocking, music boxes that play themselves, creaking doors, and distorted kaleidoscopes are just a few of the fascinating hauntological associations mined in the latest collaborative effort by long time aQ faves, Broadcast, and new to us electronic outfit, The Focus Group, run by Ghost Box label head Julian House (who also designed all of Broadcast's record covers). We've been trying to carry the Ghost Box label stuff for years but haven't found a feasible distributor, and with this release, it has become quite clear what we've been missing out on.
Billed as a mini-album (23 tracks across 50 minutes), Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of The Radio Age is all at once a mesmerizing sound collage, a mind-warping concept album, a reimagined soundtrack to some chilling psychological cinema (we're thinking of films like Dead of Night, Secret Ceremony, The Ballad of Tam Lin, Persona, Angel, Angel Down We Go, or Simon, King of The Witches), as well as an homage to the obscure left-field psychedelic electronic music and sounds of the sixties and seventies that have influenced Broadcast over the years. Bands like White Noise, The Animated Egg, Basil Kirchin, United States of America, British Library Music and of course the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
So as you probably guessed from the description above, this is not a typical Broadcast release, but a experimental detour while we await for their next official full length. Fans of their full lengths may be less immediately satisfied by this, as it's not designed to be enjoyed as a pop record. It often requires either deep listening, or having it on while working on a solitary activity, such as painting or knitting, or better yet tarot card reading. While Trish Keenan's lush and dreamy singing is heard through out, there is only one typical Broadcast song, opener "The Be Colony", a woozy lullaby that hearkens back to the dreamy melodies from the HaHa Sound album, and even that is thrown in the delirious blender of The Focus Group, who took recordings made by Broadcast for this project and cut them up in a method to suggest automatic writing under a deep hypnosis. Disembodied voices, blowing wind, flashes of jazz drumming, eerie squeeches and electronic bloops, radio dials shifting, whining puppies, crows cawing, mysterious choirs and echo-y playground rhymes. Very ghostly, and sometimes beautifully creepy. It's the kind of strategy that may sound like it could get tedious after awhile, but the collage is so delicately and carefully constructed with just enough structured melodies that it wonderfully forms an intriguing narrative, of course aided by suggestive song titles like "Reception/ Group Therapy" , "Ritual/ Looking In", "Libra, The Mirror's Minor Self..." and "Drug Party". We think that people who are less inclined towards Broadcast's pop albums and into spectral sounds, occult music compilations, electric voice phenomenon, experimental electronic music or music on the Type or Miasmah labels should definitely give this a listen. We haven't been so spellbound by a record in quite a while. Fantastic!
MPEG Stream: "The Be Colony"
MPEG Stream: "Mr Beard, You Chatterbox"
MPEG Stream: "A Seancing Song"
MPEG Stream: "Drug Party"
MPEG Stream: "Ritual / Looking In"
MPEG Stream: "Royal Chant"
MPEG Stream: "Let It Begin / Oh Joy"

BROADCAST & THE FOCUS GROUP Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age (Warp) lp 14.98
Crystal balls, dark mirrors, Ouija boards, seances, creepy knocking, music boxes that play themselves, creaking doors, and distorted kaleidoscopes are just a few of the fascinating hauntological associations mined in the latest collaborative effort by long time aQ faves, Broadcast, and new to us electronic outfit, The Focus Group, run by Ghost Box label head Julian House (who also designed all of Broadcast's record covers). We've been trying to carry the Ghost Box label stuff for years but haven't found a feasible distributor, and with this release, it has become quite clear what we've been missing out on.
Billed as a mini-album (23 tracks across 50 minutes), Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of The Radio Age is all at once a mesmerizing sound collage, a mind-warping concept album, a reimagined soundtrack to some chilling psychological cinema (we're thinking of films like Dead of Night, Secret Ceremony, The Ballad of Tam Lin, Persona, Angel, Angel Down We Go, or Simon, King of The Witches), as well as an homage to the obscure left-field psychedelic electronic music and sounds of the sixties and seventies that have influenced Broadcast over the years. Bands like White Noise, The Animated Egg, Basil Kirchin, United States of America, British Library Music and of course the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
So as you probably guessed from the description above, this is not a typical Broadcast release, but a experimental detour while we await for their next official full length. Fans of their full lengths may be less immediately satisfied by this, as it's not designed to be enjoyed as a pop record. It often requires either deep listening, or having it on while working on a solitary activity, such as painting or knitting, or better yet tarot card reading. While Trish Keenan's lush and dreamy singing is heard through out, there is only one typical Broadcast song, opener "The Be Colony", a woozy lullaby that hearkens back to the dreamy melodies from the HaHa Sound album, and even that is thrown in the delirious blender of The Focus Group, who took recordings made by Broadcast for this project and cut them up in a method to suggest automatic writing under a deep hypnosis. Disembodied voices, blowing wind, flashes of jazz drumming, eerie squeeches and electronic bloops, radio dials shifting, whining puppies, crows cawing, mysterious choirs and echo-y playground rhymes. Very ghostly, and sometimes beautifully creepy. It's the kind of strategy that may sound like it could get tedious after awhile, but the collage is so delicately and carefully constructed with just enough structured melodies that it wonderfully forms an intriguing narrative, of course aided by suggestive song titles like "Reception/ Group Therapy" , "Ritual/ Looking In", "Libra, The Mirror's Minor Self..." and "Drug Party". We think that people who are less inclined towards Broadcast's pop albums and into spectral sounds, occult music compilations, electric voice phenomenon, experimental electronic music or music on the Type or Miasmah labels should definitely give this a listen. We haven't been so spellbound by a record in quite a while. Fantastic!
MPEG Stream: "The Be Colony"
MPEG Stream: "Mr Beard, You Chatterbox"
MPEG Stream: "A Seancing Song"
MPEG Stream: "Drug Party"
MPEG Stream: "Ritual / Looking In"
MPEG Stream: "Royal Chant"
MPEG Stream: "Let It Begin / Oh Joy"

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ACRE Isolationist (Isoundercore) cd 12.98
There's just something so magical about the drone. For the music we love, and the sounds we love to hear, the drone seems to always be an element, whether it's black metal or dubstep or country, mix in a bit of drone, and it just does something magical to the mix. But you can't just pull the drone out, to display it bare, on its own, without knowing what you're doing. Like modern art, everyone thinks "Oh I could do that", but they can't in fact, it takes something or someone special to be able to wrangle a drone, to create dronemusic that unadorned can be lovely, harrowing, even riveting, and one of our favorite drone wranglers goes by the name Acre, and for several years now has been offering up some of the most compelling, and disarmingly simple drone music we've heard.
A casual listener might mistake the sounds of Acre for a swarm of insects, or the buzz of a faulty air conditioner, or the muted roar of a vacuum cleaner, and honestly the sound is really not that far removed for that, but to be fair, we've all found ourselves entranced by the sounds of everyday drone, helicopters passing overhead, the roar of an engine, the deep rumble of thunder, the static on the TV between channels, right? So strap on some headphones and let Acre take you into the heart of the drone.
Remember that ride at Disneyland, where you got strapped into a little car and went through the microscope which shrunk you down so you could explore atoms and molecules? Sometimes the music of Acre can be like that. With close listening, what on the surface seems static, comes alive, like a roaring river of sound. Dunk your head in, and you can hear the layers, and the overtones beating against each other, the buried melodies, the subtle nuances, that make drones like this seem almost alive.
Three long tracks, 15 minutes, 12 minutes and 22 minutes, each one a single drone, but each one also a journey through sound, into sound. It's strange that music this seemingly simple can be so enthralling, so hypnotic and entrancing, but it is, and once again Acre manages to create a minimal world of sound that is not as minimal as it seems.
WAY RECOMMENDED!
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 1"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 2"

ASSASSIN s/t (Deep Shag) cd 14.98
aQ reviews are usually written with a collective voice, but for this one, I'm (Andee) gonna have to step out into the first person, cuz I have been waiting for this record for 25 years! Since I was 14 years old.
I had just discovered heavy metal, and not HEAVY metal, we're talking Ratt and Motley Crue and Rough Cutt and King Kobra and L.A. Guns and Great White and Poison, that sort of heavy metal, and I was living in San Diego, and every time one of those bands played, there would be a local opener called Assassin, who RULED. Who as far as my 14 year old ears could tell, should have been just as popular as any of those other bands. And they were poised for that sort of success, the word was spreading, they did some small tours, they were maybe the next big thing, but as with lots of bands, before anything could happen, the band called it a day. And that was it.
I eventually moved on, my musical tastes matured and changed, but I never stopped liking eighties metal or hard rock or glam metal, and I never forgot Assassin. Over the years, and DECADES, I tried to track down their only single, and could never find it. I must have owned it back in the day, but somehow it had gone missing. And with the onset of the internet, I figured that would make it easier to find, but alas no luck. I eventually found a compilation that featured one of the tracks from the 7", and I played it to death, but I had sort of given up on ever tracking it down. So I was telling someone about Assassin, and just randomly Googled them, and WHAT? found an actual reissue, not just the single, but a whole unreleased record, as well as a live show!! I ordered one months before it came out, and waited patiently, and it showed up finally, and I threw it on, and FUCK!!! It sounded just as rad as it did when I was 14. So I figured what the hell, I oughta share this with my aQ pals, I mean, c'mon, a record I've literally been looking for for more than half my life!! TWENTY FIVE YEARS!!
Allan worried we wouldn't sell any, but I trust you, faithful aQ-ers, don't be ashamed of your eighties glam rock guilty pleasures (if they are in fact guilty), and dig this lost gem from an era short on lost gems. If you dig any of that kind of stuff, Motley Crue, Black And Blue, Armored Saint, Keel, Stryper, Seduce, Alcatrazz, Coney Hatch, Raven, hell, Assassin even opened for Slayer and Grim Reaper and Anthrax, then dig this. Heavy and hooky, listen to the two sound samples, those are the two songs from the single, and they are the best songs here, even after 25 years, I find myself listening to those two tracks over and over and over. The vocals are high and soaring, but really unique, the drummer kicks ass and the guitar player is a total shredder, and like the best bands of the time, Assassin were essentially a pop band, the songs rule, killer choruses, memorable verses, even the bridges and leads stick in your head. "Treason" might just be one of the best metal jams of the eighties, and "All Your Love" is a close close second. But give some of the other tracks a try, "Backstabber" is bad ass, "Nuance Le Dancer" is a weirdly structured metallic groover, "Tower" is an epic majestic dirge, and "No Way" is classic eighties metal. The live stuff shreds too, but that's just a bonus. I would have happily paid $15 for the single, so as far as I'm concerned those 2 tracks are worth the price of admission alone, everything else just sweetens the deal!
Lots of photos and liner notes, and anyone out there sitting on a treasure trove of rad eighties metal in need of a loving home, by all means, get in touch!!! We now return you to the third person...
MPEG Stream: "Treason"
MPEG Stream: "All Your Love"

BANHART, DEVENDRA What Will We Be? (Warner Bros.) cd 17.98
By this point people seem to have really strong feelings one way or another about Devendra Banhart, ourselves included. We've been big fans of him from his first ultra personal other worldly creations and then as he transitioned his approach into a more fleshed out sound, and we really do appreciate the twists and turns his music has taken over the years and his willingness to play with different sounds and approaches, even when not entirely successful. Perhaps especially then!
Because the thing about Banhart's music is that for every slight slip up or overly feel-good goofy song that might make it on a record (and there are a couple here) there are so many intense and heartfelt, emotional and flat out incredible songs that help balance his uniquely skewed musical vision.
Despite all the hype and hoopla that's surrounded Banhart over the years, the truth is he might just be one of the best songwriters of the last decade. What Will We Be? fits very nicely alongside his recent outings Cripple Crow and Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Mountain, with some all out rocking and even glam moments ("16th Street & Valencia Roxy Music", "Rats") as well as a handful of tropical excursions, but it's the more slow and dreamy songs that really remind us why we love this guy so much. What Will We Be? is a record that requires multiple listens, as there are golden tracks throughout, which only really seep through after multiple plays. The cd comes with a beautiful booklet with the lyrics to each songs along with Banhart's wonderful drawings.
MPEG Stream: "Brindo"
MPEG Stream: "Baby"
MPEG Stream: "16th & Valencia, Roxy Music"
MPEG Stream: "Last Song For B"

BIG PINK, THE A Brief History Of Love (4AD) cd 13.98
We were a bit surprised the first time we heard The Big Pink from the UK. We assumed the band was named after the famous record by The Band, so we were expecting something more rock or rootsy, but instead were treated to some awesome droned out druggy gothy smeary shoegazey electro pop. Weird enough to appeal to folks into all that strange shit, but catchy and hooky enough to end up on 4AD and be a super hyped next big thing.
And we're cool with that for sure. If there's gonna be a next big thing, it might as well be these guys. It's like a way poppier, more commercial version of some badass hybrid of Suicide, Depeche Mode, M83, My Bloody Valentine, Interpol, a little noisy, WAY poppy, a bit eighties, a lot nineties, a little new wave, there's some Pixies in there for sure.
The Big Pink are a duo, but have an extended band that weirdly enough includes a member of aQ prog faves Guapo, not that you'd mistake this stuff for prog, but it does hint that there might be something more going on than just another band looking toward the pop charts.
And all the backward looking pop these days, the coldwave revival, new wave seeping into everything, seems like a good time for these guys, not to say that if you love Cold Cave and Former Ghosts and Zola Jesus and the like that you'll dig this, but you just might, and if you like Interpol and M83 and dig lots of synths and drum machines and catchy choruses and washed out guitars and big beats and warm feedback, but on a bigger, stadium sort of scale, then check this out, it's pretty addictive stuff....
MPEG Stream: "Crystal Visions"
MPEG Stream: "Too Young To Love"
MPEG Stream: "Count Backward From Ten"

BLACK TO COMM Alphabet (Type) cd 15.98
When we first discovered Black To Comm, they were described to us as sounding like Fennesz, Pimmon, and Earth jamming with Merzbow, which at the time wasn't all that far off. Since then, they seem to have dialed back on the Earth and Merzbow, leaving their sound much more shimmery and blissy and looped and electronic. Oval was another good comparison, with that same sort of underwater digital looped soft focus glitchscape vibe going on.
The band have also seemingly become more of a band, letting the organic instruments show through, processed sure, but allowed to ring out and resonate, which makes their move to the Type label all the more appropriate.
Their sound is still woozy and washed out and hazy and warbly, but on the opening track, everything is driven by a piano, it's notes reverbed and repetitive, a sort of chamber music set amidst a field of static and crackle, the delicate melodies, wreathed in constantly shifting clouds of electrical interference. The second track loops backwards guitars over a field of warm crackle, letting the loop define the haunting melody, the background buzz gradually intensifying, eventually building to a blinding, glimmering high end ur-drone, all the edges rounded so instead of a field of skree, it's pulsing wall of crystalline shimmer and buzz.
Like a warped music box, the record plays out like some half remembered dream, delicate little melodies drift through a haze of moaning distant guitars, murky post rock is pulled apart into some strange spidery lo-fi dirgescape, pizzicato strings and urgently strummed harps are wound into a tense cinematic swirl, long streaks of clanging reverberating metal are laid atop warm vacuum cleaner drones, surrounded by clouds of clatter and clang, deep brooding rumbles finally give way to crackle and pop flecked soft focus easy listening pop ambience.
Another gorgeous collection of mysterious musical manipulation, essential listening for any one into dronemusic, minimal ambience, abstract electronica or just strange and beautiful far out sounds...
MPEG Stream: "Jonathan"
MPEG Stream: "Forst"
MPEG Stream: "Hotel Friend"

BLACK TO COMM Alphabet (Type) lp 19.98
When we first discovered Black To Comm, they were described to us as sounding like Fennesz, Pimmon, and Earth jamming with Merzbow, which at the time wasn't all that far off. Since then, they seem to have dialed back on the Earth and Merzbow, leaving their sound much more shimmery and blissy and looped and electronic. Oval was another good comparison, with that same sort of underwater digital looped soft focus glitchscape vibe going on.
The band have also seemingly become more of a band, letting the organic instruments show through, processed sure, but allowed to ring out and resonate, which makes their move to the Type label all the more appropriate.
Their sound is still woozy and washed out and hazy and warbly, but on the opening track, everything is driven by a piano, it's notes reverbed and repetitive, a sort of chamber music set amidst a field of static and crackle, the delicate melodies, wreathed in constantly shifting clouds of electrical interference. The second track loops backwards guitars over a field of warm crackle, letting the loop define the haunting melody, the background buzz gradually intensifying, eventually building to a blinding, glimmering high end ur-drone, all the edges rounded so instead of a field of skree, it's pulsing wall of crystalline shimmer and buzz.
Like a warped music box, the record plays out like some half remembered dream, delicate little melodies drift through a haze of moaning distant guitars, murky post rock is pulled apart into some strange spidery lo-fi dirgescape, pizzicato strings and urgently strummed harps are wound into a tense cinematic swirl, long streaks of clanging reverberating metal are laid atop warm vacuum cleaner drones, surrounded by clouds of clatter and clang, deep brooding rumbles finally give way to crackle and pop flecked soft focus easy listening pop ambience.
Another gorgeous collection of mysterious musical manipulation, essential listening for any one into dronemusic, minimal ambience, abstract electronica or just strange and beautiful far out sounds...
MPEG Stream: "Jonathan"
MPEG Stream: "Forst"
MPEG Stream: "Hotel Friend"

BLASPHEMOUS CRUCIFIXION Crude Burial (Rusty Axe) cd ep 8.98
With a name like Blasphemous Crucifixion, you should know what to expect - raw, buzzing black metal with a nice suicidal feel to it. This one man (presumably) hate machine cranks things out in a highly noisy, atonal way with a pretty pronounced punk influence. In fact, this sounds a bit like some of the Russian black metal we dig so much (early Old Wainds, Nav, Meti Bhuvah), which is indeed a very good thing. While the songs on Crude Burial, expanded with some demo tracks from earlier years, sound like they were recorded in an air raid shelter during an actual air raid AND in a blizzard, you can plainly hear all the instruments creeping their way out of the mix like they are gasping for air, so it never gets too noisy to where this will be mistaken for some experimental artsy black metal. There's nothing too ornate about Blasphemous Crucifixion, nor does there need to be. This is some harsh, negative stuff, super primitive and free of all the progressive bullshit than can ruin so much black metal these days, and with song titles like "Urine-Soaked Tombstone", "Disgusting", and "Self-Inflicted", you should know whether or not this is your bag. We say hell yeah. Coming to us from the always right on Rusty Axe imprint.
MPEG Stream: "Urine-Soaked Tombstone"
MPEG Stream: "Poisoned Water"
MPEG Stream: "Broken Flower"

BODY HAMMER Jigoku (The Path Less Traveled) cd 9.98
We're not entirely sure where we first heard about Body Hammer, we're not really sure if it's a band or a guy, what we do know, is that this is some seriously fierce and fucked up hypergrind / math metal / black drone weirdness. 18 songs, all but 6 less than a minute long, some of those as short as a matter of seconds, every one an awesome chunk of sonic mayhem. The 1:41 opener is all creep and creak, moan and drift, downtuned guitars and tinkling melodies, some sort of Wolf Eyes / Goblin hybrid, which leads right into 31 seconds of ultra technical, super distorted, gnarled and chaotic noise drenched metallic grind, that should hit the spot for Discordance Axis fans and anyone who digs all that drummachinegun grind. The 14 second follow up is a brief white hot squall of harmonized guitars and malfunctioning drum machines, which leads directly into another industrial drone drift.
The first 2/3 of the records pass in a blur, lurching from haunting droney ambience to chugging churning grinding metal madness and back again, stopping for brief forays into blacknoize, dreamy lo-fi ambient drift, as well as some under 20 second hypergrind workouts, all tweaked FX and lightspeed blast beats, high end feedback laced dronescapes, and rumbling guitardronebuzzandblur.
With 5 songs to go, Body Hammer lets the songs sprawl, and pushes the sound in even more fractured and fucked up directions, a super distorted in-the-red, lurching black doom trudge through a haze of glitched out distortion and howled vokills, thick crumbling post industrial dirgescapes, all reverbed clank and clatter, thud and pound and crunch, hypnotic static guitar drifts built from layered drones and laced with clean guitar twang, warped bass, and buried vox, until the final 7+ minute track, a harrowing blackened doomic dirge, groaning guitars, and distant vocals, which leaves 5 minutes of silence, before a minute or so of white noise hiss and intercepted voices from the ether.
Fucked up and fucking awesome. Packaged in a dvd case, with a printed insert, and while they last we have the super limited deluxe version that comes with a bunch of extra goodies and is wrapped in a sumo cloth and sealed with a sticker.
MPEG Stream: "Severe Aural Torture"
MPEG Stream: "The Bystander Effect"
MPEG Stream: "Red Pyramid"
MPEG Stream: "When Mental Anguish Exceeds the Physical Capability For Pain"

BODY, THE s/t (Moganono) cd 9.98
Out of print for ages, an all time aQ favorite for sure, the debut full length from the Body is available once again, for a limited time. Here's our review from when we first listed this almost 4 years ago!!!
A while back we reviewed an amazing record by a band called Tides. What was equally amazing was the circuitous route it took to get to Aquarius. In a nutshell, it was sent to a certain publication who deemed it too punk to review, a friend at said publication grabbed it from the reject box thinking we'd like it. We did. And well you can read that review on the AQ site. And that record ended up being a huge hit around here. The thing is, that record wasn't alone on its perilous journey. No, another record was right there along side the Tides cd making its way to AQ. That record, was this record. The Body. But The Body had a bit farther to go, before making it to the list you have right here in your hands. First, many emails with the label, then much waiting. Then finally a box of cds arrived, but somehow they had all become unglued and ruined in the mail. More emails followed, and still more waiting. Finally we had pretty much just given up. Then just a few days ago, a couple of big bearded guys with tattoos were sort of lurking around the store. You guessed it, they were The Body. Phew. So was it worth it? Hell yeah it was. That is if you like massive, pummeling, downtuned slow motion sludge metal with little bits of ultra doom and lots of post rock in there. And you know we do.
So yeah, The Body. This will definitely hit the spot for all you folks into Conifer, Pelican, Isis, The Ocean, Mouth Of The Architect, Tides and all that metallic post rock doom stuff. The first track is a crusher, a plodding doom riff spread out over eight minutes, with freaky garbled vocal samples and the whole thing building in intensity and slowly becoming more and more blown out until it's a fuzzy slab of white noise doom drone. Woah. The rest of the record trudges alternately between slow motion chugging and pounding, moody mathy rhythmic workouts, and some truly dense tangles of chaotic riff rhythm mashup. All strung together with some seriously harrowing shrieked black metal style vocals buried WAY down in the mix. The final track is a fifteen minute long, relentless midtempo pipe to the skull, with a main riff that is repeated over and over, almost looped sounding, completely mesmerizing, before it all breaks down into a spacious plodding doom coda. So awesome.
Packaged in hand glued cardstock digipaks. This came out a while ago and was limited to 1000 copies so we can't be entirely sure how long we'll have these.
MPEG Stream: "()"
MPEG Stream: "The City Of The Magnificent Jewel"
MPEG Stream: "Hearts Ache, Even In Dreams (City Eater)"

BRILLIANT COLORS Introducing (Slumberland) cd 13.98
We knew it was only a matter of time before San Francisco's Brilliant Colors broke out of the Bay and into the ears and hearts of listeners across the globe, and it makes such perfect sense that Slumberland is the proud label to get to release their debut full length.
After a couple amazing 7"s, we knew the time was ripe for Brilliant Colors to make a big splash with their energetic, raw and super charged garage pop, gloriously drenched in feedback and soaring amplification. They really are like a modern day version of Black Tambourine (the awesome short-lived early '90s band who just had their Complete Recordings reissued by Slumberland). Part pop, part garage, part punk, all coming together in such perfect alignment. BC belong near the top of the list of awesome bands who have emerged in the last few years very much influenced by the likes of The Vaselines, Shop Assistants, Talulah Gosh, Jesus & Mary Chain, Pastels, etc. Alongside folks like Grass Widow, Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls, and Pens, Brilliant Colors have injected a much needed blast of full throttle female energy into the post-punk scene and this debut full length picks up where their great singles left off, adding even more intensity and uncompromising tenacity to their delivery.
MPEG Stream: "Absolutely Anything"
MPEG Stream: "Short Sleeves At Night"
MPEG Stream: "Yell In The Air"

CHALK, ANDREW The Cable House (Faraway Press) lp 30.00
The arrival of a new Andrew Chalk album is always a cause for celebration, doubly so when it's one of his scarce productions on vinyl. Mr. Chalk has long stood as one of our favorite drone composers over the years, beginning with his early contributions to the more placid Organum recordings, through his exemplary collaborative work in Mirror and Ora, and onto his near perfect catalogue of solo recording self-released through his Faraway Press. Through the more recent recordings Goldfall and Time Of Hayfield, the timbre of Chalk's work has brightened a bit, even as that brightening occurs between the spectrum of shadowy grey to sodden blue. Like Goldfall, The Cable House is an album sourced from piano; but where the notes on that earlier album loosely trailed amidst a gossamer web of bleary dronings, The Cable House has a considerably more purposeful set of melodic structures, pushing Chalk's work much closer into the realm of Satie's Furniture Music than ever before. Nonetheless, Chalk is masterful at extracting soft ringings of echo, restrained attack, and muted reverberations from his piano. It would be hard to imagine even someone like Eno or Basinski being able to craft something more elegant, more shimmering, more beautiful.
The artwork features hand printed woodblock prints, rendering each piece just slightly different from one another. As a result of the laborious printing process, Chalk has only made 300 copies.

CLUSTER Curiosum (Bureau B) lp 17.98
It seems like the Bureau B label is bravely (and thankfully) treading all the murky Cluster corners that the Water label sadly deemed non-essential.
Curiosum from 1981 definitely is a curiosity being the last Cluster record before the duo took a 10 year hiatus, and if you're looking for classic Cluster, this isn't necessarily where you would want to start. The sound is more minimal, cold and less exploratory than their previous effort, Grosses Wasser. You might even call it difficult, not that it's noisy, grating or indulgent, but it tends not to over-elaborate the compositions with dynamic structures instead reducing the compositions into essential forms. Taking a less is more approach, seemingly inspired by the then current sound of post-punk and no wave, Cluster use plodding and lurching rhythmic motifs in shorter compositions with more subtle, purposely meandering, and oft-kilter melodic nuances: whirring sounds like a toy low on batteries, discombobulated waltzes, Radiophonic Workshop-like tape manipulations and loping loops. The last song "Ufer" (also one of the longest) plays up on Eno's Discreet Music, as an exercise in listening through near-silence. It almost seems like Curiosum was a missing link recording between Cluster II and Zuckerzeit as it sort of bridges those two sensibilities of formless composition and melodic structure with just enough form and just enough melody, but not too much that one would engage with it in mindless pleasure. Instead it dares you to feel it in the present but at a removed distance.

COALESCE OXEP (Relapse) cd ep 11.98
The return of metalcore gods Coalesce was one of the coolest and most unexpected musical surprises in recent memory, and the band's mighty Ox record from earlier this year kicked our asses just like we were hoping it would. The 7 songs on this little bro ep pretty much bring things to their brutal as fuck yet melodic, catchy, and just plain rocking conclusion in a way that only this band could deliver. Never ones to keep it plain and simple, the boys from Kansas City, MO (I know, right?) spice things up with moments of thoughtful experimentation and beautiful acoustic ditties that exhibit the same sort of dark twang as current day Earth. It always helps when the musicians effortlessly ascend to the next level of musical ability and comprehension, and yeah, Coalesce are up for the task. The hardcore songs here are like the unholy lovechild of the Jesus Lizard and Converge, or maybe more appropriately, like, uh, Coalesce. They're pioneers for sure, and it's nice to have them back making pretty much everything else of this ilk irrelevant.
MPEG Stream: "The Blind Eye"
MPEG Stream: "Joyless In Life"
MPEG Stream: "Through Sparrows I Rest"

COLD CAVE Death Comes Close (Heart Worm / Matador) 12" 9.98
Synthesized Philly gloom pop merchants Cold Cave continue their winning streak here, offering a nice companion piece to the recent (as in, like, "this list" recent) Matador reissue of the unanimously agreed upon Love Comes Close. Curiously, Death Comes Close actually kicks off with the song "Love Comes Close", a cool New Order-esque track, which as we mentioned in our review of the album, is "a DEAD RINGER for the melody in the infamous mirror dance scene in Silence Of The Lambs." Next up is "Double Lives In Single Beds", where CC mainman Wes Eisold waxes gothically over a catchy little synth groove with spacey sustained chords and a simple programmed drum beat. The B-side begins with the upbeat "Theme From Tomorrowland", probably our favorite song here. The title is apt, with its futuristic synth pulses and throbs, with Eisold backed up by catchy girl vocals for a nice ethereal effect. "Now That I'm In The Future" rides with a cool fuzzy synth groove. We were gonna say it's "dramatic", but, uh, that's sort of Cold Cave's thing. Either way, it's awesome, and even without soundclips, we probably don't need to do too much convincing as everyone is going crazy for these guys, with good reason.

DAM-FUNK Toeachizown (Stones Throw) 2cd 15.98
Funk - It's a tricky thing. In the wrong hands it can be some of our least favorite music in the world (think cheesy bass slapping bro's in dorky outfits, you know that scene) but the few who really possess TRUE FUNK can move us like no others.
Of course there is the old school pantheon of funk pioneers like Parliament-Funkadelic, The JB's, The Gap Band, The B.T. Express, Cameo, Betty Davis, Rick James, Zapp, Con Funk Shun, and Prince, but when it comes to modern day funk it's really rare to get the real deal. Folks either be faking the funk so hard it hurts, or they rely so heavily on being retro copy cats that they don't really bring any new flavor to the funk legacy they so want to be a part of. Which brings us to Dam-Funk, who has most definitely got the true funk special spirit running through his veins. We had heard his amazing mixes over the last couple years and knew the guy had talent but it wasn't until this proper full length of his own songs that we totally realized just how damn special and full of the real funk this man is.
While of course taking inspiration from many of the above mentioned funk pioneers, Dam-Funk is no mere retro act, as he knows that one of the major defining forces of true funk is how it should always be injected with a sense of very modern/future minded vision that's always a bit left of center. While folks like Outkast, Sa-Ra, and Gnarls Barkley have gotten close to entering that realm, Dam-Funk really lives, breathes and exudes the true funk aesthetic. He's able to bring in his futuristic electronic stylings informed by everyone from Kraftwerk to Cybotron/Model 500 and inject such natural soul into his beats and grooves.
Everything about this record kills, all the elements come together so perfectly, the production, the vocals, the actual songwriting, it's all there and it all just oozes real funk! There's also a second all instrumental disc, which helps keep Dam-Funk's amazing party of a record going on and on and on and we STILL really can't get enough. No joke, every single time we've played this in the store someone has bought a copy, and even if you're a bit funk-shy we think you should give this a chance! Funk jam of the year contender for sure!
MPEG Stream: "Let's Take Off (Far Away)"
MPEG Stream: "Burn Straight Thru U"
MPEG Stream: "Searchin' 4 Funk's Future"
MPEG Stream: "Rollin'"

DRUMM, KEVIN Imperial Horizon (Hospital) cd 15.98
The 2008 opus Imperial Distortion took a lot of people by surprise, as that album signaled an abrupt shift in Kevin Drumm's aesthetic trajectory. For many years, Drumm had been embracing a full tilt noise agenda on such self-evident albums as Sheer Hellish Miasma; but with Imperial Distortion, he steered into the cold waters of an impeccable, glacial doom-ambient sound. That album was much more in line with the disgorged ambience, bleak isolationism, and perfected minimalism of Eliane Radigue, Thomas Koner, and Andrew Chalk. Imperial Horizon is the suitable follow-up to that earlier album, and it clearly shows that Drumm's success on Distortion was no fluke.
While coming from the same train of thought, Imperial Horizon isn't a mere redux of Imperial Distortion. Drumm opens the album with a brighter, silvery set of sinewaves, looped feedback, or maybe just a refined set of synth patches. Gradually, the layers of sound separate to allow for a subtle two note melody to push out of the background. Deeper subterranean tones eventually overtake those silvery tones at the beginning, with another complementary pairing of harmonic notes an octave or so lower than before. This compositional rotation of drone, revelation of melody, and collapse into drone continues over very long stretches, several times throughout the duration of the piece. In the brighter tones on Imperial Horizon, this album sparkles and shines like the glistens of frost and ice from a wintery sun, as opposed to the nuclear fall-out deposits from Imperial Distortion's far bleaker aspirations. Nevertheless, Imperial Horizon is a stunning piece of dronescaping.
For those of you out there who embrace Drumm's screaming noise recordings too, don't despair. He's still working quite diligently in this vein as well. Check out the electro-terminus cacophony of his recent album Impish Tyrant!
MPEG Stream: "Just Lay Down And Forget It"

DUNCAN, JOHN The Nazca Transmissions (Planazca) lp 30.00
The sound constructs of John Duncan almost exist as a residue of his own personal research into esoteric realms of knowledge, existential bouts of continuous questioning, and transgressive acts against himself and society at large. Here was a man who claimed to have sex with a corpse as a performance piece entitled Blind Date, whereby he planted his last seed in a dead body before undergoing a vasectomy. That event presumably took place nearly 30 years ago, when Duncan was emerging as an artist in Los Angeles alongside Paul McCarthy, Jim Shaw, and Mike Kelley. Blind Date has become a piece of infamy that blossomed beyond his already highly transgressive context, but he's always been an artist who is very deft at framing particular works through the process and through the context of said piece. The Nazca Transmissions is one such piece.
A few years back, Duncan received an email from a German archaeologist working at the site of the Nazca Lines in Peru. These are the massive drawings carved into an arid plateau some 2000 years ago by the ancient Nazca people. Some of these figures are representation, some are not, and some get as large of 200 yards in size, all posing the question: who was supposed to be seeing these figures, and to what end? Now, this archaeologist claimed to have been able to record sounds from those line drawings; and he presented the raw material to Duncan, having been familiar with his transmutational pieces of digital data and shortwave. Duncan was suitably perplexed and intrigued by the sounds that were presented to him, proceeding to work on a series of compositions through that material. Unfortunately, this archaeologist ceased all communications, leading Duncan to wonder if it was all a big hoax.
Eerie ringings pocked with scrabbled textures almost like clipped VLF recordings open the album set against a gaping chasm of quietness. While Duncan's penchant for abrasive noise and jarring juxtaposition is well documented, you won't find that here. By the end of the side, the textures take on an unsettled rhythm that almost resembles human speech garbled through the process. Very compelling, very unsettled. The second side begins with an interlocking series of modulated and muffled Shepherd Tones, these are the audio equivalent of a barber's pole with the tones giving the appearance of being in constant ascension or descension. It's a common artifact found throughout the shortwave bands, harkening back to one of his preferred sound sources; and Duncan puts them to excellent use amidst a sea of low end rumblings. Soon after, pierced tones push to the foreground as those low end rumblings mutate into grotesquely deformed growlings only to fade against a hushed coda of grey noise. This is limited to less than 300 copies, and it remains to be seen if we'll be able to get more than the handful we have now. Recommended no matter how you look at it.

EARTHLING SOCIETY / HIGH MOUNTAIN TEMPEL Pilgrimage To Thunderbolt Pagoda (Lotus House) cd-r 7.98
Not sure if this is part 4, or just the first in a new multi part epic, hardly matters, what does matter is, this is another glorious expansive collection of meditative psychedelic abstract dronefolk ambience. Every High Mountain Tempel disc we're reviewed thus far has gotten played to death here, and this one doesn't appear to be any different. Well, at least in that respect. In one distinct way it is very different, HMT are not going it alone this time. They've assembled a pretty impressive collection of sonic alchemists and musical conjurers to help with this ritual, Isis Aquarian from the Source Family, Charles Curtis from La Monte Young's Just Alap Raga Ensemble, and two crews from the UK we've never heard of, Earthling Society and Astarism, but even with all those cooks in the kitchen, HMT and friends have managed to weave another dark minimal masterpiece, all hushed barely there guitar shimmer, drifting whispered vocals, delicate crystalline melodies, dense swirls of piano, warm swells of tape hiss, mysterious voices and field recordings, whirring organ, bowed steel strings... so lovely.
If the liner notes are to be believed, two of the tracks feature Earthling Society on their own, and those tracks do sound different, much less free and sprawling, a bit more structured, like seventies UK acid folk, swirling and melodic and quite lovely. The final two tracks find the two groups in full on collaborative mode, and the gears shift to something much more space rocky and Hawkwindy, all blissed out and heart-of-the-sun, until the final track which is a strummy, delicate, moody chill out closer, a sort of dour doom folk drift, that makes a perfect ending.
Super nice packaging, silkscreened oversized 4 panel sleeve, white on black, with the cd-r affixed to the inside. And of course, SUPER LIMITED!
MPEG Stream: HIGH MOUNTAIN TEMPEL "Omega Point"
MPEG Stream: EARTHLING SOCIETY "The House On The Borderland"
MPEG Stream: EARTHLING TEMPEL "Uruk"

EL PERRO DEL MAR Love Is Not Pop (The Control Group) cd 14.98
We've been smitten with El Perro Del Mar ever since her enchanting debut a few years ago, and with each release it feels like we fall in love all over again. Last year's outing, From The Valley To The Stars, was one of the most underrated releases of the year in our opinion, with its completely elegant and bittersweet pop crafted and delivered with such subtle and satisfying results.
The latest from this dazzling Swedish chanteuse finds her in absolute top form with swirling pop melodies, haunting and sultry vocal delivery and songs that are so immaculately crafted yet still flow with such perfect ease. With every EPDM (not to be confused with EPMD!) record, she manages to create a sound that is very much her own while mixing it up enough so that every record really has its own identity. On Love Is Not Pop we are hearing the first hints of a Kate Bush influence on her songs as some of the tracks here, especially "L Is For Love" sound like they could be the perfect B-side to a track on Hounds Of Love. With a few of us here in aQ land way beyond obsessed with the sounds of Kate Bush it's been making us love El Perro Del Mar all the more! She continues to make records that are beautiful and darkly melodic and moody yet don't pander to the lowest common denominator. It would be all to easy for EPDM to keep her songs so simple and straight forward to cash in on the coffee house crowd, but there is a deeper integrity and range of emotions conveyed in El Perro Del Mar's songs which is what makes her one of our favorite songstresses of today. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Gotta Get Smart"
MPEG Stream: "L Is for Love"
MPEG Stream: "It Is Something (To Have Wept)"

EL PERRO DEL MAR Love Is Not Pop (The Control Group) lp 15.98
We've been smitten with El Perro Del Mar ever since her enchanting debut a few years ago, and with each release it feels like we fall in love all over again. Last year's outing, From The Valley To The Stars, was one of the most underrated releases of the year in our opinion, with its completely elegant and bittersweet pop crafted and delivered with such subtle and satisfying results.
The latest from this dazzling Swedish chanteuse finds her in absolute top form with swirling pop melodies, haunting and sultry vocal delivery and songs that are so immaculately crafted yet still flow with such perfect ease. With every EPDM (not to be confused with EPMD!) record, she manages to create a sound that is very much her own while mixing it up enough so that every record really has its own identity. On Love Is Not Pop we are hearing the first hints of a Kate Bush influence on her songs as some of the tracks here, especially "L Is For Love" sound like they could be the perfect B-side to a track on Hounds Of Love. With a few of us here in aQ land way beyond obsessed with the sounds of Kate Bush it's been making us love El Perro Del Mar all the more! She continues to make records that are beautiful and darkly melodic and moody yet don't pander to the lowest common denominator. It would be all to easy for EPDM to keep her songs so simple and straight forward to cash in on the coffee house crowd, but there is a deeper integrity and range of emotions conveyed in El Perro Del Mar's songs which is what makes her one of our favorite songstresses of today. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Gotta Get Smart"
MPEG Stream: "L Is for Love"
MPEG Stream: "It Is Something (To Have Wept)"

EVANGELISTA Prince Of Truth (Constelation) cd 16.98
Prince of Truth, the follow-up to 2008's Hello, Voyager, walks a beautiful, cacophonous path. Carla Bozulich, the force behind Evangelista, is definitely one of a kind, or at least one of a very, very select few. She has assembled a group of excellent musicians that weave equal doses of melody and chaos around loose structures of songs without having them dissolve into utter randomness or pretentious noodling. Dominic Cramp on keys knows when to really take it up a notch and when to compliment others by adding just that little extra something; Tara Barnes, Carla's longtime low-end collaborator, is a rock on which to cling in choppy waters; Nels Cline on guitar needs no introduction; and the incomparable Ches Smith (of Xiu Xiu / Good for Cows / John Zorn) on drums... these are just a few of the amazing musicians on Prince of Truth.
The record opens with "The Slayer": two and a half minutes of noise introduce the listener to what is to come before Carla's vocals and a few cymbal washes add solidity to the mix. Cellos and what sounds like tape loops start off the second track, "Tremble Dragonfly," before they fade into a slow dirge held together by Carla's voice, some sleigh bells and strings. "Dragonfly" sounds like a really, really drugged out B-side off Tom Waits' Black Rider. What could be better?
Though the chaos is prepared to perfection, when the album gets a bit stripped down you can really tell that Evangelista is a rare gem indeed. "I Lay There in Front of Me Covered in Ice" is possibly the most melodic song on the record. Multiple vocal tracks ride high over an electric organ and minimal percussion, combining into something that makes us want to cry everytime we listen to it.
Carla Bozulich has been a staple of the underground music scene for a long time, and we have loved everything from the Geraldine Fibbers to Ethyl Meatplow to her latest incarnation as Evangelista. If you haven't discovered her genius yet, Prince of Truth is a perfect introduction.
MPEG Stream: "The Slayer"
MPEG Stream: "I Lay There in Front of Me Covered in Ice"
MPEG Stream: "You Are a Jaguar"

EVANGELISTA Prince Of Truth (Constellation) lp + cd 25.00
Prince of Truth, the follow-up to 2008's Hello, Voyager, walks a beautiful, cacophonous path. Carla Bozulich, the force behind Evangelista, is definitely one of a kind, or at least one of a very, very select few. She has assembled a group of excellent musicians that weave equal doses of melody and chaos around loose structures of songs without having them dissolve into utter randomness or pretentious noodling. Dominic Cramp on keys knows when to really take it up a notch and when to compliment others by adding just that little extra something; Tara Barnes, Carla's longtime low-end collaborator, is a rock on which to cling in choppy waters; Nels Cline on guitar needs no introduction; and the incomparable Ches Smith (of Xiu Xiu / Good for Cows / John Zorn) on drums... these are just a few of the amazing musicians on Prince of Truth.
The record opens with "The Slayer": two and a half minutes of noise introduce the listener to what is to come before Carla's vocals and a few cymbal washes add solidity to the mix. Cellos and what sounds like tape loops start off the second track, "Tremble Dragonfly," before they fade into a slow dirge held together by Carla's voice, some sleigh bells and strings. "Dragonfly" sounds like a really, really drugged out B-side off Tom Waits' Black Rider. What could be better?
Though the chaos is prepared to perfection, when the album gets a bit stripped down you can really tell that Evangelista is a rare gem indeed. "I Lay There in Front of Me Covered in Ice" is possibly the most melodic song on the record. Multiple vocal tracks ride high over an electric organ and minimal percussion, combining into something that makes us want to cry everytime we listen to it.
Carla Bozulich has been a staple of the underground music scene for a long time, and we have loved everything from the Geraldine Fibbers to Ethyl Meatplow to her latest incarnation as Evangelista. If you haven't discovered her genius yet, Prince of Truth is a perfect introduction.
MPEG Stream: "The Slayer"
MPEG Stream: "I Lay There in Front of Me Covered in Ice"
MPEG Stream: "You Are a Jaguar"

FAZZINI, TOM Neck to Neck (Locust) lp 17.98
Incredible reissue of this totally cracked, acid fried slab of downer synth pop outsider genius. Originally released in the early eighties, Tom Fazzini was carving out a sound that must have freaked people the fuck out back then. Even by today's standards, this stuff is out there: minimal, lo-fi, dark and druggy, psychedelic and a little bit new wave. Keyboards warble and wheeze, drum machines skitter and thump, and Fazzini's vocals, howl and croon and mewl, occasionally grunting, squealing, growling, dripping with reverb, often a volatile angry counterpoint to the warm new wave-y drift of the music underneath.
Much of Neck To Neck gets all industrial and doomy, lots of space, the synth and mechanical drums meting out a spare, abstract pound, that would almost sound right at home on a Wolf Eyes record, or even some unreleased Suicide jam. The record slips into some truly creepy dark ambience, the vocals occasionally erupt into squalls of howling-in-tongues, FX overload madness, but for the most part, Neck to Neck is dark and mysterious, a bit damaged and lysergic.
The B-side especially spends much of its time creeping and crawling, lots of buzzing low end synth, the vocals paranoid and frantic, bloopy basslines, lots of hushed shimmer, and abstract drift, that is until the record explodes into a twisted sing songy jingle, bouncy and bizarre, with what sounds like kazoos, sixties housewife background vocals, almost growly scary singing, over a monotonous rhythm, everything evolving into what sounds like a fucked up Neanderthal birthday party gone wrong, before slipping back into that incessant jazz jingle looped weirdness, only to finish the record with some gorgeous, stripped down elegiac minor key guitarscapery, depressive and downer-y, laced with slow motion circus calliope melodies and warm swells of chordal whirr.
Schizophrenic, otherworldly, damaged, demented and so goddamn great. Sounds like Ariel Pink's creepy drugged out older brother. If Fazzini was a twenty something making music today, with a bunch of limited cd-r releases under his belt, he would be the toast of the current lo-fi / warped pop / cold wave underground, as it is, all those whippersnappers mining the past best bow down, considering that the stuff they're doing now, already existed 25 years ago, and was way weirder!

FORMER GHOSTS Fleurs (Upset! The Rhythm) cd 16.98
Former Ghosts is a primitive darkwave trio featuring two folks we know quite well, the teen goth chanteuse Zola Jesus and Xiu Xiu's emotionally wracked Jamie Stewart; but it's the third party who's responsible for penning all of the songs for Former Ghosts. That would be one Freddy Ruppert, who also records as brilliantly named solo project This Song Is A Mess But So Am I. Even though Zola and Jamie are the supporting cast in Former Ghosts, their unique theatricality is welcomed in Ruppert's dark cabaret of cheap synths wheezing out downer melodies. The Joy Division / early New Order axis is the most obvious influence on Ruppert's songwriting, alternating between peppy minor-chord tunes and maudlin electro-dirges; yet the production veers much closer to the John Maus ethos for warped home recordings. In fact, the track "Mother" could be straight out of New Order's Power, Corruption, and Lies, minus the lack of a Martin Hannett production in favor something much more jagged around the edges. Zola Jesus mostly keeps her vocals as backing chorales of sustained trills and ululations, but on a couple of tracks she steps forward to belt out those songs with operatic prowess. As affected and gloomy as Ruppert's monotone can be, the Zola Jesus tracks are probably the standouts on the album. Certainly one to place alongside Cold Cave, Blank Dogs, and of course Xiu Xiu and Zola Jesus. Great stuff.
MPEG Stream: "Mother"
MPEG Stream: "Dreams"
MPEG Stream: "The Bull And The Ram"

GORGOROTH Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt (Regain) cd 14.98
So, here we have it, one of the more scandalous black metal releases to hit the rounds as of late, at least to those with the time to focus on such pressing matters. Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt is the first Gorgoroth release following the power struggle for, um, ownership of the Gorgoroth franchise and name. The Norwegian courts, certainly in league with Satan, agreed with guitarist/founder Infernus, while his ex-bandmates Gaahl and King Ov Hell were legally forced to peddle their craft in the decidedly less cool sounding God Seed (which, apparently is now kaput following Gaahl's decision to drop out of the black metal scene). Remember when Norwegian black metal bands were actually on trial for cool shit? But whatever, all joking aside, Gorgoroth in 2009 is certainly worthy of the name and reputation they have been building for so long. Yeah, it sounds like Gorgoroth. And why wouldn't it? Infernus is the guy who pretty much established the band's identity with his songwriting and intense riffery, and the man replacing Gaahl is actually the one who was replaced BY Gaahl... wait, what? It marks the return of the mighty Pest on vocals, and we certainly aren't complaining. The album shreds relentlessly, the production is nice and not too over the top, and the band pretty much slays like you would expect them to. Maybe the lack of surprises is just because it's easy to take a band like this for granted after so many face melting releases. But that said, this definitely stands out as a grim black highlight in Gorgoroth's stellar catalog as well as the introduction of yet another evil chapter in Gorgoroth lore. Maybe not quite as evil as Gaahl kidnapping that guy and ripping his balls off with a fork and making him bleed into a cup... but pretty damn evil, nonetheless.
MPEG Stream: "Aneuthanasia"
MPEG Stream: "Cleansing Fire"

GRAVELAND Necromanteion (Forever Plagued) cd 10.98
More archival weirdness from legendary one man black metal horde Graveland. Necromanteion gathers up the first two demos from way back in 1992, and for those of you who remember the Drunemeton release, another collection of Graveland oldies, the sounds on Necromanteion might not be surprising, but for the rest of you, who haven't yet sampled the damaged weirdness that is early Graveland, you're in for a bit of a shock.
The sound while still plenty grim and black and buzzy, is also very industrial, mechanical, looped sounding, in fact if anything, old Graveland sound more like Godflesh or Pitchshifter than any other black metal band. The drums are programmed, and super simple, pounding and repetitive, the guitars super blown out, crumbling with distortion, and the drums and guitar are locked into lurching lumbering looped sounding dirge, the sound of some ancient black machine churning out a filthy industrial blackness, and then there are the vocals, a growling gurgle so low it's almost inaudible, the sort of monstrous grunt that would be more at home on a gore grind record than a black metal record, but that just adds to the weirdness, and makes this some of our favorite Graveland EVER.
There's some awesome primitive and demented sounding keyboard interludes, the notes clipped and dropping out, off kilter and so twisted. There's some creepy black ambience as well, and at least one song sort of blasts, more like a gallop, but the strange hollow sounding programmed drums and sea shanty grunts turn it into something completely twisted.
The second demo is even cooler, the roughest recording, totally in the red, blown out, so distorted it's almost impossible to tell what's going on, but the tolling bells, and growling vocals, the clean guitars, and long droned out ambience, are all transformed into some sort of inadvertent avant outsider black dronemusic, laced with plenty of motorik beats, fractured melodies, and some seriously fucked up noise drenched atmosphere.
Incredible! As much as we love more recent Graveland, we find ourselves always returning to these earlier recordings, they're just so fucked up and demented, and so unlike any other (sort of) black metal you've ever heard...
MPEG Stream: "Immortalem"
MPEG Stream: "The Quest"
MPEG Stream: "Cathedral Of Shadows"

HARBINGER Doom On You (Planet Metal) cd 13.98
When you read our Saviours review below, you'll probably get the idea that we thought that it was the best metal of the trad '80s influenced (denim, leather, fists in the air) variety on this week's list. Well, it might be... but then again this record might be too (i.e. they're both pretty rad). Since we don't do our reviews in alphabetical order, though, Saviours happened to get written first, and into that review went many of the superlatives and expletives that we'd also apply to Harbinger.
Harbinger are deliberately '80s NWOBHM styled metal, but kick everything (especially everything ridiculous) up a notch, delivering the goods with all the hyperactive energy of school children hopped up on sugary breakfast cereals. It's all very intentionally over the top, but they mean it sincerely. We know they do, 'cause we heard about them in the first place from some friends of ours who are also in a metal band (Slough Feg), who always rave about how much fun it is to play in East Lansing, Michigan, 'cause that's where these Harbinger dudes dwell... they've got a total party house, drink tons of beer, only listen to vinyl (ironic then that this is cd-only as yet!), and watch movies only on VHS tape, not dvd. They probably don't have cel phones or use the Internet if they can help it. But these are kids, not actual '80s burn outs, just 20-something kids doing their best to live an imaginary '80s metal lifestyle. And, in addition, making old school heavy metal music to match!
What we really like about Harbinger is that as retro as they are, they're also completely willing to "own" the music themselves and do surprising stuff so that they really don't sound like a generic clone of any actual '80s band. Instead, like we said, they seem a bit more crazed than that. Invariably their songs, after relatively sedate intro, suddenly surge forward faster, as if you'd flipped the switch from 33 to 45 rpm. Their guitars are super distorted, this record a real rickety ruckus of a racket. Blazing along, these songs are crammed with unexpected cool parts, lots of shedding solos and burbling bass licks, blasts of drum clatter and plenty of high pitched waaaaaooooooooooohhh screams on the edge of insane. The vocalist also sings with a raspier nasal yowl that can convey melodic catchiness quite well, straight off the Sunset Strip... spin, ferinstance, "Die For Metal - Live For Death" more than once and see if you're not singing along. The disc is also littered with amusing samples - including some taken from our favorite metal mockumentary, no not Spinal Tap, we're talking about Bad Newz!
So maybe Harbinger aren't the most serious band ever, but they're having a blast, and it really do kick ass. It's hard not to get caught up in the spirit of things. Which allows us to appreciate the terrible cover art, a painting of a scary-looking warrior woman, quite buxom in her spiked breastplate, brandishing a morningstar in one hand and, in the other, what looks like an oatmeal or chocolate chip cookie but is upon closer examination actually dirt-globe of some sort, on or inside of which tiny silhouettes of other medieval fantasy fighters do battle. Weird, but maybe not as weird as the inner tray photo of a fist (with studded leather wristband, wearing a fingerless Harbinger brand weightlifting glove) thrusting upwards from beneath a pile of pocket change... pennies, nickles, dimes, and quarters! That's their idea of bling, apparently. And somehow it goes along with everything else here that makes 'em seem more real and raw and fresh (idiosyncratically so) than some other bands we also like, who are doing the "New Wave Of Old School Heavy Metal" thing too.
MPEG Stream: "Drivers To Hell"
MPEG Stream: "Morningstar"
MPEG Stream: "Poser Patrol"

HELLWITCH Syzygial Miscreancy (Displeased) cd 13.98
A few weeks back, we highlighted Acid Witch. Now, Hellwitch! What (or which, or witch) will they think of next? Although, Hellwitch aren't really new. This is a reissue of an obscure Florida death metal album from 1990, done up deluxe with hella-witch bonus tracks. Wait, wait, make that a TOTALLY BATSHIT INSANE Florida death metal album, i.e. the sort of thing that we think AQ customers who aren't necessarily big death metal fans but who DO like really weird fucked up music would dig. Sound intriguing? Heck, they had us at "syzgial miscreancy" whatever that might mean. We had to look it up. (In astronomy, "syzygy" is when the sun, moon, and earth are aligned in a straight line, apparently... now make that villainous, somehow.)
So we gave Hellwitch a listen, and it turned out to be some freakin' gonzo stuff. Experimental death/thrash music, we guess, super chaotic and complex. The vocals are more thrash/HC punk sounding that cookie monster DM, often electronically treated especially on the bonus demo tracks. Or at least, we hope they're electronically treated... otherwise how on earth to explain the truly disturbing shrieks in the track "Mordirvial Dissemination" that sound like Judson Fountain singing black metal??! Electronic effects about elsewhere as well, there's tons of flange on the guitar solos ferinstance. The music itself is spastic and technical, songs crammed with angular non-repeating riffs, soloing that sounds like swarms of insects, aggro-octopoidal drumming, and plenty of WTF? extras, like the when in the midst of a particularly brutal passage Hellwitch will switch into an acoustic folky jig. Makes the likes of Melt-Banana not seem so strange.
Recorded, like all good Florida death metal, by Scott Burns at the infamous Morrisound studios, this is an unearthing of an immediately forgotten gem that anyone into the cult avant-edges of weirdass tech-death-grind should check out, fans of the likes of Obliveon, Kataklysm, Nocturnus, Atheist, Gorguts, Pestilence, Exit-13...
According to this reissue's detailed liner notes, written by lead guitarist/vocalist and founding member Pat Ranieri, the band started off, in the context of smoking lots of pot and listening to old '70s prog rock and then-current '80s crossover thrashpunk, with a mission to be as original as possible, to quote: "Each riff was to sound like no other. Each lyric/title was to be completely fresh and never before read." Well, he goes on to admit that the band didn't always succeed at these quixotic goals, specifically and humorously citing the obvious, their name, as not quite living up to the concept: "With originality as key, we chose the most generic name possible to define something never heard before." Whoops! But heck, they tried, how they tried, and the results we think are pretty special, and we're damn glad this got reissued 'cause somehow we missed out on 'em back in 1990...
The cd booklet, in addition to Ranieri's notes, includes full lyrics, photos, lots of full-color graphics (demo tape covers, and old show fliers - they played with Morbid Angel and Die Kruezen, among others), and even a Hellwitch comic strip. Also it sports the album's original, kinda goofy cover painting that makes a bit more sense when you know what syzygy means.
This remastered cd reissue includes not only the band's sole album but also a dozen crucial bonus tracks, taken from demo and rehearsal tapes recorded between 1984 and 1989. It doesn't get any more syzygial than this, miscreants!!
MPEG Stream: "Mordirvial Dissemination"
MPEG Stream: "Sentient Transmography"
MPEG Stream: "Nosferatu ('87 demo)"

INBRED, TH' Legacy Of Fertility (Alternative Tentacles) cd 13.98
Some of us came to punk in a seriously roundabout way. Seems like most folks we talk to, got into punk rock, then moved toward heavier stuff and got into metal. But we went straight to metal, then gradually discovered punk rock, so we ended up learning about bands like Fear and Black Flag and Die Kreuzen and the Dead Kennedys well after we had been into Slayer and Venom and Motley Crew or whatever. One effect that had on our taste in punk, was that we liked the stuff that was heavier, and more metallic, Cro Mags, Die Kreuzen, Black Flag, and we got super into West Virginia's Th' Inbred, partially for that reason, sure they were punky and fast, and had a vocalist who sometimes sounded like Jello Biafra and sometimes sounded like Lee Ving from Fear, and their lyrics were snarky and political and funny, but musically they had lot more going on than a lot of punk rock bands, super complex guitar playing, very Greg Ginn influenced, bordering on jazzy now and then, but often gnarled and twisted, and the band were pretty noisy too, easily mistaken for some punky AmRep band, but then able to bust out a super complex almost proggy start stop punk jazz groove, and then explode in a frenzy of pounding pure punk energy, plus they had a wicked sense of humor, as evidenced not only by their lyrics, but their album covers as well (the Jerry Lee and Myra Kissin' Cousins cover for example).
Listening to this again, it's hard to believe these guys were even as popular as they were, this is some weird shit, every few tracks the band would throw the crowd a bone, with something full on punk, but they definitely spent most of their time trying everything but!
Killer reissue, both albums, the first ep, as well as some bonus tracks, all stuff circa '85-'88, a HUGE booklet jam packed with new liner notes, track listings, tons of photos, and some awesome (and awesomely funny) illustrations.
MPEG Stream: "Scene Death"
MPEG Stream: "Th' Shitpile"
MPEG Stream: "Fool's Paradise"
MPEG Stream: "Plain Speaking"

JESU Opiate Sun (Caldo Verde) cd ep 10.98
At this point, it's pretty much a given: Justin K. Broadrick can do no wrong. The man is a living legend, from his days in Napalm Death to Head Of David to Godflesh to Jesu to Final, he has always been pushing the boundaries of heavy music to beautiful extremes. And speaking of "beautiful," nothing from Broadrick's catalog quite takes the cake like the mighty Jesu. This project has always been loaded to the brim with maximum dreaminess, but goddamn if Opiate Sun doesn't one up what has already been perfected. And it's STILL heavy! Every one of these four songs pretty much exhibits the most gorgeous, melodic, and melancholy sounds you could ever pull out of your mind if you were Justin Broadrick. They're so damn beautiful it hurts, but in the best way imaginable. You just want these songs to go on forever so you can tune out the rest of the world and celebrate how good it feels to be sad. And with titles like "Losing Streak" and "Deflated", you can safely count on sadness to the Nth power, so when you're done wiping away those majestic tears, you'll probably just want to add this one to your cart.
MPEG Stream: "Losing Streak"
MPEG Stream: "Opiate Sun"

JESU Opiate Sun (Aural Exploits / Caldo Verde) 12" 15.98
At this point, it's pretty much a given: Justin K. Broadrick can do no wrong. The man is a living legend, from his days in Napalm Death to Head Of David to Godflesh to Jesu to Final, he has always been pushing the boundaries of heavy music to beautiful extremes. And speaking of "beautiful," nothing from Broadrick's catalog quite takes the cake like the mighty Jesu. This project has always been loaded to the brim with maximum dreaminess, but goddamn if Opiate Sun doesn't one up what has already been perfected. And it's STILL heavy! Every one of these four songs pretty much exhibits the most gorgeous, melodic, and melancholy sounds you could ever pull out of your mind if you were Justin Broadrick. They're so damn beautiful it hurts, but in the best way imaginable. You just want these songs to go on forever so you can tune out the rest of the world and celebrate how good it feels to be sad. And with titles like "Losing Streak" and "Deflated", you can safely count on sadness to the Nth power, so when you're done wiping away those majestic tears, you'll probably just want to add this one to your cart.
MPEG Stream: "Losing Streak"
MPEG Stream: "Opiate Sun"

JODIS Secret House (Hydra Head) cd 14.98
What might you expect from a band made up of two parts Khanate, and one part Isis / Grey Machine / House Of Low Culture? Probably nothing as pretty and haunting as this. That's right, we said pretty. We were definitely expecting some crushing slo-mo heaviness, figured if that much of Khanate was involved it would have to be screechy and torturous.
And while Jodis is doomy, it's also moody, and atmospheric, slow and spare, spacious and strangely lovely. Occasionally the guitars rev up and get way louder, and it sounds like the band might explode into some sort of bellowing dirge, but instead, they sprawl into an ominous creep, the guitars shimmery, the notes spaced way out, as much about the decay and overtones as the initial note or the overall melody. The vocals are weary and washed out, reverbed and down in the mix. If anything this reminds us of some classic slowcore, maybe Codeine or Seam, albeit a little more abstract, a little less indie rock, but the same sort of moody drift, the same kind of minimal melody, emotional and dark and haunting and dreamlike.
Surprisingly, the drums are super restrained, in fact, the first few tracks sound almost drumless, minus a few cymbal shimmers, some flares and accents here and there. On "Secret House" the drums are active, flurries of fills all over the kit, but not for bombast, again for texture, almost like playing chords on the drums, there are some harsh vox on "Secret House", and they almost sound out of place, disrupting the strange slow tranquility. But once we move on to the next track, we're back to that gauzy melodic drift, the drums again super skeletal, the guitar drifting in the ether, the vocals choral, almost monk-like, super meditative and ethereal.
And the rest of the record plays out in a similar fashion, long drawn out slow burning epics writ small, the three exploring the space around the notes, finishing off with the gorgeous 9 minute "Slivers", the guitar unfurling a fuzzy blurry drone, the drums more active, a bit tribal, but still muted, and the vocals a falsetto off in the distance, the track, heaving and pulsing and shimmering, before slipping into a more abstract drone and then blinking out.
Some seriously gorgeous stuff, a surprise new favorite for sure, getting lots of play late at night, lights turned low, consciousness at rest, on the cusp of some other plane...
MPEG Stream: "Ascent"
MPEG Stream: "Continents"
MPEG Stream: "Secret House"

KINGS OF CONVENIENCE Declaration Of Dependence (Astralwerks) cd 15.98
One of our favorite features in Mojo magazine is this small section where they ask musicians a series of questions about records they love for certain moments/days, and one of the questions they always ask is what's your perfect Sunday morning record, and when we think about that question Kings Of Convenience is always one of the first bands that comes to mind.
No one makes more fragile and delicate sounds that are so perfect for the slow and quiet start of a lazy sun dappled morning. It's easy to forget, but Kings Of Convenience were crafting their mellow, Nick Drake tinged style of folk/pop before that sound would make such a huge resurgence, spawning bands and folks like Iron & Wine, Jose Gonzalez, Taken By Trees, Jens Lekman, El Perro Del Mar, Vetiver, Camera Obscura, etc.
It's been five years since this great Norwegian duo gave us the fantastic Riot On An Empty Street, though they have been keeping busy with a multitude of side and solo projects, including Erlend Oye's band The Whitest Boy Alive, which is also pretty great btw!
Declaration Of Dependence finds the duo as perfectly bittersweet as ever, both of their voices melding together with such ease, and the sparse and pastoral instrumentation keeps the breeze flowing with just the right hints of memory, sadness and introspection. Unlike many who have come after, nothing here feels forced or heavy handed, to the contrary, their songs really do feel like the slight rush of air blowing on a crisp autumn day, and this is becoming our perfect fall sweater soundtrack. So good!
MPEG Stream: "24-25"
MPEG Stream: "Boat Behind"
MPEG Stream: "Freedom And Its Owner"

KIRBY, LEYLAND Memories Live Longer Than Dreams: Part Three (History Always Favours The Winners) 2lp 26.00
The third and final volume of this sprawling 6lp (two lps in each volume) drone haze ambient masterpiece from the man behind the Caretaker, and V/VM! All three 2lps have been compiled onto a triple cd, this week's Record Of The Week, but for vinyl folks, who have the first two, grab part three while you can...
For a couple of years now, Leyland James Kirby has been releasing a highly acclaimed catalog of maudlin ambient recordings culled from melodic phrases looped and blurred from old 78s. The bulk of these recordings (typically released under the Caretaker moniker) didn't seem to leave England or at least they didn't arrive in California. Now that the distribution has improved, we've finally been able to hear what the fuss has been all about. This album belongs to a trilogy called Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was that Kirby has made now that he finds himself living under the grey skies of Berlin having relocated from grey skied Manchester; lo and behold, he's still making cold, rainy grey music for cold, rainy days. And yeah, he's pretty damn good at it.
As a piece of vinyl, When We Parted My Heart Wanted To Die eschews titles and doesn't even give us any information what so ever on the artwork, a paint-smeared canvas. It works as an endless loop of flipping the two records, forgetting which track you've drifted in and out of, and wondering where to start next. These pieces of blurred ambience, obfuscated field recordings, and sad piano melodies hint at the furniture music of Erik Satie, the mood engineering of Angelo Badalamenti, and the emotional resonance of William Basinski. Limited to 450 copies, these will not last.

KITTY, DAISY, & LEWIS s/t (DH Records) cd 14.98
There is something so damn special about family bands. You know... the Jackson 5, The Beach Boys, the Bee Gees, ESG, people who share roots that really allow them to communicate with each other on another level. These three young siblings (we think they still might be in their teens!) out of North London, Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, have that special something together and with it, they tap into the vintage sound of Sun records, classic rockabilly, that awesome intersection of country music and rock n roll. They nail the sound and aesthetic so perfectly.
The recording is totally analog and its warmth and rugged quality shines through so strongly. These are kids who grew up in a totally amazing musical environment, with a father who is one of the top engineers at the London mastering studio The Exchange and a mother that played drums for The Raincoats!! So it makes perfect sense that these kids have so much respect for the history of music and that they would make something with all the right ingredients and their own unique energy. This really is in so many ways to vintage rock n' roll what folks like Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators are to classic vintage soul. They capture the absolute sound and mindset of that special moment in time, yet bring a spunk and enthusiasm that is truly their own. Think if Holly Golightly and a more revved up Jolie Holland joined forces and tackled covers from the Sun Records catalog, AWESOME!
MPEG Stream: "Going Up The Country"
MPEG Stream: "Ooo Wee"
MPEG Stream: "Ride"

KRAFTWERK Trans Europe Express (Kling Klang / Astralwerks) cd 17.98
It's about time. Dusseldorf's most famous export, the Godfathers of electronic pop music, Kraftwerk, finally see their classic albums remastered and reissued for the 21st century (although, unfortunately, not yet their EARLIEST classics, the ones with the traffic cone covers). Given the group's notoriety for demanding nothing but absolute perfection, you can safely bet that these sound AMAZING after years of tireless mixing and mastering in Kling-Klang studios. That's probably the main selling point here, as Kraftwerk was never really a "bonus material" kind of band, and there is none of that here; if it was released, it pretty much meant it was labored upon until being deemed suitable for public exposure. These reissues have also got some pretty fancy expanded artwork, with simple but bold slip covers housing the actual cds. Of course, if you don't already have these albums in some form or another, you should probably do yourself a favor and purchase every single one of them immediately.
Arguably, Kraftwerk's best recording, Trans-Europe Express from 1977 marries the Kosmiche minimalism of the Ralf and Florian record with the technological sublime sound of Autobahn while at the same time foreshadowing the robotic dance pop of The Man-Machine and Computer World. We also see for the first time, the image of the band as a uniform commodity dealing with post-modern themes of surface, reflection, repetition and reproduction that would thoroughly dominate their later output.
MPEG Stream: "Europe Endless"
MPEG Stream: "Showroom Dummies"
MPEG Stream: "Trans Europe Express"

LETHE Catastrophe Point #5 (Intransitive Recordings) cd 14.98
Metgumbnerbone is not a reference that pops up all that much, nor is it one that would mean much to anyone who isn't a complete dork about British esoteric experimental musics. But that's where we'll start for this review because that's the reference that one such dork had to make here at Aquarius (it was Jim if you must know). Metgumbnerbone was a shadowy collection of dour Brits (including Richard Rupenus of The New Blockaders) who took up residence in an abandoned factory somewhere in Newcastle and constructed a bleak ritualist music out of the refuse found within. Scraping metal and atonal horns crafted out of plumbing material abound in the Metgumbnerbone vocabulary. Such is the case for Lethe as well, the found-space project of Japanese improviser Kuwayama Kiyoharu. However, as Metgumbernone's post-electrical scrabblings were the result of a collective effort, Lethe's spatializations emerge from an orchestra of one. It seems impossible that he did not overdub many of these sounds, but the production so fully embraces the cavernous space of his choosing that Lethe's pieces sound as if they were constructed in a single take.
For Catastrophe Point #5, Lethe used an abandoned grain warehouse located on the outskirts of Nagoya, Japan. Much more than an ambivalent shuffling or wandering scattering of clunky sounds, Lethe amasses sympathetic scrapings from pieces of metal, large and small, as they are dragged, bowed, and beaten throughout the space. Long form drones emerge throughout the performance as if he's triggering a resonant frequency of the space, echoing against itself. It's true that many of these sounds resemble those found on the impossible to find Metgumberbone records, but other references would be Organum's Vacant Lights album, Z'ev's finer moments, the recent John Grzinich constructions, and even Yoshi Wada's bellowing recordings of his Earth Horns. Excellent!
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 1"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 2"

LITTLE DRAGON Machine Dreams (Peacefrog) cd 16.98
We have been hearing about Little Dragon for quite a while now as lots of folks around here had seen them live and been blown away and kept urging us to check out their stuff and to see what an amazing presence their Swedish-Japanese singer has. Unfortunately, most of LD's releases where hard-to-track-down imports up 'til now, but luckily with the release of this newest album Machine Dreams we get to hear why all our friends were so excited about Little Dragon.
Machine Dreams is completely refreshing, bright and colorful electro-pop that eschews all the detached and cold cliches that so many in the scene rely on, opting instead for elements of soul, house, downtempo, and an overall warmth and sincerity of sound that really makes LD stick out.
Imagine a more uptempo and cheery Fever Ray, or if Lali Puna stopped navel gazing and reached their hands and hearts to the sky, or if Matthew Herbert got to produce a record for Gwen Guthrie! We hear wonderful hints of LD's influences too, everything from Massive Attack to Pizzicato Five, yet they manage to really shine with their own identity, displaying a really great range, from uptempo catchy dancefloor moments to more drowsy, sultry bittwersweet slow burners. We are feeling this so much!
MPEG Stream: "A New"
MPEG Stream: "Swimming"
MPEG Stream: "Never Never"

MARK, CAROLYN & N.Q. ARBUCKLE Let's Just Stay Here (Mint) cd 15.98
Yeah, we know it must get kinda tired, and it must be a blessing and a curse for Carolyn Mark to always have another artist mentioned in her albums' reviews even if that artist is a friend and collaborator. But if it helps get people to check out her great music, we hope she'll understand! The vivacious namesake of her pal Neko Case's early rollicking tune "Karoline", Carolyn Mark strikes a balance between the bold and the gentle, the ribald and the romantic. The lyrics of that song really nail it, "The path you walk is on fire, so wild and unashamed with a passion you inspire" and "The web you weave is so tender I'm tangled by your gaze". Spend a few moments in her presence and you'll be captivated and charmed too. She's such a great storyteller, both in spoken word and music, both in off-the-cuff impromptu and more composed settings. She can have your guts aching with laughter, and then your heart aching with sorrow.
Mark delivers the goods with her latest album, a collaboration with the awesomely named N.Q. Arbuckle who are not a person, but a band from Toronto. As you may know, Ms Mark has amassed quite an impressive body of homespun Canadiana all by her lonesome as well as in collaboration with her many incredibly talented musical friends. Over the years she's proven to be a splendid hostess, welcoming all into her musical kitchen with a giddy batting of her big false lashes, a generous glass of cheer, her home cookin' (psst, she makes cookbooks filled with her pals' and her own recipes too!) and plenty of song of course. You might recall the Tribute To Nashville cd re-enactment of the soundtrack to Robert Altman's 1975 film which she orchestrated a few years back. Such a curiously wonderful labor of love. So needless to say, any news of fresh collaborations with this lady is good news! Here, she and N.Q. Arbuckle make a great pairing, definitely kindred spirits. Despite the title, there's actually a sense of travel (she anecdotally namechecks Canadian cities along the way. Yes, you get a little geography lesson on each of her albums!), of movement, of restlessness, but also a yearning for the warm embrace of home. Call us crazy, but some of the songs (such as "Officer Down") conjured imaginings of a countrified Fleetwood Mac (Hmmm, we just noticed on the shrinkwrap sticker it sez "Carolyn lovingly calls it her Rumours". So we're not crazy!), while others (such as "Downtime") recall the electrified earthy hey day of Uncle Tupelo (but then again maybe that's because Neville Quinlan's voice is a deadringer for Jay Farrar's!). Both are very good points of reference in our books! Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Officer Down"
MPEG Stream: "The 2nd Time"
MPEG Stream: "Canada Day/Toronto"

MCDOWELL, FRED s/t (Mississippi) lp 14.98
MISSISSIPPI ALERT!!!!!!!!
This reissue of Fred McDowell's 1966 second lp for the Arhoolie label is arguably one of the Mississippi delta bluesman's best outings. Discovered in the late fifties by Alan Lomax, McDowell has become since then and until his death in 1972, one of the more famous practitioners of the delta blues tradition. His most well known song, "You Got To Move", included here, was famously covered by the Rolling Stones, and his world-weary voice that ranges from drawling mumble to intense emphatic howls comes from a deep but humble spiritual core. Though he honed his craft at fish fries and dances, many of his songs were laments and spirituals about trying evils, redemption, and longing for love. Here on some tracks he is accompanied by close friends, Eli Green on second guitar, and his wife Anne on second voice. The track "I Wish I Was In Heaven Sittin' Down" was recorded with the Hunter's Chapel Spiritual Singers, whom Fred performed with often on Sunday Mornings. A fine and essential addition to the Mississippi Records catalog and your Mississippi Records collection!

MORRISSEY Swords (Polydor) cd 13.98
Something happened to Morrissey when he moved to Los Angeles. It allowed him a new beginning of sorts. For the first time in his career he had dropped out of the limelight, he went almost seven years without releasing a record and for the first time since the beginning of The Smiths he really became a true underdog, and cult figure, gaining a revival of fans who maybe weren't around for the first, Smiths wave of Morrissey mania. When he finally returned with a new record, 2004's You Are The Quarry it really did feel like the triumphant second act to an already dramatic and amazing career. His two records since then have maintained that momentum and Swords collects many of the B-sides and non-album tracks from this era.
Many of us who are Morrissey fanatics had grabbed some of the import 7"s that some of these songs come from, which are arguably as strong as any of his album tracks. There's also tons on tracks, not even the most tenacious fans around here were ever able to get their hands on, and all of it has the urgent punch and full sound that his defined his music over the last few albums, which rank up there with some of his best stuff. So many others who once possessed such golden voices really lose it as they grow older, but it's remarkable how intact and spot on Morrissey's vocal delivery has remained. And his songwriting remains utterly clever, strong minded, emotional, political, self deprecating and moving. We really can't think of any of his peers from those early '80s days who have remained so vital in creating great music all these years later.
MPEG Stream: "It's Hard To Walk Tall When You're Small"
MPEG Stream: "If You Dont Like Me, Dont Look At Me"
MPEG Stream: "Shame Is The Name"

NATURAL YOGURT BAND Away With Melancholy (Jazzman /Now-Again) cd 17.98
Natural Yogurt Band??? So many associations come to mind of what kind of band would name themselves that, but without hearing them, you probably wouldn't guess right off jazz, funk or soul. Or if you did, you might think they were of a hippie jam band mentality and not this amazingly tight British jazz combo mining the sounds of late sixties Verve label cool jazz stalwarts like Cal Tjader, Lalo Schifrin, Gary McFarland, and Jimmy Smith. Rife with psychedelic flutes, vibes and organs, Away With Melancholy takes us through a vibrant cinematic sound world propelled by funky Latin rhythms and kaleidescopic compositions. The band isn't merely aping their influences, but extracting their key ingredients and repurposing them into something modern. El Michaels Affair and Clutchy Hopkins may be covering similar territory, but not nearly with the amazing aplomb and spot-on musicianship these guys have. And if you like those groups, the artists mentioned above, that Spiritual Jazz compilation we reviewed a while back, or anything on the Stones Throw label, you should definitely check this out! And, by the way, we've got to say something about the packaging, the metallic silver gatefold mini-LP style sleeve that this cd comes in is eye-catchingly gorgeous, adorned with delicate purple op-art spirals. We had people asking about it in the store just 'cause of the cover! Nice job, Jazzman.
MPEG Stream: "Chapter One"
MPEG Stream: "Pipe Dreams"
MPEG Stream: "Broken Rose"
MPEG Stream: "Lament For Piano"

NO NECK BLUES BAND Languid Red Marchetti (Planazaum) lp 30.00
Awesome archival release from one of the most referenced bands on this here aQ list. Whenever we need to describe something abstract and clattery, stumbly and mysterious, percussive and otherworldly, rhythmic and fractured and psychedelic, we'll often invoke this long standing New York based free form sonic institution. And this disc is a definite reminder of why we were so immediately taken with this band when we first heard them close to 15 years ago.
Languid Red Marchetti was recorded in 1994, close to the birth of the band, and features a stripped down quartet, and the sound is raw, feral, super abstract, very percussive and atmospheric, all clang and clatter and scrape, buzz and rumble and skree, a cacophonous exploration of time and space, what sounds like disparate bursts of crunch and creak, woven into an almost lyrical expanse of sound. Sometimes hushed and sinister, other times angular and primitive, the record ebbs and flows, drifts gorgeously between two extremes, spending most if its time right in between, a lush jagged world of rhythm and sound, noise and texture.
Any one into NNBB will definitely be all over this, especially if you miss the No Neck of old, performing in squats, with busted up old gear, wrapped in old blankets, wreathed in shadows, dimly lit spaces, magical mystery conjured from the ether, every performance some sort of alchemical ritual, some ancient rite, like something you might stumble on in the forest, an ages old musical communion with nature, or the spirits, or the darkside, an abstract avant improv filtered through some grimy, fractured junkyard punk rock, totally transcendent.
A bit pricey, but NNCK records are almost more art than sound, as much visual and tactile as sonic, Languid Red Marchetti is no different. limited to just over 300 copies, housed in a printed full color inner sleeve, a gorgeous full color spot varnished jacket, includes a thick paper insert with some truly dense liner notes.

NOS PHILLIPE Shh... Camille (Confront) cd 11.98
Short and sweet. This 24 minute piece from London's obscurant drone duo Nos Phillipe (aka Jonathan Webb and Robert Hopps) is pretty damn good, having been culled from field recordings, guitar, turntable, and lots of electronics. Elongated tones brightly shine with the sheen of a chrome surface being struck by rakish streaks from the sun, countered by a fluctuating low-end rumble, locating the work somewhere near the early constructions of Jonathan Coleclough. Aerated rotations, which could be field recordings of wind billowing over a pipe or maybe that's the sound of the turntable heavily compressed, transitions these earlier drones into a bending chorus somewhere between Tibetan horn bleats, an Amazonian insect chorus, and the blurred distortion of Birchville Cat Motel. These sounds buzz, hum, swarm, and shift into a time-stretched growl of low-end drones which leads the piece to a gradual conclusion. Pretty damn good...
MPEG Stream: "Shh... Camille"

OBIAT Eye Tree Pi (Small Stone) cd 13.98
Remember our review not long ago praising the spaced out heaviness of Utah's Iota? We mentioned how we've learned now to pay attention to the label they're on, Small Stone, for such heavy psychedelic gems. Here's another, Obiat! Small Stone are ostensibly a "stoner rock" label, but this London based band (with members from England, Poland, and Hungary), while certainly quite HEAVY and also certainly sometimes spacey, perhaps belong more in the "Neur-Isis" metalcore post rock fold, they've got those post rock loud-soft dynamics anyway... Well, mostly loud, though the six-minute "Passive Attack" is all delicate atmosphere. Vocally, though, they remind us more of doomlords Yob, soaring Ozzishly in a higher pitched mode with what we could call "dark grunge" overtones (we see both Alice In Chains and Jesus Lizard t-shirts in the band photos). In fact, if you were to combine Yob with Iota and also, say, Samothrace, you'd get something like this awesome and oddly titled Obiat album, their third since 2002 though we've never seen the other self-released ones. Gotta start looking.
The seven songs here are all pretty long, 5, 6, 9 minutes, they stretch things out to 12 on the most epic one, "Serpents' Rites". And every minute is either crushingly heavy or quietly fraught with haunting portents of impending doooooom. We most definitely like. Chalk another one up for Small Stone, who went out a bit further on the stoner rock limb with this one, to where it branches into international alt-prog-ambient-post-rock not quite like anything else.
MPEG Stream: "Poison Thy Honey"
MPEG Stream: "Delights"
MPEG Stream: "Serpents' Rites"

OCEANS OF SILVER AND BLOOD Live At Cafe OTO (Confront) cd-r 9.98
Oceans Of Silver And Blood is an awesomely unexpected collaboration between Joachim Nordwall and Mark Wastell. The Swedish half (i.e. Nordwall) is one of the members of The Skull Defekts and the Alvars Orchestra; he also runs the exceptional label Ideal Recordings. The Englishman (Wastell) is a preeminent improviser of longform tones and disgorged acoustic drones; and he runs the highly impressive Sound 323 shop / label out of London. With Nordwall on a modular synth and Wastell on his 32" gong (I guess it's technically a tam-tam), the two broadcast sheets of heavy, heavy deep-wave minimalism. At first, Nordwall's synth produces an ominous throb of dark oscillating electrical pulses, matched with thrumbing acoustic drones from that massive gong of Wastell. Their trajectory glides into a hushed din echoing with Wastell's slow and rhythmic chiming of his gong, but gradually they couple the paranoiac sound design of analogue synthesis with the reflective, yet dark shimmer of the gong. When Wastell drops what seems to be a small motor onto the surface of his gong, the darkened drone explodes with an metallic squeal. Imagine the Jean-Francois Laporte vibration studies of what we thought to be a Zamboni remixed by Deathprod. Great stuff and limited to 200 copies!
MPEG Stream: "Live At Cafe OTO"

OH SEES, THEE Blood In Your Ear / Friends (Rock Is Hell) 7" 8.50
You know the drill by now. Dwyer and company kick up some fuzzy, distorted lo-fi sixties pop infused garage rock that totally rocks. Crunchy, distorted, fuzzy, groovy, doused in reverb and delay, the vocals a distorted yelp, the guitars all jangly, this time around there's even some harmonica, stomping and hooky and kick ass. That's just the A side. The flipside just might be one of our favorite Oh Sees jams yet, all brooding and power poppy, reminding us of the Wipers, but with strange bloopy keyboards, and a weary washed out minor key vibe, so super catchy, we find ourselves humming it through the days, and running to the front of the store when it gets played. Awesome.
Insanely limited, to only 638 copies, we got about 50, which is probably all we'll ever get. Hand screened covers, in all sorts of different colors and variations, same with the vinyl, white, black, pink, blue, green, and all sorts of marbled in betweens, it's random though so don't ask, you'll get what you get, and it will be cool. Includes an insert with original Dwyer art and of course each one is hand numbered!

OOIOO Armonico Hewa (Thrill Jockey) cd 16.98
Oh, OOIOO! No one makes spazzed out splashes of sonic color with more energy and spirit than you. While Yoshimi will always be best known for being a member of The Boredoms and the inspiration for a Flaming Lips album (Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots) we think her output with her band OOIOO over the years definitely stands on its own. Able to meld psychedelia into an infectious and dizzying pulsation of sound, OOIOO give us more of what we love with Armonico Hewa, which sonically falls somewhere between the circular and lysergic sounds of our favorite OOIOO record Gold & Green and the more tribal and repetitive groove of their last outing, Taiga.
So many folks have taken ingredients from OOIOO and gotten lots of mileage and attention out of it, for instance, we can't help but think that Gang Gang Dance owe much of their sound and visual aesthetic to OOIOO. Herky, jerky and no-wave, rich with the spirit and energy of vintage Plastic Ono Band. Folks who love OOIOO and Yoshimi will of course love this to death, but we also think this will totally hit the spot for Boredoms fans who miss the varied sound of records like Super AE. Also, be sure to see OOIOO live if they come anywhere close to you as they are for sure one of our favorite live bands around.
MPEG Stream: "SOL"
MPEG Stream: "ULDA"
MPEG Stream: "NIN NA YAMA"

OOIOO Armonico Hewa (Thrill Jockey) lp 16.98
Oh, OOIOO! No one makes spazzed out splashes of sonic color with more energy and spirit than you. While Yoshimi will always be best known for being a member of The Boredoms and the inspiration for a Flaming Lips album (Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots) we think her output with her band OOIOO over the years definitely stands on its own. Able to meld psychedelia into an infectious and dizzying pulsation of sound, OOIOO give us more of what we love with Armonico Hewa, which sonically falls somewhere between the circular and lysergic sounds of our favorite OOIOO record Gold & Green and the more tribal and repetitive groove of their last outing, Taiga.
So many folks have taken ingredients from OOIOO and gotten lots of mileage and attention out of it, for instance, we can't help but think that Gang Gang Dance owe much of their sound and visual aesthetic to OOIOO. Herky, jerky and no-wave, rich with the spirit and energy of vintage Plastic Ono Band. Folks who love OOIOO and Yoshimi will of course love this to death, but we also think this will totally hit the spot for Boredoms fans who miss the varied sound of records like Super AE. Also, be sure to see OOIOO live if they come anywhere close to you as they are for sure one of our favorite live bands around.
MPEG Stream: "SOL"
MPEG Stream: "ULDA"
MPEG Stream: "NIN NA YAMA"

PYRAMIDS WITH NADJA s/t (Hydrahead) cd 17.98
Killer combo for sure, blissed out doom metal shoegaze duo Nadja, and sort-of-black-metal Hydra Head weirdos Pyramids, we weren't sure what to expect, heavy? Spacey? Trippy? Would it be more Nadja? Or more Pyramids? Having listened to this a bunch now, we can safely say, we have no idea.
There are definitely elements from both bands, but the two entities seem to have merged into something wholly new. Which seems ideal, why bother starting a new band just to sound like your old band. Four long tracks, each one a slow burning, gradually sprawling experiment in blown out sound, the opener definitely more toward the blissed out and ambient side of things, with ethereal vocals, huge sweeping sheets of shimmer, sun dappled and psychedelic, until three quarters of the way through, when the team up gets HEAVY, and suddenly we're in Nadja territory, a slow billowy lumber than pushes all out Jesu buttons, the vocals buried beneath an avalanche of swirling buzzing sound.
The second track starts off a bit more aggressively, with some crunchy FX laden guitars, only to drift off, the sound thickening, some skittery rhythmic splatter, some keening melodies, moody and ephemeral, the beats get a bit more caustic, almost jungly, super clipped and jagged, while underneath the soft sounds continue to swirl, and then vocals, LOUD vocals, way up in the mix, total keening indie boy croon, dreamy and heartfelt, before a big heaving swell of low end, and then a gradual drift to silence.
The 22 minute "Sound Of Ice And Grass" seems to be the centerpiece of the record, beginning with delicate piano, deep rumbles, ghostly vox, and swooping backwards effects. Dark and hushed, until those vocals return, sounding more choral this time, and laid over big distorted doomy guitars, reverb and delay pushing everything closer to chaos, before a blast beat erupts, but way down in the mix, the rest of the song continues to plod and drift, the vocals soft, the ambience muted and minimal, while the drums thrash wildly beneath, a strange juxtaposition, but cool sounding for sure. The second half of the song is a series of string laden, effects drenched chordal swells, and fractured melodies, gauzy vox, and all manner of buzz and crackle and whir, eventually building to a wall of grey sound.
The record closes with what sounds to these ears the most like a distillation of the two bands' sounds, beginning with layered melodies, Animal Collective like vocals, layered drones, downtuned guitar buzz, thick slabs of rumbling riffage, and some blasting metallic drum action, again muted and washed out until it's almost textural more than rhythmic, but the stretch with the bast beats is divine, dreamy, ethereal and gorgeous, eventually exploding into a full on Nadja+Pyramids drone / shoegaze / post metal / dream pop blow out. Cool!
Gorgeous packaging too, a min lp style gatefold sleeve, adorned with lush landscapes of trees and forest and streams on the outside, a strange drawing of trees and an owl on the inside, with a printed full color booklet featuring more abstract foliage.
MPEG Stream: "Into The Silent Waves"
MPEG Stream: "Another War"

REFLECTOR Pass (Rock Is Hell) lp 21.00
Record number two from this mysterious metallic math rock band. Reflector's first record Flugangst was a surprise hit around here, a crunching math metal juggernaut, perpetrated by the now ubiquitous guitar/drums/no bass lineup, but Reflector certainly didn't suffer for it. Heavy and complex and brooding and massive, with plenty of doomy slow core bits and shimmery drone-y drifts.
If anything, Pass takes everything we liked about Flugangst and cranks it up, the sound is incredible, lush and thick and expansive, REALLY hard to believe they're a bass-less two piece here, the guitars are hard and dense and chuggy, the drums crushing, the two locked into killer grooves, Neurosis like lumbering plod one second, super tangled post rock weirdness the next, even some slow motion Slayer riffing here and there.
It's criminal these guys aren't huge, they should be touring with Mastodon and Baroness and all those low slung bearded sludgelords, but this ain't sludge (although they are perfectly capable of getting plenty sludge-y!), this is almost some sort of pop infused downtuned metal, shot through with plenty of post rock mathisms, strange textures, catchy melodies, and riffs that KILL.
We don't have a whole lot of these, so if we run out be patient, we have to get more from overseas, but hell, anyone into slow and low heaviness, or the new breed of post / math / metal / gaze / whatever, these guys could very well be your new favorite band.

RYAN, COLLIE The Rainbow Records (Bella Terra / Yoga) 3cd 34.00
It seems with early seventies metaphysical songstress, Collie Ryan, you either get a little or a lot. We first heard her amazing track, "Cricket" on the Numero Group's great Wayfaring Strangers: Ladies of The Canyon compilation. Then at the beginning of the year, we were treated to a vinyl only best of compilation called The Hour Is Now. But now we have the completists dream come true of all three of her self-released records from 1973 (Indian Harvest, The Giving Tree, and Taking Your Turn 'Round The Corner Of Your Day) available on a 3cd set released on compact disc for the first time. 41 songs, phew!!!
Ryan recorded these songs (as well as making the paintings that grace her albums) as a means to further her spiritual investigations as a student of Theosophy. With just her voice, her unique guitar style and some cushioning reverb, Ryan's songbird voice soars through the heavens singing about mystical connections to nature, cycles of change, and thresholds of light. She only recorded these three records before going off the grid and painting hubcaps in the desert for a living. Though she can be compared to Joan Baez, Linda Perhacs and Elyse, Collie Ryan was really out doing her own thing unfettered by musical trends of the time. Three cds may be a lot to take in all at once, but such visionary singers come around so rarely that it's a truly a transcendent experience to be completely absorbed in her blissful cosmology.
MPEG Stream: "Cricket"
MPEG Stream: "High Gulls Flying"
MPEG Stream: "Summer Cat"
MPEG Stream: "Lark Flies"

SAVIOURS Accelerated Living (Kemado) cd 13.98
If we picked our Records Of The Week based on how likely they were to inspire massive bouts of head banging and air guitaring (and come to think of it, why the heck don't we?) then this new album from San Francisco's Saviours would easily be the Record Of The Week this week. And maybe next week too, and again and again for some weeks to come, since we don't know who'd want to mess with 'em, they might be tough to dethrone. Do you feel lucky, punk? they'd be asking all future pretenders to Record Of The Week status. Seriously, maybe the only reason we just made this a highlight on our list instead is that while Saviours are so good at what they do, what they do is perhaps a bit more circumscribed than the sort of metal we would make a Record Of The Week (such as the more eccentric likes of The Lord Weird Slough Feg's Ape Uprising a while back... though we'd definitely imagine any fan of that band would dig a lot of what's happenin' on this Saviours platter). But if you're in the mood for ragin' METAL and nothin' but, have we got a record for you!
Saviours, whom most metal inclined AQ customers already know we hope, are punkish proponents of adrenaline fuelled, NWOBHM lovin', thrash infected, uber metal up your ass gallop. Punkish maybe only 'cause they ooze attitude, also in part from the hoarse and shouty nature of the vocals (which we dig more on this album than in the past it must be said). As we have come to expect, then, Accelerated Living is in large part the sound of triumphant twin axes rampaging together, wet and red with poseurs' blood, lashing out left and right with slash and burn soloing. There's of course plenty of crushing low end heaviness and dominating battery propelling things along at a breakneck pace. But number one in our book are the guitars, dealing out heroic harmonies and rambunctious riffery. Oh yeah, this has got riffs, good ones. Riffs piling upon riffs. As much as we liked the Skeletonwitch album reviewed last time, THIS is way catchier and more memorable (maybe 'cause it lacks the more modern and monotonous black/death aspect, going only for the thrash/punk and trad '80s metal thing). We're even ready to sing along with the vocals, dammit! This is the type of album where it's tough to pick which tracks to make sound samples of for our review, 'cause they're almost all standouts. We kept thinking, ok, this one, then we'd listen to the next track, and be like, this one too, and on and on through the record. Of course, in the end that meant we could pick any 3 random tracks to sample and that'd be fine, let's just that sample making out of the way so we can put the album on again from the beginning, loud, and bang our heads!!
Our appetite for this rad, rippin' release was whetted by the limited edition trilogy of 7"s that preceded it, featuring spirited covers of Saxon and Judas Priest as well as demo versions of some of Accelerated Living's songs. They sound even better here, the album produced by Phil Manley (of Trans Am, The Fucking Champs, etc.). Recommended, if you couldn't tell.
FYI vinyl of this is forthcoming, not out yet though, we should have the LP version later in November.
MPEG Stream: "We Roam"
MPEG Stream: "Burnin' Cross"
MPEG Stream: "Apocalypse World Split"

SENSATIONAL & SPECTRE Acid & Bass (Wordsound) cd 11.98
We first got a teaser for this long promised full length matchup way back in 2002 on the Spectre record Parts Unknown, which featured super stoned rapper Sensational on 4 tracks, and it was solid gold, Spectre's creepy ominous dubscapes, and Sensational's mushmouthed mumble, twisted, druggy, off kilter and so good.
So who should come by Aquarius just now, but Spectre himself, dropping off this latest disc, a full length showdown / match up / tag team, and it's just as good as those 4 tracks from way back when. Seems like Spectre has dialed back the sinister, instead crafting some very Sensational appropriate tracks, loopy and loping, twisted and stuttery, muted and abstract, clipped and cracking, the perfect bed for Sensational to lay down his drugged out stream of consciousness fffffflow, woozy, warped and warbly, strings sing, horns bleat, a skeletal beat skitters, weaving an almost Hitchcock sounding backdrop for some drawled genius. Slowed down vocals, demonic and growly (remember those from Spectre records?) ooze over some crunchy stabs and some hiccupping beats, lazer fire from some sci-fi movie wraps around a hazy Wu-worthy should sample, looped Led Zep gives way to pizzicatto strings and looped birdsong, Spectre has always been a beat master, and this disc proves he's only gotten better, how come he's not doing beats for the big guys, if we were Kanye or Jay-Z or 50 Cent and heard this shit, we'd get Spectre up to the compound and get him crafting beats PRONTO. And along those same lines, why does everyone want T-Pain and Lil' Wayne to guest on their records? Hell, can you imagine some MTV hip hop jam breaking down into a cough syrup trudge and Sensational strolling out rapping some unintelligable weirdness into a pair of headphones? If only...
MPEG Stream: "The Way I Like"
MPEG Stream: "The Boom"
MPEG Stream: "Rip Like This"
MPEG Stream: "Boom Bash Shit"

SHACKLETON Three EPs (Perlon) cd 17.98
For the dubstep obsessed among us, especially those of us who aren't scouring DJ shops for white labels and limited 12"s, this collection is a godsend. Gathering up, as the title suggests, 3 eps from one of our favorite dubsteppers, Shackleton, who faithful aQ-ers probably remember from the Skull Disco collections, the Steppas' Delight comps and the recent split with Mordant Music. The music of Shackleton is not just your regular old dubstep, it's super lush and expansive, skittery and groovy, dark and haunting, and these jams are no different.
Spare and skeletal, yet impossibly full and dense, minimal on the melodies as well as the beats, these eps are super stripped down, even by Shackleton standards, these tracks are not as bass heavy as you might imagine, more light and ethereal, not light in spirit, but in sound, the vibe is still dark and mysterious.
The strange vocal snippets in "(No More) Negative Thoughts", the twisted woozy melodies and stuttery hand claps on "It's Time For Love", the cool tabla laced drift of "Mountains Of Ashes", the super dark and noisy droniness of "There's A Slow Train Coming", which is about as sinister as it gets here, the record is jam packed with cool stark beats, and all sorts of moody melody and bleak ambience, culminating in the closer "Something Has Got To Give", with it's chopped up vox, creepy processed laughter, koto style strings, shimmering minor key drones and the brittle barely there beat, it's almost like a dubstep soundtrack for a lost giallo, malevolent and cinematic and seriously sinister!
MPEG Stream: "(No More) Negative Thoughts"
MPEG Stream: "Mountains Of Ashes"
MPEG Stream: "Asha In The Tabernacle"

SISTER IODINE Flame Desastre (Editions Mego) cd 17.98
Can you handle some noize? The French trio Sister Iodine have apparently been around in the underground for some years now. Jim here recalls that their early stuff was more akin to no-wave, angular rock music (and was quite curious about them having a disc out on Mego). The rest of us here hadn't heard 'em before... but really dig this, which is definitely much more in the noiserock vein of, say, Wolf Eyes, than DNA-ish no-wave. Yep, noiserock a la Wolf Eyes, Shit & Shine, Cadaver In Drag, Hair Police, heck even Hijokaidan. Total distortion overload, the very first track coming off like an exploding minefield of noise, shit blowing up all around. But at the same time, it's not JUST noise, there's enough rhythmic structure to qualify this as rock music, made with guitar, drums, Korg PS3010 synth, and little regard for common standards of musical practice, like, say, melody, or even, really, riffs. Instead these 12 "songs" are all about interesting varieties of throb and rumble, flangey FX and feedback. Further keeping us entranced are the ponderously heavy drum hits, making things almost Khanate-like in parts, run through some sort of monster Merzbowian filter, as on the slumping slomping sizzling trudge of "Terminal Pain".
It's all instrumental (or at least, we can't HEAR any human vocals amidst everything else) but the song titles perhaps give some sense of Sister Iodine's mood: "Lava Junkie", "Black Trauma Delice", "Napalmee", "You Burned", etc. are all in keeping with their general sonic demeanor. Yeah, kind of a negative vibe, yet paradoxically gleeful as the cathartic impact of noisemaking with such abandon takes effect as well. This is the type of noise rock action we find most satisfying, and it even works at low volumes, as gritty textural drone, but turn it up (if you dare) to be fully cleansed in the controlled crinkum-crankum chaos of their howling rocket launching saucer landing skree!
This album was originally released a while ago on vinyl (limited and long gone presumably), and is now reissued on cd with 2 bonus tracks by Editions Mego, in nice, slightly oversized folder packaging like they like to do. Limited to 500 copies, and quite recommended.
MPEG Stream: "You / Lacerate"
MPEG Stream: "Terminal Pain"
MPEG Stream: "You Doped"

STARVING WEIRDOS Path of Lightning (Weird Forest) 2lp 22.00
One of TWO new double lp releases from Humboldt's Starving Weirdos, the other, a killer reissue of the long out of print Self-Hypnosis, with a whole extra side of unreleased material tacked on, and this one right here, Path Of Lightning, which as far as we can tell, is a brand new record, or at least one we've never heard before.
Sonically though it definitely sounds more like recent SW outings. Less bombastic and pipe fight-y, more drone-y and shimmery, treading a similar sonic path as their free noise compatriots in No Neck Blues Band and Sunburned Hand Of The Man. On Path Of Lightning, the band seemed to have abandoned rhythms, or at least relegated it to the background, more an occasional pulse or stutter, than anything, snippets of voices surface here and there, intercepted transmissions, streaks of ethereal feedback, deep ominous rumbles, shimmery expanses of hushed minimal drift, haunting and lovely, any noisiness is muted, smoothed out into blurs of soft noise texture.
Four side long tracks, by side three, there does seem to be a drummer in the mix, but he doesn't seem to be drumming as much as using his kit the way the other two guys in SW approach their guitars, as a soundmaking tool, subverted from its original purpose. The drumming here is more an occasional skitter, a shuffly scrabble way off in the background, while the Weirdos weave a haunting gauzy sprawling dronescape, that sounds like it could be some Jeck turntable piece, all warbly and warped and looped sounding.
The final side is yet another extended bit of murky drift, muddied percussion floats on layers of ethereal guitar, and woozy tangled melodies, a black ambient buzz that seems to be draped over something more music, shadows and shapes of whatever melody lurks below, barely visible through the softly undulating murk, all wrapped in a patina of ephemeral distant high end shimmer and buzz. So awesome.
Like the Self-Hypnosis record, Path of Lightning is pressed on ultra thick vinyl, and comes in a super heavy gatefold sleeve, and has some of the most eye poppingly sci-fi artwork ever, a topless warrior babe with a machine gun riding a giant spider! Hell yeah! LIMITED TO 500 COPIES!
MPEG Stream: "N.Y.Blues"
MPEG Stream: "Haagendazs"

STARVING WEIRDOS Self-Hypnosis (Weird Forest) 2lp 22.00
One of our favorite records from this druggy duo from Humboldt, originally released on the now defunct Jyrk label, finally reissued, now on super heavy deluxe vinyl, and housed in an ultra thick full color gatefold sleeve. If you missed out on this the first time around, this could very well blow your mind, and even if you have the cd-r, you probably need to upgrade, cuz this reissue, besides sounding way better than the cd-r, tacks on a whole extra side jam packed with all unreleased material! Self-Hypnosis was one of the first proper releases from these guys, and it still sounds amazing... here's the review from when we first listed it way back in 2006:
Hard to believe it was only a matter of months ago when two guys from Humboldt sent Andee a stack of 15 full length cd-r's. All mysteriously packaged, with bizarre collage art, strange song titles, and music that was stranger still. We went apeshit and insisted they make us a sort of best of disc, which they did and we sold about a million. Word spread and now the Starving Weirdos are like a real band, with releases coming out all over the place, including a recent one on Root Strata, and this here gem which first came out on the Yellow Swans' Jyrk label and is now available again on vinyl via Weird Forest. They were even in an issue of Vice Magazine!! Thankfully all of this hasn't gone to their heads and this blast of murky free psych weirdness is just as fucked up, demented and downright beautiful as anything else we've heard from them. Huge spacious recordings of Dead C like clatter, cavernous swells of haunting ambience, like exploring some lost sewer system that leads right to the center of the earth. Clatter and clang, percussive splatter drenched in natural reverb, like some sort of silverware war in an abandoned cistern. Free jazz played on scrap metal in a cave. Cool and creepy.
Later tracks introduces some sax, but not in that annoying sax-ruins-everything sort of way. No, this is more of a deep listening sort of sax, long foghorn like blasts, rumbling and reverberating, drifting into the reverby distance, a slow low meditative series of short rich drones, the whole thing a barely recognized melody stretched into it's constituent parts. A foghorn symphony played on duck calls and broken reeded bagpipes. The final 15 minute epic is a return to the metallic clang of track one. A pipe fight to the death, taking place at the bottom of a black pit, walled with stone and the crushed skulls of past pipefighters, between Z'ev and David Jackman, each hurling broken cymbals, warped gongs, bent cutlery and assorted car parts at each other, while in the background a mad scientist boils up an unspeakable brew of warm wheezing guitars and gurgling electronic drones, each and every sound wrapped in a thick smear of reverb, drizzled with delay, and sent drifting back to the surface where they were recorded onto a wax cylinder. Fucking awesome!
MPEG Stream: "Destiny Of Life Part One"
MPEG Stream: "The Ever Present Moment"

STIRLING SAYS Balboa (20 Sided) cd 8.98
The boys in Stirling Says have really beefed up their sound and cranked the amps and feedback since we last heard from them on their split 7" with Katie The Pest. And we think this added punch serves them so well! Balboa has such an awesomely raw and free wheeling guitar driven sound, reminding us of that awesome intersection of the late '80s SST scene (Dinosaur Jr, Leaving Trains, Screaming Trees, Das Damen) and the early beginnings of the Sub Pop roster (Eric's Trip, Seaweed, Sebadoh) and that sound is so totally refreshing right now! So much of the recent output of guitar driven rock seems to be so centered on its lo-fi/outsider aesthetic, we've been missing what it feels like to just have a great short two minute song hit you in the gut with a wall of guitars and soaring vocals. This is the kind of record perfect for roadtrips as the songs on Balboa really do flow with a never-ending summer charm.
MPEG Stream: "Punk Rock Isn't A Song It's A Way Of Life (And It's A Song)"
MPEG Stream: "Eoganan"
MPEG Stream: "Tatiana"

STRIBORG / CLAUSTROPHOBIA Black Hatred In A Ghostly Corner (Finisternis Productions) cd 14.98
As we were waiting patiently for the new Striborg full length, Southwest Passage, we discovered ANOTHER new Striborg release, a split with a band called Claustrophobia, released on Sin Nanna of Striborg's own label Finsternis Productions, so we contacted Sin Nanna directly (the reports of his reclusiveness, living in a shack with no telephone or computer, turned out to be greatly exaggerated!) and ordered a bunch, and we're happy to report that the new Striborg material is as twisted and blackly brilliant as always.
Just when you thought Striborg couldn't get any more buzzy and fuzz drenched, along comes "Psychic Visions", a 12 minute dirge, buried completely under a sheet of hiss and whir, but where this track is different is the gorgeously creepy keyboard textures laid over the top, giving the whole track a ghostly, weirdly melodic, strangely lovely quality. Sure the drums are minimal and the vocals are an indecipherable growl, and the guitars, well, if they were riffs, they've been blurred and smeared into thick streaks of warm muted buzz, but once the whole track is wreathed in that looping shimmering ghostlike keyboard ambience, it becomes this blackened beautiful thing. The drums shift gear and the keyboards follow, the entire song seems to waver in communion, before slipping back into the initial opening dirge.
After a brief instrumental drone interlude, Sin Nanna offers up another bizarre blast, the drums WAY up in the mix this time, the same sheet of hiss, and again the whirling ghostly keyboards, but this time, the sound is much more atonal, tense and jagged, an almost suspense full horror movie feel, a strange but sonically sound balance for the strange beauty of the first track.
Sin Nanna seems to have found a kindred spirit in a person called Raped Corpse, who is behind the band Claustrophobia. From China we think, regardless, the two groups definitely share sonic sensibilities, the same hiss/fuzz drenched ambience, stumbling drumming, anguished vocals, strange keyboards, the tracks play out the same almost, long song, short interlude, slightly less long song. But Claustrophobia's opener is much more rocking, with some wild chaotic drumming, and over the top keyboards, LOUD drums, the second track, the nearly nine minute closer is a doozy, almost like a grim blackened Goblin, so creepy and emotional and moody and haunting, the melodies minor key, the keyboards evoking such dread, definitely want to hear more from this guy.
If you're in the market for some mysterious and creepy, buzz drenched melancholic blackness, both Striborg and Claustrophobia should do it for you.
Now, can't wait for Southwest Passage...
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES! Each one hand numbered...
MPEG Stream: STRIBORG "Psychic Visions"
MPEG Stream: CLAUSTROPHOBIA "Ghostly Melancholy"

SUPERSILENT 9 (Rune Grammofon) cd 17.98
Wow, we're getting old. Our favorite Norwegian electronic/jazz/WTF improvising unit, Supersilent, are already up to number 9 in their discography! Almost into double digits. (Of course, that's not nearly as prolific as some bands, imagine if Circle, Nadja, or good grief Acid Mothers Temple numbered their releases. you'd never be able to recall which one was which, that's for sure. But, hey, you would at least know what order they came in... c'mon AMT fans, do you remember if Ominous From The Cosmic Inferno predated Iao Chant From The Cosmic Inferno, or maybe it was Journey Into The Cosmic Inferno that came first? And where do Demons From Nipples and Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Under The Stars fit in, chronologically? Not that you really need to know either. Ok, enough with that digression...)
So, what's Supersilent all about this time? As usual, the lack of titles and artwork don't give a lot to go on. The Kim Hiorthoy designed digipak is a bright sort of blue this time, for what that's worth (being about the only design decision Hiorthoy has to make for each otherwise identically generic looking Supersilent release, probably a lot of thought goes into the color choice). Well it turns out that Supersilent 9 is one of their more atmospheric, almost ambient efforts, with band member / producer Deathprod's aesthetic to the fore. There's four tracks, none of 'em short, ranging from 11:43, to the longest at 14:32... plenty of time for the listener to get lost in their carefully improvised, mostly quiet and slowly unfolding soundworlds... Arve Henriksen's breathy trumpet is ultra muted, really we're not sure if we are hearing it or not, and in terms of percussion, Supersilent 9 is entirely without the quirky rhythmic elements that characterized their chaotically skittery debut Supersilent 1-3 or the almost Autechre-ish glitchery of Supersilent 4. Instead, this, when rhythmic at all, evinces more of slow sawing whirr or thick throb, as on the droning and kinda doomy second track (the loudest one here as well), which pulses with shuddering distortion and has a bit of an atonal 20th century classical vibe to it. The tracks on Supersilent 9 are also more "of a piece", not as eclectic as on 6 or 8... There's certainly variation but it's constrained, the group taking a "less is more", minimalistic approach to this disc. The surprise vocals and psych-rock moves of Supersilent 8 are nowhere to be found this time 'round. Instead this hews closest to the glacial bliss of Supersilent 5, if we recall correctly, but in even more of an abstract manner. In parts, this comes quite close to literally living up to the band name. Dreamy and drifty, this is. And so very nice.
What we've since learned about the (even by Supersilent standards) unusual nature of this disc is that their drummer quit the band right before they recorded this... and the remaining three members all decided to play Hammond organ exclusively for this session! Not that you'd guess that's all you were hearing. Ultimately, another very satisfying release from this unique outfit! Leaving us curious about what direction they'll take in the future, when it's time for number 10.
MPEG Stream: "9.1"
MPEG Stream: "9.2"
MPEG Stream: "9.3"

TATE, DARREN When An Insect Visits Your Window (Fungal) cd-r 13.98
For many years now, Darren Tate has been content to issue micro-editions of his work, his earliest recordings with Andrew Chalk and Colin Potter as Ora almost always emerging as an edition of 50 copies or so on cd-r or cassette before warranting a larger pressing on vinyl or cd. Yet recently, the editions on his Fungal imprint have remained the tiny editions with little notion that any will resurface later. True, Tate's eccentric droning, autodidact guitarwork, and psychedelic electronics equate with far more difficult listening than the impressionist blurs of Ora's grand atmospheres; but the paucity of these releases (augmented by their peculiar nature) makes them treasures all the more.
Let's assume this album to be an exaggerated view of what Darren might be meditating upon when he stares out his window. While he's been known to incorporate field recordings from various sources into his work, the flutter of moth wings or the buzz of a wasp won't be found here. The insectoid repetition from the seasickly swooshing glissando that opens the album is the weird science mimesis you get instead; and from there, Tate presents an ever collapsing set of two note melodies (very much on the Giancarlo Toniutti / Maurizio Bianchi end of the hypno-melodic drone spectrum), flanging oscillations, spectral Tetuzi Akiyama style stabs at his guitar, and plenty of asynchronous tone clusters to hang in empty space.
Limited to 75 copies, and that's it!
MPEG Stream: "Track 1"
MPEG Stream: "Track 2"

TIGER THROAT s/t (Rusty Axe) cd-r 5.98
We were WAY skeptical of the claim that Tiger Throat sounded like "an Instrumental Bone Awl thrown into a blender with Mono and HEALTH", but it kind of really does, and even though such a description would piss off the misanthropic Bone Awl, we're pretty into it.
This are only three songs (even though there are 10 actual tracks, the rest are weird noisy interludes), but those 3 songs cram in a crazy amount of wild spastic drumming, frenetic buzzing riffage, and all manner of blown out glitch and skitter. The record opens with a soaring almost Cave-like fuzzy hypno krautrock workout, pounding and epic and melodic but still pretty raw and frenzied, until part way through the track crumbles, the song lurching through a field of downtuned guitar groan, grinding effects, backwards drumming, only to explode in an almost D-beat blast, while somehow remaining poppy as fuck, like a more fractured and melodic Ancestors? Whatever you compare these guys to, it works, the track winds down into something more slowcore and post rock, all loping drums and sprawling downtuned buzz. All kinds of sounds worm into the mix. And even though it thrashes pretty hard, it's also catchy and sort of fun. Plenty of weird electronic parts (the HEALTH influence) mixed with the aforementioned thrashy, punkish energy. Pretty unique in parts, pretty psychedelic and very melodic.
The second track is way more dirgey and doomy, but in a sort of spaced out post rock way, the guitar shimmering and ringing out, not really distorted, the drums WAY in the red, very practice space sounding, until the track shifts gears and the guitars explode, and vocals come in, super processed and warped, the whole track music and vocals seems to undulate and twist, like a sonic funhouse mirror, but it's also probably the blackest moment on the record, it goes on for a few minutes, but we were sort of wishing it would KEEP going. So rad.
The final track opens with a mathy manic start stop, you can hear a band member breathlessly counting it off in the background, the result is a lurching squelchy skronky no wave-ish electronic noise rock jam, that gets more and more dense and harsh as the track progresses, finally spilling into a rad hypnotic dirge, the guitars are all overblown while the drumming is teetering on the edge of distorting, the track winding up with a cool staccato grinding metallic outro.
Probably not metal enough for most metal heads, even with the Bone Awl / Ancestors references, it's obvious from the artwork and band name that the black metal influence, while definitely there, is more sort of abstract and just another part of the noise, that said, adventurous metalheads line up here, and for the rest of you, who dig noisy, hooky, electronic, metallic, psych rock weirdness, this is WAY recommended.
MPEG Stream: "An Arch Between Two Crossings"
MPEG Stream: "This Brave Waning Light"

TOIL Lullabies For Insects (Rusty Axe / Graveless Slumber) cd ep 7.98
We've been digging this band for a while, but weirdly enough this is the first record of theirs we've reviewed. When we first heard about Toil, they were described to us as a band that sounded "exactly like the Cure, only with harsh black metal vocals," which sounded pretty good to us, gloomy gothic, new wave indie rock with black metal vocals? Awesome. And it was!
Things have changed a bit on Lullabies For Insects, the Cure vibe is still there (they do a Cure cover after all, more on that in a second), but the sound is more metal, more rocking, and if anything, Toil sound quite a bit like Lifelover, the same sort of strange juxtaposition of howling harsh vox and melodic almost indie sounding black metal. In fact, opener "Moth With Fractured Wings" is a dead ringer for Lifelover, which is not at all a bad thing, c'mon, there are a million bands who sound like Darkthrone, and more keep popping up every day, we're pretty psyched on all these bands exploring their poppier side.
After a cool 5 minute noisdrone piece, the band launch into a depressive dirge, that musically reminds us of Urfaust, or Hypothermia, lilting, loping, the vocals still frayed and maniacal, but the music, so warm and melodic, with some cool breaks with clean guitar and drums. And then finally, the Cure cover, a pretty straight version of "Love Song", except for the vocals, which are insanely over the top, a shrieky demonic falsetto, totally at odds with the music, which is what makes it so ridiculous and so awesome!
Cool packaging, one of those 3" cd's embedded in a normal cd sized plastic disc, with the artwork printed over the whole thing!
MPEG Stream: "Moth With Fractured Wings"
MPEG Stream: "Porcelain Maggots"

TRUNK, JONNY Scrapbook (Trunk) cd 16.98
Jonny Trunk is a true tastemaker. With his Trunk label he has unearthed gems from the likes of Basil Kirchin, John Baker, Sven Libaek, Desmond Leslie, and more more more. His fine taste for rare soundtrack grooves and left of center electronics has always totally hit the spot for us here in AQ land. But with the release of Scrapbook, Trunk mixes it up and shifts into the role of musical creator instead of just music aficionado and the results are totally terrific.
If you've followed the releases on Trunk, his own musical stylings should make perfect sense as these are all instrumental jams and grooves that could be the sounds of some great lost library music collection. Short satisfying tracks filled with breaks you could totally imagine on a J Dilla or Madlib record. Trunk is extremely self deprecating in the funny liner notes and you can tell as someone who has released other people's exquisite music over the years he has been reluctant to release his own bedroom recordings from the last decade, and while we appreciate his humble and self-conscious musings they are so not necessary as Scrapbook more than holds its own, held up alongside any of the lost treasures he's helped shine a light on. We'll take Jonny Trunk's scraps anytime!
MPEG Stream: "Lesbian 77"
MPEG Stream: "News"
MPEG Stream: "New Piano"
MPEG Stream: "DT Three"

TRUNK, JONNY Scrapbook (Trunk) lp 17.98
Jonny Trunk is a true tastemaker. With his Trunk label he has unearthed gems from the likes of Basil Kirchin, John Baker, Sven Libaek, Desmond Leslie, and more more more. His fine taste for rare soundtrack grooves and left of center electronics has always totally hit the spot for us here in AQ land. But with the release of Scrapbook, Trunk mixes it up and shifts into the role of musical creator instead of just music aficionado and the results are totally terrific.
If you've followed the releases on Trunk, his own musical stylings should make perfect sense as these are all instrumental jams and grooves that could be the sounds of some great lost library music collection. Short satisfying tracks filled with breaks you could totally imagine on a J Dilla or Madlib record. Trunk is extremely self deprecating in the funny liner notes and you can tell as someone who has released other people's exquisite music over the years he has been reluctant to release his own bedroom recordings from the last decade, and while we appreciate his humble and self-conscious musings they are so not necessary as Scrapbook more than holds its own, held up alongside any of the lost treasures he's helped shine a light on. We'll take Jonny Trunk's scraps anytime!
MPEG Stream: "Lesbian 77"
MPEG Stream: "News"
MPEG Stream: "New Piano"
MPEG Stream: "DT Three"

UMBERTO From The Grave (Sonic Mediations) cassette 5.98
Doubtless many movie (and music) buffs would agree that Italian '70s and '80s "giallo" (horror/thriller) cinema, from directors like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, had soundtracks usually as evocative and inspirational as any visual aspect of the films, soundtracks which often stand as effective works of art all on their own. The scores by prog band Goblin being perhaps best known, influencing such modern day bands as Zombi and Crime In Choir. Now here's another, utterly blatant and most excellent example of Italian giallo soundtrack worship by a current artist: Umberto!
Umberto is actually a one-man band, that man being Matt Hill, live collaborator / touring member of AQ faves Expo '70! Under his guise of Umberto, he has just released his first album as limited edition cassette and cd-r on the Sonic Mediations label run by Expo '70 mainman Justin Wright. While Expo '70 has proven to be especially adept at channelling the heavy kosmiche bliss of prime '70s krautrock a la Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel, Umberto is equally savvy at conjuring the dark, suspenseful soundtrack-y sounds of Goblin and the like. With, some cosmic Klaus-y krauty-ness thrown in as well. This definitely sounds like it could be an actual soundtrack, in fact, someone should MAKE a film just to use this as a soundtrack. You can certainly do so in your imagination, aided perhaps by the cinematically suggestive track titles, which include "Running Blade", "Intermission", "Dream Sequence", "Shower Scene", and "End Credits" (the only track here with vocals, otherwise it's all instrumental... and the vocals on this last track are some sort of hard-to understand, chant-like invocation). Listen with the lights off for best results.
Umberto has a heavily synthesized sound, keyboards buzzing and droning and squelching, crunchily distorted or eerily ethereal, sounding at once like ominous Gothic organ music and also spacey futuristic electronica. Mechanical drumming plods along, propulsive beats adding to the menacing atmosphere. There's also plenty of fat disco synth-bass, and we bet folks into Italians Do It Better 12"s, or Black Devil Disco Club, or even skweee would get a kick out of this too, not just Goblin fanatics... but yeah Goblin fanatics (and John Carpenter and Zombi fans too) REALLY ought to check this out! Very cool, very creepy, and even at times kinda catchy-groovy.
MPEG Stream: "Forsaken Dawn"
MPEG Stream: "It Came From The Swamp"
MPEG Stream: "Running Blade"

UMBERTO From The Grave (Sonic Mediations) cd-r 5.98
Doubtless many movie (and music) buffs would agree that Italian '70s and '80s "giallo" (horror/thriller) cinema, from directors like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, had soundtracks usually as evocative and inspirational as any visual aspect of the films, soundtracks which often stand as effective works of art all on their own. The scores by prog band Goblin being perhaps best known, influencing such modern day bands as Zombi and Crime In Choir. Now here's another, utterly blatant and most excellent example of Italian giallo soundtrack worship by a current artist: Umberto!
Umberto is actually a one-man band, that man being Matt Hill, live collaborator / touring member of AQ faves Expo '70! Under his guise of Umberto, he has just released his first album as limited edition cassette and cd-r on the Sonic Mediations label run by Expo '70 mainman Justin Wright. While Expo '70 has proven to be especially adept at channelling the heavy kosmiche bliss of prime '70s krautrock a la Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel, Umberto is equally savvy at conjuring the dark, suspenseful soundtrack-y sounds of Goblin and the like. With, some cosmic Klaus-y krauty-ness thrown in as well. This definitely sounds like it could be an actual soundtrack, in fact, someone should MAKE a film just to use this as a soundtrack. You can certainly do so in your imagination, aided perhaps by the cinematically suggestive track titles, which include "Running Blade", "Intermission", "Dream Sequence", "Shower Scene", and "End Credits" (the only track here with vocals, otherwise it's all instrumental... and the vocals on this last track are some sort of hard-to understand, chant-like invocation). Listen with the lights off for best results.
Umberto has a heavily synthesized sound, keyboards buzzing and droning and squelching, crunchily distorted or eerily ethereal, sounding at once like ominous Gothic organ music and also spacey futuristic electronica. Mechanical drumming plods along, propulsive beats adding to the menacing atmosphere. There's also plenty of fat disco synth-bass, and we bet folks into Italians Do It Better 12"s, or Black Devil Disco Club, or even skweee would get a kick out of this too, not just Goblin fanatics... but yeah Goblin fanatics (and John Carpenter and Zombi fans too) REALLY ought to check this out! Very cool, very creepy, and even at times kinda catchy-groovy.
MPEG Stream: "Forsaken Dawn"
MPEG Stream: "It Came From The Swamp"
MPEG Stream: "Running Blade"

V/A 5 Years Of Hyperdub (Hyperdub) 2cd 28.00
We have been dying for this. A double disc collection, gathering up all the bad ass-est 12" sides from the last 5 years, released on the Hyperdub label, who have pretty much single handedly transformed dubstep into something more than just a beat and a bassline, so much so, it's not entirely accurate to call this a dubstep comp, sure a lot of this will push all your dubstep buttons, that beat, the fuzzy synth basslines, but so many of these songs use those elements as a jumping off point, taking THAT sound in a million different directions. Check the list of artists, and that alone should probably have most of you reaching for that click to buy button: Kode9 & The Spaceape, Darkstar, Zomby, Burial, Flying Lotus, Martyn, Joker, The Bug, and loads more.
But it's the sound, and the sounds happening on these 12"s, that have helped make Hyperdub, THE electronic label, and listening to these two discs, it's easy to see why. Dark, heavy, haunting, mysterious, stuttery, groovy, the interesting thing is how many of these jams are vocal driven, which in most cases would be a total turnoff, but instead, the vocals are seamlessly incorporated, sometimes being chopped and looped into rhythms, other times carrying the melody, in the case of Spaceape, offering a haunting dialogue, but those vocals add a pop element that make many of these songs crazy catchy. Sure, lots of the songs are stripped down dubbed out instrumentals, and those tracks do rule, but it's a measure of the label. and the artists that they've helped redefine a sound with fairly distinct parameters, and in doing so created some of the most far out and progressive electronic music we've heard in ages. From super skeletal stripped down dubstep, to skittery glitchstep, to warm languid pulsing minimalism, to block rocking big beated synth step, to loping electro future funk, to lush, almost indie sounding downtempo, to 8-bit Goblin-esque squiggle and glitch... it goes on and on. There are some serious classics, Kode9's "9 Samurai" is so evocative, like a dubstep DJ Shadow, "South London Burroughs" by Burial, is fierce and jagged and about as heavy as dubstep gets, we could probably go track by track, but you probably get the picture, this RULES. Easily the most essential electronic music / dubstep / whatever collection of the year!
Comes in a cool mini, slimline dvd style case, with full color cover and printed full color booklet / insert / tracklisting.
MPEG Stream: KODE9 "Time Patrol (Featuring Cha Cha)"
MPEG Stream: SAMIYAM "Roller Skates"
MPEG Stream: BLACK CHOW "Purple Smoke"
MPEG Stream: BURIAL "Fostercare"
MPEG Stream: IKONIKA "Sahara Michael"

V/A Bite Harder: The Music De Wolfe Studio Sampler Volume 2 (De Wolfe Music Library) cd 17.98
The last volume of De Wolfe Library grooves we had went out of print pretty fast, so don't hesitate on this one if you are so inclined. This is actually not the sequel to Jason Willet's DJ-curated Music De Wolfe Vol. 1 we listed a couple of years ago, but the sequel to a comp we didn't carry called Bite Hard, now sadly gone. Only two of the songs on Music De Wolfe vol. 1 appear here. The De Wolfe Studio (aka Music De Wolfe Sound Library) began in 1909 as a studio for music to accompany silent films, but it's heyday was in the seventies as the go-to studio for killer crime funk. Spy chases, criminal action films and tense moody thrillers were De Wolfe's specialty and have since been key source material for many hip-hop samples from Kool G. Rap, High & Mighty and Cam'ron. Compiled by Joel Martin, the record nut behind the Dawn of the Dead unreleased soundtrack music (all of those cues too were from the De Wolfe library) and Warren De Wolfe, this is the first compilation to be released directly from the De Wolfe studio. Let's hope there's plenty more!
MPEG Stream: LUDOVIC DECOSNE & PIERRE DAUBRESSE "The Gloaming"
MPEG Stream: PETER RENO "Silver Thrust"
MPEG Stream: SIMON HASELEY "Hammerheads"
MPEG Stream: SIMON PARK "Motives 1"
MPEG Stream: JOHN SAUNDERS "Myriad"

V/A Music For Mentalists (Psychic Circle) cd 17.98
Most of the time, compilations are intended to bring you the "best" of something. This one, though, is different! The compilers have deliberately put together a compilation of the WORST. A collection of "the obscure, the peculiar, and in some cases the downright disturbing". And of course, we recommend it! Now, the Psychic Circle label is known for all their keen compilations of '60s psych pop, "instro-hipster" groove, glam rock, and other vintage obscurities. Many of their discs are compiled by Nick "Bevis Frond" Saloman, who here, along with colleague Mick Dillingham, delve into a very different, and certainly much less cool/good/valuable, section of what must be vast, vast record collections. The section labeled "incredibly strange (or daft) music"! Collectable perhaps, but definitely more as a compulsion than an investment. They're mostly flea market and junk shop finds, we imagine. Barmy commercial jingles. Novelty tunes. Celebrity cash-ins. Easy listening attempts to be hip. Embarrassing (though fairly witty) rapping by an old white Englishman promoting his darts themed TV quiz show. Disco-sploitation. Would-be exotica and/or erotica. Super sappy lovesongs. "Ethnic" oddities (including more rapping). Et cetera, et cetera. Like other Psychic Circle comps, it's stuff from from the '60s and '70s (though it's possible that the ones with the rapping could be from the early '80s), some tracks having an increased humor factor due to their datedness. The other humor factor: how terrible, terrible this music is. Quite painful some of it. But also really funny. And sometimes pretty darn catchy. Which actually is a dangerous thing - you might wind up with some really bizarre stuff stuck in your head as a result of listening to this. Don't say we didn't warn you. But who wouldn't want, ferinstance, "These Boots Are Made For Walking" as performed (for some reason) by an outfit appropriately called Balsara & His Singing Sitars stuck in their head? Certainly not you.
There's an overwhelming 33 tracks here (OMG!). And immediately you'll find confusional, cringeworthy fodder for your next voicemail greeting, or something to render the next mix tape (cd-r, playlist, whatever) you make just a little bit weirder! Most of the stuff here was previously quite unknown to us (though we venture to guess that if you grew up in the UK, there's a chance you might be more familiar with some of the entries). And even if we knew the artists, such as the celebrity contingent of David McCallum, David Carradine, and Xaviera "The Happy Hooker" Hollander (performing separately, not together, now that would be REALLY crazy), that didn't really prepare us for what their tracks were all about. Or maybe it did. Bizarre stuff in any case, as are all the rest of the tracks here, which include everything from Micky Katz's Yiddish version of "K'nock Around The Clock" to a silly shoe advert ("The Weakling In Thom McCann Shoes") to opera singer Cathy Berberian's faux-classical take on the Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand" to a big band version of the Monkees theme to naive outsider homemade pop to discofied Pink Floyd. Just when you think it can't get any worse or weirder, it does!! And let's not forget, this starts off pretty insane, with track two being about the weirdest bit of civic boosterism ever, a song called "Energy In Northampton", commissioned by The Northampton Development Corporation and sung by one Linda Jardim, this song tells of aliens from outer space crash landing in the town of Northampton and finding it quite to their liking!
It's like Saloman and Dillingham took turns one-upping each other with the most absurd, atrocious recorded artifacts they (perversely) treasure... "Oh, you thought that was bad? Get a load of THIS!" and you get to hear it all, in its awesome/awful glory. The cd booklet provides some mercifully brief details about each track along with appropriate accompanying graphics in full color (and also reveals that most of the blame here goes to Mr. Dillingham, from whose crazy collection most if not all of these records were sourced). We're sorta surprised this is on Psychic Circle, and not, say, the Trunk label. This disc seems destined to become a beloved best seller... at least here at Aquarius!
MPEG Stream: LINDA JARDIM "Energy In Northampton"
MPEG Stream: REGINALD BOSANQUET "Dance With Me"
MPEG Stream: HYLDA BAKER "Substitute"
MPEG Stream: MARVIN JAMES "Together In Iceland"

V/A Rock En Arequipa (Repsychled) cd 14.98
Fuzz and groove from the Andes, mostly circa 1969-1974, uh huh! If there's anything we've learned from all the cool comps and reissues that have come out over the years, is that almost ANYPLACE on Earth you can think of, no matter how out of the way, chances are they had their own happenin' psychedelic garage rock band scene back in the day, chock full of cool bands that we'd never have ever heard of but for the diligent efforts of collectors and compilers. Certainly we already know this to be the case in '60s/'70s Peru, as we're already in love with such great bands from that land as Traffic Sound, We All Together, and Tarkus. Now from the same Lima-based label, Repsychled, that just so happens to be responsible for reissues of albums by all of those, we get this killer compilation devoted to bands from Peru's second largest city, Arequipa, located in the south of the country, high up in the Andes. None of these groups recorded full albums, but they did release rare singles and make live 'party' cassettes and left behind enough cool music that this disc is packed, 21 tracks from five bands: Los Texao, Free Love System, Los Incognitos, Madera Fresca, and Opus.
Los Texao, named after the type of flower associated with Arequipa, have the lion's share of the tracks, ten of 'em, including some covers (Cream, The Guess Who, Steppenwolf). They are also responsible for several of the best originals on here, especially their druggy groovy freakout "Stone", which by itself may justify the purchase of this disc, and exemplifies their own musical style called niebla (= fog in English), we're told "because of the effect produced by the band's rotor amps and reverb and echo effects". But Free Love System don't let us, or Arequipa, down either (with a name like that, you gotta be good!) and their four cuts are also pretty cool and, uh, foggy, including one with driving fuzz guitars and a kind of "You Really Got Me" riff, entitled "Correteando Anoranzas". They (as well as Los Texao and the others) also do some dreamy pop stuff, with melancholic psych guitar solos, so it's not all heavy and rockin', but mellow and moody too.
Meanwhile Los Incognitos have more of a twang, sounding a bit like something out of a Spaghetti Western on their four cuts. And then there's a couple by Madera Fresca. In particular, their track "Anytime" is pretty crazed, though also extremely lo-fi (fortunately it's the exception in that regard amongst the tracks here), and heck even if it wasn't, that'd be ok with us, we'd happily crank a whole album of this sort of distorted worbbly-warbly instrumental jamming. And then Opus, a band formed by Free Love System's former guitarist in '76, wraps up the disc with track #21, the only one on the disc that's not actually from the '69-'74 time frame, though it sounds it, despite being recorded as late as 1982.
Whoo! Along with our recent initiation into the wonderfulness of the "chicha" sound (which combined Andean folk traditions with psych/beat influences), this comp certainly adds to our infatuation with Peruvian music of the psychedelic era. If you dig stuff like the Love, Peace & Poetry: Latin America comp you'll want to hear this. The cd booklet is illustrated with vintage photos and press clippings, and includes informative liner notes in Spanish and (somewhat abridged) English.
MPEG Stream: LOS TEXAO "Stone"
MPEG Stream: FREE LOVE SYSTEM "Correteando Anoranzas"
MPEG Stream: LOS INCOGNITOS "Ya Sera Tarde"
MPEG Stream: LOS TEXAO "Pobre Gato"

V/A Singapore A-Go-Go (Sublime Frequencies) cd 16.98
Sublime Frequencies seemingly can do no wrong. A keen ear and a deft curatorial skill means that every release is not just interesting sociologically, but is musically kick ass as well. Singapore A-Go-Go is a collection of singles recorded and released during a brief period in the sixties and seventies, when various Southeast Asian countries were bucking the stringent requirements of the Chinese state, embracing both Western pop and traditional Chinese music, which were essentially banned. Thanks to American G.I.s and Radio Free Asia, young people grew up listening to both Chinese music, and all manner of Western pop, the fact that the economy was booming, also meant that kids could afford records and record players, and musicians could afford instruments and studio time, which of course meant tons of records reflecting this classical Chinese / Western pop hybrid. The liner notes this time around are dense and fascinating, all about the time and the culture and the climate, the musicians and the proliferation of small labels, which is all just icing, on this amazing compilation of gorgeous garage-y girl group pop, the mix of cultures and sounds is definitely heady. Morricone-ish twang, soulful grooves, and sing songy traditional Chinese music will coexist peacefully and perfectly within the same song, pounding drums, whirring organs, Joe Meek style instrumental surf rock will wrap around jazzy vibraphones, and funky basslines, some songs sound like American TV show themes, others sound almost Bollywood, while still others sound like Perrey & Kingsley. Soft easy listening Lawrence Welkisms flow right into more rocking psychedelic rock, the Mission Impossible theme is reappropriated, with vocals added for a cool brooding surfy rock jam, Eastern style melodies are infused into classic sixties girl group sounds, and the vocals mostly female, are exuberant and girlish and wide eyed and playful, and make this whole collection so much fun. Like everything on Sublime Frequencies, way way way recommended!
MPEG Stream: GRACE LEE AND THE STYLERS "Each And Every Flower"
MPEG Stream: LINDA YONG AND THE SILVERTONES "Good Luck In The New Year"
MPEG Stream: CHARLIE ELECTRIC GUITAR BAND'S SOUND OF JAPAN "Carnation"
MPEG Stream: LIM LING AND THE SILVERTONES "(Funny, Funny) Why Do I Fall In Love With You?"
MPEG Stream: LIM LING AND THE SILVERTONES "Si Li Li Li Li Our Hearts Beat As One"

V/A Swedish Death Metal (Index Verlag) 3cd 21.00
Writer Daniel Ekeroth really loves death metal. Specifically SWEDISH death metal. He's Swedish, yes, and plays in a Swedish death metal band, so maybe he's biased... but we DO have to agree, there's something special about the death metal scene in Sweden, particularly back in the very early '90s when it was at its fullest flower. Sweden has bestowed upon the world some of the best in guttural growling and blasting beats, crypt-rattling riffs and of course the "Sunlight sound". We reviewed Ekeroth's encyclopedic book Swedish Death Metal a while ago. Now, here's the audio companion compilation to said book. Maybe reading a 456 page tome all about the wonders of Swedish death metal is more than you're ready for. But even if you didn't read the book (and most definitely if you DID) you might still be interested in this. Either from reading the book you'll be curious to hear the obscure bands collected here, or from listening to this you too will develop an obsession with Swedish death metal and thus need to read the book... and listen to nothing else but Swedish death metal for the foreseeable future! Don't say we didn't warn you.
Lovingly put together, this triple cd set is packed with crucial examples of the SDM phenomenon. Mostly rare demo tracks, or songs taken from vinyl-only eps... There's quite a few of the big names of course (Grave, Entombed, Dismember, At The Gates, Unleashed, etc.) but also many, many more obscure but also important bands. There's pioneering early tracks from the likes of Obscurity, Merciless, and Nihilist. Forgotten and/or underrated greats like Crematory, Afflicted, and Nirvana 2002. And, keeping death alive, the set wraps up with a couple newer bands, like genius throwbacks Repugnant!
Here's some more names either to pique your curiosity, or if you know 'em, to whet your appetite: Edge Of Sanity, General Surgery, Grotesque, Desultory, Sorcery, Carbonized, Carnage, Tiamat, Furbowl, Seance... and there's tons and tons more. 52 tracks here by 48 bands!!! And we're telling you, it's quite possible, nay probable, that the heaviest, most brutal song EVER is one of the ones included on this cd. It must be.
Disc one, covering 1986-1990 is the rawest, thrashiest stuff, exploring the cult origins of the movement, some if it super lo-fi but still crushing. What's a little tape hiss and distortion when you're listening to singing that sounds like an asthmatic cookie monster anyway? Disc two, 1989-'93, includes some all time classics, in Ekeroth's book and ours, and also delves into death/black crossover with tracks from Marduk and Dissection. And then disc three celebrates some lesser known greats, mostly covering the period 1990-1994, with a track from '98 and another from 2007 just to demonstrate that true Swedish death metal will never die.
Like we said, this is clearly a labor of love, packaged in a handsome book-like package (it looks like the book, we mean). The four-panel digipack includes a thick cd booklet with notes on each and every track by author Ekeroth, who of course was one of this release's compilers. Awesome.
MPEG Stream: NIHILIST "Abnormally Deceased"
MPEG Stream: TRIBULATION "Irrevocable Act"
MPEG Stream: ENTOMBED "But Life Goes On"
MPEG Stream: CRYPT OF KERBEROS "The Ancient War"

VOLTAIC OMEN Hammer Of Witches (self released) cassette 5.00
We told the story of Volataic Omen when we reviewed the Supreme Satanic Substorm cd-r a while back, but it definitely bears repeating:
It all began with two unidentified mp3's sent via email, no message, no anything, just to HUGE files. We were wondering if there was something wrong with our email, and then POW. Two songs, identified only by title, but nothing about what they were, the name of the band, where they came from. Our first impulse was to just trash em, but we thought what the heck? And holy shit were we immediately floored. Exactly the sort of buzzing warped blackness we love around these parts, lo-fi, tripped out, druggy, heavy, space-y, we had to figure out who the heck this band was and how to get MORE!! After a few emails back and forth, we discovered this filthy black chaos was the work of a one man band from the Northwest called Voltaic Omen, a little more digging revealed than not only did that one man have the most bad ass corpse paint, but his corpsepainted visage was an integral part of one of the VO logos, one of the best black metal logos ever by the way.
So we were smitten, if one can be smitten by something as grim and fucked up and blown out as Voltaic Omen, there is a tUMULt release in the works, and at the rate this guys kicks out tracks, there's bound to be an avalanche of grim blackness down the line, but for now, you gotta grab one of these filthy little gems while you can, this one is LIMITED TO 25 COPIES, and we got them ALL, but these are gonna fly outta here, so grimlords be quick.
Oh right, what's the fuss about this Voltaic Omen stuff anyway? More of that fractured fucked up lo-fi stumbling buzzy black weirdness we can't ever seem to get enough of. Damaged drum machines blast over woozy washed out black buzz, the vocals are insane, moaning and screeching, even though the drums are blasting, the music is slow and sludgey and lurching and lumbering, a weird, dizzyingly off kilter sonic squall. One of the tracks here begins all punk rock, but then gets all oompah, still shrieky and buzzy and bizarre, but wrapped around a weird 1-2-1-2-1-2 sort of rhythm, but flip it over, and things get all doomy and filthy and abject and blown the fuck out. So goddamn good. You like Furze, Striborg, Lonesummer, Amocoma, Anwech, Wrnlrd, Jabladav, Xasthur, Draugar, Vorak, Necrofrost? You probably like Volatic Omen. Way recommended and WAY LIMITED.
And for those folks who want to get WAY into VO, we have a couple other releases, 2 tapes and a 3"cd-r, which we only got a very few copies of, but they're cheap if you want em, just ask, cuz as far as we're concerned you should get as much Voltaic Omen as you can handle...

VON BINGEN s/t (Amen Absen) lp 22.00
Early '70s krautrock stylings by way of Canada circa 2009, all the while channelling the visionary plainsongs from the 12th Century abbess Hildegarde Von Bingen! This Von Bingen began when two members of an East Coast psychedeliclatter project called Hildegard moved to Canada, met up with one of satellite members of Jackie O Motherfucker, and rebranded themselves. While the nature of the earlier band has escaped us, this Von Bingen has emerged fully formed, crawling out from the same primordial soup that spawned the likes of Amon Duul II, Hawkwind, Psychic Ills, Bardo Pond, and The Wooden Shjips. Yeah, they're pretty damn good!
A subdued yet motorik rhythm sets the stage for the opening track circled with interlocking guitars, electronics, and bass right out of the songbook of Faust IV, all of which are brought into relief with a sporadically used melodic jump out of the dronerock mentality. A paranoiac piece of incidental music links these grooves with droning lament for flute, giving way to a subterranean plod that almost sounds like a Throbbing Gristle piece remade a decade earlier as a transgressive piece of psychedelia laced with weird horns and Arabesque guitar leads. The flipside begins with an extended piece of cosmic ritualism through sustained mod synth drone and church organ tones twisting along side more of that wistful flute and gradually coalescing into a proto-Suicide pulsation of psychedelic electronics and downer melodies. The finale of the album centers upon a dazed guitar riff coming in and out of focus amidst the druggy atmosphere of synth drones, simple bouts of percussion, freeform flutes, and squeals of electricity. To say this is a trip is quite the understatement. Do not let this one pass you by!

WRNLRD Myrmidon (Flingco) lp 26.00
There's weird black metal, and then there's WEIRD black metal. Generally the weird stuff tends toward either the stumbling and inept, or the super avant and ridiculously proficient, but the strangeness of Wrnlrd seems so much more organic, as if the sound of Wrnlrd was not in fact strange, but more that all the other sounds around it were way too normal. Nothing sounds forced, or ridiculous, but it all sounds twisted and freaky, and most definitely unlike any other black metal you've ever heard. Could be because the man behind Wrnlrd grew up playing bluegrass, could be these are just the sounds he hears in his head, whatever it is, we're grateful, cuz every Wrnlrd record seems to blow our mind more than the last.
Just check out the opener here, the guitars -almost- out of tune, the melody strangely atonal, the drums buried in the mix, the bass warbly and warped, and what sounds like some sort of bleating tuba supplying the low end, chugging riffage over strange snippets of found sound, tangled saxophones (?), bellowed vocals, all the sounds relentless and all tangled up in a swirling blackened mass, harmonized guitars, weird jagged shards of metallic crunch, and then the song suddenly shifts, the key changes to something slightly more melodic and major, and female vocals, soulful and almost operatic wail over the top. What? Really? How does it work? And why does it sound so goddamn amazing? You'll probably be asking yourself that over and over as you dig into Myrmidon, that is if you can stop yourself from headbanging or pry the headphones off your ears. That first track is a sort-of-template for the whole record, the soaring female vocals, the gnarled crunchy riffage, the lurching start stop arrangements, everything murky and downtuned, a bit noisy, blurred and buzzy, dense and so chaotic, but somehow it all works, and the result is some seriously transcendent black art.
Super thick vinyl, 180 gram, comes with a digital download too!!
MPEG Stream: "Girl"
MPEG Stream: "Queen / Bridal"
MPEG Stream: "Moaner / Revelator"

ZOMBY One Foot Ahead Of The Other (Ramp) cd 14.98
Holy shit!!!! This has been in absolute constant rotation for us since we got it and sadly it's taken a while for us to get enough to list but here it is and we think it's going to be tough to beat this as the best electronic record of the year! Think 8-bit rave bangers with mescaline fueled glow sticks and you start to get an idea of the charged, frantic and colorful world Zomby have created with One Foot Ahead Of The Other.
Zomby manage to tap into all the aspects of electronic music we love and comes across almost like a new supercharged version of skweee! But the greatness of Zomby is that the songs and sounds on One Foot Ahead Of Another screams FUCK LABELS LET'S REACH SONIC LEVELS OF ECSTASY! while the rest of the electronic music world is constantly divided into way too many confusing sub-genres. This transcends all that, big time!
While past Zomby releases have aligned the 'group' with the dubstep scene, Zomby really does move to the beat of his own unique and unclassifiable rhythm. And the results are so fucking electrifying!
We're happy that there are no hidden cameras following us during our daily lives cuz when we have this on our headphones as we walk through the city we totally bust out impromptu contorted dance freakouts, cuz it's just totally impossible to stand still when this is playing. It has the same kind of frenetic energy that made us fall in love with folks like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher back in the day. One Foot Ahead Of The Other is the kind of record that folks like Black Dice, Fuck Buttons and Excepter all secretly wish they could make. Not a wasted moment to be found, all killer and no filler... and for sure one of our favorite records of the year!
MPEG Stream: "One Foot Ahead Of The Other"
MPEG Stream: "Pumpkinhead's Revenge"
MPEG Stream: "Expert Tuition"

ZOMBY One Foot Ahead Of The Other (Ramp) 2x12" 25.00
Holy shit!!!! This has been in absolute constant rotation for us since we got it and sadly it's taken a while for us to get enough to list but here it is and we think it's going to be tough to beat this as the best electronic record of the year! Think 8-bit rave bangers with mescaline fueled glow sticks and you start to get an idea of the charged, frantic and colorful world Zomby have created with One Foot Ahead Of The Other.
Zomby manage to tap into all the aspects of electronic music we love and comes across almost like a new supercharged version of skweee! But the greatness of Zomby is that the songs and sounds on One Foot Ahead Of Another screams FUCK LABELS LET'S REACH SONIC LEVELS OF ECSTASY! while the rest of the electronic music world is constantly divided into way too many confusing sub-genres. This transcends all that, big time!
While past Zomby releases have aligned the 'group' with the dubstep scene, Zomby really does move to the beat of his own unique and unclassifiable rhythm. And the results are so fucking electrifying!
We're happy that there are no hidden cameras following us during our daily lives cuz when we have this on our headphones as we walk through the city we totally bust out impromptu contorted dance freakouts, cuz it's just totally impossible to stand still when this is playing. It has the same kind of frenetic energy that made us fall in love with folks like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher back in the day. One Foot Ahead Of The Other is the kind of record that folks like Black Dice, Fuck Buttons and Excepter all secretly wish they could make. Not a wasted moment to be found, all killer and no filler... and for sure one of our favorite records of the year!
MPEG Stream: "One Foot Ahead Of The Other"
MPEG Stream: "Pumpkinhead's Revenge"
MPEG Stream: "Expert Tuition"

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AWKWARD STAGE, THE Slimming Mirrors, Flattering Lights (Mint) cd 16.98
A terrific sophomore release from The Awkward Stage has made its way down the West Coast to our eager ears. What is it in that Vancouver water that sprouts such dandy melodic sensibilities? On Slimming Mirrors, Flattering Lights, the dulcet drowsy voiced Shane Nelkin and company may initially come across as unassuming, and at times, yes, maybe slightly awkward, but in the most charmingly distinctly Canadian way. Then they wheel out their (also distinctly Canadian) guitar pop chops, and watch ears start pricking up and toes start tapping. Hot on their heels come a graceful tickling of the ivories and some buoyant bright horns (that gave us the nostalgic warm fuzzies for Zumpano), and well, away we goooo! The Awkward Stage casually nestle catchy hooks into both smooth and crunchy settings with delightful results. We're guessing they were raised on '60s pop and '70s soft rock (a la Raspberries, Sweet, Bread, Chicago, etc), and nurtured in the neighborhood of fellow Vancouverites The New Pornographers, the abovementioned Zumpano, and Immaculate Machine. Heck, Nelkin played with both A.C. Newman and Jason Zumpano's Sparrow for a spell. We also think this may tickle your fancy if you dig Hidden Cameras, Arcade Fire, Sloan and Interpol too. When this has been played in the store pop loving folks have asked, "Ooh, what's this?" and often take one home with them!
MPEG Stream: "Anime Eyes"
MPEG Stream: "Skeletal Blonde"
MPEG Stream: "Hey Modern School Girl"

BROOKS, CEDRIC IM Light Of Saba (Honest Jon's) 2lp 27.00
BACK IN PRINT ON VINYL!!
This amazing and absolutely incomparable recording of Cedric Im Brooks finally gets reissued. Those of you who've picked up copies of the Trojan Nyabhinghi Box Set have already gotten a taste for Mr. Brooks. Born in Kingston in 1943 Cedric Brooks had been involved in Jamaica's music scene since the early sixties, playing both clarinet and saxophone for several groups and recording some successful instrumentals for Coxsone Dodd, along with working as a session musician at Studio 1. It was two subsequent events that really sharpened Brooks' musical aesthetic though: the first was a trip to the United States where Brooks almost had the opportunity to join Sun Ra's Arkestra (the birth of his daughter back home in Jamaica thwarted this). The other was his introduction to rasta percussionist Count Ossie. Ossie & Brooks teamed up, forming the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, to produce the holy grail of reggae/nyabhinghi recordings "Grounation". After parting ways with Ossie, Brooks formed his own orchestra "Light of Saba" in 1974 and recorded several albums worth of material with them. This compilation of 18 tracks here are absolutely amazing, a truly bizarre amalgam blending roots reggae, jazz, afro-funk, soul, calypso and even disco -- all glued together with pounding nyabhinghi drumming (not to mention bass, guitar, organ, horns and flute). Those beginning to feel squeamish about such shameless genre blending fear not: this is not some half-assed world-beat record cum marketing gimmick. This is perhaps one of the best "reggae" (though it doesn't completely fit the genre) reissues we've seen through these doors in a long time! This is heavy, rough hewn, beautiful and potent. This is one of those gems that, when we play it in the store, everyone either wants or wants to know just what the hell it is and when the hell it was recorded. Timeless and crucial. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Sabayindah"
MPEG Stream: "Africa"
MPEG Stream: "Nobody's Business"

BUILT TO SPILL There Is No Enemy (Warner Bros.) 2lp 27.00
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!!
Built To Spill manage to pack more memorable guitar licks and irresistible melodies into a single song than most bands manage in their whole career. There Is No Enemy, the latest from these long time aQ faves, is overflowing with that amazing and instantly recognizable Built To Spill sound: twangy, swirly, expansive and super rocking. Doug Marstch's voice is the perfect foil for his amazing indie rock guitar heroics, as it drifts, soars, howls and emotes. BTS are really a band who have not made a single bad record, they are in it for the long haul and they bring a presence to each of their records that manages to make each new outing unique and special. It's kind of awesome that they have never let their music be used in films (as far as we know), as it seems like it would be kind of like cheating for a filmmaker since Built To Spill's songs have such a filmic quality all on their their own. They tap into the human experience in such an honest and nuanced way, always blurring the lines of emotions and perspectives. their songs are never just happy, or sad, or angry, but instead, are a combination of all those things, sounds and songs rife with memories, disappointments, dreams, regrets and hope. It's crazy to think how so many of us have really grown up with Doug Marstch, discovering him in pre-BTS juggernaut Treepeople, and enjoying the genesis of Built To Spill together, when some of us were just teenagers, and later continuing to listen and get so much from the music of BTS all these years later. Martsch really is like the Neil Young of our generation, there is always a phrase, an epic guitar moment, a moving sentiment, a moment of true emotional intensity that sinks deep into your subconscious, in pretty much every Built To Spill song.
There Is No Enemy only gets better, more complex and impactful as the album goes on. Some of the best songs are towards the end of the album, unlike so many other bands who cram their one or two great songs right in the front, and pack the rest with filler, Built To Spill continue to make a career out of crafting one great song after another. We've found ourselves listening to this from beginning to end on headphones as we go through our daily lives, moving from one destination to another, because as always Built To Spill really is the perfect soundtrack to our lives. And once again they've made a totally great record!
MPEG Stream: "Aisle 13"
MPEG Stream: "Things Fall Apart"
MPEG Stream: "Done"

BUTTLESS CHAPS Cartography (Mint) cd 16.98
Been meaning to list this for a while... Sadly this is the swan song for this fine Vancouver band who decided to call it quits earlier this year. Yeah, we've always given them a good natured hard time over the years about their band name. Quite simply, we felt it seriously undermined their songcraft which was so much more than the goofy moniker expressed. Turn a blind eye to the name, and you'll find that you can't knock their music. With each album they've gotten increasingly dark, lush, smoldery and composed. The dramatic somberness of the Americana stylings (or should that be Canadiana?) is quite a contrast to their earlier hybrid of new wave synth pop and rootsy folk, but Cartography still finds the band striking chords and balances between seeming opposites. The rustic and the elegant. The intimate and the expansive. The stormy and the utterly serene. The subtly applied electronic instrumentation are much more integrated into their rich earthy tapestry. A vocoded vocal here, a softly blooping synth countermelody there. Fans of the deep velvety voiced solemn twang bands such as Lambchop, Handsome Family, Red House Painters and on the other side of the pond Tindersticks or Pulp even, take note! A beautiful brooding farewell! Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Cartography"
MPEG Stream: "Water By The Wayside"

CARLTON MELTON Pass It On (Mid-to-Late Records) lp 14.98
The field of psychedelic hypnno-drone rock in San Francisco keeps getting wider, and more amazing. Along with Wooden Shjips, Sleepy Sun and The Lumerians comes the slow growth space rock of Carlton Melton. We raved about their first self-released cd-r, Live at Point Arena, CA recorded in a genuine geodesic dome, and we're psyched that they have returned with a vinyl only follow-up! While the first cd-r had a more rough around the edges shambling momentum to it (after all, the band had pretty much formed just to record in the dome!), Pass It On has a more penetrating and focused feel. Recording in the dome once again, the songs have the slow motion but still very heavy vibrations of White Hills, Moon Duo, Hawkwind and Pink Floyd. In fact, the album begins with a heavy cover version of Pink Floyd's "When You're In" from Obscured By Clouds, which builds with intensity setting up the stoned pillowy cushion freefall of follow-up track "Found Children". "Off The Grid" takes a more divergent path through the woods with freaked out tribal rhythms and strange loping pulsations and alien guitar swells. Side two begins with a reworking of a track from the Point Arena cd-r called "Fucking Funky Shit" now renamed "Digging In" that utilizes its bass and drum rhythmic foundation as a means for the guitars and organ to arc off into the stratosphere before descending into the final track "Sequoia", which burrows deep into the earth with a smouldering drone that leaves us, for the lack of a better analogy, cosmically wasted. On redwood colored vinyl. Recommended!

CAVE, NICK & WARREN ELLIS White Lunar (Mute) 2cd 16.98
When Nick Cave started playing piano full time on the Bad Seeds' records, a lot of people wondered at the softer direction Mr. Cave was headed. Though he has redeemed himself in the eyes of his more rocking fans with the Grinderman band (and with his increased skill at the keys), there is an eerie beauty to the almost entirely instrumental piano-and-violin tracks on White Lunar. This 2cd set contains music from numerous films, including The Proposition, The Road, and two rare documentaries scored by Mr. Cave and longtime collaborator Warren Ellis, violinist for the Bad Seeds and The Dirty Three. The melodies from these haunting tracks will stay with you, and even people who aren't fans of Nick Cave will appreciate them.
MPEG Stream: "What Must Be Done"
MPEG Stream: "Martha's Dream"
MPEG Stream: "Gun Thing"

COLD CAVE Love Comes Close (Heart Worm / Matador) cd 13.98
FRESHLY REISSUED ON MATADOR!!! Here's what we had to say about this past record of the week.
Cold Cave have really been making the rounds as of late, but unless you were one of the lucky few to obtain some of their super limited vinyl only platters or their recent Cremations collection (which is still available), you may have been left out in the... cold. HAHA! But anyway, Love Comes Close is the first official Cold Cave record, though it does include the three songs (re-recorded?) off the band's disgustingly limited Etsel and Ruby 12" which we had for about 5 minutes, as well as the song "The Trees Grew Emotions And Died" from the ep of the same name, all of them winners. We are happy to report that this baby more than ably lives up to all the hype. It's not that the sound of Cold Cave is revolutionary or progressive... nay, in far less skilled hands, this could easily be filed under the "derivative shit" category, but Cold Cave's remarkable melodic sense and keen understanding of songcraft are so expertly handled that their tunes come off more like lost synth pop classics. It's actually a bit unbelievable just how darkly catchy these songs are, and how they will just pop into your head at random moments like they've been there for ages. Cold Cave's music is the perfect combination of everything that is great about '80s synth based music with none of the dated cheesiness, or maybe more appropriately, just the right amount of dated cheesiness. OMD styled melodies and uber dramatic vocals from the school of Ian Curtis meld with throbbing rhythms, awesome life denying lyrics, and a pronounced gothic element, but goth as interpreted by hardcore kids. All of these combined are enough to make Cold Cave stand out from the rest of the pack. Plus, you know it's gotta be good when various folks may *want* to dislike something but can't muster the hate in their hearts simply because it's so great.
The album kicks off with "Cebe And Me", with super minimal percussion and murky, distorted female vocals that weave around a repetitive synth buzz. This sets things up perfectly for the next track, "Love Comes Close," with CC mainman Wes Eisold's deadpan vocals and music that manages to be both upbeat and melancholy as hell. The real kicker with this one, however, is the fact that it is a DEAD RINGER for the melody in the infamous mirror dance scene in Silence Of The Lambs. So now all you dudes can fashion a mangina and prance naked in front of your mirror within the comfort of your own home, just like Buffalo Bill. "Life Magazine" utilizes a blown out buzzy keyboard to hold the foundation while more down to earth programming and amazing female vocals courtesy of one time Xiu Xiu collaborator Caralee McElroy help to make this maybe our favorite track on the album. A reedy little synth melody sits atop everything else, and the dreaminess of it all sends things way off into the clouds... Goddamn, it's so good.
Naming a song "Heaven Was Full" definitely sets the bar pretty high, you're pretty much obligated to make it awesome, and that's just what Cold Cave did with this one. Subsonic oscillations swirl below what sounds like wispy winds made by a synthesizer, accompanied by Eisold's low croon and some of the catchiest and most beautiful melodies on the album. The slow movement of this piece really strikes an emotional chord, it's a real downer, but it's so irresistible it hurts. "The Tree Grew Emotions And Died" features some cool clanky drum machines with staccato boy/girl vocals and an ever present layer of super blown out guitars (we think), with a nice, slightly bouncy keyboard melody carrying the song forward. Album closer "I.C.D.K." is a quirky yet slightly ominous dance number that will certainly keep many an ass shaking all night long, and when it's all over, you first instinct will be to put Love Comes Close on for another round.
Undoubtedly Cold Cave will have trouble escaping comparisons to bands like the Cure, Joy Division, and even the Magnetic Fields at times, and not without good reason. But the band's greatest strength is its ability to go beyond their influences and deliver music that is too amazing and well written to be ignored. If you don't dig it, it doesn't mean people will respect your supposed impeccable taste and appreciation for groundbreaking music... it means you're missing out.
MPEG Stream: "Love Comes Close"
MPEG Stream: "Life Magazine"
MPEG Stream: "Heaven Was Full"

COLD CAVE Love Comes Close (Heart Worm / Matador) lp 14.98
FRESHLY REISSUED ON MATADOR!!! Here's what we had to say about this past record of the week.
Cold Cave have really been making the rounds as of late, but unless you were one of the lucky few to obtain some of their super limited vinyl only platters or their recent Cremations collection (which is still available), you may have been left out in the... cold. HAHA! But anyway, Love Comes Close is the first official Cold Cave record, though it does include the three songs (re-recorded?) off the band's disgustingly limited Etsel and Ruby 12" which we had for about 5 minutes, as well as the song "The Trees Grew Emotions And Died" from the ep of the same name, all of them winners. We are happy to report that this baby more than ably lives up to all the hype. It's not that the sound of Cold Cave is revolutionary or progressive... nay, in far less skilled hands, this could easily be filed under the "derivative shit" category, but Cold Cave's remarkable melodic sense and keen understanding of songcraft are so expertly handled that their tunes come off more like lost synth pop classics. It's actually a bit unbelievable just how darkly catchy these songs are, and how they will just pop into your head at random moments like they've been there for ages. Cold Cave's music is the perfect combination of everything that is great about '80s synth based music with none of the dated cheesiness, or maybe more appropriately, just the right amount of dated cheesiness. OMD styled melodies and uber dramatic vocals from the school of Ian Curtis meld with throbbing rhythms, awesome life denying lyrics, and a pronounced gothic element, but goth as interpreted by hardcore kids. All of these combined are enough to make Cold Cave stand out from the rest of the pack. Plus, you know it's gotta be good when various folks may *want* to dislike something but can't muster the hate in their hearts simply because it's so great.
The album kicks off with "Cebe And Me", with super minimal percussion and murky, distorted female vocals that weave around a repetitive synth buzz. This sets things up perfectly for the next track, "Love Comes Close," with CC mainman Wes Eisold's deadpan vocals and music that manages to be both upbeat and melancholy as hell. The real kicker with this one, however, is the fact that it is a DEAD RINGER for the melody in the infamous mirror dance scene in Silence Of The Lambs. So now all you dudes can fashion a mangina and prance naked in front of your mirror within the comfort of your own home, just like Buffalo Bill. "Life Magazine" utilizes a blown out buzzy keyboard to hold the foundation while more down to earth programming and amazing female vocals courtesy of one time Xiu Xiu collaborator Caralee McElroy help to make this maybe our favorite track on the album. A reedy little synth melody sits atop everything else, and the dreaminess of it all sends things way off into the clouds... Goddamn, it's so good.
Naming a song "Heaven Was Full" definitely sets the bar pretty high, you're pretty much obligated to make it awesome, and that's just what Cold Cave did with this one. Subsonic oscillations swirl below what sounds like wispy winds made by a synthesizer, accompanied by Eisold's low croon and some of the catchiest and most beautiful melodies on the album. The slow movement of this piece really strikes an emotional chord, it's a real downer, but it's so irresistible it hurts. "The Tree Grew Emotions And Died" features some cool clanky drum machines with staccato boy/girl vocals and an ever present layer of super blown out guitars (we think), with a nice, slightly bouncy keyboard melody carrying the song forward. Album closer "I.C.D.K." is a quirky yet slightly ominous dance number that will certainly keep many an ass shaking all night long, and when it's all over, you first instinct will be to put Love Comes Close on for another round.
Undoubtedly Cold Cave will have trouble escaping comparisons to bands like the Cure, Joy Division, and even the Magnetic Fields at times, and not without good reason. But the band's greatest strength is its ability to go beyond their influences and deliver music that is too amazing and well written to be ignored. If you don't dig it, it doesn't mean people will respect your supposed impeccable taste and appreciation for groundbreaking music... it means you're missing out.
MPEG Stream: "Love Comes Close"
MPEG Stream: "Life Magazine"
MPEG Stream: "Heaven Was Full"

DECIBEL #62 December 2009 magazine 4.95
Latest issue of the premiere American glossy metal mag features metalcore masters Converge on the cover. Inside, all kinds of other AQ approved bands: Skeletonwitch, Saviours, Shrinebuilder, The Gates Of Slumber, Liturgy, Portal, 3 Inches Of Blood, Gnaw Their Tongues, Gorgoroth, and plenty more! There's a High On Fire "studio report", the usual amusing John Darnielle and J. Bennett columns, the usual cavalcade of reviews (including one of new metal-themed video game Brutal Legend that says it's got "the greatest metal soundtrack ever" for which we at Aquarius can take a little credit, having helped out with it), and, best of all, a "Hall Of Fame" feature on Trouble's debut album! Now that's a good issue!

DORONCO GUMO Old Punks (Holy Mountain) lp 14.98
Part Les Rallizes Denudes, part Maher Shalal Hash Baz, this Japanese super group do a sort of droney, jangley garage psych pop, that over the course of Old Punks slips from woozy indie rock to brooding looped psych rock, playful power pop, to reverby almost ballads to Velvets-y minimal lope. The band is super laid back, the songs are weary and ragged and drawly and shambling, the guitars loose and detuned sounding, the drums spare and simple, the vocals, which might make or break DG for most folks, are sort of flat and tuneless, mumbled and moaned, sometimes crooned, but usually buried in the mix, just another layer of whirling sonic warmth.
Occasionally, things do get weird, some crunchy surf guitars, some strange jumbled group vocals, all tangled and chaotic, and of course bursts of psychedelic solo guitar squall, but for the most part Old Punks traffics in simple stripped down psychedelic rock, laced with bits of folk and pop, and of course shadows of both Maher and Les Rallizes.
Comes with a download card so you can grab yourself a digital copy of the record too!

FAUST IV (Virgin /Capital) lp 17.98
Now reissued on Vinyl!
Essential as any krautrock album we can name, including Can's Tago Mago or Future Days, Amon Duul II's Yeti, or Neu! 1, Cluster, Kraftwerk etc. It's also the record that coined the term "krautrock" which is the title of the nearly 12 minute opening track, a thick pulsating rumble of motorik groove that out-Neu's Neu!. But things definitely get stranger after that with bizarre forays into reggae, pretty ballads, prog, pop and free jazz. Yet for all the weirdness, this is the record to get if you've never heard Faust before as it's their most accessible and structured. Not nearly as kaleidoscopic and avant as, So Far or Faust Tapes, and even with the genre-hopping, the songs all seem to belong together. "The Sad Skinhead" has got to be the most left-field excursion into reggae we've heard, complete with marimba passages and echoing vocals, while "Jennifer" has to be about the prettiest song ever made. Each song linked together by odd passages of detuned piano, far away screams and noisy stews of synth warbles and feedback stabs. "Giggly Smile" obviously influenced Battles recent debut Mirrors, as strange effected vocals accompany groovy prog excursions that abruptly shift tempos into one of our favorite rocking moments ever put to tape before suddenly ending, launching into the sublime folk groove of "Lauft... Heisst Das Es Lauft Oder Es Kommt Bald... Lauft". And it just keeps getting better and better.
This is definitely one of those records, where we wish we could just invoke some physical force to reach out and grab you through the computer by the shoulders and just scream "Buy this already!!!!!!"
MPEG Stream: "Krautrock"
MPEG Stream: "Jennifer"
MPEG Stream: "Giggly Smile"

JESUS LIZARD Goat (Touch & Go) lp 22.00
This rad reissue and recent aQ Record Of The Week now available on vinyl again too!! The lp is lacking the cd bonus tracks (they're included as downloads!), but does have a huge 12" x 24" insert with rare photos and new liner notes!
We love the Jesus Lizard. Hell, who doesn't? But with the band's entire Touch And Go discography now reissued, we're faced with the awkward task of reviewing records that are so ingrained in our minds that we're almost at a loss for words. What exactly do you say about albums that are pretty much beyond any sort of criticism? Well, first of all, we can tell you that these Albini/Weston remasters sound better than EVER, and if for some freakish reason you missed out the first time around, or maybe you were just too young, GET THESE NOW!!! And to those with worn out copies of these essential albums, likewise, GET THESE NOW!!! The best thing about re-examining these discs, however, is the fact that the Jesus Lizard sound as powerful, menacing, and balls out INSANE as they always did and always will. There's no further need to approach the Jesus Lizard discography with some bullshit pseudo-intellectual attempt to place this band within a certain point in history (which is not to downplay their significance within time or place by any means, duh). Instead, you can simply bask in the furious glow of one of the best rock bands of the last 25 years (at the very least)!!! Still, as record purveyors, we feel it necessary to dish out a brief description before talking about the albums individually.
Shit. Where do you begin when describing this band? David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly, on bass and drums respectively, are one of the tightest and most intimidating rhythm sections in the history of indie rock (which, honestly, is probably not the best genre to lump a band like the Jesus Lizard in, but it sure is better than calling them a "pigfuck" band). On pretty much every song, Sims and McNeilly sound like they're walking you through the soundtrack to your potential murder, a quality that is only enhanced by David Yow's completely unhinged vocals. And what do you say about a guy like David Yow? He is without precedent and totally peerless, his crazed delivery and bizarre lyrics were the perfect ingredient to make the Jesus Lizard one of the best and most unique bands to ever walk the earth. Oh, but then we certainly can't forget the band's brilliant guitarist, the legendary Duane Denison, whose unique, super trebly guitar playing slashed alongside the band's muscular rhythm section like a rusty, disease-ridden knife. The Jesus Lizard are indeed one of those bands where every member was equally essential in bringing forth their amazing trademark sound.
It's pretty much impossible to pick a favorite Jesus Lizard record, they all rule, ALL of them, even the major label releases, this was a band who were pretty much untouchable. But if we really did have to choose, it would probably have to be Goat. Head is an amazing disc, as is the debut lp Pure, but Goat is where the band finally locked into the sound that would become their trademark, a sound so instantly recognizable, that all you needed to hear was one instrument, and you knew, the crack of the drum, and angular slash of guitar, a weird distorted yowl, it didn't matter, and hell, if you heard em together, well, that was it.
Goat finds the band coming together and almost impossibly transforming into a seriously streamlined rock band, who were as tight as fuck, but simultaneously fucked up and loose and dangerous and chaotic. Due in no small part, as mentioned above, to their very dangerous frontman David Yow. But on Goat is where the power of JL's rhythm section finally became undeniable. The rhythms lurching and lumbering, the drumming insanely of kilter, but managing to still swing, the guitars distorted and crunchy, jagged and sharp, and the songs, how can music this mean and distorted and freaky be so goddamn catchy?
It's really about "Mouthbreather", the big Jesus Lizard hit if there ever was one. From the opening riff, it's the sort of song that would send a crowd into a frenzy, the drum part is beguilingly complicated, and the main hook, the stops and starts, it's relentless and overwhelming but so catchy and of course there's Yow's refrain of "Don't get me wrong, I like him just fine, but he's a mouthbreather". "Then Comes Dudley" is some unholy union of Big Black and Slint, with its low slung bass, big simple motorik drumming, and reedy main guitar melody, not to mention the awesome lurching start/stop bridge. And c'mon, "Seasick"? Has a song ever sounded so much like its title? A woozy, mathy, seasick stumble. And on and on, every track here is a "hit" in some alternate universe where people worship bands like the Jesus Lizard and not shit like the Jonas Brothers. And even to this day, Goat sounds as heavy and harrowing and genius as it did almost 20 years ago. And still better and more musically relevant than about 90 percent of the stuff coming out today. Not to sound like cranky old men on the porch with a shotgun yelling for kids to get off our lawn and for bands to try and write a decent song, but they really just don't make 'em like this anymore.
MPEG Stream: "Mouthbreather"
MPEG Stream: "Then Comes Dudley"
MPEG Stream: "Seasick"

JESUS LIZARD Down (Touch & Go) lp 21.00
NOW ON VINYL!!!
We love the Jesus Lizard. Hell, who doesn't? But with the band's entire Touch And Go discography now reissued, we're faced with the awkward task of reviewing records that are so ingrained in our minds that we're almost at a loss for words. What exactly do you say about albums that are pretty much beyond any sort of criticism? Well, first of all, we can tell you that these Albini/Weston remasters sound better than EVER, and if for some freakish reason you missed out the first time around, or maybe you were just too young, GET THESE NOW!!! And to those with worn out copies of these essential albums, likewise, GET THESE NOW!!! The best thing about re-examining these discs, however, is the fact that the Jesus Lizard sound as powerful, menacing, and balls out INSANE as they always did and always will. There's no further need to approach the Jesus Lizard discography with some bullshit pseudo-intellectual attempt to place this band within a certain point in history (which is not to downplay their significance within time or place by any means, duh). Instead, you can simply bask in the furious glow of one of the best rock bands of the last 25 years (at the very least)!!! Still, as record purveyors, we feel it necessary to dish out a brief description before talking about the albums individually.
Shit. Where do you begin when describing this band? David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly, on bass and drums respectively, are one of the tightest and most intimidating rhythm sections in the history of indie rock (which, honestly, is probably not the best genre to lump a band like the Jesus Lizard in, but it sure is better than calling them a "pigfuck" band). On pretty much every song, Sims and McNeilly sound like they're walking you through the soundtrack to your potential murder, a quality that is only enhanced by David Yow's completely unhinged vocals. And what do you say about a guy like David Yow? He is without precedent and totally peerless, his crazed delivery and bizarre lyrics were the perfect ingredient to make the Jesus Lizard one of the best and most unique bands to ever walk the earth. Oh, but then we certainly can't forget the band's brilliant guitarist, the legendary Duane Denison, whose unique, super trebly guitar playing slashed alongside the band's muscular rhythm section like a rusty, disease-ridden knife. The Jesus Lizard are indeed one of those bands where every member was equally essential in bringing forth their amazing trademark sound.
1994's Down was the band's final record for Touch And Go before jumping ship to Capitol a year later. Despite its status as most peoples' least favorite of their Touch And Go albums (which certain aQ staffers will disagree with on every level), the band stills tears shit up relentlessly and mercilessly. Opener "Fly On The Wall" retains a lumbering, pounding groove with Denison's appropriately insect-like guitar buzzing all over the place as Yow tells the tale of his spiraling insanity caused by the titular character. Throw in a chorus that is the noise rock equivalent of a massive heart attack, and you know the Jesus Lizard mean business. The manic rocker "Queen For A Day" storms out like an evil, bluesy tornado, with Dennison shredding out some amazing noisy guitar solos over the ominous throb of Sims and McNeilly. All the while, a manic Yow screams out his hilariously frightening, creepy as fuck lyrics that manage to reference Dante's Inferno. Woah. The melodically charged "Destroy Before Reading" makes use of awesome sustained, droney chords and a steady rhythmic flow, and is sort of like journeying through a surreal dream in the darkest corners of Yow's crazed brain, as he spits out choice lyrics like "Mingus and Parker fuck for breakfast / cause jazz is a slut again." Right. Fucking. On. Melancholy instrumental "Low Rider" (enhanced by some maniacal Yow screams at all the appropriate moments) creaks and sways with bits of chorus inflected guitar and bass, serving as a perfect interlude to separate the album's two halves. "Horse" pummels at a steady rhythm with a cool underwater organ moving hazily under the band's nihilistic dirges, while the spacious, slow moving "Elegy" is surprisingly melodic and - gasp! - kinda "beautiful", even as Yow verbally defiles your rotting corpse with the barely composed delivery of a serial killer.
So yeah, wherever Down may rate in the canon of the Jesus Lizard to some folks, we're all for it on every conceivable level. This reissue also also includes the amazing single versions (all made available on Inch, but whatever, and on the vinyl they're included as downloads) of the songs "White Hole", "Glamorous", and "Deaf As A Bat", as well as "Panic In Cicero" from the Clerks soundtrack. Hopefully others will give this album the listen it deserves, because there really is everything that's great about this band on full display, if you ask us. GET THIS NOW!!!
MPEG Stream: "Fly On The Wall"
MPEG Stream: "Queen For A Day"
MPEG Stream: "Destroy Before Reading"

JESUS LIZARD Head (Touch & Go) lp 21.00
NOW ON VINYL!!!
We love the Jesus Lizard. Hell, who doesn't? But with the band's entire Touch And Go discography now reissued, we're faced with the awkward task of reviewing records that are so ingrained in our minds that we're almost at a loss for words. What exactly do you say about albums that are pretty much beyond any sort of criticism? Well, first of all, we can tell you that these Albini/Weston remasters sound better than EVER, and if for some freakish reason you missed out the first time around, or maybe you were just too young, GET THESE NOW!!! And to those with worn out copies of these essential albums, likewise, GET THESE NOW!!! The best thing about re-examining these discs, however, is the fact that the Jesus Lizard sound as powerful, menacing, and balls out INSANE as they always did and always will. There's no further need to approach the Jesus Lizard discography with some bullshit pseudo-intellectual attempt to place this band within a certain point in history (which is not to downplay their significance within time or place by any means, duh). Instead, you can simply bask in the furious glow of one of the best rock bands of the last 25 years (at the very least)!!! Still, as record purveyors, we feel it necessary to dish out a brief description before talking about the albums individually.
Shit. Where do you begin when describing this band? David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly, on bass and drums respectively, are one of the tightest and most intimidating rhythm sections in the history of indie rock (which, honestly, is probably not the best genre to lump a band like the Jesus Lizard in, but it sure is better than calling them a "pigfuck" band). On pretty much every song, Sims and McNeilly sound like they're walking you through the soundtrack to your potential murder, a quality that is only enhanced by David Yow's completely unhinged vocals. And what do you say about a guy like David Yow? He is without precedent and totally peerless, his crazed delivery and bizarre lyrics were the perfect ingredient to make the Jesus Lizard one of the best and most unique bands to ever walk the earth. Oh, but then we certainly can't forget the band's brilliant guitarist, the legendary Duane Denison, whose unique, super trebly guitar playing slashed alongside the band's muscular rhythm section like a rusty, disease-ridden knife. The Jesus Lizard are indeed one of those bands where every member was equally essential in bringing forth their amazing trademark sound.
Head was Jesus Lizard's debut full length, and while perhaps out heart will always belong to Goat, Head is nipping at its heels as THEE definitive Jesus Lizard record, The band had only recently switched from drum machine to love drummer, but the effect was immediate, what was once a throbbing mechanical post industrial noise rock juggernaut, was now something else entirely. Goat seemed to be where everything clicked, but Head was basically almost there, heavy and dense and mathy and now listening to this again, it's easy to see why we all freaked out about this band. The songs are gnarled and grotesque, but at the same time melodic and impossibly catchy, dark and ominous and seriously creepy, but also totally rocking and HEAVY. These guys moved the noise rock bar so high, few that followed could even come close. There's plenty of Slint going on too, hard to say who influenced who, but Albini managed the boards for both. Listen to the sound samples, heck, just buy all four of these reissues, you won't be sorry. And if somehow you've made it this far without ever hearing these guys, you are in for just about the biggest musical epiphany of your life.
The reissue tacks on some bonus tracks, available on the vinyl as MP3 downloads, a killer Chrome cover, and two live tracks, as well as all new liner notes.
MPEG Stream: "One Evening"
MPEG Stream: "S.D.B.J."
MPEG Stream: "Blockbuster"
MPEG Stream: "Bloody Mary"

JESUS LIZARD Liar (Touch & Go) lp 24.00
NOW ON VINYL!!!
We love the Jesus Lizard. Hell, who doesn't? But with the band's entire Touch And Go discography now reissued, we're faced with the awkward task of reviewing records that are so ingrained in our minds that we're almost at a loss for words. What exactly do you say about albums that are pretty much beyond any sort of criticism? Well, first of all, we can tell you that these Albini/Weston remasters sound better than EVER, and if for some freakish reason you missed out the first time around, or maybe you were just too young, GET THESE NOW!!! And to those with worn out copies of these essential albums, likewise, GET THESE NOW!!! The best thing about re-examining these discs, however, is the fact that the Jesus Lizard sound as powerful, menacing, and balls out INSANE as they always did and always will. There's no further need to approach the Jesus Lizard discography with some bullshit pseudo-intellectual attempt to place this band within a certain point in history (which is not to downplay their significance within time or place by any means, duh). Instead, you can simply bask in the furious glow of one of the best rock bands of the last 25 years (at the very least)!!! Still, as record purveyors, we feel it necessary to dish out a brief description before talking about the albums individually.
Shit. Where do you begin when describing this band? David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly, on bass and drums respectively, are one of the tightest and most intimidating rhythm sections in the history of indie rock (which, honestly, is probably not the best genre to lump a band like the Jesus Lizard in, but it sure is better than calling them a "pigfuck" band). On pretty much every song, Sims and McNeilly sound like they're walking you through the soundtrack to your potential murder, a quality that is only enhanced by David Yow's completely unhinged vocals. And what do you say about a guy like David Yow? He is without precedent and totally peerless, his crazed delivery and bizarre lyrics were the perfect ingredient to make the Jesus Lizard one of the best and most unique bands to ever walk the earth. Oh, but then we certainly can't forget the band's brilliant guitarist, the legendary Duane Denison, whose unique, super trebly guitar playing slashed alongside the band's muscular rhythm section like a rusty, disease-ridden knife. The Jesus Lizard are indeed one of those bands where every member was equally essential in bringing forth their amazing trademark sound.
Liar is the band's third record, originally released in 1992. The album begins in classic Jesus Lizard form with the sonic beatdown of "Boilermaker". Exactly as we love them, the band sounds out for blood and just plain mean, despite Yow claiming "I'm calm now", as "calm" is probably the last descriptor that would enter your mind when hearing this song. Up next is "Gladiator", with the monolithic pounding of the rhythm section and bursts of slashing, percussively charged guitar work. It feels like everything in the song is the result of counterintuitive upstroked chords combined with Yow's truly insane screaming and an ending that puts most metal bands to shame in terms of sheer brutality. "Puss" rides wildly with tight as fuck, atonal guitar chords and underlying distorted backing vocals as the bass winds frantically over McNeilly's merciless pounding. In the middle is an awesome, simple Dennison guitar solo before everyone locks back into the evil groove. "Rope" sounds a bit like a manic, Jesus Lizard styled hoedown with its super fast, tight as hell playing, and instrumentation that is both mean sounding and kind of... wacky? Maybe. It's a good 'un no matter how you try to describe it. A demented country influence is also on display with "Zachariah," a slow moving piece that brings to mind all kinds of demented evil that must be looming in David Yow's mind. Closing number "Dancing Naked Ladies" brings Liar to its fever inducing conclusion, with Yow grunting and screeching over the serpentine melodies and rumbling low end.
Like all the Jesus Lizard reissues, Liar comes packed with some tasty bonus cuts (all previously available on Inch, but whatever, and on the vinyl they're included s downloads), including their cover of the Dicks' "Wheelchair Epidemic", a single version of "Dancing Naked Ladies", and demos for "Gladiator" and "Boilermaker". GET THIS NOW!!!
MPEG Stream: "Boilermaker"
MPEG Stream: "Gladiator"
MPEG Stream: "Rope"

MELVINS Nude With Boots (Ipecac) lp 17.98
Now, at last, on (gatefold sleeved) vinyl!!! Here's what we wrote before about the cd release last year:
Y'know, the Melvins have been one of our favorite bands for so long we practically take 'em for granted. But when a new album comes out, it's still pretty exciting. Almost like it must have been in the '60s when, like, a new Beatles LP would be released, that's what it's like for us and the Melvins... except heck the Melvins have been around now for, like, 100x as long as the Beatles' whole career lasted.
So, yes, yah, yay, it's a new Melvins! Again on Ipecac, which means it's yet another Melvins cd with the front cover on the back and the tracklist on the front. You think they'd be over that by now, but the Melvins are all about being quirky now aren't they? Well, being quirky and HEAVY. And we're pleased to report that Nude With Boots is plenty heavy! As expected, though with the Melvins you also have to expect the unexpected too. But from the get go, Nude With Boots hammers it down, maybe a bit more uptempo rockin' than typical, lead-off track "The Kicking Machine" being just that, ass kicking that is, a hooky slab of classic rockin' riffola. Replete with chunky guitars, catchy vocal choruses, and splattering percussion to spare. The next track up, "Billy Fish" is another big, bangin' number. And then when track three, "Dog Island" hits, though, it's CRUSHING. And you realize that the album's only getting started. That song's 7 and a half minutes of herky-jerky slo-mo heaviness, creeped out and melodically fist-waving too. Yep, this is shaping up to be a quite satisfying Melvins experience, one that so far stacks up with the likes of Houdini. No kidding.
How do they do it? The Melvins have such an *authoritative* sound. Heavier than thou for sure. Distinctively untouchable. It's like they have access to better stuff than anyone. Stuff? Dunno, gear, drugs, organic vegetables, whatever it is that makes them sound like they do, the Melvins are in a league unto themselves.
One not so secret weapon: Buzz's always amazing, melodic yet gritty vocals, which we realize sound like Gene Simmons crossed with Ozzy Osbourne. And, as well, his usual cryptic, imagistic lyrics.
Furthermore, there's simply so much geetar badassitude on this album, Buzz blasting riffs and sweet licks all over the place, and of course Dale's drum fills are sweet (and punishing) too. We defy you to try to listen to this album and not a) air-guitar b) air-drum or c) at the very least, headbang. Maybe even sing along! If you can figure out the words that is.
Of course, along with the rippin' rock, this also has its copious share of abstractly wacked weirdness, ambient interludes like the 1:05 "Flush" ferinstance. Or the atmospheric moody SUNNO))) styled murk of the cleverly titled "Dies Iraea". Or the bizarre bludgeon n' scrape of "The Savage Hippy" and the even more out there "It Tastes Better Than the Truth", a twofer in the extreme tradition of Melvins album-enders, the latter practically sounding like a chaotic Khanate on a ketamine bender. Or Wildildlife...
So, sometimes it almost sounds like this is a uber-produced Ozzy or Alice Cooper album from the '80s or '90s that's been taken over by the real inmates of one of the padded cell insane asylums that those two cartoon characters always were checking into/outof (on the album covers anyway, rehabs in real life), hard rock pop that's been utterly warped and weirded out...
Maybe it's just as well that Melvins never got as huge as pals Nirvana during the Grunge years. They had a major label dalliance, yes, but survived it, and are still with us to crank out what's simply the classic rock of our generation (with a heavy dose of weirdness). Nude With Boots makes you remember, oh yeah, ROCK MUSIC. We love rock music. Damn, it's good. We've been really into the rejuvenated Harvey Milk lately, a Melvinsy band for sure, but you've gotta give it up to the originals, the one and only Melvins. All hail.
MPEG Stream: "The Kicking Machine"
MPEG Stream: "Dog Island"
MPEG Stream: "The Savage Hippy"

MOJO November 2009 magazine + cd 9.99
Man, this issue of Mojo is just screaming, buy me, buy me! A bright red cover featuring the Kraftwerk, complete with bonus cd compilation of Kraftwerk inspired/related music from OMD, Tangerine Dream, LCD Soundsystem, Ultravox, M83, Jean Michel Jarre, Hot Chip, Four Tet, Komputer, The Orb, Kraftwerk themselves, and others! Inside, there's an exclusive 13 page interview with the robotic German geniuses. Plus: AC/DC! Big Star! Yoko Ono! A secret history of grunge! And plenty more. Always a great read.

NO AGE Losing Feeling EP (Sub Pop) 12" 13.98
No Age have always lovingly worn their influences (and their hearts) right there on their sleeves for all to see, and of those influences, we can't think of a band who has shaped No Age's sound more than Husker Du, so it was perfect that at a recent appearance here in San Francisco No Age were joined by Bob Mould during their encore to perform "New Day Rising"!
No Age's love of Husker Du continues to shine as this new 12" finds them balancing their washed out and more atmospheric tendencies along side all out HD-like burners, especially the record's standout closer "You're A Target". No Age are one of the few super hyped bands that truly deserve their success and popularity, breathing new life into a punk aesthetic and infusing their noisy chaotic rock with more atmospheric shoegaze-y elements. It's not surprising how many bands have formed in just the last couple of years who have been clearly influenced by No Age.
As always the packaging and art are totally great, and while this won't be coming out on cd, the record does come with a digital download.

NOUVELLE VAGUE 3 (Peacefrog) cd 16.98
We really couldn't resist the charm of the first two Nouevelle Vague records. Filled with covers of so many post-punk favorites all done in the groop's smooth and sultry samba soaked style. But on this latest record, any sense of their own unique take or interpretation of songs seems to have been lost and thus, the whole thing just falls pretty flat and sounds lifeless to our ears. Not sure if the world needed any more covers of the Violent Femmes "Blister In The Sun" and maybe it's time for Nouvelle Vague to listen to a Smiths song they haven't covered yet:"That Jokes Not Funny Anymore". 'Cause this time out everything feels so phoned in and lacking any true excitement or creativity...we really ain't feeling this one.
MPEG Stream: "Master And Servant"
MPEG Stream: "Metal"

PASTELS / TENNISCOATS Two Sunsets (Geographic / Domino) lp 22.00
Now on Vinyl!
If you're looking to get to dreamboat island there really is no better way than to go with the Pastels & Tenniscoats as your dreamy and breezy ship captains. We're not sure how Glasgow legends Pastels and Tokyo's Tenniscoats linked up but it makes complete perfect sense as they each have perfected soft and soothing twee escapades like no one else. Pastels have been around the block, beginning in the 1980's where they helped usher in a new refreshing sound that would influence folks across the globe and plant the seeds for labels like K records. Tenniscoats have been around for the last few years and ever since we heard their pastoral and blissful take on hushed pop we became big fans. Our love of them only increased when their singer Saya performed at an instore here at AQ with Satomi of Deerhoof in their side project OneOne. This is truly a collaborative effort with members from both bands playing on every track and vocals trade off quite nicely and equally between each group, but all together the sounds of each band mesh with each other so well and with such ease that nothing feels forced about the combination of these two groups. So perfect that the artwork inside features a picture of the groups together sitting on such lush green grass, as we always want to be laying in some scenic peaceful park starring into the sky when we hear the dreamy sounds these groups create. Dreamboat island, we have arrived!
MPEG Stream: "Two Sunsets"
MPEG Stream: "Boats"
MPEG Stream: "Tokyo Glasgow"

SCOTT, SIMON Navigare (Miasmah) lp 19.98
Now available on vinyl!
Ah, Miasmah! After the likes of Elegi, Jacazek, and Kreng, we're pretty much automatically interested in any new release on Norway's Miasmah label. Like this one. Add in some bits of trivia, like that Scott was once the drummer for shoegazers Slowdive, and that this disc features a guest cameo from another Miasmah artist we love, Jasper TX, and we're already pretty intrigued. We also weren't at all surprised, but certainly pleased, by the gentle swells of ambient sonics that seep sleepily from the speakers when one hits play. The first two tracks, "Introduction Of Cambridge" and "Under Crumbling Skies", are blissfully replete with quiet hum and shimmering textures, forming into and out of drifting diaphanous melodies, blurry and melancholic. Some sparse, slowed down drum skitter adds a touch of Bohren to the proceedings in the first track, while the second employs a glorious chorus of angelic drones, that graces one's ears again and again throughout the disc.
Then, suddenly upping the volume, the third track "Flood Inn" seemingly enters into a subterranean realm full of soft fuzzy distortion. Quasi-industrially rhythmic, with a distant tolling bell heard amidst the crackle, this is ambience of the heavier (but not harsh) variety, almost like something from a Nadja or Jesu album.
Having given warning of a more sinister side, the disc continues on, with seven tracks more, being a beautiful blend of dreaminess, drone and distortion. There are almost pop songs hidden here, with buried rhythms and barely-there vocals (in one instance contributed by 12K's Sanae Yamasaki, aka Moskitoo), electronic treatments rendering the sound sources (guitar, sitar, violin, cello, flute, field recordings, voice, ???) all one lush, hushed, beautifully bleary, gorgeous warm bath of song-like drone...
It's a moodier, shoegazier take on Pop Ambient perhaps, certainly something that fans of Tim Hecker, Fennesz, Final, Jasper TX, and of course those other Miasmah wonders should check out!
MPEG Stream: "Introduction Of Cambridge"
MPEG Stream: "Flood Inn"
MPEG Stream: "Ashma"

STEVENS, SUFJAN The BQE (Asthmatic Kitty) cd 16.98
Sufjan Stevens fans, last we heard from the gent was his Songs For Christmas back in 2006, but he hasn't been sitting idly by. We've just received a double whammy of proof! Yup, you've got two reasons to rejoice... well, maybe three even if you're counting actual discs of aural and visual enjoyment. There's his collaboration with the Osso String Quartet titled Run Rabbit Run, as well as this mind-boggling dvd/cd set in homage and examination of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway! Huh? What's that?!? Yeah, you heard us correctly. All signs point to Mr. Stevens throwing us another curve ball, and indeed he has. Mind you, there was some prompting from The Brooklyn Academy of Music who commissioned him to create a film and music stage production about the BQE. Although the film does address some weighty sociopolitical implications (think: a sort of mini lo-fi Koyaanisqatsi), somewhere along the way the project itself mushroomed to incorporate hula-hoops, comic books and extraterrestrial superheroes. The dvd features the original film from (not of) the performance, and the cd features the impressive orchestral soundtrack. Plus, there's a hefty eye-popping 40-page insert booklet and a charming stereoscopic image reel too (y'all are gonna need to dust off your old Viewmasters for that one!). Expansive and ambitious, it's really quite overwhelming actually!
MPEG Stream: "Prelude On The Esplanade"
MPEG Stream: "Movement I: In The Countenance Of Kings"

STEVENS, SUFJAN & OSSO Run Rabbit Run (Asthmatic Kitty) cd 14.98
Sufjan Stevens fans, last we heard from the gent was his Songs For Christmas back in 2006, but he hasn't been sitting idly by. We've just received a double whammy of proof! Yup, you've got two reasons to rejoice... well, maybe three even if you're counting actual discs of aural and visual enjoyment. There's his mind-boggling film and music dvd/cd set in homage of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, as well as this his latest cd Run Rabbit Run! You might recall his second album, 2001's Chinese Zodiac themed Enjoy Your Rabbit which stood in stark head-scratching contrast to his other musical output up to that point. It was filled with shimmery electronic instrumentals as opposed to mellow folksy acoustic balladeering. Well, he's taken the 'Rabbit into new territory again, transforming it into chamber compositions for New York string quartet Osso. They bear little resemblance to the originals, but they are all plucky stringed and gorgeous in their own way. We took a particular liking to "Year Of The Monkey" and "Year Of The Horse". How 'bout you? What's your sign, baby? Haha, wonder if we'll be hearing a dub or metal version in a few years!
MPEG Stream: "Year Of The Monkey"
MPEG Stream: "Year Of The Horse"

TEMPO NO TEMPO Waking Heat (self released) lp 9.98
We'd been hearing lots about this energetic San Francisco band but our ears had yet to be graced by them until now, and we like what we hear! Angular and melodic post-punk that's reminding us a lot of the crisp energy of the 90's D.C./Dischord scene (Jawbox, Q & Not U, Faraquet) as well as having some of the spunk and relentless uptempo demeanor as folks like Les Savy Fav, Black Eyes, or a less spazzy Mae Shi. We bet these guys are super fun to see live. The LP comes on clear vinyl with a coupon for a free digital download.

WHITE DENIM Fits (Downtown Records) cd 14.98
We weren't really sure what we'd get from a band named "White Denim," but we're happy to report that it's not only better than we expected, but pretty damn rad. White Denim hail from Austin, TX, and they whip up a frenzied chunk of heavily grooving guitar rock with a nice psychedelic feel and some cool moments of skronky (sometime sax inflected) weirdness that come as a nice surprise. The songs on Fits are energetic and fun, and the super tight production really makes things stand out. This band must just own it live. At times they comes off a bit like the post-Karp/pre-Big Business band Tight Bros. From Way Back When, meaning pretty much that this is a group of indie rockers taking a stab at a MC5/Stooges/Grand Funk thing, we know it sounds shitty on paper, but this is actually hitting the spot quite nicely, and you probably won't even mind when the band busts out a sitar solo... everything just blends together really well, even though things are all jagged, noisy, and frequently atonal. These guys definitely rock hard and they certainly satisfy our hunger for dumb (in a good way), testosterone fueled rock. Fans of the aforementioned Tight Bros., the Estrus records roster, and Monotonix will totally dig this.
Oh, yeah! The vinyl contains a free download card, PLUS their first album as a second slab of wax!
MPEG Stream: "Radio Milk How Can You Stand It"
MPEG Stream: "All Consolation"
MPEG Stream: "Say What You What"

WHITE DENIM Fits (Downtown Records) 2lp 17.98
We weren't really sure what we'd get from a band named "White Denim," but we're happy to report that it's not only better than we expected, but pretty damn rad. White Denim hail from Austin, TX, and they whip up a frenzied chunk of heavily grooving guitar rock with a nice psychedelic feel and some cool moments of skronky (sometime sax inflected) weirdness that come as a nice surprise. The songs on Fits are energetic and fun, and the super tight production really makes things stand out. This band must just own it live. At times they comes off a bit like the post-Karp/pre-Big Business band Tight Bros. From Way Back When, meaning pretty much that this is a group of indie rockers taking a stab at a MC5/Stooges/Grand Funk thing, we know it sounds shitty on paper, but this is actually hitting the spot quite nicely, and you probably won't even mind when the band busts out a sitar solo... everything just blends together really well, even though things are all jagged, noisy, and frequently atonal. These guys definitely rock hard and they certainly satisfy our hunger for dumb (in a good way), testosterone fueled rock. Fans of the aforementioned Tight Bros., the Estrus records roster, and Monotonix will totally dig this.
Oh, yeah! The vinyl contains a free download card, PLUS their first album as a second slab of wax!
MPEG Stream: "Radio Milk How Can You Stand It"
MPEG Stream: "All Consolation"
MPEG Stream: "Say What You What"

WOODEN SHJIPS / SPACEMEN 3 split (Great Pop Supplement) 7" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A one line review is all we need here, and in fact, that one line could be used just to explain that we only got 30, that's all we're getting, and have already sold at least a third of those before we even had a chance to list this, so act fast ! And oh yeah, the review? This here's a split 7" featuring local psych sensations Wooden Shjips on one side (Spacemen 3 cover "I Believe It"), and a rare track from psych drone legends Spacemen 3 ("Big City", unreleased alternate demo version) on the other. About all you need to know...
ONE PER CUSTOMER!!!!!

----*
----* In Stock, Not Yet Reviewed :
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If you want to order one of these, just search for the item, then click on the buy button and it will be added to your cart!

AGUAYO, MATIAS "Ay Ay Ay" (Kompakt) cd 15.98
ANTI-POP CONSORTIUM "Fluorescent Black" (Big Dada) cd/2lp 15.98/23.00
ANVIL CHORUS "The Killing Sun" (Rockadrome) cd 12.98
APHRODITE'S CHILD "End Of The World" (World Psychedelia Ltd.) cd 17.98
ARCKANUM "PPPPPPPPPPP" (Moribund) cd 16.98
BARONESS "Blue Record" (Relapse) 2cd 15.98
BIGOT, FRED "Mono-Stereo" (Holy Mountain) cd 13.98
BLACK BREATH "Razor to Oblivion" (Southern Lord) cd 12.98
BRAINSTORM "Smile A While" (Lion Productions) cd 14.98
CAETHUA "The Long Afternoon Of Earth" (Preservation) 2cd 19.98
CASPA "Everybody's Talking, Nobody's Listening!" (Fabric) cd 11.98
CELAN "Halo" (Exile On Mainstream) cd 14.98
CINDYTALK "The Crackle Of My Soul" (Editions Mego) cd 17.98
CITAY "Remixes" (Dead Oceans) lp 17.98
COBRA KILLER "Uppers And Downers" (Monika 666) cd 15.98
COWLEY, PATRICK & JORGE SOCARRAS "Catholic" (Macro) cd 17.98
CYMBALS EAT GUITARS "Why Are There Mountains" (Sister's Den) cd 13.98
DEKHA JAYE GA / UF YEH BEVIAN "OST" (Finders Keepers) cd 23.00
DEVO "Are We Not Men?" (Warner Bros.) cd 14.98
DEVO "Freedom of Choice" (Warner Bros.) cd/lp 14.98/24.00
EARTH AND FIRE "s/t" (Esoteric) cd 23.00
ESPVALL, HELENA & MASAKI BATOH "Overloaded Ark" (Drag City) cd/lp 14.98/21.00
FAHEY, JOHN "America" (4 Men With Beards) 2lp 25.00
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS "I Told You I Was Freaky" (Sub Pop) cd/lp 15.98/21.00
FLY GIRLZ, THE "Da' Brats From Da' Ville" (True Panther Sounds) cd/lp 14.98/16.98
FROST, BEN "By The Throat" (Bedroom Community) cd 16.98
GODS GIFT "Pathology: Manchester 1979-84" (Messthetics) cd 12.98
GOES CUBE "Another Day Has Passed" (The End) cd 14.98
HIGGINS, GARY "Seconds" (Drag City) cd 14.98
HOLLENTHON "Tyrants & Wraiths" (Napalm) cd 12.98
HOLY SONS "Criminal's Return" (Important) cd 14.98
KIRK, ROLAND "The Inflated Tear" (Atlantic / Rhino) lp 13.98
KRALLICE "Dimensional Bleedthrough" (Profound Lore) cd 13.98
LANDSCAPE "From The Tea-Rooms Of Mars .... To The Hell-Holes Of Uranus" (Cherry Red) cd 16.98
LIFE ON EARTH (EDWARD WILLIAMS) "OST" (Trunk) cd 17.98
LIMITS OF CONTROL "OST" (Lakeshore Records) cd 17.98
LITMUS "Aurora" (Metal Blade / Rise Above) cd 14.98
MANIAC / LILES / CZRAL "Det Skjedde Noe Nar Var I Belgia" (Dirter) cd 17.98
METALUCIFER "Heavy Metal Bulldozer" lp 17.98
MICHAEL AND THE MUMBLES "s/t" (De Stijl) lp 14.98
MIST AND MAST "Action At A Distance" (self released) cd 6.98
MOLINA & JOHNSON "s/t" (Secretly Canadian) cd 14.98
MORDANT MUSIC "SyMptoMs (Version)" (Mordant Music) 10" 12.98
MORDANT MUSIC "SyMptoMs" (Mordant Music) cd 17.98
MUDHONEY "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge" (Sub Pop) lp 14.98
MUDHONEY "s/t" (Sub Pop) lp 14.98
MUDHONEY "Superfuzz Bigmuff" (Sub Pop) lp 12.98
NIRVANA "Bleach (20th Anniversary)" (Sub Pop) 2cd/2lp 15.98/28.00
NURSE WITH WOUND "Space Music" (Beta-lactam Ring) cd 15.98
PARASOL, RYKARDA "For Blood and Wine" (self released) cd 12.98
PORT O'BRIEN "Threadbare" (TBD Records) cd 12.98
RAINCOATS, THE "s/t" (Kill Rock Stars) lp 16.98
RAINEY, MA "Those Dogs Of Mine" (Monk) lp 22.00
REYKJAVIK! "The Blood" (Kimi) cd 16.98
RITA J "Artist Workshop" (All Natural Inc.) cd 13.98
ROCKCELONA "La Bruja" (Estereo Fonico Country) cd 21.00
SECRETS OF THE MOON "Privilegium" (Lupus Lounge) cd 14.98
SHINDIG! "November - December, Vol.2 Issue 13" magazine 9.98
SHINDIG! "Psychotic Reaction" magazine 11.98
SLAYER "World Painted Blood" (American) cd/lp 14.98/24.00
SPIRAL STAIRS "The Real Feel" (Matador) cd/lp 13.98/16.98
SYLVIAN, DAVID "Manafon" (Samadhisound) cd 15.98
V/A "D-Funk: Funk, Disco & Boogie Grooves From Germany 1972-2002" (Marina) cd 17.98
V/A "Earle Brown Contemporary Sound Series" (Wergo) 3cd 53.00
V/A "Fire In My Bones" (Tompkins Square) 3cd 30.00
V/A "Forge Your Own Chains" (Now-Again) cd 17.98
V/A "Messthetics #107" (Hyped To Death) cd 14.98
V/A "More Andergraun Vibrations" (Hundergum) cd 25.00
V/A "Mutant Disco Volume 3: Garage Sale" (Ze) cd 16.98
V/A "Tumbele! Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds From The French Caribbean, 1963-74" (Sound Way) cd/2lp 16.98/23.00
V/A "Warp 20 (Chosen)" (Warp) 2cd 22.00
V/A "Warp 20 (Recreated)" (Warp) 2cd 25.00
V/A (CROOKERS) "I Love Techno 2009" (Lektro Luv) cd 17.98
VHS HEAD "Video Club" (Skam) cd 9.98
VOIVOD "Infini" (Relapse) cd 14.98
WARMTH "Original Warmth" (Turgid Animal) cd 12.98
YE OLDE MAIDS "God Blesses Us, Mother Dresses Us" (Art Fag) lp 17.98
YONKERS, MICHAEL & PLASTIC CRIME WAVE "Bleed Out" (Spiral Staircase) lp 16.98
YOUNGS, RICHARD "Under Stellar Stream" (Jagjaguwar) cd/lp 14.98/16.98

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Please place your order via our website.

[1] We will contact you to verify your order and let you know when it will be shipped. Please note that occasionally it may take a day or two for us to reply. We are not a faceless bunch of computers replying to your order -- we are human beings!

[2] If we are out of some of your items and we think we will get them within the same week, we can wait to ship. Or... If it's going to be more than a few days to complete your order, we will ship what we have and then will contact you as the remainders arrive.

[ note ] Due to the everchanging nature of the independent record business, we are not responsible for listed price changes (due to supplier price changes) and often cannot update our site fast enough to reflect these changes, but we will always try to let you know of any differences.


DOMESTIC SHIPPING :
--------------------------------

1-2 items    $5.00 USPS Priority Mail
3+ items    $7.50 UPS Ground

Further Explanation (Please Read!):
Within the USA, an order of 3 or more items will be shipped via UPS ground for a flat fee of $7.50. These packages are automatically insured and trackable.

However, if your package contains just 1 or 2 items, we will ship your order via USPS Priority Mail, and charge you $5.00 for shipping. These packages are NOT insured or trackable, sorry. So if you desire those safeguards, please request UPS delivery at the $7.50 rate. You must mention this in the comments field of our online order form.

Also, please note that UPS will not ship to PO Boxes. If you only have a PO Box, we can ship packages of 3+ items via US Postal Service at the $7.50 rate. Special shipping needs (e.g. UPS Next Day) are also do-able, just ask.

Another important note: box sets DON'T (usually) count as one item. Sorry. A box set will generally bump you up into the "three or more items" category. Y'know, they're big. Boxes.


INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING :
-------------------------------- For foreign customers we ship via US AIRMAIL ("First Class International"). Your price is based on the actual cost of shipping plus $1. You can check the US Postal Service international rate calculator: http://ircalc.usps.gov/. (Use the "Package" category and see the price for "First Class International". 1-3 cds is usually 1 pound.)

We highly recommend insurance for your international package, but it is very expensive! You can check the US Postal Service international rate calculator: http://ircalc.usps.gov/. (Use the "Package" category and see the price for "Priority Mail International". 1-3 cds is usually 1 pound. 1 lp is usually a little over 1.5 pounds.)


INTERNATIONAL INSURANCE :
-------------------------------- You are hereby forewarned that Aquarius is not responsible if your international package gets lost in the mail. Insurance is your only recourse if your records never show up. Since the terrible events of 9/11, mail service has been slow and undependable... and while we haven't experienced any *confirmed* permanently lost mail, insurance might provide some additional piece of mind in this time of upheaval. We strongly recommend it. But yes, it is very expensive. It's your choice. Again: Aquarius is not responsible for lost mail, so if you aren't willing to take a (slight but real) risk, please buy the insurance.

International insurance is very expensive! In fact often the insurance costs more than the value of your package, in which case it obviously does not make sense to insure it. You can check the US Postal Service international rate calculator: http://ircalc.usps.gov/. (Use the "Package" category and see the price for "Priority Mail International", which is the way insured packages are sent. 1-3 cds is usually 1 pound. 1 lp is usually a little over 1.5 pounds.)

For example: for a one-pound package worth $18 going to England, shipping without insurance is about $11.00. But with insurance, the shipping / insurance total is over $26.00!

It is your reponsibility to check the international rate calculator in order to determine whether or not you want international insurance. If you tell us you want international insurance, we will add it to your order no matter how much it costs!


PAYMENT :
-------------------------------- We accept the following credit cards: Visa, MC, Discover, and Amex. We will not charge your credit card until your order is ready to ship.

Money orders are accepted, but only in $USD. International customers please note that they must be international postal money orders purchased at a post office. Additional processing fees may apply. 

If you wish to pay by money order, you must confirm the order with us through email or phone BEFORE you send any payment. It's best to just use the secure order form on the website, and when checking out mark money order as your payment choice. We will then process your order and respond with all the crucial payment info.

We also accept payment by Paypal. If you opt for this payment method, we will send you a paypal total and payment instructions as soon as we've confirmed your order with you. Please do not send payment until you have received human contact from our mailorder department.

Unfortunately, we cannot take personal checks for mailorder, sorry!


QUESTION?
-------------------------------- Email the mailorder department: mailorder@aquariusrecords.org
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SOME SELECTED UPCOMING RELEASES

----} on the way
Hjarnidaudi "Psykostarevoid" cd on Music Fear Satan
Lusiferiinin Armosta "Nuolee" cd on Ektro
Musiikkivyöry "Tulemme Sokeiksi" cd on Ektro
Steel Mammoth "Nuclear Ritual" cd on Musapojat

----} November 10th
Pants Yell! "Received Pronunciation" cd/lp on Slumberland
Themselves "Crowns Down" lp on Anticon
DJ/Rupture + Matt Shadetek "Solar Life Raft" cd on Agriculture

----} November 17th
Real Estate "s/t" cd/lp on Woodsist
Kraftwerk vinyl reissues on Astralwerks

----} November 24th
Megasus "s/t" cd on 20 Buck Spin
Worm Ouroboros "s/t" cd on 20 Buck Spin

----} also November
King Khan & BBQ Show "Invisible Girl" cd/lp on In The Red
Saviours "Accelerated Living" lp version on Kemado
Jozef Van Wissem "Ex Patris" lp on Important
Felix "You Are The One I Pick" cd on Kranky
Mulatu Astatke "New York-Addis-London" cd/2lp on Strut
Papercuts "Where Are The Waves" cd on Gnomonsong
Bibio "The Apple And The Truth" cd/lp on Warp
v/a "Steppas Delight 2" cd/2lp on Soul Jazz
Oneohtrix Point Never lp and cd on No Fun
The Roots "How I Got Over" cd
Max Richter "Memory House" cd
Tom Waits "Glitter and Doom" live cd
Sparks "The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman" cd on Lil' Beethoven

----} also upcoming sooner or later or sooner or later
Cluster "Curiosum" cd reissue on Bureau B
Crispy Ambulance "Plateau Phase" cd reissue on LTM
Vampire Weekend "Contra" cd
Neon Indian "Psychic Chasms" lp version on Lefse
Cold Cave "Death Comes Close" 12"
Six Finger Satellite "A Good Year For Hardness" cd on Anchor Brain
Shit And Shine "229 2299 Girls Against Shit" lp on Riot Season
Ocean "Pantheon Of The Lesser" 2lp version on Important
Bunkur "Nullify" cd on Displeased
Grumbling Fur (Guapo + Jussi from Circle) cd
Combat Astronomy "Earth Divided by Zero" cd
Rosetta "Wake/Lift" vinyl version
Anton Batagov "Passionate Desire To Be An Angel" cd on Long Arms Records
Japancakes "If I Could See Dallas"
Sean Smith "Eternal" cd on Ultra Hard Gel
Jazzfinger "The Sun's Golden Blood" cd on Beta-Lactam Ring
v/a "Noise Room" cd on Soniq
Country Teasers / Ezee Tiger split lp on Holy Mountain
Erase Errata TBA cd on Kill Rock Stars
Xiu Xiu TBA cd on Kill Rock Stars
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists TBA cd/lp on Touch And Go
Rodan TBA cd/lp on Quarterstick
Deftones "Eros" cd on Warner Bros.
Swell Maps "International Rescue" clear vinyl LP reissue on Alive
Black Lips "We Didn't Know..." green vinyl LP on Bomp!
Loss "Despond" cd on Profound Lore
Celestiial "Where Life Springs Eternal" cd on Bindrune
Blood Of The Black Owl "A Banishing Ritual" cd on Bindrune
Trans Am "What Day Is Tonight" cd on Thrill Jockey
Boduf Songs "Strait Gait" cd/lp on Latitudes
M. Holterbach + Julia Eckhardt cd on Helen Scarsdale
AFCGT "s/t" lp on Sub Pop
Beach House "Teen Dream" cd on Sub Pop

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Lots of love from your devoted AQ staff

Andee Cup Jim AllanIrwinScottNickSallyJonandAndrew