SON VOLT A Retrospective: 1995-2000 (Warner) cd 17.98
Yeah yeah yeah, everybody LOVES Wilco. Critics, Fans, everybody. So experimental. So creative. Such heartbreaking magical music. Hey, we love Wilco too. But there was a time, not all that long ago, when Jeff Tweedy, the man behind Wilco, was at least to most of us, the weaker half of the only alt country band that ever mattered. The band whose first album's title (No Depression) became the new name for alt country. Tweedy was merely the whiney vocal foil to Jay Farrar's world weary, whiskey soaked drawl. Sure Tweedy sang some great songs, but Farrar was the voice that MADE Uncle Tupelo, the band he shared with Tweedy. After Uncle Tupelo split, Tweedy went on to front Wilco, and Farrar went on to form his own group, Son Volt. The first Son Volt record was amazing, sort of an extension of Uncle Tupelo, Farrar's voice still so perfect and stirring, framed by kick ass country rock, sometimes soulful and stirring, acoustic and laid back, sometimes rambunctious and rocking. Tweedy's Wilco headed in decidedly more experimental directions, and it suited them, they got weirder and way more interesting, with the band and the songs and the sounds providing the focus, while Tweedy's vocals became just a part of the big picture. But as Son Volt progressed, something started to go wrong, the slow songs sounded too syrupy, the rocking songs began to sound cheesy, the attempts at sounding experimental sounded forced. But the thing was, every record contained at least two or three perfect jems. Gorgeous modern takes on classic bluegrass, full on Crazy Horse style rockers, all with Farrar's amazing vocals, emotive and laconic, soulful intense. Serious classics! So this comp is practically perfect. If it wasn't a compilation, it might just be the ultimate Son Volt record. In fact it sort of still is! Included are the four best tracks from Trace (the first Son Volt album), the best tracks from all the rest, as well as compilation tracks and a handful of unreleased tracks and demos. Loads of photos and liner notes. Andee has been playing this constantly in the store! So good!
MPEG Stream: "Drown"
MPEG Stream: "Windfall"
MPEG Stream: "Route"
MPEG Stream: "Rex's Blues"

SON VOLT American Central Dust (Rounder) cd 15.98

SON VOLT Okemah And The Melody Of Riot (Transmit Sound) dual cd/dvd 19.98

SON VOLT Straightaways (Warner Bros.) cd 14.98
Second album from this spawn-of-Uncle Tupelo band, quite similar to their excellent first record...

SON VOLT Trace (Warner Brothers) cd 14.98
Jay Farrar was always my favorite part of Uncle Tupelo. That voice. So this is his new band. He brought back Uncle Tupelo's old drummer, and the resulting album is quiet and lovely, not filled with, as one Aquarius customer put it, the 'Nashville hotshots' Wilco features.

SON VOLT Wide Swing Tremolo (Warner Bros) cd 15.98
Jay Farrar and other ex-Uncle Tupelo folk with their third Son Volt album, this one a bit noisier and looser (in a good way) than previous efforts. We like it.

SONGCATCHER (OST) (Vanguard) cd 14.98
The soundtrack to the film Songcatcher is filled with compelling performances by such songbirds as Iris Dement, Dolly Parton. Alison Moorer, Deana Carter, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Emmy Rossum, Patty Loveless, Hazel Dickens, and Lone Justice's Maria McKee. About half of the songs are traditionals and they fit in well with the original compositions. Wonderful.
RealAudio clip: IRIS DEMENT "Pretty Saro"
RealAudio clip: PATTY LOVELESS "Sounds of Loneliness"

SONGS: OHIA Ghost Tropic (Secretly Canadian) cd 14.98
Songs: Ohia's fifth proper album is their most skeletal yet. This time around main man Jason Molina is accompanied by members of Appendix Out and Lullaby For The Working Class. The results are eight of the darkest folk tunes you will ever hear. The vocals are more desperate, the instrumentation is more varied (dig the creepy world instruments), and the overall ambience is downright coma-inducing. So what does it all mean? It means the lazy comparisons to other popular indie cum alt-country stars must stop now! This is the most original, most beautiful not-so-folk folk record you will hear all year.

SONGS:OHIA The Lioness (Secretly Canadian) cd 13.98
It can be quite unnerving how similar Jason Molina's voice is to Will Oldham's. So the comparisons to Palace are inevitable, and this record isn't much of an exception. There does, however, seem to be a dramatic difference between Oldham's songs and Molina's songs, both musically and lyrically. While Oldham's songs are certainly beautiful and appalachian and 'old timey', Molina takes the same sound, but infuses it with an urgency and depth not always present on Palace records. It's like every song is sung with his last dying breath, or howled impotently at the gods intent on crushing his spirit. Dramatically theatrical emotions pour out of intense, slow motion country narratives. This time around, Songs:Ohia includes members of Arab Strap and Appendix Out, adding even more depressive murk and heart wrenching hopelessness.

SOULED AMERICAN Around The Horn/Sonny (tUMULt) 2cd 14.98
Sometimes we forget that not everyone has been closely reading our list/website for the past decade... or the past six months, even. That causes us to mistakenly assume y'all know about older releases that we stock. Why do we mention this? Well, a while back Andee sold a bunch of copies of the very first releases on his tUMULt label (that came out YEARS ago) to a distro, who listed them on their website as "new in stock" and thereby sold a bunch...to people we know, who are regular AQ customers, who just happened to have missed the SA cds the first time we listed them way back when. So...we thought we'd better give everybody another chance to pick up from us these amazing, all time AQ favorites!
Long overdue reissue of these amazing and long out of print LPs by Chicago's Souled American, a band unfortunate enough to have helped create a genre that effectively didn't yet exist. But by the time 'alternative country' had caught the attention of the music buying public and helped rock audiences overcome their fear of country music, Rough Trade had already collapsed (leaving them with no label, and basically no records) and the band had already withdrawn from the public eye so effectively, that even their most stalwart fans assumed the worst.
Fe and Flubber, their first two records, find them exploring rock music from a distinctly country/bluegrass perspective. The result is a wholly original sound, true to the tradition, but weird enough to keep them a sort of band's band for years, blending plaintive, heartfelt, on-the-verge-of-cracking Neil Young-ish vocals, warm but angular guitars, and probably their most unique characteristic; the bass, dubby and underwater, slippery and otherworldly. Anyone who likes Palace, Uncle Tupelo, Songs:Ohia, Rex, or John Prine, will love these records.
Around the Horn and Sonny find Souled American slowing down and becoming more introspective, shedding band members and discarding un-needed sounds to arrive at their own essence of folk/bluegrass/country; dark, lugubrious, glacial sounds of country past, lost loves, mines and ghost towns. While still essential for fans of Palace and Uncle Tupelo, now even fans of Low, Labradford, Godspeed, and Kranky records will find themselves irresistably drawn to, and slowly enveloped by the murk and mist.
Our esteemed co-worker Andee founded tUMULt because he wanted to see these records reissued. All four cds have been lovingly remastered, have new artwork and Around the Horn is a cd rom, containing a never before seen video for "In the Mud". When you buy both volumes (4 cds!) they come in a beautiful slipcase.
MPEG Stream: "Old Old House"
MPEG Stream: "Six Feet Of Snow"
MPEG Stream: "Dark As A Dungeon"
MPEG Stream: "If You Don't Want My Love"

SOULED AMERICAN Fe / Flubber (tUMULt) 2cd 14.98
Sometimes we forget that not everyone has been closely reading our list/website for the past decade... or the past six months, even. That causes us to mistakenly assume y'all know about older releases that we stock. Why do we mention this? Well, a while back Andee sold a bunch of copies of the very first releases on his tUMULt label (that came out YEARS ago) to a distro, who listed them on their website as "new in stock" and thereby sold a bunch...to people we know, who are regular AQ customers, who just happened to have missed the SA cds the first time we listed them way back when. So...we thought we'd better give everybody another chance to pick up from us these amazing, all time AQ favorites!
Long overdue reissue of these amazing and long out of print LPs by Chicago's Souled American, a band unfortunate enough to have helped create a genre that effectively didn't yet exist. But by the time 'alternative country' had caught the attention of the music buying public and helped rock audiences overcome their fear of country music, Rough Trade had already collapsed (leaving them with no label, and basically no records) and the band had already withdrawn from the public eye so effectively, that even their most stalwart fans assumed the worst.
Fe and Flubber, their first two records, find them exploring rock music from a distinctly country/bluegrass perspective. The result is a wholly original sound, true to the tradition, but weird enough to keep them a sort of band's band for years, blending plaintive, heartfelt, on-the-verge-of-cracking Neil Young-ish vocals, warm but angular guitars, and probably their most unique characteristic; the bass, dubby and underwater, slippery and otherworldly. Anyone who likes Palace, Uncle Tupelo, Songs:Ohia, Rex, or John Prine, will love these records.
Around the Horn and Sonny find Souled American slowing down and becoming more introspective, shedding band members and discarding un-needed sounds to arrive at their own essence of folk/bluegrass/country; dark, lugubrious, glacial sounds of country past, lost loves, mines and ghost towns. While still essential for fans of Palace and Uncle Tupelo, now even fans of Low, Labradford, Godspeed, and Kranky records will find themselves irresistably drawn to, and slowly enveloped by the murk and mist.
Our esteemed co-worker Andee founded tUMULt because he wanted to see this records reissued. All four cds have been lovingly remastered, have new artwork and Around the Horn is a cd rom, containing a never before seen video for "In the Mud". When you buy both volumes (4 cds!) they come in a beautiful slipcase.
MPEG Stream: "Notes Campfire"
MPEG Stream: "Make Me Laugh Make Me Cry"
MPEG Stream: "Drop In The Basket"
MPEG Stream: "Over The Hill"

SOULED AMERICAN Frozen (Moll) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We love this band so much we took it upon ourselves to import mucho copies of their two most recent albums, and as far as we know, we are the ONLY store in the country to care enough to carry them. Think Joel Phelps (in the voice) with a dour Palace twang, also Red House Painters-ish 'slow-core' but these guys have been doing it for over a decade, having put out several hard-to-find records on Rough Trade. Very bare and wintry. Oh yeah, they're from Chicago and have a rabid cult following (can't believe I just wrote that); people far and wide, including Jim O'Rourke and our own Andee Connors, just WORSHIP them. This is kind of a big deal.

SOULED AMERICAN Notes Campfire (Catamount Company) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
BACK IN STOCK AGAIN!!
By now, if you've been paying any attention, you know how much we love Souled American. So much that Andee even started his tUMULt label specifically to re-release their first four albums. (Really!) So once again we're super excited to have gotten a handful of copies of their last record, Notes Campfire, back in. Notes Campfire is record number six, and finds Souled American at their most lugubrious, their stoned glacial country at its very slowest and introspective. Which is saying a lot for the masters of stoned deconstructed skeletal country folk. But Notes Campfire is indeed the dreamiest and darkest of all their recordings, shimmering guitars ripple endlessly into the ether, achingly mournful about-to-crack vocals hover like disembodied spirits in SA's wintery musical forest. Creeping and slithering, warbly and tenuous, these songs are barely there impressions of what was once a country rock band, wispy smoky shapes, dreamy and luminescent halos of distant twang and soulful introspection. Still manages to kick ass over almost any slowcore / no depression / alt. country we've ever heard. Fans of Palace and Songs:Ohia and stuff like that owe it to themselves to check Souled American out if they haven't already.
MPEG Stream: "Suitors Bridge"
MPEG Stream: "Before Tonight"

SOURDELINE Jeanne D'Ayme (Guerssen) cd 17.98
Lovely Medieval-tinged French Acid Folk. Like Springuns or Ougenweide or an even more ancient minstral version of Fairport Convention. Full of Sitars, Lutes, Hurdy Gurdy's and lilting male and female harmonies.

SPARKLEHORSE Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain (Astralwerks / EMI) cd 16.98
Hard to believe it's been five years since we last heard from Mark Linkous and Sparklehorse. It seems like every record has involved some sort of struggle or personal tragedy. Linkous has had a seriously rough life, an accident that almost killed him, and which left him crippled for life, struggles with anxiety and depression, but the result of all that anguish is one of the most incredible bodies of work in modern music. Sparklehorse is sort of like the country rock Flaming Lips. Starting life out as a super scrappy rock band, and then discovering the joys of the studio, learning to use the studio like another instrument, creating an incredibly expansive sound palette, and eventually creating a unique world of unbelievably lush sounds, like a modern day Brian Wilson. And this record is no different. It's rich and dense and lush and sweet, the vocals, a plaintive heartstring pulling croon, guitars strum and shimmer, melodies drift, harmonies float and glisten, everything woven together into gorgeously perfect twang flecked pop. The vocals are multi tracked, doused in effects, swathed in reverb, guitar parts are simple and spare, the record is dotted with bits of strange digital glitch, or fuzzy record crackle. Some tracks are crystal clear, simple and straight forward, others are dense and dizzying, with strange edits, and extreme stereo panning, there are a few super fuzzed out rockers, but for the most part Dreamt For Light Years is a record of sun dappled divinity and sweetly melancholy drift. A gloriously and dreamily psychedelic excursion into the heart of darkness. So lovely.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Take My Sunshine Away"
MPEG Stream: "Getting It Wrong"
MPEG Stream: "It's Not So Hard"

SPARKLEHORSE Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain (Astralwerks / EMI) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hard to believe it's been five years since we last heard from Mark Linkous and Sparklehorse. It seems like every record has involved some sort of struggle or personal tragedy. Linkous has had a seriously rough life, an accident that almost killed him, and which left him crippled for life, struggles with anxiety and depression, but the result of all that anguish is one of the most incredible bodies of work in modern music. Sparklehorse is sort of like the country rock Flaming Lips. Starting life out as a super scrappy rock band, and then discovering the joys of the studio, learning to use the studio like another instrument, creating an incredibly expansive sound palette, and eventually creating a unique world of unbelievably lush sounds, like a modern day Brian Wilson. And this record is no different. It's rich and dense and lush and sweet, the vocals, a plaintive heartstring pulling croon, guitars strum and shimmer, melodies drift, harmonies float and glisten, everything woven together into gorgeously perfect twang flecked pop. The vocals are multi tracked, doused in effects, swathed in reverb, guitar parts are simple and spare, the record is dotted with bits of strange digital glitch, or fuzzy record crackle. Some tracks are crystal clear, simple and straight forward, others are dense and dizzying, with strange edits, and extreme stereo panning, there are a few super fuzzed out rockers, but for the most part Dreamt For Light Years is a record of sun dappled divinity and sweetly melancholy drift. A gloriously and dreamily psychedelic excursion into the heart of darkness. So lovely.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Take My Sunshine Away"
MPEG Stream: "Getting It Wrong"
MPEG Stream: "It's Not So Hard"

SPEAKERS, THE (SF) Yeats Is Greats: The Speakers Sing The Poems of W.B. Yeats (and more) (self-released) cd-r 12.98
Not to be confused with the ultra-trippy late-60's Latin American psychedelic rock group of the same name! These San Franciscans are a completely different band, but that's not to say you might not like these folks too. Those who've delighted in anything and everything graced with the wonderful presence of Ms Jolie Holland, and/or The Iron & The Albatross' Ara Anderson will surely wanna sit up and take note of this new cd. All of you more literary types too might wish to close your books for a spell and lend an ear to Yeats Is Great. In addition to those two Bay Area folksy luminaries, this is quite an impressive assembly of like-minded earthy artists joining together to sing, speak, strum, and otherswise celebrate the writings of Yeats.
MPEG Stream: "He Wishes His Beloved Were Dead"
MPEG Stream: "To A Man Young And Old"

SPECTRE FOLK Requiem For Ming Aralia (Three Lobed Recordings) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The sonic solar system surrounding Sunroof!, Double Leopards, Hototogisu and those who sail with them has been expanding like some free rock supernova lately. Not just multiple releases from the core members but new groups, new configurations of old groups and multiple releases by both. Hard to figure out how Bassett (Double Leopards, Hototogisu, GHQ, etc...), Bower (Sunroof!, Hototogisu, etc.) and friends manage. And manage with such a consistent level of quality. Now we have this, what seems to be the first proper full length from Spectre Folk, aka Pete Nolan of the Magik Markers, GHQ, Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice and Shackamaxon among others. As Spectre Folk, Nolan divides his energies between a drifty glimmering drone not unlike his sweetly noisy brethren (and sistren) in Hototogisu and Sunroof! with muted guitars that sway and swell, muted melodies that drift and swoon like barely visible ghosts and woodwinds that whir and drone dreamily, and a more 'traditional' folk, fingerpicked steel string guitar, sweet crooning vocals,a lilting otherworldly melancholia, wrapped in layer after layer of tape hiss, and instrument buzz and warm windlike whir. It's almost like listening to some sixties folk 7" on a broken old turntable that barely plays, lovely and so mysterious sounding. Features Spencer Yeh from Burning Star Core on one track and Marcia Bassett, Nolan's bandmate in GHQ, drew the cover. Nice!
MPEG Stream: "Tendrils Floating Fastly"
MPEG Stream: "Indianana"

SPEER, D. CHARLES Some Forgotten Country (Sound@1) lp 14.98
You'd never know it from listening, but this gorgeous slab of sprawling Americana and Appalachia, features mostly members of Sunburned Hand and the No Neck Blues Band as Mr. Speer's back up band. No ramshackle percussion, spaced out drum jams, or noisy free rock, just twangy folky old timey country, strummed and picked mountain folk, and some old fashioned truck drivin' ballads. The music is pitch perfect, for a minute we were convinced this was some unearthed classic, some lost folk find, but nope, this man and his band are a going concern, gigging and recording present day! The songs vary, running the gamut of traditional country tropes, classic Fahey-esque Appalachia, stretched out country ballads, sixties surf rock, SF style psych, it all sounds amazing, the vocals too, which only appear occasionally, a earthy baritone drawl, crooned in a sort of Townes Van Zandt style. Really good stuff, and a surprise coming from these NY freenoise vets. And if you like this, be sure and check out the Coachfingers, another weirdly twangy NNCK offshoot (and conversely, all you folks who bought the Coachfingers would probably dig this too!).

SPENCE, ALEXANDER "SKIP" Oar (Sundazed) cd 16.98

SPENCE, JOSEPH Bahaman Folk Guitar (Doxy) lp 26.00

SPENCE, JOSEPH Bahaman Guitarist: Good Morning Mr. Walker (Mississippi) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another awesome Mississippi Records reissue, this one from Bahaman guitarist Joseph Spence, who has one of the most unique guitar and vocal styles EVER. This came out originally on Arhoolie way back when, but this vinyl reissue is super swank, one of those old school paste on type jackets, with the textured faux leather sleeve, with the artwork affixed over the top.
But none of that would matter if the music wasn't amazing, and it IS. Spence's guitar playing is playful and lyrical, tangled and lush, melodies unfurled in little flurries, a weird and wonderful combination of strumming and picking and slapping and scraping and plucking, so so strange, but so magical, and when combined with his vocals... WOW. We're not sure he's even singing actual words. It's all mumbled and growly and grunted and howled and mush mouthed, every now and again, an actual word or two will pop up, but besides that, it's more like scatting, and he has a cool deep growl that sounds quite a bit like Captain Beefheart or a pirate, or some weird mix of the two. Such a fun and fantastic record. Way recommended.

SPENCE, JOSEPH Happy All the Time (Water) cd 14.98
2nd time reissued on CD, this was the amazing Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence's second album. Originally recorded in 1964, where this album excels over the first (recorded for Smithsonian Folkways in 1958) is that the producers had the prescience to load up with some great field recording gear. Important given that the dynamic range that Mr. Spence can coax out of his guitar is astounding. Though his repertoire consists almost entirely of traditional hymns and folk tunes that most all of us are familiar with, his renditions are hardly recognizable. Spence has a maniacally insane picking / plucking / slapping guitar style that would make Jaco Pastorius and Pete Seeger bow their heads in awe. To boot, Spence's singing, err... mumbling style is too lovable to resist. It's almost like hearing Captain Beefheart with his mouth wired shut. A cult classic!
RealAudio clip: "Bimini Gal"
RealAudio clip: "How I Love Jesus"

SPIDER The Way To Bitter Lake (Spidersongs) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
After listening to this disc, all we can say is Marissa Nadler and Joanna Newsom better watch their backs. If there is any justice in the world, the throngs of bearded and bead encrusted modern free folk freaks and forest maidens that make up the new weird underground will bow down before Jane Herships, the woman who is Spider. A softly strummed dreamy acoustic world of drifting shimmering loveliness. If Devendra Banhart is homecoming king at this year's forestfolk ball, well then Spider would absolutely have to be everyone's choice for queen. The Way To Bitter Lake is a blissful blend of Iron & Wine, Vashti Bunyan, Will Oldham, Cat Power, Edith Frost. Hushed vocals over lilting old timey folk, gorgeous and timeless melodies, spare arrangements, but so deftly arranged as to be more powerful than almost any of her contemporaries. There is definitely a serious Iron & Wine vibe going on, Herships sounds like Sam Beam's long lost twin sister. Even her turns of phrase and choice of melodies. The mind boggles at the possibility of those two making a record together. If either of them are reading this, for god's sake let's make it happen!!
Regardless, this is an absolute gem. Pastoral, and haunting, soft and shimmery, suffused with warm summer sunlight, a rambling record if there ever was one. Cool afternoon, bare feet, tall grass, clouds drifting lazily by, soft breezes, the smell of earth and leaves, wandering through a fuzzy folk dream. Absolutely gorgeous.
MPEG Stream: "The Clearing"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Be Afraid, I've Just Come To Say Goodbye, "The Ballad Of Clementine Jones""
MPEG Stream: "I Don't Know If She Had Any Teeth Because She Never Smiled"

SPIDER The Way To Bitter Lake (Storyboard) cd 14.98
This long time AQ favorite, formerly a cd-r, now finally available as a proper cd, with new improved artwork, but the same gorgeous gossamer beauty inside:
After listening to this disc, all we can say is Marissa Nadler and Joanna Newsom better watch their backs. If there is any justice in the world, the throngs of bearded and bead encrusted modern free folk freaks and forest maidens that make up the new weird underground will bow down before Jane Herships, the woman who is Spider. A softly strummed dreamy acoustic world of drifting shimmering loveliness. If Devendra Banhart is homecoming king at this year's forestfolk ball, well then Spider would absolutely have to be everyone's choice for queen. The Way To Bitter Lake is a blissful blend of Iron & Wine, Vashti Bunyan, Will Oldham, Cat Power, Edith Frost. Hushed vocals over lilting old timey folk, gorgeous and timeless melodies, spare arrangements, but so deftly arranged as to be more powerful than almost any of her contemporaries. There is definitely a serious Iron & Wine vibe going on, Herships sounds like Sam Beam's long lost twin sister. Even her turns of phrase and choice of melodies. The mind boggles at the possibility of those two making a record together. If either of them are reading this, for god's sake let's make it happen!!
Regardless, this is an absolute gem. Pastoral, and haunting, soft and shimmery, suffused with warm summer sunlight, a rambling record if there ever was one. Cool afternoon, bare feet, tall grass, clouds drifting lazily by, soft breezes, the smell of earth and leaves, wandering through a fuzzy folk dream. Absolutely gorgeous.
MPEG Stream: "The Clearing"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Be Afraid, I've Just Come To Say Goodbye, "The Ballad Of Clementine Jones""
MPEG Stream: "I Don't Know If She Had Any Teeth Because She Never Smiled"

SPIDERWEBS / MIKE TAMBOURO AND MATTHEW MCDOWELL / KEENAN LAWLER Strands Formerly Braided (Music Fellowship) cd 14.98
A gorgeous slab of blissfolk improv from these free folk underground dreamweavers. Three separate tracks from 3 likeminded ensembles. First up, Spiderwebs (Tom Carter (of Charalambides) and Sandy Ewen (of Weird Weeds)), offer up a glistening ambience, spacious and hushed with chiming harmonics and slowly unfurling melodies, soft and shimmery, spaced out slow drifting soundscapes of keening guitar swells and crystalline abstraction, haunting drones floating and fluttering, melodies whirling like tiny dustdevils, so lovely. Next up is Mike Tambouro And Matthew McDowell who spin a dense web of strange electronic sound and warm whirring guitar, swells and swirls of moaning bells soft slow drones, a deep pool of sonic shimmer beneath lonely back porch strum and twang. A drone drenched, mysterious Appalachia. Finally, Keenan Lawler lets lengthy buzzing guitar lines sprawl loosely across super spare soundfield, each note, each chord, sliding and bombinating, raga like buzz and loping abstract country twang, loose and skeletal, haunting and otherworldly. Another amazing installment in the Music Fellowship's Triptych series!
MPEG Stream: "One"
MPEG Stream: "Two"

SPIERS, CRESTON (HARVEY MILK) Yesterday's Parade / The Time Has Come (Southern Shelter) 7" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Shame on anyone who somehow managed to miss the acoustic Harvey Milk instore, with HM frontman Creston Spiers tackling stripped down Milk tracks, Leonard Cohen covers, heck, he even covered "Three Is A Magic Number" from Schoolhouse Rock. Well this one is for those of you who blew it, or for those of you who didn't but still need more.
A super limited yellow vinyl 7", the second and supposedly last pressing, 300 copies, already sold out, we have about 30, of Creston Spiers from Harvey Milk performing acoustic, two originals, both awesome. And both sounding like could-have-been Harvey Milk tracks, or obscure Leonard Cohen covers, anyone at the instore knows exactly what we mean, his voice and way with melody is so distinctive, and owes quite a bit to Mr. Cohen. On these two tracks, Spiers' vocals are rough and ragged but still melodic, accompanied by stripped down steel string guitar, spare and melancholy, with slightly off kilter arrangements, the tone mournful and melancholy. Barring a recording of "Three Is A Magic Number" you couldn't hope for more.
Pressed on thick clear yellow vinyl, housed in a clear plastic PVC sleeve, limited to 300 copies, out of print, this is most likely your last chance...

SPIRITUALAIRES, THE OF HURTSBORO, ALABAMA Singing Songs Of Praise (CaseQuarter) cd 14.98

SPLIT LIP RAYFIELD Should Have Seen It Coming (Bloodshot) cd 14.98
It's kind of weird. We usually like our country dark and slow and lugubrious and miserable. And SLOW. But Split Lip Rayfield are one of the few bands who are a full on, rollicking bluegrass outfit, that kick ass and still hit the spot. Fierce and furious, these guys are all wicked players, insane fiddling, blazing banjo-ing and manic mandolining mesh into wild and wooly footstomping knee slapping old school bluegrass. With awesome harmonies and clever funny lyrics (songs like "Redneck Tailgate Dream", "A Little More Cocaine Please" and "C'mon Get Your Gun") these guys are unbeatable. When they do slow down even for a song or two, it's soooooo good. Dark and minor key, heartfelt and miserable. But even when they are at their most sensitive they are secretly taking the piss, like on the seemingly poignant, perfectly titled "Just Like A Gillian Welch Song."
MPEG Stream: "Hundred Dollar Bill"
MPEG Stream: "Just Like A Gillian Welch Song"
MPEG Stream: "Truth And Lies"

SPRINGFIELD, DUSTY Anthology (Mercury) 3cd 48.00
Deluxe 77-track career retrospective.

SPRINGFIELD, DUSTY Love Songs (Rhino) cd 11.98

ST. JOHN, BRIDGET Ask Me No Questions (Cherry Red) cd 16.98
So we've worked are way backwards with the recent reissues of great British folkstress Bridget St John. A couple lists ago we reviewed her most pop and upbeat release Thank You For..., then last time it was the ever so lush and orchestrated '71 release Songs For The Gentle Man and this time we focus on her debut, 1969's Ask Me No Questions. An outing that's the most stripped down of her first three albums. Produced by her biggest supporter, John Peel, this was by and large a totally solo affair. Her totally beautiful voice and sparse guitar instrumentation help create an overall somber and peaceful mood that is usually so hard to get so right, but St. John demonstrates that she knew so well how to evoke those sentiments without hitting people over the head, instead slowly wandering and tiptoeing her way through leaves and trees and finding beauty, truth and sadness along the way. The reissue of this debut also contains two bonus tracks including a stunning cover of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne." These recent reissues have proven she is worthy of that spot in your record collections next to Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan and Marianne Faithfull, voices that are timeless and always ring so true and wise.
MPEG Stream: "To B Without A Hitch"
MPEG Stream: "Curl Your Toes"
MPEG Stream: "I Like To Be With You In The Sun"

ST. JOHN, BRIDGET Ask Me No Questions (4 Men With Beards) lp 16.98
Also now reissued on 180 gram vinyl!!
They've already reissued her most pop and upbeat release Thank You For..., and also the ever so lush and orchestrated '71 release Songs For The Gentle Man. This one is her debut, 1969's Ask Me No Questions. An outing that's the most stripped down of her first three albums. Produced by her biggest supporter, John Peel, this was by and large a totally solo affair. Her totally beautiful voice and sparse guitar instrumentation help create an overall somber and peaceful mood that is usually so hard to get so right, but St. John demonstrates that she knew so well how to evoke those sentiments without hitting people over the head, instead slowly wandering and tiptoeing her way through leaves and trees and finding beauty, truth and sadness along the way. The reissue of this debut also contains two bonus tracks including a stunning cover of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne." These recent reissues have proven she is worthy of that spot in your record collections next to Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan and Marianne Faithfull, voices that are timeless and always ring so true and wise.
MPEG Stream: "To B Without A Hitch"
MPEG Stream: "Curl Your Toes"
MPEG Stream: "I Like To Be With You In The Sun"

ST. JOHN, BRIDGET Jumblequeen (Hux) cd 26.00

ST. JOHN, BRIDGET Songs For The Gentle Man (Cherry Red) cd 16.98
We've been so happy that Cherry Red has made available some of the wonderful records of late '60s early '70s UK folkstress Bridget St. John. Last time we listed the wonderful Thank You For... and this time it's the lush sounds of Songs For The Gentle Man that we have been swept away by. This is for sure one of her most beautiful albums. Teamed up with producer Ron Geesin who she was introduced to by their mutual friend John Peel (his record label Dandelion originally released this in '71). Geesin's production was such a perfect match for the breezy and beautiful sound of St. John's voice. He actually co-wrote one side of Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother as well as making lots of interesting, challenging records of his own. The lush arrangements on this record will make you think of Vashti Bunyan more so then maybe any of St. John's albums. There is that same gentleness meets strength in her voice that listen after listen sinks deeper into our ears. We've got a feeling that Isobel Campbell might have been a big Bridget St. John fan as so many of these songs remind us of Campbell's contribution to early Belle & Sebastian records. Not a weak song in the whole bunch and her take on the Donovan penned "The Pebble and the Man" is pretty damn irresistible... as is this entire album. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "A Day A Way"
MPEG Stream: "The Pebble And The Man"

ST. JOHN, BRIDGET Songs For The Gentle Man (4 Men With Beards) lp 17.98
You can't even begin to imagine how excited we got when we heard that these great Bridget St. John albums were finally going to be reissued on vinyl, and not at some ridiculous high price. Can't think of an artist who is more perfect for putting on the turntable during these cold days and nights, then the absolute warmth of Bridget St John.
Songs For The Gentle Man swept us so deep into her world the first time we heard and it still gives us new goosebumps every time we've heard it since.
For this record, she teamed up with producer Ron Geesin, whom she was introduced to by mutual friend John Peel (his record label Dandelion originally released this in '71). He actually co-wrote one side of Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother as well as making lots of interesting, challenging records of his own. Geesin's production was such a perfect match for the breezy and beautiful sound of St. John's voice. The lush arrangements on this record will make you think of Vashti Bunyan more so then maybe any of St. John's albums. There is that same gentleness meets strength in her voice that listen after listen sinks deeper into our ears. We've got a feeling that Isobel Campbell might have been a big Bridget St. John fan as so many of these songs remind us of Campbell's contribution to early Belle & Sebastian records. Not a weak song in the whole bunch and her take on the Donovan penned "The Pebble and the Man" is pretty damn irresistible... as is this entire album. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "A Day A Way"
MPEG Stream: "The Pebble And The Man"

ST. JOHN, BRIDGET Thank You For... (Cherry Red) cd 16.98
Another great British folk re-discovery! Bridget St
John was on the scene during the late 60's/early 70's and recorded just a handful of albums. A few of which were originally released on John Peel's Dandelion label. Luckily Cherry Red has gotten a hold of the original reels so those of us who missed out first time around can finally hear what we missed. And wow what a great voice and presence she had! She had this great ability to be both delicate and breezy, recalling the best of her contemporaries like Nick Drake and Vashti Bunyan while dipping her feet a bit more in carefree wind-in-her hair styling. Her voice also reminds us a lot of Marianne Faithfull and even at times Nico on a sunny day with a smile on her face. Some of the standout tracks on the record like "Fly High", "Lazarus" (which was her sort of hit), "Silver Coin", "Thank You For.." are the kinds of songs you know will be on every mix tape (ok...mix cd) that we make this year. So nice when songs recorded 34 years ago can still resonate so strongly in the present moment. Oh that's called timeless...and that's what this record is!
MPEG Stream: "Fly High"
MPEG Stream: "Thank You For..."

ST. JOHN, BRIDGET Thank You For... (4 Men With Beards) lp 21.00
You can't even begin to imagine how excited we got when we heard that these great Bridget St. John albums were finally going to be reissued on vinyl, and not at some ridiculous high price. Can't think of an artist who is more perfect for putting on the turntable during these cold days and nights, then the absolute warmth of Bridget St John.
Bridget St John was on the scene during the late '60s/early '70s and recorded just a handful of albums. A few of which were originally released on John Peel's Dandelion label. And wow what a great voice and presence she had! She had this great ability to be both delicate and breezy, recalling the best of her contemporaries like Nick Drake and Vashti Bunyan while dipping her feet a bit more in carefree wind-in-her hair styling. Her voice also reminds us a lot of Marianne Faithfull and even at times Nico on a sunny day with a smile on her face. Some of the standout tracks on the record like "Fly High", "Lazarus" (which was her sort of hit), "Silver Coin", "Thank You For.." are the kinds of songs you know will be on every mix tape (ok...mix cd) that we make this year. So nice when songs recorded 34 years ago can still resonate so strongly in the present moment. Oh that's called timeless...and that's what this record is!
MPEG Stream: "Fly High"
MPEG Stream: "Thank You For..."

STANLEY BROTHERS Earliest Recordings (Revenant) cd 16.98
The very first recordings of Ralph Stanley and brother Carter, made between 1947-1952 and released on Tennesse's Rich-R-Tone label. Next to Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers are probably one of the most crucial performers in shaping bluegrass.

STANLEY BROTHERS Earliest Recordings (Revenant) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now available on vinyl. Revenant has rivaled their CD issue with a deluxe LP edition. The very first recordings of Ralph Stanley and brother Carter, made between 1947 - 1952 and released on Tennesse's Rich-R-Tone label. Next to Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers are probably one of the most crucial performers in shaping bluegrass!

STANLEY BROTHERS Too Late To Cry (Catfish) cd 14.98
Sort of a best of cd of the Stanley Brothers on this U.K. import. Has some of their early Rich-R-Tone recordings from the late '40s and some later recordings from 1950. Includes their version of Bill Monroe's "Molly And Tenbrooks", plus a lot of Stanley Bros. mainstays like "Little Maggie", "Man of Constant Sorrow", "Death Is Only A Dream" and much more. 24 tracks in all.
RealAudio clip: "Molly And Tenbrooks"
RealAudio clip: "The White Dove"

STANLEY BROTHERS AND DOC WATSON Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest (Shanachie) dvd 16.98

STANLEY, RALPH & THE CLINCH MOUNTAIN BOYS Clinch Mountain Gospel (Rebel) cd 15.98
The latter of two new all gospel albums from Ralph Stanley that have just been reissued. Recorded in 1977, Clinch Mountain Gospel features an older and more seasoned Keith Whitley stepping up to take charge of lead vocals. It's an odd combo, Whitley's definitively modern, "young country", singing style and his physically young voice is an odd pairing to Ralph Stanley's aged (like a fine single malt scotch) tenor harmonies. Along with the traditional (for bluegrass anyway) three finger picking style, Ralph uses a lot of the old claw hammer style picking that his mother taught him oh so long ago. Maybe not as immediately touching as "Cry From the Cross", "Clinch Mountain Gospel" is still a grand document of one of bluegrass' greatest mainstays. And for what it's worth, Allison Krauss said of this record "I can't think of anything better" and Gillian Welch calls it (along with "Cry") one of her favorite records ever.
RealAudio clip: "Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem"
RealAudio clip: "Amazing Grace"

STANLEY, RALPH & THE CLINCH MOUNTAIN BOYS Cry From the Cross (Rebel) cd 15.98
Though most bluegrass artists might only throw in one or two token religious numbers when they put together a record, or devote one album to such material, there can be no doubt that religion informs bluegrass music. Like the Monroe, Louvin or Osborne brothers, Ralph and his brother Stanley (who passed away in 1966) were schooled in singing harmony at church -- Primitive Baptist Universalist to be precise. And unlike many bluegrass artists, Ralph Stanley has recorded a plethora of them over the years. Recorded in 1971, "Cry From the Cross" featured an almost all new line up for Ralph Stanley's group with the exception of veteran fiddle player Curly Cline. The most notable additions to Stanley's group at this time were Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley, then both just a mere 17 years old. Roy Lee Centers sings lead vocals here while Ralph and the rest filling in harmony. The album is a stunning piece of dead earnest devotional music, combining the bone chilling high lonesome sound and the hard driving bluegrass stringband sound. Highly recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Death Is Only A Dream"
RealAudio clip: "Two Coats"

STANLEY, RALPH AND THE CLINCH MOUNTAIN BOYS Man of Constant Sorrow (Rebel) cd 14.98
Ralph Stanley, it would seem, has never received much recognition for his acheivements as a songwriter or performer outside of bluegrass circles. Those who've seen Ralph perform know that he'll sell you the banjo off his back -- he makes a point of it during every show. So it must have been quite a relief for Ralph to be featured so prominently in the soundtrack to the film "O Brother Where Art Thou." This collection, newly compiled on the heels of the Cohen Brothers' newest film is sort of a "greatest hits" gathering together a broad range of Stanley's style, from sorrowful ballads to scorching instrumentals (some where Stanley drops the picks to play the claw-hammer style his mama taught him), to beautiful and harrowing four part gospel numbers. On top of the hits, this collection includes some previously unavailable (on CD anyway) tracks. Cuts include: "Man Of Constant Sorrow", "Oh Death", "Angel Band", "Little Birdie", "Hard Times" and more.
RealAudio clip: "Man of Constant Sorrow"
RealAudio clip: "Going Up Home To Live In Green Pastures"
RealAudio clip: "Hard Times"

STAVIS, GEORGE Labyrinths (Arkama) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
You've met John Fahey, Robbie Basho and Sandy Bull, now say hello to George Stavis. Originally issued in 1969 on Vanguard Records, "Labyrinths" was one man's bold attempt to bring the banjo out of the hills and hollers and into the urbane settings of the avant-garde coffeehouse. Subtitled "Occult Improvisational Compositions for 5-String Banjo and 'Percussion'" (the percussion is a rather innocuous beating on what sounds like a small coffee can), Stavis' sounds more akin to Pete Seeger and his "Goofing Off Suite" than Bull or Fahey. And while his occult pretensions may seem a bit silly, his 'improvisational compositions' are quite nice. Even his rendition of Rodgers & Hammerstein's old chesnut "My Favorite Things" (a song I could preferably live without hearing ever again) is so bastardized -- Snuffy Jenkins duelling with John Coltrane -- as to be truly rendered once again listenable. The remaining four tracks on the album are all credited to Stavis and, like Seeger, are performed with a picking style totally unique to Stavis -- a combination of rolls and strumming which allows the skillful Stavis to eke out both lead and accompaniment. Cultures collide, and wildly, on this disc of hippy raga banjo jazz. No wonder we had old-time George Stavis fans calling us up all excited when they heard that his long lost album was being reissued on cd.
MPEG Stream: "Finland Station"

STIVELY, RYAN AND HIS POISON BAND Sugar Thunder (self-released) cd-r 9.98
Another rootsy lo-fi cd-r from the SF folk whippersnapper Ryan Stively. This one's a bit more even-keeled than his self-titled debut cdr which took a few wigged-out distorted detours. From Sugar Thunder's packaging to the dozen loosely woven acoustic tunes to Stively's slightly frayed around the edges vocals, this release is entirely shaded in muted earth tones. Note: As we mentioned, these recordings are quite low in the fidelity department with volume levels that jump about haphazardly. So, keep in mind that you might need to govern the volume knob a bit.
MPEG Stream: "Sugar Thunder"
MPEG Stream: "Sutro Tower"

STOKES, FRANK Downtown Blues (Monk) lp 22.00
Singer and guitar palyer whose enormous repertoire of early folk, blues, old time country and popular music, along with his influence on local musicians has made many point to him as the true father of Memphis blues.

STONE ANGEL Stone Angel (Kissing Spell) cd 21.00
Dark 70's British folk with mostly female vocals and verses like, "And pale, pale grew her rosy cheek, and pale and cold was she, she seemed to be as surely dead, as any corpse could be." Instrumentation includes dulcimer, recorder, flute, violin, and mandolin in addition to the usual three piece. For fans of Current 93.

STONEMAN, ERNEST V. The Unsung Father Of Country Music (5-String Productions) 2cd 35.00
Pretty much everybody, country fan or not, recognizes the names of Jimmie Rodgers, and the Carter Family, but even country aficionados might not be familiar with Ernest V Stoneman, even though he played as big a part, if not bigger, than more recognizable performers, in the birth of recorded country music.
His relative obscurity is all the more shocking when one realizes his career stretches from the days of wax cylinders all the way to the advent of compact discs, not to mention the fact that he was not only the first rural singer / songwriter to record his own compositions, but he was also the first to record on the autoharp. He was an amazing musician, and a fantastic performer, and an innovator who never really got his due.
This collection gathers some of Stoneman's most famous songs, as well as including 20 tracks never before reissued. Ranging from old timey bluegrass to folk hymns to spirituals, many recorded for the first time by Stoneman, and there are even a few tracks that include skits and spoken word segments, as if they were recordings of a radio broadcast or a school performance. And since these are all mastered from old 78s, the sound is wonderfully warm and scratchy. Anyone who loves the Anthology Of American Folk Music (which includes Stoneman), or any of the Folkways reissues like Mountain Music Of Kentucky, or reissued recordings by Roscoe Holcomb and Elizabeth Cotten, will definitely love this.
And the packaging is fantastic. So deluxe. 5-String is definitely offering Dust-To-Digital some serious competition. An oversized hardcover book, with a massive booklet, with liner notes, photos, histories, and notes on each song, where they were recorded, when, and various anecdotes, like with "The Titanic", the first song Stoneman ever recorded, and the story goes that he wanted to make a great impression for his audition, so he decided to play the autoharp (he was thus the first to record on the instrument), and he built his own multiple harmonica harness!
Fantastic stuff. Another absolutely essential document of the early years of country music.
MPEG Stream: "Goodbye, Dear Old Step Stone"
MPEG Stream: "The Titanic"
MPEG Stream: "Possom Trot School Exhibition Part 2"
MPEG Stream: "The Raging Sea, How It Roars"