1 SPEED BIKE Droopy Butt Begone! (Constellation) cd 14.98
Aidan Girt, drummer from Godspeed You Black Emperor and the man behind Exhaust, has a new side project. Gritty, atmospheric tunes laid out with hip-hop and down-tempo electronica beats give "Droopy Butt Begone!" (I know, a regretful album title, there seem to be a lot of those lately) a feel akin to Village of Savoonga's "Score" but with a bit more kick, ie: beats. Works pretty well, although the voice samples of pointless crazy guy rambling (a la Godspeed) are a bit unnecessary.

1 SPEED BIKE Droopy Butt Begone! (Constellation) lp 13.98
Aidan Girt, drummer from Godspeed You Black Emperor and the man behind Exhaust, has a new side project. Gritty, atmospheric tunes laid out with hip-hop and down-tempo electronica beats give "Droopy Butt Begone!" (I know, a regretful album title, there seem to be a lot of those lately) a feel akin to Village of Savoonga's "Score" but with a bit more kick, ie: beats. Works pretty well, although the voice samples of pointless crazy guy rambling (a la Godspeed) are a bit unnecessary.

1-SPEED BIKE Someone Told Me Life Gets Easier In Your 50's (Broklyn Beats) cd 14.98
Much like his American counterpart Kid 606, Montreal, Quebec's 1-Speed Bike makes IDM that's not afraid to nuzzle right up beside your tender ear, only to deliver a hefty dose of ripe and robust digital flatulence. Aidan Girt (also of the very differently minded Godspeed You Black Emperor and Exhaust) tailors his jagged tracks from heavy grit electronic sandpaper providing the maximum degree of aural abrasions. As his moniker implies this music pretty much travels at a singular pace... full throttle. Heaps of distorted digital spasms and splatters elbow their way through the thumpin' programmed thuds and crashes that only occasionally allow the rubble to settle into some sort of traceable rhythms. A side note: Girt's song titles are as smart-ass and in-your-face as his music (often more so). A sample: "If You Were A McDonalds, Your Lips Would Be An Orange Soda, But Your Dick Would Be A Shriveled-Up Fry". Aaaah, ma pomme frite malheureuse!
MPEG Stream: "Cats Don't Judge People Do"
MPEG Stream: "My Dick Is This Small Because It's -40 Degrees F"

13 & GOD s/t (Anticon / Alien Transistor) cd 14.98
This is essentially the perfect mix of Anticon's off kilter avant indie hip hop, and the Notwist's melancholy electronic bliss rock. Which makes perfect sense considering that 13 And God is made up of 3/5 of the Notwist (Markus and Micha Acher, Martin Gretschmann) and all of Anticon's Themselves (Doseone, Dax, and Jel). The rest of the Notwist (drummer Martin Messerschmid and guitarist Max Punktezahl) help with production and several tracks feature guest vocals from Steffi Bohm of Ms. John Soda and Valerie Trebeljahr of Lali Puna. That should give some idea of what 13 And God is all about. Dreamy expanses of melancholy glitchpop, wistful and wandering, simple shuffling and loping drum beats, fuzzy synth melodies, warm warbling loops, soft focused and otherworldly, and then the strange entangling of Notwist-like breathy effervescent vocals and Doesone's rapid fire tongue twisting helium affected flow. Seems like it would be a mess, but surprisingly, they manage to make it all fit perfectly. Fans of the Notwist's Neon Golden should find this essential (assuming they aren't averse to a little hip hop here and there) and fans of Themselves, Doseone and those sorts of things will most likely just find this to be yet another perfect piece in Anticon's always evolving musical puzzle.
MPEG Stream: "Low Heaven"
MPEG Stream: "Men Of Station"
MPEG Stream: "Superman On Ice"

13 & GOD s/t (Anticon / Alien Transistor) 2lp 14.98
This is essentially the perfect mix of Anticon's off kilter avant indie hip hop, and the Notwist's melancholy electronic bliss rock. Which makes perfect sense considering that 13 And God is made up of 3/5 of the Notwist (Markus and Micha Acher, Martin Gretschmann) and all of Anticon's Themselves (Doseone, Dax, and Jel). The rest of the Notwist (drummer Martin Messerschmid and guitarist Max Punktezahl) help with production and several tracks feature guest vocals from Steffi Bohm of Ms. John Soda and Valerie Trebeljahr of Lali Puna. That should give some idea of what 13 And God is all about. Dreamy expanses of melancholy glitchpop, wistful and wandering, simple shuffling and loping drum beats, fuzzy synth melodies, warm warbling loops, soft focused and otherworldly, and then the strange entangling of Notwist-like breathy effervescent vocals and Doesone's rapid fire tongue twisting helium affected flow. Seems like it would be a mess, but surprisingly, they manage to make it all fit perfectly. Fans of the Notwist's Neon Golden should find this essential (assuming they aren't averse to a little hip hop here and there) and fans of Themselves, Doseone and those sorts of things will most likely just find this to be yet another perfect piece in Anticon's always evolving musical puzzle.
MPEG Stream: "Low Heaven"
MPEG Stream: "Men Of Station"
MPEG Stream: "Superman On Ice"

1349 RYKKINN Brown Ring Of Fury (Jester) cd 14.98
Jester strikes again! After quite a few stellar releases by the likes of When, Ulver, Bogus Blimp, Kare Joao, Single Unit and others, this time the unpredictable (except for being predictably good) Norwegian avant-garde label Jester brings us another unknown quantity: the debut cd from something called 1349 Rykkin. Initially, this seemed like an exercise in distorted clobbering noise electronics with percussive hits and crunkly rhythms, definitely for fans of recent Merzbow and Kevin Drumm. Aggro but also varied and interesting. But, there's more -- four tracks in, the destructo stuff gives way to urban field recordings (passing cars, street sounds) and some really pretty, melancholic acoustic guitar playing in the form of "Field With Flowers In Crazy Colors", revealing Brown Ring Of Fury's sensitive side. Then the noise returns, but always, as before, with some left-field component. The penultimate track, "Best Boy", is also the album's epic centerpiece, being over 25 minutes of noise-throb akin to some ominous mechanical heartbeat, augmented with washes of spacey synth and vicious drones. Merzbow/Aube/Space Machine Japanoise territory here for sure. After that, there's a recording of some blokes in a bar on holiday (it seems) that makes for a confusing/bizarre/silly coda. Funny.
Our research reveals that this disc is the work of one guy, Bard Erik Strand Torgersen, with help from a few friends (including Jester label boss Kristoffer Rygg, aka Garm of Ulver). 1349 refers to the year the Black Plague devastated Norway, and Rykkin is the suburb of Oslo where Torgersen grew up. Apparently he's a Norwegian techno pioneer who hasn't made music for years, this is a new direction for him and certainly far from "techno" as it's normally conceived!
MPEG Stream: "Extreme Sunlight"
MPEG Stream: "Fields With Flowers In Crazy Colors"

16-17 Human Distortion (DHR) cdep 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Swiss jazzcore group lead by saxophonist Alex Buess, with production assistance from Techno-Animal's Kevin Martin, contribute four tracks to the Digital Hardcore label. Strangely, not as brutal as some of their past work (like the amazing Gyatso cd) but still brilliant, similiar in some ways to DHR's Shizuo. Recommended.

16-17 When All Else Fails... (Vision) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A couple of copies of this 1989 lp found their way out of the hidden corners of one of our distributors' warehouses... 16-17, who recently released an ep on Digital Hardcore, are a Swiss outfit led by horn player Alex Buess, who unleash a seemingly never-ending avalanche of sax squeals and skronks on top of bleating electronics and high-octane drum machine arrhythmia. Intense! (and, you're not likely to see this again!)

20' TO 2000 PACKAGING SYSTEM (Noton/Raster/Bless) 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While over 50% of the staff here at AQ has been meticulously collecting all twelve volumes of the wonderful 20' to 2000 series of cds, one of each of which was released during the months of 1999 as a countdown to the millenium, somehow we don't think 50% of the rest of the general population is doing likewise. However, for those intrepid few of you who are similarly obsessed, here is the long-awaited storage system. Since the exact nature of the system was never divulged in advance, instore speculation involved fanstasies of hanging shoe-tree contraptions, clear plastic rods, or fan-like structures. It got wild, let me tell you. However, in keeping with the digital minimalism of the series' music and its packaging (slim, clear plastic circular cases that fit super closely to the discs), the Bless-designed storage system consists of... 12 super strong magnetic links. Wait til you see how it looks when put together -- it's not a letdown; it's a full on triumph of simplicity. The magnetic links are accompanied by 12 stickers and a set of directions warning you not to let them near any computers or other magnetc data storage media. Cool.

2ND GEN Irony Is (Mute) cd 15.98
2nd Gen is the work of Manchester's Wajid Yaseen, whose blistering shards of electro-shock hip-hop have graced a good number of Mille Plateaux's "Electric Ladyland" compilations alongside Alec Empire, Techno Animal, and Fever. "Irony Is" finds itself thinking of a post-DHR afterlife of brutal breakbeats and murderous distortion tactics that bring together hip hop's fury with Alec Empire-ish noise posturing. Sensational makes a mumbling / stumbling vocal appearance on one track, with all sorts of headache inducing electronic flanges and crunchy distortion that run throughout the album with an almost industrial vein. At first we thought this might be the second coming of DHR hiphop act Fever, but the industrialisms bring too much of this disc into the realm of the ordinary, although some tracks (like the opener "And/Or" and the one with Sensational) are killer.

310 After All (Leaf) cd 16.98
With Kruder & Dorfmeister and Thievery Corporation striving for the lowest common denominator, trip hop hasn't been an arena of adventurous music for many years now. It could be due to hip hop's increasing appetite for eccentric production (see the latest Missy Elliot record, Anticon, Chocolate Industries, etc), which has diminished the interest in instrumental hip hop (a slightly inaccurate, but workable definition for trip-hop). Certainly nothing new, 310 produces a slightly updated version of ye olde trip hop from Kid Loco, Funky Porcini, and Coldcut. "After All" -- the outfit's sophomore release -- is cinematic in scope, full of big dramatic breakbeats that blast through a constant jangle of Johnny Marr-like guitar and soft-focus noirish jazz textures. Worthwhile if those Mo' Wax "Headz" compilations are your bibles...
RealAudio clip: "An Seanachi"

310 Nod (Leaf) 12" 8.98

310 Nothing To See Here (Desolat) cd 14.98
Simply subtitled "Short Stories by 310," "Nothing To See Here" lives up to its name as a series of short tracks culled from processed field recordings of waves crashing, creaking floors, crickets, Southern gospel call-and-response choirs, distant church bells, feet shuffling across a dishevelled floor, and a whole bunch of other very discreet sounds. Instead of their usual post-rock / electronica (ala Fridge or Four Tet) 310 offers a sound quite similar in feel to Stars Of The Lid with dreamy fluctuations of synthetic sound, tremolo vibrations and ambient swish. Nice.
RealAudio clip: "Nothing To See Here 4"
RealAudio clip: "Nothing To See Here 6"

4MOD3 A Translation of Simplicity (Phthalo) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of the cd-r releases from Phthalo with an edition of 250, 4mod3 is the work of SF electronica genius Kit Clayton. Recorded in early 1999, "A Translation of Simpilicity" is a precursor to the neo-dub mastered on Clayton's albums for Scape. Setting up what could be an aquatic virtual sound arena, Clayton's highly processed glitches float to the surface with all of the erratic behaviour of air bubbles around reverberant sonar-dub tones and hypnotic downtempo rhythms. Brilliant as always.

6666 (DJ 6666 FEAT. THE ILLEGAL) Death Breathing (DHR) cd 22.00

6666 (DJ 6666 FEAT. THE ILLEGAL) Death Breathing (DHR) 2lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

A GUY CALLED GERALD Essence (Studio K7) cd 17.98
A drum & bass styled outing for this famed electronica producer-guy (David Bowie!).

A.R. & MACHINES Echoes From Times Of The Green Journey (Polydor) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
An anthology of the hypnotic output of this krautrock/electronica pioneer, taken from albums spanning the years 1971 to 1975. Beautiful, rhythmic stuff, way ahead of its time. For fans of Frippertronics, Cluster, Neu, Kraftwerk, Can, and (more recently) Kriedler. Not new, but we just got a few of this fantastic disc at a bargain price, so we thought we'd list it, get it while you can. We've had it before for 19 bucks and it was worth it at that price too!

ABOUT Bongo (Cock Rock Disco) cd 14.98

ABRAMS, DAN Stream (Mille Plateaux) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The latest offspring in Mille Plateaux's propagation of minimalist techno comes from Los Angeles graphic designer Dan Abrams, who continues the trend of elegeat glitch techno also heard from SND, Andreas Tilliander, Mikael Stavostrand, and Taylor Deupree.

ABSTRACKT KEAL AGRAM Bad Thriller (Gooom) cd 15.98
Finally back in stock again!!
How does Gooom do it? Where do these bands come from? (I know, I know, France...) Release after release, they somehow dig up more and more amazingly breathtaking slabs of fuzzy, droney, poppy, rocking electronic weirdness. Bad Thriller is no different. The newest record from the bizarrely named Abstrackt Keal Agram is quite possibly our favorite Gooom release since the mighty M83. Like M83, AKA also dabble in fuzzed out My Bloody Valentine worship, skittery glitched out electronica, and murky creepy atmospherics. But where M83 are all glistening sparkling effervescence and warm pulsing throb, AKA are a much darker proposition, falling somewhere between the epic downer ambience of Godspeed, the shuffling glitch pop of the Notwist and the bastardized hip hop of some of the weirder Anticon artists. Drone-y and moody melancholia woven from spare acoustic guitars, heavy fuzzy electronic organs, squiggly synthesizers spitting out dizzying melodies, mumbly sadboy vocals, stuttering, a vast array of alien sounds and even more alien soundscapes and all sorts of unfunky drum programming and live drums. And it is most definitely about the rhythms. The whole record is an experiment in rhythmic juxtaposition. Warm languid indie rock or fuzzed out shoe-gazey bliss pop or dreamy epic instrumentals, all demarcated by beautifully damaged rhythms that shift from song to song, and sometimes even in the course of a single track, funky almost hip hop drums, stumbling, seemingly random rhythmic chaos, big booming simplicity or dense complex Autechre-ish programming. Sounds like it could be a mess but it all falls (im)perfectly into place. A gorgeously unlikely electronic indie pop dipped in a thick viscous druggy space fuzz. The biggest surprise though is track two, which is straight up hip hop! Somehow it fits though, a chaotic Anticon / Mush sort of number, with multiple whining whiteboy flows, chaotic funky bounce and lots of weird loops and samples. Turntables do surface occasionally throughout the rest of the record, as do some Anticon-ish moments, but in more of an ambient supporting role to the overall buzzing fuzzy murky sonic dreaminess. Once again, SO GOOD!
MPEG Stream: "Bad Thriller"
MPEG Stream: "Ghost Version (+ Atoms Family)"
MPEG Stream: "Riviere"

ABSTRACKT KEAL AGRAM Cluster Ville (Gooom) cd 15.98
The last AKA record was such a huge hit around these parts we figured we would go back a bit and track down their earlier album. And good thing we did 'cause it's pretty darn great. On Bad Thriller, AKA spun a sugary web of M83-ish shoegazey blisspop, with the occasional bit of glitchy electronica and out of left field hip hoppery. Well, here we are back a few years and AKA's penchant for hip hop is in full effect. And it definitely suits them. The record is a dark, head nodding assemblage of DJ Shadow-ish ambient groovescapes, and full on hip hop. But the hip hop is constructed from the Gooom sonic staples we should all be familiar with by now, blissed out slightly melancholic ambience, buzzy fuzzy summer-y day soundscapes, electronic birds singing, digital clouds drifting by, occasional DJ scratching. Think M83 meets Boards Of Canada with Del or Sensational rapping. A super dense and a rich sonic stew of trad hip hop, modern glitch pop, eighties shoe gaze, a truly weird concoction, but it works somehow. Might be too much rapping for some (those of you coming at it from the fuzz pop angle) but avant hip hop headz will be blown away and anyone who's been jonesing for a record that hits the same sweet spot Shadow's Endtroducing did, should definitely check this out!
MPEG Stream: "Del"
MPEG Stream: "Piece"
MPEG Stream: "Brouillard"

AC/3P Watch Me Explode (Spasticated) cd 12.98
From the folks who brought us the hilarious/funky/brilliantly twisted Ministry Of Shit compilation reviewed some lists ago, comes this blast of weird and silly electronic dementia. Did you love the recent Powerslaves record of the week, that selection of Iron Maiden tracks done electro style? Well, then this *might* just hit the same sweet spot. AC/DC covers, done lo-fi midi style, with a vocalist that sounds like a strange hybrid of Anton Maiden and Udo Dirkschneider from Accept, sometimes giving a homoerotic twist to the lyrics. Dumb? Absolutely. Funny? Maybe. Do you need this? Uh, definitely!
MPEG Stream: "Hells Bells"
MPEG Stream: "Whole Lotta Woman"

ACCELERA DECK Sunstrings ep (Scarcelight) cd ep 8.98

ADAMSON, BARRY + PAN SONIC The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion (Kitchen Motors) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From its beginnings, the Icelandic arts organization Kitchen Motors has been pairing off interesting cross-platform artists who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to work together. "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion" was a commission by Kitchen Motors for Pan Sonic and Barry Adamson to score a composition for the Hljomeyki Choir from Iceland. Surprised yet delighted to be working together, Adamson (best known for coining the term "imaginary filmscore" within his amazing noir albums such as "Moss Side Story) and Pan Sonic (the Finnish pioneers of ultra-minimal techno) had arrived an amazing piece that could have been a snippet from the eerie GYoRGY LIGETI chorales that were so instrumental to the sense of alienation within Kubrick's "2001." Utilizing the natural reverberation from Digraneskirkja church in Reykjavik, Pan Sonic and Adamson gently fluttered sustained vocal tones amidst the space, occasionally allowing for the choir to delve into a simple haunting melody, whilst Pan Sonic sets down a very subdued electronic back beat. Hopefully, the Kitchen Motors collaboration between Adamson and Pan Sonic won't end here!
Compounding the collaborative spirit, Kitchen Motors employed The Hafler Trio (whose solo member Andrew McKensie now lives in Iceland) to remix "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion." As McKensie has been moving further away from the fictional research projects and more towards the electro-acoustic studies from Luigi Nono, The Hafler Trio is a perfect fit. This remix has stretched and abstracted the polyphony of the chorus into a very creepy extended drone collage. Very nice work!
RealAudio clip: "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion"
RealAudio clip: "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion (Hafler Trio Remix)"

ADD N TO (X) Add Insult To Injury (Mute) cd 17.98
With the awesome explosion that Add N To (X) provided with the super limited single "Little Black Rocks On The Sun," there was hope that Add N To (X) would do something as good as the second album "On The Wire Of Our Nerves." But the two following releases including "Add Insult To Injury" proved that they only had about 90 minutes of good music in them. Right now, the UK trio has only been interested in the irony of using analogue synthesizers and vocoders... how boring.
RealAudio clip: "Adding N to X"

ADD N TO (X) Avant Hard (Mute) cd 15.98
Veering from the sci-fi bleakness of their last effort On The Wires Of Our Nerves, Add N To (X) have modernized the Moog exotica of the '60s with this propulsive collection of epic analog fuckery... Ignore the record-label hype that this is some sort of Stockhausen meets Motorhead experimental hard rock record (what were they thinking, it's not).

ADD N TO (X) Loud Like Nature (Mute) cd 16.98
When listening to the first track of the new Add N To (X), I could not escape the overwhelming feeling that I was listening to an analog synthesizer muzak version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. A rousing, campy, kitschful time. Confirming once again that they're a one-trick pony, ANTX have assembled another album that gets the toes tapping and rumps shaking yet ultimately leaves the listener's ears unsatiated. There's an abundance of burly vocoded vocals, and vintage synths that bloop and blurp out gelatinous cycles of riffs... which all sound super cool, if very predictable. Frankly this probably wouldn't be such an issue at all if only they'd never released their first two albums which surpass - in both composition and rocking power - anything they've done since. However... they did. If you're new to this London trio, definitely check out either of their first two before venturing into later territory. For further ANTX thoughts, please see the review of the "Take Me To Your Leader" ep.
RealAudio clip: "Total All Out Water"
RealAudio clip: "All Night Lazy"

ADD N TO (X) On The Wires Of Our Nerves (Mute) cd 16.98
Somewhere between Gary Numan and Jean-Jacques Perrey. The aesthetics of Kraftwerk fused with punk brought the industrial sounds of SPK, Esplendor Geometrico, and Nocturnal Emissions...this continuum continues under the guise of "post-rock" with Trans Am, Six Finger Satellite, and now Add N To X...a bloody assault of analogue synths, propulsive bass lines and hyper catchy tunes...recommended by those kids at the Wire!

ADD N TO (X) Take Me To Your Leader (Mute) cd ep 8.98
These three new songs (two of them edit versions) offer a mere glimpse at their fifth album Loud Like Nature. What to expect? Churning robot rock in 4/4 time featuring a whole gang of highly processed vocals - not unlike what you might think garage rock performed completely on analog synths would sound. Fun, funky and repetitive, these songs will probably make for ideal additions to a party comp tape, but will they stand up to repeat listens? Not so sure about that. Once again it seems this London trio recorded some jams, and from the outcome, chose a handful of cool synth and bass lines and came up with some even cooler synth sounds, but didn't pursue composing fleshed out songs around them. It appears their best work is still the aforementioned sophomore release. Note: the vinyl features an extended mix of "The Trees Are Dreamless Leafless Genius" whereas the cd version includes a video for the title track.
RealAudio clip: "Take Me To Your Leader"

ADD N TO FU(X)A And Another Thing (Rocket Girl) cd 10.98
This is a collaboration between Barry from Add N To (X) and Randall from Fuxa. Hardly the fusion of Michigan space rock and the antiquated electronic grooves of Add N To (X) we might expect, "And Another Thing" is a smug collage of looping dorky electronics that strives to be charming rather than innovative. And it is charming in the same way that Pram is. Randall and Barry have set up a monotonous rhythm around a sampled loop of a clanging xylophone and bass clarinet that strolls along at an awkward bowlegged pace. Little melodic elements of swelling Lawrence Welk strings and vibes waltz around the rhythm to sound much more like the obtuse comedy records concocted by People Like Us or Nurse With Wound.

ADULT. Anxiety Always (Ersatz Audio) cd 13.98
Is this highly anticipated Adult. full length: (a.) raw in an in-your-face punky fashion, or (b.) raw in an unfinished, half-assed state? It seems that folks have already begun taking sides. Either way if you haven't heard Adult. yet, this shouldn't be your introduction to the music of this Detroit duo. They've done so much better than this - namely their "Resuscitation" release. However, that wasn't an album proper; it was a lively collection of their assorted singles, and clearly that is where Adult. shine brightest. Despite their attempt at crafting a fully realized album, "Anxiety Always" just doesn't hold up to "Resuscitation." It seems obvious that Adult. has gotten frustrated with all of the hub-bub that has exploded around them in the electro-whatever crowd. "Anxiety Always" finds Adult. attempting to re-invent themselves, by emphasizing the punk snarl that was always lurking under that mechanical sheen of industrialized paranoia. Thus Nicola Kuperus' vocals jump to the foreground, spastically crashing into the electro-clash they've taken such care to craft. Furthermore, Adam Lee Miller picks up the bass on a couple of tracks to add a human touch to Adult.'s machinations, recalling the pre-Joy Division outfit Warsaw. At their best, Adult. also references the mutant sounds of Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire; but at the same time, their ability to flesh out their tracks into wholly realized, infectious songs isn't as precise as on "Resuscitation." The shrill and redundant cut "Turn Your Back" leaves little to the imagination, sounding like a mediocre, punk-grrrrl, electronic outfit on Kill Rock Stars. Yet the album picks up steam as it continues, highlighted by the ominous, electro-obliqueness of "People You Can Confuse."
Jim who has enjoyed revisiting all of those old Hula records from the '80s, has become rather fond of this admittedly flawed release.
MPEG Stream: "Turn Your Back"
MPEG Stream: "People, You Can Confuse"

ADULT. Anxiety Always (Ersatz Audio) 2lp 12.98
Is this highly anticipated Adult. full length: (a.) raw in an in-your-face punky fashion, or (b.) raw in an unfinished, half-assed state? It seems that folks have already begun taking sides. Either way if you haven't heard Adult. yet, this shouldn't be your introduction to the music of this Detroit duo. They've done so much better than this - namely their "Resuscitation" release. However, that wasn't an album proper; it was a lively collection of their assorted singles, and clearly that is where Adult. shine brightest. Despite their attempt at crafting a fully realized album, "Anxiety Always" just doesn't hold up to "Resuscitation." It seems obvious that Adult. has gotten frustrated with all of the hub-bub that has exploded around them in the electro-whatever crowd. "Anxiety Always" finds Adult. attempting to re-invent themselves, by emphasizing the punk snarl that was always lurking under that mechanical sheen of industrialized paranoia. Thus Nicola Kuperus' vocals jump to the foreground, spastically crashing into the electro-clash they've taken such care to craft. Furthermore, Adam Lee Miller picks up the bass on a couple of tracks to add a human touch to Adult.'s machinations, recalling the pre-Joy Division outfit Warsaw. At their best, Adult. also references the mutant sounds of Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire; but at the same time, their ability to flesh out their tracks into wholly realized, infectious songs isn't as precise as on "Resuscitation." The shrill and redundant cut "Turn Your Back" leaves little to the imagination, sounding like a mediocre, punk-grrrrl, electronic outfit on Kill Rock Stars. Yet the album picks up steam as it continues, highlighted by the ominous, electro-obliqueness of "People You Can Confuse."
Jim, who has enjoyed revisiting all of those old Hula records from the '80s, has become rather fond of this admittedly flawed release.

ADULT. Blank Eyed (Clone) 12" 9.98

ADULT. D.U.M.E. (Thrill Jockey) cd ep 10.98
On their newest cdep/12" and first release on Thrill Jockey, Detroit electro-punk duo Adult. sure have got a bee in their bonnet. Continuing to move further from their icy, true electro origins into an increasingly raw'n'aggressive punky territory, vocalist Nicola Kuperus whoops and sneers her way through the lead-off track "Hold Your Breath" -- definitely in line with Glass Candy or Le Tigre -- while her partner Adam Miller churns out the dank, brooding bass and bristling guitars that punch through the unrelenting programmed beats. Actually this might've served as a better transitional follow-up to their fine compilation Resuscitation (which collected together a bunch of their singles) than was their last full length Anxiety Always. D.U.M.E. more cohesively bridges their electro past and recent more punky leanings. Really, Adult. comes across as much more focussed, infectious and potent on shorter format releases (12"s, EPs, etc). Not only are the songs more structured, but the lyrics are also more fully fleshed out (like Resuscitation's songs than A.A.'s more repetitive one-liners). Kewl.
MPEG Stream: "Get Me Out"
MPEG Stream: "Hold Your Breath"

ADULT. D.U.M.E. (Thrill Jockey) 12" 9.98
On their newest cdep/12" and first release on Thrill Jockey, Detroit electro-punk duo Adult. sure have got a bee in their bonnet. Continuing to move further from their icy, true electro origins into an increasingly raw'n'aggressive punky territory, vocalist Nicola Kuperus whoops and sneers her way through the lead-off track "Hold Your Breath" -- definitely in line with Glass Candy or Le Tigre -- while her partner Adam Miller churns out the dank, brooding bass and bristling guitars that punch through the unrelenting programmed beats. Actually this might've served as a better transitional follow-up to their fine compilation Resuscitation (which collected together a bunch of their singles) than was their last full length Anxiety Always. D.U.M.E. more cohesively bridges their electro past and recent more punky leanings. Really, Adult. comes across as much more focussed, infectious and potent on shorter format releases (12"s, EPs, etc). Not only are the songs more structured, but the lyrics are also more fully fleshed out (like Resuscitation's songs than A.A.'s more repetitive one-liners). Kewl.
MPEG Stream: "Get Me Out"
MPEG Stream: "Hold Your Breath"

ADULT. Gimmie Trouble (Thrill Jockey) cd 14.98
Lest they forever be genre-saddled with the electro-clash albatross, Adult. have wisely broadened their scope. And the path they've chosen is much more outwardly aggressive and punky. Truckloads of abrasive attitude. This is most evident in the vocal department which has claimed even more prominence in the band's sound. Formerly ice-cold monotone vocalist Nicola Kuperus further expands her range, swooping from a high pitched shriek to a mid-pinched sneer and way down to a deep throaty snarl. Brings to mind early-'80s Berliners Malaria! or more recently SF/Berliners The Vanishing. Likewise, Adam Miller's dirtied up his former ultra-sterile, scalpel-sharp, old school Detroit electro palette. Nevertheless, his steely mechanized beats are what link the tracks on Gimmie Trouble to those of the Adult. of old -- cutting through the newly added chunks o' industrial guitar which come courtesy of new member Samuel Consiglio. Their new(ish) direction and expansion aim them right for the spot recently vacated by the abovementioned, recently disbanded, art-punk/goth-dustrial duo-turned-trio The Vanishing.
MPEG Stream: "Gimmie Trouble"
MPEG Stream: "Scare Up The Birds"

ADULT. Gimmie Trouble (Thrill Jockey) lp 12.98
Lest they forever be genre-saddled with the electro-clash albatross, Adult. have wisely broadened their scope. And the path they've chosen is much more outwardly aggressive and punky. Truckloads of abrasive attitude. This is most evident in the vocal department which has claimed even more prominence in the band's sound. Formerly ice-cold monotone vocalist Nicola Kuperus further expands her range, swooping from a high pitched shriek to a mid-pinched sneer and way down to a deep throaty snarl. Brings to mind early-'80s Berliners Malaria! or more recently SF/Berliners The Vanishing. Likewise, Adam Miller's dirtied up his former ultra-sterile, scalpel-sharp, old school Detroit electro palette. Nevertheless, his steely mechanized beats are what link the tracks on Gimmie Trouble to those of the Adult. of old -- cutting through the newly added chunks o' industrial guitar which come courtesy of new member Samuel Consiglio. Their new(ish) direction and expansion aim them right for the spot recently vacated by the abovementioned, recently disbanded, art-punk/goth-dustrial duo-turned-trio The Vanishing.
MPEG Stream: "Gimmie Trouble"
MPEG Stream: "Scare Up The Birds"

ADULT. Hand To Phone (Clone) 12" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Four versions of fab Detroit electro duo Adult.'s track "Hand To Phone". They are: the original as heard on their awesome album 'Resuscitation', an instrumental mix by the group themselves (which in my opinion falls a bit short without Nicola's unflinchingly icy vocals), plus two remixes by Carl Craig and Mat 101. Come over!

ADULT. Limited Edition (Ersatz Audio) 7" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Two exclusive tracks from this increasingly popular electro duo. "Run Run Crying" might sound familiar if you saw their fabulous live set recently. Simply one their best tracks to date. The b-side is a new version of the first Adult. track from 1997, "Modern Romantic". Limited to 1000 hand numbered copies with a fold out 14"x14" poster featuring, as always, the stunning photographic work of Adult. vocalist Nicola Kuperus. Seriously, this one will not stick around for long, so act real fast.

ADULT. Misinterpreted (Ersatz Audio) 12" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Detroit electro superstars offer one new track, "Don't You Stop". Three remixes follow, based on that old kids' game of "Telephone Operator" or "Pass It On" or "Chinese Whispers" or whatever you called it when you were young -- basically the original Adult. track was passed to Solvent, who reworked it and passed their results to Phoenecia, who worked their magic and passed those results to Skam artists Alder & Elius. Neither Phoenecia or Alder & Elius heard the original track, which of course is the beauty of the concept of this 12". Four individually wonderful and unique tracks grace another fine Ersatz Audio release.

ADULT. Resuscitation (Ersatz Audio) cd 13.98
Strap on your electro pants, baby. 'Cause Adult. (don't forget that punctuation) are here. Witness the awesome android power of this Detroit duo - one half of which is Mr. Adam Miller, formerly of the mighty electro-kings known as LeCar. If you were a fan of said group or fellow Motor City techno duo Drexciya, what are you waiting for? Get on this now! Imagine a hard electro hybrid of Berlin, Add N to (X) and Miami booty bass beats - and although they utilize plenty of super '80s retro sounds, Adult. never get stuck in the past. Instead, they forge ahead cutting a very new and now path of fresh 'n' groovy tracks complete with a battery of wonderfully tweaked, effected vocals (as performed by Ms Nicola Kuperus - the other half of Adult. not to mention uber-cool photographer to boot). Check out the anxious twitch and sputter of "Minors at Night" and "Nausea". On their own Ersatz Audio label. Yes, quite recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Contagious"
RealAudio clip: "Nausea"
RealAudio clip: "Lost Love"
RealAudio clip: "Pressure Suit"

ADULT. Suck The Air / High Heels On Tile Floors (Ersatz) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On "Suck The Air", vocalist Nicola Kuperus assumes a much more pissy-pouty tone than her usual cold android stare - aligning Adult. more with the punky rather than electro crowd. Think Glass Candy or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She's honed her sassily sneering delivery somewhat from their recent Anxiety Always album on which her vocals wavered dangerously close to the grating, shrill side of things. On the flipside, the rubbery beats and aquatic synth clangs of "High Heels..." aims the ear more towards the work of electro-technician Adam Miller. It's a fun no-frills track, but much too short to get the party fully rolling. Truly, this 7" should've been a 12"! Nonetheless, it (especially the A-side) shows the duo doing what they do best, crafting *single* tracks into terrific electro-pop.

AE Love Your Smile (Fresh Air) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

AEFFECT, THE A Short Dream (Fueled by Ramen) cd ep 7.98
Have to say that the current trend of new New Wave is right on with me. Love those old synth sounds and programmed beats... just as long as these new bands bring some fresh elements into the sound as opposed to simply rehashing Human League, Pet Shop Boys or New Order tracks. Unfortunately in the case of the Gainesville, FL trio known as The Aeffect, it seems to be leaning towards the latter. Perhaps they've not quite found their own boots, and in the meantime are trying on the ones of those mentioned above? I'm not quite sure, but Ladytron and The Faint do this much better. And to further puzzle me, the final track is an unexpected switch into a non-synth, piano prettiness.

AELTERS Volu Beit (Tigerbeat6) 3" cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Solo effort from a member of the Dat Politics crew. Much like his contemporaries, Aelters kicks out infectious shards of high frequency agitglitchfunk. If you like Blechdom and Dat Politics, you probably already have this. If you don't, there's very little reason to be concerned. Addictions are ugly.
RealAudio clip: "Volu Beit"
RealAudio clip: "Astericken"

AELTERS, E El Frustrator (Skipp) cd 12.98
E. Aelters (a member of Belgian PowerBook band Dat Politics) specializes in really active, wacky electronica Fuckery (with a capital F) that resembles one one-man version of Dat Politics: hyperkinetic babble and grating drone abound. Also reminiscent of the more recent output from Mouse On Mars or perhaps Kid 606, without the drill & bass workouts. Very nice lo-attention span stuff.

AER Project (Touch) 7" 7.98
The newest entry in Touch's ongoing series of limited 7"s singles, with past installments from Oren Ambarchi, Fennesz, Philip Jeck and Chris Watson, this is the first one by an artist new to us, but it manages to fit well with the other releases in the series, and has us dying to hear more from the mysterious AER (actually the musical moniker of Touch design director Jon Wozencroft). Utilizing nothing but "four atmosphere recordings, radio and an organ stop" AER concocts a darkly minimal soundscape of field recordings and hushed melody. The sounds from the street outside, footstep, voices talking, singing, sirens, thunder (or automobile backfires, or perhaps firecrackers), interwoven with strange clicking, machine like chatter, like a spinning bicycle wheel, random clanks and clatters, room noise and other sonic detritus, while beneath it all, warm whirring melodies drift up from below, adding nuance and mood to what might otherwise be a straight field recording, a rhythm way off in the distance or buried way down in the mix, is sometimes discernible, but only barely, and in fact, could be a trick of the ears, random sounds falling into place, creating not-really-there rhythms. But it hardly matters, we hear them, and they offer a sort of ghostly structure to the proceedings. Quite nice, and we can't wait to hear more.

AERIAL M Post-Global Music (Drag City) cd 12.98
Remixes of ex-Slint-er Dave Pajo's solo work as Aerial M, by none other than Bundy K Brown of Tortoise, Tied and Tickled Trio, DJ Your Food, and Flacco.