HEALTH s/t (Lovepump United) lp 17.98
Now on vinyl!!! What we said about the cd release of this constant seller, last year:
We all got a little taste of the damaged schizoid brilliance of the band Health, on their recently reviewed split with Crystal Castles. For those of you who missed out on that review, Health were a lucky discovery on a recent record shopping trip when we were in New York, bought on a whim, cuz the cover looked cool and the description sounded promising, this disc rapidly became one of our new favorites and most played, but when we actually sat down to describe why, we were sort of at a loss for words.
Health definitely have a distinct sound, it's just that they're able to twist it into so many different shapes, some aggressive and angular, some heavy and harsh, some dreamy and drifty, some electronicky and new wave-y, but all of them fucking awesome, and always retaining some specifically Health-y sound.
The track that sealed the deal for us was "Perfect Skin", a gorgeous heavy slowcore jam, super dynamic, awash in tons of reverb and distortion, with a hook to die for, just listen to the sound sample, it kind of sounds like a heavy metal Low with a glimmering Galaxie 500 production or a blissed out shoegaze-y Torche or even a way poppier Swans, or like all of those, but none of those. It's just so good, heavy, weird poppy... Which pretty much describes the whole record, no matter how Health have managed to twist their sound.
The opener is all tribal drums, glistening new wave guitars, spidery melodies, and super distorted bass rumble, while the track right after is a 30 second blast of chaotic Locust-y hardcore, super convoluted and mathy, but which quickly gives way to an almost funky new wave-y Liars-ish guitar/drum jam, sort of spazzy, but with some seriously This Heat moments, filtered through some cracked dancefloor sensibility. The record goes on like that, and sort of veers back and forth between new wave-y tribalism, thick with buzzing synths and dense drumming, and super chaotic spazz rock, furious bursts of synth flecked grind. At some points, Health remind us of a spazzier, New York DIY version of Icicle Works, which is most definitely a good thing. Impossible now to not imagine them whipping out a bad ass grinding blissed out version of "Whisper To A Scream" or "Cauldron Of Love".
Health are at their best we think, drifting along lazily, wrapped in washed out synths, and draped over subtly funky rhythms, reverbed and blissed out, peppered with crunchy guitars and those dreamy vocals, but the bursts of manic energy definitely add a whole other dimension, and after a few listens it's hard to imagine the record any other way.
So recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Perfect Skin"
MPEG Stream: "Glitter Pills"
MPEG Stream: "Heaven"
MPEG Stream: "Triceratops"

HEALTH Triceratops/Lost Time (Lovepump) 12" 14.98

HEART OF SNOW Endure or More (Gold Standard Laboratories) cd ep 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
As one of the many indie-rock bands resurrecting the theatricality of the New Wave, Heart of Snow has almost perfected their mimicry of Siouxsie and The Banshees, down to the bombastic vocal delivery of Cynthia Mansourian to the phased 'n' flanged basslines of Andy Zevallos. Heart Of Snow is actually quite good at the post-punk / goth thing, but it's recommended that you check out Siouxsie's "Juju" or "Kaleidoscope," which are way better than their imitators.
RealAudio clip: "Red"
RealAudio clip: "Start Carving"

HEARTLESS Suicidal Engagement (Pest Productions) cd 14.98
We recently discovered Pest Productions, a record label in China specializing in mysterious outsider black metal of all stripes, from black depressive black buzz, to blown out shimmery shoegaze black metal drift. Heartless are also from China, and whip up some seriously gorgeous and utterly despondent blackness, just check out the opening track here, after some minimal skeletal clean guitar strum, the song explodes in a thick washed out buzz drenched blur of mournful doom drenched black buzz trudgery, the melodies sad and bittersweet, the drums mechanical and spare, the vibe haunting and grim, dreamy and depressive, hypnotic and hellishly dreamy, the sort of sound we could listen to forever, a little bit Lifelover, with simple soaring melodies over the top, deliriously dreary. But that's just the opener.
The second track explodes in a frenzy of blast beats and insectoid buzzing, the drums buried in the mix, minus one REALLY LOUD cymbal, and that's just the first clue, that stuff is about to get really WEIRD. The second clue? The insanely hysterical falseto shrieked vocals, that are WAY up in the mix, reminding us right off the bat of the Judson Fountain radio plays, and his crazy old woman voice. It's that twisted and over the top. So much so, that we think all but the most obsessive weirdo black metallers will most likely be quite put off, cuz it is totally ridiculous, we have to admit, the first time we heard it, we were totally thrown for a loop, we definitely cracked up. But then something happened, and the more we listened to it, the more we dug it, and the more its sheer craziness made some sort of WTF sense.
The record sprawls in all sorts of different sonic directions, from churning midtempo buzz drenched chug to reverby doom pop, to warped trudging blackened slowcore, to skeletal black folk drift, to full on furious black buzz, the production changing just as much as the sound, the kick drums sometimes lost in the murk, other times a thick throbbing pulse, the guitars muted and murky one minute, sharp and jagged the next, but all that sound is just a backdrop for the insane maniacal vocals, equal parts Mr. Doctor from Devil Doll, the inhuman black shrieks of Silencer, and of course the aforementioned Judson Fountain old woman voice, it's pretty demented, totally fucking wacked, but so unique, and so weirdly intense, and the music is so dark and heavy and melodic, it all melds into something totally twisted, and for those with a taste for the TRULY bizarre, something absolutely essential.
MPEG Stream: "Epicedium"
MPEG Stream: "As The Plague Came"
MPEG Stream: "Journey To Eternal"

HEARTSCARVED ...And Tomorrow We Escape (Tribunal) cd 15.98
You would never in a million years guess that this band wasn't Swedish. And you would never guess they weren't a real metal band. I mean, they -are- a real metal band, but listening to this record, you imagine long haired Swedes banging their heads with one foot up on the monitor, not short haired hardcore kids from North Carolina flailing in the pit. But this is what happens when you let your kids grow up listening to black metal and metalcore. And if these are the results, who are we to argue! This record rules. This sounds like a more death metal Iron Maiden, or a metalcore In Flames. Super melodic, intertwining dual guitar leads, crazy double-kick drumming, complex and baffling stop-on-a-dime instrumental finesse and raspy black metal style vocals. This record is definitely destined to be one of our favorite 'metal' records of the year!
RealAudio clip: "God Complex"
RealAudio clip: "Subsiding the Floods of Indifference"

HEASLEY, TOM On The Sensations Of Tone (Innova) cd 14.98
You know how much I love flutes, so it would only stand to reason that I would also love tubas. What!? Makes perfect sense to me. Two of the most maligned instruments, the instruments that even band geeks made fun of. Well not any more!!! Flutes have already proven themselves (check out Osanna and a million other kick ass prog bands), now it's the tuba's turn to shine. And shine it does, although not in nearly as ostentatious a manner as the flute. Partially because tonally, the tuba is more well designed to rumble and drone than freak out. So Tom Heasly, who, we sadly know little about, takes his tuba, mixes in some throat singing, loops and digital processing, and comes up with this dreamy, willowy record of gentle swells and warm drones. Bordering occasionally on new age, Heasly manages to just barely steer clear of Windham Hill, adding some grit to the gentle soundscapes, making notes ring endlessly, as other notes join in and gently pulse along side. Washes of gauzy major key hum whirl in lazy rings around rumbling swells. Kind of like Stars Of The Lid without the guitars, or Gas without the beats or a Coleclough record with lots of tuba!!
RealAudio clip: "Thonis"

HEATDEATH s/t (Conspiracy) lp 15.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
This band is definitely tough to pin down sonically. Their sound is equal parts black metal, industrial, free jazz and electronica, but the resulting sound resembles none of those. Or perhaps all of them simultaneously. Hard to tell.
Which is sort of what makes this band so magical. A duo from Minnesota, whose first release is on a Belgian label, continues to confound from the sound to the dearth of information on the sleeve. But as confounding as this record is, it's also fantastic. Totally vibrant and alive and freaked out and joyous, while somehow managing to be grim and brutal and weird as fuck.
But how to accurately describe them... They are a duo, so of course one is tempted to throw some reference to Lightning Bolt in there, and there is some LB to Heatdeath's sound, a relentless churning, maniacal energy, it's impossible to imagine the drummer can play like that nonstop for whole sides of an lp, but he does, and the axeman keeps up just fine thank you. A closer and slightly more accurate comparison, might be a black metal, or black industrial Necks. There is a definite element of slow shifting stasis, no distinct riffs, and no real distinct rhythms, but more a roiling black hole of chaotic drumming and denatured riffing, like the Necks covering Abruptum. Wow. Indeed. The two tracks constantly shift, moving from slightly more tranquil drift, to fullbore crash and buzz, and it sounds improvised for sure, but at the same time, it almost seems composed, the two players shifting seamlessly from part to part, mood to mood, creating gorgeously expansive soundscapes of intense instrumental interplay, and churning abstract ambience, often the two colliding and getting gloriously tangled up.
Packaged in thick plastic sleeves, black on black fold over jackets, and each lp includes a coupon so you can download the whole record for your iPod.
LIMITED TO ONLY 250 COPIES!!!!

HEATDEATH Un (Conspiracy) lp 15.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
The return of Heatdeath, record number two, and once again, just as hard to describe as the first one. A sprawling soft cacophony of buzz and whir and drone, laced with bits of glitch and hiss all woven into a multi part abstract freenoise epic, that plays out like some futuristic symphony gone haywire.
Fuzzy staticky whirs drift above warm shimmers, mechanical crunch is smoothed into blurred anti-rhythms, thick layers of distortion ripple over roiling depths of hiss and buzz, occasionally a metronomic sonar like beep keeps the time, waves of pink noise crash over shard of keening feedback, occasionally coalescing into thick roiling shoegazey sort-of-doom, all abstract and dreamy, but still rough and raw and doused with crumbling distortion, wild drum freakouts muted and muffled until they become skittery landscapes of thump and shuffle, long stretches of washed out Tim Hecker like ambience, and a long stretch of warped haunted house creep, peppered with soft chimes and deep cavernous drones. All over the place sonically, but the various parts blend perfectly, drifting into one another, taking the form of one single epic abstract chunk of noisy drone-y buzzy doomy mystery.
Gorgeous packaging, thick jackets in super thick PVC sleeves, black inner sleeves and heavy vinyl. Each record comes with a download coupon as well! LIMITED TO 300 COPIES!!!

HEATER God And Hair (Permanent) lp 16.98

HEATER God And Hair (Permanent) lp 16.98

HEATHCLIFF, JUSTIN s/t cd 19.98

HEATHEN HOOF Rock Crusader (Iron Shield Records) cd 13.98
Fannish "true metal" from Finland.

HEATHEN SHAME Speed The Parting Guest (Twisted Village) cd 14.98
Everybody seems to be in some sort of doom / drone / dirge state lately, with even non-metalheads obsessing over all things Boris / Corrupted / SUNNO))), Earth. And, hey, we're not complaining, we love our slow motion, 16 rpm, cough syrup tarpit guitar riffage as much as the next person, but hell, you can do a whole lot more with a guitar than just turn it up, kick on the distortion and lean it against an amp. Sure it sounds great, and we could listen to that pulsing fuzzed out throb forever, but you really have to wrestle a guitar to get certain sounds out of it. You have to use both hands, fight it kicking and screaming, hold it down, flip it over, swing it over your head, hold on for your fucking life, and then maybe you can get a guitar to make some serious sound, noises that would send most guitar dronesters running for the hills. Thus we have Heathen Shame, an unlikely trio of two guitars, drums and trumpets. Who make an absolutely amazing din, equal parts head splitting noise and gorgeous skree. You know when you turn on a hose as high as it'll go, and you just let go and it whips wildly like a convulsing snakes spraying water everywhere and threatening to bash your head in with every swing and swoop? Heathen Shame are sort of the musical version of that. To be honest, we can't really even hear the trumpet. And as a matter of fact we can't really hear the drums either. It all bleeds into one swirling, swarming, slithering mass of guitarnoise, feedback, and all sorts of amp frying sonic shrapnel. Where stuff like SUNNO))) and Earth can be soothing and almost dreamy, this stuff is just scary. Totally intense and heavy as fuck and SCARY. But also strangely beautiful at the same time. It takes a very deft hand to render NOISE like this listenable, but Heathen Shame manage to make these three tracks fun to listen to. So much so that we have found ourselves listening to this record over and over, which to be honest is pretty rare for a record this noisy and brutal. Even managed after a few spins to convert a few folks who aren't typically into this sort of stuff. One thing thing that seems to be far to rare in experimental music, especially of the HEAVY variety, is the presence of women, sure there's a few, including Wata from Boris, but now you can add Kate from Heathen Same to that way too short list. She and HS's other guitarist, Twisted Village regular Wayne Rogers, have to be the most brutal double axe attack since Tipton and Downing, or Smith and Murray or even Hanneman and King! While this might be a bit too harsh and brutal for the drone dirge doom rock set, fans of freaked out Japanese psych like Keiji Haino and Fushitsusha, as well as folks into full on noise like Masonna or Merzbow, and especially fans of free rock skree like Total, Hototogisu, Ashtray Navigations, Birchville Cat Motel and the like might really dig this!
MPEG Stream: "Speed The Parting Guest"
MPEG Stream: "Iron Turtleneck"

HEATMISER Mic City Sons (Plain Recordings) lp 16.98
Oh the '90s! We can't get enough of that decade these days. With the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind upon us, and reissues of our favorite albums by folks like Archers Of Loaf, Sebadoh, and Pavement, we're remembering just how damn special and earnest so much of the music we love from that decade was. Heatmiser were one of those bands who actually didn't catch on with folks that much when they first hit the scene in 1993, but thanks to its members' other musical output, folks did finally start paying attention to them. Those members being Elliott Smith and Sam Coomes (Quasi), as well as Neil Gust (No.2). But let's be honest, it's really all about Elliott Smith. Heatmiser allowed folks to get to hear his amazing voice, and guitar playing in a much more rocking venue. And a lot of these songs, sounded like his solo songs just supercharged and punked up. And it was so good to hear Smith let loose, rock out and have fun.
Mic City Sons is our favorite of Heatmiser's three albums, while their previous two albums each had some really good songs, this was the album where they seemed to really hit their stride and the songs and the players just meshed so well. Even if you take away the big names in the band, this stands as one of the best indie rock albums of the '90s! As you can tell, we're so stoked it's just been reissued on vinyl!
MPEG Stream: "Get Lucky"
MPEG Stream: "Plainclothes Man"
MPEG Stream: "Low-Flying Jets"

HEATWAVE Central Heating (Columbia) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**

HEATWAVE, THE Honeymelon Teapot (Grey Past) cd 26.00

HEAVEN & EARTH Refuge (Lion Productions) cd 16.98
This rare orchestral psych-folk gem finally sees the light of day, complete with bonus tracks, alternate mixes and a Christmas-themed single just in time for the holidays! Heaven & Earth were a female duo, so named for the harmonious elemental quality of their voices, one earthy, the other airy. Refuge is the lone record they made for Dick Schorry's Chicago-based Ovation Records imprint in 1973, and it's got his spacey percussive production all over it, especially in key Chicago session players, Bobby Christian on percussion and Phil Upchurch on guitar (Rotary Connection, Dorothy Ashby, Soulful Strings). The folk-funk opener "Jenny" has been on many DJ playlists including Andy Votel and was recently featured on Trish Keenan of Broadcast's final tour mixtape that was making the rounds after her untimely demise. But the whole album proper is stunning, showcasing a wistful and mystical autumnal vibe that connects the airy pop folk of Linda Perhacs, The Poppy Family, and Wendy & Bonnie to the next wave of singer-songwriters and rock groups like The Roches and Heart.
We'll be playing this tons to warm us through the long cold winter. The cd features the album proper with 15 bonus and unreleased tracks pretty much containing their entire recorded output including their perhaps ill-advised attempt at heavy motorcycle rock,"Hawg For You Baby"! Also comes with two booklets of photos and liner notes and remembrances from each member. Quite beautiful and recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Jenny"
MPEG Stream: "Voice In The Wind"
MPEG Stream: "Sixty Years On"
MPEG Stream: "A Light Is Shining"

HEAVEN & EARTH Refuge (Lion Productions) lp 19.98
This rare orchestral psych-folk gem finally sees the light of day, complete with bonus tracks, alternate mixes and a Christmas-themed single just in time for the holidays! Heaven & Earth were a female duo, so named for the harmonious elemental quality of their voices, one earthy, the other airy. Refuge is the lone record they made for Dick Schorry's Chicago-based Ovation Records imprint in 1973, and it's got his spacey percussive production all over it, especially in key Chicago session players, Bobby Christian on percussion and Phil Upchurch on guitar (Rotary Connection, Dorothy Ashby, Soulful Strings). The folk-funk opener "Jenny" has been on many DJ playlists including Andy Votel and was recently featured on Trish Keenan of Broadcast's final tour mixtape that was making the rounds after her untimely demise. But the whole album proper is stunning, showcasing a wistful and mystical autumnal vibe that connects the airy pop folk of Linda Perhacs, The Poppy Family, and Wendy & Bonnie to the next wave of singer-songwriters and rock groups like The Roches and Heart.
We'll be playing this tons to warm us through the long cold winter. The cd features the album proper with 15 bonus and unreleased tracks pretty much containing their entire recorded output including their perhaps ill-advised attempt at heavy motorcycle rock,"Hawg For You Baby"! Also comes with two booklets of photos and liner notes and remembrances from each member. Quite beautiful and recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Jenny"
MPEG Stream: "Voice In The Wind"
MPEG Stream: "Sixty Years On"
MPEG Stream: "A Light Is Shining"

HEAVEN & HELL The Devil You Know (Rhino) cd 17.98
In keeping with the duality within this band's name, there's probably two sorts of people reading this review. There are those who are dedicated fans, familiar with the latter-day Black Sabbath saga, awaiting this album with eager anticipation. And then there's those who need to be told that Heaven & Hell IS Black Sabbath, in all but name - hence this album's title, The Devil You Know. For the latter folks, we'll help 'em get with the program by explaining that this so-called Heaven And Hell band is the Black Sabbath lineup - Ronnie James Dio on vocals, Tony Iommi on guitar, Geezer Butler on bass, and Vinnie Appice on drums - that last appeared on a studio album seventeen (!) years ago: 1992's Dehumanizer, which in hindsight was a pretty good record. Dio of course was original Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne's replacement in the band, joining up in 1980 for the Heaven and Hell album (natch), followed by Mob Rules and Live Evil. He then quit for a solo career, and Sabbath's fortunes soon declined... a decade later, Dehumanizer was a short lived reunion, scuttled when Sabbath sans Dio agreed to open for Ozzy's so-called "retirement" show... Ozzy obviously didn't ever retire, and eventually rejoined Sabbath himself, for several successful tours - but no new studio album. And it seemed that there never would be another Sabbath album... until now, though it's not called Sabbath! Getting restless just going around doing "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" with a doddering Ozzy, recently Tony and Geezer were lucky to persuade Dio to let bygones be bygones and get back together with his old Sabbath mates for a tour and live album under this new name (Black Sabbath with Ozzy remaining on some sort of official hiatus we suppose).
We saw 'em play in San Jose and good grief, for a 66 year old frontman, Dio was AMAZING. Full of energy and as impressive/expressive/excessive vocally as ever. It's no wonder that inspired by their touring, these senior citizens (well perhaps Vinnie isn't quite so old) answered the prayers of Dio/Sabbath fans everywhere and recorded a brand new album! (Now the first batch of people referred to at the top of this review can tune back in.)
The truth is, we sorta had low expectations for this. As good as they were live doing old classic tracks, could they really write a worthy new record? The 3 new Dio-fronted studio tunes that were included as a bonus on Sabbath's The Dio Years anthology in 2007 were kind of weak, though they sounded better in concert, we must admit. And many a venerable band has stumbled when a long-awaited reunion album has finally happened (The Stooges being a good, or rather bad, example).
So we were pleasantly surprised to find, when we finally heard it, that The Devil You Know was actually pretty darn good! Great, even. Apparently they took their time and did this right, with serious intent. They didn't try to modernize their sound, nor is it a half-assed cash-in, they simply did what they know best how to do - heck, what they invented. EPIC DOOM METAL. No, it's not the equal of Heaven and Hell or Mob Rules, but who could expect that? It IS at least as good or maybe better than Dehumanizer, and certainly blows any other attempt at epic doom you're gonna hear this year out of the castle moat. How could it not? It's Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler and Ronnie James effin' Dio!! (Too bad for Candlemass that they just put out a new album, too... but they'd probably even agree.)
From the very first song, the lumbering "Atom And Evil", you'll hear this is firmly in their own grand tradition. Dio era Sabbath lives! The wizardly elfin one's vocals are mighty and majestic, Tony's guitar tone sounds straight from the '70s, he and Geezer offering up surging heaviosity o'er which Dio weaves his vocal spell, with portentous lyrics to match the dark doominess of much of the music. Not that it's all a dirge, they rock out plenty too, maybe too much so on "Rock N' Roll Angel", though you gotta love it that there's still a band who'd write a song with a (non-ironic) title like that. Tony gets in some choice solos, and his regal riffage leaves his "riffmaster" reputation unblemished, although what may be more memorable are the melodies of Dio's vocal lines. Possessed by the phantoms of past glories, this is, wonderfully so.
While the debate among Sabbath fans over the relative merits of the band's various vocalists will forever rage (similar to the debate over who's the best James Bond), what's certain is that in the here and now, the ancient yet ageless one known as Dio is clearly the superior, only choice for Sabbath frontman. Can't imagine them making anything as remotely as solid as this if they'd tried it with Ozzy! Celebrity/corporate crapola would ruin it... plus Ozzy's voice these days seems almost entirely computerized. Also, for these guys, it'll never be 1971 again. But 1981, via 1992, is a lot easier to conjure. Dio's still got it, and with him, they truly "click". He'll tell you himself, that despite his many years solo and with other groups, Rainbow, Elf, going back to Ronnie And The Redcaps in 1959, Black Sabbath is THE best band for him.
Who knows if Heaven & Hell aka Black Sabbath will ever make another album (did we mention Dio is pushing 70 years old?), but if they don't, this one is a proud ending to an illustrious career, a classy comeback and/or grand finale, upholding (reinstating?) their legacy indeed.
MPEG Stream: "Bible Black"
MPEG Stream: "The Turn Of The Screw"

HEAVEN & HELL The Devil You Know (Rhino) 2lp 29.00
In keeping with the duality within this band's name, there's probably two sorts of people reading this review. There are those who are dedicated fans, familiar with the latter-day Black Sabbath saga, awaiting this album with eager anticipation. And then there's those who need to be told that Heaven & Hell IS Black Sabbath, in all but name - hence this album's title, The Devil You Know. For the latter folks, we'll help 'em get with the program by explaining that this so-called Heaven And Hell band is the Black Sabbath lineup - Ronnie James Dio on vocals, Tony Iommi on guitar, Geezer Butler on bass, and Vinnie Appice on drums - that last appeared on a studio album seventeen (!) years ago: 1992's Dehumanizer, which in hindsight was a pretty good record. Dio of course was original Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne's replacement in the band, joining up in 1980 for the Heaven and Hell album (natch), followed by Mob Rules and Live Evil. He then quit for a solo career, and Sabbath's fortunes soon declined... a decade later, Dehumanizer was a short lived reunion, scuttled when Sabbath sans Dio agreed to open for Ozzy's so-called "retirement" show... Ozzy obviously didn't ever retire, and eventually rejoined Sabbath himself, for several successful tours - but no new studio album. And it seemed that there never would be another Sabbath album... until now, though it's not called Sabbath! Getting restless just going around doing "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" with a doddering Ozzy, recently Tony and Geezer were lucky to persuade Dio to let bygones be bygones and get back together with his old Sabbath mates for a tour and live album under this new name (Black Sabbath with Ozzy remaining on some sort of official hiatus we suppose).
We saw 'em play in San Jose and good grief, for a 66 year old frontman, Dio was AMAZING. Full of energy and as impressive/expressive/excessive vocally as ever. It's no wonder that inspired by their touring, these senior citizens (well perhaps Vinnie isn't quite so old) answered the prayers of Dio/Sabbath fans everywhere and recorded a brand new album! (Now the first batch of people referred to at the top of this review can tune back in.)
The truth is, we sorta had low expectations for this. As good as they were live doing old classic tracks, could they really write a worthy new record? The 3 new Dio-fronted studio tunes that were included as a bonus on Sabbath's The Dio Years anthology in 2007 were kind of weak, though they sounded better in concert, we must admit. And many a venerable band has stumbled when a long-awaited reunion album has finally happened (The Stooges being a good, or rather bad, example).
So we were pleasantly surprised to find, when we finally heard it, that The Devil You Know was actually pretty darn good! Great, even. Apparently they took their time and did this right, with serious intent. They didn't try to modernize their sound, nor is it a half-assed cash-in, they simply did what they know best how to do - heck, what they invented. EPIC DOOM METAL. No, it's not the equal of Heaven and Hell or Mob Rules, but who could expect that? It IS at least as good or maybe better than Dehumanizer, and certainly blows any other attempt at epic doom you're gonna hear this year out of the castle moat. How could it not? It's Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler and Ronnie James effin' Dio!! (Too bad for Candlemass that they just put out a new album, too... but they'd probably even agree.)
From the very first song, the lumbering "Atom And Evil", you'll hear this is firmly in their own grand tradition. Dio era Sabbath lives! The wizardly elfin one's vocals are mighty and majestic, Tony's guitar tone sounds straight from the '70s, he and Geezer offering up surging heaviosity o'er which Dio weaves his vocal spell, with portentous lyrics to match the dark doominess of much of the music. Not that it's all a dirge, they rock out plenty too, maybe too much so on "Rock N' Roll Angel", though you gotta love it that there's still a band who'd write a song with a (non-ironic) title like that. Tony gets in some choice solos, and his regal riffage leaves his "riffmaster" reputation unblemished, although what may be more memorable are the melodies of Dio's vocal lines. Possessed by the phantoms of past glories, this is, wonderfully so.
While the debate among Sabbath fans over the relative merits of the band's various vocalists will forever rage (similar to the debate over who's the best James Bond), what's certain is that in the here and now, the ancient yet ageless one known as Dio is clearly the superior, only choice for Sabbath frontman. Can't imagine them making anything as remotely as solid as this if they'd tried it with Ozzy! Celebrity/corporate crapola would ruin it... plus Ozzy's voice these days seems almost entirely computerized. Also, for these guys, it'll never be 1971 again. But 1981, via 1992, is a lot easier to conjure. Dio's still got it, and with him, they truly "click". He'll tell you himself, that despite his many years solo and with other groups, Rainbow, Elf, going back to Ronnie And The Redcaps in 1959, Black Sabbath is THE best band for him.
Who knows if Heaven & Hell aka Black Sabbath will ever make another album (did we mention Dio is pushing 70 years old?), but if they don't, this one is a proud ending to an illustrious career, a classy comeback and/or grand finale, upholding (reinstating?) their legacy indeed.
MPEG Stream: "Bible Black"
MPEG Stream: "The Turn Of The Screw"

HEAVEN SHALL BURN Antigone (Century Media) cd 12.98

MPEG Stream: "The Weapon They Fear"
MPEG Stream: "The Only Truth"

HEAVEN SHALL BURN Asunder (Impression/Lifeforce) cd 13.98
I was in Japan, in a record store and they were playing the most amazing record. I went to the counter to find out what amazing Japanese band I had discovered, and after some struggling with my poor (read: non-existent) Japanese, the clerk handed me a cd, and it ends up we were listening to a German metalcore band called Heaven Shall Burn. It's a bit silly to call this metalcore though. This is plain old metal. A weird mix of Slayer, Morbid Angel and song structures like maybe Tool (or some other band that writes multipart, stop/start winding and convoluted epics). Relentless downtuned death metal with shrieking howls and cookie monster grunts. Melodic acoustic parts balance the ferocious barrage, along with insane drumming, and some of the catchiest riffs since Reign In Blood. So great!
RealAudio clip: "To Inherit The Guilt"
RealAudio clip: "Cold"

HEAVEN SHALL BURN Deaf To Our Prayers (Century Media) cd/dvd 12.98

MPEG Stream: "Counterweight"
MPEG Stream: "Tresspassing The Shores Of Your World"

HEAVEN SHALL BURN Whatever It May Take (Lifeforce) cd 13.98
The Last Heaven Shall Burn record was one of my favorites of last year. A metalcore band that wasn't just a bunch of punk kids trying to play metal, they kicked out the metal jams better than most 'actual' metal bands. And we wouldn't have known about them if it wasn't for a chance discovery in Japan of all places. My appreciation (borderline awe) of this insane German powerhouse continues unabated. And this new record somehow manages to be even better than the last one. Starting off with some seriously intense soundtrack/mood music, it soon explodes into downtuned fury, absolutely insane double kick drumming, Emperor melodies over Slayer riffs, shrieked vocals, unorthodox time signatures and weirdly fucked arrangements. Hard to explain just why this is so much better than most of the other metalcore around these days. I think it's the grace and effortlessness they seem to exude as they're playing stuff most bands would stumble through if they could even pull it off at all.
Totally essential.
RealAudio clip: "Behind A Wall Of Silence"
RealAudio clip: "The Worlds in Me"
RealAudio clip: "The Martyrs Blood"

HEAVENLY Le Jardin De... (K) cd 14.98
The sweetest of Scottish melodic confections. Amelia Fletcher and her bunch of like-minded sugar popsters offer up this ten song collection highlighted by the tune "C Is The Heavenly Option" which features a guest appearance by Beat Happening / Dub Narcotic / K Records commander Calvin Johnson. Amelia's voice flits and flutters above Calvin's deeeep monotone. For fans of the Softies, Marine Girls, and the like.

HEAVENLY Operation Heavenly (K) cd 13.98
The final release from this group of Scottish sweetie-tarts lead by the cuter-than-cute Amelia Fletcher. More twee than you might be able to handle, but if you do have a super strength sweet tooth I say "Go for it!"

HEAVENLY Vs. Satan (K) cd 14.98
Following the sad demise of Talulah Gosh and prior to forming Marine Research, perpetual girlie girl Amelia Fletcher and company were known as Heavenly, and y'know, they certainly were just that. This is a re-issue of the long out of print debut mini-album from these UK princes and princesses of pure twee pop whose candy-coated sing-song melodies often concealed the wry, bittersweet lyrical center. Not only do you get their first record but also three complete singles!
RealAudio clip: "Cool Guitar Boy"
RealAudio clip: "Our Love Is Heavenly"

HEAVENLY BEAT Faithless (Captured Tracks) 7" 6.98
Single number two from this Beach Fossils side project, and it definitely takes up where the first one left off, jangly, handclappy, eighties dreampop, still reminding us of the Style Council, acoustic guitars, soaring strings, hazy twee vox, low slung new wave bassline, all echoey and softly reverbed, with a cool production and some interesting production tricks this time around, mostly some subtle dubbing out of the vocals. The flipside offers up more of the same, super stripped down minimal pop, but here the strings are allowed to soar, while the verses are even more hushed and subdued, lovely and lush, summery sunshiney eighties retro pop, that we're finding surprisingly addictive!
MPEG Stream: "Presence"

HEAVENLY BEAT Suday / Desire (Captured Tracks) 7" 6.98
A new 7"s from this Beach Fossils offshoot, and while HB traffic in that same sort of soft focus dreamy pop sound, the arrangement is much more spare and skeletal, infused with a wee bit of rhythmic skitter, a little new wave shimmer. On the A side, "Suday", that shift is almost imperceptible, it could very well be a Beach Fossils track proper, all spidery reverby guitar lines, swirling ethereal background vocals, the result sweetly melancholy and totally dream poppy. The B side, though, starts off similarly with a sort of hushed breathless retro pop (reminding us quite a bit of the Style Council in fact), but at the end of the track introduces a propulsive electronic beat, that definitely changes the vibe, and hints at something a bit more gothy and dramatic. Fans of all that retro gloom pop and new wave will dig big time. As well as folks who like their pop on the twee side...

HEAVENLY BEAT Talent (Captured Tracks) cd 14.98
Finally, the full length debut from this Beach Fossils side project, and it absolutely fulfills the promise of the preceding singles. It's all achingly lovely wistful softly shoegazey eighties beholden dream pop, all breathless vox, shimmery crystalline guitars, warm woozy melodies, programmed rhythms, swirling atmospheres, like a less bombastic M83. Heavenly Beat have conjured up a strangely abstract bit of eighties style pop, that deftly balances sweetly twee popsmithery with an experimental streak that can't be denied, with most of the songs taking all sorts of twists and turns, from swoonsome swirling strings, to spare abstract breakdowns, haunting processed vox, psychedelically stereo panned sounds that drift from ear to ear and speaker to speaker, bits of jangle guitar, low slung gloom pop basslines, soaring choruses. The A side from the most recent single shows up, all jangly hand clappy eighties dream pop, still very much reminding us of the Style Council, with acoustic guitars, soaring strings, dreamlike melodies, more twee vox. And while that track might be the most immediately poppy of the bunch, the whole record is brimming with unlikely poppiness, the band deftly weaving together distinctly UN-pop components into impossibly hook filled pop, shimmery and softly shoegazey, skittery and subtly new wave, the sound super dynamic, lush and lovely, and really quite weird, especially for a pop group, which is precisely what's making us dig this record so much. We have to say, of the current crop of retro-pop new wave twee poppers, Heavenly Beat is fast becoming our favorite.
MPEG Stream: "Lust"
MPEG Stream: "Messiah"
MPEG Stream: "Faithless"
MPEG Stream: "Tolerance"

HEAVENLY BEAT Talent (Captured Tracks) lp 16.98
Finally, the full length debut from this Beach Fossils side project, and it absolutely fulfills the promise of the preceding singles. It's all achingly lovely wistful softly shoegazey eighties beholden dream pop, all breathless vox, shimmery crystalline guitars, warm woozy melodies, programmed rhythms, swirling atmospheres, like a less bombastic M83. Heavenly Beat have conjured up a strangely abstract bit of eighties style pop, that deftly balances sweetly twee popsmithery with an experimental streak that can't be denied, with most of the songs taking all sorts of twists and turns, from swoonsome swirling strings, to spare abstract breakdowns, haunting processed vox, psychedelically stereo panned sounds that drift from ear to ear and speaker to speaker, bits of jangle guitar, low slung gloom pop basslines, soaring choruses. The A side from the most recent single shows up, all jangly hand clappy eighties dream pop, still very much reminding us of the Style Council, with acoustic guitars, soaring strings, dreamlike melodies, more twee vox. And while that track might be the most immediately poppy of the bunch, the whole record is brimming with unlikely poppiness, the band deftly weaving together distinctly UN-pop components into impossibly hook filled pop, shimmery and softly shoegazey, skittery and subtly new wave, the sound super dynamic, lush and lovely, and really quite weird, especially for a pop group, which is precisely what's making us dig this record so much. We have to say, of the current crop of retro-pop new wave twee poppers, Heavenly Beat is fast becoming our favorite.
MPEG Stream: "Lust"
MPEG Stream: "Messiah"
MPEG Stream: "Faithless"
MPEG Stream: "Tolerance"

HEAVENSORE Asmodai (Utech) cd 16.98

HEAVY BLANKET s/t (Outer Battery) cd 13.98
For some people, J Mascis' distinctive vocal whine was a make or break element in their appreciation of Dinosaur Jr. But Mascis had more to offer than his peculiar and to us, quite endearing vocal style. He's also a serious shredder, as fans of Dinosaur Jr. no doubt appreciate. Yes, Masics is a master axeman, which brings us to Heavy Blanket. An all instrumental heavy psychedelic blooze trio, with Mascis on guitar. And while these songs are fairly sonically dissimilar to Dinosaur Jr, they do offer Mascis the opportunity to let loose, and he does, six songs, 37 minutes of full on heavy psych jams, no vocals, the rhythm section tight and not flashy, but a little shredding in their own right, locked tight into dense hypnotic grooves, which seem to be made with the express intent of letting Mascis go nuts. Fans of the endless shredding of Earthless will find much to love here, i.e. more endless shredding. And yeah, you really have to be into the sort of heart of the sun, blown out, druggy psych blowouts to get into Heavy Blanket, but then that probably describes a whole lot of you.
And, fans of all that psychedelic space rock like White Hills, The Heads, Mugstar and all the rest, who just want to dispense with all the 'songs' and 'songwriting' and 'arrangements', and just get right to the endless shredding, then this is for you too, with much of this falling squarely in that sort of Hawkwindy psych-rock, droned out druggy psychedelic jam freakout zone, loping, and hypnotic, and the sort of jams, that while not technically or literally endless, sure as shit could be.
Absolute space-psych-shred bliss. Thus obviously WAY recommended. (Vinyl version expected in June.)
MPEG Stream: "Galloping Toward The Unknown"
MPEG Stream: "No Telling No Trails"

HEAVY BLANKET s/t (Outer Battery) lp 22.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON VINYL!!
For some people, J Mascis' distinctive vocal whine was a make or break element in their appreciation of Dinosaur Jr. But Mascis had more to offer than his peculiar and to us, quite endearing vocal style. He's also a serious shredder, as fans of Dinosaur Jr. no doubt appreciate. Yes, Masics is a master axeman, which brings us to Heavy Blanket. An all instrumental heavy psychedelic blooze trio, with Mascis on guitar. And while these songs are fairly sonically dissimilar to Dinosaur Jr, they do offer Mascis the opportunity to let loose, and he does, six songs, 37 minutes of full on heavy psych jams, no vocals, the rhythm section tight and not flashy, but a little shredding in their own right, locked tight into dense hypnotic grooves, which seem to be made with the express intent of letting Mascis go nuts. Fans of the endless shredding of Earthless will find much to love here, i.e. more endless shredding. And yeah, you really have to be into the sort of heart of the sun, blown out, druggy psych blowouts to get into Heavy Blanket, but then that probably describes a whole lot of you.
And, fans of all that psychedelic space rock like White Hills, The Heads, Mugstar and all the rest, who just want to dispense with all the 'songs' and 'songwriting' and 'arrangements', and just get right to the endless shredding, then this is for you too, with much of this falling squarely in that sort of Hawkwindy psych-rock, droned out druggy psychedelic jam freakout zone, loping, and hypnotic, and the sort of jams, that while not technically or literally endless, sure as shit could be.
Absolute space-psych-shred bliss. Thus obviously WAY recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Galloping Toward The Unknown"
MPEG Stream: "No Telling No Trails"

HEAVY HANDS Smoke Signals (Language of Stone) cd 14.98

HEAVY HAWAII Goosebumps (Art Fag) cd 13.98
Here's another group you can add to the current pantheon of warped, lysergic, fractured WTF outsider pop songsmiths. John Maus, Ariel Pink, James Ferraro, Gary War, please welcome Heavy Hawaii, whose sound is hazy and softly psychedelic, a little bit tropical, a little bit dream poppy, a little surfy, but a LOT twisted up and tweaked. Even at its prettiest, it sounds like the vinyl is melting while it's spinning on your turntable, your turntable which suddenly seems to have a faulty pitch control. Just give a listen to the opener, which sounds like some lost Beach Boys B-side, covered by Ariel Pink, and played back on a Fischer-Price turntable, plugged into your Walkman, you know the one with dying batteries.
Detuned guitars, loping, lumbering beats, chiming melodies, woozy textures, buried loops and samples, all deftly woven into some seriously swirly sunshiney avant pop weirdness, the vocals get pitched down on a bunch of the tracks, and those might be our favorites, the vocalist transformed into some alternate universe alien crooner, belting it out over slipper squiggly melodies, distorted drumming, and warbly atonal melodies, not to mention swirls and squalls of soft noise, the songs occasionally locking into tranced out loops, other times breaking down into woozy sprawls of falling to pieces hypno-rock mesmer. Some of the tracks sound like they were recorded in a crazy karaoke dive bar, others are surprisingly hi-fi, but sound like they were recorded by someone who had no idea how to work a studio, and just twirled knobs and slid faders up and down. Dizzyingly tripped out, fantastically prismatically hooky, fuzzy, and gauzey and very very druggy and dreamy. And yet for all of its demented damage, and seemingly haphazard ramshackleness, the sound is so luch and full and layered, sounds careening everywhere, hidden melodies surfacing and then slipping back into the shadows, lots of noises transformed into rhythms, voices doused in effects and sent spinning into fields of fuzz and shimmer. Sure it's damaged and supremely fucked up, but it's also inspired, and total classic pop given a botched sonic lobotomy, and transformed into utterly divine, and impossible to resist ear candy, obviously the work of a genius. Or a madman. Probably both! Easily our new favorite WTF lo-fi weirdo pop record!!!
MPEG Stream: "Washing Machine"
MPEG Stream: "Tijuana Teal"
MPEG Stream: "Fuck You I'm Moving To San Francisco"

HEAVY HAWAII Goosebumps (Art Fag) lp 14.98
Here's another group you can add to the current pantheon of warped, lysergic, fractured WTF outsider pop songsmiths. John Maus, Ariel Pink, James Ferraro, Gary War, please welcome Heavy Hawaii, whose sound is hazy and softly psychedelic, a little bit tropical, a little bit dream poppy, a little surfy, but a LOT twisted up and tweaked. Even at its prettiest, it sounds like the vinyl is melting while it's spinning on your turntable, your turntable which suddenly seems to have a faulty pitch control. Just give a listen to the opener, which sounds like some lost Beach Boys B-side, covered by Ariel Pink, and played back on a Fischer-Price turntable, plugged into your Walkman, you know the one with dying batteries.
Detuned guitars, loping, lumbering beats, chiming melodies, woozy textures, buried loops and samples, all deftly woven into some seriously swirly sunshiney avant pop weirdness, the vocals get pitched down on a bunch of the tracks, and those might be our favorites, the vocalist transformed into some alternate universe alien crooner, belting it out over slipper squiggly melodies, distorted drumming, and warbly atonal melodies, not to mention swirls and squalls of soft noise, the songs occasionally locking into tranced out loops, other times breaking down into woozy sprawls of falling to pieces hypno-rock mesmer. Some of the tracks sound like they were recorded in a crazy karaoke dive bar, others are surprisingly hi-fi, but sound like they were recorded by someone who had no idea how to work a studio, and just twirled knobs and slid faders up and down. Dizzyingly tripped out, fantastically prismatically hooky, fuzzy, and gauzey and very very druggy and dreamy. And yet for all of its demented damage, and seemingly haphazard ramshackleness, the sound is so luch and full and layered, sounds careening everywhere, hidden melodies surfacing and then slipping back into the shadows, lots of noises transformed into rhythms, voices doused in effects and sent spinning into fields of fuzz and shimmer. Sure it's damaged and supremely fucked up, but it's also inspired, and total classic pop given a botched sonic lobotomy, and transformed into utterly divine, and impossible to resist ear candy, obviously the work of a genius. Or a madman. Probably both! Easily our new favorite WTF lo-fi weirdo pop record!!!
MPEG Stream: "Washing Machine"
MPEG Stream: "Tijuana Teal"
MPEG Stream: "Fuck You I'm Moving To San Francisco"

HEAVY HAWAII s/t (Art Fag) 12" 14.98

HEAVY HAWAII s/t (Art Fag) 12" 14.98

HEAVY METAL FUN TIME ACTIVITY BOOK (ECW PRESS) magazine 9.95
From the same folks who brought us the Gangsta Rap Coloring Book, comes something for the metalhead in your life. And since metalheads need WAY more stimulation that gangsta rappers, this one is not merely a coloring book, but a full fledged ACTIVITY book. You know what that means, connect the dots, mazes, all sorts of things. But in the hands of these guys, the usual kidstuff gets an awesomely irreverent, goofy and seriously metal makeover. After an appropriately goofy (and metal) intro from Andrew W.K., you can expect such fun time activities as a hair metal crossword puzzle, color Rob Halford, Motorhead connect the moles, heavy metal sudoku (it's all 6's), Spinal Tap maze, White Zombie word find, New Orleans band scramble, Dimebag Darrell's goatee connect the dots, Ronnie James Dio's "Holy Diver" metal-libs, Ozzy maze, Slipknot numbers game, Led Zeppelin symbol match and loads more.
Full color cover with cool glossy clear pentagram over a devil horned hand, as well as testimonials on the back from Andrew W.K., Brendon Small (Metalocalypse) and of course Ronnie James Dio.
The perfect metal stocking stuffer...

HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT (Factory 515) dvd 14.98
This all-time AQ fave is now BACK IN STOCK, at a new lower price too!!
Oh boy. It was a red letter day here at AQ when this showed up, being the long-awaited DVD incarnation of an old, old favorite. Filmed in 1986 in the parking lot (natch) at a Judas Priest concert, with just a video camera, a microphone, and a willing, wasted, unwitting cast of teenage metalheads, this underground documentary is an absolute all-time classic. When filmmakers John Heyn and Jeff Krulik shot this short doc way back when, they certainly had no idea it would become such a cult, cultural artifact. You can tell from the DVD extras that they are as amazed at its continuing popularity as anyone. But they did have the foresight to think going and interviewing all those hessian dudes and dudettes getting psyched to see the Priest would be a comedy goldmine.
In the genre of heavy metal documentary, this holds a special place. There's been some great ones: The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II, Metallica Drummer, and Spinal Tap if you want to count mockumentaries, but this is our number one fave. It was funny when it was made, it was even funnier in the '90s when the VHS version started making the rounds, and it's damn funny now that it's on DVD at long last, complete with a ton of bonus material and special features!! Director's commentary, outtakes, subtitles, sequels (Monster Truck Parking Lot, Neil Diamond Parking Lot, and Harry Potter Parking Lot), and lots more. There's even a "Dub-o-Vision" version of HMPL that simulates watching it as an Nth generation video dub the way it looked when most people first saw it! Oh, and perhaps best of all, there's "Parking Lot Alumni" wherein the original filmmakers track down (or are tracked down by) some of HMPL's "stars" now, sorta like a heavy metal version of one of Michael Apted's Up documentaries. The dude known as "Zebraman" (pictured on the cover of the dvd, wearing the stripey spandex muscle-T, whose drunken rant about how heavy metal rules, that punk shit sucks and Madonna is a dick is one of HMPL's many highlights) has turned into a suburban yuppie, believe it or not, while several of the other alumni really haven't changed that much. Any HMPL fan needs this just for that portion of the DVD alone.
And by funny, we mean sure, yeah, you're laughing AT the people in the movie. But as we've often noted, you can laugh at these kids, but think about it. Have you ever had as much fun (unironically we might add) as they are evidently having? Probably not. So, there's an element of sheer shared good times that makes this worthwhile for reasons beyond just the hilarity. Sociologically it's also fascinating...
If you haven't seen this before, YOU MUST SEE IT NOW!!! Get it, watch it, you'll be happy. And if you have seen it before, even if you already own a VHS copy, we're pretty sure you already know you need this.

HEAVY TIMES Jacker (HoZac) cd 12.98
We had never heard (of!) these Chicago noise poppers before, but heck, their new record is on Hozac, home to the Wax Idols (reviewed elsewhere on this week's list), as well as Black Bug, Fungi Girls, Puffy Areolas, Smith Westerns, Woven Bones, Super Wild Horses and loads more, so we had good reason to expect this might be right up our alley, and guess what? It most definitely is, fuzzed out jagged guitar noise pop, equal parts classic Pixies style pop and new fangled lo-fi scuzz pop garage rock, the guitar slipping from chiming and melodic to raw and crunchy, the vocals also melodic but still rough and raw, with some crazy killer hooks, just check out the opener "Motionless Drift", 100 seconds of buzz and jangle that you won't be able to get out of your head. But then there's tracks like "Future City", which is all synthy and fuzzy, and a little bit eighties new wave pop, but revved up a bit, and transformed into something just a bit noise poppier. The title track is a minute long blast of twang flecked fuzz pop bliss, with some super hooky guitar melodies and a sing-along chorus to die for. There's definitely a Ramones vibe too, maybe some Misfits too, and a gloomy vibe that has us thinking the Wipers, and Crystal Stilts, many of the songs barely cracking the minute mark, most not making it to two, which is plenty of time for these guys to pound and buzz and howl their hearts out, a heady hybrid of post punk, gloom pop and punk rock, that any fans of the above mentioned groups will most likely flip for. Definite contender for pop record of the year, another record we want to keep listening to instead of all the other things we're supposed to be reviewing.
MPEG Stream: "Motionless Drift"
MPEG Stream: "Future City"
MPEG Stream: "Jacker"

HEAVY TIMES Jacker (HoZac) lp 14.98
We had never heard (of!) these Chicago noise poppers before, but heck, their new record is on Hozac, home to the Wax Idols (reviewed elsewhere on this week's list), as well as Black Bug, Fungi Girls, Puffy Areolas, Smith Westerns, Woven Bones, Super Wild Horses and loads more, so we had good reason to expect this might be right up our alley, and guess what? It most definitely is, fuzzed out jagged guitar noise pop, equal parts classic Pixies style pop and new fangled lo-fi scuzz pop garage rock, the guitar slipping from chiming and melodic to raw and crunchy, the vocals also melodic but still rough and raw, with some crazy killer hooks, just check out the opener "Motionless Drift", 100 seconds of buzz and jangle that you won't be able to get out of your head. But then there's tracks like "Future City", which is all synthy and fuzzy, and a little bit eighties new wave pop, but revved up a bit, and transformed into something just a bit noise poppier. The title track is a minute long blast of twang flecked fuzz pop bliss, with some super hooky guitar melodies and a sing-along chorus to die for. There's definitely a Ramones vibe too, maybe some Misfits too, and a gloomy vibe that has us thinking the Wipers, and Crystal Stilts, many of the songs barely cracking the minute mark, most not making it to two, which is plenty of time for these guys to pound and buzz and howl their hearts out, a heady hybrid of post punk, gloom pop and punk rock, that any fans of the above mentioned groups will most likely flip for. Definite contender for pop record of the year, another record we want to keep listening to instead of all the other things we're supposed to be reviewing.
MPEG Stream: "Motionless Drift"
MPEG Stream: "Future City"
MPEG Stream: "Jacker"

HEAVY VEGETABLE Frisbie (Headhunter) cd 14.98

HEAVY VEGETABLE Mondo Aqua Kitty (Cargo/Headhunter) cd 14.98
Another one of the world's most amazing bands that somehow always seems to be overlooked and underappreciated. A complete collection of 28 songs from singles, compilation tracks, unreleased songs and studio embarassments, most clocking-in at about a minute and a half. Each contain unbelievable harmonies, ridiculous time-changes, baffling musical prowess, stupidly profound lyrics and head-splitting pop hooks.

HEAVY VEGETABLE The Amazing Undersea Adventures of Aqua Kitty and Friends (Headhunter) cd 14.98

HEAVY WINGED A Blanket Of Ash (self-released) 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.
Heavy Winged were in town a few weeks back, and let us have a bunch of this tour only cd-r, limited to just 50 copies, and thus, we assume, already well out print.
Like the rest of their discs, a seriously frenzied chunk of repetitive psych groove blowout. The drums and bass locked tight, looped and cyclical, pounding out fiercely hypnotic jams, while the guitar, just wigs out, soaring and squealing, and grinding and chugging, spitting out squalls of glittering high end, and unfurling churning downtuned riffage, tightly wound for sure, but also loose as hell, the rhythm section solid as shit, letting the guitar go apeshit, and go apeshit it does. This seems to be a whole live set. The opener is as described above, while the second track begins all moody and meandering, with the guitar slipping and sliding over a lazy strummed bass and a a smattering of cymbals, it does get heavier, but much more drone-y and almost dreamy. The final track is a serious blow out, the drums tribal and frenetic, the bass a super distorted throb, the guitar offering up mostly streaks of feedback, eventually launching into some high end buzz and spray, while the drums pound relentlessly, the whole thing eventually crumbling to pieces.
These guys kick so much ass, especially live, so for a handful of you, here's a chance to hear what all the fuzz is about.
LIMITED TO 50 COPIES. And already out of print.
MPEG Stream: "A Blanket Of Ash"

HEAVY WINGED Alive In My Mouth (Three Lobed) lp + cd 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Latest from this Brooklyn trio (at least they were Brooklyn based last time we checked, they may be spread out all over the country these days, but at least one of em is still in Brooklyn!) and while they still wield some serious psychedelic heaviness, they've also gotten seriously melodic. The first of two sidelong tracks on this new lp is wrapped around a main riff and looped rhythm, that is crazy catchy in addition to being blissfully blown out and weirdly hypnotic. The trio lock into this relentlessly staccato groove, a sort of machinelike groove, super repetitive and robotic, the group pounding away, while the guitar slowly builds momentum, the sheets of high end and the streaks of feedback and wall of buzz lifting ever higher, a slow burning ascendancy, it almost sounds like some scientist took a lost Fushitsusha jam and slowed it down, it the lab, to examine it more closely, like some Discovery documentary featuring a time lapse film of a 'psych jam' captured in the wild. Until finally the main chugging rhythm drops out, the whole track becoming more and more stripped down, the drums skittering away, while some tangled buzz continues to twist and contort, into various permutations, the drums remaining the only constant, the guitar offering up strange and gloriously gnarled melodies, and the bass just buzzes and rumbles heavily. Right at the end it gets super spacious and pretty, but still without losing any momentum or lysergic energy.
The flipside is another grinding buzzy psychjam, one set of strings oscillating intensely in the low end, chugging and churning, the other locking into a woozy looped riff, all draped over another blown out motorik groove, that sounds like a more loose extension of the main A side rhythm. The track has plenty of twists and turns, eventually getting all mathy and metal in the middle, the main riff becoming super spidery, the drums going spastic and free, but still all settled on a thick bed of grinding mesmerizing buzz, finishing off with a burst of resplendent epic majesty, gradually slowing down to a weird warped outro, of lurching, skittery downtuned riffs and haunting disembodied metallic buzz, weaving back and forth and finally leaving a washed out sun baked glow to fade out quietly.
The cool thing with Three Lobed releases, is that not only do you get the lp, gorgeously packaged and pressed as always, but you also get the same songs pressed on an actual cd. Including a 17 minute bonus track only on the cd. Another weirdly looped slow motion psychedelic workout, this one even more slow and bleary than the lp sides. The drums setting the skeletal framework, locked into another mesmerizing complex loop, around which thick effected buzz, scrapes and chugs and whirls fall into step, establishing another kick as motorik groove that could go on forever as far as we're concerned, and in terms of the track, actually does, while the guitar here soars weightless high above, sounding all angelic and sun dappled, almost like a wailing voice, spread out in glistening streaks over that awesomely relentless chnnkÉ chnnk chnnk chnnk, below, so kick ass, weirdly minimal but still so heavy and psychedelically resplendent, eventually slowing down to a lysergic, buzz drenched crawl, before finishing off in a blinding chaotic crush of blinding high end, squiggly freaked out FX and chaotic drum crush.
Gorgeous black and white packaging, with a super tripped out, crazy intricate pen and ink cover image, thick sleeve, pressed on thick vinyl, with a real cd not a cd-r, and crazy limited as always, only 647 copies, each one hand numbered, we got a bunch from the band when they were here on tour last week, so not sure we'll be able to get more once these are gone...
MPEG Stream: "Gruesome Pillow Talk"

HEAVY WINGED Blacc Lust (Three Lobed Recordings) cd 14.98
If there was an heir to whatever throne Japanese psych rockers High Rise occupy, probably one made out of Marshall amps and broken guitars and piled sky high, it would be US power trio Heavy Winged, whose mangled blown out take on wild eyed psych and throbbing proto metal, gets filtered though the modern avantnoise aesthetic and comes out a gloriously garbled white hot blast of propulsive grinding freaked out throb.
Half the time the band are so supercharged, it's almost impossible to hear what the heck is going on, it's like sticking your head inside a particle accelerator, just a face melting ear shredding cloud of chaotic skree (and we won't even begin to guess how the fuck they get such a brutally beautiful guitar sound), but here and there, the band slow things down, and lumber Harvey Milk style, all stumbling low end and slowed down riffage, into a corrosive landscape of sonic wreckage and swirling fuzz and hiss, usually only to explode moments later into a black spray of deconstructed buzz drenched, art rock damage. Phew.
Blacc Lust collects two insanely limited out of print cd-r's, just about an hour glorious soul crushing sound, which is just about an hour more than most mere mortals can handle. Fucking awesome!
Packaged in a cool, origami like folded cardstock sleeve, printed in black inside and out, LIMITED TO 500 COPIES, each one numbered, and seemingly already out of print, so these will probably be the only copies we'll ever be able to get...
MPEG Stream: "Crimson"
MPEG Stream: "In Bloum"

HEAVY WINGED Feel Inside (aRCHIVE) cd 14.98
We talk about records being heavy, and blown out, and in the red, and super distorted, and being the sort of weird music freaks we are, we're constantly on the hunt for that one record that trumps all others and out heavies and out distorts them all. THE most distorted and THE most blown out and THE HEAVIEST. And every once in a while, a new record does come along, and climbs atop the pile of bloodied and bruised bodies that made up the previous heaviest most distorted bands, and stand tall, prepared to defend the crown with axes held high and an avalanche of drums ready to drop like a ton of bricks on all comers. We'd be hard pressed to find another band that more deserves to sit atop that pile, at least for a while, than bicoastal masters of the psychmetal blowout, Heavy Winged. Now based both in Portland and Brooklyn, these guys just keep getting heavier and heavier, more and more intense and fucked up sounding. We went nuts for their recent Blacc Lust record, but if anything Feel Inside is even better. They are not metal, so comparisons to groups like SUNNO))) and the like would mean nothing. Heavy Winged are basically a psychedelic rock band, who for whatever reason, decided being loud just wasn't enough, and being distorted wasn't enough, and writing songs wasn't enough, so the band gradually transformed into some insane psychedelic noise rock behemoth, creating 10, 20, even 30 minutes soundscapes of repetitive pummel, drums pounding relentlessly, the guitars spewing white hot psych, a gorgeously hypnotic heavy heavy heavy crush. If you can imagine Les Rallizes Denudes and White Heaven crossed with Circle and Can, but mixed by Wolf Eyes and Merzbow, you wouldn't even be close.
The three tracks here begin white hot and only get hotter, sometimes locking into a groove, but more often then not, burying the groove under blistering squalls of feedback and crumbling distortion, the drums played with baseball bats instead of sticks, the whole band shoved down a mile long flight of stairs, deftly turning their chaotic tumble into some sort of psychedelic rock, but the sort of psychrock that has about as much in common with psych than it does with rock. This is freaked out, spaced out, ultra damaged, utterly gorgeous, ear drum destroying, face melting free psych heaviness.
The final track is the standout here, letting lots of space in, the drums doing some complicated dance in an epic expanse of sizzling feedback, and white hot streaks of guitar skree, damaged effects squiggle wildly, chunks of riffs fly off in all directions only to be swallowed by clouds of buzz and rrrooooaaar, there's even the occasional gorgeous warm chordal swells and creepy melodies, but it's the drums driving instead of the guitar, the whole thing surprisingly pretty and melancholy, although you have to brave a mile of prickly fuzz and explosive amp punishment to get there, but then the journey is always the best part...
Another gorgeously and extravagantly packaged release from aRCHIVE, this one comes in a six panel gatefold, decorated with angular designs in shades of black and brown and white, but that six panel gatefold is housed in another 6 panel gatefold, that one printed on vellum, so the various designs mesh into something completely new, the cd affixed to a nub on the middle panel of the inside gatefold.
LIMITED TO 600 COPIES. We probably will NOT be able to get more once these are gone...
MPEG Stream: "The Frozen Darkness"
MPEG Stream: "The Tangled White"