LONEY DEAR Dear John (Polyvinyl) lp 15.98
No, the name is not Lonely, Dear!!! Can't tell you how many times we've seen this one-man band's moniker spelled incorrectly. It irks us, and we imagine it must drive him nuts too! Anyhoo, all that business aside, we've been diggin this Swedish gent's new album plenty. It starts out far more driving and far less sweet than 2007's Loney, Noir. Last time he drew easy vocal comparisons to Arcade Fire, but his fifth album Dear John finds him slipping gracefully in line with the elaborate high tech bedroom recordings of Postal Service. Hmmm, haven't heard from them in quite a while, so it's a fine time for Loney Dear's dreamily wistful electronic pop to fill the void. Lovely, dear!
MPEG Stream: "I Was Only Going Out"
MPEG Stream: "Summers"

LONEY, DEAR Loney, Noir (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
Loney, Dear is a one man band from Sweden whose given name might not be Loney, but his music is very very dear. In fact, his name is Emil Svanangen and he makes fey, verging-on-twee, pop. Loney, Noir is shaded in soft pastel hues with ultra high male vocals. We thought it fit quite well alongside Arcade Fire. What do you think? Super charming and breezy, no?
MPEG Stream: "Sinister In A State Of Hope"
MPEG Stream: "I Am The Odd One"

LONG AGO AND RIGHT NOW AUDIOZINE (self-released) 2cd-r 9.98
Such an SF treat! Former Erase Errata Sara Jaffe and Melissa Klein have assembled a spoken word and music audiozine all about San Francisco called Long Ago And Right Now. Brimming with thirty candid on-the-street recordings of stories and songs from and about the Bay Area. Intimate and engaging. Handcrafted in the same fashion as her Erase Errata tour diary that we carried last year (machine-stitch bound and screenprinted).
MPEG Stream: STREET VENDOR "Street Vendor's Place"
MPEG Stream: JAFFE, SARA "Sea Song"

LONG BLONDES, THE Someone To Drive You Home (Rough Trade) cd 14.98
The Long Blondes are neither lengthy tressed nor flaxen haired, but we won't hold the false advertising against them. Ha ha! They are mighty hip and cute tho'! These three gals and two fellas from Sheffield, UK are raring to go go go with their high octane kicky punchy tunes. Their bio offers influential touchstones Human League, ABC and Pulp, but after hearing their debut album Someone To Drive You Home we'd bet their record collections are also heavy with '80s lipgloss'd goddesses Blondie, Kim Wilde and Pat Benetar. Super pop good times with more than a little sassy edge.
MPEG Stream: "Lust In The Movies"
MPEG Stream: "In The Company Of Women"

LONG LIVE DEATH Bound To the Wheel (Secret Eye) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

LONG LIVE DEATH To Do More Than God...To Die (Secret Eye) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Back in stock! Solemn, folkish "spirituals" from a band about which we know just a few things: they're from Balitmore and include members of the very-different-sounding Oxes, and they spent some time last year on tour opening for Will Oldham, who was apparently taken by Long Live Death's "incantory" aspects. Their music is melancholic and stately, not quite of our world, though clearly with an indie-rock pedigree. A short little album (just over 25 minutes) of some power and grace. And, along with voices, cello, gongs, flute, bells, and violin there's musical saw on it, which is always a plus!
MPEG Stream: "There Is No Death"
MPEG Stream: "That Summer"

LONG WINTERS, THE The Worst You Can Do Is Harm (Barsuk) cd 13.98
From the lead-off track, I might have expected The Long Winters' debut full length to be somewhat of a dour downer of an album, but by the second song things definitely pick up. Barsuk has likened mainman John Roderick's songwriting style and vocal delivery to Smog and/or The Band, but for me it brought to mind a number of other artists. Robert Pollard/Guided by Voices or David Gedge/Wedding Present or Andy Partidge/XTC are just a few. To be honest, I'm really not sure if I found this album appealing because of or in spite of these observances, but I did quite enjoy it nonetheless. Mr. Roderick is joined by Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla and Harvey Danger's Sean Nelson with special guests a-plenty from other Pacific Northwest bands: Ken Stringfellow (Posies), Jim Roth (Built To Spill) and Joe Ross (Sunny Day Real Estate).
RealAudio clip: "Car Parts "
RealAudio clip: "Medicine Cabinet Pirate"

LONG, MERIC Dodo Bird (self-released) cd 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This long time big time aQ fave finally in stock once again!
This Dodo Bird is charming from the very first song! The other four gentle folk pop tunes with their effusive acoustic guitar and soft-spoken male vocals are pretty darn lovely too. The gent behind all of them is Meric Long, a singer/songwriter from right here in SF (fyi: he's recently performed under the moniker Dodo Bird). This is his impressive debut ep, and it's super confident and composed. Very much in the easygoing, engaging tradition of Simon And Garfunkel, Astrud Gilberto, and definitely recommended for fans of Iron & Wine, Kings Of Convenience and Elliott Smith. Can't wait for more!
MPEG Stream: "Notes"
MPEG Stream: "Fiends"

LONG, P.W. Remembered (Touch & Go) cd 14.98

LONGING FOR DAWN A Treacherous Ascension (Grau) cd 14.98

LONGING FOR DAWN One Lonely Path (Cyclic Law) cd 15.98
Atmospheric doom from Canada.
MPEG Stream: "Access To Deliverance"
MPEG Stream: "Lethal"

LONGMONT POTION CASTLE 5 (Reptilian) cd 11.98
You think by now we'd be sick of crank calls. And we sort of are, but as with any 'artform' there are always a select few who manage to take that 'artform' to another level. Thus we have the enigmatic Longmont Potion Castle. This master of deadpan confusional telephone terror. Mr. Longmont no longer practices his art, having hung up his phone (hee hee... sorry) several years ago. But the kind folks at Reptilian have unearthed "the last known recordings of phone fun made at the Longmont Potion Castle." And fun it is. The cool thing about LPC, is he's not an asshole, and he doesn't necessarily set out to piss people off, even though it's obviously inevitable. And when he does get in a tough guy "I'll kick your ass" sort of verbal sparring match, his choice of threats are so ridiculous and nonsensical, you find yourself almost embarassed for him, like the little tiny kid who is oblivious to his mortality and insists on standing up to the bully and always gets his ass whupped. The add in his obsession with squid meat and an amazing litany of bizarre items / objects / names / services he invokes or offers or pretends to be looking for: Spencer Zebra, Aqualamb, Chowder Julius, Wovenloaf, Frickey Weaver, Chimp Giraffe Loop (making me laugh just typing those!). Wow! It really is amazingly funny. And bizarre. If you've never heard longmont this is as good a place to start as any! Sad that it's the last time we'll hear that oh so familiar dedpan drawl looking for Spencer Zebra or threatening to bring various household objects "to ya lip."
MPEG Stream: "UPS Freakout 1"
MPEG Stream: "Spencer Zebra"
MPEG Stream: "Aqualamb"
MPEG Stream: "Loud Tones"

LONGMONT POTION CASTLE 6 (D.U.) cd-r 12.98
The return of the always hilarious Longmont Potion Castle!!! If you're like me (Matt), you missed LPC the first time around, and are super stoked to have a disc from this side splitting and incredibly aggravating (to his victims) prank call mastermind! The most amazing thing about these calls is how long these people on the other end stay on the phone! Most of the calls consist of LPC picking fights with mall employees and local business owners, trying to sell dog bowels to a pawn shop, and requesting Orange Julius employees to feed him grapes while he's interviewed for a job. There's also a lot of fucked up editing and sample based pranks on this disc that are sometimes more creepy than they are funny, like the fucked up effected speech impediment of "Can O' B.S.". The receivers of these pranks range from confused elderly folks to aggro townie redneck dudes, all of whom get super pissed and usually end up threatening some sort of beatdown. It's interesting and hilarious to realize how many people love a good verbal tussle, and out of frustration how many people are willing to actually fight assuming the prankster "comes on down there...". LPC's delivery is totally dry and deadpan, almost stoned sounding, but the things coming out of his mouth are so completely absurd and absolutely hysterical! The best is when the delay pedal is implemented over the phone for extra confusional hilarity. LPC records are by far the most consistently funny, clever, bugged out, annoying, and ultimately excellent pranks on disc EVER!!! If you have 1-5 (compiled in a now out of print boxset), 6 certainly stands up, and for those of you have never checked LPC out, this is a great place to start! It's a bit hard to describe how great this stuff is, but it's one of a kind, So funny and super recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Dog Gnash"
MPEG Stream: "Citation"
MPEG Stream: "Sandyman"

LONGMONT POTION CASTLE 7 (D.U.) cd-r 11.98
LONGMONT POTION CASTLE IS BACK!!! Longtime readers of the aQ list know how much we love this twisted master of the crank call. Maybe the only crank caller worth our continued attentions. Hilarious, tripped out, nonsensical, infuriating, straddling the line between totally genius and hilarious, and completely ridiculous and stupid. Confusing innocent victims, picking fights with some of them, befriending others, posing as the UPS man wanting to deliver some sod, or acting as a representative of City Search offering a service to reverse negative feedback, for only $1300.
Mr. LPC always sounds so laidback, like maybe he's stoned, or drunk, but even when things get heated, he never gets riled up, delivering his confusing threats as coolly as if he was ordering a pizza. And he's always ready to spit out another totally classic line, which with repeated listens will turn into things you and your friends end up quoting all the time: "I'm a webmaster, do you know what that means?!", "I'm on 9 now, I don't want to go to 10 on you!", "I was trained in fruitland", "Are you ready to peep my growth?". And the response from the folks on the other end of the line are usually just as hilarious if not more so than the stream of brain melting non sequiturs coming out of LPC's mouth. It's hard to explain exactly what makes LPC so much better than pretty much all other crank calls, give a listen to the sound samples, check out the reviews of the other releases. Part of it, as we may have mentioned before, is that it's anything but mean spirited, weirdly playful, poking fun, and even when the 'victim' starts swearing up a storm, offering to beat the shit out of LPC, dude remains cool, and definitely threatens back, but usually his threats are so confusing and WTF, that they often diffuse the tension, and they ended up having a somewhat friendly, and WAY weird conversation.
Number 7 is peppered with LPC "medleys" and "themes", which are basically, classic calls chopped up and collaged into bizarre free form soundscapes of demented zingers, irate freakouts, mumbling weirdness, all set to music, and doused in reverb and delay. Those tracks are almost as fun as the phone calls proper, and are definitely packed with some of LPC's best, and most awesomely insane lines EVER.
Also as a bonus, the final track is an awesome drum machined speed metal jam. On past records, the phone calls were split up between killer chunks of thrashing home recorded metal, but this one "Interlude Encore" might be the raddest yet. Totally shredding, chugging Slayer guitars, swooshing ambience, shredding wah wah leads, and furious frenzied drum machine double kick blast beats. We'd definitely be up for a whole record of jams like this.
Needless to say, Longmont Potion Castle rule, the music, the calls, the vibe, the mood, the concept, it's hilarious, baffling, funny as fuck, and so fun to listen to. Might even win over the anti crank call haters out there. Probably not though.
As always. WAY WAY WAY RECOMMENDED!!
MPEG Stream: "Negative Feedback"
MPEG Stream: "LPC 7 Medley 1"
MPEG Stream: "Spicy Legato"
MPEG Stream: "Interlude Encore"

LONGMONT POTION CASTLE Late-Eighties-Vein (Insides Music) cd 13.98
Can't say enough about Longmont Potion Castle. Perhaps the best, funniest, most bizarre series of crank calls ever. There's the always popular picking fights with strangers, but Mr. LPC does it so much better than most with his Steven Wright deadpan and his ridiculous non-sequiters. Constant references to deliveries of peacocks from Lithuania, offers of free manure, and an endless litany of nonsensical recommendations, bizarre suggestions, and problematic overtures, all delivered in that likeable guy-next-door deadpan. Always does raise the question WHY DON'T PEOPLE JUST HANG UP?!?! Lucky for us they don't. We also get a dose of Longmont's metal obsession with the occasional freaked out death metal interlude. This may be the last Longmont record too, as according to LPC himself, he went through all his tapes and collected everything he had left. So don't miss out. So dumb and funny and brilliant. Be sure and stick around at the end for a truly distrubing call, that goes from funny to really fucking sad in a matter of minutes, between LPC, a depressed suicidal goth teen and his overbearing fucked up dad. Wow.
MPEG Stream: "Syop Playing Harmonica"
MPEG Stream: "Goat"
MPEG Stream: "Levi"
MPEG Stream: "Peacock"

LONGMONT POTION CASTLE Longbox Option Package (D.U.) 4 x cd-r, 3 x cd, 1 x DVD-r (7 discs!) 60.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Holy shit! This is the crank call mother lode. By now if you don't immediately start to giggle at the mere mention of Longmont Potion Castle, you are truly missing out. This one man prank call juggernaut has spent almost the last 20 years torturing unsuspecting folks, shop keepers, Radio Shack employees, old ladies, testosterone fueled jerks and pretty much everybody else with his totally surreal, unbelievably hilarious phone calls. This box set collects EVERY Longmont recording ever, including a whole disc of unreleased stuff, as well as the long out of print and barely available VHS tape on DVD for the first time! You think the calls are crazy, you should see the havoc this man can wreak on a call in talk show. This is absolutely essential for any one onto bizarre recordings, found sounds, prank calls, all around weirdness.
Included in this box set is LONGMONT POTION CASTLE (originally released in 1988), LONGMONT POTION CASTLE II (originally released in 1992), LONGMONT POTION CASTLE III (originally released in 1995), LONGMONT POTION CASTLE 4 (originally released in 2002), LATE EIGHTIES-VEIN (originally released in 2003), LONGMONT POTION CASTLE 5 (originally released in 2005), a bonus disc that includes a lot of the metal interludes that were cut when the original cassettes were transferred to cd, and the original LONGMONT POTION CASTLE VHS tape, now on DVD(-r) for the first time with tons of extra footage. Also includes a massive set of liner notes, with detailed track listings and the story behind each disc, as well as a custom LPC magnet. Each one personally signed by Mr. LPC himself!
Here's some of our past raves about all things LPC:
How can you not love a guy who gets off on torturing the clerks at radio shack and is obsessed with Tandy products?! A guy who spits out the most retarded and baffling products/names/etc: gugliata, voltor, leprechanjulius!! And on one disc, he continually harasses a foul mouthed cantakerous old man, but by the end of the disc, they become buddies, with the old man asking how the tape was going and LPC promising to send him a copy. FUCKING HEARTWARMING! How often do you get that on a crank call record?!!? Stupid and silly and once in a while totally inspired. This is still to this day constantly in the stereo on all of our road trips and so much Longmmont verbiage has become vernacular for us and all of our friends.
Longmont Potion Castle is the master of deadpan confusional telephone terror. Mr. Longmont no longer practices his art, having hung up his phone (hee hee... sorry) several years ago. But we can still listen and laugh. This stuff never stops being funny. The cool thing about LPC, is he's not an asshole, and he doesn't necessarily set out to piss people off, even though it's obviously inevitable. And when he does get in a tough guy "I'll kick your ass" sort of verbal sparring match, his choice of threats are so ridiculous and nonsensical, you find yourself almost embarassed for him, like the little tiny kid who is oblivious to his mortality and insists on standing up to the bully and always gets his ass whupped. Then add in his obsession with squid meat and an amazing litany of bizarre items / objects / names / services he invokes or offers or pretends to be looking for: Spencer Zebra, Aqualamb, Chowder Julius, Wovenloaf, Frickey Weaver, Chimp Giraffe Loop (making us laugh just typing those!). Wow! It really is amazingly funny. And bizarre. I
Easily the best, funniest, most bizarre series of crank calls ever. There's the always popular picking fights with strangers, but Mr. LPC does it so much better than most with his Steven Wright deadpan and his ridiculous non-sequiters. Constant references to deliveries of peacocks from Lithuania, offers of free manure, and an endless litany of nonsensical recommendations, bizarre suggestions, and problematic overtures, all delivered in that likeable guy-next-door deadpan. Always does raise the question WHY DON'T PEOPLE JUST HANG UP?!?! Lucky for us they don't. We also get a dose of Longmont's metal obsession with the occasional freaked out death metal interludes. So dumb and funny and brilliant. Be sure and keep your ears peeled for a truly distrubing call, that goes from funny to really fucking sad in a matter of minutes, between LPC, a depressed suicidal goth teen and his overbearing fucked up dad. Wow. these discs are full of magic moments like that, a few sad, lots of them just plain demented, but most of them so completely bust a gut hilarious!!
So buy this or we'll start talkin' whip, and may even bring a tennis racket toyaleyup!!!
MPEG Stream: "Syop Playing Harmonica"
MPEG Stream: "Goat"
MPEG Stream: "Levi"
MPEG Stream: "Peacock"
MPEG Stream: "UPS Freakout 1"
MPEG Stream: "Spencer Zebra"
MPEG Stream: "Aqualamb"
MPEG Stream: "Loud Tones"

LONGMONT POTION CASTLE Vol.4 (Attention Deficit) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
I'll be honest. No one here likes this as much as me (Andee). BUT FOR GOD'S SAKE, TRUST ME THIS TIME! I WILL NOT LEAD YOU ASTRAY! Most fans of crank call comedy should already have the first few volumes of the brilliant (-ly insipid) Longmont Potion Castle. How can you not love a guy who gets off on torturing the clerks at radio shack and is obsessed with Tandy products?! A guy who spits out the most retarded and baffling products/names/etc: gugliata, voltor, leprechanjulius!! And on a previous cd, he continually harassed a foul mouthed cantakerous old man, but by the end of the disc, they were buddies, with the old man asking how the tape was going and LPC promising to send him a copy. FUCKING HEARTWARMING! How often do you get that on a crank call record?!!? Stupid and silly and once in a while totally inspired. This was constantly in the stereo on all of our road trips and so much Longmmont verbiage became vernacular for me and all of my San Diego friends. So buy this or I'll start talkin' whip, and may even bring a tennis racket toyaleyup!!!
RealAudio clip: "Theexcitementoftandy"
RealAudio clip: "Talkin'whip"
RealAudio clip: "Chess"
RealAudio clip: "Noteethtobust"
RealAudio clip: "Voltorforglick"

LONSAI MAIKOV VS DISSONAANT ELEPHANT Thee Darkening Ov Powers (Old Europa Cafe) cd 14.98

LOON s/t (Beta-Lactam Ring) cd 16.98
Originally available as a super limited, self released lp (which we sold a ton of, and there are a few copies remaining), this killer slab of witchy psychedelic doom is now available on cd, thanks to the fine folks at Beta-Lactam Ring, who aren't typically known for releasing much in the way of metal, but in some weird way Loon manages to sound right at home on BLT. Here's our original review from when we first listed the lp way back in the beginning of this year (2011):
Witchy doomy heaviness from Rhode Island, home of ultra avant doom heavies The Body, electro rockers Six Finger Satellite, spastic hyper noiserock duo Lightning Bolt, and hardcore legends Dropdead, among others, but female fronted doom rockers Loon have way more in common with the current crop of heavies like Jex Thoth, The Devil's Blood, Sub Rosa, Blood Ceremony, Cauchemar, Christian Mistress and Purple Rhinestone Eagle, and fans of any of those bands will definitely dig Loon's stonery psychedelic grooves, and pop flecked Sabbathy doominess, but Loon definitely have their own take on that sounds, beyond the doom aspect, which is really pretty minimal, sure it IS doomy, but it's way more groovy, there's also a serious slowcore vibe going on, a downer pop woven into the group's more metallic heaviness, which ends up reminding us of a way heavier more traditionally metal True Widow, which is totally NOT a bad thing. And then there's the vocals, which are amazing, slipping from demonic screech, to sweet melodious croon, powerful and intense, and often reminding us of country chanteuse Neko Case surprisingly enough. So if you can imagine Neko Case singing for a Sabbathy doomy downer pop stoner metal combo, well then, you might have an idea of what Loon has going on. And while the vocals might be the best we of the bunch, in terms of actually singing, the songs are pretty fantastic too, spacey and psychedelic, groovy and heavy, a little bit proggy, super hooky, with just enough pop, the guitar sound buzzy and crunchy, the drums powerful, the whole sound hooky and heavy, doomy and sort of dreamy at the same time.
After a gorgeous hazy bit of psychedelic acoustic guitar, the record finishes with the nearly 10 minute "Grackel" which is the perfect Loon track, mixing all the various elements, the Neko Case like vocals (sounding surprisingly twangy here!), the shrieked demonic howls, the groovy Sabbathy riffage, the super melodic poppiness, the dirgey slowcore, all culminating in a woozy washed out feedback drenched spacey psychedelic outro, that could have (and probably SHOULD have) gone on for ANOTHER 10 minutes. Definitely a new favorite. Anyone into ANY of the above mentioned bands should for sure check this out.
MPEG Stream: "Osprey"
MPEG Stream: "Grackle"
MPEG Stream: "Breathing Fire"

LOON s/t (self-released) lp 17.98
Witchy doomy heaviness from Rhode Island, home of ultra avant doom heavies The Body, electro rockers Six Finger Satellite, spastic hyper noiserock duo Lightning Bolt, and hardcore legends Dropdead, among others, but female fronted doom rockers Loon have way more in common with the current crop of heavies like Jex Thoth, The Devil's Blood, Sub Rosa, Blood Ceremony, Cauchemar, Christian Mistress and Purple Rhinestone Eagle, and fans of any of those bands will definitely dig Loon's stonery psychedelic grooves, and pop flecked Sabbathy doominess, but Loon definitely have their own take on that sounds, beyond the doom aspect, which is really pretty minimal, sure it IS doomy, but it's way more groovy, there's also a serious slowcore vibe going on, a downer pop woven into the group's more metallic heaviness, which ends up reminding us of a way heavier more traditionally metal True Widow, which is totally NOT a bad thing. And then there's the vocals, which are amazing, slipping from demonic screech, to sweet melodious croon, powerful and intense, and often reminding us of country chanteuse Neko Case surprisingly enough. So if you can imagine Neko Case singing for a Sabbathy doomy downer pop stoner metal combo, well then, you might have an idea of what Loon has going on. And while the vocals might be the best we of the bunch, in terms of actually singing, the songs are pretty fantastic too, spacey and psychedelic, groovy and heavy, a little bit proggy, super hooky, with just enough pop, the guitar sound buzzy and crunchy, the drums powerful, the whole sound hooky and heavy, doomy and sort of dreamy at the same time.
After a gorgeous hazy bit of psychedelic acoustic guitar, the record finishes with the nearly 10 minute "Grackel" which is the perfect Loon track, mixing all the various elements, the Neko Case like vocals (sounding surprisingly twangy here!), the shrieked demonic howls, the groovy Sabbathy riffage, the super melodic poppiness, the dirgey slowcore, all culminating in a woozy washed out feedback drenched spacey psychedelic outro, that could have (and probably SHOULD have) gone on for ANOTHER 10 minutes. Definitely a new favorite. Anyone into ANY of the above mentioned bands should for sure check this out.
The packaging is incredible too. The vinyl is black and green swirled, and is housed in an elaborate silkscreened fold out cover, green and metallic gold, a skeletal soldier wreathed in flowers, beneath the groups's tendril-y root-like logo, includes several inserts and a download code!
MPEG Stream: "Breathing Fire"
MPEG Stream: "Osprey"

LOON Wizard Of Harlem (Siccness) cd 16.98
You might wonder why we're listing this, already the second album of 2006 from Harlem rapper Loon (who first broke through in '02 with a cameo on P. Diddy's "I Need A Girl", and went on to be one of Mase's Harlem World MCs, a project which apparently didn't work out too well, judging by the Mase dis track found on this disc...). Well, we happened to hear it, and it rules! Unlike a lot of hiphop albums, this isn't just one or two good tracks and then a bunch of skits and filler. Ok, there are a couple skits. But enough, um, "bomb tracks" to make it tough to chose when it came time to make sound samples. We feel like we're hearing some hits here, or should-be-hits. Like "You Told Me", with its Dr. Dre-like funk beats and Outkast-ish vocals, and (for some guys) easy-to-relate-to relationship lyrics. Or the adrenalized thrills of gangsta tale "Blap Blap". Plus you've gotta love a good dis track, and the condescendingly caustic, knife-twisting "Jimmy" here sure fits the bill. And that ain't even the one about Mase.
The lyrics aren't all the usual stale stuff, not just about bling n' things, and we totally dig Loon's low-key, laid-back flow (he sounds maybe a bit like Cam'ron) and the spare production. For some of our customers the likes of Loon might be old news, but for others, Loon is a lot MORE obscure than the latest limited to 50 copies Finnish heavy drone psych folk new weird cd-r in the highlights section... which means you might want to check it out!!
MPEG Stream: "Blap Blap ft. I-Rocc/Smigg Dirtee"
MPEG Stream: "Jimmy (Jim Jones DISS)"

LOOP A Gilded Eternity (Reactor) 2cd 16.98
The final two installments in the long overdue comprehensive Loop reissue campaign are finally here. World In Your Eyes, the newly expanded 12" collection, reviewed elsewhere on this week's list, and this right here, the final proper Loop album, A Gilded Eternity.
Contemporaries of legendary drug rockers Spacemen 3, Loop took the same sonic influences but rocked a little harder, opting out of the extended soporific drifts the defined the Spacemen, (although they were perfectly capable of blissing out with the best of them) and instead creating looped, krautrock spacejams, that were downright heavy, as well as being space-y, druggy and surprisingly catchy. Guitars were fuzzed out, vocals way down in the mix, reverb and delay EVERYWHERE, riffs often processed into stuttering textures and looped rhythms, the drums alternatingly motorik and skeletal, and pounding and explosive, all wreathed in a glorious otherworldly haze.
A Gilded Eternity, their final record, originally released in 1990, might just be their heaviest and most rocking yet, definitely their tightest, album opener "Vapour" has one of those riffs TO DIE FOR, the main melody is so completely catchy, the song a woozy, repetitive chunk of gloriously propulsive dronerock, less space-y than much of what came before, but definitely more rocking and relentless. the next track "Afterglow" pushes that new heaviness even further, sounding not unlike Swervedriver, big crunchy distorted guitars, pounding tribal drumming, the arrangement a lurching start stop, that slips into cool washed out breakdowns, before exploding right back into the stuttery groove. And so it goes, the band unfurling their masterwork, in a career of masterful works, "Blood" is total abstract minimal krautrock, the guitars stripped away, leaving just a super spare drum part, wrapped all up in processed vocals and swirling effects, another jam that easily could have gone on for 10 more minutes. But then just like that, the band slip back into "Breath Into Me", whipping up another killer riff, the track a looped space garage groove that rivals record opener "Vapour". The record proper ends with the nearly 10 minute "Be Here Now", the Loop version of a slow jam, beginning with some strange processed guitar, the band ease into a languorous groove that drifts druggily through soft focus clouds of lysergic buzz, brief squalls of wild wah guitar, but remaining locked and looped, the weary vocals drifting above the warm endless buzz.
A Guilded Eternity comes with a bonus disc as well, perhaps the least critical of the bonus material, considering it contains 5 demo tracks and 3 Peel Sessions, BUT, it also includes the Loop track "Shot With A Diamond", which happens to be Jim's favorite Loop track alongside "Arc-Light." This track provides the perfect sonic segue between Loop and the sounds guitarist Robert Hampson would later explore with his post Loop solo project Main, an ominous bit of electronic sample laced dronemusic, creepy and haunting and so fucking awesome. Previously only available as a 7" single, and as a bonus track on the original cassette version. Essential!
In fact, all four of these Loop reissues are absolutely required listening for anyone with even the mildest interest in sounds space-y, druggy, metallic and psychedelic!!!
MPEG Stream: "Vapour"
MPEG Stream: "Afterglow"
MPEG Stream: "Be Here Now"
MPEG Stream: "Shot With A Diamond"

LOOP Fade Out (Reactor) 2cd 16.98
When people think of spaced out, drone-y drug rock, Spacemen 3 seem to get all the love, which is of course fair, Spacemen 3 totally rule, their music is magical, especially for some of us who will probably only ever experience drug use by strapping on a pair of headphones and blasting Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To. But c'mon, let's share the love, with another group, who existed during the same time, in basically the same place, and who were sonically quite similar, yet crafted their own distinctive and incredibly iconic body of work, one that has been criminally unavailable for years now. These two reissues are the first in what will hopefully be a comprehensive reissue campaign for London space rockers Loop.
For years, Loop have been a favorite of in-the-know music nerds, whose Spacemen 3 collection is most likely rivaled by their Loop collection, and basically, to love one, is indeed to love the other. You like thick looped guitars, blown out distorted buzz, krautrocky rhythms, song structures that are simple, cyclical, repetitive, hypnotic, guitars dripping with effects, vocals drawled lazily and buried in the mix, everything hazy and washed out and bleary eyed and druggy. Wait, were we talking about Loop or Spacemen 3? Exactly. The main difference to our ears, was that Loop always seemed to rock way harder. The Spacemen would often flutter off in tripped out ambient flights of fancy, dropping the drums completely, letting the guitar pulse and throb, the vocals drifting ethereally over the top. And sure, Loop were capable of that too, but seemed to hew closer to a more driving sound, the drums much more integral to their overall vibe. The sound of Loop was equal parts krautrock and space rock, and their name was definitely referenced their sound. Loop mainman Hampson would even go on to form Main, a more tranquil guitar loop based outfit, whose obsession with texture and loops absolutely informed all of the Loop recordings. The guitars were thick, wreathed in distortion, delay, reverb, doused in effects, that not only altered their timbre, and their tone, but also often made the guitars sound backwards, creating woozy of kilter jams that seemed to slowly and subtly shift and change shapes before our very ears. The vocals weary and washed out, the drums skeletal and simple, but all fused into totally tripped out, drugged out, kraut-infused space rock bliss.
Fade Out was record number two for Loop, and found the band making a definite move forward in terms of production and sound, and an obvious shift away fro a sound they shared with countrymen Spacemen 3. The sound on Fade Out is much heavier, and way louder, the guitars sharper and more jagged, the bass more present, the vocals way more prominent, the sound immediately less druggy and washed out and more rocking. "Black Sun" is a propulsive slab of spaced out garage-y krautrock, the guitars ringing out, the second guitar a buzzing over the top, the drums busy and powerful, the whole thing still wreathed in effects, but now the murk had been replaced with something much more effulgent, a strange burnished glow, suffusing the sound, less like laying in darkness and watching colors swirl and shimmer, and more like staring directly into the sun. "This Is Where You End" continues on in the same vein, with gruff almost growled vocals, over that distinctive looped guitar figure, with multiple guitars offering up extra melody and texture.
"Fever Knife" stands out as it slows things way down, and the guitars are muted, not quite as sharp, with plenty of squiggly fun house mirror guitar melodies intertwined with that main riff, the tempo, a head nodding soporific groove, definitely reaching back a bit to the sound of Heaven's End. But then comes "Torched" with a incendiary guitar sound so loud and in the red, it threatens to blow your speakers, dwarfing the drums and bass in the background, churning and soaring, white hot and blown out big time.
The title track is another slowed down druggy dirge, the main riff lumbering woozily along side a steady simple beat, haunting processed vocals, and chunks of extra guitar buzz, the whole thing downright doomy. The last three tracks are gorgeous squalls of druggy throb and crumbling guitar buzz, the record finishing up with a short stretch of shimmering ambient drift. SO GREAT!!
The deluxe reissue of Fade Out not only comes in a super spiffy full color mini lp style gatefold sleeve, with printed inner sleeves, it also comes with a whole bonus disc, featuring a whole mess of extra stuff, alternate mixes of three tracks on the record, an awesome demo version of "This Is Where You End", the Peel Sessions from the Fade Out era, and most exciting of all a series of Fade Out Guitar Loops, from shimmering high end buzz, to whirring smears of low end rumble, definitely hinting at Hampson's post-Loop outfit Main.
SO TOTALLY AND UTTERLY RECOMMENDED. ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL! And for recent converts to the world of druggy space rock, anyone who has been digging local droney drug rockers Wooden Shjips (and we know there are LOTS of you out there), will definitely fall in love with Loop!!
MPEG Stream: "Black Sun"
MPEG Stream: "This Is Where You End"
MPEG Stream: "Fade Out"

LOOP Heaven's End (Reactor) 2cd 16.98
When people think of spaced out, drone-y drug rock, Spacemen 3 seem to get all the love, which is of course fair, Spacemen 3 totally rule, their music is magical, especially for some of us who will probably only ever experience drug use by strapping on a pair of headphones and blasting Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To. But c'mon, let's share the love, with another group, who existed during the same time, in basically the same place, and who were sonically quite similar, yet crafted their own distinctive and incredibly iconic body of work, one that has been criminally unavailable for years now. These two reissues are the first in what will hopefully be a comprehensive reissue campaign for London space rockers Loop.
For years, Loop have been a favorite of in-the-know music nerds, whose Spacemen 3 collection is most likely rivaled by their Loop collection, and basically, to love one, is indeed to love the other. You like thick looped guitars, blown out distorted buzz, krautrocky rhythms, song structures that are simple, cyclical, repetitive, hypnotic, guitars dripping with effects, vocals drawled lazily and buried in the mix, everything hazy and washed out and bleary eyed and druggy. Wait, were we talking about Loop or Spacemen 3? Exactly. The main difference to our ears, was that Loop always seemed to rock way harder. The Spacemen would often flutter off in tripped out ambient flights of fancy, dropping the drums completely, letting the guitar pulse and throb, the vocals drifting ethereally over the top. And sure, Loop were capable of that too, but seemed to hew closer to a more driving sound, the drums much more integral to their overall vibe. The sound of Loop was equal parts Krautrock and space rock, and their name was definitely referenced their sound. Loop mainman Hampson would even go on to form Main, a more guitar loop based outfit, whose obsession with texture and loops absolutely informed all of the Loop recordings. The guitars were thick, wreathed in distortion, delay, reverb, doused in effects, that not only altered their timbre, and their tone, but also often made the guitars sound backwards, creating woozy of kilter jams that seemed to slowly and subtly shift and change shapes before our very ears. The vocals weary and washed out, the drums skeletal and simple, but all fused into totally tripped out, drugged out, kraut infused space rock bliss.
Heaven's End was Loop's debut, released in 1987, just a year after Spacemen 3's first record (and apparently Spacemen 3 were always quite annoyed by constantly being compared to Loop), and inadvertent or not, it's the Loop record that is the most Spacemen sounding. Lo-fi, raw and gritty. The opener "Soundhead" is surprisingly rocking, with lots of wah guitar, propulsive drumming, ethereal vocals, the song that would define the sound of Loop, but it's the second track where the record really gets going, slipping into a slow motion Stooges groove, a lurching looped riff, the vocals buried in the mix, the drums a simple pound, a main refrain that's catchy as fuck, the whole thing constantly repeated over and over and over and over, totally blissed out and trancelike. The following track slips even further out, the guitars super sharp and buzz drenched, the tempo a lugubrious crawl, the drums total barebones, swirling spaced out effects, the guitar billowing out into soft focus buzzscapes over which the rest of the instrumentation seems to hover weightless. The title track is a simple garage-y pound, with the cymbals and the guitars looped backwards (hinting at some Teenage Filmstars to come maybe?), the guitar stuttering creating incidental rhythms, very druggy and mesmeric. And so it goes, each song, a simple motif, locked in and set on repeat, the core remaining near static, looped into infinity, while all around that groove various guitars and effects and voices swirl and whirl and spin and stretch and shimmer divinely. Easily one of our all time favorite records for sure.
This deluxe reissue not only comes in a super spiffy full color mini lp style gatefold sleeve, with printed inner sleeves, it also comes with a whole bonus disc, featuring alternate mixes of two of the album tracks, as well as a killer cover of Suicide's "Rocket USA", with a cool programmed drum beat, tripped out psychedelic guitars, and hushed almost crooned vocals, and the three tracks from the Peel Sessions, included a seriously stretched out version of "Straight To Your Heart". SO AWESOME!!!
SO TOTALLY AND UTTERLY RECOMMENDED. ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL! And for recent converts to the world of druggy space rock, anyone who has been digging local droney drug rockers Wooden Shjips (and we know there are LOTS of you out there), will definitely fall in love with Loop!!
MPEG Stream: "Soundhead"
MPEG Stream: "Straight To Your Heart"
MPEG Stream: "Forever"

LOOP Heaven's End (Reactor) lp 17.98
THIS FORMER AQ RECORD OF THE WEEK, NOW REISSUED ON VINYL!!
When people think of spaced out, drone-y drug rock, Spacemen 3 seem to get all the love, which is of course fair, Spacemen 3 totally rule, their music is magical, especially for some of us who will probably only ever experience drug use by strapping on a pair of headphones and blasting Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To. But c'mon, let's share the love, with another group, who existed during the same time, in basically the same place, and who were sonically quite similar, yet crafted their own distinctive and incredibly iconic body of work, one that has been criminally unavailable for years now. These two reissues are the first in what will hopefully be a comprehensive reissue campaign for London space rockers Loop.
For years, Loop have been a favorite of in-the-know music nerds, whose Spacemen 3 collection is most likely rivaled by their Loop collection, and basically, to love one, is indeed to love the other. You like thick looped guitars, blown out distorted buzz, krautrocky rhythms, song structures that are simple, cyclical, repetitive, hypnotic, guitars dripping with effects, vocals drawled lazily and buried in the mix, everything hazy and washed out and bleary eyed and druggy. Wait, were we talking about Loop or Spacemen 3? Exactly. The main difference to our ears, was that Loop always seemed to rock way harder. The Spacemen would often flutter off in tripped out ambient flights of fancy, dropping the drums completely, letting the guitar pulse and throb, the vocals drifting ethereally over the top. And sure, Loop were capable of that too, but seemed to hew closer to a more driving sound, the drums much more integral to their overall vibe. The sound of Loop was equal parts Krautrock and space rock, and their name was definitely referenced their sound. Loop mainman Hampson would even go on to form Main, a more guitar loop based outfit, whose obsession with texture and loops absolutely informed all of the Loop recordings. The guitars were thick, wreathed in distortion, delay, reverb, doused in effects, that not only altered their timbre, and their tone, but also often made the guitars sound backwards, creating woozy of kilter jams that seemed to slowly and subtly shift and change shapes before our very ears. The vocals weary and washed out, the drums skeletal and simple, but all fused into totally tripped out, drugged out, kraut infused space rock bliss.
Heaven's End was Loop's debut, released in 1987, just a year after Spacemen 3's first record (and apparently Spacemen 3 were always quite annoyed by constantly being compared to Loop), and inadvertent or not, it's the Loop record that is the most Spacemen sounding. Lo-fi, raw and gritty. The opener "Soundhead" is surprisingly rocking, with lots of wah guitar, propulsive drumming, ethereal vocals, the song that would define the sound of Loop, but it's the second track where the record really gets going, slipping into a slow motion Stooges groove, a lurching looped riff, the vocals buried in the mix, the drums a simple pound, a main refrain that's catchy as fuck, the whole thing constantly repeated over and over and over and over, totally blissed out and trancelike. The following track slips even further out, the guitars super sharp and buzz drenched, the tempo a lugubrious crawl, the drums total barebones, swirling spaced out effects, the guitar billowing out into soft focus buzzscapes over which the rest of the instrumentation seems to hover weightless. The title track is a simple garage-y pound, with the cymbals and the guitars looped backwards (hinting at some Teenage Filmstars to come maybe?), the guitar stuttering creating incidental rhythms, very druggy and mesmeric. And so it goes, each song, a simple motif, locked in and set on repeat, the core remaining near static, looped into infinity, while all around that groove various guitars and effects and voices swirl and whirl and spin and stretch and shimmer divinely. Easily one of our all time favorite records for sure.
SO TOTALLY AND UTTERLY RECOMMENDED. ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL! And for recent converts to the world of druggy space rock, anyone who has been digging local droney drug rockers Wooden Shjips (and we know there are LOTS of you out there), will definitely fall in love with Loop!!
MPEG Stream: "Soundhead"
MPEG Stream: "Straight To Your Heart"
MPEG Stream: "Forever"

LOOP World In Your Eyes (Reactor) 3cd 22.00
Finally!! Ever since the first two Loop records got the deluxe multidisc reissue treatment, we've been anxiously awaiting the last two, their final record A Gilded Eternity, and this one right here, many folks around here's favorite, a compilation of 12"s called World In Your Eyes. Originally released in 1987, the updated World In Your Eyes is even better, a TRIPLE disc collection of 12"s, 7"s, bonus tracks, unreleased tracks, demos, and covers.
Seemingly always (unfairly) overshadowed by their sonic brethren the Spacemen 3, Loop managed to give the drugged out drone rock thing their own distinct spin, infusing some serious krautrock mesmer and some metallic muscle into their slow burning drones and effects drenched psychrock workouts. Slipping easily from super dreamy one riff blown out hypno rock, to in-the-red space garage pound, to hushed soft focus inner space drift, Loop were masters of modern psychedelia.
Take the 10 minute drug drift of "Burning World", with its processed guitar chug, the swirling clouds of effects, the blooping bass, the motorik drums, like the perfect mix of Can and Hawkwind. Or "Brittle Head Girl", which sounded like a spacier more tripped out Galaxie 500, its lazy drawled vocals, and woozy guitar hook, and that irresistible bassline. Or "I'll Take You There", a super fuzzed out bit of garage-y space groove, the band easily out spacing the Spacemen themselves. We could probably go track by track, every one here is a gem, and the extras! Holy shit. Where to start? Besides a plethora of demos, live tracks and the like, this collection also includes some incredible covers, A spaced out version of a Pop Group track, Neil Young's "Cinammon Girl", Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" and Can's "Mother Sky (which Andee sez is better than the original, yeah we know, we know). Then there's the Arc-Lite 12" that takes up the first half of the third disc, one of our favorite Loop eps, and the track "Arc-Lite (Sonar)" is one of the best Loop jams ever, with its relentless riffing, it's strange flurries of tribal drumming, the echo drenched vox and the swooping streaks of effects, a 4 minute song that could easily have been ten times that. The song is reimagined as the "(Radar)" version, getting sort of supercharged, heavier and fleshier, less spare and skeletal and jangly than the original. There's a third version still, that gets all remixed into something less space rocky and more tripped out and dizzying. Let's not forget the ten minute "Sunburst", a sprawling bit of lysergic minimal krautdrone, woozy and druggy and slow burning. There's also the legendary live Prisma Europa Live 12", and finally, to top it all off, Loop's Godflesh cover, from their Loopflesh split 7", where each band covered the other, one of our Holy Grail 7"s, if anyone out there has one they can part with, we will be forever in your debt, and of course it's a killer, Godflesh's "Like Rats" transformed into something much spacier but no less menacing, in fact, it's most definitely the heaviest meanest slab of Loop-age ever, while still retaining plenty of that Loop-ed FX drenched shimmer. So goddamn GREAT.
These reissues have been shuffling tracks around enough to cause a little confusion, as some of the tracks on the original issue of WIYE are left off here, but are tacked on elsewhere on the other reissues, and disc 3 here seems like it could have been included on the Gilded Eternity disc as this disc highlights one of our favorite Loop tracks, the above mentioned Arc-Light, originally a 1989 single, which was lumped onto the cd edition of A Gilded Eternity which came out a year later in 1990. But who really cares, as long as it's all here, and it's ALL here, and then some. Space rock and drone rock and psychedelic rock fanatics should buy all four, one of the most supremely transcendent and kick ass bodies of work in rock. Hyperbole? We think NOT.
Killer packaging, three paper sleeves with various reproductions of the included 12"s, all housed in a slipcover, with a booklet that includes track listings credits, but sadly, not much in the way of liner notes.
MPEG Stream: "Head On"
MPEG Stream: "Burning World"
MPEG Stream: "Mother Sky"
MPEG Stream: "Pink Moon"
MPEG Stream: "Cinnamon Girl"
MPEG Stream: "Arc-Lite (Sonar)"

LOOP CIRCUIT Sound on Sound (Starlight Furniture Co.) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Originally released in an edition of 88 on Japan's cassette-only G.R.O.S.S. label in 1994. Loop Circuit is a collaboration between Akifumi Nakajima (better known as sound artist Aube) and Dub Murashita (?). Limited to 222 copies, on vinyl only...

LOOP ORCHESTRA Not Overtly Orchestral (Quecksilber) cd 15.98
Attention Philip Jeck fans! This is right up your alley! The Loop Orchestra have been around for over 20 years now, and this is really only their third release in the last 15 years! Which is a shame because this is absolutely amazing and essential for anyone into looped hypnotic droney experimental music. Utilising ONLY reel to reel tape machines (NO computers) and chopped and spliced analog tape, the Loop Orchestra construct completely mesmerising, utterly sublime soundscapes of pulsing ambience, rumbling space-y backdrops beneath muted percussion, chimes and woodblocks, with reverbed faraway percussion, shimmery clouds of chordal whir, occasional melodies pulled from the ether, clinking and clattering, and lots of space and drone. Occasionally the loops get shorter and the sound becomes almost like a Raster style techno track, but for the most part, these extended pieces are blissfully droney and mesmeric. The second track is a tribute to the BBC Radiophonic Worskshop, and the final piece incorporates field recordings, the sound of water, birds, chopped up voices, and weirdly percussive little glitches. Hard not to picture a huge post apocalyptic building, burnt and gutted, the inside surprisingly alive with old battered analog reel to reel tape machines in each room, endless lengths of tape connecting all the machines, running the length of the hallways, and up and down the stairs, criss crossing the entire interior with miles of shimmery strips of plastic, all slowly making their way from machine to machine, like some decrepit Rube Goldberg invention, left to run forever into eternity, emiting a lonely hypnotic rumble.
MPEG Stream: "Son Of Not Overtly Orchestral"
MPEG Stream: "Radiophony"

LOOPER (Sub Pop) 7" 3.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If I had nothing better to do than shoot up and mumble into a 4 track all day, I'd be an indie rock superstar by now. Maybe if I was Scottish... P.S.: Looper is Stuart David of Belle & Sebastian.

LOOPER The Geometrid (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
Our stance on Belle & Sebastian has never been a positive one. And Looper is the sweet electronica project of one of the B&S's. But Looper is actually pretty good, wispy lispy pop augmented by beats, and electronic twiddling trickery.

LOOPER The Snare (Mute) cd 15.98
It definitely seems like things have gotten somewhat darker and a bit weightier in the Looper camp by the sounds of the slowly swaying late night grooves emanating from this new album. No sweet electronic pop here. No playful percolating beats. This is much more heavily soul influenced, very sultry. Former Belle And Sebastianite Stuart David affects a dusky talk-sing much like that of Daniel Ash (Love And Rockets) or for that matter the dude from Fischerspooner. And as a result, any minute we expect the diva to appear, but no! Luckily we are spared by the gentle introduction of Karn David's lovely voice. Take the vocals away, and this could very well be the rough backing tracks for Destiny's Child... well, maybe not quite. Overall, it's a haunting, noirish affair and quite a smooth shift in musical mood for Looper. Also features recent Belle And Sebastian departee Isobel Campbell on cello and brass-blowing man about town Mick Cooke on flugelhorn (he's also performed with the Mojave 3, Snow Patrol and Gentle Waves).
RealAudio clip: "Sugarcane"
RealAudio clip: "Peacock Johnson"

LOOPS OF YOUR HEART (THE FIELD) And Never Ending Nights (Magazine) cd 16.98
On the most recent Pop Ambient collection, we singled out the track by Loops Of Your Heart as one of the standouts, not even realizing then that LOYH was in fact an alter ego of aQ fave The Field, but once we discovered that, it made perfect sense. That track rife with the same sort of wistful emotion, and melodic sensibility that made us love The Field so much in the first place. The big difference seemingly less of a reliance on loops. Even with the loop-centric name. Where as The Field offered up dizzying collages of densely layered melodies and textures, that somehow become so much more that its constituent parts, Loops seems to be focused on a sound that's more organic, even a little bit more poppy, the sort of thing you might expect to hear on Morr music, a new strain of indie electronica, the sort of twee pop sensibilities applied to beats and yeah, loops, all woven into warm, melodic grooves, and cool synthy sci-fi atmospheres. Opener "Little You, You Should Develop" lays down a throbbing synth bass, beneath swirls of ethereal melody and wisps of glitch and crackle, before slipping into the 10+ minute "Broken Bow", which is downright dark in comparison, beginning with a strange detuned doomy sounding drift, again rife with synth swirls, and woozy shimmer, the main melodic component a strange disembodied guitar chord, wreathed in effects, which does in fact make this, at least briefly, sound like some weird electro-doom. Soon that slo-mo creep is joined by pulsing synths, reminiscent of Zombi or Majeure, that sort of retro-futuristic soundtrack sound, but it's not until halfway through that the doomy element fades away, leaving something more melodic, and darkly (and dreamily) driving, the sound transformed into a sort of late night, autobahn style driving music. From there on out, the record continues to meld a subtly darker soundtracky element, to swooshes of synth squelch, cool layered electronics, warm echo drenched sun dappled drift, hazy, seventies soundtrack sounding atmospheres, bouncy minimal synth grooves, and washed out celestial filmstrip future wave that sounds like something James Ferraro would flip over. Our favorite track though might have to be the record's centerpiece, the 11 minute "Cries", a sprawling bit of Pop Ambient style atmospherics, laced with all manner of dark energy, abstract percussion, slow shifting textures, deep low end melodies, tranquil and meditative, but also super cosmic and dreamlike, and another one of those songs that could have filled up the whole record and we would have been plenty happy.
MPEG Stream: "Little You, You Should Develop"
MPEG Stream: "Broken Bow"
MPEG Stream: "Neukolln"

LOOPS OF YOUR HEART (THE FIELD) And Never Ending Nights (Magazine) lp+cd 24.00
On the most recent Pop Ambient collection, we singled out the track by Loops Of Your Heart as one of the standouts, not even realizing then that LOYH was in fact an alter ego of aQ fave The Field, but once we discovered that, it made perfect sense. That track rife with the same sort of wistful emotion, and melodic sensibility that made us love The Field so much in the first place. The big difference seemingly less of a reliance on loops. Even with the loop-centric name. Where as The Field offered up dizzying collages of densely layered melodies and textures, that somehow become so much more that its constituent parts, Loops seems to be focused on a sound that's more organic, even a little bit more poppy, the sort of thing you might expect to hear on Morr music, a new strain of indie electronica, the sort of twee pop sensibilities applied to beats and yeah, loops, all woven into warm, melodic grooves, and cool synthy sci-fi atmospheres. Opener "Little You, You Should Develop" lays down a throbbing synth bass, beneath swirls of ethereal melody and wisps of glitch and crackle, before slipping into the 10+ minute "Broken Bow", which is downright dark in comparison, beginning with a strange detuned doomy sounding drift, again rife with synth swirls, and woozy shimmer, the main melodic component a strange disembodied guitar chord, wreathed in effects, which does in fact make this, at least briefly, sound like some weird electro-doom. Soon that slo-mo creep is joined by pulsing synths, reminiscent of Zombi or Majeure, that sort of retro-futuristic soundtrack sound, but it's not until halfway through that the doomy element fades away, leaving something more melodic, and darkly (and dreamily) driving, the sound transformed into a sort of late night, autobahn style driving music. From there on out, the record continues to meld a subtly darker soundtracky element, to swooshes of synth squelch, cool layered electronics, warm echo drenched sun dappled drift, hazy, seventies soundtrack sounding atmospheres, bouncy minimal synth grooves, and washed out celestial filmstrip future wave that sounds like something James Ferraro would flip over. Our favorite track though might have to be the record's centerpiece, the 11 minute "Cries", a sprawling bit of Pop Ambient style atmospherics, laced with all manner of dark energy, abstract percussion, slow shifting textures, deep low end melodies, tranquil and meditative, but also super cosmic and dreamlike, and another one of those songs that could have filled up the whole record and we would have been plenty happy.
RealAudio clip: "Little You, You Should Develop"
RealAudio clip: "Broken Bow"
RealAudio clip: "Neukolln"

LOOSE FUR Born Again In The USA (Drag City) cd 14.98
Lots of you probably remember the first Loose Fur record which came out a few years ago. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco fame teaming up with man of so many hats Jim O'Rourke along with Wilco's drummer extrodinair Glen Kotche for a record that surpassed side-project trappings and had such a nice life of it's own. It came right at the peak of Tweedy's more adventurous and daring musical mind awakening coming in between Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born. Much like Radiohead, there tends to be two camps with Tweedy/Wilco those who love the early more straight ahead rock stuff and those who think the above mentioned albums are the real ones worth obsessing over. The second Loose Fur affair with its tongue in cheek title will make those who like the rocking and straight ahead side of Tweedy very happy. With O'Rourke adding his pop leanings which seem as sharp here as on records like "Insignificance" and "Eureka." While we miss some of the drugged vibe of the first Loose Fur record there is no denying that Tweedy & O'Rourke know their way around a hook and a catchy song.
MPEG Stream: "Hey Chicken"
MPEG Stream: "Stupid As The Sun"

LOOSE FUR Born Again In The USA (Drag City) 2lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Lots of you probably remember the first Loose Fur record which came out a few years ago. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco fame teaming up with man of so many hats Jim O'Rourke along with Wilco's drummer extrodinair Glen Kotche for a record that surpassed side-project trappings and had such a nice life of it's own. It came right at the peak of Tweedy's more adventurous and daring musical mind awakening coming in between Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born. Much like Radiohead, there tends to be two camps with Tweedy/Wilco those who love the early more straight ahead rock stuff and those who think the above mentioned albums are the real ones worth obsessing over. The second Loose Fur affair with its tongue in cheek title will make those who like the rocking and straight ahead side of Tweedy very happy. With O'Rourke adding his pop leanings which seem as sharp here as on records like "Insignificance" and "Eureka." While we miss some of the drugged vibe of the first Loose Fur record there is no denying that Tweedy & O'Rourke know their way around a hook and a catchy song.
MPEG Stream: "Hey Chicken"
MPEG Stream: "Stupid As The Sun"

LOOSE FUR s/t (Drag City) cd 14.98
When Uncle Tupelo broke up way back, their fans were split into two distinct groups. Those that sided with Jeff Tweedy, and preferred his voice and his songs. And those that were Jay Farrar boosters all the way. Around these parts, we pretty much all fell into the latter camp. Farrar's desperately ache-y, whiskey soaked drawl beat out Tweedy's reedy whine every time. And post UT, it could've gone either way, the first Son Volt was perfect, exactly where we wanted to see Farrar go. But then the first Wilco was no slouch either. But we quickly lost interest in Wilco as record after record continued to become more bland and pointless (regardless of critical praise). But then unexpectedly, Jay Farrar took a horrifying detour into what we can only describe as adult contemporary country rock. Mediocre. Boring. Bad. And then out of the blue, Jeff Tweedy made a similar about face, but instead of sinking into radio friendly pap, he turned towards US, you and me, the ones that love weird, beautiful, fucked up, experimental goodness, with arms outstretched. And thus, we were given Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, a beautiful record for sure, but beautiful in a way that wasn't always obvious. Kind of like the "ugly" girls in movies who are actually totally hot, but just happen to be wearing glasses and paint splattered overalls and pigtails. And if you're like me, she's always WAY hotter than the "pretty" girls. Anyway, a totally great record. Not so experimental that there couldn't be good songs. And catchy songs that only seem to be helped by their experimental surroundings.
So now we have Loose Fur, which sounds just like you imagine it would seeing as it's 3 folks from Wilco, two of which, Jim O'Rourke (unofficial Wilco member and Tweedy cohort) and Glenn Kotche, are hugely responsible for Wilco's new sound and direction. Loose Fur sound a lot like Wilco kicking back and jamming for fun, recording on an eight track with some beer and some take out BBQ instead of in a $5000 a day studio with a catered buffet and a 'producer', recording in the basement or at home, whenever the mood strikes 'em. Like a fuzzed out, druggier, dreamier, more lo-fi Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. A sweet and unassuming mix of pop, country, folk and psychedlic weirdness. Really really great! The perfect thing to hold you over until the new Wilco, or to drown your 'what-happened-to-Jay-Farrar-well-at-least-we-have-Jeff-Tweedy' blues.
RealAudio clip: "Nuts "
RealAudio clip: "Racoonists"

LOOSE FUR s/t (Drag City) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally we have the vinyl version. Here's what we had to say about the cd when we listed it a few months back:
When Uncle Tupelo broke up way back, their fans were split into two distinct groups. Those that sided with Jeff Tweedy, and preferred his voice and his songs. And those that were Jay Farrar boosters all the way. Around these parts, we pretty much all fell into the latter camp. Farrar's desperately ache-y, whiskey soaked drawl beat out Tweedy's reddy whine every time. And post UT, it could've gone either way, the first Son Volt was perfect, exactly where we wanted to see Farrar go. But then the first Wilco was no slouch either. But we quickly lost interest in Wilco as record after record continued to become more bland and pointless (regardless of critcal praise). But then unexpectedly, Jay Farrar took a horrifying detour into what we can only describe as adult contemporary country rock. Mediocre. Boring. Bad. And then out of the blue, Jeff Tweedy made a similar about face, but instead of sinking into radio friendly pap, he turned towards US, you and me, the ones that love weird, beautiful, fucked up, experimental goodness, with arms outstretched. And thus, we were given Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, a beautiful record for sure, but beautiful in a way that wasn't always obvious. Kind of like the "ugly" girls in movies who are actually totally hot, but just happen to be wearing glasses and paint splattered overalls and pigtails. And if you're like me, she's always WAY hotter than the "pretty" girls. Anyway, a totally great record. Not so experimental that there couldn't be good songs. And catchy songs that only seem to be helped by their experimental surroundings.
So now we have Loose Fur, which sounds just like you imagine it would seeing as it's 3 folks from Wilco, two of which, Jim O'Rourke (unofficial Wilco member and Tweedy cohort) and Glenn Kotche, are hugely responsible for Wilco's new sound and direction. Loose Fur sound a lot like Wilco kicking back and jamming for fun, recording on an eight track with some beer and some take out BBQ instead of in a $5000 a day studio with a catered buffet and a 'producer', recording in the basement or at home, whenever the mood strikes 'em. Like a fuzzed out, druggier, dreamier, more lo-fi Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. A sweet and unassuming mix of pop, country, folk and psychedlic weirdness. Really really great! The perfect thing to hold you over until the new Wilco, or to drown your 'what-happened-to-Jay-Farrar-well-at-least-we-have-Jeff-Tweedy' blues.

LOOSE SALUTE, THE Tuned To Love (Graveface) cd 14.98
As sweet and warm as a fresh baked apple pie and as soft as a kitten... that's what The Loose Salute sound like. This is some of the sweetest sun-kissed and country-tinged female sung pop with a retro feel that touches on '60s girl group perkiness and '70s West Coast breeziness. Looks like this band has some close ties to Neil Halstead and Mojave 3 (he co-wrote one of their tunes and the album was partially recorded at Mojave 3's headquarters in East Cornwall). The two bands' music is pretty cozy too. Ahhh, birds of a feather... and these birds have such lovely pastel hued plumage!

MPEG Stream: "Death Club"
MPEG Stream: "Through The Stratosphere To The Bars"

LOOSERS Logic On Its Head (Woodsist / Not Not Fun) 10" 14.98

LOOSERS / OWL XOUNDS split (Release The Bats) 7" 2.98

LOOSIN 'O' FREQUENCIES Regeneration (Beard of Stars) cd 14.98
Slow, massive, majestic Italian stoner rock, from the label that brought us Pawnshop. Heavy, with unusually gravelly/goth-y vocals for the genre.

LOPEZ, FRANCISCO Absolute Noise Ensemble (Blossoming Noise) cd 16.98

LOPEZ, FRANCISCO Addy En Elpais De Las Frutas Y Los Chunches (Alien8 Recordings) cd ep 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Far from being one of the many Francisco Lopez albums of inaudible activity and near silence, "Addy En Elpais De Las Frutas Y Los Chunches" is an epic construction of densely layered field recordings. Originally released in an edition of 500 copies on ND back in 1997, this album has been long out of print. However, Lopez' insistence of this being his favorite composition to date perhaps prompted Alien 8 to pull this title back into circulation. Despite the obviousness to Lopez' source material (i.e. wind, rain storms, cricket choruses, and other natural phenomenon), the strategies that he uses to collage all of these materials are wholly synthetic and purposefully theatrical. So much so, that Allan thought this was an experimental track from the pummelling necro-metal outfit Anaal Nathrakh! Indeed, Lopez has amplified the horrific elements of these natural sounds, extending his definition of 'acousmatic music' as not simply disguising the source material but rendering it hallucinatory, vertiginous, and ominous. The album opens with an unrelenting wall of sound that surges forward in a startling jolt of mechanical screeches and insect choruses that are more electrical than natural. Lopez ramps the volume and bass equilization of these sounds up to a tumultuous crescendo of furious noise some five or six minutes later, only to abruptly cut to a quiet murky wash of miasmic swirling. Come to think of it, these strategies have much more in common with Illusion Of Safety or The Hafler Trio than the sensorially smooth transitions that have become so prominent in recent Lopez works (especially in the "Belle Confusion" series). Regardless of any precedents, "Addy En Elpais De Las Frutas Y Los Chunches" definitely qualifies as one of Lopez' masterpieces.
RealAudio clip: "Track One"

LOPEZ, FRANCISCO Amarok (Glacial Movements) cd 16.98
"The spookiest work I've ever done," states Francisco Lopez. His work very rarely embodies much in the way of emotional resonance, instead there's more often than not a manipulation of field recordings into stoic monuments of grey drone reflecting the physicality of sound. If there is a 'coldness' to his work, it's usually by way of his rather dry, often disembodied aesthetics which draw heavily from the conceptual models of musique concrete and acousmatic musics. So, it's quite unusual for Lopez to arrive (intentionally or otherwise) at this bleak recording on this isolationist label with this title (Amarok is the Inuit name of a monstrous wolf who destroys anyone foolish enough to hunt alone at night). The album is a single 64 minute piece, that like many a Lopez production begins in near silence for about two minutes; but slowly the first of three major movements begins through a slow acceleration of low-end rumblings that coalesce into an aerated growling that builds out of wind-whipped drones only to fade to black after a rather tense 18 minutes or so. The rest of the album is much quieter affair with the clatter of ice, metal, and distant voice hung in an evocatively black space of Lustmord / Koner shadow. A Promethean plod of slowly churning rhythmic subsonics introduces the slow finale of Amarok with distant moans and howls that could be human or lupine defaced by frigid Arctic winds. It's certainly spooky, and fortunately, Lopez is deft enough of a composer to avoid some of the ham-fisted theatrics that tend in many of the lesser dark ambient / isolationist practitioners. Recommended, for sure!
MPEG Stream: "Amarok 1"
MPEG Stream: "Amarok 2"
MPEG Stream: "Amarok 3"

LOPEZ, FRANCISCO Belle Confusion 969 (Sonoris) 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 prolific ethnomusicologist / ultra-minimalist Francisco Lopez was commissioned to do this as a radio piece. "Belle Confusion 969" is powerful linear electroacoustic minimalism culled from crackling field recordings made from the tropical and sub-tropical forests of Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Senegal, China, and Gambia. The end result is not your average field recording collage of festive birds and dreamy rainstorms, rather it is an ominous fluctuation of alien sounds recalling the likes of The Hafler Trio. It's been the long standing AQ policy to recommend all Lopez records that are audible. Thus, "Belle Confusion 969" is both audible and recommended!

LOPEZ, FRANCISCO La Selva (V2 Archief) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Documenting the environmental sounds of a Costa Rican rainforest, Portuguese composer / ethnomusicologist Francisco Lopez has composed this continuous collage weaving the multitude of sounds from the forest: frogs, birds, rain, watrerfalls. The true feat of this album is the liner notes which features a lengthy taxonomy of the almost all of the species causing these sounds (i.e. at 29'09" there's the croak of Debdrobates pumulio - the Strawberry Dart-poison frog).

LOPEZ, FRANCISCO Live In 'S-Hertogenbosch (Bottrop-Boy) cd 16.98
A few years back, Byram and I (Jim) had the preposterous idea of getting really drunk at a Francisco Lopez concert and then heckling him when he performed one of his infamous, nearly inaudible compositions, simply because, quite frankly, they really annoyed us. Having giddily consumed a bottle of whiskey and entered the gritty confines of the 7hz warehouse performance space, we were a bit surprised at Lopez' request that everyone in the audience be blindfolded. It wasn't enought to simply turn off all the lights and let the audience sit in the dark; Lopez requires more absolute sensory deprivation in order to listen to his work. Regardless of how you might interpret our perception of the show due to our sloppy intoxication, we both left elated and exhausted from his very impressive, phenomonological excursion into raw sound. Having very little definition within the reverb-happy warehouse of 7hz, Lopez' massive roar of sound steadily increased around us, before coming to an abrupt conclusion. I thought the performance was a little too quick for my tastes, until I checked my watch to discover that almost an hour and half had passed! In effect, Lopez had hypnotized me.
The cd documentation of "Live In 'S-Hertogenbosch" does its best to repeat the experience of a Francisco Lopez live show by including a blindfold along with the music itself! That said, this show is a mere 34 minutes, but it is nevertheless an impressive recording, and not at all inaudible!
RealAudio clip: "Excerpt"

LOPEZ, FRANCISCO Live In San Francisco (23five) cd 14.98
BACK IN STOCK!!! Live In San Francisco is a fantastic document of Francisco Lopez' pursuit of an 'absolute concrete music.' In previous recordings, Lopez has recontextualized the insects from rainforests, ambient din of the urban environment, human voices, the run-out grooves of vinyl, and even death metal blast beats in constructing his textural slabs of gray sound; and his live concerts rework similar themes and source material with compositional strategies that best fit the performance context. While he's performed in San Francisco numerous times, the two performances that found their way onto Live In San Francisco were the Hexaphonic show at the Lab in August 2000 and an intimate performance at 3feetofftheground in July 2001. The documentation from The Lab show opens with a noxious hiss that builds up to loud crash like a heavy steel plated door slamming shut in a cavernous warehouse. Slowly another hiss ramps out of the reverberation of his initial crescendo and becomes more and more volatile until the kill switch is cut some 25 minutes later. The second recording from 3feeofftheground resembles some of the leviathan plods from Daniel Menche as a monstrous mechanical rhythm increases in strength and ominously marches forward. As with the previous Live in 'S-Hertogenbosch document, Live in San Francisco comes with a blindfold so you too can replicate the experience of being blindfolded at a Francisco Lopez show.
MPEG Stream: "Live At The Lab"
MPEG Stream: "Live At 3feetofftheground"

LOPEZ, FRANCISCO Lopez Island (Elevator Bath) cd 14.98
Lopez Island is one of the many islands that dapple the Puget Sound of Washington state, located about 150 miles NW of Seattle. It seems an isolated environment that probably attracts a good deal of outdoorsy types in the summertime; yet for the field recordist / composer Francisco Lopez, he explored the island's soundscape during the winter of 1999-2000 when sleet, snow, wind, and rain perpetually fell upon the island. Lopez has always been a consummate phonographer, with his typical strategies being acousmatic in nature, whereby he would extract and filter particular sounds from his recordings and build monolithic slabs of grey sounds elegantly shifting from near silences to tumultuous crescendos. La Selva (and to a lesser extent Addy En Elpais De Las Frutas Y Los Chunches) remain the most highly regarded compositions through this strategy, with sounds becoming blurred into a miasma of turbulence, confusion, and intrigue. Here on Lopez Island, our man Lopez begins his composition with an extended passage of raw recordings, in particular there's the damp tactility of sleet sploshing amidst wet leaves and twigs. If anything, Lopez has set the stage for a very cold environment, followed by a brisk whistling of wind that Lopez slowly transforms into a thoroughly synthetic climax of sparkling drones and haunted siren songs that resemble the isolationism of BJ Nilsen, Stilluppsteypa, and the Hafler Trio much more than before. Since the release of his Live In San Francisco recording, we haven't been too keen on Francisco's output; but Lopez Island marks the inevitable return to excellence for Mr. Lopez.
MPEG Stream: "Lopez Island (extract 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Lopez Island (extract 2)"

LOPEZ, FRANCISCO Machines (Elevator Bath) 2cd 17.98
"Industrial Music for Industrial People," well that was a tagline that Monte Cazzazza used to 'brand' Throbbing Gristle's Industrial Records, who intended the slogan to be an expression of going beyond the 'agricultural music' which came before. Some 30 years later, and the meaning of Industrial Music has gone through numerous permutations, some of which are quite reprehensible. Yet, that transition from the 'agricultural' into the 'industrial' ethos could be apt for this body of work from the self-proclaimed purveyor of 'absolute' music, Francisco Lopez. It's all machines, all the time for this 2cd set of recordings; and he's clearly building upon the techniques he had used during his seminal recordings of natural sounds such as La Selva or Wind. Yes, yes, yes, Lopez *has* used mechanical sounds throughout his body of work, so the Industrial Records metaphor might not be an exact fit. But it's close enough.
"Klokken" is the first piece on Machines, built out of recordings collected from large collections of clocks from the Netherlands. His piece is a bright collage that overlays the precise motors and machinations found within each of those machines. As these flywheels spin and gears click, the regularity of these repetitions is surprisingly uneven, perhaps as a metaphoric explanation as why time can be a relative construct with the machines pushing time forwards and backwards ever so slightly. Whether intentional or not, this piece has a considerable aesthetic similarity to Ligeti's Poeme Symphonique, composed strictly through metronomes. It ends with 6 minutes of silence, just because that's the way Lopez is. "Fahstuhle" is more of a typical Lopez construction with the sources culled from various elevators in Germany, as the elliptical hisses and tension-based drones from the elevator cables emerge as the fundamental sound construction that Lopez punctuates with various resonant clangs and motorized ruptures. The source material to "Labs" should be somewhat self-evident, with resonant frequencies captured from large-scale institutional devices of unknown origin and pressurized aerations. Compositionally, this is again a signature Lopez piece, focussed upon the gradual acceleration and occultation of his sounds, with grandiose bursts of sustained energy. "Fabrikas" finds Lopez indulging in the fineries of chocolate and beer factories, all the while taking time to make some field recordings. At first, it seems like a reprise of the mechanical whirlings of the clock piece, but as he builds the layers with greater density, this piece grows into a huge mass of rasping buzz and accreted white noise. Excellent!
After so many years at the turn of the millennium of high caliber records, Lopez has been floundering recently. Machines is a welcome exception finding Lopez once again at the height of his game.
MPEG Stream: "Klokken"
MPEG Stream: "Fahstuhle"
MPEG Stream: "Labs"
MPEG Stream: "Fabrikas"