LE FORTE FOUR W/ PATIENTS Boris the Spider / Priceless (Cortical Foundation) cd + 7" 30.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Unintended for a proper release, this rare gem of the LAFMS has been unearthed and given the Cortical treatment. The brainchild of a then fifteen year old Rick Potts, this 1973 recording is the precursor to Le Forte Four's debut 'Bikini Tennis Shoes' LP, when they were calling themselves The Patients. Recorded in the Potts family's living room,
"Boris the Spider" is a screwball "reworking" of The Who's song of the same name, along with amateur plundering of the Potts' collection of Frank Zappa and Disney records. Also includes a split 7": Slimy Adenoid and the Pablums (featuring Joe and Tom Potts as well as Dennis Duck) do a song about the Residents, cleverly titled "The Residents" backed with Joe Potts' "Mother/Daughter". Limited edition of 700 copies.

LE LOUP The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nations' Millennium General Assembly (Hardly Art) cd 11.98
Le Loup is a group of artists & musicians led by Sam Simkoff, who plays the banjo and the keyboards. Coming from D.C. it's no surprise that there is a strong collective spirit heard on this recording with all eight members contributing vocals to songs which have a really organic disposition. Imagine if the Animal Collective slowed down a bit and took some deep cleansing breaths or if Sufjan Stevens was a little more rugged and less precious. After putting out the great Arthur & Yu record that we fell in love with earlier this summer, Hardly Art is proving to be one of the best new indie rock labels around. Banjo fans (like Andee) who have a pop soft spot might really dig this...
MPEG Stream: "We Are Gods! We Are Wolves!"
MPEG Stream: "To The Stars! To The Night!"

LE PLASTIQUE MYSTIFICATION In The Land of Melancholy (Obuh Records) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A Polish collective playing mysterious, moody and melancholy jazz-inflected music. This is apparently their 12th or 13th release! Tapes, synth, guitars, female vocals, etc. On Obuh, the label responsible for various Atman-related releases of avant-garde hippy drone, although this is much more like a noir soundtrack... Le Plastique Mystification is hard to describe (their website says something about "psychoambient, trip-hop oraz minimal music") but regardless, this is pretty nice.

LE SCRAWL Eager To Please (Life Is Abuse) cd ep 5.98
The crazed, genre-scrambling grindcore of Germany's Le Scrawl is, as threatened, back! This new 13-song, 16-minute cdep will either bring a big smile to your face or confuse and annoy you utterly. Imagine Napalm Death teamed up with Uz Jsme Doma. That is, political punk metal all fucked up with horns and a weird sense of humor. Keyboards and flugelhorn aren't normally part of an underground grind band's arsenal, but Le Scrawl aren't normal... Metal nerds should note that this was recorded by Harris Johns, whose previous credits include numerous Sodom albums as well as Voivod, Helloween, Coroner, Tankard, Pestilence, Saint Vitus, Therion, S.A.D.O., and more. But this definitely must have been a unique session for Johns! Scrawl are one of the original wacky grind outfits, and they sure know how to mix up the gruff and the smooth. Metal riff one moment, lounge groove the next. And having just seen 'em live on a rare US tour, I have to say I was amazed at their deadpan delivery of their complex and, well, silly material. Oh yeah, if you don't like ska...well just wait 5 seconds...every five seconds.
MPEG Stream: "Boiling Point"
MPEG Stream: "Drop Dead"

LE SCRAWL Too Short To Ignore (Life Is Abuse) cd 10.98
Ignore the "Le", that's just a silly way to differentiate this Scrawl from the '90s US indie rock girl group. And they are VERY different. "Le" Scrawl is a schizoid grind band straight out of the German peace punk underground, doing the rapid-fire genre-mash thing. They belong in the same record bin with the likes of Naked City, Exit 13, People, Mexican Power Authority, Spazztic Blurr, Alboth!, Boredoms, and Anal Cunt (whose Seth Putnam guests vocalizes on one song here). If you're thinking that's a very '90s list of mostly avantgarde/novelty grind bands well, yes, this Scrawl stuff was recorded between 1990-1999. And we'd all but forgotten this band until the excellent Oakland label Life Is Abuse (purveyors of metallic weirdness like Tarantula Hawk and Ludicra) took it upon themselves to put together this cd, the complete Scrawl discography on one disc, essentially a deluxe, expanded version of Scrawl's "Q" album originally issued in 1995 by Germany's Ecocentric Records. Expanded in that you get the original disc's 24 tracks plus *another* 42 songs (!!) including their self-titled 1993 album, live stuff, singles, demos, and incongrous covers (De La Soul, The Exploited, Terrorizer, Chic, and the Mission Impossible theme!).
Their humorous, herky-jerky musical juxtapositions plus their totally grim punk political lyrix (that you can't understand anyway 'cause they're all gruff and screamy) equals weird, radical, action-oriented artcore. Imagine the quirky European chamber prog of a group like Etron Fou Leloublan colliding with the 20-second blast beat grindcore of a Napalm Death, or Mr. Bungle gone crusty punk, or, when the horn section kicks in, some sort of ADD Fishbone/Uz Jsme Doma hybrid playing in the midst of a Drop Dead practice session. The booklet -- chock full of photos, flyers, and discographical information -- has a 2002 note from main man Mario Anders, promising some new (Le) Scrawl material coming soon! Yikes!
RealAudio clip: "If Everything Fails"
RealAudio clip: "100 Doors"
RealAudio clip: "Dare!"
RealAudio clip: "Good Times"

LE SHOK L.A. To N.Y. (KaPow!) 6" 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hmmm, I could swear that they broke up recently... a few times. Southern California's art-punk spazz-wave brats Le Shok dish up three live-on-the-radio tracks including a Screamers cover and two of their own. Recorded on KXLU in LA and WNYU in NY, and with different line-ups both of which include Joey from The Locust. Noisy, confrontational and messy. Yes, this is a 6" record on denim blue vinyl in a hot pink sleeve.

LE SHOK S&M (Slamdance Cosmopolis) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A band that continues to haunt us from the grave, it's the defunct SoCal art-spazz-punk assembly known as Le Shok. The very special feature of this record? Why they've pressed an additional track right onto the sleeve - a cover of the Chosen Few's "No Fun at the Beaches". The record itself contains two suitably hyper-garage-wave short spurts from the days when Le Shok were a trashy sextet.

LE SHOK We Are Elecrocution (Gold Standard Laboratories) cd 11.98
Now on cd! As we said about the vinyl: More spastic noisemakers from the GSL camp. With some truly astounding cover art (and if you're one of the lucky ones, some truly cool clear pink vinyl). Live, there's a strong chance of an abbreviated set due to on and off stage volatility. On record, it's like a cacophonous cattle prod to your ears. Plug in and rock, baby.

LE SHOK We Are Electrocution (Gold Standard Laboratories) lp 7.98
More spastic noisemakers from the GSL camp. With some truly astounding cover art (and if you're one of the lucky ones, some truly cool clear pink vinyl). Live, there's a strong chance of an abbreviated set due to on and off stage volatility. On record, it's like a cacophonous cattle prod to your ears. Plug in and rock, baby.

LE TIGRE Feminist Sweepstakes (Mr Lady) cd 13.98
Second full length from Le Tigre, the trio headed by ex-Bikini Kill wailer Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman, and new member JD Sampson. While there's nothing here as ferociously kickass as Le Tigre's "Bang Bang" (off the From the Desk of Mr Lady ep), this is still a fiery collection of message-laden lyrics wrapped around lo-fi electro beats, suffused with punk spirit. The gals are getting more and more funky with each release, you can tell they're big ESG fans.
RealAudio clip: "My Art"
RealAudio clip: "LT Tour Theme"

LE TIGRE Feminist Sweepstakes (Mr Lady) lp 10.98
Second full length from Le Tigre, the trio headed by ex-Bikini Kill wailer Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman, and new member JD Sampson. While there's nothing here as ferociously kickass as Le Tigre's "Bang Bang" (off the From the Desk of Mr Lady ep), this is still a fiery collection of message-laden lyrics wrapped around lo-fi electro beats, suffused with punk spirit. The gals are getting more and more funky with each release, you can tell they're big ESG fans.

LE TIGRE From The Desk Of Mr. Lady (Mr. Lady) cd ep 8.98
A jubilant mix of punk and new wave from Le Tigre (ex-Bikini Kill Kathleen Hanna, video artist Sadie Benning, Johanna Fateman). The band is completely aware of the music's raw, just-happened-to-press-record quality, so any nasty comments about its unprofessional sound are simply moot. That's not the point -- the point is in the lyrics and the joy in doing and making and having something really fucking worthwhile to say. Mix that with the fiery delivery of X-Ray Spex and the punk sweetness of Blondie, and you have Le Tigre. Listen to "Bang! Bang!"
RealAudio clip: "Bang! Bang!"
RealAudio clip: "Gone b4 yr home"

LE TIGRE Remix (Mr. Lady) cd ep 9.98
Now on cd! Here's what we had to say about the 12":
Le Tigre gets the remix treatment. While somehow the cut 'n paste, deliberately lo-fi punk attitude to the making of the band's particular brand of electronic music is somehow endearing, these remixes, while similarly lo-fi and amateurish, don't pass muster. They're just mediocre. With other Le Tigre albums, there's an immediacy in relating some heavy political content, and that makes the ragged edges acceptable, but the remixers weren't even responsible for any political brain activity here, all they did was make bad, boring, predictable beats to go with Kathleen Hanna's righteous yowl. Buyer beware! With Analog Tara, Swim With The Dolphins (Johanna Fateman of Le Tigre), DJ Ham & Cheese on Rye, Reid Speed, Tim Goldsworthy (ex-UNKLE), James Murphy, and Lauren Flax.
RealAudio clip: ANALOG TARA "Tres Bien (nouveau disco mix)"
RealAudio clip: TIM GOLDSWORTHY AND JAMES MURPHY FOR THE DFA "Deceptacon (DFA RMX)"

LE TIGRE Remix 12" (Mr. Lady) 12" 6.98
Le Tigre gets the vinyl-only remix treatment. While somehow the cut 'n paste, deliberately lo fi punk attitude to the making of the band's particular brand of electronic music is somehow endearing, these remixes, while similarly lo-fi and amateurish, don't pass muster. They're just mediocre. With other Le Tigre albums, there's some heavy political content going on, and that makes the ragged edges acceptable, but the remixers weren't even responsible for any political brain activity here, all they did was make bad, boring, predictable beats to go with Kathleen Hanna's righteous yowl. Buyer beware!
With Analog Tara, Swim With The Dolphins (Johanna Fateman of Le Tigre), DJ Ham & Cheese on Rye, Reid Speed, Tim Goldsworthy (ex-UNKLE), James Murphy, and Lauren Flax.

LE TIGRE s/t (Mr. Lady) cd 10.98
Kathleen Hanna's new outfit! She of Bikini Kill, Julie Ruin, etc. formed this combo with videomaker Sadie Benning and writer Johanna Fateman. Political-garage-dance-rock music utilizing farsifa, a dj, beats, guitars, etc. Recently they've collaborated with Men's Recovery Project and Atari Teenage Riot.

LE TIGRE This Island (Universal) cd 11.98
There's much to cheer and jeer about Le Tigre's newest album, their first on Universal Records. For one thing, the fact that it was released by a major label has certainly raised the ire of devoted DIY grrrrls everywhere. A very puzzling decision coming from the outspoken and seemingly staunch indie artist Kathleen Hanna, eh? While we still admire this trio's enthusiastic mission to empower girls everywhere -- mixing the politics, the punky pop and the dance party into a funky lo-fi good time -- we're struck with a nagging question. Why does their battle cry have to come in the form of such a horribly shrill squawk? Truly paint-peeling? Yes. Confrontational? Yes. It's a total deterent. Definitely not something you'd think would appeal to the broader audience that a major label release is exposed to. Revolutionary or ground-breaking? Sorry, no. Aside from that, there's other things that are pretty unforgivable on This Island too, like the gawd-awful vacuous cover of the Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited". Ugh, bad idea! Why didn't someone stop them? Sure to please irony-addicted hipsters and flagging electro-clashers one and all. Plus there's a lesser offense, we have the sneaking suspicion that they scooped the plinky melody from Psychedelic Furs' "Love My Way" for the second to last song "Sixteen". If you like Le Tigre, this review will probably do little to dissuade you. Fans of Chicks On Speed will surely be lured by This Island's cacaphonic call too. Bottom line: It's sort of a messy step backwards for the group. While it is better than their self-titled debut, it's not as good as their last album Feminist Sweepstakes. Approach at your peril.
MPEG Stream: "I'm So Excited"
MPEG Stream: "Sixteen"

LE TIGRE This Island (Le Tigre) lp 14.98
Now on vinyl!
There's much to cheer and jeer about Le Tigre's newest album, their first on Universal Records. For one thing, the fact that it was released by a major label has certainly raised the ire of devoted DIY grrrrls everywhere. A very puzzling decision coming from the outspoken and seemingly staunch indie artist Kathleen Hanna, eh? While we still admire this trio's enthusiastic mission to empower girls everywhere -- mixing the politics, the punky pop and the dance party into a funky lo-fi good time -- we're struck with a nagging question. Why does their battle cry have to come in the form of such a horribly shrill squawk? Truly paint-peeling? Yes. Confrontational? Yes. It's a total deterent. Definitely not something you'd think would appeal to the broader audience that a major label release is exposed to. Revolutionary or ground-breaking? Sorry, no. Aside from that, there's other things that are pretty unforgivable on This Island too, like the gawd-awful vacuous cover of the Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited". Ugh, bad idea! Why didn't someone stop them? Sure to please irony-addicted hipsters and flagging electro-clashers one and all. Plus there's a lesser offense, we have the sneaking suspicion that they scooped the plinky melody from Psychedelic Furs' "Love My Way" for the second to last song "Sixteen". If you like Le Tigre, this review will probably do little to dissuade you. Fans of Chicks On Speed will surely be lured by This Island's cacaphonic call too. Bottom line: It's sort of a messy step backwards for the group. While it is better than their self-titled debut, it's not as good as their last album Feminist Sweepstakes. Approach at your peril.
MPEG Stream: "I'm So Excited"
MPEG Stream: "Sixteen"

LE TIGRE This Island Remixes (Le Tigre / Chicks On Speed) cd 15.98
Hey Le Tigre fans, there's a chance you might already have these eight remixes as they were apparently originally released on two 12"s a whiles back, but if you missed 'em the first time (or don't have a record player), they've been released altogether on one cd. First up is Junior Senior's remix of "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo" (later on in the cd there's two other remixes of this song by Craig C and Arthur Baker), then starlet Peaches comes in with her raunchy treatment of "TKO" -- once again makin' y'all feel more than a little bit soiled. The song "After Dark" get's the most attention with four different remixes by the likes of Morel (one vocal and one dub), NDB and A Touch Of Class.
Note: to confuse matters further two 12"s -- This Island Remixes Volume 1 and 2 with four tracks each -- were also released at the same time, but there seems to be some slight variances with the track selection and running order. Please see each release's respective review for their track listing.
MPEG Stream: LE TIGRE / JUNIOR SENIOR "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo (remix)"
MPEG Stream: LE TIGRE / PEACHES "TKO (remix)"

LE TIGRE This Island Remixes Volume 1 (Le Tigre / Chicks On Speed) 12" 9.98
Hey Le Tigre fans, there's a chance you might already have these four remixes as they were apparently originally released on an earlier 12", but if you missed 'em the first time here they are again.
On one side, Morel offers up two treatments (one vocal and one dub) of "After Dark". On the other, "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo" gets a remixing by Craig C and Arthur Baker.
Note: a cd collecting together eight This Island Remixes was also released at the same time, but there seems to be some slight variances with the track selection and running order. Please see each release's respective review for their track listing.

LE TIGRE This Island Remixes Volume 2 (Le Tigre / Chicks On Speed) 12" 9.98
Hey Le Tigre fans, there's a chance you might already have these four remixes as they were apparently originally released on an earlier 12", but if you missed 'em the first time here they are again.
On one side, Junior Senior offers up two treatments (one remix and one instrumental) of "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo". On the other, Peaches takes aim at "TKO" and NDB dishes out a vocal disco remix of "After Dark".
Note: a cd collecting together eight This Island Remixes was also released at the same time, but there seems to be some slight variances with the track selection and running order. Please see each release's respective review for their track listing.

LEAD BELLY Shout On (Smithsonian Folkways) cd 15.98

LEADBELLY Borrow Love And Go (Masked Weasel) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "The Gallows Pole"
MPEG Stream: "Where Did you Sleep Last Night"

LEADEN Monotonous Foghorns Of Molesting Department (Midwinter) cd 11.98
Some may scoff at the idea of our black metal cassette grab bag. A random selection of wonderful blackened obscurities, all grim and mysterious, abstract and kvlt, offered in bunched of 3, 6,10 or 20. You never know what you'll get, but invariably, every grab bag offers up at least one remarkable gem, one instant classic, and usually more than that. In fact, a close look at some of last year's best of lists, reveals at least a handful of tapes from the grab bags in folks' top tens, which is tough to argue with.
One of the tapes, in one of those grab bags was from this band right here, Leaden, from Italy, who we were immediately smitten with, if one can actually be 'smitten' by something this creepy and bizarre and haunting and confusional. But we were, and still are.
Leaden, with their mysterious logo, the band name in a very classical looking cursive, the amazing album title: Monotonous Foghorns Of Molesting Department, song titles like "Black Apartment Of Depression", "I'm The Filth" and "When Out Seems To Vanish", it seems just too good, like the music couldn't possibly live up to the mystery and magic promised by the packaging, but if anything, the music is stranger, and darker, murkier and WAY more mysterious.
On the surface, Leaden are purveyors of doomy suicidal black metal, but their sound, and their songs bear only a passing resemblance to their brothers in abject buzz.
From the first few seconds of the opening track, a skipping delicate piano figure, peppered with stuttery bursts of static (and no it's not your cd player), the record immediately reveals itself as well out of the ordinary. Even when the band join in, the sound is not heavy and buzzy, instead it's washed out and muddy, weary and worn, the guitars a fuzzy gauzy blur, the drums muted thumps, the vocals harsh, but again smeared into something less jagged and more drone-y and monotonous, the whole vibe dark and dejected, the bass surprisingly active, pulsing and throbbing beneath the streaks of guitar buzz, almost like some sort of Burzum / Joy Division hybrid. At some points, the song stumbles to an even slower doom-ed pace, the guitars transformed into keening soaring tones, while the bass rumbles beneath, the drums even more skeletal. And that song pretty much defines Leaden's sound, the rest of the record following suit. It's definitely black metal, but only barely, instead, it sounds like some sort of blackened goth, or doomy slowcore, all the elements are definitely there, the riffs, the pounding drums, the harsh vocals, but the way they're recorded, arranged, the production, the ambience, the mood, it's all very dark and depressive, but with a distinct doom-pop element running through all of it. Strip away much of the buzz, and you might be hearing something more like Bedhead, or maybe Codeine, it's that sort of timeless musical misery, just rendered in shades of black, and degrees of buzz.
In fact almost every song at one point or another, shifts into some gothy groove, all simple propulsive drumming and doo-doo-doo-doo basslines, drifting above a swirling morass of reverbed guitars and disembodied riffs and croaked growls, and imbued with a surprising amount of pop, not hooks per se, but the melodies are indeed catchy, in their own grim way. Somehow heavy enough to still be black metal, but muted and murky and lilting and drone-y enough become some sort of black buzz pop, some slowcoredoom, a gorgeous moody melancholy collection of dreamy drone-y doompop drift.
MPEG Stream: "When Out Seems To Vanish"
MPEG Stream: "Dark Journey In Myself"
MPEG Stream: "Black Apartment Of Depression"

LEAF HOUND Freelance Fiend (Rise Above) 7" 9.98
Last year we listed the cd reissue of an album called Growers Of Mushroom by England's Leaf Hound. Their Zeppish moves and overt druggy allusions have made that sole record of theirs from 1971 a sought-after classic for those into the stonery proto-metal of the era. The album's big hit (among connoisseurs of '70s heavy rock, if not in the singles charts of the day) was a hard-riffing song called "Freelance Fiend". So, here it is on vinyl, as re-recorded live in 2005 by the band's new lineup! That's right, and if you saw our review of that Growers Of Mushroom reissue, you'll remember that it included a brand new bonus track, meaning they were back in business. Original Leaf Hound vocalist Pete French, still in possession of wailin' pipes, hooked up with some youngsters to continue Leaf Hound's legacy in the present day. And as wary as we are of "reunions" (can you even call this that?), there's really no reason why Pete and the 'new' Leaf Hound shouldn't make music again, particularily with current '70s-sounding bands like Witchcraft to encourage them.
"Freelance Fiend" remains a killer track, and on the flip there's that new song from the cd reish, "Too Many Rock 'n Roll Times", also recorded live and now pressed to wax. And it's a pretty decent addition to the Leaf Hound songbook, we have to say... now we're wondering if there's more to come? Maybe even a -second- Leaf Hound album? Apparently so. We can only imagine how excited Rise Above would be to get to release that, as doing this 7" was probably already a big thrill for them. Limited to 500 copies.

LEAF HOUND Growers Of Mushroom (Repertoire) cd 21.00
Along with the likes of Captain Beyond, Bang, Dust, and Sir Lord Baltimore, the UK's Leaf Hound are one of the obscure '70s proto-metal acts often cited in the annals of stoner rock history. Heck they're called Leaf Hound and their (only) album is titled Growers Of Mushroom! Can't get much more stoner rock than that. Originally released in (you guessed it) 1971, Leaf Hound's album was a showcase for the powerful pipes of vocalist Pete French (who later spent stints at the mic for both Atomic Rooster and Cactus) and the heavy-duty hard rock riffage of guitarist Mick Halls (who, along with French, previously was a member of the Brunning Sunflower Blues Band and Black Cat Bones). And really Growers Of Mushroom is worth it to all '70s metal fans for the fierce "Freelance Fiend" that leads off the album. That track's a screamin' classic. If the whole album rocked as hard it'd be hard to beat as the heaviest thing from '71. But, while some other cuts on here approach a "Freelance Fiend" level of metal mania, such as "Stagnant Pool" (which sounds like anything but), there's some mellower material to be found as well, wherein French shows off his soulful side. But Led Zeppelin fans won't mind such bluesy workouts as "Drowned My Life In Fear", either. And Zep fans were probably just who Leaf Hound were hoping to hook when they recorded this record way back when. Too bad this was pretty much it for Leaf Hound (more on that in a sec), but their legacy lives on. A lot of AQ customers probably know that there's even a doom/stoner rock label in Japan named after this band! So, we're happy to have this swank 2005 Repertoire cd reish, remastered and complete with lyrics and liner notes in a nice digipack. And it's got three bonus tracks. Two non-album cuts (one wimpy, one pretty good) from back in the day, and a brand NEW track as well. Yep, that's right. Pete French has hooked up with some young 'uns to form a new, revitalized Leaf Hound, who've been gigging anew -- they even played a show with spiritual descendents Witchcraft! Normally we'd cringe at the thought of sullying the reissue of a cult album from 30+ years ago with a "bonus" track recorded recently, but the new Leaf Hound's "Too Many Rock 'n Roll Times" ain't that bad. The guy can still sing and it sounds like Leaf Hound, so why not?
MPEG Stream: "Freelance Fiend"
MPEG Stream: "Drowned My Life In Fear"

LEAF YARD s/t (Pink Skulls) 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.
Maybe you had some great bands in your town years ago that were amazing but never really did anything beyond playing parties and maybe making some practice tapes, and no one from anywhere were else ever heard 'em and now they're but (drunken?) memories. I can think of a few from where I'm from, and AQ-pal Glenn Donaldson remembers some too -- one of his faves being Leaf Yard, an outfit from the underbelly of the early '90s Santa Cruz scene who made some bizarre heavy artistic fucked up rock music indeed. Glenn is one of the guys who runs the Jewelled Antler cd-r label (he's a member of Thuja, Blithe Sons, Franciscan Hobbies, The Birdtree, etc.) and Pink Skulls is his newly-formed side label for more "punk" oriented material. Part of the reason he decided to start this new imprint, though, was 'cause he became convinced that Leaf Yard's legacy needed to be rescued from oblivion, and while Pink Skulls is still a pretty obscure entity, and this is a limited run of cd-rs, we'll do our part to help him promote this document of lost Santa Cruz rock weirdness circa 1990-1995.
The stuff on this 52-minute, 18-track cd-r is drawn from Leaf Yard's live recordings and demo tapes -- of course they never released a "real" album -- and the sound can be kinda rough, but that totally doesn't detract from Leaf Yard's music 'cause what they were about was ugly, raw, noisy skronk anyway. If they were around today, they'd probably get lumped in with the current scene of art-damaged punk like Black Dice and the Lowdown, or especially, AQ faves Comets On Fire. Some of this sounds a lot like Comets On Fire (hey aren't they Santa Cruz guys too?). There's a big chaotic psychedelic element, some of this even approaches the intensity/density of Japanese garage-psych feedback overlords Fushitsusha, almost. But then there's lotsa other things going on as well: you'll hear a definite SST influence (Minutemen, Gone, Saccarhine Trust), it's sorta unhinged post-punk hardcore psych. And then there also seems to be a strange, hidden inspiration taken from death metal, with some double kick drumming and evil atmosphere. The distorted-to-hell vocals are punk, ugly, the kind your mom won't like. (They sound kinda French, weirdly enough.) Not bad for some Santa Cruz college kids, eh? This is definitely just as worthy as lots of the "legendary" name-bands that get fancy reissues folks drool over. You can really hear what it was about Leaf Yard that made such an impression on Glenn, if you share certain sensibilities that is. So we're really happy that he, working with the surviving ex-members of the band (drummer Ryan Craiker unfortunately has passed away), compiled this material on disc and packaged it in a plastic sleeve with a stapled, xerox booklet full of photos, lyrics, flyers, and, best of all, pictures of Leaf Yard's cassette tape releases, making for a superb archival release of unknown twisted scuzz for twisted scuzz fans! Limited to 50 copies, fyi.
MPEG Stream: "Thistle"
MPEG Stream: "Pentagram"
MPEG Stream: "Yardsale"
MPEG Stream: "Armageddon"

LEAO, NARA (Phillips Brazil) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More folksy Tropicalia for fans of Os Mutantes, Gilberto Gil, etc. First released in 1968, this is a rare Japanese import reissue, so don't sleep on it!

LEAO, NARA Nara '67 (El / Cherry Red) cd 16.98

LEATHERCOATED MINDS A Trip Down The Sunset Strip (Acid Symposium) cd 19.98
This is a reissue of a pretty obscure late 60's garage / beat outfit from Hollywood. Leathercoated Minds offer a number of covers: Donovan, Bob Dylan, the theme to "Puff The Magic Dragon," and The Count Five (of course, it's "Psychotic Reaction"). Their own songs tend be mostly instrumental grooviness, sort of like the incidental music from any number of '60s movies about the alienation of America's youth.

LEATHERWOLF s/t (LW) cd 16.98

LED ZEPPELIN How The West Was Won (Atlantic) 3cd 23.00
Zep overload! Along with a stellar double dvd package, the gods hammer us with a triple cd dose of live audio, all completely different performances from what's found on those dvds! These discs create one virtual concert melded from two, one at the Long Beach Arena and and one at the LA Forum, both in June of 1972.
Like the dvd set, they could have come up with some better cover art. However, the music's what matters, and what you're gonna hear here is Zeppelin at their best, live and totally rippin' -- very impressive!!
MPEG Stream: "Immigrant Song"

LED ZEPPELIN Physical Graffiti (Atlantic) 2cd 25.00

LED ZEPPELIN s/t (Atlantic) 2dvd 31.00
Ok, first off, any real big Led Zeppelin fans don't even need to read any further -- trust us, just get this! Even if you don't have a dvd player, you should invest in one just to see this. And even if you're just a casual fan you probably should get this too. Really I'm not (or wasn't) that big of a Zeppelin fan myself, but I'm way more into 'em now after viewing this release... five and a half hours of rare vintage Zep footage, both pro shot and bootleg, all of it pretty awesome -- heck, for the clothes and hair let alone the music!
Breaking it down, disc 1 is mainly consists of a 1970 Royal Albert Hall concert, featuring a charmingly charmingly youthful Zep at an early peak, with the highlights there being Bonham's "Moby Dick" drum solo and the '50s rockers they cover towards the end of the show. With disc one you also get some other clips, including four songs in crystal-clear black and white from Danish TV (with kids sitting cross-legged on the floor, mere feet in front of the band, dangerously close to Page's amplifier -- did that kid ever hear again??)
There's lots of "Dazed And Confused" here, with their performance of that number on the British TV show "Supershow" being the best. It's the most EVIL sounding "Dazed And Confused" ever, Page's guitar *and* Plant's vocals oh-so-distorted just perfectly, due to the recording perhaps. With some crazy edits and the band becoming enveloped in a climactic fog machine miasma, this is worth $29 alone, seriously!
Disc two starts off with a brilliant "Immigrant Song" video constructed from 1972 Austrialian live video and 1972 Californian live audio. Then it's on to Madison Square Garden (1973) for some outtakes from The Song Remains The Same, the concert movie that this dvd blows out of the water. Good stuff though. Following that, you get their 1975 Earl's Court performance -- one of this dvd set's highlights, really. Just check out the blazing clavinet-and-Bonzo-driven mechanical funk workout of "Trampled Underfoot" -- damn! The dvd then moves on to Knebworth '79, their triumpant swansong UK performance where a band that has visibly aged in the four years since Earl's Court really smokes, with "Achilles Last Stand" standing out.
The non-performance footage on this set includes a young Page and Plant, very much the soft-spoken British rock aristocrats, fielding questions from reporters in NYC 1970, like what they think of the Beatles -- whom they just knocked out of the #1 chart position.
Really, about all we can complain about is the crappy dvd packaging. The so-called cover art is just lame, a Photoshopped mesa, desert plain, and Zeppelin-shaped cloud. Why didn't they just use a still from the footage on the darn dvd?? Watching it, you'll certainly see many a shot that would have make a much much better cover than what they used. However, the dvd itself is done with class, with an excellent interface -- the menus themselves feature additional looped Zep clips seen nowhere else in the dvd, so be sure not to overlook them while selecting the main features! Recommended, if you couldn't tell already!

LEDESMA, J.C. Voice Sutra (Root Strata) cd-r 8.98
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You may not recognize the name J.C. Ledesma. But how about the name Jefre Cantu Ledesma? Ring any bells now? Okay, well how about the name the-guy-from-Tarentel? Okay, now we're getting somewhere. J.C. Ledesma is indeed on half of the core duo that drives ambient space rock experimentalists Tarentel, and on this, his first record under this name (not his first solo record however), as well as the first record on his very own label Root Strata, Ledesma takes the ambience of his main outfit and stretches it out even further, creating "Voice Sutra" a half hour long, slowly building drone piece constructed from vocals, shruti box, percussion and electronics. A dreamy and tranquil, but still think and fuzzy, slowly shifting soundscape that spends the first fifteen minutes writhing and squirming like a downed electrical wire, buzzing with electronic fuzz and spitting sonic sparks, emitting a thick wash of sonic skree not unlike Total, eventually calming down into a more tranquil ambience, shimmering and simmering and slowly fading to black. Quite nice. Droneheads obviously need this. Packaged in hand screened cardboard sleeves, and VERY LIMITED (we have the last 20 or so copies)!
MPEG Stream: "Voice Sutra"

LEDESMA, J.C. / PAUL CLIPSON Constellations Of Spring (Root Strata) dvd-r 8.98
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Just a brief word about this one as it was limited to 50 copies, is already out of print, and we only have about 10 copies left. The second in a series, Tarentel's Jefre Cantu Ledesma joins up with filmmaker Paul Clipson, to drift dreamlike through a dense visual latticework of plants, chainlink fences, branches, leaves, stoplights, neon signs, a delirious series of slow motion visual tangles and patterns. A bug's eye view of the world mysterious and wonderful, like cutting room floor super-8 plant studies and urban landscapes woven into soft focus home movies. All set to the warm glow of Ledesma's swelling dronescapes. So gorgeous.
Packaged in a lovely folded vellum sleeve printed with images of dried leaves.
Again, we only have about 10 of these, so prepare to be disappointed.

LEE MILLER The Futility Of Language (Musically Incorrect) cd 11.98
Finally back in stock!!
Finnophile alert!!! Yet another amazing post-Circle / Circle related project!! What the hell?!? Do those guys ever sleep? And if they do, have they figured out some way to record in their sleep? But who's complaining? Certainly not us. This time around, it's two Finns and one -American- doing the hypno-rock drone damage. Janne Peltomaki, former Circle drummer, current drummer for Paine and the recently reviewed Stalwart, Jyrki Laiho current guitar player for Circle and Stalwart, and Jordan Mamone, guitarist for NY artrockers Alger Hiss. While Circle continually flirt with metal, guitars always getting a little heavier, vocals that veer into serious Rob Halford territory, and of course the increasingly metallic imagery, it's this here Lee Miller outift that has finally pulled out the metal stops. Not that this is a "metal" record. It's just undeniably heavy, big jagged distorted guitars, pounding rhythms, and strange growling baritone vocals. In fact it has a bit of an industrial edge to it as well, with plenty of teutonic ponding a la Swans, Copshootcop, or fellow Finns Worms. Occasionally things do simmer down, and the result is a much more Circular sound, but a bit less krautrocky and more arty and angular, due in no small part we imagine to the presence of Mamone. But Lee Miller is all about that crush and pummel, and The Futility Of Language pounds that point home. Dark and distorted, heavy and hypnotic! This will definitely please Circle fans who have been digging their gradual shift into heavier territory, and just might tempt some metalheads into the vast and wondrous land of glorious hypnorock!!
MPEG Stream: "Mary Pentagram"
MPEG Stream: "Two Black Eyes"
MPEG Stream: "Kiinalaiset"

LEE, CHRIS Plays & Sings Torch'd Songs, Charivari Hymns & Oriki Blue-Marches (Smells Like) cd 13.98
Brooklynite Chris Lee plays a very appealing style of singer songwriter material. His style lies quite pleasantly between the grave solemnity of Tim Buckley and the light lackadaisacal delivery of the Sea and Cake (only not as "lounge", he's more '70s FM radio.) Covers Neil Young's "On the Beach". On Sonic Youth-er Steve Shelley's label (Shelley plays on the record too). Nice. I'd love to see him play live.
RealAudio clip: "City Woman"

LEE, CHRISTOPHER Sings Devils, Rogues & Other Villains (Wolfslair) cd 15.98
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Dracula always wanted to be an opera singer, and he ain't bad.

LEE, PHIL You Should Have Known Me Then (Shanachie) cd 15.98
Phil Lee is a long haired, beret-wearin' geezer who plays guitar and harmonica. Folky backwoods twang. Backed up by three members of Wilco, and also assisted on the album by Alison Moorer and Gillian Welch. On roots-music label Shanachie.
RealAudio clip: "Faces in the Window"

LEE, RITA Build Up (Cherry Red) cd 17.98

LEE, RITA Hoje E O Primeiro Dia Do Resto Da Sua Vida (Revola) cd 15.98
For her follow-up to her slightly lackluster Rogerio Duprat produced debut, Build Up, Rita Lee reunites with her Mutantes bretheren to create what is essentially an Os Mutantes record in all but name.
Lee's solo work in the seventies often traversed into the glam progginess of the later Mutantes catalog before veering into MOR territory in the eighties, but here on Hoje E O Primeiro Dia Do Resto Da Sua Vida from 1972, the antics and exhuberance of early Tropicalia return and rejoice! Awesome!
MPEG Stream: "Vamos Tratar Da Saude"
MPEG Stream: "Tapupukitipa"
MPEG Stream: "De Novo Aqui Meu Bom Jose"

LEE, SHAWN AND CLUTCHY HOPKINS Clutch of The Tiger (Ubiquity) cd 16.98
Another cryptically groovy release from the mysterious Clutchy Hopkins. This time a long distance tape exchange collaboration between Hopkins and multi-instrumentalist and troubadour Shawn Lee. We're not sure what Lee's input is here, because this sounds just like the other Clutchy releases, with funky cinematic organ and drum breaks augmented by jazz guitars and flutes. Reminds us of Money Marks early releases as well as his work with the Beastie Boys, who funny enough are among the latest folks rumored to be the actual Clutchy Hopkins. Hmmmmmm......
MPEG Stream: "Dollar Short"
MPEG Stream: "Across The Pond"
MPEG Stream: "Indian Burn"

LEE, SHAWN AND CLUTCHY HOPKINS Clutch of The Tiger (Ubiquity) lp 22.00
Also now in stock on vinyl! Another cryptically groovy release from the mysterious Clutchy Hopkins. This time a long distance tape exchange collaboration between Hopkins and multi-instrumentalist and troubadour Shawn Lee. We're not sure what Lee's input is here, because this sounds just like the other Clutchy releases, with funky cinematic organ and drum breaks augmented by jazz guitars and flutes. Reminds us of Money Marks early releases as well as his work with the Beastie Boys, who funny enough are among the latest folks rumored to be the actual Clutchy Hopkins. Hmmmmmm.......
MPEG Stream: "Dollar Short"
MPEG Stream: "Across The Pond"
MPEG Stream: "Indian Burn"

LEER, THOMAS Contradictions (Cherry Red) cd 17.98
As producers, musicians, critics, and listeners alike seem to hail the traditional pantheon of landmark influences, like Can, Kraftwerk, Throbbing Gristle, Fad Gadget, et al, there are still plenty of fantastic, sidelined artists who just continually fall through the cracks. Such is the case with Thomas Leer. Sadly, outside of collectors circles, he is practically unknown, even though he kept company with some of the biggest names in 20th century pop and avant garde music. After releasing the seminal bedroom techno-pop-industrial classic "Private Plane" 7" on his own label -- Oblique -- he collaborated with Robert Rental on The Bridge, an LP on Throbbing Gristle's Industrial imprint. In fact, those recordings inspired Chris Carter -- of TG and Chris and Cosey fame -- and a pre-Whitehouse William Bennett to pick up a Wasp synth. Not yet acquainted with Robert Rental? If you can get your hands on it, check out Live at the West Runton Pavilion, his collaborative effort with Daniel Miller of The Normal, and the founder of Mute Records. A fantastic document, it mirrors Thomas Leer's work as it subverts the traditional punk/rock paradigm, utilizing newly emerging technology to create music completely outside of the guitar/drums/bass framework. Some might say that it's at least implicitly as punk as anything else. That said, let's talk a bit about this particular release. Firstly, it does indeed have both "Private Plane" and "International." Okay. But there is plenty to glean from the rest of his lesser-known catalogue. Picture a synth-happy David Bowie and Konk collaboration, with a restrained sense of composition. Picture a soulful robotic version of Marc Almond making 4-track recordings for himself. Not under-produced, but understated and playful. Shriekback caught in an algorithm. Picture Cybotron and Inner City chugging Robitussin and trying their damnedest to picture what acid house might sound like if it were made in 1983. This collection amounts to exactly what it sounds like on paper: a great collection of work from an incredibly influential and diverse artist. Uninitiated? Check it out! Already a fan? You know you want to grab it! Totally recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Thomas Leer - Private Plane"
MPEG Stream: "Thomas Leer - Mr. Nobody"

LEFT SENSORY BYPASS Temporal Exclusion (Paradigms) cd 12.98
We carried a cd-r version of Temporal Exclusion a short time ago, but the Paradigms label has scooped it up for a proper cd release, albeit a limited pressing of 750. In the interim, mainman Kris Berry fleshed out the 4-track ep into a 7-track full length. It now comes in cardboard sleeve within one of the series' now familiar printed envelopes.
Berry is joined by Ronald Aveling (voices and samples), percussionists Ches Smith, Stephen Flinn and Mike Hoffman, Faraz Minooei on Santour, and Monica Aiken on cello. Their strings, percussion, vocals and collaged samples weave together and apart in this an industrial edged dismemberment which inhabits a dank, gloom filled theatrical setting. It's a work haunted by intercepted television or radio broadcasts and other mysterious transmissions encountering pregnant pause piano strikes, the chanting of monks, deep choral intonations and other anguished distorted voices which often offer more texture than words. Enshrouded and somber.
MPEG Stream: "Tabula Rasa"
MPEG Stream: "Nue Ardante"

LEFT SENSORY BYPASS Temporal Exclusion (self-released) cd-r 6.98
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LEFTIES Night Flight of the Bat Moon Dog (X-mas) 7" 3.50
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Featuring members of the Peechees.

LEGEND Anthology (Monster Records) 2cd 15.98
Legend were an awesome, if obscure NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, pronounced n'wobim) band that never got a major label deal (in the liner notes, mention is made of the band watching helplessly as mediocre London bands got signed while bands like themselves from other parts of Britain are ignored -- well, maybe they should have moved to London!! ever think of that, guys?). But, their lack of success really was a bit unfair, as a listen to this double cd, containing their entire output -- two LPs, a 4 song ep, and a demo, spanning the years '81 through '83 -- shows them to be a damn fine heavy metal act indeed! Heavy, catchy stuff with much frantic axe action and folky, somewhat Ozzy-ish vox. That, plus doomy, politically themed lyrics, various songwriting eccentricities (occasional acoustic guitars, folk melodies, lengthy instrumental riff-outs, some prog-pop moves on their second LP), and a charmingly lo-fi production make 'em come across kinda like Angel Witch meets Manilla Road. In other words, pretty cool and very cult. Twenty years on, they've lived up to their name! And interestingly, in this day and age of black metal 'evilness', it's interesting to remember that metal is not necessarily PRO-war and violence (even if it's *about* war and violence). Indeed, along with bands like Megadeth, Nuclear Assault and Anthrax, Legend spoke out against the dangerous arms race and superpower militarism of the Cold War era. Now with today's worries about WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction), Legend demonstrate continued relevance. Heck, they even do a catchy little number entitled "Anthrax Attack".
RealAudio clip: "Torture"
RealAudio clip: "Hiroshima"
RealAudio clip: "Death In The Nursery"

LEGEND OF APPLE JACK, THE (Hit Thing) dvd+cd 24.00
Short films get the shaft. A deft film maker can pack as much action and emotion and breathtaking imagery into 15 minutes as they can into two hours. In fact sometimes, two hours means a brilliant 15 minute idea gets stretched way too far. Apple Jack is a super cute, poignant, incredibly well made tale of two escaped convicts, a little boy mourning the death of his mother, and how all of these lives interact on the eve of the fateful broadcast of Orson Welles' War Of The Worlds.
A perfect mix of grainy fuzzy film stock, live action footage, old photographs, subtle computer animation, and some of the most incredible production design ever, from the same folks who did the Iron Giant. Gorgeous shots of star filled nighttime skies, dizzying swirls of slow motion and some fantastic character actors. The whole thing narrated by country legend Randy Travis, sounding quite a bit like Waylon Jennings spinning tales of those good ol' boys on the Dukes Of Hazzard.
The soundtrack is fantastic, a glorious mix of creepy sci-fi outerspace weirdness, didgeridoo's and moaning horns, bleeping and blooping FX and plenty of ominous ambience, some twangy steel string bluegrass, plenty of minor key strum and Western shimmer, and of course huge swaths of super dramatic classic 1940's style orchestration, like a twangier, less over the top version of Danny Elfman's Nightmare Before Christmas and the Corpse Bride scores. Includes two discs, the movie on one, and the soundtrack expanded to 49 minutes on the other. On its own, the soundtrack is dreamy and dramatic and eminently listenable, but in the context of the film, it becomes magical.
NTSC and all region. Packaged in a gorgeous hard cover book.

LEGEND, THE The Everett True Connection (3 Acre Floor) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Everett True happened to get a rather sweet journalism assignment for NME and Melody Maker in 1989 to write about the up and coming record label Sub Pop and their cozy collection of albums from Nirvana, Screaming Trees, Dwarves, Soundgarden, etc. He stuck around Seattle during the early '90s and became what some have called "rock-crit godfather of grunge," after hobnobbing with the 'stars' of Sub Pop. Occasionally, True was known to break out into song, opening for a number of these groups as The Legend and landing a 7" on Sub Pop. Nearly a decade later, True who now resides in his native England returns as The Legend with an album on 3 Acre Floor run by the Jewelled Antler eccentric Jason Honea.
Musically, The Legend has very little in common with the Northwest sound that he wrote about in the early '90s, rather choosing the instantly urgent jangle of the Go-Betweens, the Terminals, and the general C86 sound of British indie-pop (albeit far grittier). The liner-notes written by True get the gist of the music: "After about 10 attempts we found it best not to change any rhythm or melody too rapidly, and I stumbled across a new approach to making up words. Up to that point, I'd be trying to pull random lines from old soul songs from my memory, and shout them out over the scratchy guitar."
RealAudio clip: "Spokane"
RealAudio clip: "Tacoma"