GENDREAU, MICHAEL 55 Pas De La Ligne Au No. 3 (23Five) cd 14.98
Throughout the '80s and '90s, Michael Gendreau worked extensively in the East Bay avant-noise project Crawling With Tarts, often constructing surreal experiments with idiosyncratic pop-babble and tape collages of art-damaged noise. For Gendreau, the turntable became an ideal instrument for his explorations; and soon, he began working with the archaic technology of lathe cut, handcrafted vinyl. Often the results were bizarre, if sporadically successful recontextualizations of homemade instrumentation, radio noise, and anti-pop. Recently, it seems as though Gendreau has put Crawling With Tarts on an extended hiatus, due to his increasing attention into the field of vibrations diagnostics and consultation. This incredibly technical arena has lead him to researching the problems of acoustic noise vibrations upon highly sensitive pieces of optical equipment, which could present faulty analysis due to the tiny, but measurable effects of environmental noise (air conditioning ducts and heating vents in particular).
55 Pas De La Ligne Au No. 3 finds Gendreau bridging his current activities of acoustic diagnostics with his once prolific avant-turntable collages. It appears that Gendreau has hooked up a number of accelerometers -- technical devices used to detect, measure, and catalogue any number of vibrational frequencies -- to a series of battered record players spinning his handmade vinyl. Gendreau's accelerometers are so sensitive, that they pick up, not only the interaction between the needle and the record in question, but also the muffled whir of the thick rubber band stretching between the motor and the turntable plate. The results found on 55 Pas De La Ligne Au No. 3 are astounding, with eerie mechanical drones, minute needle crackle, and the occasional, but always unnerving upsurge of quiet voices floating though the din like the EVP sounds from The Ghost Orchid of purported recordings from beyond the grave. One of the best records of 2002, and now available once again!
MPEG Stream: "Two Worlds For Now"
MPEG Stream: "55 Pas De La Ligne Au No. 3"

GENDREAU, MICHAEL Vitoj (Auscultare) cd 12.98
It's been a while since we've heard any material from San Francisco sound researcher Michael Gendreau, althought he has certainly kept himself busy since his impeccable last release 55 Pas De La Ligne Au No. 3 which explored the innerworkings of old turntables. His day job as an acoustics technician takes him all over the world in order to analyse the low frequency impact of industrial machinery upon architectural structures and highly sensitive optical devices; the obvious benefit of this trade is that Gendreau's perception of the particular frequencies is incredibly refined. Gendreau put this skill into practice during the 2003 Activating The Medium Festival at SFMOMA where he found the resonant frequency of the McBean Theater and effectively rattled the entire building, much to the consternation of the head curators worried that their prized Philip Guston paintings might leap off the walls.
Vitoj is Gendreau's first album since that aforementioned 2002 release and features three distinctly different situations that Gendreau handles in very specific manners. The first piece is a real-time exploration of the micro-dynamics of air compressors. Amplified through the technical sensors he uses when studying infrasound vibrations, Gendreau's air compressor emits toxic hisses, metallic clanks, and electrical static that could easily be confused for the processed drones of the Hafler Trio or John Duncan. However, Gendreau does add a gleefully destructive side to his work, as he fully opens the valves of his air compressors on several occasions, unleashing a torrent of noise as dense and tumultous as Merzbow and Masonna. The second piece exhibits a much greater restraint to the point of rendering the buzzing whirls of a old Victrola to nearly inaudible levels. The final entry is a Lopezian field recording mutation of the din of an industrial landscape morphed into a nightmarish ambience. A mighty return for Mr. Gendreau!
RealAudio clip: "o2"
RealAudio clip: "T921 pt. 2"

GENTLEKIN, THE s/t (self-released) cd 12.98
Introducing a new warm and sunshiney combo from SF pop veteran Jon Fellman and co. Gentlekin spin retro psychedelic 60s style pop with soft male vocals much like the Posies or Go-Betweens. Lots of sweet and yes, ever so gentle harmonies and jingle-jangle guitars. Particularly tempting confections are the very first and very last songs ("Fair Weather" and "Something Changes Here"). Delightful!
MPEG Stream: "Fair Weather"
MPEG Stream: "Something Changes Here"

GHOST ORCHIDS The King Is Dead (Princehouse Records) cd 12.98
Not only referencing a rare strain of flower, but also an AQ favorite collection of ghost voices, otherwise known as the Electronic Voice Phenomenon, the Ghost Orchids stand in direct contrast to the confrontational screamo-spazzcore of most of their San Francisco contemporaries, with their cold, detracted aesthetic of new wave electronics and goth theatricality. "The King Is Dead" is the Ghost Orchid's debut full length, having recorded the album at Seismic Seance studios. Much of the avant-pop plasticity which coats the Spoonbender aesthetic carries over into The Ghost Orchids' sound, although the Ghost Orchids have dropped all of the Factory label references of their "Architecture" EP in favor of the detached electro stares of contemporaries like Adult. but keeping truer to the '80s darkwave electronics of Clock DVA or Cassandra Complex with spartan, repetitive programming and hard EBM rhythms. Black eyeliner required.
MPEG Stream: "A New Bloodtype"
MPEG Stream: "Love Inversions"

GHOST TO FALCO Like This Forever (Below PDX) cd 12.98
Anyone remotely familiar with aQ knows we've long had a soft spot for earthy, psych-tinged music that weaves its way along beautiful shadowy paths through the dewy glimmers and murky sludge. Well, here's something new that fits the bill and has been pleasing many an ear around here! We actually put a call out to these Portland, OR folks back in October to send some of their music down the coast. A few months have passed and here we are finally with cds in hand, and we think it was worth the wait! Heck, in the short time we've had Like This Forever in stock, in-store play has already been stirring up many many queries with at least one purchased each time it's spun.
Stormy waves of electric guitar distortion and reedy woodwinds crash upon one another, then melt into clear smooth bell chimes. Horns and piano also enter the fray that ebbs and flows around mainman Eric Crespo's emotive vocals that have been compared to those of Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. As you listen you get a sense that Crespo and co. may have been raised on a balanced diet of Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac as well as Pavement and Slint. Yes, all the most nutritious and tastiest food groups! Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Hopeless Or Not"
MPEG Stream: "The End"

GHOST TO FALCO Like This Forever (Below PDX) lp 12.98
Anyone remotely familiar with aQ knows we've long had a soft spot for earthy, psych-tinged music that weaves its way along beautiful shadowy paths through the dewy glimmers and murky sludge. Well, here's something new that fits the bill and has been pleasing many an ear around here! We actually put a call out to these Portland, OR folks back in October to send some of their music down the coast. A few months have passed and here we are finally with cds in hand, and we think it was worth the wait! Heck, in the short time we've had Like This Forever in stock, in-store play has already been stirring up many many queries with at least one purchased each time it's spun.
Stormy waves of electric guitar distortion and reedy woodwinds crash upon one another, then melt into clear smooth bell chimes. Horns and piano also enter the fray that ebbs and flows around mainman Eric Crespo's emotive vocals that have been compared to those of Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. As you listen you get a sense that Crespo and co. may have been raised on a balanced diet of Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac as well as Pavement and Slint. Yes, all the most nutritious and tastiest food groups! Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Hopeless Or Not"
MPEG Stream: "The End"

GIFTHORSE First Words (Piece Of Mind) cd 10.98
Doug Hilsinger is one talented fellow. On his own, he's remade the entire Brian Eno album Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) with Caroleen Beatty on vocals. Together they're two fifths of SF smoky twang combo Waycross. He's also played with numerous local and international artists. Plus he was previously in two other great Bay Area bands... namely Bomb and the creators of this here album, Gifthorse, a heavy prog/psych/metal band who rocked the bay area from 1991 through 1996, and perhaps as referenced in the title, this was their first full length. Absolutely tight and powerful instrumental hard rock! If you dig the Fucking Champs, why don't ya let their elder Bay Area brethren rip your head off too... in a good way!
MPEG Stream: "Onrush"
MPEG Stream: "Asphyxiofile"

GLANDS OF ETERNAL SECRETION Nosejob (Starlight Furniture Company) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Barbara Manning and Seymour Glass of Bananafish , plus Greg Freeman, various Thinking Fellers, Mayuko Hino, Conrad Capistran (legendary, humorous record buyer at InYourEar), World of Pooh, etc. Recordings of various birthday parties, live shows, kitchen appliances and backyards, spanning 1979 to 1994, are smoothed into an album that truly works as a seamless whole. Seymour has outdone himself this time. Highly recommended.

GLANDS OF ETERNAL SECRETION Nosejob (Starlight Furniture Company) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Barbara Manning and Seymour Glass of Bananafish , plus Greg Freeman, various Thinking Fellers, Mayuko Hino, Conrad Capistran (legendary, humorous record buyer at InYourEar), World of Pooh, etc. Recordings of various birthday parties, live shows, kitchen appliances and backyards, spanning 1979 to 1994, are smoothed into an album that truly works as a seamless whole. Seymour has outdone himself this time. Highly recommended.

GO GO GALAXION Great Attractor (Hectochrome) cd 9.98
This new SF band's debut is quite immediately reminiscent of the dreamy, swirling late '90s Brit rock bands like Spiritualized or The Church - all shimmering, spacy guitars with soft shoegazer male lead vocals. But Go Go Galaxion set themselves apart from those groups with an ever-present upbeat mood that's propelled along by some considerably West Coast sunny bouncy tempos and warm vocal harmonies - maybe placing them more in line with polished pop bands like Beulah or the Posies in that regard. Nice.
RealAudio clip: "Breathe"
RealAudio clip: "Living Space"

GOAT FAMILY, THE Unstopperable (self-released) cd 11.98
The Bay Area's Goat Family are sure kicking up some dust on Unstopperable. It's an off-kilter hillbilly jamboree filled with originals and covers of old classics like "Ring Of Fire", the rousing rais-a-pint "All For Me Grog" and you might recognize the number "Pick A Bale Of Cotton" from the front porch scene of the movie The Jerk!
MPEG Stream: "Dress My Soul"
MPEG Stream: "Pick A Bale Of Cotton"

GODHEADSILO Share The Fantasy (Sub Pop) cd 11.98
More thunder-core from these two maniacs, the biggest sounding bass-drums duo in the world. The hit single this time out? A cover of "In The Air Tonight" that will give Phil Collins nightmares, similar to the tongue-in-cheek, metaller-than-thou cover art and spiky logo.

GODHEADSILO Skyward in Triumph (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
Sebadoh performed a new song at Sub Pop birthday bash recently; the lyrics went something like "MY­WIFE­THINKS­ GODHEADSILO­ARE­THE­GREATEST­FUCKING­BAND­IN­THE­WORLD!"

GODHEADSILO Skyward in Triumph (Sub Pop) lp 9.98
Sebadoh performed a song at Sub Pop birthday bash; the lyrics went something like "MY­WIFE­THINKS­ GODHEADSILO­ARE­THE­GREATEST­FUCKING­BAND­IN­THE­WORLD!"

GOLD CHAINS Live At The Beta Lounge (MX Entertainment) dvd 19.98
Presented for your party pleasure: this DVD compiles a performance by righteous party-monger Gold Chains at San Francisco's Beta Lounge, along with plenty of extra videos and live performances, including the awesome "I Come From San Francisco" video, shot on a BART train! Locals: look for yourself and your friends in the videos. Out-of towners: experience the magic of a Gold Chains show from the comfort of your living room. The live at Beta Lounge portion comes peppered by unfortunate amounts of clean-cut white girls in flygirl pose mode and art-school graduate ghetto parody, but Gold Chains himself puts on a helluva show as always, making the most uptight of booties shake and temporarily redeeming the white-boy indie-electronic hip-hop genre (at least until the next time I'm reminded of the existence of Cex). Although it's funny; I know I was pretty drunk that night, but I remember the show being totally crazy, like crowd surfing, buckets of sweat, jam-packed dance-your-ass-off crazy. Somehow, the video doesn't quite seem to convey the mayhem. Perhaps the filming would have benefitted from another approach, or maybe I was just more wasted than I realized. Hmmm.

GOLD CHAINS s/t (Orthlorng Musork) cd 9.98
I can't believe that this record hasn't driven us mad. In the very near future, it very well may. But at the moment, Gold Chains certainly tickles our fancy for purposefully ridiculous, totally fun electronica/hip-hop. Gold Chains is the boisterous hip-hop pseudonym of San Francisco's Topher Lafata, who now releases his first album through Kit Clayton's Orthlorng Musork. Unlike the disastrous ironic electronica of Cex and Peaches, Gold Chain's megalomania comes with a charming flashiness which is so often lost in the pursuit of being self-effacing, in order to be funny or ironic. In terms of hip-hop delivery, Gold Chains is pretty old school, enunciating all of his syllables upon clearly defined rhythmic patterns and sounding a little quicker, but equally as raspy as Tone Loc or DMX. And his content is equally old school, boasting of almost exclusively about his sexual prowess, but occasionally it's about how much he can shred a microphone with his lyrics or the quality of the parties he throws. Getting some help from Kit Clayton on production, Gold Chains' backing tracks are a mixture of the seductive IDM grooves of Autechre or Pole and the muscular proto-electronica of Tackhead and Gary Clail. While Gold Chains' live shows are infamously IN-YO-FACE, bratty, and juvenile, he has the sense (and the skillz!) to make it all sound sooo good. Oh yeah, the last track is built entirely on a Stereolab song and it works perfectly. I'm not kidding. In short, this is a recommended debut from a local hero, with plenty of 'bling bling' in his future!!
RealAudio clip: "I Come From San Francisco"
RealAudio clip: "No. 1 Face In Hip Hop"
RealAudio clip: "Rock The Parti"

GOLD CHAINS s/t (Orthlorng Musork) lp 8.98
I can't believe that this record hasn't driven us mad. In the very near future, it very well may. But at the moment, Gold Chains certainly tickles our fancy for purposefully ridiculous, totally fun electronica/hip-hop. Gold Chains is the boisterous hip-hop pseudonym of San Francisco's Topher Lafata, who now releases his first album through Kit Clayton's Orthlorng Musork. Unlike the disastrous ironic electronica of Cex and Peaches, Gold Chain's megalomania comes with a charming flashiness which is so often lost in the pursuit of being self-effacing, in order to be funny or ironic. In terms of hip-hop delivery, Gold Chains is pretty old school, enunciating all of his syllables upon clearly defined rhythmic patterns and sounding a little quicker, but equally as raspy as Tone Loc or DMX. And his content is equally old school, boasting of almost exclusively about his sexual prowess, but occasionally it's about how much he can shred a microphone with his lyrics or the quality of the parties he throws. Getting some help from Kit Clayton on production, Gold Chains' backing tracks are a mixture of the seductive IDM grooves of Autechre or Pole and the muscular proto-electronica of Tackhead and Gary Clail. While Gold Chains' live shows are infamously IN-YO-FACE, bratty, and juvenile, he has the sense (and the skillz!) to make it all sound sooo good. Oh yeah, the last track is built entirely on a Stereolab song and it works perfectly. I'm not kidding. In short, this is a recommended debut from a local hero, with plenty of 'bling bling' in his future!!

GOLD CHAINS Straight From Your Radio (Tigerbeat6) cd 9.98
Who rocks the parti? Local darling Gold Chains cracks the whip with five new dancefloor hotties giving a heads up to the Cologne and Berlin Schaffelfieber sound. Having travelled the world in his brief career as Gold Chains, Topher Lafata has absorbed the sounds of other lands to craft his own brand of electrosonic hiphop thunder. Following on his acclaimed debut for Orthlorng Musork, "Straight From Your Radio" is another brief encounter with the hard beat mystic nonmaterialistic witch doctor. Each track is very distinct from the next from the rubbery bass of the lead off track to the absurd cootchie song. So silly and repetitious, it lyrically reminded me of Snow's "The Informer" from '93. Continuing on, "Let's Make It" pumps out the big beats Sweet and Gary Glitter style. Y'know those thumpin' '70s enormo-party anthems! He even does a reworking of Samhain's "Human Pony Girl"! Come join the caravan...
RealAudio clip: "I Treat Your Cootchie Like A Maze"
RealAudio clip: "Let's Make It"
RealAudio clip: "Human Pony Girl"

GOLD CHAINS Straight From Your Radio (Tigerbeat6) 12" 9.98
Who rocks the parti? Local darling Gold Chains cracks the whip with five new dancefloor hotties giving a heads up to the Cologne and Berlin Schaffelfieber sound. Having travelled the world in his brief career as Gold Chains, Topher Lafata has absorbed the sounds of other lands to craft his own brand of electrosonic hiphop thunder. Following on his acclaimed debut for Orthlorng Musork, "Straight From Your Radio" is another brief encounter with the hard beat mystic nonmaterialistic witch doctor. Each track is very distinct from the next from the rubbery bass of the lead off track to the absurd cootchie song. So silly and repetitious, it lyrically reminded me of Snow's "The Informer" from '93. Continuing on, "Let's Make It" pumps out the big beats Sweet and Gary Glitter style. Y'know those thumpin' '70s enormo-party anthems! He even does a reworking of Samhain's "Human Pony Girl"! Come join the caravan...
RealAudio clip: "I Treat Your Cootchie Like A Maze"
RealAudio clip: "Let's Make It"
RealAudio clip: "Human Pony Girl"

GOLD CHAINS The Game (PIAS) 12" 7.98
Don't call Gold Chains a player, he's in love with you. And don't call him played out, 'cause this single is another evolutionary step for the genre twisting, scruffy-voiced laptop MC. Broken electric funk and tech-hop beats infuse one of Gold Chains catchiest, best-produced (and that's saying a lot) tracks to date. Features a hectic pitched-up remix by Kit Clayton, and a groovy house-ier mix by Luomo (aka Vladislav Delay).

GOLD CHAINS Young Miss America (Pias America) cd 15.98
Gold Chains' new album is again a kick ass, completely weird hybrid of hip hop and bedroom electronics so over the top and colorful that it demands a lot of attention. Not as completely catchy as his selftitled debut, this is still exciting and a fun listen. And check out "Break or Be Broken", decidedly non hip hop love song with pretty rock chord progressions, a good direction for Gold Chains.
MPEG Stream: "Young Miss America"
MPEG Stream: "Break or Be Broken"

GOLD CHAINS & SUE CIE When The World Was Our Friend (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
SF indie hip-hop artist Gold Chains brings it again! Rocking a more earnest and cynical parti... When The World Was Our Friend offers up more broken electric funk and tech-hop beats for fans of previous albums, though on a slightly darker and harder note. Congruent to its title, the album is less hoochies in thongs sippin champagne in the hot tub, and more holy shit man what the fuck is going on. More emphasized this time around is frequent collaborator Sue Cie, singing a generous amount of the tracks. When The World definitely pushes Gold Chains into a different realm. Looking forward to it being pushed even harder!
MPEG Stream: "Better Together"
MPEG Stream: "Come To Cali"

GOLD CHAINS & SUE CIE When The World Was Our Friend (Kill Rock Stars) lp 15.98
SF hip-hop artist Gold Chains brings it again! Rocking a more earnest and cynical parti... When The World Was Our Friend offers up more broken electric funk and tech-hop beats for fans of previous albums, though on a slightly darker and harder note. Congruent to its title, the album is less hoochies in thongs sippin champagne in the hot tub, and more holy shit man what the fuck is going on. More emphasized this time around is frequent collaborator Sue Cie, singing a generous amount of the tracks. When The World definitely pushes Gold Chains into a different realm. Looking forward to it being pushed even harder!
MPEG Stream: "Better Together"
MPEG Stream: "Come To Cali"

GOLDBERG, BEN TRIO Here By Now (Music & Arts) cd 13.98
Ben Goldberg on clarinet / bass clarinet with Trevor Dunn on bass and Elliot Humberto Kavee on drums.

GOLDEN BIRDS Carrier (Paranoid) cd 8.98
Golden Birds have offered up not one but two fine releases for our indie rock lovin' ears (one on Paranoid Records and the other self-released). The band aligns itself well with the likes of early-mid period Wedding Present as well as Bright Eyes and Interpol (particular in the emotive vocal department).
This is their energetic debut full length which expands on an earlier ep that the band released when they went by the name Carrier. You might recall that back in 2002 we carried Home Movies which was another of their self-released eps. They're quite a different sounding band these days, distancing themselves considerably from their more postrock-ish and atmospheric beginnings in favor of poppy punch. Note: one song is shared by both releases "Sioux Falls South Dakota".
MPEG Stream: "Things Don't Fall Apart"
MPEG Stream: "Mirrors / Coyote / Thermometer / Lions"

GOLDEN BIRDS Transamerica (self-released) cd 7.98
Golden Birds have offered up not one but two fine releases for our indie rock lovin' ears (one on Paranoid Records and the other self-released). The band aligns itself well with the likes of early-mid period Wedding Present as well as Bright Eyes and Interpol (particular in the emotive vocal department).
This is a special cdep of acoustic numbers that the band self-released to coincide with a tour this past summer. Wistful, sensitive pop without drums, but with warm guitar strumming, pretty glockenspiel and some dreamy boy/girl vocals. Note: one song is shared by both releases "Sioux Falls".
MPEG Stream: "Cadmium"
MPEG Stream: "Sioux Falls"

GOLDEN HOTEL The Silver Wilderness (Golden Hotel) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's always a little nerve wracking listening to a friend's record. Hoping that it's good so you don't have to hem and haw and eventually say something like "Wow...really interesting" or "Wow. Great guitar sound" or some other non-committal could-be-construed-as-saying-you-like-the-record sort of thing. So it's even more intense when it's someone's -first- record. But luckily, this time, there was no need to worry, 'cause this Golden Hotel record is a gorgeous, droney, space-y, drugged out psychedelic folk record. Golden Hotel is our customer Cayce (who has appeared in several of the AQ neighborhood films, he's the bearded fellow with the dog Cowboy) and his brother Sidney who is in AQ faves Torrez. And the Torrez connection definitely shows, with shimmery guitars and warm thick atmosphere, but the female vocals of Torrez are replaced with the brothers' rough but melodic warm warbly rasps and the sound is a little less lush and a bit more buzzing and immediate (plenty of instrument buzz, lip smacking, breathing). Warm swells of thick guitar wash over shimmering high end harmonics whirling quietly in the background as gently strummed acoustic guitar underpins delicate minor key melodies. Lots of stray sounds, varied instrumentation and production fuckery augment these ultimately simple folk songs, turning them into languid, stoned epics, with simple stumbling percussion, fuzzy far-away guitar, droning buzzing harmonies, pulsing underwater bass, and dreamy blissed out ambience. Definitely influenced by/reminiscent of Greg Weeks, Six Organs Of Admittance, Charalambides, Joshua, Songs:Ohia, Herman Dune, and other current practitioners of modern psych-folk. A great surprise and a fantastic record.
RealAudio clip: "Summer, Silver Lake/The Trouble Behind Mr. Peterson's Eyes"
RealAudio clip: "Palisade"
RealAudio clip: "All My Girls Are Singing"
RealAudio clip: "Everything Dying Sings"

GONZALEZ, CHRIS Christmas With Chris G. (Conspiritorial Efforts Recordings) cd 9.98
Woah, it's like the day before the day before Christmas, so if we're ever gonna list this we'd better do it now, eh?! Although, this specially-priced, hour-long disc from ex-Comets On Fire/Gargantula/Exploding Crustaceans member Chris Gonzalez, despite its rather over the top Xmas theme, could be enjoyed at other times of the year as well. We suppose. It's funny ha-ha and also funny weird too. Probably playing it in July would make it more of the latter. Basically, Chris, seemingly intoxicated with the Yuletide spirit, has decided to have his way with a bunch of traditional holiday songs (including "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", "Winter Wonderland", "Silent Night" and "Little Drummer Boy"... indeed all but one of of the twelve tracks are traditional Christmas tunes, see if you can guess which one isn't). However, several are barely recognizable when he's through with 'em! He tackles each song differently, but you've gonna hear a lot of chaotic, distorted, deranged lo-fi lounge and hard rock stylings, recorded on a four-track, with various "guests"... some of it in front of a (fake) live audience, complete with heckling. It's all about as ridiculous as can be. Christmas comedy doesn't get much more silly and surreal -- or noisy. The hip-hopped version of "Jingle Bells" that morphs into a Slayer song might be the low point...and the high point too. Or maybe that would be the "all star celebrity jam" version of "Simple Having A Wonderful Christmastime" that allegedly features Lars Ulrich, Eddie Vedder, Jah Rule, and Donald Duck, among others! Will Santa think Chris has been naughty or nice with this lil' cd? Well it's hard to judge. He's probably just asking "why?" But for a mere six bucks this might be a fine last-minute novelty stocking-stuffer for the wacky music fan on your list.
MPEG Stream: "Jingle Bells"
MPEG Stream: "Frosty The Snowman"

GOOD FOR YOU Falling Out (Good Forks) cd 9.98
It seems San Francisco's Good for You aren't aiming to break any new ground with this debut album, but y'know often it's nice to tread a very familiar, well-trodden path. This hails from the catchy emo-land that'll never go out of style. All salute the early strains of Superchunk, Doug Martsch's pre-Built To Spill band the much more tense and angstful Treepeople, and the boy/girl harmonies of PEE and more recently The Anniversary.
RealAudio clip: "French Lies"

GORILLAZ Spacemonkeyz versus Gorillaz - Laika Come Home (Astralwerks) cd 16.98
This appears to be dub versions of tracks from the Gorillaz record. Said outfit, you will recall, is a project of AQ-pal Dan the Automator (Dr. Octagon, Deltron 3030) with main guests Damon Albarn (Blur), Miho Hatori etc. Bearing little resemblance to the original Gorillaz album, or indeed its other, first remix record spinoff, all vestiges of rock and hip hop are stripped away in order for the bass to get heavier, the vocals to get echo-ier, the pace to slow down. As dub, it's decent, if a trifle formulaic. Melodica, horns, organs, even a flute round out the sound. This is my favorite of the Gorillaz-related projects.
RealAudio clip: "19/2000 (Jungle Fresh)"
RealAudio clip: "Starshine (Dub 09)"

GRANFALOON BUS Exploded View (Boxkite) cd 11.98
From SF's criminally underrecognized Granfaloon Bus comes a stunning new album, full of slide guitar, lush guitar, epic backup singing, and super earnest male vocals that spin out incandescently gorgeous lyrics like "It orbits within the glare as time stands still in there the suspense grows / Bend one till it becomes all others, drink the carousel in circles, till vendors mine from riversides x-mas bells slagged from hell's boom years." Doleful and solemn with a lot of twanged-out prettiness, and more than a bit like Giant Sand and the Court & Spark. With guests Danny Heifetz (Mr. Bungle), William Winant, Ted Ellison (Fuck?), Carrie Bradley (100 Watt Smile), etc. Very nice.
RealAudio clip: "The Bender"

GRANFALOON BUS Good Funeral Weather (Trocadero) cd 10.98
Brand new album from local favorites.

GRANFALOON BUS Necks & Backs (Purple Turtle) cd 11.98

GRAVES BROTHERS DELUXE Gonna Happen To You (Unsafe At Any Speed) cd 9.98
Here is the second disc from local all stars The Graves Brothers Deluxe. made up of former members of Thin White Rope, Granfaloon Bus, Dingle and Lunchbox. An eclectic record with moods ranging from loungy and crooning to psychedelic-rockabilly to jazzy, quirky, and experimental. There is an instrumental, very soundtrack-like number, and some crazy Zappa or Mr. Bunglesqe moments. Impressive instrumentation done by talented musicians, but a bit too wacky and all over the place for my taste. I think fans of previous endeavours will like some of the songs but I doubt many will like all of them.
RealAudio clip: "Ashtray Heights"
RealAudio clip: "Electrical"

GRAVES BROTHERS DELUXE, THE Little Love Things (Munster) cd 14.98
Good solid indie rock with enormous energy from local group, featuring two guys from Thin White Rope, and members of Granfaloon Bus and Lunchbox. Fans of Thin White Rope, Giant Sand will enjoy this.
RealAudio clip: "Gypsies, Whores and Doctors"

GRAVY TRAIN All The Sweet Stuff (Cochon) cd 13.98
Yay! It's a new outing from one of the most wildest, sassiest & sauciest bands anywhere on the globe. Of course they live right here in the Bay Area doing us proud and carrying the torch for carefree, queer & proud, all-out fun in your face pop that draws just as much from bubblegum and girl-groups as it does garage rock, electro-pop and riot grrl. All The Sweet Stuff is by far their best album so far, with guests like Sugar & Gold on a few tracks and Hey Willpower adding his sexy voice to a Frenchified version of Deee-Lite's "Call Me." Filling that great American void of party-pop that folks abroad have been doing so well (CSS, Bonde De Role, Stereo Total). There is no one else we'd like to play our party than Gravy Train. They are like the bouncy offspring of the Cockettes & The B-52's. They make you wanna stay up late and see midnight movies, and have a slumber party, eat lots of candy, make crank calls, and play a scandalous round of spin the bottle. If the kids know what's good for them they'll all be jumping on the Gravy Train and so should anyone with a young heart and a taste for trashiness done so right!
MPEG Stream: "D.A.N.N.Y"
MPEG Stream: "Wutcha Wutcha Wutcha Wutcha Wutcha Wutcha Doin' Tonite?"
MPEG Stream: "Call Me In French"

GRAVY TRAIN All The Sweet Stuff (Cochon) lp 13.98
Yay! It's a new outing from one of the most wildest, sassiest & sauciest bands anywhere on the globe. Of course they live right here in the Bay Area doing us proud and carrying the torch for carefree, queer & proud, all-out fun in your face pop that draws just as much from bubblegum and girl-groups as it does garage rock, electro-pop and riot grrl. All The Sweet Stuff is by far their best album so far, with guests like Sugar & Gold on a few tracks and Hey Willpower adding his sexy voice to a Frenchified version of Deee-Lite's "Call Me." Filling that great American void of party-pop that folks abroad have been doing so well (CSS, Bonde De Role, Stereo Total). There is no one else we'd like to play our party than Gravy Train. They are like the bouncy offspring of the Cockettes & The B-52's. They make you wanna stay up late and see midnight movies, and have a slumber party, eat lots of candy, make crank calls, and play a scandalous round of spin the bottle. If the kids know what's good for them they'll all be jumping on the Gravy Train and so should anyone with a young heart and a taste for trashiness done so right!
MPEG Stream: "D.A.N.N.Y"
MPEG Stream: "Wutcha Wutcha Wutcha Wutcha Wutcha Wutcha Doin' Tonite?"
MPEG Stream: "Call Me In French"

GRAVY TRAIN Are You Wigglin? (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
Am I wigglin!? You know I am! Gravy Train's second full-length release features thee summer punk-wave grit-pop jamm, "Darque Tan", as well as the, to put it lightly, sexually-leaning "Ghost Boobs" and "Pussy Sauce". This super-cute San Francisco foursome pick up where Fannypack's "Cameltoe" left off and take it to a whole new level of over-sexed summer fun! If you love sarcastic, sassy, ghoulishly artsy & lo-fi, electro hyper post-punk, you MUST get on the Gravy Train!!! Also for fans of Les Georges Leningrad, Veronica Lipgloss, good ol' Peaches, etc.
Note bene: this is NOT the same band as the proggy Gravy Train from Lancershire, England circa 1971. If you read through this review and listened to the sound samples and still questioned it, hmmm.... you get a big spanking.
MPEG Stream: "Darque Tan"
MPEG Stream: "Pussy Sauce"

GRAVY TRAIN Hello Doctor (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
Local foul mouthed crazy party girls (and one boy) are here to kick out the jams at last. This is all about the 6th grade toilet talk but dirty only the way we grownups can be. Lo-fi and high pitched squealed vocals that will drive you nuts or delight you only the way good 'ol peurile fun can (depending on where you stand). Sonically a little like Bratmobile, but with this whole eighties party-rap angle that's pretty charming. Tough to call, fun and freaky or a total waste of fucking time. But if you like dirty, silly embarrassing songs about sex and hamburgers, this may just hit the spot.
MPEG Stream: "Titties Bounce"
MPEG Stream: "Burger Baby"

GRAYCEON s/t (Vendlus) cd 13.98
Sounding just a bit like a weird cross between slo-mo doom bringers Asunder and tunics-and-tights folk metallers Falconer, San Francisco's Grayceon are an uncategorizable combo who rock the majestic medieval metal riffs in a sort of chamber-prog / post-rock context, with a big part of their sound deriving from the droning classical cello stylings of Jackie Perez Gratz (who indeed also saws the cello strings for Asunder, and also plays in Amber Asylum). Pummelling drums and sometimes thrashy guitar round out the trio's lineup, with both clean male and female vocals in the mix, though Grayceon's approach could work just as well instrumentally. The caress of their loud-soft, soft-loud dynamics should find this appealing to both indie/post rockers and, say, fans of Hammers Of Misfortune and the Fucking Champs. Imagine Rachel's on a date with Apocalyptica, perhaps. This self-titled debut consists of four songs in 45 minutes -- the last and longest track clocks in at an epic, elegant 20 minutes, and, like the rest of the album, provides stately and somber moodiness alongside headbangingly metallic moments... it's mournful, technical, and we think pretty cool!
MPEG Stream: "Sounds Like Thunder"
MPEG Stream: "Into The Deep"

GREEN DAY Insomniac (DGC) cd 14.98

GREEN LAUGHTER s/t (Jewelled Antler) 3" cd-r 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Frogs!!! Can AQ-customers resist frog recordings? We think not. Certainly we can't. This cute lil' 3" cd is the first in a series dubbed the "Jewelled Antler Library" from our fave SF cd-r label of the same name. The idea being to release stuff that stands alone in twenty-minute doses and doesn't need to be padded out to full-cd length. There'll be entries from Jewelled Antler regulars like Thuja, likeminded folks such as Dead Raven Choir and Antony Milton, and also odd, one-off quirky projects like this one, for instance. Green Laughter is primarily frog field recordings made and edited by Loren Chasse (Thuja, Id Battery, Of, Blithe Sons, etc.). It's twenty minutes of the call of the wild (featuring frogs, cicadas, and perhaps birds), starting off as a fairly straight documentary and then blending into a computer-processed drone-wash constructed by Chasse from his original recordings. It's like wandering in a dense creature-inhabited forest back East somewhere in the summertime, your ears overwhelmed by the natural sounds, you getting dizzy and almost passing out, the ribbitting and chirping and buzzing and tweeting taking over your mind. But it eventually dissolves back into a blissful background ambience. Real nice. And many of the sounds on here that sound insect-like or electronic Loren assures us are in fact frogs. It's nature's electronic music, the sound of a laptop computer overwhelmed by heat and long grasses and the green laughter. Just the thing for when I (Allan) get homesick for Pennsylvania.
MPEG Stream: "Green Laughter"

GREENLIEF, PHILLIP / SCOTT AMENDOLA Collect My Thoughts (9Winds) cd 11.98

GREENLIGHT THE BOMBERS American Executive (Pencil Neck) cd 4.98
From the streets of SF comes this powerhouse of a rock outfit. Tighter than a squadron of B-52s in formation, Greenlight the Bombers deliver five tracks of seamless post-hardcore with angular guitar lines, loud-to-quiet dynamics and sinister basslines in the classic vein of bands like Drive Like Jehu, Quicksand, Fugazi and Shellac. Title track "American Executive" is a stand-out with a wickedly haunting vocal chant over menacing bass and drums that kicks into a solid heavy churn before dissipating into some sparse June of 44 type spaciness and then coming back with the rock in the end. Definitely one of the better new upcoming bands in this city, and do these guys have the coolest band name or what?
MPEG Stream: "Satchel"
MPEG Stream: "Perfect Cake"

GREY DATURAS / YELLOW SWANS s/t (JYRK) 2cd-r 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
As always, let's get this out of the way first. This is EXTREMELY LIMITED. Only 200 copies were made, and we took about a quarter of 'em. By the time you read this it will already be out of print, so as always, act fast if you want one of these!
You may remember a few lists back, we made the new record from The Grey Daturas, Dead In The Woods, our record of the week. And how could we not? We described their sound as: "blown out fuzzy psych rock. A blurry druggy mix of Hawkwind, the Dead C, Comets On Fire, Residual Echoes, Dead Meadow and Bardo Pond. From churning, throbbing fuzzdrug churn, with squealing feedback and choppy uneven riffing, to drifting dreamy stripped down post rock, all careening wildly between thick swaths of super overdriven psych fuzz, and drenched in crumbly distortion and all manner of wah!" Heck, that sounds so good, it makes us want to pull out Dead In The Woods and throw it on right now!! Well, the Daturas spent a couple months touring the US recently, and while they were in the Bay Area, they crashed with the guys in local free noise ensemble the Yellow Swans. And what do two bands do when they have a week to kill together? Record a record! Or in the case of these guys, record a super limited double cd-r! So what do you get when you mix the druggy free noise psych rock of the Daturas and the noisy clattery skree of the Yellow Swans? Well obviously noise is gonna play a big part of it. No real song structures to speak of, although occasionally a brooding bass line or a simple strummed riff will surface, this is mostly freaked out and free, ambient and abstract. Expansive swaths of guitar noise, amp buzz and electronic glitch and grit. Melodies drift and disintegrate while guitar and bass slowly unfurl all manner of rumble and drone. Definitely reminiscent of Skullflower, Sunroof!, Vibracathedral Orchestra, and all that sort of shimmery noisy goodness. Beautiful and droning and so so so good! Packaged in a super cool hand screened cardboard gatefold sleeve, with a creepy spike through the skull image screened on the front in metallic silver!
And in case you missed that bit at the beginning, SUPER SUPER LIMITED!!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Two"

GRIS GRIS, THE For The Season (Birdman) cd 14.98
Talented Oakland guitarist/vocalist Greg Ashley's Gris Gris gang is back, with a fab sophomore album mostly recorded at a cabin in Texas belonging to Greg's parents. So it's not garage rock, it's cabin rock. Probably good that they were presumably far from any neighbors since this quite often one dang noisily feedback-filled and fuzzed-out freakfest that might have gotten the cops called -- and who knows what manner of illict substances fueled the recording sessions, with which Gris Gris wouldn't want to be busted? Maybe The Man would mellow out knowing that the noisy rave-ups co-exist on this record with plenty of catchy melody and jangly folk and relaxed droniness and other good stuff. Although "Ecks Em Eye" starts the album off with a free jazz warm-up with Funhouse saxophone, the Gris Gris' psychedelic trip soon passes through the overgrown, shadowy backyards of bands such as Pink Floyd and the early Stones ('specially on the fake raga of the title track). Ashley & Co's retro-sensibilities venture even further into total oldies territory on "Medication #4". More current artists that this sometimes reminds us of (or whose fans we think might also like this) include Mudhoney, Greg Weeks/Espers, Comets On Fire, and Devendra Banhart, a little. Definitely recommended to anyone into the psych scene today, and cabin rock of course. With songs with titles like "Big Engine Nazi Kid Daydream" and "Down With Jesus" these guys aren't ever gonna have hits, but in our little world they should!
MPEG Stream: "Ecks Em Eye"
MPEG Stream: "Big Engine Nazi Kid Daydream"

GRIS GRIS, THE For The Season (Birdman) lp 9.98
Talented Oakland guitarist / vocalist Greg Ashley's Gris Gris gang is back, with a fab sophomore album mostly recorded at a cabin in Texas belonging to Greg's parents. So it's not garage rock, it's cabin rock. Probably good that they were presumably far from any neighbors since this quite often one dang noisily feedback-filled and fuzzed-out freakfest that might have gotten the cops called -- and who knows what manner of illict substances fueled the recording sessions, with which Gris Gris wouldn't want to be busted? Maybe The Man would mellow out knowing that the noisy rave-ups co-exist on this record with plenty of catchy melody and jangly folk and relaxed droniness and other good stuff. Although "Ecks Em Eye" starts the album off with a free jazz warm-up with Funhouse saxophone, the Gris Gris' psychedelic trip soon passes through the overgrown, shadowy backyards of bands such as Pink Floyd and the early Stones ('specially on the fake raga of the title track). Ashley & Co's retro-sensibilities venture even further into total oldies territory on "Medication #4". More current artists that this sometimes reminds us of (or whose fans we think might also like this) include Mudhoney, Greg Weeks/Espers, Comets On Fire, and Devendra Banhart, a little. Definitely recommended to anyone into the psych scene today, and cabin rock of course. With songs with titles like "Big Engine Nazi Kid Daydream" and "Down With Jesus" these guys aren't ever gonna have hits, but in our little world they should!
MPEG Stream: "Ecks Em Eye"
MPEG Stream: "Big Engine Nazi Kid Daydream"

GRIS GRIS, THE s/t (Birdman) cd 13.98
It's the debut from this Oakland trio lead by guitarist/vocalist Greg Ashley, whose solo album last year Medicine Fuck Dream won kudos from many amongst our staff and customers...if you liked that, you'll surely like this. Very authentic '60s sounding stuff from a paisley garage a la the Yardbirds, Kinks, Stones, and Syd Barrett. Ashley's got a whispery voice well-suited to the new nuggets The Gris Gris deal out here, ranging from gentle jangle-pop to raucous feedback rockers and psycho-delic drone-outs. Along with The Cuts, two way-back aligned winners from Birdman n' Oakland!
MPEG Stream: "Raygun"
MPEG Stream: "Mary #38"

GRIS GRIS, THE s/t (Birdman) lp 9.98
Now vinylized...the debut from this Oakland trio lead by guitarist/vocalist Greg Ashley, whose solo album last year Medicine Fuck Dream won kudos from many amongst our staff and customers...if you liked that, you'll surely like this. Very authentic '60s sounding stuff from a paisley garage a la the Yardbirds, Kinks, Stones, and Syd Barrett. Ashley's got a whispery voice well-suited to the new nuggets The Gris Gris deal out here, ranging from gentle jangle-pop to raucous feedback rockers and psycho-delic drone-outs.
MPEG Stream: "Raygun"
MPEG Stream: "Mary #38"

GUERRERO, TOMMY Soul Food Taqueria (Mo Wax) cd 14.98