CULPER RING 355 (Neurot) cd 14.98
Named, for some reason, after a Revolutionary War spy cell, Culper Ring is an experimental collaborative side project from three Bay Area underground music notables: Steve Von Till of Neurosis/Tribes Of Neurot, Kris Force of Amber Asylum, and Mason Jones of Subarachnoid Space. There's none of Neurosis's crusty metal grind to be found here, so this might appeal more to fans of Subarachnoid's space rock and Amber Asylum's gothic chamber strings, with the spacey folky vibe these three conjure up. Apparently inspired by the likes of Coil, Nurse With Wound and Current 93, Culper Ring utilize violin, effects-laden guitars, haunting female vocals and some electronic noises to generate a soundworld that's melancholic, dark, a bit droney and "psych". It's actually quite pretty and mellow, with eight untitled tracks to wander through your ears. Not bad at all for a project that we suspect got its start just 'cause the principals all happened to share a practice space.
MPEG Stream: "track eight"

CURIUM Aember: A Suite Of Fierae Portraits By Curium (Dynamophone) 3" cd-r box 8.98
One of our fave new Bay Area indie labels Dynamophone close out 2007 with a fresh batch of aural treats. They are four installments in their limited edition 3" cd-r ep Parcel series by the likes of Curium, Lullaby League, Science Teacher and Sleep Robot. Chances are if you've been paying attention to our recent aQ lists you're probably already as enchanted with this label's richly atmospheric hazily dreamy roster as we are, and will welcome these four into your music collection. This one features three new luminous listens by Curium.
Don't delay though! Each release comes in a diminutive square cardboard box festooned with a full color cover art sticker, and is limited to 100 each. We only have a couple handfuls. Once they're gone, they're gone!
Psst: in keeping with this particular release's theme, Aember comes with a Dynamophone book of matches!
MPEG Stream: "Auror"

CURIUM Bism (Dynamophone) 3" cd-r box 8.98
The third release from SF's Curium comes in the form of a 3" cd-r encased in a slightly larger gift box. As with the rest of the Dynamophone Parcel series, this is a delight to open up and delve into.
Curium (aka Evan Sornstein aka the man behind the label) draws inspiration from literary works, this time it is C.S. Lewis' fantasy realm Bism which "lies below the Shallows of the Underland below Narnia. Gnomes grow living gems and salamanders swim in rivers of fire giving great words of wisdom" (quoted from the liner notes). While the three instrumentals may not necessarily conjure such fantastical visions in your mind, they will offer a soothing dreamy respite from the hecticness of your day. Diminutive as this 3" may seem, there's twenty minutes of loveliness for you sink into as it drifts slowly through limpid, wistful melodic lines.
Psst, seeking more new calming contemplative sounds on this label? Be sure to check out Abbasi Brothers (also reviewed this week) and Fjordne!
MPEG Stream: "Subshallow"
MPEG Stream: "Cliffbeckon"

CURSE OF THE BIRTHMARK Alibi / Call Yer Lawyer (333 Recordings) 7" 5.98
Cool. A super-limited 7" release from San Francisco's no-wave noise militants, Curse Of The Birthmark. Three hundred and thirty three of these were put out, as part of a 7" series from 333 Recordings. Features Weasel Walter from Flying Luttenbachers on keys.

CURTAINS, THE Alphabet Series N (Tomlab) 7" 6.98
In case the title didn't already give it away, this is part of the German label TomLab's special 7" single series dedicated to the alphabet! It all began with Mark Robinson and the letter 'A' back in July 2004. Now it's mid-2006 and they've reached the letter 'N', but don't punish yourself if you've missed a few (if not or all) of 'em thus far. Each edition has only been pressed in a super fleeting run of 500. Geez, you can barely catch a glimpse of them. 'M' by Max Tundra and 'L' by Les Georges Leningrad (which came out in May and March of this year respectively) are already long gone. Sooooo, while it lasts we have 'N' which features two tunes by SF art-popsters The Curtains (aka Deerhoof's Chris Cohen). Snooze and lose...

CURTAINS, THE Calamity (Asthmatic Kitty) cd 14.98
Asthmatic Kitty, the label that brought us a bunch of early Sufjan Stevens releases as well as two dream-folk albums by the Castanets, has released another likemindedly quirky lovely cd by The Curtains starring Mr. Chris Cohen formerly of Deerhoof. Not at all surprisingly, the mildly tweaked elements of his old band definitely make their way into the pastel pop weave of The Curtains, but the overall sound is more straightforward fluttery retro '60s psych-pop with very heavy Beach Boys and Beatles influences. It's all super sweet and wistful with female vocals courtesy of Nedelle Torrisi (also of SF duo Nedelle And Thom). Half-Handed Cloud's John Ringhofer also lends (more than half) a musical hand. Cohen has the kind of irresistible boyish wonder and charm that few possess. It's almost like he exists in a Michel Gondry film, so many wonderful colors, state of the bedroom invention and endless wonder. There's nothing but puffy clouds floating in a bright blue sky when this one's playin'!
MPEG Stream: "Green Water"
MPEG Stream: "Calamity"

CURTAINS, THE Fast Talks (Thin Wrist) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A beautifully rendered document of the early stages of this San Francisco trio. A posthumous release of sorts, considering the radical personnel changes since the recording of "Fast Talks". But alas, we can now enjoy the magic of what once was. Comparisons to Beefheart's Magic Band, The Shaggs or the reserved expansiveness of guitarists like Derek Bailey, Taku Sugimoto or Fred Frith certainly come to mind, though those likenesses are only fragments of the larger landscape. The duelling guitars of Chris Cohen and Trevor Shimizu weave into one another, not colliding or stepping on each others toes, but crafting a web in which the stumbling percussive rolls of drummer Jamie Peterson (ex-Saint Andre) are able to grasp onto. Peterson's unique style recalls the Magic Band's John "Drumbo" French, though with more reservation and a playful discretion. In fact most of the songs on "Fast Talks" are refreshing in their sheer simplicity and sense of discovery. You might be inclined to say "naive" upon first listen, as remnants of "outsider" artists such as The Shaggs can be traced through their arrangements, though these pieces are extremely well conceived, complex and strongly informed by restraint and the spaces in between. Several moments throughout the record even contain qualities which recall another SF avant-rock outfit -- Deerhoof -- whose guitarist John Dieterich, coincidentally, takes production controls here. Vinyl only, and gorgeously packaged as per the Thin Wrist standard of excellence.
RealAudio clip: "22nds"
RealAudio clip: "Athletes In The Stars"
RealAudio clip: "Dim Weeks"
RealAudio clip: "Slippers"

CURTAINS, THE Flybys (Thin Wrist) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fresh from their split cd and tour with Japanese pop-psych shamblers Maher Shalal Hash Baz, The Curtains release their first full-length cd. On it, this Bay Area trio of synthesizers, guitars and drums make a precarious heap of quirksome dissonance... and it's really no wonder since its members are Chris Cohen, Andrew Maxwell, and Greg Saunier. These gents also make sounds with such groups as Deerhoof, Natural Dreamers and Open City. On Flybys, melodies are introduced and seemingly take root, only to have the notes scatter like a disturbed anthill. A tangles of plucked guitar strings. Woozy synthesized heaves. A tumbling snare drum. The three are joined on a number of tracks by their former Curtains comrades Jaime Peterson (electronics) and Trevor Shimizu (synthesizer and guitar). As the album progresses the tracks seem to teasingly approach a slightly more traditional song structure, but you'll find with The Curtains you're seldom on completely stable ground. 22 tracks in all with the longest one clocking in at 3 minutes and the shortest at sixteen seconds (most are around one to two minutes)!
MPEG Stream: "Partners"
MPEG Stream: "It's The Bunklords"

CURTAINS, THE Flybys (Thin Wrist) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on vinyl! Fresh from their split cd and tour with Japanese pop-psych shamblers Maher Shalal Hash Baz, The Curtains release their first full-length cd. On it, this Bay Area trio of synthesizers, guitars and drums make a precarious heap of quirksome dissonance... and it's really no wonder since its members are Chris Cohen, Andrew Maxwell, and Greg Saunier. These gents also make sounds with such groups as Deerhoof, Natural Dreamers and Open City. On Flybys, melodies are introduced and seemingly take root, only to have the notes scatter like a disturbed anthill. A tangles of plucked guitar strings. Woozy synthesized heaves. A tumbling snare drum. The three are joined on a number of tracks by their former Curtains comrades Jaime Peterson (electronics) and Trevor Shimizu (synthesizer and guitar). As the album progresses the tracks seem to teasingly approach a slightly more traditional song structure, but you'll find with The Curtains you're seldom on completely stable ground. 22 tracks in all with the longest one clocking in at 3 minutes and the shortest at sixteen seconds (most are around one to two minutes)!
MPEG Stream: "Partners"
MPEG Stream: "It's The Bunklords"

CURTAINS, THE Vehicles of Travel (Frenetic) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sometimes bedazzled, certainly bemused and maybe befuddled, that's where curious local art-rockers The Curtains keep the listener, one never knowing from track to track where the album is likely to lead. And there's a whole lotta tracks on here, like 23 of 'em! All share the The Curtains charming style of quirky, indie-rock confusion, that can be proggily grandiose one moment, innocent and simple the next. Faux-naive? Beefheart-complex? It's all good. The Curtains make their own rules, and we love 'em for it.
MPEG Stream: "April Galleons"
MPEG Stream: "Medallion Arrangement"

CUSTER, BETH Dona Luz 30 Besos (City of Tribes) cd 13.98
Possibly the most polished and "full" sounding album (of the several we carry) from San Francisco's beloved Beth Custer, the restless innovator who, whether as a solo artist or in her prolific past as part of Club Foot Orchestra and other intrepid musical outfits, is always testing her musical boundaries. On Dona Luz 30 Besos, Custer indulges her love for Cuban music and other Latino influences, including a cover of a Manu Chao song ("Lagrimas de Oro"). She's got a full band and her vocal prowess is lovely.
RealAudio clip: "In the Broken Fields Where I Lie"

CUSTER, BETH In the Broken Fields Where I Lie (cd) cd 13.98
Collected solo work from reeds playin', multi instrumentalist Beth Custer, founding member of Club Foot Orchestra and Eighty Mile Beach, and all around San Francisco institution.

CUSTER, BETH The Shirt I Slept In (BCI) cd 13.98

CUSTER, BETH & THE JOE GOODE PERFORMANCE GROUP The Maverick Strain & Other Stories (Beth Custer) cd 13.98
Treasured local composer Beth Custer has self-released another collection of her clarinet-led music. Along with the clarinets Ms Custer also wields the piano and the keyboard sampler, and she sings. The Tin Hat Trio and the Club Foot Quintet (both groups also local gems) make appearances, as do several other folks. This is wide-open music with no attitude and plenty of originality. Silences and single-instrument passages that are evocative as much for what they don't say as for what they do. Gritty noir tangos that wouldn't be out of place in a Jim Jarmusch film. The (very occasional) vocal parts don't do much for me but I'm sure they were entirely appropriate in the context of the dance pieces these tracks were originally composed for: What the Body Knows, Take/Place, Undertaking Harry, and The Maverick Strain, all performed by the Joe Goode Performance Group. Nice.
RealAudio clip: "Hamlet"
RealAudio clip: "Tango"
RealAudio clip: "Tribal Duets"

CUSTER, BETH AND THE LEFT COAST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE Bernal Heights Suite (self-released) cd 9.98
Beth Custer can't be stopped and who'd want her to? She's one of the most prolific and most varied musicians in the Bay Area. You might recall one of her most recent projects was the scoring of the historic silent film A Trip Down Market Street (now on dvd). It's a wonderful treasure! Or how about Clarinet Thing! her clarinet collaboration with Ralph Carney? Or the electronic dance/jazz fusion duo Eighty Mile Beach? Or the inimitable Club Foot Orchestra? She's pretty much done it all, always with a meticulous eye for detail and usually with an unconventional twist.
Bernal Heights Suite finds her performing with The Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, and it's her first chamber music cd. These vocal and string arrangements are lively, colorful and have a definite theatrical feel. For non-SF savvy folks, Bernal Heights is the neighborhood directly south of the Mission District. Custer has lived there for over a decade, and this is her musical tribute to her ol' stompin' grounds. Terrific.
MPEG Stream: "Little Lundy's Lane"
MPEG Stream: "Daikon Radish"

CUSTER, BETH ENSEMBLE Respect As A Religion (Beth Custer) cd 12.98
Wow, we've got not one, but two new releases featuring Ms Beth Custer! Not only do we have her wonderful Clarinet Thing collaboration with Sheldon Brown, Ralph Carney, Ben Goldberg and Peter Josheff, but also this politically charged cd of her latest ensemble work with Carney and Goldberg (this time handling horn duty), the amazingly dextrous keyboardist Graham Connah, and Charming Hostess' Marika Hughes on cello, among others. Custer might be based here in SF but she's a music nomad through and through, covering an astounding expanse of styles from Latin jazz to ambient to country to trip hop and beyond (both as a solo artists and in groups such as the abovementioned Clarinet Thing, Club Foot Orchestra, Eighty Mile Beach, and Trance Mission) on an equally broad array of instruments. She simply can't/won't be pinned down. Respect As A Religion is no exception. It frolicks, grooves, wrestles, and enchants.
MPEG Stream: "Empire Of The United States"
MPEG Stream: "High Sense Of Adventure"

CUSTER, BETH ENSEMBLE / KOTE MIKABERIDZE My Grandmother (self-released) dvd 19.98

CUTE THEORY Cute Theories (self-released) cd-r 11.98
This new SF group sure do indeed have their cute dial turned up to 'full', bringing together very childlike singsong female vocals, chiming musicbox and piano melodies, and an occasional indie boyish vocal too. That said, they don't completely induce sugar shock by tempering the tracks with some buzzing and hissing IDM interventions. It's a promising direction to take, although it can be somewhat jarring to the flow of the album at times -- as if they weren't quite sure where to go next or perhaps as if individual members wanted to try their hands at different things. It'll be interesting to see where they go from here... whether they'll further fuse the two distinct styles or focus more on one or the other or something altogether different. Anyways, it's a very homespun affair right down to the packaging: both the jewelcase and cd-r are handscreened with an image titled "Polar bunny in a snowstorm" (sorta reminiscent of Zappa's Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch album illustration) and a sparkly sticker graces the traycard.
MPEG Stream: "Large Grain Container"
MPEG Stream: "Sprocket"

CUTS, THE 2 Over 10 (Birdman) cd 13.98
It's kinda of ironic that what sounds to me like a fully authentic power pop record from the early '70s was actually made this year by young 'uns from Oakland! This is so pitch perfect Nuggets-y that even the purists amongst us will be impressed. The singer sound a li'l bit Tom Verlaine/Television, a li'l bit Ric Ocasek/Cars. The sweet poignancy of some of the tracks recalls "#1 Album"-era Big Star, when they rocked more than they wept. Recorded in Memphis with Greg Cartwright of the Oblivians. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "How Can I Get Through"
MPEG Stream: "Flip A Coin"

CUTS, THE s/t (Birdman) cd 13.98
Two Oakland bands on Birdman, here for your consideration. The Gris Gris just came out, The Cuts has been hanging out for a few months (and is a first time on cd reissue of their debut vinyl album anyway) but both get the thumbs up from the garage psych squad here at the store. Starting with The Cuts...well you can chalk another one up for the rock and roll revival. Yeah maybe the Stripes and the Strokes made the world safe for labels to release retro rockers like this, but that's fine 'cause a band like this shouldn't have to toil in obscurity anyway...plus we know our pal Dave who runs Birdman isn't about hopping on trends, he just puts out music he likes (which explains a few things). And The Cuts are the real deal too, with all kinda influences stirring in their pot...Zombies, Big Star, Television... A lot of you (and us) liked their 2nd album (first cd) 2 Over 10, which did the '70s power pop thing to perfection. Hearing this, first I thought hey weren't they supposed to be some sort of Cars-like proposition, with their keyboards and all?, but this sure harks back further than those New Romantic Waver whatevers, all the way back to the Electric Prunes!! Rockin' the joint with lotsa fuzz and great Nuggety songs/vox. Next up, The Gris Gris...
MPEG Stream: "Salt In My Wounds"
MPEG Stream: "Lovers Lane"

DAME SATAN Beaches & Bridges (Ghost Mansion) cd 9.98
Dame Satan's pace is a slow lysergic creep. You might've caught a glimpse of it on their split 7" record (with Two Sheds) we carried late last year. This Bay Area band is back with their second full length. Unlike many other artists of the seemingly similar southern psych-tinged folk ilk, Dame Satan's sound, though definitely dark and dirgey, is remarkably clean and free of swampy sludge. Beaches & Bridges starts out with the album's most heady gloom number "Downstream" and gets progressively more clear-eyed and straightforward. It's almost like the band was sobering up with each subsequent song... or gently wresting itself from the clutches of a fever dream.
MPEG Stream: "Downstream"
MPEG Stream: "Oregon Trail"

DAMSELS, THE Dirty Love (Skinny) cd ep 4.98
The debut release from San Francisco's the Damsels contains three jangle pop tunes for our listenin' enjoyment. Gentle, bouncing guitar hooks. Shy boy vocals occasionally a bit shoegazerish. Quite reminiscent of a young Teenage Fanclub circa "Bandwagonesque". Yes, it's time to dig out your fuzzy cardigan again. Clocking in at just over thirteen minutes, here's hoping there'll be more from them soon.
RealAudio clip: "Defy Your Radio"

DARK SIDE OF THE COP s/t (self-released) cd 11.98
The self-titled debut cd by the oddly monikered Dark Side Of The Cop (aka Marco Panella) is a super sweet and buoyant affair. Despite his name's nod to Pink Floyd, this one man band certainly wears his Brian Wilson influences on his sleeves in many ways. For one thing he has one of those soft wistful boy singing voices that occasionally brings to mind the abovementioned Wilson or David Gates. The disc opens with what sounds like a somber procession of tin toy trains, and robots, but they're just the tip of Panella's own personal mini orchestra. Warm guitar and piano soon join the fray along with some softly prickly programmed rhythms. So nice.
MPEG Stream: "Detroit (Prelude)"
MPEG Stream: "Fool In The Hill"

DAVENPORT, BART, MOORE BROTHERS AND GUESTS (V/A) Ace of Spades Series Volume 8 - April, 2005 (E14) cd-r 4.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ace Of Spades is a cd-r series of live recordings showcasing the intimate acoustic music of a variety of local indie artists. The series so far boasts consistently strong performances from all participants (well played and well recorded at Mama Buzz Cafe in Oakland).
Volume 8 was recorded on April 17th, and features a hearty gathering of Paul Panamarenko Band, Bart Davenport, the Moore Brothers (their four sweet songs on their very own make this well worth gettin'... you might also wanna check out their wonderful studio album Now Is The Time For Love!), Laura Weinbach, Matthew Herz, Vernal Falls and Helen Chaya.
MPEG Stream: MOORE BROTHERS "Fresh Thoughts Of You"
MPEG Stream: DAVENPORT, BART "Clara"

DAVIGNON, MATT Bwoo (Edgetone) cd 12.98

DAVIS, JOHN At Home And Afield (Root Strata) 3" cd-r 4.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another amazing piece of mysterious musical sound art from local sound sculptor and field recordist John Davis via the splendid Root Strata label, run by Tarentel's Jefre Cantu Ledesma. This 3", near 20 minute cd-r captures more of Davis' gorgeous and glacial looped soundscapes of scrape and creak and groan, deftly smoothed out into rich harmonious drones. The sound is definitely metallic, but like metal wrapped in gauzy grey clouds and held under water. A soft somnambulent drift, hovering somewhere between the dark drone of Coleclough and the fuzzy processed soundworlds of Christian Fennesz. Streaks of glistening shimmer reverberate and gently vibrate, the resulting hum is rife with muted overtones and muffled feedback, even occasional crackle give the pieces the effect of some unearthed sonic artifact. As always, totally captivating.
The packaging is very reminiscent of an old naturalist's display case, a small brown cardboard box, with a leaf and butterfly motif screened in green and metallic gold ink on the top (by local artist Chris Thorson). Inside a hand sewn, mini booklet, detailing the study of nature and the steps in getting your own recordings, and most impressive of all, nestled on a soft bed of billowy white cotton, an actual piezo contact microphone, which is a beautiful object on its own, but as the included note suggests, the mic may be used to make your own field recordings. Send them to Davis to be included in an online sound archive. Wow!
SUPER LIMITED. ONLY 50 COPIES WERE MADE, OF WHICH WE GOT ABOUT 30! SO ACT FAST!
MPEG Stream: "Track 1"
MPEG Stream: "Track 2"

DAVIS, JOHN Instructional Sculpture For Children (Root Strata) cd-r 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The undulating drones and scraped loops which provide the backbone for the debut recording for San Francisco's John Davis could have easily been plucked from a Phill Niblock or Andrew Chalk composition; but in fact their origins lie in the interactive exhibitions found at the Exploratorium, SF's one of a kind museum of science, art, and human perception. If you've never had the opportunity to get to the Exploratorium, it's well worth the visit as there's tons of contraptions designed to illuminate, educate, and amaze. Armed with a mini-disc recorder, a good mic, and a willingness to explore, Davis captured many of plinks, plonks, and bongs from the Exploratorium's many exhibits that demonstrate any number of acoustic phemonena. He then ran these field recordings through a battery of Max/MSP patches to arrive at this spiralling cloud of pixelated smears, golden drones, and a variety of those aforementioned plinks, plonks, and bongs. Davis certainly draws from the aesthetics of Stephan Mathieu and Fennesz, adding a mechanical and metallic clamour into the mix.
Released on Tarentel's Root Strata label, this beautifully packaged cd-r is strictly limited to 50 copies, of which we only have a handful. You know what that means!
MPEG Stream: "Instructional Sculpture For Children (excerpt)"

DAVKA Judith (Tzadik) cd 15.98
From the obi: "Based in San Francisco, Davka is an acoustic group at the forefront of the new Jewish Rennaissance. These three masterful musicians have been performing modern Jewish music together since 1992 and Judith, their latest release, features their flowing melodic compostitions and magical interplay in ten distinctive compostitions drawing upon Sephardic and Ashkenazi traditions, jazz, and classical chamber music. Beautiful, soulful music performed with astonishing technique and passion.

DAY, CARSON Terrabyte (Dielectric) 3" cd-r 7.98
Wow. This is a gorgeous little thing before we even pop it in the player. A fogged plastic 3" soft jewel case, one side a super detailed photo of some sort of brilliant green caterpillar, the other a transparent smear of different greens, bright but strangely muted, revealing the tiny green disc within. The music itself is just as beautiful, thick slabs of post-Autechre skitter and thump, tangled and serpentine, but still somehow soothing and dreamy, the dense convoluted beats and rhythms all wrapped up in warm warped melodies and beautifully creepy atmospheres. Very cinematic and epic. Like some perfect mix of Autechre, Boards Of Canada and Godspeed maybe...
Only 100 copies made. Of which we got 20. So act fast!
MPEG Stream: "Gentle"
MPEG Stream: "Cubic Space"

DE ROCHER, ETIENNE s/t (Fog City) cd 12.98
If you didn't guess from this SF gent's fabulous name, Etienne De Rocher is one smooth operator. Graced with such easygoing charm and flair, his years-in-the-making debut self-titled album only confirms this. Although this is indeed his first full length cd, he's certainly no rookie. He's been honing his songcraft from a very early age. De Rocher's well-crafted soft rock stylings are embellished with subtle strings that add that extra air of elegance. Imagine a less flamboyant Rufus Wainwright or a slightly more flamboyant Elliott Smith, Nick Drake or Buckley Jr. and Sr. (r.i.p.) and you might get a sense of Monsieur De Rocher. He saves one of his best songs for last, the sweetly romantic "Goodnight". Nice!
MPEG Stream: "The Lizard Song"
MPEG Stream: "Goodnight"

DEALERSHIP Action/Adventure (Turn) cd 11.98
Finally a breezy new album from these Bay Area noisepoppers! This is the follow-up to their TV Highway To The Stars album from a couple of years back, and happily they pick right up where they left off. That means more super catchy indie pop tunes. Hurrah! The album does have a couple of oddly uncharacteristic spots though... In the third song "World" it sounds like whomever is playing the piano is really drunk or somehow otherwise wonky. He/she seems to be rushing things and keeps hitting a sour note. Very strange. Oh, but that's just a minor blemish in the Action/Adventure flurry of Dealership goodness. On the third to last song in their string of fourteen pop treats, Dealership magically transform themselves into something resembling Magnetic Fields, complete with deep droll male vocals (sorta Stephin Merritt meets Phil Oakey of Human League) and suitably dour song title. Then they instantly revert back to what they do best, fuzzy power pop songs that never go outta style. Ah yes, those great male/female vocal harmonies and crunchy guitars that we know and love. Includes a soft'n'snuggly version of Sex Pistols' "Anarchy In The U.K." complete with sing song ba-ba-da's!
MPEG Stream: "Two Turns"
MPEG Stream: "I Don't Want Your Love"

DEALERSHIP TV Highway To The Stars (Keiki) cd 11.98
Comparisons to the wonderful, bright harmonies of the Posies, as well as Sloan and Velocity Girl immediately jump to mind. Bursts of fuzz-laden guitars. Perky boy/girl vocals that bounce along from English to Japanese to French and back again. If you're familiar with the annual San Francisco Noise-Pop music fest then you're probably already well aware of Dealership. They absolutely epitomize the warm'n'fuzzy sound and spirit of Noise-Pop! 14 super driving and catchy pop tunes.
RealAudio clip: "Tetsuo"

DEATH OF A PARTY The Rise And Fall Of Scarlet City (Double Negative) cd 14.98
Taking their own name to heart, this Bay Area band have taken a turn off of the hipster dance punk party avenue down a dark alley of much more tenuous and also heavily trodden post-punk sounds. Far less disposable and trend-minded than their 2005 debut ep Shame Of The Sweet, Death Of A Party's full length The Rise And Fall Of Scarlet City swiftly dispels with flavor of the week pouty boy vocals and mirror ball spin in favor of clenched fists and increasingly aggressive guitars. With this edgier angstful energy and stylized goth aesthetics, Death Of A Party draw up alongside fellow Bay Area indie post-punkers The Holy Kiss and The Mall.
MPEG Stream: "Weekend"
MPEG Stream: "The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies"

DEATH SENTENCE: PANDA s/t (Folding) cassette 2.98
BACK IN STOCK! Here's a another brief blast of cassette goodness released by AQ pal Mike Donovan (Big Techno Werewolves, Nam, Sounds Of The Barbary Coast, The Ropers, Dial Records) of local jazz noise outfit Death Sentence: Panda. A wild skronky chaotic freak out eqyal parts avant jazz and Bay Area free noise weirdness. As with most releases by the very DIY San Francisco fella Mr. Donovan, there is only going to be a very small homespun run of these made, so needless to say, don't snoooooze!

DEATH SENTENCE: PANDA! Festival of Gods / R'out 4,002 (Upset The Rhythm) lp 14.98
First proper lp full length from these SF noiserock vets, who pre-Panda (or Panda concurrent) did time in Crack: We Are Rock, Total Shutdown, T.I.T.S. and Murder Murder. This lp collects a brand new batch of songs with a long out of print tour only cd ep...
Spastic, chaotic, skronky, grinding, angular, manic no-wave new wave is pretty much what this trio serves up. A sort of off kilter unhinged Melt-Banana, or Deerhoof on crystal meth, horns bleat and honk, sharp and jagged, the drums pound and stumble, the vocals shouted, squeaked, howled and crooned, every track a grinding convoluted blast of punk rock new wave abstract whatthefuck. Gloriously damaged and cracked, fractured and fucked, warbly and warped weirdness...
Packaged in super deluxe chipboard sleeves, hand screened with beautiful abstract pandas in black, white and orange...
LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES.

DEATH STAR (Silver Girl) 10" 7.98
Chico band, favorites of Andee's, supposed to be awesome live but i work too much to be able to back that up with my own experience, and obviously VERY BIG FANS OF HÜSKER DÜ. It's good, and the silver silkscreened sleeve is really nice.

DEERHOOF Dirt Pirate Creed (Children Of Hoof) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not new, but we just got a bunch of this mysteriously hard-to-find debut lp from SF faves Deerhoof. Originally released in 1996, these recordings were eventually remastered and rereleased by Kill Rock Stars / 5RC as "The Man, The King, The Girl". But here it is again in all its lo-fi analog glory! For the unfamiliar, Deerhoof was born under the ashes of Nitre Pit, an SF quartet that fused heavy Melvins-like sludge with the skewed, art damaged incomprehensibility of Caroliner. Early Deerhoof recordings retained some of those elements and added a pop edge, resulting in dreamy, childlike abstraction layered with a healthy dose of sludge and noise.

DEERHOOF Friend Opportunity (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
So weird and so wonderful! Man, if only the Krofft Supershow was still on the air Deerhoof would be the best house band ever. Sid and Marty's tweaked candy-colored tv show trips are the perfect visual match for this Bay Area band's sounds. Imagine taking your sugar-buzzed ears for a wild rollercoaster ride on which the loops and corkscrews are all twisted into such macrame knots that you lose all sense of which way is up! Delirious thrills and chills galore. Friend Opportunity continues on from where The Runners Four left off with even grander scale productions that wouldn't be at all out of place in some theatrical musical... a very psychedelic one, mind you! We heart Deerhoof!
MPEG Stream: "The Galaxist"
MPEG Stream: "Matchbook Seeks Maniac"

DEERHOOF Green Cosmos (Menlo Park) cd 10.98
For Green Cosmos, Deerhoof have kicked things up a notch on their already-deliciously frenetic art-rock quirk-o-meter, and they've done so in impressive style! They've not only branched off in ways that may appeal to a broader audience without alienating their old fans, but also locked into some more out-there planes. Quite a bit more melodic and composed, but also sorta like a tricked-out Beatles' "Revolution #9" mashed up with candy-coated anime soundtracks and of course some Capt. Beefheart and Melt-Banana too. At times very bizarre and epic with its grand assemlbage of tinkly toybox sounds, winky guitar stabs, tight rhythmic progressions and those pussycat-cooing vocals. You can easily imagine this accompanying a giant puppet show. Or if we were to compare it to an amusement park ride, it'd be some sorta mongrel mutant of a rollercoaster and a bumper car. Only seven songs (six new, two revised older ones "Come See The Duck" and "Byun") clocking in at around fifteen minutes, but oh such utterly splendid precision and chaos in every twisted adventure pop bite. Wheeeeeeeee!
MPEG Stream: "Spiral Golden Tower"
MPEG Stream: "Koneko Kitten"

DEERHOOF Holdypaws (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
2nd disc on KRS by this cult San Francisco outfit. Featuring one-half of the unfortunately underappreciated and thus long-gone Nitre Pit (who were a kind of Melvins-meets-Caroliner band), Deerhoof experiment with weird, angular, noisy, pop. Slightly reminiscent of the Thinking Fellers, with female vocals, surreal lyrics, and assorted other strangeness.

DEERHOOF Live Koalamagic (Dual Plover) cd 10.98
Not really new, but we have a more consistent supply than when this was first released. Koalamagic collects five tracks of live performances spanning various lineups between 1996 and 2000, two of which are longer, uncut sets. Countless fans have praised Deerhoof as one of the best live acts in America right now, hear what everyone's raving about! If you haven't already seen Deerhoof live, well, this won't necessarily make up for it, nor will it be completely indicative of how they are live now, but it's a nice document of what was and why you might want to get out of the house once in a while. Get this if only for their legendary, frenzied, uninterrupted twenty minute set from Club Hot! in 2000. And if you're still wondering what the heck this Deerhoof is we're talking about, I guess this live album isn't the release for you -- try their album Reveille (or at least read our review of it).
MPEG Stream: "Gore In Rut"
MPEG Stream: "A Town Test Site"

DEERHOOF Matchbook Seeks Maniac / Makko Shobu (Picture Disc) (Kill Rock Stars) 7" 5.50
Nice single from AQ faves Deerhoof which has a different mix of "Matchbook Seeks Maniac" from their latest album Friend Opportunity and a b-side which is a charming and enchanting short track that displays their continued push towards even more vividly creative pop. A picture disc whose spinning colors match the brightness of Deerhoof's spirited sound.

DEERHOOF Milk Man (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
It is incredible that this prog damaged pop group from San Francisco, which thrives on simplicity, can continually create complexly playful and riddling compositions while maintaining a bashful earnestness that totally offsets any and all chances that their musical prowess and ingenuity will falter into the category of 'wank'. Through Deerhoof's ten year existence, there have been numerous changes in personnel and instrumentation, but even through these variables there is a solidarity and consistency in the songwriting that is uniquely Deerhoof. While not as wildly cacophonous and volatile as 1997's The Man The King The Girl, there has been a return of sorts here (as on last year's Apple O') to a certain looseness that had been held back on the lushly crafted Reveille. Milk Man, their sixth long player, maintains the taut rock sound perfected on Apple O' whilst introducing more sonically diverse elements to the everyday Deerhoof palette (most notably: crackling electronics, horns and/or woodwinds -- is that a flute or a pocket trumpet on "Milking"? -- synthesizers and organs, and what sounds like to these ears, a Happy Apple*?) John Deiterich and Chris Cohen's awkwardly perfect harmonizations weave into Greg Saunier's John-French-by-way-of-Keith-Moon drumb blasts, emblazoned with Satomi Matsuzaki's mesmerizing vocal ornaments on rockers like the opening title track, "That Big Orange Sun Run Over Speed Light" and "Milking". The lovely "Desaparecere" is an electronically backed number that evokes the Brazilian work of Joao and Astrud Gilberto (though the lyrics are in Spanish rather than Portuguese...). The previously released single "C", is reprised here in all its hand-clapping and falsetto glory. As beautiful and bewildering as past releases, what I think shines through most on Milk Man is its cohesive solidarity as a single album.
*for those who are curious (like Allan, who had to ask), a Happy Apple was a children's toy made by Fisher Price in the seventies. It's basically a six inch tall plastic apple with a happy face that, when shaken, makes a pretty polyphonic "chiming bells" sound. Kinda like windchimes, but muted since the elements which makes the sounds are encased in plastic. If you crack one open, you'll see that it's a simple circular design of four or five metal rods of varying length, with a pendulum-like ball in the center that hammers at them when agitated. I have a few of 'em at home, I always pick them up at flea markets. No two sound exactly alike! Anyway, there are occasional chiming sounds on this new Deerhoof record that I suspect are in fact from a Happy Apple, but I could be wrong...
MPEG Stream: "Milk Man"
MPEG Stream: "Milking"
MPEG Stream: "That Big Orange Sun"

DEERHOOF Milk Man (Free Porcupine Society) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yowza, now on vinyl! What we said about the cd last list: It is incredible that this prog damaged pop group from San Francisco, which thrives on simplicity, can continually create complexly playful and riddling compositions while maintaining a bashful earnestness that totally offsets any and all chances that their musical prowess and ingenuity will falter into the category of 'wank'. Through Deerhoof's ten year existence, there have been numerous changes in personnel and instrumentation, but even through these variables there is a solidarity and consistency in the songwriting that is uniquely Deerhoof. While not as wildly cacophonous and volatile as 1997's The Man The King The Girl, there has been a return of sorts here (as on last year's Apple O') to a certain looseness that had been held back on the lushly crafted Reveille. Milk Man, their sixth long player, maintains the taut rock sound perfected on Apple O' whilst introducing more sonically diverse elements to the everyday Deerhoof palette (most notably: crackling electronics, horns and/or woodwinds -- is that a flute or a pocket trumpet on 'Milking'? -- synthesizers and organs, and what sounds like to these ears, a Happy Apple*?) John Deiterich and Chris Cohen's awkwardly perfect harmonizations weave into Greg Saunier's John-French-by-way-of-Keith-Moon drumb blasts, emblazoned with Satomi Matsuzaki's mesmerizing vocal ornaments on rockers like the opening title track, 'That Big Orange Sun Run Over Speed Light' and 'Milking'. The lovely 'Desaparecere' is an electronically backed number that evokes the Brazilian work of Joao and Astrud Gilberto (though the lyrics are in Spanish rather than Portuguese...). The previously released single 'C', is reprised here in all its hand-clapping and falsetto glory. As beautiful and bewildering as past releases, what I think shines through most on Milk Man is its cohesive solidarity as a single album.
*for those who are curious (like Allan, who had to ask), a Happy Apple was a children's toy made by Fisher Price in the seventies. It's basically a six inch tall plastic apple with a happy face that, when shaken, makes a pretty polyphonic "chiming bells" sound. Kinda like windchimes, but muted since the elements which makes the sounds are encased in plastic. If you crack one open, you'll see that it's a simple circular design of four or five metal rods of varying length, with a pendulum-like ball in the center that hammers at them when agitated. I have a few of 'em at home, I always pick them up at flea markets. No two sound exactly alike! Anyway, there are occasional chiming sounds on this new Deerhoof record that I suspect are in fact from a Happy Apple, but I could be wrong...
MPEG Stream: "Milk Man"
MPEG Stream: "Milking"
MPEG Stream: "That Big Orange Sun"

DEERHOOF Offend Maggie (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
Our long standing love affair with Deerhoof is still in full force after all these years. Not only do they continue to make fantastic and rewarding music, but they've managed to remain in touch with the wondrous spirit and deep creativity that made them so irresistible right from ther beginning. While their sound has been fleshed out and fine tuned over the years, they have not lost any of the unique and off kilter elements that made their music so special. They're perhaps the only band you can play for your two year old niece AND your weird druggy psychedelic uncle, and chances are they both would be bopping and bouncing and grinning like crazy and loving every sound coming out of the speakers.
Offend Maggie could just be their most effortless sounding outing to date, it's so cool that despite being such precise and proficient players they've found a way to make their songs jump, hop and skip through all sorts of wonderful shapes and colors without ever sounding self conscious. There is a delightful freedom and sense of play and wonder in these songs that has us falling in love with Deerhoof all over again. Much like the most recent outing by Stereolab, the songs on Offend Maggie really start blossoming after repeated listens and we're pretty sure we'll be spinning this over and over for the rest of the year. It's almost a decade since they were our little San Francisco secret, and now they've shared tours with the likes of Radiohead and The Flaming Lips, and earned a spot as one of the more popular and respected bands in the indie rock world while keeping their music so innovative and inspired and original!
MPEG Stream: "Offend Maggie"
MPEG Stream: "Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back"
MPEG Stream: "The Tears Of Music And Love"

DEERHOOF Offend Maggie (Kill Rock Stars) lp 14.98
Our long standing love affair with Deerhoof is still in full force after all these years. Not only do they continue to make fantastic and rewarding music, but they've managed to remain in touch with the wondrous spirit and deep creativity that made them so irresistible right from ther beginning. While their sound has been fleshed out and fine tuned over the years, they have not lost any of the unique and off kilter elements that made their music so special. They're perhaps the only band you can play for your two year old niece AND your weird druggy psychedelic uncle, and chances are they both would be bopping and bouncing and grinning like crazy and loving every sound coming out of the speakers.
Offend Maggie could just be their most effortless sounding outing to date, it's so cool that despite being such precise and proficient players they've found a way to make their songs jump, hop and skip through all sorts of wonderful shapes and colors without ever sounding self conscious. There is a delightful freedom and sense of play and wonder in these songs that has us falling in love with Deerhoof all over again. Much like the most recent outing by Stereolab, the songs on Offend Maggie really start blossoming after repeated listens and we're pretty sure we'll be spinning this over and over for the rest of the year. It's almost a decade since they were our little San Francisco secret, and now they've shared tours with the likes of Radiohead and The Flaming Lips, and earned a spot as one of the more popular and respected bands in the indie rock world while keeping their music so innovative and inspired and original!
MPEG Stream: "Offend Maggie"
MPEG Stream: "Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back"
MPEG Stream: "The Tears Of Music And Love"

DEERHOOF Reveille (5RC / Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
Gosh. What can I say? This is absolutely the finest moment of Deerhoof's recorded output. At 34 minutes, there is absolutely no filler on Reveille: it is an astonishingly precise and accomplished half hour of some of the most challenging, interesting avant-rock we've heard in a long long time. Jeff loves this album so much he almost started a record label just to put it out! The local trio of Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich and Greg Saunier are old school; you can hear in their music the lessons they learned from vintage Bay Area weirdos like Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 and Caroliner, and from the famously avant garde Mills College music program -- all of which have resulted in a great, eccentric band whose aesthetic is fully formed, mature and confident. Satomi's light, singsong vocal delivery (similar to Boredoms' Yoshimi, Blonde Redhead, Yoko Ono) careens from stereo left to stereo right, a dose of melody and almost j-pop sweetness that plays perfectly against the macabre repeating guitar lines and the great, unpredictable, muscular drumming. Sudden stops and starts punctuate eight minute songs against one minute collages of noisy audio squiggles. Much like the Thinking Fellers did, Deerhoof juxtaposes melodic passages against weighty, distorted guitar a la Sonic Youth; they rarely descend to all-too-easy verse/chorus/verse trad songwriting, yet amazingly enough the album is quite accessible. Experimental music that everyone can enjoy. Wonderful. This record is perfection.
RealAudio clip: "This Magnificent Bird Will Rise"
RealAudio clip: "Our Angel's Ululu"
RealAudio clip: "Frenzied Handsome, Hello!"
RealAudio clip: "Punch Buggy Valves"

DEERHOOF Reveille (Global Buddy) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally on vinyl in cool hand screened sleeves!!
Gosh. What can I say? This is absolutely the finest moment of Deerhoof's recorded output. At 34 minutes, there is absolutely no filler on Reveille: it is an astonishingly precise and accomplished half hour of some of the most challenging, interesting avant-rock we've heard in a long long time. Jeff loves this album so much he almost started a record label just to put it out! The local trio of Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich and Greg Saunier are old school; you can hear in their music the lessons they learned from vintage Bay Area weirdos like Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 and Caroliner, and from the famously avant garde Mills College music program -- all of which have resulted in a great, eccentric band whose aesthetic is fully formed, mature and confident. Satomi's light, singsong vocal delivery (similar to Boredoms' Yoshimi, Blonde Redhead, Yoko Ono) careens from stereo left to stereo right, a dose of melody and almost j-pop sweetness that plays perfectly against the macabre repeating guitar lines and the great, unpredictable, muscular drumming. Sudden stops and starts punctuate eight minute songs against one minute collages of noisy audio squiggles. Much like the Thinking Fellers did, Deerhoof juxtaposes melodic passages against weighty, distorted guitar a la Sonic Youth; they rarely descend to all-too-easy verse/chorus/verse trad songwriting, yet amazingly enough the album is quite accessible. Experimental music that everyone can enjoy. Wonderful. This record is perfection.
RealAudio clip: "This Magnificent Bird Will Rise"
RealAudio clip: "Our Angel's Ululu"
RealAudio clip: "Frenzied Handsome, Hello!"
RealAudio clip: "Punch Buggy Valves"

DEERHOOF s/t (Insignificant) 7" 3.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
First single from the beloved SF trio, back when they were a quartet, and before their new guitarist, who now plays bass... Heavy art sludge that retains elements of their Nitre Pit roots. The left and right channels are separate songs that can be listened to separately or combined. Plus, there's amazing etched art that covers the entire record -- you can even see it across the grooves, but, amazingly, it doesn't affect the sound.

DEERHOOF Se Piangi, Se Ridi / Strawberry Bananas (333) 7" 7.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
In delicious kool-aid orange vinyl! The title of Deerhoof's first track on this 7", "Se Piangi, Se Ridi" -- translation: "If You Cry, If You Laugh", is a sparse number, with delicate but damaged vocals and an intermittant drum hit recorded so it sounds like someone's getting hit with a hammer. Almost like this song is more about the process than the final piece, which is nice, but it made me want to cry. Apparently, it's a collage-ish interpretation of an old Italian pop-song by MINA. On the flip side, "Strawberry Bananas" is a like a Turkish pop tune, Deerhoof style! It's pretty amazing. Like, a beautiful scoop of joy that sadly melts away like strawberry-banana flavoured ice cream...