ACID EATER Black Fuzz On Wheels (Time Bomb) cd 22.00
When we think about it, we really should have made Acid Eater's debut, the awesomely titled Virulent Fuzz Punk A.C.I.D., a Record Of The Week, the most overdriven slab of in-the-red noise drenched hyperdistorted drug fueled punked out garage rock EVER. That is, until now.
So we can right that wrong, by bestowing the honor on record number two, the equally bad assedly (and aptly) titled Black Fuzz On Wheels, another amp destroying psychedelic garage punk blowout, fronted by none other than Yamazaki Maso, aka MASONNA, on vocals and sound effects, and ably backed up by a classic garage rock lineup, fuzz guitar, organ, bass keyboard, drums and chorus, okay, well, maybe not totally classic, but then this is not your classic garage rock. Imagine fuzzed out sixties garage rock, but with a fucked up freaked out Merzbow production, the guitars so distorted the riffs seem to be on the verge of totally falling to pieces, the drums, a blown out pound, the vocals, a sneering yowl, also doused in effects, all held in place by thick whirring Farfisa, everything rollicking and rocking, loose and wild, heavy and psychedelic, and all wrapped up in a bristly, incendiary sheen of white hot buzz and skree.
Thankfully these guys (and gal) have the fuzzed out garage pop songs to back up this sort of speaker shredding sonic onslaught, not to mention a little clutch of kick ass covers, songs by Crime, The Miracle Workers, and a band we'd never heard of before called The Tidal Wave, but whose composition here actually sounds like a sped up "TV Eye" by The Stooges! Weirdest of all, there's a cover of one of the tracks from those Schulmadchen Report soundtracks, y'know, music from saucy '60s German 'documentaries' about school girls making it with older men! Crazy, but it suits them, that cover is a cool surfy instrumental jam, with a bad ass main riff, and a cool breakdown with just drums and distorted hiss. The Miracle Workers cover is awesome too, maybe the noisiest of the bunch, and such a great song ("Love Has No Time"), the vocals especially effected, so snarly and snotty, as well as a tripped out psychedelic ambient effects drenched outro, all motorik pulses and swirling space age bleeps and bloops.
But if you didn't know, you'd probably just figure those covers were originals too, every song on here sounds like some classic sixties garage jam, dipped in a vat of liquid LSD, set afire and sent careening from your speakers. We can only imagine how mind blowing Acid Eater must be live.
Total psychnoise surfpunk distorto garage pop bliss. With super sexy naked lady motorcycle cover art to boot!!
MPEG Stream: "Yes, Motion"
MPEG Stream: "Oh Baby's No"
MPEG Stream: "Follow Me"
MPEG Stream: "Searching For Love"

HARVEY MILK s/t (Hydra Head) cd 14.98
It's kind of a no brainer around here, a new Harvey Milk is cause for much rejoicing, and often means shoo-in for Record Of The Week. What can we say? We LOVE these guys. Perhaps one of our favorite heavy weirdo sludge bands ever. Andee even released their legendary Courtesy And Goodwill Toward Men on his tUMULt label, before Relapse swooped in and snatched it up. NO ONE sounds like Harvey Milk, NO ONE, and it's ironic that pretty much every band these days wants to, cuz they've sounded the same for years and years and remained patently unpopular almost the whole time.
As if to drive that fact home (not the unpopular fact, the 'always sounded like this' fact), here's the Harvey Milk holy grail, the original debut record, recorded by Bob Weston in the early nineties, after which the band took it home and promptly lost it. And lost it remained, barring a few dubious and crap sounding bootlegs, and more recently some posted downloads of the same crappy recordings. Since folks were gonna listen to it anyway, the band figured what the fuck, they oughta take the best sounding tape they had, and get it all remastered and gussied up and released properly. And voila, the long lost self titled Harvey Milk record, featuring on its cover, perhaps THE tape where it all started.
Fair warning to the uninitiated, lots of these songs were reworked and re-recorded for other albums, this record was lost after all, so a bunch of these, in altered forms, made it onto My Love, Courtesy, the Kelly Sessions, but it's a gas to hear them here, rough and raw, in some cases dramatically different than their later versions, but that probably only matters to HM newbies, the cult of HM (ourselves included) are a dedicated and obsessed bunch, and even though we have most of these songs, we HAD to have it, and odds are a lot of you will feel the same. Plus, we have to say, the rough and raw recording definitely suits these jams. And the sound, so heavy and punishing, it's hard to imagine what folks thought of these guys back in the day, not very much we'd imagine. This crushing difficult heaviness, exactly what made them our immediate favorite band from first listen is precisely what turns off most other folks.
But if you've made it this far, we'll assume you, like us, have a think for Harvey Milk. And thus, you NEED this, everything about HM that you love is already fully formed even nearly 20 years ago, the crushing glacial pummel, the killer drum pound, the impossibly slow and yet ultra complex arrangements, the insanely emotive howled vocals, it's like these guys emerged fully formed from the band womb.
But a quick whip through the tracks should sway any nonbeliever, "Merlin Is Magic" is an epic melodic sludge prog masterpiece, with weirdly melodic vocals, and lurching hypnotic arrangement, "Dating Pressures" is total classic noiserock, laced with downtuned chug, pounding drum damage, but all Milked up with a howling vocal, and some lurching convoluted progginess, "Plastic Eggs" is the quintessential Milk slow motion doomjam, so slow, so anguished, so heavy, "Anthem" is downright jangly, but still a crushing bruiser, fuck it, you should know by now that this is essential, if you already dig the band, you're gonna go nuts for this, if you've never heard HM before, we might recommend Courtesy or My Love first, but at the same time, we can't imagine anyone listening to this, and not losing their shit and becoming immediately obsessed, and if for some reason, a person did hear this and was not utterly blown away, well, then we think the problem must be you!
Cool mini, lp style sleeve, with a simple photo of a (THE?) Harvey Milk cassette on the cover, the inside sleeve with liner notes on one side and a picture of the Milk van on the other, and last but not least, a mini reproduction of what looks like a promotional HM photo, complete with 'For booking call:' info, which is hilarious whether it's a joke or not.
MPEG Stream: "Blueberry Dookie"
MPEG Stream: "Plastic Eggs"
MPEG Stream: "F.S.T.P."
MPEG Stream: "Anthem"

V/A Minimal Wave Tapes Volume 1, The (Stones Throw / Minimal Wave) cd 14.98
Ooooh, so awesome! If you're familiar with Minimal Wave already, or if you're not, this is the thing to get.
The Minimal Wave label and website have been tremendous resources for discovering the hidden gems of synth punk, cold wave, Neue Deutsche Welle, and any of the darker strains of new wave that all blossomed throughout the early to mid '80s. While the label has released full album reissues (vinyl-only) from a number of forgotten men and women of the trade, the two comps that Minimal Wave has issued over the years - the Lost Tapes (documenting European artists) and the Found Tapes (culling from North America) - were absolutely stunning, without a dud amongst the many collected tracks. Unfortunately, those two comps were quite expensive and quite hard to come by. So when Minimal Wave and Stones Throw came together to release this comp, our initial reaction (and that of a few others walking in the shop) was that this compilation fused those Lost & Found Tapes together. Well, we were wrong as this highlights not only some of the best tracks from those compilations, but also the best tracks from the Minimal Wave reissue library, plus a few rare gems not readily available anywhere else.
The Belgian outfit Linear Movement (which later morphed into A Split Second) opens the compilation with a very cold dance number of disaffectedly cold Italo-disco rhythms and female vocals that would fit in with any given Johnny Jewel production for Italians Do It Better (e.g. Chromatics, Glass Candy, Desire, etc.). Crash Course In Science's "Flying Turns" re-emerged first on the Found Tapes and then on the totally awesome Vinyl On Demand anthology; and is an immediately catchy if darkly unique number of dot-dot-dash electro and spiky rhythms closer in spirit to the Units or Nervous Gender. Oppenheimer Analysis reprises a very Gary Numanoid track from their eponymous record which Minimal Wave reissued a while back. The Mark Lane track "Who's Really Listening" is another insistent proto-techno number of synthetic micro-blips driving handclap drum rhythms and Lane's Ultravox-ish vocals. Tara Cross was one of the few women tinkering around with electronics, and produced some beguiling arrhythmic structures with staccato synth punches and her drawn out vocal ambience. Turquoise Days may have been the only New Wave export of the Channel Islands, pulling out some jangling dissonance from their guitars to match the Modern English synth melodies. Minimal Wave reprises the Lost Tapes with a great track from Bene Gesserit, a project of bleakly alienated progressive electronics from Alain Neff who ran the Insane Music label. The Esplendor Geometrico track is curiously playful for a project that centered so much on dangerously mechanoid industrial grinding. Das Ding's "Reassurance Ritual" was designed for the dancefloor with a constant revolution of drum machine programming around tightly wound synth melody repetitions. Cryptic theatrics from the Martin Dupont ensemble appear on "Just Because" sounding a lot like a Fad Gadget B-side. And if the Deux track "Game & Performance" sounds familiar, it's because you've heard it on the BIPPP compilation which Ed Banger re-released a while back. The compilation is fleshed out with the best death disco groove that Das Kabinette ever mustered on their single "The Cabinet" which did come out on a Minimal Wave lp a while back.
Fantastic!!!!!
FYI there IS a vinyl version of this comp too, but of our various suppliers only one got copies, and they were shorted, so we only got a tiny tiny handful, not enough to list (by the time you read this, they'll probably be gone, but you can always ask). Hopefully though we'll get more somehow in the near future...
MPEG Stream: CRASH COURSE IN SCIENCE "Flying Turns"
MPEG Stream: MARK LANE "Who's Really Listening"
MPEG Stream: DAS DING "Reassurance Ritual"
MPEG Stream: DAS KABINETTE "The Cabinet"

----*
----* Highlights :
----*

AFCGT s/t (Sub Pop) lp + 7" 19.98
Fuck! It's always a good sign when you feel the need to start the review of a record with a vulgarity; and the Sub Pop debut for AFCGT is a fucking great album, worthy of your favorite swear word that punctuates any exasperated declaration of praise. If there's any justice, this won't be the only AFCGT record that Sub Pop releases; as this band deserves great things.
AFCGT sports three guitarists, one bassist, and a drummer all hailing from two other projects - the A Frames and the Climax Golden Twins (get the acronym?). The Climax Golden Twins have long been a favorite here at Aquarius, somewhat paralleling the psycho-geographical narratives of the Sun City Girls in marrying all sorts of musical esoterica from punk, psychedelia, exotica, funeral blues, Southeast Asian pop idioms, field recordings, and audio collage tactics. A Frames are far more conventional in their agitated recapitulation of rhythmically centered post-punk, particularly looking toward Wire's Chairs Missing as a template. It seemed an unlikely match; but when it all came together, it was damn impressive, as again made evident on their second eponymous record.
The opening track "Black Mark" sports vintage Mack truck riffage of nasty sludgecore which would have been right at home on Sub Pop circa 1992 alongside Tad, Mudhoney, and that first Nirvana record; but before the riff can propel headlong into grunge-punk territory, AFCGT implodes in a frenzied jitterbug guitar solo of dosed-fuzz and amplifier damage. The low-slung swamp blues of "Two Legged Dog" sends spiralling guitar freakouts on top of a throbbing two-note bassline drone and strutting mid-tempo backbeat. "Nacht" weirds things out quite a bit; and this track certainly showcases much more of the Climax Golden Twins' doing with spindly slide guitars, a purring cat-like drone, and spectrally slashed ambience hob-knobbing with Martin Denny's post-Polynesian bachelor pad rhythms. AFCGT reprises "New Punk" which opened their first eponymous record from a few years back, and it's still as spiky and agitated as before, just with a 'new' studio polish of extra grit and distortion. Nice.
This is an lp only release that comes with the download card for mp3s of the tracks on the lp and a bonus 7" (which is not included in the download).
MPEG Stream: "Black Mark"
MPEG Stream: "Two Legged Dog"
MPEG Stream: "Nacht"

ALTRES Tripping The Dark Fantastic (Multi-Purpose) 2cd-r 11.98
Working at Aquarius brings all kinds of new sounds to our lives. It's always great coming across something you have never even heard of and wondering how you could have gone on for so long without it, and we literally get new stuff sent in from all over the world. Sometimes it can be difficult to get to everything, we try our damnedest, though. And as unfortunate as it is to say, sometimes it can be simply overwhelming dealing with scores of random things that may, sadly, just miss the mark. But there are certainly exceptions to all that, and we can't think of any one greater in recent memory than this amazing double disc from Dundee, Scotland's Altres. One of the members was in San Francisco months back and dropped off a couple copies, which sat unlistened to for a bit too long. Then, curious one day, we threw it on and we were immediately blown away by the majestic electronic sounds pouring out of our speakers. Songs that just sounded, well, CLASSIC. Altres manage to recall some of the best things throughout the history of electronic music as well as some of the hazier realms of rock n' roll (their website lists Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Philip Glass, Throbbing Gristle, Faust, the Doors, and the Church as influences; at various times we also picked up on Cluster, Heldon, Popul Vuh, and Zombi's coked out disco side), but the end sound is clearly their own. The songs effortlessly ooze deep, krauty melodies with a sustained and cinematic ambience, and when they break out the drum machines things can head into high speed Moroder territory, always a good thing. It would just be unfair to the world if we didn't put this on our list, and we have no doubt that many aQ customers will be immediately taken with this. And while you're scratching your head wondering why you have never heard of Altres (we sure hadn't), there is, in fact, quite a story behind everything.
The group initially came together in 1983 before calling it quits two years later. In that time, Altres managed to play a handful of shows and produce a number of limited run cassettes, which make up the first disc of Tripping The Dark Fantastic. Even though these songs are coming from what you can imagine is an archaic source, they sound amazingly clear and powerful. Disc 2 features songs from the regrouped Altres, who decided to get back together a staggering 17 years later. Whatever cynical thoughts about band reunions that might be running through your head can be put to rest, because these songs (spanning from 2003-2006) are clearly the work of the same dedicated soundsmiths. Things sound a little more "modern" at times, we can assume that by 2003 the Altres guys had probably snagged a digital synth or two, but what's special is how they use their instruments, and like the early material, these songs are super melodic, slightly ominous, and darkly evocative.
The album begins with the 13 minute "Golden Country", with arpeggiated synth pulses guiding you into a world that is both spacey and strangely pastoral. It's like looking out across some expansive future horizon with the dramatic synth sweeps making you unsure if you are in sinister or friendly territory. Either way, it's intriguing and a good way to set the stage for the rest of the album. "Snakebridge" is like a high speed chase through some futuristic world of uncertainty. Heavy basslines and a relentless driving rhythm take you all over the place, and the best part is the fact that the song is 11 minutes, giving you plenty of time to get lost in it. There's a cool mid-song break that makes you feel like you've just ducked into some back alleyway before starting up again. To give you a reference point, it actually *sounds* like this stuff could have been a heavy influence on Trans Am's Futureworld. Disc 1 ends with "Icefield", another darkly unsettling piece that makes you think of, yes icefields, and probably some foreboding windowless compound as well.
Disc 2 kicks off with the catchy "Earworm", another romp through a future of back alleys in post-apocalyptic slums. On "Dusktreader", lightly played acoustic guitars that would sound at home on a nice, private press stoner folk lp mix with wispy synths that are rhythmic despite a lack of actual percussion. Recorded live, "(Shadow Of A) Broken Mirror" utilizes another arpeggiated synth sequence with a simple drum machine beat. It has a very cool buildup with some slashing guitar chords, and it makes sense that this is live, as it sounds like the result of a band rather than just someone's half assed electronic project. Closer "Throb" is something that will probably appeal to fans of Circle, it's almost like some electro-jazz hybrid cranking out murky underwater melodies that bring the album to a close as perfectly as it began.
Wow, we could go on and on about what an awesome surprise this is from a band that deserves your attention. Thinking of the music you are familiar with from the band's initial run, you may question why and how Altres could have gone unrecognized after making such original and self-aware music. But better late than never. Highest recommendation possible.
MPEG Stream: "Golden Country"
MPEG Stream: "Snakebridge"
MPEG Stream: "Brainflame"
MPEG Stream: "Dusktreader"
MPEG Stream: "(Shadow Of A) Broken Mirror"

ARRIVAL OF SATAN, THE Vexing Verses (Black Hate) cd 16.98
We've said it before but it bears repeating, what is it with French black metal?! How is it that there are so many amazing bands? Like Norway, France has carved out a distinct and recognizable vibe and sound, and become a black metal powerhouse, so much so that just being from France gives a band some serious grim cred, and it's often well deserved, cuz really, the ratio of French BM that rules versus the ones that suck is pretty impressive. Thus we have the enigmatic The Arrival Of Satan, who besides being from France, have one other distinction that will no doubt endear them to faithful readers of the aQ list, they hail from Grenoble, not necessarily a black metal hotbed, EXCEPT for Diamatregon, and by extension, the various non black offshoots, Aluk Todolo, Gunslingers, GR & Full-Blown Expansion, and as might be inevitable in a scene as small as Grenoble's, The Arrival Of Satan just so happens to feature former Diamatregon drummer, Krukka!
But don't be expecting any sort of weird progressive freaked out psychedelic blackness, like Diamatregon's recent Crossroad masterpiece, the sound of Vexing Verses owes much more to the previous DMTRGN opus Blasphemy For Satan. It's a similarly face melting blast of furious buzz and blown out heaviness, the riffs a dronelike blur, the drums frantic and pounding, always on the verge of collapse, the vocals hysterical and hellish, but within this blurry blast lurks all sorts of weirdness, bizarre convoluted song structures, lurching start stop tempos, bizarre production, some of the tracks, even though they're buzzing and blasting away, manages to sound simultaneously warm and sort of pretty, the guitars will throb and pulse, sometimes dropping out entirely, leaving just the drums to pound away briefly, before lurching back into action, giving the sound a sort of woozy seasick vibe, the riffs are gnarled and twisted, atonal and off kilter, lending a sort of warped avant quality to the sound as well.
On the surface, Vexing Verses does indeed come across as a blazing blast of satanic slaughter and grim black fury, but beneath the blast and howl, the crush and pound, lurks a melted black heart of twisted pop flecked blackness, fucked up Burzumic buzz and a distinctly French, totally twisted what-the-fuck mentality. Grim and black enough for the true, freaky and far out enough for the rest of us...
MPEG Stream: "Tragic Awakening"
MPEG Stream: "Phantasms Of Hatred"
MPEG Stream: "For Psychiatry"

ASGARD ROOT Issue 2 magazine 14.98
The return of Asgard Root! An upstart metal magazine, whose first issue we raved about a while back, and who with the publication of their second issue are definitely ready to give the big boys at Decibel and Terrorizer a run for their money.
Way bigger than the first issue, this volume is jam packed with tons of amazing metal bands, black, cult and obscure, lots of aQ faves, some non metal groups, as well as reviews and photos and art.
It's a massive and heavy (both literally and figuratively) tome, that should definitely be required reading for the heavy-sounds inclined aQuarians out there.
Depressive black metallers Austere, recent aQ black metal faves Coldworld, raw Canadian cult Akitsa, an interview with Swedish black one man horde Arckanum, Mortiis (!), post black metallers Janvs, melodic black metal outfit Agolloch, mysterious black horde Paragon Belial, post industrialists Allerseelen, UK depressive black metallers Lyrinx, Canadian neo folk black metal outift Musk Ox, rune reader Freya Aswynn, Wallachia's favorite albums, Norwegian legends Enslaved, English steampunk black metallers A Forest Of Stars, gloomy gothic metal group Yussuf Jerusalem, ex-Lycia singer David Galas, UK one man black metal band Caina, Dead Raven Choir (!!), Swedish gloom pop metal masters Lifelover and lots of reviews, magazines, demos, albums, and more more. Definitely recommended.

BEACH HOUSE Teen Dream (Sub Pop) cd+dvd 15.98
Swoon....sigh....melt! That's all we want to do when we listen to the newest album by this Baltimore duo who we've been in love with since their debut ep from way back when. The follow up to their great full length Devotion, this is a record we and so many others have been highly anticipating and it's so nice to start the new year with an album that is already ruling our stereos and will no doubt end up on many of our year end favorite lists.
Teen Dream is quite simply, exquisite and elegant. The golden warmth and soft waves of comfort and longing BH are able to express through their songs makes them truly one of the most special bands around. There is a timelessness and sense of authenticity that rings so true within their songs. This is the music you put on when you've had your heart broken or you just discovered new love or when you are laying in bed with that special someone and its time to just bliss out, lost in a daze without saying a word. Teen Dream is the soundtrack for thinking of a close friend who is in a far away place, it's a sonic refuge, when you need somewhere safe to drift and daydream all of your troubles away.
We have a feeling that this record is about to get an avalanche of press and attention but it couldn't be more deserved. This is hands down one of the most majestic and moving records to come out in a very long time. Nothing feels forced, no songs are throwaways, start to finish Teen Dream sounds practically perfect, a classic that will no doubt remain a classic regardless of shifting sounds and tastes.
As an added bonus Teen Dream also comes with a dvd, containing a video for every single song on the album created by different directors. We haven't even gotten around to watching it yet cuz for now all we want to do is listen to the album over and over again, letting ourselves get lost in the glistening images it evokes in our own subconscious. Breathtaking!
MPEG Stream: "Norway"
MPEG Stream: "Used to Be"
MPEG Stream: "Better Times"

BEACH HOUSE Teen Dream (Sub Pop) lp+dvd 17.98
Swoon....sigh....melt! That's all we want to do when we listen to the newest album by this Baltimore duo who we've been in love with since their debut ep from way back when. The follow up to their great full length Devotion, this is a record we and so many others have been highly anticipating and it's so nice to start the new year with an album that is already ruling our stereos and will no doubt end up on many of our year end favorite lists.
Teen Dream is quite simply, exquisite and elegant. The golden warmth and soft waves of comfort and longing BH are able to express through their songs makes them truly one of the most special bands around. There is a timelessness and sense of authenticity that rings so true within their songs. This is the music you put on when you've had your heart broken or you just discovered new love or when you are laying in bed with that special someone and its time to just bliss out, lost in a daze without saying a word. Teen Dream is the soundtrack for thinking of a close friend who is in a far away place, it's a sonic refuge, when you need somewhere safe to drift and daydream all of your troubles away.
We have a feeling that this record is about to get an avalanche of press and attention but it couldn't be more deserved. This is hands down one of the most majestic and moving records to come out in a very long time. Nothing feels forced, no songs are throwaways, start to finish Teen Dream sounds practically perfect, a classic that will no dubt remain a classic regardless of shifting sounds and tastes.
As an added bonus Teen Dream also comes with a dvd, containing a video for every single song on the album created by different directors. We haven't even gotten around to watching it yet cuz for now all we want to do is listen to the album over and over again, letting ourselves get lost in the glistening images it evokes in our own subconscious. Breathtaking!
MPEG Stream: "Norway"
MPEG Stream: "Used to Be"
MPEG Stream: "Better Times"

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER Rats (Doom Mantra) lp 16.98
Latest in the Doom Mantra series of super limited lps comes from black noise duo Blue Sabbath Black Cheer (after previous installments by Colossloth, Worship and Wicked King Wicker, as well as future releases planned for Dead Raven Choir and The Throes Of Darkness) and is split between previously released ultra limited and now way out of print rarities and new unreleased material, as well as featuring a handful of guests including Mason Jones and Rubber O Cement!.
Unlike the last few BSBC releases, this time the guys dial back the noise assault, focusing instead on texture and mood, still plenty noisy, but this time the noise is doled out much more judiciously.
The opening track sounds like it was composed using busted electronics and field recordings of actual battles, sirens wail and explosions erupt under cloud of static and glitch, wrapped in thick billows of black thrum.
The rest of the side plays out in swells of washed out minimal drift, shot through with streaks of caustic noise, intercepted voices, groaning detuned guitars, melting synths, building gradually to a full on industrial chaos-scape
The flipside begins with a looooong blast of caustic blur and buzz, murky slowed down vocals, thick waves of hiss, everything churning and roiling, crusty and noisy and brutal, heavy on the drone, built a bit like a low end Whitehouse, some strange demon with a tracheotomy proselytizing over a hellish din, soon joined in by what sounds like terrified screams, and the sound of flames on flesh. Really really creepy. As the side progresses it grows a bit more abstract, a drifting sea of crumbling distortion and blurred hiss, some grinding rumbles and buried almost-melodies, soft noise tangled up with deep black industrial dronemusic., before stumbling back into a blown out hiss drenched dronescape, harsh and heavy and intense and BRUTAL.
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES. Packaged in super nice silkscreened covers, with a printed insert inside...

BOGNER, URSULA Pluto Hat Einen Mond (Mass Media Verlag) 7" 14.98
Another archival bit of lost sixties synthesizer music from the very mysterious Urusula Bogner. Or is it? We made the Ursula Bogner full length our Record Of The Week a while back, a collection that purported to be the music of a British housewife, who was basically a secret one woman BBC Radiophonic Workshop, spending her time at home during the day, collecting and building analog synthesizers, constructing soundproofed recording studios, inventing strange instruments, and most importantly, creating some incredible spaced out, subtly psychedelic electronic music. But the catch is, she just might not be real, and in fact, might just be the construct of Jan Jelinek, whose Faitiche label 'discovered' Bogner and assembled that collection. You can read more about Mrs. Bogner in our review of the full length, but as far as we were concerned, it hardly mattered, if she was in fact real, it's an amazing discovery, if it is actually a hoax, then it's an incredibly and meticulously pulled off hoax indeed, and after all, it all comes down to the music, which in either case, is absolutely fantastic.
This super limited 7", was released to coincide with a show / exhibit of music and drawings by the mysterious Mrs. Bogner, the sleeve features what we would assume is a photo of the lady herself, as well as a drawing of hers on the backside, as well as some postcards, the music though, is again, awesome, sci fi new age, primitive space music, analog synth explorations, a gorgeous starscape of squiggly high end shimmer, flurries of warbly black hole muted melodies, streaks of hiss, everything wreathed in reverb and echo, primitive FX, even some super stripped down robotic drum machine, total Lost In Space otherworldly cinematic sixties sci fi space wave bliss. So whether it's archival and historical, or modern and a bit cheeky, we'll still happily proclaim Mrs. Ursula Bogner our favorite sixties sci fi synth pioneer!
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES!!

BRULVAHNATU Uterine Acid Swishes (Eternal Obscurity) cd 9.98
Another mysterious metal missive from the fringes, a record recommended to us by our customer Logan, from the strangely monickered Brulvahnatu, and an even more strangely titled album, Uterine Acid Swishes.
We weren't exactly sure what to expect, even after we threw this on, the opening is all chiming reverbed jangle guitar, we knew it was metal, but beyond that we were ready to be surprised, and surprised we were, the band kicks in and it's all epic majestic and melodic, haunting melodies over doomic crunch, and then the band switch gears again, and we're off, buzzing, blasting, a flurry of muddy, murky, frenzied riffing, the low end monstrous, wrapped around everything like a black cloud, the vocals a deep monstrous growl, the sound some warped black metal / funeral doom hybrid, slipping from spare, skeletal slo-mo melodic drift, to classic sounding melodic metal, to fierce grim buzz and back again, and that's just in the first song. The tracks are looooooong, none shorter than 17 minutes, the longest a whopping 26 minutes. The other two tracks tread similar ground, although "Autopsy In Mourning" gets WAY doomy, crushing, and heavy, before stumbling into a more stripped down murky plod, super moody and mournful and miserable, building to a chaotic climax, before lurching back into a sludgey death march.
The final nearly 30 minute track "Suffer Long", begins with just piano (or maybe it's dulcimer), haunting and melancholy, a funereal creep, with cool tangled guitar leads over the top, eventually launching into a lumbering doomic crush, and over the next half hour, the song drifts from weird sample laced dronedoomdirge, to pounding almost classic sounding doom, to abstract ambience, to churning riffage, ultra doom obsessives will be in heaven (or is it hell?!).
Killer stuff, and according to the back cover there are 7 more releases in the Brulvahnatu series, all released in the last 3 years, so if this pushes your black doom buttons, there's plenty more where this came from!
MPEG Stream: "Cleaning Your Womb"
MPEG Stream: "Autopsy In Mourning"

CABOLADIES / ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER split (NNA Tapes) cassette 8.98
Missed out on this the first time around, but the label pressed up a second batch, just as small as the first so don't dawdle...
Caboladies are a duo from Chicago, who traffic in the same sort of rhythmic lysergic antipop as the current crop of hyped lo-fi 4-trackers. Heaping on layers and layers of woozy warble, and stumbly clatter, warped guitar FX, super lo-fi but weirdly lush as well. Reminds us a bit of James Ferraro and his 'hypnogogic pop' but a bit more spaced out, louder and druggier like it could have been played live by a proper band instead of assembled by dudes sitting on the floor in front of their gear. Trippy and dreamy and washed out and just the sort of thing we've been digging like crazy lately. And definitely a good match for...
Oneohtrix Point Never, aka Daniel Lapotin, whose presence on this tape will no doubt ensure that these are gone in a flash. But that sort of obsession is well deserved, we definitely find ourselves a little bit Oneohtrix obsessed these days, and Lapotin's contribution to this split certainly does nothing to dull that obsession. A hazy, spacey retro-future sprawl of Tangerine Dream synths, ominous John Carpenter like eighties soundtrackery, a little Goblin, beginning with a Technicolor explosion of prismatic synths, only to give way to something much more creepy and subterranean, slithery and somber, only to shift gears again into a blissed out 8-bit drift, like the interlude music from some lost Commodore 64 game, albeit layered into a strangely symphonic bit of lo-fi melancholia.
Gorgeous as always. And crazy limited, we got a bunch of these, but odds are these will indeed be the last copies we can get our hands on, so snag one quick!

CANIS DIRUS A Somber Wind From A Distant Shore (Moribund) cd 9.98
Canis Dirus is a black metal duo from the appropriately frosty land of... Minnesota? Well, it certainly makes sense if anyone has spent winter in the Midwest, they will no doubt be aware of how oppressive and life denying that shit can be. And when you consider that Canis Dirus is comprised of the heads of the God Is Myth and Ars Magna labels, you can safely bet that this is some grim, brutal, and seriously cult stuff. The album begins with "Choking And Drowning", a surprisingly gentle piece of slightly ominous acoustic beauty that goes against what you might expect from such a song title. Next up is the title track, and at this point we're in full winter mode, as the band rides forward on hypnotic midtempo Burzum-styled rhythm. The vocals are a hysterical shriek, the guitars are like a fuzzy blanket of concentrated evil, and the drums (machines?) keep things going deeper and deeper into the woods. "Joyless And The Self Fulfilling Prophecy" is an awesome piece of murky black metal that moves slowly but surely, stopping for a cool ambient middle part, before heading back into the dirgey midtempo beat. The cool, slightly phased guitars almost sound like Alice In Chains for a second, but before long, sour, pukey sounding leads come in, giving the song a very disconcerting feeling. The vocals pretty much sound like a witch being tortured and serve as the perfect foil to the spacious instrumentation. The album closes with "In Deep Waters", a piece that utilizes negative space and some field recordings, that bookends the album perfectly. Really cool stuff, not that you would expect anything less considering the band's pedigree.
MPEG Stream: "A Somber Wind From A Distant Shore"
MPEG Stream: "Garden Of Death"
MPEG Stream: "Joyless And The Self Fulfilling Prophecy"

CATLIN, TIM & MACHINEFABRIEK Glisten (Low Point) cd 15.98
Two of our favorite avant-guitarist types working together, but fair warning, we have seriously limited stock on this title.
The Australian Tim Catlin has long been keen on the unconventional useage of the guitar's six strings and pick-ups, using various motors, vibrators (yes, sex toys), fans, mallets, bows, and then some to generate uncanny drones and resonant frequencies that seem to elude those with a mighty DSP arsenal at their disposal. The last we heard from Catlin was a couple of years ago when he released his groundbreaking Radio Ghosts cd for 23five, right at the same time as his first collaborative project with Jon Muller appeared. Through those projects Catlin came in contact with Rutger Zuydervelt, whose Machinefabriek project has long held sway here at Aquarius records and is also no stranger to the collaborative process. The process found Catlin sending Zuydervelt various tracks for the Dutchman to rework, process, augment, and structure as he saw fit. Zuydervelt detours from his signature sequences of arc, crescendo, release, and collapse in favor of far more Spartan, amorphous sensibility that suspends Catlin's tones, drones, fuzzes, and hums upon a black empty spaces and intimate ambience. The one very Machinefabriek move is found on the shortened program of "Haul" with its grandiose distortion billowing out of the amplifiers like glowing hot lava. Tapped melodies and various loops work through the bulk of the tracks that subtly venture through low-end rumblings and brightly rendered shimmers of Catlin's vibrating strings. Glisten is an aptly poetic title for this beautifully understated record.
MPEG Stream: "Glisten 1"
MPEG Stream: "Haul"
MPEG Stream: "Skip"

CHIN CHIN We Don't Wanna Be Prisoners (Mississippi) 7" 6.50
MISSISSIPPI ALERT!
Another post-punk gem has been unearthed thanks to the dedicated heads of Mississippi Records. This all-girl punk-pop trio from the early eighties Swiss Punk scene has been timely rediscovered as we're in the midst of a current girl-group revival. Fans of recent groups like The Girls At Dawn, Black Tambourines, Vivian Girls, Dum-Dum Girls or their early eighties predecessors, Girls At Our Best, Shop Assistants, Bow Wow Wow or Lilliput (who came from the same Swiss scene as Chin Chin) will definitely want to check this out. Three self-penned songs from 1984 released on the band's own Farmer Records label, "We Don't Wanna Be Prisoners", "Desires Only", and "World's Burning".
Urgent punk lyrics with catchy pop hooks and harmonies, look out for their upcoming full length release to be reissued in a label collaboration between Mississippi and Slumberland records!!!!
So good!!!!!!! As always with Mississippi's 7"s, this will be gone before you know it, so you know the drill!!!

CITAY Dream Get Together (Dead Oceans) cd 14.98
It's been a couple years since Citay's great sophomore outing Little Kingdom, and since then the band has experienced significant lineup changes which included the loss of former guitarist Jesse Reiner who left to concentrate on his awesome new band Jonas Reinhardt. Luckily Citay mastermind Ezra Feinberg was able to get some bigtime heavy hitters to become part of this new incarnation of Citay including virtuoso guitarist Sean Smith and the multitalented and super-prolific Josh Pollock (3 Leafs, Auricle, etc.), joining the already present guitar powerhouse that is Tim Green, who was the original cohort of Feinberg when Citay was first born.
So while this is in some ways a more beefed up and full sounding Citay, the elements that made us fall in love with them in the first place still shine so bright. Their ability to create songs that feel epic yet never indulgent. The way they are able to inhabit so many worlds at once while never feeling disjointed. Citay truly are a gateway band. They can lead you to heavier psychedelia, they can show you the intricacy and dreaminess of West Coast pop, they can take you to the woods, the sky, the forest, and the backyard yet every turn they take feels so right and true to their own unique vision.
Dream Get Together has a rushing current of lush and full sounds that makes you want to blast it so loud and just get swept up in its sound. Long passages without vocals that let their wide arrange of instrumentation take center stage and then Feinberg's wonderful expansive vocal delivery adds another layer of depth to the experience. Meryl Press and Thaliah Harbour add their beautiful voices throughout, maintaining that awesome balance of masculine/feminine that has been such a refreshing aspect of Citay's sound. There is also a really nice guest vocal by Merril Garbus of Tune-Yards. Citay really have carved out such an instantly recognizable and unique sound that is so much all their own. We could tell you that Dream Get Together kind of sounds like Heart hijacked by Robert Fripp and Dungen, but the truth is Citay continue to create music that has its feet in so many musical worlds that the sound they've created is undeniably deep and exists entirely in their own wonderful world. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Careful With That Hat"
MPEG Stream: "Dream Get Together"
MPEG Stream: "Mirror Kisses"

CLOAK OF DISPLACEMENT Frusen Bjork Lund (self released) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We originally discovered Cloak Of Displacement, via baffling black metallers Gargotheron, whose cd-r we went a little nuts for when we had it way back when. But it didn't take long for CoD to win us over, transforming the "Bone Awl meets Lightning Bolt" sound of Gargotheron into something filthier and blacker and doomier, a downtuned crusty blackened sprawl that seemed to ooze evil. Totally not typically black metal, or even metal really, more a chaotic stumbling super distorted electronic flecked blacknoize. Needless to say, we were down with the Cloak.
So we waited patiently, for going on two years now, and finally it's here, actually, THEY're here, two new discs from the mysterious Cloak Of Displacement, both of these are ultra limited, and we mean ULTRA, as in there are ONLY 24 COPIES!!!! That's it, and of those 24, we got TWENTY of them. So you know what that means, first 20 evil bastards to jab a gnarled claw into that add to cart button, will be feasting on CoD's grim black sonic banquet(s). And yeah, you're probably gonna want both, cuz they're both way different...
Frusen Bjork Lund is 4 tracks, nearly 50 minutes, of raw, pounding, lo-fi, filthy, fucked up and BIZARRE primitive black metal, the buzz is muted and way down in the mix, the drums are a chaotic stumble, the vocals are sick and inhuman and go from guttural growl to mix destroying caterwaul, not that the already damaged mix needs and more destroying, it's a confusional, head spinning, brittle bit of crunch and blast and howl, weird as fuck, definitely essential listening for folks (like us), who like their blackness as baffling and as unhinged as (in)humanly possible. There's warped feedback, bizarre kitchen sink percussion, sprawling non-arrangements, some killer riffing, but also some what the fuck guitar strangulation, the closing track is a stretched out Burzumic buzzscape, wreathed in hiss and amp buzz, the drums plodding, the vocals hysterical, reminiscent of Striborg, but this makes Striborg sound downright polished and stable, which is definitely saying something.
Once again, these are crazy limited, and handmade, each one comes with a hand-glued sleeve (made from the very evilest of construction papers, and in various grim shades) each with a pasted on front and back cover image, burned around the edges by the flames of hell...
MPEG Stream: "Doda Krop I Deer"
MPEG Stream: "Appel Av Natten"

CLOAK OF DISPLACEMENT Vernal (self released) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We originally discovered Cloak Of Displacement, via baffling black metallers Gargotheron, whose cd-r we went a little nuts for when we had it way back when. But it didn't take long for CoD to win us over, transforming the "Bone Awl meets Lightning Bolt" sound of Gargotheron into something filthier and blacker and doomier, a downtuned crusty blackened sprawl that seemed to ooze evil. Totally not typically black metal, or even metal really, more a chaotic stumbling super distorted electronic flecked blacknoize. Needless to say, we were down with the Cloak.
So we waited patiently, for going on two years now, and finally it's here, actually, THEY're here, two new discs from the mysterious Cloak Of Displacement, both of these are ultra limited, and we mean ULTRA, as in there are ONLY 24 COPIES!!!! That's it, and of those 24, we got TWENTY of them. So you know what that means, first 20 evil bastards to jab a gnarled claw into that add to cart button, will be feasting on CoD's grim black sonic banquet(s). And yeah, you're probably gonna want both, cuz they're both way different...
Vernal is all ambient, a 43 minute black ritual, that finds the man behind CoD, teamed up with two other players, one who simply wields "magick", while the other two handle guitar, keyboard and percussion. Guitars throb and drone, low end rumbles reverberate ominously, sheets of feedback undulate, layers and tones lock into a sort of Niblockian drift, super hypnotic and intense, eventually, the drone begins to fragment, pelted by FX and various shards of buzz and hum, seemingly crumbling to pieces but always coalescing back into something heavy and hypnotic, thick throbbing pulses, over shards of high end skree, bits of abstract minimal almost doom, barely there rhythms, strange processed crunch collides with lush doomdrone riffage, bursts of distorted rrrooar, strange clunks and creeps, definitely less metal and more abstract free drone weirdness.
Way recommended for sure, and not just for weirdo metalheads, dronelords and ambient explorers will find a lot to dig here too...
Once again, these are crazy limited, and handmade, each one comes with a hand-glued sleeve (made from the very evilest of construction papers, and in various grim shades) each with a pasted on front and back cover image, burned around the edges by the flames of hell...
MPEG Stream: "Vernal (excerpt)"

DENGUE FEVER (V/A) Presents Electric Cambodia: 14 Rare Gems From Cambodia's Past (Minky) cd 16.98
Fans of the amazing Cambodian Rocks compilations we've reviewed in the past are definitely gonna want this one too, a collection compiled by the members of the modern LA-based Cambodian pop band Dengue Fever (longtime AQ faves) of their favorite classic Cambodian rock and roll jams from the sixties and seventies, a golden renaissance age for art and music in Cambodia, directly preceding the reign of the Khmer Rouge, who took over the country in 1975 and attempted to wipe out any and all traces of modern society, and as the liner notes point out, much of the music survived, but most of the musicians did not.
As with the Cambodian Rocks comps, the songs here are groovy and funky and fun, with shuffling rhythms, wild psychedelic guitar solos, warm wheezing organs, fuzzy surf guitars, and of course incredible vocals, the perfect mix of Western style rock and pop and Eastern style traditional folk music. Even though on the surface, the songs all seem sunshiney and playful, but there's definitely an element of pathos and drama, many of the songs are subtly maudlin and melancholy, there's even a song called "I Will Starve Myself To Death", but listening to it, with its jangle guitar and shuffly rhythm, you would never guess the grim title and perhaps lyrical content. There's also a killer cover of Sonny Bono's "Bang Bang", popularized by Cher, Nancy Sinatra and Terry Reid, and here it's gorgeously haunting, a waltzy bit of melodrama, with that immediately recognizable chorus, even in a different language. So good. We just can't get enough of this stuff, anyone who dug those Cambodian Rocks comps, or who loves the Sublime Frequencies collections, will no doubt go crazy for this too. There is definitely some overlap with this collection and the partially out of print Cambodian Rocks series, but there are definitely some tracks here we've never heard before (like "Bang Bang", or as it's titled here, "Snaeha"), and besides, the proceeds from the sale of this record will be donated to Cambodian Living Arts: www.cambodianlivingarts.org! So what are you waiting for??
MPEG Stream: PAN RON "Snaeha"
MPEG Stream: DARA CHOM CHAN "Give Me One Kiss"
MPEG Stream: PAN RON "Don't Speak"
MPEG Stream: PAN RON "Jombang"
MPEG Stream: ROS SEREYSOTHEA "Flowers In The Sand"

DENGUE FEVER (V/A) Presents Electric Cambodia: 14 Rare Gems From Cambodia's Past (Minky) lp 16.98
Fans of the amazing Cambodian Rocks compilations we've reviewed in the past are definitely gonna want this one too, a collection compiled by the members of the modern LA-based Cambodian pop band Dengue Fever (longtime AQ faves) of their favorite classic Cambodian rock and roll jams from the sixties and seventies, a golden renaissance age for art and music in Cambodia, directly preceding the reign of the Khmer Rouge, who took over the country in 1975 and attempted to wipe out any and all traces of modern society, and as the liner notes point out, much of the music survived, but most of the musicians did not.
As with the Cambodian Rocks comps, the songs here are groovy and funky and fun, with shuffling rhythms, wild psychedelic guitar solos, warm wheezing organs, fuzzy surf guitars, and of course incredible vocals, the perfect mix of Western style rock and pop and Eastern style traditional folk music. Even though on the surface, the songs all seem sunshiney and playful, but there's definitely an element of pathos and drama, many of the songs are subtly maudlin and melancholy, there's even a song called "I Will Starve Myself To Death", but listening to it, with its jangle guitar and shuffly rhythm, you would never guess the grim title and perhaps lyrical content. There's also a killer cover of Sonny Bono's "Bang Bang", popularized by Cher, Nancy Sinatra and Terry Reid, and here it's gorgeously haunting, a waltzy bit of melodrama, with that immediately recognizable chorus, even in a different language. So good. We just can't get enough of this stuff, anyone who dug those Cambodian Rocks comps, or who loves the Sublime Frequencies collections, will no doubt go crazy for this too. There is definitely some overlap with this collection and the partially out of print Cambodian Rocks series, but there are definitely some tracks here we've never heard before (like "Bang Bang", or as it's titled here, "Snaeha"), and besides, the proceeds from the sale of this record will be donated to Cambodian Living Arts: www.cambodianlivingarts.org! So what are you waiting for??
MPEG Stream: PAN RON "Snaeha"
MPEG Stream: DARA CHOM CHAN "Give Me One Kiss"
MPEG Stream: PAN RON "Don't Speak"
MPEG Stream: PAN RON "Jombang"
MPEG Stream: ROS SEREYSOTHEA "Flowers In The Sand"

EAT SKULL Jerusalem Mall (Woodsist) 7" 6.50
Another blast of blown out noise pop from aQ faves Eat Skull, the title track a damaged chunk of psychedelic crunch called "Jerusalem Mall", that is in fact about a mall, judging from the lyrics, and is super catchy, super fuzzy and ultra distorted with a Stooges-y main riff, fuzzed out bass, shouted vox, but is mostly swallowed up by non stop wild and squiggly, atonal and off kilter psychedelic guitar leads, super saturated and in-the-red, crumbling with distortion, spidery and serpentine, the song is a non stop squirming tangled ball of punk pop crush, somewhere between classic old school punk rock and Sebadoh at their most caveman.
The flipside starts off with the exact opposite, a summery slice of bubblegummy pure pop, all jangly and shimmery and strummy, with Beach Boys harmonies and big chiming guitars, but that quickly give way to the record's short sharp closer, a churning swirl of downtuned blur, amp melting buzz, buried vocals, a punked out sludgey lo-fi buzzpop blowout. Cool. And features some twisted (and in one instance, Slayer-style) cover art!

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN 1/2 Mensch (Potomak) cd 16.98
Halber Mensch ('half man' in German) originally came out in 1985, at the height of the apex of punk self-immolation, pure German expressionism, and industrial theatricality. The infernal vocal chorale of the title track is about as intense as a vocal piece could ever be, without resorting to pure guttural howling. Here is it a searing repetition of an atonal plainsong, buttressed by the always unique snarl of frontman Blixa Bargeld. The repurposed metals from junkyards and constructions site which have become synonymous with Neubauten immediately appear afterwards on their anthemic single "Yu-Gung (Fuetter Mein Ego)," whose insistent rhythm works almost Gamelan-like as the principal melody to this amazing tune. It should also be pointed out that Pussy Galore, who were already heavily indebted to EN, covered this on their Sugar Shit Sharp ep! later As a grand climax to the album, Neubauten again returns to hellish imagery through the symphony of bowed metals on "Der Tod Ist Ein Dandy," where these cacophonic scrapes amass into a dramatic arc of acoustic noise that easily parallels those same constructions that David Jackman built in Organum.
This is one of those seminal records that should always be in print, and one of those records that you should already have. But if not, you shouldn't pass this up!
MPEG Stream: "Halber Mensch"
MPEG Stream: "Yu-Gung "
MPEG Stream: "Der Tod Ist Ein Dandy"

FINAL FANTASY (OWEN PALLETT) Heartland (Domino) cd 14.98
Owen Pallett (aka Final Fantasy) has a musical resume that's pretty mind-blowing. Besides several of his own albums he's also provided strings and arrangements for an incredible and varied list of bands including: Beirut, The Hidden Cameras, The Pet Shop Boys, Arctic Monkeys, Immaculate Machine, Grizzly Bear, Fucked Up, Holy Fuck, Stars, The Mountain Goats and Mika. Among others! It's no wonder everyone wants Pallett to play on their records as he's really one of the most sophisticated arrangers and string players of the modern pop world. Someone who is able to bring such rich depth and warmth to the songs he works on.
So busy collaborating and guesting on other people's records its been almost four years since he's released a full length of his own, and while he has offered up a few ep's since then, the release of Heartland really marks a defining moment in his own musical output. By far his most assured, ambitious and cohesive album yet. Heartland is fully realized nuanced orchestral pop. You can hear the influence of 20th century composers, film scores, Arthur Russell, and even David Sylvian. This is what a darker and more brooding Hidden Cameras would sound like, or Sufjan Stevens arranged by Nico Muhly. With the success and acclaim that Grizzly Bear received last year for their great album Veckatimest we hope and think that Pallett has created an album worthy of those same accolades. Wonderful!
MPEG Stream: "Midnight Directives"
MPEG Stream: "Lewis Takes Action"
MPEG Stream: "What Do You Think Will Happen Now?"

FOSTER, JOSEPHINE Graphic As A Star (Fire) cd 15.98
What better current singer to tackle texts by reclusively prolific American poet Emily Dickinson than the elusive Josephine Foster? Translating 26 out of the thousands of poems Dickinson wrote into the gentlest of song forms, many matching the brevity of the originals, must have been a daunting task. Poems do not translate into songs as easily as one might think, just as songs don't always translate into poetry. But not really since Aaron Copland in 1950 has anyone really delved so deeply into the idea. And Foster is largely successful. The arrangements on guitar or ukulele are very minimal and while her lilting delivery can be a little same-y, each song on its own, unearths a tiny jewel of intimate beauty that is quite something to behold. The material may be too rich for one sitting (unless your knitting on a rainy Sunday perhaps), but we think this might be the perfect sublime ephemera for the shuffle feature on your iPod.
MPEG Stream: "They Called Me to The Window"
MPEG Stream: "My Life Has Stood - A Loaded Gun -"
MPEG Stream: "Only A Shrine, But Mine"
MPEG Stream: "I Could Bring You Jewels - Had I A Mind To-"
MPEG Stream: "Whoever Disenchants"

FREEDOM HAWK Sunlight (Magic Lady) cd 13.98
Freedom Hawk's most recent full length was a surprise hit around here, a surprise to everyone BUT Andee, who was lobbying all along for it to be Record Of The Week. But plenty of folks still got the message loud and clear, and we sold a ton, which really should come as no surprise considering how heavy and groovy and hooky and stonery and kick ass that record was. Here's how we described it for anyone who missed it:
"Huge sun baked riffs, throbbing fuzz bass, crashing drums, and howled Ozzy like vox, and most importantly some seriously catchy songs. Think a killer mix of vintage Kyuss, early Queens Of The Stone Age and classic Ozzy."
Sound good huh? That's cuz it is. And this one is just as good, if anything, the Ozzy vocals are even MORE Ozzy, in fact, reviews online described this record as the "record Ozzy SHOULD have made", which is sort of true. It's Sabbathy, melodic and heavy, definitely catchy, and those vocals, wailing and classic. It's really hard to know what else to say about these guys, we're all raved out after reviewing the self-titled full length, but needless to say, if you dug that one, you probably want this one too, and if you somehow didn't catch on until now, grab this, dig it, like crazy, and then get the other one too.
It's pretty much irresistible, massive riffing, wailing vox, killer harmonies, wild drumming, insanely catchy songs, cool fucked up arrangements, hooks all over the place, GUITAR SOLOS! Not to mention one song that's a surprisingly spaced out experimental almost dub reggae sounding slow burn space groove, like their very own "Planet Caravan" or something. And be sure to stick around for the hidden extra track (or not), a fucked up and way drugged out, very goofy 'funk'(?) jam...
These guys are definitely one of our favorite new discoveries, and both Freedom Hawk records have been on non stop heavy rotation for the last few months, and that shows no sign of letting up anytime soon...
MPEG Stream: "Executioner"
MPEG Stream: "Land Of The Lost"
MPEG Stream: "Sunlight"

GAINSBOURG, CHARLOTTE IRM (Elektra) cd 14.98
The daughter of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, recording an album written and produced by Beck. The sum of those parts makes for some pretty irresistible and seductive sounds. Of course it's not fair to identify Charlotte Gainsbourg just by her famous parents, as she has established herself as a multitalented force over the years, as a model, a singer and an actress. Her performances in films such as Michel Gondry's The Science Of Sleep, Todd Hayne's I'm Not There, and most recently the latest disturbing offering from Lars Von Trier, Antichrist, has definitely demonstrated the range and intensity that Gainsbourg is capable of bringing as an actress. We won't go too much into it, but if you haven't seen Antichrist, its one of the most intense and disturbing performances we've ever seen on the big screen. We mention all these acting roles because Gainsbourg's role in music in so many ways is as a vessel. Transporting someone else's vision and production and making it her own.
On her last album 5:55, she teamed up with Air who wrote and produced, the end result dreamy and blissed out sensuality. It somehow makes perfect sense that now Beck has taken the reins, as he no doubt been strongly influenced by Charlotte's lineage, as much of his music, stylistic breadth, and fashion choices over the years are undeniably heavily influenced by the legacy of Serge Gainsbourg.
While Beck's trademark sound can be heard quite prominently throughout the record, especially on the tracks on which his vocals dominate, it's the more languid and moody tracks that shine, where Gainsbourg really takes center stage and makes the record her own. There is something both dark and soothing about her aura and vocal delivery. With full and lush arrangements as a bed for her entrancing voice, Gainsbourg once again proves she is an enigmatic chanteuse who has carved out an identity that is all her own.
MPEG Stream: "IRM"
MPEG Stream: "Le Chat Du Café Des Artistes"
MPEG Stream: "Heaven Can Wait"
MPEG Stream: "Voyage"

GARGAUD, GUILLAUME She (Utech) cd 14.98
Elsewhere on this week's list there's a brand new Utech title from Japanese improv drone duo Hasegawa-Shizuo. Plus there's 3 other new Utechs (Ural Umbo, Architeuthis Rex, and The Skull Defects/The Sons Of God) waitin' to be reviewed, that you'll find on our "in stock, not yet reviewed" section. But right now we're gonna deal with this one, which isn't quite so new, it came out last year, somehow overlooked by us, which is odd 'cause we thought we'd learned to keep a close eye (ear?) on what Utech puts out. We highlighted a more recent Gargaud disc on the Kvist label, entitled Here, on our last list, and that's when we realized that this French guitar and electronics improviser already had a cd out on Utech, this one, which is equally lovely and interesting, basically part 1 to the Kvist disc's part 2, more shimmering yet sometimes quite sinister stuff that again makes us think that folks who dig the moody Type and Miasmah label "sound" would enjoy what Gargaud is able to conjure spontaneously with his guitar and other gear
The disc starts off quietly, with a buzzing, hissing drone gradually emerging and increasing, as if slithering out from a malevolent mist. It's hard not to think of fog and wind and rain and other weather phenomena when listening to this. Some sunshine breaks through the clouds on the second, more pop ambient-ish piece. Gauzy, gentle, drifting, vaguely melodious fuzzzzzz. Nice. The other tracks here tend to either get physical with the grinding, dramatic drone, or stay on the soothing side of things, sometimes blissfully both. There's various degrees of abstraction as well, as Gargaud adjusts his admixture of guitar and electronics. One extreme would be the crackling crinkling night-noises of "Clairere" (how can that be a guitar?), but elsewhere on the disc the guitar is more recognizable, in fact, on "Mer Du Nord", you can actually hear strings being strummed, how 'bout that!
Recommended - and in future, we'll definitely pay attention to anything Gargaud releases!
MPEG Stream: "La Legende Du Scarabe"
MPEG Stream: "Emissaire"

HASEGAWA-SHIZUO Lift (Utech) cd 14.98
New on Utech! Mysterious, presumably improvised raw drone ritual from this Japanese duo, who have a least a couple previous releases on the PSF and Tiliqua labels. Actually, the fine print found on the inside of the oversized sleeve says "this recording is the result of unedited improvisation", so there you go. What instruments were used, if any, it doesn't disclose, though... anything from sticks and pebbles to guitars and electronic synths, we'd guess. There's only one track on this disc, 43 minutes in length. It starts off in near-silence, for the first ten minutes or so it seems like maybe nothing's really going to happen, perhaps all Hirotomo Hasegawa and Uchida Shizuo are going to just do is some sparse clicking and tapping, and then they'll quietly sneak off and leave you sitting there with headphones on, 15 bucks poorer. But never fear, that's the warm up, getting the listener in the appropriately meditative mindset, calm and attentive and expectant, for hushed wavering drones to eventually well up and imbue the disc (and listener) with haunting vibrations. Drone, clink, rustle... it's abstract & atmospheric, staying pretty quiet, except for when a buzzing airplane engine sort of drone comes in, and out... There's much dark, stark rumble, close-mic'd clatter, sudden echoing events in eerie emptiness. It's well worth letting yourself drift into the microscopic mystery of Hasegawa-Shizuo's intimate improv soundscapery, especially if you have an affinity for the more experimental side of Keiji Haino, say, and also "onkyo" music, as this seems a bit like a blend of both.
And as it turns out, according Utech's website, the Shizuo half of this duo was in fact "a long-term member of Haino's Nijimu medieval dream-drone unit", while Hasegawa, for his part, previously "was the lead singer of seminal early eighties Japanese punk/hardcore group Aburadako (Greasy Octopus)". Well, dunno about the latter, this seems quite far from any hardcore Greasy Octopus punk, but the Nijimu connection makes sense! Ltd. to 500 copies by the way...
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 2"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 3"

HAZARD Land (Touch) cd 16.98
BACK IN STOCK!!!
The Swedish sound artist B.J. Nilsen recorded under the moniker Hazard from 1996 up until this 2002 record as a means of investigating the physical and psychological effects that natural sounds hold upon the human body. (He's continued recorded in a similar vein albeit using his given name). The pursuits of sonic research are refinements of Nilsen's Industrial heritage which began with a handful of epistemologically grim albums as Morthond for Cold Meat Industries and has continued with the Janitor collaboration with Baby Doll Lima of Deutch Nepal. Unlike those projects, Hazard engages a stronger poetic sensibility in the digital processing of field recordings from snow, ice, water, wind, etc. The resultant cold, cold, cold drones dappled with rich, textured detailing always imply a malevolence within natural phenomena.
As on the Hazard album with its self-evident title Wind, Land finds Nilsen collaborating with respected field recordist Chris Watson to capture source material worthy to be run through the Hazard bank of DSP patches. Again, it's wind that Nilsen is after, transforming the violent whippings of Arctic winds into huge rumblings of low frequencies that burst into climatic squalls of rushing drones crackling with a rough-hewn digital grit. As the album progresses, the sense of foreboding and dread which opens the album dissipates and reveals brighter tonalities that are worthy of comparison to Eno's ambient recordings.
MPEG Stream: "Substation"
MPEG Stream: "Church"
MPEG Stream: "Kissing Gate"

HUMAN BEING Live At The Zodiak - Berlin 1968 (Nepenthe) cd 14.98
Krautrock and weird music fans all around the world MUST being living right, to earn up the good karma required for something this cool and unexpected and downright uber-historic to drop into our laps. A previously unreleased, live concert recording from a pre-Cluster (and pre-Kluster) krautrock ensemble featuring Hans-Joachim Roedelius, from way back in 1968. Wow. Who knew? Maybe not even Roedelius, who apparently not long ago just received a tape of this in the mail from an "anonymous donor", someone who'd lugged recording equipment to the underground (literally) music club Zodiak several decades earlier and captured this show, then filed it away like a sonic time capsule of late '60s Berlin freakdom, i.e. Human Being, an amorphous collective of (mostly) non-musicians, a sort of "noise orchestra" that found a home at the Zodiak (a club co-organized by Roedelius's comrade Conrad Schnitzler), touring also all the way to Morocco we're told, but never releasing a record... until now!
This rare document consists of one lengthy track, 56 and a half minutes long, of utter loud "early industrial" featuring guitar, organ, drums, saxophone, cello... and tons and tons of electronic FX, lots of echo and delay, feedback and tape loops, and what sounds like shortwave radio static... proving that there's nothing new under the sun, once again, THIS WAS DONE OVER 40 YEARS AGO FOLKS! Sounds like something we'd be selling on a cd-r from some floorcore noise-drone outfit nowadays!
20th century avant garde meets the anarchic spirit of the freeform psychedelic rock scene, with murky droning pulsations and percussive clatter building building into an insistent heavy throb by the end of the piece. It's abstract out-there stuff indeed, difficult to describe (the deep foghorn like rumbles remind us of Yoshi Wada's Earth Horns, if that helps). But you should experience it for yourself, especially if you're into the more droned out, free improv, experimental side of krautrock (or of anything)!
Given that it's cool this is available at all, we really shouldn't complain about anything, but we will say the digipack doesn't look quite the way we'd like it to... the cover illustration and cd booklet frankly seem a bit cheesy to us, in fact we almost ignored this as a result when we first saw it (don't judge a book by its cover, all right all right) just 'cause, well, it's too modern generic computery designy lookin', those fonts, that art, yuck. But, the text of the extensive liner notes is informative anyway, and besides it's really the music that STILL matters, 40+ years on from when Human Being originally hit the scene, now thanks to this release more than just an obscure footnote to the career of the very much still musically active (in Cluster, solo, and other collaborations) Hans-Joachim Roedelius.
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 2"

INDIGNANT SENILITY Plays Wagner - Part 1 (Type) lp 19.98
If the recent Leyland Kirby 3cd epic, Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was, left you jonesing for more washed out spectral ambience culled from classical sources, than here's the next best thing.
Indignant Senility is one of many monikers of Portland-based tape-manipulator, Pat Maherr, who also operates as DJ Yo-Yo Dieting, Sisprum Vish, and Moms Who Chop. For this project, which will be released in two separate vinyl volumes but compiled together in one cd, takes its obvious source material from old found records of Richard Wagner symphonies. Stretching and distorting these inspirational masterpieces of classical music into something altogether alien and dark, but strangely familiar. Leaving the sounds of crackle, dirt and grime of the records intact, adding to the slow, mournful decay of the ruined grandeur of the original source material, these were then recorded on to cassette tape from which this recording was mastered from, adding another wash of sonic decay to the already distorted proceedings. So beautiful and sad!

INFINITE BODY Carve Out the Face of My God (Post Present Medium) cd 14.98
LA's Kyle Parker, working here under the name Infinite Body, is a tireless performer of blissed-out noise and heavily synthesized powerdrone workouts, which accompany a pretty effective light show triggered by various stepped decibel meters. So the louder Parker gets during a piece, the more kaleidoscopic light floods the stage. Simple, but very effective for what the man does. The Infinite Body sound is also simple but very effective, as we've previously enjoyed a couple of amazing (and limited) LPs and a really great split lp with like-minded beautiful malcontent Emaciator. Parker / Infinite Body is one to take off from the post-MBV practice of burying simple melodies and rudimentary structures deep beneath a hyperdelic surface of tactile white noise. The overall timbre of these sounds is a blinding sparkle of sunburst reflection jacked through rudimentary electronics. Intense for sure, and even violent at times; but there's a rarefied beauty to Infinite Body's work that combined with those elegantly violent allusions into a sound sort of like a deconstructed A.R. Kane, as if the dream-pop womb of sound is to envelop the listener and slowly suffocate him or her with cotton candy. It's not quite what David Keenan had in mind when trying to work out a definition for the American aesthetic of Hypnogogic Pop, but both hypnogogia and pop operate well within the boundaries of this Infinite Body. Very nice.
MPEG Stream: "What They Wanted To Be Was Useless"
MPEG Stream: "Out To Where I Am"
MPEG Stream: "Sunshine"

INFINITE BODY / TERRORS split (Cave Life) cassette 6.98
It should be only a matter of time before somebody pulls the obscurant folk miserablist Terrors from the cassette netherworld, as his bleakly rendered minimalism for guitar, voice, and hell of a lot of reverb captures the spirit of the first few Smog records. But at the same time, Terrors has been sharing the same LA post-noise haunts as Pedestrian Deposit and now Infinite Body; so maybe, that's where Terrors should stay lest he / they start to suck. Terrors' cassette Inequipose was one of the best tapes that we heard in 2009, so anything new (that wasn't immediately out of print!) would certainly pique our interest. Hence, this twenty-minute cassette with one Terrors track, one Infinite Body track, and one collaborative track with guest vocals from Laena Myers-Ionita; and it's a gem!
Infinite Body opens the tape with a vocal edit of a piece that really sounds like it's all synth, following upon what he produced on the recent album Carve The Face Out Of My God. Brightly shimmering synth percolations extended through delay and reverb all of which are very sharp in attack. The Terrors solo track is a mopey cover of Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child" with downer guitar strums and reverb drenched vocals breaking up the empty tape hiss spaces. And that collaborative track is really quite special, sort of sounding like a very lo-fi version of Mazzy Star as remixed by Wavves, with overblown synth drones softly abrading against Terrors repetitive guitar chord and Myers-Ionita maudlin vocals. Limited to a mere 100 copies, or thereabouts.

KLV Niin Musta On Maa (Emissary Records) cd+T-shirt 15.98
Yet another bit of doomy weirdness from Reverend Bizarre's S.A. Hynninen, aka Albert Witchfinder, whose recent Puritan doomdirgedrone project received aQ Record Of The Week honors, and while we extolled the overall freakiness and what-the-fuckness of The Puritan, it ain't got nothing on KLV, a band that Albert was in prior to Reverend Bizarre, circa 1992-1998. Reverend Bizarre drummer Earl Of Void was also a member. This cd had been out for some years now but after listing The Puritan, and also even more recently Albert's Opium Warlords project, we figured it would be a good idea to review this also, and were lucky enough to find a supplier that had a few copies (that strangely enough, come with T-shirts too!).
KLV stands for Kehitysvammaisen Lapsen Vanhemmat, which is Finnish for "parents of a deficient child', and the sound is meant to be classic gothic doom, but filtered through Hynninen's cracked sonic lens it comes out as anything but. This is no My Dying Bride or Paradise Lost, instead it's a confusional sort of doom pop, with long stretches of electronic flecked dreaminess, fluttering flutes, male / female vocal harmonies, whirring keyboards, jangly clean guitars, and yea, some lumbering gloomy doom. But this is not the crushing slow motion tarpit dirge of The Puritan, or even the classic Sabbathy crunch of Reverend Bizarre, instead, the sound is sort of stripped down, the vocals deep and dramatic, even at its heaviest, the sound is still surprisingly melodic, and weirdly poppy, of the 13 tracks, there are 4 or 5 extended proper doom jams, while the rest of the record, consists of shorter, stranger, poppier and more abstract mini-epics.
The opener, sets the tone, sounding a bit like a doom Aavikko, clean guitar strum, burbling bass, deep crooning, lovely harmonies, flutes, and a super poppy main hook, and a sort of post rocky final portion that segues directly into the first 'doom' track, a somber, smoldering bit of slowcore, again quite melodic and way more pop than metal.
After a few brief bits of haunting ambience and a flurry of hysterical howling and laughter comes the organ driven "Kannel Karhun Morsiamesta" that almost sounds like Circle at their most dramatic, slow and cabaret, before busting out into a super rocking jam, but not so rocking that it's not wrapped in full on flutes, culminating in the almost Renaissance Faire sounding last couple minutes. Wow.
And so it goes. Slipping from doom pop, to lumbering doom, to low slung, baritone voiced doomjazz, to grinding super distorted crunch, bookended by jangle and croon that sounds a bit like Beat Happening, to Doorsy psychedelic groove, to Bohren-like dimly lit minimal creep, to skeletal space rock, to Sabbathy pound, to slow, epic mournful dooooooom, it's definitely all over the map, but something manages to keep things cohesive, or at least somewhat cohesive. And we joked in a past review about KLV / Puritan / Opium Warlords / Rev Bizarre mainman Hynninen being Jussi from Circle's long lost brother, but never has this seemed sonically so likely as it does here, on Niin Musta On Maa, which means, of course, doomlords, and Finnish hypnorock weirdos will both find plenty to dig here...
While they last, for some unknown to us reason, each disc comes with a free KLV T-shirt! You can specify in the comments section what size you want (Large or Extra Large are the two choices), and we will try to accommodate, but eventually we'll be down to just one size and you'll just get whatever we have left. And once this batch of cds is sold, the T-shirts will be gone for good.
MPEG Stream: "L.R."
MPEG Stream: "Kevatuni"
MPEG Stream: "Mooses Ja Kolibri"
MPEG Stream: "Kannel Karhun Morsiamesta"

LED ER EST Dust On Common (Wierd Records) lp 14.98
Belgium 1982 or Brooklyn 2009? Dust On Common is one of those albums that could herald from either time and space with its dark-eyed synth-pop aesthetic complete with a wardrobe of black jackets and skinny ties. Yes, Led Er Est are New Yorkers of today, reclaiming the forgotten future with considerable aplomb and fitting in very nicely next to Cold Cave and fellow Wierd recording artists Xeno & Oaklander. The Led Er Est trio are quite deft at the synth melody, building terse and catchy, if minor key, tunes out of repetition & difference, and grafting those melodies onto uptempo mechanoid rhythm tracks. Guitars, bass, and vocals also make themselves known throughout the album, but the synths are the dominant machines at hand, marching along with icy detachment, primitive sparkplug buzzing, and occasional bursts of cinematic grandeur. Fad Gadget, Xymox, early Skinny Puppy (i.e. Bites), Dark Day, Chris & Cosey, and Cabaret Voltaire are all within the sonic vocabulary of Led Er Est. Another excellent release from Wierd. Vinyl only!
MPEG Stream: "Port Isabel"
MPEG Stream: "Laredo"
MPEG Stream: "Scissors"

LED ER EST Pool Gorm / Man And Tree (Captured Tracks) 7" 6.98
We can't blame Cold Cave for everything, but someone has to take the blame (or credit!) for the seemingly endless supply of cold wave / new wave / minimal wave that seem to be pouring out of the woodwork. Where were these bands a couple years ago, did they not exist? Or did they just exist in some radically different form? Thankfully, at least a handful of these bands, are doing more than aping their predecessors, and are taking the elements of those 'waves and turning them into something, if not wholly original, at least dark and catchy and kick ass.
The latest additions to the NU-new wave onslaught are this trio from NY called Led Er Est, we have their full length record reviewed elsewhere on this list as well, and it too is killer, but this is definitely the sort of band who sound perfect on a 7"s, two short hook filled gloom pop gems, 45 rpm, the sort of songs you play over and over and over, skittery clipped drum machines, swoonsome minor key guitars, throbbing joy division synthesized basslines, looped synth melodies, subtle guitars, a killer main riff, echoey vox, it's pretty irresistible.
The flipside is more spacey and psychedelic, with chiming guitars, crooned vocals and a woozy off kilter rhythm, like some lost eighties new wave gloom pop ballad. Led Er Est are balanced right between old school eighties new wave, and the current wave of Captured Tracks revivalists: Blank Dogs, Gary War, Girls At War, Silk Flowers, Mayfair Set, etcŠ which is not a bad place to be as far as we're concerned.

LEDESMA, JEFRE SEI GETSU Namu Kie Butsu (NNA Tapes) cassette 8.98
Latest tape from Jefre Cantu Ledesma, a member of long running post rockers Tarentel, one of the head honchos of the Root Strata label, and a sublime crafter of divine dronemusic on his own, here rechristened 'Sei Getsu', Cantu utilizes "motorized electric guitar" to conjure up a lovely collection of blissful brooding evening ambience.
Like the Caboladies / Oneohtrix tape reviewed elsewhere on this week's list, Cantu's tape went through a whole pressing (albeit only 100 copies) before we got wind of it, and thankfully the label deigned to make another batch, which will no doubt disappear as quickly as the first.
Hushed and minimal, but more intense than much of what we've heard from Cantu, thick swells of rumbling low end, deep swaths of burnished buzz, glistening and glimmering, delicate sheets of shimmer draped over something much more dark and grim, a heaving roiling blackness, that swirls and pulses, its barbs muted and smoothed, but that darkness definitely infuses the proceedings with a ghostly, even ghastly vibe. Even so, the sounds manage to remain meditative and abstract, it's almost like SUNNO))) stripped down and mellowed out, still heavy, but more dense and intense than outwardly crushing. Gorgeous stuff, but sadly, crazy limited and maybe gone for good before you know it.

LINDSTROM & CHRISTABELLE Real Life Is No Cool (Feedelity / Smalltown Supersound) cd 16.98
Lindstrom has been a major player in the last several years, offering up and ushering in a movement of modern disco inspired space-surfing jams. He's proven to be unafraid of switching things up, working in different settings and collaborating, as he has with folks like Prins Thomas and even The Boredoms. For his latest outing he's teamed up with a vocalist called Christabelle who has shown up from time to time on some of his earlier recordings, but this time the record centered around her vocals and the two have created an album of ten distinct songs that owe as much to disco queens like Grace Jones and Donna Summer as they do to soul/funk icons like Prince and Vanity 6, not to mention a big healthy does of vintage Italo-disco.
This is one of those records that when played has most folks assuming it's some amazing obscure early 80's disco-treasure. It's got that vintage cloudy and sequined sound yet it doesn't come off like some cheap and easy throwback. One of Lindstrom's greatest strengths is his ability to create such infectious grooves, and we tend to be more drawn to his tighter song based productions than his grandiose epic waves of sound like much of Where You Go I Go Too.
Christabelle and Lindstrom sound so perfect and perfectly balanced together. One never seems to dominate the other. The songs allow for passages that are total trademark Lindstrom, yet Christabelle's vocals lend a lightness and breeze that allows these songs to travel with an ease and freeness that past Lindstrom records were not quite able to reach. Sonically similar to what the folks in the Italians Do It Better/Johnny Jewel camp (Glass Candy, Desire, Chromatics, etc.) have been doing, yet somehow this comes off as a bit less self conscious and flows so smoothly and easily...
MPEG Stream: "Lovesick"
MPEG Stream: "Keep It Up"
MPEG Stream: "Let's Practise"

LINDSTROM & CHRISTABELLE Real Life Is No Cool (Feedelity / Smalltown Supersound) lp 17.98
Lindstrom has been a major player in the last several years, offering up and ushering in a movement of modern disco inspired space-surfing jams. He's proven to be unafraid of switching things up, working in different settings and collaborating, as he has with folks like Prins Thomas and even The Boredoms. For his latest outing he's teamed up with a vocalist called Christabelle who has shown up from time to time on some of his earlier recordings, but this time the record centered around her vocals and the two have created an album of ten distinct songs that owe as much to disco queens like Grace Jones and Donna Summer as they do to soul/funk icons like Prince and Vanity 6, not to mention a big healthy does of vintage Italo-disco.
This is one of those records that when played has most folks assuming it's some amazing obscure early 80's disco-treasure. It's got that vintage cloudy and sequined sound yet it doesn't come off like some cheap and easy throwback. One of Lindstrom's greatest strengths is his ability to create such infectious grooves, and we tend to be more drawn to his tighter song based productions than his grandiose epic waves of sound like much of Where You Go I Go Too.
Christabelle and Lindstrom sound so perfect and perfectly balanced together. One never seems to dominate the other. The songs allow for passages that are total trademark Lindstrom, yet Christabelle's vocals lend a lightness and breeze that allows these songs to travel with an ease and freeness that past Lindstrom records were not quite able to reach. Sonically similar to what the folks in the Italians Do It Better/Johnny Jewel camp (Glass Candy, Desire, Chromatics, etc.) have been doing, yet somehow this comes off as a bit less self conscious and flows so smoothly and easily...
MPEG Stream: "Lovesick"
MPEG Stream: "Keep It Up"
MPEG Stream: "Let's Practise"

LITTLE SKULL s/t (Scrimshaw Artefacts) 3"cd-r 10.98
We go on and on about deluxe packaging, but it's truly only once in a while, where an artist really blows our mind, whether it's totally over the top, or super subtle and sublime, the musicians who care enough to meticulously craft their packaging, as much as the music inside are a rare breed.
Which leads us to Little Skull, aka Dean Brown, who some of you may remember from a super limited cd-r singles collection on PseudoArcana a while back, which gathered the music from his various impossible to find 7"s, and the reason that they were impossible to find, is that he made each one by hand, elaborately cutting, gluing, pasting assembling, the only one we've ever actually seen, had little creatures hanging from strings, a haunted little diorama, WOW.
So this latest ep, is another fantastically assembled object, a handmade silkscreened miniature box, holding within it a three dimensional multi layered framed mini diorama, a ballet dancer, hovering over a backdrop, hidden behind a hand made paper frame. So nice, and it perfectly suits the music inside, a darkly delicate ambience, hushed soft drones and a gentle piano, drifty, and ethereal, minimal, but strangely lush as well, softly spidery melodies, a languorous drift, abstract slow motion Appalachia, stretched into blurred drifts, muted twang, and minor key shimmer, deeeeeeep droning rumbles, subtle murky percussion, such breathtaking Spartan dreaminess. Gorgeous.
INCREDIBLY LIMITED, as each one is made by hand, so not sure how long we'll have these...
MPEG Stream: "Track 1"
MPEG Stream: "Track 3"

LOVE CRY WANT s/t (Weird Forest) 2lp 26.00
It might seem strange at first, this long lost free jazz fusion classic popping up on weirdo avant outsider rock label Weird Forest, but it all makes sense the second the needles touches the wax. Recorded in 1972, with the intention of "levitating Nixon's Whitehouse", the band took up residency right down the street from said Whitehouse, and apparently Nixon instructed one of his aides to pull the plug on the concert, but this document, of one of the concerts was captured for posterity, and holy smokes is this some far our freaked out psychedelic shit.
Often described as 'fusion', that description probably keeps about half the people who would lose their shit over this record from actually hearing it. Which is a shame, cuz this is as heavy and druggy and tripped out as anything you'd hear today, even moreso.
Larry Young on organ (who played with Miles Davis circa Bitches Brew), Joe Gallivan on drums and percussion and steel guitar and moog, Jimmy Molneiri on the drum kit, and the singularly named Nicholas, on prototype guitar synthesizer (which he helped invent), ring modulator, hi-tension wires, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, water and whirling dervish (!!!). What the fuck?! The instrumentation alone should let you know there was something seriously freaky going on.
Six tracks, 52 minutes, sprawling, epic, tangled, druggy, trippy, super rocking, ultra heavy, jazzy, and funky freakiness. Opener "Peace (For Dakota And Jason)" begins with funky organ, and swirling effects, funky drumming, a stone cold groove that builds and build and builds until it sounds like Funkadelic jamming with Sun Ra, or No Neck Blues Band and Sunburned Hand and Avarus all covering their favorite jazz funk jams simultaneously. The organ is wild and wooly, and loose and free, the drums are insane and chaotic, and all the other sounds, Nicholas, whipping up a frenzy of buzz and whir and skree and whatever other weirdness he can conjure. "Tomorrow, Today Will Be Yesterday" is more tranquil, but no less free and abstract, a little like Hendrix covering "Maggotbrain" but with skittery free jazz drumming and some twisted sound effects.
And so it goes. It's barely even jazz, only sort of funk, this is as about as free and abstract and out there as music got in the early seventies, hell, even now. "Ancient Place" begins all scattered effects, warped super distorted guitars, melted effects, stuttering loops, wild octopoidal drumming, eventually getting all drone-y before exploding into a sort of kaleidoscopic circusy free jazz funk freak out, and finally sputtering to a halt. The record closes with "Love Cry", 15+ minutes of wild free heaviness, and yeah, we do mean heavy, each instrument busting out some serious crunch, the organ a crushing throb, the drums a machine gun of scattered rhythms, all wrapped up in a constantly shifting field of synthesized guitar weirdness, and constantly mutating effects, eventually exploding into a sort of Santana / Sun Ra mash up, albeit drugged out and supercharged, before splintering into crumbling peals of throbbing low end, fractured melody, truncated rhythms, only to slip into what sounds like some abstract sixties experimental electronic weirdness, which mutates into a brief blaze of psychedelic jazz freakout before blinking out.
It may be fusion, but not in the traditional sense, instead, Love Cry Want fuses some of the most fucked up and freaked out and wildly brilliant playing we've ever heard into a psychedelic free funk jazz out rock that sounds as ahead of its time today as it did nearly 40 years ago.
Available for the first time on vinyl, super swank packaging, ultra deluxe heavy full color gatefold jackets, pressed on nice thick vinyl. And LIMITED TO ONLY 5000 COPIES!
MPEG Stream: "Excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "Excerpt 2"

MAGNETIC FIELDS, THE Realism (Nonesuch) cd 15.98
Nobody makes misery and endless longing sound better then Stephin Merritt. As it's been raining nonstop in San Francisco we've been eagerly awaiting this new Magnetic Fields album since pretty much nothing sounds better when it's gray and grim outside, than the beautifully morose pop that Merritt and his comrades create.
Realism is very much the counterpoint to the last Magnetic Fields album, Distortion, which was all plugged in, in the red, filled with fuzz, a sonic nod to the Jesus & Mary Chain. Realism goes in the opposite direction. Made completely with acoustic instruments, this is their 'baroque folk' album. In many ways it has much of the same kind of sound and style found on 69 Love Songs, the masterpiece which catapulted Magnetic Fields from indie sweethearts to full on cultural icons. Merritt is no doubt one of the best songwriters of this generation, both in the memorable lyrics he writes and the nuanced arrangements he creates. Like all great songwriters Merritt is able to create in a wide variety of styles. In the past he's made electronic pop, fuzzy lo-fi rock, ukulele stompers, and shoegaze like dreaminess. And when you see The Magnetic Fields play live its so awesome because they often change the arrangements and styles of their songs, like when they toured for Distortion they actually played all those loud rocking songs all hushed and acoustic!
Realism is another reminder that no matter what style, aesthetic or theme Merritt choses to work within he's always able to emerge with memorable and moving songs that will have remain emotionally and sonically relevant for so many years to come.
MPEG Stream: "You Must Be Out Of Your Mind"
MPEG Stream: "I Don't Know What To Say"
MPEG Stream: "Walk A Lonely Road"

MARSFIELD (ANDREW CHALK, ETC.) The Towering Sky (Faraway Press) cd 24.00
Marsfield is a project featuring the premier UK drone artist Andrew Chalk along side Vikki Jackman, Robin Barnes, and Brendan Walls. This collective recorded The Towering Sky back in 2005, only to see if released some five years later. Given the gap in recording to release, we have to wonder what else Mr. Chalk has buried in the vaults of his Faraway Press that one day might see the light of day.
The recordings reflect the strategies of David Jackman, who had employed the talents of a much younger Andrew Chalk many many moons ago in his Organum ensemble. The Marsfield participants have all gathered various pieces of resonant metal (maybe a large piece of sheet metal, maybe a long stringed instrument, probably a gong or two, and definitely a singing bowl or four) and extracted sustained textures, prolonged scrapes, deep bellowings, and elegantly warbled tones in a large reverberant room. With all of the room noise with its spectral echoing, damp reflections, and incidental ambience, the Marsfield sessions sound as if they could have been recorded in some abandoned factory somewhere in the Northeast of England. The first Isolde record that Chalk and Barnes had constructed a few years back is not all that dissimilar to The Towering Sky, with the first half of this record appearing as shape-shiting ghosts of corroded, droning haze, and shifting into the latter half of the record pocked with distant plucks and small hand bells that dissolve into field recordings of English rain showers. As with all of the Faraway Press titles, this is beautifully packaged; and as with all Andrew Chalk releases, this is very highly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Marsfield Cathedral"
MPEG Stream: "Marsfield Common"

MONOS Above The Sky (ICR) 2cd 17.98
Over the past few years, Darren Tate has been wandering into some wildly weird electronics, broadening the scope of his aesthetic beyond the seminal recordings he made with Andrew Chalk (amongst others) as Ora, and more recently through Monos. For the most part, Monos has been a collaborative project between Tate and Nurse With Wound engineer extrordinaire Colin Potter, but at other times, we're pretty sure that Tate is the only one behind the wheel. For Above The Sky, the Monos line-up includes Tate, Potter, and fellow British dronescraper Paul Bradley; and this record is a top notch, vintage sounding Monos disc for sure.
The extended pieces found on this album were culled from the one and only live Monos gig in 2006, the handful of recordings from that gig were processed, recreated, forgotten about, rediscovered, and processed again throughout various starts and stops over the next four years. The resulting album is surprisingly coherent, presenting itself as a sinewy mass of undulating drones dappled with various textures, shadowy events, field recordings, subtle instrumentation, and then some. The ghostly ambience that introduces this album is sublimely beautiful, like the druggy drones of Nurse With Wound (e.g. Soliloquy For Lilith) or the permafrost laden expanses of Thomas Koner or even a darker version of Leyland Kirby's much-lauded hauntological ambience. Distant sound elements of scraped metal echo to the foreground, as the latent sounds from some occluded ritual in some forgotten place. Shimmering acoustic clouds of resonance peel away into field recordings of numerous birds flitting about. Later on, semi-melodic phrases hover near the event horizon dominated by ominous electrical vibrations and dilated drone fields. Seriously, this is fantastic stuff!
The first 135 copies of Above The Sky feature a full extra disc worth of material that easily complements that found on the album proper. Needless to say, these won't last long!
MPEG Stream: "A Place Of Voices"
MPEG Stream: "Cloudless Day"

MUSLIMS (SOFT PACK) s/t (1928) lp 15.98
They may be called Soft Pack now, but at one point they were called the Muslims, and were touted to be the next big thing. And like the recent Soft Pack 12", this lp makes it abundantly clear just why, a killer mix of indie jangle, and snarly, snarky post punk, the most obvious comparison is the Strokes, the opener here "Right And Wrong" definitely sounds like it could be a Strokes B-side, heck, who are we kidding, an A-SIDE!!! Catchy, and super rocking, a little bit lo-fi, but totally hooky and a little bit irresistible.
If the Soft Pack record shows the band stretching out their sound, this reissue of the Muslims's self titled debut finds the band still searching for a direction all their own, still cribbing liberally from their heroes, and hell doing it as well if not better. Another super obscure reference, that definitely infuses the Muslims' sound whether they know it or not would be long lost lo-fi blues pop combo Railroad Jerk, the same sort of stripped down sound, drawled vox, simple, pounding and hooky. A little Stooges here and there for sure, but screw it, the Strokes thing is pretty much unavoidable, so if you dig that sort of thing, which hell, we most definitely do, then you'll dig this. And if you do end up digging this, check out Soft Pack, and see where these guys eventually took this totally satisfying if somewhat unoriginal sound.
The original record is augmented by some singles tracks tacked on (which were originally on a bonus cd that came with the original release), which are even better than the record proper. Cool gatefold sleeve, with printed insert, download code, and holes that were shot in the sleeve with a .22 caliber pistol!!

NEKRASOV / ADERLATING split (Chrome Leaf) lp 14.98
A pretty strange, but in many ways pretty perfect pairing, cult Aussie black metal / black noize horde Nekrasov, and industrial cinematic black doom project Aderlating, which just so happens to be an offshoot of the mighty Gnaw Their Tongues.
Both blackened, both noisy, here the two drift together and end up meeting somewhere right in the middle, floating in the hellish black abyss, heavier on the ambient than the black metal, more abstract and atmospheric than harsh and harrowing.
Nekrasov offers up a side long stunner, which begins as a roiling minimal dronescape of textured blackness, muted streaks of submerged melody, buried vocals, creeping slow motion pulses, constantly shifting layers, deep dense overtones, creaks and scrapes, utterly haunting and otherworldly, occasionally building to a SUNNO)))-like wall of sound, before slipping back into something more slithery and cinematic. By The end, the sound has reached a fever pitch, a swirling, caterwauling cacophony of inhuman vocalizations, tangled black tendrils of buzz and skree, all woven into an organic, heaving blackened ambient drone driven sonic beast, before finishing off with a stretch of hushed minimal shimmer.
Aderlating, aka Gnaw Their Tongues, otherwise known as Mories, counters with a set of three interlocking soundscapes, abject and industrial, set amidst a sea of softly swirling black tones, shapes and sounds seem to creak and groan, like some hellish machine, churning away just below the surface, spewing gouts of feedback, and sinking ever deeper into the vile black void that somehow keeps it afloat. Fragments of voice, melody, surface here and there, only to be swallowed up again. Occasionally the proceedings seems to almost coalesce into some sort of garish subterranean cabaret, but still cloaked in swirling swaths of hellish hiss and black buzz, and epic rumbling low end that threatens to devour all the other sounds. Fragmented barely there rhythms lead into an avalanche of crumbling distortion and in-the-red psychedelic blacknoize, which roils and churns and explodes in a frenzy of sonic chaos, before returning again, to its more tranquil state, which even itself is rife with industrial clatter and swaths of muted caustic noise, finishing off in a blaze of brilliant bristling blackness.
Gorgeous packaging, stunning cover art, black inner sleeve and pressed on sick green, white and black splattered vinyl.
LIMITED TO 300!!!

NET SHAKER Church On Time (self released) cd-r 9.98
Another mysterious disc that just showed up in the mail one day, and totally knocked our socks off. So we ordered a bunch cuz we wanted to share them with all of you, but then we realized we had to describe it, and damn if this isn't a tough one to figure out.
Dark and somber, rhythmic and minimal, a muddy, murky, sort of krautdrone drift. The rhythms are pulses, that drift in and out, the guitars moan and keen, electronics warble and rumble, lots of twisted bits of low end, changing speed and tone, super abstract and drifty and otherworldly, the band occasionally coalesce into a sort-of-groove, but even then, it's a sort of convoluted lumber, vocals, wrapped in reverb and echo, draped over the stuttering anti-funk, the melody carried by deep slow shifting swells, all around fragments of sounds tangle and untangle, their overtones creating strange minimal melodies.
When the vocals do come in, it almost sounds like some sort of avant coldwave, imagine a cold wave Starfuckers maybe, a little bit cold and clinical and machinelike, but Net Shaker are less concerned with song, and groove, and being new wave or cold wave or whatever. They definitely exist in their own fucked up and fractured world.
The sound may be hard to pin down, but it's definitely mesmerizing, hypnotic, cyclical, a woozy, warped, murky assemblage of cold Teutonic pop, layered drones, motorik krautrock, spaced out post industrial ambience, not to mention some fractured druggy sonic collage. Noise rock, post punk, avant pop, dirge wave, cold core, krautwave, not sure what to call it, or if it even needs a name, what we do know is this is one of the most original sounding records we've heard in ages, and we find ourselves listening to this cd-r all the time. Which pretty much says it all...
MPEG Stream: "Descenda"
MPEG Stream: "Silhouetta"
MPEG Stream: "Church On"
MPEG Stream: "Iss"
MPEG Stream: "Ticlake"

NGOZI FAMILY 45,000 Volts (No Smoke) cd 25.00
Man, have we been waiting for this! Why? Well, does Chrissy Zebby Tembo mean anything to you? The group that backed him up on his wonderful My Ancestors album from 1974 have a rare record of their own that's just been reissued, the electrifying indeed 45,000 Volts, and it's another killer document of Zambian heavy fuzz rock ("Zamrock"!) from the '70s! Founded by Paul Dobson Nyirongo, otherwise known as Paul Ngozi, a Hendrix-styled guitarist (he even did the trick of playing with his teeth), the Ngozi Family band released this winning album in 1977, and now that we've heard it, it goes right to the top of the selection of awesome garage fuzz rock from Africa in our collections, a small but ever growing category thanks to ruling reissues like this (we're also looking forward to Shadoks' impending cd edition of The Witch album, also from Zambia, next month, you should be too). And it's not so lo-fi as that Tembo disc, much better sound, though the production still sounds very "live", we think it's perfect, capturing both the thud and grace of the Ngozi Family's music.
There's ten tracks (including one bonus from a 7"), containing so much raw FUZZ! Burbling, sizzling, wah wah action. Along with wicked beats, soulful sincere vocals (some songs in English, others in a Zambian language, Nyanja perhaps), and groove that just won't quit. Most of the tracks are in a Western psych-rock style with distinct African influences, though a couple tracks near the end of the disc are much more like traditional Afrobeat, with hand percussion and mass chanting vocals. As far as the rock stuff goes, even when they kick back on the mellower, more sunshiney numbers there's still lotsa fuzz and snappy beats. And Ngozi actually translates to Danger in English, so you know that they don't neglect the harder and heavier fare on this album. Particularly proto-metal-ish is "Night Of Fear", with immensely fat riffing and echoed lyrics about graveyards and nightmares! Here and elsewhere we're reminded of Los Dug Dugs. Heck even a little Blue Cheer. And of course Ofege and Chrissy Zebby Tembo and others from Africa.
Timeless stuff, highly recommended. Tembo's My Ancestors, reissued on the same label, is already out of print on cd, and this reish is equally limited too, 500 copies only, so get it while you can. FYI there's also a vinyl version but our supplier is already out of those, at the moment anyway, if we're able to get more we'll list it then.
MPEG Stream: "Everything Is Over"
MPEG Stream: "Nizaka Panga Ngozi"
MPEG Stream: "Night Of Fear"

NJIQAHDDA Yrg Alms (Pagan Flames) cd 13.98
It's been a while since we've listed any UNblack metal, the twisted Christian variant of the more traditionally heathen black strain of metal that we hold so near and dear to our black withered hearts. But as longtime readers of the aQ list no doubt know by now, we LOVE unblack metal, not necessarily for the message (we don't love black metal for its message either), but instead, the sound of unblack metal is so far out, so far removed from the tired tropes of BM, not sure if it's divine inspiration, or just the particular group of unblack metallers we tend to be drawn to, but it seems like the unblack tends to be weirder and more warped than the black in most cases, and thus, we've found ourselves looking to the UNdark side for that which our musical soul yearns for.
This latest slab of abstract experimental UNblackness, comes courtesy of aQ faves Njiqahdda, which just so happens to be the work of the man behind a bunch of other aQ unblack faves including Light Shall Prevail, Agathothodion, Glaciial and others. Which already meant this was gonna be some seriously experimental, evocative buzzing brilliance. Which it is, we're happy to report, but much has changed, the sound here is much prettier, much more stripped down, with less of an emphasis on buzz and blast, and more on mood and texture, ambience and emotion.
The epic 15 minute opener, is all jangly clean guitar, and wild drumming, at least in the beginning, the song soon explodes into something much more black, but after the initial burst, it sort of smoothes out, and instead of being crushing and punishing, it's hypnotic and mesmerizing, there are still harsh vocals, but the buzz is smoothed out, and the melody is lilting and melancholic, not hard to imagine this song could be stripped down to a gorgeous hazy drone, without losing to much of it's actual form and structure. The follow up skips the buzz entirely, and offers up a bit of dreamy, slightly gothic indie jangle, a sort of sweetly minor key post rock, wrapped in a light haze of shimmery ambience.
The next two tracks look back to the opener, both lengthy drone drenched black metal jams, with that muted buzz, tangled guitar harmonies, and super catchy melodies, both, even at their heaviest, manage to remain poppy and melodic, that blend, and the push and pull between light and dark, is what makes those tracks so emotional and powerful.
The closing track is an extended dronescape of whirling haze, shimmering high end, and deep cavernous rumbles, it almost sounds like a field recording set to music, one can almost visualize, the epic forests, the moon reflecting off the water, the glimmer of starlight on the frost covered branches, quite beautiful, and a fitting finish to a strangely beautiful batch of buzzing washed out unblack post metal.
MPEG Stream: "Ingratuu Maate Lagentii"
MPEG Stream: "Sombre Fortu"
MPEG Stream: "Abyssii Iiortuu Liomaatiin"

NOWIK, WILLIAM Pan Symphony In E Minor (Guerssen) cd 17.98
We hate to say it, or maybe we don't really hate to say it, but it seems like, well, you could pass a (rather draconian) law that no new music is allowed to be recorded or released, EVER, and even then, just by virtue of folks digging up and reissuing old obscure recordings from the '60s, '70s, etc., there'd still be enough awesome releases for Aquarius at least to still have a kick ass New Arrivals list of reviews every two weeks, right?? The cool reissues that keep on coming seem like proof of this. Here's the latest great example.
Long forgotten, private press, early '70s American psych-prog, rather pastoral (it's dedicated to the pagan Greek god Pan after all), masterminded by some earnest, bearded prog nerd doing his musicianly best to emulate his English/European heroes of the day, shades of Pink Floyd and King Crimson. That sorta sums up this all-instrumental album, recorded by composer William Nowik with a little help from his friends somewhere in upstate New York back in 1974. Except, that doesn't quite convey quite how fantastic and unusual Pan Symphony In E Minor really is! Possibly Nowik was into krautrock too, and we do know that the Master Musicians Of Joujouka had some influence on his musical vision of Pan.
Nowik's meticulously crafted, moody song-suites flow gorgeously, making precise sudden shifts as well. There'll be mellow rustic folkiness one moment, then -wham- it starts rockin' out with some fairly heavy guitar riffing, but then things wend and wind along further, and it's back to all-acoustic folk or jazzy bliss, but wyrd y'know, and then wyrder, with parts that are downright experimental, such as the passage towards the end of the disc which sounds like people climbing stairs while a church organ plays, followed by the sounds of a ticking clock, then plinking thumb piano...
There's just something ELSE to Nowik's music, an x-factor (the -actual- influence of Pan, perhaps?) that's hard to define but makes it more than just another obscure '70s prog effort. He takes things further, the music goes places other than where you'd expect, and dwells there longer, before heading off in another surprising direction (acoustic folky groove morphing into disjointed funk, ferinstance, at one point). But in all cases it really pulls you naturally there along with it. And it's beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Much will appeal to fans of Six Organs of Admittance, among other acts (Citay too?), we think.
The cd booklet is filled with enthused liner notes & lots of vintage b&w photos, giving a glimpse into the album's creation and the subsequent career of its creator. Since only a mere handful of copies were originally pressed in '74, and it was barely distributed to boot, thank Pan that it's been reissued and more folks can enjoy this today.
We will note one oddity of the cd reissue: though there's 14 tracks listed, the actual disc is only indexed into 3 tracks (one very short, two quite long). Doesn't really matter though, as you should listen to the whole thing all the way through every time anyway...
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 2"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 3"

NOWIK, WILLIAM Pan Symphony In E Minor (Guerssen) lp 26.00
We hate to say it, or maybe we don't really hate to say it, but it seems like, well, you could pass a (rather draconian) law that no new music is allowed to be recorded or released, EVER, and even then, just by virtue of folks digging up and reissuing old obscure recordings from the '60s, '70s, etc., there'd still be enough awesome releases for Aquarius at least to still have a kick ass New Arrivals list of reviews every two weeks, right?? The cool reissues that keep on coming seem like proof of this. Here's the latest great example.
Long forgotten, private press, early '70s American psych-prog, rather pastoral (it's dedicated to the pagan Greek god Pan after all), masterminded by some earnest, bearded prog nerd doing his musicianly best to emulate his English/European heroes of the day, shades of Pink Floyd and King Crimson. That sorta sums up this all-instrumental album, recorded by composer William Nowik with a little help from his friends somewhere in upstate New York back in 1974. Except, that doesn't quite convey quite how fantastic and unusual Pan Symphony In E Minor really is! Possibly Nowik was into krautrock too, and we do know that the Master Musicians Of Joujouka had some influence on his musical vision of Pan.
Nowik's meticulously crafted, moody song-suites flow gorgeously, making precise sudden shifts as well. There'll be mellow rustic folkiness one moment, then -wham- it starts rockin' out with some fairly heavy guitar riffing, but then things wend and wind along further, and it's back to all-acoustic folk or jazzy bliss, but wyrd y'know, and then wyrder, with parts that are downright experimental, such as the passage towards the end of the disc which sounds like people climbing stairs while a church organ plays, followed by the sounds of a ticking clock, then plinking thumb piano...
There's just something ELSE to Nowik's music, an x-factor (the -actual- influence of Pan, perhaps?) that's hard to define but makes it more than just another obscure '70s prog effort. He takes things further, the music goes places other than where you'd expect, and dwells there longer, before heading off in another surprising direction (acoustic folky groove morphing into disjointed funk, ferinstance, at one point). But in all cases it really pulls you naturally there along with it. And it's beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Much will appeal to fans of Six Organs of Admittance, among other acts (Citay too?), we think.
The cd booklet is filled with enthused liner notes & lots of vintage b&w photos, giving a glimpse into the album's creation and the subsequent career of its creator. Since only a mere handful of copies were originally pressed in '74, and it was barely distributed to boot, thank Pan that it's been reissued and more folks can enjoy this today.
We will note one oddity of the cd reissue: though there's 14 tracks listed, the actual disc is only indexed into 3 tracks (one very short, two quite long). Doesn't really matter though, as you should listen to the whole thing all the way through every time anyway...
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 2"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 3"

OH NO Dr. No's Ethiopium (Disruption Productions) cd 16.98
Madlib's super talented younger brother Oh No has been doing a great job as the ambassador of '60s & '70s international psychedelia to the hip-hop world, liberally sampling all sorts of aQ faves, Turkish psych, Mediterranean pop, whatever struck his fancy, so Dr. No's Ethiopium should really come as no surprise, a whole record sampled and inspired by rare '60s and '70s Ethiopian soul, jazz, funk, folk and psychedelic rock, all chopped up and recontextualized into brief little snippets of bad ass Ethiopian groove, wreathed in record crackle, peppered with pops and clicks, adding a warm timeless texture to these jams, some are just straight ahead sampled, others are rearranged into lurching, stuttering rhythms, the basslines woozy and funky, horns wailing, the vocals often left intact, but just as often all mixed up, flipped backwards, woven together to create strange hiccupping vocal layers, the sound ranges from soulful ballads, to pounding jazz funk, to cinematic string laden drama, to swirling Ethiopian folk transformed into something way more buzzy and bouncy, some jams synth swaddled, others warped and warbly, the bass cranked up all over the place, you can almost imagine the Wu-Tang swooping in for a verse or too, these brief jams are just so groovy and heady and funky and kick ass.
Hands down THEE mix of the year!!!
MPEG Stream: "Madness"
MPEG Stream: "Ox Therapy"
MPEG Stream: "Louder"
MPEG Stream: "Fuego Tribe"

OH SEES, THEE Quadrospazzed (Castle Face) 12" 13.98
This one might just be for superfans only, but then again, maybe not...
It's one song, one sided, costs $15, and is a live version of a previously released track (from the Peanut Butter Oven ep), but hell we know how Oh Sees fans are, OBSESSIVE, and this is a pretty sweet object. Besides the music, it's pressed on super thick 180 gram vinyl, comes in an eye popping black and red heavy duty jacket, and the B-side features an incredible etching, all patterns and pumpkins and shapes and leering mouths, super sweet.
The original track, already a bit sprawling and jammy, gets the full on live workout, recorded at a house show in SF, the song sounds pretty much like the original at first, all shuffling drums, reverb drenched guitar jangle, yelpy echoed vox, repetitive and kinetic, but then the song stretches waaaaaay out, breaks down, sounds a little like the parts in old songs where the band gets introduced, but instead, there's a drum solo, and the track spaces out and gets all sixties shimmery and dubbed out, to the point that is seems like enough of a new jam that you'd probably want it even if you already had the Peanut Butter Oven version. Cool stuff. And LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES.

ORANSSI PAZUZU Muukalainen Puhuu (Violent Journey) cd 14.98
Yet again, Finland delivers some divine delirious musical weirdness, this time in the form of psychedelic black metal freaks Oranssi Pazuzu, whose sound hews somewhat to the conventional tropes of black metal, but only somewhat, letting the requisite buzz and blast, splinter into swirling spaced out psychedelia, slow burning ambient space rock, PROG, druggy post rock, and pretty much any other strange sonic avenue these guys decide to explore. Think classic buzzing black metal, but then mix in some krautrock, lots of space rock (there's an astronaut on the cover for a reason!), classic hard rock and heavy metal, tons of not very black metal instruments, mellotrons, synthesizers, Hammond organs, strange vocal harmonies, it's really hard to explain what these guys are going for, but it's something spaced out and blackened, gnarled and abstract, but sprawling and expansive.
The opening track begins with muted drums and swirling electronics, soft focus chords, a strangely serene buzzscape, before the track kicks in with soaring high end riffage, pounding drums, only to break down into a sort of Hawkwindy workout, albeit with harsh vokills, but also all sorts of swoops and trills, sounds like maybe a Theremin, the band slip back and forth between blasting epic blackness, and tripped out stripped down spacejam, the guitars are rubbery and tangled, the bass a loping pulse, the riffs are strangely effected and stutter and ripple out, while a second guitar sprays shimmering harmonics out like stars in a black night sky. The second track opens up like a lost Gary Numan track, all Cars-style haunting synths, and simple motorik beats, over haunting high end melodies, peppered with bursts of furious blackness and weird chugging post rock parts.
Soon after the band slows down to full on shimmery near ballad, warbly guitars, simple skeletal drumming, hushed growled vox, before exploding into a complex keyboard driven prog workout, which leads into a more metal march.
The more we listen to these guys, the less they sound like a weird black metal band, and more like some heavy space prog band who just happens to incorporate elements of black metal into their sound. Which seems more apt considering very little of the record is spent buzzing and blasting, instead, the songs sprawl and expand into epic, convoluted spaced out prog, complex and catchy, but also obtuse and difficult, but totally unique and confounding and fantastically original.
We'd recommend this to adventurous black metallers for sure, but it almost seems like it was tailor made for all you Finnish music obsessives who have been on the lookout for something heavier and blacker and proggier and more freaked out and fucked up even than the usual Finnish fare, well friends, if this isn't what you were after, we don't know what it...
MPEG Stream: "Korppi"
MPEG Stream: "Danjon Nolla"
MPEG Stream: "Kangastus 1968"
MPEG Stream: "Suuri Paa Taivaasta"

ORCUTT, BILL New Way to Pay Old Debts (Palilalia Records) lp 10.98
Holy moly, we've already sold a TON of these before even listing it! In fact, we meant to review it on list #336, and then on #337, but we kept running out of 'em before list day so we couldn't. Well, now or never, we just got our last batch of these records direct from Mr. Orcutt himself, 20 copies and he says that's it, he's not going to repress it again. So, you ask, what's so great about this, why have they been flying out of here? Maybe it's 'cause this was picked by the editors of The Wire as number 3 in their top 50 albums of 2009. Or maybe 'cause so many AQ customers have an unhealthy obsession with the seminal underground '90s no wavey noise rock outfit that Orcutt used to abuse his guitar in, the notorious Harry Pussy. But this is pretty far from the skronk and spazz of HP. Well, it's still noisy in its way, but what Orcutt is playing here on this solo guitar album is "the blues". In an "American (very) Primitive" style. That's right, it's kinda the Harry Pussy version of John Fahey or something. Totally tangled, out there improvs from a guy who's really really feeling it, you can tell.
His steel string acoustic guitar is only strung with four strings (missing the two in the middle, apparently, who needs 'em) and it's recorded up close and personal, played in a choppily percussive, and definitely emotive way. Appalachian angst that's sometimes stark, the background hum or tape hiss somehow somber, but mostly crowded with energetic bluesy bursts of notes spilling all over themselves, punctuated by occasional yelps and hollers as the spirit moves him. Imagine an agitated, ADD old timey outsider artist on Mississippi, also part Tetuzi Akiyama, part Jandek...
Sure, there's some folks who might bring out the hoary old argument that "I could play like that too". But they didn't, and Orcutt did, and we're digging it! Definitely for fans of avant electric guitar freakouts - even though this is all-acoustic! Grab it while you can if it sounds good to you (it does to us).
MPEG Stream: "Lip Rich"
MPEG Stream: "My Reckless Parts"

ORKUSTRA, THE Adventures In Experimental Electric Orchestra From The San Francisco Underground (Mexican Summer) 2lp 38.00
After the sprawling 4lp Lucifer Rising Suite box set on Ajna reviewed here a while back, comes yet another awesome archival treasure trove of psychedelic sounds from Bobby Beausoleil, this one focused on demos and unreleased recordings from his Orkustra, a sort of Eastern style psychedelic jazz group he started after a brief stint in an early incarnation of Love with Arthur Lee.
Beausoleil was a friend and one time bandmate of Manson (not a member of the Manson family as is commonly thought), and is currently incarcerated, not for the 'Manson Murders' though, he was in fact arrested 3 days before that infamous killing spree for killing Gary Hinman after a botched drug sale. He spent time on Death Row but his sentence was eventually commuted to life in prison, which is where he has spent the last 40 years. Much of that making music.
The Orkustra however came well before, when Beausoleil was just a young hippie who headed to California looking for love and drugs and sex, and who discovered music as a gateway to another plane, to spiritual salvation.
The Orkustra never released a proper record, so this 2lp collects many of the demos and rehearsals, most unreleased, and thus the sound quality varies, the record opener, "Bousaki Blues Experiment" features lots of drop outs where the tape had obviously been damaged, but somehow that only adds to the mood and mysticism of the recording. That track already sounds a bit like a spacier, druggier Dirty Three, but with the strange garbled bits of tape damage, it sounds like some unearthed chunk of sonic mystery. The sound of the Orkustra is actually quite varied, from gamelan like grooves, to propulsive psychedelic rock, to tripped out fusiony free jazz, a definite Eastern vibe running through much of the music. "Flash Gordon" sounds almost big band, but with strange buzzing melodies, and woozy electric guitars. "Punjab's Barber" sounds like it could have been plucked off of some Sublime Frequencies compilation, and in fact, many of the tracks here, due in part to the songs, but also the recordings, sound like genuine artifacts of lost world music. "Freeform Improvisation (While Watching An Experimental Underground Film" is a murky muddy, spaced out krautrock workout, that sounds like it could just as soon be some current band getting all retro and lo-fi. Woozy, mesmerizing, drone-y, space-y and totally psychedelic. The literally titled "Flute Player Audition" has the titular flutist adding flurries and trills to the bands, warm and languorous garage groove. The record finishes with a practice version of "Gypsy Odyssey", a sprawling 12 minutes slow burning raga infused drone jam, murky and lo-fi, the bass throbbing and pulsing, the guitars unfurled in sheets of blurred sound that slowly coalesce into riffs, plenty of buzz and rumble and in-the-red blown out psychedelic blur, a space jam, that most bands today would kill to replicate.
Incredible stuff. And as with all Mexican Summer stuff, they pull out all the stops, gorgeous thick full color gatefold jacket, thick thick vinyl, download card, it is on the pricey side, as seems to be the case with Mexican Summer releases, but in this instance, it definitely seems worth it. LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES. Each one hand numbered.

OZMADAWN The Deepest Sleep (Chambara) 2 x cassette 8.98
Latest release from Bay Area blissdronespacedrift duo Ozmadawn, this one a gorgeously and elaborately packaged double cassette of music for sleep, separated into two sections, "For Sleep Or Meditation" and "For Smoke And Spirits".
The first tape is designed as the title suggests, for meditation and sleep, and is indeed a dark, dolorous bit of drifting low end, slow motion rhythmic swells, shimmering drifts of soft buzz and delicately crumbling distortion, lots of space, distant hiss, a softly swirling bit of minimal ambience, but with a dash of grimnity, this is not totally blissful and dreamy, the sounds here are dark and haunting, the mood harrowing, the overall vibe cinematic, the soundtrack to late nights and lost caves, to grey clouds drifting in front of a blood red moon, the various bits of electronic glitch, sound like they could be field recordings, insects, small creatures exploring their nocturnal landscape, all quite beautiful, but simultaneously quite dark.
The flipside gets even more evocative, with a layer of hiss that makes the record sound like it's wreathed in a rainstorm, or at the very least a late afternoon shower, the rumbling and buzzing drifting way back behind a sheet of processed hiss, the whole thing a softly shimmering bit of deep blackened late night moodmusic. So nice.
The second tape, the one designated "For Smoke + Spirits" is indeed a much more stirring bit of soundscapery, right out of the gate, creepy and tense, long tones wrapped around repeated motifs, total scary soundtrack stuff, a slow build from haunting to downright freaked out, streaks of feedback, a low lumbering melody, but right up in front a bit of sustained chordal soft focus skree that will most definitely have your hairs standing on end. Still pretty and mesmerizing, but seriously and cinematically harrowing, eventually building to a full on swarm-of-insects frenzy, a buzzing, swirling, convulsing wall of sound, while underneath, the original creep and drift continues to hover, the mix of the two disparate elements creating something gorgeously noisy, and/or noisily gorgeous.
ULTRA limited, as in 50 copies, we got about a dozen, they come housed in those oversized plastic clamshell cases, the kind that usually contain language tapes or instructional cassettes, the sleeve is hand stamped, hand numbered, and assembled one at a time, featuring a cool reflective front cover, includes a printed insert, and again, will probably be gone in no time...

PANTS, JAMES Seven Seals (Stones Throw) cd 15.98
It's apparent from Seven Seals that James Pants is one artist that does not want be pigeonholed. We already got a glimpse into his all-but-the-kitchen-sink approach towards cosmic funk on his Stones Throw debut, Welcome. But on Seven Seals, he takes us to a whole other universe, one where Vangelis gets high with Bauhaus and George Clinton while listening to Hawkwind. Seriously! And the weird thing is that it shouldn't work but it does! Pants is definitely exploring the gothier sides of new wave here with deep dour vocals but with an eye towards a dark retro-futurism and cosmic pop turbulence in the synth and rhythm treatments. Imagine Dam-Funk, Cold Cave and Neon Indian mashed together and broadcast out to a desolate planet where the atmosphere is really heavy and everything is silver, streamlined and egg-shaped and on the verge of being blown apart by cosmic forces. This is their soundtrack.
MPEG Stream: "A Chip In The Hand"
MPEG Stream: "Wormhole"
MPEG Stream: "Sky Warning"

PARSONS, DAVID Jyoti (Celestial Harmonies) cd 15.98
As we mentioned in the Pulse Emitter Meditative Music reviews, we do get a lot of folks here looking for cds for meditation, massage and yoga, and while we can get down with the concept of meditative music, we can't always get past the aesthetic cheesiness inherent in most music specifically designed for this purpose. You know what were talking about, right? Those photoshopped jewel tones, that terrible Hindu/Sanskrit-like font, and the gross overuse of words like "dharma", "kundalini", and "chakra".
So thank God, there are musicians like David Parsons who still work within the new age genre but don't completely fall into its trappings, making worthwhile music that both experimental drone heads and meditative music seekers can get behind. Maybe you'll recall his Earthlight disc we liked last year. Now, on Jyoti, Parsons takes us deep into some heavy inner earth drones, low temple bells and cavernous tonal soundscapes. Each track over 9 minutes of slow monumental and drifting resonance with no unnecessary or excessive melodic elements. If you need music to get your chakras aligned, we recommend this!
MPEG Stream: "Incarnation"
MPEG Stream: "They Come"

QUANTEC Cauldron Subsidence (Echochord) cd 16.98
Record number two from this German minimal electronic alchemist, combining the Chain Reaction style heroin house, with Pole like space dub and a pinch of super abstract dubstep into something super dreamy and divine. Definitely more for the headphones than the dancefloor, which is generally how we prefer our techno...
Collecting a handful of tracks both old and new, Cauldron Subsidence is a gorgeously seething bit of dark brooding dub-techno, the beats skeletal and ghostly, the melodies gauzy and ephemeral, the various tracks laced with chunks of strings, snippets of sparse vocals, reverb swirls and delay throbs, a cloud of FX haze seems to envelop the proceedings. Some of the tracks get downright propulsive, locking into a space-y minimal groove, while others simply throb abstractly, slipping from druggy digidub, to total retro heroin house, the record closer is a total nod to primo Chain Reaction, the surface just a patina of soft focus hiss and muted whir, while waaaay off in the distance, a slowed down 4x4 pulse wafts up, barely audible, like listening to a techno party down the block, the beats filtering their way through walls and buildings and the sonic clutter of daily life, before arriving in your earholes muted and muffled and gorgeously mumbly.
Way recommended, especially if Kompakt, and Chain Reaction, and Echospace, and Deepchord, and Echochord, and Pole and that sort of spaced out dubbed out minimal techno is your bag. But give it a try even if it isn't. It's like the techno version of late night trance out drift off dreammusic...
MPEG Stream: "Absolute Level"
MPEG Stream: "Deep Rooted"
MPEG Stream: "Fall Into Oblivion"

REICHEL, ACHIM & MACHINES Die Grune Reise - The Green Journey (Tangram) cd+dvd 25.00
An old fave, in fact a former Record Of The Week, at last reissued and available again, previously it was part of a 2-on-1 cd with another A.R. album, Echolung, but here it's by itself (with bonus dvd, more on that later). Nice packaging, great sound, so glad to have this back in the store! Here's more or less what we said before:
How is it that these long overdue A.R. & Machines reissues just keep making us fall in love with Ol' Achim Reichel over and over again? 'Cause it's some of the best krautrock EVER that's how. Die Grune Reise is a re-release of the first official A.R. & Machines LP from 1970 and, while slightly less epic and grand than the blissful Echo (one we raved about a few months ago), it's no less mesmerizing, exploratory and exciting. Reichel's trademark meandering, repetitive guitar and percussion are in full effect - spacey and grooving, but instead of totally transporting the listener into the realm of ether, there's something more rockin' and also sometimes ridiculous that keeps it in the realm of the studio. Well it had to be since EVERYTHING on here was performed and recorded by Achim Reichel himself, a total one-man-jam! Sounds like a whole hairy freak-troupe though. Die Grune Reise is like watching a preview of the even more awesome journey that Reichel eventually takes you on with Echo (which, by the way, is finally back in stock!). It's entirely possible that all the weird, sometimes goofy-hippy vocals on this album maybe make us a little self-conscious... Yes, there's a lot of the madhouse 'digga-digga-aahh-waaahhh!??" type vocals on here that at turns challenge and delight us, but they're tempered with a more than generous helping of signature chug-jams to keep us totally boogeying (dig the ZZ Top guitar riffery on track 2!) and lilting interludes to help us come down gently. When absorbing this album, it's hard to shake the very specific image of a naked, twirling free-spirited German longhair in the desert at night alone with his arms wide open holding a hand rolled cigarette/joint in one hand and doing graceful hand maneuvers with the other...and that's fine by us. A total krautrock essentials. Fans of both Can and Circle need to hear it.
This new, artist approved "Achim Reichel Edition" of Die Grune Reise is digitally remastered, and comes packaged with an extra, dvd disc (PAL, region 0, so it'll work in your computer but maybe not your dvd player) that contains an album length 42 minute video interpretation of the whole record ("Grune Reise - Der Film") that looks to be made fairly recently, with lots of trippy computer graphics going on, it's maybe better than the watching the "visualizer" on your iTunes but not much. Chances are, the pictures A.R.'s music will make in your mind are better than this, so use your imagination instead. The dvd also includes a 10 minute "Making Of" feature, but we don't know if that's a making of the album or a making of the video, 'cause the dvd menu/interface is just about the most confusing thing ever and we weren't able to figure out how to access that segment. So, the dvd is a bit of a bust, though again we didn't actually watch everything... and maybe the surround sound feature is a cool. Regardless, the album itself is highly, highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Globus"
MPEG Stream: "In The Same Boat"

RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR 2 (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
Record number 2 (hence the title) from Allan Sparhawk of Low's Retribution Gospel Choir, a way more rocking foil to Low's less rocking slowcore. And a pretty bad ass chunk of riff heavy rock for sure. Thankfully, much of the songwriting that defined and still defines Low has of course followed Sparhawk to the Choir, so in some cases, many of these songs are easily imagined stripped down and slowed down into Low jams, but on their own they function as some classic sounding, sometimes heavy, sometimes jangly sounding indie rock. Sparhawk's vocals powerful, the arrangements lush, plenty of hooks, some not so obvious, while others nail you right out of the gate.
Our favorite moments are when RGC get heavy, like on "Your Bird", the main riff is a monster, the indie vocals balancing the almost metallic tenor of the guitars, but the song twists and turns and does get pretty dang metal here and there. But even then, there are plenty of 'ooooohs' or something else to ground it far from actual metal.
The band also space out here and there, letting songs sprawl and smolder slowly, "Poor Man's Daughter" starts out like that, peppered with bursts of guitar chug and drum crash, but allowing for lots of drift and shimmer, until the last few minutes when things get super heavy, churning guitars, almost Jesu-like, blown out and in-the-red, but it's Allan Sparhawk, so the last few minutes returns to some lilting almost folkiness, which sounds divine on the heels of something so caustic.
It took us a while to warm up to this record. Not sure exactly what it was, but now we find ourselves returning to this a lot, and getting these songs stuck in our head like crazy...
MPEG Stream: "Hide It Away"
MPEG Stream: "Your Bird"
MPEG Stream: "Electric Guitar"

RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR 2 (Sub Pop) lp 15.98
Record number 2 (hence the title) from Allan Sparhawk of Low's Retribution Gospel Choir, a way more rocking foil to Low's less rocking slowcore. And a pretty bad ass chunk of riff heavy rock for sure. Thankfully, much of the songwriting that defined and still defines Low has of course followed Sparhawk to the Choir, so in some cases, many of these songs are easily imagined stripped down and slowed down into Low jams, but on their own they function as some classic sounding, sometimes heavy, sometimes jangly sounding indie rock. Sparhawk's vocals powerful, the arrangements lush, plenty of hooks, some not so obvious, while others nail you right out of the gate.
Our favorite moments are when RGC get heavy, like on "Your Bird", the main riff is a monster, the indie vocals balancing the almost metallic tenor of the guitars, but the song twists and turns and does get pretty dang metal here and there. But even then, there are plenty of 'ooooohs' or something else to ground it far from actual metal.
The band also space out here and there, letting songs sprawl and smolder slowly, "Poor Man's Daughter" starts out like that, peppered with bursts of guitar chug and drum crash, but allowing for lots of drift and shimmer, until the last few minutes when things get super heavy, churning guitars, almost Jesu-like, blown out and in-the-red, but it's Allan Sparhawk, so the last few minutes returns to some lilting almost folkiness, which sounds divine on the heels of something so caustic.
It took us a while to warm up to this record. Not sure exactly what it was, but now we find ourselves returning to this a lot, and getting these songs stuck in our head like crazy...
MPEG Stream: "Hide It Away"
MPEG Stream: "Your Bird"
MPEG Stream: "Electric Guitar"

SHADOWS GROUND In Eternal Coldness Of The Night (Black Hate Productions) cd 13.98
We've always had a certain fascination with Eastern European black metal. Sure, there are some similarities to the hordes of Scandinavia, but there is just something about bands from places like Russia, Romania, and the Ukraine, home of Shadows Ground. At this point in black metal's long history, things are usually a little more raw, more bleak, and just a little more mysterious with bands from these places. Shadows Ground are very reminiscent, both sonically and lyrically of Old Wainds, who you might recognize as one of our favorite black metal bands of all time. Like Old Wainds, and to a similar degree OW-related project Nav, these guys give you a first hand glimpse into the cold wintry realms of their homeland. Depressing insectoid melodies buzz relentlessly over the non-stop blasts, and the vocals are a harsh demon croak spitting out classic black metal truths of darkness and despair. There are some nice pics of the band being irresponsible with knives and fire, and this certainly harkens back to the days when black metal still seemed like a threat, or at least something you would want to avoid in a graveyard. Even though there are plenty of other bands who may be doing things more unique in the way of instrumentation and presentation, sometimes you just don't want to fuck with classic formulas, and anyone who yearns for some Transylvanian Hunger styled madness will find plenty of reasons to rejoice with this.
MPEG Stream: "In Unholy Fog Of Death"
MPEG Stream: "Our Truth"
MPEG Stream: "In Eternal Coldness Of The Night"

SHANNON AND THE CLAMS I Wanna Go Home (1-2-3-4 GO! Records) cd 13.98
After totally loving their 7" from last year we were so excited to get a full serving of this Oakland band's awesome, raw, reverb soaked garage pop. And as much as we did dig that 7", this full length is really taking it to new levels with greater urgency and intensity. I Wanna Go Home definitely demonstrates that Shannon And The Clams possess the ability to inject so many damn hooks in to a smoking brew of haunted and infectious down and dirty garage pop. At times the vocal delivery makes us think of the first Strokes album if it was stripped of its major label polish and doused with the magical aura of Billy Childish/Thee Headcoatees. Or like if Wanda Jackson somehow magically collaborated with The Cramps or The Crystals, and was the covered by The Gits. Shannon And The Clams perfectly meld their love of old school rock 'n' roll / RnB and girl groups with their appreciation of crustier punk and garage rock influences, and the result is so kick ass. Makes perfect sense that they often play with Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall, cuz while they don't sound exactly like those other bands, they do share the same undeniably true sonic soul that makes the great garage sound makers stick out from the legion of dabblers. None of those wannabees have the true punch and fire in their sound to pull it off like Shannon And The Clams do. So damn good!
MPEG Stream: "Troublemaker"
MPEG Stream: "You Can Come Over"
MPEG Stream: "I Wanna Go Home"

SIGH Scenes From Hell (The End Records) cd 13.98
Ready to return to the bizarre black metal (and beyond) world of Japan's Sigh? You'd better be, since that's where we're going, straight to, well, HELL. Hell for those who would prefer to listen to something simple and straightforward, that is! Scenes From Hell, Sigh's eighth studio full-length, is again an idiosyncratic mix of metallic symphonics and cartoonish chaos, complex and careening. If you liked both their last couple of albums, Gallows Gallery and Hangman's Hymn, you should be happy with this ('cause it's sorta like a blend of the two). In other words, it's for folks who like their metal ornate and over-stimulating. There's A LOT going on here. Piano, horns, thrash guitars, piano, classical string quartet, rasping vox, vocoder, even the sex appeal saxophone of new co-vocalist Dr. Mikannibal (not a medical doctor, she has a PhD in physics apparently). Whew! Sigh's unusual brand of orchestral metal is compositionally eccentric and utterly grandiose to say the least, like an over the top mash up of Cradle Of Filth, Carl Stalling, Ennio Morricone, Finntroll, Devil Doll, Arcturus, Dragonforce, Uz Jsme Doma, Hammers Of Misfortune - or imagine a black metal Koenjihyakkei, if you can - it's THAT hyperactive, heavy and heretical. Not to mention, performed to perfection.
The eight busy tracks here race through twists and turns, sounding both vicious and mournful, cinematic and circus-y, and very very Japanese. Even when they've got a horn section tooting away more like an oompah band than black metal, it's still freakin' hellish. So dizzying we're STILL trying to take it all in, but this review should suffice for now...
Oh, but maybe we should mention the guest spoken word appearance by Current 93's David Tibet?! And there's also a vokill cameo by Kam Lee from '80s Florida death metal pioneers Mantas and Massacre. Huh, David Tibet and Kam Lee on the same album, wow.
MPEG Stream: "The Red Funeral"
MPEG Stream: "Musica In Tempora Belli"
MPEG Stream: "L'art De Mourir"

SKELTON, RICHARD Landings (Type) cd 15.98
Originally released on Skelton's own Sustain-Release Private Press Imprint in 2009 as a sonic accompaniment to a collection of writings bearing the same name, both were made over a period of 4 years in the landscape of Lancashire's West Pennine Moors. The chilly Arcadian climate sets the perfect tone for Skelton's oblique investigations into memory, displacement and loss. Made with huge washes of long-form bowed string drones and piano tones in a deep engagement with the natural surroundings, you can feel the all-encompassing frost, the cold water on falling leaves, and the harsh blanket of wind through a threadbare shelter. Attempting to resolve the delicate boundary between intense loneliness and tranquil solitude, these recordings take off from the personal memorial to his wife of his last release under the moniker A Broken Consort, and into a beautifully larger dialogue of place, history and perseverance.
MPEG Stream: "Noon Hill Wood"
MPEG Stream: "Pariah"
MPEG Stream: "The Shape Leaves"

SKELTON, RICHARD Landings (Type) lp + cd 26.00
Originally released on Skelton's own Sustain-Release Private Press Imprint in 2009 as a sonic accompaniment to a collection of writings bearing the same name, both were made over a period of 4 years in the landscape of Lancashire's West Pennine Moors. The chilly Arcadian climate sets the perfect tone for Skelton's oblique investigations into memory, displacement and loss. Made with huge washes of long-form bowed string drones and piano tones in a deep engagement with the natural surroundings, you can feel the all-encompassing frost, the cold water on falling leaves, and the harsh blanket of wind through a threadbare shelter. Attempting to resolve the delicate boundary between intense loneliness and tranquil solitude, these recordings take off from the personal memorial to his wife of his last release under the moniker A Broken Consort, and into a beautifully larger dialogue of place, history and perseverance.
MPEG Stream: "Noon Hill Wood"
MPEG Stream: "Pariah"
MPEG Stream: "The Shape Leaves"

SKULLFLOWER Strange Keys To Untune God's Firmament (Neurot) 2cd 17.98
It's hard to believe Skullflower has been a band for 20+ years, and that there have been more than 40 Skullflower releases (and that's not even counting all the other non-SF projects, like Total, Sunroof!, Hototogisu, etc.), but many of us have been along for the whole ride, from the early days of crushing post industrial caveman thud rock, to the more blissed out ur-drone guitarskree, to the second wave of riff centric looped heavy drone spacerock, to the most recent incarnation, a return to incendiary, explosive, ear shreddingly psychedelic guitar noise. And we have to say, we've loved every minute of it. Don't think there was a bum disc in the lot.
It is safe to say that some versions of Skullflower are more accessible, it seems like the riffier discs, opened up lots of ears, only to have them clamped down as Mr. Skullflower Matthew Bower decided to ditch the riff completely, or if not ditch it, bury it beneath an avalanche of corrosive, crumbling, amp destroying black hole white noise, which is where we find ourselves now, with this, the most recent disc from Bower and co., Strange Keys To Untune God's Firmament, a sprawling two disc collection of some of the heaviest, most punishingly brutal sounds we've heard from Skullflower maybe EVER. Which is saying a lot.
Like many of the recent SF discs, Strange Keys requires some dedication, some effort, this is UNeasy listening for sure, a glancing earful will get you nothing but the surface, a blown out wall of grinding NOISE, but take a deep breath, strap on the headphones and dunk your head into this roiling blackened mess, and suddenly, your third eye is opened to all of the sonic subtleties going on within this swirling orb of guitarnoize, textures, rhythms, layers, tones and overtones, riffs (yeah, there are still riffs), what sounds like percussion, some of the tracks get downright blissful, slipping into almost Sunroof! territory, albeit less sun dappled and divine, and more heavy and harrowing, other tracks introduce lots of textures and glitched out electronic buzz, the sharp edges dulled, a muted blast of warped throb and thrum, with buried foghorns, tangled tendrils of feedback, and even some hidden melodies, only to explode moments later in a shower of jagged psychnoise shards.
Fans of recent Skullflower excursions will not be disappointed, those in search of the elusive Bower riff, will just have to gird themselves and dig deep, but if you like your guitars noisy, and your drone music like a hail of rusty nails and broken glass, then, you will find your salvation in Strange Keys To Untune God's Firmament.
LIMITED TO ONLY 300 COPIES!!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Shivering Aurora"
MPEG Stream: "Starlit Mire"
MPEG Stream: "Enochian Tapestries"

SMITH WESTERNS s/t (HoZac Records) cd 12.98
We'll be the first to admit that sometimes our customers are quicker than us to be turned on to the newest coolest sounds. We hadn't heard the Smith Westerns but a few of our regular customers kept gushing about them and told has we had to check it out. And we're so glad they did. While there has been no shortage of lo-fi garage pop in the last couple years, Smith Westerns have their own endearing and charming take on that kind of fuzzy bubblegum garage pop we can never seem to get enough of. While they hail from Chicago, these guys would be so at home right here in the Bay Area as they share a similar spirit and aesthetic with folks like Hunx & His Punx, Girls, Thee Oh Sees, Nobunny, Personal & The Pizza's, etc. In fact we just found out they will be playing a Valentines Day show here in San Francisco with the above mentioned Girls and Hunx & His Punx. So perfect!! We love how Smith Westerns bring in a wide range of influences, from T. Rex to girl groups, to create songs that are fleshed out and lushly lo-fi while bursting with bright eyed excitement. So fucking cool!
MPEG Stream: "Dreams"
MPEG Stream: "Gimme Some Time"
MPEG Stream: "Diamond Boys"

SMITH WESTERNS s/t (HoZac Records) lp 14.98
We'll be the first to admit that sometimes our customers are quicker than us to be turned on to the newest coolest sounds. We hadn't heard the Smith Westerns but a few of our regular customers kept gushing about them and told has we had to check it out. And we're so glad they did. While there has been no shortage of lo-fi garage pop in the last couple years, Smith Westerns have their own endearing and charming take on that kind of fuzzy bubblegum garage pop we can never seem to get enough of. While they hail from Chicago, these guys would be so at home right here in the Bay Area as they share a similar spirit and aesthetic with folks like Hunx & His Punx, Girls, Thee Oh Sees, Nobunny, Personal & The Pizza's, etc. In fact we just found out they will be playing a Valentines Day show here in San Francisco with the above mentioned Girls and Hunx & His Punx. So perfect!! We love how Smith Westerns bring in a wide range of influences, from T. Rex to girl groups, to create songs that are fleshed out and lushly lo-fi while bursting with bright eyed excitement. So fucking cool!
MPEG Stream: "Dreams"
MPEG Stream: "Gimme Some Time"
MPEG Stream: "Diamond Boys"

SOUND CARTOGRAPHY Volume One (Nancy Jo / Warm Bath) lp 11.98
From the same label that brought us that amazing Otesanek record from a while back comes this, the first lp in a series called Sound Cartography, which, as the label helpfully explains is:
"Concerned with the investigation of how individuals react when presented with unfamiliar material. Using a linear sequence, each consecutive participant ultimately determines the structure & feel of the record, taking cues from the previous submissions." Sounds cool so far. So when you figure in the fact that the participants include members of Iron Lung, Pig Heart Transplant, Brainoil, Lana Dagales, Running For Cover and Cages, you might be getting an idea of what sort of heavy sonic punishment you're in for, but odds are, you'd be wrong.
While this record is heavy and punishing, it's not metal, or grind, or power violence, there are no drums, if there are guitars, they're used in very un-guitar-like ways, if anything, it's a drone record, albeit a particularly malevolent drone record, with deep swells of cymbal shimmer, rumbling low end buzz, blackened and blurred thrum, all underpinning a haunting spoken word vocal, and laced with a grinding layer of gnarled FX laden crunch, way down in the mix, streaks of glitch, a bit of clatter, building to a burst of abstract ambient near power violence before giving way to an extended bit of super spare, minimal drift, peppered with bits of plinked piano, detuned steel string buzz and hysterically howled invective.
The flipside offers up more of the same, another swirling abstract dronescape, grim spoken vocals, pulsing distorted soft noise, thick swells of sound, barely there pulse like rhythms, reverbed crunch and clatter, slightly sci-fi sounding, again finally slipping into a gorgeous sprawl of hushed drones and ominous whispers, laced with bits of effected dubbed out glitch.
Gorgeous packaging, hand screened two color (black and metallic silver) chipboard fold over jackets, printed on both sides, pressed on thick vinyl, and LIMITED TO 300 COPIES.

SPACEMEN 3 Sound Of Confusion (Fire Records) lp 16.98
Hmm. There's no point in really "reviewing" Spacemen 3 records at this point. They're surely one of the top 10 greatest bands to ever exist and even with their influence touching so many bands everywhere, no one - NO ONE - sounds like Spacemen 3. They just got it in ways other bands couldn't. Simple as that. It sure is great to have the band's Glass Records output, their first three full lengths, available on vinyl (some nice 180 gram vinyl to boot) for the first time in God knows how long. They look amazing in their heavy duty sleeves, and after years of absorbing every molecule of the shitty looking Taang Records cd versions, seeing these records as they were initially presented puts things into perspective even more. They just look so classic, so timeless, and so many years later, it makes perfect sense why we felt like we uncovered some secret portal when we discovered this band. Any song they ever did is the perfect soundtrack to any moment of any or every day.
Sound Of Confusion was the band's first statement after building up a repertoire for a few years. It's their most aggressive record and even though the future was full of surprises, it is the album that set the template for how most people will describe Spacemen 3: loud droning guitars, a minimal but intensely psychedelic approach that is almost violent in its focus, and of course, an inseparable cloak of drugginess. Lyrically, you just can't fuck with songs like "Losing Touch With My Mind" and their mindblowing cover of Juicy Lucy's "Just One Time", retitled as "Mary Anne". The album contains three originals, and three amazing covers that manage to become originals, and a sort of original/cover hybrid. Everything Spacemen 3 did is worth your time, they're definitely an appropriate band to get obsessed with, so why not start at the beginning?
MPEG Stream: "Losing Touch With My Mind"
MPEG Stream: "Hey Man"
MPEG Stream: "Mary Anne"

SPACEMEN 3 The Perfect Prescription (Fire Records) lp 16.98
Hmm. There's no point in really "reviewing" Spacemen 3 records at this point. They're surely one of the top 10 greatest bands to ever exist and even with their influence touching so many bands everywhere, no one - NO ONE - sounds like Spacemen 3. They just got it in ways other bands couldn't. Simple as that. It sure is great to have the band's Glass Records output, their first three full lengths, available on vinyl (some nice 180 gram vinyl to boot) for the first time in God knows how long. They look amazing in their heavy duty sleeves, and after years of absorbing every molecule of the shitty looking Taang Records cd versions, seeing these records as they were initially presented puts things into perspective even more. They just look so classic, so timeless, and so many years later, it makes perfect sense why we felt like we uncovered some secret portal when we discovered this band. Any song they ever did is the perfect soundtrack to any moment of any or every day.
For some people, it's Playing With Fire. For others, probably most, it's The Perfect Prescription, Spacemen 3's ultimate statement and the record where everything was working together in absolute harmony. The record cover itself seems to completely capture the essence of Spacemen 3, with Sonic Boom and Jason Pierce holding their guitars, eyes closed, no doubt concentrating deeply on the contents of their minds. It seems fair to call this their pinnacle, as things would become increasingly more split between the group's mainmen from this point on. The Perfect Prescription is one of those rare albums that is completely beyond criticism. Don't even try. Beginning in classic Spacemen 3 style with "Take Me To The Other Side", the album subsequently incorporates a wide array of influences and styles, from soul to gospel to country, making it clear that, even though they did it better than anyone else, there was far more to this band than just walls of fuzzed out drones. Even with this diversity, everything on the album belongs to Spacemen 3 - especially their cover of the Red Crayola's "Transparent Radiation" - and they were able to harness all their powers into something which is, yeah, pretty fuckin' definitive. We could go on forever, but we won't.

SPACEMEN 3 Performance (Fire Records) lp 16.98
Hmm. There's no point in really "reviewing" Spacemen 3 records at this point. They're surely one of the top 10 greatest bands to ever exist and even with their influence touching so many bands everywhere, no one - NO ONE - sounds like Spacemen 3. They just got it in ways other bands couldn't. Simple as that. It sure is great to have the band's Glass Records output, their first three full lengths, available on vinyl (some nice 180 gram vinyl to boot) for the first time in God knows how long. They look amazing in their heavy duty sleeves, and after years of absorbing every molecule of the shitty looking Taang Records cd versions, seeing these records as they were initially presented puts things into perspective even more. They just look so classic, so timeless, and so many years later, it makes perfect sense why we felt like we uncovered some secret portal when we discovered this band. Any song they ever did is the perfect soundtrack to any moment of any or every day.
Performance was released to fulfill contractual obligations with Glass, sort of an easy solution before moving on to bigger things. Still, it comes completely recommended, as it captures Spacemen 3 in a live setting on the Perfect Prescription tour, and there's no reason to complain about that. Apparently they weren't exactly pleased with this particular set, and the drums are surprisingly low in the mix, but they tear things up just as you would expect, with the molten guitars taking over everything everywhere. Recorded in 1988 in a setting one could imagine the band being quite comfortable in - Amsterdam - Performance is a fiery run through some early classics, and it will no doubt give you further insight into Spacemen 3's revolutionary approach. Goddamn, there sure aren't any bands like this these days.

STROSZEK Life Failures Made Music (God Is Myth) cd 10.98
Latest disc from these Italian gloom rockers, the long running solo project of Claudio from aQ black metal faves Frostmoon Eclipse, but unlike the black buzz of FME, Stroszek traffic in something more dramatic and epic, subtle and subdued, with a sound hewing closer to Katatonia, or late period My Dying Bride, big riffs, huge moody melodies, lush arrangements, hushed almost whispered vox.
Slow and brooding, the songs are gradual smoldering builds, often exploding into a churning crunchy chorus, only to slip right back into some dour bass driven doom pop.
Life Failures Made Music is actually a lot heavier in parts than past Stroszek releases, making the Katatonia comparison even more apt, if you can imagine the same sort of bombast, but stripped of its dramatic vocals, which makes these songs sound so much more intimate and personal, still well produced, and lush, but the strange barely there vocals make it seem somehow less commercial, less accessible. And the songs themselves are darkly gorgeous, repetitive and cyclical, with super catchy melodies, and some really nice guitar playing, and super solid drumming. Definitely not cult or grim or even all that heavy, but it certainly hits the spot if you're looking for something moody and morose and a bit metal.
MPEG Stream: "The Unlucky One"
MPEG Stream: "Gone By The Fall"
MPEG Stream: "Undead Hotel"

SUN ARAW Sun Ark (Not Not Fun) 7" 8.98
Two words we never thought we'd need these two words in a review of solo lysergic space psych outfit Sun Araw: Funky. And Reggae. But indeed this latest slab of effects drenched trip out, indeed requires both of those descriptors to do it justice.
The A side is all fuzzy bloopy bass, over a groovy loping rhythm, lots of wah guitar, drenched in effects, little squalls of psychedelic freakout here and there, super stripped down, synthy and spacey and yeah, a little bit funky. But in some weird way it totally works.
The flipside offers up, right out of the gate, some funky timbales, more wah guitars, he whole thing pretty blissed out and druggy for sure, with super tripped out stereo panning and warm wheezing organ, and a distinct and undeniable rocksteady vibe.
We're trying to remember if these tendencies were present in past Sun Araw outings, and we feel like they must have been, but it's not until now that they were allowed to blossom, seems strange, and it definitely sort of is, but we're digging it. Try to imagine the a totally drugged out, abstract, fuzzy, reverby, effects doused slightly funky, lo-fi reggae drone space jam, and this is probably it!

SUN OF THE BLIND Skullreader (Avantgarde) cd 17.98
Probably all anyone will really need to know about Sun Of The Blind is that it is the solo project of Zhaaral from mighty Swiss black metal spacemen Darkspace, and in fact that's all we really needed to know, when we first heard about this, we knew it had to be good, how could it not be? And thankfully our faith in this grim Swiss black warrior was not misplaced.
Don't be expecting any blazing buzzing black space metal a la Darkspace, or even wintery black frost a la Paysage D'Hiver, although you do get a little of each, there are similarities, in the use of ambience, of mood, and texture, but Sun Of The Blind is way more melodic, poppy even, the sound washed out and woozy, melancholy yet epic. The songs tend toward the midtempo, with some of the riffs and melodies, reminding us of a more amped up Jesu or Nadja, the same sort of lysergic shoegaze quality, clouds of interwoven melodies, gorgeous harmonies, all over a churning, mantric, hypnotic black groove.
Much of the record is spent drifting and droning, single notes and gently strummed chords suspended between sheets of blackened shimmer, while elsewhere, strange electronics and crumbling loops underpin woozy sun dappled minor key melodies, building to gauzy dreamlike dirges, or exploding into dense flurries of black crush.
Skullreader is warm and enveloping, a massive roiling melodic buzzscape that is almost more hypnotic than it is heavy, an utterly gorgeous collection of blown out black beauty that almost sounds like some impossible Darkspace / Katatonia hybrid.
Easily one of our new favorite black metal records for sure, and essential for any Paysage / Darkspace obsessives...
MPEG Stream: "Cursed Universe"
MPEG Stream: "Lord Of Mind"
MPEG Stream: "Fire And Thirst"

UNHUMAN DISEASE Into Satan's Kingdom (Black Hate Productions) cd 13.98
It's always interesting how the dispersion of music takes place. It's harder than one might think to get a record from artist, to fan. Case in point, the tons of Japanese customers who order records by Japanese artists from our store in the US, or the Europeans who order records from us that were released by labels in Europe. And of course we often find ourselves ordering records from overseas, by bands who live right here in the US, often right here in California.
Which is sort of how we discovered Unhuman Disease, a killer USBM band from Oklahoma of all places, and who we had never heard of until we ordered their records from Black Hate over in Germany.
It really doesn't matter in the long run, as long as the music gets to the people, so we're psyched to introduce folks to Unhuman Disease, even if we had to get to Oklahoma via Germany.
Unhuman Disease is the one man BM project of Nocturnal, who is probably better know as the former drummer for Texan black metallers Thornspawn, but in Unhuman Disease, he whips up a seriously frenzied black blast of satanic fury. Into Satan's Kingdom is one of two UD full lengths released last year, and it's a killer, slipping deftly from hiss drenched blackened doom, to blasting frantic hyperspeed black buzz, to plodding midtempo Burzumic blackness, it's lo-fi and raw, grim and blown out, the whole record seems cloaked in a sonic haze that is definitely reminiscent of Striborg, with some distinctly Nordic moments of soaring majestic riffage, and even some weirdly melodic prettiness, but for the most part Unhuman Disease is for the corpsepainted true grim warriors, who want nothing more than to fill their caves with sick black buzz.
MPEG Stream: "Diabolic Devotion"
MPEG Stream: "Calling Of Satan"

UNO ACTU / MALEDICERE split (God Is Myth) 7" 8.98
Killer black metal / black ambient match up, featuring one of our favorite mysterious ritualistic drone combos, Uno Actu. But let's start with Maledicere, a duo from Minnesota of all places, and whose sound is a sort of raw pounding black metal, with a bit of a post rock vibe. After an intro of tinkling tones and dreamy ambience, the band launch into a loping Burzumic pound, but with strange howled vocals, very melodic, but still plenty buzz drenched. Mostly midtempo, but the band do explode into bursts of frenzied buzz with soaring majestic melodies, before slipping back into something more pounding and primitive. Definitely be psyched to hear more from these guys.
But no matter how good Maledicere is, Uno Actu are the reason we're so excited about this record. With only a handful of demos over the last few years (a couple of which we've raved about on past lists), a new record from these guys (or this guy), is like an (un)holy message sent from another realm, a rare occurrence that produces much rejoicing, and much huddling around the stereo late and night by candlelight.
A cloud of muted feedback and textured buzz, swirls and pulses, over delicate acoustic guitar, some sort of dreamy blackened noisefolk, slipping from corrosive and caustic to washed out and meditative. Demonic vocals gurgle over smears of fracture melody, and distant guitar strum, eventually spiraling into a looped bit of minor key droneguitar mesmer. So fantastic.
Someone needs to collect all the demos and release them on cd, or vinyl, or something, but until then, we'll just have to make do with these little offerings, everyone a black joy to behold.

V/A Anatolia Rocks: A Musical Trip Through Turkey 1968-83 (World Wide Productions) lp 25.00
We haven't had a good Turkish psych compilation in some time and while this covers some pretty familiar ground, there's plenty of stuff new to us to recommend it. Don't let the time range of the music create any doubts, the bulk of this is from 1968-1976 with one song from 1977 (Edip Akbayram & Dostlar) and one from 1983 (Fikret Kizilok, doing a smoky ballad that sounds older than most material on here). Three of the tracks are reissued here for the first time. While there are key hits from Selda, Erkin Koray, Mustafa Ozkent and 3 Hur-el that have been on numerous other releases, the tracks by Baris Manco, Esin Afsar, Umit Tokcan, Nurcan Opel, Galatasaray Lisesi, and Cem Karaca Ve Apslar are all unfamiliar to us, mostly taken from rare 45's and soundtrack records. Lots of heavy rock groove, surfy lounge beat, and smoky soulfulness to make this a highly worthwhile collection for DJs and unusual psych connoisseurs. Just ignore the subpar cover art! On Red Vinyl!
(This was also released as an outrageously expensive cd-r, we passed on those, but figured it was worth it on vinyl.)

V/A Clouds Carved The Mountains (self released) 2 x cd-r 17.98
Better act fast on this one, super limited, as in ONLY SEVENTY COPIES, and it's a pretty killer sampling of some of the best SF bands around, all exclusive tracks, from a bunch of our favorites, and a whole bunch of bands we'd never heard of before.
Barn Owl, Lucky Dragons, Tussle, Pale Hoarse, Ascended Master, Snowblink, Drumz and so many more. Two discs, nearly 2 hours, of spaced out drone, groovy abstract rhythms, dark swilring ambience, woozy drum machine driven lo-fi pop, pounding low slung post rock, and lots of stops in between.
All of the tracks were recorded live in the Fall of 2007, during Drew Bennett's collaborative Clouds Carved The Mountains Installation / Sound Series at the Triple Base Gallery, here in SF.
Beaufiul hand assembled and hand silkscreened cover, with a printed insert, of the seventy copies we only got a handful, so grab one quick before they're gone...
MPEG Stream: BARN OWL "Untitled"
MPEG Stream: TUSSLE "Untitled"
MPEG Stream: ASCENDED MASTER "Untitled"
MPEG Stream: DRUMZ "Untitled"

V/A Good God! Born Again Funk (Numero Group) cd 16.98
You know music is beyond powerful and soulful when it can be all about faith in something you don't personally believe in, yet you can't stop listening to it! The sentiment, passion and energy put into the music transcends any one specific belief and becomes more about the music and its ability to truly tap into raw spirit and deep conviction.
Such is the case for the amazing gospel jams compiled once again by the always dependable Numero Group, in their second volume of gospel burners that we think might even outshine their first installment from a few years back. These are the reeeeal deal, unfiltered sounds that were blasting in black churches in the 1960's. Informed by the soul and deep funk of popular secular music, folks took that inspiration into their churches to create sweaty, impassioned deep grooved fiery and catchy songs that spoke of their deep running spirituality and beliefs. And it's just impossible not to get swept up in the spirit of these songs. Musically it's just some of the most solid, groove filled and exquisitely performed soul music we've ever heard. The equivalent of getting to hear Aretha Franklin or James Brown let it all hang out in the house of the Lord. Most of the tracks here come from Chicago, whose long history of spiritual soul is reaffirmed once again.
While most of us here are everything from Atheists to Buddhists to Jewish to Quaker to Agnostic to worshipers of nature and sometimes even Satan (got to represent out black metal tendencies) we all can't help but testify to the righteous sounds in this collection. For the duration of the eighteen songs on Good God! Born Again Funk, we are all devout believers! Vinyl version coming in a few weeks, by the way...
MPEG Stream: T.L. BARRETT & YOUTH FOR CHRIST CHOIR "Life A Ship"
MPEG Stream: THE INSPIRATIONAL GOSPEL SINGERS "The Same Thing It Took"
MPEG Stream: SENSATIONAL FIVE "Coming On Strong"

V/A Grind Madness At The BBC (Earache) 3cd 15.98
What really needs to be said about this collection? Vintage Peel Sessions (songs recorded live in the BBC studios to later be broadcast live on John Peel's legendary radio show) by some of the most legendary, and influential grind bands EVER. As well as some not exactly grind bands, and some rad obscure (to many) lesser knowns. C'mon, Napalm Death, Carcass, Bolt Thrower, Godflesh, Extreme Noise Terror, Heresy, Unseen Terror, Intense Degree... the names alone should have most heavy music freeks frothing at the mouth, granted much of this stuff has been available before, but much of it has NOT. And for $16!!??
The first three Napalm tracks here: "The Kill", "Prison Without Walls" and "Dead" are quite literally, the most perfect 57 seconds in extreme music history. We first heard those tracks on a John Zorn radio show, and immediately set out to track them down, and that whole Napalm Peel Session totally trumps (to these ears) anything else they've ever done, to this day, so furious and frantic, the recording so hot and in-the-red, seriously still possibly the most extreme sounding music we've heard. The Napalm tracks here include Peel Sessions from '87, '88 and '90. And if you don't have any or all of 'em, they're worth the price of admission alone. Then there's Extreme Noise Terror, whose sound is way more crusty and punk, bordering on grind, but still totally and fantastically punk rock. The Carcass sessions were definitely available at some point, but these too, if you've yet to hear them, they will SLAY you, crushing and heavily reverbed, fierce and totally sloppy, but so goddamn good. And Bolt Thrower, no one can fuck with Bolt Thrower, and they totally shine on their Peel Session, thrashing and crusty and blown out and totally untouchable. Godflesh pops up for a few songs too, and of course those rule too, especially the Peel version of "Like Rats" which somehow sounds even meaner and heavier.
And then there's the more obscure stuff, 38 tracks of wild, thrashing grinding metallic punk crust from Intense Degree, Unseen Terror, and Heresy, all of which are pretty excellent, ID kick out some fierce skate punk slop, UT are a downtuned grunting blast beat terror, and Heresy start out all goofy and poppy with "Flowers (In Concrete)" before launching into a flurry of off kilter chaotic grind.
Killer slipcovered packaging with tons of vintage photos, liner notes, and a lengthy interview with Mick Harris (Napalm Death / Extreme Noise Terror / Unseen Terror)...
MPEG Stream: NAPALM DEATH "The Kill"
MPEG Stream: NAPALM DEATH "Prison Without Walls"
MPEG Stream: NAPALM DEATH "Dead"
MPEG Stream: GODFLESH "Like Rats"
MPEG Stream: UNSEEN TERROR "Incompatible"
MPEG Stream: UNSEEN TERROR "Burned Beyond Recognition"
MPEG Stream: HERESY "Flowers (In Concrete)"
MPEG Stream: HERESY "Belief"
MPEG Stream: INTENSE DEGREE "Hangin' On"
MPEG Stream: INTENSE DEGREE "Vagrants"

V/A High All The Time Vol. 2 (Past & Present) cd 17.98
Naturally, this is the sequel to the excellent '60 fuzz psych compilation High All The Time Vol. 1. We reviewed that last year, it was a pretty darn killer comp indeed, and so is this follow-up! There's 14 cuts from 14 bands, from garages all across the US of A, circa 1966-'74. Like Vol. 1, this is the place to go for savage fuzz romps -and- trippy psychedelic excursions. And as before, it's all obscure stuff. The only artist we'd heard of before is J.D. Blackfoot, one of the few acts here who managed to release a long-player, most of the rest of 'em having but one rare 7" single to their name. However, the A-side (or sometimes B-side, let's hear it for B-sides!) to that single was often enough of a recorded legacy to earn 'em a pool of drool from record collectors and garage psych connoisseurs for ever and ever. Listen in, you can hear why.
This starts off plenty fierce with the aforementioned J.D. Blackfoot's gruffly-sung "Epitaph For A Head". Classic & wild! That's followed by "Time Out To Fly" by Magical Mist, almost as fuzzy but a bit more dreamily moody as befits their name, reminding us of the Electric Prunes by the end of the tune. But even the most melancholic and melodic cuts here tend to erupt eventually into at least one white hot blast of acid guitar soloing excess, if not totally freaking out into full-on scuzz stomp. Other highlights include the lovely "Sad Now" by Solid Ground, and a not-so-folky rendition of "If I Were A Carpenter" by Grant's Blueboys, among others. Another cool cover here is Chesmann Square's "Circles", originally by The Who. The line up also includes: American ZOO, Thundering Heard, ESB, Thorinshield, Odyssey, Ocelot, Jordan, World Column, and Catfish Knight & The Blue Express.
The glossy cd booklet contains brief (sometimes very brief!) liner notes and discographical information for each act, with vintage photos and 45 labels in some cases too. Yep, just what we were hoping for when we realized that Volume 1 of course implied a Volume 2... By the way, we've reached the point in time where we're seeing reissues of reissues, apparently both volumes came out on vinyl in the early '90s but now's the first time they've appeared on cd.
MPEG Stream: J.D. BLACKFOOT "Epitaph For A Head"
MPEG Stream: ESB "Mushroom People"
MPEG Stream: CATFISH KNIGHT & THE BLUE EXPRESS "Deathwise"

V/A Messthetics #107 (Hyped To Death) cd 14.98
At this point in this fantastic on-going series, with us having already reviewed Messthetics #101-106 plus both Messethetics Greatest HITS and Messthetics Greatest HISS, we probably don't have to introduce you to the whole Messethetics concept, that being archival anthologies of DIY recordings by obscure post-punk bands from the UK, circa 1977-1983 or so, some noisier, some poppier, some weirder, some cruder... You know what we're talking about - if not, please look up all our reviews of the previous installments in this series, you're in for a treat!
So, here's #107, subtitled "D.I.Y. '78-81 London III", meaning it's the third collection of London-based bands in the series, returning to the city previously documented by #101 and #102. Of course, there's a been lot of great bands from there! There's 23 audio tracks on the cd, plus 7 bonus songs in mp3 format included here. Here's the lineup of bands: Stepping Talk, Jelly Babies, Avocados, Occult Chemistry, Patterns, Six Minute War, Demon Preacher, Methodishca Tune, Jangletties, Stolen Power, Flags, Steppes, Disco Zombies, Insex, 49 Americans, The Milkmen, Design For Living, Twilight Zoners, and Club Tango, with a few more only on mp3. Not too many household names there, eh? But you will find, if you peruse the incredibly extensive liner notes in the thick cd booklet (filled also with photos, fliers, and 7" artwork), that folks participating in some these acts also played in the likes of Alien Sex Fiend, Flying Lizards, A Certain Ratio, and others.
More of a recommendation, really, is simply that it's another volume of Messthetics - they're ALWAYS awesome, so collect 'em all! As usual with a Messthetics volume, this disc is packed with long-unheard gems that are so charmingly THEN but also so perfectly NOW considering the sort of retro influenced stuff we've been hearing from the current DIY pop scene. Naive shambolic pop rubs shoulders with machine-driven punk angst, dubby rhythms mix it up with melodic jangle and skronky guitars... off kilter lo-fi avant garde action abounds! If we had to pick a fave, we'd say the Disco Zombies for some reason jumped out at us when we gave this the first of several spins thus far. But you'll doubtless latch onto your own faves here if you give it a few listens yourself.
Another great addition to the Messthetics library, as always we give big thanks to Hyped To Death for performing this valuable service for all music lovers whose collections aren't quite vast enough to already contain all these obscurities.
MPEG Stream: SIX MINUTE WAR "Weatherman"
MPEG Stream: STEPPES "God's Got Religion"
MPEG Stream: DISCO ZOMBIES "Greenland"
MPEG Stream: METHODISHCA TUNE "LFD"

V/A Pop Ambient 2010 (Kompakt) cd 15.98
Finally, the latest installment of pop ambience is here, a record we look forward to all year. Very few series, whether they be compilations, TV shows, movies, whatever, can make it to 10 installments, at least not without the quality suffering big time, but the Pop Ambient series continues to be amazing. And untouchable. We'd say that every one is better than the last, but that wouldn't be entirely true, since every single one has been equally fantastic. The 2009 installment introduced some new blood, some non Kompakt folks dabbling in their own ambient pop, like Tim Hecker and The Fun Years, along with the usual suspects. But for 2010, Kompakt decided to keep it in the family, lots of familiar names: The Orb, Mikkel Metal, Thomas Fehlmann, Dettinger, Andrew Thomas, Wolfgang Voigt, DJ Koze, but with a couple tracks from Brock Van Wey, whose Echospace imprint owes no small debt to Kompakt, and one from new to us Marsen Jules, with maybe the best song on the disc.
Jules' "The Sound Of One Lip Kissing" starts things off with surprisingly dark and ominous take on the Pop Ambient sound, a gorgeously grim, lopped slow motion creep, all deep tones, lots of space, and a spare skeletal rhythm, all murky and warm and washed out, the various tones looped and stuttered into blurred sonic ripples, cinematic and darkly epic, we find ourselves playing that one track over and over and over.
The two Brock Van Wey tracks take the post Chain Reaction minimal space dub sound of Echospace, and gives it a shimmery, sun dappled pop ambient overhaul, bits of guitar, and fragmented voices, wreathed in delay, and looped into ethereal dreamscapes, Van Wey's 17 minute closer "Will you Know Where to Find Me" begins as a muted blurry low end drift, but soon explodes into a glorious prismatic shoegaze blowout, that sounds a bit like a drumless M83, nearly static, a pulsing cloud of bleary eyed female vox and processed buzz, so epic and gorgeous.
In between lurks plenty of soft focus beauty, from glistening, echo drenched slowcore dream pop, to swirling seas of hiss and crackle and submerged melody, to stuttery high end drones, to blurred gauzy piano driven abstract ambient ballads, to cinematic sting laden drifts, to super intense and emotional looped dronescapes, to hushed outer space minimal psychedelia, to blissed out slow motion mesmer. Another utterly gorgeous and transcendently divine ambient pop music, which will just have to hold us over until 2011...
For vinyl folks, fear not, the lp version includes the cd as well...
MPEG Stream: MARSEN JULES "The Sound Of One Lip Kissing"
MPEG Stream: TRIOLA "Schildergasse"
MPEG Stream: THE ORB "Glen Coe"
MPEG Stream: BROCK VAN WEY / BVDUB "Will You Know Where To Find Me"

V/A Pop Ambient 2010 (Kompakt) lp 15.98
Finally, the latest installment of pop ambience is here, a record we look forward to all year. Very few series, whether they be compilations, TV shows, movies, whatever, can make it to 10 installments, at least not without the quality suffering big time, but the Pop Ambient series continues to be amazing. And untouchable. We'd say that every one is better than the last, but that wouldn't be entirely true, since every single one has been equally fantastic. The 2009 installment introduced some new blood, some non Kompakt folks dabbling in their own ambient pop, like Tim Hecker and The Fun Years, along with the usual suspects. But for 2010, Kompakt decided to keep it in the family, lots of familiar names: The Orb, Mikkel Metal, Thomas Fehlmann, Dettinger, Andrew Thomas, Wolfgang Voigt, DJ Koze, but with a couple tracks from Brock Van Wey, whose Echospace imprint owes no small debt to Kompakt, and one from new to us Marsen Jules, with maybe the best song on the disc.
Jules' "The Sound Of One Lip Kissing" starts things off with surprisingly dark and ominous take on the Pop Ambient sound, a gorgeously grim, lopped slow motion creep, all deep tones, lots of space, and a spare skeletal rhythm, all murky and warm and washed out, the various tones looped and stuttered into blurred sonic ripples, cinematic and darkly epic, we find ourselves playing that one track over and over and over.
The two Brock Van Wey tracks take the post Chain Reaction minimal space dub sound of Echospace, and gives it a shimmery, sun dappled pop ambient overhaul, bits of guitar, and fragmented voices, wreathed in delay, and looped into ethereal dreamscapes, Van Wey's 17 minute closer "Will you Know Where to Find Me" begins as a muted blurry low end drift, but soon explodes into a glorious prismatic shoegaze blowout, that sounds a bit like a drumless M83, nearly static, a pulsing cloud of bleary eyed female vox and processed buzz, so epic and gorgeous.
In between lurks plenty of soft focus beauty, from glistening, echo drenched slowcore dream pop, to swirling seas of hiss and crackle and submerged melody, to stuttery high end drones, to blurred gauzy piano driven abstract ambient ballads, to cinematic sting laden drifts, to super intense and emotional looped dronescapes, to hushed outer space minimal psychedelia, to blissed out slow motion mesmer. Another utterly gorgeous and transcendently divine ambient pop music, which will just have to hold us over until 2011...
For vinyl folks, fear not, the lp version includes the cd as well...
MPEG Stream: MARSEN JULES "The Sound Of One Lip Kissing"
MPEG Stream: TRIOLA "Schildergase"
MPEG Stream: THE ORB "Glen Coe"
MPEG Stream: BROCK VAN WEY / BVDUB "Will You Know Where To Find Me"

V/A The Stranglers - Chapter 1 (Choking Hazard) 2cd 16.98
Slow. Low. Downtuned. Crushing. Heavy. Sludge. Dirge. Doom. Buzz. Rumble. Pound.
By now, the appropriate parties should be paying attention, cuz this is for anyone who uses any or all of those descriptors to talk about the music that moves them. Two sprawling discs of ultra heaviness, all weirdly based on strangling scenes from horror movies, all tending toward the slow and low, a handful of aQ faves, a bunch of groups new to us, but all purveyors of metallic crush of one form or another.
The first disc is frontloaded for aQ, beginning with an exclusive track from UK doomlords Atavist, who start things off with some pretty delicate guitar, which is just a slow build toward a heaving wall of lumbering sludge, glacial and epic, pummeling and monstrous, growled vocals, and massive drum crush, but that delicate opening guitar continues on beneath the heaviness above, adding a strange vibe to the proceedings. UK bruisers offer up 3 slabs of feedback drenched Eyehategod worship, not all that slow, but buzzy and stonery and low slung with some awesome superfuzz and wildly howled vox. French one man sludge outfit The Austrasian Goat slows it waaaaaay doooooown, to a gut wrenching crawl, channeling, classic ultra funereal doom, into some gloriously abject sludge.
Up next is The Whorehouse Massacre, a Canadian one man band who spews some sick, super distorted ultra sludge doom, awesome stuff, we definitely need to hear more from this guy.
All the bands on the second disc are new to us, beginning with Stasis, who do their own take on twisted downtuned heaviness, offering up weird acoustic interludes between the blown out bursts of howled and shrieked dirgery. Feast Of Sins are classic funeral doom, even offering up one track of grim black ambience, bookended by some glacial gloomy creeps. Ghost Empire are another rad sludge doom combo, but with a bit of groove, after some super skeletal spaced out ambience, these guys piledrive with churning riffs, big drums, and throat shredding vox. And finally, Welter In Thy Blood, who hail from LA, offer up a seriously harrowing chunk of blackened doom drenched ambience, sick inhuman vocals, super spare drums, riffs that ooze like black tar, the whole track like a Khanate jam played at 16rpm.
Lots of killer stuff, all slow and low and heavy, doom, drone, sludge, if that's your thing, then THIS is most definitely for you.
MPEG Stream: ATAVIST "20:11"
MPEG Stream: MOLOCH "Green Pills"
MPEG Stream: AUSTRASIAN GOAT "Exorcism By Hatred"

V/A Wierd Compilation Volume Two (Wierd Records) 4lp 39.00
Two NYC labels - Minimal Wave and Wierd Records - have been at the forefront in energizing a resurgence in minimally sculpted synth pop that harkens back to the late '70s and early '80s of synthpunk, darkwave, and industrial sensibilities. Where Minimal Wave's focus has been on digging up the lost gems from that seminal time period, Wierd actively supports those working in the field today, with a weekly club in New York and with well-curated albums including recent releases from Xeno & Oaklander and Led Er Est. Back in 2006, Wierd released a massive 3lp set, showcasing some of the best and brightest who had passed through their doors. That first set was a magnificent find, filled with misanthropes in black leather making dirge-crusted ambience, grinding dark-disco anthems, and sexy goth electronics sporting uncanny melodies. Unfortunately that set is currently out of print, although we're hoping to secure some copies anyway.
This, the second set, was completed at the end of 2008 and took a slightly different approach than the first, as the curatorial direction was clearly to dovetail Wierd's tastemaking aesthetic of coldwave synth pop with the perpetually moving US underground of noise-induced powerdroning. In many ways, what Wierd was doing in this compilation parallels what Carlos Giffoni has been doing with his No Fun Festivals, but from the other end of the spectrum.
So what you get here is a beautifully packaged collection that brackets a darkly propulsive synth-pop number with an abrasive noise-drone piece, with the linking factor being that all of the sounds have been made on analogue synths. Xeno & Oaklander, Martial Canterel, Three To Forgotten, Tobias Bernstrup, and Epee Du Bois belong to the former camp; and Demons (featuring Nate Young of Wolf Eyes fame), Envenomist, Cadaver In Drag, and even the aforementioned Mr. Giffoni represent the latter. Sleep Museum, Charlie Draheim, and Wave Tank seem to be the artists that do their part to marry the two, especially Draheim's piercing synth Leather Nun-ish anti-tune "Guts On The Dancefloor." Oh yeah, all the tracks here are exclusive to the compilation. Great. Great. Great.
MPEG Stream: ENVENOMIST "A Vague Disquiet"
MPEG Stream: DEMONS "Sick By Water"
MPEG Stream: VENDOME "Lightwave Emissions"
MPEG Stream: MARTIAL CANTEREL "Pathway Splits Apart"
MPEG Stream: TOBIAS BERNSTRUP "Enemies Of The Earth"

VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRA Joka Baya (Black) (VHF) lp 14.98
It's been a while since we've heard from UK ur-drone spacelords Vibracathedral Orchestra, founder Neil Campbell took off on his own a while back, and now kicks up a ruckus as Astral Social Club, but the Orchestra is still going strong, fronted by long time members Mick Flower and Adam Davenport, who for this new set of THREE (!!) full length releases, is joined by John Moloney of Sunburned Hand Of The Man and the mighty John Godbert of the legendary Total.
Each of the three, Joka Baya, The Secret Base and Smoke Song, function on their own as fully formed proper albums, but the three also seem to fit together into one expansive whole, a sweeping sprawling songsuite, that seems to drift from one lp to the next, and in fact, although we didn't try it, we imagine you could probably play these records simultaneously in various combinations and the results would be even trippier.
Needless to say, most folks will most likely want all three, but no harm done in starting with one, and then grabbing the others later, unless they sell out that is, which seems very likely considering that these are quite limited.
Up first is Joka Baya (in the black cover) beginning with a bit of African drumming, which gives way to some gorgeously glimmering and glistening prismatic dronemusic, swirling effects, all dreamlike and bleary eyed, with what sounds like birdsong mixed into the chiming notes and extended tones. The record shifts gears after that into something much heavier and more blown out, a full on psychedelic post Hawkwind spacejam, a heavy krautrock rhythm beneath a flurry of tangled psych guitars. The African drums return briefly before the band lock into a throbbing processed minimal looped dronescape, murky and washed out, dark and hypnotic.
The flipside is a single side long epic, a slow burning cloud of processed guitars, cymbal shimmer, glitched out FX, building to a pounding psychedelic crescendo before slipping into a propulsive muted buzzdrone raga outro.
The second lp is called The Secret Base (in the white and red cover) and begins immediately with a total Spacemen 3 / Loop styled drug rock jam, repetitive, mesmerizing, super hypnotic, the guitars smoldering and incendiary. The next track is an Eastern tinged spacekraut groove, strangely Southern sounding as well, a bit twang flecked, a little dubby even, melodic, and major key and surprisingly playful. Like the first record, The Secret Base also fills its second side with a single extended track, this time, it's all clattery and ritualistic and tribal, shakers, bells, hand drums, moaned and chanted vocals, very reminiscent of Avarus, NNCK, Sunburned Hand, eventually the sound locks into a skeletal groove, hypnotic and propulsive, but still abstract and way loose.
Finally, the third art in the trilogy, Smoke Song (in the Orange cover), which begins with a sprawling bit of Clattery, twangy tribal free drift, fluttery flutes, lots of percussion, a sort of wild and wooly drum circle, laced with woodwinds and swirling effects, before slipping into a muted spacey jam, all subtle drumming, wheezing chords, little bits of guitar jangle, warm whirring keyboards, druggy, psychedelic, and just a bit Doors-y (or Wooden Shjips-y, for a more contemporary reference).
Smoke Song too offers up a side long closer, this one ending the whole trilogy, and it's a doozy, full on droned out drug rock, cyclical, mesmerizing, sitar-like buzz wrapped around a simple, but pounding motorik beat, while all around it a swirling cloud of hiss and buzz and shimmer.
Needless to say, all three are recommended, and again, not sure how limited these are, or how long they'll be around...

VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRA The Secret Base (White) (VHF) lp 14.98
It's been a while since we've heard from UK ur-drone spacelords Vibracathedral Orchestra, founder Neil Campbell took off on his own a while back, and now kicks up a ruckus as Astral Social Club, but the Orchestra is still going strong, fronted by long time members Mick Flower and Adam Davenport, who for this new set of THREE (!!) full length releases, is joined by John Moloney of Sunburned Hand Of The Man and the mighty John Godbert of the legendary Total.
Each of the three, Joka Baya, The Secret Base and Smoke Song, function on their own as fully formed proper albums, but the three also seem to fit together into one expansive whole, a sweeping sprawling songsuite, that seems to drift from one lp to the next, and in fact, although we didn't try it, we imagine you could probably play these records simultaneously in various combinations and the results would be even trippier.
Needless to say, most folks will most likely want all three, but no harm done in starting with one, and then grabbing the others later, unless they sell out that is, which seems very likely considering that these are quite limited.
Up first is Joka Baya (in the black cover) beginning with a bit of African drumming, which gives way to some gorgeously glimmering and glistening prismatic dronemusic, swirling effects, all dreamlike and bleary eyed, with what sounds like birdsong mixed into the chiming notes and extended tones. The record shifts gears after that into something much heavier and more blown out, a full on psychedelic post Hawkwind spacejam, a heavy krautrock rhythm beneath a flurry of tangled psych guitars. The African drums return briefly before the band lock into a throbbing processed minimal looped dronescape, murky and washed out, dark and hypnotic.
The flipside is a single side long epic, a slow burning cloud of processed guitars, cymbal shimmer, glitched out FX, building to a pounding psychedelic crescendo before slipping into a propulsive muted buzzdrone raga outro.
The second lp is called The Secret Base (in the white and red cover) and begins immediately with a total Spacemen 3 / Loop styled drug rock jam, repetitive, mesmerizing, super hypnotic, the guitars smoldering and incendiary. The next track is an Eastern tinged spacekraut groove, strangely Southern sounding as well, a bit twang flecked, a little dubby even, melodic, and major key and surprisingly playful. Like the first record, The Secret Base also fills its second side with a single extended track, this time, it's all clattery and ritualistic and tribal, shakers, bells, hand drums, moaned and chanted vocals, very reminiscent of Avarus, NNCK, Sunburned Hand, eventually the sound locks into a skeletal groove, hypnotic and propulsive, but still abstract and way loose.
Finally, the third art in the trilogy, Smoke Song (in the Orange cover), which begins with a sprawling bit of Clattery, twangy tribal free drift, fluttery flutes, lots of percussion, a sort of wild and wooly drum circle, laced with woodwinds and swirling effects, before slipping into a muted spacey jam, all subtle drumming, wheezing chords, little bits of guitar jangle, warm whirring keyboards, druggy, psychedelic, and just a bit Doors-y (or Wooden Shjips-y, for a more contemporary reference).
Smoke Song too offers up a side long closer, this one ending the whole trilogy, and it's a doozy, full on droned out drug rock, cyclical, mesmerizing, sitar-like buzz wrapped around a simple, but pounding motorik beat, while all around it a swirling cloud of hiss and buzz and shimmer.
Needless to say, all three are recommended, and again, not sure how limited these are, or how long they'll be around...

VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRA Smoke Song (Orange) (VHF) lp 14.98
It's been a while since we've heard from UK ur-drone spacelords Vibracathedral Orchestra, founder Neil Campbell took off on his own a while back, and now kicks up a ruckus as Astral Social Club, but the Orchestra is still going strong, fronted by long time members Mick Flower and Adam Davenport, who for this new set of THREE (!!) full length releases, is joined by John Moloney of Sunburned Hand Of The Man and the mighty John Godbert of the legendary Total.
Each of the three, Joka Baya, The Secret Base and Smoke Song, function on their own as fully formed proper albums, but the three also seem to fit together into one expansive whole, a sweeping sprawling songsuite, that seems to drift from one lp to the next, and in fact, although we didn't try it, we imagine you could probably play these records simultaneously in various combinations and the results would be even trippier.
Needless to say, most folks will most likely want all three, but no harm done in starting with one, and then grabbing the others later, unless they sell out that is, which seems very likely considering that these are quite limited.
Up first is Joka Baya (in the black cover) beginning with a bit of African drumming, which gives way to some gorgeously glimmering and glistening prismatic dronemusic, swirling effects, all dreamlike and bleary eyed, with what sounds like birdsong mixed into the chiming notes and extended tones. The record shifts gears after that into something much heavier and more blown out, a full on psychedelic post Hawkwind spacejam, a heavy krautrock rhythm beneath a flurry of tangled psych guitars. The African drums return briefly before the band lock into a throbbing processed minimal looped dronescape, murky and washed out, dark and hypnotic.
The flipside is a single side long epic, a slow burning cloud of processed guitars, cymbal shimmer, glitched out FX, building to a pounding psychedelic crescendo before slipping into a propulsive muted buzzdrone raga outro.
The second lp is called The Secret Base (in the white and red cover) and begins immediately with a total Spacemen 3 / Loop styled drug rock jam, repetitive, mesmerizing, super hypnotic, the guitars smoldering and incendiary. The next track is an Eastern tinged spacekraut groove, strangely Southern sounding as well, a bit twang flecked, a little dubby even, melodic, and major key and surprisingly playful. Like the first record, The Secret Base also fills its second side with a single extended track, this time, it's all clattery and ritualistic and tribal, shakers, bells, hand drums, moaned and chanted vocals, very reminiscent of Avarus, NNCK, Sunburned Hand, eventually the sound locks into a skeletal groove, hypnotic and propulsive, but still abstract and way loose.
Finally, the third art in the trilogy, Smoke Song (in the Orange cover), which begins with a sprawling bit of Clattery, twangy tribal free drift, fluttery flutes, lots of percussion, a sort of wild and wooly drum circle, laced with woodwinds and swirling effects, before slipping into a muted spacey jam, all subtle drumming, wheezing chords, little bits of guitar jangle, warm whirring keyboards, druggy, psychedelic, and just a bit Doors-y (or Wooden Shjips-y, for a more contemporary reference).
Smoke Song too offers up a side long closer, this one ending the whole trilogy, and it's a doozy, full on droned out drug rock, cyclical, mesmerizing, sitar-like buzz wrapped around a simple, but pounding motorik beat, while all around it a swirling cloud of hiss and buzz and shimmer.
Needless to say, all three are recommended, and again, not sure how limited these are, or how long they'll be around...

WEEKEND All-American / Youth Haunts (Mexican Summer) 10" 19.98
The smoking hot Mexican Summer label unleashes another new great band to the world, this one actually resides right here in San Francisco. Weekend blast out two songs on this 10" overflowing with a refreshing lo-fi rocking and shoegazey vibe. Kind of like a Woodsist band doing covers of Nowhere era Ride, or a less monochromatic Crystal Stilts letting loose on Unrest covers, or The Chills crossed with early My Bloody Valentine. They also remind us a bit of a more ramshackle and raw version of Desolation Wilderness who have also recently been creating great songs from a similar sonic perspective but with a bit more polish and fleshed out production. Weekend keeps things fuzzy and blown own and a bit raw which for sure works in their favor and also aligns them well with the likes of Wavves, Pearl Harbor, Grass Widow, etc.
Both songs on here are fucking great! But we wouldn't feel right if we didn't mention that it is only two songs (one of which will be on their forthcoming full length) which makes the $20 pricetag seem a bit, well, outrageous. Of course this is extremely limited and will be gone before the blink of an eye, and we really do love all the music Mexican Summer has been putting out but we do think the cost might be getting a little out of hand. That being said when it comes to the music in these grooves, we're totally sold!

WETHER Human Parka (Monorail Trespassing) cassette 6.98
Another fine release of cancerous electronic drones from Monorail Trespassing, whose tapes have been consistently some of the best being released in recent years. Wether is the work of Delaware native Mike Haley, who has been amassing an Aaron Dilloway work ethic of numerous releases in tiny editions; and there's one picture floating around online that documents a live Wether gig with Haley hunched over a suitcase of pedals and a microphone with long-hair covering his face. Yup, sounds like a Wolf Eyes show; but at least on Human Parka, Wether is not entirely recapitulating Michigan noise. Maybe something like Demons with their coldwave synth drones, but that's as close as he gets. Anyway, the two steady arcs of lazer beam drones amass out of phase pattern saw tooth analog tones, oscillating filter sweeps, and downshifted vibrations keyed into tectonic plate movements. Some of the low-end frequencies can be pretty fucking headsplitting, especially when listening on headphones. As mentioned, very well constructed. Twenty minutes, limited to 125 copies.

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM Live At Roadburn 2008 (Roadburn) cd+dvd 19.98
Anyone fortunate enough to have seen Wolves In The Throne Room in a live setting will probably tell you the same thing: the band simply KILLS. Not to say that their albums aren't totally amazing - they are - but seeing these guys live is an experience that will stay with you for a while. It's probably a safe bet to assume that for many people, especially here in the states, seeing the Wolves in concert is their first exposure to live black metal. And it would certainly stand as quite an introduction to the transcendental power of true (your goddamn right it's TRUE) black metal. While WITTR on record presents a band who really understand the importance of crafting a beautiful and well thought out collection of songs, complete with otherworldly ambience and a keen attention to production, on stage they are more inclined to rip your face off and scald your eardrums into cinders. They are unstoppable, frighteningly intense, and seriously, loud as fuck - just a few of the reasons why we are so stoked to have this new cd+dvd set chronicling the band's 2008 set at the Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands. The sound here is upfront and relentless, and even though things are surprisingly clear, none of the band's power is lost, if anything, this should be a good indication of how awesome they are and why their records are so damn great; WITTR isn't some half-assed studio project by guys who are afraid or unwilling to step into the public realm, they are a REAL band, one that rocks, shreds, and destroys everything in its path. The vocals here are pretty unbelievable, maybe even better than on record, just insane throatshredding goodness and perfect for the sonic assault the band whips up. The dvd features the concert presented in an appropriately murky setting under blue light. It will probably have you longing for the actual live experience more than anything, but we certainly have no complaints. Classic stuff for sure.
MPEG Stream: "Vastness & Sorrow"
MPEG Stream: "Cleansing"

WORMDOOM Last Days Boogie (Twisted Village) cd 14.98
Here's something we've been meaning to list for a long time... since, oh, about 1995! 'Cause while we've reviewed a LOT of things on our site, somehow we haven't reviewed everything. So more than once in a while, we like to write up an old fave that we haven't actually ever listed before - often something that kinda predated our doing of "the List". Like this, which came out in '95. Turns out the distributor we got it from originally still had some copies in stock, and we figured that lots of you might not have come across this before. Plus, c'mon, how could we pass up finally having a band called WORMDOOM in our catalog?
However, it's not the usual doom metal fare like you might be expecting. Instead Wormdoom are, uh, fake Christian '70s heavy psych! Well, fake's not quite the right word (though these guys and gal probably aren't actually all that Christian). But they're not really trying to fool anyone about actually being from the '70s, either, we mean. That's just their inspiration, the Wormdoom concept, totally going for an apocalyptic Jesus freak "holy fuzz" vibe. The artwork is right on, the cover reminding us of some private press krautrock rarities (not necessarily Christian but apocalyptic anyway, like Necronomicon and Gravestone's Doomsday). Not only does it have the look, they've got the sound down too, as well they should since Wormdoom was comprised of folks with great record collections, members of a bunch of other great, totally freaky bands that were all part of the the whole genius drugged out Twisted Village scene of the early '90s. On guitars, Wayne Rogers and Kate Biggar from Crystallized Movements, Magic Hour, Vermonster, B.O.R.B. aka Bongloads Of Righteous Boo! On bass, Tom Leonard of Luxurious Bags (and also Vermonster, B.O.R.B.). On drums, Joe Malinowski (Vermonster). And of course, Wayne, Kate & Tom are all currently still slinging axes and kicking out the jams in Major Stars.
So, no surprise Wormdoom are willing and able to deal out the full on distortodelic acid guitar splurt like it was gifted to them from on high! Their garagey protometalgrindboogie is actually waaaay more extreme than anything really from the '70s, nothing back then sounded quite this crazed (did it?). With trashcan drumming, tons o' distortion n' noise, and glossolalia-like vocal babble on a couple tracks ("The Gift Of The Tongues" parts 1 and 2, natch - everythin' else is all instrumental), they woulda however fit in sonically pretty darn well on one of them classic PSF Tokyo Flashback comps, were they Japanese. Heck, some of this would fit in on a Butthole Surfers album. Of all the Twisted Village bands, Wormdoom is by far the heaviest.
And, underneath it all, they manage some damn catchy hooks, the wham-bam 2:21 title track ferinstance definitely boogie-ing its way into your brain until the Rapture, at least. They also sprawl out with some extended jams too, as you might expect from this bunch, proving that you don't need drugs, just Jesus to get you high. We'll put "Jesus" in quotes, though.
This, by the way, was Wormdoom's only album, besides this they managed a live 7" and a comp track and that's about it, which is as it should be, since if they really WERE an early '70s Jesus rock band, they wouldn't have left behind much more than that for collectors to discover years later, would they? Praise the Lord, they let it all hang out here.
15 years after this came out (and, like, 40 years after it -looks- like it came out), it still seems like we're approaching the Last Days don't it? So, if you missed this before, repent ye sinners, Wormdoom saves! Amen.
MPEG Stream: "Last Days Boogie"
MPEG Stream: "Blessed Assurance"

ZIMMER, HANS Sherlock Holmes OST (Waterworks Music) cd 17.98
We recently braved the horror of cellphones and incessant chatter that is our local theater (spoken like true grumpy old men) to see the latest Guy Ritchie movie Sherlock Holmes, and while we were prepared to be disappointed, we were actually pretty blown away. Classic Ritchie, as in the best thing since Snatch and Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, it was stylized, the sets were incredible, it was funny, clever, Downey Jr. was hilarious, so was Jude Law, there was really very little to not like (except maybe the NON ending / set up for a sequel), but more than anything, we were taken by the score, a strange mix of old timey cabaret, and strange solo violin plucking. Throughout the movie, Holmes is holed up in his dingy dirty apartment, clinging to an old violin, which he nervously plucks, unfurling some truly haunting melodies, that perfectly suit the dour grey skied Victorian setting, not to mention Holmes' fragile mental state. We were sort of hoping there would be lots of that on the soundtrack and nothing else, and there is a bit, but listening to the soundtrack removed from the movie, we're struck by how awesome it is. Zimmer is no slouch, although most of us probably remember him most for composing the awesome "Spider Pig" song from the Simpsons Movie, but here, he weaves am entrancing spell, dark and emotional and moving, and as most soundtrack fans know, coming up with a theme is key, and Holmes' theme is a little 7 or 8 note figure that is repeated in various permutations, but it's weirdly pretty and distinctly haunting. Lots of pizzicato strings, moaning violins, shimmering steel strings, weeping horns, what sounds like dulcimer, old timey and Victorian sounding for sure, the closer, the nearly 7 minute "Catatonie" is the perfect finish, spare and creepy, with that theme popping up again and again, but with plenty of orchestral flourish, ominous creep, and just a dash of bombast. Way recommended. As is the film...
MPEG Stream: "Is It Poison, Nanny?"
MPEG Stream: "He's Killed The Dog Again"
MPEG Stream: "Marital Sabotage"
MPEG Stream: "Catatonie"

----*
----* Selected New Arrivals :
----*

ABSU s/t (Candlelight) cd+dvd 13.98
NOW AVAILABLE IN LTD. DELUXE EDITION! In slipcase with alternate artwork (from the vinyl version), packaged with a bonus dvd disc documenting a recent live concert in Texas, probably very similar to the awesome one they played at our 2009 SXSW showcase (haven't watched it yet)! Here's what we said about this killer black metal comeback album when we first listed it last year, prior to that SXSW gig:
Getting a new album from Absu is like being handed a bunch of scrolls from ancient Sumer bearing esoteric magickal wisdom - at a raging kegger hosted by some Slayer-blasting heshers! And since this is the thrashing Texas "mythological occult metal" band's first album in about eight years, AND they're one of the acts we arranged to play the Aquarius/WMFU showcase gig at the South By Southwest music fest in Austin this year (their first show in seven years!!!), you KNOW we're really excited about this self-titled album's nearly concurrent manifestation. Of course, we were equally (and foolishly, it turns out) worried that this long-overdue new Absu would somehow be a disappointment, seeing as how Shaftiel and Equitant have left the band, leaving remaining founding member drummer/vocalist Sir Proscriptor McGovern (also of Melechesh, Equimanthorn, and his solo project Proscriptor) to assemble a completely new lineup, finding fresh blood to dust off the band's old spellbooks for this new conjuration. Of course it's a bit different than before - a tad slower maybe (though still freakin' frenzied!), adorned with more atmospheric keyboards (synths and prog fave Mellotron!). But compared to anything else, it's still ABSU. Insane and arcane. The two new members are up to their awesome responsibilities, ripping fiercely through these complex but headbanging songs, leaving shredding solos in their wake. And of course, Proscriptor is still one of extreme metal's most incredible, exacting, accomplished drummers. Not to mention black metal/magickal conceptualists. So there's still weird occultic song titles to make Bal-Sagoth weep. Gotta love "In the Name of Auebothiabathabaithobeuee"!!! The eccentrick, eldritch spirit (part Celtic, part Mesopotamian) of Absu lives. Paying tribute, a bunch of guests make cameo contributions, including members of Melechesh and Mayhem, as well as former Absu bassist Equitant (giving this his stamp of approval). So call it a comeback.
2001's Tara may still be our favorite Absu album, but this sure is a worthy follow up. Hail Absu!
MPEG Stream: "The Absu Of Eridu & Erech"
MPEG Stream: "Magic(k) Square Cipher"
MPEG Stream: "In the Name of Auebothiabathabaithobeuee"

BARKER, KEVIN You And Me (Gnomonsong) cd 13.98
Former Currituck Co. frontman Kevin Barker's debut release under his own name marks a slightly different direction for the multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter. For the last few years, he's been a phenomenal touring musician for Joanna Newsom (who lends a hand on piano and organ here), Vashti Bunyan and Vetiver. His past releases had more of a raw back porch quality, his vocals more urgent and less refined, but here he takes on a more laidback and expansive approach. The production is more lush and warm and his vocals have more of a soft and sweet quality similar in vibe to Vetiver, MV & EE or Cass McCombs, channeling that seventies West Coast sound. While it's a nice little record, the price of admission comes form the three included bonus tracks, which have more of a deeper epic folk quality than the breeziness of the songs on the album proper.
MPEG Stream: "I Will Fly"
MPEG Stream: "Ten Toes To Sister Sky (Bonus Track)"

BARKER, KEVIN You And Me (Gnomonsong) lp 13.98
Former Currituck Co. frontman Kevin Barker's debut release under his own name marks a slightly different direction for the multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter. For the last few years, he's been a phenomenal touring musician for Joanna Newsom (who lends a hand on piano and organ here), Vashti Bunyan and Vetiver. His past releases had more of a raw back porch quality, his vocals more urgent and less refined, but here he takes on a more laidback and expansive approach. The production is more lush and warm and his vocals have more of a soft and sweet quality similar in vibe to Vetiver, MV & EE or Cass McCombs, channeling that seventies West Coast sound. While it's a nice little record, the price of admission comes form the three included bonus tracks, which have more of a deeper epic folk quality than the breeziness of the songs on the album proper.
MPEG Stream: "I Will Fly"
MPEG Stream: "Ten Toes To Sister Sky"

BIG PINK A Brief History Of Love (4AD) 2lp 16.98
NOW ON VINYL!!!
We were a bit surprised the first time we heard The Big Pink from the UK. We assumed the band was named after the famous record by The Band, so we were expecting something more rock or rootsy, but instead were treated to some awesome droned out druggy gothy smeary shoegazey electro pop. Weird enough to appeal to folks into all that strange shit, but catchy and hooky enough to end up on 4AD and be a super hyped next big thing.
And we're cool with that for sure. If there's gonna be a next big thing, it might as well be these guys. It's like a way poppier, more commercial version of some badass hybrid of Suicide, Depeche Mode, M83, My Bloody Valentine, Interpol, a little noisy, WAY poppy, a bit eighties, a lot nineties, a little new wave, there's some Pixies in there for sure.
The Big Pink are a duo, but have an extended band that weirdly enough includes a member of aQ prog faves Guapo, not that you'd mistake this stuff for prog, but it does hint that there might be something more going on than just another band looking toward the pop charts.
And all the backward looking pop these days, the coldwave revival, new wave seeping into everything, seems like a good time for these guys, not to say that if you love Cold Cave and Former Ghosts and Zola Jesus and the like that you'll dig this, but you just might, and if you like Interpol and M83 and dig lots of synths and drum machines and catchy choruses and washed out guitars and big beats and warm feedback, but on a bigger, stadium sort of scale, then check this out, it's pretty addictive stuff....
MPEG Stream: "Crystal Visions"
MPEG Stream: "Too Young To Love"
MPEG Stream: "Count Backward From Ten"

BUZZOV-EN Violence From The Vault (Relapse) lp 17.98
NOW ON VINYL!!!
Not sure why we never reviewed anything by these pot fueled purveyors of crusty sludge, could be that all of their records predated the list, but we have shown much love to post Buzzov-en stoner sludge combo Weedeater, the thing is, everything we love about Weedeater, existed in Buzzov-en, even more. Heavier, sludgier, stonier, crustier, filthier, these five songs were recorded right before the band disbanded in the mid nineties, and the band are on fire, lurching, churning, downtuned heaviness, KILLER riffs, caveman drum pound, vocals buried WAY down in the mix, from pounding dirge, the thrashing chaotic crunch, the band just sound relentless and fucking ultra intense here, could be that it was close to the end, could be the fact that the whole band was falling apart to problems with drugs, whatever it is, this stuff sounds fierce and violent and raw and on the edge. The sound is weirdly murky and muddy, blown out, but not super hot sounding, more blurred and buzzy, but it suits the mood big time.
There are of course goofy samples before most of the songs, which seems par for the stoner sludge course, and there's the totally demented drugged out 16 minute "Nod" which does in fact sound like the whole band nodding off mid song, captured on tape, a stumbling, abstract soundscape of guitar buzz, and weird voices, swirling effects, deconstructed riffage, total psychedelic sonic headfuck, which rules, but it's the other 4 songs that put most of Buzzov-en's contemporaries, past and present, to shame. These tracks may have been recorded 15 years ago, but they still sound incredible, and anyone into the current crop of drug metal heavies, who somehow missed out on these guys back in the day, well, now is the time to make things right. The liner notes mention a possible new Buzzov-en record in 2010 as well, we can only hope...
MPEG Stream: "Mainline"
MPEG Stream: "Paintake"

CHURCH OF MISERY Early Works Compilation (Emetic Records) 2cd 13.98
BACK IN PRINT! Previously this was an import from the Japanese label Leafhound, sadly now defunct. But fortunately someone has just reissued it, domestically! Here's what we said about this essential anthology back when we first listed it in 2004:
Will the Japanese stoner sludge serial killer onslaught never end?? We sure hope not. We're finally able to list this double cd collection of old, rare, unreleased and out of print tracks from one of the heaviest bands in Japan. Corrupted may have the market cornered on sludge, and Boris definitely has the drone-dirge segment all sewn up, but that leaves Church Of Misery to duke it out with the equally brutal Green Machine for the groovy, druggy, sludge-y stonery BIG RIFF contingent. Early Works definitely helps the cause, with two discs bursting with splattery serial killer soundbites, plague-of-locusts riffery, skull crushing drumming, and a truly hellish howl of a lead vocalist. Plus unlike many of their metallic brethren, CoM can indeed SHRED, and whip out squiggly acid soaked leads at the drop of a hat, giving the proceedings a classic psych-rock / drug-rock feel, on top of the already suffocatingly heavy sludge already oozing from every crack. Disc one collects the long out of print split with sHEAVY, featuring odes to Manson, Charles Whiteman, and Jim Jones, as well as the Taste The Pain mini-album with songs about Dahmer, Graham Young, and Ed Gein, as well as an insane version of Iron Butterfly's "In A Gadda Da Vidda." Disc two collects lots of random compilation tracks including a Trouble cover, a Black Widow cover, a Death SS cover and an unreleased track. Church Of Misery are so amazing, it's too bad that their singleminded obsession with serial killers, and their continued use of serial killer soundbites keeps them from appealing to a wider audience. It is too bad, but who can argue? The music is strangely and perfectly suited to CoM's tales of murder and mayhem, victims and killers.
MPEG Stream: "Spahn Ranch (Charles Manson)"
MPEG Stream: "Room 213 (Jeffrey Dahmer)"

DADFAG Scenic Abuse (Broken Rekids) cd 11.98
With so much of San Francisco's music scene lately dominated by blown out garage rock and charming garage pop it's kind of refreshing to encounter a local band operating in a completely different orbit. Dadfag carry the spirit of dirty, sloppy and dangerous damaged punk. Like Lydia Lunch jamming with The Fall and Flipper or Pretty On The Inside era Hole. Scenic Abuse is filled with urgent and irreverent sounds that tap into the more warped and reckless side of artpunk glory. Like early Bikini Kill stripped of its righteousness and doused instead in danger and unpredictability. We love how within their uptempo, fully charged, fucked up sound there is still room for variety, as they show different sides to their sound throughout the record. We're also reminded a bit in spirit of the now defunct San Francisco relentless noise punk band So So Many White White Tigers. We're always stoked to see folks find a way to use the influence of punk in a way that doesn't feel tired or played out, and Dadfag have succeeded quite nicely in bringing their own energy and vision to a legacy that will always ring so loud and true.
MPEG Stream: "Interrogation"
MPEG Stream: "Down Baby"
MPEG Stream: "Repetition"

DADFAG Scenic Abuse (Broken Rekids) lp 11.98
With so much of San Francisco's music scene lately dominated by blown out garage rock and charming garage pop it's kind of refreshing to encounter a local band operating in a completely different orbit. Dadfag carry the spirit of dirty, sloppy and dangerous damaged punk. Like Lydia Lunch jamming with The Fall and Flipper or Pretty On The Inside era Hole. Scenic Abuse is filled with urgent and irreverent sounds that tap into the more warped and reckless side of artpunk glory. Like early Bikini Kill stripped of its righteousness and doused instead in danger and unpredictability. We love how within their uptempo, fully charged, fucked up sound there is still room for variety, as they show different sides to their sound throughout the record. We're also reminded a bit in spirit of the now defunct San Francisco relentless noise punk band So So Many White White Tigers. We're always stoked to see folks find a way to use the influence of punk in a way that doesn't feel tired or played out, and Dadfag have succeeded quite nicely in bringing their own energy and vision to a legacy that will always ring so loud and true.
MPEG Stream: "Interrogation"
MPEG Stream: "Down Baby"
MPEG Stream: "Repetition"

EYES, THE The Arrival Of The Eyes (Acme) lp 25.00
Now available on vinyl!
Tough '60s garage rockin' here, from these Ealing, England mods. This collection starts off with the one-two punch of their 1965 debut single, "When The Night Falls" b/w "Rowed Out". A really raw, proto-freakbeat smasher all right, A and B sides both. Stinging guitar, primal beats, and equally raw vox. Catchy too! And there's more, plenty more to like here. What made The Eyes sound so great? Well, maybe their songwriting talent, maybe their edginess. You can get an idea of these snotty young punks' attitude from the title of the b-side of their second single: "My Degeneration". Which helped get them banned by the BBC for their subversive lyrics! Not that anyone today would likely find 'em terribly offensive... 'Tis true, though, that the lyrics to "My Degeneration" were subtly suggestive, moreso when you learn that the the word "coffee", mentioned many times in the song, was a mod euphemism for having sex. And mods liked actual coffee too. The last straw was when BBC suits saw 'em perform a song entitled "I Can't Get No Resurrection" complete with a crucifix stage prop. So, though somehow they did get to play with the likes of The Kinks, The Move, and The Action, and got some pirate radio play too, they were a BBC no-no and thus failed to have a hit single. With record sales just not happening (making their releases today quite rare and collectable!) they were forced into doing a "tribute" record to the Rolling Stones, under the name The Pupils, just to make a lousy 180 pounds. Thus tracks 17-28 included here, all covers of Stones songs (or covers of songs the Stones themselves had covered!). In another world, maybe the Stones would have been covering The Eyes... well maybe not but there are definitely enough bad ass '60s beat rockers here to make this a recommended purchase for any fan of garagey goodness.
MPEG Stream: "Rowed Out"
MPEG Stream: "You're Too Much"

FEELIES Crazy Rhythms (Bar None) lp 21.00
NOW ON VINYL!!!!
We somehow missed out on the Feelies back in the day, but after years and years of hearing them namechecked we were pretty psyched to finally hear them, and we ended up liking them way more than we imagined. Heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground, and in turn, heavily influencing R.E.M., the feeling infused their post punk / indie rock / new wave, with as the title of their debut suggested, crazy rhythms, the drums tribal and super busy, while the guitars wove lush shimmery layered soundscapes behind the bands frantic, frenetic punkish pop. We actually hear a lot of Television in their sound as well, especially in the guitars.
Crazy Rhythms was the Feelies debut and would remain their defining record, opener "The Boy With Perpetual Nervousness" seems to capture the jittery vibe of the band both in sound and in title, with the extra percussion (all four members played percussion), the lush tangly guitars, the subtle hooks, the whole record follows suit, with the vocals often spoken/sung, a la Velvet Underground or Jonathan Richman, and the closing song and title track seals the deal, all rubbery bass, skittery drums, loads of space, wrapped around almost twangy jangle and strum, the sound practically surfy, before the big anthemic outro. So good. Kicking ourselves for missing out, but heck, better late than never!
MPEG Stream: "The Boy With Perpetual Nervousness"
MPEG Stream: "Fa Ce La"
MPEG Stream: "Crazy Rhythms"

FEELIES Good Earth (Bar None) lp 21.00
NOW ON VINYL!!!
We somehow missed out on the Feelies back in the day, but after years and years of hearing them namechecked we were pretty psyched to finally hear them, and we ended up liking them way more than we imagined. Heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground, and in turn, heavily influencing R.E.M., the feeling infused their post punk / indie rock / new wave, with as the title of their debut suggested, crazy rhythms, the drums tribal and super busy, while the guitars wove lush shimmery layered soundscapes behind the bands frantic, frenetic punkish pop. We actually hear a lot of Television in their sound as well, especially in the guitars.
Good Earth was the followup to the perhaps-impossible-to-top Crazy Rhythms, and the band made it no easier on themselves by altering their sound quite a bit, exploring more abstract sound structures, ditching the typical verse chorus verse arrangements, mellowing out a bit, slowing down, the only remnants of their more frantic sound being "The Last Roundup", with its flurry of fast picked notes and tumble of drum rolls to match, and the propulsive "Two Rooms", but for the most part the rest of the record is way dreamier, laid back, strummier and at times almost Grateful Dead sounding, but within these new song structures the band continued to explore and do amazing, and definitely un-pop things, strange guitar parts, lots of textural layered ambience, harmonies, all in all a pretty nice balance to the more intense debut. And while they did go on to make two more records, the first two remained the ones most folks considered their finest moments. And we'd have to agree.
MPEG Stream: "On The Roof"
MPEG Stream: "The High Road"
MPEG Stream: "The Last Roundup"

HORISONT Tva Sidor Av Horisonten (Crusher) lp 17.98
NOW HERE ON VINYL!
Wow. Or maybe not wow, 'cause we should be used to it by now. But yeah, wow. ANOTHER Swedish band that seems, magically, to be from the '70s, though they're actually quite contemporary in 2010. Like AQ faves Witchcraft, Burning Saviours, Dead Man, Elope, Dungen, Graveyard, et. al., newcomers Horisont possess the secret to sounding so '70s, that they probably think Nixon, or maybe Ford, is still the US President. At the latest (and at their most metal), it wouldn't appear that their influences extend beyond the early years of the NWOBHM. (Though that's not to say you won't flash on QOTSA or something while listening to this, but its more akin to vintage and obscure likes of, say, Highway Robbery and Vardis.) And not only do they sound '70s, but like those other Swedish bands we mentioned, they're damn good, too.
In fact, it's from the same label that brought us Dead Man that we've imported the debut cd and lp by Horisont. And while vinyl (or 8 track?) might be the appropriately retro medium for this music, even on cd Horisont kicks out the heavy progressive blues rock in utterly killer fashion, a la early Sabbath (but with maybe more in the way of uptempo energy), Led Zeppelin, UFO, and we think we even hear a little Aerosmith. And what's even more awesome, track 4, "The Unseen", reminds us of Uli-era Scorpions too! Also of course, Horisont sound a lot like their Scandinavian '70s prog-psych uncles, November, Life and others. This IS pretty dang bluesy, and rockin', with high, wailing vox, tasty guitar licks, lumbering riffage, and a propensity for cow-bell-knockin' boogie. They make no bones about it, they even named a song "Horisont Boogie", just in case you didn't believe us. All right! Yet, we must say they boogie quite elegantly, and they also have their mystic moods too, getting mellow and melancholic on occasion, and about half-way through this ten song set, they switch from singing in English to their native language, which adds to the "progg" vibe most charmingly.
Classy, catchy, way impressive stuff, especially for a debut. We're looking forward to seeing 'em play live someday (no, we don't know if they're gonna tour in the USA any time soon, but they ARE playing at the Roadburn festival in Holland next year that Allan here has plans to attend...). We don't know how they do it, but they do. All lovers of '70s proto-metal prog heaviness, who dig hearing a new band doing it right, give it up for Sweden and HORISONT!
This is what that Dead Weather blues rock album we never got around to reviewing really shoulda sounded like, although Dead Weather, for all their supergroup status, and bonus points for covering Pentagram, aren't of course Swedish and that's not their fault we suppose.
MPEG Stream: "Nightrider"
MPEG Stream: "Just Ain't Right"
MPEG Stream: "Efter Min Pipa"

MELVINS s/t (From The Nursery) 12" 22.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Just got this in TODAY, no time to really "review" it, no need to either, as we only got a handful and it's limited edition vinyl from the MELVINS after all. Here's the facts: "A limited edition three-track 12-inch EP from MELVINS featuring a long version of "Dies Iraea" and a remix of "It Tastes Better Than The Truth" on the A-side, and a 9-minute version of The Wipers' "Youth of America" on the flip. None of these tracks have appeared on vinyl prior. Limited to 2,000 copies (with 1,500 for distribution) pressed on silver/gray vinyl, with artwork by Steven Parrino".

NIGHT TROLL / TREMOR OF THE BLACK MANX Circle Of Witches / Armor (Jeshimoth) 3"cd-r 6.98
BACK IN STOCK!!
We're a sucker for a band name, you should definitely know that about us by now. And a lot of you are the same. The thinking is, if you're that creative with just the name of your band, imagine how nuts the music must be?? Sure, that doesn't always hold true, but in the case of the awesomely monickered Tremor Of The Black Manx, the name couldn't suit the music more.
On the same label as last week's record of the week, the bizarre black metal weirdness of Jute Gyte, comes TOTBM, who we know NOTHING about, but it hardly matters, what does matter is that this is some awesomely confusional and fucked up stuff, like some sort of fractured electronic hyper grind, or maybe we could call it grindtronica, or something like that. The structure is definitely grind, the songs are short, the arrangements are head spinning, but all of the sounds seem to be synths and not guitars, although sometimes the sounds DO seem to resemble guitars, maybe they're just super processed, regardless, the result is a strangely synthesized bit of frantic buzz, tangled melody, moody murky drift, all wrapped around skittering, stuttering programmed drums, that go from plod to pound to inhuman blast in the blink of an eye, dragging the rest of the sounds along with it. Really rad, and WAY weird.
TOTBM are teamed up here with Night Troll, who sound like a slightly electronic, WAY fucked up, ultra lo-fi raw primitive black metal. Ildjarn, Bone Awl, Akitsa, if you love that stuff but wish it was WEIRDER, more damaged and demented, with throbbing sub bass, tangled atonal guitars, processed death metal grunts, and all sort of other random fuckery, then this is for you. Total lo-fi stumbling ultra raw outsider electronic black metal. Which to us reads: SUPER RAD.
MPEG Stream: NIGHT TROLL "Circle Of Witches"
MPEG Stream: NIGHT TROLL "Dungeon Forest"
MPEG Stream: TREMOR OF THE BLACK MANX "Opal Blondes"
MPEG Stream: TREMOR OF THE BLACK MANX "Carving Sea Altars"

PAINFORGED / GNAW THEIR TONGUES A Confession Of Worshipping The Depraved And Perverse Human Psyche (Shadowgraph) cd-r 9.98
We won't go into too much detail with this one, it was limited to 100 copies, is already sold out, and we got a mere 10, sold 3 or 4, so by the time you read this we'll have 5 or 6 left, and will NOT be able to get more. Gnaw Their Tongues obsessives will NEED this, three new tracks of GTT's fucked up and brilliantly brutal industrial symphonic cinematic black doom, all buzzing guitars, crashing percussion, twisted strings, warped vocals, twisted samples, black ambience, all woven into something freaky and creepy and unlike anything else you've heard.
We had never heard Painforged before, but they are most definitely a worthy matchup for GTT, a similarly abject bit of abstract blacknoize and metallic ambience, processed sounds throb and skitter and pulse over monstrous vocals, strange samples laced with super spare programmed doom-ed drumcrush, swirling black ambience and thick swells of rumbling buzzing doomdronedirge low end, laced with deconstructed and decaying riffage, slowed down cookie monster vox, and spidery atonal guitar squiggles, all melted down into a noxious and black sonic stew.
Packaged in a dvd style case, nice printed covers, almost sold out, so cross your fingers and add to cart...
MPEG Stream: PAINFORGED "A Confession Of Worshipping The Depraved..."
MPEG Stream: GNAW THEIR TONGUES "Kaolo"

SHINDIG! January - February 2010 magazine 9.98
Yet another issue of this retro-minded music magazine out of the UK. We always get 'em, don't always list 'em, but we should 'cause they're good reads indeed if you're into '60s and '70s stuff, like in this issue, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (on the cover, no less!), Procol Harum, actress Mimsy Farmer, Todd Rundgren, The Up, and more, including a feature on the marketing scheme/actual scene known as The Bosstown Sound. And there's of course tons of reviews and news and regular columns etc. as well. All in 99 large glossy full color illustrated pages.

SPERM Shh! (Destijl) lp 22.00
BACK IN PRINT! Dunno how long they'll last, again...
As if we needed any more proof that Finland is and was a weird and wonderful place, producing some of the most far out sounds we've ever heard. It's no secret we have a thing for Finnish music, but c'mon, every record we hear, like this one for example, a reissue of one recorded in 1970 (!!!) just proves over and over that Finland were always way ahead of the underground rock curve. Or behind it. Either way, the Finns have been blowing minds for 40 years now. (Remember that Psychedelic Phinland comp? There was a Sperm track on that...)
Sperm was the project of a fella named Pekka Airakinsen, and consisted of him creating gorgeously abstract and haunting dronescapes and twentieth century style classical sprawls, constructed from looped guitars, feedback, primitive samples, and various found sounds and invented techniques, the results are fantastic. Dark shimmering fields of suspended tones, of tripped out psychedelic delay, of deep undulating low tones, thick, buzzing rumbles, jazzy horns, chaotic squalls of skronk and skree, No Neck style rhythmic workouts, tons of space, very dark and moody and mysterious. Minus the first half of side two, which features lots of horns and fractured jazz-isms (titled coincidentally "Jazz Jazz"), the rest of the record plays out like something that could have come out on a cd-r this year, seriously genius free noise abstract dronescaping that pretty much puts the current crop of noisemakers to SHAME.
An exact reproduction of the original, with thick paste on, silkscreened sleeves, presumably again quite limited.

STRESS APE Time Hard (Hardscrabble Amateurs) 7" 5.25
Some strange, unsettling rumblings from across the bay, here. Oakland noise rock brutalists Stress Ape (originally from Chicago, and counting one of the dudes from aQ favorites Cave among their ranks) pound out a nihilistic, two-sided Neanderthal jam on Time Hard, beating the fuck out of their instruments until you are wrapped up in a suffocating blanket of downtuned, harmonically rich sludge that could go on forever if we had our way. There is a somewhat industrial feel to the record, it's easy to imagine blasting this out of your crumbling, asbestos filled apartment just before the final shitstorm hits and everything burns. The distorted vocals scream out hateful musings in a manner that will surely appeal to fans of Six Finger Satellite and the Load Records roster, and the band itself lurches forward like the Stooges at their most smacked out getting stuck in a tarpit. It's heavy and doomy, no doubt, but certainly not metal... just mean, depraved rock that locks in a groove and stays there for the whole trip. The huge, overblown chunk of noise goes on and on, soon becoming unexpectedly hypnotic, and side 2's version of Time Hard carries the record to its spaced out conclusion, like some mutant dub record being remixed in a tornado. Things continue to pulsate under the oscillations sweeping all over, creating an impenetrable wall of heaviness that will probably have you putting this bastard on for a round two. This band slays, they truly understand the still potent potential of a 7" record, and we're stoked for whatever madness they cook up next.

TODD Big Ripper (Riot Season) lp 17.98
NOW ON VINYL!
You would most definitely be forgiven for not expecting big things from a band called Todd. And you sure as shit would probably wouldn't expect something this fierce and heavy and fucked up. But once you realize these guys are on Riot Season, and that they count as members (or did at one time) guys from long time aQ faves Shit And Shine, then it all begins to make a bit more sense. Right down to the taking-the-piss monicker.
And Todd most definitely have plenty in common with their way more tweaked and druggy countrymen S+S, but where S+S do their multiple drummered post Buttholes freak out thing, Todd are a bit more riffy and raw, still rhythmic and heavy and blown out and in the red, but more pounding and relentless, maybe more akin to Brainbombs and Rusted Shut and Twin Stumps and White Mice and the Mayyors, you get the drift, howled marble mouthed vox, riffs crumbling with distortion, so much so that half the time they just sound like a wall of fuzz, the bass a wash of bowel rattling rumble, the drums pounding and frantic, the band swing from unhinged Scratch Acid / Jesus Lizard noise rock, to seasick post rock groove, to lurching sludge-y doom, to full on filthy space rock trip outs, to repetitive, looped sounding dirge-y drug rock, there's even some warped twang flecked almost slowcore sounding drift, but even then, the vocals are unhinged, and the amps sound like they're gradually turning to some sort of black goo, and the band eventually stumble back into a filthy field of sonic broken glass and ear shredding pound and howl.
Needless to say, if you dig Shit And Shine, Brainbombs, No Balls, Twin Stumps, Butthole Surfers, Rusted Shut, Oxbow, Hey Colossus, the Anals, Billy Bao, any of that sort of crusty, metallic, noise drenched filth, then these guys will definitely hit the spot.
MPEG Stream: "Track Side Fire"
MPEG Stream: "Happy Easter Florida"
MPEG Stream: "French And Out Of France"

WAX POETICS Issue #39 magazine 9.99
It's the special "Africa" issue of this rad journal devoted to jazz, funk, soul, and hiphop grooves past and present. Hence, Fela Kuti on the cover. Inside, you'll also find pieces on Orchestre Poly-Rythmo, Pax Nicholas, Rail Band, Orchestra Baobab, Tony Allen, and plenty more.
As always, the magazine is packed with colorful photos of vintage record sleeves, and plenty of enthused writing about the music from other knowledgeable musicians/DJs/collectors...

WIRE, THE #312 February 2010 magazine 9.98
"Zen and the art of space exploration" is the tag line on the cover, for a feature on free jazz vet Wadada Leo Smith. Also this ish, everyone from Eliane Radigue (taking the Invisible Jukebox test) to David Grubbs to Basic Channel's Mark Ernestus to Mattin of Billy Bao. And much much more. The usual charts and columns and tons of reviews and all that too. As always, can you afford NOT to read The Wire?? You might be missing out on something...

----*
----* Compilations :
----*

V/A Resonant Embers (Edition Sonoro / Twenty Hertz) cd 16.98
BACK IN STOCK!!!
Edition Sonoro is the parallel label to Twenty Hertz, both of which are run by the British drone artist Paul Bradley. Resonant Embers is collection of artists who have crossed paths with Mr. Bradley over the years and may be delivering work for Edition Sonoro in the future. There's irr. app. (ext.), jgrzinich, Ueboet, Colin Potter, Bradley himself, Maile Colbert with Tellemake, and Andrew Liles. AQ's beloved bewilderer of sound Matthew Waldron returns to his irr. app. (ext.) moniker with a disorienting chorus for vibrating objects, chiming strings, and distant moans phasing in a tripped out sonic equivalent to a funhouse mirror. Another favorite comes by the way of jgrzinich, who layers together windswept clatter from multiple recordings from high tension wires and the post-Soviet crumbled landscape of his current home in Estonia. A cold, sodden atmosphere oozes from these turnbuckle creaks and (literally) post-industrial ambience. Ubeboet is a newcomer to us, offering a majestic track of dark ambience haunted with distant strings and underwater operatic vocals. Colin Potter propagates a liquid drone from a series of harmonic belltones, which have all of the sublime power and angelic beauty of a Ligetti chorale. Paul Bradley constructs a series of interwoven guitar loops of midrange timbers that reflect similar ideas found in Aidan Baker's solo work. Maile Colbert flickers her voice through a series of looping devices and VLF recordings, recalling the early albums of Grouper but with Jarboe's vocal style instead. And finally, the comp is completed with a track from Andrew Liles, whose deeply minor chord piano keys and lilting gypsy violin have a noirish, horror film quality, perhaps in homage to Coil's lost soundtrack to Hellraiser?
MPEG Stream: IRR. APP. (EXT.) "Whickering mechanical parapropalaehoplophorous"
MPEG Stream: JGRZINICH "Animate structures No.1"
MPEG Stream: COLIN POTTER "Bella (direct current)"

----*
----* In Stock, Not Yet Reviewed :
----*

If you want to order one of these, just click on the buy button and it will be added to your cart!


AMAZING, THE "Code II" (Mexican Summer) 10" 16.98
ARCHITEUTHIS REX "Dark As The Sea" (Utech) cd 14.98
BLUE CHEER "Outsideinside" (Sundazed) lp 21.00
BLUE CHEER "Vincebus Eruptum" (Sundazed) lp 21.00
CAPTAIN BEYOND "Captain Beyond & Sufficiently Breathless" (Raven) cd 22.00
CAVE IN "Planets Of Old" (Hydra Head) cd+dvd 13.98
COLEMAN, ORNETTE "Science Fiction" (Columbia) lp 19.98
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY "Animosity" (Metal Blade / Back On Black) lp 25.00
DAVIS, NATHAN "Best Of: '65-'76" (Jazzman) cd 17.98
DEADNOTES "Orange Trumpet" (Soft Abuse) lp 14.98
DESANTO, SUGAR PIE "Go Go Power: The Complete Chess Singeles 1961-1966" (Kent Soul) cd 24.00
DILWORTH, DIANNA "Mellodrama - The Mellotron Movie" (Bazillion Points) dvd 24.00
DUKES OF STRATOSPHEAR, THE "25 O'Clock" (Ape House) lp 29.00
DUKES OF STRATOSPHEAR, THE "Psionic Psunspot" (Ape House) lp 29.00
EARN / SECRET ABUSE "split" (Agents Of Chaos) cassette 6.98
EDITORS "In This Light And On This Evening" (Fader Label) cd 12.98
FAY, BILL "Still Some Light" (Coptic Cat) 2cd 15.98
FESTERED "Flesh Perversion" (Razorback) cd 10.98
FOLSOM, ROBERT LESTER "Music And Dreams" (Mexican Summer) lp 21.00
FOUR TET "There Is Love In You" (Domino) cd 14.98
FOWLEY, KIM "Another Man's Gold: Lost Treasures From The Vaults 1959-69 Volume 2" (Norton) cd/lp 14.98/14.98
FOWLEY, KIM "One Man's Garbage: Lost Treasures From The Vaults 1959-69 Volume 1" (Norton) cd/lp 14.98/14.98
FUCKED UP "Couple Tracks: Singles 2002-2009" (Matador) 2cd/2lp 13.98/16.98
GIRLS "Laura" (True Panther) 7" 5.50
GLITTER WIZARD "Black Lotus / Witches Limbo" (Sans Escape) 7" 6.50
GODHEADSCOPE "Threshold (Poet's Edition)" (Meristem Music) cd-r + book 9.98
GOSTA BERLINGS SAGA "Detta Har Hant" (Transubstans) cd 15.98
HEADHUNTERS "Survival Of The Fittest" (Arista) lp 13.98
KIRK, RAHSAAN ROLAND "The Inflated Tear / Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata" (Collectables) cd 14.98
LANDSCAPE "From The Tea-Rooms Of Mars .... To The Hell-Holes Of Uranus" (Cherry Red) cd 16.98
LITMUS "Aurora" (Metal Blade / Rise Above) cd 14.98
LOS CAMPESINOS "Romance Is Boring" (Arts & Crafts) cd 14.98
MAJOR STARS "Return To Form" (Drag City) cd/lp 14.98/15.98
MAJUTSU NO NIWA "Frontera" (There Musik Atlach) cd 25.00
MAZZY STAR "She Hangs Brightly" (Plain Recordings) lp 16.98
MOEBIUS "Blotch" (Nepenthe) cd 14.98
MOTOR "Hyper Machine" (Dim Mak) cd 13.98
MOUNT FUJI DOOM JAZZ CORPORATION "Succubus" (Ad Noiseam) cd 23.00
NOTHING, CHARLIE "The Psychedelic Saxophone" (No Label) lp 17.98
NUCLEAR DEATH WISH "s/t" (self-released) cassette 5.98
OKI, ITARU "Phantom Note" (Doubtmusic) cd 19.98
ORTHODOX "Sentencia" (Alone Records) cd 21.00
PEEESSEYE & TALIBAM! "s/t" (Invada) cd 12.98
PORT O'BRIEN "Threadbare" (TBD Records) cd 12.98
RACCOO-OO-OON "s/t" (Release The Bats) cd
RATTO, MIKA "Polkupyoralla Vuokkopenkereelle" (Ektro) cd 14.98
RIMFROST "Veraldar Nagli" (Seasons Of Mist) cd 14.98
ROLL THE DICE "s/t" (Digitalis) lp 19.98
ROYHKA JA RATTO JA LEHTISALO "Hiekkarantaa" (Ektro) cd 14.98
SAFT, JAMIE "Black Shabbis" (Tzadik) cd 16.98
SAINT VITUS "Heavier Than Thou" (SST) 2lp 14.98
SAINT VITUS "Mournful Cries" (SST) lp 12.98
SAINT VITUS "Thirsty And Miserable" (SST) 12" 9.98
SCUBA "Sub:Stance" (Ostgutton) cd 16.98
SEKTOR 304 "Soul Cleansing" (Malignant) cd 10.98
SOCIETY OF ROCKETS, THE "Future Factory" (Underpop) 2lp 19.98
SPARKS "Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman" (Lil' Beethoven) 2lp 34.00
SPEED, GLUE & SHINKI "Eve" (Phoenix) lp 24.00
SUN RA AND HIS MYTH SCIENCE SOLAR ARKESTRA "The Antique Blacks" (Art Yard) cd 21.00
SURFER BLOOD "Astro Coast" (Kanine) cd 13.98
TANGERINE DREAM "Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares" (Lilith) lp 26.00
THE SKULL DEFEKTS & THE SONS OF GOD "Received In Studio Dental, Gothenburg" (Utech) cd 14.98
TRANS AM "What Day Is It Tonight : Live 1993-2007" (Thrill Jockey) 2lp 21.00
URAL UMBO "s/t" (Utech) cd 14.98
V/A "Electric Asylum: Volume 4" (Past & Present) cd 17.98
V/A "Electric Holyland" (Lysergic Sound) lp 21.00
V/A "Minimal Wave Tapes Volume 1" (Stones Throw) 2lp 18.98
V/A "Psych Bites: Volume One" (Past & Present) cd 17.98
V/A "Shir Hodu: Jewish Song From The Bombay Of The 30's" (Renair) cd 17.98
VHS HEAD "Video Club" (Skam) cd 9.98
VOIVOD "Infini" (Relapse) cd 14.98
WHILE HEAVEN WEPT "Vast Oceans Lachrymose" (Cruz Del Sur) cd 16.98
YELLOW FEVER "s/t" (Wild World) cd 11.98
YELLOW SWANS (DOVE YELLOW SWANS) "Live During War Crimes #3" (Release the Bats) cd 17.98

_______________________________________________________________________

Please place your order via our website.

[1] We will contact you to verify your order and let you know when it will be shipped. Please note that occasionally it may take a day or two for us to reply. We are not a faceless bunch of computers replying to your order -- we are human beings!

[2] If we are out of some of your items and we think we will get them within the same week, we can wait to ship. Or... If it's going to be more than a few days to complete your order, we will ship what we have and then will contact you as the remainders arrive.

[ note ] Due to the everchanging nature of the independent record business, we are not responsible for listed price changes (due to supplier price changes) and often cannot update our site fast enough to reflect these changes, but we will always try to let you know of any differences.


NEW DOMESTIC SHIPPING RATES :
--------------------------------
STANDARD (DEFAULT):

    1 CD (or cassette or DVD or 7") : $2.95 USPS First Class                                                                                               

    1-3 CD (or cassette or DVD, but not 7"s) : $4.95 USPS Priority Mail via flat rate box                                                          

    4+ CD, or any package with LPs in it (also books & box sets), any number of items: $9.95 UPS Ground    
     
Also, please note that UPS will not ship to PO Boxes, so those packages that would have gone UPS will be sent USPS Priority for $9.95,
or you may select  USPS Media Mail instead, see below.

UPS shipments are automatically trackable and include insurance up to $100.        
USPS shipments (First Class, Priority, and Media Mail) are all automatically trackable.

OR, you can choose instead to have your order shipped by MEDIA MAIL:

    1-3 items (i.e. w/ LPs) : $5.95 USPS Media Mail 

    4+ items : $7.95 USPS Media Mail


Special shipping needs (e.g. UPS Next Day) are also doable, just ask for a quote.
Also, if you are just getting 1 item that would therefore ship USPS First Class, and for some reason you would rather have it sent Priority, then you could say so in the comments field. (Note: however, 7"s are too big for the Priority flat rate boxes.)

NOTE: UPS permits their drivers to determine if there is a secure location at the shipping address to leave the package if no one is there to receive it (unfortunately some are less cautious than others!). If you'd prefer that they not do this or if you have specific instructions for the driver, please include a note in the comments section of your weborder form.

PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK SHIPPING ADDRESSES BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR ORDER. Aquarius is not responsible for orders delayed or returned due to incorrect or undeliverable addresses provided by the customer. Returned packages will be reshipped at the customer's expense.

Shipping rates are charged per shipment.


INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING :
-------------------------------- For foreign customers we ship via US AIRMAIL ("First Class International"). Your price is based on the actual cost of shipping plus $1. You can check the US Postal Service international rate calculator: http://ircalc.usps.gov/. (Use the "Package" category and see the price for "First Class International". 1-3 cds is usually 1 pound.)

We highly recommend insurance for your international package, but it is very expensive! You can check the US Postal Service international rate calculator: http://ircalc.usps.gov/. (Use the "Package" category and see the price for "Priority Mail International". 1-3 cds is usually 1 pound. 1 lp is usually a little over 1.5 pounds.)


INTERNATIONAL INSURANCE :
-------------------------------- You are hereby forewarned that Aquarius is not responsible if your international package gets lost in the mail. Insurance is your only recourse if your records never show up. Since the terrible events of 9/11, mail service has been slow and undependable... and while we haven't experienced any *confirmed* permanently lost mail, insurance might provide some additional piece of mind in this time of upheaval. We strongly recommend it. But yes, it is very expensive. It's your choice. Again: Aquarius is not responsible for lost mail, so if you aren't willing to take a (slight but real) risk, please buy the insurance.

International insurance is very expensive! In fact often the insurance costs more than the value of your package, in which case it obviously does not make sense to insure it. You can check the US Postal Service international rate calculator: http://ircalc.usps.gov/. (Use the "Package" category and see the price for "Priority Mail International", which is the way insured packages are sent. 1-3 cds is usually 1 pound. 1 lp is usually a little over 1.5 pounds.)

For example: for a one-pound package worth $18 going to England, shipping without insurance is about $11.00. But with insurance, the shipping / insurance total is over $26.00!

It is your reponsibility to check the international rate calculator in order to determine whether or not you want international insurance. If you tell us you want international insurance, we will add it to your order no matter how much it costs!


PAYMENT :
-------------------------------- We accept the following credit cards: Visa, MC, Discover, and Amex. We will not charge your credit card until your order is ready to ship.

Money orders are accepted, but only in $USD. International customers please note that they must be international postal money orders purchased at a post office. Additional processing fees may apply. 

If you wish to pay by money order, you must confirm the order with us through email or phone BEFORE you send any payment. It's best to just use the secure order form on the website, and when checking out mark money order as your payment choice. We will then process your order and respond with all the crucial payment info.

We also accept payment by Paypal. If you opt for this payment method, we will send you a paypal total and payment instructions as soon as we've confirmed your order with you. Please do not send payment until you have received human contact from our mailorder department.

Unfortunately, we cannot take personal checks for mailorder, sorry!


QUESTION?
-------------------------------- Email the mailorder department: mailorder@aquariusrecords.org
______________________________________________________________________

SOME SELECTED UPCOMING RELEASES

----} on the way to us right now
Bohemian Grove "Age Of Retrogression" cd on Hyperblasted
Eternal Tapestry "Altar Of Grass" cd-r on Hyperblasted
The Wounded Kings "The Shadow Over Atlantis" cd on I Hate Records
Stickem "This Thing Is On" 7" w/ Beem remix on Titched (skweee!)
Sigh "Scenes From Hell' lp version on The End

----} February 2nd
U.S. Girls "Go Grey" lp on Siltbreeze
Album Leaf "Chorus Of Storytellers" cd on Sub Pop
Soft Pack "s/t" cd/lp on Kemado
Shining "Blackjazz" cd on The End
Midlake "Courage Of Others" cd
L'il Wayne "Rebirth" cd
Priestess "Prior To The Fire" cd/lp on Tee Pee

----} February 9th
African Head Charge "Vision Of A Psychedelic Africa" cd reissue on On-U Sound
Yeasayer "Odd Blood" cd
Sade "Soldier Of Love" cd
Massive Attack "Heligoland" cd
Hot Chip "One Life Stand" cd
Icarus Witch "Haunting Visions" cd

----} February 16th
Wold "Working Together For Our Privacy" cd on Profound Lore
Witch "Lazy Bones" cd reissue on Shadoks
Wu-Tang Clan "Return Of The Wu & Friends" cd
Robert Pollard "We All Got Out Of The Army" cd
Koss "Ancient Rain" cd on Mule

----} February 16th
Four Tet "There Is Love In You" lp version on Domino

----} also in February
Jack Rose "Luck In The Valley" cd on Thrill Jockey
White Hills "s/t" cd/lp on Thrill Jockey
Moon Duo "Escape" cd/lp on Woodsist
Art Museum "Rough Frame" cd/lp on Woodsist
Xiu Xiu "Dear God I Hate Myself" cd on Kill Rock Stars
v/a "Stroke: Songs For Chris Knox" 2cd on Merge
Aidan Baker "Liminoid/Lifeforms" cd on Alien8
Blessure Grave "Judged By 12, Carried By 6" cd on Alien8
Quasi "American Gong" on Kill Rock Stars
Fenn 'O' Berg "In Stereo" cd / 2lp on Editions Mego
Bardo Pond "Bufo Alvarius " cd reissue on Fire
v/a "Good God: Born Again Funk" lp version on Numero

----} March 22nd
Wooden Shjips "Vol. 2" cd/lp

----} also upcoming sooner or later or sooner or later or whenever
Ludicra "Tenant" cd on Profound Lore
M. Holterbach & Julia Eckhardt "Do-Undo" cd on Helen Scarsdale
Flying Lotus "Cosmograma"
Silver Mt. Zion "Kollaps Tradixionales"
Rogue Wave "Permalight"
Liars "Sisterworld" cd on Mute
She & Him "Volume Two" cd on Merge
Jonsi Birgisson "Go" cd on XL
Andrew Chalk "The Cable House" cd on Faraway Press
Alps "Le Voyage" cd/lp on Type
Grasslung "Feeding Your Horizon" on Root Strata
Jim Haynes "Rocks. Hills. Plains" on Root Strata
Nurse With Wound "Skrag" cd on United Dairies
Nurse With Wound "Space Music" 2lp on Beta-Lactam Ring
Jonathan Coleclough "Flutter" 2cd-r on October
Colin Potter & Phil Mouldycliff "Grey Skies On Asphalt" cd on Beta-Lactam Ring
Johann Johannsson "And In The Endless Pause" cd/lp on Type
Loscil "Endless Falls" cd/2lp on Kranky
Jonas Reinhardt "Powers Of Audition" cd/lp on Kranky
Urgehal "Ikonoklast"
BJ Nilsen & Stilluppsteypa "Space Finale C90" cassette on Editions Mego
Dock Boggs "When My Worldly Trials" lp on Monk
Jay Reatard "Blood Visions" lp on Fat Possum
King Khan & BBQ Show "Invisible Girl" cd/lp on In The Red
Felix "You Are The One I Pick" cd on Kranky
Papercuts "Where Are The Waves" cd on Gnomonsong
The Roots "How I Got Over" cd
Max Richter "Memory House" cd
Celestiial "Where Life Springs Eternal" cd on Bindrune
Blood Of The Black Owl "A Banishing Ritual" cd on Bindrune
Crispy Ambulance "Plateau Phase" cd reissue on LTM
Ocean "Pantheon Of The Lesser" 2lp version on Important
Grumbling Fur (Guapo + Jussi from Circle) cd
Combat Astronomy "Earth Divided by Zero" cd
Anton Batagov "Passionate Desire To Be An Angel" cd on Long Arms Records
Japancakes "If I Could See Dallas"
Jazzfinger "The Sun's Golden Blood" cd on Beta-Lactam Ring
v/a "Noise Room" cd on Soniq
Country Teasers / Ezee Tiger split lp on Holy Mountain
Erase Errata TBA cd on Kill Rock Stars
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists TBA cd/lp on Touch And Go
Rodan TBA cd/lp on Quarterstick
Deftones "Eros" cd on Warner Bros.
Swell Maps "International Rescue" clear vinyl LP reissue on Alive
Loss "Despond" cd on Profound Lore
Trans Am "What Day Is Tonight" cd on Thrill Jockey
Boduf Songs "Strait Gait" cd/lp on Latitudes

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

BIG CITY ORCHESTRA 30th ANNIVERSARY

http://ubuibi.org/30yr_press.html

Official 30th Anniversary of BIG CITY ORCHESTRA Show
31 January, 2010
CAFE DUNORD
2170 MARKET STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114
KFJC Presents BCO's 30-Year Official Anniversary Show --- featuring over
20 members of the orchestra, past and present, reuniting to perform their
favorite BCO tunes from the 30-year span, along with other surprises &
special guests...
doors 8pm / show 9pm sharp
tickets: http://cafedunord.com/
live stream: http://www.kfjc.org/netcast/

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

The Lab presents:

February 5, 2010

irr. app. (ext.)
Jim Haynes
Thomas Carnacki
NF Orchest
RK Faulhaber

The Lab, San Francisco
www.thelab.org

To commemorate the past 12 years of harvesting the bitter Californian dust, a grand fÍte, a veritable carnival of ambivalent joy, has been arranged at the Lab in San Francisco on February 5th. For this final Bay Area utterance, irr. app. (ext.) has assembled all of the brightest sparks that have sputtered within its crepuscular history, like a spent dandelion clock with all its dispersed seeds gathered together once again and pinned back into place with long, cruel needles of unconditional love.

Witness! R K Faulhaber dazzle you with the unnatural management of shadow and sound, guided only by his devious mind and assisted by the very fruit of his loins.

Witness! NF Orchest instigate a sonic frenzy rivalled by none, here reunited for the first time since the hideous mind of Rome cast its pall of oppression across the continents of the world.

Witness! Thomas Carnacki emerge from the pages of arcane fiction to dance a jig of grim frivolity and unselfconscious schadenfreude upon the graves of the never-been-born.

Witness! Jim Haynes taunting and tickling the very atoms hidden within the seeds of metals, stimulated by the remorseless agitation of uncooked lima beans and held trembling upon the very threshold of mineral disintegration.

The event will close with irr. app. (ext.), the very thing itself and unto itself, attempting a distillation of the least disastrous parts of its three recent performances in Seattle. Come expecting to be unimpressed and at the very least you will leave feeling that your expectations have been fully satisfied.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

23five Incorporated & The Lab Present:

February 6, 2010

Lasse Marhaug (his debut performance for San Francisco)
John Wiese
Gerritt

The Lab, San Francisco
www.thelab.org :: www.23five.org

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

23five Incorporated & The Lab Present:

January 31, 2010

Sudden Infant (Schimpfluch-Gruppe!)
R.Jencks
Tralphaz
Horaflora

The Lab, San Francisco
co-presented by Swissnex
www.thelab.org :: www.swissnexsanfrancisco.org :: www.23five.org

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

AN EVENING WITH JOHANN JOHANNSSON

Great American Music Hall
Fri. May 14 doors 8pm/show 9pm - $21 advance/door
Tickets are on sale this Sun. Jan. 31 - in person at Slim's/GAMH box offices & www.gamhtickets.com

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________


Lots of love from your devoted AQ staff

Andee Cup Jim AllanIrwinScottNickSallyJonandAndrew