ORKUSTRA, THE Adventures In Experimental Electric Orchestra From The San Francisco Underground (Mexican Summer) 2lp 38.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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.

ORKUSTRA, THE s/t (Red Lounge) lp 25.00

ORPHAN Decapitated Lovers (From The Nursery) lp 14.98
This brutal Brooklyn boy-girl two-piece unleashes their second full length, also vinyl-only like their debut (too bad for those of us who like cds). Once again, Orphan are UBER heavy, with thudding thunderous drums and destructive distorted bass, laying down total metal riffery, decapitatin' lovers left and right... but also, there's an undeniable "pop" streak in these songs, which can get quite bouncy-catchy, and can even remind us a bit at moments of an evil Nirvana, stripped down and buffed up, bathed in extreme amp buzz and fuzz. Or if not Nirvana, then Unsane. Also, the bassist's shredded throat-torn vokills are varied enough to manage a fair amount of memorability and character (the song "Soda Pressing" is in fact almost sung cleanly, though still meanly, making us think of Dan Higgs in Lungfish, actually). Orphan's arty/weird side is also on display, most obviously via some rather atypical track titles for a metal record, like "Love Is A Stealthy Hitman (Love Is A Healthy Stuntman)", "Mister Sensitive", and "Thug Luv (Gun Oil)". Also, probably less for punk cred than just 'cause they figured it would slay, they do a Born Against cover, "Well Fed Fuck".
As we've said before, those who lament the late great godheadSilo should check out Orphan. Another heavy two-piece they could be compared to is Black Cobra, and as much as we like BC, we have to say Orphan do it better! So, fans of grinding bass heavy distorted-to-hell art metal duos, you really oughtta take this Orphan home! Hmm, but be careful... while being orphaned is an unfortunate plight, you get the idea that THIS Orphan might be so by choice. They probably killed their parents and the rest of their family!
Numbered, limited to 500 copies. Oh, and stay tuned for another Orphan release soon, a split with a Baltimore band called Dope Body being released by Black Tent Press...
MPEG Stream: "Fetus In Fetu"
MPEG Stream: "Big Black Hog"
MPEG Stream: "Soda Pressing"

ORPHAN / DOPE BODY Self Entitled (Black Tent Press) lp 15.98
The return of the Brooklyn based boy-girl, bass and drums duo Orphan, with another slab of thick fuzzed out riffing and thunderous drum damage, here matched up with the until now unknown to us Dope Body who somehow sound like an impossible hybrid of Lightning Bolt, Melt Banana, Man Is The Bastard, and Konono No.1! More on those guys in a sec. First up, ORPHAN.
Like on past records, these two bash and pound, the bass blown out and distorted the riffs massive and fuzzy, the drums pounding and crashing, with a sound that lurks somewhere between Bleach era Nirvana and Unsane, a sort of pop flecked low end noise rock, that KILLS. And everything we love about Orphan is in full effect here, AND they do a cover, that suddenly reveals another band we would never have thought to compare them to but makes perfect sense, UNWOUND! They definitely have that same sort of nineties noise rock sound, and they prove it by making Unwound's "Dragnalus" their very own, a bit sludgier and downtuned than the original, but with all the same energy. Which is exactly what infuses the other songs here, the sound is proggy, mathy, sludgey, metallic, heavy, noisy, poppy, bombastic, sweaty and frantic and seriously fun. But also a bit dark and menacing at the same time.
The real discovery for us here, though, is Dope Body, who we know very little about, but the first track sounds like a noise rock Konono No.1, which pretty much sealed the deal in seconds, chiming guitar harmonics, wild tribal drumming, yelped vox, crunchy and distorted and rhythmic and fucking awesome, quickly becoming something more like a Deerhoof meets Melt Banana sort of thing, which again, is perfectly fine with us! The sound is super varied and weird as all get out and all over the map, super mathy and bizarre, like Man Is The Bastard one second, howled vox and fuzz bass and Neanderthal pound, frantic and frenzied Lightning Bolt the next, freaked out math prog held down by some super chaotic drumming, and then still later, a sort of home brewed industrial, fractured and fucked up, twisted and cracked, the sound flitting between those various sounds, often mashing 2 or more into a whole new weirdo sound. But whatever it is, we LOVE it.
Gorgeously packaged of course. Thick silkscreened jacket, each one hand numbered, and limited to 500 copies, with a nice, printed heavy paper insert as well.

ORPLID s/t (Prophecy Productions) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Creepy German folk-music band with industrial and experimental leanings. On Germany's Prophecy Productions label, who seem to specialize in this sort of autumnal dark pagan bombast and beauty (Tenhi, Empyrium, Gods Tower). Militaristic drumming, droning synths, male and female choir-style vocals, whinnying horses, doleful folk melodies, acoustic guitar, and weird surprises...lovely and doomful. Titles and lyrics in German. Equally for fans of World Serpent label stuff and black metal atmospheres (a la old Ulver). Andee and Allan both bought one.

ORSO (Perishable) cd 12.98
Phil Spirito of Rex, Him and Califone making twangy morose rock with members of Red Red Meat, Rex, etc.

ORSO Long Time By (Perishable) cd 14.98
No more Loftus, but there's still Orso and here's a new disc from the same Califone/Red Red Meat Chicago "banjocore" nexus...yay.

ORSO My Dreams Are Back and They Are Better Than Ever (Perishable) cd 15.98
Here's the third full length from Chicago's sleepy chamber folksters oRSo. M.D.A.B.A.T.A.B.T.E. is loosely filled with gentle rain droplet-y plink-plunks from the guitar and banjo, and fleshed out with some strings and saxophone. It's much more even keeled and conventionally melodic than their previous albums, although those moments that sound like a pit orchestra tuning up still surface here and there. Lead singer Phil Spirito (ex-Rex) has a voice that immediately strikes you as warmly familiar and comforting -- sort of a cross between the varied lilts of Wayne Coyne, Will Oldham, Vic Chesnutt and Dean Wareham. Cup initially thought the sixth song "Loaded For Bear" was a cover of "Jennifer" from Faust's classic album IV, but it isn't. However, at the very least the opening few lines of each verses do make you wonder if it was an inspiration (either conscious or subconscious) for the song and possibly the album as a whole.
MPEG Stream: "Hartz Of Darkness"
MPEG Stream: "Loaded For Bear"

ORTHODOX Baal (Alone Records) cd 18.98
At last!! It's been a while since we last caught up with entirely UN-orthodox Spanish dooooooooooom mongers Orthodox. Yeah, doom with so many o's that we're surprised they had any left for the 3 in their name. But also doom that takes a lot of strange twists and turns into the furthest far out zones of the genre.
This band's first two outstanding albums, Gran Poder and Amanecer En Puerta Oscura, were issued stateside by Southern Lord back in 2007. Now, six years later, we have the Spanish release of the their fourth opus, Baal. (Their third album, 2009's Sentencia was MIA at aQ, but maybe we'll be able to get some now that we tracked down an import supplier for this new one.) Billed as a return to their heavy doom Gran Poder roots, after the psychedelic, almost jazz-like experimentation of the last couple, this IS hellishly heavy, though still quite avant-garde, as well.
Lead off instrumental track "Alto Padre", despite its deep distorted low-end, is definitely more psych than doom, in fact... skittering percussive pitter-patter and chiming guitars conjure a hazy, mellow mood. It's a woozy ritual that could easily appeal to Six Organs Of Admittance fans, for instance. But then the band brings the doom hammer down, big time, on the next song, "Taurus", quite a surprise for some of us here who didn't know what we were listening to... Crushing, crashing chords and peals of feedback begin the jagged death march that continues over Baal's remaining four tracks. You don't listen to this for conventional "songishness", nor really even for riffs (though there are RIFFS), more for the totality of the experience of Orthodox's tectonic rumble and psychedelic sickness... It's a combo of lumbering sludge bulldozing, twisted gnarled leads, and alien, underwatery atmospheres. And vocals - with a weird, wavering effect on 'em, very much like OM meets YOB, intoning grim and desperate chant. With those vocals, one starts to think about the band inhaling from a balloon filled with, not helium, but some other, psychotropic gas... actually maybe not sucking on the balloon, but being sucked INTO it, the entire band inhabiting some impossible, drug-filled inner space. Which also sounds like it could be deep under the earth. Soon you'll be trapped there too, possessed by the churning metallic attacks, spacious drones, and proggy freakouts found throughout the demonic Baal...
The grande finale, 14 minute "Abrase Le Tierra" sums it up, explosions of distortion detonating over drum clatter and organ drone, then the guitarist goes offffff and it's a doomed out Earthless... before a wild, heavily effected finish. Imagine a mix of Yob, Gallhammer, Earth, and even Comets On Fire, here!
If the well-used terms psychedelic and heavy, which have been cited umpteen thousand times on this list alone, have any relevance to your listening habits, especially at their extremes, then we suggest you get this Orthodox album (and The Wounded Kings also this list, and the Elder reviewed last time, too, for that matter, if you haven't already), you'll be happy you did!
MPEG Stream: "Taurus "
MPEG Stream: "Iatromantis"
MPEG Stream: "Hani Ba'al"

ORTHODOX Baal (Alone Records) lp 29.00
At last!! It's been a while since we last caught up with entirely UN-orthodox Spanish dooooooooooom mongers Orthodox. Yeah, doom with so many o's that we're surprised they had any left for the 3 in their name. But also doom that takes a lot of strange twists and turns into the furthest far out zones of the genre.
This band's first two outstanding albums, Gran Poder and Amanecer En Puerta Oscura, were issued stateside by Southern Lord back in 2007. Now, six years later, we have the Spanish release of the their fourth opus, Baal. (Their third album, 2009's Sentencia was MIA at aQ, but maybe we'll be able to get some now that we tracked down an import supplier for this new one.) Billed as a return to their heavy doom Gran Poder roots, after the psychedelic, almost jazz-like experimentation of the last couple, this IS hellishly heavy, though still quite avant-garde, as well.
Lead off instrumental track "Alto Padre", despite its deep distorted low-end, is definitely more psych than doom, in fact... skittering percussive pitter-patter and chiming guitars conjure a hazy, mellow mood. It's a woozy ritual that could easily appeal to Six Organs Of Admittance fans, for instance. But then the band brings the doom hammer down, big time, on the next song, "Taurus", quite a surprise for some of us here who didn't know what we were listening to... Crushing, crashing chords and peals of feedback begin the jagged death march that continues over Baal's remaining four tracks. You don't listen to this for conventional "songishness", nor really even for riffs (though there are RIFFS), more for the totality of the experience of Orthodox's tectonic rumble and psychedelic sickness... It's a combo of lumbering sludge bulldozing, twisted gnarled leads, and alien, underwatery atmospheres. And vocals - with a weird, wavering effect on 'em, very much like OM meets YOB, intoning grim and desperate chant. With those vocals, one starts to think about the band inhaling from a balloon filled with, not helium, but some other, psychotropic gas... actually maybe not sucking on the balloon, but being sucked INTO it, the entire band inhabiting some impossible, drug-filled inner space. Which also sounds like it could be deep under the earth. Soon you'll be trapped there too, possessed by the churning metallic attacks, spacious drones, and proggy freakouts found throughout the demonic Baal...
The grande finale, 14 minute "Abrase Le Tierra" sums it up, explosions of distortion detonating over drum clatter and organ drone, then the guitarist goes offffff and it's a doomed out Earthless... before a wild, heavily effected finish. Imagine a mix of Yob, Gallhammer, Earth, and even Comets On Fire, here!
If the well-used terms psychedelic and heavy, which have been cited umpteen thousand times on this list alone, have any relevance to your listening habits, especially at their extremes, then we suggest you get this Orthodox album (and The Wounded Kings also this list, and the Elder reviewed last time, too, for that matter, if you haven't already), you'll be happy you did!
MPEG Stream: "Taurus "
MPEG Stream: "Iatromantis"
MPEG Stream: "Hani Ba'al"

ORTHODOX Gran Poder (Southern Lord) cd 14.98
We listed the import of this last year, and now Southern Lord has put it out domestically -- with an exclusive added bonus track, for you slackers who didn't get it already...geeze! The bonus track is a cover of Venom's "Genocide", by the way!
DOOM. As per AQ tradition, we should throw some extra 'O's in there just to indicate just how doomy this is -- DOOOOOOooooooooOOOM! Not to get sidetracked, but Doom might be the only musical genre that you can deliberately misspell to indicate extra enthusiasm for whatever example of said genre you're describing. RRRRap doesn't work. Nor would you say Woooorld Music. And adding extra 'o's to Pop is a just bad idea, unless you're talking about pop you don't like. But doom, being all about being slow and low, just gets doomier when you exaggerate the spelling into doooooooooooom. The point of all this? That the debut disc from Spanish doom band Orthodox, needs, like, exponential 'o's to really get at its doominess.
Recently and rightly hailed as an Album Of The Month on Julian Cope's psychedelic drone/doom/druid rock lovin' website Head Heritage, Orthodox's Gran Poder ("Great Power") consists of three looong tracks of gloomy, glacial heaviness mixed with more chaotically rockin' parts, with one brief piano-laced interlude separating tracks two and three. These crushing compositions are almost symphonically grand, an often exceedingly slow grind of eternally doomed drone like Earth or SUNNO))), sometimes speeding up to rock out psychedelically in the style of Argentina's Los Natas, graced with heavily tremelo-laden vocals or utterly spaced out ambience that make us think of Thrones and Yob.
Throughout this sludgey stoner soundscape, you'll hear feedback wailing like lamenting lost souls, the rumbling drum battery either nervously dodging the lugubrious riffs as they fall from the sky, or pounding in unison with the guitar and bass, sounding like the gates of an abandoned ancient cavernous cathedral slamming shut... over and over again.
Before this Southern Lord version appeared, we had imported a whole bunch of these direct from the label in Spain because we were pretty sure that fans of the likes of Corrupted (who also sing in Spanish, after all) and Yob and Sleep and UFOmammut and all the other extra-o's deservin' dooooooOOOOoom bands that we love would want this! It seems we were correct. But if for some reason you need further convincing, please look up Julian Cope's review on his site, where he references Flower Travellin' Band's Satori and the Mediterranean paganistic roots of Catholic ritual and "Rumble" by Link Wray and much much more, his incredibly enthusiastic review almost a call to arms for doom fanatics... and he also includes cool pictures of the black-robed band members he took on a trip to their land!
MPEG Stream: "Geryon's Throne [excerpt 1]"
MPEG Stream: "Geryon's Throne [excerpt 2]"
MPEG Stream: "El Lamento Del Cabron"

ORTHRELM 2nd 18/04 Norildivoth Crallos / Lomrixth (Three.One.G) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Newest release from the super prolific, ultra complex, totally hyphenated (you know...avant-thrash-free-jazz-math-rock) grinding, sort-of metallic, sort-of free jazz, totally inspiring, absolutely irritating, noodle-riffic instrumental duo from New Jersey. Featuring Mick Barr from AQ faves Crom Tech, Orthrelm, continue on in the same direction, making mind bogglingly complicated progmetalfreejazz with high end guitar and splattery drumming in concise, one minute-ish bursts. Think the Ruins and Pig Destroyer and Albert Ayler all playing different versions of the same songs at THE SAME TIME. This certainly falls under the heading: DIFFICULT. And Orthrelm is definitely the kind of band that separates the men from the boys, or the geeks from the SUPER geeks, or the people who love music that annoys the fuck out of most people on earth and those that don't. You've been warned!
RealAudio clip: "One "
RealAudio clip: "Two "
RealAudio clip: "Three"
RealAudio clip: "Four"

ORTHRELM 2nd 18/04 Norildivoth Crallos / Lomrixth (Three.One.G) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Newst release from the super prolific, ultra complex, totally hyphenated (you know...avant-thrash-free-jazz-math-rock) grinding, sort-of metallic, sort-of free jazz, totally inspiring, absolutely irritating, noodle-riffic instrumental duo from New Jersey. Featuring Mick Barr from AQ faves Crom Tech, Orthrelm, continue on in the same direction, making mind bogglingly complicated progmetalfreejazz with high end guitar and splattery drumming in concise, one minute-ish bursts. Think the Ruins and Pig Destroyer and Albert Ayler all playing different versions of the same songs at THE SAME TIME. This certainly falls under the heading: DIFFICULT. And Orthrelm is definitely the kind of band that separates the men from the boys, or the geeks from the SUPER geeks, or the people who love music that annoys the fuck out of most people on earth and those that don't. You've been warned!

ORTHRELM Asristir Veildrioxe (Troubleman Unlimited) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Second release from former Crom-Tech guitarist Mick Barr and Josh Blair (of ABCS) following their debut on Tolotta. Ninety-nine tracks fly by at a warp speed twelve-and-a-half minutes. Naked City meets Yngwie Malmsteen gone hardcore pretty much sums it up. Ridiculous, but I'm sure these guys are so dedicated and serious to this shit. Ridiculous, indeed.
RealAudio clip: "Track 99"
RealAudio clip: "Track 97"
RealAudio clip: "Track 79"
RealAudio clip: "Track 66"
RealAudio clip: "Track 4"

ORTHRELM Asristir Veildrioxe (Troubleman Unlimited) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Second release from former Crom-Tech guitarist Mick Barr and Josh Blair (of ABCS) following their debut on Tolotta. Ninety-nine tracks fly by at a warp speed twelve-and-a-half minutes. Naked City meets Yngwie Malmsteen gone hardcore pretty much sums it up. Ridiculous, but I'm sure these guys are so dedicated and serious to this shit. Ridiculous, indeed. Vinyl is one sided with an etching by Barr on the flip.

ORTHRELM Iorxhscimtor (Tolotta) cd ep 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ok, we were wrong back on AQ-L 117 when we said that former Crom Tech guitarist Mick Barr's Octis project was "the polar opposite" of his other band, Orthrelm. For some reason we had gotten the idea that while Octis specializes in short, fast, squiggly guitar mayhem (over drum machine backing), Orthrelm was some sort of droney, doomy thing with super-long songs. Nope. Not at all. Now that Tolotta has released this 16 minute long, 12 track Orthrelm cd debut, we can't figure out what the distinction between Mick's two projects really is supposed to be (except that Orthrelm boasts an actual human drummer, Josh Blair). Mick's modus operandi is the same here: trebly, twisted guitar soloing over rapid-fire drum beats. A metallic fretboard frenzy. Spastic, spiraling, skronky stuff that's almost silly. These twelve tracks sound like segments of one sixteen minute long "song", with pauses for breath every minute or two. Just as insane as Octis, and thus pretty cool if you're into such stuff, kind of like a cross between Lightning Bolt and Necrophagist or something -- but we'd still like to hear the Orthrelm we'd imagined. (Can anyone clue us into the source of our misconception? Like, does Mr. Barr have yet another band, one that's slow and epic?)
RealAudio clip: "track 2"
RealAudio clip: "track 7"

ORTHRELM Ov (Ipecac) cd 15.98
Orthrelm spells...? Not relief from headache, that's for sure! Notorious guitarist Mick Barr (ex-Crom Tech, and of Octis and Flying Luttenbachers infamy also) and drummer Josh Blair continue their assault on musical sanity with Ov, newly released by Mike Patton's envelope-pushing Ipecac label. Ov leaves the envelope pretty much pushed beyond what most people can take -- it will be quite the endurance test for some, but pure bliss for a select few. By the end of this review you should know who you are if you don't already (owning other records involving Barr is one clue).
Way back when we reviewed Orthrelm's debut ep Iorxhscimtor, we admitted that we'd been under the mistaken impression that Orthrelm was supposed to be "some sort of droney, doomy thing with super-long songs". It wasn't... but now it is. Sort of. Unlike previous Orthrelm releases (and Barr's other project Octis), Ov isn't about a million trebly tracks of stop-start skronk. No, here the duo's frenetic drumming and insidious ADD guitar squiggle are harnessed into a single, 45 minute long track of intense, almost metallic, repetitive minimalism. A high-pitched, note-dense, trance-inducing (maybe seizures too?), insectoid symphony that slowly shifts gears and builds tension but offers little respite or resolution until its 45 minutes are up or your ears/speakers/the disc iself shatters from the stress. Yet, if you can take it, Ov's continuous rumble of drums and precision frenzies of tinny guitar shred also create a thing of static, maddening beauty. I think...or maybe I've lost it. Am I crazy when I think that some of the feedbackier parts remind me of moments of the Boredoms' Super Ae? Or that this is not entirely unlike something that Boris or SUNNO))) would do... but with a million times more emphasis on the high end, and the notion of motion on the micro if not macro level??
MPEG Stream: "Ov [excerpt 1]"
MPEG Stream: "Ov [excerpt 2]"

ORTHRELM / TOUCHDOWN split (Troubleman Unlimited) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Look out, here's a split release from two off-the-hook instrumental rock duos, Orthrelm and Touchdown. Both bands tend to get described with ridiculous hyper-hyphenated terms like avant-thrash-free-jazz-math-rock.
New Jersey's Orthrelm -- spasmo guitarist extraordinaire Mick Barr (Octis, Quix*o*tic, ex-Crom Tech) and human drum machine Josh Blair -- contribute four tracks of gnarly, twisted stuff with maddeningly fast and convoluted squeaky guitar and hectic stop-start drums, but perhaps more in the way of actual song-structure than on previous outings. Now, probably either you're already an Orthrelm fan (or you can't stand 'em), but this is a fine example of their art for newcomers and fans alike.
Touchdown, from nearby Brooklyn, are a two-piece a la Orthrelm, but with bass instead of guitar. Their nine songs here represent their recorded debut. They do sound a lot like what you'll hear earlier in the disc from Orthrelm, but with the high-end guitar replaced by equally busy low-end bass (which makes 'em sound a bit Ruins-like). Short-attention-span post-hardcore madness to massage your brain and bother your housemates. If this split was a contest, I'd have to award the prize to Orthrelm, for their more metallic, more manic, totally fucked attack, but that's just me. Do you like insects buzzing in your ear?
RealAudio clip: ORTHRELM "track two"
RealAudio clip: TOUCHDOWN "Low Pressure Storm System"

ORTON, BETH Central Reservation (Arista) cd 16.98

ORTON, BETH Comfort Of Strangers (Astralwerks) cd 22.00
Beth Orton's fourth album is possibly her most austere, most straightforwardly folksy and most accessible to date. Comfort Of Strangers was recorded in just two weeks with the producing assistance of Mr. Jim O'Rourke and Mr. Tim Barnes (of Silver Jews). The results are fourteen gauzy lovelies which should please fans who were a bit put off by the uncharacteristically slick production of her last full length, 2002's Daybreaker.
Plus: the limited edition version that we currently have in stock includes a bonus disc with five more exclusive songs!
MPEG Stream: "Comfort Of Strangers"
MPEG Stream: "Shadow Of A Doubt"

ORTON, BETH Daybreaker (Heavenly / Astralwerks) cd 17.98
I bet a lot of you probably think it's kind of weird that I (Andee) love Beth Orton. And weird it may be, but I do. I enjoy Beth Orton as much as I enjoy Darkthrone or Sixteen Horsepower or the Stereo or Philip Jeck. Not that you should be expecting any blast beats or skipping records (well, maybe skipping records) on this record, but this stuff is great and I LIKE IT. And I know this defensive approach doesn't necessarily make sense to most people, since most people -do- like Beth Orton, and all sorts of MTV tracks, and stuff that gets played on the radio, but a lot of folks with wilder tastes and some of our customers who may only buy records of shortwave radio transmissions or croaking frogs or church-burning blasting black metal and who maybe don't look too far outside of their favorite genre might just be missing out. Beth Orton has a gorgeous, slinky, sultry voice. Deep and brassy like Nina Simone crossed with Bjork crossed with Janis Joplin. All smooth but strong enough to knock you on your ass. And the arrangements are great too, all stripped down folk, run through the hands of various producers resulting in some sort of 21st century electronic folk. Bleeps and blips and sequenced drum machines and samples and drum loops are woven into a deep dreamy musical tapestry, topped off with that amzing voice. Not sure if I like this as much as her last one Central Reservation ('Stolen Car' is still one of the greatest songs) but it's quickly growing on me. Sure it's commercial, sure it's mainstream, so the fuck what!? A great record.
RealAudio clip: "Paris Train"
RealAudio clip: "Mount Washington"
RealAudio clip: "God Song"
RealAudio clip: "Concrete Sky"

ORTON, BETH Pass In Time (BMG) 2cd 17.98

ORTON, BETH The Other Side Of Daybreak (Astralwerks) cd 16.98

OS MUTANTES A Divina Comedia Ou (#3) (Omplatten) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
For the best description of Brazilian Tropicalia trio Os Mutantes, look no further than AQ-pal Don Smith, who writes: "[Os Mutantes] blended bossa nova and psychedelic rock and roll to form a Sgt. Pepper meets Astrud Gilberto mix which is one of the most unique sounds ever put to wax. Quite simply, you have never heard anything like Os Mutantes."
After many years of unavailability, Aquarius Records is happy to present the domestic reissues of the first three Mutantes records. Os Mutantes made some of the most perfect Brazilian pop psychedelia we have ever heard. All three were recorded from 1968 - 1970 but sounds better and more fresh than 95% of the music being made today!!! The first two records are two of Windy's favorite albums of all time!

OS MUTANTES A Divina Comedia Ou (#3) (Universal / Polydor Brazil) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We just can't think of a more perfect way to walk into Aquarius. It's finally nice and sunny here in the city to begin with, and then we walk in the door to find, sitting on the front counter, the recently reissued back catalog from one of our favorite bands of all time, Os Mutantes!!! Whoo-hoo! The timing couldn't be better as a reformed Mutantes (minus Rita Lee, tho) are on tour right now, spreading their sound across the globe. It's been a few years since the first three crucial albums from these Brazilian psych-pop pioneers were available on cd domestically, and the import versions we previously had from South America have been out of print for a long time too. Until now. They've been repressed in Brazil and we've got import copies of not just the first three classics (reviewed here) but the also-pretty-great fourth and fifth Mutantes records too (which we've never reviewed before, and plan to list next time around). We are so stoked.
This, their 1970 slightly proggier third album, is, along with their first two records, another one of the most important and influential records of the last quarter century. Seriously. In fact we might as well just consider the first three Os Mutantes records a single entity, as they are absolutely the perfect 1-2-3 pop punch! Here was a band from Sao Paulo, Brazil creating sounds with so many layers and styles intertwined, dense and dizzying, lush and lilting, elaborately arranged but so simple and catchy, who have gone on to help inspire some of the best and most beloved musical outfits in recent times. Their blending of breezy psychedelia, fuzzy delicious pop, and drops of musique concrete was the perfect infusion of experimental elements into challenging and rewarding pop that STILL sounds so amazingly enchanting, weird and irresistible. We could go on listing forever some of the bands and artists who have been inspired by so much of the Muntantes' spirit, sound and aesthetic: Stereolab, Broadcast, the whole Elephant Six scene, Beck, The Flaming Lips, Tower Recordings, Tater Totz, the list is endless. Today we even just noticed how Sonic Youth totally took the guitar melody of "O Relogio" for their classic "Little Trouble Girl". The scope and breadth of Os Mutantes influence is immeasurable. At one point, Kurt Kobain was desperately trying to convince Os Mutantes to tour with Nirvana! And while best-of collections and a few songs on comps here and there are nice, this is the kind of band whose records need to be heard in their entirety. We can't say it loud enough but just imagine us singing to you in glorious sun dappled Technicolor as we tell you that THIS TOO IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL! You might as well just give in, you absolutely need ALL of their first three albums. Never has there been a more perfectly unique and effortless blend of bossa nova and fuzzed out psych rock as on this trio of perfect discs! If you already love the first two Os Mutantes records (and how could you not?), Os Mutantes (album #1, 1968) an absolute pop masterpiece and Mutantes (album #2, 1969) with its amazing green alien band photo on the back cover, then you most definitely need part three of this perfect pop trilogy, A Divina Comedia (album #3, 1970) with its prog flecked take on the Mutantes' psychedelic psych pop and the unforgettable striking graveyard scene on the cover. Their "Sgt. Pepper meets Astrud Gilberto mix" holds up brilliantly across all three original Mutantes records (and even to a certain degree the 4th and 5th). It's the sort of thing where we're kinda envious of anyone who hasn't heard 'em already and now has the chance to buy these cds for the first time!
MPEG Stream: "Desculpe, Babe"
MPEG Stream: "Oh! Mulher Infiel"

OS MUTANTES Ao Vivo (Som Livre) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've got just a few copies of this recently reissued live disc by the legendary Mutantes -- but be warned, this is post-Rita Lee, mid-'seventies Mutantes, a much different beast than the Tropicalia psych-pop group that made those all-time AQ-fave classics "Os Mutantes" and "Mutantes" (no songs from which appear here). By the time "Ao Vivo" was recorded in 1976, they'd turned into a full-blown Progressive Rock band. Not that that's bad, at all, it's just that this will appeal more to keen Mutantes completists (and Yes fans) than people looking for more of the irresistably genius sounds of their '60s incarnation.

OS MUTANTES Jardim Eletrico (#4) (Universal / Polydor Brazil) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Just a few weeks ago, we were happy to at long last re-list the first three incredible albums by long-time AQ fave, the amazing Mutantes from Brazil. We mentioned then that we also had been able to stock some other Mutantes titles as well, ones we hadn't ever reviewed before -- but also really like! Sure, we agree that their first three, and especially first two, albums are their absolute, all-time classics, not to be surpassed. If you haven't heard those, go check 'em out before returning to this review. But if, like us, you've worn those albums out and want to hear more Mutantes, you'll also be mighty pleased with records #4 and #5 as well, wethinks. Not to mention that if these *weren't* Mutantes albums, but psych-prog rarities from some other, more obscure late '60s Brazilian band, they'd be heralded as brilliant lost treasures with no question...
So, this week we bring you #4, Jardim Eletrico. Still featuring the crucial creative nexus of original members Rita Lee, Arnaldo Baptista and Sergio Dias, this record was released in 1971 (yes, that magical year Allan's so obsessed with, again!) and takes Os Mutantes' unique tropicalia mix of '60s acid-psych and carefree pop and Latin rhythms into perhaps a little bit more '70s prog-rock territory, without getting all serious about it or anything. They stick with the same playful 'n' eclectic (if not quite so experimental) songwriting approach as on albums #1-#3, but throw in some heavier fuzz freakiness at times, which is fine by us. The catchiness quotient is still way up too, many of the tracks being super-upbeat, surefire faves for any Mutantes fan. Take the sunniest songs by Sly Stone (this album's opener "Top Top" for sure hints at Sly) or the Kinks ("Virginia"), filter 'em through Brazilian bossa nova and Spanish flamenco folk ("El Justiciero"), step on the occasional fuzz pedal, and you'll have some idea what this sounds like. Most of the songs are in Portuguese, but you do get the all-English track "Technicolor" and also an English-language version of their Caetano Veloso-penned hit "Baby", gently sung by Rita Lee (unlike the Portuguese version on their debut, that had Baptista at the mic).
We're pretty sure that if you like A Divina Comedia Ou Ando Desligado (#3), there's no reason to stop there, you'll like #4 Jardim Eletrico too. Indeed, there's quite a few songs here that could easily compete for inclusion in our personal Mutantes top ten. So don't miss out, Mutantes fans.
NB. If you're wondering why we number all the Mutantes albums like we do, it's just a habit that started with trying to keep the first two, both self-titled albums straightÉ
MPEG Stream: "Top Top"
MPEG Stream: "El Justiciero"
MPEG Stream: "Jardim Eletrico"

OS MUTANTES Mutantes (#2) (Omplatten) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
For the best description of Brazilian Tropicalia trio Os Mutantes, look no further than AQ-pal Don Smith, who writes: "[Os Mutantes] blended bossa nova and psychedelic rock and roll to form a Sgt. Pepper meets Astrud Gilberto mix which is one of the most unique sounds ever put to wax. Quite simply, you have never heard anything like Os Mutantes."
After many years of unavailability, Aquarius Records is happy to present the domestic reissues of the first three Mutantes records. Os Mutantes made some of the most perfect Brazilian pop psychedelia we have ever heard. All three were recorded from 1968 - 1970 but sounds better and more fresh than 95% of the music being made today!!! The first two records are two of Windy's favorite albums of all time!
RealAudio clip: "Nao Va Se Perder Por Ai"
RealAudio clip: "Caminhante Noturno"

OS MUTANTES Mutantes (#2) (Universal / Polydor Brazil) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now a domestic release, again!
We just can't think of a more perfect way to walk into Aquarius. It's finally nice and sunny here in the city to begin with, and then we walk in the door to find, sitting on the front counter, the recently reissued back catalog from one of our favorite bands of all time, Os Mutantes!!! Whoo-hoo! The timing couldn't be better as a reformed Mutantes (minus Rita Lee, tho) are on tour right now, spreading their sound across the globe. It's been a few years since the first three crucial albums from these Brazilian psych-pop pioneers were available on cd domestically, and the import versions we previously had from South America have been out of print for a long time too. Until now. They've been repressed in Brazil and we've got import copies of not just the first three classics (reviewed here) but the also-pretty-great fourth and fifth Mutantes records too (which we've never reviewed before, and plan to list next time around). We are so stoked.
This, their 1969 sophmore effort (self titled Mutantes, again, not to be confused with the also self titled debut Os Mutantes) is, along with their debut, another one of the most important and influential records of the last quarter century. Seriously. In fact we might as well just consider the first three Os Mutantes records a single entity, as they are absolutely the perfect 1-2-3 pop punch! Here was a band from Sao Paulo, Brazil creating sounds with so many layers and styles intertwined, dense and dizzying, lush and lilting, elaborately arranged but so simple and catchy, who have gone on to help inspire some of the best and most beloved musical outfits in recent times. Their blending of breezy psychedelia, fuzzy delicious pop, and drops of musique concrete was the perfect infusion of experimental elements into challenging and rewarding pop that STILL sounds so amazingly enchanting, weird and irresistible. We could go on listing forever some of the bands and artists who have been inspired by so much of the Muntantes' spirit, sound and aesthetic: Stereolab, Broadcast, the whole Elephant Six scene, Beck, The Flaming Lips, Tower Recordings, Tater Totz, the list is endless. Today we even just noticed how Sonic Youth totally took the guitar melody of "O Relogio" for their classic "Little Trouble Girl". The scope and breadth of Os Mutantes influence is immeasurable. At one point, Kurt Kobain was desperately trying to convince Os Mutantes to tour with Nirvana! And while best-of collections and a few songs on comps here and there are nice, this is the kind of band whose records need to be heard in their entirety. We can't say it loud enough but just imagine us singing to you in glorious sun dappled Technicolor as we tell you that THIS TOO IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL! You might as well just give in, you absolutely need ALL of their first three albums. Never has there been a more perfectly unique and effortless blend of bossa nova and fuzzed out psych rock as on this trio of perfect discs! If you love Os Mutantes (album #1, 1968) and how could you not? Then, there's no way you wouldn't also want this one, Mutantes (album #2, 1969) with its amazing green alien band photo on the back cover. And of course A Divina Comedia (album #3, 1970) with its slightly proggier sound and striking graveyard scene on the cover. Their "Sgt. Pepper meets Astrud Gilberto mix" holds up brilliantly across all three original Mutantes records. It's the sort of thing where we're kinda envious of anyone who hasn't heard 'em already and now has the chance to buy these cds for the first time!
MPEG Stream: "Nao Va Se Perder Por Ai"
MPEG Stream: "Caminhante Noturno"

OS MUTANTES Mutantes E Seus Cometas No Pais Do Baurets (#5) (Universal / Polydor Brazil) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One more time, welcome to the mixed-up Technicolor tropicalia psych-pop pleasuredome that is the music of Brazil's one and only Os Mutantes! This, their fifth album, from 1972, was their last with original vocalist Rita Lee before the band headed off into way proggier '70sness on later efforts of that decade, and it's one splashy send-off all right. We've said before that Mutantes discs #1 (Os Mutantes) and #2 (Mutantes) are the absolute must-have essentials, with #3 (A Divina Comedia Ou) running a close third... but #4 (Jardim Eletrico), reviewed last list, and this fifth one too are also full of great Mutantes moments that fans should certainly hear! (And it should be added that if you dig Yes, tracking down some of those subsequent Mutantes efforts might be worth it as well...)
It should come as no surprise to Mutantes aficionados that as a collection of songs, Mutantes E Seus Cometas No Pais Do Baurets is all over the place, from the McCartneyesque, Moog sizzling "Balada Do Louco" to the groovy, wacked-out prog-funk of the nearly 10-minute long title track. You'll hear peppy '50s rockabilly pastiche ("Posso Perder Minha Mulher, Minha Mae, Desde Que Tenha O Rock And Roll"), Zep-heavy fuzz rockers ("A Hora E A Vez Do Cabelo Nascer"), lovely folkiness ("Vida de Cachorro"), and a honky tonk piano beerhall singalong ("Todo Mundo Pastou II"). And one of Allan's (but not necessarily everybody else here's) favorite tracks has got to be the ultra kitschy, goofy "Dune Buggy"... there's certainly lots of humor and bizarre bits woven in and out of pretty much all these tunes, again as per Mutantes' usual modus operandi (as is the Beatles influence felt throughout). Definitely a fun listen!
MPEG Stream: "A Hora E A Vez Do Cabelo Nascer"
MPEG Stream: "Vida de Cachorro"
MPEG Stream: "Dune Buggy"

OS MUTANTES Os Mutantes (#1) (Omplatten) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
For the best description of Brazilian Tropicalia trio Os Mutantes, look no further than AQ-pal Don Smith, who writes: "[Os Mutantes] blended bossa nova and psychedelic rock and roll to form a Sgt. Pepper meets Astrud Gilberto mix which is one of the most unique sounds ever put to wax. Quite simply, you have never heard anything like Os Mutantes."
After many years of unavailability, Aquarius Records is happy to present the domestic reissues of the first three Mutantes records. Os Mutantes made some of the most perfect Brazilian pop psychedelia we have ever heard. All three were recorded from 1968 - 1970 but sounds better and more fresh than 95% of the music being made today!!! The first two records are two of Windy's favorite albums of all time!

OS MUTANTES Os Mutantes (#1) (Universal / Polydor Brazil) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now a domestic release, again!
We just can't think of a more perfect way to walk into Aquarius. It's finally nice and sunny here in the city to begin with, and then we walk in the door to find, sitting on the front counter, the recently reissued back catalog from one of our favorite bands of all time, Os Mutantes!!! Whoo-hoo! It's been a few years since the first three crucial albums from these Brazilian psych-pop pioneers were available on cd domestically, and the import versions we previously had from South America have been out of print for a long time too. Until now. They've been repressed in Brazil and we've got import copies of not just the first three classics (reviewed here) but the also-pretty-great fourth and fifth Mutantes records too (which we've never reviewed before, and plan to list next time around). We are so stoked.
This, their 1968 debut (self titled Os Mutantes, not to be confused, though it's easy, with their also self titled 2nd album Mutantes) is one of the most important and influential records of the last quarter century. Seriously. Here was a band from Sao Paulo, Brazil creating sounds with so many layers and styles intertwined, dense and dizzying, lush and lilting, elaborately arranged but so simple and catchy, who have gone on to help inspire some of the best and most beloved musical outfits in recent times. Their blending of breezy psychedelia, fuzzy delicious pop, and drops of musique concrete was the perfect infusion of experimental elements into challenging and rewarding pop that STILL sounds so amazingly enchanting, weird and irresistible. We could go on listing forever some of the bands and artists who have been inspired by so much of the Muntantes' spirit, sound and aesthetic: Stereolab, Broadcast, the whole Elephant Six scene, Beck, The Flaming Lips, Tower Recordings, Tater Totz, the list is endless. Today we even just noticed how Sonic Youth totally took the guitar melody of "O Relogio" for their classic "Little Trouble Girl". The scope and breadth of Os Mutantes influence is immeasurable. At one point, Kurt Kobain was desperately trying to convince Os Mutantes to tour with Nirvana! And while best-of collections and a few songs on comps here and there are nice, this is the kind of band whose records need to be heard in their entirety. We can't say it loud enough but just imagine us singing to you in glorious sun dappled Technicolor as we tell you that THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL! And not just 'cause it's the one that features perhaps their best-known hits, "Baby" and "Bat Macumba". Heck we could even do without those songs at this point, the rest of this is so great. An absolute all time Aquarius favorite and quite possibly one of the best pop records EVER! You might as well just give in, you absolutely need ALL of their first three albums. Never has there been a more perfectly unique and effortless blend of bossa nova and fuzzed out psych rock as on this trio of perfect discs! In addition to this their absolutely perfect debut, there's also Mutantes (album #2, 1969) with its amazing green alien band photo on the back cover. And of course A Divina Comedia (album #3, 1970) with its slightly proggier sound and striking graveyard scene on the cover. Their "Sgt. Pepper meets Astrud Gilberto mix" holds up brilliantly across all three original Mutantes records. It's the sort of thing where we're kinda envious of anyone who hasn't heard 'em already and now has the chance to buy these cds for the first time!
MPEG Stream: "A Minha Menina"
MPEG Stream: "O Relogio"
MPEG Stream: "Panis Et Circensis"

OSAGE TRIBE Arrow Head (Bla Bla) lp 37.00
Woah. Kinda pricey but NICE import vinyl version of this super rare, Italian '70s hard rock / prog rock gem. We reviewed a cd reissue of this many, many moons ago. Neat to have it in stock again, on a nice big gatefold lp so the kitschy colorful artwork (and cool band photo on the back) can be fully appreciated.
These guys take the likes of contemporaries Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, High Tide, maybe some freaky Zappa, that sort of thing, add a bit of an American Indian theme-shtick, and just GO FOR IT in an absurdly wonderful over the top blazing heavy guitar attack that seems almost tongue-in-cheek (parodic of the genre) but is so good you know they mean it. Those moments are the highlights, but there's lots else to recommend this: delicate pastoral interludes, pop vocal choruses, weird chanting, the rockin' prog bombast, and complex psychedelic passages. Another obscure bellbottomed rock treasure from the fabulous '70s. A proud addition to any truly badass, proggy poppy proto-metal vinyl collection...
MPEG Stream: "Hajenhanhanhowa"
MPEG Stream: "Arrow Head"
MPEG Stream: "Soffici Bianchi Veli"

OSAGE TRIBE Arrowhead (Vinyl Magic) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Super rare, Italian '70s hard rock / prog rock now on cd. These guys take the likes of contemporaries Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, High Tide, maybe some Zappa, that sort of thing, add a bit of an American Indian theme-shtick, and just Go For It in an absurdly wonderful over the top blazing heavy guitar attack that seems almost tongue-in-cheek (parodic of the genre) but is so GOOD you know they mean it. Those moments are the highlights, but there's lots else to recommend this: delicate pastoral interludes, pop vocal choruses, weird chanting, the rockin' prog bombast, and complex psychelelic passages. Another obscure bellbottomed rock treasure from the fabulous '70s. Two bonus tracks too.

OSANNA L'Uomo (Warner Fonit) cd 28.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ok, here they are, the first and best three albums (reissued on cd) by "possibly Allan and Andee's all time favorite prog band" Osanna, as we boldly declared in our review of another Italian prog rock fave, Il Balleto Di Bronzo. Yep, we've got the Osanna discs now, so you can judge for yourself. Even limiting our discussion to the realm of Italian prog, it would be difficult to claim that Osanna are objectively better than the also amazing likes of Il Balleto, Le Orme, Area, New Trolls, Franco Battiato, Goblin, I Teoremi, RDM, Museo Rosenbach, etc. But, Osanna do somehow combine the key elements of what we like about those bands and prog in general into these three crazy, colorful records, and thus deserve our hype. Ripping flute and sax solos, heavy psych guitar, powerful vocal choruses, hard rockin' prog drumming, weird musical changes and juxtapositions, electronic synth experimentation... Catchy, fun, fucked up prog from five nutty Italians, who want to rock out as much as be arty and display their adept musicanship.
The wonders of Italian prog have been revealed to us in a gradual process of discovery -- finding a used cd with a cool cover, or reading somwhere about another strange band, or getting a recommendation from a friend or customer. Neither of us grew up in Italy, or had a geeky older brother to hand down his PFM and Goblin LPs. In the case of Osanna, Andee's the one who came across 'em first, while travelling in Japan, actually. Rather randomly, the guy from the Boredoms-meets-St. Vitus doom/trance band Solar Anus (soon to have a mindblowing tUMULt label release) gave Andee a tape of Osanna to take home, promising him he'd like it. Well, Solar Anus dude knew whereof he spoke! Soon we were on-line, trying to track down the LPs, or cd reissues. Not long thereafter, Andee and Allan both possessed the complete works of Osanna on cd. But it took more than a few months for us to find a wholesale supplier so we could stock 'em at Aquarius and share our Osanna-excitement with you, our prog-lovin' customers... Actually we hope that self-proclaimed "prog" dedication is not necessary for enjoyment of Osanna, as we think that these discs are good and weird and silly enough for AQ-customers into whatever sort of musical extremity (experimental, krautrock, psych, metal, classic rock) to dig.
Osanna's 1971 debut "L'Uomo" may be the most song-oriented of these three albums, their Crimson and Tull influences easy to spot. They sound a bit like a proggier, Italian version of Mexican contemporaries Dug Dugs, if that's of any help -- equally into weird psychedelic effects, hard rock, and pop. A couple of the poppier songs are sung in English, and those might result in a few uncomfortable moments of "what am I listening to here?" panic. But the sheer exuberance and fuzzed out riffing of "L'Uomo" as a whole can't be argued with!
RealAudio clip: "Mirror Train"
RealAudio clip: "Non Sei Vissuto Mai"

OSANNA L'uomo (Warner Music Italy) lp 37.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another one of our all time favorite Italian prog records, by one of our all time favorite Italian prog bands, reissued on vinyl! The cds have ben out of print for ages, so it seems this might be the only way to get this for now...
"Allan and Andee's all time favorite prog band", is how we boldly described Osanna in our review of another Italian prog rock fave, Il Balleto Di Bronzo. We've now got Osanna's L'uomo in stock on vinyl, so you can judge for yourself. Even limiting our discussion to the realm of Italian prog, it would be difficult to claim that Osanna are objectively better than the also amazing likes of Il Balleto, Le Orme, Area, New Trolls, Franco Battiato, Goblin, I Teoremi, RDM, Museo Rosenbach, etc. But, Osanna do somehow combine the key elements of what we like about those bands and prog in general into these three crazy, colorful records, and thus deserve our hype. Ripping flute and sax solos, heavy psych guitar, powerful vocal choruses, hard rockin' prog drumming, weird musical changes and juxtapositions, electronic synth experimentation... Catchy, fun, fucked up prog from five nutty Italians, who want to rock out as much as be arty and display their adept musicanship.
The wonders of Italian prog have been revealed to us in a gradual process of discovery -- finding a used cd with a cool cover, or reading somwhere about another strange band, or getting a recommendation from a friend or customer. Neither of us grew up in Italy, or had a geeky older brother to hand down his PFM and Goblin LPs. In the case of Osanna, Andee's the one who came across 'em first, while travelling in Japan, actually. Rather randomly, the guy from the Boredoms-meets-St. Vitus doom/trance band Solar Anus (released on Andee's tUMULt label) gave Andee a tape of Osanna to take home, promising him he'd like it. Well, Solar Anus dude knew whereof he spoke! Soon we were on-line, trying to track down the LPs, or cd reissues. Not long thereafter, Andee and Allan both possessed the complete works of Osanna. Ever since we've been super psyched to share our Osanna-excitement with you, our prog-lovin' customers... Actually we hope that self-proclaimed "prog" dedication is not necessary for enjoyment of Osanna, as we think that these discs are good and weird and silly enough for AQ-customers into whatever sort of musical extremity (experimental, krautrock, psych, metal, classic rock) to dig.
Osanna's 1971 debut "L'Uomo" may be the most song-oriented of the first three 'essential' albums, their Crimson and Tull influences easy to spot. They sound a bit like a proggier, Italian version of Mexican contemporaries Dug Dugs, if that's of any help -- equally into weird psychedelic effects, hard rock, and pop. A couple of the poppier songs are sung in English, and those might result in a few uncomfortable moments of "what am I listening to here?" panic. But the sheer exuberance and fuzzed out riffing of "L'Uomo" as a whole can't be argued with!

OSANNA L'Uomo / Milano Calibro 9 (Warner Music Italy) cd 14.98
Yay! The two albums on this two-fer cd have been out of print and unavailable for too long, considering that they're two of our faves in the realm of prog rock craziness, the first two from Italian '70s proggers Osanna. Nice to have 'em back in one handy, inexpensive-for-an-import package (though, the no-frills graphic design of the digipak leaves something to be desired, wish they would have included full-sized album art, for one thing).
"Allan and Andee's all time favorite prog band", is how we boldly described Osanna in our review of another Italian prog rock fave, Il Balletto Di Bronzo. Ok, even limiting our discussion to the realm of Italian prog, it would be difficult to claim that Osanna are objectively better than the also amazing likes of Il Balleto, Le Orme, Area, New Trolls, Franco Battiato, Goblin, I Teoremi, RDM, Museo Rosenbach, etc. But, Osanna do somehow combine the key elements of what we like about those bands and prog in general into these three crazy, colorful records, and thus deserve our hype. Ripping flute and sax solos, heavy psych guitar, powerful vocal choruses, hard rockin' prog drumming, weird musical changes and juxtapositions, electronic synth experimentation... Catchy, fun, fucked up prog from five nutty Italians, who want to rock out as much as be arty and display their adept musicianship.
The wonders of Italian prog have been revealed to us in a gradual process of discovery - finding a used cd with a cool cover, or reading somewhere about another strange band, or getting a recommendation from a friend or customer. Neither of us grew up in Italy, or had a geeky older brother to hand down his PFM and Goblin lps. In the case of Osanna, Andee's the one who came across 'em first, while travelling in Japan, actually. Rather randomly, the guy from the Boredoms-meets-St. Vitus doom/trance band Solar Anus (released on Andee's tUMULt label) gave Andee a tape of Osanna to take home, promising him he'd like it. Well, Solar Anus dude knew whereof he spoke! Soon we were on-line, trying to track down the LPs, or cd reissues. Not long thereafter, Andee and Allan both possessed the complete works of Osanna. Ever since we've been super psyched to share our Osanna-excitement with you, our prog-lovin' customers... Actually we hope that self-proclaimed "prog" dedication is not necessary for enjoyment of Osanna, as we think that these discs are good and weird and silly enough for aQ-customers into whatever sort of musical extremity (experimental, krautrock, psych, metal, classic rock) to dig.
Osanna's 1971 (!!!) debut L'Uomo may be the most song-oriented of their albums, their Crimson and Tull influences easy to spot. They sound a bit like a proggier, Italian version of Mexican contemporaries Dug Dugs, if that's of any help - equally into weird psychedelic effects, hard rock, and pop. A couple of the poppier songs are sung in English, and those might result in a few uncomfortable moments of "what am I listening to here?" panic. But the sheer exuberance and fuzzed out riffing of L'Uomo as a whole can't be argued with!
Then, the second Osanna album, from '72, was a soundtrack to a film called Milano Calibro 9. Working in collaboration with arranger Luis Bacalov, who is also known for his work with the New Trolls' symphonic efforts, this album incorporates strings, piano, and classical motifs. And, as befits a film soundtrack, many moods are touched upon... We don't know what the movie was all about, but it must have featured a fair amount of action, and trippy scenes. Osanna come up with super bombastic themes, high-energy instrumental freak-outs, suspenseful bits of jazziness, pretty vocal interludes, bleepy-bloopy synth fx, heavy electronic organ riff-drone, and the most heavy metal flute soloing you've ever heard. Totally kick ass. Osanna, you rock. Goblin was never this heavy.
MPEG Stream: "Mirror Train"
MPEG Stream: "Non Sei Vissuto Mai"
MPEG Stream: "Preludio"
MPEG Stream: "Tema"

OSANNA Milano Calibro 9 (Warner Fonit) cd 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ok, here they are, the first and best three albums (reissued on cd) by "possibly Allan and Andee's all time favorite prog band" Osanna, as we boldly declared in our review of another Italian prog rock fave, Il Balleto Di Bronzo. Yep, we've got the Osanna discs now, so you can judge for yourself. Even limiting our discussion to the realm of Italian prog, it would be difficult to claim that Osanna are objectively better than the also amazing likes of Il Balleto, Le Orme, Area, New Trolls, Franco Battiato, Goblin, I Teoremi, RDM, Museo Rosenbach, etc. But, Osanna do somehow combine the key elements of what we like about those bands and prog in general into these three crazy, colorful records, and thus deserve our hype. Ripping flute and sax solos, heavy psych guitar, powerful vocal choruses, hard rockin' prog drumming, weird musical changes and juxtapositions, electronic synth experimentation... Catchy, fun, fucked up prog from five nutty Italians, who want to rock out as much as be arty and display their adept musicanship.
The wonders of Italian prog have been revealed to us in a gradual process of discovery -- finding a used cd with a cool cover, or reading somwhere about another strange band, or getting a recommendation from a friend or customer. Neither of us grew up in Italy, or had a geeky older brother to hand down his PFM and Goblin LPs. In the case of Osanna, Andee's the one who came across 'em first, while travelling in Japan, actually. Rather randomly, the guy from the Boredoms-meets-St. Vitus doom/trance band Solar Anus (soon to have a mindblowing tUMULt label release) gave Andee a tape of Osanna to take home, promising him he'd like it. Well, Solar Anus dude knew whereof he spoke! Soon we were on-line, trying to track down the LPs, or cd reissues. Not long thereafter, Andee and Allan both possessed the complete works of Osanna on cd. But it took more than a few months for us to find a wholesale supplier so we could stock 'em at Aquarius and share our Osanna-excitement with you, our prog-lovin' customers... Actually we hope that self-proclaimed "prog" dedication is not necessary for enjoyment of Osanna, as we think that these discs are good and weird and silly enough for AQ-customers into whatever sort of musical extremity (experimental, krautrock, psych, metal, classic rock) to dig.
1972's Osanna album, their second, was a soundtrack to a film called "Milano Calibro 9". Working in collaboration with arranger Luis Bacalov, who is also known for his work with the New Trolls' symphonic efforts, this album incorporates strings, piano, and classical motifs. And, as befits a film soundtrack, many moods are touched upon... We don't know what the movie was all about, but it must have featured a fair amount of action, and trippy scenes. Osanna come up with super bombastic themes, high-energy instrumental freak-outs, suspenseful bits of jazziness, pretty vocal interludes, bleepy-bloopy synth fx, heavy electronic organ riff-drone, and the most heavy metal flute soloing you've ever heard. Totally kick ass. Osanna, you rock. Goblin was never this heavy.
RealAudio clip: "Preludio"
RealAudio clip: "Tema"

OSANNA Milano Calibro 9 (Vinyl Magic / Warner Fonit) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A few years ago, we were all excited to review the first and best three albums (reissued on cd) by "possibly Allan and Andee's all time favorite prog band" Osanna. As we said then, even limiting our discussion to the realm of Italian prog, it would be difficult to claim that Osanna are objectively better than the also amazing likes of Il Balleto, Le Orme, Area, New Trolls, Franco Battiato, Goblin, I Teoremi, RDM, Museo Rosenbach, etc. But, Osanna do somehow combine the key elements of what we like about those bands and prog in general into their first three crazy, colorful records, and thus deserve our hype. Ripping flute and sax solos, heavy psych guitar, powerful vocal choruses, hard rockin' prog drumming, weird musical changes and juxtapositions, electronic synth experimentation... Catchy, fun, fucked up prog from five nutty Italians, who want to rock out as much as be arty and display their adept musicianship. We went on to say that self-proclaimed "prog" dedication is not necessary for enjoyment of Osanna, as we think that these discs are good and weird and silly enough for AQ-customers into whatever sort of musical extremity (experimental, krautrock, psych, metal, classic rock) to dig.
Anyway, those cd reissues eventually went out of print, sadly enough, and we haven't had any Osanna for a while... until now, when one of our distributors happened to track down some copies of this different cd edition of Osanna's second album from 1972, which comes packaged not in a jewel case like the ones we had previously, but in a slightly oversized, miniature gatefold LP styled sleeve, complete with a Japanese obi. Very nice. So of course we want to list it again for those who missed out... and hopefully someday we'll also be able to relist the other two Osanna albums we recommend as well!
This record was a soundtrack to a film called "Milano Calibro 9". Working in collaboration with arranger Luis Bacalov, who is also known for his work with the New Trolls' symphonic efforts, on this album Osanna incorporates strings, piano, and classical motifs. And, as befits a film soundtrack, many moods are touched upon... We don't know what the movie was all about, but it must have featured a fair amount of action, and trippy scenes. Osanna come up with super bombastic themes, high-energy instrumental freak-outs, suspenseful bits of jazziness, pretty vocal interludes, bleepy-bloopy synth fx, heavy electronic organ riff-drone, and the most heavy metal flute soloing you've ever heard. Totally kick ass. Osanna, you rock. Goblin was never this heavy.
MPEG Stream: "Preludio"
MPEG Stream: "Tema"

OSANNA Milano Calibro 9 (Vinyl Magic) lp 37.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally reissued on vinyl, one our all time favorite Italian prog albums!!! Here's our gushing review when we listed the cd reissue not too long ago:
A few years back, we were all excited to review the first and best three albums by "possibly Allan and Andee's all time favorite prog band" Osanna. As we said then, even limiting our discussion to the realm of Italian prog, it would be difficult to claim that Osanna are objectively better than the also amazing likes of Il Balleto, Le Orme, Area, New Trolls, Franco Battiato, Goblin, I Teoremi, RDM, Museo Rosenbach, etc. But, Osanna do somehow combine the key elements of what we like about those bands and prog in general into their first three crazy, colorful records, and thus deserve our hype. Ripping flute and sax solos, heavy psych guitar, powerful vocal choruses, hard rockin' prog drumming, weird musical changes and juxtapositions, electronic synth experimentation... Catchy, fun, fucked up prog from five nutty Italians, who want to rock out as much as be arty and display their adept musicianship. We went on to say that self-proclaimed "prog" dedication is not necessary for enjoyment of Osanna, as we think that these discs are good and weird and silly enough for AQ-customers into whatever sort of musical extremity (experimental, krautrock, psych, metal, classic rock) to dig.
This record was a soundtrack to a film called "Milano Calibro 9". Working in collaboration with arranger Luis Bacalov, who is also known for his work with the New Trolls' symphonic efforts, on this album Osanna incorporates strings, piano, and classical motifs. And, as befits a film soundtrack, many moods are touched upon... We don't know what the movie was all about, but it must have featured a fair amount of action, and trippy scenes. Osanna come up with super bombastic themes, high-energy instrumental freak-outs, suspenseful bits of jazziness, pretty vocal interludes, bleepy-bloopy synth fx, heavy electronic organ riff-drone, and the most heavy metal flute soloing you've ever heard. Totally kick ass. Osanna, you rock. Goblin was never this heavy.
MPEG Stream: "Preludio"
MPEG Stream: "Tema"

OSANNA Palepoli (Warner Fonit) cd 22.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ok, here they are, the first and best three albums (reissued on cd) by "possibly Allan and Andee's all time favorite prog band" Osanna, as we boldly declared in our review of another Italian prog rock fave, Il Balleto Di Bronzo. Yep, we've got the Osanna discs now, so you can judge for yourself. Even limiting our discussion to the realm of Italian prog, it would be difficult to claim that Osanna are objectively better than the also amazing likes of Il Balleto, Le Orme, Area, New Trolls, Franco Battiato, Goblin, I Teoremi, RDM, Museo Rosenbach, etc. But, Osanna do somehow combine the key elements of what we like about those bands and prog in general into these three crazy, colorful records, and thus deserve our hype. Ripping flute and sax solos, heavy psych guitar, powerful vocal choruses, hard rockin' prog drumming, weird musical changes and juxtapositions, electronic synth experimentation... Catchy, fun, fucked up prog from five nutty Italians, who want to rock out as much as be arty and display their adept musicanship.
The wonders of Italian prog have been revealed to us in a gradual process of discovery -- finding a used cd with a cool cover, or reading somwhere about another strange band, or getting a recommendation from a friend or customer. Neither of us grew up in Italy, or had a geeky older brother to hand down his PFM and Goblin LPs. In the case of Osanna, Andee's the one who came across 'em first, while travelling in Japan, actually. Rather randomly, the guy from the Boredoms-meets-St. Vitus doom/trance band Solar Anus (soon to have a mindblowing tUMULt label release) gave Andee a tape of Osanna to take home, promising him he'd like it. Well, Solar Anus dude knew whereof he spoke! Soon we were on-line, trying to track down the LPs, or cd reissues. Not long thereafter, Andee and Allan both possessed the complete works of Osanna on cd. But it took more than a few months for us to find a wholesale supplier so we could stock 'em at Aquarius and share our Osanna-excitement with you, our prog-lovin' customers... Actually we hope that self-proclaimed "prog" dedication is not necessary for enjoyment of Osanna, as we think that these discs are good and weird and silly enough for AQ-customers into whatever sort of musical extremity (experimental, krautrock, psych, metal, classic rock) to dig.
"Palepoli" was Osanna's third album, originally released in 1973. Getting even proggier perhaps, the record consists of but three tracks: two long (18 and 21 minute) tracks divided by a brief, under 2 minute interlude. These extended suites blenderize all previous elements of Osanna's music, both light and heavy. Grandiose pop collides with mathy instrumental interplay, gentle, ethnic flavored passages of voice and flute suddenly give way to bombastic guitar and sax attacks, drums n' bass gallops are interrupted by electronic squiggles. Some field recordings of street sounds even make it into the mix. We, the goofy, cheesy, '70s prog fiends we are, like each part individually, the crazy combination of musical moods is but a bonus, as with their other albums as well...
RealAudio clip: "Oro Caldo"
RealAudio clip: "Animale Senza Respiro"

OSBOURNE, OZZY Blizzard Of Ozz (Epic) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
In the same spirit as listing My Bloody Valentine's 'Loveless' a few lists past, it occurred to us that like 'Loveless' there are probably some of you who don't own 'Blizzard Of Ozz.' Or perhaps some of you probably had it when you were 15, but haven't thought about it in years or bothered to pull out that dirty old cassette and throw it on. And if you're anything like us, you've become mildly obsessed with MTV's 'The Osbournes', and you've been getting a good laugh at doddering, senile old Ozzy, who is perplexed by the TV remote control, his dogs that shit all over the house, his truly bizarre children, and who occasionally loses control and throws a log through his neighbors' windows. The show is so popular, the BBC reported that President Bush is a fan and has asked Ozzy to have dinner with him at the White House. Never thought I'd see the day. (Neither did Ozzy, who said "I thought I'd be on a wanted poster on the wall, not invited to his place to tea.") And if I did see the day, I imagined it with a much hipper president. But with all this media hype, it's easy to forget that Ozzy (in Black Sabbath and solo) is responsible for some of the best heavy metal ever! The first two Ozzy records ('Blizzard Of Ozz' and 'Diary Of A Madman') are total classics, ultra heavy and completely kick ass, with some of the best riffs ever comitted to tape, as well as some ridiculously catchy songs (it's strange to look back now and realise how much poppier Ozzy was than we remember, closer to Van Halen than Slayer). And since these were both re-released (remastered with bonus tracks and extra photos/liner notes) they technically -are- new releases. And since some of you may have missed the boat (even Windy, who's always loved 'Crazy Train' yet never knew it was Ozzy) we figured what the hell. And while both are great, we figured we would focus on 'Blizzard Of Ozz' since it is the best place to start for the uninitiated ('Diary Of A Madman' is a little weirder and a little heavier) and since it holds a special place in Byram's heart, who has the following to say about it:
"I would certainly never claim to be an expert on metal and my eyes fairly glaze over shortly after Andee and Allan begin one of their 'which album by _____ (random metal band) is the best' arguments. Having identified with punk rock in my formative years (though my appearance and actions made me look more like an effete and dorky new-waver at best), I was scared of the big hairy guys who I associated with metal in high school. But long before all that nonsense of cliques and fitting in, I used to ride around the suburbs on my BMX bike and listen to music regardless of its association to a particular fan demographic. With my walkman strapped on, "Blizzard of Ozz" was my soundtrack while I made my rounds checking the pay phones and newspaper machines for change. And I'm certain that I wasn't the only young suburbanite who wandered the streets plugged into Ozzy. As his first solo album away from Black Sabbath, the million-plus-selling "Blizzard of Ozz" demonstrated that Ozzy had a broader appeal than his earlier efforts with the group had. Over 20 years later, after people get over their ironic chuckling, this album still holds its ground. Those of you who've now lost or worn out your old cassettes and those of you who never gave the post-Sabbath Ozzy a chance should pick this 24-bit remastered and low priced classic up immediately!"
Also, if you were disappointed by the totally pointless / throwaway bonus tracks on the recent Judas Priest reissues (and let's be honest, 90 percent of bonus tracks on *all* reissues), you won't be here. The bonus track, 'You Lookin' At Me Lookin' At You,' is more kick ass-catchy metal and seems like it would have fit perfectly on the original album. A total timeless classic, for metalheads and non-metalheads alike.
RealAudio clip: "Crazy Train"
RealAudio clip: "I Don't Know"
RealAudio clip: "Mr. Crowley"
RealAudio clip: "Suicide Solution"
RealAudio clip: "No Bone Movies"

OSCILLATION, THE Out Of Phase (DC Recordings) cd 22.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's another, not quite so new release from the UK's fab DC Recordings, that we imported in the same batch with the new Padded Cell we highlighted last list. This one's from last year, but actually it's one of the main reasons we finally did a direct order with DC, 'cause we'd been dying to list it ever since we first heard it at the end of '07. Well, better late than never, eh?
Out Of Phase easily made the upper echelon of Allan's top 20 of 2007 list, being a druggy, dubby mix of rhythmically krauty space rock, angular Nowave funkiness, and, yes, oscillating electronics. It entrances with limber, rubbery grooves, awash with buzzing, echoey FX, occasionally adorned with echoey English-accented vocals also. The fantastic track "Violation" is almost some sort of post-punk Hawkwind worship, and elsewhere the motorik pulsations of Neu! get the nod (and get you nodding). The whole album's heavy with hypnotic bass, and nervous with propulsive percussion. The Oscillation also have a definite knack for pop bliss too (best exemplified by their dreamy cover version of Julian Cope's "Head Hang Low").
Sometimes trance-inducingly atmospheric, evoking radiation-like transmissions from the cosmos ("Distant Transmission", natch), at other times building up into a funky, fuzzy throb that's equally trance-inducing, The Oscillations' electro-psychedelia could easily slide into a DJ mix alongside stuff by Salvatore or the Boredoms, whilst sounding like neither... Imagine a Tussle/White Hills hybrid, perhaps!
Super recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Violations"
MPEG Stream: "Head Hang Low"
MPEG Stream: "Gamelan Mindscape"

OSCILLATION, THE Out Of Phase (DC Recordings) 2lp 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's another, not quite so new release from the UK's fab DC Recordings, that we imported in the same batch with the new Padded Cell we highlighted last list. This one's from last year, but actually it's one of the main reasons we finally did a direct order with DC, 'cause we'd been dying to list it ever since we first heard it at the end of '07. Well, better late than never, eh?
Out Of Phase easily made the upper echelon of Allan's top 20 of 2007 list, being a druggy, dubby mix of rhythmically krauty space rock, angular Nowave funkiness, and, yes, oscillating electronics. It entrances with limber, rubbery grooves, awash with buzzing, echoey FX, occasionally adorned with echoey English-accented vocals also. The fantastic track "Violation" is almost some sort of post-punk Hawkwind worship, and elsewhere the motorik pulsations of Neu! get the nod (and get you nodding). The whole album's heavy with hypnotic bass, and nervous with propulsive percussion. The Oscillation also have a definite knack for pop bliss too (best exemplified by their dreamy cover version of Julian Cope's "Head Hang Low").
Sometimes trance-inducingly atmospheric, evoking radiation-like transmissions from the cosmos ("Distant Transmission", natch), at other times building up into a funky, fuzzy throb that's equally trance-inducing, The Oscillations' electro-psychedelia could easily slide into a DJ mix alongside stuff by Salvatore or the Boredoms, whilst sounding like neither... Imagine a Tussle/White Hills hybrid, perhaps!
Super recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Violations"
MPEG Stream: "Head Hang Low"
MPEG Stream: "Gamelan Mindscape"

OSCILLATION, THE Veils (All Time Low) cd 14.98
Yay! Out of the blue, here's a new one from The Oscillation. The Oscillation? You might remember, a few years back (2008) we raved about this UK band's debut album Out Of Phase, an import on the DC Recordings label. We described their music as "a druggy, dubby mix of rhythmically krauty space rock, angular No-Wave funkiness, and, yes, oscillating electronics" and mentioned Neu!, Hawkwind, Salvatore, Tussle, and White Hills over the course of the review, as possible comparisons. If we were writing it now, we'd probably also cite the Lumerians, Moon Duo, Majeure, K-X-P, Maserati, Nisennenmondai...
The Oscillation's trance-inducing throb turned out to be, not surprisingly, something that a lot of you liked as much as we did! However we kinda lost track of them, for a while - though apparently they've been gigging hard - and thus were super excited to see that this new album was available, and it's domestically priced too.
Picking up where the debut left off three years ago, it's another potent dose of krauty rhythms, dubby disco, and druggy psych, both mesmerizing and melodic, but maybe, at times, heavier, more "rocked out" than before, witness the the beefier guitar on some tracks definitely getting into The Heads territory! Though The Oscillation started off as a one man band (that man being Demian Castellanos of Orichalc Phase), it grew from an electronic producer project into a fully-fledged live act, the power of which is displayed here (but also their mellow, shoegazey spacey side too). 'Tis mostly instrumental, even when it isn't, the occasional effected, hushed and chant-like vox betraying their (Brit)pop sensibility amidst the pulsating motorik beats, washes of distortion, and electronic FX... what's not to like??
The album opens with the subtle atmospheric drones and percussive textures of "Sandstorm", a build-up to the mantric chatter and sheer spacey howl of "Future Echo", like so many of the songs here, sounding like the perfect soundtrack to some futuristic, cinematic chase scene taking place in a Blade Runner style dystopia - though others sound more appropriate to a weightless drift, off into the soothing deeps of (inner) space. Next up, the haunting "Fall" eventually ups the ampage ante even more, with psychedelic guitar wrangling burying the drawled vocals... As well as feedback and freakout, elsewhere the guitars go more for chiming stabs amidst the hazy drone and hypnotic shaka-shaka-shaka rhythms. We'll spare you the whole track-by-track summary, let's just say that this is disc is ultimately epic (12 minute title track!), echoey (everything, all the time), often quite pretty (like the lulling swells of "See Through You"), and definitely propulsive. For fans of the likes of Loop, Can, and all the sundry other rad bands mentioned above. Tune in, turn on, oscillate!!
MPEG Stream: "Future Echo"
MPEG Stream: "Fall"
MPEG Stream: "Telepathic Birdman"
MPEG Stream: "Lament"

OSCILLATION, THE Veils (All Time Low) 2lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
THIS RECENT RECORD OF THE WEEK, NOW ON DOUBLE LP!
Yay! Out of the blue, here's a new one from The Oscillation. The Oscillation? You might remember, a few years back (2008) we raved about this UK band's debut album Out Of Phase, an import on the DC Recordings label. We described their music as "a druggy, dubby mix of rhythmically krauty space rock, angular No-Wave funkiness, and, yes, oscillating electronics" and mentioned Neu!, Hawkwind, Salvatore, Tussle, and White Hills over the course of the review, as possible comparisons. If we were writing it now, we'd probably also cite the Lumerians, Moon Duo, Majeure, K-X-P, Maserati, Nisennenmondai...
The Oscillation's trance-inducing throb turned out to be, not surprisingly, something that a lot of you liked as much as we did! However we kinda lost track of them, for a while - though apparently they've been gigging hard - and thus were super excited to see that this new album was available, and it's domestically priced too.
Picking up where the debut left off three years ago, it's another potent dose of krauty rhythms, dubby disco, and druggy psych, both mesmerizing and melodic, but maybe, at times, heavier, more "rocked out" than before, witness the the beefier guitar on some tracks definitely getting into The Heads territory! Though The Oscillation started off as a one man band (that man being Demian Castellanos of Orichalc Phase), it grew from an electronic producer project into a fully-fledged live act, the power of which is displayed here (but also their mellow, shoegazey spacey side too). 'Tis mostly instrumental, even when it isn't, the occasional effected, hushed and chant-like vox betraying their (Brit)pop sensibility amidst the pulsating motorik beats, washes of distortion, and electronic FX... what's not to like??
The album opens with the subtle atmospheric drones and percussive textures of "Sandstorm", a build-up to the mantric chatter and sheer spacey howl of "Future Echo", like so many of the songs here, sounding like the perfect soundtrack to some futuristic, cinematic chase scene taking place in a Blade Runner style dystopia - though others sound more appropriate to a weightless drift, off into the soothing deeps of (inner) space. Next up, the haunting "Fall" eventually ups the ampage ante even more, with psychedelic guitar wrangling burying the drawled vocals... As well as feedback and freakout, elsewhere the guitars go more for chiming stabs amidst the hazy drone and hypnotic shaka-shaka-shaka rhythms. We'll spare you the whole track-by-track summary, let's just say that this is disc is ultimately epic (12 minute title track!), echoey (everything, all the time), often quite pretty (like the lulling swells of "See Through You"), and definitely propulsive. For fans of the likes of Loop, Can, and all the sundry other rad bands mentioned above. Tune in, turn on, oscillate!!
MPEG Stream: "Future Echo"
MPEG Stream: "Fall"
MPEG Stream: "Telepathic Birdman"
MPEG Stream: "Lament"

OSCILLATION, THE Waste The Day / No Place (All Time Low) 7" 10.98
We were happy to hear that former aQ Record Of The Week honorees The Oscillation, from the UK, had a RSD release this year, a 7" limited to 295 numbered copies. We managed to get just a few, and obviously have even fewer left (like, 4). It features two new songs. "Waste The Day", on the A side, is one of their typically krauty concoctions of motorik beats, sci-fi synth FX, and psychedelic guitar shimmer, with some appropriately wasted low key vox, druggy and droney. And the B side, "No Place To Go", is perhaps a bit heavier. Grab one while you can, if you can.

OSMONDS, THE Crazy Horses / The Plan (7T's / Cherry Red) cd 17.98
Which is gonna be harder, to convince you to buy a cd just for one song, or to buy a cd by The Osmonds? What about both?? Let's find out...
Ok, we might have trouble arguing that it's worth buying a whole cd (one with two entire albums on it!) just for ONE song. And it definitely seems likely we'd have even more trouble when that cd is by The Osmonds. But, then again, the song in question is "Crazy Horses"! If you haven't heard it before, this will be a lot easier for us if you just listen to the sound sample below, before we continue...
If you -have- heard it, you know that it was a remarkably heavy hit from a squeaky-clean group of cute, mop-topped brothers (including of course youngest brother Donny) not normally known for being such rockers. Heavy enough to qualify as proto-metal in our book. And also a bit of a novelty, we'll admit. But doesn't it make you wonder if the rest of the album from which it comes, 1972's Crazy Horses, is also as kitschily kickass? Well... the whole album is a bit of a novelty it turns out. Nothin' on it quite as crazy as "Crazy Horses", but there ARE definitely some other cool tracks, including the garagey groover "Life Is Hard Enough Without Goodbyes" and the Beatlesque "What Could It Be". Elsewhere they dabble in everything from soul balladry to what sound like Broadway showtunes, but seriously, there's enough decent rock here to make "Crazy Horses" not seem like a total fluke.
Adding to the value for money (really), the Crazy Horses album is teamed up on this twofer cd reissue with The Osmonds' 1973 concept album (yep, a concept album!) The Plan, which tries to teach about the boys' Mormon faith with the aid of some definite fuzzed out acid rock moves (and brassy horn sections too), the most bizarre example of which would have to be the stompin', over the top track "The Last Days", which seemingly suggests signs of Biblical prophecy to be found in the contemporary sociocultural situation of the early '70s... Both Crazy Horses and The Plan are at their best total bubblegum psychedelia, pretty charming after all these years, reminding us of the Beach Boys, early Bee Gees, and ELO - not an unimpressive feat by any means.
Neither album has been available on cd forever (if ever?) and if you don't want to bother digging for the original LPs of 'em at a flea market, then we'd definitely recommend this cd reissue! For "Crazy Horses", of course, but also a lot of other surprising, surreal pop pleasures...
(PS you can also check out YouTube for some "Crazy Horses" action, complete with goofy dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyRiNZDb5EY)
MPEG Stream: "Crazy Horses"
MPEG Stream: "What Could It Be"
MPEG Stream: "Traffic In My Mind"
MPEG Stream: "Movie Man"

OSWALD, JOHN Greyfolded (Swell Artifact) 2cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
John Oswald has been best known for his plunderphonic deconstruction of Michael Jackson, The Doors, and Metallica (to the ire of the major labels' legal departments). 'Greyfolded' has Oswald taking on the Greatful Dead's legenadry "Dark Star" live jams. While his previous work had taken on an irreverance to the orginal, Oswald's seamless collage is more or less an homage to the live track. Pretty much for Dead fans only.

OTHER HALF, THE s/t (Radioactive) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.