SILKWORM Firewater (Matador) cd 14.98

SILKWORM Firewater (Matador) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SILKWORM It'll Be Cool (Touch & Go) cd 14.98
Those slouchy Seattle indie rock veterans (originally hailing from Missoula, MT) keep on keeping on and on and on. Now in their 17th year, this is their ninth album. By now the tale's been beaten into the ground that the long ago departure of main songwriter Joel R.L. Phelps from the fold really did knock the quality stuffing out of this band, but they soldiered on. Unfortunately they've never quite been able to match the high songwriting standards nor the engaging noise-pop sound captained by Phelps. The Silkworm sound was gone, and really, it seems a bandname change should've been in order. Now they've taken another unexpected stylistic turn with jazz fusion-y, noodly keyboard and guitar solos popping up unexpectedly. That's fine if you dig such solos (some folks around here do and some do not), but there's some lyrical clunkiness to contend with too. There's even a song based around the metaphor of spending your life in a penalty box. Ouch. You've been forewarned.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Look Back"
MPEG Stream: "Insomnia"

SILKWORM Italian Platinum (Touch & Go) cd 14.98

SILKWORM Lifestyle (Touch & Go) cd 14.98
Ever since Joel Phelps left, taking with him THAT voice, and some of the most distinctive songwriting in indie rock, Silkworm has been treading water, with uncatchy songs, inane lyrics, and two singers that can't really sing... but really cool artwork!

SILKWORM Marco Collins Sessions (Matador) cdep 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here are 4 Silkworm songs performed live & acoustic on the radio and it is simply gorgeous, for fans of American Music Club's Mark Eitzel especially, reminds me of Everclear. The recording is crisp and light, which balances sad lyrics perfectly. Would that I had seen Silkworm when Joel Phelps was still playing with them. Here's what Mark Van De Walle (Artforum, May 1996) has to say about him:
"Back in the days when everyone believed Bruce Lee was the baddest guy walking the planet, they used to tell this story about how he could reach right into your chest and take your heart out so fast he could show it to you, still beating, before you died. Probably Bruce never did that, but Joel R. Phelps sure does: one minute you're pushing the buttons on your stereo, everything more or less fine, depending. Then Warm Springs Night starts up, and midway through you're staring at your heart, pumping away in time, going beat, beat beat...."

SILL, JUDEE Dreams Come True (Water) 2cd 23.00
Here's a slightly daunting but very worthwhile 2-disc set of pure wonderment featuring the singer-songwriting work of California native Judee Sill. These tracks spoon-out heaping vocal harmonies within crystalline piano-driven singer-songwriter folk ballads a la a fiery Carole King or Joan Baez. Her cult following is deserved, this is really nice stuff!
Disc one features eleven tracks, the first eight from her previously unreleased third album superbly remastered from the original tapes by the ubiquitous Jim O'Rourke and the last three being studio demos. Disc two features nine lost tracks (more demos) and a brief excerpt from a 1973 live performance. A healthy 72-page (!) booklet renders for us Judee's life -- growing up damaged in a destructive family environment and getting into drug-taking and song-writing, an incessant ingestion of classical music, folk ballads, gospel music, Christian mysticism and thee general 60's zeitgeist.
As a self-taught musician, Judee produced some powerfully earnest and haunting songs during the short span of her creative life. Her songs lived within the realm of classical clarity with a folk/gospel heart and a spiritual, personal penetration that could be hard to beat by other singer-songwriters of her time.
Though I could say this would certainly be great for fans of everyone from Joanna Newsom to Tori Amos to Carole King to Karen Carpenter and the like, it may appeal to anyone for a plethora of reasons!
MPEG Stream: "I'm Over"
MPEG Stream: "Living End (demo version)"

SILL, JUDEE Heart Food (Water) cd 16.98
Second album of loping pan-Christian mystic country femme-folk from Judee Sill who short-lived and troubled career produced two absolutely amazing and essential records for David Geffen's fledgling Asylum Records. Like Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell rolled into one. Honestly Heartbreaking.

SILL, JUDEE Introducing (Water) cd 14.98

SILL, JUDEE s/t (Water) cd 16.98
First album of loping pan-Christian mystic country femme-folk from Judee Sill who short-lived and troubled career produced two absolutely amazing and essential records for David Geffen's fledgling Asylum Records. Like Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell rolled into one. Heartbreakingly honest.

SILMARIL The Voyage Of Icarus (Locust) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Poustinia"
MPEG Stream: "Not Enough"
MPEG Stream: "Windbridge"
MPEG Stream: "Vespers"

SILO Alloy (Swim) cd 17.98
Silo are a Danish trio who boastfully proclaim their allegiance to Metallica, yet sound nothing at all like metal. Instead, the group takes a post-rock approach, with metronomically tight, cyclical rhythmic patterns of guitar, bass, drums, and electronics, not dissimilar to the AQ-endorsed sounds of Fridge, Village Of Savoonga, and Circle. While the sounds on "Alloy" certainly pleasant enough, we'd like to hear Silo someday incorporate more of punch (metallic or otherwise) into their almost ambient rock hypnosis.

SILOAH s/t (Garden Of Delights) cd 21.00
Are you ready to don beads and burlap and grow out your hair and fly with the "Acid Eagle" on the "Aluminum Wind"?? If so, Siloah would love for you to join their musical quest for "Krishna's Golden Dope Shop" (yes, these phrases in quotes are all song titles from this record -- and let's not forget "Yellow Puppets Hanging In The Sky") which you can certainly do in your imagination at least by spinning this cd reissue of their self-titled LP from 1970. It's not a recent release but we were just able to get more and wanted to finally list it because it's just such a wonderful record of primitive, psychedelic Krautrock like we like it. Anyone who dug the Kalacakra album (also reissued on Garden Of Delights) or Paternoster ought to make Siloah's acquaintance! These German hippies' druggy jamming makes the original Amon Duul sound like American Idol contestants. Well, not really. But this is really wasted, lovely, LSD-damaged, communal soundmaking we can't imagine anyone could do better, ever, if at all. The Siloah vibe is eternal and unique. Mellow, mantric songs featuring hand percussion, guitar, flute, and electric bass, and high, muppety vocals singing tripped-out lyrics (as the awesome song titles already mentioned might indicate). This one's a fave of several AQ staffers, and we happen to know that it's also highly regarded by our friends in the Jewelled Antler collective who only wish they could get as high as these folks!!
MPEG Stream: "Aluminum Wind"
MPEG Stream: "Krishna's Golden Dope Shop"

SILOAH s/t (Amber Soundroom) lp 25.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now available (not for long) as a vinyl reissue! The cd version is also still in stock, here's some of what we said about that: Are you ready to don beads and burlap and grow out your hair and fly with the "Acid Eagle" on the "Aluminum Wind"?? If so, Siloah would love for you to join their musical quest for "Krishna's Golden Dope Shop" (yes, these phrases in quotes are all song titles from this record -- and let's not forget "Yellow Puppets Hanging In The Sky") which you can certainly do in your imagination at least by spinning this reissue of their self-titled LP from 1970... just such a wonderful record of primitive, psychedelic Krautrock like we like it. Anyone who dug the Kalacakra album or Paternoster ought to make Siloah's acquaintance! These German hippies' druggy jamming makes the original Amon Duul sound like American Idol contestants. Well, not really. But this is really wasted, lovely, LSD-damaged, communal soundmaking we can't imagine anyone could do better, ever, if at all. The Siloah vibe is eternal and unique. Mellow, mantric songs featuring hand percussion, guitar, flute, and electric bass, and high, muppety vocals singing tripped-out lyrics (as the awesome song titles already mentioned might indicate). This one's a fave of several AQ staffers, and we happen to know that it's also highly regarded by our friends in the Jewelled Antler collective who only wish they could get as high as these folks!!
MPEG Stream: "Aluminum Wind"
MPEG Stream: "Krishna's Golden Dope Shop"

SILVER APPLES (Whirlybird) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A self-released cd reissue of the first, self-titled Silver Apples lp, from 1968. It's a brilliant, landmark recording of swirling, pulsating early psych/synth "rock", and comes highly, highly recommended by all here at AQ. Previously, both this and the 2nd Silver Apples record had been only available together on an European bootleg cd - and interestingly, Simeon had some good things to say about that, citing the popularily of the Euro boot as being the reason that he and his new Silver Apples are out touring sucessfully right now! But of course, now he'd like to sell his music himself and get his due, monetarily. (One further note: this disc also secretly includes the tracks from the Silver Apples' 1996 7" release...)

SILVER APPLES Beacon (Whirlybird) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A new Silver Apples? Yessir, and produced by Steve Albini no less. Simeon and his new band, which we already know are great live, take to the studio for a new opus (with some re-recorded classics included).

SILVER APPLES Contact (Whirlybird) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Seminal electronics-and-drums duo self-issue their second, impossible to find album. Essential. [As if that isn't enough good news, Andee asks that we mention we're selling his original *vinyl* copy of Silver Apples' selftitled album, a steal at $75. Not sealed (cover is near-mint and has a little promo hole), vinyl is in mint condition, with original full-color poster.]

SILVER APPLES Decatur (Whirlybird) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"Decatur is a voyage of pure exploration beyond the broad established horizons of electronic music. It is an adventure into the perceptions of an unparallel universe all its own." That's what it says on the back, and who are we to argue with Simeon? 42 minutes, one song. Recorded and produced by Tom Smith.

SILVER APPLES Remixes (Stone) cd 17.98

SILVER APPLES s/t / Contact (MCA) cd 13.98
The first, self-titled Silver Apples lp, from 1968 is a brilliant, landmark recording of swirling, pulsating early psych/synth "rock", from the duo of Simeon (playing a self-built synth called "The Simeon") and Danny Taylor (drums), and comes highly, highly recommended by all here at AQ. The follow-up, Contact, from 1969, is also awesome. The major label that owns these records finally woke up and here is the result: both Silver Apples albums on one disc, complete with new liner notes by Simeon himself and diagrams of their instrumentation etc. An all time AQ favorite!
MPEG Stream: "Oscillations"
MPEG Stream: "Seagreen Serenades"

SILVER APPLES The Garden (Whirlybird) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Original Silver Apples drummer Danny Taylor, one half of that famed duo, has been found!
On March 17th of 1998, Danny heard himself on the radio and called the dj. The dj emailed Simeon. Simeon immediately drove 300 miles to see Danny. They reminisced in Danny's attic over old Silver Apples paraphernalia. They discovered some lost tapes. Seven complete songs from 1969 and a tape of Danny playing percussion instrumentals in 1968. So this year, Simeon added tracks over top of those to finish the tracks and a new album of fourteen tracks is now available. The Aquarius kids are divided on whether we like it. I would say that though it's a little awkward sounding (not as polished as the first two), it's a great document of an exciting time for music. And it's much better than Decatur. If you consider yourself a fan, you'll be thankful to have one.
The only question is--if this all happened in March, why wasn't Danny at Terrastock?

SILVER DAGGERS New High & Order (Load) cd 14.98
A customer came in the other day and was looking for something new that was "spazzy and punky and weird" while we thought it might be easy to rattle off a bunch of suggestions to them we realized that we have been lacking any really good punk spirited albums as of late. This debut by the L.A. group Silver Daggers fills that void perfectly! Combining the eccentric nature of the early SST roster (Saccharine Trust, The Minutemen) the fierce intensity of Euro art-punk like Dog Faced Hermans and The Ex as well as the all out spazz attack of the 90's San Diego post punk scene (Swing Kids, Antioch Arrow, Clikitat Ikatowi) Silver Daggers incorporate distorted sax blasted throughout their short and sweaty anthems that hit a no-wave sweet spot of strange & spastic energy channeled in all the right ways. Finally some new punk sounds we can totally get behind!
MPEG Stream: "Displacement"
MPEG Stream: "Enter The King"

SILVER DARLING Your Ghost Fits My Skin (Crossbill) cd 11.98
The debut album from this Sacramento trio bursts forth with an untethered emotive outpouring set in a dusky deep South rural setting. Your Ghost Fits My Skin features a nice balance of boot stomp and murder balladry. Check out the mid-album one-two punch "Death: Has No Victory" and "Death: You Have To Believe"! The raw soulful vocal performances contrast well with the lush instrumentation (some trombone here, some musical saw there, some timpani here, various organs throughout). The overall vibe is remarkably akin to the Americana song stylings of Jason Molina and Will Oldham. Yes, they're two very prolific songmakers whose recordings can fill a library on their own, but surely you can find a little corner in your musical heart to tuck these fellows into as well! We think you'll be you did!
MPEG Stream: "Death: Has No Victory"
MPEG Stream: "Death: You Have To Believe"

SILVER JEWS American Water (Drag City) cd 14.98

SILVER JEWS Bright Flight (Drag City) cd 14.98
Mr. David Berman has always sounded the horn of lethargic singers everywhere. This record is no exception: Mr. Silver Jew really sounds as if he'd rather be picking the lint balls off his sweater than sing his songs. And if he doesn't give a shit, why should we? I mean, it wouldn't really be that bad if the songs weren't unremarkable too, but they're simply staid ol' indie rock circa 1992. This record has been receiving favorable reviews, but I just don't get it -- he's doing the exact same thing, the same thing that lost any relevance years ago. Wake up, Dave!
RealAudio clip: "I Remember Me"
RealAudio clip: "Tennessee"

SILVER JEWS Bright Flight (Drag City) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Mr. David Berman has always sounded the horn of lethargic singers everywhere. This record is no exception: Mr. Silver Jew really sounds as if he'd rather be picking the lint balls off his sweater than singing his songs. And if he doesn't give a shit, why should we? I mean, it wouldn't really be that bad if the songs weren't unremarkable too, but they're simply staid ol' indie rock circa 1992. This record has been receiving favorable reviews, but I just don't get it -- he's doing the exact same thing, the same thing that lost any relevance years ago. Wake up, Dave!

SILVER JEWS Early Times (Drag City) cd 14.98
The Silver Jews of today are FAR removed from the Silver Jews of the early nineties. While these days the SJ's seem to have have more in common with folks like Bonnie Prince Billy and later period Smog, all dark folky downer indie pop, when we first discovered the Silver Jews, they were everything we wanted at the time, a totally loose, heartfelt, ramshackle, chaotic, noisy, home brewed indie pop band equal parts old Smog, early Sebadoh, and Pavement especially, Silver Jews were like Pavement Jr. Just check out "Secret Knowledge Of Backroads", their version of an obscure Pavement track that might even be better here, in all its about-to-fall-apart disarray.
Early Times collects the two earliest Silver Jews records, 1990's Dime Map Of The Reef 7" and 1993's The Arizona Record, which while sounding totally early nineties (how could they not?) also still sound impossibly great, back when songs mattered more than sound, and not everyone had some advanced home recording set up, so the recording process had to be as creative as the songwriting, resulting in some of the most idiosyncratic sounding music we've ever heard, and the sort of thing that threatens to be lost as 4-tracks are replaced with laptops. Enough old guy kvetching, this is just a fantastic collection of classic early indie rock, and buried beneath all the fuzz and buzz and tape hiss, and amidst all the weird dropouts and detuned guitars, and cardboard percussion, lurk some of thee greatest indie rock we've ever heard, these two records (and thus this collection) rank up there with Pavement's Slanted And Enchanted, and Westing (By Musket And Sextant), Smog's Sewn To The Sky, and Julius Caesar, Sebadoh's The Freed Weed, if you love any or all of those records and have somehow missed out on the Silver Jews (at least these first two records), you're in for surprise, and a new (old) favorite band!
MPEG Stream: "Secret Knowledge Of Backroads"
MPEG Stream: "Jackson Nightz"
MPEG Stream: "The War In Apartment 1812"
MPEG Stream: "West S"
MPEG Stream: "Canada"

SILVER JEWS Early Times (Drag City) lp 17.98
The Silver Jews of today are FAR removed from the Silver Jews of the early nineties. While these days the SJ's seem to have have more in common with folks like Bonnie Prince Billy and later period Smog, all dark folky downer indie pop, when we first discovered the Silver Jews, they were everything we wanted at the time, a totally loose, heartfelt, ramshackle, chaotic, noisy, home brewed indie pop band equal parts old Smog, early Sebadoh, and Pavement especially, Silver Jews were like Pavement Jr. Just check out "Secret Knowledge Of Backroads", their version of an obscure Pavement track that might even be better here, in all its about-to-fall-apart disarray.
Early Times collects the two earliest Silver Jews records, 1990's Dime Map Of The Reef 7" and 1993's The Arizona Record, which while sounding totally early nineties (how could they not?) also still sound impossibly great, back when songs mattered more than sound, and not everyone had some advanced home recording set up, so the recording process had to be as creative as the songwriting, resulting in some of the most idiosyncratic sounding music we've ever heard, and the sort of thing that threatens to be lost as 4-tracks are replaced with laptops. Enough old guy kvetching, this is just a fantastic collection of classic early indie rock, and buried beneath all the fuzz and buzz and tape hiss, and amidst all the weird dropouts and detuned guitars, and cardboard percussion, lurk some of thee greatest indie rock we've ever heard, these two records (and thus this collection) rank up there with Pavement's Slanted And Enchanted, and Westing (By Musket And Sextant), Smog's Sewn To The Sky, and Julius Caesar, Sebadoh's The Freed Weed, if you love any or all of those records and have somehow missed out on the Silver Jews (at least these first two records), you're in for surprise, and a new (old) favorite band!
MPEG Stream: "Secret Knowledge Of Backroads"
MPEG Stream: "Jackson Nightz"
MPEG Stream: "The War In Apartment 1812"
MPEG Stream: "West S"
MPEG Stream: "Canada"

SILVER JEWS Early Times (Drag City) cassette 9.98
The Silver Jews of today are FAR removed from the Silver Jews of the early nineties. While these days the SJ's seem to have have more in common with folks like Bonnie Prince Billy and later period Smog, all dark folky downer indie pop, when we first discovered the Silver Jews, they were everything we wanted at the time, a totally loose, heartfelt, ramshackle, chaotic, noisy, home brewed indie pop band equal parts old Smog, early Sebadoh, and Pavement especially, Silver Jews were like Pavement Jr. Just check out "Secret Knowledge Of Backroads", their version of an obscure Pavement track that might even be better here, in all its about-to-fall-apart disarray.
Early Times collects the two earliest Silver Jews records, 1990's Dime Map Of The Reef 7" and 1993's The Arizona Record, which while sounding totally early nineties (how could they not?) also still sound impossibly great, back when songs mattered more than sound, and not everyone had some advanced home recording set up, so the recording process had to be as creative as the songwriting, resulting in some of the most idiosyncratic sounding music we've ever heard, and the sort of thing that threatens to be lost as 4-tracks are replaced with laptops. Enough old guy kvetching, this is just a fantastic collection of classic early indie rock, and buried beneath all the fuzz and buzz and tape hiss, and amidst all the weird dropouts and detuned guitars, and cardboard percussion, lurk some of thee greatest indie rock we've ever heard, these two records (and thus this collection) rank up there with Pavement's Slanted And Enchanted, and Westing (By Musket And Sextant), Smog's Sewn To The Sky, and Julius Caesar, Sebadoh's The Freed Weed, if you love any or all of those records and have somehow missed out on the Silver Jews (at least these first two records), you're in for surprise, and a new (old) favorite band!
MPEG Stream: "Secret Knowledge Of Backroads"
MPEG Stream: "Jackson Nightz"
MPEG Stream: "The War In Apartment 1812"
MPEG Stream: "West S"
MPEG Stream: "Canada"

SILVER JEWS Lookout Mountain! Lookout Sea! (Drag City) cd 14.98
David Berman's Silver Jews have hit the half dozen mark with their album Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea. As you might recall, album #5 (Tanglewood Numbers) left us cold. It seems we must've missed being warmed by the malt beverages that the band sounded like they'd been enjoying in abundance. This full length pretty much picks up where they last left off, but now with Berman's wife Cassie on bass and vocals. Still unapologetically ramshackle and unravelling. So why do we keep anticipating goodness from this band? Why do we keep wanting to like them? Sure the roster over the years has been an indie rock kid's wet dream (including HRH Malkmus, Nastanovich, Denison and Oldham), but there is more to it than that, right? On each Silver Jews album there are always bright flashes of dark awesomeness from Berman's songwriting pen. They're just very fleeting and you have to wade through an often frustrating logjam of murk and shambles to spot them. Where are they on Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea? We caught glimpses in the trippier moments of songs such as "Candy Jail" and "My Pillow Is A Threshold" as well as on the surprising cover of Maher Shalal Hash Baz's "Open Field".
MPEG Stream: "Candy Jail"
MPEG Stream: "My Pillow Is A Threshold"

SILVER JEWS Lookout Mountain, Lokout Sea (Drag City) lp 15.98
NOW ON VINYL!
David Berman's Silver Jews have hit the half dozen mark with their album Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea. As you might recall, album #5 (Tanglewood Numbers) left us cold. It seems we must've missed being warmed by the malt beverages that the band sounded like they'd been enjoying in abundance. This full length pretty much picks up where they last left off, but now with Berman's wife Cassie on bass and vocals. Still unapologetically ramshackle and unravelling. So why do we keep anticipating goodness from this band? Why do we keep wanting to like them? Sure the roster over the years has been an indie rock kid's wet dream (including HRH Malkmus, Nastanovich, Denison and Oldham), but there is more to it than that, right? On each Silver Jews album there are always bright flashes of dark awesomeness from Berman's songwriting pen. They're just very fleeting and you have to wade through an often frustrating logjam of murk and shambles to spot them. Where are they on Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea? We caught glimpses in the trippier moments of songs such as "Candy Jail" and "My Pillow Is A Threshold" as well as on the surprising cover of Maher Shalal Hash Baz's "Open Field".
MPEG Stream: "Candy Jail"
MPEG Stream: "My Pillow Is A Threshold"

SILVER JEWS Natural Bridge, the (Drag City) cd 14.98

SILVER JEWS Starlite Walker (Drag City) cd 14.98

SILVER JEWS Tanglewood Numbers (Drag City) cd 14.98
The first thing that caught our eye when we saw the cover photo on this new Silver Jews album was the big ol' Canadian Club whiskey plaque on the barroom wall. And whad'ya know the first words we hear comin' out of singer David Berman's mouth in the lead-off song "Punks In The Beerlight" are, "Where's the paper bag that holds the liquor? Just in case I feel the need to puke." As Mischa aptly commented, "I think they have been drinking!" Ah, Tanglewood Numbers is filled with the stench of cigarette butts soakin' in ten day old beer. Miserable tales of hard livin' performed by a cast of indie rock superstars including Steve Malkmus, Bob Nastanovich, Bobby Bare Jr., Duane Denison, and Will Oldham.
MPEG Stream: "Punks In The Beerlight"
MPEG Stream: "K-Hole"

SILVER JEWS Tanglewood Numbers (Drag City) lp 14.98
Now on vinyl.
The first thing that caught our eye when we saw the cover photo on this new Silver Jews album was the big ol' Canadian Club whiskey plaque on the barroom wall. And whad'ya know the first words we hear comin' out of singer David Berman's mouth in the lead-off song "Punks In The Beerlight" are, "Where's the paper bag that holds the liquor? Just in case I feel the need to puke." As Mischa aptly commented, "I think they have been drinking!" Ah, Tanglewood Numbers is filled with the stench of cigarette butts soakin' in ten day old beer. Miserable tales of hard livin' performed by a cast of indie rock superstars including Steve Malkmus, Bob Nastanovich, Bobby Bare Jr., Duane Denison, and Will Oldham.
MPEG Stream: "Punks In The Beerlight"
MPEG Stream: "K-Hole"

SILVER JEWS Tennessee (Drag City) cd 10.98
David Berman's Silver Jews here releases a new 4-song EP (the title track will appear on upcoming full length Bright Flight, the other 3 won't). I've loved his previous releases, a combination of indie rock, a slight twang, downer songwriting, and a loping, gravelly voice pleasantly residing somewhere between King Kong's Ethan Buckler and Pavement's Stephen Malkmus.
So why is this new EP so bad? Well, with completely out of tune male and female voices crooning dumb lyrics like "Punk rock died when the first kid said / 'Punk's not dead! Punk's not dead!'" and "We're off to the land of hot middle aged women / Off to the land whose blood runneth orange," there's your first clue. The music is also embarassingly dated, which is even sadder in today's overglutted climate when indie rock needs to be a *lot* better than mediocre rehashing of a tired formula from 1992 in order to warrant your attention. Sigh. Another one bites the dust.
RealAudio clip: "Tennessee"

SILVER JEWS Tennessee (Drag City) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
David Berman's Silver Jews here releases a new 4-song EP (the title track will appear on upcoming full length Bright Flight, the other 3 won't). I've loved his previous releases, a combination of indie rock, a slight twang, downer songwriting, and a loping, gravelly voice pleasantly residing somewhere between King Kong's Ethan Buckler and Pavement's Stephen Malkmus.
So why is this new EP so bad? Well, with completely out of tune male and female voices crooning dumb lyrics like "Punk rock died when the first kid said / 'Punk's not dead! Punk's not dead!'" and "We're off to the land of hot middle aged women / Off to the land whose blood runneth orange," there's your first clue. The music is also embarassingly dated, which is even sadder in today's overglutted climate when indie rock needs to be a *lot* better than mediocre rehashing of a tired formula from 1992 in order to warrant your attention. Sigh. Another one bites the dust.

SILVER MOUNTAIN REVERIES, THEE (AKA SILVER MT ZION) Pretty Little Lightning Paw (Constellation) cd 13.98
Once a tour-only piece of merch, now available in stores...like ours. Four new tracks (two about 5 minutes, two around 10) from this Montreal based, Godspeed You Black Emperor! related ensemble. From the intimate to the epic, some of this is garagey and "ghettoblastered" while other parts are ethereal and grandiose with violins sawing away, massed voices and birdcalls.
MPEG Stream: "Pretty Little Lightning Paw"

SILVER MT ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA & TRA-LA-LA-BAND 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons (Constellation) cd 15.98

SILVER MT ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA & TRA-LA-LA-BAND 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons (Constellation) lp 22.00

SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA & TRA-LA-LA BAND WITH CHOIR This Is Our Punk, Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing (Constellation) cd 15.98
Newest effort from this Godspeed You Black Emperor offshoot, consisting of mainman Efrim and five other cohorts, plus a "tra-la-la band with choir."
Thankfully, Silver Mt Zion have chosen to actually move beyond aping the Godspeed mothership and crafted a pretty bizarre new sound. Pagan folk ala the Wicker Man, mixed with some of that patented Godspeed cinematic moodiness, and then some Polyphonic Spree-ish harmony. Sounds weird but it actually works pretty well. The first track sounds like it could very well have been from the Wicker Man soundtrack, with the choir chanting fa-so-la, fa-fa-fa, so-la-la-la over a simple tribal rhythms while all sorts of other instruments weave an ominous backdrop of strums and drones. The rest of the record follows a meandering path from those pagan freakouts, to rhythmic tribal jams, to strummy dreamy folk, layered scratchy electronics, to sweet violin/guitar serenity, to clangy clattery soundscapes, to wailing emotive almost-indie twang. Efrim's voice will be a stumbling block for some, his whiny upper register croon reminding us a lot of the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne' but even more strained and whine-y. Think a mix of Souled American's Chris Grigoroff, Built To Spill's Doug Martsch, and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, stripped to the waist, all painted up and standing above a burning pyre, and howling to the heavens! A primal, incantatory hippie cathartic group ritual. Fans of the Wickerman and Comus and other hippie pagan folk, just may have found some modern kindred spirits.
As with all Godspeed and Constellation-label artifacts, the cd artwork is gorgeous, as is the double LP version, both with deluxe gatefold sleeve and booklet insert.
MPEG Stream: "Sow Some Lonesome Corner So Many Flowers Bloom"

SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA & TRA-LA-LA BAND WITH CHOIR This Is Our Punk, Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing (Constellation) lp 17.98
Newest effort from this Godspeed You Black Emperor offshoot, consisting of mainman Efrim and five other cohorts, plus a "tra-la-la band with choir."
Thankfully, Silver Mt Zion have chosen to actually move beyond aping the Godspeed mothership and crafted a pretty bizarre new sound. Pagan folk ala the Wicker Man, mixed with some of that patented Godspeed cinematic moodiness, and then some Polyphonic Spree-ish harmony. Sounds weird but it actually works pretty well. The first track sounds like it could very well have been from the Wicker Man soundtrack, with the choir chanting fa-so-la, fa-fa-fa, so-la-la-la over a simple tribal rhythms while all sorts of other instruments weave an ominous backdrop of strums and drones. The rest of the record follows a meandering path from those pagan freakouts, to rhythmic tribal jams, to strummy dreamy folk, layered scratchy electronics, to sweet violin/guitar serenity, to clangy clattery soundscapes, to wailing emotive almost-indie twang. Efrim's voice will be a stumbling block for some, his whiny upper register croon reminding us a lot of the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne' but even more strained and whine-y. Think a mix of Souled American's Chris Grigoroff, Built To Spill's Doug Martsch, and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, stripped to the waist, all painted up and standing above a burning pyre, and howling to the heavens! A primal, incantatory hippie cathartic group ritual. Fans of the Wickerman and Comus and other hippie pagan folk, just may have found some modern kindred spirits.
As with all Godspeed and Constellation-label artifacts, the cd artwork is gorgeous, as is the double LP version, both with deluxe gatefold sleeve and booklet insert.

SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA, THEE Horse In The Sky (Constellation) cd 14.98
Godspeed alumnus Efrim forges ahead with his third (or fourth if you include the tour ep Pretty Little Lightning Paw) album. Efrim and co. continue in the pagan drone folk style of the previous Silver Mt. Zion releases, but with even further emphasis on the vocals (which Andee insists sound like Brak from Space Ghost, which he also insists is a GOOD thing!). Ernest political lyrics are sung in a damaged, cracking voice. Fists clenched and thrust into the air, a chorus takes up the fight and brings the march to the shields of the riot police. Tear gas stings their eyes, batons bruise their arms, and cut their faces, but they continue forward, pushing the line of masked officers backward... I open my eyes and I'm sitting in front of a computer. As good a soundtrack to the next WTO demonstration as any, none the less Silver Mt Zion have matured musically with every release. Unlike their predecessor project Godspeed You Black Emperor, the compositions of Silver Mt. Zion are not constrained by the bombast of the ever increasing crescendo for every song. Horse In The Sky is more a collection of ballads and sing-a-longs, with dark and brooding piano, cello and violin which occasionally break out into rocking cathartic releases. As usual, comes gorgeously packaged in a printed bi-fold wallet with lyric booklet and drawings.
MPEG Stream: "God Bless Our Dead Marines"
MPEG Stream: "Ring Them Bells (Freedom Has Come And Gone)"

SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA, THEE Horse In The Sky (Constellation) 2lp 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Godspeed alumnus Efrim forges ahead with his third (or fourth if you include the tour ep Pretty Little Lightning Paw) album. Efrim and co. continue in the pagan drone folk style of the previous Silver Mt. Zion releases, but with even further emphasis on the vocals (which Andee insists sound like Brak from Space Ghost, which he also insists is a GOOD thing!) Ernest political lyrics are sung in a damaged, cracking voice. Fists clenched and thrust into the air, a chorus takes up the fight and brings the march to the shields of the riot police. Tear gas stings their eyes, batons bruise their arms, and cut their faces, but they continue forward, pushing the line of masked officers backward... I open my eyes and I'm sitting in front of a computer. As good a soundtrack to the next WTO demonstration as any, none the less Silver Mt Zion have matured musically with every release. Unlike their predecessor project Godspeed You Black Emperor, the compositions of Silver Mt. Zion are not constrained by the bombast of the ever increasing crescendo for every song. Horse In The Sky is more a collection of ballads and sing-a-longs, with dark and brooding piano, cello and violin which occasionally break out into rocking cathartic releases.
MPEG Stream: "God Bless Our Dead Marines"
MPEG Stream: "Ring Them Bells (Freedom Has Come And Gone)"

SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA, THEE Kollaps Tradixionales (Constellation) cd 15.98

SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA, THEE Kollaps Tradixionales (Constellation) 2x10" 33.00

SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA, THEE Kollaps Tradixionales (Constellation) 2x10" 33.00

SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA, THEE Kollaps Tradixionales (Constellation) cd+book 21.00

SILVER MT. ZION, A He Has Left Us Alone, But Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms... (Constellation) cd 14.98
Three members of Godspeed You Black Emperor sounding much like you'd think they would: delicate, dark instrumentals awash with mournful violin, epic drumming, radio broadcasts and lilting guitar. Though not every track is always as fully layered as Godspeed, A Silver Mt. Zion is EQUALLY beautiful albeit simpler. The fifth of the eight tracks, "13 Angels Standing Guard 'Round the Side of Your Bed," in particular features a weeping guitar effect that is so lovely it's itself worth the price of the record. The gorgeous packaging also deserves a mention: bright red foilstamping on matte brown cardstock. So nice!
RealAudio clip: "13 Angels..."

SILVER MT. ZION, A He Has Left Us Alone, But Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms... (Constellation) lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Three members of Godspeed You Black Emperor sounding much like you'd think they would: delicate, dark instrumentals awash with mournful violin, epic drumming, radio broadcasts and lilting guitar. Though their sound is not always as full as Godspeed, A Silver Mt. Zion is EQUALLY beautiful. The fifth of the eight tracks, "13 Angels Standing Guard 'Round the Side of Your Bed," in particular features a weeping guitar effect that is so lovely it's worth the price of the record. The gorgeous packaging also deserves a mention: bright red foilstamping on matte brown cardstock. So nice!