SOSIMI, DELE Turbulent Times (Eko Star) cd 16.98

SOTHEAR, SREI AND SIN SISAMOUTH Cambodian Psych-out (El Suprimo / Defective) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
AT LAST, BACK IN STOCK!!
Another amazing compilation of Cambodian psychedelic music recorded from the late sixties to the mid seventies. This comp, culled from much crate digging in the open air markets of Siem Reip, right next to the legendary temples Angkor Wat focus exclusively on songs performed and sung by legendary Cambodian vocalists Sin Sisamouth and Srei Sothear. Sisamouth is a name that should be familiar to all fans of Cambodian psych, as he is featured heavily on pretty much every single compilation of Cambodian psych from that time (including all four of the Cambodian Rocks comps of course). Sisamouth wrote thousands of songs, many performed by Sothear, and many for films in which she also starred. The two become partners and eventually became two of the most (if not THE most) famous singers in Cambodia.
Tragically, both were killed by the Khmer Rouge -- as were their bands and of course millions of their fans. Their musical legacy they left is staggering. Thousands of amazing tunes, from garage rock stomps to full on psych rock blow outs. Wild guitars, buzzing distortion drenched leads, groovy wah wah rhythms, and organs all over the place, whirring, wheezing, warbling, all fuzzy and thick, sometimes spitting out nimble high end melodies, other times a thick carpet of psychfuzz, add in some James Brown funky horns, wild drumming, and some of the most amazing vocals ever, that go from croon to wail to squeal to howl and every place in between, and you've got some of the wildest psych-rock ever made!
Full color psychedelic sleeve with liner notes on the back.
All proceeds of the sales of this album go to the United Nations' Cambodian relief fund Adopt-A-Minefield. You can learn more or donate by going to http://www.landmines.org.

SOUL COUGHING Irresistible Bliss (Slash) cd 15.98
Second album. They are smart enought o sample Raymond Scott and ask Steve Fisk to produce some of the songs.

SOUL MERCHANTS 1985-1987 (Smooch) 2cd 15.98
When you think of leather trenchcoats, black eyeliner, big hair, Doc Maartens, graveyards, reverbed guitars, murky low end, simple propulsive basslines, deep baritone vocals, sideburns, goth and gloom, odds are you don't probably think of Colorado. But every town in the eighties had its own little scene like that, a place for the misfits, the outcasts, kids who dug Sisters Of Mercy, Joy Division, the Mission UK, Jane's Addiction, died their hair, pierced their noses and in general embraced the darker side.
Denver was no different. Except that underground music in Colorado, had a much tougher time making it OUT, to find sympathetic ears, especially pre-internet. One of the casualties was the the Soul Merchants, who perhaps more centrally located, or with access to hipper venues, could have been as popular as any of their much more successful peers. Once described as the Doors meets Sisters Of Mercy, the Soul Merchants sound to our ears at least, like they belonged in Los Angeles, playing clubs like the Scream, with bands like Kommunity FK, Tender Fury, Abecedarians, Tex And The Horseheads and of course Jane's Addiction.
They had that lurching murky droniness, the weary deeeeep vocals, lots of reverb and delay, big booming eighties drums, killer serpentine basslines, but they also had some AMAZING songs, packed with killer hooks, and the fact that it all sounds so good, dense, heavy, lush, is even more remarkable considering most of these songs were recorded on a 4-track. And while it is distinctly doomy and way gothy, there's also a lot of jangle going on, some parts sound like R.E.M., other parts like the Jacobites, there's some Virgin Prunes, some sixties psychedelia, all woven into the Soul Merchants' distinctive sound. The liner notes call the Soul Merchants "Denver's premier purveyors of psychedelic doom", and while around here, psychedelic doom might have slightly different connotations, the music here is definitely dark and doomy and psychedelic. And so of course, recommended.
Packaged in a deluxe double digipak, booklet inside, liner notes and lots of vintage photos.
MPEG Stream: "Crown Of Glory "
MPEG Stream: "Joanna"
MPEG Stream: "It Hurts"
MPEG Stream: "Mary Had"

SOUL POSITION 8 Million Stories (Fatbeats) cd 16.98

MPEG Stream: "Printmatic"
MPEG Stream: "Inhale"

SOUL'S RELEASE, THE Where The Trees Are Painted White - Folio Series (Dynamophone) 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.
Sigh! The sound of The Soul's Release on their lates EP is all glistening and softly subdued, but there's an undercurrent of emotive urgency. 'Tis quite a kin to a number of other artists on the fine SF label Dynamophone - purveyors of nothing but the loveliest of atmospheric, mostly instrumental music - such as Amman/Josh whom we've also reviewed this aQ list. We've definitely noted an affinity with Icelandic music makers Mum and Sigur Ros. Where The Trees Are Painted White conjures visions of feathery wings gliding across guitar strings while melted icicle droplets strike piano keys in the depths of a wintry eve. Regardless of what season it may happen to be though, it's easy to imagine this frosty music causing your breath to appear in slow drifting clouds. Nice!
MPEG Stream: "Cathing Fireflies"
MPEG Stream: "Set Sail To Nowhere"

SOUL-JUNK 1953 (Homestead) cd 13.98
Brand new full-length from "Glen Galaxy" (ex-Truman's Water) and friends, of their unique born-again Xtian sometimes-improv rock. Some say this band sounds like Dieselhed.

SOUL-JUNK 1956 (Five Minute Walk) cd 15.98
Glenn Galaxy and co. (ex-Truman's Water for those with an interest in ancient history) return with more of their weird pro-Jesus indie rock/improv, this time it's split almost 50/50 between funky Folk Implosion style jangle and straight up hip-hop, of the unfunky white guy style ala Warlock Pinchers. Best song title: "Life To False Metal"!

SOULED AMERICAN Notes Campfire (Catamount Company) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
BACK IN STOCK AGAIN!!
By now, if you've been paying any attention, you know how much we love Souled American. So much that Andee even started his tUMULt label specifically to re-release their first four albums. (Really!) So once again we're super excited to have gotten a handful of copies of their last record, Notes Campfire, back in. Notes Campfire is record number six, and finds Souled American at their most lugubrious, their stoned glacial country at its very slowest and introspective. Which is saying a lot for the masters of stoned deconstructed skeletal country folk. But Notes Campfire is indeed the dreamiest and darkest of all their recordings, shimmering guitars ripple endlessly into the ether, achingly mournful about-to-crack vocals hover like disembodied spirits in SA's wintery musical forest. Creeping and slithering, warbly and tenuous, these songs are barely there impressions of what was once a country rock band, wispy smoky shapes, dreamy and luminescent halos of distant twang and soulful introspection. Still manages to kick ass over almost any slowcore / no depression / alt. country we've ever heard. Fans of Palace and Songs:Ohia and stuff like that owe it to themselves to check Souled American out if they haven't already.
MPEG Stream: "Suitors Bridge"
MPEG Stream: "Before Tonight"

SOULS ON BOARD s/t (The Tapeworm) cassette 7.98
Another mysterious release from upstart UK tape label The Tapeworm, one of FOUR new releases this time around (all reviewed on this week's list). So who are Souls On Board? Well, like lots of the stuff The Tapeworm releases, it's really hard to tell, the recordings sound live, plenty of crowd sounds, shuffling feet, room noise, tape hiss, according to the minimal liner notes, the sounds were "recorded in Tangiers, Mallorca, London, Lisbon, Lanzarote and other unknown locations." Guests include Wire guitarist Bruce Gilbert, as well as Northwestern noisenik Daniel Menche, each contributing something subtle to the Souls' smoldering buzz drone minimalism. Hushed barely there static, deep pulsing swells, smears of gristly hiss, bumps and clunks and clanks smoothed out into rugged textures, thick and layered and dense, and quite mesmerizing. With a vibe and sound that recalls the antique obfuscations of Philip Jeck, or the warm pixelated sonic Gauze of Tim Hecker, but way more abstract, but that's really only the first lengthy track. After that, there's some intercepted conversations, some intense high end tones, some strange abstract field recordings, but soon those too give way to more of that washed out creepiness, peppered with voices, strange electronic glitches, and plenty of soft focus noisiness.
The flipside offers up some more dark minimal throb and pulse and buzz, beginning as a super hushed throb, laced with found sounds, and a patina of static, before getting all rhythmic, then noisy, a sort of Chain Reaction / Pan Sonic / Wolf Eyes mash up. Dark and heavy and haunting and droney and a little bit noisy, quite cool for sure.
LIMITED TO ONLY 250 COPIES!!!!

SOUND COLLECTOR AUDIO REVIEW #2 magazine 2.95
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Second issue of nice looking newsprint zine featuring thoughtful articles about records and artists that the reviewers actually WANT to write about and have something worthwhile to say. AQ-heartthrob Ian Christe writes about Necromandus, AQ-fave customers Bill Meyer and Jason Gross write about Kevin and Drumm and When, respectively. Au Pairs, The Faces, Wilco, Nikki Sudden, Rocket from the Crypt, Meredith monk, Koji Asano, DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, Asmus Tietchens, that Mamma Mia! ABBA play that my mom's taking me to for my birthday (it's her third time), Jimmy Giuffre, and much more. Recommended.

SOUND OF FEELING Up Into Silence (Sunbeam) cd 16.98
Yes! The Sound of Feeling were a short lived but influential avant jazz-pop vocal group who recorded one full length album called Spleen in 1969 and a split LP with Oliver Nelson in 1968. Along with a handful of unreleased bonus tracks from the early seventies, Up into Silence collects their complete recordings. Comprised of pianist / arranger / singer Gary David, the counterpoint microtonal vocal talents of twin sisters Alice Rhae and Rhae Alice Andrece and rounded out musically with 2 bassists and a drummer, The Sound of Feeling updated the jazz-scat vocal style made popular by Lambert Hendricks and Ross and The Singers Unlimited by channeling John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk instead of Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong. But at times also referencing 16th-century madrigals, Bartok, the poetry of Paul Verlaine, as well as Simon and Garfunkel and Donovan amongst their many touchstones. Beginning with their take on Coltrane's version of "My Favorite Things", the first five tracks are from the split LP with Oliver Nelson. The four others are all originals including "Circe Revisited" which features the unusual instrumentation of Marxaphone, an autoharp type instrument with strings tuned to a microtonal scale. But it's their full length album, Spleen, where the group gets the most interesting. Opening with a bass and piano hook that has been sampled many times, the group's take on Donovan's "Hurdy-Gurdy Man" is one of the strangest and beautiful versions we've heard, taking the song through so many peaks and valleys (and even out on a few limbs) that never materialized in the original. With tracks like "Hex" and "Along Came Sam", it seems they left the jazz world altogether, and entered a lysergic avant chamber pop territory, with the basses, piano, vibes and drums alternating between killer breaks and restrained near-silent passages amongst the oddly tuned vocal acrobatics. The final 5 tracks were previously unreleased as the group were attempting to expand into hipper territories in the early seventies. The best of them, "Born Amongst The Eagles", continues with the amazing drum fills and some very strange vocal effects. Predicting the vocalese fusion style of Ursula Dudziak and Flora Purim, The Sound of Feeling were like a strange cocktail of Patty Water's Out vocals and the cool groove of Norwegian jazz singer Karin Krog. Their recognition is long overdue!
MPEG Stream: "Hurdy Gurdy Man"
MPEG Stream: "Hex"
MPEG Stream: "Born With The Eagles"

SOUND, THE From The Lions Mouth (1972) cd 14.98
The story goes that The Sound *should* have been huge - as big as any number of successful post-punk outfits like The Cure or The Fall or Echo & The Bunnymen - but for reasons seem to baffle most everybody, they didn't find that success. Frontman Adrian Borland cut his teeth in the 1976 punk frenzy in a project called the Outsiders; but grew dissatisfied with the amphetamine trad-rock that punk was becoming. The Sound formed around Borland's increasingly complicated songwriting, following a similar art-punk route that Howard DeVoto took after leaving The Buzzcocks to start the equally adventurous Magazine.
From The Lions Mouth was The Sound's second album, released originally in 1981; and it displays a big leap toward a more theatrical atmosphere and away from the jittery two-step punk-pop of their debut. By this record, frontman Adrian Borland developed a voice that falls somewhere between a couple of Ians - Ian McCulloch's Scott Walker croon in Echo & The Bunnymen and Ian Astbury's snakebit yelp then of Southern Death Cult. From The Lions Mouth also benefits from the lush, layered production of Hugh Jones. The Sound maps out much longer, tracks that soar, billow, and collapse with more aplomb than The Chameleons, Comsat Angels, or Cripsy Ambulance, exemplified by the album's final number "New Dark Age." It makes for an epic, sprawling album that does raise a lot of questions as to why The Sound didn't propel themselves onto MTV and beyond like so many of their contemporaries.
MPEG Stream: "Winning"
MPEG Stream: "Sense Of Purpose"
MPEG Stream: "Contact The Fact"

SOUND, THE From The Lions Mouth (1972) lp 15.98
NOW ON VINYL!!
The story goes that The Sound *should* have been huge - as big as any number of successful post-punk outfits like The Cure or The Fall or Echo & The Bunnymen - but for reasons seem to baffle most everybody, they didn't find that success. Frontman Adrian Borland cut his teeth in the 1976 punk frenzy in a project called the Outsiders; but grew dissatisfied with the amphetamine trad-rock that punk was becoming. The Sound formed around Borland's increasingly complicated songwriting, following a similar art-punk route that Howard DeVoto took after leaving The Buzzcocks to start the equally adventurous Magazine.
From The Lions Mouth was The Sound's second album, released originally in 1981; and it displays a big leap toward a more theatrical atmosphere and away from the jittery two-step punk-pop of their debut. By this record, frontman Adrian Borland developed a voice that falls somewhere between a couple of Ians - Ian McCulloch's Scott Walker croon in Echo & The Bunnymen and Ian Astbury's snakebit yelp then of Southern Death Cult. From The Lions Mouth also benefits from the lush, layered production of Hugh Jones. The Sound maps out much longer, tracks that soar, billow, and collapse with more aplomb than The Chameleons, Comsat Angels, or Cripsy Ambulance, exemplified by the album's final number "New Dark Age." It makes for an epic, sprawling album that does raise a lot of questions as to why The Sound didn't propel themselves onto MTV and beyond like so many of their contemporaries.
MPEG Stream: "Winning"
MPEG Stream: "Sense Of Purpose"
MPEG Stream: "Contact The Fact"

SOUND, THE Jeopardy (1972) cd 14.98
The story goes that The Sound *should* have been huge - as big as any number of successful post-punk outfits like The Cure or The Fall or Echo & The Bunnymen - but for reasons seem to baffle most everybody, they didn't find that success. Frontman Adrian Borland cut his teeth in the 1976 punk frenzy in a project called the Outsiders; but grew dissatisfied with the amphetamine trad-rock that punk was becoming. The Sound formed around Borland's increasingly complicated songwriting, following a similar art-punk route that Howard DeVoto took after leaving The Buzzcocks to start the equally adventurous Magazine. Jeopardy was the first album for The Sound, whose complex pop-punk was built around Borland's nervously chiming guitars and engaging hooks that paralleled those from The Cure's mod-pop debut Three Imaginary Boys, the theatrical bellowings of Juilan Cope's The Teardrop Explodes, and of course Magazine. This album was recorded roughly, supposedly for less than 800 British pounds; and the urgency (or panic) of getting everything to tape quickly works well with these songs. The Sound embellish a number of their new wave / punk tunes with glammy synthesizer melodies that harken back to Roxy Music and an occasional sax blurt for good measure; but it's Borland who passionately drives this band, one that should have been heard back then... and right now.
MPEG Stream: "I Can't Escape Myself"
MPEG Stream: "Heartland"
MPEG Stream: "Hour Of Need"

SOUND, THE Jeopardy (1972) lp 15.98
NOW ON VINYL!!
The story goes that The Sound *should* have been huge - as big as any number of successful post-punk outfits like The Cure or The Fall or Echo & The Bunnymen - but for reasons seem to baffle most everybody, they didn't find that success. Frontman Adrian Borland cut his teeth in the 1976 punk frenzy in a project called the Outsiders; but grew dissatisfied with the amphetamine trad-rock that punk was becoming. The Sound formed around Borland's increasingly complicated songwriting, following a similar art-punk route that Howard DeVoto took after leaving The Buzzcocks to start the equally adventurous Magazine. Jeopardy was the first album for The Sound, whose complex pop-punk was built around Borland's nervously chiming guitars and engaging hooks that paralleled those from The Cure's mod-pop debut Three Imaginary Boys, the theatrical bellowings of Juilan Cope's The Teardrop Explodes, and of course Magazine. This album was recorded roughly, supposedly for less than 800 British pounds; and the urgency (or panic) of getting everything to tape quickly works well with these songs. The Sound embellish a number of their new wave / punk tunes with glammy synthesizer melodies that harken back to Roxy Music and an occasional sax blurt for good measure; but it's Borland who passionately drives this band, one that should have been heard back then... and right now.
MPEG Stream: "I Can't Escape Myself"
MPEG Stream: "Heartland"
MPEG Stream: "Hour Of Need"

SOUNDCARRIERS, THE Celeste (Melodic) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not sure how this great UK band has manages to remain so far under the radar here in the States, as they create such bright and fully realized pop songs played with major chops and such immaculately crafted precision. They explore similar sonic landscape as folks like Stereolab, in the way they tap into the best of light psych-pop from years past while creating songs that have such a driving force and are filled with swirling melodies and kaleidoscope vision. Every element in their sound is so top notch. From the perfect soft and dreamy vocal delivery, to versatile instrumentation that is beholden to the best kind of sugary pop as it is to the power of krautrock like repetition and gliding psych excursions. Sounds sort of Saint Etienne and Broadcast coming together to make songs in the spirit of some awesome combination of the most catchy and poppy side of Can along with the carefree groovy '60s pastoral pop of The Free Design!!
MPEG Stream: "Last Broadcast"
MPEG Stream: "Morning Haze"
MPEG Stream: "Rolling On"

SOUNDCARRIERS, THE Harmonium (Melodic) cd 16.98
We're always up for really well executed and super engaging psych-pop. The UK's Soundcarriers are hitting the spot so perfectly this summer, updating '60s psych-pop (a la Stereolab) and creating new sounds with a totally timeless feel. Everything about this album is so flawlessly executed. Recorded with such deep flowing warmth we wouldn't be surprised if these songs were all captured to analog tape, as each instrument sounds so rich and full. Armed with a strong pop sensibility, the Soundcarriers remind us of a bit more muscular Belle & Sebastian, with nice doses of pastoral psychedelic undertones that bring to mind a more pop minded version of Dungen. They also know how to tap into a slight groove with just the right touches of breezy effervescence and have us hearing hints of a wide range of folks like Sergio Mendes, Alceu Valenca, Galaxie 500, American Analog Set, The Free Design, and The Elephant's Memory who some of you might remember from their role as the stand-in-band for the Velvet Underground in Midnight Cowboy. There is a fluidity to these songs and a flow to this album that proves that The Soundcarriers have found a way to bring strong influences of the past to create something modern, yet timeless, of their own. So nice!
MPEG Stream: "Time Will Come"
MPEG Stream: "On That Line"
MPEG Stream: "Harmonium"

SOUNDCARRIERS, THE Harmonium (Melodic) lp 22.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now available on vinyl!
We're always up for really well executed and super engaging psych-pop. The UK's Soundcarriers are hitting the spot so perfectly this summer, updating '60s psych-pop (a la Stereolab) and creating new sounds with a totally timeless feel. Everything about this album is so flawlessly executed. Recorded with such deep flowing warmth we wouldn't be surprised if these songs were all captured to analog tape, as each instrument sounds so rich and full. Armed with a strong pop sensibility, the Soundcarriers remind us of a bit more muscular Belle & Sebastian, with nice doses of pastoral psychedelic undertones that bring to mind a more pop minded version of Dungen. They also know how to tap into a slight groove with just the right touches of breezy effervescence and have us hearing hints of a wide range of folks like Sergio Mendes, Alceu Valenca, Galaxie 500, American Analog Set, The Free Design, and The Elephant's Memory who some of you might remember from their role as the stand-in-band for the Velvet Underground in Midnight Cowboy. There is a fluidity to these songs and a flow to this album that proves that The Soundcarriers have found a way to bring strong influences of the past to create something modern, yet timeless, of their own. So nice!
MPEG Stream: "Time Will Come"
MPEG Stream: "On That Line"
MPEG Stream: "Harmonium"

SOUNDGARDEN Hunted Down (Sub Pop) 7" 5.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SOUNDGARDEN King Animal (Universal Republic) cd 15.98

SOURDELINE Jeanne D'Ayme (Guerssen) cd 17.98
Lovely Medieval-tinged French Acid Folk. Like Springuns or Ougenweide or an even more ancient minstral version of Fairport Convention. Full of Sitars, Lutes, Hurdy Gurdy's and lilting male and female harmonies.

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA / CITY OF SHIPS split (The Perpetual Motion Machine) 12" 8.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
We went a little nuts for the debut release from Anduin a while back, the project of Souvenir's Young America keyboardist Jonathan Lee, taking SYA's Western tinged post rock doom, and stretching it out into something much more subtle and ambient. But SYA is back to remind us just why we were so into Lee and his crew in the first place, with two brand new tracks of sweeping epic, spacious and cinematic post rock, rivaling and perhaps surpassing any of their more well known contemporaries.
The guitars chime and ring out, the drums propulsive and subtly mathy, lots of deserty ambience, moody melodic swoon, crunchy almost metal guitars here and there, haunting blissed out stretches of soft strummy drift, slippery slide guitar and pulsing electronics. There are some haunting processed vocals, distant and heavily effected, tribal rhythms, lots of space, little bits of glitch here and there, slightly doomy, with a distinct twang, gorgeous and dark, but always mysterious and hauntingly dreamy. Can't wait for the next full length.
The flipside features a new (to us at least) group called City Of Ships, who prove to be a pretty good match for SYA, starting their side with some washed out ambience, glimmering guitar harmonies, shimmery cymbal washes, all before the band kick in and get all mathy with tangled squiggly guitar leads and hard hitting complicated drumming. And unlike SYA, City Of Ships are NOT instrumental, the vocals a raspy croon that get more and more wild eventually veering into almost emo territory, the sound a mix of June Of 44 and a mellower Neurosis. Long stretches of mellowy meandering peppered with jagged bursts of crunch and pound, the tracks building to seriously epic climaxes with grinding metallic guitars, angular and sharp, with howled vocals and wild chaotic drums. Good stuff.
Packaged in a super swank fold over 2 color hand screened gold colored sleeve, each one hand numbered, with a photocopied insert, and LIMITED TO ONLY 300 COPIES!!!

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA An Ocean Without Water (Crucial Blast) cd 14.98
Latest from AQ faves Souvenir's Young America, who have been slowly nudging their way to the top spot in the ever growing lineup of modern metallic post rock combos, the usual suspects, Isis, Tides, Conifer, Rosetta, Pelican, we love them all, and they all bring something fresh to a sound that is quickly becoming what Slint's loud/soft thing was to indie rock bands in the nineties.
But there's just something about these guys that makes them seem extra special. They definitely seem to be the least metal of the bunch, but it's not just that they're the least metal, it's that they have no metal pretensions at all, as if it was super matter of fact, a compositional certainty, that specific parts were just meant to be distorted, and specific times the guitars need to be distorted and overdriven, and thus, it seems so much more of an organic part of their sound, instead of a constant build to the crashing climax and then back again, it's all very dense and layered, some songs stay quiet all the way through, and some are as punishing as the most metal of outfits, but for the most part, it's somewhere right in the middle.
Less Neurosis and Isis, more Scenic or Calexico. The sound has a definite cinematic twang, sweeping and majestic, but not at all bombastic, instead windswept, forlorn, ghost town, emptiness as far as the eye can see. Organs warble and that harmonica wheezes, slide guitar slips and slithers, all draped over skeletal arrangements of bass and drums, loping, shuffling through dusty streets and arid concrete wastelands, the guitar left to color in around the edges, not so much riffing as shading...
The record begins with a huge pummeling crunch but soon blisses right out into that Souvenirs' haunting Morricone-is desert rock, complete with that gorgeously mournful harmonica, and simple tribal drumming. The melodies are mournful and melancholy, wrapped up in darkly contemplative epics, that spend way more time crawling beneath the hot desert sun, everything enveloped in those shimmering heat waves turning the landscape into a dreamy blurry otherworld, than they do bashing or crashing.
The record closes with "Coragyps Atratus (Ego Te Absolvo)", which begins as an ambient drift, little slivers of guitar hovering over slow shifting low end murmurs, but the tape begins to crumble, the sounds gradually decaying right before our ears, a sort of Basinski / Jeckian dissolve, that builds to a fever pitch before the tape dies and the band grinds to a halt, and then immediately explodes back into action, but instead of over the top metallic crush, it's a strange tangled swirl of dense drumming and mournful slide guitar that fades into the background like a mirage.
So good. Metal fans might be disappointed by the lack of full on metal, but An Ocean Without Water is as heavy as any metal record, just much more subtly so, and way more dark and personal and beautiful to boot.
MPEG Stream: "Mars Ascendent"
MPEG Stream: "Blood Alone Does Not A Father Make"
MPEG Stream: "Dark Was The Night Cold Was The Ground"

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA s/t (Under Roar) cd 9.98
We were a little put off by the band name, quite a mouthful, but we were super psyched when we got an earful of these guys' super aggressive, epic, post metal crunch. Tough to stand out these days in the super saturated genre pool that is metallic post rock but these guys manage to pull it off big time, borrowing equally from nineties post rock, crusty sludge, epic instrumental chamber rock, and then adding in their own 2 cents. Obviously fans of Pelican and Mogwai and Isis and Snowblood and all that stuff will want this. But there's a whole lot more going on. Some Morricone-ish spaghetti western twang, complete with harmonica, some Krautrock-y groove, some bits of twangy slide guitar, thick swaths of fuzzy drifting guitar ambience, dizzying angular riffing, dense tribal drumming, buzzing almost new wave sounding synths, some long stretches of moody indie jangle. But it's the bands' deft hand with melody and songwriting and arrangement that makes this record so moving. The focus is way more on mood and texture than heaviness or brutality (although it is occasionally both heavy and brutal), with the epic slow builds often taking up the majority of a song, or a crushing dirge suddenly collapsing into the prettiest dang melody you've ever heard. And c'mon, let's mention the slide guitar again. We're such suckers for the slippery dreaminess of slide guitar. We sort of wish it was everywhere, on every song, but as it is, when it does kick in, we get goosebumps.
So yeah, there's always room for one more on the post rock epic metal sludge bandwagon, as long as they're doing something new and different with the sound, and thus working hard to knock someone else off.
MPEG Stream: "Thirteen For Centaurus"
MPEG Stream: "Still Like The Hummingbird"

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA s/t (self-released) lp 9.98
We discovered a stash of these in the back room, one of our favorite discs, on vinyl and in custom just-for-aQ packaging. Some of the sleeves have slightly bent corners, but for the most part are otherwise perfect. Pretty sure these are gone, just wanted to give folks another crack at grabbing one of these...
We were a little put off by the band name, quite a mouthful, but we were super psyched when we got an earful of these guys' super aggressive, epic, post metal crunch. Tough to stand out these days in the super saturated genre pool that is metallic post rock but these guys manage to pull it off big time, borrowing equally from nineties post rock, crusty sludge, epic instrumental chamber rock, and then adding in their own 2 cents. Obviously fans of Pelican and Mogwai and Isis and Snowblood and all that stuff will want this. But there's a whole lot more going on. Some Morricone-ish spaghetti western twang, complete with harmonica, some Krautrock-y groove, some bits of twangy slide guitar, thick swaths of fuzzy drifting guitar ambience, dizzying angular riffing, dense tribal drumming, buzzing almost new wave sounding synths, some long stretches of moody indie jangle. But it's the bands' deft hand with melody and songwriting and arrangement that makes this record so moving. The focus is way more on mood and texture than heaviness or brutality (although it is occasionally both heavy and brutal), with the epic slow builds often taking up the majority of a song, or a crushing dirge suddenly collapsing into the prettiest dang melody you've ever heard. And c'mon, let's mention the slide guitar again. We're such suckers for the slippery dreaminess of slide guitar. We sort of wish it was everywhere, on every song, but as it is, when it does kick in, we get goosebumps.
So yeah, there's always room for one more on the post rock epic metal sludge bandwagon, as long as they're doing something new and different with the sound, and thus working hard to knock someone else off.
MPEG Stream: "Thirteen For Centaurus"
MPEG Stream: "Still Like The Hummingbird"

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA September Songs (The Perpetual Motion Machine) 12" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This out of print, super limited tour only tape, gets the super deluxe vinyl reissue treatment. Gorgeous thick, silkscreened sleeves, nice heavy vinyl, and besides all that, it's an AMAZING record.
Here's what we had to say about the tape when we first got it in:
A super limited tour only release from one of our favorite members of the continually growing metallic post rock contingent (you know, Isis, Conifer, Tides, Mouth Of The Architect) But unlike a lot of those groups, SYA is not even remotely metal. And we never thought we'd say it, but dang it if that isn't a bit refreshing. Sure they can whip up some metallic crunch. Some big heavy riffs, but at their core they are a post rock band, a math rock band, dark and tangled instrumental rock, moody and epic, massive and emotional. What is most surprising maybe about this 3 song tape is the presence of harmonica! HARMONICA!! And not just in the background. It's the one of the main melodic elements. And it sounds killer. Once you hear the opening track on September Songs, you'll wonder why the hell more bands don't have a harmonica player. But beyond the kick ass harmonica, this band just rules, huge convoluted riffing, strange mathy rhythms, thick swells of sound, killer complex emotional and heavy. Long stretches of dark brooding ambience, blissed out rhythmic shimmer, warm guitars over martial drums, slow building guitar jangle over mesmerizingly propulsive drumming, slippery slide and minor key melodic finger picking, there's really nothing not to love. The guys take a sound that's becoming more and more tired and turn it inside out and upside down, making their own sort of POST post rock, intense and alive and vibrant and super exciting.
And fucking harmonica!

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA September Songs (The Perpetual Motion Machine) cassette 4.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A super limited tour only cassette release from one of our favorite members of the continually growing metallic post rock contingent (you know, Isis, Conifer, Tides, Mouth Of The Architect) But unlike a lot of those groups, SYA is not even remotely metal. And we never thought we'd say it, but dang it if that isn't a bit refreshing. Sure they can whip up some metallic crunch. Some big heavy riffs, but at their core they are a post rock band, a math rock band, dark and tangled instrumental rock, moody and epic, massive and emotional. What is most surprising maybe about this 3 song tape is the presence of harmonica! HARMONICA!! And not just in the background. It's the one of the main melodic elements. And it sounds killer. Once you hear the opening track on September Songs, you'll wonder why the hell more bands don't have a harmonica player. But beyond the kick ass harmonica, this band just rules, huge convoluted riffing, strange mathy rhythms, thick swells of sound, killer complex emotional and heavy. Long stretches of dark brooding ambience, blissed out rhythmic shimmer, warm guitars over martial drums, slow building guitar jangle over mesmerizingly propulsive drumming, slippery slide and minor key melodic finger picking, there's really nothing not to love. The guys take a sound that's becoming more and more tired and turn it inside out and upside down, making their own sort of POST post rock, intense and alive and vibrant and super exciting.
And fucking harmonica!

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA The Name Of The Snake (Init) cd 10.98
The return of one of our favorite instrumental post rock combos finds the band exploring and expanding. Their old sound, one we already dug pretty heavily, has gotten revamped and supercharged, and we're liking this new version even more, but fear not, the change is not that dramatic, and yeah, the harmonica is still present, and definitely adds a distinct and unique vibe. Plus this new cdep tacks on the long out of print September Songs release, first time ever on cd. But first let's talk about The Name Of The Snake...
Right our of the gate, the band explode into some seriously heavy metallic post rock heaviness, chugging riffs, big drums, soaring guitars, but before long they slip back into their more contemplative drift, getting all minimal and spacey, but here's where it gets interesting, the song shifts into a strangely chuggy chunk of doom, laced with some mournful harmonica, a strange juxtaposition, but what's precisely why it sounds so good. The track flits back and forth between the chug and drift, a slowly unfurling sonic tangle. The second track is more classic SYA, mathy and meandery, busy drumming, muted guitar crunch, some woozy melodies, big chiming melodies, and long stretches of cool backwards ambience.
After a short-ish track, of harmonic laced dark Appalachia, with strange percussion and haunting almost Western styled ambience, comes the records finale, the 10+ minute closer, a classic sounding super sprawling post rock epic, all slow builds and explosive choruses, thick pealing guitars and thick rumbling bass, and that harmonica, one of the few times we find ourselves wondering why more bands don't have harmonica. Heavy and melodic, moody and mysterious, fucking awesome!
As a bonus, the cd tacks on the out of print, super limited tour only tape / 12" September Songs, a post rock record, a math rock record, dark and tangled instrumental rock, moody and epic, massive and emotional. And of course, HARMONICA!! And not just in the background. It's the one of the main melodic elements. And it sounds killer. Once you hear the opening track on September Songs, you'll wonder why the hell more bands don't have a harmonica player. But beyond the kick ass harmonica, this band just rules, huge convoluted riffing, strange mathy rhythms, thick swells of sound, killer complex emotional and heavy. Long stretches of dark brooding ambience, blissed out rhythmic shimmer, warm guitars over martial drums, slow building guitar jangle over mesmerizingly propulsive drumming, slippery slide and minor key melodic finger picking, there's really nothing not to love. The guys take a sound that's becoming more and more tired and turn it inside out and upside down, making their own sort of POST post rock, intense and alive and vibrant and super exciting.
And fucking harmonica!
MPEG Stream: "Water (Forgetting The Past)"
MPEG Stream: "Vanishing (Remaining)"
MPEG Stream: "6:38"

SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA The Name Of The Snake (Init) lp 14.98
The return of one of our favorite instrumental post rock combos finds the band exploring and expanding. Their old sound, one we already dug pretty heavily, has gotten revamped and supercharged, and we're liking this new version even more, but fear not, the change is not that dramatic, and yeah, the harmonica is still present, and definitely adds a distinct and unique vibe. Plus this new cdep tacks on the long out of print September Songs release, first time ever on cd. But first let's talk about The Name Of The Snake...
Right our of the gate, the band explode into some seriously heavy metallic post rock heaviness, chugging riffs, big drums, soaring guitars, but before long they slip back into their more contemplative drift, getting all minimal and spacey, but here's where it gets interesting, the song shifts into a strangely chuggy chunk of doom, laced with some mournful harmonica, a strange juxtaposition, but what's precisely why it sounds so good. The track flits back and forth between the chug and drift, a slowly unfurling sonic tangle. The second track is more classic SYA, mathy and meandery, busy drumming, muted guitar crunch, some woozy melodies, big chiming melodies, and long stretches of cool backwards ambience.
After a short-ish track, of harmonic laced dark Appalachia, with strange percussion and haunting almost Western styled ambience, comes the records finale, the 10+ minute closer, a classic sounding super sprawling post rock epic, all slow builds and explosive choruses, thick pealing guitars and thick rumbling bass, and that harmonica, one of the few times we find ourselves wondering why more bands don't have harmonica. Heavy and melodic, moody and mysterious, fucking awesome!
As a bonus, the cd tacks on the out of print, super limited tour only tape / 12" September Songs, a post rock record, a math rock record, dark and tangled instrumental rock, moody and epic, massive and emotional. And of course, HARMONICA!! And not just in the background. It's the one of the main melodic elements. And it sounds killer. Once you hear the opening track on September Songs, you'll wonder why the hell more bands don't have a harmonica player. But beyond the kick ass harmonica, this band just rules, huge convoluted riffing, strange mathy rhythms, thick swells of sound, killer complex emotional and heavy. Long stretches of dark brooding ambience, blissed out rhythmic shimmer, warm guitars over martial drums, slow building guitar jangle over mesmerizingly propulsive drumming, slippery slide and minor key melodic finger picking, there's really nothing not to love. The guys take a sound that's becoming more and more tired and turn it inside out and upside down, making their own sort of POST post rock, intense and alive and vibrant and super exciting.
And fucking harmonica!
MPEG Stream: "Water (Forgetting The Past)"
MPEG Stream: "Vanishing (Remaining)"
MPEG Stream: "6:38"

SPACE DUST No Kissing in Public cd 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Brother Love and company bring us lo-fi, dirgy, space-rock from New Zealand.

SPACE EXPLOSION (Purple Pyramid) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Domestic issue of all-star "Legends of Krautrock" jam, with members of Cluster, Faust, Amon Duul and Guru Guru. These guys still have the cosmic vibe, quite nice a disc indeed.

SPACE MTN s/t (self-released) cd ep 5.98

SPACE NEEDLE Recordings 1994-97 (Eenie Meenie) cd 14.98
Space Needle were a strange bunch. Part of the mid-nineties indie rock scene, but only barely, something about them was just a little too weird, a complicated mix of pretty and creepy, a sonic world not immediately recognizable to the average Pavement fan or Yo La Tengo booster. Their sound was based not on guitar jangle but on strange rhythms and thick swaths of synthesizer. Probably had a lot to do with the fact that SN mainman Jud Ehrbar was a drummer. Vocals were appropriately indie sad boy style, from monotone Pavementy croon to reedy straining-to-hit-the-high-notes near falsetto, but they were dropped into totally alien landscapes. Those distinct vocals moped and dragged their feet amidst strange militaristic drum jams, thick washes of layered organs, serpentine low end synthbasslines, slithering and twisting chaotically beneath thick wheezing organ whir, strangely detuned guitars, strummed into hypnotic jangly jams over ultra simple motorik drumming, all the while, the vocals pushed WAY up in the mix, sort of languorous and deadpan, not so much drifting as sort of lazily shuffling. The melody almost entirely carried by the vocals (with occasional assistance from the synthesizer). The sound was definitely skeletal, often just vocals and drums, sometimes a simple throbbing bass line, but most of the tracks build to a massive climax, with guitars building into huge fuzzy drones, the synth lines getting more and more distorted, both swirling into thick squalls of blown out psychedelia.
At their heaviest, Space Needle almost sound like Loop or Spacemen 3, simple riffs repeated over and over, building a super hypnotic groove, while over the top, guitars and synths wrestle in a thick cloud of buzz and fuzz. But the rest of the time, they really sounded like no one else. Some tracks are just random sonic experiments, super washed out guitars or ultra distorted synths, locked into super hot, crumbling in-the-red, looped dirges. But the heart of Space Needle's sound was a hauntingly alien, lilting loping abstract indie rock, melancholy and super laid back, but also dark and slightly ominous. Phrases repeated over and over mantra like, the vocals almost sounding choral at moments, each track unfurling and taking its own sweet time as it ambles toward its inevitable end. A sonic allegory for the sadness and loss suffusing SN's whole sound.
This collection, gathers the best bits from Space Needle's two albums, and tacks on two live tracks, the best being a 15 minute long psych jam entitled "Where The Fucks My Wallet?", a live set staple that starts off all gentle guitar and builds into a wild sprawl of angular guitars and chaotic instrumental freakout, even a sort-of drum solo.
We sort of forgot how much we dug this band, but hearing these tracks again, man, they sound so fresh, and so fucking amazing, they've really held up well, unlike LOTS of their indie contemporaries. These tracks could just as easily be from some current experimental fucked up abstract noisepop cd-r band as a forgotten nineties indie rock outfit. Definitely enough jangle and sweet and sour melody to hit the spot for all you Blonde Redhead / Modest Mouse / Black Heart Procession / Yo La Tengo / Silver Jews indie rockers of today, but certainly fucked up enough to appeal to all you lovers of free noise and art rock weirdness as well, plus this is just the sort of record to give all those indierockphobes out there something to think about.
Includes liner notes, new artwork, and blurbs from the band about the recording of each track.
MPEG Stream: "Eyes To The World"
MPEG Stream: ""Dreams""
MPEG Stream: "Before I Lose My Style"

SPACE NEEDLE The Moray Eels Eat The Space Needle (Zero Hour) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Indie-pop-prog soundscapes, with cover art by Roger Dean.

SPACE OPERA s/t (Collector's Choice Music) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's another reissue of a '70s obscurity that we wanted to hear simply on the basis of what we'd read about it: apparently Space Opera were a band from Texas who blended Byrdsian 12-string psych pop with proggy avant-gardisms. They made just one album, released in 1973 on Epic, which has now been reissued on cd. We got it in and gave it a listen and...yes! It turns out what we'd read about Space Opera was pretty accurate. We hear some Beatles too, and Southern rock Skynrd-worthy balladry. It's probably the distorted fuzz guitar harmonies -- especially when employed in epic "minature symphonies" (like the progtastic seven-plus-minute instrumental "Guitar Suite") -- that are the highlights of this album for us, but the band's lighter moments are exquisite too. So impressive. They've got pop vocal harmonies, jazz and classical flourishes, country roots, complex arrangements, inventive effects, wow. We can understand why this band was once the biggest thing on the scene in Forth Worth... and may be again, as we hear the original members have reunited. Recommended. And, need we say again: hurrah for reissues (when they're as good as this)!
MPEG Stream: "Country Max"
MPEG Stream: "Holy River"

SPACE VACATION / THE AMPLIFIERS split (Champagne and Cocaine) 7" 4.98
See our review of the Space Vacation's s/t cd-r to see why you should pick this up! One of our fave tracks from that disc pressed to vinyl, on one side of this split single with a rockin' LA band we know nothin' about.

SPACEHEADS (Dark Beloved CLoud) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Mainly powerhouse percussionist Richard Harrison and trumpeter Andy Diagram (ex-Honkies and Dog Faced Hermans horn section) plus a host of others helping out in the recording process (Stock, Hausen and Walkman plus Marion of DFH singing like Bjork on one song, etc.), this record properly fits into the context of the electronic experiments of Tortoise, Skylab, and even the humorous DJ Food, without sounding overtly like anything but themselves. Ranging from sample-heavy (speeded-up gurgling laughter, prison worksongs) to dark slow intense & layered, much of this was recorded -live- to DAT, which will AMAZE you when you hear the record, laden as it is with vocal loops, echos, and triggered synths, fuzz trumpet through a whammy pedal, etc. We LOVE this album, and we hope it will open many ears to a new world of sound, as did Tortoise back in 1995. Live they're rumored to be as unbelievable as the Hermans -- those of you who attended recent years' DFH live shows will know what I mean.
Many of you were impressed with the wonderful set this British duo bestowed at Terrastock West. Described as "abstract dance music" (though it is plenty "rock" too), their sound comes from Andy Diagram's looped, distorted, feedbacked trumpet (!) and Richard Harrison's krautrocky percussion. One of the AQ-staff's favorite groups.

SPACEHEADS Angel Station (Merge) cd 14.98
A head-on collision between the ancient roar of trumpet and drums, and the spaceage buzz of electrified sound. One of the AQ-staff's favorite bands. You will be amazed when you hear the intensity, fullness, and melodicism of looped, sampled (live!) trumpet mixed with motorik, krautrockish drumming. Spaceheads will grace the Bay Area again with live shows in June.

SPACEHEADS Live 1999 (Insound) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Mostly tracks from 'Angel Station' (their most recent album on Merge), this is a great compilation of live tracks from their 1999 tour, including that amazing show at the Make-Out Room here in SF! Truly the awesome thing about Spaceheads is how splendidly they are able to deliver live the layers upon layers of clean sampling, funky trumpet and infectious rhythms found on their releases. You probably wouldn't even know this was a live recording if not for the applause that ends each track. Clocks in at just under an hour, but you'll wish it to go on and on.

SPACEHEADS Live 1999 (with extra artwork) (Evil Twin/Insound) cd 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've listed this item before, but now we've received an even fancier version with lots of artwork and photos. Mostly tracks from 'Angel Station' (their most recent album on Merge), this is a great compilation of live tracks from their 1999 tour, including that amazing show at the Make-Out Room here in SF! Truly the most awesome thing about Spaceheads is how splendidly they are able to deliver the layers upon layers of clean sampling, funky trumpet and infectious rhythms live that are found on their studio releases. You probably wouldn't even know this was a live recording if not for the applause that ends each track. Clocks in at just under an hour, but you'll wish it to go on and on.

SPACEHEADS Low Pressure (Merge) cd 14.98
Another album from AQ faves Spacehead, the London-based duo of powerhouse percussionist Richard Harrison and trumpeter Andy Diagram, whose otherworldly looped and sampled trumpet and other horns give Spaceheads their signature, singular sound. While previous albums saw the duo playing with prison worksongs and addictively krautrocky rhythms, this record does have some of that but also goes relentlessly in a new direction. Backwards whooshes marshalled into order, ominous rumblings, and lots of atmospherics mark the most experimental record these guys have made yet. There are even three remixes, two of them from the Bleach Boys (a duo which includes drummer Richard Harrison). Not their best work, nor the album to start with (that would be their selftitled one, or Angel Station), but if you've already got their other records and want to witness Spaceheads' sound develop, here ya go.
RealAudio clip: "Low Pressure"
RealAudio clip: "On a Clear Day"

SPACEHEADS AND MAX EASTLEY The Time Of The Ancient Astronaut (Bip Hop) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The UK duo Spaceheads have long been AQ staff favorites for their unique combination of the propulsive, addictive percussion of Richard Harrison and the otherworldy looped trumpet of Andy Diagram. And there have been times when we were so lulled by the endlessly evocative trumpet that we wish it would happen in slow-motion just to stretch out the blissfulness of it all. Well, on this new outing, Spaceheads have teamed up with Max Eastley, who wields The Arc (an electric acoustic monochord), and done just that -- removed the motorik syncopated driving beats and replaced them with shimmering cymbals and small percussive gestures and squiggles, while extending the trumpet into neverendingly evocative chilled-out washes of pure vibratoless horn. Although I am not quite sure what the monochord looks like or how it works, it sounds much like an early analogue moog synth, erupting in wails at times hellish and chaotic, at times placid and harmonious. An ambient record. Relaxing yet with an undercurrent that will unsettle you in a good way.
RealAudio clip: "The Black Drop of Venus"
RealAudio clip: "Generator X"

SPACEMAN, J. Guitar Loops (Treader) cd 17.98
A new solo outing by Jason Pierce of Spiritualized and Spacemen 3 fame! The embossed golden birdy on the front cover gives nary a hint of the music contained within the otherwise unassuming orange cardboard sleeve, but the title does offer some general parameters. This thirty five minute long one-take improv roams through lengthy lullingly hypnotic passages punctuated by occasional jarring outbursts of noisy distortion, skronkiness and gritty static. Spark up and sink in.
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 2"

SPACEMAN, J. & MATTHEW SHIPP SpaceShipp (Treader) cd 17.98
This match-up had to happen really, even if it was just so they could call the record SpaceShipp. Legendary Jazz pianist Matthew Shipp teams up with Spacemen 3's Jason Spaceman for two extended pieces of modern minimal dronemusic.
Apparently the two performed live together at Patty Smith's Meltdown Festival, and this recording is an extension / corollary of that performance. And it's a doozy. Shipp abandons the piano in favor of the Harmonium, while Spaceman wields his trusty Vox Starstreamer, the two conjure up some seriously deep drones. The opener is the 41 minute "Inner", and is a slow moving near static stretch of massive minimalism, the guitar and organ unfurling long tones, creating all sorts of layers and textures, complex overtones, and subtle barely there rhythms, the obvious references are Reich, Niblock and Palestine. The piece occasionally shifts and the tones become fuzzier, a bit more blown out and buzzy, but they quickly revert to their more murky washed out state. Total divine Ur-drone action, mesmerizing, hypnotic, and dreamlike.
The second track, "Outer", is only 11 minutes long, and features Shipp on the Celeste, creating delicate crystalline music box like melodies, while Spaceman creates all sorts of scrapes and buzz in the background, which slowly coalesces into a Spacemen 3 sort of looped buzz, the two elements at odds, but strangely complimentary, the combined sound woozy, warped and warbly, but still haunting and strangely lovely.
Gorgeously packaged like all Treader releases, this one features a blue matte paper fold over sleeve, with a metallic gold jellyfish embossed on the front.
MPEG Stream: "Inner"
MPEG Stream: "Outer"

SPACEMAN, J. / SUN CITY GIRLS Mister Lonely (Drag City) cd 14.98
Harmony Korine tapped both the Sun City Girls and Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman of Spiritualized and formerly of Spacemen 3) to write the soundtrack to his film Mister Lonely. No, it's not a collaboration; but rather two opposing forces that may or may not work within the context of the film. As of the release date of the soundtrack, the film has not been released, so we can't comment on how it work in the film. Much like the restrained interludes on recent Spiritualized albums, Pierce offers lushly cinematic arrangements with spectral guitar crescendos, pretty-pretty pastoral tunes from string and woodwind ensembles, and sustained eerie ambience; and the Sun City Girls don't. These tracks do account for the final recordings ever to be made by the Sun City Girls, as drummer Charles Goucher passed away shortly after their completion. That said, these SCG tracks are not as absurdly weird as some of their soundtrack ventures (e.g. Dulce, Juggernaut, and Piasa: Devourer Of Men), but Alan Bishop's off kilter croon emerges alongside the rickshaw guitar picking of his brother Richard, plenty of out of tune piano ditties, and some cacophony between a transistor radio and a harmonica. It goes without saying that the Girls had to deliver a spectacular cover of the Bobby Vinton tune "Mr. Lonely." Hey, is that Werner Herzog issuing some demonstrative claim between a couple of the tracks? Why yes, it is!
MPEG Stream: J. SPACEMAN "Blues 1"
MPEG Stream: J. SPACEMAN "Garden Walk"
MPEG Stream: SUN CITY GIRLS "Stooges Harmonica"
MPEG Stream: SUN CITY GIRLS "Mr. Lonely Viola"

SPACEMAN, J. / SUN CITY GIRLS Mister Lonely (Drag City) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
ALSO NOW IN STOCK ON VINYL! Harmony Korine tapped both the Sun City Girls and Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman of Spiritualized and formerly of Spacemen 3) to write the soundtrack to his film Mister Lonely. No, it's not a collaboration; but rather two opposing forces that may or may not work within the context of the film. As of the release date of the soundtrack, the film has not been released, so we can't comment on how it work in the film. Much like the restrained interludes on recent Spiritualized albums, Pierce offers lushly cinematic arrangements with spectral guitar crescendos, pretty-pretty pastoral tunes from string and woodwind ensembles, and sustained eerie ambience; and the Sun City Girls don't. These tracks do account for the final recordings ever to be made by the Sun City Girls, as drummer Charles Goucher passed away shortly after their completion. That said, these SCG tracks are not as absurdly weird as some of their soundtrack ventures (e.g. Dulce, Juggernaut, and Piasa: Devourer Of Men), but Alan Bishop's off kilter croon emerges alongside the rickshaw guitar picking of his brother Richard, plenty of out of tune piano ditties, and some cacophony between a transistor radio and a harmonica. It goes without saying that the Girls had to deliver a spectacular cover of the Bobby Vinton tune "Mr. Lonely." Hey, is that Werner Herzog issuing some demonstrative claim between a couple of the tracks? Why yes, it is!
MPEG Stream: J. SPACEMAN "Blues 1"
MPEG Stream: J. SPACEMAN "Garden Walk"
MPEG Stream: SUN CITY GIRLS "Stooges Harmonica"
MPEG Stream: SUN CITY GIRLS "Mr. Lonely Viola"

SPACEMEN 3 DJ Tones (Space Age Recordings) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Lately we've been revisiting some of our old favorites, with Records Of The Week from Loop, the Telescopes and Swervedriver, but as much as we love those bands, and we do LOVE them a LOT, we can't help it, our hearts will always belong to Spacemen 3. The dreamiest and druggiest of the bunch, pretty much every record, every different stage of the band, every song, has utterly entranced us. Blurred and bleary jangle pop stretched out into meditative space rock mantras, no one could conjure up the same sort of woozy elegance that these guys could. And while this is not a new record proper, and most of us have spent years tracking down every bit of recorded Spacemen 3, even a new ep with alternate mixes and some rare gems has us all in a tizzy. And judging from the responses of aQ customers, you're probably the same way. We've been selling out of these over and over, and have only just now gotten enough to list.
So drug addled space rock freaks of the world, we give to you, DJ Tones, a super limited (only 2000 copies) ep, containing TWO PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS(!!!), a radically different mix of their Red Krayola cover, and on cd for the first time, a track called "I Love You", originally released as a white label vinyl only promo, limited to 50 copies. And finally, a studio version of the track "Ecstasy Symphony".
For folks who are new to Spacemen 3, this might not be the place to start, although it wouldn't necessarily be bad, but may we recommend Playing With Fire, or Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To, for the rest of you, the obsessed, buy this now.
Up first is "These Blues", a gorgeous laid back jangle pop jam, that might convince us that Oasis probably own some Spacemen 3 records, along with "Modulated Tones", a gorgeous fuzzy minor key minute and a half of looped echo drenched guitar, so great, the kind of thing that could have stretched out into a whole Spacemen 3 set, both those tracks UNRELEASED!
Their cover of the Red Krayola's "Transparent Radiation" is the Violin Mix, so besides the skeletal guitar and drawled vocals, the bulk of the song is carried by strings, and the result is pretty divine. "I Love You" is a weird one, a programmed beat, beneath a stuttering synth rhythm, super echoey vocals, spare guitars, all moody and woozy and eighties sounding. Quite cool for sure, a little garage-y, a bit poppy, and all very druggy and dreamy. And finally, "Ecstasy Symphony", nine minutes of lush drones, dense and layered, slow motion melodies played out over long streaks of near static sound, total divine, sun dappled ur-drone bliss.
Packaged in a trippy little paper sleeve, a bit pricey for 5 songs (although it is nearly half an hour) but for fans of all things Spacemen 3, absolutely worth it.
And again, LIMITED TO 2000 COPIES WORLDWIDE!
MPEG Stream: "Transparent Radiation (Violin Mix)"
MPEG Stream: "Modulated Tones"

SPACEMEN 3 DJ Tones (The Great Pop Supplement) lp 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON VINYL!! The cd version we previously highlighted went out of print lickety-split but thankfully there's now a vinyl edition, also probably quite limited...
Lately we've been revisiting some of our old favorites, with Records Of The Week from Loop, the Telescopes and Swervedriver, but as much as we love those bands, and we do LOVE them a LOT, we can't help it, our hearts will always belong to Spacemen 3. The dreamiest and druggiest of the bunch, pretty much every record, every different stage of the band, every song, has utterly entranced us. Blurred and bleary jangle pop stretched out into meditative space rock mantras, no one could conjure up the same sort of woozy elegance that these guys could. And while this is not a new record proper, and most of us have spent years tracking down every bit of recorded Spacemen 3, even a new ep with alternate mixes and some rare gems has us all in a tizzy. And judging from the responses of aQ customers, you're probably the same way.
So drug addled space rock freaks of the world, we give to you, DJ Tones, a super limited ep, containing TWO PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS(!!!), a radically different mix of their Red Krayola cover, and on cd for the first time, a track called "I Love You", originally released as a white label vinyl only promo, limited to 50 copies. And finally, a studio version of the track "Ecstasy Symphony".
For folks who are new to Spacemen 3, this might not be the place to start, although it wouldn't necessarily be bad, but may we recommend Playing With Fire, or Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To, for the rest of you, the obsessed, buy this now.
Up first is "These Blues", a gorgeous laid back jangle pop jam, that might convince us that Oasis probably own some Spacemen 3 records, along with "Modulated Tones", a gorgeous fuzzy minor key minute and a half of looped echo drenched guitar, so great, the kind of thing that could have stretched out into a whole Spacemen 3 set, both those tracks UNRELEASED!
Their cover of the Red Krayola's "Transparent Radiation" is the Violin Mix, so besides the skeletal guitar and drawled vocals, the bulk of the song is carried by strings, and the result is pretty divine. "I Love You" is a weird one, a programmed beat, beneath a stuttering synth rhythm, super echoey vocals, spare guitars, all moody and woozy and eighties sounding. Quite cool for sure, a little garage-y, a bit poppy, and all very druggy and dreamy. And finally, "Ecstasy Symphony", nine minutes of lush drones, dense and layered, slow motion melodies played out over long streaks of near static sound, total divine, sun dappled ur-drone bliss.
MPEG Stream: "Transparent Radiation (Violin Mix)"
MPEG Stream: "Modulated Tones"

SPACEMEN 3 For All The Fucked Up Children Of The World We Give You... (Sympathy For The Record Industry) cd 13.98