V/A Black On Black: A Tribute To Black Flag (Initial) cd 14.98
Tributes are always sort of a tough call. Sometimes you'd rather just hear the originals, or sometimes there's one great version in a sea of total shit. So we're happy to report, that this tribute to Black Flag succeeds on several levels. First, it's Black Flag!! I mean, c'mon, Black Flag rule! And of course deserve to be covered, as well as worshipped. The downside of that though, is that Black Flag are so good, it almost seems pointless to cover them. But it is a covers compilation so that point is moot I suppose. And the selection of bands here is pretty strong, lots of AQ faves (Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, Coalesce, Burnt By The Sun) and lots of pretty kick ass lesser-knowns (Anodyne, Playing Enemy, Planes Mistaken For Stars). All of whom give us REALLY HEAVY versions of songs we already love. Not all that different (except maybe Dillinger's sort-of-jungle version of Damaged II) but all really good. So it really depends on where you stand on tribute compilations. But metalcore's finest covering pnk rock's finest...you could do a lot worse.
MPEG Stream: DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN "Damaged I & II"
MPEG Stream: CONVERGE "Annihilate This Week"

V/A Black Summer Mix Tape Vol. 1 (Black Summer) cassette 4.98

V/A Black Summer Mix Tape Vol. 1 (Black Summer) cassette 4.98

V/A Blank Generation / Dancing Barefoot dvd 25.00
The cult '70s New York punk film Blank Generation sees a reissue on the spankin' new DVD format. With rare, you-were-there shots of the bands on stage and off, there's Television, Blondie, Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith Group, The Heartbreakers, The Dolls, Wayne County, Shirts, Tuff Darts, and more. While the film quality is b&w, grainy, funny, and great, it has to be mentioned that none of it is in sync with the music, in fact I don't think the music corresponds at all with the visuals, beyond the fact that it's the same band. So I'd say this is great for your next house party to just put on for people to mingle around, but paying close attention might be a bit frustrating. Comes packaged with the Patti Smith vehicle Dancing Barefoot.

V/A Blitzing The Ballroom: 20 UK Power Glam Incendiaries (Psychic Circle) cd 16.98
20 tracks as awesome as "Ballroom Blitz" by The Sweet?? Well, no, not quite. That would be a tall order. But this Blitzing The Ballroom comp (subtitled 20 UK Power Glam Incendiaries) does boast quite a few corkers. Stormers. Blitzes. Whatever the glam slang is for kicking ass (with bubblegum stuck to yer boots). And, like the '60 garage psych before it that so many previous Psychic Circle comps have dug into, '70s glam's definitely a genre that works great in the various artists compilation format. So many one-hit-wonders (or one-hit-wannabes), you can fill a comp with killer songs from bands (or "recording projects") that made just one or two singles, taking their shot at the top of the pops and then disappeared faster than a melting ice cream cone in the summertime heat. While The Sweet, Slade, T-Rex, and a few other greats from the glam scene have stood the test of time, so many obscurities have been forgotten. And that's what this comp concentrates on, bands with such disposable, adolescent-appeal names as Frenzy, Tiger, Panther, Screemer, Giggles, Stumpy... Nope, never heard of 'em either, but Blitzing The Ballroom demonstrates they're each worth 2-3 minutes of your time. And despite the bubblegum goofiness, they are all examples of glam ROCK. The back cover blurb accurately speaks of the "harder edge" that a lot of these selections share (hence the words "power" and "incendiaries" in this disc's subtitle). Maybe not headbanging but definitely hard rockin' with a silly grin on yer face.
As per usual with the many fine comps from the Psychic Circle label (so many we'll never get to 'em all, but cherrypick our faves), this comes complete with full-color graphics and informative liner notes on each track in the cd booklet, often tracing these acts back to their members' origins in the the '60s pop psych scene, or following their fortunes forward into the punk rock/new wave era. Screemer, for instance, featured a ex-member of heavy Hendrixy NZ rockers Human Instinct. And there's a track here by Peter Dunton, the vocalist/drummer who earlier on was a member of AQ fave proto-metal, prog-psych trio T2! (His track actually doesn't seem all that glam, sounding much like the calm, melodic heavy psych of T2, but that's cool too).
Hmm. Now that they've ventured into the glam singles scene of the early/mid '70s, can we look forward to Psychic Circle bringing us a NWOBHM comp of heavier stuff from later in the decade?? We wonder...
MPEG Stream: ABACUS "Indian Dancer"
MPEG Stream: BULLFROG "Glancy"
MPEG Stream: TIGER "I'm An Animal"

V/A Blow Your Cool: 20 Prog / Psych Assaults From The UK & Europe (Psychic Circle) cd 16.98
The record-collecting excess of Nick Saloman (Mr. Bevis Frond) pays off for all of us once again, as he presents yet another collection of groovy old '60s/'70s tracks from rare vinyl that he's compiled for the Psychic Circle label. Blow Your Cool is a sequel of sorts to Psychic Circle's winning A Visit To The Spaceship Factory comp but instead of featuring only obscure UK prog/psych gems, this ventures further afield to showcase tracks by weird/cool bands from Continental Europe as well. Thus it's definitely got something of the Prog Is Not A Four Letter Word/"B-music" vibe.
Of the 20 artists included, a few names jump out as familiar to us, and speak well to the quality of the comp. There's Cosmic Dealer (a psychedelic Dutch band who more than live up to their name, which is much better than what we're told their original moniker was: Floating Fudge), Triangle (the title track "Blow Your Cool" is by this French group, it's also on the collection from them we listed last year), Zior, Egg, Freedom, Mogul Thrash (featuring John Wetton), Les Variations (more Francias Metal de Proto we've reviewed before), Blue Beard (with "Sly Willy", also found on the Some Songs Stuck In My Mind comp we listed last week), and The Rattles (feat. Achim Reichel). Then, among the rest, quite a few new-to-us surprises, from the bombastic, poppy opening track "To Live" by Paradise Hammer from England, to the progged-out, wound-up Hendrixy heaviness of Italy's Tritons on their "Drifter". Also on here: Primitive Man, Barry Freeman & Strange Power, The Foundations, Dream Police, Ferris Wheel, Paul Ryder & Time Machine, Jess & James, Bedlam, and Swegas.
As usual, informative liner notes and graphics pertaining to each track are provided in the full-colour cd booklet. What can we say, but keep 'em coming, Nick!
MPEG Stream: COSMIC DEALER "The Scene"
MPEG Stream: PARADISE HAMMER "To Live"
MPEG Stream: MOGUL THRASH "Sleeping In The Kitchen"

V/A Blue (Dreams By Degrees) cd 10.98
Jonathan Lee of the Dreams By Degrees label commissioned this compilation as synaesthesia in reverse by asking the question, "If blue could be interpreted through music, what would it sound like?" There have been many musicians and artists who have attempted to address the painterly metonym between colors and sound, all of which related each to pre-existing musical / visual cues. There's Ken Nordine's beat poetics on the emotive qualities of various colors, Derek Jarman's gut wrenching film Blue with a bluescreen as the backdrop to a narrative about the tragedies of AIDS, and Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, just to name a few. As each of those offered a unique facet to the nature of the color blue, it's unlikely that any encapsulated anything universal about that color. This Dreams By Degrees compilation similarly contexualizes their collection with a pre-existing aesthetic, here stated as ambient post-rock, emotionally naked shoegazing folk, and bleary eyed electronica. Jef Cantu of Tarentel has constructed a variety of musical interludes of pseudo-Stephan Mathieu glitchy drone transitioning between many of the contributions, providing a seemless dreamy quality to the entire album. Other contributers include Film School, L'Altra, Lazarus, Vetiver, Rivulets, Stratford 4, John Davis, Corbi Wright, Your Friend, Park Avenue Music, Vela, and Sir for an album sounds in many ways like a modern day This Mortal Coil.
MPEG Stream: FILM SCHOOL "Sick Of The Shame, Pt 2"
MPEG Stream: PARK AVENUE MUSIC "Sun = So Bright"
MPEG Stream: LAZARUS "106 Words On Wishes"

V/A Blue Explosion: Tribute To Blue Cheer (Black Widow) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
As "tribute" comps go, this is a really good one. Usually a tribute succeeds only if the cover versions are really different from the originals (for instance, the pop-punk bands doing metal covers on the "I Heart Metal" tribute). At the very least there can be some humor value in that (another example: the "Red Star" comp of grunting death metal bands covering Rush!). But sometimes, the tribute works because the bands doing the tribute are well matched with the band being covered, AND it's not a band that gets a lot of cover-song attention. Such as this one. I've never heard anyone cover "Fresh Fruit & Iceburgs" before, have you?
Blue Cheer of course is the granddaddy of all metal/stoner bands, with their first two and a half classic albums still being heavier in their own way than most stuff released today. And Black Widow have put together a pretty excellent international line-up of their progeny to pay tribute. Pentagram (who are on here twice, and may as well BE Blue Cheer 'cause they do it so well!), Internal Void, Thumlock, Natas, Fireball Ministry, Ufomammut are a who's who of some of today's best doom/stoner acts. Plus there's some more obscure names from the space/prog axis as well. The only puzzle about this comp is that several bands chose to cover songs from Blue Cheer's not-so-heavy early '70s albums, which turn out well, but I can't figure out why they did that, except to be different and demonstrate what big fans they are. Still, quite a bit of 1968's "Vincebus Eruptum" and '69s "Outsideinside" is represented. Right on!
RealAudio clip: PENTAGRAM "Doctor Please"
RealAudio clip: THUMLOCK "Out Of Focus"

V/A Bob Blank - The Blank Generation - Blank Tapes 1975-1987 (Strut) cd 16.98
Bob Blank is one of the most unsung heroes in the history of the vibrant New York music scene of the '70s and '80s. He had such a wide ranging, amazing and colorful sound, and a massive (if under appreciated) influence like so many of the best musical minds of that era (Larry Levan, Arthur Russell, August Darnell). While his roots were for sure deep in the disco scene he had the kind of left of center disposition that allowed him to work on so many different kind of projects and with so many different, and often unexpected artists. Strut has put together a really loving collection of many of the great songs Blank helped bring to life by everyone from Lydia Lunch to Sun Ra, Lola (Arthur Russell) to Gladys Knight and more. While there is an undeniable level of funk and freespirit running through all these songs, they do all demonstrate the breadth of sound Blank was able to bring to records recorded in his legendary Blank Tapes studio located in the heart of Chelsea. Surely essential for folks who loved the recent Ze: 30 collection or the Mutant Disco and Disco Not Disco comps from the past few years. We're beyond stoked that Strut has put this collection together, not only to bring light to the amazing work that Blank created but simply as compilation, this record is just jam packed with so many super pleasing songs.
MPEG Stream: DEBBY BLACKWELL "Once You Got Me Going"
MPEG Stream: SUN RA "Where Pathways Meet (Unreleased Acetate Mix)"
MPEG Stream: AURAL EXCITERS "Emile (Night Rate)"

V/A Boil The Kettle Mother (Past & Present / Radioactive) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

V/A Boston Underground 1979 - 1982 (Moulty) cd 13.98
For those who remember when there were genuine underground music scenes (or for younger whippersnappers who wanna know what the fuss was all about)... this compilation is a great document of Boston based bands from a brief four year stretch that bridged the seventies with the eighties. Remarkably polished and burstin' out with youthful energy, Boston Underground is nicely varied from earnest jangle pop to sneering garagey rawk to angular no wave. Many of these songs which may seem tame and downright quaint by today's standards were fresh and downright adventurous back then. it's super cool that we're getting a chance to hear these pockets of amazing music that sadly seldom reached the ears of anyone outside of the city limits let alone within them. Check it out!
MPEG Stream: MAPS "I'm Talking To You (1979 45 dm 1852)"
MPEG Stream: ART YARD "Sixty Cycle Hum (1981 radio tape)"

V/A Boyd Rice Presents Music For Pussycats (Soleilmoon) cd 11.98
Since we seem to no longer be able to get a hold of that fantastic '60s french girl group Ultra Chicks series, we're delighted to finally get a bunch of this just-reissued collection of girl group tunes compiled, strangely enough, by controversial industrial culture icon Boyd Rice. No, they're not the highly sought French ye ye girls, but they are very much in the same perky vibe as the abovementioned comps. Rice has selected nine lesser known (or quite unknown) artists to showcase: solo singers Diane Ray, Bernadette Castro, Bernadette Caroll, Susan Rafey, Priscilla Paris, Robbie Winston, and Lori Burton as well as the suitably named groups The Love Exchange and Honey Ltd. The songs range from squeaky clean and girlish like Patty Duke to the more worldly and womanly like Petula Clark and Shirley Bassey. The second tune by Ms Castro sounds like something Le Tigre studied thoroughly. Very cool!
MPEG Stream: BERNADETTE CASTRO "Get Rid Of Him"
MPEG Stream: PRISCILLA PARIS "My Window"

V/A Brain Club #000001 (Brain Club) lp 15.98
Back in stock! Only 300 of these were pressed and this is probably the last batch we'll be able to get in.
Weird, murky drone and darkly introspective goth-ambient sounds from the Austin indie-electronic underground. Brain Club is a series of mixes compiled by Jesse Jenkins (Silver Pines, Pure X/Ecstasy, Thousand Foot Whale Claw) and Kyle Dixon (Survive, Heathen Earth) of unreleased tracks by Austin-based groups (at least for this inaugural edition), most of whom we've never heard of before, but after checking this out we're really excited to know more about them.
The first side is more ambient with tracks mixing into each other beautifully. After a brief clip of a found spoken word recording by the mysterious "The Artist", Daniel Hipolito's Smokey Emery, the one project here we've reviewed in the past, appears with a short outdoor ambient industrial recording made with multiple tape machines that sound like far away drones recorded in a sewage tunnel which segues into VC Childkraft's soft focus "Magnetik Rose", a ghostly pitch-shifted piece of electronic clusters that sounds like a wind-soaked lullaby. Thousand Foot Whale Claw's shoegaze ambience of "Lost In Those Dunes", brings in a slow-motion crest of gorgeous guitar feedback culminating in the final track of side 1, Heathen Earth's witch-house instrumental of bleak hollow synths, echo-y drums and incidental crashing noises.
Side 2 has three more composed electronic tracks, the first a live track by Bodytronix which sounds like a Dam-Funk instrumental without beats. "Reverie" by Jake Schrock is probably our favorite track and it's also the longest. Sounding like a ballad composed by Roedelius, Vangelis, and OMD, it's pretty melancholic synth composition hits that sweet spot of uncanny eighties nostalgia without trying too hard. The final track by Phantastes called "Flight of Stares" is like last call at the Bat Cave, a murky instrumental goth dance anthem that channels Soft Cell or Alien Sex Fiend filtered through some druggy hazy processing. So good! We can't wait for more volumes if they're as good as this one!
Limited to 300 copies, these won't be around too long, so grab them fast. Comes as a pinkish-grey unlabeled transparent smoke colored vinyl in a hand-printed cardstock half-sleeve wrapped in an oversize ziplock plastic storage bag.

V/A Brain in the Wire (Brainwashed) 3cd 43.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Brainwashed.com is an indispensible website dedicated to all sorts of musical arcana, publishing an insightful number of reviews and hosting the official domains for such diverse artists as Nurse With Wound, V/VM, Matmos, Mirror, Labradford, Trans Am, Legendary Pink Dots, etc. In 2000 and 2001, The Wire commissioned Brainwashed.com to assemble two albums that were to be distributed to all The Wire's subscribers in conjunction with one of their issues. Unlike so many of those crappy free CDs that usually come with magazines, The Wire and Brainwashed.com got it right, with mostly exclusive tracks from interesting artists (including Matmos, Bedhead, Stars Of The Lid, Diamanda Galas, Gordon Mumma, Cex, Thighpaulsandra, Fridge, Twilight Circus, Windy & Carl, Current 93, and plenty more). "Brain in the Wire" features both of those CDs, plus a third disc of 'surprises.' If we can indulge The Wire's monthly "Invisible Jukebox" feature (which must have been the intent of not providing any information), this is our guess at those unknown artists on "Disc X." Track one is Wire editor Rob Young talking about how he wouldn't want to be Richie Hawtin, which makes me believe that track two - a thumpin' Detroit acid production - is Richie Hawtin, or maybe not. Track three, well, this is a prepared piano piece with fragments of tape manipulation behind it. Sam Shalabi? Keith Rowe? David Tudor? Gordon Mumma? It could even be Matmos, after all, their next record is a piano record. Man, I really hope track four is Coil, and it's a hint of their "Backwards" record, but I've got to say that it's Cabaret Voltaire, with the synthetic Fairlight melody and heady breakbeat propulsion. Track five. Well I know that Hrvatski has something on this compilation... and this laptop tricked out drone piece with microscopic buzzing and glitches of orchestral instrumentation could easily be Mr. Whitman. Track six. Easy. That's Panacea. Track seven, slowcore indie strum that could be Bedhead, could be Windsor For The Derby, but never really explains itself more than being slow. Track eight is 3 seconds of filler static. No way I'm guessing who that is. Track nine. Jeff tells me this has to be !!!, and I'll believe his analysis on this badly recorded live track of '80s punk / funk revisionism. Track ten. This sounds like Sonna to me, the quietest indie-rock band Steve Albini has ever produced, but have they been known to filter their guitar strum and hammond organ sadness with Max / MSP filters? Track eleven with its corny organ grind and 'funk-soul-brother' whiteness, just sucks... I don't want to know who this is. Track twelve has got to be Bowery Electric, with their gritty atmospheric trip hop electronics and shoegazing guitars. Track thirteen has got the introduction right out of "Bring It On" and fizzy electronica breakbeats, so this is certainly from the Tigerbeat 6 crowd, so I'll guess Cex.
Hey, we're not claiming these to be right! Have fun with it yourself, we sure did!
Where this compilation succeeds in its musical content, it royally fails in packaging: three loose cds in a metal tin which requires the booklets to be bent in order to fit, accompanied by a cheap keychain, a cloth patch, and a q-tip (???). All of this is wrapped with an unkempt piece of wire. Arrggg.

V/A Branches And Routes (Fat Cat) 2cd 14.98
This is a rather good collection of 22 tracks taken from the consistently great Fat Cat catalog, plus five previously unreleased ones (including one by SIGUR ROS). Fat Cat has released a lot of navelgazing music, especially at their start, but have since branched out and in doing so are forming their own wideranging aesthetic particular to their own logic (as all good labels should do). It's almost all uniformly slow to midtempo, ranging from bedroom electronic melancholia like that of Transient Waves and Mice Parade; to the abstract deconstructions of Fennesz; to the outer edges of postrock and/or postfolk typified by David Grubbs and Set Fire to Flames; to exuberant post punk of Programme, Giddy Motors, and Party of One; to the noisier experimentalism of Black Dice and Xinlisupreme. But none of the Fat Cat stuff ever gets too 'out there', if you know what I mean, so in that nice way it's a great safe label to trust, especially if you're wanting a listen on the more accessible side of nonetheless experimental genres.
With all of the abovementioned artists, plus Kid606, Matmos, Bjork mit Funkstorung, the Dylan Group, Mum, Grain, Sylvain Chaveau and more.
MPEG Stream: DAVID GRUBBS "Transom"
MPEG Stream: THE DYLAN GROUP "Avila"
MPEG Stream: SIGUR ROS "Eg Mun Laeknast!"
MPEG Stream: XINLISUPREME "Murder License"

V/A Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas: Tropicalia Psychedelic Masterpieces 1967-1976 (Tropicalia In Furs) cd 16.98
Geez! Just when you thought you've heard all the Brazilian Psych and Tropicalia of the sixties and seventies worth listening to, comes this monster compilation of complete unknown jams from the era that very nearly blows away anything you considered to be the best. Distributed by the same folks who brought us the killer Psych Funk 101 compilation (a unanimous store favorite), if you dug that compilation you should definitely check this one out. Culled specifically from the rarest of 7" singles (the era's cheapest and most produced format), many of 'em promo only, there are none of the usual suspects, no Caetano, Os Mutantes or any of Rogerio Duprat's star artists. Instead this is the sound of the deeper radical underground, of groups most of which couldn't ever get record deals. The music is way heavier, the vibe more unhinged and funky with big fuzz and often wild, ecstatic arrangements. Here is the checklist of groups on here: Celio Balona, Loyce E Os Gnomes, The Youngsters, Serguel, Fabio, Tony E Som Colorido, 14 Bis, Banda De 7 Leguas, Ton & Sergio, Ely, Com OS Falcoes Reais, Marisa Rossi, The Pops, Piry, and Max Rybell. The cd comes with a HUGE full color booklet with info on all the singles and pictures and the enhanced cd itself features a documentary, called "What Are Fuzz Bananas?" (good question). Meanwhile, the vinyl version comes with a large full color booklet with info on all the singles and pictures. We got the last copies of the first vinyl pressing that include 3-D glasses, though we're not sure why they were included as none of the record sleeve was printed in 3-D as far as we can tell, though they do make the wildly colorful psychedelic drawing in the gatefold sure look neat! [Update: now the copies with glasses are gone, anyway...]
Way Recommended!
MPEG Stream: CELIO BALONA "Tema De Batman"
MPEG Stream: COM OS FALCOES REAIS "Ele Seculo XX"
MPEG Stream: LOYCE E OS GNOMES "Que E Isso?"
MPEG Stream: MAC RYBELL "The Lantern"

V/A Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas: Tropicalia Psychedelic Masterpieces 1967-1976 (Tropicalia In Furs) 2lp 21.00
Geez! Just when you thought you've heard all the Brazilian Psych and Tropicalia of the sixties and seventies worth listening to, comes this monster compilation of complete unknown jams from the era that very nearly blows away anything you considered to be the best. Distributed by the same folks who brought us the killer Psych Funk 101 compilation (a unanimous store favorite), if you dug that compilation you should definitely check this one out. Culled specifically from the rarest of 7" singles (the era's cheapest and most produced format), many of 'em promo only, there are none of the usual suspects, no Caetano, Os Mutantes or any of Rogerio Duprat's star artists. Instead this is the sound of the deeper radical underground, of groups most of which couldn't ever get record deals. The music is way heavier, the vibe more unhinged and funky with big fuzz and often wild, ecstatic arrangements. Here is the checklist of groups on here: Celio Balona, Loyce E Os Gnomes, The Youngsters, Serguel, Fabio, Tony E Som Colorido, 14 Bis, Banda De 7 Leguas, Ton & Sergio, Ely, Com OS Falcoes Reais, Marisa Rossi, The Pops, Piry, and Max Rybell. The cd comes with a HUGE full color booklet with info on all the singles and pictures and the enhanced cd itself features a documentary, called "What Are Fuzz Bananas?" (good question). Meanwhile, the vinyl version comes with a large full color booklet with info on all the singles and pictures. We got the last copies of the first vinyl pressing that include 3-D glasses, though we're not sure why they were included as none of the record sleeve was printed in 3-D as far as we can tell, though they do make the wildly colorful psychedelic drawing in the gatefold sure look neat! [Update: now the copies with glasses are gone, anyway...]
Way Recommended!
MPEG Stream: CELIO BALONA "Tema De Batman"
MPEG Stream: COM OS FALCOES REAIS "Ele Seculo XX"
MPEG Stream: LOYCE E OS GNOMES "Que E Isso?"
MPEG Stream: MAC RYBELL "The Lantern"

V/A Bring Beer (12XU) 12" 15.98
A very special Record Store Day 2012 compilation, released on the new(ish) label 12XU, run by noneother than Mr. Gerard Cosloy (formerly of Homestead and Matador Records, among other notable ventures), and in the spirit of the day, it's a benefit, with all profits going to Austin's Trailer Space Records, a DIY shop that hosts all ages shows in addition to selling records, and this comp, named for the edict given to folks coming to aforementioned Trailer Space instores, is equal parts 12XU label sampler and Trailer Space compilation, featuring bands who've played the shop and/or who have records out on 12XU, in some cases both, in others neither. Regardless, it's a pretty excellent collection, with a few names we know: Cruddy, Chris Brokaw, Air Traffic Controllers, and even more we don't, Naw Dude, Carolee, Nazi Gold, Marriage, James Arthur's Manhunt, Followed By Static, The Flesh Lights and more. The sound ranges from the 68 second blast of dirgey distorto garage punk from Cruddy, the dirgey indie post punk of Nazi Gold, the Dead C meets Crazy Horse psychedelic skree of Cosloy's band Air Traffic Controllers, the echo drenched bellowing vokilled crustpunk garage dirge of Naw Dude, the spaced out FX heavy psych rock of Marriage, the fuzzy druggy dirge pop of Followed By Static, the angular bass heavy new wave post punk swagger of the Flesh Lights and more more more. Definitely had us hankering to hear more from all of these outfits.
Limited Record Store Day release, so these will definitely have a limited shelf life. Housed in full color covers, with photos of Trailer Space, and the titular 'Bring Beer' sign. Also includes a download coupon.
MPEG Stream: CRUDDY "Home From War"
MPEG Stream: NAZI GOLD "Stop"
MPEG Stream: NAW DUDE "Ghost Boner"
MPEG Stream: FOLLOWED BY STATIC "Chub"

V/A Bring You To Your Knees: A Tribute To Guns & Roses (Law Of Inertia) cd 13.98
You know the drill. A covers record. Not entirely respectful, but not entirely tongue in cheek either. I mean, c'mon, who didn't love Guns And Roses? At least for a while there. Well, here you have some heavyweights tackling their favortie G&R tunes. Most are thrashed out and metalcore-d beyond recognition. A few try to do them straight but have trouble pulling it off with their limited vocal range. Highlights are the totally obliterated "My Michelle" by the Dillinger Escape Plan, the pummelled into submission "It's So Easy" by Unearth and the only sort-of-straight-and-actually-pulled-off cover, "Paradise City" by Eighteen Visions, whose vocalist manages a pretty respectable Axl!
MPEG Stream: DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN "My Michelle"
MPEG Stream: UNEARTH "It's So Easy"

V/A Broken Flag - A Retrospective 1982-1985 (Vinyl On Demand) 5cd box 117.00

V/A Burn To Shine v.2 (Trixie) dvd 12.98

V/A Burn To Shine: Portland, OR 06.15.05 (Trixie) dvd 13.98

V/A Cabaret Nocturno Vol. III (Zerga) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Amazing compilation of fucked up / out there / experimental rock from Zerga, the Finnish label run by our pal Pentti who fronts the band Deep Turtle. Obviously, Finland is gonna be well represented with a few bands we already love: Radiopuhelimet, Keuhkot, and a whole bunch we've never heard before: Torpedos, Fun, The Revolutionary Southern AMphetamines, Chelyabinsk-40, Astro Can Caravan, Hinageshi Bondage, Cause For Effect, Manifesto Jukebox, Mothers Against Sex Association, Suonihiuksisto, Kometa, and Vuk. Finnophiles will definitely want to pick this up. But in addition to all the Finnish weirdness, representing other parts of the globe we have Zu from Italy, Boxed In T.W.A.T. from the UK, Bz Bz Ueu also from Italy, Ground / Lift from Austria, Hather And Bollen from Australia / Holland, and Sabot from the Czech Republic. And as you might imagine, the sound is all over the map. Punk, prog, noise, hardcore, psych rock and beyond. We only have 10 copies and we're not sure when/if we can get more. So act fast.
MPEG Stream: ZU "Untitled Samba For Kat Ex"
MPEG Stream: RADIOPUHELIMET "Myrskyn Silmassa"
MPEG Stream: KEUHKOT "Naisia Sementtiin"

V/A Calling All Kings and Queens (Mr Lady) cd 13.98
Queer nation underground comes together here for a great mix tape (CD, actually) of some better knowns and some lesser knowns. Features tracks by Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre, Kiki & Herb (featuring Justin Bond, here doing a hilarious rendition of Sleater-Kinney's "I'm Not Waiting"), the Butchies (NC, feat. Mr. Lady's Kaia), Amy Ray (of Indigo Girls fame), Oakland's California Lightening (members of Errase Errata), Tracy and the Plastics (Olympia, WA, ex-MemeAmerica), Bloomington, Indiana's Sissies and much, much more! Many tracks are exclusive.

V/A Cambodian Rocks Vol. 1 (Khmer Rocks) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While most record stores might include Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" as a mainstay album, consistently moving units from its initial release on up to the present, the original Cambodian Rocks collection has been for us a mainstay in its own right. We may not be able to boast the quantities that a larger store might for a staple, but Cambodian Rocks has got to be one of the most universally loved albums here at aQ. So you can imagine we were pretty damn excited when we found out that the collection was being released with full disclosure of musicians, vocalists, recording dates, song titles and lyrics (translated into English!) And if that isn't enough, Khmer Rocks has expanded their version of the collection to two discs! Even better, for all of you owners of the original collection, between these two discs and the original release on Parallel World there are only 5 songs total that overlap! So now you're wondering what the connection is between Khmer Rocks and Parallel World. Well, as far as we can tell, there is absolutely no connection. Seems like Khmer Rocks titled their two discs to capitalize off the original's popularity. And to their credit, they seem a bit more legit, having gone through the trouble of tracking down artists' names and song titles to give credit where credit is due. Not to be too harsh on Parallel World -- their collection is a fucking great compilation, always will be -- but the Khmer Rocks folk seem to be more genuinely indebted to these artists and it shows in their aformentioned efforts. And like Parallel World's collection, all the tracks on these two discs are absolutely great. It would be hard to leave a track out of your iPod if you were short on space. You might just have to get rid of something else. The artists here are all absolute geniuses in their abilities to absorb American rock and roll and tweak it to local tastes. In a lot of ways these bands are like South East Asian versions of the Sun City Girls -- picking up foreign radio transmissions (shortwave radio broadcasts to American military personnel) and subverting them to their own likeness. Some of our favorites are tracks like Meas Samoun's "The Engagement", a completely dirty take on the Santana sound (a lot of these Cambodian rockers seemed to really dig Santana) with an organ (or is it some ridiculously fucked up early seventies guitar processing?) solo that will kill you. Others, like Ros Sereyosthea take an American song part and parcel -- in this case CCR's "Rolling On A River" -- merely inserting their own lyrics and twisting the arrangement. Other twisted renditions sound an awful lot like "Hey Jude", "If You're Going To San Francisco", and "Whiter Shade Of Pale". But more often than not the tracks tend to be originals with a deeply modified American twang and sound less like the cover versions mentioned above. In all cases, the rock on these recordings has an energy of absolute immediacy and urgency that's unlike any of their psychedelic counterparts the globe round.
MPEG Stream: SINN SISAMOUTH "Quando My Love"
MPEG Stream: MEAS SAMOUN "The Engagement"
MPEG Stream: YOL AULARONG "Whiskey Whiskey"

V/A Cambodian Rocks Vol. 2 (Khmer Rocks) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While most record stores might include Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" as a mainstay album, consistently moving units from its initial release on up to the present, the original Cambodian Rocks collection has been for us a mainstay in its own right. We may not be able to boast the quantities that a larger store might for a staple, but Cambodian Rocks has got to be one of the most universally loved albums here at aQ. So you can imagine we were pretty damn excited when we found out that the collection was being released with full disclosure of musicians, vocalists, recording dates, song titles and lyrics (translated into English!) And if that isn't enough, Khmer Rocks has expanded their version of the collection to two discs! Even better, for all of you owners of the original collection, between these two discs and the original release on Parallel World there are only 5 songs total that overlap! So now you're wondering what the connection is between Khmer Rocks and Parallel World. Well, as far as we can tell, there is absolutely no connection. Seems like Khmer Rocks titled their two discs to capitalize off the original's popularity. And to their credit, they seem a bit more legit, having gone through the trouble of tracking down artists' names and song titles to give credit where credit is due. Not to be too harsh on Parallel World -- their collection is a fucking great compilation, always will be -- but the Khmer Rocks folk seem to be more genuinely indebted to these artists and it shows in their aformentioned efforts. And like Parallel World's collection, all the tracks on these two discs are absolutely great. It would be hard to leave a track out of your iPod if you were short on space. You might just have to get rid of something else. The artists here are all absolute geniuses in their abilities to absorb American rock and roll and tweak it to local tastes. In a lot of ways these bands are like South East Asian versions of the Sun City Girls -- picking up foreign radio transmissions (shortwave radio broadcasts to American military personnel) and subverting them to their own likeness. Some of our favorites are tracks like Meas Samoun's "The Engagement", a completely dirty take on the Santana sound (a lot of these Cambodian rockers seemed to really dig Santana) with an organ (or is it some ridiculously fucked up early seventies guitar processing?) solo that will kill you. Others, like Ros Sereyosthea take an American song part and parcel -- in this case CCR's "Rolling On A River" -- merely inserting their own lyrics and twisting the arrangement. Other twisted renditions sound an awful lot like "Hey Jude", "If You're Going To San Francisco", and "Whiter Shade Of Pale". But more often than not the tracks tend to be originals with a deeply modified American twang and sound less like the cover versions mentioned above. In all cases, the rock on these recordings has an energy of absolute immediacy and urgency that's unlike any of their psychedelic counterparts the globe round.
MPEG Stream: PAN RON "Hippie Men"
MPEG Stream: SINN SISAMOUTH "Missing Tender Care"
MPEG Stream: ROS SEREYSOTHEA "Haircut"

V/A Cambodian Rocks Vol. 3: All Psyched Up (Khmer Rocks) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It would appear that the Khmer Rocks label is slowly rendering the original Cambodian Rocks compilation on Parallel World obsolete. With each volume of their version of the beloved series there are a smattering of those tracks included -- now better served with full disclosure of the artists' names, song titles and even lyrics! With volume 3 there are three more, leaving you with 16 completely new tracks. We figure that by volume 7 or 8 of the Khmer Rocks series we'll all be able to trade in the original. As a bonus, Khmer Rocks has included two tracks at the end of volume 3 of "Romvong Songs", or Cambodian circle dance songs. It's the label's way of turning on all the garage psychsters to some traditional Cambodian music. The first track is actually a lot like the tracks on the Cambodian rocks discs, but with a bit more swing. The second, by Cambodian superstar Sinn Sisamouth, replaces guitar and bass with flute and clarinet along with traditional Cambodian instruments, but it still has the same intensity of those rock tracks. What can we say? Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: SINN SISAMOUTH "A Diamond Ring"
MPEG Stream: YOL AULARONG "Number One"
MPEG Stream: SINN SISAMOUTH "The Kickboxer"

V/A Camp Skin Graft (Skin Graft) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Whether or not you think Skin Graft's "Now Wave" concept is a dumb marketing ploy (I do), the fact remains that among the thirty three tracks here there's some real corkers, from the likes of UFO or Die, Omoide Hatoba, Ruins, Akaten, Space Streakings, Zeni Geva...whoops, besides our Japanese friends, there's some Americans on here too, let's see, US Maple and Brise Glace and Quintron all have something going on. A fine sampler, sure much of it is previously released (or will soon be) but you don't have it all, do you? Get this and see what you're missing.

V/A Can't Stop It! 2: Australian Post-Punk 1979-1984 (Chapter Music) cd 17.98
By the looks of the first two compilations that Chapter Music has released documenting the Australian post-punk scene, we (and probably a lot of other folks) could use a series history lessons into the finer points of Antipodean punk. Having unearthed two incendiary Primitive Calculators collections from that same time period, Chapter again strikes gold with a stunning collection of terminally obscure bands who were much more talented and intriguing than their lack of recognition might reflect. The only two bands that have even come across our radar are Severed Heads (but here with an incredibly primitive electronic sound and a female singer) and Microfilm (the amazing, Wire-esque dour post punk band fronted by Lisa Gerrand who later went on to form Dead Can Dance); but for everybody else, it's anybody's guess as to whatever became of them. Nonetheless, this comp confirms that the Australian take on post-punk agitation, no-wave convolutions and contortions, and new wave bleakness was as vibrant as what more well know scenes (i.e. New York, Berlin, London) had managed. As on the first comp (which featured a band called the Slugfuckers), volume 2 also sports a band with an incredible name: The Goat That Went "Om." Highly recommended
MPEG Stream: SYSTEMATICS "International Voltage"
MPEG Stream: SEVERED HEADS "Lamborghini"
MPEG Stream: MICROFILM "Centerfold"

V/A Can't Stop It!: Australian Post-Punk 1978-82 (Chapter) cd 14.98
This is a compilation of Australian post punk and new wave from 1978-82. While not nearly as rocking as the Do The Pop! compilation from a few lists back, this is still a pretty awesome collection. The stuff on this comp leans more towards the no wave, art rock side of the spectrum. Quirky, angular but still punk. There are a few dance-y numbers with badass female vocals that are at times reminiscent of the Slits or Kleenex/Lilliput and some more gritty lofi stuf that reminds us of the Adverts or the Undertones. All in all, a solid document of a time and place that seems like it was most likely totally amazing and inspiring. The perfect companion to the Do The Pop compilation. And if you like the current crop of no wave wonders like SF's Numbers or Erase Errata, you should definitely check this out. Oh yeah, and did we mention there's a band called the Slugfuckers... oh my god.
RealAudio clip: VOIGT 465 "Voices a Drama"
RealAudio clip: THE APARTMENTS "Help"
RealAudio clip: PRIMITIVE CALCULATORS "Pumping Ugly Muscle"
RealAudio clip: THE SLUGFUCKERS "Cacophony"
RealAudio clip: PEOPLE WITH CHAIRS UP THEIR NOSES "Song of the Sea"

V/A Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010 (Matador) cd 11.98
We can sum up this new Matador release in about three words: pretty cool comp! And as you should guess from the subtitle (or maybe from the anagrammatic title itself), it's geographically centered on Austin, Texas, where it comes as no surprise they have a kick ass local music scene, and we're not talking country or blues or whatever, either. Expertly compiled by none other than former Matador head honcho Gerard Cosloy (who now lives in Austin), with liner notes by him too, these are simply some of his faves currently playing the divier bars and back yards of that town, the kids keeping their local indie rock / punk / pop scene(s) fresh and happenin'. There might be some next big things on here, certainly lots of folks proudly flying the flag for sounds heard first in the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s, but forever young...
19 tracks, 19 bands, most of whom, what with us not being Austinites (Austiners? Austinians?), we hadn't heard of before (which is sort of the point of a comp like this, of course). Probably Woven Bones is the only one we knew of already, but now we've got a whole bunch of other bands to look out for. Here's the whole lineup for your perusal: Follow That Bird!, The Young, Woven Bones, Flesh Lights, Dikes Of Holland, Tre Orsi, The Distant Seconds, Kingdom Of Suicide Lovers, Elvis, Love Collector, Bad Sports, Wild America, Harlem, The Stuffies, The Golden Boys, The No No No Hopes, The Teeners, The Persimmons, and the Lost Controls. Not perhaps the best collection of band names ever (Follow That Bird!, really?), but it's the music that matters and Cosloy has certainly selected some quality tracks regardless of the dodginess of some of the names...
You'll have noticed that two Austin area bands who we recently hosted a dual instore appearance by, Silver Pines and Pure Ecstasy, don't happen to be on here, but it sure seems like they should be, definitely their shoegazey pop psych sensibilities are shared by several of the artists who did get included, though there's quite a variety of sounds here, some tracks grungier and grittier, others more poppy and polished, all of 'em pretty darn catchy in their own way. You'll find doses of distorted jangle with a hint of Spacemen 3 influence (several bands, including Woven Bones), plenty of punky garage rock and garagey punk rock (such as Flesh Lights' instantly classic sounding "Crush On You" and the even more punkish likes of The Teeners and their barely one minute long ragged blast "Nazis On Film"), some new wavey rhythmically synthed-out moments (from the Lost Controls, ferinstance)... all sorts of stuff really... and kudos to Cosloy (and the bands), no real duds! Quite the opposite, lots of picks that click. Check it out.
MPEG Stream: FOLLOW THAT BIRD! "The Ghosts That Wake You"
MPEG Stream: WOVEN BONES "Spirits Roam"
MPEG Stream: FLESH LIGHTS "Crush On You"
MPEG Stream: THE PERSIMMONS "The Notice"

V/A Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010 (Matador) lp 16.98
We can sum up this new Matador release in about three words: pretty cool comp! And as you should guess from the subtitle (or maybe from the anagrammatic title itself), it's geographically centered on Austin, Texas, where it comes as no surprise they have a kick ass local music scene, and we're not talking country or blues or whatever, either. Expertly compiled by none other than former Matador head honcho Gerard Cosloy (who now lives in Austin), with liner notes by him too, these are simply some of his faves currently playing the divier bars and back yards of that town, the kids keeping their local indie rock / punk / pop scene(s) fresh and happenin'. There might be some next big things on here, certainly lots of folks proudly flying the flag for sounds heard first in the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s, but forever young...
19 tracks, 19 bands, most of whom, what with us not being Austinites (Austiners? Austinians?), we hadn't heard of before (which is sort of the point of a comp like this, of course). Probably Woven Bones is the only one we knew of already, but now we've got a whole bunch of other bands to look out for. Here's the whole lineup for your perusal: Follow That Bird!, The Young, Woven Bones, Flesh Lights, Dikes Of Holland, Tre Orsi, The Distant Seconds, Kingdom Of Suicide Lovers, Elvis, Love Collector, Bad Sports, Wild America, Harlem, The Stuffies, The Golden Boys, The No No No Hopes, The Teeners, The Persimmons, and the Lost Controls. Not perhaps the best collection of band names ever (Follow That Bird!, really?), but it's the music that matters and Cosloy has certainly selected some quality tracks regardless of the dodginess of some of the names...
You'll have noticed that two Austin area bands who we recently hosted a dual instore appearance by, Silver Pines and Pure Ecstasy, don't happen to be on here, but it sure seems like they should be, definitely their shoegazey pop psych sensibilities are shared by several of the artists who did get included, though there's quite a variety of sounds here, some tracks grungier and grittier, others more poppy and polished, all of 'em pretty darn catchy in their own way. You'll find doses of distorted jangle with a hint of Spacemen 3 influence (several bands, including Woven Bones), plenty of punky garage rock and garagey punk rock (such as Flesh Lights' instantly classic sounding "Crush On You" and the even more punkish likes of The Teeners and their barely one minute long ragged blast "Nazis On Film"), some new wavey rhythmically synthed-out moments (from the Lost Controls, ferinstance)... all sorts of stuff really... and kudos to Cosloy (and the bands), no real duds! Quite the opposite, lots of picks that click. Check it out.
MPEG Stream: FOLLOW THAT BIRD! "The Ghosts That Wake You"
MPEG Stream: WOVEN BONES "Spirits Roam"
MPEG Stream: FLESH LIGHTS "Crush On You"
MPEG Stream: THE PERSIMMONS "The Notice"

V/A Chains And Black Exhaust (Jones) 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! We thought these were gone for good a month ago, but we've just managed to get a few more!
Here's the soundtrack to your wildest blaxploitation-fueled fantasies, baadasssss R&B with an acid rock edge. You'll never need to ask, "Mommy, what's a funkadelic?" after this.
"Chains & Black Exhaust" is a compilation of late sixties/early seventies raw, fuzzed-out funk put together by some young, devotedly-crate-diggin' Memphis DJs, who apparently don't think we need to know what exactly we're listening too, 'cause there's no artist info, no track listing, nothing -- heck, the title of the comp appears nowhere on it, even! They give us a tantalizing but unhelpful glimpse of some original 45 labels in a photo in the cd booklet, which is otherwise illustrated with snapshots of black motorcycle club insignia. We can't imagine this lack of info is for copyright reasons, perhaps they just don't want their finds being identified & scooped by other DJs...? And unfortunately, none of us here, despite our enthusiasm for this stuff and general musical expertise, can tell you what's on here, nor did we locate a tracklist on the internet.
Oh well, whoever these mystery artists are, what's important is that they kick out the jams big time here: hard, heavy stuff full of wailing acid-psych wah wah leads, driving organ, killer grooves, and soulful vocals. It's funk verging on rock, with Black Power meets garagey rock n' roll attitude. Of course, these old singles tracks are served up with lots of lovely ol' vinyl crackle, just scratchy enough to lend that extra level of authenticity and atmosphere to the party. Highly recommended -- if you're into *early* Parliament-Funkadelic you'll dig these 16 cuts. This is one of those albums that just sells itself the second we put it on over the stereo -- even our pal DJ Z-Trip bought one instantly. Enjoyed that Peanut Butter Wolf-produced collection of unearthed funk singles? Then you'll love this one too. Right on.
We're told that *perhaps* someday this will get reissued with proper liner notes (the kind that actually tell you who is on the record at least) but that's at least a year or a year and a half off, if ever. So, we'd recommend grabbing these copies now, while you can, before they're gone, again...
RealAudio clip: BLACKROCK "Yeah Yeah"
RealAudio clip: BLACK MERDA "Cynthy Ruth"
RealAudio clip: UNKNOWN "Get High"

V/A Chef Aid: The South Park Album (American) cd 16.98
Well it looks like everybody wanted to be on this album, and lots of them are: Primus (with the theme song and more), Ozzy Osbourne/Old Dirty Bastard/DMX/Crystal Method, Wyclef Jean, Devo, Ween, Meat Loaf, Perry Farrel, Rick James, Elton John, and more...argh. Almost worth the 17 bucks though for "Come Sail Away" as sung by the show's Cartman. Several other tracks are pretty amazing too, actually, including the aforementioned Ozzy/Ol'Dirty etc. thing, the Chef's outrageous "Chocolate Salty Balls", and especially "Kenny's Dead", a remake of Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead" done No Limit style by Master P & crew--which basically makes unintended mockery of the entire gangsta rap genre. Ah, you can give it as a Christmas present to your favorite South Park fan.

V/A Cherrystones Rocks (Lo) cd 10.98
A very original, wonderfully varied collection of uber-rare international "psych and progressive gems" of the '60s and early '70s presented by Lo Recordings, who've always brought us the cool cutting edge modern electronica. Lo has previously also delved into the past for library music / acid funk compilations...now they go waaaay out with these bizarro rock tracks, picked by British hip hop DJ Garreth Goddard (who records as Cherrystones for the Twisted Nerve label). Obscure artists on here indeed -- we had previously only heard Brazil's Rita Lee (of Os Mutantes) and Detroit R&B hard rockers Frijid Pink (with "Crying Shame", one of their best songs). Garreth's obsessive crate-digging has paid dividends here, making this the kind of comp you've got to get 'cause you'll never find these records OR reissues. It's all groovy, psychedelic, crazed stuff. Some other names: Taiconderoga, Black Cat Bones, Klaus Doldinger, Niagara, Breakout, Mecki Mark Men, Sunbirds, The Mogol, and more. Veering from free-jazz inspired horn soloing to heavy fuzz guitar riffs to spoken beat poetry, the stuff on here is all over the place yet is freaky, funky, fried fun that really seems to belong together -- kudos to the DJ. Awesome.
RealAudio clip: PUGH "Love, Love, Love"
RealAudio clip: FRIJID PINK "Crying Shame"
RealAudio clip: ROLF AND JOACHIM KUHN AND THE MAD ROCKERS "Funny Bird"

V/A Cherrystones Rocks (Lo) lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A very original, wonderfully varied collection of uber-rare international "psych and progressive gems" of the '60s and early '70s presented by Lo Recordings, who've always brought us the cool cutting edge modern electronica. Lo has previously also delved into the past for library music / acid funk compilations...now they go waaaay out with these bizarro rock tracks, picked by British hip hop DJ Garreth Goddard (who records as Cherrystones for the Twisted Nerve label). Obscure artists on here indeed -- we had previously only heard Brazil's Rita Lee (of Os Mutantes) and Detroit R&B hard rockers Frijid Pink (with "Crying Shame", one of their best songs). Garreth's obsessive crate-digging has paid dividends here, making this the kind of comp you've got to get 'cause you'll never find these records OR reissues. It's all groovy, psychedelic, crazed stuff. Some other names: Taiconderoga, Black Cat Bones, Klaus Doldinger, Niagara, Breakout, Mecki Mark Men, Sunbirds, The Mogol, and more. Veering from free-jazz inspired horn soloing to heavy fuzz guitar riffs to spoken beat poetry, the stuff on here is all over the place yet is freaky, funky, fried fun that really seems to belong together -- kudos to the DJ. Awesome.

V/A Cherrystones Word (Tlon Uqbar) cd 10.98
Hey, here's the third killer compilation we've had from British 'digger and DJ Cherrystones (aka Garreth Goddard)! Cherrystones Rocks and Cherrystones Hidden Charms were both excellent, eclectic collections of groovy '60s/'70s international psych-rock surprises, and Cherrystones Word continues the tradition, complete with his customary detailed notes on each track included in the cd booklet. This one though seems somehow darker and more deviant, with a wider, weirder range, from '60s pop-psych to '70s krautrock to '80s garage-rock. It's definitely not necessarily a floor-filling DJ mix, more like what we'd imagine a random shuffle through Garreth's iPod playlist of fuzzy freakiness might turn up. The overall theme seems just to be cool and obscure, with an unexpected quotient of experimental prog and even queasy, off-kilter New Waviness included in the mix. Here's the run-down: Brainbox (featuring the hyper-Hendrixy guitar of Jan Akkerman, later of Focus fame), Dead Moon, George Brigman and Split, The Deviants, Chrome, Nosferatu, Fusioon, Roger C. Reale & Rue Morgue (a cover of The Troggs' "I Can't Control Myself"), Kontakt Mikrofoon Orkest, Midnight Circus (not the Messthetics one), Pan y Regaliz, Episode 6, Bintangs, George Romanos, and Lard Free. Who would put the exquisite, flute-laden Spanish psych sadness of Pan y Regaliz on the same comp with notorious sci-fi guitar punks Chrome? Or think that Dead Moon's urgent garage punker "Dead Moon Night" should go on the same disc with the slow and sinister sax-laced heaviness of "Warinobaril" by French freak proggers Lard Free? Or clue us into the R&B side of The Deviants, while also introducing us to the percolating quirk-funk of Spain's synthy Fusioon? Well Cherrystones would. Word!
MPEG Stream: BRAINBOX "Amsterdam, The First Days"
MPEG Stream: FUSIOON "Farsa Del Buen Vivir"
MPEG Stream: PAN Y REGALIZ "Dead Of Love"

V/A Childish Music (Staubgold) cd 15.98
Is there something in the air lately beside sneeze-inducing pollen? Suddenly children's albums are popping up from all over the map, including this one which was compiled by Ekkehard Ehlers. However with the exception of the burbly sounds on the first track by Fan Club Orchestra and oddly enough Devendra Banhart's contribution, the very sing-song-y, handclap-y "Make It Easier", there's really not much that seems truly engaging for children. C'mon folks, using elfin effected vocals and sounds resembling those of a musicbox or from a toybox isn't really enough to categorize something in this genre! And actually we think kids might lose interest and get bored pretty quickly with it. Soooo, maybe we should just approach this compilation as a neat assortment of 25 gentle, relaxing tracks by an impressive bunch of international artists including Nobukazu Takemura, Asa-Chang & Junray, Kammerflimmer Kollektief, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Anna Laplantine, Dr. Rockit, World Standard, F.S. Blumm, and Oren Ambarchi. Hmmm, much more appealing for the full grown kids, don't you think? Maybe it should've been titled Parentish Music.
MPEG Stream: FAN CLUB ORCHESTRA "Mika Bubble Sing"
MPEG Stream: ASA-CHANG & JUNRAY "Kobana"

V/A Children Of Nuggets (Rhino) 4cd 73.00
The first two Nuggets box sets have become pretty much legendary, absolutely essential for ANY music lover. And rightfully so. The popularity of the music in the first two Nuggets boxes is often attributed to Greg Shaw, who wrote a magazine (Who Put The Bomp) that then became the Bomp! record label and who later ran the Voxx label and who was almost soley responsible for the popularization of sixties style garage rock in the US and thus was essential in spreading the gospel on the musics we now hold near and dear: mod, psychedelic, British R&B, freakbeat, twee-pop, American garage rock, you name it. But what hath those Nuggets wrought? Well, of course the Children Of Nuggets, a selection of neo-garage, eighties power pop, paisley underground psych and all the other microgenres spawned by all that groovy and funky sixties psychedelic rock. Completely amazing collection of bands you already love, bands you thought you didn't like but are actually pretty fucking great and bands you have never heard of but if you had you would definitely love them: The Dukes of Stratosphear, Lyres, Bangles, Barracudas, Flamin Groovies, Hoodoo Gurus, the Posies, The Rain Parade, the dB's, Revillos, Plimsouls, Sun Dial, Screaming Trees, The Chills, The Last, The Mummies, The La's, Green Telescope, Dream Syndicate, Untamed Youth, The Milkshakes, The Droogs, the Swingin' Neckbreakers, Teenage Fanclub, The Church, Julian Cope, The Cynics, Green On Red, United States Of Existence, Plasticland, The Lime Spiders, The Pandoras and so many more!
Includes a massive book, with liner notes, photos and extensive notes on each and every track!
MPEG Stream: THE DUKES OF THE STRATOSPHEAR "Vanishing Girl"
MPEG Stream: FLAMIN' GROOVIES "I Can't Hide"
MPEG Stream: THE PANDORAS "It's About Time"
MPEG Stream: THE SWINGIN' NECKBREAKERS "I Live For Buzz"
MPEG Stream: THE HOODOO GURUS "I Want You Back"
MPEG Stream: SALVATION ARMY "She Turns To Flowers"

V/A Children's Music For Adults Volume 1 (Daft Alliance) cd 13.98
Hey all you grown-up kiddies, the nice folks at Daft Alliance don't want you to feel left out! Joining the other fine child-oriented releases that have come through our door recently is this Children's Music For Adults Volume 1 compilation. And despite the title, we can report that there's plenty on it for most age groups and attention spans. From the get-go, it's a lively listen. The most obvious appeal is not that these songs were 'made for children', but that many of them were playfully created with the sounds from a child's world (toys, tv shows, etc). It ends up becoming a name-that-toy puzzle of sorts! That said, it is definitely more than a one-time-listen novelty. Most tracks are thoroughly engaging and amusing, but the fifth and seventh songs are particular stand-outs. They're Bad Dudes' "Dawn of the Dudes" and hey willpower's "Janet and Aggie" respectively, seeming very inspired by the nuttier spastic moments of Mr. Bungle. The Bay Area-centric compilation also features tracks from Concentrick (Tim Green of the Fucking Champs), Open City, Sarge, M. Kourie, Comainu, Bookmobile, Final Cut To, Hell Hound (on my trail), Circadia and three from Tomo! If you like what you hear, keep in mind that this is just the beginning -- the first of a three volume series.
MPEG Stream: BAD DUDES "Dawn Of The Dudes"
MPEG Stream: HEY WILLPOWER "Janet And Aggie"

V/A Chinese Whispers (Sprawl) cd 16.98
Kind of like a game of extended global telephone, and featuring the talents of Mike Paradinas (aka Uziq), Bedouin Ascent, T Power, Sons of Silence, etc., this cd is the result of one artist sampling a Stereolab track and then sending the resulting mix to another artist, who similarly remixed it and sent the result to yet another remixer. Get it? Oh, and when Stereolab got back the track they remixed it once more for good measure, then put all the tracks into chronological order on one cd. Very drum'n'bass.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics 4 (PCP) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More than twenty years after the three first volumes, "Chocolate Soup for Diabetics" Vol. 4 and 5 are finally released. Fourteen titles on each lp, twenty one on each disc. Totally great 1960's UK psych, groovy rock, and soul by The Transatlantics, The Perishers, Gary Walker, The Peasants among others. Extensive liner notes for each song. Sooo good. The highlights on vol. 4, for me, are the fuzzy fucked up version of 'You Don't Love Me' by Gary Walker, and 'How Does It Feel' by The Perishers.
RealAudio clip: THE PERISHERS "How Does It Feel"
RealAudio clip: GARY WALKER "You Don't Love Me"

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics 4 (PCP) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More than twenty years after the three first volumes, "Chocolate Soup for Diabetics" Vol. 4 and 5 are finally released. Fourteen titles on each lp, twenty one on each disc. Totally great 1960's UK psych, groovy rock, and soul by The Transatlantics, The Perishers, Gary Walker, The Peasants among others. Extensive liner notes for each song. Sooo good. The highlights on vol. 4, for me, are the fuzzy fucked up version of 'You Don't Love Me' by Gary Walker, and 'How Does It Feel' by The Perishers.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics 5 (PCP) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More than twenty years after the first three volumes, Chocolate Soup for Diabetics Vol. 4 and 5 are finally released. Fourteen titles on each lp, twenty one on each disc. Totally great 1960's UK psych, groovy rock, and soul by The Transatlantics, The Ways and Means, The Magic Lanterns among others. Extensive liner notes for each song. Sooo good.
RealAudio clip: MAGIC LANTERNS "I Stumbled"
RealAudio clip: THE TRANSATLANTICS "Don't Fight It"
RealAudio clip: THE WAYS AND MEANS "Breaking Up A Dream"

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics 5 (PCP) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More than twenty years after the first three volumes, Chocolate Soup for Diabetics Vol. 4 and 5 are finally released. Fourteen titles on each lp, twenty one on each disc. Totally great 1960's UK psych, groovy rock, and soul by The Transatlantics, The Ways and Means, The Magic Lanterns among others. Extensive liner notes for each song. Sooo good.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics Volume 1 (Relics) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Chocolate Soup For Diabetics is a series of compilations with a bunch of unknown psych / garage bands probably from the States... if any of these bands "made it" they would have ended up on the Nuggets box. But they didn't, so they're here. On this volume, the groups are The Voice, The Nuchez's, Tintern Abbey, One In A Million, The Misunderstood, Dantalian's Chariot, The Flies, The Fire, The Fresh Windows, Apple, and The Unexplained.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics Volume 2 (Relics) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The second volume in the series of compilations entitled "Chocolate Soup For Diabetics." Again more '60s psych / garage bands with more of a UK Big Beat feel (early Kinks, Yardbirds, etc.). Again super limited. This line-up packs the most punch in the series with a selection of almost unknowns in Mike Stuart Span, Wimple Winch, Fleur De Lys, Craig, Apple, The Score, Winston's Fumbs, Him & The Others, Big Boy Pete, The Hush, The Tickle, Syn, State of Mickey & Tommy, and Paper Blitz Tissue.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics Volume 3 (Relics) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The third volume from the "Chocolate Soup For Diabetics" psych / beat series concentrates on the UK sound from the mid-'60s. Of the three, this one is the most soulful and has the dodgiest 'mastering' which is quite noticeably riddled with surface noise, indicating that this was clearly mastered from vinyl... Anyway, volume 3's got tracks from The Accent, Felius Andromedia, Fleur De Lys, Graded Grains, Chapter Four, The Game, The Factory, Wimple Winch, Australian Playboys, The Poets, and The Smoke.

V/A Chocolate Soup For Diabetics: 82 UK Psych Classics (Past & Present) 5cd 62.00
Psych reissues are a dime a dozen these days, no matter how you classify or organize the songs and groups, specific certain years, a particular sound, or scene, or whatever, there's no way to spin it, there's just too too too much. And plenty of those tracks, well, like lots of reissues, could very well have just remained undiscovered. It takes more than just cramming a bunch of tracks on a record and putting some cool psychedelic artwork on the front, it requires knowledge of the music, as well as a knack for making mixes. Some folks definitely have it. Andy Votel obviously, and of course Nick Saloman of the Bevis Frond, who has been releasing killer reissue comps on the Psychic Circle label. And there's whoever put together these Chocolate Soup For Diabetics comps, which gathered up some of the coolest UK psych rock from the sixties, originally released only on lp, now finally available all gathered up into a single 5cd box. And holy shit, no matter how tired of this stuff you might be, if you're anything like us, this stuff will immediately get you excited again. Fuzzy, tripped out, super rocking, jangly, space-y and most definitely PSYCHEDELIC. A few bands we already dug like Tintern Abbey, The Misunderstood and Wimple Winch, but so many new (old) discoveries: The Voice, Nuchez's, The Fresh Windows, The Fire, Graded Grains, Felius Andromeda, The Syn, The Tickle, Dantalian's Chariot, odds are the psych obsessives out there are probably a bit more well versed in UK psych obscurities, but for the rest of us, this stuff is blowing us away.
Take the first track on the first disc, "The Train To Disaster" by The Voice, after a purloined sample of Arthur Brown's "God Of Hellfire" intro, the track explodes into a fuzzy, super distorted stomp, that sounds ridiculously heavy for the time, hooky and fuzzed out, catchy like crazy, and those guitars! Raw and fiery and fuzzy and bad ass. The next track by the weirdly named Nuchez's, begins all jangly, but quickly builds momentum, some proggy organ wrapped around the guitar chug, some moody crooning, woozy guitars, and then some awesomely distorted fuzzpsych leads, and the song is transformed into something that sounds more like the Monks. We could go track by track for sure, but you probably get the picture. 5 discs, 5+ hours of super rocking, fuzzy psychedelic garage rock bliss, from jangly and trippy to crunchy and heavy, we just can't stop listening to this stuff. Wow.
Comes in a nice full color box, each one machine numbered (LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES), each disc in it's own full color sleeve, and includes a massive booklet with tons of photos and liner notes...
MPEG Stream: THE VOICE "The Train To Disaster"
MPEG Stream: TINTERN ABBEY "Vacuum Cleaner"
MPEG Stream: THE MISUNDERSTOOD "Children Of The Sun"
MPEG Stream: DANTALIAN'S CHARIOT "The Madman Running Through The Fields"

V/A CIA Via UFO To Mercury (Atavistic) cd 13.98
Compilation of live tracks by Chicago's finest purveyors of what they're still calling "No Wave" or something: The Scissor Girls, Quintron, The Flying Luttenbachers, etc. Originally a very limited edition lp, now made available on cd for those who missed out the first time.