ADD N TO (X) Loud Like Nature (Mute) cd 16.98
When listening to the first track of the new Add N To (X), I could not escape the overwhelming feeling that I was listening to an analog synthesizer muzak version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. A rousing, campy, kitschful time. Confirming once again that they're a one-trick pony, ANTX have assembled another album that gets the toes tapping and rumps shaking yet ultimately leaves the listener's ears unsatiated. There's an abundance of burly vocoded vocals, and vintage synths that bloop and blurp out gelatinous cycles of riffs... which all sound super cool, if very predictable. Frankly this probably wouldn't be such an issue at all if only they'd never released their first two albums which surpass - in both composition and rocking power - anything they've done since. However... they did. If you're new to this London trio, definitely check out either of their first two before venturing into later territory. For further ANTX thoughts, please see the review of the "Take Me To Your Leader" ep.
RealAudio clip: "Total All Out Water"
RealAudio clip: "All Night Lazy"

ADD N TO (X) On The Wires Of Our Nerves (Mute) cd 16.98
Somewhere between Gary Numan and Jean-Jacques Perrey. The aesthetics of Kraftwerk fused with punk brought the industrial sounds of SPK, Esplendor Geometrico, and Nocturnal Emissions...this continuum continues under the guise of "post-rock" with Trans Am, Six Finger Satellite, and now Add N To X...a bloody assault of analogue synths, propulsive bass lines and hyper catchy tunes...recommended by those kids at the Wire!

ADD N TO (X) Take Me To Your Leader (Mute) cd ep 8.98
These three new songs (two of them edit versions) offer a mere glimpse at their fifth album Loud Like Nature. What to expect? Churning robot rock in 4/4 time featuring a whole gang of highly processed vocals - not unlike what you might think garage rock performed completely on analog synths would sound. Fun, funky and repetitive, these songs will probably make for ideal additions to a party comp tape, but will they stand up to repeat listens? Not so sure about that. Once again it seems this London trio recorded some jams, and from the outcome, chose a handful of cool synth and bass lines and came up with some even cooler synth sounds, but didn't pursue composing fleshed out songs around them. It appears their best work is still the aforementioned sophomore release. Note: the vinyl features an extended mix of "The Trees Are Dreamless Leafless Genius" whereas the cd version includes a video for the title track.
RealAudio clip: "Take Me To Your Leader"

ADELAIDE s/t (self-released) cd ep 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This new Portland, OR band Adelaide make pastel-hued instrumentals from the swirlingly pretty side of post-rock. Each of the five tracks is sort of the aural equivalent of a dewy spring blossom gently nodding its head under the weight of the water droplets. Everything's all softly focussed with shimmery cymbal washes, gauzy guitarwork and chiming keyboard melodies. Very nice.
MPEG Stream: "Games Without End"
MPEG Stream: "Entrance"

ADEM Love And Other Planets (Domino) cd 14.98
Dulcet. That's good word and a fine one to describe this new album from Adem. While this was playing in the store, we had quite a few queries as to whether this was a new Rufus Wainwright album. It isn't, but it still might please folks who swoon at the thought of Mr. Wainwright singing in a more pastoral setting. For those of you just joining us (and who are wonderin' what all the fuss is about), Adem Ilhan (along with Four Tet's Kieran Hebden) used to be in the aQ fave band known as Fridge. Love And Other Planets has also drawn comparisons to Sufjan Stevens in his more celestial folk-tronic mode. This lovely album is filled with the sincerest heartfelt but not overly sweet sentiments. Check out "X Is For Kisses". Awwww.
MPEG Stream: "X Is For Kisses"
MPEG Stream: "You And Moon"

ADEM Takes (Domino) cd 14.98
Adem spent most of his teens in one of the most influential post-rock groups of the '90s, Fridge. While his former bandmate Kieren Hebden has enjoyed a bit of a higher profile with Four Tet and his various other projects, Adem hasn't been slacking, keeping quite busy himself releasing several records of pastoral and bittersweet indie-pop. Takes is his stab at a covers record, and while we're starting to grow a bit tired of the 'covers album' concept, we have to say we do appreciate how Adem actually covers contemporary artists and doesn't try to pretend to have obscure influences just to get cool points. And thankfully we are spared from hearing another Bob Dylan cover. Instead Adem wears his influences proudly, an indie boy at heart for sure, covering the likes of Pinback, Yo La Tengo, Bedhead, Low, Aphex Twin, The Breeders, Tortoise, Bjork and more. Kind of like hanging out with your crush in their dorm room as he serenades you with all your favorite songs from the '90s.
MPEG Stream: "Loro"
MPEG Stream: "Unravel"

ADKINS, HASIL Best Of The Haze (MAC3 Artists) cd 14.98

ADKINS, HASIL Moon Over Madison (Norton) cd 14.98
Hurrah! Norton Records has reissued two more awesome albums from the true holy terror of the rockabilly and garage world, the late Hasil Adkins. Both of them are compiled from the home recordings of the man himself circa 1958-1963. Needless to say... amazing documents of his early years! Each presents a very very different Adkins -- one a wildman hellbent on rawk fury, the other a considerably more sedate, damp-spirited country crooner. This one offers the latter, subtitled The Lonesome And Blue Sounds Of Hasil Adkins, was first released back in 1990 by Norton on LP only. This time around it's on LP and CD with an additional four bonus previously unreleased tunes sandwiched between the sixteen original warbly raw tunes.
MPEG Stream: "I Had A Dream About You"
MPEG Stream: "Somebody Help Me"

ADKINS, HASIL Out To Hunch (Norton) cd 14.98
We're totally delighted that this has finally been reissued. Hasil Adkins is fucking insane and totally rockin'. Like Elvis Presley's evil twin, fucked up, dangerous and COMPLETELY MAD. All of these songs were recorded at home in a cabin in the mountains of West Virginia, rockabilly acoustic guitar under a creepy snarly, freaked out voice, interspersed with a Adkins' cackling laugh. Having spent time touring in a beat up old car with "the greatest one man band in the world Hasil Adkins and his happy guitar" painted on the door, Adkins leaves no doubt as to who is the most rockingest man around! This reissue collects songs from 1955-1965, right at the beginning of his long and consistently nutty career. The first song 'She Said' might rings some bells, since rockabilly freaks the Cramps covered it years back. Nice booklet with liner notes penned by Adkins himself.
RealAudio clip: "She Said "
RealAudio clip: "We got A Date"
RealAudio clip: "The Hunch"

ADKINS, HASIL Peanut Butter Rock and Roll (Norton) cd 14.98
Hurrah! Norton Records has reissued two more awesome albums from the true holy terror of the rockabilly and garage world, the late Hasil Adkins. Both of them are compiled from the home recordings of the man himself circa 1958-1963. Needless to say... amazing documents of his early years! Each presents a very different Adkins -- one a wildman hellbent on rawk fury, the other a considerably more sedate, damp-spirited country crooner. This one offers the former, and it's fuckin' great! Ultra dirty, murky and strange. Drums sound like wellworn cardboard boxes, pots and pans. Vocals distort as he howls the high notes, and his loosely tuned, feverishly strummed guitar keeps 'em company. It was first released back in 1990 by Norton on LP only. This time around it's on LP and CD with an additional four bonus tunes (two previously unreleased in the U.S. and two previously unreleased anywhere) sandwiched between the sixteen original raw'n'blistered tunes.
MPEG Stream: "Blue Suede Shoes"
MPEG Stream: "Come On And Do The Shake With Me"

ADKINS, HASIL The Wild Man (Norton) cd 14.98
Fuck yeah garage rawk fans, if you like to play it 'old school', Norton Records is absolutely where it's at! They've released this live album compiling select songs from four of lone wolf Hasil Adkins' 1987 shows (in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Toronto), some of which also feature the A-Bones! The title ain't no joke. When it's time to play, this madman totally lets loose some true vintage rabble-rousin' rockabilly. If you dug his Out To Hunch album that Norton reissued a coupla years ago, you'll definitely wanna give this expanded cd reissue of The Wild Man a spin. Of the nineteen tracks, the first fourteen were originally available from Norton on lp, song #15 is taken from a 1987 vinyl 7", and the final four are previously unreleased tracks.
MPEG Stream: "Ellen Marie"
MPEG Stream: "Midnight Moan"

ADKINS, HASIL What The Hell Was I Thinking (Fat Possum) cd 12.98
Everyone's favorite rockabilly one-madman-band, back at it again, how old is he already...

ADKINS, HASKIL Out To Hunch (Norton) lp 14.98

ADMIRAL SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVELL Don't Hear It...Fear It! (Metal Blade/Rise Above) cd 14.98
First of all, now that's a name! To which your reaction might be, okay, this band must really be into 17th and 18th century British military history, to name themselves after a heroic naval officer who perished in a shipwreck in 1707. Or, if you're like us, you might think, hmmm, seems a bit like the moniker of Sir Lord Baltimore, the fuzzed out early '70s proto-metal greats. And that's definitely relevant to Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's also very much fuzzed out sound, all right. Like Witchcraft, Gentlemans Pistols, and the elusive Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats, these guys are another band on Rise Above (licensed to Metal Blade in the USA), who kick out the Sabbathy jams and sound like they actually -really- belong on Rise Above Relics, that UK label's imprint for reissues of swaggering '70s heavy rock obscurities. Yeah, the Shovell (as they like to be called, for short) deliver the goods, a ramalamajama of high energy brutal boogie with distorted to heck vocals, and noisy psych geetar explosions all over the place. 'Tis total guitar heavy, FX laden, rifftastic kickass rock n' roll. Extreme enough that while they've got one foot firmly in '70s rockarolla, they've almost got the other in, like, '90s noiserockÉ We say that 'cause sometimes the guitars break out stuff that's so sinewy and mathy, and the vocals get even more gruff and gnarly, that suddenly we start thinking the Melvins (meet Blue Cheer). It's just that they're waaay more freaked out and crazier than, y'know, mere Led Zep copyists. Much more like, The Heads, if they were all proto-metal about it. In fact, we'd say that this is definitely recommended to both fans of The Heads -and- Sir Lord Baltimore, of which we'd imagine there'd be plenty. Also if you like Danava, the aforementioned Gentlemans Pistols, Harvey Milk circa The Pleaser, Dzjenghis Khan, plus oldies like High Tide, Budgie, Toad, Dust, Buffalo, the Groundhogs (whose Tony McPhee gets in a guest guitar solo on one track here!), Captain Beyond, etc.
In a word, Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell SLAY. And do so in style. Which includes, slipcase packaging. Oh, and there's a hidden bonus track, a cover of "Bean Stew" from Buffalo's Dead Forever, so stay tuned at the endÉ
MPEG Stream: "Mark Of The Beast"
MPEG Stream: "Devils Island"
MPEG Stream: "Red Admiral Black Sunrise"

ADN 'CKRYSTALL Jazz Mad (Dark Entries) lp 15.98
One of two new Dark Entries titles this week is this bizarre French progressive synth obscurity from 1982, ADN'Ckrystall. Erick Moncollin, the man behind this one-man-band, recorded this in four days but it has as many ideas crammed into its six tracks as a candyland record store filled to the brim with Gong, Vangelis, Tim Blake and Bernard Szajner albums! Starting with the darkwave adrenaline pop of "Cocaina Vitamina", the lengthy mind-bending and genre-jumping tracks that follow employ spacey electronic synthesis, cavey dirges, occasional plodding new romantic vocals and a wonderful outsider sense of unbridled compositional experimentation. Every time we play this, we sell a copy. Weirdo French new wave prog is always welcome in our book and big thanks to Dark Entries for introducing this into our lives!
MPEG Stream: "Cocaina Vitamina"
MPEG Stream: "Pour L'Amour D'Un Cygne"
MPEG Stream: "Le Blues De La Fille Aux Jambes De Jeans"

ADORED, THE A New Language (V2) cd 14.98
Who has a giant ol' soft spot for really good power pop? We sure do!! And this LA band are definitely speaking our language. Influenced by the Brit excellence of The Buzzcocks and The Jam, The Adored follow in the punchy footsteps of mighty aQ fave popsters Silver Sun, Fallout Boy and Seattle's sadly defunct Pure Joy. We particularly were suckers for the vocals which bore a striking resemblance to the latter band's lead singer Rusty Willoughby. Anyways, if a heapin' serving of buoyant harmonies, snappy hooks and crunchy electric guitars are what you crave, this band has 'em all in abundant supply. Absolute fun!
MPEG Stream: "We Don't Want You Around"
MPEG Stream: "Hold-up!"

ADRENALIN O.D. Humungousfungusamongus (Relapse) cd 14.98
This was one of my favorite records when I (Andee) was in high school, not sure why exactly. I wasn't all that into punk rock at the time. I remembered it being funny and goofy and dumb. And it sort of is, but what I didn't remember was how totally weird and heavy it was. Totally awesome, thrashing and chaotic metallic punk rock. AOD careen wildly through two dozen short sharp blasts of goofy punkrock metal in a buzzing blur of sloppy metallic intensity. Songs like "AOD Vs. Godzilla", "Youth Blimp", "Masterpiece" (a cover of the theme from Masterpiece Theater!), "Fuck The Nieghbors", "Surfin' Jew" and tons more. Heavy and noisy and so so good. Includes a bunch of silly bonus tracks, covers of the theme from Spiderman and the Jeffersons theme, a Bay City Rollers cover, a Kiss cover, A Dead Boys cover and a Sex Pistols cover!
MPEG Stream: "AOD Vs. Son Of Godzilla"
MPEG Stream: "Office Buildings"
MPEG Stream: "Yuppie"
MPEG Stream: "Answer"

ADRENALIN O.D. The Wacky Hi-Jinks Of... (Chunksaah) 2cd 15.98
Adrenalin O.D. really get a bad rap as being some sort of joke band. Sure they were funny, and goofy, and had ridiculous song titles, and sang about a lot of stupid shit, but it was more a case of 4 really funny guys getting together to play some serious kick ass metallic punk rock, and the thing is when you get to the music, there's really nothing funny about it at all. A.O.D. were faster and heavier and more brutal than most of their early eighties contemporaries, just check out the first sound sample "A.O.D. Vs. Godzilla", perfectly encapsulates what's so awesome about Adrenaline O.D. With a dead pan introduction "Hi, welcome to our album", the band lurches into a chugging doomy metal dirge, that probably had the punk kids back in 1984 when this came out thinking "what the fuck?", before launching into a super heavy, ultra furious punk rock blast, that is heavier than most metal bands. A.O.D. slip back and forth between some angular Maidenesque guitar harmonies, and that furious blasting punk rock, shifting gears at the end into another kick ass buzzing outro. Holy shit. We forgot how good this stuff sounded. The rest of the disc is not quite so metal though there are moments, this is just punk as fuck punk rock, and even when these guys are singing about silly shit, the songs still destroy. Be sure and check out "Rock & Roll Gas Station", Fenriz from Darkthrone's favorite song. Which makes sense, listening to Darkthrone you can tell those guys were into punk rock as much as metal, maybe even more. There's a video floating around on internet of Fenriz being interviewed in his apartment, and there's a long part where he goes on and on about that track and these guys. FENRIZ ENDORSED!! What else do you need?!
As if the The Wacky Hi-Jinks record wasn't enough on its own, this reissue also includes a whole extra disc of rarities, including singles, comp tracks, live recordings, most of 'em as kick ass as the record proper. Also includes a bunch of photos, and essay and liner notes...
MPEG Stream: "A.O.D. Vs. Godzilla"
MPEG Stream: "White Hassle"
MPEG Stream: "Rock & Roll Gas Station"

ADULT Why Bother? (Thrill Jockey) cd 15.98
Awww c'mon Adult., why the resigned tone in your new album title?! We know you're not the defeatist types, and your new album has a momentum all its own!
This duo's music has gone through a few shifts in direction since their inception in the late nineties -- from the sharp icicles of classic Detroit techno and electro to the incensed shove of grrrrl punk -- but regardless of which direction they turn, there persists an overriding sense of frazzled nervous instability or 'anxiety always' (the title of their 2003 album), if you will. Fists and teeth are still clenched on this their fourth album, but Miller and Kuperus turn their wheels away from the abrasive electro-punk of their last album. They haven't returned completely to their minimal electro roots though. While the aggressive energy remains from the comparatively untethered Anxiety Always and 2005's Gimmie Trouble, Adult. have sharpened their focus and control here while at the same time unleashing a far more consuming, dense atmosphere; sinking deeper into the depths of goth industrial territory. Miller's prickly programmed beats have been partially engulfed by a thick ominous fog. Looming clanks and churnings occupy the former robotic stark spaces, and yet, Kuperus' sharp vocal exclamations still pierce out of the cloudy dank air. Her confrontational vocal performance continues to channel early female fronted post-punk bands such as Malaria!, X-Ray Spex, Liliput, and The Slits, if somewhat more muted and even-tempered than on their last couple albums. Check out the fevered itch of "I Feel Worse When I'm With You". Some folks around here were also reminded of Romeo Void and Fuzzbox. Alternately brooding and manic, and definitely devoid of the lethargy and apathy implied by the album's title.
Cool cover photos once again by Kuperus featuring a fresh manicure, milky skin, wheat, a rusted axe and a woman with her head concealed in a piece of luggage.
MPEG Stream: "Good Deeds"
MPEG Stream: "I Feel Worse When I'm With You"

ADULT Why Bother? (Thrill Jockey) lp 13.98
Awww c'mon Adult., why the resigned tone in your new album title?! We know you're not the defeatist types, and your new album has a momentum all its own!
This duo's music has gone through a few shifts in direction since their inception in the late nineties -- from the sharp icicles of classic Detroit techno and electro to the incensed shove of grrrrl punk -- but regardless of which direction they turn, there persists an overriding sense of frazzled nervous instability or 'anxiety always' (the title of their 2003 album), if you will. Fists and teeth are still clenched on this their fourth album, but Miller and Kuperus turn their wheels away from the abrasive electro-punk of their last album. They haven't returned completely to their minimal electro roots though. While the aggressive energy remains from the comparatively untethered Anxiety Always and 2005's Gimmie Trouble, Adult. have sharpened their focus and control here while at the same time unleashing a far more consuming, dense atmosphere; sinking deeper into the depths of goth industrial territory. Miller's prickly programmed beats have been partially engulfed by a thick ominous fog. Looming clanks and churnings occupy the former robotic stark spaces, and yet, Kuperus' sharp vocal exclamations still pierce out of the cloudy dank air. Her confrontational vocal performance continues to channel early female fronted post-punk bands such as Malaria!, X-Ray Spex, Liliput, and The Slits, if somewhat more muted and even-tempered than on their last couple albums. Check out the fevered itch of "I Feel Worse When I'm With You". Some folks around here were also reminded of Romeo Void and Fuzzbox. Alternately brooding and manic, and definitely devoid of the lethargy and apathy implied by the album's title.
Cool cover photos once again by Kuperus featuring a fresh manicure, milky skin, wheat, a rusted axe and a woman with her head concealed in a piece of luggage.
MPEG Stream: "Good Deeds"
MPEG Stream: "I Feel Worse When I'm With You"

ADULT. Blank Eyed (Clone) 12" 9.98

ADULT. D.U.M.E. (Thrill Jockey) cd ep 10.98
On their newest cdep/12" and first release on Thrill Jockey, Detroit electro-punk duo Adult. sure have got a bee in their bonnet. Continuing to move further from their icy, true electro origins into an increasingly raw'n'aggressive punky territory, vocalist Nicola Kuperus whoops and sneers her way through the lead-off track "Hold Your Breath" -- definitely in line with Glass Candy or Le Tigre -- while her partner Adam Miller churns out the dank, brooding bass and bristling guitars that punch through the unrelenting programmed beats. Actually this might've served as a better transitional follow-up to their fine compilation Resuscitation (which collected together a bunch of their singles) than was their last full length Anxiety Always. D.U.M.E. more cohesively bridges their electro past and recent more punky leanings. Really, Adult. comes across as much more focussed, infectious and potent on shorter format releases (12"s, EPs, etc). Not only are the songs more structured, but the lyrics are also more fully fleshed out (like Resuscitation's songs than A.A.'s more repetitive one-liners). Kewl.
MPEG Stream: "Get Me Out"
MPEG Stream: "Hold Your Breath"

ADULT. D.U.M.E. (Thrill Jockey) 12" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On their newest cdep/12" and first release on Thrill Jockey, Detroit electro-punk duo Adult. sure have got a bee in their bonnet. Continuing to move further from their icy, true electro origins into an increasingly raw'n'aggressive punky territory, vocalist Nicola Kuperus whoops and sneers her way through the lead-off track "Hold Your Breath" -- definitely in line with Glass Candy or Le Tigre -- while her partner Adam Miller churns out the dank, brooding bass and bristling guitars that punch through the unrelenting programmed beats. Actually this might've served as a better transitional follow-up to their fine compilation Resuscitation (which collected together a bunch of their singles) than was their last full length Anxiety Always. D.U.M.E. more cohesively bridges their electro past and recent more punky leanings. Really, Adult. comes across as much more focussed, infectious and potent on shorter format releases (12"s, EPs, etc). Not only are the songs more structured, but the lyrics are also more fully fleshed out (like Resuscitation's songs than A.A.'s more repetitive one-liners). Kewl.
MPEG Stream: "Get Me Out"
MPEG Stream: "Hold Your Breath"

ADULT. Gimmie Trouble (Thrill Jockey) cd 14.98
Lest they forever be genre-saddled with the electro-clash albatross, Adult. have wisely broadened their scope. And the path they've chosen is much more outwardly aggressive and punky. Truckloads of abrasive attitude. This is most evident in the vocal department which has claimed even more prominence in the band's sound. Formerly ice-cold monotone vocalist Nicola Kuperus further expands her range, swooping from a high pitched shriek to a mid-pinched sneer and way down to a deep throaty snarl. Brings to mind early-'80s Berliners Malaria! or more recently SF/Berliners The Vanishing. Likewise, Adam Miller's dirtied up his former ultra-sterile, scalpel-sharp, old school Detroit electro palette. Nevertheless, his steely mechanized beats are what link the tracks on Gimmie Trouble to those of the Adult. of old -- cutting through the newly added chunks o' industrial guitar which come courtesy of new member Samuel Consiglio. Their new(ish) direction and expansion aim them right for the spot recently vacated by the abovementioned, recently disbanded, art-punk/goth-dustrial duo-turned-trio The Vanishing.
MPEG Stream: "Gimmie Trouble"
MPEG Stream: "Scare Up The Birds"

ADULT. Gimmie Trouble (Thrill Jockey) lp 12.98
Lest they forever be genre-saddled with the electro-clash albatross, Adult. have wisely broadened their scope. And the path they've chosen is much more outwardly aggressive and punky. Truckloads of abrasive attitude. This is most evident in the vocal department which has claimed even more prominence in the band's sound. Formerly ice-cold monotone vocalist Nicola Kuperus further expands her range, swooping from a high pitched shriek to a mid-pinched sneer and way down to a deep throaty snarl. Brings to mind early-'80s Berliners Malaria! or more recently SF/Berliners The Vanishing. Likewise, Adam Miller's dirtied up his former ultra-sterile, scalpel-sharp, old school Detroit electro palette. Nevertheless, his steely mechanized beats are what link the tracks on Gimmie Trouble to those of the Adult. of old -- cutting through the newly added chunks o' industrial guitar which come courtesy of new member Samuel Consiglio. Their new(ish) direction and expansion aim them right for the spot recently vacated by the abovementioned, recently disbanded, art-punk/goth-dustrial duo-turned-trio The Vanishing.
MPEG Stream: "Gimmie Trouble"
MPEG Stream: "Scare Up The Birds"

ADULT. Hand To Phone (Clone) 12" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Four versions of fab Detroit electro duo Adult.'s track "Hand To Phone". They are: the original as heard on their awesome album 'Resuscitation', an instrumental mix by the group themselves (which in my opinion falls a bit short without Nicola's unflinchingly icy vocals), plus two remixes by Carl Craig and Mat 101. Come over!

ADULT. Suck The Air / High Heels On Tile Floors (Ersatz) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On "Suck The Air", vocalist Nicola Kuperus assumes a much more pissy-pouty tone than her usual cold android stare - aligning Adult. more with the punky rather than electro crowd. Think Glass Candy or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She's honed her sassily sneering delivery somewhat from their recent Anxiety Always album on which her vocals wavered dangerously close to the grating, shrill side of things. On the flipside, the rubbery beats and aquatic synth clangs of "High Heels..." aims the ear more towards the work of electro-technician Adam Miller. It's a fun no-frills track, but much too short to get the party fully rolling. Truly, this 7" should've been a 12"! Nonetheless, it (especially the A-side) shows the duo doing what they do best, crafting *single* tracks into terrific electro-pop.

ADVENTURES IN STEREO Alternative Stereo Sounds (Bobsled) cd 12.98
Imagine Jan and Dean meets Mamas and Papas with pretty, delicate female harmonies a la His Name is Alive.

ADVENTURES IN STEREO International (Bobsled Records) 7" 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If you've yet to hear the loveliness that is Adventures In Stereo, what are you waiting for? Here's a prime opportunity to get a wee sampling of their swirling ribbons of pop sweetness. Two songs, one from their wonderful album "Monomania" and one unreleased.

ADVENTURES IN STEREO Monomania (Bobsled Records) cd 14.98
Beginning softly with some very retro dreamy balladry, this album then shifts into a bit of country guitar pickin' and on to perkier numbers, but the lovely high female vocal harmonies continue throughout. Very, very pretty swirling melodies from this pop sextet. Actually, these songs would have been very much at home on the Sarah record label or early SpinArt. Lovely.

ADVERTS, THE Crossing The Red Sea With... (The Devils Own Jukebox) cd 15.98

AEFFECT, THE A Short Dream (Fueled by Ramen) cd ep 7.98
Have to say that the current trend of new New Wave is right on with me. Love those old synth sounds and programmed beats... just as long as these new bands bring some fresh elements into the sound as opposed to simply rehashing Human League, Pet Shop Boys or New Order tracks. Unfortunately in the case of the Gainesville, FL trio known as The Aeffect, it seems to be leaning towards the latter. Perhaps they've not quite found their own boots, and in the meantime are trying on the ones of those mentioned above? I'm not quite sure, but Ladytron and The Faint do this much better. And to further puzzle me, the final track is an unexpected switch into a non-synth, piano prettiness.

AEGES The Bridge (The Mylene Sheath) cd 14.98
Been meaning to list this for a while now, the debut from a group we originally discovered due to the fact that it features members of longtime aQ faves, instrumental heavies Pelican. So we were expecting something similar, heaving atmospheric heaviness, slow burn post metal majesty, but instead, we discovered a sound much closer to the sludge pop of Torche - thick churning riffage, crushing drumming, clean soaring vox, hooks and harmonies galore, like a slightly less heavy Torche crossed with the post stoner rock heaviness of QOTSA, which for all the warped and weird shit we listen to, is actually a pretty badass combo to these ears. But actually, the more we listen, the more Aeges sounds like latter era Cave In, not the Radiohead period, but right after that, when they switched back to a heavier more metallic sound, but taking some of that stadium rock bombast back with them. Hooky as hell, with a sound that's massive and heavy, the guitar gnarled and buzzy, distorted and often thick, crumbling and corrosive, plus there are cool stretches of guitar riffing, where the sound is super processed and doused in effects, and those clean vox, slip occasionally into raspy glass gargling vokills, but almost always slips right back into something more melodic. We could go song by song for sure, but really if you dig super catchy, meldoic heaviness, and groups like Cave In, Torche, Queens Of The Stoneage, even Swervedriver and the heavier side of the shoegaze sound, this record will hit the spot big time. Aquarius pal Lauren came in the shop when we were playing this, and said it sounded like something that she would have listened to in the nineties, which is pretty spot on. Classic old school, heavy nineties style indie rock heaviness that is one of those sounds they just don't make like they used to, except in the rare cases, like this, when they DO!
MPEG Stream: "Wrong"
MPEG Stream: "My Medicine"
MPEG Stream: "Southern Comfort"

AEREOGRAMME A Story In White (Matador) cd 14.98
Wow, what a refreshing surprise of an album, sez Miss Windy. Aereogramme, a four-piece band started by Craig B of Ganger, play a super appealing combination of (get this) the theatricality and LOUD-soft dynamics of Mogwai, and the intensely emotional delicacy of Sparklehorse. Gigantic crashing guitars swell, voices scream in anguish (heartbreak, no doubt), then it all gives way to stillness: quietly tinkling piano, evocative strings, and sensitive barely-whispered vocals. There are very catchy, epic melodies throughout. The effect is extremely pleasant, folks!
Aereogramme has released two 7"s and an EP, and this is their full length debut, on Matador via the respected Scottish label Chemikal Underground (Arab Strap, Mogwai, Delgados). Highly recommended if you like Mogwai or Sparklehorse, Badly Drawn Boy, Delgados, Red House Painters, etc.
RealAudio clip: "Post-Tour, Pre-Judgement"
RealAudio clip: "A Meaningful Existence"
RealAudio clip: "The Question is Complete"
RealAudio clip: "Sunday 3:52"

AEREOGRAMME My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go (Sonic Unyon) cd 14.98
Whoa, this new Aereogramme full length really unveils a new side of the band. They're downright gentle, romantic, and dare we say, emo even. Most notably they traded in their thick metal-leaning bottom end for spiraling stratospheric strings. Perhaps it's the altitude, but this album's overall sound comes across as much thinner and more brittle than last year's Seclusion, but no less epic. For the first half of My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go, everything -- from the piano to the guitars to the strings to the percussion -- is played with a contemplative, often delicate touch. Drifting atop this spacey gauziness are timorously sensitive male vocals. Think more Flaming Lips and maybe Frog Eyes than Mogwai and Isis. The hefty Aereogramme of old does resurface briefly at the album's midpoint, the sixth song "Living Backwards", injecting an effective dose of tension and gravity into the proceedings.
MPEG Stream: "A Life Worth Living"
MPEG Stream: "Living Backwards"

AEREOGRAMME Seclusion (Sonic Unyon) cd 10.98
Now released on this side of the pond by the Canadian label Sonic Unyon! And at a much friendlier price! Here's what we said about it late last year when we got in the UK import version:
On their past two fine albums A Story In White and Sleep And Release, these Scots' waves of crashing dynamics have drawn comparisons to Mogwai, but on Seclusion they've taken their sound to such a heavy and dark place where perhaps even those Mogwai lads dare not tread. Although the album starts out sounding like it's gonna be a college radio ready emo-rock record with the song "Inkwell", a sense of emotional unravelling gradually seeps in over the course of the other five songs that rises to the distraught degrees of bands such as Xiu Xiu and Frog Eyes. Ahh, what d'ya know, we just noticed the third song's title... "The Unravelling". Some might find the stormier, near-metal moments on this album to be downright fierce, but the fever is broken by some truly lovely melodic, heartrending phrases as well as some brief bursts of mathiness. Another great one from Aereogramme, available as an import only for some reason we don't know. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Inkwell"
MPEG Stream: "The Unravelling"

AEREOGRAMME Sleep and Release (Matador) cd 15.98
What we have here is a fantastic -- and to our ears widely appealing -- record which hopefully won't disappear underneath most folks' radar like their first one did. Aereogramme are a four-piece from Scotland, and even though this comparison might sound a wee bit too convenient, it is nonetheless true that they sound like the perfect distillation of fellow Scots Mogwai and the Delgados! They have the fragile delicacy and pure indie-rockness of Delgados (and Death Cab for Cutie, especially in the vocals), but you know how just when the sweetness is so sad and heartbreaking, you want something to scream, that's gonna mirror the despair and howl the pain? That's when Aereogramme lashes out with crashing metallic noisiness a la Mogwai -- although we think it sounds more authentically heavy like the Melvins or a Hydrahead metalcore band. And it *really* works as an album: the dynamic changes are not unpleasantly distracting; they're as skillfully executed as on Radiohead's "OK Computer", and the climaxes come exactly when you most need them too. There are also judiciously wielded violins and cello soaring above the warm guitars, some genuinely death metal, hoarse vocal roars, and guitar parts that could be from an authentic '70s prog or metal album. At one moment the tight discipline of Shellac, the next the delicate melodies of Sparklehorse, and then some sheer black metal creepiness...wow. Some might call their style a gimmick, though we can't when it's so satisfying and brilliantly executed!
So this record should appeal to fans of all of the bands mentioned above, plus to fans of bands that are doing similar dynamic genre blends like emo-metalcore outfits Poison the Well, From Autumn To Ashes, and Cave In. Indeed, Aerogramme's debut "A Story In White" -- a favorite around here -- made good use of the same dynamics, but rather than simply mixing up their indie-rock with some surprisingly metal moments as on that disc, Aereogramme here sound like a genuine hybrid...like maybe it's the other way around, they're a metalcore band toying with utterly gorgeous indie-pop songwriting.
RealAudio clip: "Indiscretion #243"
RealAudio clip: "Wood"
RealAudio clip: "No Really, Everything's Fine"

AERIAL M As Performed By Aerial M (Drag City) cd 12.98
Dave Pajo (formerly of Slint and now of Tortoise).

AERIAL M M Is... (Drag City) cdep 4.98
A two-song EP of post-rock guitar explorations from David Pajo (Slint, Tortoise). The second song "Mountains Have Ears" with its inclusion of flute samples and programmed beats is considerably more kinetic than his usual ultra-soothing mellowness.

AERIAL M October (Drag City) cdsingle 4.98
As we never seem to tire of saying, "Aerial M is a solo project of David Pajo of Tortoise doing lonely things." Peaceful post rock guitar.

AERIAL M Post-Global Music (Drag City) cd 12.98
Remixes of ex-Slint-er Dave Pajo's solo work as Aerial M, by none other than Bundy K Brown of Tortoise, Tied and Tickled Trio, DJ Your Food, and Flacco.

AERIAL M Post-Global Music (Drag City) lp 12.98
Remixes of ex-Slint-er Dave Pajo's solo work as Aerial M, by none other than Bundy K Brown of Tortoise, Tied and Tickled Trio, DJ Your Food, and Flacco.

AERIAL MORGANUM As Performed By Aerial M (Drag City) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Dave Pajo (formerly of Slint and now of Tortoise).

AERO-MIC'D I Think You're Great (Aero-Mic'd records) cd 7.98
Artist/Designer/Musician Wayne Smith's third outing as Aero-Mic'd (not including last years collaboration with the Sadnesses, Cloud Mama) is a family affair but not in the usual familial way. Made to coincide with a exhibition of new artworks at Queen's Nails Annex in San Francisco, I Think You're Great, includes many guest appearances from friends and local luminaries, including video artist Anne McGuire on vocals, writer Kevin Killian (intoning a series of tai chi movements on opening track "Cloud Hands"), and performer/painter Cliff Hengst, all of whom have been collaborating on each others' projects off and on for at least the past ten years. Smith is a master of mining magical significance through the filtering, manipulating and repetition of found sounds and images (celebrity, the cultic and the mundane play against each other constantly). On the title track, clocking in at over 15 minutes (an epic by Aero-mic'd standards whose songs normally clock in at under 2 minutes), he expands his sound from previous efforts by including excerpts from a live performance at the Headlands last year with William Collins from Mire on guitar and tibetan bowls and Cliff Hengst on percussion. Intermixed with the live and programmed bells and filtered guitars, Smith includes one of his signature sound pieces, "Hello", recorded by calling people randomly from the phone book and recording their standard but delightfully varied greetings. With I Think You're Great, the feeling is definitely mutual!
MPEG Stream: "Last Four Shakers"
MPEG Stream: "I Think You're Great"

AEROSMITH Draw The Line (Columbia) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**

AEROSMITH Night In The Ruts (Columbia) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**

AEROSMITH Rock In A Hard Place (Columbia) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**

AEROVONS, THE Resurrection (RPM) cd 16.98
BACK IN STOCK!
What a find! This is a record made in 1969 by The Aerovons, a St. Louis quartet led by the talented 17-year old songwriter/producer Tom Hartman. But except for one 7" single that had 2 songs on it, The Aerovons' full length was NEVER released. This is its first proper showing, and it's a doozy. Made by fanatical Beatles fans, who even used the same model instruments their idols did, this record at times sounds just like a late-'60s Beatles album, especially in "Say Georgia" which sounds like "Oh! Darling" and "Resurrection" which sounds like "Across the Universe" and Tom's voice is just like Paul McCartney's. This is a good thing! It's a real pity the band never saw their debut released, cos for a while they had everything going for them. They were hits in their hometown, journeyed (with Tom's mum!) to London, got signed to Parlophone, jammed with the Hollies, hung with George Harrison, got Paul's autograph, even borrowed the Beatles' tambourine while recording at ABBEY ROAD. Can you imagine how stoked these kids were?
Not just a hell of a backstory, but a fine Beatlesesque treat. Some folks might find some of the songs (like the aforementioned two) just a little TOO close to Beatles originals for comfort, actually, but we were charmed. After all, it takes a certain sort of teenage nerve to go ahead and rip off "Across The Universe" when it hadn't even been released yet -- the band simply got an Abbey Road engineer to play the Beatles' latest tapes for 'em, and then promptly repaired to their studio suitably inspired! Perhaps this doppelganger aspect is why the album never was released, or perhaps the label backed out fearing that the group would not be able to promote the album properly after one of the Aerovons split for the US due to personal problems. So goes a footnote in rock history, what could've been a major band. Still, thanks to RPM we've got our first chance to hear this real pleasure of a record, complete with copious liner notes, photos, article clippings, and four bonus tracks. The Aerovons. Who knew?
MPEG Stream: "World of You"
MPEG Stream: "Resurrection"
MPEG Stream: "The Children"

AETHENOR Deep In Ocean Sunk The Lamp Of Light (VHF) cd 13.98
What do you get when you cross SUNNO))), Swiss metallic post rockers Shora and UK proglords Guapo? At the very least we got your attention now don't we? Well, Aethenor is a collaboration between Stephen O'Malley (SUNNO))), Khanate, etc.) Daniel O'Sullivan from Guapo and Vincent De Roguin from Shora and sounds nothing like you might expect.
SUNNO))) might be the closest, but don't be expecting any crushing down tuned drones or slow moving sludge, instead Deep In Ocean Sunk The Lamp Of Light is a series of ambient explorations, slow moving sonic floes, very tidal sounding, thick washes of warm whir in a wide open soundscape of murky industrial percussion, and soft sonic wells, All three guys are credited, along with their usual instruments, with 'room', so as you might expect, these tracks are enormous sounding, spacious and grand, epic drifts through a dark landscape of creaking timbers and whirring wind. It's almost like a doomier version of Nurse With Wound's Salt Marie Celeste. An old rickety ship, creaking and groaning as it traverses some haunted pass, replete with moaning demons and all manner of creepy sonic incursions. And that's just the first song! The second song, another lengthy moody crawl, is super minimal, very reminiscent of seventies kraut prog like Tangerine Dream or Popol Vuh, thick keyboards that churn and slowly shift, over a backdrop of percussive clatter and keening high end melody.
The last two tracks are both around 5 minutes but somehow embody the same sort of epic spaciousness. As a pair they are a bit like the musical version of one of those paintings that from one angle shows the portrait of a person, but from a slightly different angle shows the same person as they appear in death!
The first angle is all crumbling distorted organ and tinkling music box melody over an intricate web of tape hiss, record crackle and analog synth splutter, dreamy and dark, like some sort of late night lullaby. The other deathly angle sounds like the track before it but with all the life sucked out, the warm glow dimmed, leaving a gaunt shell, the fuzzy slowly decaying, desiccated skeletal remains of a pretty song. The final few minutes offer up a super creepy haunted house melodic coda, a weird minor key music box melody over a strangely mechanical hissing rumbling rhythm. So spooky! And so nice!!!
MPEG Stream: "Untiltled 1"
MPEG Stream: "Untiltled 2"

AETHENOR Deep In Ocean Sunk The Lamp Of Light (VHF) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
What do you get when you cross SUNNO))), Swiss metallic post rockers Shora and UK proglords Guapo? At the very least we got your attention now don't we? Well, Aethenor is a collaboration between Stephen O'Malley (SUNNO))), Khanate, etc.) Daniel O'Sullivan from Guapo and Vincent De Roguin from Shora and sounds nothing like you might expect.
SUNNO))) might be the closest, but don't be expecting any crushing down tuned drones or slow moving sludge, instead Deep In Ocean Sunk The Lamp Of Light is a series of ambient explorations, slow moving sonic floes, very tidal sounding, thick washes of warm whir in a wide open soundscape of murky industrial percussion, and soft sonic wells, All three guys are credited, along with their usual instruments, with 'room', so as you might expect, these tracks are enormous sounding, spacious and grand, epic drifts through a dark landscape of creaking timbers and whirring wind. It's almost like a doomier version of Nurse With Wound's Salt Marie Celeste. An old rickety ship, creaking and groaning as it traverses some haunted pass, replete with moaning demons and all manner of creepy sonic incursions. And that's just the first song! The second song, another lengthy moody crawl, is super minimal, very reminiscent of seventies kraut prog like Tangerine Dream or Popol Vuh, thick keyboards that churn and slowly shift, over a backdrop of percussive clatter and keening high end melody.
The last two tracks are both around 5 minutes but somehow embody the same sort of epic spaciousness. As a pair they are a bit like the musical version of one of those paintings that from one angle shows the portrait of a person, but from a slightly different angle shows the same person as they appear in death!
The first angle is all crumbling distorted organ and tinkling music box melody over an intricate web of tape hiss, record crackle and analog synth splutter, dreamy and dark, like some sort of late night lullaby. The other deathly angle sounds like the track before it but with all the life sucked out, the warm glow dimmed, leaving a gaunt shell, the fuzzy slowly decaying, desiccated skeletal remains of a pretty song. The final few minutes offer up a super creepy haunted house melodic coda, a weird minor key music box melody over a strangely mechanical hissing rumbling rhythm. So spooky! And so nice!!!
MPEG Stream: "Untiltled 1"
MPEG Stream: "Untiltled 2"