CIRCLE PIT Honey / Slave (Hardly Art) 7" 4.98
Latest chunk of gritty grimy scuzz punk from this Australian boy/girl duo, who on the surface seem like the Aussie answer to Royal Trux, but this here single is a bit of a surprise, the band ditch their sleazy glammy grit, and abrasive punky pound, instead offering up some sweetly moody, shoegazey drift, sounding a bit like M83 via Crystal Stilts, an eighties style ballad about taking drugs and having sex, but wreathed in a sweetly washed out softly psychedelic dream pop ballad, all hazy smoldering synths, minimal pulsing percussion, simple guitar strum, and some darkly gorgeous boy girl harmonies, almost like a more lo-fi Raveonettes.
We figured the flipside would get things back to normal, with some wild crunch and cacophony, but instead, it's another dreamy brooding ballad, all simple steel string strum, warm whirring organ and some mournful guitar harmonies, a dark minor key lament, the vocals slipping into Nick Cave territory, softened by the sweet female back up vox, the song dirgey and darkly doleful, gradually growing more and more hazy and washed out and softly psychedelic, and ultimately sounding like it could be some new band on Captured Tracks or Sacred Bones.
Some seriously striking (and a little disturbing) cover art too...

CIRCLE PIT Sewercide (Sweet Rot / R.I.P. Society) 7" 6.98
Another blast of crusty, druggy, swaggery, slithery blues groove garage sleaze from this Australian duo. A sort of garagey noise pop dipped in glitter and blow and blasted through busted Marshall stacks. The sound on these two jams is a lot heavier than their Siltbreeze full length (which we loved), in-the-red and deliriously glammy, the guitars crunchy and corrosive, the drums pounding and relentless, a bed of musical nails for the wailing bad ass vox draped over the top, all wound into a serious back alley blues explosion.
The B side cranks up the glam element even more, sounding like T-Rex/Gary Glitter via the New York Dolls or Hanoi Rocks, but filtered through that distinctly Aussie Lubricated Goat / King Snake Roost noise/blues rock continuum, replete with big stadium style hand clappy hooks and soaring sing along choruses, all wrapped in a tattered cloak of filthy buzz. Awesome. And killer almost DHR looking collaged cover art too...

CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE As The Roots Undo (Robotic Empire) cd 11.98
Okay, so Circle Takes The Square may not be the best band name. In fact, it's pretty dumb. It also gives no clue as to what an intense and amazing record As The Roots Undo is. But as with monikers like the "Flaming Lips", or even the "Beatles", the name will grow on you, which is good, because you're gonna be telling everyone you know about this record. Trust us! From the cover, a gorgeous gold and silver metallic digipak that folds together IPR style, to the music, a bizarre hybrid of old school crusty hardcore complete with shouted boy/girl vocals, modern metalcore, indie/post rock, seriously complex and innovative prog, and even some weird ambient electronic bits, you won't know what hit you. Sounds like it could be a mess, but somehow it all falls together perfectly. Emotional and intense, alternately heavy and intense, melodic and melancholy. Massive Neurosis-style riffery gives way to weird clean guitar breakdowns, spoken word parts and blooping electronic programming. Buzzing grindcore splinters into jangly, rhythmic almost-pop. Definitely schizophrenic. But in a good way. The core of the record is a thrashy, complex grind metal, but the vocals are so distinctive and emotional and the arrangements are so creative that it turns what could have been a run of the mill punk rock record into one of our favorite new records, period.
MPEG Stream: "Same Shade As Concrete"
MPEG Stream: "Crowquill"

CIRCLE X Live In Dijon '79 (Fractal) 10" 22.00

CIRCLE X Prehistory (Blue Chopsticks) cd 14.98
First proper full length from this mysterious seventies outfit, who formed in Kentucky (some argue that Circle X were the first punk band from Louisville), the band eventually relocated to the Big Apple where they became a small part of the burgeoning no-wave underground, a scene at the time that consisted of bands like Mars and DNA, they would later graduate into the second wave of NYC noisemakers like Swans, Sonic Youth, Cop Shoot Cop, Live Skull and others.
Unlike the raw primal fury of their debut ep, 1983's prehistory is much more restrained and rhythmic, the drums tribal and trancelike, the arrangements less like songs and more like rituals, the guitar abstract and angular, the bass locked into mesmerizing loops, the vocals gloomy and emotive, the mood dark and depressing, the drums very reminiscent of Southern California tribalists Crash Worship, in fact, much of Prehistory references the ritualistic drum jams. But Circle X, due in no small part to the company they keep, injected plenty of moody miserablism into their decidedly gothic sprawl, a strange hybrid of chaotic post punk, junkyard crash and clatter, and dark depressing almost new wave. Jagged guitars are tossed about by frenzied percussion and buzzing low end synth drones, melodies are mostly angular and atonal, although here and there the band do inadvertently slip into something bordering on catchy and lovely, wild vocal caterwauls wrap themselves around, flurries of intense drumming, and long drawn out rhythms, Jandekian guitars surface and blurt out some strangled melody before sinking back into the mire, it's definitely a strange sonic miasma, a quick listen reveals mostly chaos, but beneath it all, the band had some strange twisted pop sense, which somehow holds the whole rickety thing together.
MPEG Stream: "Current"
MPEG Stream: "Pre-History Part I"

CIRCLE X s/t (Dexter's Cigar) cd 13.98
Circle X were a mysterious and mythical aggro angular artrock band formed in Louisville in the late seventies, eventually relocating to NYC and falling in with the No Wave crowd, stumbling on the noise rock periphery for years, even recording a record in 1994, before disappearing completely not long after. We have been huge fans since we first heard these guys way back when, all of their records are amazing, and amazingly difficult, all unfortunately out of print, including this one apparently, but a distributor found a stash so we grabbed all we could so you all could get a gander at the filthy, sweaty, fucked up sound of Kentucky art rock circa 1979.
Of all their recordings, this short sharp blast (4 songs, 11:33) of growling vitriolic fury is probably our favorite. It's the meanest and leanest, essentially a punk rock record, with lots of swagger and snarl, a sort of damaged art rock version of the Stooges: fuzzed out jagged guitars, often soaring into squealing angular harmonies, pounding drums, that often explode into convoluted splattery fills or stumble into bizarre almost tribal anti-rhythms, and the vocals, woah! A raspy howl, that always sounds on the verge of cracking completely, wild and untamed, half shout, half spoken, but so emotive and intense. A breathless furious delivery that perfectly suits the band's primal pound. On their dirge-y version of "Onward Christian Soldiers" you can definitely hear bits of early Swans, Copshootcop, and other NYC junkyard thugs, with its relentless pound and tangled atonal washes of super distorted guitar. This shit is raw and intense and primal and so goddamn good.
Fans of down and dirty, scuzzy garage rock stomp will be way into this (think Brainbombs, Stooges, etc.) as will art rockers not afraid to get a little dirty.
WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT 15 COPIES!!! And since this is way out of print, when these are gone they are gone for good!
MPEG Stream: "Tender"
MPEG Stream: "Albeit Living"

CIRCUIT DES YEUX Portrait (De Stijl) lp 17.98
Record number three from Ms. Haley Fohr, aka Circuit Des Yeux, who crafts witchy, shadowy psychedelic folk music, that sounds a bit like a more rural version of Zola Jesus, of maybe a little like a female Jandek via Grouper, her voice deep and commanding, slipping easily into a near operatic wail, but most of the vocals delivered in a dark throaty croon, over wheezing organs, simple strummed guitars, mournful piano with occasional squalls of wild psychedelia.
The songs seem to take two routes, one a simple sort of classic folk music, pop music rendered in acoustic guitar and moody atmosphere, the other a sort of vocal driven raga, with Fohr crooning over haunting chordal drones. Those two sides of her sonic personality, perfectly exemplified by the opening tracks on Portrait. "Falling Out" is all hazy warbly drone, a thick whir, over simple monochromatic strumming, peppered with lush blossoms of Technicolor psychedelia, the organ drones growing more and more lush, Fohr's vocals powerful and intense, especially when she slips into a near falsetto, trilling and swooping, but the music adds an intense gravitas to the already dark moodiness of the haunting vocals. But we find ourselves most moved by songs like "3311", which sounds like some classic torch song or some old country song, all acoustic guitar and reverbed piano, Fohr's voice doing all the work, mostly unadorned, deep and sultry, the lyrics mournful and melancholy, the vocals occasionally piling up into glorious harmonies, only to slip right back into the dark brood and strum.
The rest of the record deftly balances the folk and the drone, the classic songcraft and experimental, "Crying Chair" is a twisted almost Nurse With Wound like electronic warble-scape, Fohr's vocals processed and twisted into strange ships, the result druggy and divine, while "Twenty And Dry" sounds like a girl and her guitar, simple finger picked acoustic, and a second, more fierce and distorted offering melodic counterpoint, and again, the vocals, so moving and emotional, doing most of the heavy lifting. Gorgeous stuff. And WAY recommended for fans of Grouper, Zola Jesus, U.S. Girls, and other purveyors of dark ritualistic femme folk.
MPEG Stream: "Falling Down"
MPEG Stream: "3311"

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM s/t (Cloud Recordings) cd 12.98
While most of his bandmates proceeded on with other musical projects following the demise of AQ ultra-faves Olivia Tremor Control, Will Cullen Hart instead chose to focus his attention on other artistic endeavours - primarily his painting. But now he's returned to the aural realm, and in such a lovely fashion. This cd is graced with a number of his unmistakable paintings. Quite simply, Will possesses a songwriting mastery that pinpoints the sweet romantic heartstrings in us all.
The song entitled "Joy" almost made us weep right in the middle of the store. And not surprisingly, he's assisted by all his ol' Elephant 6 co-horts Jeff Mangum, Pete Erchick, Scott Spillane, Julian Koster to name a few. Be forewarned that the quality of the recording is a lot more lo-fi than the pristine OTC records, but the songwriting, harmonies, and musicianship still shine thru.
RealAudio clip: "Joy"

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM Signal Morning (Cloud Recordings) cd 14.98
Holy shit! Some things are just worth the wait, even when the wait is almost an entire decade! It was over eight years ago that Will Cullen Hart put out a record as Circulatory System after the dissolution of his legendary Elephant Six flagship outfit Olivia Tremor Control. And ever since we've been waiting for more...
Signal Morning is a dazzling, fucked up pop record that ranks near the top of anything to come out of the great Elephant Six movement. With a bunch of E6 folks playing on the record including the ever elusive Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel fame drumming on some tracks. It's fuzzy, layered, crackling, and then bursting with such dynamic melodies and a triumphant spirit that's as warped as it is colorful and chaotic. It's easy to forget that Hart and the Elephant Six folks were doing fractured multilayered glorious pop way before Animal Collective were even a band.
Signal Morning is just such a charged and monumental sounding record, you can tell that Hart poured every ounce of himself into every single moment of the record. Kind of cool that this is coming out right around the same time all The Beatles reissues have been released as Hart was one of the folks to best realize how to take The Beatles sound into entirely new sonic realms, adding enough layers and undercurrents of weirdness to make something all his own out of that holy grail of pop. There is some serious fuzz and distortion going on amidst all the glorious pop music, in fact a customer who was in the store the first time we played this thought we were playing some great lost pop tinged This Heat record. Maybe (maybe) even better than Olivia Tremor Control's finest moment Dusk At Cubist Castle, and that's saying a hell of a lot! This one's gonna be a contender for record of the year, so damn great!
MPEG Stream: "Woodpecker Greeting Worker Ant"
MPEG Stream: "Blasting Through"
MPEG Stream: "Particle Parades"
MPEG Stream: "Rocks and Stones"

CIRCULUS The Lick On The Tip Of An Envelope Yet To Be Sent (Candlelight) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Miri It Is"
MPEG Stream: "My Body Is Made Of Sunlight"

CIRCUS s/t (Esoteric Recordings) cd 23.00
Why are we highlighting this fairly obscure, UK prog/pop/jazz band's one-off album from 1969? For an AQ prog-pick this Circus reissue is not all that weird, it's not really heavy (though there's some moments of killer fuzz), not from some exotic locale, not "cosmic", not a lot of other things that we normally get off on regarding this genre of music, no, BUT it's one that we found very appealing regardless, when we first randomly encountered this record some years ago. It's simply a classy, enjoyable album from a bygone era, combining pleasant psych pop rock with the freeform exuberance of jazz improv. Generally laidback and melodic, it also grooves hard when it wants. We were probably initially won over by the way the album opens, with an awesomely fuzzed out (and also swingingly jazzy too, somehow) version of the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood". Especially towards the end of this lengthy jamming track, the guitarist really wails in full fuzz-garage fashion, while elsewhere non-sucky sax soloing is actually incorporated quite effectively. As Beatles covers go, it's a keeper, and almost alone worth the price of admission! That track is followed by the much mellower "Pleasures Of A Lifetime", and indeed as we said a lot of the rest of this album is rather laid back, with gentle vocals and a melancholic vibe, though some tracks boast funky flute and groovy percussion as well, not so melancholic those, more sunny really, even with a tropical island feel.
Another highlight is their version of "II B.S." by Charles Mingus. Again, a groovy launch pad for improv, which apparently was a big part of the live Circus show, whose performances of "II B.S." and "Norwegian Wood" each could stretch out for 20-30 minutes on stage we're told. (They clock in at 7:20 and 6:34 here, respectively.)
So it's neat that this has just been nicely reissued again, as it's a minor classic in a genre that doesn't really exist anymore (though there were a spate of SST bands in the '90s exploring some of the same jazz crossover elements, we're thinking of Hotel X in particular, who also covered "II B.S." on their debut A Random History Of The Avant-Groove in '93, but we digress). Anyway we'd recommend this to those that liked previous prog-picks of ours such as Bachdenkel and East Of Eden, NSU and Luv Machine. For fans of Caravan and King Crimson too - in fact, Circus features future King Crimson member Mel Collins on flute and tenor saxophone. You can definitely hear here why/how Collins would wind up in KC, playing on several of their early/mid period albums that had a sort of pastoral vibe to 'em. Collins' career actually started before Circus, and continued far beyond KC, his quite impressive c.v. including appearances over the years on a myriad of records from such diverse artists as Camel, Caravan, the Alan Parsons Project, the Rolling Stones, Eric Burdon, Baron Rojo, Dire Straits, Tears For Fears, David Sylvian, the Stray Cats, the Small Faces, Uriah Heep, Phil Lynott, the list goes on and on... In Circus, though, he's not just a sideman but definitely one of the stars, though the guitarist gets his share of the spotlight too!
MPEG Stream: "Norwegian Wood"
MPEG Stream: "Pleasures Of A Lifetime"
MPEG Stream: "II B.S."

CIRCUS DEVILS Harold Pig Memorial (Fading Captain / Recordhead) cd 15.98
Not surprisingly, the follow-up to the C.D.s' very well-received debut "Ringworm Interiors" has arrived swiftly. Why unsurprisingly? Well, because the man behind this group is none other than the more-than-prolific Robert Pollard. Revealing once again a wonderfully strange and trippy side with shades of Pere Ubu, Pink Floyd and Captain Beefheart, this is much less poppy and more off-kilter, noisy and eccentric. Mr. Pollard and brothers Todd and Tim Tobias take you by tha hand and lead you on their bizarre, psychedelic trek scattered with, among other things, wheezing church organs, watery pianos, and bristly guitars. Listening to Circus Devils can be quite akin to finding yourself in an altered state -chemically or otherwise induced. Sounds and voices are slightly tweaked and distorted, time is skewed, and you'll find these 44 minutes are over all too soon. Recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Discussions In The Cave"
RealAudio clip: "The Harold Pig Memorial"

CIRCUS DEVILS Pinball Mars (Fading Captain / Recordhead) cd 14.98
If you 'sort of' like Guided By Voices, but they're just a little too poppy or Beatle-esque for you, then maybe the Circus Devils is the band you've been waiting for. Featuring uber-prolific GBV mainman Robert Pollard on vocals, the Circus Devils are truly the handiwork of brothers Tim and Todd Tobias, and the sonic world they inhabit is anything but poppy. Its a murky, effects laden, psychedelic underworld of fuzzy guitars, thrashing drums, groovy riffs and howled vocals. Grungy and heavy and very druggy, but of course, in a decidedly lo-fi manner. Pollard sounds as un-Pollard like as he ever has, wailing and belting it out big time. In fact the first track sounds quite a bit like Alice In Chains (!), even the vocals. Especially the vocals. All gloomy riffs and dramatic minor key melancholia. This is apparently some sort of rock opera, with the lyrics all divided into lines by different characters, but as far as we can tell, Pollard plays all the parts. While there are still some definite melodic GBV style tracks, this might be a little raw and tripped out for all but the truly dedicated/daring Guided By Voices fan. But it might just be the deciding factor for the GBV doubters out there, and might also surprise some of you psych-rock lovers out there as well.
MPEG Stream: "Are You Out With Me?"
MPEG Stream: "Gargoyle City"

CIRCUS DEVILS Ringworm Interiors (Fading Captain / Recordhead) cd 15.98
New project from Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices... and it's great, probably the best thing he's done in years. Thank goodness! We were afraid he'd lost it, y'know. The guy is so prolific that it's hard to keep up the enthusiasm when the quality of his recent work has been, to put it nicely, inconsistent. But lemme tell ya, he paired up with the right band this time, brothers Todd and Tim Tobias (anybody know from these guys?), who inject the GBV jangly indie sound with adrenaline, distortion, kick ass energy, and *noise*. Actually the only relation to GBV here is Pollard's delivery, cos the music is completely different. When Pollard isn't singing, the Tobiases take over with howls and yowls of pure instrumental ferocity. Parts of it are angular and arty, like Gang of Four or Wire. Sometimes there's a Stooges-like hollow roar, sometimes it's a metallic blast of Pere Ubu-style Cleveland punk... 28 short sharp snapshot songs in 42 minutes. Excellent.
(We also have the LP for 14.98, although this is probably limited.)
RealAudio clip: "Feel Try Fury"
RealAudio clip: "Spectacle"
RealAudio clip: "Lizard Food"
RealAudio clip: "Knife Song"

CIRCUS DEVILS Ringworm Interiors (Fading Captain / Recordhead) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of last list's "Records of the Week", now on vinyl!
New project from Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices... and it's great, probably the best thing he's done in years. Thank goodness! We were afraid he'd lost it, y'know. The guy is so prolific that it's hard to keep up the enthusiasm when the quality of his recent work has been, to put it nicely, inconsistent. But lemme tell ya, he paired up with the right band this time, brothers Todd and Tim Tobias (anybody know from these guys?), who inject the GBV jangly indie sound with adrenaline, distortion, kick ass energy, and *noise*. Actually the only relation to GBV here is Pollard's delivery, cos the music is completely different. When Pollard isn't singing, the Tobiases take over with howls and yowls of pure instrumental ferocity. Parts of it are angular and arty, like Gang of Four or Wire. Sometimes there's a Stooges-like hollow roar, sometimes it's a metallic blast of Pere Ubu-style Cleveland punk... 28 short sharp snapshot songs in 42 minutes. Excellent.
RealAudio clip: "Feel Try Fury"
RealAudio clip: "Spectacle"
RealAudio clip: "Lizard Food"
RealAudio clip: "Knife Song"

CIRCUS DEVILS, THE Five (Fading Captain) cd 14.98
A slow soothing glide of string sounds opens Circus Circus Devils' fourth full length (yes, despite what you might assume from the title, this is not the fifth album!), but that's just their gentle way of easing you into the often bizarre, frequently cacaphonous world that Robert Pollard and Todd Tobias roam. If you're unfamiliar with Circus Devils (but dig the pop stylings of Robert Pollard and his former band Guided By Voices) we should forewarn you that this is definitely much more obtuse and downright strange than Pollard's other projects. That said, we totally dig 'em. In fact, their first album released back in 2001 was a particular fave around here (it was an AQ Record Of The Week). With the blurts of noisy guitar feedback, aggressive drumming, unstructured picked guitar lines, and slurred vocals that drift in and out of focus as if Pollard is talking/shouting in his sleep, this is just as weirdly wonderful. Oh yeah, and for those of you who are counting, this is #34 of the Fading Captain Series.
MPEG Stream: "Dog Licking Baby"
MPEG Stream: "Eyes Reload"

CITAY Dream Get Together (Dead Oceans) cd 14.98
It's been a couple years since Citay's great sophomore outing Little Kingdom, and since then the band has experienced significant lineup changes which included the loss of former guitarist Jesse Reiner who left to concentrate on his awesome new band Jonas Reinhardt. Luckily Citay mastermind Ezra Feinberg was able to get some bigtime heavy hitters to become part of this new incarnation of Citay including virtuoso guitarist Sean Smith and the multitalented and super-prolific Josh Pollock (3 Leafs, Auricle, etc.), joining the already present guitar powerhouse that is Tim Green, who was the original cohort of Feinberg when Citay was first born.
So while this is in some ways a more beefed up and full sounding Citay, the elements that made us fall in love with them in the first place still shine so bright. Their ability to create songs that feel epic yet never indulgent. The way they are able to inhabit so many worlds at once while never feeling disjointed. Citay truly are a gateway band. They can lead you to heavier psychedelia, they can show you the intricacy and dreaminess of West Coast pop, they can take you to the woods, the sky, the forest, and the backyard yet every turn they take feels so right and true to their own unique vision.
Dream Get Together has a rushing current of lush and full sounds that makes you want to blast it so loud and just get swept up in its sound. Long passages without vocals that let their wide arrange of instrumentation take center stage and then Feinberg's wonderful expansive vocal delivery adds another layer of depth to the experience. Meryl Press and Thaliah Harbour add their beautiful voices throughout, maintaining that awesome balance of masculine/feminine that has been such a refreshing aspect of Citay's sound. There is also a really nice guest vocal by Merril Garbus of Tune-Yards. Citay really have carved out such an instantly recognizable and unique sound that is so much all their own. We could tell you that Dream Get Together kind of sounds like Heart hijacked by Robert Fripp and Dungen, but the truth is Citay continue to create music that has its feet in so many musical worlds that the sound they've created is undeniably deep and exists entirely in their own wonderful world. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Careful With That Hat"
MPEG Stream: "Dream Get Together"
MPEG Stream: "Mirror Kisses"

CITAY Dream Get Together (Dead Oceans) lp 17.98
Now available on vinyl!
It's been a couple years since Citay's great sophomore outing Little Kingdom, and since then the band has experienced significant lineup changes which included the loss of former guitarist Jesse Reiner who left to concentrate on his awesome new band Jonas Reinhardt. Luckily Citay mastermind Ezra Feinberg was able to get some bigtime heavy hitters to become part of this new incarnation of Citay including virtuoso guitarist Sean Smith and the multitalented and super-prolific Josh Pollock (3 Leafs, Auricle, etc.), joining the already present guitar powerhouse that is Tim Green, who was the original cohort of Feinberg when Citay was first born.
So while this is in some ways a more beefed up and full sounding Citay, the elements that made us fall in love with them in the first place still shine so bright. Their ability to create songs that feel epic yet never indulgent. The way they are able to inhabit so many worlds at once while never feeling disjointed. Citay truly are a gateway band. They can lead you to heavier psychedelia, they can show you the intricacy and dreaminess of West Coast pop, they can take you to the woods, the sky, the forest, and the backyard yet every turn they take feels so right and true to their own unique vision.
Dream Get Together has a rushing current of lush and full sounds that makes you want to blast it so loud and just get swept up in its sound. Long passages without vocals that let their wide arrange of instrumentation take center stage and then Feinberg's wonderful expansive vocal delivery adds another layer of depth to the experience. Meryl Press and Thaliah Harbour add their beautiful voices throughout, maintaining that awesome balance of masculine/feminine that has been such a refreshing aspect of Citay's sound. There is also a really nice guest vocal by Merril Garbus of Tune-Yards. Citay really have carved out such an instantly recognizable and unique sound that is so much all their own. We could tell you that Dream Get Together kind of sounds like Heart hijacked by Robert Fripp and Dungen, but the truth is Citay continue to create music that has its feet in so many musical worlds that the sound they've created is undeniably deep and exists entirely in their own wonderful world. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Careful With That Hat"
MPEG Stream: "Dream Get Together"
MPEG Stream: "Mirror Kisse"

CITAY Little Kingdom (Dead Oceans) cd 14.98
It's quite remarkable that only two records into their existence Citay have managed to carve out a sound that is so instantaneously recognizable and distinctive. With their soaring guitars, glorious melodies and harmonies that sound as if they're raining down from the sky, this ensemble led by Ezra Feinberg has quickly become one of the shining lights of the San Francisco music scene, but we think that folks from all over the globe should be hearing them, so they too can be swept away by Citay's carefully crafted songs.
Little Kingdom is the follow up to their debut which was a unanimous AQ favorite when it came out around two years back. With a similar sound and feel as that first outing they have widened their reach as the songs descend with a much more expansive quality. Brimming with a crisp sensation Little Kingdom is matching our autumnal mood so perfectly.
We love how Citay always sound so monumental without resorting to the typical quiet...quiet...loud...eruption formula that so many post-rock groups use when they want to sound grand. What makes Citay so great is that they don't TRY to sound grand or monumental, it's just that the songs they make require a presentation that the band understand so well and do so effortlessly. Little Kingdom makes us want to run into leaves and feel the wind rushing against our skin, whisking us away, the sounds of the strings on guitars summoning us to a greater place!
MPEG Stream: "Eye On The Dollar"
MPEG Stream: "Little Kingdom"
MPEG Stream: "On The Wings"

CITAY Little Kingdom (Important) lp 16.98
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!
It's quite remarkable that only two records into their existence Citay have managed to carve out a sound that is so instantaneously recognizable and distinctive. With their soaring guitars, glorious melodies and harmonies that sound as if they're raining down from the sky, this ensemble led by Ezra Feinberg has quickly become one of the shining lights of the San Francisco music scene, but we think that folks from all over the globe should be hearing them, so they too can be swept away by Citay's carefully crafted songs.
Little Kingdom is the follow up to their debut which was a unanimous AQ favorite when it came out around two years back. With a similar sound and feel as that first outing they have widened their reach as the songs descend with a much more expansive quality. Brimming with a crisp sensation Little Kingdom is matching our autumnal mood so perfectly.
We love how Citay always sound so monumental without resorting to the typical quiet...quiet...loud...eruption formula that so many post-rock groups use when they want to sound grand. What makes Citay so great is that they don't TRY to sound grand or monumental, it's just that the songs they make require a presentation that the band understand so well and do so effortlessly. Little Kingdom makes us want to run into leaves and feel the wind rushing against our skin, whisking us away, the sounds of the strings on guitars summoning us to a greater place!
MPEG Stream: "Eye On The Dollar"
MPEG Stream: "Little Kingdom"
MPEG Stream: "On The Wings"

CITAY Remixes (Dead Oceans) lp 17.98

CITAY s/t (Important) cd 15.98
Wow! We haven't been this excited about a new project in quite a while. Citay is a new band created by Ezra Feinberg (occasional contributor to Piano Magic) along with Tim Green (The Fucking Champs, and about a million other projects). What an amazing exercise in how you can take from influences that have been exhausted by so many in all the wrong ways yet somehow find a way to discover the gold that's never been mined before. According to Feinberg, Citay is influenced by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Queen, and Heart...but wait don't think this is about irony or played-out 70's rock worship. Citay get to the blissed out acoustic moments of the above mentioned bands (think Queen II, Sabbath Vol.4) to create something that sounds so fresh, breezy and full of the right kind of dirt and sunlight. With an onslaught of guitars (mostly acoustic and including some 12 strings), nice textural sounds created by mandolin, flute, organ, piano, vibes and a an overall sound that is hard to talk about without using really over the top words like...perfect! They nailed how this kind of record should sound. The guitars are so sweeping yet intimate, the vocals seep into your skin and all of a sudden it feels like the longest summer day ever, the kind that you never want to end. We can't stop listening to this and each time we do, all we can think about is finding our old huffy and riding through dirt lots as the sun shimmers down on us and we pedal through twilight. So totally recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Nice Cuffs"
MPEG Stream: "Seasons Don't Fear The Year"
MPEG Stream: "Sticks"

CITAY s/t (Frenetic) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON VINYL thanks to our friends at Frenetic...
Wow! We haven't been this excited about a new project in quite a while. Citay is a new band created by Ezra Feinberg (occasional contributor to Piano Magic) along with Tim Green (The Fucking Champs, and about a million other projects). What an amazing exercise in how you can take from influences that have been exhausted by so many in all the wrong ways yet somehow find a way to discover the gold that's never been mined before. According to Feinberg, Citay is influenced by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Queen, and Heart...but wait don't think this is about irony or played-out 70's rock worship. Citay get to the blissed out acoustic moments of the above mentioned bands (think Queen II, Sabbath Vol.4) to create something that sounds so fresh, breezy and full of the right kind of dirt and sunlight. With an onslaught of guitars (mostly acoustic and including some 12 strings), nice textural sounds created by mandolin, flute, organ, piano, vibes and a an overall sound that is hard to talk about without using really over the top words like...perfect! They nailed how this kind of record should sound. The guitars are so sweeping yet intimate, the vocals seep into your skin and all of a sudden it feels like the longest summer day ever, the kind that you never want to end. We can't stop listening to this and each time we do, all we can think about is finding our old huffy and riding through dirt lots as the sun shimmers down on us and we pedal through twilight. So totally recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Nice Cuffs"
MPEG Stream: "Seasons Don't Fear The Year"
MPEG Stream: "Sticks"

CITAY / CLOUDLAND CANYON Tugboat / Temperature's Rising (Intercoastal Artists) 7" 7.98
For the debut release of Kip Ulhorn's (of Cloudland Canyon) new label, Intercoastal Artists, two of our faves, Citay and Cloudland Canyon, both pay tribute to one of their seminal but less obvious influences, Galaxie 500, with two amazing interpretations.
Citay's take on "Tugboat" (also featured on their last full length, Dream Get Together) begins with what is perhaps a straight forward take until the end, where Citay's baroque dual guitar lines recast the warm glowing evocative sheen of the original into a whole new majestic light.
Cloudland Canyon's lovingly lysergic version of "Temperature's Rising" begins with what sounds like a Mellotron line from another song before the familiarity of the song abruptly jumps in and takes off. Being one of Galaxie 500's faster songs, the cover serves Cloudland Canyon well as a single, that is both exploratory and concise, allowing just enough room to allow some hypno-psych flourishes, but keeping the satisfaction of a good pop song well intact.
Very limited!!! We're not sure we'll be able to get more after we run out, so act fast. Each 7" includes a uniquely designed sleeve - no two are exactly alike. Look out for future 7" releases on this label from Pocahaunted/ Eden Express, Sun Circle, and The Alps!

CITIES s/t (Yep Roc) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "A Theme"
MPEG Stream: "Capitol"
MPEG Stream: "Lakes"

CITIZEN FISH Third Psychological Background Report (Bluurg) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Just in, straight from the source (yup, CF bassist Jasper brought these in to us), Citizen Fish have just issued their third collection of odds'n'ends on cd-r (the previous two were released on cassette). Not to be mistaken for their newest album out now on Honest Don's, this is a self-released mish mash of styles and wit and sound quality from these UK ska punk vets who're still at it a decade after rising from the ashes of the UK's Subhumans.
RealAudio clip: "Silvery Car"
RealAudio clip: "Corky Dog"

CITY CENTER s/t (Type) cd 15.98
We all were really excited when we saw that Animal Collective had picked Grouper to open their tour, how cool that Grouper's dreamy and hazy sounds would reach so many new ears at all of their sold out shows. While it might not seem like an obvious match, we think there is much in Panda Bear's aesthetic that drew him and the rest of his gang to Grouper's daydream delights. Enter City Center, who we first heard on a split 7" with Grouper and who to our ears sound a lot like a much more slowed down and blissed out and dreamy Panda Bear. While using similar sounds and ideas, tons of reverb and the same sort of repetition that made the Panda Bear album so unique, City Center never reaches the same kind of ecstatic boiling point, instead keeping things in more understated and lingering. Like the perfect foggy Sunday morning or lazy laid back late night soundtrack, the sound of City Center floats and flows with such ease. Fred Thomas, better known for his band Saturday Looks Good To me, will probably now end up being more well known for City Center, building from his indie-pop roots into something a bit more atmospheric. Nice.
MPEG Stream: "Killer Whale"
MPEG Stream: "Summer School"

CLAIR CASSIS s/t (Starlight Temple Society) lp 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
When we first discovered mysterious Northwestern black metal outfit Velvet Cacoon, it wasn't just their blown out buzz that had us enraptured, it was all the rumors and weird stories about the band itself, that they were some sort of eco-fascists, who had built a huge gasoline-driven HARP which was responsible for their massive buzz. We later discovered that the whole eco-fascist / droneharp thing was a ruse, a put on, the band intentionally fucking with what they considered to be a contemptible black metal scene. It was then revealed that Velvet Cacoon were in fact a couple of drug obsessed dandies, who when they weren't crafting some of the most stunning black metal weirdness, were waxing about the various drugs they took, and their decadent lifestyle. But all that stuff only made them more interesting, and gave the sound a certain twisted cachet, coming as it did from these unlikely creators.
As it happened, the band got fed up with the drama and the internet message board bullshit, and decided to scrap Velvet Cacoon entirely and start fresh. A new band, a new name and a new sound. Thus we have Clair Cassis, whose sound really is not all that far removed from the washed out black buzz of VC, but does distinguish itself in some important ways. The first being the song length. The band described CC in an interview as being a more pop Velvet Cacoon, and so it is, the shortest song is under 3 minutes, the longest just less than 7, the band forcing themselves to be more succinct, to move through their musical ideas in a more structured and less unhindered way, instead of letting songs and parts drone on and on. Not that we minded before, in fact, we like it when our black metal drones and buzzes endlessly, but there's something to be said for the opposite approach, which tends to force the write to craft SONGS more than SOUNDS. The other big difference is the bass. And with that the above mentioned pop element. The lack of bass in black metal is practically a running joke, the brittle buzz and furious blasting of most black metal generally relegating bass to a barely there buzz, so when a black metal band takes the bass, and makes it as much a part of the sound as the guitar, it changes the whole shape of the sound, in the case of Clair Cassis, gives it a sort of woozy, gothic, cold wave vibe, black metal is dour and depressive by its very nature, but here it's gloomy and haunting, an emotional sort of darkness and depression.
This new sound/direction is immediately noticeable on opener "Ambercandle" which begins all warped and woozy, the riffs twisted and seemingly melting over the pounding doomy drums, when the track finally kicks into gear, the bass drives the songs, thick and dense, the notes slippery, haunting gloomy low end swells that add some pathos to the already loping minor key dirge, besides that it makes the sound so much heavier. Even on the next track, "The Feathered Fog" which begins with a somewhat standard burst of blackness, droney and relentless, still the bass is there adding heft, and a melodic counterpoint to the frenzied riffage, and then when the song switches gear, lurches into halftime, the bass swoops right to the front and the song transforms into a woozy seasick dirge.
And as you listen, the record definitely reveals itself as more than buzzing black metal, and knowing what we do about the folks behind it, it's not hard to imagine them creating this otherworldly pop music, and simply choosing to cloak it in black metal finery, which definitely explains the catchiness, the heavy bass and buried grooves, but it's probably best to not analyze it too much. A casual glancing listen will definitely provide plenty of black metal pleasure, the guitars are thick and gnarled, the drumming (real this time it sounds like) heavy and blasting, the arrangements trancelike and hypnotic, with long stretches of deep shimmering drone music, as well as plenty of pounding doomic dirgery, Velvet Cacoon fans won't be disappointed, but digging deeper reveals all the other subtle sonic alterations that make Clair Cassis simultaneously much more accessible, but also even weirder than VC. The songs may be shorter, but they're no less complex and convoluted, in fact in some ways, they're even more, considering parts don't drone on, the band flits from part to part, from blast to plod to drift to blast again.
"Pearls & Pinesmoke" is another standout, a soaring blasting droner, thick with bass rumble and throb, grim enough, the drums a little loose and chaotic, the vocals a creepy croak, and then the breakdown comes, and it's total melodic black nirvana, half tempo, the guitar still buzzy, but the bass unfurling an insanely melodic and ridiculously catchy part, that totally transforms the song, and then the sound shifts again back to blasting buzz, somehow the bass remains, adding unlikely melody to even the blackest bits, and fear not, a part that good comes back again, fans of Alcest and Amesoeurs will be in heaven. And after a strange interlude, the track shifts again, into another woozy, differently melodic dirge, laced with more melodic bass, but this time wrapped around spidery acoustic guitars, all still wreathed in crumbling buzz.
Finally the record finishes with the awesomely titled "Hazelhearted In The Seaparlour", which explodes immediately into a dense churning blast, heavy and harsh and layered, with a strange midtempo bridge/chorus, that features a strangely bouncy, and again surprisingly melodic bassline, way up in the mix, changing the focus of the song, before dropping out again and letting the guitars take over, before the track finally fades out, leaving nothing but the wheezing strains of what almost sounds like elevator music, or the music they play in the middle of the night at outside malls, the sound here replete with random bits of found sound, footsteps and other curious ambience.
And just leave it to the fickle folks who disbanded Velvet Cacoon at the height of their popularity to nip their new band in the bud as well, which apparently is exactly what happened. Clair Cassis is no more. But what a way to go. There is a second record floating around, who knows if it will ever get properly released, but for now, this one is not surprisingly shaping up to be a serious contender for black metal record of the year!
MPEG Stream: "Ambercandle"
MPEG Stream: "The Feathered Fog"
MPEG Stream: "Kir Royale"
MPEG Stream: "Our Overwinter In The Ivories"

CLAIR CASSIS s/t (full-length) (Full Moon Productions) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
BACK IN STOCK!!
When we first discovered mysterious Northwestern black metal outfit Velvet Cacoon, it wasn't just their blown out buzz that had us enraptured, it was all the rumors and weird stories about the band itself, that they were some sort of eco-fascists, who had built a huge gasoline-driven HARP which was responsible for their massive buzz. We later discovered that the whole eco-fascist / droneharp thing was a ruse, a put on, the band intentionally fucking with what they considered to be a contemptible black metal scene. It was then revealed that Velvet Cacoon were in fact a couple of drug obsessed dandies, who when they weren't crafting some of the most stunning black metal weirdness, were waxing about the various drugs they took, and their decadent lifestyle. But all that stuff only made them more interesting, and gave the sound a certain twisted cachet, coming as it did from these unlikely creators.
As it happened, the band got fed up with the drama and the internet message board bullshit, and decided to scrap Velvet Cacoon entirely and start fresh. A new band, a new name and a new sound. Thus we have Clair Cassis, whose sound really is not all that far removed from the washed out black buzz of VC, but does distinguish itself in some important ways. The first being the song length. The band described CC in an interview as being a more pop Velvet Cacoon, and so it is, the shortest song is under 3 minutes, the longest just less than 7, the band forcing themselves to be more succinct, to move through their musical ideas in a more structured and less unhindered way, instead of letting songs and parts drone on and on. Not that we minded before, in fact, we like it when our black metal drones and buzzes endlessly, but there's something to be said for the opposite approach, which tends to force the write to craft SONGS more than SOUNDS. The other big difference is the bass. And with that the above mentioned pop element. The lack of bass in black metal is practically a running joke, the brittle buzz and furious blasting of most black metal generally relegating bass to a barely there buzz, so when a black metal band takes the bass, and makes it as much a part of the sound as the guitar, it changes the whole shape of the sound, in the case of Clair Cassis, gives it a sort of woozy, gothic, cold wave vibe, black metal is dour and depressive by its very nature, but here it's gloomy and haunting, an emotional sort of darkness and depression.
This new sound/direction is immediately noticeable on opener "Ambercandle" which begins all warped and woozy, the riffs twisted and seemingly melting over the pounding doomy drums, when the track finally kicks into gear, the bass drives the songs, thick and dense, the notes slippery, haunting gloomy low end swells that add some pathos to the already loping minor key dirge, besides that it makes the sound so much heavier. Even on the next track, "The Feathered Fog" which begins with a somewhat standard burst of blackness, droney and relentless, still the bass is there adding heft, and a melodic counterpoint to the frenzied riffage, and then when the song switches gear, lurches into halftime, the bass swoops right to the front and the song transforms into a woozy seasick dirge.
And as you listen, the record definitely reveals itself as more than buzzing black metal, and knowing what we do about the folks behind it, it's not hard to imagine them creating this otherworldly pop music, and simply choosing to cloak it in black metal finery, which definitely explains the catchiness, the heavy bass and buried grooves, but it's probably best to not analyze it too much. A casual glancing listen will definitely provide plenty of black metal pleasure, the guitars are thick and gnarled, the drumming (real this time it sounds like) heavy and blasting, the arrangements trancelike and hypnotic, with long stretches of deep shimmering drone music, as well as plenty of pounding doomic dirgery, Velvet Cacoon fans won't be disappointed, but digging deeper reveals all the other subtle sonic alterations that make Clair Cassis simultaneously much more accessible, but also even weirder than VC. The songs may be shorter, but they're no less complex and convoluted, in fact in some ways, they're even more, considering parts don't drone on, the band flits from part to part, from blast to plod to drift to blast again.
"Pearls & Pinesmoke" is another standout, a soaring blasting droner, thick with bass rumble and throb, grim enough, the drums a little loose and chaotic, the vocals a creepy croak, and then the breakdown comes, and it's total melodic black nirvana, half tempo, the guitar still buzzy, but the bass unfurling an insanely melodic and ridiculously catchy part, that totally transforms the song, and then the sound shifts again back to blasting buzz, somehow the bass remains, adding unlikely melody to even the blackest bits, and fear not, a part that good comes back again, fans of Alcest and Amesoeurs will be in heaven. And after a strange interlude, the track shifts again, into another woozy, differently melodic dirge, laced with more melodic bass, but this time wrapped around spidery acoustic guitars, all still wreathed in crumbling buzz.
Finally the record finishes with the awesomely titled "Hazelhearted In The Seaparlour", which explodes immediately into a dense churning blast, heavy and harsh and layered, with a strange midtempo bridge/chorus, that features a strangely bouncy, and again surprisingly melodic bassline, way up in the mix, changing the focus of the song, before dropping out again and letting the guitars take over, before the track finally fades out, leaving nothing but the wheezing strains of what almost sounds like elevator music, or the music they play in the middle of the night at outside malls, the sound here replete with random bits of found sound, footsteps and other curious ambience.
And just leave it to the fickle folks who disbanded Velvet Cacoon at the height of their popularity to nip their new band in the bud as well, which apparently is exactly what happened. Clair Cassis is no more. But what a way to go. There is a second record floating around, who knows if it will ever get properly released, but for now, this one is not surprisingly shaping up to be a serious contender for black metal record of the year!
MPEG Stream: "Ambercandle"
MPEG Stream: "The Feathered Fog"
MPEG Stream: "Kir Royale"
MPEG Stream: "Our Overwinter In The Ivories"

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH s/t (self-released) cd 14.98
Eccentric, folksy, retro-tinged pop is all around us these days. Following in the footsteps of fine bands such as Hidden Cameras, Frog Eyes, Architecture In Helsinki and Arcade Fire, here's one of the latest bands to be causing a minor ruckus (and for once, it's not a Canadian band! haha!). This release hasn't been easy to get a hold of. Folks have been feverishly requesting it for weeks, but we've only just recently been able to track down the self-released, very sparsely distributed and not so readily available cd. So what's the fuss all about? We shrug. While we can certainly see the appeal in their very 'now' sound, when we put the disc on for a spin, our reaction was nothing short of tepid (there were even some groans). In the first couple of tracks, there's some very Television styled, emotively yelped vocals, but overall, it's as if Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah randomly picked the Talking Heads and The Violent Femmes from the pool of '80s bands, and fused the voices of David Byrne and Gordon Gano into that ubiquitous clunked-art-dance-punk sound. We'd recommend first visiting the music of the far superior bands mentioned above before heading in the direction of CYHSY.
MPEG Stream: "Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away"
MPEG Stream: "Upon This Tidal Wave Of Young Blood"

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH Some Loud Thunder (self-released) cd 14.98
When talk of this band comes up in conversation, some folks around here do indeed clap their hands and say "Yeah!" Others cross their arms and say "Meh." Some make a fist and say "Fuck no!" And still others simply scratch their heads and wonder what the fuss is all about. Sooo, with whom will you be sharing your Valentine's sweets this year? Not sure? Well, perhaps the new self-released album from these exclamatory tweaked popsters will help you decide. A sizable deciding factor definitely seems to be band leader Alec Ounsworth's winsome vocals which might be endearingly nasal in a David Byrne sort of way to some, and shrilly whining to others. Produced by Dave Fridmann, Some Loud Thunder is the sophomore release by this Brooklyn, NY quintet.
MPEG Stream: "Satan Said Dance"
MPEG Stream: "Underwater (You And Me)"

CLAPP, ALLAN Something Strange Happens: Four-Track Forecasts By Allen Clapp 1990-2000 (Busstop) cd 16.98
Each and every one of Allen Clapp's songs exude a wide-eyed earnestness. Here's seventeen of 'em for you to cuddle up to! This was *the* indie pop sound of the early '90s -- sweet, pretty, strummy jangle guitars and boyish vocals filled with adorable charm. He was the male counterpart to Amelia Fletcher (of Heavenly, Talulah Gosh and Marine Research) or Rose Melberg (of The Softies, Go Sailor and Tiger Trap). The forecast here is nuthin' but sunshine and sweethearts!
MPEG Stream: "Something Strange Happens"
MPEG Stream: "The Way I Feel Today"

CLARK, GENE With The Gosdin Brothers (Sundazed) cd 17.98

CLARK, TODD TAMANEND Nova Psychedelia (1975-1985) (Anopheles) 2cd 22.00
In a word: WEIRD. Man, listening to this we veered from thinking it was the best thing ever, to totally painful, and back again. The truth of course lies somewhere in between (and in each of us as individuals). But it's hard not to be intrigued by this, anyway... This Todd Tamanend Clark guy was (is) a psychedelic, avantgarde rock n' roller who toiled in obscurity for many many years though clearly he should at the very least have a cult following. Thankfully the diligent Anopheles label has put together this chronological collection of a large part of Mr. Clark's out-there output, and more folks will have a chance to appreciate what a few lucky collectors (and Mr. Clark's friends) must have been amazed and amused by for years! He's a bit of a Roky Erickson-like figure, though fortunately not so tragic.
Inspired by the comic books and sci-films of his childhood (he was born in 1952), Pennsylvanian part-American Indian Todd Tamanend Clark's musical career was perhaps destined for weirdness. Especially after seeing Monkee Mickey Dolenz playing a Moog on TV in 1968, the same year the United States Of America LP came out, both of which were life-changing musical experiences for Clark... his love of '60s garage psych (borne out by covers of the Electric Prunes and Paul Revere & The Raiders found here) warped into a realm of DIY electronics. Thus the list of synths and effects used on this 2cd set is a long one!! Yup, heavy doses of spacey synth and distorted garagey punk riffery (a '60s-ish Lightning Bolt meets Sun Ra??) are the norm here throughout Clark's varied output, which includes lengthy psychedelic epics, weird experiments in murky electronics, earnest songsmithery, and brash rockers. There's an atonal droning "outsider art" quality to a lot of this that will make and/or break it for most folks. The vocals are the toughest part... an over the top, slurred mix of Jim Morrison and Jandek, perhaps? All the weird poetry he's spouting sure goes with the freaky music even though you'll probably have no idea what's he on about. And with all the prog twists and haunted house synth noises going we're sure it makes perfect sense somehow. The earlier stuff at the beginning of the first disc is heavy on the primitive electronics (best example: the overwhelming 13 minute opening soundscape "March Of The Legion") and druggy vocal delivery, while later in the two-disc set, when we enter the '80s, the songs get more "pop"...in Clark's mind anyway. Things have tightened up a bit, though that doesn't preclude the appearance of a 14 minute track ("The Grim Rider") nor a fucked up, computerized version of the "Star Spangled Banner"! And the use of new wave '80s technology only makes things kitschier. If you dug the Happy Dragon-Band and Zolar X reissues, you might find this stuff to tickle the same fancies.
All the tracks are taken from Clark's various ultra-rare, self-released LPs and 7"s spanning the years 1975-1985, including all the material from such albums as New Gods: Aardvark Thru Zymurgy, We're Not Safe!, and Into The Vision, released under various names (The Eyes, Todd Clark Group, The Stars). He didn't do all of this alone, y'know. Over the course of these 33 tracks (150 minutes of music!!) you'll hear contributions from many of Clark's friends, and family too. In fact, a few famous names appear, with one track featuring the voice of William S. Burroughs and on others, instruments played by Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys and Pere Ubu's Allen Ravenstine!
With typical Anopheles throughness, this comes with a 20 page booklet stuffed with biographical information, photos, equipment lists, musician credits, and liner notes, including track-by-track comments from Clark himself.
Not everyone's gonna need/want all 150 minutes of this, to be honest. Could have been a short, more bearable "best of". But then again, WE want to hear it all. So maybe you do too. And you can always make your own best of after you've listened to the whole crazy shebang. We'll end this review the way it began, with a word it seems most AQ customers respond to well: WEIRD.
MPEG Stream: "Deathguard"
MPEG Stream: "X-Ray X-Tasy"
MPEG Stream: "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night"
MPEG Stream: "Death Hovers"

CLARK-HUTCHINSON A=MH2 (Sunbeam) 2cd 25.00
Heavy progressive electric raga psychedelia here folks!! And it's soooooo good. All the songs here are long (there's five of 'em, between 7:16 and 13:09 in length) and you'll only wish they were longer. Described as "a two-man, all-British electric symphony orchestra", this album was originally released in 1969 on Decca and is utter nirvana for those into psych headswirlers. The lead electric guitar on here is incredible (and the bongo playing isn't bad, either!). While this duo came out of the '60s British blues rock scene, Mick Hutchinson's guitar playing displays tripped-out, classically trained chops and certainly also a strong sitar influence... percussionist Andy Clark plays guitar at times too, and between them they switch back and forth on a number of instruments.
The first track, "Improvisation On A Modal Scale" has got a heavy-riffing acid folk sound, sounding like early Wishbone Ash, sitting crosslegged off on an Indian ashram, or Comus if they ever plugged in and cranked it up. "Acapulco Gold" (hmm, the only song here not given a technical musical title is named after marijuana!) follows in a more acoustic, Spanish-guitar flavored mode. Lovely. Then "Impromptu in 'E' Minor" is another mellow number, yet darker, incorporating tribal percussive throb and jazz-inflected piano improvisation. "Textures In 3/4" also has a moody, jazzy vibe, with some saxophone coloration, and of course extended electric guitar improv, gorgeous and glorious. Very krautrocky, stuff that fans of Amon Duul II and Agitation Free would certainly love. And then Hutchinson's playing gets even more sitar-y on the epic "Improvisation On An Indian Scale", the track that wraps up this amazing album of Eastern-tinged, psychedelic instrumental interplay. He's endlessly spinning out slippery, sinuous melodies over a quietly galloping beat that brings to mind Spaghetti Western soundtracks. Wow. We'd been wanting to list this for a long time, but the previous cd edition on Repertoire has been out of print for years and years. Stoked are we that Sunbeam has reissued it again, on compact disc and vinyl, both versions coming with an entire bonus disc to boot!
That second disc, however, is full-on 12-bar blues rock, total chooglin' boogie stuff, with song titles like "Bad Loser" and "Someone's Been At My Woman". So... maybe for blues lovers only, that one. If you're really into Clapton/Cream and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. But it's just a bonus disc, the A=MH2 album on disc one is worth the price of the package alone. And the guitar playing on the blues disc is of course ace.
It always kinda seems like the British blues rock bands, the ones we really like anyway, we like 'em especially for the one album they did where they got away from the basic blues template (stuff they might have done really well) and weirded out, got all beardistic and beyond-blues improvisational and Eastern and freaky and proggy. Say, Steamhammer's Speech. Or the Groundhogs' Split. There's always one. In this case, it was Clark-Hutchinson's debut, A=MH2. But, beforehand they'd been way more bluesy, as that bonus disc here proves (it's material from their unreleased -first- first recording sessions in March of '69, laid down just a couple months prior to the two days in the studio they spent recording their actual debut).
EVERYONE we play A=MH2 for, or who hears it in the store, has been blown away. You know how the "ragadelic" acoustic folk guitar playing of folks today like Jack Rose and James Blackshaw is something we love? If you like that sort of thing too but want it a bit more druggily psych-rock, Clark-Hutchinson doing it electric way back when should satisfy! So very recommended (along with another obscure classic of the era, by T2, also reviewed this list).
MPEG Stream: "Improvisation On A Modal Scale"
MPEG Stream: "Impromptu in 'E' Minor"
MPEG Stream: "Improvisation On An Indian Scale"
MPEG Stream: "Crow Jane [from bonus disc]"

CLARK-HUTCHINSON A=MH2 (Sunbeam) 2lp 34.00
Heavy progressive electric raga psychedelia here folks!! And it's soooooo good. All the songs here are long (there's five of 'em, between 7:16 and 13:09 in length) and you'll only wish they were longer. Described as "a two-man, all-British electric symphony orchestra", this album was originally released in 1969 on Decca and is utter nirvana for those into psych headswirlers. The lead electric guitar on here is incredible (and the bongo playing isn't bad, either!). While this duo came out of the '60s British blues rock scene, Mick Hutchinson's guitar playing displays tripped-out, classically trained chops and certainly also a strong sitar influence... percussionist Andy Clark plays guitar at times too, and between them they switch back and forth on a number of instruments.
The first track, "Improvisation On A Modal Scale" has got a heavy-riffing acid folk sound, sounding like early Wishbone Ash, sitting crosslegged off on an Indian ashram, or Comus if they ever plugged in and cranked it up. "Acapulco Gold" (hmm, the only song here not given a technical musical title is named after marijuana!) follows in a more acoustic, Spanish-guitar flavored mode. Lovely. Then "Impromptu in 'E' Minor" is another mellow number, yet darker, incorporating tribal percussive throb and jazz-inflected piano improvisation. "Textures In 3/4" also has a moody, jazzy vibe, with some saxophone coloration, and of course extended electric guitar improv, gorgeous and glorious. Very krautrocky, stuff that fans of Amon Duul II and Agitation Free would certainly love. And then Hutchinson's playing gets even more sitar-y on the epic "Improvisation On An Indian Scale", the track that wraps up this amazing album of Eastern-tinged, psychedelic instrumental interplay. He's endlessly spinning out slippery, sinuous melodies over a quietly galloping beat that brings to mind Spaghetti Western soundtracks. Wow. We'd been wanting to list this for a long time, but the previous cd edition on Repertoire has been out of print for years and years. Stoked are we that Sunbeam has reissued it again, on compact disc and vinyl, both versions coming with an entire bonus disc to boot!
That second disc, however, is full-on 12-bar blues rock, total chooglin' boogie stuff, with song titles like "Bad Loser" and "Someone's Been At My Woman". So... maybe for blues lovers only, that one. If you're really into Clapton/Cream and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. But it's just a bonus disc, the A=MH2 album on disc one is worth the price of the package alone. And the guitar playing on the blues disc is of course ace.
It always kinda seems like the British blues rock bands, the ones we really like anyway, we like 'em especially for the one album they did where they got away from the basic blues template (stuff they might have done really well) and weirded out, got all beardistic and beyond-blues improvisational and Eastern and freaky and proggy. Say, Steamhammer's Speech. Or the Groundhogs' Split. There's always one. In this case, it was Clark-Hutchinson's debut, A=MH2. But, beforehand they'd been way more bluesy, as that bonus disc here proves (it's material from their unreleased -first- first recording sessions in March of '69, laid down just a couple months prior to the two days in the studio they spent recording their actual debut).
EVERYONE we play A=MH2 for, or who hears it in the store, has been blown away. You know how the "ragadelic" acoustic folk guitar playing of folks today like Jack Rose and James Blackshaw is something we love? If you like that sort of thing too but want it a bit more druggily psych-rock, Clark-Hutchinson doing it electric way back when should satisfy! So very recommended (along with another obscure classic of the era, by T2, also reviewed this list).
MPEG Stream: "Improvisation On A Modal Scale"
MPEG Stream: "Impromptu in 'E' Minor"
MPEG Stream: "Improvisation On An Indian Scale"
MPEG Stream: "Crow Jane [from bonus disc]"

CLASH, THE Give 'Em Enough Rope (Sony) lp 17.98

CLASH, THE London Calling - 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition (Sony) 3cd 31.00

CLASSICAL M Bad Guys: The Complete Collection (Pacemaker / Lion Productions) cd 15.98
Nope, never heard of 'em before either. Glad we have now though! The oddly-named Classical M were a psych-pop trio (consisting of brothers Guy and Andre Maruani, and Henri Bratter) who flourished in France circa 1966-1970. Well, maybe flourished isn't quite the word. They did play on TV, and opened for Steppenwolf once, but only sold a meager number of the handful of singles they released, before heading off in separate musical or non-musical directions and disbanding. A crime really, since they were so good!! I mean, the singles tracks they left behind, as documented on this collection, are awesome. Songs like "Love, Love Is There", "Music Of The Rain", "Gog Magog" (with lyrics originally written with hopes of King Crimson using 'em!), "Such A Lovely Voice", and others are a '60s psych pop fan's dream. "Such A Lovely Voice" could be a lost Colin Blunstone/Zombies classic, and there's also a definite, well-put-to-use Beatles influence at play here. These tracks are intimate and adventurous, with Guy's strong voice and superb psychedelic instrumentation including flute, 12-string guitar, oud, violin, congas, a variety of exotic instruments.
It's interesting to note in Guy Maruani's confessional liner notes that they didn't do drugs, or even smoke or drink. "Music being for us perfectly psychedelic in and of itself". Hear hear. This disc convinces.
Vincent Tornatore of Lion Productions is especially thrilled about this release (saying Classical M are "perhaps the best, and certainly the most intriguing French band of all time"). Not sure if we can go that far (ahem...Magma) but we can see why he got so excited n' enthused when these tracks showed up out of the blue, the former band members soliciting a label for a reissue. Blown away is probably the size of it. What loveliness! What atmosphere! Press play and immediately be enthralled by the melody, the melancholy, the creativity this band displays.
Lion did an nice job packaging this, with a thick booklet of lyrics, notes on each song, photos, and reminiscences. There's 24 tracks total -- singles, demos, rehearsal recordings, live stuff. And the first ten or so with the English lyrics are the truly crucial cuts, almost all of 'em amazing... but nothing on here isn't at least enjoyable, the rest of the disc ranging from groovy, orchestrated French-language "chanson-pop" to ethnic improv stuff. Too bad they never got to do a real, entire album, but we're still lucky to have these tracks. Highly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Love, Love Is There"
MPEG Stream: "Bad Guy"

CLAYPIPE Wayside (Jewelled Antler) 3" cd-r 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Just when you were thinking that the next installment in the Jewelled Antler Library was, um, overdue, comes this new 3" cd-r in the series. Volume 8 hails from New Zealand -- it seems Jewelled Antler have found some kindred souls Down Under, no not Gandalf and Frodo but in this case Antony Milton (who runs a cd-r label himself, Pseudoarcana) and Clayton Noone (C.J.A., Armpit) who together are known as Claypipe. Repetition and drone and field recording grit coexist with lovely acoustic guitar -- it's real nice. With wistful, earnest vocals, some distorted and layered, this is neither indie-pop nor environmental ambient, but a hybrid that totally fits with Jewelled Antler 'groups' like the Blithe Sons and Child Readers, while possessing that special New Zealand magic we all adore. Seven tracks, 20 minutes, and you're left wishing it were longer.
MPEG Stream: "The Math of Random Fractures"
MPEG Stream: "Midnight at Mangawhai Beach (Skeleton)"

CLAYPIPE / PEKKO KAPPI / THE BLITHE SONS The Amazed Map (The Music Fellowship) cd 12.98
Here's the long-awaited follow up to Windswept Trees And Houses and Heat & Birds, those being the two previous, and now long out of print, "friends and family" compilations of music and field recordings (two things not mutually exclusive in the methodology of these artists for sure!) from the Jewelled Antler camp. Now that Jewelled Antler isn't the prolific cd-r label it once was (though the various members of the so-called Jewelled Antler Collective are still quite active) the Music Fellowship label has stepped in to release this new disc, as a proper cd by the way, and it's a terrific third in the "series", bringing together the fantastical sounds of three far-flung artists: Claypipe (New Zealand), Pekko Kappi (Finland), and The Blithe Sons (California). It's an "amazed map" indeed that links those people and places, all so magical from the musical standpoint as we're sure most Aquarius customers will concur. NZ/Finland/California, the current psych-folk-drone axis of awesomeness! Several tracks of nature sounds field-recorded by Tony Endless and (former AQ'er) Byram Abbot also appear here, adding some extra ecological, dronological mystery to a disc hardly lacking in such, acting as purely environmental interludes between the rather diverse yet linked-in-spirit works of the three main musical artists. First up are New Zealanders Claypipe, a duo of consisting of Antony Milton (overlord of the PseudoArcana cd-r label) and Clayton Noone (CJA, Armpit, Futurians), whose tracks here range from lo-fi almost indie-pop to droned-out experimentation. Then Pekko Kappi (Lau Nau, Paivansade) invites listeners to a campfire concert wherein he and his trusty horsehair lyre perform a wonderful set of traditional Finnish folk music, for us perhaps the highlight of this disc, itself a highlight on our list. Finally this disc's unofficial hosts, Jewelled Antler's Blithe Sons (Loren Chasse and Glenn Donaldson) wrap things up with their murky yet microscopically detailed, indoor-outdoor mix of lovely song-like drones, drone-like songs. It's the first we've heard from this collaboration since their Arm Of The Starfish cd on Family Vineyard a few years ago and we hope it's not the last.
If only Music Fellowship could also arrange to reissue on cd this disc's two cd-r prequels, which featured the likes of Avarus, Kemialliset Ystavat, Markus, Golden Hotel, Franciscan Hobbies, The Floating Birthday Children, Hala Strana, Thuja, Of, The Blithe Sons & Daughters, Child Readers, Entlang, Silt, and The Billy Crosby's amongst others! And by the way, that also reminds us -- when are all the out-of-print Jewelled Antler "Library" series of 3" cd-rs going to be compiled into a cd box set or something? We're pretty sure lots of folks are dying to get their ears on those...
MPEG Stream: CLAYPIPE "Water Fence"
MPEG Stream: PEKKO KAPPI "Yhta Kirottua Helvetin Tulikekaletta"
MPEG Stream: THE BLITHE SONS "Morning At Night"

CLAYTON, JUSTIN Limb (Navarre) cd 14.98
This record is Radiohead. I mean I think it's Radiohead. I mean, it must be. I wonder what Radiohead would think if they knew that some guy was single handedly making Radiohead records on the sly. That being said, this record is pretty fucking cool, all majesty and breathy falsettos. Along with the Muse record (see elsewhere in the list, this is the perfect hold-you-over until the next Radiohead. If the Muse record is all Paranoid Android, Justin Clayton is all Karma Police. Nice.

CLEAN, THE Anthology (Merge) 2cd 15.98
The history of the legendary New Zealand indie label Flying Run quite literally begins with The Clean. Impressed by a slew of The Clean's live performances in their home town of Dunedin, New Zealand back in 1980, Roger Shephard began Flying Nun, simply in order to release the band's first single "Tally Ho." That song, an upbeat but simple post-punk number that crashed together jangling guitars and persistant organ melodies, surprised everybody with a considerable amount of commercial success in New Zealand, and became one of many songs by The Clean that found enthusiastic audiences in the US during the college rock days of the '80s, offering a quirky, exotic alternative to staples like REM, the Replacements, Robyn Hitchcock, and Elvis Costello.
Formed in 1978 by the Kilgour brothers David and Hamish, The Clean never stooped to the depths of the Gallagher brother's public fisticuffs; but the band -- which flushed out its membership with Robert Scott and (in the early days) Peter Gutteridge -- spent more time broken up than together. Yet, their eternally catchy pop songs became the blueprint for almost all of the other Flying Nun bands (in part due to the numerous Clean related projects on Flying Nun, including The Bats, The Great Unwashed, Bailter Space, Snapper, Stephen, and others). The Clean's self-explanatory "Anthology" runs through their numerous albums, offering a good chunk of their fantastic early work (the aforementioned "Tally Ho," the "Boodle Boodle Boodle" ep, the "Great Sounds..." ep, and a couple of oddities) on one disc. Edgy yet unswervingly optimistic, these songs were sloppy four-track recordings of monomaniacally simple rhythms, cacophonously jangly guitar melodies, and happy-go-lucky vocals. Disc two contains excerpts from the '90s albums "Vehicle," "Modern Rock," and "Unknown Country," which marked a considerable polishing of The Clean's sound, in part because they recorded that material in well established studios like Blackwing studios in London, but also as the songs, while still simple in their own right, were slightly more restrained.
Highly recommended!
RealAudio clip: "At The Bottom"
RealAudio clip: "Tally Ho"
RealAudio clip: "Point That Thing Somewhere Else"

CLEAN, THE Compilation (Little Axe / Mississippi) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another cool release from one of our new favorite labels, Mississippi, or VIA Mississippi records, as it's technically on a label called Change, the same label that released that Irma Thomas lp a while back. But whatever, as far as we're concerned it is Mississippi Records, which means it's a cool record, available on vinyl for the first time, or the first time in ages, pressed on nice vinyl and in thick sleeves, for a nice price.
This time around it's New Zealand's legendary pop combo The Clean. Their Compilation album originally released on Homestead way back when, which collects all of the band's early essential recordings. Who the heck are The Clean you ask? Well, here's the lowdown from another of our reviews: The history of the legendary New Zealand indie label Flying Run quite literally begins with The Clean. Impressed by a slew of The Clean's live performances in their home town of Dunedin, New Zealand back in 1980, Roger Shephard began Flying Nun, simply in order to release the band's first single "Tally Ho." That song, an upbeat but simple post-punk number that crashed together jangling guitars and persistent organ melodies, surprised everybody with a considerable amount of commercial success in New Zealand, and became one of many songs by The Clean that found enthusiastic audiences in the US during the college rock days of the '80s, offering a quirky, exotic alternative to staples like REM, the Replacements, Robyn Hitchcock, and Elvis Costello.
Formed in 1978 by the Kilgour brothers David and Hamish, The Clean never stooped to the depths of the Gallagher brother's public fisticuffs; but the band - which flushed out its membership with Robert Scott and (in the early days) Peter Gutteridge - spent more time broken up than together. Yet, their eternally catchy pop songs became the blueprint for almost all of the other Flying Nun bands (in part due to the numerous Clean related projects on Flying Nun, including The Bats, The Great Unwashed, Bailter Space, Snapper, Stephen, and others).
The Clean's Compilation runs through their early releases, including "Tally Ho," the "Boodle Boodle Boodle" ep, the "Great Sounds..." ep, and a few more. Edgy yet unswervingly optimistic, these songs were sloppy four-track recordings of monomaniacally simple rhythms, cacophonously jangly guitar melodies, and happy-go-lucky vocals.
For folks who already have the recently released Anthology two disc set on Merge, there is a lot of overlap, in fact most of this stuff is on that comp, but obviously this has been out of print for years on vinyl, and while Compilation is just that, a collection of eps and singles, it somehow manages to function as a proper album, tight, short, sharp and nearly perfect!

CLEAN, THE Getaway (Merge) cd 14.98
The Clean, who have been around for more than 20 years, are credited with helping to develop the New Zealand sound and are an influence on many of the great pop bands around today. This is their first release in 5 years, and while it's slower and less manicly delightful than their earlier material, it still pleases at times. Ira and Georgia from Yo La Tengo each play on two songs.
RealAudio clip: "Crazy "
RealAudio clip: "Stars"

CLEAN, THE Mister Pop (Merge) cd 14.98
It would take way more space than we have for this review to list off all the great bands who have been influenced by The Clean over the years. For the sake of brevity we'll just mention off a handful: Yo La Tengo, The Chills, Jay Reatard, R.E.M, Eat Skull, Times New Viking, Woods, Pavement, Sebadoh, the list goes on and on! Since the early '80s this New Zealand band has been crafting totally infectious left of center pop that really helped usher in the sound of "college radio" as we know it.
It's been quite a long while since we last heard from The Clean, yet with Mister Pop there is something so natural and free flowing that it feels like they were never gone. Focusing more on their hazy psychedelic dream pop side, the songs on Mister Pop unfold so easily, yet with a sonic depth that makes you keep going back to them over and over. While it would be so easy for The Clean to just rest on their laurels and dial in a standard reunion album, they instead remind us of why they are the legends they are, and what great songsmiths they were and still are, with an unparalleled ability to not only create hooks and melody but mood and feeling.
MPEG Stream: "Are You Really On Drugs"
MPEG Stream: "Loog"
MPEG Stream: "Back In The Day"

CLEAN, THE Mister Pop (Morr Music) lp 19.98
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!!
It would take way more space than we have for this review to list off all the great bands who have been influenced by The Clean over the years. For the sake of brevity we'll just mention off a handful: Yo La Tengo, The Chills, Jay Reatard, R.E.M, Eat Skull, Times New Viking, Woods, Pavement, Sebadoh, the list goes on and on! Since the early '80s this New Zealand band has been crafting totally infectious left of center pop that really helped usher in the sound of "college radio" as we know it.
It's been quite a long while since we last heard from The Clean, yet with Mister Pop there is something so natural and free flowing that it feels like they were never gone. Focusing more on their hazy psychedelic dream pop side, the songs on Mister Pop unfold so easily, yet with a sonic depth that makes you keep going back to them over and over. While it would be so easy for The Clean to just rest on their laurels and dial in a standard reunion album, they instead remind us of why they are the legends they are, and what great songsmiths they were and still are, with an unparalleled ability to not only create hooks and melody but mood and feeling.
MPEG Stream: "Are You Really On Drugs"
MPEG Stream: "Loog"
MPEG Stream: "Back In The Day"

CLEAN, THE Odditties (Five Four O) 2lp 28.00
The Flying Nun reissue onslaught continues, this time a vinyl reissue of this collection of odds and sods from legendary NZ pop combo The Clean, who are one of THEE original Flying Nun bands, and whose iconic single "Tally Ho" was even borrowed as the title for a recent double cd collection of Flying Nun's greatest hits. As good as pretty much everything The Clean released, if you haven't already bought their Anthology collection on Merge, that might be the place to start, but if you like your pop a bit more raw and rough around the edges, then this might actually be more up your alley, the same pop smarts, hooks galore, jangle everywhere, vocal harmonies, catchy melodies, killer songs, off kilter and slightly warped, some songs super rocking, others stripped down and acoustic, some cool experimental jams too (just check out the tripped out "Point That Thing Dub"), all recorded in varying levels of fidelity, the performances sometimes more energetic and heartfelt than tight or in key, but this is the sort of pop, that as far as we're concerned, often sounds better warts and all, and the funny thing is, this collection of oddities, B sides, demos, unreleased track and random screwing around studio weirdness, somehow seems WAY better than most of the proper pop records out there. All hail The Clean, whose nearly thirty year old records sound better than ever!
MPEG Stream: "Odditty"
MPEG Stream: "Success Story"
MPEG Stream: "Thumbs Off"
MPEG Stream: "Getting Older"
MPEG Stream: "Point That Thing Dub"

CLEANERS FROM VENUS Vol. 1 (Captured Tracks) 3cd 33.00
Originally released as a deluxe 5lp boxset for this year's Record Store Day, this amazing collection, gathering up the first three albums from this seminal eighties indie pop outfit, is now also available as a triple cd set (and as individual lps, which we'll list/review soon), and reveals once again, to a whole new audience hopefully, what an amazing and influential band Cleaners From Venus really were.
Bandleader Martin Newell, who was bitter after some bad record label experiences with his previous band, became obsessed with doing everything himself (a real DIY band for sure), which meant recording records on a 4 track in his bedroom, dubbing the tapes himself, and releasing those tapes in super limited editions, of course distributed by Newell himself, which probably has a lot do with why these guys didn't get more attention than they did. But masterful pop music like this with such incredible songwriting was bound to work its way to the surface, and this stuff did manage to make its way into the ears of obsessive pop nerds, and quickly attained a cultlike status, and for good reason. Listening to this stuff now, it's easy to hear what a huge influence these guys had, and that their lo-fi pop was years ahead of groups like Ariel Pink, who would trawl the same sonic territory, albeit a bit more ironically. Jangly outsider pop, with strange homebrewed production weirdness, bizarre edits, twisted little intros and outros, brief snippets of conversations, sudden fade outs, that inexplicably fade right back in, the programmed drums, gorgeous vocal harmonies, hooks galore, definitely a product of the early '80s, with a different production and a less skewed take on pop, it's not hard to imagine this stuff on the radio or on MTV alongside groups like the Style Council or Human League or any of the other bands popular at the time, but Newell's Cleaners had it's own twisted take on the sound of the time, channeling Elvis Costello, XTC and the rest, but transforming that commercial pop sound into something much more personal and urgent, and without any restrictions, or any hopes of mainstream popularity, Newell never shied away from trying anything, no matter how weird it may have seemed, and the results definitely speak for themselves.
The first record, 1981's Blow Away Your Troubles, is the rawest of the bunch, and might still be our favorite, it's definitely the weirdest, with even this meticulously assembled reissue replete with those weird edits and damaged tape dropouts, all of which merely adds to the mood and mystery of the music. The second record, 1982's On Any Normal Monday, might be objectively the best record though, for a home recorded album, it sound incredible, still rife with all sorts of weirdness, whether that meant dubbed out snares, or strange spoken word segments, thick sinewy basslines or xylophone melodies, the sound is lush, and so fully realized, and the songs, catchy and meticulously crafted, in different circumstances, another instance where some of these songs definitely could have been hits.
The final record in the set, Midnight Cleaners, also from 1982, found the band's sound shifting once again, the vibe a bit more new wavey, the recording still polished, but but a bit more raw than On Any Normal Monday, still warped and weird, and reminding us a LOT of Guided By Voices, who seemed to fancy themselves a sort of imaginary Cleaners From Venus, a lost unsung genius pop band, GBV would after all manufacture a sort of faux Britishness that definitely approaches the Cleaners dreamy eighties pop sound, especially on Midnight Cleaners. Some of the songs here had us seriously thinking GBV might owe these guys some heartfelt thanks, if not actual royalties.
We had been subsisting for years on a worn out mix tape of Cleaners tracks, so it's thrilling to have all these songs in one place, many of which we're only hearing now for the first time, and we have been gleefully immersing ourselves in The Cleaners From Venus' twisted pop world, and we're hoping that the designation that this is in fact volume one, means that volume two is on the way...
MPEG Stream: "Night Starvation"
MPEG Stream: "A Girl With Cars In Her Eyes"
MPEG Stream: "Living On Nerve Ends"
MPEG Stream: "Swinging London"
MPEG Stream: "Modern TV"
MPEG Stream: "Time In Vain"
MPEG Stream: "Only A Shadow"

CLEANERS FROM VENUS Vol. 1 (Captured Tracks) 3lp Box 60.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.