S.A. SMASH Smashy Trashy (Definitive Jux) cd 13.98
Latest blast of damaged hip-hop-ic mayhem from the Def Jux camp and it's maybe one of the best so far. And of all the Def Jux releases, for some reason it's gotten the least attention. Not sure why, but it's a shame. Def Jux has done nothing but impress from day one, Cannibal Ox, El-P, RJD2, Company Flow, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif and on and on. A perfectly, off-kilter, damaged and demented take on hip hop. Super innovative production, funky and bouncing beats, wild, weird flows, and most importantly a sense of humor. S.A. Smash fit in perfectly, playing the goofy country cousins to the big city Def Jux nuclear family. The record starts off with a skit, I know, I hate 'em too, but this one's pretty fucking funny. And there are a few more scattered throughout the record, but they sort of fit in the whole scheme of things. Skits aside though, this record kills. Banging, booming beats, weird but totally catchy production. The sound is a wild mix of Nelly bounce, Clipse grind and Cannibal Ox outerspaceness, which perfectly complements Camutao and Metro's free form flow, equal parts Onyx intensity, Redman goofiness and Method Man scratchy drawl. The El-P produced "Lilly" is quite possible the jam of the year, with an incredibly catchy, looped bassline, and a hook that just won't stop. Why this isn't all over the radio we will never understand. And the rest of the record is just as slamming. Fans of all things Definitive Jux, Mush, Anticon need this, and folks who get all their hip hop from MTV and Power 106 gotta get schooled.
MPEG Stream: "Smash TV"
MPEG Stream: "Robot"
MPEG Stream: "Clout"

S.E.T.I. Above Black (Ash) cd 14.98
This is the second pressing for the S.E.T.I. "Above Black" album, originally released in 1998 as part two in a trilogy of paranoiac / isolationsist sound constructions that include "Knowledge" (1995) and "Pod" (2000). Throughout this series, S.E.T.I. (aka Andrew Lagowski who spent time in the early IDM scene with recordings for GPR, and who worked on Lustmord's apocalyptic ambient masterpiece "Heresy" as well) crafts beguiling soundtracks mired in the mythologies of contact with extra-terrestrial beings, both optimisistic and conspiratorial. The title "Above Black" comes from a book of the same name authored by Dan Sherman, a former agent for the NSA, who while on active duty in the US Air Force claimed to have firsthand evidence of the US government's dealings with alien lifeforms. Lagowski may have genuine allegiances with Sherman's claims, but wisely sites his sound productions within the realm of sci-fi metaphor. The source material for "Above Black" appears to be shortwave radio transmissions, in particular the enigmatic repetitions and crackling bleches from utility signals. Whether they overtly function as voice frequency telegraphy, differential global positioning, or air controller communication, it's not a big leap that the intrinsic mysteriousness of these transmissions across the shortwave band are part of some conspiracy. Lagowski accentuates these references through a well-designed sound-narrative aiming for psychological tension and punctuated with shivering electrical drones, bursts of garbled communications, and distant cracklings from the ether.
RealAudio clip: "Revelation"

S.E.T.I. Pod (Ash International) cd 15.98
"Pod" is the final installment to Andrew Lagowski's alien trilogy, which has dealt with the secrecy surrounding extra-terrestrial intelligence and the so-called Grey Projects of research & development of the defense applications of ET technology. Thematically, Lagowski posits a different metaphor for "Pod" away from the control of information and closer to an escape mentality that was embraced by the members of the Heaven's Gate cult. Within this context, Lagowski has crafted an evocative collage of crackling VLF recordings, air-traffic control transmissions of UFO sightings, and other cosmic transmissions.

S.O.B.-KAIDAN Noise, Violence & Destroy (Alchemy) cd 21.00
Holy shit. The title kinda says it all. This is a reissue of an older Alchemy classic, originally released on cd in 1992 (recorded live a few years before that, circa 1988-89), that pits Japan's Kings Of Noise, Hijokaidan, featuring guitarist Jojo Hiroshige, against seminal Japanese grindcore act SxOxB, who started back in 1983 and whose discography includes several full albums released internationally in the '90s, as well as a split 7" with Napalm Death amongst others...
Or rather, it pits 'em both together vs. YOUR eardrums and sanity. Makes sense these two Osaka-based bands would collaborate, being leading proponents in Japan of two strains of quote unquote extreme quote unquote music as it existed at the time!
With "song" titles like "Fuck Or Die", "Rising Hell", "Look Like Devil", this is about as punk as you can get, really. There's short blasts, and extended workouts. Gruff shouting (throat abuse from original S.O.B. vocalist Tottusan, who tragically ended his life in 1995 by jumping in front of a train) rains hell over psychedelic sheets of guitar skree from the 3 guitarists on hand, each pretty much doing their own thing all at the same time -- grinding riff frenzy, spaced out soloing -- as loud as possible to compete with the constant drum pummel. It's an abstract cacophony of noise, violence & destroy, yes it is. And guess what? 10 of the 12 tracks feature special guest (on, what else,"noise") Eye Yamatsuka of Boredoms. Good grief, did they think they really needed the help?
MPEG Stream: "Noise, Violence & Destroy"
MPEG Stream: "Not Me"

S.O.C.M.Z. Seance Orchestra's Cosmic Mind Zoo (self-released) 2 x cassette 10.98
This one is a mind bender. The strangely named Seance Orchestra's Cosmic Mind Zoo offer up two cassettes of ultra abstract, minimal soundscapery, one tape is all buzzing electronic hum, flittering fields of tinkling glass percussion, massive speaker shaking low end swells, grinding throbbing stuttering bass buzz that is so thick and dense it almost swallows the rest of the sounds completely up, angular crumbling guitar distortion, bits of voice and vocals, while the other tape is heavier and much more brutal, a definite Dead C style skree, but muted and spread out into a strange hissy staticky pulse, that throbs and emits a strange subtle melodiousness, murky and prickly and weirdly warm and washed out.
Two tapes, a color insert and some stickers all housed in one of those massive plastic multiple tape cases, that usually house language tapes or self help tapes, the artwork some complex bit of electronic diagramming.
As with all things like this, ultra limited, so if you want one don't be hemming and hawing...

S.T.S. Systeme Solaire (GT) cd 17.98
We know that Magma mainman/genius Christian Vander is back on the scene with a new, updated version of that classic monster prog rock band of the seventies. And he's been doing quite well (as the lucky few who saw Magma perform at '99 SF Progfest know) at maintaining Magma's formidable reputation as France's amazing prog-rock answer to both John Coltrane and Richard Wagner. But what of his '70s Magma bandmates, who aren't involved with the current line-up? Here's a disc that shows what bassist extraordinaire Jannick Top (best known for his proto-Ruins composition "De Futura" on Magma's 1976 album "Udu Wudu") has been up to lately. STS is his trio with sax player Eric Seva and drummer Claude Salmieri, and "System Solaire" is a live concert recording from '97, for which they were joined by guest guitarist Thibault Abrial. The nine planetarily-aligned tracks are both moody and energetic, dark jazz fusion with heavy Magma touches (Top and the drummer lock into some unmistakably Magmoid grooves), and the guitar adds a definite psych-rock element. The booklet features a photo of bald-headed Top looking very metal indeed in shades and leather.

S.V.E.S.T. Coagula (L'Ether du Diable) (End All Life) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We recently discovered the mysterious S.V.E.S.T., a bafflingly enigmatic black metal horde from France, who have been lurking in the shadows of giants, Mutiilation, Deathspell Omega, Antaeus, etc. not so quietly biding their time, concocting impossibly buzzy and blurry black epics. Each track a mind bending psychedelic swirl of furious tumultuous buzz and howl, every riff a blur repeated ad infinitum until it's an indistinct metal drone, vocals are thick swaths of agitated growl and shriek, another layer in an impossibly dense blacksoundscape. This is ultra grim, classic black metal buzz, but agitated into such a state that it's some impossibly chaotic monstrosity. There are melodies, and some sort of guitar leads, but they are just little smeared tangles in a giant prickly swirl of sound. Don't let the brief but jaunty folky intro fool you, after that it's all a head spinning, mind blowing, lo-fi blackened blur. The first two lengthy tracks are from the ultra rare Scarification Of Soul demo, while the last three tracks are from the equally rare Death to Macrocosm demo. And we though the first few tracks were blurry and confusingly black and blown out, the last few tracks take that same recipe, and add to the mix, an impossibly lo-fi, overblown speakers, degrading cassette tape production, that adds a whole 'nother layer of sonic crumble and speaker shredding distortion, everything even more obscured by fuzz and hiss and whir, turning Coagula into some strange drone metal soundscape. Amazing.
MPEG Stream: "The Black Art"
MPEG Stream: "Alpha Wolf Anger"

S.V.E.S.T. Urfaust (End All Life) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Talk about cult, S.V.E.S.T. seem to be a total mystery. Almost no information to be found anywhere about these guys. other than they are another one of those French black metal bands (Mutiilation, Deathspell Omega, Malicious Secrets, etc.) who are routinely spoken of in hushed worshipful whispers. And much like their countrymen, they are a total revelation. It's hard to do something totally new and original within the rigid framework of black metal and still remain TRUE, but S.V.E.S.T. pull it off in a big way.
We talk about black metal being drone-y and buzzy, so much so that in extreme cases, the result is more drone than metal, and that's never been more true than with S.V.E.S.T. Three lengthy epics, each a swirling lo-fi entropic buzzy black free for all. Riffs drift and spin, a dizzying concoction of fuzzed out white noise, blinding streaks of incendiary blackness, drums so fast and fuzzed out they just sound like blasts of static, melodies so murky and indistinct they sound more like Hecker or Jeck than anything traditionally black metal. So fast and chaotic and blurry and blackly psychedelic that they sound like some sort of black metal EVP, lost metal transmissions being broadcast through the ether and barely breaking through some staticky short wave broadcast. Fucking awesome!
MPEG Stream: "Putrefiance Redemptrice"
MPEG Stream: "Nuit De Walpurgis"

S.Y.P.H. s/t (Captain Trip) cd 14.98
S.Y.P.H. was a German punk quartet who originally released this album in 1980 and sound as if late 70s Gang of Four / Mekons were covering Malaria's angular and certainly Teutonic new wave.

SABBAH, DJ CHEB I As Far As - A DJ Mix (Six Degrees) cd 16.98
Legendary SF DJ Cheb I Sabbah returns with a DJ mix drawing from Asia, Arabia and Africa -- or tracks at least influenced by music from those parts of the world. Included are cuts by Asian Dub Foundation, Najma, Trilok Gurtu along with remixes by Sabbah of Don Cherry, Paul Horn and Solace.
MPEG Stream: "Natacha Atlas: Soleil d'Egypte"

SABBAH, DJ CHEB I Krishna Lila (Six Degrees) cd 16.98
Local DJ Cheb i Sabbah returns with the third installment in his trilogy of Indian classical music infused electronica. Divided in two parts: North & South, Krishna Lila takes as its inspiration the devotional musics of Northern and Southern India. Recorded in Madras, Bombay and New Delhi, India with a score of Indian musicians and then augmented with electronics and Bill Laswell via Pro Tools in New York & San Francisco. Those looking for pumping four on the floor dance music with token sitar, tabla and sundry other Indian samples thrown in for flavoring should look elsewhere as DJ Cheb i Sabbah's approach is nearly the antithesis of this. I guess this is what one could call, in the parlance of dance culture, "chill out" music. Using an already solid foundation of recordings DJ Cheb very tastefully adds a beat here and there, but never overwhelms what's been laid down by the musicians. Much of the time in fact, it is hard to tell that he's done anything at all to the original tracks. Fans of Talvin Singh should definitely take note of this one.
RealAudio clip: "Narajanma Bandage"
RealAudio clip: "Tum Bin Shyam"

SABBAH, DJ CHEB I MahaMaya: Shri Durga Remixed (Six Degrees) cd 16.98
Local DJ makes good! Yes, the East-meets-West DJ masterwork that was Sabbah's very popular "Shri Durgah" album now gets the remix treatment, from Transglobal Underground, Fun Da Mental, Bally Sagoo, Bedouin Descent, State of Bengal, TJ Rehmi, and DJ Cheb I Sabbah himself. Fans of the "Asian Underground" need no further recommendation.

SABBAH, DJ CHEB I Shri Durga (Six Degrees) cd 15.98
This legendary local DJ assembles brilliant musicians (Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, K. Sridhar, Ustad Sultan Khan, Mala Ganguly and the unavoidable Bill Laswell) to create beautiful ambience and soundscapes, bringing together classical Hindustani music and the chill room. "Traditional ragas meet 'DJ science'" it says here. Fans of Talvin Singh, for one, should find this to their liking.

SABBAT Sabbatical Satanichrist Slaughter (Nuclear War Now! Productions) 3 x 6" 25.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Okay, this one is pretty much just for you obsessive metalheads. But even if you're not a metalhead, those of you into weird stuff and cool packaging still might want to check out this amazing release. The packaging/concept is insane!! A 7" sleeve, letterpressed with metallic gold foil, that unfolds into a massive upsidedown cross, with a Japanese samurai painting on the inside by local tattoo artists/AQ pals Jef Whitehead and Tim Lehi. And this is no 7", oh no, this is a triple 6" (geddit, 666!). So cool. Seminal Japanese thrash, chaotic and speedy, noisy and brutal. Some of you may also remember Sabbat as the band with the guy who wears nothing but black speedos and a bullet belt. Again, so cool! Two tracks from 1986, one from 1999, one from 2001 and two from 2002, although they all sound straight up 1983! Classic thrash! Comes with a lyric sheet and a silkscreened poster. Needless to say VERY VERY LIMITED!!!

SABERS Specter (Neurot) cd 14.98
Sabers? What's this? The picture on back is one of those band equipment in the studio photos that resemble a sculptural art gallery installation, all wires and mic stands and pedals and mixers and drums and amps. Interestin'... well, as you may know, the Neurot label has done us darn right of late, with several recent releases being AQ-list highlights (House Of Low Culture, Grails). Here's another one that also impressed the heck out of us, the debut from NYC's Sabers. They're a two-man band, one guy on guitar and effects and the other on percussion and effects. Not a little effects, a lot of effects. And a lot of amps -- it's a baritone guitar they use that goes through a multitude of bass and guitar amps. These two guys and their gear make glorious, miasmic music -- sparse, rhythmic and wholly instrumental abstractions that ought to appeal to both Starfuckers and Skullflower fans to use two relatively obscure references (sorry). Sabers' heavily droning yet quietly restrained soundscapes are also a bit like Neurosis stripped of most instruments, vocals, song structure, and aggression (but not menace). Artful, original, and extremely moody. Massive and mysterious. We like.
MPEG Stream: "Loess Kindchen"
MPEG Stream: "Golden Green"

SABIANS, THE Beauty For Ashes (The Music Cartel) cd 14.98
Now this was a surprise. Two former members of Bay Area stoner sludge metal heroes Sleep (not the guy who's now in High On Fire) venture back into the rock n' roll arena with a new band called The Sabians that we have to admit we really hadn't heard many good things about (we'd been told they were terrible live). And, upon hearing this, their debut album, I can kinda understand the naysayers... Number 1, this sure *doesn't* sound like Sleep (it IS heavy, but very different -- High On Fire sounds MUCH more like Sleep for sure) and number 2, it's, well, weird. Just read the sticker on the album cover: "the Sabians' sound is a combination of punk, folk, metal, and chant." What? So we were a bit apprehensive ourselves. But, the truth is, this is kinda cool, and, yeah, weird! Stoner/Sleep fans will have to admit that even track one has its moments of Sabbathian rifferama but it also reminds us of The Pogues! (That's the folk bit.) As the album progesses, it remains dark and dynamic and different, with the sounds of acoustic strum, metal guitar, and even falling rain welded together into earnest, anthemic songs with polished production courtesy Alex Newport. Definitely the one thing you have to get used to is the vocals (a clearly-enunciating Michael Stipe? no, that's not it. A wimpier James Hetfield with a fake European accent?) but if you do, you might really like this. Really, one of the weirdest things about this band is how melodic they are! They actually kinda sound like a hypothetical catchy, radio-friendly Neurosis -- or an art-rock Metallica. But if Tool could get big (another band these guys remind us of) then maybe The Sabians will someday be heard on Live105 too. Anyway, kudos to these guys for trying to do something different and original, and more-or-less succeeding.
RealAudio clip: "Via Dolorosa"
RealAudio clip: "Downcast"

SABIANS, THE Shiver (The Music Cartel) cd 14.98
This hard-to-categorize, paradoxical Bay Area bunch are back with their second album of doubtlessly avant-garde and original yet at the same time almost totally mainstream rock/metal. The Sabians feature former members of seminal SF doomsters Sleep, the guys who *didn't* go the expected stoner rock route a la the ex-Sleeper who formed the popular High On Fire. Nope, though The Sabians are still a heavy proposition, they've pretty much nixed the overt Sabbath worship in favor of a much more modern, melodic mixture of Tool (lots o' Tool) and Metallica, with maybe some hints of an Irish/Pogues thing. Dark, rockin', heavy, hummable, and a bit weird. If you liked their debut from last year, this too will def float yr boat. Still haven't heard 'em on the radio, but if they keep at it, who knows?
MPEG Stream: "One By One"
MPEG Stream: "Bullet"

SABISTON, WILLIAM s/t (Jyrk) 3" dvd-r 7.98
Sabiston is an ex-member of Axolotl, and records under the name Ball Lightning, we had a totally kick ass cd-r from BL a while back. A mindblowingly inventive percussionist, Sabiston is also a pretty amazing video artist as well.
This ultra limited 3" dvd-r features three short films, each one in glorious super lo-res black and white, filmed using a Pixelvision camera, one of those failed toys that became a prized possession for those who could find 'em. The Pixelvision uses regular old cassette audio tapes to capture super lo-fi video, high contrast black and white, very creepy and beautiful and alien looking. It's like watching an ultrasound, weird shapes stutter and jump, lines move, static drifts and wiggles, sort of like video feedback, but even more simple and abstract. So gorgeous and haunting. Each film features original music from Sabiston, a swirling fuzzscape of sound, stuttery glitchy skitter flitting over deep rumbling bass thrum, while buried within are soft snippets of looped melody, everything occasionally blissing out into dubbed out pulses and cavernous low end throbs.
Packaged in a mini 3" plastic DVD case, with black and white artwork.
LIMITED TO 90 COPIES!!!! Already out of print, these are the last copies ever...

SABOT Once Upon A Mind (Cesla) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Bass and drums boy/girl duo who were popular in San Francisco before taking off to the Czech Republic. Urgent, angular stuff that's as weirdly hyper as the early Minutemen. Both punk and prog in a lo-fi fashion. We're lucky that their latest album made it all the way here! Comes in a cd-sized little fold out book with two pop up panels. We have only three copies in stock.
RealAudio clip: "Forever"
RealAudio clip: "Road Rage"

SABOT Somehow, I Don't Think So/Vice Versa (Broken Rekids) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Whereas *this* drums/bass duo (male and female) relocated from San Francisco to Prague, for a much more prog sound than COA. Also, they are all instrumental. This is their second album, it's quite nice.

SACASAS, ANSELMO Y SU ORQUESTA Sol Tropical (Tumbao) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Pianist and arranger Anselmo Sacasas was one of the founding members of the renown Orchesta Casino De La Playa in 1937. In 1940 he moved to New York and formed his own group and, being one of the most amazing Cuban pinaists and arrangers, his orchestra became one of the most popular in the New York scene during throughout the decade. Featuring vocals from Octavio "Cuso" Mendoza and Ruben Gonzalez, these recordings were made in New York between 1945 and 1949.

SACHER PELZ (MAURIZIO BIANCHI) In Hoc Urbia Miazi (Old Europa Cafe) cd 16.98
Here's another reincarnation of Maurizio Bianchi's Sacher Pelz project. Back in the late 70s, the Italian industrialist self-published a handful of cassettes for super primitive musique concrete recordings culled from turntable / needle abuse upon LPs by Kraftwerk, Neu!, and Conrad Schnitzler. In 1979, he picked up some new gear and changed his nom de plume to M.B. through which he fabricated some of the best power electronic / post-industrial noisescapes of that era. Recently, the man has been excessively prolific, getting somewhere near the Aidan Baker and Merzbow quantities for output; and In Hoc Urbia Miazi is the second album that he's released using this name again. While many of the recent Maurizio Bianchi albums have been all over the map with some decent ambient constructs, some brilliantly droning grim 'n' gloom, and some curious forays into cybernetic rhythms, it appears that Bianchi has reserved the Sacher Pelz project for noisy projects based around tape hiss and rough hewn musique concrete. In Hoc Urbia Miazi is just that: a boiling mess of looping tape hiss, varispeed accelerations, and razor cut edits between between the white noise chorus of tape hiss piled densely on top of itself. The label made references to the classic Come Organisation sound made famous by Whitehouse; but Bianchi's Sacher Pelz shares more in common with the blank tape experiments by Reynols heard on their self-evidently titled album Blank Tapes or by the obscure Australian turntablist project Gum.
MPEG Stream: "M Your Eyes - Biolche"
MPEG Stream: "In Hoc Signo Vinces"

SACHER-PELZ Mutation For A Continuity (E'est / Alga Marghen) 4cd 43.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"Sacher Pelz offered up burnt offerings, and finally they began to say to the other: 'The true MB is the giver of acts of vengeance to us," quoting Maurizio Bianchi from the obtusely apocalyptic liner notes to his 4 CD box of his earliest material as Sacher-Pelz. In the late '70s, the enigmatic Bianchi produced four cassettes as Sacher Pelz that he had given to a handful of his friends and to the very few proponents of experimental music in his native Italy. These recordings were self-described as musique concrete albums, but are clearly situated outside of the realm of academia and the institutionally driven music of Pierre Schaeffer or Pierre Henry. Instead, Bianchi had fused the most primitive application of musique concrete (music composed with tape and a razorblade) with the principles of Throbbing Gristle's "entertainment through pain" and William Bennett's extremist Come / Whitehouse projects. Within the Sacher-Pelz cassettes -- which have been resurrected this box set on E'est / Alga Marghen -- Bianchi could easily be crowned as one of the '70s forefathers of 'anti-music' alongside Lou Reed for his legendary "Metal Machine Music" and Boyd Rice with his "Black Album."
Stephan Kraus' well researched website on the history of Bianchi (which can be located at Brainwashed) indicated that much of the original source material from these cassettes was taken from Bianchi's abused Kraftwerk vinyl, then vastly recontextualized into monotonous loops, completely devoid of anything sounding like Kraftwerk. I guess it could be the music of Kraftwerk, but if "Autobahn" had been exhumed from a lengthy burial in a murky swamp.
"Cainus" is Bianchi's very first outing, finding him enthralled by the looping technology of a varispeed tape machine. An entirely decentralized affair, this recording takes those post-mortem tones from his beaten Kraftwerk albums and warbles arrhythmically through several repetitions then shifts into a different loop. "Venus" is similar in the arrhythmia of looping textures, but finds Bianchi experimenting with the varispeed and with an additional synthesizer bleeding through the turgid noise. Even within these recordings which are decidedly primitive, Bianchi makes it very clear that the monotony and dullness of his records are an intentional pursuit for his music, as exorcisms of the existential frustrations of life. "Cease To Exist" progresses more into the sinister dense collage work that precedes his masterpieces as MB, "Endometrio" and "Carcinosi." The final Sacher Pelz recording "Velours" is the most advanced of the four with the loops showing a much broader spectrum from clarity to abstraction, with some of his samples coming directly from Neu! "2" (an interesting choice as that album was a remix of Neu!'s earliest recordings!), but most distorted into a bass-heavy muddle of Merzbow proportions.
It must be stated that while this Sacher-Pelz boxset is an fascinating document of Bianchi's earliest work, this box isn't nearly as good as the truly depressing but totally overwhelming MB recordings.
RealAudio clip: "Crime Uberall (from "Cainus")"
RealAudio clip: "Venus (from "Venus")"
RealAudio clip: "Exterminans (from "Cease To Exist")"
RealAudio clip: "Sans Sang (from "Velours')"

SACHER-PELZ / M.B. (BIANCHI, MAURIZIO) Clerzphase (Stridulum) cd-r 15.98
As for the reasons for the reprise of the Sacher-Pelz moniker, maybe we'll never know; regardless, Maurizio Bianchi has returned to the name that started his illustrious career of sinister, industrial abstraction some thirty years ago. In the late '70s, Bianchi recorded a handful of cassettes as Sacher-Pelz using little more than a turntable, a varispeed 4-track, some well worn Kraftwerk, Neu!, and Conrad Schnitzler LPs as source material, and lots of rough-cut tape splicing in a primitive attempt at a ghastly variation on musique concrete with a few moments of toxic brilliance. Four of those early cassettes had been reissued in a Sacher-Pelz box through E'est / Alga Marghen (who were also responsible for the reissues of the 10 classic M.B. recordings from the early '80s). That box set evaporated from the market very quickly, along with most of those classic M.B. records. For the 2006 incarnation of Sacher-Pelz, Bianchi cites as his source material "concretonic irradition for concrete noises, efflorescent loops, and foetologic guitar." Ah, yes, Bianchi has always had a way with the English language! The sounds that he musters from those sources has much more in common with those that he generated as M.B. particularly found on his 1983 masterpiece The Plain Truth. Clerzphase swarms with a post-mortem atmosphere as cold cold cold electronic vibrations offer little room beyond intense claustrophobia. Hints of horror film minor key melodies and megaphone-distorted vocals may be lurking in the mix, yet Bianchi's vibrating patterns are so relentless as to obfuscate every undergirding sound to the Sacher-Pelz death-ambient mantras.
Limited to 250 copies.
MPEG Stream: "Sunev"
MPEG Stream: "Tsixe Ot Esaec"

SACHIKO M Derive (NAIM) cd 16.98

SACRED FLESH Original Soundtrack (Cold Spring) cd 14.98
"Sacred Flesh" is an erotic lesbian nun film made by Nigel Wingrove who commissioned Band Of Pain's Steve Pittis to score the soundtrack. Using a similar dialogue-recycling technique that John Duncan used for his "John See Soundtracks," Pittis incorporates echoed voices (some of religious incantations, some of sexual ecstacy) directly into the soundtrack dominated by deep washes of dark ambience. Or as the guy who writes the Relapse catalog blurb says "I've got to see this movie!!" You'll understand after you see the booklet photos. In any event, another fine Band of Pain release.

SACRED STEEL Bloodlust (Metal Blade) cd 16.98
These self-styled German "Wargods of Metal" return with their third album of pure, unrepentant, and ever-so-slightly ridiculous heavy metal. Definitely an acquired taste, but one that Allan has definitely acquired! Like their European brethren Hammerfall, these guys are all '80s and epic, but are a lot heavier and rawer. No keyboards, no ballads. Previously, most of their songs were not just metal, but ABOUT metal (as with this album's "Metal Is War" for instance). But with this release Sacred Steel have forged a concept album of sorts, the songs linking together to tell a story of an ancient empire and alien gods or something. Anyway, you'll either love them or hate them, and the main deciding factor is what you think of the singer's voice. He's no boring blond-tressed clone, but styles himself after the bizarre banshee wail of original Saint Vitus vocalist Scott Reagers. The result, however, sounds closer to what you might imagine (if you can) Jello Biafra would sound like singing power metal at a high pitch. In other words, warbly and weird. But I love it. He's got personality, a factor totally lacking in most metal "singers". He sounds a bit silly, and I think he knows it. But it's how he wants to sing, he's expressing the unbridled spirit of metal within himself and somehow it really works (for me anyway). Better than the smooth, generic croon of that Hammerfall dork!
RealAudio clip: "Master Of Thy Fate"
RealAudio clip: "Throne Of Metal"

SACRED STEEL Hammer Of Destruction (Massacre) cd 17.98
Gotta mention the latest from these German wargods of metal. Speedy, yelpy metal in the '80s Metal Blade tradition that is. Some of us here are big fans of this metal for metal's sake band, in part 'cause of the love 'em or hate 'em vocals of lead warbler (it says here "communicative siren channel", actually) Gerrit Mutz, who (as we've said before) sounds like what we'd think Jello Biafra would if he decided to front a power metal band. Gerrit puts his all into his dramatic vox, which range from high-pitched shrieks to melodic crooning to deathly growls. Meanwhile, the other members of Sacred Steel crank out the fist-pumping tuneage, their ragin' retro riffage totally catchy and exciting and utterly without any pretense or sense of irony.
Sacred Steel are all about madness, metal, Satan, speed, slaughter -- sophisticated stuff like that. So we'd suggest that more "mature" folks, cool kids, and of course poseurs should stay far away! If you're a true metalhead though (particularly one who already digs Mutz' vox) this album is a headbanging delight, taking at least one doomy detour with the slowly chugging, grandiosity of the track "The Black Church". Oh, and there's a computer-playable videoclip included for the track "Maniacs Of Speed".
MPEG Stream: "Where Demons Dare To Tread"
MPEG Stream: "Impaled By Metal"

SACRED STEEL Iron Blessings (Massacre) cd 17.98
TROO metal!

SACRED STEEL Slaughter Prophecy (Massacre) cd 14.98
Not to be confused with that whole genre of spiritual lap-steel playing! No, this is metal...
Faster and more brutal than before, these German speed metallers return with their fourth album, first for new label Massacre (I guess they won't be playing "Crusaders of the Metal Blade" anymore). If you don't know 'em, let's just say Sacred Steel are a band that makes metal music by, for, and about metalheads. They're massive fiends for '80s metal obscurities, and with "Slaughter Prophecy" they seem to be especially inspired by the heavier, speedier section of their record collections: Nasty Savage, Slayer, Agent Steel, but also the epic and doomy likes of Candlemass and Cirith Ungol. As a result, this album is a double bass driven metal fist in your face. They even do a song called "Raise The Metal Fist"!
Lead singer Gerrit Mutz is the reason you'll hate this (if you're a poser): his singing can only be described as ridiculous, yet he's got the balls and the charisma to pull it off. If you're insecure about liking something with silly but sincere vocals, you won't like Mutz or Sacred Steel. Me (Allan), I love Mutz's vox! Imagine Jello Biafra trying to sing like a metalgod. Mainly inspired by the weirdisms of old Saint Vitus vocalist Scott Reagers, Gerritt wails and warbles in a completely insane, over the top fashion. But he also indulges in a death metal growl upon occasion (sounding not unlike King Fowley of Deceased), moreso than on previous Sacred Steel releases.
I would suggest their last album, "Bloodlust" (a R.E. Howard / H.P. Lovecraft weird tales inspired epic) as being the best Sacred Steel to start with, but "Slaughter Prophecy" is maybe slightly more accessible to fans of "extreme metal" (black, death, etc.). Eccentric traditional METAL you'll either love or hate. In digipak w/ bonus track "while supplies last".
RealAudio clip: "Sacred Bloody Steel"

SACRIFICE POLES s/t (Robodog) cd 10.98
Side project of ALL the members of Cave In recorded during the off time of the sessions for their last record. No, it's not a return to their abandoned-in-favor-of-Radiohead-emulation metalcore roots, or even an extension of the "OK Computer" style art-rock found on their last brilliant album "Jupiter". Instead, Sacrifice Poles are all about post rock jamming. Repetitive, dreamy and directionless.

SADE Lovers Live (Sony) cd 16.98
Hefty 70-minute documentation of Sade's 2001 world tour. If you can get past the annoyingly extra-loud crowd enthusiasm, you'll find this is a nice collection. Sade's chilled out, smooth-as-silk vocal delivery is perfectly matched by the easy-listenin' trumpet / guitar / percussive backdrop. Warning: if you already know her studio recordings well, the live versions here might be a bit disconcerting since they are slightly sped-up.
RealAudio clip: "Somebody Already Broke My Heart"

SADE Lovers Rock (Epic) cd 16.98
Let's see... I could start off this review all nostalgic-like, tell you about my first year in college when me and my girlfriends were learning how to smoke cigarettes, we'd sit around the large round banquet tables in the university cafe, surrounded by blue haze and the girl to my left was all into shit like Pseudo Echo, and Karen to the left of me was into U2 and the Alarm "and Zep", but all I wanted to listen to on the jukebox was Sade's "Your Love is King". There, now I've dated myself. But maybe I shouldn't tell you all that -- cos you'll think I'm silly... er, cos Sade's music is timeless not dated. And you'll be happy to know that Ms. Adu's icy-cool delivery of the most personal lyrics is much more emotional and warm now. I kind of don't think that a lot of AQ's customers are into Sade anymore, if ever, but think about it this way -- if she hadn't gotten all famous and mainstream back then, maybe today you'd be hailing her records as lost gems of quietly gorgeous, sophisticated soul. Think simplicity.
RealAudio clip: "By Your Side"
RealAudio clip: "The Sweetest Gift"

SADIES, THE Favourite Colours (Yep Roc) cd 14.98
After four solid albums (plus some great collaborations with Andre Williams and Jon Langford), we've grown accustomed to counting on The Sadies for their sorta chaotic blend of spaghetti western, surf guitar, country twang, psychobilly and murder balladry with equal nods to Ennio Morricone, Link Wray and Nick Cave. However, on their fifth album Favourite Colours (that spelling reveals their true Canadian-ness), the latter film score maestro's influence is much less pronounced, seemingly in favor of some new untrodden territory for the band. The fellows are lookin' a bit ragged around the edges. Well, at least half of them are... take a gander at the cover photo... who are those two mountain men?! Oh! But we must quickly emphasize that it in a good way! If anything the band is sounding more refreshed and composed than ever. Definitely not tired nor worn out... not at all! Their playing is as tight as ever, and it doesn't take long for them to make that clear. Just check out the hot guitar work on the lead-off track "Northumberland West". They're a band totally capable of playing it as loose and lanky as they please. The most noticeable change in the band's sound is the increased presence and range of the vocals -- from a Pink Floyd-ish contemplativeness on the second song "Translucent Sparrow" to the droll storyteller tone on "1000 Cities Falling" (akin to their Canadian forefather Gordon Lightfoot... "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald", anyone?) to the retro 60s Yardbirds / Animals-ness of the excellent finale "Why Would Anybody Live Here?". Another welcome detour is the seventh song "The Iceberg" which is as the title suggests a somber, galacial instrumental. Gorgeous! As usual, this Sadies album is comprised of a veritable grabbag of styles and moods, however there's a newfound fluidity and focus to the proceedings. Recommended!
Oh and by the way, keep your eyes peeled in the coming year for The Sadies. They are tireless! The fellows have been busy working on new material with Neko Case. You might recall they were her backing band ('Her Boyfriends') for a spell and looks like they'll be rekindling their touring magic this fall.
MPEG Stream: "Translucent Sparrow"
MPEG Stream: "The Curdled Journey"

SADIES, THE In Concert Volume One (Yep Roc) 2cd 17.98
Not only are two of the band members brothers of a musical family (Dallas and Travis of the Good Family), but The Sadies as a whole are a formidable branch of a bigger musical family which includes the likes of Neko Case (whom they back up on her own live album The Tigers Have Spoken), Kelly Hogan, Blue Rodeo, Jon Langford, members of Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet and Rick White (of Eric's Trip, Elevator, etc.) not to mention many Bloodshot Records brethren. All of them along with Jon Spencer, Gary Louris (of Golden Smog and the Jayhawks), Steve Albini and a whole slew more got down to business on this live recording which took place over two nights at Lee's Palace in Toronto back in February. Whew! Whoa! As you might already be aware, the core Sadies all by their lonesome kick some serious wall to wall ass live each and every time. So entertaining. So lanky'n'loose and razor-sharp at the same time, effortlessly roaming from Morricone western soundtrack to frenetic surf guitar to murder balladry and back. Now with all the other folks in tow, hot damn, they very well cause a meltdown. 2 discs, 41 tracks, 110 minutes!
MPEG Stream: "Cheat"
MPEG Stream: "Dying Is Easy"

SADIES, THE New Season (Yep Roc) cd 15.98
Known to veer wildly from style to style, tempo to tempo, mood to mood, those lanky Canadian troubadours The Sadies keep things at a relatively dour faced, slow creep this time around.
Less sprawling too, notably absent on New Season are their trademark excursions into Hawaiian guitar, garage rawk and Morricone spaghetti western territories. Still they're as great as ever because these boys know just how to hit that perfect so-lonesome-you-could-cry pace'n'vibe time and time again. Awesome effortless musicianship, slightly tweaked and twisted takes on age old musical traditions injected with an ever affecting spookiness.
MPEG Stream: "What's Left Behind"
MPEG Stream: "A Simple Apparition"

SADIES, THE Precious Moments (Bloodshot) cd 14.98

SADIES, THE Pure Diamond Gold (Bloodshot) cd 14.98
No, this isn't a new release, it's the fine album which preceded this Toronto quartet's most recent Tremendous Effort which we reviewed recently. Rooted in rollicking twang that gives a hearty, respectful nod to surf guitar king Link Wray, their music can swell to Morricone spaghetti western proportions then swagger along the glinting edge of a murder balladry. Along the way they also tackle some traditional country and gospel songs ("Higher Power" and "Walking Ground"). The four fellows - brothers Dallas and Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky (who's also played with Jale and Pernice Brothers) - kick out their tunes mainly on guitars, upright bass, keyboards, fiddle and drums. Their live show, fueled by Marlboros and whisky, is absolutely electric, leaving band and audience fully spent. On record however, their sounds expands to include dobro, banjo and harmonica and an array of additional vocalists. Keep an ear out for guest turns by Kelly Hogan, Catherine Irwin (of Freakwater on "Eastwinds"), and Don Pyle (Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet). Capturing their fiery energy, this album was engineered and mixed by Steve Albini.
RealAudio clip: "Medicine Ball"
RealAudio clip: "Higher Power"
RealAudio clip: "Eastwinds"

SADIES, THE Stories Often Told (Yep Roc) cd 16.98
Another full length from those tireless, sharply suited gents, and who's complaining?! Whether they're in one of their loping or galloping moods, it just doesn't matter 'cause they smoke either way. The Sadies will hit you one way or another like a stampede of cattle or a stiletto knife in the back. Often labelled simply as a country or garage or surf band, this Canadian quartet is all of this and more. While they can definitely deliver the goods solidly in any of these departments alone, unlike many bands these days they don't just regurgitate a style. They incorporate aspects of one into another, making music that echoes of a different time, but sounds distinctly of the Sadies. Visions of the ol' west with its trusty steeds, dusty desert sunsets and ten gallon hats may come to mind but are swept away by images of scorned lovers, shifty speakeasy figures with smoking guns.
RealAudio clip: "Such A Little Word"
RealAudio clip: "Monkey & Cork"

SADIES, THE Tales Of The Rat Fink - Original Soundtrack (YepRoc) cd 13.98
Screeeeeeeech! That's the sound of this hot rod peelin' out of the lot. What a perfect match -- Torontonian psychobilly hepcats The Sadies doin' the soundtrack for the film documentary about Ed "Big Daddy" Roth (perhaps better known as the man behind the bloodshot'n'buggy eyed rebel comic character Rat Fink)! Unlike their usual studio albums which careen across a vast and varied musical landscape, The Sadies for the most part takes a direct route to the surf, veerin' and huggin' a few curves in the process. Like lil' critters that dart out into headlights, their instrumental rabble-rousin' is flashed with a few dialogue snippits from the film. Super cool! What's that smell?! Burnt rubber, baby! They're smokin'!
MPEG Stream: "The Pyramid"
MPEG Stream: "The Double Wide"

SADIES, THE Tales Of The Rat Fink - Original Soundtrack (YepRoc) lp 13.98
Screeeeeeeech! That's the sound of this hot rod peelin' out of the lot. What a perfect match -- Torontonian psychobilly hepcats The Sadies doin' the soundtrack for the film documentary about Ed "Big Daddy" Roth (perhaps better known as the man behind the bloodshot'n'buggy eyed rebel comic character Rat Fink)! Unlike their usual studio albums which careen across a vast and varied musical landscape, The Sadies for the most part takes a direct route to the surf, veerin' and huggin' a few curves in the process. Like lil' critters that dart out into headlights, their instrumental rabble-rousin' is flashed with a few dialogue snippits from the film. Super cool! What's that smell?! Burnt rubber, baby! They're smokin'!
MPEG Stream: "The Pyramid"
MPEG Stream: "The Double Wide"

SADIES, THE Tremendous Effort (Bloodshot) cd 14.98
These lanky Canadians have been known to assume the form of Neko Case's backing band The Boyfriends, and actually Dallas Good's tingly reverb-laden guitar stylings can also be heard on her new album Blacklisted. However, The Sadies are so much more than that! Kicking up the dust with this their third full length (the follow-up to 1999's excellent Pure Diamond Gold), they continue to unfurl their particular sonic blend: the sinewy twang of spaghetti western soundtracks, the more epic Morricone grandeur, the rawness of garage surf rock, the whisky-soaked, careening, hillbilly barn burners, and the smouldering, intense murder balladry (Dallas alone cuts a very striking, lean 'n' suave Nick Cave-esque silhouette). They do each of these styles so well that they could just stick with one and be quite impressive, but no, that's not what The Sadies have in mind. That said, they definitely don't shift gears as radically from one song to the next as much as they used to, this album is much more cohesive. And yet even still, their musical pendulum's swing shears a distinct and refreshing path through the predominantly 'alt-country' Bloodshot Records roster. Very cool!

RealAudio clip: "Empty The Chamber"
RealAudio clip: "The Last of the Good"
RealAudio clip: "Flash"

SAFETY SCISSORS Parts Water (Plug Research) cd 16.98
While currently spending his days surrounded by Berlin's techno digerati, Matthew Curry (aka Safety Scissors) pines for his hometown of San Francisco... or at least that's where his musical heart still is. "Parts Water" is Safety Scissors' debut album and finds comfort next to the sarcastic electronica of other San Franciscans like Matmos, Blectum From Blechdom, Lesser, and Kid 606. Curry's humor speaks up with the playful exchange between the notions of the computer nerd (pocked with bad acne and the unhealthy complexion which halos those who stare at a monitor all day) and the art school drop out (filled with the knowledge that posturing in art school rarely equates with making good work). Fortunately, Curry's presentation of a goofy, somewhat anti-social persona doesn't stop with the concept, since this persona does in fact manufacture an equally goofy, if purposefully understated form of techno. As Safety Scissors, Curry quietly situates whimsical sound fragments and half spoken vocals around quirky (and at times clumsy) machine-like techno pulses. Imagine Blectum From Blechdom trying to restrain themselves into making one of those sterile filter house records for Force Inc, but can't deny the smirking urge to issue forth a fart sound from time to time.
RealAudio clip: "Stormy Weather"
RealAudio clip: "7 Glasses A Day / 7 Days A Week"

SAFETY SCISSORS Parts Water (Plug Research) lp 15.98
While currently spending his days surrounded by Berlin's techno digerati, Matthew Curry (aka Safety Scissors) pines for his hometown of San Francisco... or at least that's where his musical heart still is. "Parts Water" is Safety Scissors' debut album and finds comfort next to the sarcastic electronica of other San Franciscans like Matmos, Blectum From Blechdom, Lesser, and Kid 606. Curry's humor speaks up with the playful exchange between the notions of the computer nerd (pocked with bad acne and the unhealthy complexion which halos those who stare at a monitor all day) and the art school drop out (filled with the knowledge that posturing in art school rarely equates with making good work). Fortunately, Curry's presentation of a goofy, somewhat anti-social persona doesn't stop with the concept, since this persona does in fact manufacture an equally goofy, if purposefully understated form of techno. As Safety Scissors, Curry quietly situates whimsical sound fragments and half spoken vocals around quirky (and at times clumsy) machine-like techno pulses. Imagine Blectum From Blechdom trying to restrain themselves into making one of those sterile filter house records for Force Inc, but can't deny the smirking urge to issue forth a fart sound from time to time.

SAFETY SCISSORS Tainted Lunch (Scape) cd 16.98

SAGAN Resting Pleasures (333) 7" 6.98
Heads up! Here comes another wave of limited edition 7"s from 333 Records! Each release in this series is pressed in an ultra small quantity of 333! The latest additions are this one by Sagan and one by Girl Talk. Plus: The first 100 of this Sagan single came with a little extra something -- a bonus 3"cdr! Don't fret too much if you do miss the first 100 though 'cause we've been assured that the track will be available online for download too. The ever mischievous and crafty trio of Jay Lesser, Blevin Blectum, Wobbly pour out the prickly tickles, thick bass thuddery, and druggy effected vocals for these two short heavily processed and distorted tracks. Always entertaining! We've only got a handful of these. Snoooze'n'loooze, kiddie!

SAGAN Unseen Forces (Vague Terrain) cd + DVD 13.98
We've been getting more and more tired of electronic music recently. How could you not? It seems that every week there's a hundred more glitchy wannabe Autechres or Aphex Twins. But thankfully, there are always groups of folks, quietly doing their own thing, thinking weird thoughts and making weird sounds, turning unlikely concepts into reality, and offering us amazing alternatives to the usual crap we are forced to sift through day after day. Thus we have Sagan. With a pedigree that would have us expecting no less. Jay Lesser, Bevin Blectum, Wobbly, film maker Ryan Junell, and the label run by Drew And Martin of Matmos. You'd almost find yourself shouting 'supergroup' if you didn't know that such behavior would get you a punch in the nose.
A massive concept album based on Carl Sagan and just good 'ol science in general, Unseen Forces is a heaping sensory overload of sonic irregularites and visual fuckery. The audio disc is a lot more listenable that you might expect from audio terrorists like Lesser and Blectum. It's a far spacier affair, channelling classic Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd swoosh, Hawkwind spaciness, as well as modern glitch into a slowly swirling galaxy of shimmery synths, and stuttering starbursts, throbbing techno broadcast from a distant galaxy, and garbled through the light years into a smeary ambient blur, demarcated by chirps and clicks, thumps and throbs. A space opera for the IDM set.
We were a bit wary of the accompanying film, fearing at best, some sort of cool music videos, and at worst, home movies of band members mugging and acting silly. Well, somehow it's actually both, but the sum of those parts is infinitely more watchable than you might think and so completely compliments Sagan's techno space glitch swirl. So much so that after watching the film, every time we listen to the record now, all we can picture is the scenes from the film! Various historical scientific discoveries and encounters are fictionalized and re-enacted by the band members as well as the guys from Matmos and AQ pal Dave Cerf. Gorgeously filmed and masterfully edited, the grainy Viewmaster menus and segues perfectly balance the silent movie feel of the vignettes, with the action skipping and hiccupping to the music. Funny and fascinating, silly but emminently watchable. Also the opening sequence and the closing credits are AMAZING looking. This record and film have been in the works for a LONG time, but we are happy to report that the wait was worth it!
Also, the hybrid DVD contains 9 shows with over 6 hours of music!
MPEG Stream: "18,000 BC - Figurines Of Vulva And Waterbird"
MPEG Stream: "Fuguestate: Cosmic, Brah..."

SAGE FRANCIS A Healthy Distrust (Epitaph) cd 13.98
Sage Francis has always been the best lyricist of the bunch, the bunch in question being the Anticon collective (Dose One, Sole, Alias, etc...), but until now it was ALL about the lyrics, the music being just background for Francis's nimble flow. A Healthy Distrust finds Francis on fire, spitting some of the most biting, brutal and brutally funny lyrics EVER, sometimes in a purposefully unfunky drawl, sometimes sung in a goofy sing song, and sometimes sprayed in an impossible series of tongue twisting turns of phrase. And unlike Atmosphere and some other hyped white rappers, Francis manages to flow effortlessly, incorporating his white boy idosycracies into his lyrics and delivery instead of letting them define him as an artist.
And finally, for once, the music is just as impressive, dense and emotional, hard and heavy, but not heavy in that incongruous-metal-riff / metal-meets-hip-hop nu-metal way that most rap groups try at least once (and regret it), but in the way only perfectly crafted beats and thick evocative atmospheres can be. Intense and aggressive, melodic and strangely haunting and melancholy with minor key melodies and creepy sad loops. Thanks to a seriously impressive line up of beatmakers and producers: Danger Mouse, Alias, Sixtoo, Controller 7, Daddy Kev and more, A healthy Distrust would be just as good a record even if it was instrumental, with its dark deep Shadow-scapes, weird lumbering funk, skittering electronica, organic instrumentation and lots of wicked beats. So when you mix in Francis's Eminem-meets-MC Serch flow, you've got a contender for hip hop record of the year.
A lot of the attention has focused on the track "Sea Lion", a collaboration between Francis and Will Oldham. And rightfully so. A subtle shuffling drum and bass rhythm, over plaintive mournful guitar and Oldham's cracked moan of a vocal line. Definitely an unlikely match up that works perfectly. Another standout is the anti gangsta diatribe "Gunz Yo!" that had us laughing out loud:
"Straight to the grill like a homophobic rapper unaware of the graphic nature of phallic symbols, tragically ironic, sucking off each other's gats and pistols, I've got more back issues than Guns n' Ammo, cuz my uzi weighs a ton and i never let go of the handle. Hanging onto mommy's pant leg...double fisted. Knee deep in shells, kicking ballistics. This dick is a detatchable penis. An extension of my manhood, positioned like a fetus. An introvenous hook up feeds bullets to my magazine. Nevermind the Bullocks, my pistol is a sex machine!"
and:
"I've got another gun, I keep it in my briefcase. It keeps me safe at my workplace. Cubicle gangster who's in need of his personal space. Angster of love who's unable to look girls in their face."
In fact, this is one of the few hip hop records that actually had us dropping everything we were doing to actually listen closely to the rhymes, even reading along in the cd booklet. And again, the lyrics had us cracking up, and occasionally even getting all choked up. They're that right on. Here's a few favorites:
"Now it's whistle blower versus the pistol holder. Case Dismissed. They'll lock you up and throw away the key witness. Justice is the whim of a judge. Check his chest density. It leaves much room for error, and the rest is left to density. The West Memphis 3 lost paradise. Now it's death penalty vs. Suicidal Tendencies. All I wanted was a fucking Pepsi. 'Making you think you're ugly is a million dollar industry.' Corrina Bain. If they could sell sanity in a bottle, they'd be charging for compressed air. They're marketing health care. They demonized welfare. Middle class eliminated. The rich get richer til the poor get educated."
"Let em freestyle, Winner takes all. When the music's dead I'll have Ted Nugent's head hanging on my wall. Kill one of ours...and we'll kill one of yours with some 'friendly fire.' That's a funny term...like 'civil war'."
"In a world where girl's got retro tattoos, and all I've got is a gut and velcro black shoes."
It's all in the the delivery though, and the above lines are so deftly woven in to the music, that it's hard to imagine them on their own as they are above, but just listen to the sound samples! For hip hop, 2004 may have been the year of MF Doom and Madvillain, but this year (so far) it's all about Sage Francis!
MPEG Stream: "The Buzz Kill"
MPEG Stream: "Sea Lion"
MPEG Stream: "Gunz Yo!"

SAGE FRANCIS Personal Journal (Anticon) cd 13.98
Another solo disc from the Anticon posse, Personal Journal is MC Sage Francis' long-in-the-works earnestly-autobiographical album. With producers odd nosdam, Sixtoo, mayonnaise, Controller 7, and more, all of whom keep his voice right out front.
RealAudio clip: "Specialist"
RealAudio clip: "Inherited Scars"