SIGUR ROS Hvarf / Heim (XL) 2cd 14.98
Sigur Ros resurrect a few of their old beloved songs on their new double cd Hvarf / Heim. It could easily have been titled Sigur Ros Plugged and Unplugged, but then again that's trademarked isn't it? Anyhoo, they've electrified some early acoustic numbers and acousticified (uhh, is that a real word? "Unplugged" is so much more catchy!) some previously electric ones. Proof of that old adage that the sign of a good song is if it survives translation in various instrumentations and genres. At once possessed with an ephemeral lightness and a heart-aching gravity, Sigur Ros make it seem so effortless. Hearing these songs again reminds us of the first time Sigur Ros touched our ears. 'Twas (and still is) absolutely enchanting. Now before we get all tear'd up and descend into more maddeningly cliched 'relive the magic!' ad taglines, need we say? As always, glisteningly beautiful.
MPEG Stream: "Agaetis Byrjun (Heim)"
MPEG Stream: "Salka (Hvarf)"

SIGUR ROS Med Sud I Eyrum Vit Spilum Endlanst (XL) cd 10.98
Up until now Sigur Ros has not really been a band we'd associate with wordiness, with spontaneity or with bare flesh. They surprise us with a mouthful of an album title and an eyeful of an album cover. The music as well has floored us -- startlingly different from the trademark blissed out Icelandic grandeur of their previous four full lengths. Nothing tooo drastic, mind you, but Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust refreshes both the band and the listener with songs that are somehow at once both rawer'n'heavier and warmer'n'lighter. Instead of end-to-end waves of dreamy blanketing embraces, there are also moments of bracing starkness and (dare we say?) exuberant immediacy. The combination builds to a (yes, epic!) centerpiece number "Ara Batur" which apparently was recorded in one take and features ninety performers including the London Oratory Boys Choir and the London Sinfonietta orchestra. Whoa, stunning! it's easy to see why they chose to doff their clothing for this one!
MPEG Stream: "Gobbledigook"
MPEG Stream: "Ara Batur"

SIGUR ROS Ny Batteri (Fat Cat) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is second release from Sigur Ros for Fat Cat, outside of a half dozen self-released albums. Soaked in a melancholic theatricality, Sigur Ros plays mournful funereal dirges with instrumentation similar to the indie-ensembles of Godspeed You Black Emperor or Rachel's, with expressive cellos and deep horns. While this release never really reaches the majestic tension of Godspeed You Black Emperor, this is a much better outing for Sigur Ros than the dreadful heavy-handedness of their Fat Cat debut - "Sven-G-Englar."

SIGUR ROS Ny Batteri (Fat Cat) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is second release from Sigur Ros for Fat Cat, inspite of a half dozen self-released albums. Soaked in a melancholic theatricality, Sigur Ros plays mournful funereal dirges with similar instrumentation to the indie-ensembles of Godspeed You Black Emperor or Rachel's, with expressive cellos and deep horns. While this release never really reaches the majestic tension of Godspeed You Black Emperor, this is a much better outing for Sigur Ros than the dreadful heavy-handedness of their Fat Cat debut - "Sven-G-Englar."

SIGUR ROS RIMUR cd ep 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SIGUR ROS Saeglopur (Worker's Institute) cdep+dvd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's an unbeatably splendid Sigur Ros deal -- a dvd and a cdep for less than eleven dollars!
Musically there aren't any surprises... but who needs surprises? They stick with their tried and true which is simply more of their gorgeous crystalline elegant atmospheres we know and love. The title track is taken from their most recent full length Takk and the other three songs are new new new!
Visually it's nothing short of Sigur Ros-ian shivering sumptuousness -- three breathtaking videos for "Saeglopur", "Glosoli" and "Hoppipolla". Oh la la!
MPEG Stream: "Refur"
MPEG Stream: "Kafari"

SIGUR ROS Sven-G-Englar (Fat Cat) cd 10.98
More proof that you should never believe anything that NME or Melody Maker has to say about music. Praised by the UK asskissers at NME as the next thing to follow up Godspeed You Black Emperor, Sigur Ros does attempt to orchestrate lengthy passages for a large ensemble. But, instead of the psychic wastelands of Godspeed which soar with a grandiose majesty, Sigur Ros soaks their orchestral rock in a heavy-handed, melodramatic goop that is inexcusable. The CD has twice as much material as the vinyl!

SIGUR ROS Sven-G-Englar (Fat Cat) 12" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More proof that you should never believe anything that NME or Melody Maker has to say about music. Praised by the UK asskissers at NME as the next thing to follow up Godspeed You Black Emperor, Sigur Ros does attempt to orchestrate lengthy passages for a large ensemble. But, instead of the psychic wastelands of Godspeed which soar with a grandiose majesty, Sigur Ros soaks their orchestral rock in a heavy-handed, melodramatic goop that is inexcusable. Bad, kitty! Very, very bad!

SIGUR ROS Takk (Geffen) cd 15.98
With each Sigur Ros album it seems that this Icelandic group have perfected their sound -- you wonder how they could possibly make it any better or where they could possibly go from there -- but somehow the very next album brings something fresh to their already glorious world. The highly anticipated follow-up to 2002's ( ) is no exception, sending new blissful shivers down your spine. Sigur Ros' music is the aural equivalent of those glistening intricate patterns of frost that form on the windowpanes of old houses. The crystals existence hang in peril of your warm breath as you gaze out into the wintry night. On Takk, they've encorporated more traditional structured songs and orchestral arrangements, more strings, more singing (you can easily imagine Coldplay's Chris Martin slipping in to contribute vocals on some of them) and even a mini brass band interlude! We could gush further, but you get the picture, don't you? Shimmering. Dreamy. Sublime. Wonderful. And the packaging is too!
MPEG Stream: "Glosoli"
MPEG Stream: "Gong"

SIGUR ROS Von (Smekkleysa) cd 23.00
When people first started raving about Sigur Ros, back before they were *everywhere* (we've even just noticed their music used as the soundtrack to an autopsy scene on the TV show CSI!) and we had yet to hear them, we were so excited. This sounded like the band for us. Ethereal but rocking, with strange ghostly vocals, and bizarre production, lush and dark and lovely. When we finally heard them, we were a bit underwhelmed. Not to take anything away from Sigur Ros. They ARE a great band, it was just a case of too much hype and expectations set way to high. But weirdly enough, the first Sigur Ros record we heard was not in fact their first record. But THIS is their first record. And up until recently, pretty much unavailble here in the States. Well, it's finally been licensed and man is it great! If we had heard THIS record first, we would have been totally sold. Von totally lives up to the hype. A weird mix of Radiohead and Pink Floyd and My Bloody Valentine, with those eerie alien sounding falsetto vocals and lots of gorgeous ambience. It sounds kind of like the soundtrack to the scariest movie you've ever seen. The tracks on Von are dark and slowly building, rumbling and creaking, with distant melodies, and whispery vocalisations (in Sigur Ros's made up language 'Hopelandic'). So intense. And when they do rock, they REALLY ROCK. Thumping and hypnotic, heavy and repetitive. A little like Mogwai or Explosions In Ths Sky. One of the highlights is definitely the third track, a swirl of creepy introspective ambience with haunting otherworldly vocals, that eventually turns into a pounding shoegazing / noiserock dirge, simple and relentless, until near the end when the tape starts slowing down and the riff gets chopped up like a skipping cd. Weird and beautifully massive. Most of this record is way darker and way more aggressive than later Sigur Ros and as you can tell from our review, we think that this is a very good thing! Packged in a dark purple jewel case with a creepy doll head on the cover. SO GREAT!
MPEG Stream: "Hun Joro"
MPEG Stream: "Dogun"
MPEG Stream: "Von"

SIGURDSSON, VALGEIR Ekvilibrium (Bedroom Community) cd 15.98
Frosty, shimmering and yes, oh so distinctly Icelandic. This is the new album from Valgeir Sigurdsson. An unfamiliar name perhaps? Well, if you looked closely to the credits for some of your favorite Icelandic artists' albums, you'd probably find his name listed as the producer, engineer, collaborator among other roles... particularly for Sigur Ros, Mum and one Ms Bjork! Sigurdsson steps to the other side of the recording studio console to make his solo debut. It's a tapestry of delicate, stuttery IDM waves and chiming melodies. On tracks such as "Focal Point" the airiness is countered by the sound of heavy fingers on (toy?) piano keys. Enchanting!
Features guest appearances by Bonnie Prince Billy and Dawn McCarthy of Faun Fables!
MPEG Stream: "Evolution Of Waters"
MPEG Stream: "Focal Point"

SILBERBART 4 Times Sound Razing (Progressive Line) cd 22.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Silberbart's one-off LP from 1971, with its non sequitur of a bleeding silver gnome on the cover, is one of those heavy krautrock rarities spoken of in hushed tones, in record-collector tomes like Cosmic Dreams At Play ("...legendary...extreme...") and the equally authoritative Crack In The Cosmic Egg ("...excellent...schizophrenic..."). It's desirable in part 'cause it's so darn obscure, yes. But also 'cause it IS heavy. In a loose and demented, frayed and jangled, utterly freakish way. The four tracks here (long ones, with great titles demonstrating Silberbart's psychedelic illogic: "Chub Chub Cherry", "Brain Brain", "God", "Head Tear Of The Drunken Sun") are crazy quilt of distorted guitar riffing, acid-fried songwriting, and unusually frantic, strangled vocals. The band's hippie power trio psych is played with an escaped lunatic's "what's next?" abandon, making for progged-out, crooked-grinning, drug-induced weirdness that deservedly garners comparisons to early Guru Guru.
Compact disc reissues of this have always been hard to come by. But we found a small supply and thought that there had to be some AQ customers who've always been curious about 4 Times Sound Razing...it's not exactly a work of genius but it's odd enough to please a few of you we wager!
MPEG Stream: "Brain Brain"
MPEG Stream: "God"

SILENCER Death - Pierce Me (Autopsy Kitchen) cd 14.98
It seems like a lot of the black metal we've been digging lately has been of the 'tortured anguished vocals' variety. Sterbend from last list is probably the most obvious. But Marblebog too. Also Hekel elsewhere on this list. But go back a ways and you can find plenty of black hordes who not only buzz grimly, but howl and wail as if their souls were trying to escape from their bodies, Bethlehem, SF cult legends Weakling, and of course Silencer. This record isn't really new, and actually we have been trying to track down copies of this forever. Silencer are spoken of with hushed reverence, and for good reason. Death - Pierce Me is dark and damaged, grim and suicidal miserablist doom-drenched black metal of the highest order. Talk to any of the current crop of the black metal elite, Wrest from Leviathan, Malefic from Xasthur, and they will fawn unabashedly over Silencer. Thankfully, Autopsy Kitchen have stepped up and rescued this all time black classic from oblivion. And now you can finally experience one of the original black cults who expressed their blackened misery through impossibly anguished vocals. Hysterical shrieks, frenzied and overwrought howls of absolute terror. Never has a band captured grief and misery and loneliness so perfectly and in such an utterly frightening way.
But it's not just the vocals, the music is completely intense and seething as well, with an unrestrained turbulence, dense and buzzing and so emotional and personal and overwhelming. Heart rending minor key melodies emeshed in black swirls of buzz, the riffing so intense and totally manic, exposing a tortured inner world wrought with drama and tension, a dark soul exposed, a damaged personal hell expressed through shriek and buzz. The anguished blasts of blackness are separated by dark doomy ambient passages, from simple mournful acoustic guitar to droney piano fugues to simple melodic doom metal minimalism, but when the riffs and the vocals kick in, a huge brutal blackness dropping on you from above, it's the sort of musical moment that gives you chills, makes your hair stand up on end, and in the right frame of mind makes you want to just break down. Which is precisely why Silencer and Death - Pierce Me are so revered, this record set the template for ALL depressive suicidal black metal to follow, and while some have come close, Xasthur and Nortt certainly, there is just something so special, and so utterly frightening about this record that keeps anyone from ever capturing the same black musical world of abject fear and unmitigated misery.
MPEG Stream: "Death - Pierce Me"
MPEG Stream: "Sterile Nails And Thunderbowels"
MPEG Stream: "Taklamakan"

SILENCER Death - Pierce Me (Autopsy Kitchen) picture disc lp 14.98
This maniacal depressive black gem available as a super limited picture disc, housed in a deluxe jacket with a printed inner sleeve!
It seems like a lot of the black metal we've been digging lately has been of the 'tortured anguished vocals' variety. Sterbend from last list is probably the most obvious. But Marblebog too. Also Hekel elsewhere on this list. But go back a ways and you can find plenty of black hordes who not only buzz grimly, but howl and wail as if their souls were trying to escape from their bodies, Bethlehem, SF cult legends Weakling, and of course Silencer. This record isn't really new, and actually we have been trying to track down copies of this forever. Silencer are spoken of with hushed reverence, and for good reason. Death - Pierce Me is dark and damaged, grim and suicidal miserablist doom-drenched black metal of the highest order. Talk to any of the current crop of the black metal elite, Wrest from Leviathan, Malefic from Xasthur, and they will fawn unabashedly over Silencer. Thankfully, Autopsy Kitchen have stepped up and rescued this all time black classic from oblivion. And now you can finally experience one of the original black cults who expressed their blackened misery through impossibly anguished vocals. Hysterical shrieks, frenzied and overwrought howls of absolute terror. Never has a band captured grief and misery and loneliness so perfectly and in such an utterly frightening way.
But it's not just the vocals, the music is completely intense and seething as well, with an unrestrained turbulence, dense and buzzing and so emotional and personal and overwhelming. Heart rending minor key melodies emeshed in black swirls of buzz, the riffing so intense and totally manic, exposing a tortured inner world wrought with drama and tension, a dark soul exposed, a damaged personal hell expressed through shriek and buzz. The anguished blasts of blackness are separated by dark doomy ambient passages, from simple mournful acoustic guitar to droney piano fugues to simple melodic doom metal minimalism, but when the riffs and the vocals kick in, a huge brutal blackness dropping on you from above, it's the sort of musical moment that gives you chills, makes your hair stand up on end, and in the right frame of mind makes you want to just break down. Which is precisely why Silencer and Death - Pierce Me are so revered, this record set the template for ALL depressive suicidal black metal to follow, and while some have come close, Xasthur and Nortt certainly, there is just something so special, and so utterly frightening about this record that keeps anyone from ever capturing the same black musical world of abject fear and unmitigated misery.
MPEG Stream: "Death - Pierce Me"
MPEG Stream: "Sterile Nails And Thunderbowels"
MPEG Stream: "Taklamakan"

SILENTIST Chariot Swing (Celestial Gang) cd ep 8.98
Second release from Silentist, a bizarre grindcore twentieth century classical hybrid. At least that's what they used to sound like. Originally described to us as a classical pianist playing with a relentlessly blast beating drummer, their sound ended up being more like a grind band with a pianist and no guitarist. Which was still pretty darn amazing. This time around it's a whole different beast. All the metal and the downtuned fury, the blast beats, the shrieked vocals, all gone. In their place is a strangely avant garde piano, vocals and drum cabaret. Wild and splattery, ultra dramatic and completely unlike anything we've ever heard. Wild atonal piano intertwined with pounding tribal drumming, accompanied by over the top super dramatic vocals. A brief flurry of manic and impossibly intricate piano drum interplay before the drums drop out and the piano becomes a multiphonic blur, a lush jazzscape of shimmering cymbals, repetitive piano figures and crooning keening vocals. A strange pop song with fuzzed out rhythms, affected vocals, shuffling jazz drums, sounding a bit like a jazzier Animal Collective... But it's the final track that kicks in with a bit of Silentist's old heaviness. But only a bit. A super distorted low end rhythmic buzz over haunting creepy piano melodies, and wailed mournful vocals, all drenched in reverb, laced loosely to a lurching loping tempo, a weirdly catchy minor key epic that builds and builds with manic drumming surfacing beneath the seasick tempo and turning an already harrowing sounding track more and more intense. Really really strange and completely amazing!
MPEG Stream: "Easy Tines"
MPEG Stream: "Chariot Swing"

SILENTIST House On The Hill ep (Celestial Gang) cd ep 7.98
We've pretty much totally fallen for these guys. Big time! Initially we were lead completely astray by a friend who described them as a classical pianist / grindcore drummer duo. We were expecting something like that weird Dave Lombardo record where he drums along to Vivaldi. What we got was much different but no less satisfying. A demented dark grind band with a pianist who added all sorts of unlikely tonal color, and weird melodic flourishes. On their second ep, they ditched the grind completely and replaced it with some sort of damaged cabaret, with super dramatic vocals, insane piano, and all sorts of swirling jazzisms. Well, here we are at ep #3 (what is it with the ep's guys?) and they've gone and done it again. It's almost like they're a different band each time. But there's always something that links all their disparate musical personalities no matter how tenuous. On House On The Hill, Silentist are some sort of doomy, gothy slowcore band. The opening track is a loping dirge, simple shuffling drums over a rumbling bass drone and drawled sung spoken vocals, with occasional bursts of anguished howls and extra-pounding drums, almost like a much more malevolent Codeine with some distinct Swans influence. The second track is equally as dark, but is a super dramatic sort-of-industrial version of the first song, music box melodies, weird distorted electric piano, grinding fuzz synths, pounding drums and moaned baritone vocals, that also occasionally shift into black metal screams. Imagine some neo-classical, black metal Birthday Party and you might be close. Very dark, and very creepy and strangely psychedelic. Heavy too, but not like metal heavy, more sort of dense and disturbing. This record is almost like the perfect mix of the first two, wild whiplash grind and super glammy cabaret, a blackened glam grind maybe? Some tracks are sweeping and epic, some are blasting and chaotic, but always the interplay between the drums and piano manage to hold it all together. Dreamy minor key melodicism jammed up against lightning fast blast beats, howled tortured vocals draped over sweetly melancholy ambience, dizzying and confusing, but so fucking great.
MPEG Stream: "Cut "
MPEG Stream: "Evil Triad"

SILENTIST Nightingales EP (Celestial Gang) cd ep 8.98
Local noiseniks the Yellow Swans hipped us to this band, describing Silentist as a classical pianist, with a drummer playing blast beats behind the piano. Hell, we were sold without even hearing it! Their descption was not all that far off the mark, although we might have described them as a grindcore band with a pianist instead of a guitarist. Either way this is pretty weird stuff. Manic twentieth century free jazz piano, angular and melodic, occasionally picking out mournful minor key melodies, sometimes pounding out chords and riffs, all kept in check by an incredibly kick ass drummer who swings from ultra complex, polyrhythmic jazz freakouts, to blurry lightning fast blast beats. Occasional shrieked vocals and downtuned guitars add some more typical 'heaviness' to the proceedings, but to be honest its the interplay between the drums and the piano that has our head spinning. Imagine Matthew Shipp jamming with Dave Lombardo, backed up by Brutal Truth here and there! Woah! Free jazz grind? Um, how about grind jazz? Or twentieth century grind? I know, modern free grind! Whatever it is it's fucking amazing!
FYI we're pretty sure the piano player is the same guy who shared that recent split with Growing, Mark Evan Burden.
MPEG Stream: "Kimono Mask"

SILKK THE SHOCKER Charge It 2 Da Game (No Limit) cd 15.98
Another rapper from the No Limit/Master P stable, a newer release than the above. His best, one of our favorite No Limit releases!!

SILKK THE SHOCKER My World My Way (No Limit / Priority) cd 17.98
No Limit, uh huh, No Limit. Master P protege Silkk The Shocker (who is neither silky nor shocking, really) unleashes his latest, 23 tracks (including the obligatory skits) of sure-to-be-big-selling ghetto hiphop, with guests Snoop Dogg, C-Murder, Mystikal, Master P and others from that crew... Not as great as his Charge It 2 Da Game from a few years back, but still fulla thumpin beats for your trunk or whatever. "Seems Like A Thug" should be the hit for its faux-Destiny's Child singing and Timbaland knockoff beats. Lovely how that's followed by "Them Boyz" with Mystikal's frothing maddog rappin'. A guilty pleasure I guess, and certainly low attention span stuff (except for the skits) as there's always a new beat or guest rapper around the corner.

SILKWORM Blueblood (Touch & Go) cd 13.98
New label for angsty Northwesterners sans Joel R. Phelps (who, if we are lucky, will be playing instore here next month).

SILKWORM Blueblood (Touch & Go) lp 9.98
New label for angsty Northwesterners sans Joel R. Phelps (who, if we are lucky, will be playing instore here next month).

SILKWORM Developer (Matador) cd 13.98

SILKWORM Even A Blind Chicken Finds A Kernel Of Corn Now And Then (Matador) 2cd 15.98
Amazing compilation of way out of print Silkworm vinyl 1990-94, including their first album L'Ajre, the His Absence Is A Blessing 12", their kickass cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain", their blissfully minimal cover of Tom Petty's "Insider", some four-track demos, and tons more!! And then Joel Phelps left the band and now they kinda suck, but this proves that at one point Silkworm ruled!

SILKWORM Firewater (Matador) cd 14.98

SILKWORM Firewater (Matador) lp 9.98

SILKWORM It'll Be Cool (Touch & Go) cd 14.98
Those slouchy Seattle indie rock veterans (originally hailing from Missoula, MT) keep on keeping on and on and on. Now in their 17th year, this is their ninth album. By now the tale's been beaten into the ground that the long ago departure of main songwriter Joel R.L. Phelps from the fold really did knock the quality stuffing out of this band, but they soldiered on. Unfortunately they've never quite been able to match the high songwriting standards nor the engaging noise-pop sound captained by Phelps. The Silkworm sound was gone, and really, it seems a bandname change should've been in order. Now they've taken another unexpected stylistic turn with jazz fusion-y, noodly keyboard and guitar solos popping up unexpectedly. That's fine if you dig such solos (some folks around here do and some do not), but there's some lyrical clunkiness to contend with too. There's even a song based around the metaphor of spending your life in a penalty box. Ouch. You've been forewarned.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Look Back"
MPEG Stream: "Insomnia"

SILKWORM Italian Platinum (Touch & Go) cd 14.98

SILKWORM Lifestyle (Touch & Go) cd 14.98
Ever since Joel Phelps left, taking with him THAT voice, and some of the most distinctive songwriting in indie rock, Silkworm has been treading water, with uncatchy songs, inane lyrics, and two singers that can't really sing... but really cool artwork!

SILKWORM Marco Collins Sessions (Matador) cdep 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here are 4 Silkworm songs performed live & acoustic on the radio and it is simply gorgeous, for fans of American Music Club's Mark Eitzel especially, reminds me of Everclear. The recording is crisp and light, which balances sad lyrics perfectly. Would that I had seen Silkworm when Joel Phelps was still playing with them. Here's what Mark Van De Walle (Artforum, May 1996) has to say about him:
"Back in the days when everyone believed Bruce Lee was the baddest guy walking the planet, they used to tell this story about how he could reach right into your chest and take your heart out so fast he could show it to you, still beating, before you died. Probably Bruce never did that, but Joel R. Phelps sure does: one minute you're pushing the buttons on your stereo, everything more or less fine, depending. Then Warm Springs Night starts up, and midway through you're staring at your heart, pumping away in time, going beat, beat beat...."

SILL, JUDEE Dreams Come True (Water) 2cd 23.00
Here's a slightly daunting but very worthwhile 2-disc set of pure wonderment featuring the singer-songwriting work of California native Judee Sill. These tracks spoon-out heaping vocal harmonies within crystalline piano-driven singer-songwriter folk ballads a la a fiery Carole King or Joan Baez. Her cult following is deserved, this is really nice stuff!
Disc one features eleven tracks, the first eight from her previously unreleased third album superbly remastered from the original tapes by the ubiquitous Jim O'Rourke and the last three being studio demos. Disc two features nine lost tracks (more demos) and a brief excerpt from a 1973 live performance. A healthy 72-page (!) booklet renders for us Judee's life -- growing up damaged in a destructive family environment and getting into drug-taking and song-writing, an incessant ingestion of classical music, folk ballads, gospel music, Christian mysticism and thee general 60's zeitgeist.
As a self-taught musician, Judee produced some powerfully earnest and haunting songs during the short span of her creative life. Her songs lived within the realm of classical clarity with a folk/gospel heart and a spiritual, personal penetration that could be hard to beat by other singer-songwriters of her time.
Though I could say this would certainly be great for fans of everyone from Joanna Newsom to Tori Amos to Carole King to Karen Carpenter and the like, it may appeal to anyone for a plethora of reasons!
MPEG Stream: "I'm Over"
MPEG Stream: "Living End (demo version)"

SILL, JUDEE Introducing (Water) cd 14.98

SILO Alloy (Swim) cd 17.98
Silo are a Danish trio who boastfully proclaim their allegiance to Metallica, yet sound nothing at all like metal. Instead, the group takes a post-rock approach, with metronomically tight, cyclical rhythmic patterns of guitar, bass, drums, and electronics, not dissimilar to the AQ-endorsed sounds of Fridge, Village Of Savoonga, and Circle. While the sounds on "Alloy" certainly pleasant enough, we'd like to hear Silo someday incorporate more of punch (metallic or otherwise) into their almost ambient rock hypnosis.

SILOAH s/t (Garden Of Delights) cd 21.00
Are you ready to don beads and burlap and grow out your hair and fly with the "Acid Eagle" on the "Aluminum Wind"?? If so, Siloah would love for you to join their musical quest for "Krishna's Golden Dope Shop" (yes, these phrases in quotes are all song titles from this record -- and let's not forget "Yellow Puppets Hanging In The Sky") which you can certainly do in your imagination at least by spinning this cd reissue of their self-titled LP from 1970. It's not a recent release but we were just able to get more and wanted to finally list it because it's just such a wonderful record of primitive, psychedelic Krautrock like we like it. Anyone who dug the Kalacakra album (also reissued on Garden Of Delights) or Paternoster ought to make Siloah's acquaintance! These German hippies' druggy jamming makes the original Amon Duul sound like American Idol contestants. Well, not really. But this is really wasted, lovely, LSD-damaged, communal soundmaking we can't imagine anyone could do better, ever, if at all. The Siloah vibe is eternal and unique. Mellow, mantric songs featuring hand percussion, guitar, flute, and electric bass, and high, muppety vocals singing tripped-out lyrics (as the awesome song titles already mentioned might indicate). This one's a fave of several AQ staffers, and we happen to know that it's also highly regarded by our friends in the Jewelled Antler collective who only wish they could get as high as these folks!!
MPEG Stream: "Aluminum Wind"
MPEG Stream: "Krishna's Golden Dope Shop"

SILOAH s/t (Amber Soundroom) lp 25.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now available (not for long) as a vinyl reissue! The cd version is also still in stock, here's some of what we said about that: Are you ready to don beads and burlap and grow out your hair and fly with the "Acid Eagle" on the "Aluminum Wind"?? If so, Siloah would love for you to join their musical quest for "Krishna's Golden Dope Shop" (yes, these phrases in quotes are all song titles from this record -- and let's not forget "Yellow Puppets Hanging In The Sky") which you can certainly do in your imagination at least by spinning this reissue of their self-titled LP from 1970... just such a wonderful record of primitive, psychedelic Krautrock like we like it. Anyone who dug the Kalacakra album or Paternoster ought to make Siloah's acquaintance! These German hippies' druggy jamming makes the original Amon Duul sound like American Idol contestants. Well, not really. But this is really wasted, lovely, LSD-damaged, communal soundmaking we can't imagine anyone could do better, ever, if at all. The Siloah vibe is eternal and unique. Mellow, mantric songs featuring hand percussion, guitar, flute, and electric bass, and high, muppety vocals singing tripped-out lyrics (as the awesome song titles already mentioned might indicate). This one's a fave of several AQ staffers, and we happen to know that it's also highly regarded by our friends in the Jewelled Antler collective who only wish they could get as high as these folks!!
MPEG Stream: "Aluminum Wind"
MPEG Stream: "Krishna's Golden Dope Shop"

SILVA & THE CELESTRIAL COMMUNICATION ORCHESTRA, ALAN Seasons (Actuel / Sunspots) 2cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
First time available on cd ever!
Fucking incredible document of early seventies free jazz recorded live in Paris, in December 1970. We shouldn't have to do anything but tell you who plays on this to convince you that this is utterly essential. Fans of Sun Ra, Art Ensemble of Chicago (most of whom, play on this) and all things ESP, MUST own this. Seriously beautiful and epic outer-jazz-space exploration.
And here's the freakin' lineup:
Alan Silva - leader, bass, electric-violin, electric-sarangi, bow and spring (two French electroacoustic instruments) / Bernard Vitet - trumpet, french horn / Lester Bowie (AEC) - trumpet, flugelhorn / Alan Shorter - trumpet / Joseph Jarman (AEC) - saxes, flute, bassoon / Steve Lacy - soprano saxophone / Ronnie Beer - tenor and soprano saxophone, flute / Roscoe Mitchell (AEC)- saxes, flute, oboe / Robin Kenyatta - alto sax, flute / Michel Portal - alto sax, clarinet / Dieter Gewissler - electric violin / Jouk Minor - electric viola / Kent Carter - cello / Irene Aebi - cello, celeste / Dave Burrell - piano / Beb Guerin - bass / Don Moye (AEC) - drums, percussion / Jerome Cooper - drums, percussion, bronte / Oliver Johnson - tympani, percussion. Compact disc release limited to 1500 copies, so don't hold out on this one!

SILVA AND THE CELESTRIAL COMMUNICATION ORCHESTRA, ALAN Seasons (BYG / Actuel / Get Back) 3lp 32.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fucking incredible document of early seventies free jazz recorded live in Paris, in December 1970. We shouldn't have to do anything but tell you who plays on this to convince you that this is utterly essential. Fans of Sun Ra, Art Ensemble of Chicago (most of whom, play on this) and all things ESP, MUST own this. Seriously beautiful and epic (3 lps!) outer-jazz-space exploration.
And here's the freakin' lineup:
Alan Silva - leader, bass, electric-violin, electric-sarangi, bow and spring (two French electroacoustic instruments) / Bernard Vitet - trumpet, french horn / Lester Bowie (AEC) - trumpet, flugelhorn / Alan Shorter - trumpet / Joseph Jarman (AEC) - saxes, flute, bassoon / Steve Lacy - soprano saxophone / Ronnie Beer - tenor and soprano saxophone, flute / Roscoe Mitchell (AEC)- saxes, flute, oboe / Robin Kenyatta - alto sax, flute / Michel Portal - alto sax, clarinet / Dieter Gewissler - electric violin / Jouk Minor - electric viola / Kent Carter - cello / Irene Aebi - cello, celeste / Dave Burrell - piano / Beb Guerin - bass / Don Moye (AEC) - drums, percussion / Jerome Cooper - drums, percussion, bronte / Oliver Johnson - tympani, percussion

SILVA, ALAN Skillfullness (Get Back / ESP) lp 14.98
Another Silva reissue from his ESP days, this one recorded in 1970 with Dave Burrell, Becky Friend, Karl Berger, Mike Ephron, Lawrence Cook and Barry Altschul.

SILVA, ALAN Skillfulness (Abraxas / ESP - Disk) cd 15.98
Another contender for Andee's flute hall of fame. More spaced out celestrial divinity from the master himself, Alan Silva. Two lengthy tracks of abstract fluttering flutes, free jazz clatter, and spaced out otherworldly wildness. Violin, cello, piano, organ, vibraphone, rattles, cymbals, percussion and FLUTE, all woven together into a gorgeously thick miasma of drone-y, scrape-y, difficult beauty.
MPEG Stream: "Skillfullness"
MPEG Stream: "Solestrial"

SILVA, ALAN AND HIS CELESTRIAL COMMUNICATION ORCHESTRA Luna Surface (Actuel) cd 17.98

SILVANIA Delay Tambor (Stereophonic Elefant Dance) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Polyrhythmic pop-electronica from this Spanish duo who got a stellar line-up of remixes from Locust, Scorn, Autechre, Seefeel and Scanner.

SILVER APPLES (Whirlybird) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A self-released cd reissue of the first, self-titled Silver Apples lp, from 1968. It's a brilliant, landmark recording of swirling, pulsating early psych/synth "rock", and comes highly, highly recommended by all here at AQ. Previously, both this and the 2nd Silver Apples record had been only available together on an European bootleg cd - and interestingly, Simeon had some good things to say about that, citing the popularily of the Euro boot as being the reason that he and his new Silver Apples are out touring sucessfully right now! But of course, now he'd like to sell his music himself and get his due, monetarily. (One further note: this disc also secretly includes the tracks from the Silver Apples' 1996 7" release...)

SILVER APPLES Beacon (Whirlybird) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A new Silver Apples? Yessir, and produced by Steve Albini no less. Simeon and his new band, which we already know are great live, take to the studio for a new opus (with some re-recorded classics included).

SILVER APPLES Contact (Whirlybird) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Seminal electronics-and-drums duo self-issue their second, impossible to find album. Essential. [As if that isn't enough good news, Andee asks that we mention we're selling his original *vinyl* copy of Silver Apples' selftitled album, a steal at $75. Not sealed (cover is near-mint and has a little promo hole), vinyl is in mint condition, with original full-color poster.]

SILVER APPLES Decatur (Whirlybird) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"Decatur is a voyage of pure exploration beyond the broad established horizons of electronic music. It is an adventure into the perceptions of an unparallel universe all its own." That's what it says on the back, and who are we to argue with Simeon? 42 minutes, one song. Recorded and produced by Tom Smith.

SILVER APPLES Remixes (Stone) cd 17.98

SILVER APPLES s/t / Contact (MCA) cd 15.98
The major label finally woke up and here is the result: both Silver Apples albums on one disc, complete with new liner notes by Simeon himself and diagrams of their instrumentation etc. For those who bought the pirated version or the Simeon-released single cds, we're sorry -- we didn't know this was coming out (or we would've said so). For what it's worth, the sound quality is MUCH better than the self-released cds.

SILVER APPLES The Garden (Whirlybird) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Original Silver Apples drummer Danny Taylor, one half of that famed duo, has been found!
On March 17th of 1998, Danny heard himself on the radio and called the dj. The dj emailed Simeon. Simeon immediately drove 300 miles to see Danny. They reminisced in Danny's attic over old Silver Apples paraphernalia. They discovered some lost tapes. Seven complete songs from 1969 and a tape of Danny playing percussion instrumentals in 1968. So this year, Simeon added tracks over top of those to finish the tracks and a new album of fourteen tracks is now available. The Aquarius kids are divided on whether we like it. I would say that though it's a little awkward sounding (not as polished as the first two), it's a great document of an exciting time for music. And it's much better than Decatur. If you consider yourself a fan, you'll be thankful to have one.
The only question is--if this all happened in March, why wasn't Danny at Terrastock?

SILVER DAGGERS New High & Order (Load) cd 14.98
A customer came in the other day and was looking for something new that was "spazzy and punky and weird" while we thought it might be easy to rattle off a bunch of suggestions to them we realized that we have been lacking any really good punk spirited albums as of late. This debut by the L.A. group Silver Daggers fills that void perfectly! Combining the eccentric nature of the early SST roster (Saccharine Trust, The Minutemen) the fierce intensity of Euro art-punk like Dog Faced Hermans and The Ex as well as the all out spazz attack of the 90's San Diego post punk scene (Swing Kids, Antioch Arrow, Clikitat Ikatowi) Silver Daggers incorporate distorted sax blasted throughout their short and sweaty anthems that hit a no-wave sweet spot of strange & spastic energy channeled in all the right ways. Finally some new punk sounds we can totally get behind!
MPEG Stream: "Displacement"
MPEG Stream: "Enter The King"

SILVER JEWS American Water (Drag City) cd 14.98

SILVER JEWS Bright Flight (Drag City) cd 14.98
Mr. David Berman has always sounded the horn of lethargic singers everywhere. This record is no exception: Mr. Silver Jew really sounds as if he'd rather be picking the lint balls off his sweater than sing his songs. And if he doesn't give a shit, why should we? I mean, it wouldn't really be that bad if the songs weren't unremarkable too, but they're simply staid ol' indie rock circa 1992. This record has been receiving favorable reviews, but I just don't get it -- he's doing the exact same thing, the same thing that lost any relevance years ago. Wake up, Dave!
RealAudio clip: "I Remember Me"
RealAudio clip: "Tennessee"