TRAD GRAS OCH STENAR Hemlosa Katter (Homeless Cats) (Gashud / Subliminal Sounds) cd 17.98
We're forever amazed at this band of Swedish psych veterans. They've been around for what, 40 years?? Yep, if you go all the way back to their Parson Sound incarnation, one of our favorite archival dronerock releases ever. Trad Gras Och Stenar's 2002 comeback/reunion album Ajn Schvajn Draj was a most pleasant surprise, and their US tours afterwards honestly mindblowing. Seeing 'em live is a once, twice, let's hope a few more times in a lifetime event. Grizzled they may be, but they put many of today's young, so-called psychedelic bands to shame.
So here they are in 2009 with a new album. And it's again something special, for fans young and old and yet to be. Eleven songs, some sprawling, some not, that come across quite a bit like an especially drugged out, somnolent Circle or Pharaoh Overlord! It's supremely moody and immersive, the senior psych statesmen of TGOS slowly kicking out the heavy-lidded (and sometimes just plain heavy) lumbering riff repetition and instrumental interplay.
Be aware however, the very first song is actually a bit of an anomaly on this album, it's almost a pop number, with English language vocals, that can be a bit off-putting at first. The lyrics to "Punkrockarn" are a surprise as well: "Yes I am a punk rocker I am". Weird, or what? Then again, we get the idea that these guys really were the original punk rockers, back in the '60s. Political hippies, in a time of war and strife, doing subversive things the DIY way. In any event, it's an interesting if odd start to this album, which turns out of be mostly instrumental otherwise, and much more in a sleepy improv jam mode, full of both distorted guitar riffing and dreamy arctic ambience. Ferinstance, immediately with track two "Folkets Lok I Obeveklig Rorelse" we're definitely in more familiar Trad Gras territory, the song a seesawing grind and spaced out druggy lope, a nearly 7 minute jam that's timelessly TGOS (and thus nods as much to ye olde krautrock as it seems current with the likes of Wooden Shjips and Acid Mothers Temple). More of that, please? That's what they give us! Heck, these Homeless Cats end up sounding like something that the Holy Mountain label would be eagerly adopting regardless of whether their lease allowed pets or not! Also, several tracks, like "Svarmors Brudpolska", reveal hints of the traditional Nordic folk vibe that TGOS and precursors Harvester/International Harvester evoked in back in '70s, as well.
Definitely recommended, and we hope this means they'll be coming back to the States again to tour, it's been too long.
MPEG Stream: "Folkets Lok I Obeveklig Rorelse"
MPEG Stream: "Svarmors Brudpolska"
MPEG Stream: "Tankte Bara Undra"

TRAD GRAS OCH STENAR Hemlosa Katter (Homeless Cats) (Subliminal Sounds) 2lp 34.00
We're forever amazed at this band of Swedish psych veterans. They've been around for what, 40 years?? Yep, if you go all the way back to their Parson Sound incarnation, one of our favorite archival dronerock releases ever. Trad Gras Och Stenar's 2002 comeback/reunion album Ajn Schvajn Draj was a most pleasant surprise, and their US tours afterwards honestly mindblowing. Seeing 'em live is a once, twice, let's hope a few more times in a lifetime event. Grizzled they may be, but they put many of today's young, so-called psychedelic bands to shame.
So here they are in 2009 with a new album. And it's again something special, for fans young and old and yet to be. Eleven songs, some sprawling, some not, that come across quite a bit like an especially drugged out, somnolent Circle or Pharaoh Overlord! It's supremely moody and immersive, the senior psych statesmen of TGOS slowly kicking out the heavy-lidded (and sometimes just plain heavy) lumbering riff repetition and instrumental interplay.
Be aware however, the very first song is actually a bit of an anomaly on this album, it's almost a pop number, with English language vocals, that can be a bit off-putting at first. The lyrics to "Punkrockarn" are a surprise as well: "Yes I am a punk rocker I am". Weird, or what? Then again, we get the idea that these guys really were the original punk rockers, back in the '60s. Political hippies, in a time of war and strife, doing subversive things the DIY way. In any event, it's an interesting if odd start to this album, which turns out of be mostly instrumental otherwise, and much more in a sleepy improv jam mode, full of both distorted guitar riffing and dreamy arctic ambience. Ferinstance, immediately with track two "Folkets Lok I Obeveklig Rorelse" we're definitely in more familiar Trad Gras territory, the song a seasawing grind and spaced out druggy lope, a nearly 7 minute jam that's timelessly TGOS (and thus nods as much to ye olde krautrock as it seems current with the likes of Wooden Shjips and Acid Mothers Temple). More of that, please? That's what they give us! Heck, these Homeless Cats end up sounding like something that the Holy Mountain label would be eagerly adopting regardless of whether their lease allowed pets or not! Also, several tracks, like "Svarmors Brudpolska", reveal hints of the traditional Nordic folk vibe that TGOS and precursors Harvester/International Harvester evoked in back in '70s, as well.
Definitely recommended, and we hope this means they'll be coming back to the States again to tour, it's been too long.
MPEG Stream: "Folkets Lok I Obeveklig Rorelse"
MPEG Stream: "Svarmors Brudpolska"
MPEG Stream: "Tankte Bara Undra"

TRAD GRAS OCH STENAR Live 1972 (1/2 Special) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Super limited edition (500 copies) vinyl-only release from our favorite (especially after seeing the reunited band's recent brilliant gig at The Bottom Of The Hill here in San Francisco) Swedish folk-psych-jam band. If our country had been blessed to have them all these years instead of the Grateful Dead, I might have become a hippy and followed them around endlessly, selling hemp chips and utili-kilts to make a living. So maybe it's a good thing that they graced Scandanavia instead. But I digress, Live 1972 is, like the name implies, additional performances of TGOS in their prime and previously unreleased on viny or cd. Each side is one track of TGOS doing what they do best: extended jams. Side one is yet another great take on the Rolling Stones' "Last Time" medlied with TGOS' own "I Ljuset Av Din Dag". So if you dug the two entirely different early '70s live Trad Gras cds 1/2 Special issued last year, buy this and make your turntable happy, hippy.

TRAD GRAS OCH STENAR Mors Mors (1/2 Special) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yes! Maximum damaged Swedish guitar psych jamming in the house! Knowing how much we at AQ LOVE the sixties Swedish psych sounds of Parson Sound/International Harvester/Harvester/Trad Gras Och Stenar (multiple manifestations of basically the same band, whose crucial original LPs and unreleased recordings have been reissued on cd over the past couple of years, a boon to music-lovers everywhere -- see elsewhere on our website for reviews) you can imagine how excited we were to find out that TWO MORE Trad Gras Och Stenar LPs of early seventies vintage were now being reissued by new US label 1/2 Special, who indeed do a bang up job with these two discs. The booklets feature lots of photos and posters, a discography, and detailed liner notes from the band (delving into remembrance of the personal and social transformations of the hippie era). Plus, each disc's got a hefty bonus track (32 minutes on "Djungelns" and 27 on "Mors")! And of course it's the music that really makes these essential.
Influenced by Scandinavian folk music, drugs, radical politics, Terry Riley, the Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix, Indian ragas, etc. this is some awesomely messed-up far-out rock music for sure. If these guys were German instead of Swedish, we'd be talking about a Krautrock legend. TGOS, as the final incarnation of group that started as Parson Sound, features a stripped-down line-up playing music that is perhaps more conventionally "rock" based than earlier formations, but definitely the heavy minimalism of Parson Sound and the Amon Duulish folked-out trippiness of Harvester remain important elements of their lugubrous sound.
"Djungelns Lag", originally issued in 1972, collects tracks recorded by TGOS on tour in Sweden and Norway during the summer and fall of 1971. You get extended dual guitar tangle and lovely sad folk laments, brief bouts of sunshiney nonsense vocals backed with acoustic guitar strum ("Dibio"), and even hippie hoedown jaw-harp jams ("Munfiol"). Wherever they wander, this is generally mellow yet moving, always measured and stately even when at its most abstract and electric.
Likewise with "Mors Mors" (a 1973 album of tracks originating on tour in Sweden and Denmark in '72), which continues with both the gentle freakiness and distorted thud. The Rolling Stone's "Last Time" gets a TGOS treatment (not quite as blasted as their take on "Satisfaction" found on their self-titled album, though) and again their originals feature plenty of what we dig: moments of ragged Haino-worthy axe attack, tripped-out Quicksilver leads, and lovely folk-drone...
So it's appropriate that both discs were reissued simultaneously, if you want one you'll want 'em both. What else can we say...well, anyone who buys Acid Mothers Temple discs ought to be sure to take some Trad Gras Och Stenar home too, that's for sure. As with all the reissues from this camp, highly recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Rocktrall"
RealAudio clip: "Klangbron"

TRAD GRAS OCH STENAR s/t (Silence) cd 16.98
Along with the Algarnas Tradgard and International Harvester cds we re-listed last time, we're also super happy to have a couple other Silence label reissues back in stock, after a lengthy absence. This one is another entry in the discography of one of our absolute favorite Swedish psychrock band "families" that began with the group Parson Sound. The post-Harvester quartet Trad, Gras Och Stenar (Trees, Grass and Stones) was the most "rockist" outgrowth of the Parson Sound/International Harvester collective which you'll find celebrated elsewhere on our site. Indeed, this album starts with two covers of well-known rock tunes, one of the Dylan/Hendrix classic "All Along The Watchtower", followed by a version of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" that is so depressed and wasted-sounding that it *really* sounds like they can't and won't get no satisfaction, ever! Pretty soon, though, they've given up on any Top of the Pops pretentions and are delving into twisted, waltzing, freak-psych compositions that draw more from traditional Swedish folk music than British/American rock n' roll (although the fuzz guitars remain). Some of the material here also recalls the minimalist throb of their earlier work in Parson Sound and International Harvester.
What Hrvatski said of the Harvester album applies to this as well: "Another piece to the incestuous little jigsaw that was the 1967-1972 Swedish druggist music school dropout sector." A jigsaw well worth spending some of your time with! And we'll add that if you ever get a chance to see these guys play -- they're still in action -- don't miss it. They've been to SF a couple times in recent years and blew us away. Still amazing, and really nice guys as well. If only we could be as cool as they are, when we're their age...
MPEG Stream: "All Along The Watchtower"
MPEG Stream: "Tegenborgsvalsen"

TRADITIONAL FOOLS s/t (In The Red) cd 13.98
Originally released on lp in 2008, and pretty much totally out of print ever since, this chunk of lo-fi surf pop / garage rock from Ty Segall and friends is finally available again, on cd for the first time, but also lp again, and for fans of Segall's recent output, there's much to dig here, although it's WAY more raw and low fidelity, recorded live in the studio, the sound lurches from twangy surf pop to blown out in-the-red garage rock howl, as is evidenced by opening track, a rip roaring cover of Thee Headcoats' "Davey Crocket", which starts off all stripped down and surfy but soon explodes into a super distorted blast of swagger garage blooz. Some tracks like "Snot Rag" basically sound like a supercharged, way noisier take on some old Surfari's classic, but then typically explode into a sweaty, bloody knuckled Coachwhips style blowout., while others like "T.L. Defender", fall on the poppier side of garage rock, and still others, like the insanely catchy "Please", offer an early glimpse of what sort of genius garage pop songsmithery Segall is capable of, and foreshadows his later more polished sound. They also do a sweet cover of the early Redd Kross klassik "Kill Someone You Hate, a fierce minute long blast of garage-core stomp. A crazy cool collection of drunken garage rock delights that would have been right at home on Crypt or Rip-Off Records back in the hey day of classic garage. Fun and irreverent and totally raw and rocked out.
MPEG Stream: "Davey Crockett"
MPEG Stream: "Snot Rag"
MPEG Stream: "T.L. Defender"
MPEG Stream: "Please"

TRADITIONAL FOOLS s/t (Make A Mess / Wizard Mountain) lp 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We're pretty picky when it comes to garage rock/punk, it's really got to be raw, impassioned and at least a little fucked to truly catch our full attention. Traditional Fools blast out the kind of reckless garage rock jams we can totally get behind. Should be no surprise as one of the members of the band is Ty Segall whose solo debut last year was one of our favorite records of the year! Traditional Fools are a bit more on the traditional side of punk/garage rock, but still way blown out, lo-fi and way fun. They cover Redd Kross and Billy Childish which gives you a pretty good idea where they're coming from, and this full length really is full of drunken garage rock delights that could have been at home on Crypt or Rip-Off Records back in the hey day of classic garage. Fun and irreverent and totally raw and rocked out.
A co-release by two great San Francisco labels Make A Mess (home to Nodzz, Brilliant Colors) and Wizard Mountain who put out Ty Segall's first cassette. Comes on nice white vinyl and for so cheap. It's a no brainer!

TRADITIONAL FOOLS s/t (In The Red) lp 15.98
Originally released on lp in 2008, and pretty much totally out of print ever since, this chunk of lo-fi surf pop / garage rock from Ty Segall and friends is finally available again, on cd for the first time, but also lp again, and for fans of Segall's recent output, there's much to dig here, although it's WAY more raw and low fidelity, recorded live in the studio, the sound lurches from twangy surf pop to blown out in-the-red garage rock howl, as is evidenced by opening track, a rip roaring cover of Thee Headcoats' "Davey Crocket", which starts off all stripped down and surfy but soon explodes into a super distorted blast of swagger garage blooz. Some tracks like "Snot Rag" basically sound like a supercharged, way noisier take on some old Surfari's classic, but then typically explode into a sweaty, bloody knuckled Coachwhips style blowout., while others like "T.L. Defender", fall on the poppier side of garage rock, and still others, like the insanely catchy "Please", offer an early glimpse of what sort of genius garage pop songsmithery Segall is capable of, and foreshadows his later more polished sound. They also do a sweet cover of the early Redd Kross klassik "Kill Someone You Hate, a fierce minute long blast of garage-core stomp. A crazy cool collection of drunken garage rock delights that would have been right at home on Crypt or Rip-Off Records back in the hey day of classic garage. Fun and irreverent and totally raw and rocked out.
MPEG Stream: "Davey Crockett"
MPEG Stream: "Snot Rag"
MPEG Stream: "T.L. Defender"
MPEG Stream: "Please"

TRAFFIC SOUND Lux (Lazarus) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

TRAFFIC SOUND Tibet's Suzettes (Lazarus) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

TRAFFIC SOUND Virgin (Repsychled) cd 15.98
Inarguably an all-time classic of sixties psych. Peru's Traffic Sound might not be the most famous band from the era, but those in the know, know. At long last we have a cd reissue of their second album, Virgin, a masterpiece recorded in 1969. It's brought to us by the Repsychled label from their homeland, responsible also for that Tarkus reish we raved over a not long ago. And it's about time. Maybe you saw our review last year of the Traffic Sound compilation Yellow Sea Years? It included only one track from this album (the hit single in Peru "Meshkalina") for reasons we can't fathom, except that you'd want the whole thing anyway, and here it is! Psychedelic pop/prog perfection, featuring both dreamy melodies and some freaked out, flutey jazz/krautrock sounding passages, including a dose of backwards weirdness and several tracks of acoustic beauty. They were contemporaneous with better-known American and British acts such as the Beatles, Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, and Love, and influenced by the likes of them no doubt. But on Virgin, Traffic Sound make the case for their own spaced-out, groovy, early-prog creativity. And in fact this was the first album by a Peruvian rock band to feature all-original compositions. As albums of the era from Latin America go, this is one of the essentials, particularily if you've been digging, say, Mexico's La Revolucion De Emiliano Zapata, or any of those awesome psych titles from Brazil that we've seen lately...
Repsychled has some interesting packaging notions, this is in a sort of under-sized cardboard digi-folder thing. It seems like each title we get from them is in some different, non-standard sleeve. In any case, for this official reissue they've gone to the master tapes and done a careful remastering job, and the cd booklet is packed with vintage photos and suchlike.
MPEG Stream: "Virgin"
MPEG Stream: "Yellow Sea Days"

TRAFFIC SOUND Virgin (Vinilssimo) lp 27.00
This longtime AQ favorite is now reissued on vinyl!
Inarguably an all-time classic of sixties psych. Peru's Traffic Sound might not be the most famous band from the era, but those in the know, know. At long last we have a reissue of their second album, Virgin, a masterpiece recorded in 1969. And it's about time. Maybe you saw our review of the Traffic Sound compilation cd Yellow Sea Years? It included only one track from this album (the hit single in Peru, "Meshkalina") for reasons we can't fathom, except that you'd want the whole thing anyway, and here it is! Psychedelic pop/prog perfection, featuring both dreamy melodies and some freaked out, flutey jazz/krautrock sounding passages, including a dose of backwards weirdness and several tracks of acoustic beauty. They were contemporaneous with better-known American and British acts such as the Beatles, Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, and Love, and influenced by the likes of them no doubt. But on Virgin, Traffic Sound make the case for their own spaced-out, groovy, early-prog creativity. And in fact this was the first album by a Peruvian rock band to feature all-original compositions. As albums of the era from Latin America go, this is one of the essentials, particularly if you've been digging, say, Mexico's La Revolucion De Emiliano Zapata, or any of those awesome psych titles from Brazil that we've seen lately...
MPEG Stream: "Virgin"
MPEG Stream: "Yellow Sea Days"

TRAFFIC SOUND Yellow Sea Years (Vampisoul) cd 21.00
Yeah! Yellow Sea Years is a great collection of tracks from this legendary '60s psych outfit from Peru. We've actually had this in stock since last year and always meant to list it but only got around to it now. Traffic Sound's early influences should be readily apparent from the cover versions that populated their first album, 1968's A Bailar GoGo: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Burdon, Iron Butterfly (nope, not "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" -- they did "You Can't Win"!), and Skip James's "I'm So Glad" (as featured on the Latin American installment of the Love, Peace & Poetry compilation series). Of those debut album tracks, only Eric Burdon's "Sky Pilot" is included here. By the time of their second album Virgin in '69, they'd definitely established their own, wonderfully spacey, groovy and melodic, sound. That brilliant LP is only represented on this disc by "Meshkalina" though this comp takes its name from the epic "Yellow Sea Days" (not included). Following on from Virgin, Traffic Sound continued to explore more mellow, Pink Floydy pop as well as getting into funkier Latin-tinged soul-psychedelia... the latter perhaps being the reason that Vampi Soul has opted to focus mainly on material from the band's third and fourth LPs, Traffic Sound (1970) and Lux ('71), cramming as much of those albums onto this 80 minute cd anthology as possible. And there's definitely some great stuff here! For example, the utter jazz-horns boosted psychedelic grooviness of "Tibette's Suzettes" (with a slightly Ozzy-ish vocal). Badass track that one. Yep, if you're into upbeat, '60s psych-pop rock that draws on prog, folk, and funk, you need to check out the Traffic Sound. Now if they'd only also reissue all of Virgin!
MPEG Stream: "Tibet's Suzettes (You Can't Appreciate A Gift From God)"
MPEG Stream: "Those Days Have Gone"

TRAGEDY Nerve Damage (Tragedy Records) cd 14.98
Tragedy are the reigning kings of (underground) U.S. hardcore. Without even a website or a label behind them, they have managed to become an infamous live proposition, a band whose records sell in the thousands, with no publicity other than their devastating live shows, and with a die-hard cult of followers who are absolutely rabid about the band.
Nerve Damage is the third release from this Portland-via-Memphis outfit, whose members have formerly done time in such legendary acts as Deathreat, His Hero Is Gone, Union of Uranus & Copout so you know this is gonna be punishing stuff.
While Tragedy is known for its powerful "D-Beat" (think Discharge via Motorhead) approach to hardcore, on this record they infuse their fat chugging riffs with plenty of melody, but don't think for a second that means they've gotten soft.
The ever present feeling of despair and their furious "will to fight back" is still in full effect, in fact, it's like they've finally learned the art of "the dynamic" and are proving it over and over and over. While in the past their songs relentlessly bludgeoned the listener square in the face with a scream and a riff, Tragedy have mastered the art of subtlety, with sweeping guitars, gorgeous harmonics, and even a bit of piano here and there.
Now if only all punk rock circa 2006 was this good...
MPEG Stream: "Force Of Law"
MPEG Stream: "Deaf And Disbelieving"
MPEG Stream: "Under The Radar"

TRAILER BRIDE High Seas (Bloodshot) cd 14.98
The fourth album (their third on Bloodshot Records) from this Chapel Hill, NC quartet is a dark bewitching jewel very much along the same path as their labelmates the wonderful Sadies. Characterized by Melissa Swingle's haunting, lilting drawl, highly reverbed feline pluck and twang, and ghostly musical saw, this is the sultry music of shadows that stretch and creep across your porchswing at dusk. Wielding her songwriting pen with an ease and flair, Ms Swingle and co. at times creep, at others swagger, and at still others gallop. Kicking at the dirt with a well-worn boot. Like the spirits of an old ghost town's beautifully bittersweet tales from the south. Notably lovely and heartbreaking: "Bird Feet Feelings".
RealAudio clip: "All Thine"
RealAudio clip: "Bird Feet Feelings"
RealAudio clip: "Wilderness"

TRAILER BRIDE Hope Is A Thing With Feathers (Bloodshot) cd 13.98
On this their fifth full length, Trailer Bride offer up a dozen more immensely forlorn songs of journey and flight filled with their recurring references to birds, drifters and heartache. Although none of these songs can truly hold a candle to the pure, deep, raw heartache of "Bird Feet Feelings" from their last album High Seas (a song that could make Cup weep), a couple do come pretty close. No vast departures from the Southern gothic country path they've travelled on their four prior albums, and actually song by song this album follows remarkably close to the mood and tempo swings of High Seas, but things are perhaps ever so slightly more lush and fleshed out. Lead vocalist Melissa Swingle delivers her distinctly sedated plaintive vocals as (mostly) sloooow creeping melodies unfold on the central instruments: Tim Barnes' lilting effected guitar, Daryl White's loping standup bass, John Bowman's understated percussion and Ms Swingle's guitar and piano. She also adds further depths to the dusky, yearning atmosphere with some musical saw, harmonica, organ and accordion. FYI: Trailer Bride received some kind assistance from their fellow North Carolinan friends Southern Culture On The Skids... Rick Miller recorded the songs in his studio, and Mary Huff lent her lovely voice to the song "Vagabond Motel".
MPEG Stream: "Hope Is A Thing With Feathers"
MPEG Stream: "Vagabond Motel"

TRAINWRECK RIDERS Ghost Yards (20 Sided Records) cd 8.98
Record number three from these local country punks, and the first one we've reviewed, which is weird, since some aQ-ers have long been fans, but also because Trainwreck Riders include amongst their members, Andrew from SF pop gods the Ovens, but while TWR are in fact a bit poppy, their sound is much more twangy, bringing to mind, most obviously, Camper Van Beethoven, Uncle Tupelo, Dieselhed and that whole No Depression crowd. And sure none of those bands exist anymore, and really that whole scene sorta dried up and disappeared, but these guys definitely remind us of why we loved that stuff so much, and have us again wondering why more bands still don't do the whole country punk / country rock thing. It sounds as good now as it ever did. And it's easy to imagine these guys being huge back in the nineties, records on Bloodshot, touring with the Old 97's or the Mekons, but these days, they're definitely doing something WAY outside of what's hip and cool. But goddamn these guys nail it. Big jangly guitars, lush arrangements, loping rhythms, plenty of twang, drawled, laid back vocals, crazy catchy songs, with some occasionally exploding into kick ass start/stop almost mathy breakdowns, like on the second half of "Gypsy Stealin', which finds the band unfurling a dense tangle of progged out twang flecked post rock churn, which somehow fist perfectly with the rest of the songs droned out blugrassy groove.
The band definitely have their pop down too, every song here impossibly catchy, "House On The Hill" being one of our favorites, heavily beholden to Uncle Tupelo, sounding like it could be a cover of some Anodyne B-side, which is a huge compliment for sure! "Orchard Keeper" too, definitely displays a huge UT influence, the song shifting constantly from country gallop to woozy twangy dream pop and back again. But the more we listen, the harder and harder it gets to pick a favorite, as more and more of the songs become potential candidates, which is always the sign of a great record, in fact we only just now made it to the brooding closer, "Shark Attack", a moody woozy reverb drenched country ballad with some seriously grim lyrics about, yep, a shark attack, the music appropriately dirge-y and ominous, a serious chunk of grim dark twang.
The cd comes in a digipak, the vinyl pressed on 180 gram vinyl, also includes a cd version of the whole record!
MPEG Stream: "Sailin' Off Alone"
MPEG Stream: "House Upon The Hill"
MPEG Stream: "Gypsy Stealin'"
MPEG Stream: "Orchard Keeper"

TRAINWRECK RIDERS Ghost Yards (20 Sided Records) lp+cd 14.98
Record number three from these local country punks, and the first one we've reviewed, which is weird, since some aQ-ers have long been fans, but also because Trainwreck Riders include amongst their members, Andrew from SF pop gods the Ovens, but while TWR are in fact a bit poppy, their sound is much more twangy, bringing to mind, most obviously, Camper Van Beethoven, Uncle Tupelo, Dieselhed and that whole No Depression crowd. And sure none of those bands exist anymore, and really that whole scene sorta dried up and disappeared, but these guys definitely remind us of why we loved that stuff so much, and have us again wondering why more bands still don't do the whole country punk / country rock thing. It sounds as good now as it ever did. And it's easy to imagine these guys being huge back in the nineties, records on Bloodshot, touring with the Old 97's or the Mekons, but these days, they're definitely doing something WAY outside of what's hip and cool. But goddamn these guys nail it. Big jangly guitars, lush arrangements, loping rhythms, plenty of twang, drawled, laid back vocals, crazy catchy songs, with some occasionally exploding into kick ass start/stop almost mathy breakdowns, like on the second half of "Gypsy Stealin', which finds the band unfurling a dense tangle of progged out twang flecked post rock churn, which somehow fist perfectly with the rest of the songs droned out blugrassy groove.
The band definitely have their pop down too, every song here impossibly catchy, "House On The Hill" being one of our favorites, heavily beholden to Uncle Tupelo, sounding like it could be a cover of some Anodyne B-side, which is a huge compliment for sure! "Orchard Keeper" too, definitely displays a huge UT influence, the song shifting constantly from country gallop to woozy twangy dream pop and back again. But the more we listen, the harder and harder it gets to pick a favorite, as more and more of the songs become potential candidates, which is always the sign of a great record, in fact we only just now made it to the brooding closer, "Shark Attack", a moody woozy reverb drenched country ballad with some seriously grim lyrics about, yep, a shark attack, the music appropriately dirge-y and ominous, a serious chunk of grim dark twang.
The cd comes in a digipak, the vinyl pressed on 180 gram vinyl, also includes a cd version of the whole record!
MPEG Stream: "Sailin' Off Alone"
MPEG Stream: "House Upon The Hill"
MPEG Stream: "Gypsy Stealin'"
MPEG Stream: "Orchard Keeper"

TRAINWRECK RIDERS Where The Neon Turns To Wood (self-released) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From the lead-off track "Delia", Trainwreck Riders come galloping at ya, and they maintain that fevered clip throughout the rest of the album's eleven kick-in-the-pants songs. Where The Neon Turns To Wood is filled with scruffy, whisky-soaked country rockin' that brings to mind the hoarse Jeff Tweedy yelp of Uncle Tupelo, but the band also occasionally veers into more straight-up indie rock territory a la Modest Mouse.
MPEG Stream: "Delia"
MPEG Stream: "Seven By Seven"

TRALALA Falala-la-la With Tralala (Audika) cd ep 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Alright, Thanksgiving has just passed so we figure we can offically start unfurling the holiday cheer (heck, the department stores started weeks ago!). Let's begin with these New York pop kids Tralala and their cleverly titled Christmas EP Falala-la-la With Tralala. There's no "Little Drummer Boy" nor even the somewhat expected "Deck The Halls" here. Nope, what you get are three Tralala originals "Christmas Never Comes (When You're Alone)", "Holiday Hearts" and "Everybody Christmastime". Sorta like a tinsel-adorned hybrid of The Donnas, Bananarama and The Flatmates.
Psst... if you're looking for more early bird Christmas-y treats, we've also just received Brian Wilson's delightful What I Really Want For Christmas, a collection of old and new tunes. And don't forget Bathtub Shitter's Xmas 3"cd on Andee's tUMULt label!
MPEG Stream: "Christmas Never Comes (When You're Alone)"
MPEG Stream: "Holiday Hearts"

TRALALA Is That The Tralala (Audika) cd 14.98
Do you believe in reincarnation? Well if you do at least musically and fictionally speaking, Tralala are today's Rizzo and the Pink Ladies. Come on, you know who we're talking about don't you? Go on, just give a listen to their latest album and tell us we're wrong. No? You mean you've never seen the movie Grease?! Anyways, these Brooklyn kids really know how to have a peppy, perky, pop party! We don't think it'd be bad at all to be kept after school with them in detention hall 'cause all the good time, bad girl mischief (y'know, smokin' in the girls' room, hangin' out in the parking lot, crackin' your gum in class) would be well worth it.
MPEG Stream: "One Hard Turn Deserves Another"
MPEG Stream: "Secret Weapon"

TRALALA s/t (Audika) cd 14.98
The bubblegum-y good times are sure hoppin' these days. Joining the pep rally already in progress by the Go! Team, are the seven-member musical bunch known as Tralala! Proving you can't judge a book by its cover, the fashion magazine-y posed photos of the band members in the cd booklet made us expect Brooklyn electro-clash or dance punk, rather than the unaffected, unabashedly youthful, energetic pop contained within. In fact, the super snappy electric guitars and girl-gang harmony vocals of this their self titled debut closely resemble those on The Rondelles' last album The Fox! Bound to keep the energy of early summer going strong into fall!
MPEG Stream: "All Fired Up"
MPEG Stream: "Everybody's Doin' Fine"

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES Palomino (Banjodad) cd 14.98

TRANCELIKE VOID Where The Trees Can Make It Rain (Ars Magna Recordings) cd ep 8.98
The Belgian duo Trancelike Void have somehow managed to slip through the cracks here, though at least two of us are big fans, but somehow, we've never listed on of their records until now. Which is a shame, especially considering the current obsession with post black metal shoegazers like Alcest, Les Discrets, Lifelover and the like. TV are definitely black metal, but their sound is warm and lush and blissed out, more Sigur Ros or Godspeed than Darkthrone or Immortal.
Which brings us to Where The Trees Can Make It Rain, the latest from TV, which only furthers that sort of non black metal vibe, in that it's wholly acoustic, just acoustic guitars and drums, two long tracks, each, doleful and meditative, dreamy and tranquil, softly reverbed notes ring out and hang in the air, the overtones spinning off into the ether, the drums, simple and spare and skeletal, darkly moody and melancholic, subtly dynamic, building to softy emotional crescendos, only to slip back into a somnambulant drift. Clouds of strummed steel strings hover and slowly dissipate, leaving, stray notes to flutter and fade out.
The two songs here are quite minimal, almost like shadowy sketches of songs that could have been, which is precisely what makes them so appealing, they're hushed and abstract and shadowy, they drift and shimmer, flicker and fade, the sound is lush and organic, but also fleeting, a soft sound, that manages to evoke all sorts of emotional responses, a fleeting glimpse of some otherworld, where these hushed sounds are the soundtrack.
MPEG Stream: "The Stone Pond"
MPEG Stream: "Ghost Mountain"

TRANS AM Extremixxx (Thrill Jockey) cd ep 10.98
Remixes by Dan The Automator, Prefuse 73, John Herndon (Tortoise), Dabrye, and Jonathan K (Trans Am's sound guy). Three songs off of Trans Am's last studio album, TA, get the treatment ("Cold War", "Infinite Wavelength", and "Different Kind of Love") from these five remixers. That means, in the case of Herdon and Jonathan K's "Cold War" and Dan the Automator and Prefuse 73's "Different Kind of Love", you can compare and contrast the different styles of remix, from dark electro to party-hardy hiphop.

TRANS AM Future World (Thrill Jockey) lp 15.98
2011 repress, of this 1999 album, one of Trans Am's best (and most Kraftwerky)! Includes mp3 download with 2 bonus trax!

TRANS AM Futureworld (Thrill Jockey) cd 12.98
Trans Am keeps getting better, their sound keeps maturing, and they keep surprising us. Rumbling analogue synths, vocoder, disjointed drum beats mixed with Kraftwerk electo beats, strung-out Tubeway Army guitars, just the right amount of emotive distortion, tha funky bass, Six Finger Satellite ass-kickin', cheesey low resolution Apple II cover art. The ingredients of a perfect record.

TRANS AM Futureworld (Thrill Jockey) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Trans Am keeps getting better, their sound keeps maturing, and they keep surprising us. Rumbling analogue synths, vocoder, disjointed drum beats mixed with Kraftwerk electo beats, strung-out Tubeway Army guitars, just the right amount of emotive distortion, tha funky bass, Six Finger Satellite ass-kickin', cheesey low resolution Apple II cover art. The ingredients of a perfect record.

TRANS AM Liberation (Thrill Jockey) cd 14.98
Imagine a post-rock version of The Darkness. That's kinda how Trans Am started off (hence a name like Trans Am), full of indie irony even as their instrumentals rocked pretty hard. Then, exchanging one variety of '80s kitsch for another, they evolved through a major Kraftwerk phase. Various other avenues have been explored by the band over the years, but they basically remain a Tortoise you can rock out to, or do the electric boogaloo.
Back and broadcasting from our nation's capitol with this kinda politically-themed album (judging by the titles, graphics, and the soundbites), Trans Am continue to kick out the hard-hitting, electro-wired grooves. Heavily rhythmic or synthsationally atmospheric, these 14 tracks oughta do most Trans Am fans right. However, some of the sampling perhaps should have been reconsidered: firstly, the track with President Bush plunderphonically telling the truth about the Iraq war is something we've basically all heard before on the internet, as right-on as their anti-Bush message is. And then what's with the sped-up weather report we're treated to couple songs later? Some of these tracks do sound like they need something added, but sampling isn't it. Real liberation is going to require some new ideas!
MPEG Stream: "White Rhino"
MPEG Stream: "June"

TRANS AM Red Line (Thrill Jockey) cd 14.98
The love-'em-or-hate-'em electronic post-rockers' fifth album. Their Vocoder still ain't broken. Over twenty tracks here, including one that I thought was a cover of Black Flag's "Thirsty And Miserable".

TRANS AM s/t (Thrill Jockey) cd 13.98
...can't decide whether it wants to be guitar- or synthesizer-based rock but all things considered this debut album generates a decent wall of sound. The boys of Aquarius give it the thumbs up.

TRANS AM s/t (Thrill Jockey) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
...can't decide whether it wants to be guitar- or synthesizer-based rock but all things considered this debut album generates a decent wall of sound. The boys of Aquarius give it the thumbs up.

TRANS AM Sex Change (Thrill Jockey) cd 14.98
For a few years it seemed like Trans Am could do no wrong. Their live shows were legendary, loud and on fire. Albums like Futureworld, Surveillance and The Red Line were some of the best offerings to come out of the post-rock scene for sure. But as the '90s came to end a new decade brought some seriously lackluster releases, including their last and most disappointing outing, Liberation. So when Sex Change came our way we were a bit skeptical. BUT we are happy to report that Trans Am have seriously redeemed themselves with this new record! Their love of vintage prog, '70s rock, and '80s synthesizer glory all come together to create their most cohesive album since The Red Line. At their best Trans Am have always been masters at being both retro and futuristic simultaneously... Pulling inspiration from Magma, Heldon and mid-late '70s Can and crafting a record that cuts out the fat and shows off a revitalized, lean and mean Trans Am.
MPEG Stream: "First Words"
MPEG Stream: "Reprieve"
MPEG Stream: "Shining Path"

TRANS AM Sex Change (Thrill Jockey) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
For a few years it seemed like Trans Am could do no wrong. Their live shows were legendary, loud and on fire. Albums like Futureworld, Surveillance and The Red Line were some of the best offerings to come out of the post-rock scene for sure. But as the '90s came to end a new decade brought some seriously lackluster releases, including their last and most disappointing outing, Liberation. So when Sex Change came our way we were a bit skeptical. BUT we are happy to report that Trans Am have seriously redeemed themselves with this new record! Their love of vintage prog, '70s rock, and '80s synthesizer glory all come together to create their most cohesive album since The Red Line. At their best Trans Am have always been masters at being both retro and futuristic simultaneously... Pulling inspiration from Magma, Heldon and mid-late '70s Can and crafting a record that cuts out the fat and shows off a revitalized, lean and mean Trans Am.
MPEG Stream: "First Words"
MPEG Stream: "Reprieve"
MPEG Stream: "Shining Path"

TRANS AM Surrender to the Night (Thrill Jockey) cd 9.98
Second full-length meanders from pretty amazing (if completely derivative) boomin' electro lowrider themes to distortion-happy techno. Way less 'rock' than previous album.

TRANS AM Surrender to the Night (Thrill Jockey) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Second full-length meanders from pretty amazing (if completely derivative) boomin' electro lowrider themes to distortion-happy techno. Way less 'rock' than previous album.

TRANS AM TA (Thrill Jockey) cd 16.98
Trans Am unleash their new synth rock assault in the form of TA. And it appears they've really gone and done it... crossed the point of no return. Taken up permanent membership in the league of joke bands. With irony and silliness in full effect, there's no more trying to camouflage it. Although it sounds really great, a total hi-fi quality recording with a good synthy dance sound to it too, musicianship and production values can only carry it so far. This just sounds like an '80s parody utilizing 2002 technology. Geez, the first track "Cold War" sounds just like ZZ Top circa "Legs". I know I'm not alone in totally embracing that decade's keyboard dance music, and welcoming any current valiant attempts at its revival, but come on! Some quality control please! There's an enormous difference between the fun yet vacuous Dead or Alive or Animotion and the brilliance of artists like Gary Numan. Although the term 'new wave' has been bandied about lately with offensive, reckless abandon, distinctions need to be made. Not all '80s music was fluff and cheese! When Trans Am perform live they're a lot more guitar heavy and less synth-laden, and in my opinion sound sooo much better. I wish they could capture that energy on their recordings. Anyways, while I was listening to this and criticising it, some nice customer came in, loved it and bought it right away. Me, I'm extra disappointed that I can't even applaud their band photos this time around as Miami Vice dudes. You may recall their past press shots, so amazingly, so hilariously composed and executed.
RealAudio clip: "Cold War"
RealAudio clip: "Bonn"
RealAudio clip: "Different Kind Of Love"

TRANS AM The Surveillance (Thrill Jockey) cd 13.98
There's a wonderful track on this album that sounds just like "The Song Remains the Same."

TRANS AM The Surveillance (Thrill Jockey) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
There's a wonderful track on this album that sounds just like "The Song Remains the Same."

TRANS AM Thing (Thrill Jockey) cd 15.98
2010 album from these post rock vets!

TRANS AM What Day Is It Tonight: Live 1993-2007 (Thrill Jockey) 2lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Live stuff, where they excell!!

TRANS CHAMPS Double Exposure (Thrill Jockey) cd ep 10.98
A collaboration between SF math metallists The Fucking Champs and Washington, DC's electronic rock boys Trans Am? The concept sure sounded promising to me. The actual outcome? Well, have to say, somewhat disappointing. Aquarius loves the Champs, and has been a big supporter of both bands, but in all fairness we have to express our true opinions of this particular release. The first song sounds like it cruised right out of Magnum P.I. Kinda fucking hilarious and rad when you think of it that way, but let's proceed... "First Comes Sunday Morning" sounds like a Folgers commercial. Hooo boy. I think the Champs have more integrity than this release conveys, Trans Am on the other hand... I'm not so sure. While I loved their second album "Surrender To The Night," they've unleashed a few rather, umm, questionable amusing-only-to-themselves-and-a-few-rabid-fans releases since then (case in point the EP "Who Do We Think You Are?"). If you haven't heard either The Fucking Champs or Trans Am, I wouldn't recommend you start with this collaboration. First try the Champs' "IV" and Trans Am's self-titled debut. If you're a big fan of either band, then never mind. You've probably already nabbed this. I just can't help but feel that this could have been so much better, given the people involved (including Bevin from Blectum From Blechdom). Oh well...
RealAudio clip: "Give It To You"
RealAudio clip: "First Comes Sunday Morning"
RealAudio clip: "Then Comes Saturday Night"

TRANS CHAMPS Double Exposure (Thrill Jockey) 12" 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A collaboration between SF math metallists The Fucking Champs and Washington, DC's electronic rock boys Trans Am? The concept sure sounded promising to me. The actual outcome? Well, have to say, somewhat disappointing. Aquarius loves the Champs, and has been a big supporter of both bands, but in all fairness we have to express our true opinions of this particular release. The first song sounds like it cruised right out of Magnum P.I. Kinda fucking hilarious and rad when you think of it that way, but let's proceed... "First Comes Sunday Morning" sounds like a Folgers commercial. Hooo boy. I think the Champs have more integrity than this release conveys, Trans Am on the other hand... I'm not so sure. While I loved their second album "Surrender To The Night," they've unleashed a few rather, umm, questionable amusing-only-to-themselves-and-a-few-rabid-fans releases since then (case in point the EP "Who Do We Think You Are?"). If you haven't heard either The Fucking Champs or Trans Am, I wouldn't recommend you start with this collaboration. Start with the Champs' "IV" and Trans Am's self-titled debut. If you're a big fan of either band, then never mind. You've probably already nabbed this. I just can't help but feel that this could have been so much better, given the people involved (which also includes Bevin from Blectum From Blechdom).

TRANSFUSED Transfused (Yoyo) cd 14.98
The angular, carnivalesque madness that we love from The Need, applied to the rock opera formula! This is the story of "The Corporation" and their tyranny over the lowly plebs: the "Transfused." Rockin' guitars and synths follow the Transfused through three transformative days as they "encounter new ideas, experience devastating loss, and ultimately find that they possess a power far greater than the Corporation could ever hope to."

TRANSITIONAL Stomach Of The Sun (Conspiracy) cd 15.98
Sometimes a pedigree can tell you a lot about a band. For instance, take Transitional. Here's a list of bands the various members have been a part of: Novatron, Head Of David, Jesu, Grey Machine, God, Fear Falls Burning, and if you include the guy who mastered the record, add to the list: Jesu, Godflesh, Final, Ice, Techno Animal, Sidewinder and Napalm Death. Phew! You probably nailed that last one as Justin Broadrick, who does indeed master this second disc from Transitional, and the group does not stray too far from this sonic lineage, as Stomach Of The Sun is indeed intense, drone-y, grim, ominous, noisy, distorted, rhythmic, blackened, atmospheric, hypnotic and HEAVY. Fans of any or all of the above mentioned bands will most likely find this much to their liking.
The record begins with a 13+ minute slow burn guitardrone, that builds and builds, growing ever more intense and caustic, but somehow remaining warm and lush, before stumbling into a lurching industrial Godflesh-ed pound, dirgey and dense, but with a bit of a melodic element, a feedbacky melody draped over Transitional's tarpit plod, totally brings us back to the early Earache / Pathological days, but with a slightly more modern sheen. "In My Collapse" follows up with more rhythmic metallic crunch, this time a bit more dubbed out, a little space-y, like a Godflesh ballad if there could ever be such a thing, which leads directly into "Drowning", a gorgeously washed out doomic drift, spare drums, swirling effects, and lots of streaked longform tones, hypnotic and dreamy. The rest of the record pretty much shifts between those sounds, the more Jesu-y metalgaze drift, the post industrial metallic plod and the dreamlike ambient shimmer, the three sounds rarely remaining totally distinct, instead, constantly blending and mixing, creating gorgeous hybrids, sometimes dense and ominous, othertimes soft focus and otherworldly. "Hideaway" is the best song Jesu never recorded, the title track begins all spaced out and dubby, before introducing one of the most crushing (and weirdly processed) riffs ever, and the record closes with an epic swath of noise drenched free form ambient soft noise drift, that manages to be soothing and serene, as well as intense and haunting at the same time.
Seriously awesome stuff, not sure how we missed out on their debut, but this one is so good we're definitely gonna have to track that one down as well... On limited (naturally) vinyl and cd.
MPEG Stream: "Vacant Monolith Rotation"
MPEG Stream: "Pyramid"
MPEG Stream: "In My Collapse"
MPEG Stream: "Worst Eyes Shut"

TRANSITIONAL Stomach Of The Sun (Conspiracy) 2lp 20.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
Sometimes a pedigree can tell you a lot about a band. For instance, take Transitional. Here's a list of bands the various members have been a part of: Novatron, Head Of David, Jesu, Grey Machine, God, Fear Falls Burning, and if you include the guy who mastered the record, add to the list: Jesu, Godflesh, Final, Ice, Techno Animal, Sidewinder and Napalm Death. Phew! You probably nailed that last one as Justin Broadrick, who does indeed master this second disc from Transitional, and the group does not stray too far from this sonic lineage, as Stomach Of The Sun is indeed intense, drone-y, grim, ominous, noisy, distorted, rhythmic, blackened, atmospheric, hypnotic and HEAVY. Fans of any or all of the above mentioned bands will most likely find this much to their liking.
The record begins with a 13+ minute slow burn guitardrone, that builds and builds, growing ever more intense and caustic, but somehow remaining warm and lush, before stumbling into a lurching industrial Godflesh-ed pound, dirgey and dense, but with a bit of a melodic element, a feedbacky melody draped over Transitional's tarpit plod, totally brings us back to the early Earache / Pathological days, but with a slightly more modern sheen. "In My Collapse" follows up with more rhythmic metallic crunch, this time a bit more dubbed out, a little space-y, like a Godflesh ballad if there could ever be such a thing, which leads directly into "Drowning", a gorgeously washed out doomic drift, spare drums, swirling effects, and lots of streaked longform tones, hypnotic and dreamy. The rest of the record pretty much shifts between those sounds, the more Jesu-y metalgaze drift, the post industrial metallic plod and the dreamlike ambient shimmer, the three sounds rarely remaining totally distinct, instead, constantly blending and mixing, creating gorgeous hybrids, sometimes dense and ominous, othertimes soft focus and otherworldly. "Hideaway" is the best song Jesu never recorded, the title track begins all spaced out and dubby, before introducing one of the most crushing (and weirdly processed) riffs ever, and the record closes with an epic swath of noise drenched free form ambient soft noise drift, that manages to be soothing and serene, as well as intense and haunting at the same time.
Seriously awesome stuff, not sure how we missed out on their debut, but this one is so good we're definitely gonna have to track that one down as well... On limited (naturally) vinyl and cd.
MPEG Stream: "Vacant Monolith Rotation"
MPEG Stream: "Pyramid"
MPEG Stream: "In My Collapse"
MPEG Stream: "Worst Eyes Shut"

TRANSMISSION (Audible Hiss) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Adris Hoyos of Harry Pussy and Graham Lambkin of The Shadow Ring team up as Transmission. There was some doubt about whether or not this album would ever be released, because Hoyos & Lambkin's partnership took a sour turn after the recording (i.e. their marriage was nixed). The rumor was that Lambkin was suing to prevent this disc's release, but apparently that didn't work, 'cause here it is. I wouldn't expect a sequel though. The music?

TRANSMISSION s/t (Table Of The Elements) cd ep 11.98
Every now and then a reissue will come our way that totally exceeds all of our wildest expectations. Unbeknown to us, Swans drummer Jonathan Kane made an ep in 1981-82 with Daniel Galliduani under the name Transmission. This was before The Swans even existed and demonstrates an unparalleled world of east meets west blistering percussive mastery! Imagine LaMonte Young leading a no-wave band with The Boredoms as his players and you'll start to get the idea of how ahead of their time Kane and Galliduani's sonic explorations actually were. With Kane's drumming creating a feverish trance and Galliduani's sax processed toand transformed into some sort of snake charming wall of guitar sound, the two created a relentless 22 minute polyrhythmic excursion that just drips with sweat, life and blazing rhythm. Decades after this recording was made a new wave of no-wavers and sonic explorers like Black Dice, Excepter, Lightning Bolt, Gang Gang Dance and countless others began to explore this same intense sound manipulation, rife with percussive heavy psychedelia, but truth be told this record is pretty impossible to top! In our minds the best record Jonathan Kane has ever made. Totally scorching, wildly creative and rushing wildly through our veins!
MPEG Stream: "Power Stations"
MPEG Stream: "Fireball"

TRANSMISSION 0 0 (Go-Kart) cd 14.98
Note to bands. Go all out on your cover art. It's really the only thing setting you apart from a record that gets listened to and about a million that don't. And as much as we try to listen to every single record we get, it's just not physically possible. So we almost passed right over this one. The artwork's not bad really, just sort of blah, black and white, a little abstract, but considering how weird and heavy and great this record is the cover just doesn't do these songs justice. Transmission 0 are another one of those bands that are really tough to pin down. They're pretty metal, with super stacatto, chugging riffs, howled vocals, sort of Helmet meets Converge. Thick and almost metalcore sounding. But then there's keyboards everywhere, all over the place. Not right up front, but just a sort of hazy melodic fuzz lingering behind the dissonant riffing or draped like some sort of gauzy curtain across the pounding rhythms. But that's not all, the band will often bliss out and simmer down into some weird reverb soaked moody post rock lope, all clean guitar and almost croony vocals, sort of swirly and krautrocky with heavily affected guitars that sound like they were lifted from a Smiths song, but before you know it, the song might burst into an ultra-aggro head pounding metal riff-down. There's even some stretched out spacious doom all slow motion riffs and plodding drums, that sometimes dirge down to a downright SUNNO))) / Earth-like crawl. There's also a couple downtempo electronic beatscapes, skittery and shuffling, with thick grinding synths and super distorted bass, some kickass Iron Maiden dual harmony riffing, some Godspeed-like dreamy slowbuild epics, and on and on and on. Sounds impossibly confusional on paper (on computer?) but coming through the speakers it sounds divine. Maybe a little bit dizzying in their sonic scope, but we think you can handle it.
MPEG Stream: "Journey"
MPEG Stream: "San Miguel"

TRANSMISSION 0 Memory Of A Dream (Candlelight) cd 13.98
We reviewed the debut recording from these metallic post rockers almost three years ago, and spent a good portion of the review talking about the cover art. Well here we are years later, and it seems they took our advice and ratcheted it up a notch. The new artwork is all woodcut and classical looking, a gorgeously drawn stormy sea, all blacks and greys and browns. A look much more mature and dramatic than the cover of their debut, which makes sense as the music here is much more dramatic and mature as well.
When we first encountered these guys, they were all over the map, from groovy Helmet like start stop groove, to Iron Maiden harmonies, SUNNO))) style sludge to epic Godspeed drama, all woven into a sort of metallic post rock framework. Three years down the line and those parts all seem still present, but are much more seamlessly integrated into the music. The core sound is a churning majestic downtuned Neur-Isis like groove, Howled vocals, drop-d riffing, huge pummeling drums, synths too, but used much more judiciously than on the last record (which is not necessarily a good thing, it's part of what made that record so weird). There's also some clean vocals, that croon over the same riffing, giving those songs an almost Faith No More vibe. A few songs drift moodily almost all the way through and end up sounding a bit like the Deftones (not a bad thing btw), but even those tracks eventually explode into Neurosis like crush.
So if you're a fan of the epic and majestic brooding heaviness of bands like Isis, Neurosis, Pelican, and more modern metal/post rock hybrids like Irepress, Angel Eyes, Mouth Of The Architect, Rosetta, Tides and Conifer, and don't mind a little extra moodiness or melody, then Transmission 0 just might hit the spot.
MPEG Stream: "Cocoon"
MPEG Stream: "Condor"