[ aquarius records catalogue — A ]

Showing results 1551 through 1600 of 2272.

ARBOURETUMA Gourd of Gold(Latitudes)cd$ 16.98

ARBOURETUMRites Of Uncovering(Thrill Jockey)cd$ 15.98

It's not surprising that Rites Of Uncovering sounds like Palace on overdrive, as Arbouretum's mastermind, David Huemann, is a veteran sessions musician for both of the Oldham brothers as well as Cass McCombs. In fact, Paul Oldham takes on production duties through this sort-of concept record based on the writings of Paul Bowles. But avoiding conventional song-structures for a more organic evolving approach of shambling tribal blues and rustic folk motifs plays to Heumann's strengths as a big picture songwriter steering clear of the first person confessional stance of Will Oldham's narratives. If you wish those Bonnie Prince Billy records had a more epic musical bite to them, then Arbourteum might just fill your prescription.

ARCArkhangelsk(Epidemie)cd$ 15.98

We almost managed to do a list with only ONE Aidan Baker record, but found a stash of these hidden away in the closet and have actually been meaning to list them for a while now. Only have a handful, so these might be the last copies we see for a while. Arc just so happens to be the the drone / free jazz / krautrock improv trio Baker heads up, the three members employing guitar, flute, percussion, electronics and multiple drumkits to produce the peculiar brand of avant amorphous outsider krautdrone that made their first disc, The Circle Is Not Round, such a hit around here. Four sixteen and seventeen minute tracks, the first a glistening glimmering long form metallic shimmer, laced with rainfall like percussion, skittery snares, long stretches of glitched out electronics, muted barely there rhythms. The second starts off like a less jazzy Necks, lots of space, softly strummed guitars, strange scattered percussion, soft swarms of electronic FX, backwards swoops, processed cymbal sizzle, subtly ominous and haunting, eventually the drums explode and the pound out a reverb drenched rhythm, while the guitars grow thicker and slightly more propulsive, eventually blissing out and fading out completely. The final two tracks are quite similar, beginning as deep soft shimmers and building in intensity until they become these reverb heavy tribal free jams, thick with droned out shimmers, and layers of fuzzy gauzy ambience, sort of like the Swans meets the Necks, or a blissed out Einsterzende. Not the sort of stuff we're used to from Baker, but definitely cool, and certainly a bit more challenging than much of his more soothing blissed out drone / dirge output. If you dug the other one, you'll for sure dig this, and if you're looking for something a bit abstract, a bit jazzy, a bit krauty and a bit drone-y, then this could well fit the bill. Packaged in a striking sepia tone 6 panel digipack style sleeve, and again, we have very few copies, so when we sell out, please be patient while we try to get more.

ARCGlassine 1(A Silent Place)cd$ 10.98

We've reviewed a couple records by Canadian drone / free jazz / krautrock improv trio Arc, probably best know for being fronted by Mr. Aidan Baker, he of doomdronedirge duo Nadja, and numerous other solo records. But Arc is definitely a group, with the three members each contributing to Arc's lovely, minimal sound. Haunting and hushed, slow building and mysterious, simple percussion, fluttering woodwinds, the distant swirl of layered drones, Arc almost sound like a more abstract Necks, which is a huge compliment. And in fact this reminds us of several recent Baker releases (Still Life, Lost In A Rat Maze), in its dark abstract sort-of-jazziness. But unlike the inherent minimal dronemusic leanings of those more recent records, Arc build into something almost propulsive, at times reminding us of Talk Talk's Laughing Stock, an almost world music sounding landscape of sound, the flutes especially evoking a world/folk music vibe, with the minimal tribal percussion, really sealing the deal, especially on the second track, with the band doing a sort of tabla driven, synth heavy bit of Muslimgauze worship, flecked with strange bits of electronic glitchery, and some twisted bits of FX drenched guitar squiggle. Folks who dig Baker's more minimal murky drone side or the heavier metalgaze of his Nadja stuff, might be a bit put off, but if you dug the other Arc records, or just like strange minimal electronic experimentalism and dreamy faux world music weirdness, this just might hit the spot. WE ONLY HAVE SIX COPIES OF THIS, and as we mentioned, the label folded, and these are absolutely the only copies we'll be able to get, which means snap one up before they disappear.

ARCThe Circle Is Not Round(A Silent Place)cd$ 15.98

The Canadian avant-drone guitarist Aidan Baker has been popping up quite a bit at Aquarius in recent months. While he has been quite active in producing numerous drone-based releases, we first took serious notice of his work thanks to the atmospheric doom of his project Nadja. He also turned up on an exceptional 4-way split alongside John Duncan, Z'ev, and Fear Falls Burning. Arc is another project from Baker, finding him working alongside a couple of percussionists in this pastorally psychedelic, improv ensemble. The Circle Is Not Round began as a series of live recordings that Baker blurs into a concoction that lays somewhere in between the spiralling melancholy of a non-aggressive Troum and the '70s prog-ambience of Popul Vuh. Baker's impressionist guitar drones are at the center of these recordings; and while the original live sessions probably slanted more towards the hippie and less the psychedelic end of the spectrum, Baker abstracts all of his sounds with enough backwards masking, tapeloops, and shimmering delay patterns to transform the improv noodling into slow burning dissonant crescendos, earthen throbs, and kosmiche soundscapes with more than a few references to Fennesz, Growing, and even Kompakt's Pop Ambient sound, if you can imagine a guitarist doing his best impersonation of that very digitally constructed ambience.

ARCADE AMBIANCE'81(GDG)cd-r$ 12.98

You know we love field recordings and "environmental sounds". And you know we love '80s arcade games (witness the vintage Tron and Rastan machines that now make their home in our shop). So when we found out about these "Aracade Ambiance" discs -- which are exactly what the name implies -- we had to have them, and suspect that more than a few of our customers will want 'em too. There's three volumes in this professionally reproduced cd-r series, 1981, 1983, and 1986. We have all three but thought we'd get more of this first and earliest entry to highlight it on our list, this time. It's one hour of "authentic" eighties video arcade sounds, what you'd hear if you paid a visit to a busy, bustling arcade back in '81. The blips and beeps and blasts of video violence, memorable musical themes from classic games, some crowd noises and of course the occasional clatter of the coin changer/token machine... it's just like we're ten years old again and skipping school. Those of us of a certain age that is -- some of the staff here at AQ weren't even born back then. Actually I might have been a little older before I spent a lot of time hanging out in the local arcades, as when younger I recall having bad day at the "Pennsylvania Spacetion" when some bullies took my tokens... Anyway if you were shooting aliens and asteroids, running mazes and dodging monsters way back when, this is gonna be a definite nostalgia trip! We put "authentic" in quotes above 'cause this is actually a bit like the Jurassic Soundscapes cd we highlighted on our last list. The fellow who put these together didn't have the amazing foresight to drag a tape recorder out to a real video arcade back in '81. Nor was he able to convert a Time Pilot game into an actual time machine, though there's a good chance that he's dreamed of such a thing (which he probably wouldn't use to meet Jesus or kill Hitler or buy Google stock but instead to blow quarters at his local long-gone eighties arcade). "Composer" Andy Hoyle (whose face appears on the back cover of these discs, for some reason) wanted to create an background ambient soundscape to help give the impression that when playing retro games on his home console, he was actually in an arcade back in the day. Carefully collaging the musical cues and sound effects from period video games (this '81 set including the likes of Centipede, Asteroids, Gorf, PacMan, Defender, Frogger, Qix, Berzerk, Crazy Climber, Missile Command, Rally X, Space Invaders, Tempest, Galaga, Galaxian, Donkey Kong, and many more) with some more generic sounds recorded in a modern day arcade, Hoyle has artificially (and very convincingly!!) re-created what an arcade in 1981 actually would have sounded like. Not unlike the way field recordist Jean-Luc Herelle enabled us to hear the trompings and trumpetings of the dinosaurs of the Jurassic, 200 million years ago... It's a dense, non-looping, almost-hypnotic soundscape that Hoyle has sampled and sequenced. Heck it IS hypnotic for those of us in love with arcades! And like we said, we also have copies of Arcade Ambiance '83 and '86 available, they're great too, each one guaranteed to bring back remarkably specific memories to those who wasted afternoons (and many quarters) during the golden age of arcade gaming... you can practically smell the cigarette smoke (that's right, they allowed smoking in arcades, and most machines had burns on 'em from players resting their cigarettes) and bask in the imagined video glow. Good times!

ARCADE AMBIANCE'83(GDG)cd-r$ 12.98

Here's the 2nd volume in this cd-r series -- we highlighted volume one, Arcade Ambience '81, last time around. Remember 1983? Remember the video arcade games that were popular that year? The '83 disc will refresh your memory. Burgertime, Dig Dug, Elevator Action, Galaga, Joust, Mario Bros., Millipede, Moon Patrol, Ms. Pacman, Pengo, Pole Position, Qbert, Robotron, Sinistar, Stargate, Time Pilot, Track & Field, Tron, Zaxxon, and more, all make appearances on this simulated arcade field recording soundscape. You'll be listening to it, and be like, oh yeah, I remember that game!, as a simple combination of sounds strikes a chord deep within your brain somewhere -- like, oh crap, here comes Sinistar! or the pesky dragon from Joust! If you aren't an arcade aficionado (or even if you are), this disc is basically an insane, extremely dense collage of electronic bleeps and bloops, zaps and braps, a bit like being trapped in a fierce sci-fi space battle, but for the snippets of music and the clang of coins dropped into machines... in other words, the general ambience of a bustling video game palace at the height of the arcade era. Our review of the '81 volume explains that while these are not actual field recordings, but instead modern-day, computer-aided recreations, these discs certainly sound convincing. A well-crafted nostalgia trip for video gamers, and also an interesting item for fans of unique environmental sounds! NB. We're not listing the '86 cd-r quite yet 'cause some of the copies we got were bad burns, unfortunately, and we've got to test out our entire stock for glitches... if you already bought one from us, check and see if towards the things get sort of choppy and distorted? Not saying that doesn't sound cool, but it doesn't sound like any video arcade we've ever been in, except maybe on drugs (just kidding). Let us know if you've got a defective disc and we'll see about getting replacements from the label.

ARCADE FIRECold Wind / Brazil(Merge)7"$ 3.98

These Canadians (and their American record label) sure know how to keep their fans satiated over the summer months. They not only reissued the band's debut EP recently, but have also popped out this lil' 7" single. Two songs: one original and one cover of an oft-covered beloved oldie from 1939! Sure to please their ever-growing legions of fans... particularly the ones with record players, although there's been a few turntableless, A.F. completist folks who 'needed' it too. On clear vinyl and packaged in a super pretty vellum sleeve.

ARCADE FIREFuneral(Merge)cd$ 14.98

Hey, check out this new Canadian band's elegant swagger and dandy bombast. If the number of recent in-store queries about them is any indication, many other folks seem to be doing likewise and diggin' what they hear! The lead-off track with its thumpin' dance beat and swooning male vocals (be forewarned, they occasionally cross the line into overwrought moan'n'wail) is totally reminiscent of Pulp's "Disco 3000". At once, it's both steeped in despair and drenched with fun. However, the next song jumps over to more aggressive, post-punk territory a la P.I.L. meets Interpol (particularly in the vocals, although A.F.'s singer has a peculiar warbly voice all his own which received a chilly reception from some folks around these parts). By the fourth song, a galloping very Modest Mouse-y tune, you sorta get the sense that this group has a multitude of personalities. That said, the one track that seems to encapsulate Arcade Fire's scope comes at the mid-point of the album. "Crown Of Love" is a soaring grande orchestral hand-wringer that suddenly bursts into discoland for its finish (again very Jarvis Cocker/Pulp-ish). But then again, the following song is totally in the swirling Flaming Lips vein (complete with very Coyne-esque singing), and the female-sung closing number comes across as very very Bjork-influenced. So what do all of these elder artists have in common which is also at the core of these young'uns' impressive sound? A complete unabashed flair for drama, untethered emotive vibrato-laced vocals and no fear of a thumpin' beat to get the blood pumpin'. This band can raise the roof and sink into a quagmyre of gloom as they see fit. Sure to tickle the fancy of many fans of those aforementioned bands.

ARCADE FIREIntervention(Merge)7"$ 4.98

Arcade Fire fans, we're sure you're more than familiar with the song "Intervention" from the band's most recent full length. It's a dandy, right? But do you also recall another tune from the same album, the one with the awesome horn section (otherwise known as the Calexico brass)? Yeah, you know the one... "Ocean Of Noise" (which we consider the aural equivalent of a peanut butter cup)! It's definitely one of Neon Bible's highlights. Well, Calexico went and recorded their very own rendition of the song, and no surprise, it's a splendid, somber, shimmering wonder! So, for the latest Arcade Fire single, Merge Records wisely included Tucson's finest on the flip side. It is THE reason you need this (whether you dig Arcade Fire or Calexico, both or neither). So good!

ARCADE FIREKeep The Car Running / Broken Window(Merge)7"$ 5.98

One of Arcade Fire's most goodest tunes from their latest album Neon Bible is now available to all of you 7" record spinners! Yup, and it's accompanied by a vinyl only tune called "Broken Window" which completists surely won't want to miss!

ARCADE FIRENeon Bible(Merge)2lp$ 21.00

NOW ON VINYL! 2004's Funeral made it clear that Arcade Fire aren't shy about dishin' the melodrama and bombast, and this time around they definitely make no bones about it. These decidedly unreserved Canucks are laying it on extra heavy. They've taken the goods from Funeral and juiced 'em up even more, delivering an unquestionable fan pleaser that maintains the infectious spark of their debut, but drapes it with more opulent finery. Musically this is most notable in the cathedral organ and choral departments. It may have you wondering if you're attending a wedding or a funeral! However, those musings are swiftly swept away by the soaring, big Chicago style horns in "Windowsill" and "No Cars Go" (another candidate for single material in our books!). We'd say the obvious choice for a first single on the album is the second tune "Keep The Car Running", but has anyone else noticed that it sounds as if it could break into John Cafferty And The Beaver Brown Band's "On The Dark Side" from that '80s flick Eddie And The Cruisers at any moment? In fact, Arcade Fire conjure numerous other touchstones of that decade -- the female vocals remarkably resemble Kim Wilde as the male ones do Bono, the somber opening pulse of the album closer "My Body Is A Cage" echoes Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight". But there sure as heck ain't nothin' wrong with a little bit of musical nostalgia, especially when it's all wrapped up oh so pretty, in thick sonic swaths of lush dramatic dreamery and plush poppiness.

ARCADE FIRENeon Bible - Deluxe Edition(Merge)cd$ 17.98

2004's Funeral made it clear that Arcade Fire aren't shy about dishin' the melodrama and bombast, and this time around they definitely make no bones about it. From the super deluxe boxed lenticular packaging to the eleven songs contained within, these decidedly unreserved Canucks are laying it on extra heavy. They've taken the goods from Funeral and juiced 'em up even more, delivering an unquestionable fan pleaser that maintains the infectious spark of their debut, but drapes it with more opulent finery. Musically this is most notable in the cathedral organ and choral departments. It may have you wondering if you're attending a wedding or a funeral! However, those musings are swiftly swept away by the soaring, big Chicago style horns in "Windowsill" and "No Cars Go" (another candidate for single material in our books!). We'd say the obvious choice for a first single on the album is the second tune "Keep The Car Running", but has anyone else noticed that it sounds as if it could break into John Cafferty And The Beaver Brown Band's "On The Dark Side" from that '80s flick Eddie And The Cruisers at any moment? In fact, Arcade Fire conjure numerous other touchstones of that decade -- the female vocals remarkably resemble Kim Wilde as the male ones do Bono, the somber opening pulse of the album closer "My Body Is A Cage" echoes Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight". But there sure as heck ain't nothin' wrong with a little bit of musical nostalgia, especially when it's all wrapped up oh so pretty, in thick sonic swaths of lush dramatic dreamery and plush poppiness.

ARCADE FIREReflektor(Merge)2cd$ 17.98

Only four albums in and Arcade Fire already seem like an institution, but far from predictable, Reflektor is a welcome 180 for these quirky Canadians. Almost entirely absent is the earnest tweeness of their earlier records, and in its place is a sprawling double album of opaque lyrical mystery, throbbing cosmic disco and ethereal sparkling funk (a change that is in no doubt at least partially due to LCD Soundsystem/DFA mastermind James Murphy's place at the production helm). The record's funkier moments bring to mind The Talking Heads sucked through a shining glittery vacuum, while the echo drenched druggy dub of "Flashbulb Eyes" recalls The Clash's more experimental flourishes during their Sandinista phase. Elsewhere the jangly guitars and girl group bass of "You Already Know" conjure some kind of swirling technicolor Smiths, and the primitive stomp and erratic guitar leads of "Normal Person" seem to be the work of an extraterrestrial Stooges. But even at its most straight forward there is a constant sense of mystery and intrigue to Reflektor - the warped ambient glitches, indecipherable background whispers, soaring strings and pulsing synths seeming to imply that there's some sort of code underlying just waiting to be cracked. And yet even during its most confounding moments there's an ever present bittersweet tinge of nostalgia that Arcade Fire have always been so adept at subtly injecting into their songs. It's sort of like a coming of age record, only a thousand years into the future and on the other side of the galaxy, with its head in the stars and its eyes impatiently fixed on the dancefloor.

ARCADE FIRESprawl II(Merge)12"$ 11.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY.

ARCADE FIREThe Reflektors(Merge / Sono Vox)lp$ 10.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY.

ARCADE FIREThe Suburbs(Merge)cd$ 15.98

We've heard tell that legions of Arcade Fire fans new and old have already been gobbling up this release whole, and it's easy to hear why. It's a fantastic follow-up to 2007's Neon Bible, and such an eagerly anticipated album that it probably doesn't even need any announcement! Get behind the wheel of this ride through The Arcade Fire's Suburbs, and you'll find it starts out in relatively sedate fashion, gently warming up the musical engines with the lush baroque pop we all know and love, but it doesn't take the band long to rev things up 'til they're cruising at full speed with the top down! As always, these Canadians are a bit difficult to define, still drawing plenty of influence from familiar (and often oddly mainstream) pop elements of the '80s and '90s, and integrating them into their own presentation. It's a strangely cohesive coming together of varied sounds, personalities and inspirations that glints with shades of such eclectic, clever and dramatic forefathers as David Bowie, Pulp, Meatloaf, My Bloody Valentine, and Robyn Hitchcock. At times they're a bit brainy, at others more than a bit bombastic. Add some shoegazin', cabaret melodrama and art school chin scratching, and you might think you have a recipe for disaster. However, they seldom falter, always delivering epically arranged and gloriously produced songs to our ears. A few of them in particular stood out on our first few listens... "Suburban War" has gently swooping melodies that totally push the wistful sentimental buttons; "Modern Man" takes a few jaunty twists and subdued yearning tones that bring to mind their contemporaries Spoon (actually fans of that band might find themselves diggin' a lot more than just this one tune!); while the surprisingly almost punky edgy oomph of "Month Of May" will surely get you on your feet doing the same dance that Molly Ringwald does in Breakfast Club to Karla DeVito's "We Are Not Alone". Alrighty, are you with us?! (Not sure why the vinyl version has to be so pricey, it seems like a trend these days...)

ARCADE FIREs/t(Merge)cd ep$ 10.98

Remastered and reissued for Arcade Fire fans who might've missed it the first time around, here's Arcade Fire's debut EP from 2003. From what we can tell, female vocalist Regine Chassagne seemed to have been suffering from some serious Bjork affectations (which she'd gotten over by the time they did Funeral). Likewise, Win Butler's then very-Coyne-ish vocals and the band's very-Flaming Lips-y overall productions. Nonetheless, if you've dug this band from the beginning, you'll surely find it nice to have the opportunity to hear these songs again in their freshly remastered state. If you're new to the band and are wondering what the big fuss is all about, definitely check out their Funeral album first.

ARCADIONs/t(DC Recordings)12"$ 13.98

ARCADIUMBreathe Awhile(Akarma)cd$ 16.98

ARCANAArc of the Testimony(Axiom)cd$ 15.98

Second installment of Arcana's all-star "futuristic energy music" as masterminded by Bill Laswell, featuring the drumming of the late Tony Williams. Also with Pharoah Sanders, Buckethead, Nicky Skopelitis, Graham Haynes, and Byard Lancaster.

ARCANE CANDYIssue #2()magazine$ 2.99

It's about time we got a second installment of Gary Davis' avant-garde music fanzine Arcane Candy. His Keiji Haino and Tokyo psych obsession continues to be evident, and likeminded souls (us!) will be happy to read the reviews of *EVERY* PSF label release ever (done with help from PSF English language liason Alan Cummings, who is also interviewed, along with PSF label head honcho Hideo Ikeezumi, in lengthy sidebar format beside the cd reviews)!! There's also an update of Gary's overview of Keiji Haino's recorded works, obligatory reviews of other non Keiji/PSF records, and more. The more includes two other major pieces: a Harry Partch feature and an very entertaining in-depth interview with former Germs drummer, record collector extraordinaire and general freakazoid Don Bolles. Good stuff. Japanophiles in particular will find the PSF info fascinating...and anyone who bought the Les Rallize Denudes 2cd that we had in stock here oh so briefly a few weeks back will be happy to learn that at PSF's Modern Music store in Tokyo, the original double cd-r version of that used to be priced at $800!! Oh, here's some Factsheet Five style 'zine specs: 63 pages on newsprint, full magazine size dimensions.

ARCANE DEVICEAlso Sprach Zarathustra(Staalplaat)cd$ 16.98

On all twelve Arcane Device recordings, David Myers (who is AD) utilised an assortment of home-made feedback generator machines, that in lesser hands would have resulted in head-rattling noise. While much noise *was* generated, on "Also Sprach Zarathurstra" these machines create soft extended pulses of analog electricity and rich textural warmth that emerge from a black claustrophobic aural space and are processed in breathtaking fashion. Myers is certainly one of the most under-rated dronologists, deserving the same critical praise as Mika Vainio and John Duncan. A glorious reissue.

ARCANO, ANTONIO Y SUS MARAVILLASDanzon Mambo(Tumbao)cd$ 13.98

While it remains undisputed that Perez Prado introduced what is now known as the "mambo" to the world with his fast, punchy arrangements, it is with flautist Antonio Arcano and his orchestra that the syncopated rhythm originates. To give credit where

ARCH ENEMYAnthems Of Rebellion(Century Media)cd$ 14.98

ARCH ENEMYWages Of Sin(Century Media)2cd$ 14.98

We were always huge fans of Arch Enemy, the death metal band of Mike Ammott (formerly of the mighty Carnage and the even mightier Carcass, and currently with stoner rockers Spiritual Beggars) until their last record 'Burning Bridges', where they dropped the We have the limited double disc version (and as it's limited, not sure how long we will) that features a bonus disc of unreleased/rare tracks including a Judas Priest cover, an Iron Maiden cover, and a EUROPE cover (?!?!?), a bunch of Japanese only bonus tracks and a video, all with Arch Enemy's original (male) vocalist. Disc one also features a video clip as well as a bonus track.

ARCHEOLOGICAL PACEMAKER, GEOLOGICAL COLANDER, ANTHROPOLOGICAL BUNDT CAKE, HORTICULTURAL COMPASSScepter of Agricultural Indifference(Jewelled Antler)4 x cd-r$ 19.98

add to cart [/images/addtocart.gif]/af4105.html It's practically raining Jewlled Antler releases this time around. Who are we to complain? We can't get enough of this stuff! And now we've got this here quadruple cd-r set. Featuring four new JA bands, all weirdly featuring the exact same members, but with their names spelled slightly differently on each release. Archeological Pacemaker features Glen Donnellsen, Horticultural Compass features Glenn Donaldson. Geological Colander features Donovon Quinne, and Anthropological Bundt Cake features Donnovon Quin and so on. Strange stuff, but that's why we love those Jewlled Antler guys. All four of the bands featured on Scepter of Agricultural Indifference all tread that similar JA path, delicate, barely there ambience, nature sounds subtly intruding on the proceedings, and of course a pretty vast array of instrumentation including: mandolin, bongos, kazoo, penny whistle, player piano, bugle, jew's harp, spoons, washboard, rubberband guitar, musical saw, racoon trap, diaphragm, toilet seat (!) and much more. The sounds they get out of this disparate collection of instruments is amazing. Truly a testament to the creativity of the Jewelled Antler Collective. Packaged in a bundt cake pan filled with soil (completw with live worms), and containing (in keeping with the various bands' monickers) a pacemaker, a colander and a compass. Obviously super limited and a bitch to mail so be prepared to pay extra shipping.

ARCHERS OF LOAFAll The Nations Airports(Merge)2cd$ 14.98

The final two installments in the ongoing campaign to reissue all four records from aQ beloved noise pop heroes Archers Of Loaf. We've previously reviewed their masterpiece debut, Icky Mettle, a record NO indie rocker should be without, and more recently we covered record number two, Vee Vee, that while perpetually in the shadow of Icky Mettle, is nearly as good, and thus about as essential. And now it's time for the last two Archers records, 1996's All The Nations Airports and 1998's swansong White Trash Heroes. While we would never suggest that either of these is as good or as essential as Icky Mettle, or even Vee Vee, we will say, that they hold up pretty damn well alongside those first two. Most bands mellow with age, but if anything, Archers kept getting weirder and weirder and more obtuse, the hooks less obvious, the songs more gnarled and complicated, the opening one-two punch on All The Nations of "Strangled By The Stereo Wire" and the title track, offer up two short sharp blasts of atonal jangle and wild mathy drumming, tripped out vox and all sorts of tangled and warped melodies, that the band somehow weave into something rocking AND catchy. All The Nations is definitely a grower, but after a few listens, it's pretty irresistible. For us "Scenic Pastures" is the hook that landed us, sounding like an Icky Mettle B-side, all woozy riffage and wiggly melody, jangly and crunchy in equal measure, and crazy catchy to boot, without losing an ounce of off kilter weirdness. The rest of the record is brimming with more classic Archers jams, every one a perfect example of that tweaked mathy take on Pavement-y noise pop that they absolutely made their own, and continues to sound unlike any other bands past or present. This reissue takes on a handful of singles and B sides (including the awesome "Density"), as well as a whole mess of 4 track demos of all the tracks from the record, as well as a few that never made it past the demo stage, but sound pretty bad ass nonetheless (those are available as downloads with the lp version).

ARCHERS OF LOAFIcky Mettle(Alias)cd$ 14.98

Must be something about summertime and the feeling of nostalgia and memories of our younger days that has had us going crazy over some of our favorite '90s indie rock records as of late. Recent lists prove this, as reissues of Sebadoh and Spoon classics received our record of the week honors. Truth be told Icky Mettle is just as qualified for that honor as well. There was a period during the '90s when we used to joke that if you looked up "indie rock" in the dictionary you would find a picture of Archers of Loaf's Icky Mettle. But really, we sort of weren't joking. All you had to do was listen to it and you instantly understood the full glory of indie rock and how totally heavy and wild and kick ass and catchy indie rock could be. Guitars are crunchy and jagged, ringing loud and true, vocals soaring, melodies you can't EVER get out of your head, and a passionate urgency that makes your heart race and your soul shiver. It's pretty serendipitous that this record just got reissued as it's been playing around here quite a bit, Irwin rediscovered it earlier this summer, it's been rocking Andee's iPod quite a bit lately, and it gets played in the store NON-STOP!! There is not a dud on this album... it's almost like Archers of Loaf made us the most perfect indie rock mix tape ever, except it's their entire album! The track "Web In Front" might just be THE GREATEST INDIE ROCK SONG EVER. If it's not, it's definitely top five. It jangles, it totally rocks, the vocasl are super intense but completely melodic, the arrangement is bizarre and the parts unlikely, but that only serves to make it that much more unique and unforgettable. We can't count the times in the past that we've put songs from this record on mixes we've made for friends, crushes, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc. It's got it all: the angst, the heartbreak, the longing, the anger, the catchy hooks, even the quintessential anthem about indie rockers. What a debut full length from a band a drift in a veritable sea of indie rock revolution, the next Seattle, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Helping to raise the bar for all their peers and proteges (Superchunk, Polvo, Pavement, etc.). This is not just some indie rock nostalgia trip, a longing for some unattainable indie rock heyday, this record has totally stood the test of time and still pretty much blows away any pop, rock or indie rock record you care to stack up against it. So utterly and completely and impossibly essential!!

ARCHERS OF LOAFThe Speed of Cattle(Alias)cd$ 12.98

Compilation of various Peel Sessions and singles, plus one new song.

ARCHERS OF LOAFVee Vee(Merge)2cd$ 14.98

How we love this band!! And sure, the also recently reissued Icky Mettle from 1993 might be the record by this North Carolina indie rockers that most folks hold near and dear, but we say the follow up, 1995's Vee Vee is just as good. What it may sacrifice in punk-pop urgency (which is not all that much really), and balls out debut record go-for-broke-ness, it makes up for with more well crafted songs (some of their best for sure), all without diluting the band's frenetic energy, or the strange gnarled angular riffing that defined their sound and made them instantly recognizable. Just give a listen to "Harnessed In Slums", which was the 'hit', easily as good as anything on Icky Mettle, the sound super elastic and melty, the core jangle warped onto something woozy and super rocking and in its own way sorta psychedelic. And the next track too, "Nevermind The Enemy", with its super catchy opening riff, and backing up truck beeps, explodes into another killer slab of jangle and crunch, with guitar melodies that sound like the band's playing with slides, all slippery and sonically prismatic. Everything driven by some kick ass drumming, and singer Eric Bachmann's killer raspy vox. It's sorta hard to explain beyond the above just what it is that makes these guys so special, and their sound so unique, and how they managed to fit in with all their North Carolina brethren, while sounding nothing like any of those other bands. But here we are 17 years on, and we have to fight the urge to slip into grumpy old rock guy mode and proclaim that they just don't make bands like this anymore, but hell, why fight it, cuz they really don't. Folks who missed out on these guys the first time around, and who were maybe weaned on a less idiosyncratic indie rock will be blown away, and realize that music can be catchy and hooky, and still be freaky and fucked up and totally original. The reissue tacks on a whole disc of bonus tracks, including a handful of different mixes, some killer lo-fi 4-track demos, not to mention some even more lo-fi boombox demos. Plus some unreleased tracks, some rare B sides (which are amazing!) and maybe coolest of all, an unreleased cover of John Coltrane's Equinox, that the band make their own, to the point that the first time through, we just thought it was one of theirs!

ARCHERS OF LOAFWhite Trash Heroes(Merge)2cd$ 14.98

The final two installments in the ongoing campaign to reissue all four records from aQ beloved noise pop heroes Archers Of Loaf. We've previously reviewed their masterpiece debut, Icky Mettle, a record NO indie rocker should be without, and more recently we covered record number two, Vee Vee, that while perpetually in the shadow of Icky Mettle, is nearly as good, and thus about as essential. And now it's time for the last two Archers records, 1996's All The Nations Airports and 1998's swansong White Trash Heroes. While we would never suggest that either of these is as good or as essential as Icky Mettle, or even Vee Vee, we will say, that they hold up pretty damn well alongside those first two. Most bands mellow with age, but if anything, Archers kept getting weirder and weirder and more obtuse, the hooks less obvious, the songs more gnarled and complicated, culminating in the bands final record, which was a seriously high note to go out on, opening with the instantly catchy, but weirdly brooding "Fashion Bleeds", with a wiry tension, and cool layered droned out chords, not to mention so weird effected guitar leads, sounding a bit like a way more warped and woozy Afghan Whigs weirdly enough. "Dead Red Eyes" is a gorgeous haunting ballad, Archers style, all swirly shimmer, and thick super distorted bass, and a weirdly stylized vocal, before the band get back to rocking with "I.N.S.", replete with funhouse mirror riffs, dense proggy drumming, and a tangled mathy arrangement, again sounding like not all that much had changed since icky Mettle. And of course the real final statement was the nearly 8 minute closer, the title track, epic and majestic, proggy and droney and hauntingly melodic, the perfect end to a nearly perfect four record streak. The end of Archers was up there with the end of Polvo, for indie/post/math rock heartbreak, but the music lives on, and seriously sounds as ahead of its time now as it did nearly 15 years ago. The reissue tacks on some awesome rarities, including a killer 1997 fan club single, which is seriously tripped out, as well as a bunch of 4 track demos, and a few unreleased B sides, including a wild and noisy, weirdly stop/start rambunctious rocker called "Whooh!" which is yet another track that pushes all our Icky Mettle buttons (those are all available as downloads with the vinyl version)!

ARCHETTI, LUIGICubic Yellow(Captain Trip)cd$ 17.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. There are so many offshoots of the prog/psych realm that cross into other genres, whose listeners would probably really enjoy, but don't ever get the chance due to the inherent flaws of niche marketing. Luigi Archetti's "Cubic Yellow" is one of those... Known for his collaborations with Mani Neumeier (Guru Guru) in Tiere Der Nacht, Swiss avant-guitarist Archetti now presents this exceptional downtempo electronica album with Hoovering swells that sound like Dom & Roland played at 33 1/3 rpm instead of 45 along with skittering breakbeats not unlike a stripped down Amon Tobin. Fans of Biosphere or The Orb should definitely take note of this one!!!

ARCHETTI, LUIGI / BO WIGETLow Tide Digitals II(Rune Grammofon)cd$ 16.98

ARCHGOATAngelcunt (Tales Of Desecration)(Battle Command)picture disc lp$ 18.98

Sometimes metal is about more than just the music. Especially black metal. The sound, the look, the attitude, the lyrics, the artwork, the spikes, the corpsepaint, the upside down cross / pentagram / triple six logo, the pen and ink renderings of demons fucking angels, the bullet belts, the blood splattered band members, the Satanic pseudonymns, all contribute to turning this heavy metal record into a dark Satanic ritual, a musical invocation -- it's dramatic and theatrical and over the top and fucking killer. This picture disc is a reissue of a 1993 ep by legendary Finnish black metallers, Archgoat. Blood Desecrator, Lord Angelslayer and Ritual Butcherer spew forth a vomitous smear of black thrash, galloping and blasting furiously through the dark fields of the underworld. Having never heard Archgoat before, we have to admit we listened to the whole record on 33, amazed by how sludgy the sound was and the impossibly guttural vocals, but a quick spin on 45 made it clear that it was maybe not actually meant to be played at 33... but the power is in your hands! A killer black thrash classic at 45, a bizarre slab of black sludge at 33! Either way this stuff is heavy and EVIL. Cool picture disc too, one side is the band logo, band photos, surrounded by a bullet belt, the other side is an amazingly amateur drawing of a goat headed demon fucking an angel on some sort of altar. Includes an insert detailing the history of the band and a full color poster. LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES!!!!

ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFITCoconut(Domino)cd$ 14.98

Though we've never gotten around to listing anything by this awesome UK trio, we were impressed with their two previous full lengths from years back, and we're definitely stoked to have this new release. Coconut comes 4 years after the band's last record, and the production courtesy of ex-DFA dude Tim Goldsworthy helps to bring their sound to new territories. Pinning down Archie Bronson Outfit's music is not the easiest thing in the world, but at the same time, there's nothing not to get here. The effects are immediate and the band doesn't fuck around with abstract experimentation, even though the songs themselves are quite adventurous. It seems like there were more British bands going for this kind of thing a few years ago, and maybe this is a better representation of what all those bands actually wanted to sound like. ABO do what they do well, better than most to be perfectly upfront. This causes us to wonder why they aren't a bigger deal here in the states, especially being on Domino and all. It seems like many reviews don't know what to make of it, and maybe ABO hasn't done themselves any favors by touring as support for bands whose audiences could probably care less for this kind of thing. But whatever, Coconut is a superb album. The band is bluesy and quite psychedelic at times, but thankfully without a trace of any hippie bullshit or rock dude posturing. Instead, they seem like garage punk circa 1965 (you know, right before things started getting really weird) played by stoned guys with beards in button up shirts, with a nod to the dance floor (hence Goldsworthy's presence), rhythmic psych propulsion in the vein of Cave (especially on opening track "Magnetic Warrior"), and some major post-punk influences as well (some of us were reminded of The Fall and the Talking Heads, both apt comparisons). Sometimes things get pretty frenzied, but they also know when to hold back and get into a groove, always a good thing. Everything is held in place by the singer's urgent yelp, and the songs flow together really well. Nothing seems forced, and the songs take you where you want to go with their catchiness and overall rocking approach. Throughout it all, the melodies just pour out. It's dark, it's sexy, it's mysterious. It's f'n Coconut, and we hope you dig it as much as we do.

ARCHIMEDES BADKARBadrock For Barn I Alla Aldrar(South Side)cd$ 24.00

ARCHIMEDES BADKARTre(Music Network)cd$ 18.98

ARCHITECTRONICSConstruction Sounds(Sabotage)cd$ 16.98

This very interesting collaboration between Kwodo Eshun and Franz Pommasl is a poetic if very clinical sonic elaboration of the metaphor that the history of electronica may be seen as having a corporeal body capable of thought, pulse, and breath. Pommasl manifests the nervous system & ventilation capacity of this cybernetic body with piercing shrieks of digital feedback and machines gasping for air, while Eshun's fragmented words are disembodied and made alien through the elaborate processing. Eshun is an African writer living in London who often writes for the Wire. Pommasl has made some of the most brutalist digital/noise/electronica records to date for Sabotage and Mego.

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKIIn Case We Die(Bar/None)cd$ 15.98

This is the kind of exuberant, indie pop, composed mishmash formerly only found spouting most gushingly from the likes of the Elephant 6 Collective. In the last couple of years younger upstarts have blossomed, predominantly from Canada, such as Hidden Cameras, P:Ano, Arcade Fire et al. It's music that's certainly got its roots in indie pop characterised by a vocal combination of yelped group sing-a-long, melodramatic male crooning and kiddie-style sing-song, playfully peculiar instrumentation, and drawing from a broad array of divergent inspirations (as far as band influences go, Flaming Lips and Olivia Tremor Control immediately come to mind). Disregard the country mentioned in their name, Architecture In Helsinki are from Australia and they jump gleefully from ramshackle hand clappers to sweet hopscotch sockhoppers to funky groovy finger snappers and back again. Listening to In Case We Die is sorta like playin' a game of hide and seek one sunshine-y afternoon in the park with a bunch of your buddies (which just happens to include the girl or boy you've had a secret crush on) -- running, tumbling and spinning around like there's no tomorrow. You think you've got 'em and right when you do they duck out of view only to pop up elsewhere else just outta reach. This album bubbles over with the goodest of giddy good feelings.

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKILike It Or Not(Polyvinyl Record Co.)cd ep$ 8.98

Andee calls this style of music "jumprope-y"! Give 'er a listen and you'll see why! If you dig The Go-Team's Thunder, Lightning, Strike album... ahhh, you might think we're gonna say "buy this!" But we're not, we're gonna say "buy Thunder, Lightning, Strike again... or pretty much any other cd!" This is not one of Architecture In Helsinki's brighter moments Think: a rollerskating David Byrne impersonator gettin' down with some cheesy casio keyboards... except for the fourth track when someone let Fred Schneider on the mic (well, not really!) and then Elmo too (no, not really!). This is proably supposed to be fun good times music, but it's bumming us out! Like it or not? You tell us!

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKIPlaces Like This(Polyvinyl)cd$ 14.98

Here we have the third full-length from Australia's Architecture In Helsinki, and it's a doozy. Places Like This sees the sextet branching off in all sorts of different directions to put together a record that is as scattered (in a good way?) as the cover art. The best tracks on the record seem to be the straight up pop songs. "Nothing's Wrong" begins with your standard acoustic strum with vocalist Cameron Bird belting out lyrics comparable in style and delivery to Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock (a vocal style Bird employs frequently throughout). Soon enough bass, minimal drums, fuzzy guitars, and Kelli Sutherland's sharp and airy vocals create an overall sense that AIH has probably been most influenced by bands on the Elephant 6 or Kindercore labels (Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples In Stereo and the like) in golden heyday of perfect indie pop. "Underwater" is a no-frills pop song that reminds us of the softer side of Essex Green or Masters Of The Hemisphere. The track lands smack in the middle of the album and provides a nice respite from the other style the band seems to be toying with -- throwing pop conventions out the window in lieu of a more unstructured quirky pop madness. There is a whole lot happening in some songs, ranging from way too many instruments to sudden time changes, giving the impression that the band may have written some of these songs and thought "now what would these sound like if we were to put it 'em a blender?" The result is sometimes cool, but at other times a bit much. We're on the fence about this one. Have a listen and see what you think, particularly if you are curious to hear what AIH's "2 note apocalyptic swamp axe" sounds like!

ARCHITEUTHIS REXDark As The Sea(Utech)cd$ 14.98

ARCHITEUTHIS REXUrania(Utech)cd$ 14.98

Ah, Utech! Always bringing us something good. And dark. And difficult to describe. This is the first of a brand new batch of autumn Utech releases to see review here, and it's quite excellent indeed. 2nd album for this resonant experimental outfit centered on an artist from Italy (now based in Berlin). Circling, shimmering drone pulsations start this disc off with a ominous build up of dark density, that sounds like it's somehow made not with conventional instruments, but with specialized scientific measurement equipment. Ten minutes in and you're thinking this is what this album's all about, and that wouldn't be a bad thing at all, mesmerization complete... but then the very next track introduces ghostly female vox, over quietly drifting, echo-effected bliss, and it becomes evident that Urania (named for after a venerable Italian science-fiction magazine) is deeper yet... the echoing rhythmics continue as the disc progresses, it's almost some sort of sci-fi dub-drone music, trance inducing, spooky and spaced-out. The sort of thing we KNOW a lot of you are going to love. Highly, highly recommended. Packaged with the usual Utech care, in a slim black-on-black sleeve with fold out insert bearing inscrutable art by Reuben Sawyer.

ARCKANUMAntikosmos(Moribund Cult)cd$ 16.98

We've long been fans of Swedish one man black metal band Arckanum. Even those who haven't heard his music, probably remember the 'band' photos, which always featured a cloaked creature with a deformed troll-like face, huge hook nose, and carrying a massive staff. Some folks were put off by this bit of theatricality, probably giving them visions of the much cheesier Mortiis. But then they were missing out. This Swede kicked out the classic black metal jams, nothing avant, or experimental really, barring the occasional ambient interlude, but just pure raw grim blackness. With a lo-fi production and a great crusty black sound, Arckanum released 3 full lengths in the late nineties, and since then, it's been nothing but a handful of splits and eps. So we were pretty excited for the first Arckanum full length in ten years, and we were not disappointed. The sound, at its core is similar to the classic Arckanum sound, but the production is massive, the guitars thick and monstrous, the drums pounding and brutal, the whole vibe is much more sleek and streamlined and 'produced', but thankfully manages to retain most of its grimness and blackness, although now the music is imbued with a power never present before, and if anything, dare we say it, a new found groove. We've heard this record compared to discs by Craft and Inquisition, among others, but we can't help hearing a little Khold, which as far as we're concerned is actually a good thing. Take the album opener, after a creeped out drone-y intro, and a swirl of guitar buzz and cymbal sizzle, the song launches into a furious blast, which sounds punkier and crustier that we remember, and again, groovier. It has much to do with the chord progression, as on the surface this is still all blasting beats and buzzing guitars, but then the deal is sealed with the bridge, where the guitars and drums lock into a weird droney, almost poppy part that sounds like it could have come from a Torche song! And that vibe, those melodies, those subtle touches are present throughout, even at its most intense and furious, the band easily will slip in a subtle, yet impossibly catchy hook or phrase, almost like they don't even know they're doing it, some mysterious musical force manifesting itself, hidden among the black brambles and jagged harsh heaviness. Then there's a track like "Rokulfargnyr", which is primarily a strange clipped staccato guitar chug, the drums locked in, peppered with dynamics, but it almost sounds like some sort of fractured math rock. Even when the song kicks in for real, the stop start guitar, the super technical drumming, eventually gives way to more soaring melodic buzzing blackness. "Nakjeptir" is all eighties groove and chug, laced with cool stretches of black dissonance. "Eksortna" is just guitar, distorted and melodic, unfurling a stately court-of-the-king style melody, while closer "Formala" is classic blackened doom, very spacious and sprawling, with some weird drumming, a killer main riff, and an outro of demonic murmurs and buzzing distorted rumbles. This disc has been getting crazy play around here, and has had us revisiting the older records as well, which sound even better than we remember. Lots of folks we know have been talking about Antikosmos as BM record of the year, and while we still have other contenders to consider, we're definitely inclined to agree that this could very well crack the top ten. Maybe even the top five...

ARCKANUMHelvitismyryr(Season Of Mist)cd$ 14.98

Latest from this Swedish one man black metal band, and the fourth in a seemingly sonically connected tetralogy, beginning with the godlike Antikosmos from 2008, continuing with 2009's oddly named but nearly as good PPPPPPPPPPP (those really should be runes, not 'P's), and then last year's Sviga Lae, which we were never able to get a hold of, unfortunately. Helvitismyrkr, while perhaps not nearly as good as Antikosmos, definitely ranks up there with the other three, and the more we listen to this, the more it seeps into our soul, and the better it sounds. On PPPPPPPPPPP, it seemed like the only big change from Antikosmos was that the sound was getting more polished, but the sound here is appropriately raw, still punky and thrashy, shot through with bits of classic metal, NWOBHM, and of course first wave classic Scandinavian style BM, with soaring frantic riffage, and epic arrangements, but like on the other Arckanum's, the sound shifts constantly, from doomy dirge to black blast to midtempo lope, with lots of strange breakdowns and stop/start arrangements, and guitar solos, yep, one of the few black metal bands that has leads, and they're pretty killer, occasionally just mirroring the melody, but often totally shredding. The opening track here, "Helvitt", gives a pretty good taste of Arckanum circa 2011, with all of the above mentioned elements in full effect, and all woven into a buzzing, blasting, soaring, pounding chunk of blackness that manages to be surprisingly catchy to boot. The classic /traditional metal elements play a big part here, and there seems to be a definite shift even further away from the grim black buzz of the early years, with much of this edging ever closer to 'rock' than 'metal', but it definitely suits the songs, more melodic, more memorable, with a handful of the songs slipping into slow almost ballady prettiness, still heavy, just moody and melodic, while others just creeping along ominously, like the nearly psychedelic closing track, but those moments seem to often be perfectly bookended by more furious frenzied sounds. We're digging this a lot, and guessing it should definitely appeal to fans of the more rock sound of the recent Glorior Belli which we raved about a list or two back, while still remaining just black enough for the true grim hordes...

ARCKANUMPPPPPPPPPPP(Moribund)cd$ 16.98

Last year's killer Antikosmos was probably one of the best black metal records of 2008, and here we are only a year later with a brand new Arckanum, and once again, this too is poised to be one of this year's best. From its unpronouncable all p'd title (meant to be runes we think), to it's scrawled heavy metal binder cover art, to the amazing raw melodic blackness within, we'd have to agree, gonna be tough to top PPPPPPPPPPP. Very little has changed since Antikosmos, but then why change what is already working so well, the sound is pretty polished for sure, and still a bit punky, but here maybe even more melodic and stripped down. There are still plenty of blown out black blasts, lots of twisted dissonant riffage, but there's some serious poppiness going on, as well as some surprisingly killer leads, super melodic and a bit NWOBHM, the overall vibe epic and majestic, and a bit crusty, yet even when things are black as pitch, the sound is still infused with a fair amount of melody. Not really all that raw and grim, instead super rocking and so so melodic, the vocals as always are howled and punkish which helps things from getting too clean, but the production is so slick, and these songs are so good, it seems inevitable that things would veer toward the less grim and kvlt side of the black metal spectrum. Perhaps we're painting to un-grim a picture, PPPPPPPPPPP is still plenty black and buzzy and blasting, but there's no way to ignore how catchy and melodic and classic metal sounding much of this is, and we're not complaining, it sounds awesome, and we've been playing this over and over, just didn't want to scare off all you troo grim metalheads, cuz it would be a shame to let any sort of dopey grim metal pride get in the way of digging into a record this rad...

ARCN TEMPLEmanations Of A New World(Utech)cd$ 14.98

Singapore's The Observatory totally blew us away with last year's Dark Folke record, their fantastic debut, a difficult to describe sonic concoction of soft psychedelia, lush, dark mysterious free folk, all woven from synths and vocal harmonies and angular guitars and theremins, spare and minimal, slipping from slowcore dirge to psychrock freakout to dreampop bliss and back again, often in the same song... So we were excited to discover that two of the folks from The Observatory had another band, whose record was coming out on Utech, and we only later discovered that it was a sort of concept record about one of our favorite places we've never been, Tiger Balm Garden, a decrepit former amusement park in Asia, that is filled with strange statues, and mysterious figures, and much of it is not entirely kid friendly, exhibits displaying various characters from Chinese folkore, including concepts such as death and hell, rendered in gory and creepy detail. A friend of ours visited when she was in Asia, and it seemed like the most surreal place on earth, due in part to its crumbling decay, but beyond that, what a strange and wondrous place! So here, Arcn Templ, aka Leslie and Vivian from The Observatory, have composed a suite of songs, musical memories of visiting this strange land of demons and warriors and animals and mythical creatures, as children, reflecting how those memories affected them, fond memories, hazy and indistinct, laced with a certain amount of menace, lurking right below the surface. And these songs are in fact like that, mysterious hazy memories rendered in sound, gorgeous minimal folkscapes, acoustic guitars laced over whirring organs, spidery guitars unfurling minor key melodies, harmonica, minimal percussion, ringing chimes, bell like tones, a sort of doom pop, slowcore, dreamfolk, each track a faded snapshot, of not just this strange place, but Leslie and Vivian's fleeting place in it. Barring the occasional burst of cacophonous crunch, for the most part, Emanations Of A New World is a tranquil trip back in time, the sounds tempered by the years, giving everything a gauzy vibe, the sounds softly surreal, and so so lovely. Folks who dug The Observatory record should definitely check this out, as well as anyone into dark moody folk flecked doom-ed minimal pop music... And mark our words, someday we'll make it to Tiger Balm Garden to experience it for ourselves, but until then, we're happy viewing it through the mysterious musical memories of Arcn Templ...

ARCON 2s/t(Reinforced Records)cd$ 22.00

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. Arcon 2 is the darker pseudonym for Reinforced's Leon Mar. His debut album as A2, moves steadily from jazzed out drum & bass, to fierce darkcore, much in line with No U-Turn and Chrome. Fans of Ed Rush and Panacea take note.

ARCTIC MONKEYSAM(Domino)cd$ 14.98

It doesn't seem so long ago that these youthful Sheffield lads first burst into our consciousness with their exhilarating brand of punky Britpop, but now we're five albums in, and against all odds the Arctic Monkeys have become a band that one might be tempted to apply the "aging gracefully" tag to. AM finds Arctic Monkeys much more stripped down and streamlined. The reckless abandon and teenage mischief of their earlier records has been traded in for a certain slinky nocturnal sexiness, more suited for night drives to questionable locales than for rides in the back of police vans. There's a palpable hazy drunken wooziness that looms over much of the record. The lyrics are all dusky imagery: romantic obsession, unspoken implications, scandalous secrets, yearning to be owned by someone, yearning to own someone... that kind of thing! And that theme of reading between the lines is perfectly represented in the music. The songs are just as much about what isn't there as what is. The vocals are a lazy stand offish drawl often backed by breathy falsettos - sometimes channeling a sexually charged Morrissey, while the songs themselves are sometimes fantastically minimal. Twangy slithering guitars squirm over dusty sparse drum beats, many of which have a noticeably hip hop feel to them. But really there's plenty for heavier rockers to appreciate here as well. In fact, the band has cited not only Black Sabbath but also cult '70s proto-metallers Sir Lord Baltimore as direct influences on this record and it's not hard to see why. "R U Mine?" and "Arabella" both have a distinctly '70s stoner vibe to them - the latter of which even features a bit of a "War Pigs" homage in the riffing. "I Want It All", meanwhile, is a total glam rock stomp, recalling classic Sweet as much as it does Queens Of The Stone Age (with whom the band has been known to occasionally collaborate). Elsewhere, things take an even more retro turn with "Snap Out of It" which sounds like a classic Motown girl group cut colored a smokey midnight hue, and "No. 1 Party Anthem", a song which betrays its name, sounding more like a beautiful comedown - a glittery and twinkling piano ballad that almost comes across like a more seductive version of Radiohead's "No Surprises". Like so many great records, it's one that takes a couple of spins to really get its claws in you, but once it does it becomes irresistible and addictive - like an unhealthy obsession that feels too good to kick!