[ aquarius records catalogue

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Showing results 2351 through 2400 of 3202.

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SORRY. Hip hop remix. Rhythm = "What It Is" (Busta Rhymes).

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SORRY. Hip hop remix. Rhythm = "Fiesta" (R. Kelly).

NOW HERE ON CD... Here's what we said about the double vinyl version (which, we should note, has 4 more tracks than they could fit on this cd): Not to be confused with the eponymous Bourbonese Qualk album from 1987, this is an exemplary compendium of the British post-punk industrialists' first five records, including tracks from Laughing Afternoon (1983), Hope (1984), The Spike (1985), Preparing for Power (1986), and that self-titled album. During this time period, Bourbonese Qualk was the trio of Simon Crab, Julian Gilbert, and Steven Tanza. They were a band who were uniquely self-sufficient and autonomous, running their own label and forming an artist co-operative not only for their own use but also for other artists, musicians, writers, and political activists. Their wholly independent stance was also one that avoided dogma, leaving their content of their work to stand as an agent that could lead towards change instead of barking against Thatcher, the Falklands War, or the conditions that lead to the Miner's Strike of 1984. Thus, the studio in that co-op housed a collection of what could be borrowed, what could be repurposed, and / or what could be stolen. Their sound is very much an extension of the situation they crafted for themselves, warts and all. Much of Bourbonese Qualk's output during this time period is highly rhythmic in nature, aligning with the spirit (much more so than the sound) of a 23 Skidoo and Clock DVA. Metronomic click tracks thrust to the foreground amidst a clatter of metal bashing, detuned bass fug anti-grooves, tape manipulation, and thrashed vocal cord utterances. It's a further deconstructed abstraction of the mutant disco that Clock DVA presented on their early outlier White Souls In Black Suits. For all of their unkempt angularity and droned disorientation, they could craft numbers of dour-dub beauty akin to very lo-fi versions of The Slits or PIL instrumentals. A well-deserved anthology from this oft-forgotten band. The vinyl sports four additional tracks not found on the cd version!

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Seems we haven't had a super dub collection come our way for a while, so it's nice to have this wee disc pass through our doors. Before Dennis Bovell came to wider recognition through his efforts producing the Slits and the Pop Group, he could have retired and earned himself a veritable lifetime acheivement award for his efforts not only in shaping the sound of UK reggae, but also in putting on the map in a very Jamaican-centric scene. He had a hefty C.V. including: founding member of England's premiere reggae group Matumbi, running his Sufferer HiFi sound system, running a successful record label and his work with Linton Kwesi Johnson for starters. Though always confident that whatever he and his fellow musicians and producers in the UK were doing was just as good as the newest thing out of Kingston, getting his fellow countrymen and expats to reach the same conclusion was not as simple as saying the proof is in the pudding. There's a really great story in Lloyd Bradley's "Bass Culture" (printed in the U.S. with the less exciting "This Is Reggae Music" title) in which Bovell relates how he got people to stop and listen: the good old fashion dub plate. Every good DJ wants to have a kick ass track that their competitors don't, especially if they think it's coming from Jamaica. Knowing this, Bovell began having his group Matumbi cut dub tracks and release them on 7". They even went so far as to buy a "dink" machine to give them that extra bit of authenticity. See, the 7"sthat they'd get pressed in the UK all had the small hole in the middle, where as the Jamaican singles all had the big hole in the middle. The "dink" machine lopped out the hole in the middle so that their singles looked just like those from Kingston. Add a rubber stamped evocative label name, "Rama", to the single and there's no telling the difference. Then they just ran them around town to all the shops and sound systems, selling them direct (which only adds to a sense of authenticity in the world of exclusive dub plates). You have to read Bradley's book yourself to find out how they finally got "caught". Of the 16 dub tracks on this collection several are apparently those self same rare dub plates that fooled the DJ's and public of yore. But rare tracks or no, all of the tracks here (recorded between 1976 and 1983) are excellent, proving Bovell was indeed on par with the best in Kingston. Part of what inspired Bovell to challenge the Jamaican supremacy was his refusal to be content with merely immitating the rhythms already reworked ad nauseum on both sides of the Atlantic. Making the best of both worlds Bovell was un-fettered by the popular trends of Jamaican music while, in a genre almost predicated on creative borrowing, free to take what he liked from a wide pool of sources; be it Sly Dunbar rhythm tweaked with a calypso flavor, or a Congos era Lee Perry intro and bass line. But by throwing in some rock fuzz guitar, suavely lifting a lick from the Beatles here and there Bovell creates some great dubs that were uniquely his own. Highly recommended!

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Bovine Life presents a weird album of abstract electronica, sounding like the mid-90s clunky techno of As One or David Moufang with plenty of mechanical sequencing sort of like Tackhead, but with the purposefully angularity of Laurie Anderson to guarantee qualifications of this as "conceptual." Bovine Life offers some collaborations with Smyglyssna (Plug Research), renowned turntable

It may seem like we've been dragging this out, as ALL the first four '70s albums by pioneering Japanese heavy metal popsters Bow Wow were reissued at the same time over a year ago, but we've just been reviewing 'em one at a time every few months it seems. Well that avoids Bow Wow overkill, right? As it happens, a lot of folks already bought all four together from us after we listed the first, but we still figure we should get around to reviewing 'em all individually. 'Cause we totally dig Bow Wow. Ripping, energetic hard rock action, from a young Japanese band that brought together psychedelic proto-metal (with a big Hendrix influence), glammy bubblegum pop elements (The Sweet must have been another inspiration), and a burgeoning heaviness that matched what was starting to happen in England and America, to forge some fun, frenzied boogie-metal with its own quirky charm, that on Charge also definitely expanded into bombastic, balladic power pomp rock territory, as on album-ender "Behind The Mask". Once again, this disc is supercharged with the guitar heroics of shredder Kyoji Yamamoto, who solos most impressively, wailing away on such tracks as "Must Say 'Adieu'" like he's the Japanese counterpart to Uli Jon Roth of the Scorpions (another big Hendrix fan, and probably himself an influence on Yamamoto too). Melody is another strong aspect here, they even offer up a gentle acoustic ballad in "Fallen Leaves". But don't worry about 'em wimping out, that track is in fact followed by a song simply titled "Heavy"! And it is, in a lumbering yet soaring kind of way. Charge originally came out in 1977, it was Bow Wow's third album, following the self-titled debut from '76 and Signal Fire from earlier in '77 (both previously reviewed by us). Like the others reissued by Rock Candy, it's been remastered and comes packaged with new liner notes in the cd booklet. Next up: 1978's Super Live...

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Last list we had the Sabbathy Japanese proto-metal reissue from Blues Creation, circa '71. Now, moving a few years further into the Seventies, we present: Bow Wow! Ok, the name might not sound that heavy. But they are. Much to Andee and Allan's excitement, the UK label Rock Candy has recently reissued the first four albums by '70s Japanese metal band Bow Wow (not to be confused with '80s new wavers Bow Wow Wow, or Bow Wow the rapper). We'd like to review 'em all eventually, but thought we'd start with this one, their 2nd, originally released in 1977. After all, it's got a song on it called "Rainbow Of Sabbath", so you know its gonna be good! Better be! And indeed, they are definitely influenced by Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Scorpions, and other classic contemporaries from the West. The ten tracks here are packed with uptempo, flashy hard rockers. There's lumbering riffs ("Silver Lightning"), one affecting power ballad ("Still"), and plenty of ripping guitar pyrotechnics from axe hero Kyoji Yamamoto, particularly on the instrumental title track. Some of his solo six string freakouts are positively psychedelic (he was a big Hendrix fan), as are the effects that they use on the drums here! Bow Wow aren't from early enough in the '70s to be proto-metal, of course, but we could call 'em proto-NWOBHM, maybe. Though it's some young American bands of the day that they most remind us of, like Riot, Starz, and Van Halen (both Yamamoto and Eddie Van H. are known for their hammer-on technique). This album is just bursting with electric energy, and it's not hard to believe what the liner notes here say about it being a big fave of Metallica in their formative days. Those liner notes, by the way, based on a recent interview with Yamamoto himself, are interesting and in depth, typical of Rock Candy's deluxe reissue treatment. Highly recommended rock from the land of the Rising Sun! Get this, and if there's enough interest then we'd be stoked to also import and review their self-titled debut ('76), Charge ('77), and Super Live ('78), all also awesome.

MPEG stream: Get On Our Train
MPEG stream: Silver Lightning
MPEG stream: Rainbow Of Sabbath

If you're a regular reader of the AQ list, by now you know all about Bow Wow, those exuberant Japanese heavy metal rock 'n' rollers. Part poppy bubblegum boogie glam, part classic '70s hard rockin' (a la Rainbow, Sabbath, Scorpions, Aerosmith), part heavy Hendrix-inspired psych... and most of all, young, energetic, and talented; their newfangled metallisms corresponding to Western contemporaries Van Halen in foreshadowing the '80s metal explosion. Previously, over the past year or so, we've reviewed three of the four '70s Bow Wow reissues done by the UK's Rock Candy label: 1976's self-titled debut, 1977's Signal Fire, and Charge, also from '77. Now at last we wrap up this Bow Wow series with number four, Super Live from 1978. As the title implies, it's a live album. And let's just say, Bow Wow were indeed a super live band, pulling out all the stops here in front of a rabid, screaming Japanese audience ("the cheering of the young girls you hear brings back very fond memories," Bow Wow's guitar whiz Kyoji Yamamoto is quoted as saying in the cd booklet). There's 10 tracks here, featuring mostly but not entirely songs from their studio efforts up to that point, good rockin' picks like "Jet Jive" and "Get On Our Train", often embellished upon and expanded a bit in the live context. Yes, there's a drum solo (about halfway through the lengthy wailin' instrumental "Explosion"). And for their big finale, they do a raucous cover of "Summertime Blues"! We reviewed this last because it's chronologically the last of the reissues, also 'cause we figured folks would want the studio albums first... but, on the other hand, if you haven't yet picked up any of the Bow Wow reissues and wanted just ONE to get into the Bow Wow experience, this would be a good choice for sure, kind of a greatest hits that also highlights this band's forte, that being the sheer energy and excitement of 'em performance-wise, which is quite commanding. Once again, a nicely done reissue, remastered, with detailed, illustrated liner notes in the cd booklet. Here's hoping that Rock Candy will next get the rights to reissue some of Bow Wow's best stuff from the '80s, like Asian Volcano and Warning From Stardust...

MPEG stream: Heart's On Fire
MPEG stream: Explosion
MPEG stream: Get On Our Train

If you recall, we highlighted this Japanese Seventies (proto-)metal band's second album, Signal Fire, sometime last fall, and promised more to come. Well it took a while, but here's a review of another remastered, reissue by Bow Wow! This time we're highlighting the band's self-titled debut, from 1976. We'd mentioned that shredding lead guitarist Kyoji Yamamoto was a big Jimi Hendrix fan, and you can hear that here, they even pay Jimi explicit tribute on the nearly ten minute "James In My Casket", part heavy riffing psych-out, part power ballad, and certainly one of this album's standout tracks, sounding almost like something that Far East Family Band or Far Out might have done, earlier in the '70s. Or Deep Purple, definitely. Early Scorpions are likely another inspiration. There's also a song here called "Foxy Lady", which is NOT the Jimi Hendrix composition, oddly enough! That's one that displays the poppier, almost bubblegum side to the teenaged Bow Wow's initial sound (they weren't really metal yet, more of a rock n' roll rave up meets proto-metal, pop rockin' proposition). But even a lightweight boogie number like that is redeemed by Yamamoto's guitar prowess, and elsewhere they take the boogie to ultra energetic, metallized extremes, with speedy scorchers like "Hearts On Fire" and "Volume On". Fun stuff, influenced by, besides Hendrix, we'd assume The Sweet! You want wailing vocals and even more wailing guitar? You got it! Yamamoto was on his way to becoming a Japanese Eddie Van Halen, or maybe Eddie was the American Yamamoto... This has been given the typically enthusiastic Rock Candy reissue treatment (they've even added a rising sun motif to their logo on the spine), with extensive liner notes in the illustrated cd booklet - though we'd take issue with the writer's contention that Bow Wow was innovative, he doesn't give enough credit (any) to the likes of Flower Travellin' Band and Blues Creation as previous Japanese hard rock groups also on par with their Western contemporaries. But then again, maybe those bands never opened for Aerosmith like Bow Wow did. And for the moment, we also have copies Signal Fire back in stock, as well as the yet to be reviewed Charge and Super Live, those being the other entertaining '70s Bow Wow albums reissued by Rock Candy... who we're hoping will get their hands on some of Bow Wow's '80s output as well.

MPEG stream: Hearts On Fire
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Fuzzy layers of Kranky-style moodiness with the addition of beats, hence the title. According to the band, the lp (as well as cd) will be issued by Beggar's Banquet early next year.

For fans of Jessamine, Bardo Pond, Flying Saucer Attack.

The two previous albums by Bowery Electric were amazing extensions of My Bloody Valentine's blurry glide guitar sound fused with an interest in bleak electronica hypnosis. Yet "Lushlife" marks a huge and somewhat baffling leap in direction for Bowery Electric into the more commercially viable trip hop realm, with minor chord strings, smoky Portishead atmospheres, and downtempo breaks. I don't suppose the desire for dollars had something to do with this transformation?

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SORRY. Double cd import of totally cool remixes by the likes of Witchman (Aquarius bows down to the brilliance of Witchman), Twisted Science, Third Eye Foundation, Main, etc. Highly recommended for late night ambient listening.

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After much delay, and much demand, finally available on vinyl!!! (And we also got some other, classic Bowie lps back in today too, btw.) Although it is impossible not to think about David Bowie's death when listening to Blackstar, to his immense credit that is most likely exactly what he wanted. Eighteen months is reported to be how long Bowie spent fighting cancer - about the length of time since the release of his previous release The Next Day - and he filled that time creating art that will live in the world long after his body. His lyrics are open to a variety of interpretations, but "Lazarus," his last single in a career that touched six decades, seems to be an honest acceptance of his own death and the creative legacy he would leave behind. From heaven Bowie consoles us, his fans, those who loved him, with the knowledge that his body of work will be raised every time his records play. Blackstar is a phenomenal album, filled with moodily beautiful horn and synth melodies that simultaneously reference Bowie's entire career and find an individual place within it. Bowie's haunting vocals on the opening title track sound as good as anything he's ever done. Much of the album's percussion seems to initially draw from - and improve on - Earthling's drum 'n' bass worship. Blackstar, however, is much darker and less playful, more somber and purposeful. The title track is ten minutes long, and yet totally engrossing, setting the scene for the rest of the album: the frenetic energy of the rhythm section often tempered by the horns and Bowie's voice. Along with the two singles released before his death, the rock 'n' roll drama of the penultimate song "Dollar Days" is a definite highlight. Many people will want to own Blackstar because it is not only Bowie's last studio record, it is truly amazing in its own right. It would be easy to go on forever about each song, but like the man, the album is more than the sum of its parts and will speak for itself.

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Anyone noticed how many 30th anniversary editions have been popping up in the last couple of years? Quite a sign of the remarkable wealth of great music that was made in the early to mid '70s. Some truly classic albums (case in point, the recent reissues of four albums by Bowie's comrade Brian Eno)! Well, here's another one, a special double-disc commemorative edition that's particularly for Bowie fanatics. While we welcome the reissue of Diamond Dogs, Bowie's album from the tail end of his flashy conceptual Ziggy Stardust period, we have to say that the bonus disc adds little to the Diamond Dogs celebratory experience. It includes a 'K-Tel Best Of' cut of the title song, a U.S. single version as well as a 2003 reworking of "Rebel Rebel", a demo track for a proposed 1984 musical, and a Bruce Springsteen cover. Definitely for completists.

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First things first, a side note (not solely specific to David Bowie's new album but we'll use it as a timely example): Y'know, something that irks me to pieces is the overuse of the term "classic". It just gets tossed around like any other superlative! Doesn't a bit of time needs to pass before something can deservedly be proclaimed "classic"? And I don't wanna be told that something brand spanking new is classic, least of all on a sticker applied to the shrinkwrap. Grrrrr. Rant aside, Heathen is Bowie's twenty-seventh studio album. Among those, there've been innumerable highs and lows. Hard to say what the score is now, but reportedly this is his return to his Low / Scary Monsters (ie, high) realm, or more generally a return to form. Interestingly it's a revisiting of one of his truly classic periods rather than yet another pursuit of the newest happenin' sounds for him to adopt and adapt. Also, notably this is his reunion with producer Tony Visconti (who co-produced many if not all of Bowie's greatest albums which certainly helps to recapture the mood and atmosphere of those amazing works), but the best thing about this album is his voice. Not trying to force it into the style of the day, he sings with an ease and aplomb that's been missing from many of his albums of the past two decades. Many songs do occasionally veer into the overwhelming sheen and excess of AOR territory - check out "5:15 The Angels Have Gone" which brought many in-store comparisons to Peter Gabriel - but they're countered by his more arty, idiosyncratic moments. There are a few odd/questionable choices made however, one of them was to cover The Pixies' "Cactus" (not to mention placing it second on the album). This track was met by a chorus of raised eyebrows and groans. He also delivers renditions of Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting For You" and The Legendary Stardust Cowboy's "I Took a Trip (On A Space Shuttle)" here parenthetically renamed "...(On A Gemini Spaceship)" and made all super hyper-electronic beat-funky. Guests include Pete Townsend and Dave Grohl. A solid Bowie album? Perhaps. A classic? Hmmm.

RealAudio clip: Slow Burn
RealAudio clip: Cactus
RealAudio clip: I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spacecraft
RealAudio clip: 5:15 The Angels Have Gone

Much like its predecessor Heathen, David Bowie's twenty eighth studio album Reality is another revisiting of sort to his excellent Low/Heroes/Scary Monsters period. He's once again joined forces with producer Tony Visconti with very fine results. As on Heathen, he seems very at ease -- no longer hopping on the latest trends, instead he's effectively fused the energy and spirit of the old with the composure and technology of the new. His vocals still retain their smouldering edge, and not surprisingly the production is ever so finely detailed and crafted in the most deluxe fashion. The album is pretty great as a whole, but high points include the lead-off track "New Killer Star" as well as "She'll Drive" and "Days". Plus depending on who you ask, a particular highlight or lowlight of Reality may be the second song, a cover of Jonathan Richman's "Pablo Picasso"!!!

MPEG stream: She'll Drive
MPEG stream: Days

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SORRY. Geez what can be said about this record? So massively important and great, it served as the introduction to Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie's sexy androgynous futuristic alter ego. It also featured Rick Wakeman on keyboards and Mick Ronson on guitar and piano. This 30th anniversary celebration release is bound in a suitably beautiful book, with extensive liner notes including quotes from Ian McCulloch of Echo and the Bunnymen, Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp, and Marc Riley of The Fall among others recalling their first run-ins with the otherworldly glittering glamrock theatrics of Stardust. The first cd is the original release digitally remastered and the second cd compiles various demos and alternate versions, etc. If you don't own a copy of this, seize this opportunity! And if you are a David Bowie completist then you should get this for all of the extra fanciness and beautiful pictures.

RealAudio clip: Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
RealAudio clip: Lady Stardust
RealAudio clip: Five Years
RealAudio clip: John, Im Only Dancing
RealAudio clip: Velvet Goldmine

Yet another David Bowie classic album gets its thirtieth anniversary special edition. Just like Diamond Dogs and The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars before it, Aladdin Sane has been lovingly remastered and reissued along with an additional disc of rarities (including live recordings from '72 and previously unreleased tracks) and deluxe hardcover book-style packaging. Still sounds great over three decades later -- Bowie frequently hits his jaunty best on this album! Such a treat for his devoted completists.

MPEG stream: John, I'm Only Dancing (live)
MPEG stream: Life On Mars? (previously unreleased)

If you like Emiliana Torrini or Andrea Parker, say "yes, please!" Bows is epic trip hop from Luke Sutherland (formerly of the beloved Long Fin Killie). Fans of Portishead will love this!

We just love it when a plan comes together. Somebody thought it would be a good idea for these three Norwegians and one American to form a band and knock out some killer electric avant jazz improv jams. And indeed it was! Of course, just WHO these Norwegians and American were made a big difference: Box consists of guitarist Raoul Bjorkenheim (Scorch Trio and a million other projects over the years), bassist Trevor Dunn (Fantomas, Secret Chiefs 3, Mr. Bungle, etc. etc.), drummer Morgan Agren (Mats//Morgan Band), and on electronics & keyboards, Stale Storlokken (Supersilent, Humcrush). None of 'em novices at acting and reacting as interesting sound-makers in diverse contexts. The first track, "Untitled 9", is the longest, at 17 minutes, and pretty much says "Shred". Loud and clear. If you liked the Scorch Trio's scorching disc on Rune Grammofon, you'll probably dig this too. And the remaining five tracks here are also worthy, offering up plenty more moody bass burble, glitchy synth textures, threatening electric guitar, and percussive percolation. And though the disc is entitled Studio 1, we should note that this was all improvised live to analog tape with no overdubs or edits. Just pure badass instrumental interplay from four dudes who know what they're doin'.

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"The best of the groundbreaking '60s band led by Alex Chilton."

If you'd like to champion a local San Francisco artist and you're a fan of the gruffy janglings of Tom Waits, this is your ticket! Boxcar Saints sound very much in the vein of Waits, though perhaps a little smoother. Very pretty melodies!

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MPEG stream: Ain't Gonna Sleep

We're really not sure how we managed to miss this one. Especially with us always dying for more grime. More blissed out dark and doomy dubstep. Well, this is IT!!! This 'it' actually came out almost a year ago! But so what! We just discovered it, and maybe you missed it as well. Boxcutter is everything we've been hankering for. And digging elsewhere. Milanese (a past AQ record of the week), Kode9, Virus Syndicate, that Mary Anne Hobbs comp, the Science Faction: Grime comp, Boxcutter fits right in amongst those killers. And is totally kicking our ass. Maybe more dubstep than grime (although it sounds pretty grimey to us, and we're not even really sure of the difference), this is dense and skittery, blown out dub drenched grimey and and filthy dark-as-fuck electronica. The rhythms throb and shuffle, a hiccuping stutter, that is not so much funky as fucked up and hypnotic, occasional beats get all gnarled up, glitching and buzzing before falling back into line. All around the beats, thick clouds of strange synths and spaced out FX hover and swirl, peppered with melodic fragments, and thick rib cage rattling bass lines. Some of the tracks are WAY laid back, dubbed out to the extreme, a sort of late night / early morning chill out sound. All dark and druggy, heavy lidded and sort of shuffling drowsily. But other tracks are HUGE and bumping. Bursts of blown out synth fuzz, massive rolling bass lines, streaks of sizzling sound that careen from speaker to speaker, bits of fluttering flute suspended over dense rhythmic tangles, huge smears of undulating low end, kick drums that punch right through your sternum, sounding almost like some killer dancefloor destroying jungle dubplate played at 16 rpm. Heavy and thick and dark and fuzzed out and spacey and groovy and so fucking great!!

MPEG stream: Tauhid
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Boxharp is the solo (with plenty of help) project of the Court And Spark's MC Taylor. So as you might expect, it shares a lot soundwise with the C+S. However, it's a bit more experimental, with much more emphasis on texture and ambience. Boxharp's muted

RealAudio clip: Filming Th Desert
RealAudio clip: Old Wood In The Waterwheel
RealAudio clip: Church In Calhoun

'Recordings from the 'Dutch Harbor' United States film screening tour.' Featuring David Grubbs, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Michael Krassner, et. al.

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SORRY. Pressed on white vinyl in an edition of 500. Two Bay Area bands duke it out for the title of aggro art rock noise kings. Split release on our friendly friends at Zum and Oly WA's Thin the Herd.

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SORRY. Alright, let's get the obvious outta the way... the boy (aka Alexander Chen) certainly is in static. Really! Ha ha ha! Ahem. Strummy acoustic guitar with whispery male vocals (sorta like a drowsy Billy Corrigan), all a-wash with soft organ tones and shimmery Oval-esque electronics. Very wistful, pretty and frequently quite reminiscent of LaliPuna or Ms John Soda (perhaps not so coincidentally this album was released on Alien Transistor, the new label run by The Notwist), but the sad thing is this sound has become so associated with bank, car and prescription drug commercials it's getting increasingly difficult to push the visions of floating pills, VW Bugs and men in suits from your mind. But don't let that keep you from picking this up because it's pretty darn good!

MPEG stream: Bellyfull
MPEG stream: Stay Awake

Imagine yourself awakening at a seaside villa. You've nothing to do except take a leisurely stroll down to the water's edge, the tide lapping gently at your feet. In such a sigh inducing setting, your mind's allowed to wander, to dream. Stress and clutter begone! Well geez, that sounds mighty good, doesn't it? But alas, most of us can't afford a week on the coast of Spain or Italy right now, so we'll have to settle for the shoegazerly electronic pop stylings of Violet conjure such blissful aquatic scenes. Softly sanded electronic washes, warm blanketing organ drones, smoother stringed instruments and the murmured vocals of this Boy (aka Alexander Chen) keep the tones hushed and the mood ultra mellow. For fans of Broken Social Scene, The Notwist, and Caribou. So nice.

MPEG stream: First Love
MPEG stream: Without Grace

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SORRY.

Born and bred (and still residin') in Como, Mississippi, 58-year old bluesman R.L. Boyce grew up singing gospel in the church choir and playing the drums in fife-and-drum bands (Otha Turner is his uncle). He then eventually took up the guitar. Now has finally just released his first full-length album, on vinyl only via the down home music fiends at Sutro Park. One side was recorded in a studio - the other on R.L. Boyce's porch! He plays here with Sutro Park veteran Luther Dickinson (guitar), Lightin' Malcolm (guitar), Calvin Jackson (drums), Calvin's son Cedric Burnside (drums), and others. R.L. does a few of his own compositions, plus two by that other R.L., R.L. Burnside, and one traditional number as well. In all cases, the good times roll. Boyce's style is loose and improvisational, with lots of unedited laughter and impromptu banter in-between takes, though these rambling songs would be long anyway - album opener "R.L.'s Boogie" is over 9 minutes long, fans of Endless Boogie take note! Definitely our kind of blues, expressive and unconcerned with propriety. Despite its deep roots in tradition, this ain't museum-piece blues, it's the living thing. 180 gram vinyl pressing. The jacket includes detailed sleeve notes (with footnotes!), and bears the motto "World Boogie is Coming".

MPEG stream: Jumper On The Line
MPEG stream: Ain't The Man's Alright

Goodness, is this the Vaselines reincarnate??? I'd swear it was Eugene Kelly singing. No, wait! On second thought, it's Belle and Sebastian. Slouchy Scottish-y pop by way of Portland, OR. The breezy indie pop duo Bryce and Rachel (of the Minders) deliver delightful boy/girl harmonies and straight-up playful pop melodies. Watch the K Records kids swoon.

The Textbook Tapes contain a healthy dose of lo-fi, sci-fi ramshackle pop excursions full of youthful exuberance and experimentation. Bouncy sing-song tunes bump curiously into brief urgent spoken word segments, leisure suit organ numbers into dainty toy piano melodies. Vocals are delivered in affected dramatic tones and oddball falsetto. Although this cd is subtitled "A Musical Exploration Of The Novel, The Manikin Textbook, By Colin Jacks", in spirit it actually comes across sounding just as much like an indie tribute to the Krofft Supershow. Fun and quirky.

MPEG stream: Fugitive Whore
MPEG stream: Manikin Textbooks

[ aquarius records catalogue — B ]