[ aquarius records catalogue

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Sometimes we want to grab Robert Horton, and shake him like crazy, screaming "For God's sake man, slow down with the releases!!! Even if we listened to one very day for the rest of our lives, we're not sure we'd get to all of them!!" But sometimes, we want to grab Robert Horton, and shake him like crazy, screaming "For God's sake man, DON'T EVER slow down with the releases!!! We are going to listen to one every day for the rest of our lives, and we never ever want to run out!!" So by now, you're take on this latest cd-r (number 34,221 by last count) will depend on which sort of shaking you want to do. To be totally honest, we tend to lean toward the latter, sure, it's exhausting keeping up with this man's prolific output, but pretty much every thing we've heard has been absolutely fantastic. I guess that's why we have entire rooms of our houses dedicated to storing all of our records and cds. -sigh- Anyway, Diamond-Beak-Hornet-Hell finds Horton employing the same bizarre array of soundmakers (including boot, vibrator, sex machine, raven, rubber band and more) to create his thick soundworlds. DBHH is a bit heavier than past outings, all of the swirling bits of sound coalescing into a seriously propulsive riff, like a less drifty Sunroof! but that's just the first track. The rest of the disc dabbles in deep drone, flecked with bits of disembodied slide guitar and what sounds like processed didgeridoo, swirling abstract psychedelia, thick warped rhythmscapes of warped backwards guitars and strange keening reeds and clattery deconstructed blues, transformed into some sort of almost industrial looped dronescape. Cool. And we managed to make it through the whole disc before the next one was released. So now we're ready Horton! Bring it on!!!

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Holy crap, we weren't kidding when we mentioned in the -other- Robert Horton review on this list, that this man has been busy busy busy. Releasing records for going on 30 years now, but everything we've heard has been absolutely amazing. So we're not complaining, we're just scrambling to keep up, and to make enough room on our shelves at home. You pretty much need a dedicated Horton shelf by now, but it's well worth it. As we said, everything we've heard has been great, and this latest release is no exception. Horton seems to derive perverse pleasure in getting pretty sounds of some of the most unlikely sources. Even at his droniest and dreamiest, it's not uncommon to discover he was using vibrators and electric toothbrushes, vacuum cleaners or footwear. And this disc follows suit. He employs the usual array of soundmakers: Boot, sex machine, pump organ, dulcimer, vibrator, turntables, contact mics and on and on. Weaving all of the disparate sounds these items produce deftly into gorgeous dronelike shapes. This record in particular sound especially guitar heavy, one track with buzzing slipper slide, another with repetitive strum, over some deconstructed Appalachia, some weird blown out fuzzy psych, but these 'jams' are balanced by a delicate world of drone, pulses and shimmers, some truly lovely stuff. The most far out track has to be "Tern", where Horton performs solo on a barometer, creating a clattery clanging percussive workout. As always, super stuff!! LIMITED TO 100 COPIES!! Packaged in a screen-printed/photo cover, with a photocopied insert, pressed on cool black cd-r's and housed in a heavy vinyl sleeve.

MPEG stream: In On The Grass
MPEG stream: Live Spring Dragonwell

It's not always necessary to list all the instruments used in the construction of a record, but sometimes it's the only way to help wrap your head around the strange sounds found on a certain wonderful and mysterious recording. Just Before Setting The Sky On Fire was created using the following instruments and items: "guitar, boot, cassette recorder, sex machine, el barometer, casio mt-68, computer, theremin, vibrators, el toothbrush, dulcimer organ, dulcimer, prepared boot, sheep's toes, percussion, cd's, turntable, minidisk manipulations, sine waves, feedback circuit, soundedit loops, bells, practice bagpipe chanter, filters, and noise-canceling-head-phones-microphone." But as the saying goes, it's not only what you use, it's how! From the same label that brought us recent reissues from James Blackshaw and Rameses III comes this newest release from Robert Horton. To be honest we don't know a whole lot about Horton, other than he has a previous release on Finnish cd-r label 267 Lattajjaa and is apparently from right here in SF, but judging from this here record, that won't be the case for long. A curiously appealing mix of modern free folk, abstract drone, and twentieth century computer music, Just Before Setting The Sky On FIre is a warm dense tangle of steel string guitars, humming and wheezing drones, majestic Sunroof!-like skree, lilting neo-Appalachia fingerpicking, extended shimmering ragas, random tribal clatter, and delicately swoonsome ambience. So gorgeous. Will fit perfectly right there next to all your Jewelled Antler, Avarus, Pelt, No Neck Blues Band, Tower Recordings, Excepter, Jackie O Motherfucker and Sunburned Hand Of The Man! LIMITED TO 120 COPIES!!!

MPEG stream: Just Before Lighting The Sky On Fire
MPEG stream: Pibrouch Morn

The Bay Area's very own Robert Horton has been a very busy beaver, and it hasn't just been lately, as is evidenced by this, volume THREE in the Horton archives, collecting various bits and baubles recorded between 1985 and 1988, all of it just as stunning on anything from the last few years. The opener is a massive 12 minute epic utilizing 8 guitars, using just intonation, producing harmonics by vibrating the strings with vibrators and electric razors, the result a gorgeous keening high end drift, slow peals of upper register drone slowly shifting and shimmering. The rest of the tracks here are also drone based, with subtle variations, dancers swinging rocks together for percussion, various unlikely stringed instruments, chanted vocals, even horns, the results without exception, lovely and serene. It's frustrating sometimes, trying to keep up with the prolific output of many artists and labels today, now that putting out a cd-r is as easy as stopping at Office Depot on your way home from work, but whenever we almost give up, we throw a new disc on and are whisked away to some droney dreamy sonic wonderland and just drift away, wondering how the heck we could have been thinking about giving up... Includes full color insert and extensive liner notes, Horton history and info on each track. LIMITED TO 150 COPIES. WE GOT 30 COPIES, ONCE THESE ARE GONE, THEY ARE GONE FOR GOOD, IT'S ALREADY OUT OF PRINT AT THE LABEL!

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Another new record from Robert Horton, whose Just Before Setting The Sky On Fire cd-r we raved about recently. And even though we had never heard of him until that cd-r, he hails from right here in San Francisco. Which makes a lot of sense actuallly, as his sound is the perfect mix of New Zealand style free noise (hence his releases on CPsiP and other microlabels) and Jewelled Antler folk ambience (there's even a song on this disc titled "Jewelled Antler Basement", dedicated to the JA folks whom he recently performed with). Horton's music is truly lovely to listen to, and the strange sounds he uses to create those songs are at once totally familiar, but also completely perplexing. A quick look at the list of instruments used makes it obvious why: mbira, turntable, casio, wah wah pedal, bike pump trumpet, washing machine full of superballs, trash can lid, grass, leaf, bark, boot, vibrator, calliope, teasle, field recordings of hummingbirds, turntable-hurdy-gurdy-sexmachine, turntable-hurdy-gurdy-guitar and more. We could fill up a whole page with the stuff Horton used to make this record. In most hands all that crap would make a big ol' mess, but here's it's all carefully and delicately composed and laid out for maximum dreaminess and droniness. Every track is a smear of droned out bliss, with abstract folkisms and stretched out melodies, dense and challenging, but also simple and tripped out in that perfect close your eyes and drift off sort of way. One of the coolest and weirdest tracks is definitely the washing machine superball track, with the boinging rubber balls creating a furious tangle of free jazz rhythms, that are complimented by some REAL drums, skittering around and about the chaotic rubber balls, like a super distorted, sped up drum battle between Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. So cool. SUPER LIMITED AS ALWAYS!! NOT SURE WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET MORE WHEN THESE ARE GONE!

MPEG stream: Trees Rarely Move
MPEG stream: Jewelled Antler Basement

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

SORRY. Avant-jazz keyboardist Horvitz (best known for his role in John Zorn's Naked City) and his Seattle-based band Zony Mash return with this new disc, dedicated in part to Pharoah Sanders, whose "Upper Egypt" is performed here, hence the title. Zony Mash is a tight and funky quartet, fitting for a band named after a Meters tune.

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

SORRY.

A small collection of compositions written in the late nineties by Hosokawa. Influenced by Cage and the significance of silence in modern composition as well as the slowly building, meditative characteristics of Takemitsu, Hosokawa applied this wisdom to the Western standards of composition and instrumentation. "Koto-Uta" is a stripped down piece for voice and Koto. Lyrical and mysterious, beautiful as it is perplexing. "Voyage I" for violin and ensemble painstakingly takes its time to find a melody, resigning itself to settle on the exploration of space and texture. Minimalist passages hover in suspension, patiently awaiting the monumental crecendos that eventually engulf the piece. Likewise, the suspenseful and restrained "Konzert F�r Saxophon und Orchester" pairs pained, sweltering and erratic saxophone against an anxiety-ridden orchestra, swelling up with anticipation and longing for a culmination, unfulfilled. A wonderful introduction to an underdocumented contemporary composer who we're hoping to hear more of.

RealAudio clip: Koto-Uta
RealAudio clip: Voyage 1

Some of us who hadn't heard The Hospitals before always assumed they were just some ordinary garage rock band, at least based on the context of how we had heard about them or flyers we had seen, but when we finally got to hear Hairdryer Peace we quickly discovered that something much more fucked up and unique was at play! This ain't no garage rock, in fact we think most folks into your ordinary punky garage rock wouldn't know what to do with this record and that's a very good thing. Dense with layers of fuzz, junk and some serious noise, The Hospitals have created an album that is always just on the verge of self-destruction and which often erupts into something brilliant just when you thought the ship was about to go down. This is some full on weirdo-rock, we hear hints of the most extreme lo-fi wonder of the New Zealand scene as well as the freakout psychedelics of the Japanese underground. Jandek on meth playing High Rise covers?! A pumped up Pumice joining forces with The Shining Path, Black Dice and Excepter!? The Skaters covering the first Comets On Fire album?! If you can start to imagine any of those scenarios then you start getting an idea of the charged and bizarre world in which Hospitals are operating. We slept on this album when it came out last year and you may have seen it listed as the number 3 record of the year picked by the Bible of the avant underground, The Wire. While a cd release of the album is in the works, this is your last chance to snag a copy of the vinyl as the band is down to it's last batch. Get it while you can!

What might one find on the Island Of Jocks And Jazz? You might be surprised to discover it's mostly amp buzz, and cord crackle, snare drums that sounds like someone throwing stones at a trash can lid from across a yard, vocals that sound like they were recorded from the bottom of a sheet metal pit, all that cacophany broadcast through a bank of 200 broken car speakers, recorded on a handheld cassette recorder, and then mastered to aluminum foil. WTF?!? The Hospitals make Guitar Wolf sound like the Osmonds. There are some killer riffs, some warbly organ, some almost dubby rhythms, even some hooks, but they're all barely discernible, wrapped in sonic barbed wire, lit afire and set careening down an obstacle course of empty metal trash cans, aluminum shed siding and all matter of rusty scrap metal. Ultra chaotic and wild and scuzzy screechy blown out garage rock blur. Just the thing for all of you mourning the end of SF's Coachwhips, and will probably also tickle the ruined eardrums of folks who love stuff like the Country Teasers, The Fall, Black-Eyed Snakes, Liquor Ball, Guitar Wolf and any of that acid fried, amp melting speaker blowing garage trash-n-roll!

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"Clowns have always existed as mirrors of the human comic tragedy. They have always served mankind by making us laugh at our dark side. From the political parody to the hobo mocking the rich and famous, clowns have been there to remind us of our basic heart and soul � to remind us of our vulnerability. But what about the hospital clown? There is a place inside I go when I get into character. My clown is my inner child. Putting on the red nose gives her permission to come out and play, which I think makes Shobi more fun than funny. The clown is the joke. A little smile, a funny gesture, a tipping of the head � people will just look at me and smile. In the hospital it is my rule, no one gets by me without smiling. I tried this in the San Francisco financial district once. Not so easy, I'd say only three out of 10 would smile. That means that 70 percent just walk by me as if I were the norm. Brightly colored Shobi Dobi certainly was not the norm amongst the business suits. (There is a Bag Lady Clown, being created in my imagination, dressed in elegant patches of silk and velvet, who goes to the financial district and hands out nickels.) That Bag Lady Clown would not go over that well in the hospital, nor would "Dick E. Dude" my construction worker clown character (Shobi's revenge on the circus' washer-women clown skits)." -- taken from a Google search for "san francisco hospitals rich people." We return to our regularly scheduled program already in progress. The Hospitals latest ep features a new song, "Rich People" on side A. And I have to say I like it! Mike Donovan (Sic Alps, Big Techno Werewolves) offers seemingly room-mic'd vocals with a ton of delay within the spaced-out no-wavey noise-fest. Side B contains six digitally crunchy covers (of The Who, Royal Trux, Harry Pussy, The Kinks, The Fingers and a special mystery track) that sound like they were transferred from a copied cassette tape. Mmmmmm... Released by French 12" label, Yakisakana.

As we're sure you've noticed, over the past year, we've been reviewing tons of Chinese indie rock / noise pop / experimental music, and based on the response we've gotten, you're all digging it as much as we are. Even on this list, you'll find a bunch more cool weird Chinese stuff, including this one, from Hot & Cold, which oddly enough comes by way of Chicago label Moniker, but once you get an earful of these guys, it'll make perfect sense, cuz H&C are a perfect fit on Moniker, their sound a sort of zoner-psych, kraut-drone psychedelia, all programmed rhythms, loping stoned basslines, wasted Velvets vocals, and some blown out distorto organs, giving it all a kick ass lo-fi psych-garage vibe, that while not necessarily distinctly Chinese sounding, definitely hits the spot, falling somewhere between Moon Duo, Suicide, the Velvet Underground, Spacemen 3, and the like, all dirge-y, druggy outsider/weirdo mesmer. Border Area is killer blast of minimal, psych garage kraut-boogie that we have been digging like crazy! Includes a download code too!

MPEG stream: Out Of The Grey
MPEG stream: No Dreams Tonight

On the last list, we reviewed an lp from Hot & Cold, a Chinese group who somehow found their way to Chicago label Moniker, and as we mentioned in that review it was a perfect fit, as H&C's twisted brand of lo-fi noise pop / minimal psych kraut / psychedelic noise rock was pretty well removed from much of the other Chinese stuff we've been reviewing lately, which tends more toward the jangly/fuzzy end of nineties style American indie rock. But we (and lots of you) dug that lp, and wanted more, so here's another blast of FX drenched weirdo pop noisiness, and if anything, it's equal to the Moniker lp, right from the get-go, opening with a feral blast of distortion drenched, feedback slathered, bass heavy crunch. Siren like melodies swirl atop a bed of tangled high end squiggles, some fierce distorto bass buzz, yowled Mark E. Smith style vox, all wreathed in a weird cloud of sculpted industrial feedback, and driven by a clipped minimal electro beat, and it's so good! One of those opening tracks we had to listen to 5 or 6 times before we could make ourselves listen to the rest of the record. Which is equal to that opener, albeit not all nearly as noisy and chaotic. "Simon's Angry Song" doesn't sound nearly as angry as that opener, but does deliver a tense sprawl of loping noise rock mesmer, with some crunchy guitar buzz, another drum machine beat, the vocals buried in the mix this time, but as we've come to expect, it doesn't take long for the song to splinter into full on WTF freakout, a twisted squall of wild psychedelic noise, and glitched out weirdness, all still draped over that original hypnotic groove. "Knife Fight" sounds like a more wasted, WAY more abstract Stooges, a single riff looped and layered into something super tranced out, like the other tracks, gradually getting more and more twisted and trippy. We could probably go through the whole record track by track, cuz every song here is a twisted weirdo gem, hazy zoner-psych krautrock style kosmiche, to loping, stuttering electro-murk grooviness, that explodes into damaged outsider rhythmic meltdown, to super blown out, noise rock damage, to druggy dirgey mesmer, that sounds a bit like Spacemen 3 and the Velvets, melted down and doused in hallucinogens, to crunchy, robotic new wave noise-pop... Seriously twisted, WTF avant pop electro noise radness, an oddball sonic outlier amidst all the killer Chinese indie rock and noise pop that we've been reviewing recently, but one that's quickly revealing itself to maybe be one of our favorites so far!

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Most genre labels end up being so annoying and wrong. IDM for example - when did Oval really make you dance. Hot Chip would never be labeled IDM but taken for its literal meaning they are totally intelligent dance music. With elements similar to last years great record from The Junior Boys, Hot Chip have made a record that will shake your ass and somehow soothe you at the sem time. Songs that reference Stevie Wonder, Ween and Yo La Tengo, but with a vocal aesthetic that brings to mind more recent Damon Albarn outings. There are those occasional moments when they walk the cheese line (saxophone) but those moments luckily don't last too long. Utilizing elements of hip-hop production and a smart-ass pop sensibility Hot Chip are both dorky and sincere. Electronic and pop. Smart and catchy.

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In the last few years Hot Chip have made the transition from being a well kept electro-pop secret to one of the more popular bands in the world of indie/electro-rock. It's for good reason as they really found a refreshing way to tap into both the more interesting elements of electronic pop while also delivering jams that you can really shake your stuff too. Incorporating elements of indie rock, electronica, pop, and even sneaking some avant garde and experimental influences into their super catchy blend of music for the masses, a sound that doesn't pander but instead creates a super fun place where music lovers of all stripes and persuasions can come together for a super good time. Tapping into everything from OMD to Daft Punk, Prince to Gary Numan, Justin Timberlake to Soft Pink Truth. This is what the kids are going crazy for at the moment, and they could be doing lots worse cause Hot Chip are really good!

MPEG stream: Ready For The Floor
MPEG stream: Don't Dance

We have to hand it to Hot Chip, they were one of the major forces to really reimagine and reconstruct indie-pop by mixing electronic and dance music with extremely earnest and fleshed out songwriting, to create music that not only gets stuck in your head immediately but holds up on repeated listens. While they helped open the gates for so many new groups who want to get your ass shaking, Hot Chip still really sit at the top of the class. They are as much informed by commercial pop music as they are more nuanced influences, bringing out the best of all the sounds that influence them. Unapologetically sincere, this is irony free, hearts on sleeves dance pop. The total charm of Hot Chip is how they are somehow so totally dorky yet super cool at the same time. We became bigger believers in them when we saw them live, totally owning the stage with their enthusiasm and energy, as a sold out Fillmore audience all totally lost it, dancing and jumping like crazy. It was such a sight to be seen. This is what New Order might sound like if they were produced by The Neptunes, or imagine Erasure, OMD and The Pet Shop Boys with Timberland behind the board. One Life Stand has the high energy bangers that we've come to love, as well as a few slower emotional tunes that make us think they've been turned on to the classic sounds and songwriting of Boy George / The Culture Club. But it really is the more uptempo dance side of the band that we think is their strongest asset which luckily makes up the majority of the record.

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Hot off the heels of the recent domestic release of their smart fun & dorky in a good way debut, Coming On Strong, here are 3 new songs and the obligatory remixes of the title track. Over and Over is a really good catchy blast of electronic pop that recalls the early era of Depeche Mode, the full on dance mode of New Order and the seductive hooks of Goldfrapp. Fun stuff.

MPEG stream: Over and Over
MPEG stream: Plastic

Hot Chip follow up their debut with an even more satisfying collection of smart and fun electronic pop. With a more assured yet equally creative and satisfying sound, this record seems less self-conscious and more realized than Coming On Strong. Listening to Hot Chip sort of feels like going to a disco with super sweet nerdy boys in glasses. They have no problem shaking their asses yet manage to stay sensitive and intelligent at the same time. Even at their most catchy there is something bittersweet underneath it all that makes Hot Chip such a satisfying and pleasing listen. Folks who like The Postal Service, more recent Notwist and have Daft Punk records in their collection should check this out for sure!

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

SORRY.

The fog rolls in almost every night here in San Francisco, but only once in a very great while is it a HOT fog. Which is to say, we've been waiting for this second album from these local, retro heavy metallers for a while now, and at last it's here, on both cd and vinyl, resplendent in eye-catchingly colorful, phantastic Alan Forbes artwork. Gotta love these guys - though they may be dad-aged dilettantes (previously in punkier bands), they rip it up mightily, paying homage to Iron Maiden and Metallica. The goods they deliver here range from galloping NWOBHM influenced stormers like "Priest Of The Hillpeople" to sleazy, quasi-ironic party time rockers like "Tonight! (In The Night)" to triumphant epics like the 9+ minute "Agamemnon's Gambit" to doomed-out thrashers like "Epoch Of The Tyrants". There's plenty of melody, even plenty-ier of riffs, lots of shredding leads, and some sweet acoustic intros. Amateur air guitarists, flex your fingers! Also, the vocalist wails away quite convincingly, even when his lyrics are ever so slightly tongue-in-cheek. You can be a troo grim sourpuss and complain that these overgrown teenagers are having too much fun with their metal, but we'd rather have fun too and headbang along to Hot Fog's energetic & majestic old school tuneage. Seriously, this rules. Fans of certain other Bay Area 'bangers, like Hammers Of Misfortune and Space Vacation, should check Hot Fog out, if you haven't already. FYI, there's also going to be a cd edition on Stormspell that we'll have in just a few days (and list next time), but right now we've got the band's own self-released limited vinyl version while they last, it's a 45rpm double lp 'cause they wanted a gatefold sleeve (and also for maximum fidelity).

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RealAudio clip: Epoch Of The Tyrant

The ranks of the Bay Area's true metallions continues to expand, kick ass band by kick ass band. Old timers like Brocas Helm and Stone Vengeance are finally seeing a whole new generation take up the '80s metal torch, like Saviours and Space Vacation. Locals HOT FOG now join the cause, making their debut with this limited edition, vinyl-only five-song 12" release - of which we've got the SUPER LIMITED (100 copies) red colored vinyl, while they last (there's 400 more on black vinyl). It's 180 gram, 45 rpm, with cover art by psychedelic San Francisco poster artist Alan Forbes. Nice. One side of the insert bears the lyrics, the other is decorated with a dungeon map appropriated from an old D&D module! (And there's a picture of an owlbear from D&D as well, gotta love that!) We also can't help but love the punning title. As with any true metal band in this day and age, it may be that their tongues aren't entirely removed from their cheeks. Without being utterly ironic, you can still have a sense of humor about this brand of D&D metal (you maybe have to). Doesn't stop it from ruling though. And they're definitely SERIOUS about loving medieval metal and kicking ass. Having fun, drinking beer, all that, but not taking the piss to the extent of a band like Boyjazz (who, we gotta say, were pretty killer, silly though they were). What it comes down to it though, all you need to know about Hot Fog is, do they rock? And more to the point, do they slay? We'd say yea, and verily. Like a fist in the air, the vocals scream and soar. The galloping guitars storm to attack. It's 1983 all over again, and in your face! The riffs are all instant headbangers, dished out with practically punk energy. It's hard for us to decide which song is the most catchy, maybe the Cat Scratch Feverish "Blood Wedding", which reminds us of another local act, Night After Night (RIP). Their biggest influence is probably (or, should we say, obviously) Iron Maiden, a fact confirmed by their singer/guitarist, who also told us that early Metallica has been sneaking into their songwriting as well... but he's adamant that they shouldn't ever get too thrashy. As he says, you've got have choruses "for the ladies". He also gave us some insight into the band's creative, artistic process: they got drunk and made a long list of cool if nonsensical names for songs (like "Dwarf King Of The Sovereign", "To The Helm", "Blood Wedding", "Death Killers", and "Gloved Vengeance", which happen to be the tracks here). Then, later, whenever someone would come up with good riff, they'd get to pick which song title to use. And the singer then had to write lyrics to fit! Something of a challenge, but he managed to do it, and with flair. Hey if it works for them... maybe that's what 3 Inches Of Blood do too? If you want to check 'em out in person (we haven't yet had the pleasure, but are looking forward to it), they're playing tomorrow night (that's Saturday, June 19th, 2010 as we write this) opening the "Parkerzalooza VI" at the Bottom Of The Hill, with Earthless, Carlton Melton, and Dirty Power. All those bands are cool, but Hot Fog will definitely be the most METAL of 'em!

MPEG stream: Dwarf King Of The Sovereign
MPEG stream: To The Helm

By now this 3-song EP's title song (the radio edit of "Bandages") has already been hammered into indie (and quite a few non-indie) ears around the globe for months... which is not entirely a bad thing! Heck, it's a darn swell song. However, the other two songs have not been previously introduced. They're fresh and new. The second song "Apt.101" has HHH donning their crunchy, angstful and guitar-driven suits, while the third calls to mind their more mod janglin' leanings a la The Jam. Solid tunes both of them, and definitely not your typical b-sides. We'd bet that if you truly dig Victoria, BC's Hot Hot Heat, you won't wanna miss this! And it actually makes for a pretty good intro to the band for those still unfamiliar. Although if that's the case, you might as well just grab a copy of their right-on full length Make Up The Breakdown.

MPEG stream: Apt. 101
MPEG stream: Move On

Damn, the cool pop playing field suddenly got even more crowded! Let's run through the roster again: Maximo Park, Franz Ferdinand, Killers, Futureheads, Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, British Sea Power and now here's Hot Hot Heat's second full length (and major label debut). Your cd player's gonna be mighty packed with so many toe-tappin', blood pumpin' pop hooks, it's gonna be difficult choosing which to play first. Oh, 'tis such a burden, isn't it?! Take the best songs from those bands and you've got yourself one absolutely killer mixtape! Anyways for their sophomore album, HHH have wisely broadened their scope a bit while still retaining their catchy retro pop core. There's the prerequisite sweet jangly guitars, crunchy angular electric guitars, '60s organ keyboards (although sadly much less present than previously so) and pouty boy vocals, but they also toss in some other elements (check out the funk in "Shame On You"). It's a much more polished album than its predecessor. Obviously the major label funds have clearly afforded them more studio time to apply more attention to details ("Island Of The Honest Man" and the title track). But it also seems like maybe they spent a littleless time and attention on the actual songwriting, and the Dave Sardy production seems to have unexpectedly smoothed away some of the breathless urgency and edginess that made Make Up The Breakdown so great. The resulting tameness comes as something of a letdown for folks who dug the band's past kinetic punchiness, although repeated instore listens have turned Andee into a new fan. Probably the biggest positive change on this new record is in the vocal department. Oozing with total goin'-for-it enthusiasm, lead singer Steve Bays seizes his mic duties with such vigor that his vocals occasionally threaten to crowd out the rest of the band. Actually prior to the album's release we heard a live version of the single "Goodnight Goodnight" and umm... we don't want to be harsh but let's just say the performance (marred mostly by oversinging and sloppy drumming) had us wincing and fearing for the worst. However, fortunately the studio recorded version of the song fares much better. So although our initial reaction to this album is indeed one of maybe mild disappointment, we're hesitant to totally mark this Elevator 'out of order' because despite its not being immediately addictive, we have a sneaking suspicion that it may prove to grow on you/us. We shall see. A side note: In keeping with the elevator theme, the album begins with the sound of elevator music playing in the background as well, the song listing on the back of the cd cleverly has the fifteenth and final song at the top and the first at the bottom.

MPEG stream: Island Of The Honest Man
MPEG stream: Shame On You

While Hot Hot Heat's second album and major label debut Elevator in 2005 was a bit of a disappointment to the HHH supporters around here, their infectious 2002 Sub Pop debut Make Up The Breakdown continues to be a particular fave. So we still maintain a lil' soft spot for this still-youthful Canadian band. On their latest full length Happiness Ltd., Hot Hot Heat tricked us with an unexpectedly low-key, muted beginning. But before we were able to settle into the seeming mellowness, they burst into a wave of big bombastic rock pop. Zowee! In our opinion, it's a vast improvement on Elevator which seemed somewhat overly arching and slick, but still falls a bit short of their early feisty, untethered, angular recordings. This album actually has a good touchstone to show how much they've evolved. They've recycled and retooled their song "5 Times Out Of 100" which appeared on an early indie release of theirs. Singer Steve Bays is still a little heavy handed with the lyric repetition -- y'know, singing the same one line over and over and over again -- but the songs are more focused and more fully realized. The band seems more at ease with themselves and the studio production resources at their beck and call. For one thing, the hooks are definitely sharper and more solidly in place which is absolutely key to this kind of music. If comparisons are to be made, these days the band actually sounds a lot like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand circa 2004. Catchy, boyish and very radio friendly.

MPEG stream: Happiness Ltd.
MPEG stream: 5 Times Out Of 100

These young Canadians have certainly come a long way in a very short period of time. Their first Sub Pop cdep 'Knock Knock Knock' only came out earlier this year, and I believe they had just one other release prior to that. They started out in 1999 with a different vocalist and churned out boyish angst filled post-punk made notable by its catchy rockin' synth lines (which were very much like the amazing, but sadly long defunct The VSS). Nowadays however, they're quite a different band. No longer spurring fewer comparisons to Circus Lupus or bands from San Diego's ThreeOneG and Gold Standard Laboratories roster, they're drawing more from the British, buoyant mod pop sounds of the '60s and yes, the new waveness of '80s. Polished, styled out and very danceable, yet still retaining their youthful exuberance. Very fleshed out vocals with great gang of boys backups deliver the clever lyrics. Oh and yes the rad riffin' keyboard lines are also still present. Ultra-infectious and energetic! If you've liked Outhud, !!!, the most recent Rapture 12" or the last Radio 4 album 'Gotham' (a sidenote: oddly enough HHH's singer often sounds a lot like R4's vocalist who actually sounds a lot like early Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello), then you'll definitely want to check this out! Mind you they're a much more pop than funky! Recorded by Seattle studio vet Jack Endino. Get ready folks, you're probably going to be hearing a lot from these boys in the months to come! Recommended!

RealAudio clip: Get In Or Get Out
RealAudio clip: Talk To Me, Dance With Me

Youthful, angsty synth-driven post-punkiness bursts forth from Victoria, BC in the shape of the quartet known as Hot Hot Heat. This is their first full length, but they've already gone through a batch of changes since these recordings. Word has it the

RealAudio clip: Matador At The Door

Hot Hot Heat's contributions to this split cd feature their earlier temper-tantrum vocals (courtesy of former HHH vocalist Matty Marnik) and darkly catchy Juno 60 keyboard lines (courtesy of current vocalist Steve Bays) -- very angstful and angular late 90s San Diego / post punk influenced (a la Gold Standard Laboratories label). Recorded back in 2000, these songs are a great deal more abrasive, flailing and uneven than those on their recent finely tuned, punchy pop album Make Up The Breakdown, but this older material fits well with the other band with whom they share this cd. The Red Light Sting are HHH's friends and fellow Vancouverites. Their sound is quite similar to HHH as mentioned above, but it's got much more aggressive hardcore tendencies like Convocation Of, The VSS or The Locust, but add female vocals to the already blistering fray. Check 'em out! Oh, by the way, we also wanted to let you know that this is an enhanced cd that includes live footage. Pop it into your computer and go!

MPEG stream: I Blew A Fuse In My Personality
MPEG stream: Cork Up The Stink

Been meaning to list this for a while now, we knew we'd get to it "Sooner Or Later" (as one of the best tracks here is titled) and there was no rush since it's been so long already since the music found here was originally made. San Francisco '70s folk rockers and hash smokers Hot Knives put out a couple of 45s back in the day, but this, their complete full-length album, remained unreleased for like 35 years. As the extensive liner notes in the thick, fully illustrated cd booklet puts it: "Caught in between eras, the Hot Knives were a little too late for the '60s hippie trip and little bit too hippie for the crash 'n' burn punk-rock scene that followed..." But, thankfully, at long last their record has been rescued and released, and it's quite nice indeed, a treat for anyone into the likes of Jefferson Airplane, the Byrds and Moby Grape (whose "Hey Grandma" Hot Knives cover here). Also fans of the Flaming Groovies may be interested, as ex-Groovies Tim Lynch and Danny Mihm were members of the Hot Knives, on guitar and drums, respectively, plus Groovies Cyril Jordan and Ron Loney were credited with production, or at least hanging out in the studio, for some of these songs. But the core of the band were lead vocalists Mike and Debbie Houpt, a brother-sister duo whose lovely harmonies hark back to the influence of Peter, Paul & Mary in their youth. But don't think this is all flowery '60s folkiness, the Hot Knives definitely rock out upon occasion. While definitely not new wave punk rockers, they could do the raucous garage thing all right, witness their killer cover of the Knickerbockers "Lies"... And while we've mentioned a few covers, it's the originals that make this truly worthwhile. Great classic-sounding songs like "I Hear The Wind Blow" deserve to be heard. How was that one not a hit? In the cd booklet, there's a clipping from a vintage issue of the fanzine Bomp!, wondering the same thing, editor Greg Shaw saying the Hot Knives "are the best thing happening in San Francisco these days". Also reproduced in the cd booklet, we noticed a print ad for one of the Hot Knives singles that says it's available at Aquarius Records, and also Rather Ripped in Berkeley, "two of the finest independent record stores in the Bay Area". (The ad also features 7"s by Crime, Bryan Ferry, and The Nerves, among others.) So, super nice to have this, and so nicely presented, definitely a good example of the seemingly endless supply of lost gems out there still awaiting (re)discovery.

MPEG stream: Sooner Or Later
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On the same label that released the recent live White Hills tape as well as a post Brainbombs No Balls jam we were never able to get, comes this brand new 7" from these San Francisco psychedelic stompers, thick with blown out guitars, classic rock riffage, wild octopoidal drumming, Stooges-y stomp and wild manic almost Jello-like vocals, the sound a glorious tangle of sixties style psych, eighties punk rock, hairy fuzzy proto-metal and seriously shredding guitar mastery, the lyrics and unhinged vox remind us of some lost proto-punk classic, but then it's all set amidst some BIG riffs and killer melodic leads, which sound way more heavy seventies. Either way, killer stuff, and we're definitely hankering for a full length. Features some super scary green-goo'd space teeth cover art.

2nd 7" from these local skate punk/psychsters.

We just have a very small handful of these limited split singles, and when they're gone, they're gone... So you probably already know if you want to (quickly try and) get one, if you're a big fan of one or more of the four badass SF rawk groups on here, all throwbacks to sweet times in the heavy, glammy '70s for sure. Of special note, two of the bands do covers: Dirty Fences taking on Blondie, and big aQ faves Hot Lunch covering the obscure yet mighty UK proto-punks Crushed Butler - a perfect choice for 'em!

Hot Rod Circuit are the latest in Vagrant's assault on radio/MTV while simultaneously getting punk rockers to listen to music that belongs on TRL as much as Blink 182 or Christine Aguillera do. Ok, I know. That's kind of harsh. But I've long wondered, since the days of Sensefield (remember them?) how certain bands continued to appeal to punk rockers (Sensefield patch next to your Crass and Avail patches) while others were immediately labeled sellouts and banished to break up if they didn't make it big. I'm sure there's label, and location and history and scene politics and all that but it still baffles me. And it baffles me why anyone considers Vagrant a punk label (punk is an attitude, a lifestyle, not just the music, well for more on that see the amazing story on Vagrant in the new Punk Planet). So that brings us to Hot Rod Circuit, who are actually a pretty good pop band. They have all the requisite qualities of a great pop (not punk) band, great vocalist, big thick guitars, short sharp songs, they're all kinda cute, hot chick on the cover. But the songs just aren't there. Unlike the Anniversary or the Get Up Kids, HRC aren't yet great songwriters. But they do sound great, and they're great players, and there are some great moments on this record. So let's just wait and see what they come up with next. Could be great.

RealAudio clip: The Pharmacist
RealAudio clip: At Natures Mercy

Hot Snakes' second release on Swami Records is finger lickin' good! Yow! Rick and John (both ex-Drive Like Jehu) have enlisted a new drummer, Mario Rubalcaba (ex-pro-skateboarder and ex-Clickitat Ikatowi) since former drummer Jason left for the Burning Brides. Hot Snakes also now feature San Diego rock luminary Gar Wood (Beehive and the Barracudas) on bass. Man this band totally kicks ass!!! What else can we say? Imagine the Godlike Drive Like Jehu, but stripped down to its garage rock bare bones, but sacrificing none of the fury or intensity or musical chops. Raw and catchy and makes you want to just jump up and down and bang your head and wiggle like crazy. The recording of Audit In Progress awesomely captures their fired-up energy and offers an accurate taste of their live show. I saw them recently here in San Francisco -- all types of new HS fans and older Jehu fans were going totally bananas. This album and their live show will kick you in your face and you'll be begging for more! Plus it's always nice when bands actually produce their own artwork instead of just stealing someone else's, or hiring some crappy graphic designer. Rick Froberg, HS's singer/illustrator/animator is an incredibly talented and respected artist in addition to being a wicked rock frontman. The last Hot Snakes record was so perfect who would have thought the ante could be upped. But upped it has been...it's been upped...well, you know what we're saying. This record rules! And this band just keeps getting better and better. Buy this now!

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Hot Snakes is the long awaited reunion of John Reis (Rocket from the Crypt) and Rick Farr, who made some of the most amazing and kick ass post punk guitar rock as Drive Like Jehu. While John's one man band, the Back Off Cupids (recently released on Drunken Fish), is more of a lo-fi home recording instrumental experiment, the Hot Snakes is definitely carrying the Jehu torch. Heavy and rocking and bristling with energy, it's almost like a weird mix of both Rocket and Jehu; the voice and the sound is unmistakenly Jehu, but the songs aren't nearly as complex and ultra-precise. Instead they opt for a looser, noisier, wilder sound. People have been referencing the Wipers, and Black Flag, but basically, it just sounds like a dumbed down Drive Like Jehu (which is essentially what Rocket From the Crypt is too), which is not a bad thing at all.

Here's a little four song cd ep for those of you who don't have the inclination to pick up the 7" version of this on eBay. Since Swami only pressed a few hundred of em, they're fetching "hype-induced" prices on ye ol' auction internets thingy, so here's your chance to buy em cheap and digital-like. Includes their rockin "Automatic Midnight" and "This Mystic Decade" tunes plus two others recorded in November of 2004 at the BBC, with that wonderful recorded-at-the-BBC sound.

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MPEG stream: This Mystic Decade

Undoubtedly very eagerly anticipated by Drive like Jehu, Rocket From The Crypt and of course, Hot Snakes fans everywhere, the second full length has arrived. So the question is raised: How could Hot Snakes possibly match their blisteringly hot first album Automatic Midnight? Well, Suicide Invoice provides the answer: Sort of. It's kind of hard to compare the two. 'Suicide Invoice' is way more toned down, and way less frantic than the first Hot Snakes. A lot of folks here were totally diappointed, and thought it was dull and uninspired. But it seems more to me like just a new direction. Instead of doing the same thing all over again and making 'Automatic Midnight 2', they've stretched out and kind of dialed back the P U N K and tried to craft more studied songs, more intense, serious and more listenable as opposed to just crazy jump in the pit, ride your skateboard, fuck shit up furious punk rock action. I'm not slagging 'Automatic Midnight'. Fuck no!!! I love that record. We all did. The new record is just different, not really better or worse, just different. If you're in the mood to ROCK OUT, pull out your old beat up copy of 'Automatic Midnight'. But if you're in the mood for some cool moody rocking post punk goodness, and miss the late great Drive Like Jehu or maybe you just miss Rick Farr's high pitched wail then throw this on and let it sink in.

RealAudio clip: I Hate The Kids
RealAudio clip: Paid In Cigarettes

John Reis and Rick Froberg were responsible for one of the best and most copied rock bands of the '90s, Drive Like Jehu. While Jehu only left the world with two full lengths, Reis continued pouring his soul into Rocket From The Crypt as well as his many side-projects. He also started his own label, Swami, and began doing an amazing radio show in San Diego. Answering the prayers of so many Jehu fans across the globe Reis and Froberg reunited to form a new band together. Hot Snakes are a much more straight ahead affair then the intricate near prog bombast of Jehu but the guts, fire and passion ring just as loud and true. Back when I (Irwin) was living in Southern California my old radio station KSPC put on an amazing concert series. One of the highlights was when the Hot Snakes were to embark on their first tour playing only a handful of shows across the states and ended up playing at a show I helped book! A dream come true. They completely tore apart the basement where the show took place and we all felt so sorry for the other bands that opened since once the Hot Snakes started playing, every trace of the opening band, every memory was blown clear out of everyone's heads before the end of their first song. This release captures Hot Snakes in all of their sweaty and hard rocking live glory, during one of their last shows in Australia, reminding us of what a joy it was to get to see these guys live. Sounding just as perfect, adrenalized, and spot on as they did in the studio. This last incarnation of Hot Snakes was rounded out by the great drumming of Mario Rubalcaba (Clikitat Ikatowi, RFTC) and the so totally underrated guitar stylings of one of San Diego's unsung treasures Gar Wood (Tanner, Beehive & The Barracudas) proving that Hot Snakes were indeed hands down one of the best live bands on the planet.

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It was never any big secret that AQ faves Hotel Alexis sounded a LOT like Sparklehorse. How could it be really. After all, both groups crafted gorgeously lush low key country soundscapes, more whisper and hum than twang in most cases, with sweetly crooned vocals, nestled among rich worlds of minor key misery and soft lonely blues. And Hotel Alexis' Sidney Lindner (brother to Flying Canyon's Cayce, who both play together as Golden Hotel) has a voice that's a dead ringer for Mark Linkous from Sparklehorse. But for every similarity, there are some crucial differences. Lately, Sparklehorse has moved on, Danger Mouse production, super star guest spots, and a new sound closer to a countrified Flaming Lips, which is great, don't get us wrong, but it's not the sound we fell in love with. Lindner and his Hotel Alexis still wander those same rain swept streets, are still lost and alone, recording by lamp light, finding solace in each lonely note. The sound is similar, but there is definite progression. Lindner has continued to look inward, expanding his dark personal universe, getting more and more lush and expansive certainly, but without losing the hushed intimacy that made the debut, The Shining Example is Lying On The Floor such an absolute gem. If anything, Goliath, I'm On Your Side is even better, which is saying a lot considering how much we LOVED the first record. The sound is simple: strummed steel string guitars, heavily reverbed piano, Lindner's sweetly soulful vocals, brushed shuffling percussion, occasional flourishes of vibraphone, mellotron, lap steel, but the magic is in the songs, and the arrangements. These are the kind of songs that would sound just as good plucked out on a beat up old acoustic guitar by a crackling fire as they would recorded with a symphony orchestra at Abbey Road. Maybe even better. The sound is crisp and alive, it sounds like Lindner is right there, head on your shoulder, singing right in your ear, melodies drift and swoon, sometimes thick and vibrant, other times muted and mumbled. Every song on Goliath, I'm On Your Side is practically perfect, but the centerpiece has to bee the nearly 20 minute long blissed out FX drenched countrified space rock epic "Hummingbird / Indian Dog". Beginning with a vocal mantra repeated over and over amidst swirling keyboards, a sing songy melody and whirls of murky whir, the song eventually transforms into an ambient soundscape of backwards guitars, field recordings, running water, barking dogs, snippets of conversation lifted on the wind, hushed breathless vocals wrapped in reverb and buried in the mix, insistent atonal guitars, struggling to be hear over the muted whir, everything building into a super druggy blown out space rock drift, guitars warp and warble, buzzing and pulsing over the same swirling backdrop, splattery percussion drifts in and out of the mix, eventually fading out into a twangy No Neck sort of tribal drift, barely there vocals, simple hand drums, steel string buzz, some sort of indie twang "Revolution #9". And it's that sort of spirit, that pervades even the most straight forward song on Goliath, I'm On Your Side. What on first listen might sound like just a sweet country ditty, is more often than not, rife with unlikely melodies, strange sonic subtleties, and deep dark emotion. But then again, more often than not, most of these songs don't actually sound like just sweet country ditties, instead, instead, they tend to be lush worlds of soft focus twang, druggy dreaminess and sweet melancholy bliss.

MPEG stream: Soft Soft War
MPEG stream: San Diego Backslide
MPEG stream: I Will Arrange For You To Fall II
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It's always frustrating when we get an amazing cd-r, that we all buy, and then later have to buy again when it comes out as a proper cd. We try to make sure we know about those sort of impending plans before listing limited cd-r's. But sometimes it just happens, not much you can do. And in the case of a record as fantastic as this one, all we can do is be grateful that it is finally getting properly released, and urge all of you who missed out last time to buy it now! And as a consolation for those of us who already own the first version, the new packaging may be quite spiffy, but it's not as sweetly and nicely handmade as the cd-r's. This is the first solo record from Sidney Linder, who plays in AQ faves Golden Hotel (with his brother Cayce) and fronts the hauntingly gorgeous Torrez. We've raved about both Golden Hotel and Torrez in the past, both bands exploring the dark and mysterious corners of ambient folk, druggy psychedelia, alt country and dreamy slowcore. So we had an idea of what to expect from Sidney's first solo effort, but there was little to prepare us for just how goshdarn breathtaking this record is. Pefectly recorded, intimate and crystal clear, with steel string guitars, shuffling brushed drums, shimmery vibes, haunting slide guitar, hushed raspy vocals (sounding quite a bit like Jeff Tweedy of Wilco at times, and Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse at others), and perfectly melancholy melodies. This record is just so completely beautiful and utterly heartbreaking, it's a little hard to know how to describe it in a way that does it justice. Everytime we put this on, it sucks us into another world, sepia toned and twighlit, dark and dusty, lonely and mysterious. This is the kind of record that is SO evocative, that really does make you feel the music in your heart and soul. You can hear some Sparklehorse, some Court And Spark, some Wilco, some Souled American, some of Sidney's other bands, but it all sounds so personal and intimate, filtered through Sidney's psyche, his triumphs and failures, his hopes and dreams, his loves and his heartbreaks. So so so good it just kills us.

MPEG stream: The Season For Working
MPEG stream: An Indian Doctor
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From the same little Finnish label that brought us Kemialliset Ystavat's Varisevien Tanssi / Silmujen Marssi LP comes... Hotguitars! Hotguitars? That's Teemu Korpipaa and Jyrki Laiho, both men members of Circle (Jyrki currently, Teemu formerly). Not that this sounds anything like Circle. It's a home-made abstract improv instrumental noise kind of thing, with titles like "Gamelan Sausage" and "Thurston Does Something Jazz". Just Teemu and Jyrki screwing around with guitars and a four-track...though they're both credited with other instruments, like mandolin and 'banjolin', what I hear, mostly, is guitar noise. A la Japanese noisician Solmania. Or Mitsuru Tabata. Or Merzbow, not that he uses guitars that much. It's sometimes quite pleasant noise though. And actually occasionally there's some structure, beats and melodic content...what you could almost call 'song'! But a lot of this is washy, textural, droney, abstract, varied guitar-splurge. Imagine two distorted electric guitars that were actually animals, let loose in your home, running rampant, scurrying about, leaping up on the furniture, tumbling down the stairs, getting trapped in the dryer, sneaking into the kitchen and knocking over the cookie jar... They're really nice animals, really they are, but maybe too wild and not suitable as pets even though they're so cute. Of course this cd-r is quite limited, we've got 15 and that's it. For ever. Nice full-colour covers by the way.

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Another brand new release, this one another actual cd release (not a cd-r), and again featuring Matthew Bower (Sunroof!, Skullflower, etc.) and Marcia Bassett (Double Leopards, Zaimph, GHQ, etc.) as they coax an endless flow of molten sounds from their array of instruments and noisemakers. On Chimerendammerung, like most of the Hototogisu releases, the pair seem to be taking the dreamy drift of Bower's Sunroof! project, and supercharging it, giving it some serious teeth, what was once meditative and hypnotic, is now a serious slab of sound. A swirling vortex of distorted guitars, and bowed strings, all furiously whipped into a frothy psychedelic wash of buzzing overtones and blurring timbres. Within this dense chaotic miasma, are all sorts of raga like drones, muted rhythms, fragmented melodies, a veritable sea of strange sonic occurrences, blended together, piled atop one another, layer after layer. It's like exploring some alien ocean and drifting through the inky blackness, the only illumination coming from a panoply of mysteriously iridescent undersea oddities, the light and the subtle colors all blending into a dizzyingly overwhelming whole. This may be noise music, and to the casual listener it may sound harsh and unmelodic, but the magic of this band, and these players, is the ability to create this music, this sort of noise, from distinctly un-noisy elements, which is why the final blast of sound, the disc you hold in your hands, is anything BUT noise, a beautiful and hypnotically captivating sound, so rich and textured and completely mesmerizing.

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This double disc from The Hototogisu, the occasional project of Sunroof!/Skullflower mainman Matthew Bower (Hototogisu is in fact Bower teamed up with Marcia Bassett from Double Leopards), isn't exactly new, as it was originally released as a super limited cd-r back in 2002 on Matthew Bower's Rural Electrification Program, then reissued as an insanely extravagant and expensive triple lp on DeStijl in 2004, both of which went out of print in a heartbeat. We always lamented the fact, that this record remained out of print, considering it's most definitely one of Hototogisu's finest moments, thankfully Important Records has now (finally) reissued it as a double cd! So if you missed it before, get it now! Unlike many of the other Hototogisu records, which can drift into areas more abrasive and chaotic, still droney and lovely in most cases, but often the drones are assembled from noise and skree and blurred crunch, but 'Floating Japanese Oof!' plays out like one massive 140 minute dronescape (regardless of how it's tracked, or on what format it's released on). This is pure, transcendent, heart-of-the-sun, bliss out, drone music the way it was meant to be experienced, in massive mind expanding chunks. Shimmery clouds of ambient high end guitar drone and squiggly brain tickling twinkles, hushed glacial space folk blur with pulsing low end, and distant clatter. Shimmery and abstract, hypnotic and hushed, lysergic and transcendent. Gorgeous, otherworldly and totally essential.

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

SORRY. There's really no point in beating around the bush anymore, Hototogisu are in fact a noise band. Before the cd-r boom, and the micro-label explosion, Hototogisu would have been releasing records on RRR. Not that there's anything wrong with being a noise band, but the duo that make up Hototogisu get described as drone, and free-rock, and black ambient, and all manner of descriptors, but basically this is in fact noise music. Soft noise for sure, and pretty noise almost certainly, but the drone and ambient elements are just that, elements of the big thick layered noise these two can make. Marcia Bassett of Double Leopards and GHQ, Matthew Bower of Skullflower and Sunroof!, together fuse all of their various sonic proclivities into one huge heaving organic whole. That while drone-y and dreamy and ambient and shimmery, will be a tough sound to get lost in if you don't have at least a tiny soft spot for noise. But the key here is the way the noise is shaped and crafted, this is now power electronics or face melting Japanoise, instead, this is a dense brew mixing the blurred crush of Total, the upper register ur-drone of Sunroof! and a big ol' chunk of swirling free guitar psych, a bit like a room full of Keiji Hainos jamming wildly, but slowed way down and layered and layered into a whirring buzzing howling free psych drone noise blur. Like much music of this ilk, a glancing listen will reveal nothing but sound, a wall of deconstructed guitar noise, sheets of feedback, all garbled and chaotic and intense, but listen close, climb right in there, and you'll find yourself in a soundworld alive with melodies and rhythms, textures and harmonies, swirling skies of overlapping overtones, of crunchy buzzy anti-riffing, of warm whirring psychedelic ambience, a sounds as hypnotic and as mesmerizing as records much more mellow and subdued. Sort of like how the buzz of black metal can lull the listener, this caustic 4 sided slab of abstract guitarscapery, this heady and heavy blown out psychedelic din, can be strangely soothing and dreamy, while somehow miraculously managing to be noisy and abrasive and brutally blown out at the same time! Gorgeous, super deluxe matte finish gatefold sleeves, and of course ULTRA LIMITED. ONLY 700 COPIES!

Holy crap, it seems like the Hototogisu is taking cues from the almighty Acid Mothers Temple as far as release schedules go. What is this their 5th, 6th, 10th release this year? Not that we're complaining. In fact we wouldn't mind a new one very week, just a little amazed and overwhelmed. Part of it is that they're all good. All great in fact, and Prayer Rug Exorcism is no exception. Hototogisu seems to be getting harsher and noisier with every release. The brooding droning shimmer of earlier excursions has given way to thick spiky walls of coruscating feedback, incandescent streaks of supernova guitar, keening high end skree, all layered on top of one another into a huge glacial wall of brain melting guitar pummel. A lot more Total than Sunroof! for sure. All four tracks on Prayer Rug Exorcism quickly build into chaotic squalls, and then hover there, not really building or shifting, just sort of spinning wildly in place, shooting sparks in all directions, a massive ball of super hot guitar fury, fierce and furious, like a transcendent six stringed sun, slowly growing hotter and hotter, not really changing in size or in color, just building pressure until finally the whole thing bursts into a million sparkling pieces, and we're left laying in silence, our hearing a thing of the past, the sound of Hototogisu permanently burned into the back of our skulls.

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Another vinyl only missive from the dynamic duo that is Matthew Bower (Skullflower, Sunroof!, Total, etc.) and Marcia Bassett (Double Leopards, Zaimph, GHQ, etc.) and this one's a loud one. Well, they're all loud ones really, but this one is especially intense and aggressive, a serious slab of guitarnoise as only these two seem to do it. It begins with thick washes of processed strum and grind, looped and layered, guitars and guitars and guitars, thick and viscous, swirling and whirling and eventually building to a Total like fervor, a keening coruscating high end raga, white hot and blown out, a seriously divine chunk of noisy psychedelia for sure. The rest of the record is just as dense and heavy and thick with guitars, but the high end explorations are scaled back, and the duo instead crawl through a swamp of murky muddy thrum and throb, a caustic morass of crumbling distortion and washed out sonics, with the occasional riff surfacing here and there, but never for long, just long enough to establish that it's an actual riff and not just another layer of droning guitar, before it slips away and once again -is- another layer of droning guitar. There are brief solar flares of high end effulgence, but they too flash briefly before being subsumed by the chaotic distorted black sea below. Skullflower / Total / Bower / Bassett freaks need this bad. Thick vinyl, beautiful full color sleeves. LIMITED TO 500 COPIES. Supposedly already sold out at the label, so you know what that means...

Yet another blast of sweet sonic skree from Mr. Matthew Bower and Ms. Marcia Bassett otherwise known as Hototogisu, which in case you didn't know is a type of Japanese Cuckoo. But by now, as we should all well know, the sound of -this- Hototogisu is a far cry from the sweet lilting birdsongs one might hear in the woods, that is unless of course you normally stroll through forests populated by ninety foot high armored bird monsters spewing fire and laying flat huge swaths of trees with it's crushing unstoppable stomp and melting skulls with its brutally screeching song! This time around we've got another one of the super limited cd-r type releases, so act fast if you want one of these!! Sardonic Wooden Moonlight is a massive, seriously noisy two part epic, two half hour chunks of thick prickly fuzzy brrrrrrroooaaaaaarrr. You know what we're talking about, the sort of din Bower used to kick up in Total, like an orchestra of tuned vacuum cleaners spitting out thick sheets of soothing sonic sandpaper, a smoothed out industrial whir, like listening over the telephone to a massive metal forest collapsing in on itself, creaking and shrieking and howling, punctuated by jagged shards of guitar squeal, like pieces of sonic shrapnel floating across a thick black sea. SUPER LIMITED. Cool poster style cover with transparent insert!

MPEG stream: Sardonic Wooden Moonlight Pt. 1 (excerpt)

[ aquarius records catalogue — H ]