[ aquarius records catalogue

IMPORTANT (Please read to avoid confusion): Some items below may be tagged with a bold, red, all-caps OUT OF PRINT/UNAVAILABLE notice. This does NOT mean that all other items not so tagged are, in fact, in stock — or for that matter, in print and available, though there's a good chance they are. Some folks get confused on this point, and we can see why, so please read this for further clarification and other important before-you-order information. Unlike some mailorder websites, we don't have an electronic inventory system linked to our site, so you can't be sure of what we actually have or don't have in stock at any given moment without asking us — please email our mailorder department for availability status — or better yet, just go ahead and place your order using our shopping cart function and we'll get back to you with the status of each item. If you have general non-mailorder questions, email the store.

Showing results 1101 through 1150 of 1919.

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A nice super tense slab of creepy minimal dubstep darkness from the appropriately named Pitch Black. The A side is stuttery skeletal dubstep workout, with a huge trash can lid distorted snare crash, skittering muted kick drums and squelchy synths way in the background, Super minimal and spare. The B side is where it gets serious. The call of a crow, some weird drifting female vocals, a super stripped down simple rhythm. The female vocals are just ethereal and drifty enough that for a second it sounds like the track might get all cheesy with some sort of diva vocals, until suddenly the track morphs into an ultra distorted, blown out, crumbling monster beat, all crackly and damaged sounding, super hot and in the red, the drifting female vocals getting buried alive beneath the wall of crashing beats. Some serious dancefloor damage for sure.

Those of you who loved Drive Like Jehu's Yank Crime which we listed a few lists back, might as well stop right here and just buy this, the finally reissued, first and only release from San Diego's Pitchfork, which features the unstoppable rock tag team of Rick Farr and John Reis, who between the two of them would go on to kick our asses with Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From The Crypt, the Hot Snakes and about a million more! And as the band that immediately preceded Drive Like Jehu, sonically, a lot of the elements that would gel so perfectly in Jehu are definitely present here, albeit in a little rougher form. Super dynamic intros, heart rending bursts of emotion smooshed between bulldozingly beefy guitar parts, and Farr's distinctive gravelly wail. Reminiscent of Fugazi in that the songs are tough and rhythmic and mean, but with hooks galore! This record was SO important to my (Sadie) development in musical discernin' and enjoyment. Hearing these songs again makes me feel so sentimental. But they stand the test of time SO well. In fact this stuff is so much more kick ass than most of the guitar-rock/post-punk/whatever-you-call-it that's come out lately. Comes with three bonus tracks from their long gone 7"!

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Newest album by this experimental string composer combining Eastern tuning with Western compositional structures. Using a variety of exotic string instruments (cumbus, mandolin and ukelin) with computer and electronics, Pitre along with a cello and a soprano saxophone player create two side-long suites that embrace a soundworld both contemporary and ancient. Similar in feel to the spatial string composition of his last full-length Feel Free, where the performers were given only loose instructions to create a more open compositional approach, this time around Pitre removes that randomizing element and exerts more compositional control, touching on sonic elements of accumulation and dissipation for a fluid composition that breathes with a light touch and a beautifully heavy resonance.

Duane Pitre, whom we were first exposed to through collaborations with Justin Wright from Expo 70, and his 2010 solo debut Origin on the Root Strata label, is a composer who likes to work with organizing principles. For Origin, he had a sextet of bowed guitars tuned to 'just intonation' and freed from any use of effects and overdubs to create tapestries of richly layered overtones and droning frequencies. One might think from the title that Feel Free would suggest a freedom from such organisation, but it's actually a push toward a more systematic impulse, but one that allows an infinite set of variations. Creating the centerpiece of the work through guitar and electronics and filtered through a computer, he then asks a sextet of string musicians (harp, cello, contrabass, hammered dulcimer and violin) to respond to the work. The performers are instructed to "feel free" to respond to or ignore their fellow contributors. But in creating a rule-based system rather than one based on musical notation, the piece becomes a lattice work of rhythms and textures that sounds spontaneous and unpredictable, but never careens out of control. Reminding us of the resulting compositional strategies of David Behrman's On The Other Ocean, Christian Jendreiko's God's White Noise or even Terry Riley's In C in the way that there's a harmonic congruence from a randomizing system, Feel Free is a beautifully interwoven composition with hypnotically mesmerizing results.

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Ultra limited new lp from guitarist and composer Duane Pitre, a collection of recordings featuring Pitre's bowed harmonic-guitar ensemble, six guitarists, bowing the strings of unconventionally strung guitars, all in 'just intonation', the sounds these players and instruments produce, free of any effects or post- or pre- production fiddling, all the strange overtones, and rhythmic variations, strange melodies and mysterious textures, are utterly divine, extended raga like drones, lush and layered, all the results of the natural interplay between the various notes and tones, and the acoustic properties of the space. All of which are considerable, considering the beauty and otherworldliness of these sounds, quite reminiscent of folks like Phill Niblock, Angus MacLise, Tony Conrad, Henry Flynt, but with its own particular magic, the very Eastern sounding raga vibe is undeniable on some of the tracks, but others are far more abstract, unfurling alternating tones, letting the notes ring out, just the tail ends woven into each other, creating a gorgeous expanse of warm, but spare melody, until the notes grow gradually closer together and finally settle into one another. Some of the tracks sound choral, almost liturgical, while others sounds like an orchestra tuning up stretched into swirling near static drones, the final nearly 12 minute track being perhaps the most beautiful of the bunch, a symphony of metallic buzz, rising and falling swells, buried melodies, the sound slow shifting, but ever changing, dense, and dark, but somehow lush and lovely and glimmering, sun dappled and so serene... LIMITED TO 300 COPIES, includes a download coupon as well.

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A first listen to this elicited the following quote from Andee: "It's annoying enough that I definitely want one!" Need we say more? Well, what's so wonderfully "annoying" (and therefore AWESOME) about this you ask? PIVIXKI is a duo from Melbourne, Australia, that combines blasting grindcore (the drummer) with avant-garde modern chamber music (the keyboardist). It's just crazy enough to work. On half of the duo, virtuoso pianist Antony Pateras, comes from a classical/academic music background; in fact, he's the composer-in-residence at the Australian National Academy Of Music, and we're not surprised to hear he has recorded for John Zorn's Tzadik label. The other half, drummer Max Kohane, plies his trade in the HC punk/grindcore scene, having played with a ton of bands, the one we know best being Agents Of Abhorrence, previously lauded by us for their technical grindcore frenzies! Thus the 11 instrumental tracks here are INSANE, maniacal typewriter-y piano plinking keeping pace with 1000mph octopoid drum battery. It's like Conlon Nancarrow's player piano music doing battle with a (human) drum machine. If Mick Barr played piano instead of guitar, Orthrelm might sound like this. A band it does remind us of, a lot, would be a stripped-down version of defunct Swiss art-grinders Alboth!, remember them? Besides piano, Pateras plays the organ (including pipe organ) and analog synth as well, on occasion, lending a '70s prog aspect to the overt avant garde classical / grindcore collision. They also get some guests in on viola, vibraphone, and additional percussion in a couple places. So despite the impression we may have given already, there's a fair amount of variation here, PIVIXKI isn't ALL full on grind assault. The methods of their madness involve a number of techniques and textures. PIVIXKI make good use of minimalist repetition, free-improv ivory tickling, glitchy electronic manipulation ("Late Veins" ferinstance), dizzyingly dramatic crescendos, and even some downright pretty parts. One of our favorite pieces is the nervously moody "A Shrewed Manipulation Of The Facts", which (as other moments here do as well) reminds us of Carl Stalling cartoon music, David Shire suspense soundtracks, and/or a hybrid of Zombi and the Necks... Another artist we are reminded of at times is Tatsuya Yoshida from the Ruins, particularly the Ruins drummer's solo stuff where he's playing drums and keyboards simultaneously. (Some of the song titles also make us think of him as well.) The handsome trifold cardboard packaging contains some interesting liner notes from Pateras, wherein among other things he discusses how he had to learn to adjust his playing/thinking to keep up with Kohane's drumming. You, in turn, may have to adjust your listening/thinking to keep up with this duo's music! Well worth the effort, though really, once you've taken the plunge (past a track or two), it's easy to enjoy. Especially if you like Xenakis, Radian, AND Discordance Axis. Recommended!

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Sounds like Hisham from Black Dice finally learned how to play the drums in a more traditional format. Devin and Mika (formerly known as Plate Tectonics) have brought him in to be part of Pixeltan. On this DFA release, the trio has made some super subby dubby death-disco with 4 on the floor beats and Mika's aggro-sexy vocals. Very polished. Very produced. Very DFA. But very recommended!

Four track debut from Brooklyn art punk outfit Pixeltan. Heavy, rhythmic, overdriven grooves recalling the no-funk of Downtown NY circa 1981, only faster, nastier, and pumped full of echo and fucked up electronics. Beats courtesy of Hisham Bharoocha of Black

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What can we say? "Best rock band ever!" No, someone will take issue with that. "Best rock band of the eighties!" Someone will still take issue with that. Well, what about "Best rock band of the nineties!" Well, they really didn't release their best work in that decade. How about "best rock band from the eighties that broke up in the nineties and has recently got back together in the new millennium to do a final tour even though at least two of the band's members can't stand each other!" I still think someone might take issue with that. It's just plain hard to write about the Pixies now, especially about their classic material. So suffice it to say that we know you all know the Pixies and you either love them or you don't. And for what it's worth 4AD has gotten round to reprinting the vinyl of their first three releases and we're excited about seeing them grace our diminishing vinyl racks in all their 12" square glory. We'll stick to the facts here: Come On Pilgrim was, of course, The Pixies first release. The ep hit the streets in 1987 and includes: Caribou, Vamos, Isla de Encanta, Ed Is Dead, The Holiday Song, Nimrod's Son, I've Been Tired and Levitate Me. Awesome!

Long available only in variously expensive bootleg editions, the Pixies "Complete" B-sides is now available in legit form and at a reasonable price. 19 non album tracks (including the much treasured UK Surf version of "Wave Of Mutilation") each one annotated by

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

SORRY. SORRY. The first disc is a greatest hits collection, the second is a live show long distributed amongst the tape crowd.

Dunno. You either have them all already, or you don't, is probably the first response to seeing a Pixies "Best Of". However, kudos to 4AD for not trying to screw with everyone by lumping a live cd with a best of like Elektra/4AD did with their "Death To The Pixies" two cd collection. What first time Pixies buyer would be tempted to shell out $23 for a best of collection? Better still, for this much cheaper price of $13.98, Pixies initiates get six more tracks (for a hefty total of 23 great Pixies tunes) than the former anthology. Along with classics "Bone Machine", "Caribou", "Gigantic", "Monkey Gone To Heaven", "Wave of Mutilation", "Broken Face", "Vamo", "Where is My Mind?", "Tame" (and much more) this collection includes the excellent cover the Pixies did of Neil Young's "Winterlong" for the Bridge School tribute album years ago.

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What we had hoped to be a collection of previously unknown, unheard, and unreleased songs from the Pixies is not that at all. Essentially, this album features the remnant tracks from the demo tape (aka "The Purple Tape") that the Pixies sent to 4AD, who in turn picked 8 of the 17 demo tracks for the Pixies' debut "Come On Pilgrim." All of the songs (with the possible exception of "Rock A My Soul") have made their way onto later recordings, albeit with much better production. So there are the demo versions of "Broken Face," "Break My Body," "I'm Amazed" (all appearing on "Surfer Rosa"), "Here Comes Your Man" (making its way onto "Doolittle"), "Down To The Well" (landing on "Bossanova"), and "Subbacultcha" (later on "Trompe Le Monde") with "Build High" being a B-side track and the raucously howled version of "In Heaven" from David Lynch's "Eraserhead" which had been a BBC session and a live standard. It's a little disheartening to know that there's nothing new on this album, but would probably make die-hard fans happy. If you're new to the Pixies get "Surfer Rosa" or "Doolittle" instead, as those albums, filled with whores, mutilation, and obsessively catchy indie-rock cacophony, still rank as some of the best records ever.

RealAudio clip: I'm Amazed (Demo)
RealAudio clip: In Heaven (Demo)

In the past couple months, we've gotten a pair of dvds documenting two venerable bands' recent resurrections: 'Mission Of Burma: Not A Photograph' and this one 'Loud Quiet Loud: A Film About The Pixies'. Filmmakers Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin followed the four original members Frank Black (ahem, Black Francis), Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering on their sold-out 2004 reunion trek across North America and Europe eleven years after their split. Lots of live and backstage footage reveal that despite their audiences' rabid adoration, the band members aren't exactly having a bonding experience. At times the atmosphere of interpersonal tension and alienation could be cut with a knife. Bringing the viewer into this air of uneasy distance is the fact that oddly enough it's not the band's music that furnishes the documentary's incidental soundtrack but that of Daniel Lanois! Loud Quiet Loud features some fan-thrilling live footage, but it's not a good time ride by any means.

Pizza is either the best name or the worst name for a band, depending on what the band sounds like. From the cover art, we were expecting this to be another Dodos wannabe band, in which case, the name would be terrible! But we we're pleasantly surprised and thankful that this doesn't sound anything like that. Pizza is a local Mission district male / female duo that channel the cute lo-fi pop of early Deerhoof, Tenniscoats and Coconut with the homemade woozy hip-hop vibe of groups like Black Moth Super Rainbow and Why? These six songs (strangely without titles) over 17 minutes are some of the most endearingly refreshing and snarky weirdo pop we've heard in awhile. Thus making their name oddly fitting. Who can say no to pizza?

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Wherein the Japanese trio play with Junglish beats along with their normal Bacharach-inspired pop.

Swank new disc from these Japanese pop faves.

Compiles the series of 12" remixes of material from P5's Happy End Of The World album, plus a couple of new remixes... Remixers include The Automator, Dimitri From Paris, Oval, 808 State, Sean O'Hagan (High Llamas), John "Plunderphonics" Oswald, Saint Etienne, Momus, Gusgus, and others.

John "Plunderphonics" Oswald and Oval take a stab at it.

Sugary dance-pop you know and, possibly, love -- from the land of the cute, Japan. Much more frantically punchy than their past releases. This is the soundtrack to your dream holiday in Tokyo as you rush about scooping up as many last minute souvenirs. Cruising through scenes of super-bounce glitzy pop to frenetic jazzy numbers to full-on boogie fever to brief, weird, almost sinister (for Pizzicato 5, that is) segments. All kept aloft by the soaring horns, strings and tambourine. Includes three bonus tracks not available on the import version. And as usual wonderfully stylin' photos and packaging. Go go jetsetter!

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Stuff left off their debut 'cause Southern Lord didn't like the more overt Christian message of these songs...

Former Pentagram guitarist Victor Griffin is back, and he's 'born again' -- but he's still into the heavy stuff. The stoner rock/doom metal underground has been all a-buzz about Victor's new power trio Place of Skulls, and now Southern Lord has released Pentagram fans will find that Place of Skulls sounds rather more like The Obsessed or Spirit Caravan than Victor's old band, but of course if you like Pentagram, you're probably a fan of those bands too! Victor's vocals sound a bit like those of Wino, not as strong though, and the music is of course heavy, plodding and depressive-sounding (but with a positive, Christian message). Chicago's Trouble already established that Christian faith and doom metal can coexist (indeed, where would metal in general be without Christianity, whether bands are pro or con??) but Trouble had better songs. So, while Place of Skulls delivers some solid doom metal, we're not exactly blown away. Stoner/doom fans (esp. those really into Wino's bands) who aren't put off by the Christian aspect should check this out and decide for themselves. Furthering the parallel with Wino's bands, this includes an Animals cover ("Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", which for the record isn't as good as The Obsessed's version of "Inside Looking Out").

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The return of ex-Pentagram axemaster Victor Griffin's born again stoner doom outfit Place Of Skulls, and damn if this ain't the best one yet! In the past we've always been a little bit wishy washy about Place Of Skulls. Sure, they sounded great, whether Griffin handled the vocals himself, or even better when he handed the mic over to Wino (Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan), but the songs just weren't that memorable. If we needed our Christian stoner doom fix, we could always turn to the almighty Trouble, but there was still something about Griffin and his band that kept us coming back, hoping that maybe suddenly, one day it would make sense and we'd be knocked out cold. Well, it never really happened. That is, until now. The sound is still perfect, if anything, fuzzier and more stone-y, heavy and super rocking, but the songs this time around are killer. The second track "Sense Of Divinity" might be one of the best stoner rock tracks ever. Sounding like some lost Acid Bath recording, dark and droning, a huge Trouble-some riff, with awesome psychedelic leads, and Griffin's voice, wow! We never would have guessed this was the same vocalist, a killer croon that sounds stronger than ever, still raspy and raw, but with way more emotion. There are plenty of slow songs too, all jangly strum and warm laid back groove, that sound quite a bit like Alice In Chains, which we don't mind one bit! In fact this whole record sounds like a gloriously perfect mash up of Trouble, Acid Bath and Alice In Chains, with some of the sludgier parts reminding us of other NOLA heavyweights like Down, Superjoint Ritual, Crowbar, etc. Fans of all things Pentagram, Wino, stoner rock, Sabbath worship, NOLA sludge-groove as well as all you Christian doomsters who have worn your Trouble records to bits should be all over this. Highly Recommended!

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The much-loved Wino, grizzled underground doom-metal guitarist and vocalist extraordinare, who first gained fame with the legendary bands The Obsessed and Saint Vitus and more recently fronted the popular Spirit Caravan (R.I.P.), is back, riding high in the saddle again in not one but two new bands. OK, Place of Skulls isn't actually new (more on them in a sec) but The Hidden Hand is. Basically they're the continuation of Spirit Caravan by other means it seems. Wino recruited a new rhythm section -- one without overt substance abuse problems -- that really allows him to fire up his trademark heavy stoner rock into punkier, more aggro realms than before. They really kick ass with some complex instrumental stuff goin' on. Definitely further out on a limb musically than the Caravan. Lyrically, Wino indulges in a lot of ridiculous conspiracy-theory -- he's really gone off the deep end with post 9/11 paranoia. But his heart's in the right place, politically revolted with the Bush/Cheney/Ashcroft coup. It's redneck radical rock for X-files fans. Heavy riffs, heavy concepts, there's even a reading list. Meanwhile, Wino also joined up with Place of Skulls, the band of ex-Pentagram guitarist Victor Griffin (whoo-hoo! supergroup!). Their first album Nailed came out last year on Southern Lord and we gave it a bit of mixed review, criticizing the vocals particularily. But they had potential, and now with Wino in the band they're much much better. It's a funny thing, actually, 'cause they already sounded a lot like Spirit Caravan or The Obsessed, but I guess they needed the talents of the man himself to really shine. His vocals help a lot. Victor still sings, too, but he's somehow better now thanks to Wino's example I guess! Dunno if they're still a Christian band, I'm not sure how Jesus fits into Wino's conspiracy theories... but he's certainly a 'spiritual' dude, so it works. Anyway, both Place Of Skulls and The Hidden Hand worthy successors to Wino's previous projects, with Place Of Skulls more straight-up doom metal for doom heads and The Hidden Hand harking back in ways to The Obsessed's DC punk roots, Bad Brains jazz fusion lurking in the grooves, though neither band would exist if not for Black Sabbath of course. And the Place Of Skulls album cover wouldn't exist if it weren't for Steppenwolf's "7"...

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Polished sweet-tart pop with vocals to melt your heart. The Places are Amy Annelle and Ryan Stowe, and I believe all they need to get things done are their gentle guitars and her voice which is a warm and honeyed combination of Karen Carpenter and Lois. On this record however, the instrumentation swells to lush proportions with a full band including strings, keyboards, and accordion. Hear them make everything soft and laidback and lovely.

The Places' new album is filled with drifty, dreamy folk pop that every so often detours into more cacophonous realms. It makes for a slightly off-kilter and woozy listen (maybe that's where the creeps in the title come in?). Simple strummed acoustic guitars provide a warm blanketing foundation while the electric six-strings splinter off noisy shards. Lead singer Amy Annelle's voice has acquired a few more quirky earthy edges since we last heard her on Autopilot Knows You Best back in 2000. Indeed, these days her voice draws more comparisons to Julie Doiron, Lisa Germano and the Be Good Tanyas, than Karen Carpenter or Lois. Quite affecting and wonderfully world-weary.

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SORRY. ***Last copy - on sale!****

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SORRY. Eureka, CA based power trio operating on the Blue Cheer/Fushitsusha axis of heavy psych sound with an unusual "folk-vibe" that permeates the murk.

Over a decade ago, Black Dog Productions found company with Autechre, Aphex Twin, and F.U.S.E. (the first project from Richie Hawtin) in Warp Record's "Artificial Intelligence" series. While Hawtin's work could be seen as one of the blueprints for the

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Plaid's Not For Threes album is a blissful neo-electro album of oceanic keyboards and disjointed breaks. Plaid features the talented members of the now defunct Black Dog. With two domestic-only bonus tracks, apparently.

A very splendid four-song EP from this UK IDM duo! Continuing on from last year's impressive full length Double Figure, they move further from their formerly much more playful, blissed-out sounds, weighting their delicate, melodious electronics with darker,

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Hot on the heels of Aphex Twin's "26 Mixes For Cash," the pioneering electronica duo Plaid offers their encyclopedic history of remix work dating back to 1994. Certainly none of the brilliant pisstakes, caustic re-inventions, and acid workouts found on "26 Mixes" will be found on "Parts In The Post," as Plaid have attempted to define themselves through a narrow production signature as 'leftfield'. Using multiple lego-block electronic melodies that waltz and spiral around skittered breakbeats, Plaid has crafted some of the wackier and quirkier moments in electronica. To their credit, this has worked on a number of occasions, in particular their wonderful remix of Bjork's "All Is Full Of Love," or the haunted plinky-plonk melodies of Studio Pressure's "Relics." Yet at the same time, the factory pre-set cornball jazz on the Gregory Flecknor Quintet's "Juicy Jazz Girls" or the caucasian stiffness of Kooolaking's latin house number "One Latin" don't do Plaid any favors. Without having the original to compare them to, it's quite possible that Plaid was working with flawed material to begin with. However, in the post-Aphex era when a remix can be anything, Plaid should give themselves the opportunity to do better by not painting themselves in a corner. "Parts In The Post" is not without its fine moments, although it is more for die-hard collectors of Plaid than newcomers to the group. MPEG Download: BJORK "All Is Full Of Love Remix" [/audio/plaidbjorkremix.mp3] MPEG Stream: BJORK "All Is Full Of Love Remix" [/audio/plaidbjorkremix.m3u]

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Dim those lights and sink into Plaid's deeply haunting and richly hued newest full length. Perhaps their smoothest album to date, Spokes begins with glimpses of low soulful vocals through resonant musicbox-esque chiming. Much less skittering and quirksome that previous works, but still very unmistakably Plaid. Andy Turner and Ed Hanley deftly craft tracks that are at once kinetic, lulling and enveloping... not to mention steeped with emotion. It's particularly the latter which sets this duo apart from most other electronic artists, and this their fourth album proper is certainly no exception. Lovely.

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What's up with lame musicians and bullying lawyers being such big jerks lately? First, LaMonte Young freaks out about the "Dream Syndicate" record and demands sole authorship, and now a member of Black Dog, forces Warp to change the tracks on this retrospective of Plaid (whose members were also in Black Dog), because he 'worked' on a couple of tracks. So after much dumb litigation, "Trainer" sees the light of day and features a ton of Plaid's awesome early material, including a handful of singles, alter-ego cuts, compilation tracks, and everything from the impossible to find "Mbuki Mvuki" debut album. The majority of "Trainer" was done around the same time that odd tweakers like Aphex Twin and Autechre were fucking around with their electronic gear to expand what rave culture had to say and could say. Those in the know called this sound IDM (still one of the dumbest genres tags of all time). Although Black Dog / Plaid was catagorized as such, "Trainer" is much closer to the emotive Detroit Techno of Carl Craig with little of the algorithmic mindgames that has come to dominate the Skam and Schematic branch of electronica. Instead, Plaid revels in clouds of halcyon atmospherics, Plus 8 (Richie Hawtin's old techno label) technoticism, occasional bad-ass/noir electro, and purposefully clumsy tribalisms. I had forgotten how good all of this stuff really was.

On our pal Jussi of Circle's Ektro label, here's the debut from a Finnish band called Plain Ride, who are sorta psychedelic and folky but are also sorta plain ol' alt-rock. Nothing wrong with that though -- and Circle fans should note that this band features the guitar and vocals of Janne Westerlund, currently the lead guitarist in Circle (if you saw 'em on tour in the States this year, he was the one least likely to be wearing a shirt). Citing Nick Drake and the Soft Boys (among others) as influences, he sings in English, and perhaps only his Finnish accent and the occasional echoes of Circle's propulsive krautrocky rhythms and prog-friendly keyboards will betray this album's origins, as it's for sure one of the most "mainstream" things we've heard yet from the Circle camp. Not top 40 radio mainstream of course, but also not freaky hypnotic spacerock or stoner drone either! Janne & co.'s songs are moody and dramatic, conventionally melodic with verse-chorus-verse structures... quite nice indie-rock for the most part if you're not looking for Circle's brand of weirdness. We might like this a bit better if the lyrics weren't in English, but that might just be our bias against...um...lyrics. The band is a quartet, plus guests. So in addition to your basic guitar/bass/drums and keys, you get some lapsteel, piano (ivories tinkled by Mika Ratto of Circle), and even a little trombone.

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Second, equally nice album from this indie rock side project by the guitarist from Circle!!

[ aquarius records catalogue — P ]