Aquarius Records closed in 2016. This site is an archive — a place to rediscover their extraordinary music recommendations. Nothing here is for sale.
Showing results 1451 through 1500 of 1919.
POUSSEUR, HENRI8 Etudes Paraboliques(Sub Rosa)4cd$ 23.00
Henri Pousseur is one of the lesser known European avant-garde composers, and has been active since the '50s embracing most of the various trends within the 'academic scene' (dodecaphonic, serial, electronic, aleatoric, etc.). "8 Etudes Paraboliques" finds
POW!Hi-Tech Boom(Castle Face)cd$ 13.98
Hi-Tech Boom is the debut from SF synth punks Pow!, and it's a doozy. Fuzzy, poppy, synth, new wave-y, not that far removed from a lot of the Castle Face stable, but with some retro-futuristic synthiness that positions it somewhere between classic Gary Numan, vintage Suicide and newer outfits like the Mind Spiders. The synths slither and buzz, even the poppiest jangliest numbers are underpinned by thick buzzing layers of synth, and peppered with wild squalls of glitched out synthy psychedelia, but for the most part, the tracks are minimal, stripped down and tranced out, the vibe sort of druggy and laid back, the vocals snotty and snarly, but laid back and sorta wasted, and while some tracks get kinda rocking, the record seems to tend toward sorta midtempo groovers and swaggery stomps, often bordering on zoner dirgery, everything doused in echo and reverb, some total freaked out electro-garage weirdness ("Sugi Walks"), some eighties post punk wrapped in distorto sci-fi synths ("Switchboard Scientist"), and hooky synth flecked garage pop ("66") in equal measure. Castle Face obsessives will no doubt flip for this stuff, and we're suckers for synthed out garage punk anyway, especially when it's all sorta druggy and hypnotic, and thus, this comes highly recommended!!
POW!One Eyed Scorpion(Grazer)7"$ 5.98
Latest from these SF synth punks, and the opening track finds the band drifting into more straight up garage rock / pop territory, the synths are still present, but don't define the sound as much as add a gorgeous buzz to the proceedings, and give things a bit of a new wave vibe, otherwise, the jam is crunchy and fuzzy and poppy, makes sense that their most recent full length was on John Dwyer from Thee Oh Sees' Castle Face label. And maybe not so weirdly, the title track here almost sounds like a more rocking version of a song from Dwyer's recent synth side project Damaged Bug. But when the synths do pop up, like on "The Punisher" and the rest of the single, they dominate, and add a twisted outsidery weirdness to the proceedings, wild and psychedelic and new wave-y and catchy like crazy. "Fight Fire" is a progged out chunk of synth swaddled Oh Sees worship, right down to the vocalist's echo drenched vocal 'whoo's, and finally, "Hangin' Out (At Home)" is a noisy, synthy blast of glorious noise pop / garage punk radness, that's reminding us just why we dig these guys so much!
POW!Pretend There(After Life)7"$ 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
POWELLClub Music(Diagonal)12"$ 17.98
POWELL, ROGER / M. FROG (JEAN YVES LABAT)Air Pocket / M. Frog(Edsel)cd$ 15.98
Oh, wow. Finally found a reasonably-priced cd reissue of this freaky, far out '70s artifact, that we first heard of being raved about by The Seth Man on Julian Cope's Head Heritage website a while back. We're talking about the "M. Frog" half of this twofer disc (we'll get to the Roger Powell part, in a bit). Originally released in 1973, it's a rockin' psych-prog opus laden with copious EMS Synthi-A workouts and an anarchic spirit of anything-goes fun. This record was the vibrant solo debut from a Frenchman named Jean Yves Labat (aka M. Frog), who at the time was the keyboard player for Todd Rundgren's Utopia - that being the American pop producer's proggier-than-thou outfit, Rundgren's answer to English bands like Yes and Genesis, as you may know. So Labat was quite the keyboard wiz, and also a bit of a weirdo, almost becoming a Benedictine monk, before he gave that up for a life of progressive rock excess. The M. Frog album draws upon his schooling in avant-garde composition - the colorful cover art is actually a part of a graphic score done in Labat's own unique color-coded notation for synthesizer operation. But it's very much hippie, heavy rock n' roll entertainment too. This album's opener and presumable alternate-universe hit single sold us right away - "We Are Crazy" lives up to its title, coming across like krautrock goofs Guru Guru jamming with Perrey-Kingsley, or Jean-Pierre Massiera endeavoring to outdo the Osmonds' "Crazy Horses"! The song is built upon catchy riffage with a TON of crazy synth action, and brilliant/dumb non-sequitur lyrics (about how they're crazy and stupid and lazy and if you understand you'll win a washing machine or a date with the Queen) that really drive the "We Are Crazy" point home. It's also reprised later in the album in an instrumental version (even more synth!!) and in both cases exemplifies Jean Yves Labat's statement of purpose: "I want the music to pop out. It's funny music. It's alive. It is for the living." The next track takes the volume but not the weirdness down a few notches, the moodier "Champegarpaen" being a kinda krautrocky percolating groove, adorned not just with synth but with sawing violin, Munchkin voices, Gregorian chant, musique concrete effects, and cowbell... Speaking of krautrock, some of this reminds us of Faust, in that it's more comic, than cosmic! Really each and every track here pretty wild, a manic mix of heavy rock jams, plenty of synth zips and zaps, and 'novelty' tunage replete with funny voices. There's some calmer, spacey moments too, as on album-ender "Relax Goliath" (such relaxation is needed by then). And Todd Rungren himself contributes a few fuzzed-out & synth-processed guitar solos here and there; not to be outshined, however, by Jean Yves' own indulgences in crazy complex keyboard solo sections too. They really don't make 'em like this anymore, and M. Frog must be the ultimate at whatever it is, exactly. A worthy reissue we're so glad to have, done quite nicely with lengthy informative liner notes in the thick cd booklet, which also includes more full-color examples of Labat's unusual & eye-catching musical notation. AND, that's not all, there's actually a whole 'nother album on this disc, by a totally different guy. That's right, the aforementioned Roger Powell, with his album Air Pocket. The rationale for putting these two together on the same cd is that Powell was, in a later lineup, also the keyboard player for Todd Rundgren's Utopia. Also both albums came out on the Bearsville label. But other than that, and total synth overload, they don't have too much else in common. Powell's brand of prog was less nutty, more cheesy, let's say� but not without its charms. Air Pocket, which actually comes first on this disc, non-chronologically for some reason, definitely has got a lot of '80s glossiness to it, with drum machines and plenty of synthesizer wank - enough that it was voted 1980 Album Of The Year by the readers of Keyboard Magazine. The record starts off pretty cool, the spacey "Lunar Plexus" sounding like the lighter side of something along the lines of John Carpenter, definitely the sort of thing today's fans of Zombi/Majeure will probably like. Then, the futuristic disco new wave pop of "Landmark" adds vocals, it's dated but kinda nifty in a way� the singing in particular kinda reminds us of XTC, for a moment anyway, maybe just 'cause Powell is English. Air Pocket gets a little freakier on "Emergency Splashdown", with klaxon alarm sounds, urgent rhythms, processed vox� More blissfully ambient-sounding electronics are represented by the brief "Morning Chorus", with guitar by Todd Rundgren. And then, as the second side of the original lp really gets underway, Roger Powell demonstrates his true prog/fantasy allegiances on a series of instrumentals, with titles like "March Of The Dragonslayers" and "Sands Of Arrakis". Which range from bright and chimey TV theme song tuneishness to more moody swirling ambience. Overall, Roger Powell's Air Pocket is a lightly proggy, soft, synth-laden yacht rock record that's kitschy fun, and not un-catchy. A bonus track by Powell is also included here, from a single he did in 1978, a slightly sinister synth version of surf classic "Pipeline", with a pounding bass beat. Good times! We probably dig that cover more than the actual Air Pocket album, in fact. But anyway, we already said the real reason to get this disc is for the M. Frog half, otherwise unavailable on its own, while you can count whichever Roger Powell tracks you like as fun, free bonuses and forget the rest.
POWER & THE GLORY, THECall Me Armageddon(Deathwish)cd$ 14.98
You'd better be good if you're gonna call your band The Power & The Glory! And thankfully this band does manage to live up to their heavy monicker. Not the power and the glory as in castles and dragons and swords and balls-in-a-vice vocals and widdly widdly guitar leads, no this is more like the power and the glory of a bunch of guitar wielding tattooed rockers kicking your scrawny ass with a massive slab of crushing chaotic metalcore with mega aggro screaming vox, punishing riffs and thrashing blast beats. A super dense blast of metallic fury sonically quite similar to AQ faves Converge, which makes a whole lot of sense since this just happens to be on the Converge guy's label and was recorded by Kurt Ballou.
POWER OF JISMYour Son Died Laughing(Heart & Crossbone)2lp$ 39.00
Fans of abject, chaotic, doomed-out noiserock/industrial heaviness a la Zeni Geva, early Swans, IIIrd Gatekeeper era Skullflower, old Godflesh, Splintered, and Lewd, you're gonna want to batten down the hatches and cuddle up with this!!! A super limited edition (300 copies only) double vinyl reissue of a cd originally released by this Dutch band in 1997 via the Supreme Tool Supplies label, pretty rare & obscure - we had never heard of it, and we were pretty into this sort of stuff back in the day. And it's really good. Six long tracks, each one a harrowing descent into feedback-laden, pounding sludge madness, with churning, clangorous rhythms, headcaving riffs, and anguished vokills that would give even the ultradoom stylings of Alan Dubin in Khanate some competition. On each song, a monster has been stirred from slumber, a nightmare given "musical" form, sorrowful screams coming from all throats and instruments all at once. So sickened, seasawing, distorted and distressed! The 1997 date almost seems too late, this really sounds like something that would have come out on Pathological in like, '89. Agonized, abrasive, cathartic, and car-crash compelling. Would you also believe catchy? Well, maybe, once you're in its dismal, lurching, heavy embrace! Big thanks to the fine freaks at Israel's Heart & Crossbone label for bringing this black hole of intense industrial rock to "light". Remastered by, yep, Khanate's James Plotkin, who was probably thinking, damn, my kind of shit! Us too. Recommended!! (Turns out, the singer/guitarist in this band, had also been in Lewd, who did a split with Zeni Geva once upon a time... see it all makes sense.)
POWER OF ZEUSThe Gospel According To Zeus(Get On Down )cd$ 16.98
Hell yeah, '70s proto-metal from Detroit (and not only that, released on a Motown subsidiary)! These dudes have appeared on some cool comps of heavy psych obscurities we've listed (Up All Night, White Lace & Strange) but this is the first time we've seen a legit reissue of their only album, from 1970, entitled The Gospel According To Zeus. This digipacked reish is from the master tapes. The album starts off with stone classic "It Couldn't Be Me", a track that hiphop headz might recognize as having been sampled on an Obie Trice record a few years back. What we also now realize, is that recent AQ fave band Malachai (the sampledelic UK duo on Domino) essentially sounds, at their best, a whole heck of a lot like that one song by Power Of Zeus - it's as if Malachai based their entire sound on the big beat fuzz pop hard rock of "It Couldn't Be Me"! So that's pretty cool. But Power Of Zeus have a bunch more bellbottomed acid rock goodness to offer here... ten tracks total ranging from upbeat garagey psych nuggets like "In The Night" and "I Lost My Love", to the mellower, harpsichord-laced "Green Grass & Clover" and the epic, aptly titled doomic dirge "The Death Trip", eventually culminating in the freaked out finale of prog opus "The Sorcerer Of Isis (Ritual Of The Mole)", another track that's been sampled by hiphop producers. Along the way, lotsa bangin' fuzz riffs, wailing organ, lofty vocals, and cowbell knockin' grooviness, real good stuff for all you proto-metal (and popsike!) fans into the likes of Sir Lord Baltimore, Granicus, Atomic Rooster, Dust, Frijid Pink, Bubble Puppy, and last list's proto-metal selections by Bang and Elonkorjuu. Way cool. If Power Of Zeus played shows with Funkadelic back in the day, we wouldn't be at all surprised...
POWER PILL FISTExtra Life(Graveface)cd$ 11.98
Last year we made Kongmanivong by Power Pill Fist a Record Of The Week, a dizzying blast of crunchy 8-bit tripped out fuzz drenched madness that became an immediate aQ fave, created of course by Ken Fec, one of the guys in Black Moth Super Rainbow, another group we love who plunder the past, taking all sorts of retro sounds and whipping them up into something wild and new. We knew there was another Power Pill Fist record, but couldn't seem to track down enough copies to list, until now. And actually, we barely have enough to list, 10 to be exact, but not everyone who loved that one will dig this one, since unlike Kongmanivong, Extra Life is a bit less playful, a little harder, more muscular, and WAY more noisy. The core sounds are still the crunch of 8-bit video game music and super lo-fi crumbling distortion, chopped up and arranged into strange rhythms and abstract textures, but where Kongmanivong was a pop record flecked with noisy bits, Extra Life plays out more like a noise record flecked with bits of pop. Dense and thick and a little bit caustic, sounds layered into repeating loops, fractured rhythms, often left to just drone or buzz, it definitely sounds a lot like a room full of arcade games gone haywire, little bits of playful bloop and bleep surface here and there, but they tend to be surrounded by thick sheets of wild corrosive blown out psych noise freakouts and pulsing lo-fi buzz. So fair warning to all the folks into the playful almost hip hopitty vibe and bubbly retro pop feel of Kongmanivong, this one might be on the difficult listening side, and will probably appeal more to drone folks and noiseniks, it's definitely a lot heavier, and darker, and way crunchier, although even adventurous pop nerds might give this a try, strap on some headphones, and Extra Life sucks you right in, burying you in a glorious soft cacophony of crunch and crumble and stutter and glitch and buzz.
POWER PILL FISTKongmanivong(Graveface)cd$ 12.98
Who would have thought that an Atari 2600 would be the instrument of choice in the new millennium, but as technology moves forward in leaps and bounds, seems like the most forward thinking sound makers are reaching back, WAY back. Souped up Gameboys, home soldered circuit boards, old school analog synths, even the recent Tristan Perich release which did the 8bit-ers one better (or more precisely seven better) by creating a suite of music assembled from ONE bit sounds, as low as we can go. For now. But for our generation, there's just something about the sound of 8bit buzz and crunch, the video games of our childhood, the strange alien computer soundtracks, it may push lots of nostalgia buttons, but you didn't have to grow up in the early eighties to dig that sound. So here we have the first release from Ken Fec, one of the folks responsible for the tripped out bubblegum electro pop dreaminess of Black Moth Super Rainbow, who for his alter ego as Power Pill Fist, seems to have gone back to his childhood home, pulled all the boxes out of the basement, and plugged every video game and antiquated game console from his youth into a 4-track, run it through his fractured pop sensibilities, a bank of damaged effects, and voila. The cool thing is this is not a 'noise' record. There are some seriously noisy moments for sure, but at its core Power Pill Fist definitely has a glowing pulsing energy crystal pop heart. Albeit a pop that is way more freaky crunchy fuzzy trippy and whatthefuck than most. And it's flecked with bits of skittery electronica, downtempo hip hop, and whatever else Fec had up his sleeve or in his head at the time. Originally this was touted as a record that was almost a straight recording of Fec PLAYING an Atari 2600, which would probably have been amazing, but this is way more musical and composed. There do seem to be some guitars, and some extra percussion, lurking within and beneath all the crunchy fuzzy buzz, but it's that buzz and crunch that defines the record. Give this thing BIGGER beats and you can almost imagine Daft Punk or Justice rocking some of these tracks in a DJ set. The disc opens with a murky bleep filled jam, the warbly melody and scratchy rhythm buried beneath thick layers of hiss and whir, wrapped around a simple way-down-in-the-mix guitar strum. It somehow manages to be lo-fi and lush all at once, some weird krautrocky Nintendo jam. The follow up is all big lurching drums and warbling blown out synths, that sounds like something Beck would jump all over. Some of the other tracks are much noisier, but even then, soft melodies, and haunting song fragments lurk below the surface. Then there's songs like "Chuckanut Drive" that sound like they could have been, should have been, heck, maybe actually were the soundtrack to some super obscure video game, bits of �other games-, Pac Man, Donkey Kong, etc. cannibalized and recontextualized into some new old game, but liberally sprinkled with dizzying synth squiggles and an extra layer of stuttering buzz. In between all of these blown out, almost-electro fuzz drenched 8bit jams, lurk subtly simple, bedroom recorded interludes, the strangely metallic minor key minimal strum of "Contours Gaining Shape" or the washed out low end droning whir of "R4eactor", and sometimes Fec will offer up a bit of abstract synth / 8bit experimentation or a more arcade-centric soundscapes like the straight video game field recording sound collage of "The Meat Tree" (sounding quite a bit like one of those Arcade Ambience discs), but it's always right back into another awesome grinding buzzy video game electro pop adventure. Imagine Pan Sonic produced by J Dilla run through a Colecovision. Or think Donkey Kong meets Rastan, chopped up and reassembled by the Flaming Lips. Or Autchre recording a new record using only a busted up old acoustic guitars and the guts of a Sega Genesis, or some crazy psychpop jam session, but with Intellivision consoles instead of guitars. Weird and warped, fuzzy and fun, heavy and crunchy, poppy and druggy and just fucked up and freaky enough to keep our ears buzzing and ringing non stop.
POWERFIELDElectronic Electric Electronic(Paratactile)cd$ 17.98
This trio of electronics, guitar, and percussion is a fusion of prog-rock congestion and post-psychedelic guitar (courtesy of Gary Smith of God, Mass, etc...). Joe Gallivan's electronics add a hint of breakbeat skitter. 'Much of the originality of the music comes from an unexpected but forceful sandwiching of intense 70s outer rock explorations and contemporary experiments with lo-fi electronics' - The Wire.
POWERHOUSEs/t(Erebus)cd$ 17.98
This cd reissue of a 1969 lp documents the Japanese answer to the British blues rock boom of the late '60s. It's from a band called Powerhouse, featuring future members of underground Japanese psych units Food Brain, Strawberry Path, Flied Egg, and Speed Glue & Shinki. Pertaining to the latter, this album's definite selling point is the fuzzed out guitar wailin' of axe-meister Shinki Chen. Though, in keeping with the blues theme, there's plenty of harmonica blowin' too, including on their rendition of the Beatles' "Back In The U.S.S.R.", which is blusified enough to fit comfortably next to the version of "Hootchie Kootchie Man" that follows it on this record. Hmm, a bluesy "Back In The U.S.S.R."? That's maybe not something we think most folks are in the market for these days... The album's in fact all covers, all of 'em with heavily accented English language vocals. There's more Beatles ("Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da"), and Hendrix ("Foxy Lady"), and a bunch of blues standards popularized by the likes of Cream and the Yardbirds. While "Ob-la-di" can't help but be fairly upbeat, many of the other tracks here tend towards the groggy and lumbering. Their version of Willie Dixon's "Spoonful" is downright sludgey, and clocks in at over 15 minutes. Also given an extended (16:08) workout is Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little School Girl", doubtless inspired by the Yardbirds' version. Another Yardbirds nod is "Mr. You're A Better Man Than I", Powerhouse's lovely version possessed of the melancholic vibe that Japanese psych bands old and new seem to be so good at.
POWERPLANTElectric Counterpoint (Kraftwerk / Steve Reich)(Signum)cd$ 21.00
POWERS COURTNine Kinds Of Hell(Dragonheart)cd$ 16.98
Powers Court is a metal marvel from the USA, Illinois to be exact. They're a three piece, but while bassist Steve Murray and drummer Mike Evams handle their parts well, the beating metal heart of the band resides in the person of Danie Powers, guitarist
POWERS COURTRed Mist Of Endenmore(Dragonheart)cd$ 21.00
You know how we're always talkin' cult this, cult that, with regard to black metal? Well heck if your black metal band *isn't* considered cult you may as well hang it up. But in other genres, the term can still have some actual meaning. Power metal ferinstance. Lots of not-cult bands of that ilk crowding the scene. And then the occasional one that truly is "cult", has a cult, or deserves a cult (following)... we'll leave it to black metal bands to potentially BE cults in the religious sense. In any event, all this is preliminarily in aid of saying, bow down, a new Powers Court album (only their third in 18 years of existence!) has finally materialized on our shared plane of existence!! We've reviewed and raved about their others, longtime AQ customers may remember. Basic info: Powers Court is a power metal trio from Illinois (yep, American metal!) whose cult quality is pretty much owed to the persona of the talented Danie Powers, guitarist/vocalist. Females are rare enough in metal bands, especially as leaders, making Ms. Powers immediately notable. She's notable too for her amazing, nearly 5-octave range. She'd be a unique and formidable vocalist alone, but she's also the main songwriter, shredder, and riffmaster (mistress?) of the band. Go, girl! And while it's been quite a few years since the last Powers Court album back in 2001, Danie & Co. seem to have put that time to good use, crafting a meticulous and magnificent display of 21st century true metal mastery... We'll recommend this immediately to Hammers Of Misfortune fans for a couple reasons, first you probably like operatic female metal vocals, and secondly, this is a concept album, a narrative based on some dark Italian folktale about doomed lovers and occult happenings. This sinister story is set against a relentless, surging backdrop of proggy, pyrotechnic power metal. And we do mean power. Full of explosive, galloping double bass drumming, chunky buzzsaw guitar riffage, harmonic squeals, herky-jerk rhythmic complexities, and, soaring melodically o'er it all, that haunting, weird voice. Theatrical, commanding, sorta like a power metal version of Grace Slick or Pat Benatar, also comparable to Kind Diamond. She sings like a woman possessed, sometimes a crystal clear delicate songbird (as on finale "Vain Regrets") in the upper range, sometimes descending to a much throatier, lower register that's definitely medievally monkish, or even akin to a black metal rasp. Often doubled, multitracked for extra eerie effect, Powers warbles and holds notes in weird ways, her phrasing always adding as much preternatural personality to the proceedings as does her wide range. Recommended! Definitely for Hammers fans, also for anyone into the dark, thrashy eccentricity of another American metal cult, Manilla Road.
POWERS COURTs/t()cd$ 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY. Triumphing true metal power trio from the USA, lead by Danie Powers, who is probably the most kick-ass woman in metal today. Not only does she play guitar, write the music, and design the band's website, she's the vocalist, and no ordinary vocalist at that: her range, from low growls to simply amazing high screams makes her the female answer to King Diamond. Not your typical female metal vocalist at all (we thought she was a German guy when we first heard the band, no offense meant.) Her band Powers Court plays speed metal in a style not that far off from something like, say, the The Champs. Occult topics (witches and high priestesses, etc.) provide the lyrical focus. Unique and impressive. (Not a new release, but we just got a few in stock, in anticipation of next year's release on Dragonheart.)
POZO, CHANO & ARSENIO RODRIGUEZ WITH MACHITOLegendary Sessions(Tumbao)cd$ 13.98
While in New York in 1947 researching surgery that might possibly repair his sight, Cuban tres guitarist Arsenio Rodriguez hooked up with fellow countrymen Chano Pozo (astounding percussionist and songwriter), and Machito (along with his orchestra.) The first
PRADO, PEREZAl Compas Del Mambo(Tumbao)cd$ 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY. Recorded between 1950 and 1952 this CD presents Perez Prado and his orchestra in their prime. Prado is credited with popularizing the mambo and fueling an obsession with Cuban music in the US that has lasted to this day. Incredibly tight, punchy arrangements, each punctuated by Prado's trademark guttural yelp - it's no wonder he was so popular then and still is today. Despite his nearly being overplayed and drowned in cocktail culture, he still emerges unmblemished - the James Brown of Cuba. Highly recommended!
PRADO, PEREZGo Go Mambo(Tumbao)cd$ 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY. Another great collection of recordings from Perez Prado, these recorded in Mexico between 1949 & 1950 and NYC 1951.
PRADO, PEREZKuba-Mambo(Tumbao)cd$ 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY. As far as I know, these are the earliest recordings of Perez Prado's own orchestra (which he formed in 1946) and recorded in Mexico between 1947 and 1949. Unlike his later recordings, which featured less and less vocal parts in favor of the more fashionable instrumentals, there are healthy doses of vocals on this recording from Orlando Guerra (aka: Cascarita), Abel del Rivero, Cecilia Ginzalez and other unknown vocalists.
PRAIRIE DOG FLESHTake The Green Over The Red(Three Lobed)cd$ 12.98
Prairie Dog Flesh is a Bardo Pond side project which is essentially Bardo Pond without the super stoned vocals of Isobel Sollenberger. And you get just what you expect: thick hazy distorted guitars meandering through improv psych rocks jams, performed
PRAMDark Island(Merge)cd$ 14.98
Birmingham-based Pram's sound has always featured the childlike voice of Rosie Cuckston fronting -- at least on their earlier albums -- a playful pop element that got them likened to Stereolab quite a bit. Now their sound has evolved into a suave cocktail lounge affair -- albeit much better done than other denizens of the space age bachelor pad. Rosie's delicate chirps are intact but the musical accompaniment is less sweet, more theatrical in a very good way. Think the noir soundtracks of Barry Adamson mixed with the female trip hop delicacy of Portishead. Think Morricone lite. Think that movie CQ. Think gritty, carnivalesque, macabre keyboard tinklings. For fans of Tipsy!
PRAMHelium(TooPure/American)cd$ 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY. Finally issued domestically. Of the same family of experimental drone-pop as Stereolab and sometimes much more challenging.
PRAMMusic For Your Movies(ae)cd$ 7.98
New four-song ep from these Britons.
PRAMNorth Pole Radio Station(Merge)cd$ 13.98
Pram's refreshingly lazy languid pop songs fully grasp all of the playfulness of the High Llamas but without all of their anal retention.
PRAMOwl Service(Domino)cd$ 6.98
This EP is comprised of a scant two tracks totalling eight minutes of music. No big surprises or stylistic departures here. As we've come to expect from Pram, drowsy female vocals murmur over angelic chiming melodies and slowly snaking subtly Middle Eastern-infused grooves.
PRAMSomniloquy(Merge / Domino)cd$ 9.98
Birmingham darlings Pram have been around for 10 years, and have covered a lot of ground in that decade. They started out as a duo, but have expanded their ranks to include numerous contributors. Their particular lovely brand of lightly hiphop-and-jazz
PRAMThe Moving Frontier(Domino)cd$ 14.98
Feels like it's been forever since Pram came out with a record, and while The Moving Frontier has been floating around Europe for the last year, it's finally getting its domestic release here in the States. Luckily they made the wait well worth it, as this is Pram at their most lush, vivid and cinematic. Sitting somewhere right between the melodic and bubbly elements of Broadcast and Stereolab and the moody elegance of Portishead, Pram have crafted a record that is much more concerned with creating an overall mood and sensation than it is being a vehicle for pop singles. In many ways Rosie Cuckston's breathtaking vocals serve as another layer to the rich instrumentation that shapes the record. And in fact a big portion of this record is instrumental. We can't help but think of what kind of dreamy and darkly whimsical film this could be the perfect score for. At times it would be the perfect soundtrack for some incredible underground version of a James Bond film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, other times its shimmering beauty and soft swirling psychedelia could be the perfect score for some lost Czech New Wave film of the '60s. As suspenseful and hypnotic as it is sophisticated and gorgeous, this is one of Pram's finest moments!
PRAMThe Museum of Imaginary Animals(Merge)cd$ 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY. New Pram album. For fans of Laika and Stereolab.
PRATES, JOSE & MIECIO ASKANASYTam...Tam...Tam...!(Trunk)cd$ 16.98
BBC radio DJ and avid record collector Gilles Peterson has never steered us wrong, especially when it comes to rare jazz and Brazilian music, and this one is a gem. Recorded in 1958, it is one of the rarest Brazilian releases, one that became a touchstone for the evolution of Brazilian music in the sixties from samba and bossa to tropicalia. So rare that Peterson didn't have a copy and was approached by a seller offering it for a staggering $4700, prompting Peterson to put an ad out in Record Collector urging someone to reissue it. Johnny Trunk saw the ad, got in contact with Tim Maia's nephew Ed Motta, who is a record collector and musician who had the lp in his collection, and got to work transferring Motta's copy digitally and remastering it, so we finally have a chance to listen to it, and it's quite fantastic. A part of a global touring show called Brasiliana by Polish producer Miecio Askanasy and arranged by Jose Prates, the cast members cut a couple of records and this is one of them. Its lush orchestration of exotic rhythms, haunting choral passages and old world musical theater charm at turns evoking the soundtrack work of Ennio Morricone and Allesandro Allesandroni, the exoticism of Les Baxter and Yma Sumac and even the choral African mass of Missa Luba by the Troubadours du Roi Baudouin, make for a captivating and hypnotic listen. But one song in particular, "Nana Imboro", turns out to be the inspiration for Jorge Ben's "Mas Que Nada", one of the most popular Brazilian songs ever made. At times, mournful, mysterious, reverent and ecstatic. Highly recommended!
PRATT, JESSICAs/t(Birth Rcrds)lp$ 15.98
PRAXIS1984(Subharmonic)cdep$ 9.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY. Reissue of the original early-eighties Praxis 12", on which Bill Laswell, fresh from producing Herbie Hancock's hit "Rockit", messes around with experimental electro scratching and shortwave radio noise. Later on Praxis became the amorphous funk/fusion/industrial band featuring guitarist Buckethead, but this release epitomizes the turntablist side of Praxis, and is a worthy reissue especially in light of the recent Praxis/Invisible Scratch Piklz collaboration.
PRAXISMold(Yikes Records)cd$ 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY. Perhaps this shouldn't be called a Praxis record (the only previous Praxis-member present is mastermind Bill Laswell himself, and Mold sure don't sound like any of the fusion/funk/metal Praxis has been known for) but it's also my favorite Praxis record since at least the very-different Sacrifist. Electronic beats, lots of synths and sampling, stabs of classical, drifting droning beauty. Very nice. (And no Buckethead, if that matters.)
PRAXISSacrifist(Subharmonic)cd$ 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY. Now-deleted second full-length from Bill Laswell's Praxis project, featuring members of Painkiller, Parliament-Funkadelic, Boredoms, and Blind Idiot God. Yep, deleted, but we got a few for cheap. So, if you don't have it already and the concept of dark metallic-industrial dub funk appeals, don't hesitate...
PRAXISTennessee 2004(ROIR)cd$ 14.98
PRAXISWarszawa(Innerrhythmic)cd$ 16.98
Long-delayed (but finally released) new live disc from the Bill Laswell-led, contantly mutating Praxis outfit. This time around, the line-up features bassist Laswell, long-time Praxis participant Buckethead (y'know, the new Guns n' Roses guitarist!), former
PRE-TEENSSunday Morning Service(11345 Records)cd$ 9.98
With the female yowls of Sleater Kinney, the in-your-face sweet presence of Mates of State, and indie rock power chords that twist your heart ever so painfully, the Pre-Teens break out with their second album. Possibly a little derivative but their hearts are
PRE-TEENSWhy Don't You Marry It?(Sassy Wench)cd$ 9.98
Yes, emo-boy-core seems perpetual, but we haven't really heard much from the emo-girl camp in some time, have we? Well, here we have The Pre-Teens: polished guitar pop that bounces us back to the mid-'90s. Swooping from feisty hit-the-road driving tunes to soft, thoughtful dreamers. It's already garnered plenty of inquiries and positive comments from in-store play. For For fans of Kristin Hersh, Jale or maybe even Team Dresch.
PRECIOUS FATHERSs/t(White Whale)cd$ 15.98
This Vancouver band's roster might boast members of pop outfits Destroyer and Sparrow and ambient electronic soundscaper Loscil, but Precious Fathers' sound is altogether different. In fact, their drifting instrumental pleasantness is very very in sync with those post-rock minded folks over on the Temporary Residence label (Explosions In The Sky, The Drift, and Sonna) as well as bands such as Tristeza and early Tortoise. These are nine very gentle and uncluttered arrangements with each instrument courteously making way for the others. Bask in the mellow warmth of their pretty guitar work and occasional horns. So nice!
PRECURSEUR GRAND BOIS22(Brave Mysteries)cd$ 12.98
PREDATOR / SUN ARAWReal Alines / Hey Mandala!(Not Not Fun)lp$ 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
PREFECTS, THE... Are Amateur Wankers(Acute)cd$ 14.98
PREFUSE 73Extinguished: Outtakes(Warp)cd$ 12.98
This album is billed as featuring alternate takes and beats from his recent One Word Extinguisher album, but don't let that fool ya -- this record might even be better than its fabulous "source". On thisrecord Scott Herren lets it all hang out. Much less precise and song oriented, this is glitchy and schizo and thus even more interesting, to me (Windy), than the previous album. It never get boring, the stops and starts are gently jarring, not confusing. There's funny vocal snippets, warm cellos, rough buzzes, fun beats, a heavy dose of hip hop, even a split second Dinosaur Jr sample. Recommended for fans of Amon Tobin, DJ Shadow, Unagi, Kid Koala, etc.
PREFUSE 73One Word Extinguisher(Warp)cd$ 17.98
First of all let's just say: Highly recommended for fans of similar hybrid-minded artists like Amon Tobin, Boom Bip, Nightmares on Wax, Kid Koala, Fridge, etc! With his second full length for Warp, the label that rarely puts out bad records, Prefuse 73 has created a downtempo breakbeat electronica album with a healthy grounding in hip hop. Yet the tracks with rapping don't stick out like sore thumbs (like on some lesser records I can think of) -- the album instead works as a happy, seamless whole, with cut-up buried rapping seguing into jazzy groove numbers blending into synth workouts next to glitch-filled triumphs of editing and then there's a vocal snippet and so on... There are no filler tracks, it's all quality -- bass-heavy, booty shakin', delicately clickety clackety *quality*. It's also delightfully unpredictable; you never know where it's going to take you next. Smoke pot to this record, or at least listen loud with headphones. The AQ staff was unable to get behind Mr Herren's first album but this one is just so good... With guests Tommy Guerrero, Daedelus, Mr. Lif, and more. MPEG Download: "The End of Biters - International" [/audio/prefusebiters.mp3] MPEG Stream: "The End of Biters - International" [/audio/prefusebiters.m3u]
PREFUSE 73Preparations(Warp)2cd$ 16.00
A return to form for Prefuse 73 in more ways than one. Experimental Hip-hop producer Scott Herren's main project (of many projects and monikers) has been slipping into mediocrity ever since 2003's One Word Extinguisher and it's follow-up Extinguished: Outtakes. While we loved those records, his follow-up releases have gotten bogged down by too many collaborations and outtake releases that rehashed more than they refreshed. Herren's signature cut-up staccato method is in full effect here (Even the cover art and graphics hearken back to his classic releases) and while it's not as fresh as it used to be, the tracks are underscored by bits of composed and orchestrated pieces which are featured in their full form on a bonus cd (also included with the lp!), called Interregnums. Interregnums is not a collection of outtakes but 15 suites of lush orchestral impressionist compositions that make this double disc worth the price of admission. After the stifling confinements of his many monikered projects zap all the life from the well, hopefully Herren will shed the personas and fully take off in this new and wonderful direction.
PREFUSE 73Reads The Books E.P.(Warp)cd$ 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
PREFUSE 73Security Screenings(Warp)cd$ 14.98
In the last couple years it seemed like Scott Herren was getting a little ahead of himself. It was beginning to feel like not a month went by without a new Prefuse 73 record or remix or release by one of his many other projects (Savath & Savalas, Piano Overlord, Delarosa & Asora, etc). While much of what he does is really good, the rate of his releases versus the overall quality was beginning to suffer a bit. The last Prefuse 73 with its multitude of guest appearances and vocal contributions seemed a little weak and stretched thin. Luckily he gets back to his bread & butter on this new Prefuse release. Chopped up beats, dissecting hip-hop anatomy and free jazz ferociousness. Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) makes one of the only two guest appearances that grace this record and with his current vision of electronics with a free jazz velocity, he and Herren make for perfect comrades. Herren even shows some humility and a sense of humor about himself by including a snippet of a radio interview where the host pretty much disses the last Prefuse record. But in true hip-hop spirit, Heron strikes back better and bolder then ever with a rewarding record that knows its aim and strikes its targets.
PREFUSE 73Surrounded By Silence(Warp)cd$ 15.98
Let's just start by announcing our favorite track on here, ok? "Rain Edit Interlude" transports a fairly long sample from Linda Perhacs' Parallelograms into the glitchhop modernity of Prefuse 73's fourth full length. Yes, to us it is the best. In fact, it seems to almost transcend the rest of the album as more of a fully baked "song", less a merely super-produced mix of glitches and samples. P73 (aka Scott Heren) seems to do well working with female vocalists (see Savath & Savalas) - even when they're simply sampled. The vocal track(s) tend to beautifully round out his glitchy click clack hip hop production. Other featured artists/samples include Ghostface, El-P, Aesop Rock, Broadcast, Tyondai Braxton, Masta Killa and GZA. Recommended for fans of Amon Tobin, DJ Shadow, Unagi, Kid Koala, etc.
PREFUSE 73The Only She Chapters(Warp)cd$ 14.98
There was a time when it seemed like every month would see a new release by one of Scott Herren's projects. Whether as Savath & Savalas, Prefuse 73, Diamond Watch, Piano Overlord, Delarosa & Asora, etc. But it seems like he's allowed himself some breathing room and dedicated some real concentrated time and vision to craft this new Prefuse 73 album, which stands for sure as the most emotive and moody recording we've heard from him in ages. Without reading too much into the titles of these tracks like "The Only Valentine's Day Failure", "The Only Recollection Of Where Life Stopped", and "The Only Guitar To Die Alone" it's easy to believe that this may be the first true heartache/heartbreak record Herren has made so far. And while we're sorry if his heart has in fact been broken, we're happy with the intricate and witchy electronics that have been born out of that heartbreak. The album finds Herren teaming up with some great haunting vocalists on a handful of the tracks including Zola Jesus, Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, and what may possibly be the last recording that Trish Keenan of Broadcast did before her passing earlier this year. In fact we get the feeling that Herren may have been listening to the great collaboration that Broadcast and The Focus Group made together as this album also is made up of ghostly miniatures that float and sway casting a mystical spell in their wake. So nice to be reminded that Herren is still one of the most talented and creative electronic music makers around.