[ 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 251 through 300 of 1919.

Third in the series of singles Papa M (aka Dave Pajo) has been releasing this year. There's one original, a cover of Little Feat's "Truckstop Girl", and a version of "Wild Mountain Thyme", which The Byrds also popularized. Methinks this is the most 'traditional' sounding of the series thus far, and also the best. Recommended if'n you're in the mood for a nice slice of pastoral indie folkrock.

MPEG stream: Truckstop Girl

Second in a series of cd singles from Dave Pajo, who you know not only as Papa M but as founding member of Slint, collaborator with Will Oldham, and member of Billy Corgan's new group Zwan. As with most of Papa M's work, there's an evocative pastoral folk tone that runs throughout, very nice! Reminds me of Simon & Garfunkel. Fans should pick this up -- it's not throwaway material. Songs: the traditional "Black is the Color" and two Pajo originals, "Mary Was the Kind" and "World's Greatest Sin." MPEG Download: "Black is the Color" [/audio/papamblackisthecolor.mp3]

MPEG stream: Black is the Color

Dave Pajo (ex-Slint, ex-Tortoise, permanent Lousiville resident) here returns with a somber Papa M recording. While this record is not as incandescently melodic and pretty as his Live From a Shark Cage album (which is definitely where you should start if you've Drawing away from the sweetness found in the repetitive loopy pop sounds of Shark Cage, here Pajo turns serious with a twang now and then. It's very nice, sad and atmospheric, with more vocals than previous Papa M Releases. A few songs sound like Leonard Cohen or the better laid-back moments of Lou Barlow. Altogether quite pleasant. The all star cast includes Tara Jane O'Neil from Rodan & Retsin, Will Oldham (Palace etc.), and Brit Walford from Slint.

RealAudio clip: Over Jordan
RealAudio clip: Roses In The Snow

The fifth installment of Papa M's audio tour diary series finds him in New York City on April 11, 2003. Quite possibly the lovliest of the bunch thus far, it's comprised of two collaborations with vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Christina Rosenvinge (Two Dollar Guitar) whose willowy voice adds more misty-eyed, introspective dreaminess to David Pajo's already world-weary, poignant music.

MPEG stream: Nickel Song

**MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** Another fantastic release from Mississippi, this one a collection of recordings from Greek folk singer Marika Papagika, who was born in 1890 and was one of the first Greek women singers to be heard on sound recordings, and who over the course of her career, toured extensively, owned her own club, with her husband (who also played in her band), recorded 225 performances, yet somehow remains sadly for the most part overlooked and underappreciated. The liner notes (by Ian Nagoski, whose records this collection was compiled from, and who also helped put together a whole mess of other amazing compilations including Black Mirror, String Of Pearls, Unheard Ofs & Forgotten Abouts among others) are extensive, and chronicle her life (what is known about it) as well as the recordings, performances and instrumentation. The music is of course hauntingly lovely and mystical, emotional and dramatic, her voice gorgeous and powerful, and the instrumentation perfect, simple, just cello, violin, clarinet and cymbalon (a sort of hammered dulcimer). Everything is bathed in that warm scratchy old record sound, but it only makes the music that much more beautiful, on some tracks you can actually hear birds chirping in the background, as if they had recorded outdoors, the songs are spare yet somehow so lush, moving and moody, just fantastic, fans of Greek folk music and Rembetika will of course need this, but anyone just looking for music that's both haunting and pretty, these songs totally transcend any sort of classification really, they're just beautiful songs, performed impeccably by an incredible band, and sung by one of the finest vocalists you've probably never heard of. Pressed on heavy vinyl, and housed in a thick sturdy jacket, with a massive oversized printed booklet, featuring extensive liner notes, as well as all the know photographs of Papagika.

Crisp sweet trio whose lush sound and three-part harmonies should appeal to lovers of pure pop. Head and shoulders above the rest of the pack, recommended.

Warning: NOT FOR EPILEPTICS!!! What's probably the best-yet dvd release from the Load label brings together a bunch of animations from the Paper Rad comics/video/art collective, whose hyper-kinetic, colorful aesthetic relies heavily upon what must be a mega-collection of childhood pop-culture memorabilia, y'know, stickers and stuffed animals and those plastic trolls with the dayglo hair and Muppet Babies and so forth. Animated with intense strobe-effects and eyeball-searing hues, in constantly-moving symmetrical patterns reminiscent of Eastern mandalas, these graphics are some seriously psychedelic shit. LSD for your DVD player. So awesome, yet a bit overwhelming after a while, which is why it's nice that part way along the the viewer is offered a bit of a breather in the form of a very deadpan, nonsensical narrative, wherein things slow down to examine the lives of three very odd flatmates, living in what may or may not be the middle of nuclear Armageddon. In the context of the rest of this disc, this segment almost seems "normal." Stepping up the pace again, other highlights include music vids for The Usaisamonster and Lightning Bolt side project Wizardzz, both bands whose spazzed music fits perfectly with this stuff. Highly recommended for those who'd like to try a potent dose of ocular insanity, but again, bewarned, potentially seizure-inducing!

We're really so excited to finally welcome local label Time Released Sound to the aQuarius family. We've yet to list anything, in part because their releases are so limited, but also, because they sell out so quickly. Every single release, every single copy is an incredible work of art. Each one hand crafted, individually assembled, numbered and hand stamped, letter pressed and printed, the packaging thematically linked to the sound within, with photographs, or old records, strange little knick knacks, clock hands, piano keys, they're really incredible, an absolute labor of love, with most of the limited versions taking hours to assemble, and the fact that Time Released Sound is just one man, makes it all the more impressive. So from here on out, we'll get a limited number of each release, they're quite limited already usually around 70-100 copies. And odds are we won't be able to get more than 10-15, but trust us, they're worth it, sonically beautifully, and visually stunning. There will be regular non-art editions of some of the releases, much less limited, and thus less expensive, but if you're after one of the limited editions, you'll want to act fast. The super limited art edition of this release sold out before we could manage to get any copies at all, but we did manage to get a handful of the slightly less limited (100 copies) digipak cd-r version, which is much cheaper, and still worth grabbing for the music inside, a gorgeous collection of field recording flecked folk, hazy and pastoral, spidery steel string guitars unfurl a dreamlike Appalachia over a bed of chirping birds, and mysterious bits of random percussion, a lovely bit of back porch dreaminess, which is how most of the record plays out, slippery slide guitar hovers over woozy bass and the sound of a gently burbling brook, long stretches of steel string buzz underpin simple, sweetly melancholic acoustic guitar, a crackling fire in the background, much of the music here is moody and muted, the guitar occasionally bursting into a fiery bit of psychedelia, but more often than not, darkly strummed, intertwining melodies creating lush landscapes of twang flecked drift. Fans of Scott Tuma, Ilyas Ahmed, Chris Smith, James Blackshaw and other Appalachian soundscapers would do well to check this out.

MPEG stream: Over Exposure (Prelude)
MPEG stream: Soft Focus
MPEG stream: Fading

Now available on vinyl! Musing about the name of this dandy SF one man band, we can't help but feel that he must be referring to the pretty delicate scissor craft and not the annoyingly painful stationery-inflicted wound. The Papercuts' retro-tinged pop is a honey sweet, wistful confection. Released on Devendra Banhart's Gnomonsong label, this new album moves upwards and onwards from 2004's Mockingbird. It's decidedly more mid-fi and more psych folk leaning than those previous lower-fi chamber pop styled recordings. Perhaps a little earthiness has rubbed off on him from the folks with whom he's recently collaborated such as Skygreen Leopards and Vetiver? Or perhaps he's been spending more time out in the wondrous wilderness? Whatever it may be, the results are splendid. Can't Go Back caught us daydreaming about paddling a lil' rowboat down a gentle stream, and peering dreamily over the edge into the sundappled depths. As we gaze at a fallen leaf drifting by, the sparkly glint from an orange-gold carp catches our eye. Aaaah. This album will surely appeal equally to fans of Yo La Tengo, Low, Olivia Tremor Control and the abovementioned Skygreen Leopards. Recommended!

MPEG stream: Dear Employee
MPEG stream: Just Another Thing To Dust

It's been so nice to see Papercuts really mature over the years. There was no doubt at their beginning that they had the ability to craft melt worthy indie rock, but as the years have passed their sound has only gotten more warm, layered and potent. As Papercuts now join their buddy and former label head, Andy Cabic (Vetiver) as the newest recruits for Sub Pop, it feels like just the perfect time for this shift to a higher profile. No doubt these two swoon worthy songs will get compared to Grizzly Bear and Beach House, but what makes us excited about Papercuts these days is that it really is starting to feel like they are discovering how to put their own unique stamp on such a satisfying sound. Can't wait for the Sub Pop full-length about to drop!

Available on vinyl for the very first time, the debut full length from these aQ beloved psych poppers, pressed on blue vinyl AND with a bonus 7" featuring two previously unreleased tracks! We've raved on and on about the various Papercuts records released since, but this was our very first taste of the Papercuts' sweet, dreamy lo-fi indie chamber pop. Singer/songwriter/engineer/band member, Jason Quever conjures up some lovely songs here. Anyone who enjoys The Shins' Beach Boys style retro-pop and other similarly heartfelt jangle and drift, will definitely dig the Papercuts' Mockingbird, big time! Recommended.

MPEG stream: Mockingbird
MPEG stream: Poor And Free

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

SORRY. A new release on lo-fi stylemakers cassingleUSA label, but don't be mistaken -- this is much more than a cassingle. Papercuts give us 13 songs, soft, sweet and bittersweet, this would not be out of place next to Music Tapes or Casiotone For The Painfully Alone. As a matter of fact, our dear pal Owen of Casiotone plays on track #4.

So lovely, and soft as pussywillows! Jason Quever's back with his fourth Papercuts full length! His indie psych-tinged pop calls to mind a more cryptic and loosely woven Camera Obscura or Magnetic Fields (when Claudia is singing, mind you!). Everything about You Can Have What You Want is warm and fuzzy and inviting. Generous applications of reverb melt and blur the pop song structures into ear-hugging blankets that glisten and glow. Quever's wheezy '60s vibe vintage organs cozy up to the ultra pretty string arrangements of Beach House's Alex Scally who contributed a good deal to this album. Wistful and slightly melancholic, this really is a terrific end of summer album. So maybe nab it now, and tuck it away for when you really need it come late August? Some might find it to be a gradual grow-on-you kind of album (as we admittedly sort of did!), so the timing might actually work out perfectly that it'll have completely sunken its dreary lil' hooks into your heart by Labor Day! Recommended if you like the abovementioned bands as well as Caribou, Loney, Dear, and/or fellow Bay Area popsters Grand Lake who also have a terrific new album out now.

MPEG stream: Future Primitive
MPEG stream: Jet Plane

We've always appreciated the music of the Papercuts, but we still felt like they were capable of more. Not all the elements had come together, something seemed to be missing, something kept it their sounds from achieving greatness. Always lovely and lilting and dreamily folky, but with Fading Parade, they have finally made the record they always seemed capable of creating. Perhaps it was getting signed to Sub Pop, but the Papercuts have elevated their song writing and delivery into an entirely different league. The recording of the album is so perfect in capturing a warmth and seduction in their songs that we had never felt before. Jason Quever's vocals are some of the most smooth and dreamy male vocals we've heard in such a long time. Not to keep pressing the Sub Pop connection but we can hear sonic and song comparisons to two of the labels best releases of the last decade, Chutes Too Narrow by the Shins and Teen Dream by Beach House. From their touring with Beach House this past year, we can tell that the Papercuts were able to really learn how to incorporate such rich and hypnotizing atmospheres into their songs. We also hear a touch of the elegance of The Clientele. This is an album that's both hazy and woozy, while also being catchy and emotional and immediate. We always love when a band we've been on the fence about, makes that huge leap and delivers a record that makes us all hardcore believers!

MPEG stream: Do You Really Wanna Know
MPEG stream: Chills
MPEG stream: Charades

Our only exposure to the man known as Richard Papiercuts so far, was as the frontman for NY lo-fi art punks the Chinese Restaurants, whose single from a while back on S.S. was a huge favorite around here, a sort of angular swampy punk rock, with dramatic vox (and some bizarre Obama samples), crusty and gothic, slithery and swaggery, crusty and pounding, the sort of thing we predicted might appeal to fans of Sacred Bones and Captured Tracks releases, but which definitely tended toward the darker and dirgier, so we were pretty psyched on this, and expected more of the same, or at least something similar. And while the vibe is definitely similar, the sound itself ditches most of the punk and crunch for a collection of dark ballads, still dirgey and sinister, the opener is a pretty abject slab of bluesdirge stumble, all bleated sax, atonal guitars, chaotic drums, and howled anguished vocals, the sound dizzying and depressive, a sort of druggy late night dirgejazz sludge. But then the follow up track changes gears again completely, with a sort of classic rock guitar part, with a strange electronic pulse, and a much more dramatically crooned vocal, a little over the top, but RP definitely pulls it off, a little camp, a little drama, but sonically, it's pretty mesmerizing. The follow up is similarly broody and dark, but returns to the noisier sound of the opener, the guitars crunchy and distorted, the feel much more swaggery and woozy. The A side of the aforementioned Chinese Restaurants single gets a reworking too, here "River Of Shit" retains much of its punky crunch, sans the Obama samples, with a pounded piano, a fuzzy squelchy synth, and WAY more over the top vox, which makes it sound even more demented. And here the awesome absurdity of the lyrics finally becomes apparent, and how the phrasing is just totally twisted, the whole thing like a warped take on classic singer/songwriter tropes, all drugged out and deconstructed, and utterly transformed into something way WAY cooler.

MPEG stream: Porkorgraphy
MPEG stream: Yolanda
MPEG stream: River Of Shit

Liz Pappademas' debut album is imbued with a hushed parlour elegance quite akin to Brooklyn's Edison Woods, but with strong female vocals reminiscent of Carly Simon. Intimately centered around her piano and voice, 11 Songs is smooth, smoky lounge splendor from start to finish. Assisting her with these eleven songs is Brian Kehew ( of The Moog Cookbook and the astoundingly obsessively comprehensive 'Recording The Beatles' book). Lovely!

MPEG stream: Loma Prieta
MPEG stream: I Had To Tell You

Wow, we really do never know what to expect from the Ormolycka label, except the unexpected. This latest batch of limited edition tapes is maybe even more diverse, and downright WTF!? than usual. We wouldn't have been surprised by electro rap weirdness, or exotic booty bass, or synthesizer soundscapery, but instead, in this particular case, we get vintage South American rock n' roll! Pappo's Blues were a heavy, bluesy (no duh) psych rock band from Argentina helmed by guitarist/vocalist Norberto "Pappo" Napolitano. They put out their debut, Pappo's Blues Vol.1, in 1971, and six more albums/volumes followed, through 'til 1978. (There are another two also, from when the band reunited in the '90s.) So, we suppose this Ormolycka cassette is some sort of selected 'best of' mix from various Volumes, probably the very earliest ones, though we don't know for sure as no info or track titles are given. Whatever the case, these are assuredly some badass, wailing proto-metal blues jams all right, riffy and distorted, with some fairly rough and ragged vocals in Spanish. Some tracks are in the more traditional, 12-bar, bar-room blues vein, but mostly this is way heavier sounding than that - the very first track on side A ("Sucio Y Desprolijo" from Vol. 3, we managed to figure out), is obviously majorly influenced by early Black Sabbath, as is a lot of the rest. Good times! A tape for anyone into the raw bluesy proto-metal action like Blue Cheer, Juan De La Cruz, Speed Glue & Shinki, Red Dirt, et. al.

MPEG stream: Sucio Y Desprolijo

Parade Ground are a Belgian duo, born in the new wave / post-punk explosion in the early '80s finding a sympathetic ear and an ongoing relationship with Patrick Coydens and Daniel B of Front 242. Despite the members of 242 encouraging, producing, and collaborating with Parade Ground, these Belgian lads didn't really fit within the EBM crowd that began to flourish in the mid-to-late '80s in their country. Their synth-pop melodicism drew more from the Brits, especially Wire and OMD. This collection, curated and released by Dark Entries, maps out Parade Ground's development from spiky post-punk into darkly tinged synth pop. Their 1987 anthem "Gold Rush" is featured here, as are the two collaborative tracks Parade Ground did with Colin Newman of Wire.

A track from local club kids Paradise Boys' The Young & The Guest List album gets the remix treatment from Daum Bentley and Modeselektor (bpitchcontrol). If you dug the full length, you'll surely shake a rump to this too. The A-side features the album version of "2 O'Clock" as well as Bentley's "2 O'Coke Remix". The B-side is the stronger of the two with Bentley's brooding "Running Lovers Dub Mix" and Modeselektor's "6pm Remix" grooving darkly and creating a more mysterious and shadowy atmosphere.

The Paradise Boys wanna sex you up with their poolside... errrr, dancefloor manner. Led by Jeff Fare (aka DJ Jeffrodeeziak and former member of The Calculators), PB are probably not for those seeking a deep listening experience. No way, they're definitely more for those out lookin' for action! This debut EP, mixed at Seismic Seance Studios (home of I Am Spoonbender), contains a total of four tracks rooted in the primal dancefloor urge. The lead-off (and title) cut is filled with ample servings of melodramatic vocals, uncomplicated midi arpeggiated basslines and electronic handclaps, but things get progressively more interesting in the subsequent remixes. Vocals are suitably fragmented and processed, and each of the three remixes generally sound much more polished and fully articulated. PB have enlisted Broker/Dealer who break down the repetitive nature of the track and add a bit more booty thumpin' to the proceedings, and Nikki Anderson with All The Way Lovers who adds a welcome dose of mood and mystery to the mix.

RealAudio clip: Gonna Make You Mine (Pair-Of-Dice Mix)

From the looks of the band name, cover photo,�and album/song titles, SF's Paradise Boys would have�you�think that every night of the week they're making the scene, indulging in a rainbow of flesh and chemicals, sexin' everyone up - cocktail in one hand, rolled twenty in the other. Indeed on their debut full length, it's nothing but�party music for party people.�Total�(plastic) passion, thrusting hips, sweaty hands. Flying high on plenty of substances,�and plenty lacking in substance.This album really should've come out a few years ago, as�the Paradise Boys seem excessively fashionably late for the electro-clash / disco-punk caravan...�maybe they've decided to follow�the lead of head 'Boy' Jeff Fare's former�bandmates' current band The Rapture -- expanding their line-up�from an electronic dance music duo to a full-fledged band and bringing together the�icy�stare of�electro, the primal urge of disco and the angular churn of postpunk. New Orderish keyboard lines, ching-a-ling funk guitar accents, thumpin' 4/4 programmed beats. The lead male vocals�can be�thin and forced, but they've added a female vocalist who brings a glimmer of passion to the proceedings.�As a result, they're showing more heft than their previous ep's�mirrorball melodrama (the album actually kicks off with an improved�reworking and retitling of one of the tracks from their first cdep/12"), but it's still the aural equivalent of a string of one night stands. If you're looking for an anonymous, no-strings-attached lifestyle accoutrement, you'd�best be makin'�your way across the dancefloor to�the Paradise Boys.

MPEG stream: Even If It Takes All Night
MPEG stream: I Burn For You

After two cd-r's and a proper cd of completely gorgeous improvised Sitar music from Erik Amlee, we pretty much got to the point where we'd buy anything he put out. But we definitely weren't prepared for this Paradise Camp 23 disc. Sitar is still his instrument of choice, that and electric guitar. But PC23 is not another Amlee solo venture, PC23 is a 4 piece. A real band. Sort of. All improvised, these tracks sound a bit like Amlee's solo material but WAY heavier, WAY darker, WAY more dense, and a lot thicker, and more slithery and almost metal at times. You can definitely hear lots of Bardo Pond, and SUNNO)), and Sunroof! and even some NNCK or Sunburned Hand. But with a haunting Eastern buzz, and way more of a blissed out psychedelic sprawl. Some tracks are monsters, huge churning walls of downtuned guitars, others are dreamy and shimmery, with the buzz of the sitar spreading out like a late morning fog, while guitars and electronics just drift lazily by, others are weird primal tribal jams, rife with deconstructed riffs, bits of random percussion, lots of buzz and clang and clatter, and still others are straight up sun dappled, strummy dream folk. So great. A definite contender for psych-dirge-dream-buzz-drone record of the year!

MPEG stream: Kether
MPEG stream: Oaxaca
MPEG stream: Bhang

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

SORRY. Newest installment in the always great and way too limited Latitudes series comes from none other then Jenny Hoyston of Erase Errata fame, with her side-project Paradise Island. The second we put this on we knew we had a new favorite Summer song! "Motions" has this amazing urgency, simplicity, power and passion that has seeped right down into our souls. In fact we're pretty happy to finally put the "repeat" function to use on our cd player's remote control as Irwin and Scott had to get their fix over and over and over! Luckily the rest of this short ep is just as good, definitely some of the best songs that Jenny has ever churned out. We can't even begin to tell you how obsessed we've been with this ep playing it again and again in the store and still more at home. While DJing? On our iPod? Yes yes yes! Four songs of direct action cutting out all fat and leaving us only with the sounds that matter. This is the kind of D.I.Y. punk spirit that still makes our heart go all a flutter. So good! Remember this is part of a limited series so make sure to get one before they are history...!

MPEG stream: Motions
MPEG stream: Pedal Revotion

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

SORRY.

White Fur /// Black Cathedral from Canadian psychedelic spacerockers Parallel Lines /// (pretty sure the actual parallel lines are part of the band name, if they're not, they should be!), is the very first release from a very cool new UK label called Oaken Palace (whose other two releases are also reviewed elsewhere on this week's list, records by Nadja and Caudal). Oaken Palace are in fact, as far as we know, the first totally non-profit label (at least intentionally!), the label a purely charitable endeavor, that takes all the profits from record sales, and donates them to various environmental organizations around the world. The label focuses on dronemusic and psychedelia, which is obviously right up our alley, and besides the amazing music, we can definitely get behind the label's mission as well, which is to strengthen the connection between music and nature, in a much more tangible way than most groups, who just take promo shots in the woods, and adorn their record covers with all sorts of mysterious nature imagery. The label takes this mission/concept a step further, having each group on the label pick a specific endangered species or habitat, their record is then dedicated to said animal/habitat, the record is then produced in an environmentally sustainable manner, with 100 percent recycled sleeves, zero carbon vinyl pressing, etc., and then each artist picks a charity related to the species or habitat the record is dedicated to, and that's where all the money goes. So cool! Parallel Lines /// have chosen Polar Bears, and thus all the proceeds from White Fur /// Black Cathedral will in fact go directly to Polar Bears International, the world's leading polar bear conservation group. Parallel Lines /// might be a new name to most folks, but at least one of the 'Lines will be familiar to longtime readers of the aQ list, Eric Quach, whose one man drone outfit Thisquietarmy is a huge favorite around here, and that sort of swirling blackened drift is definitely all over PL's sound but this is no ambient record, these guys belong more alongside outfits like Carlton Melton, crafting slow building, brooding psychedelic epics that transform from abstract cosmic drift, to dense swirling heaviness, two epic sidelong tracks, the first begins as some total interplanetary bliss out, swirling cymbal shimmers, cascades of sci-fi synths, prismatic and celestial, the drums gradually surfacing, before becoming a wild free form chaos, the surrounding instruments following suit, a thick billowy cloud of FX heavy soft noise trippiness, the drums soon settling into a simple motorik groove, suddenly anchoring the whole sound, and transforming it into something much more propulsive and psychedelic, the guitars growing more distorted, the sound getting heavier and heavier, before it all splinters into a dense, roiling swirl, which in turn soon fades out, and expands into a glimmering star field of sound, drifting spectrally, until the drums once again take charge, and harness the clouds of thrum and whir into some serious mesmerizing hypno-rock minimalism, a minimalism that quickly becomes maximal, blossoming into a gorgeous heavy psych crescendo, and then immediately slipping into some slow decay fade. Awesome. Fans of White Hills, The Heads, Carlton Melton, Hawkwind, all the purveyors past and present of total transcendent space psych, this will definitely push all your buttons. And hell, there's a whole 'nother side to go, and it's another doozy, the opening a hazy stretch of washed out thrum, like the Caretaker or Tim Hecker, all gristly and grainy, the drums slowly surfacing through the murk, a little bit of twang, some lush chordal guitar swells, the rhythm an understated shuffle, the guitars thick and softly roiling, meditative and trancey, the vibe is slow build psych, but instead of exploding into another stretch of heavy jamming, the sounds seem to melt and ooze into a dreamlike glimmerscape, all softly pulsing synths and soft focus melodic glistening, a sort of kraut-age ambience, weightless and ethereal, but these guys aren't done yet, the sound morphing into some almost Necks like skittery jazziness, before quickly becoming yet another stretch of hypno-rock mesmer, all hazy and dreamily druggy, before one last blow out, heavy psych swirl giving way to a final field of crystalline shimmer. LIMITED TO 300 COPIES, 180 gram white vinyl, 100 percent recycled packaging, and includes a download code too!

MPEG stream: White Fur
MPEG stream: Black Cathedral

The overall picture of Rykarda Parasol's music is one of somber, tarnished beauty with a smoky cabaret atmosphere. Ms Rykarda possesses a powerful voice resembling a melding of Siouxsie and P.J. Harvey -- slightly ashen and achingly empassioned. It's presented prominently amid the reeling piano, organ, violin and guitar. Hearts and wounds are laid bare in deeply wrought fashion. Includes a cover of The Gun Club's "She's Like Heroin".

MPEG stream: En Route
MPEG stream: Lullaby For Blacktail

On her second release Our Hearts First Meet, SF chanteuse Rykarda Parasol sounds as though she's weathered a storm or two since her well-received debut cdep a couple of years ago. Her deep, slightly tattered, world-weary vocals bring to mind those of Carla Bozulich and Siouxsie Sioux, but mellowed out in a way that's more along the lines of Cat Power's Chan Marshall. Much rain and tear soaked enchantment is infused in each of her fifteen songs. The shadowy mood is supported by the beautiful cover art and striking, hazy black and white insert photo of Ms Parasol, but it's also unfortunately somewhat undone by the assorted casual band photos that reside on the inner traycard. Alas, but 'tis a minor distraction. Nevertheless, a fine follow-up to 2004's Here She Comes.... Released on the evergrowing SF indie label Three Ring Records.

MPEG stream: Hannah Leah
MPEG stream: Lullaby For Blacktail

The guys (and gal) in San Francisco's Parchman Farm are doing their dangest to rekindle the spirit of the city's sixties ballroom era, when righteous psychedelic rock ruled the scene. This five song, 23 minute ep is their recorded debut, and right away you'll realize that there's some serious Blue Cheer worship going on here (which you might guess from the band name and cover graphics). It's like they brought Dickie Peterson into the studio to play the bass line on their song "Say Yeah" -- and that stuff rocks. But Blue Cheer aren't their only influence and they get all melodic as well, not always trying to turn the air into cottage cheese with sheer amped-up umph. Over the course of these five tracks, they go from all heavy to trippy and hippy and always come through with full-on rawk vox and even (of course) cowbell... Ironic and retro it might be, but I think that they're legitmately into this sort of '60s/'70s thing and trying real hard. They definitely have the sound. But do they have the songs? Almost. I mean, nothing here would/should really fool you into thinking it was a lost out-take from Vincebus Eruptum or Tyranny And Mutation or Closer To Home. But they're getting there. A decent debut for sure. By the way, we think that someone at Parchman Farm's label Jackpine Social Club might need to check into rehab, for writing in the band's press one-sheet such god-awful lines as "their jean-clad legs wrapped around a fleshy column of stoner rock sludge and humpin' it all night long...like a shark riding on top of an elephant, just stomping and chomping everything in sight". What? Ugh. I mean, we've written some clunkers too, but...

MPEG stream: Mirror Spirit
MPEG stream: Say Yeah

Maybe we shouldn't be so hard on the Acid Mothers collective for being so prolific. You and I go do our jobs everyday, and no one complains as long as we do a good job, and are productive and successful, right? So until AMT start peddling utter crap, maybe we should give them a break. It just so happens that their job is to explore the cosmos with spaced out synths and swirling rattlesnake guitars, and to spread wild, freaked out psychedlic love. And they continue to do it better than most of their contemporaries. It just gets frustrating from a fans point of view to try and keep up. So here we have the third or fourth AMT release this month (seriously), this time it's record number two from the Pardons, the guitar/synth duo of AMT frontline Cotton Casino and Higashi Hiroshi. And it's quite a gorgeous affair. Any traces of pychedelia dissipate into an expansive and spacious dreamscape of tinkling shimmering chimes, spacy dreamy ambience, gently finger picked guitars, reverbed crystalline tinkle, theremin like vocal trills, and soaring distant operatic vocals, like wisps of smoke floating lazily through the air. Beautifully serene and gorgeously otherworldly.

MPEG stream: Lune Qui est a Son Premier Quartier
MPEG stream: Se Promener au Clair de Lune

The much anticipated return of Paris. A man who's no stranger to controversy, Paris' new album is certainly going to sell a few copies and/or cause some consternation over the cover alone. Most people can remember his debut The Devil Made Me Do It as a kick ass record for its time, and his 1992 track "Bush Killa" certainly garnered him some attention. But his following albums suffered from good intentions coupled with tepid production values. Sadly, if it wasn't for the bold cover and title we honestly probably wouldn't have picked up his newest. Sonic Jihad isn't a complete disappointment though. And depending on one's predilection toward late nineties west coast production values you might get even more mileage. The funky bass low rider optimized rhythms here smack of Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg's hey day. But the worst of it is the background soul vocals of the slow jam variety that do the biggest diservice to the album. On the upside, there's a great cameo appearance from Capelton (Dead Prez, Public Enemy and Kam also make appearances). And lyrically, it's a great album. While everyone else in hip hop seems content to press their street credentials ad naseum, it's about time that someone stepped up and bitch slapped Dubb-yuh. Paris and the Dixie Chicks, what strange bedfellows.

MPEG stream: Freedom
MPEG stream: What Would You Do?

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SORRY. "This past August, I was in Nashville on vacation listening to WRVU, the 'alternative' radio station affiliated with Vanderbilt University. For thirty minutes or so, they were playing this amazing avant-garage-drone track by 'The Legendary Dave Cloud'... needless to say, it was a friend of the DJ who had recorded this track on his 4-track earlier that day. Until I find any of his recordings (hopefully he has sent some demos to Drunken Fish or Majora, who should appreciate this hidden talent), there's this kick-ass album from Paris 1942, which includes Rick & Alan Bishop (of the Sun City Girls) and Moe Tucker! They only played together 4 times but had enough sense to record at least an album's worth of lo-fi improv garage-punk tracks. Highly Recommended!" - Jim, AQ staff guy who would love any info / demos on the aforementioned Dave Cloud.

Multi-instrumentalist John Parish weaves together a mostly instrumental record with the help of some highly qualified friends such as Howe Gelb, Eric Drew Feldman, PJ Harvey and more. A good deal of the tracks laid down here sound as if they would make the perfect soundtrack to a Hal Hartley film. Some of the other instrumentals just sound like they're unfinished rock songs from the sketch book. For the most part this album is just "okay". Maybe, aside from the lack of any songs that stand out, there's just an absense of coherency that would hold the album together. Not that rock albums need to be concept albums, but one that consists primarily of very "filmic" instrumental material sort of begs for, if not leit motifs, then something to bind it together. But what really makes us cringe is the absolutely un-called for "Airplane Blues" at the end of the album, in which PJ Harvey sings some of the worst blues vocals on the whitest blues jam since Jon Spencer. Sure it's a joke, but the type of joke that's best left for the band and the engineer to enjoy in private.

RealAudio clip: How Animals Move
RealAudio clip: Airplane Blues

Once Upon A Little Time is the second solo release from Mr. John Parish... and have to say, we're not quite sure what to make of it! It's a bit of a puzzling work. In contrast to 2002's mostly instrumental How Animals Move, there's much more of a vocal presence on Once Upon A Little Time. On some songs he bears a surprisingly striking slouchy resemblance to Beck ("Sea Defences") while on others he intones deeply like a cross between Lou Reed and Howe Gelb ("Somebody Else"). Actually with it's balance of light-hearted numbers and more somber creepers, you could easily mistake this for a Gelb album. Not a bad thing! No, qute the contrary, but it's just sorta strange. His vocals are nicely complemented by those of Ms Marta Collica, and once again he's joined by members of PJ Harvey's band, Portishead and Nick Cave's Bad Seeds.

MPEG stream: Sea Defences
MPEG stream: Somebody Else

Parker Street Cinema are a slightly unconventional post-rock three piece. How so? Well, while their sound for the most part keeps within the confines of Chicago style post-rock, they do give the conventions a refreshing nudge. On this their first five-song cdep, they've got bass guitar, they've got drums, but 'instead' of guitar they've got piano! Lots of moody dramatics and dynamics. An impressive debut!

MPEG stream: Deliver
MPEG stream: Midnight Shakes The Memory

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SORRY. Domestic version of this great album, the debut by this electronica-diva. It totally sucks that Mo'Wax put so much time and energy into that piece of crap U.N.K.L.E. record when the ONLY female artist on their roster creates a record this good. Sub-bass electro thud, dark cello melancholia, breathless Portishead-esque vocals, and an exquisite attention to detail make this record as good as it is. Parker does it all, she produces, she sings, she djs (check out her fine entry in the "DJ Kicks" series)...in a better world this would be getting the push, and the attention, that not-so-hot UNKLE disc did.

The instrumental version of Andrea Parker's outstanding "Kiss My Arp" album... without the breathless vocals, Andrea's mild reworkings display her talents of moody electro-thud and dark cello melancholia. Deep, enveloping. Shadowy and gorgeous.

Somehow Andrea Parker manages to continue to release music that is forward-looking and challenging yet always super crowd-pleasing and easy to listen to. How does she do it? She's plies her trademark moody electro-thud by starting off with a heavy addictive rhythm and severe yet lush beats, then adds doom-laden synth shrieks and bass thumping that's worthy of, say, Techno Animal but

RealAudio clip: The Swamp

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SORRY. Breathy female vocal accompanied by emotional Portishead-like triphoppedness. There are 2 different vinyl 12"s (available separately), one with Attica Blues remix, one with English String Orchestra. The cd collects all the versions and adds one more. A headturner.

Billed as "the ultimate Charlie Parker collection," packaged in a slipcase with a thick booklet.

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SORRY. Working with Lawrence Casserly (who collaborated with Parker for the amazing Solar Winds album for Touch), Noel Akchote, and Joel Ryan, Parker has managed to construct live soundscapes resembling musique concrete's erratic starts and stops in and out of silence. Lots of discordant blips make for an another great album...

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SORRY. Solo sax skree from the circular-breathing master. A classic.

The British avant-garde saxophone titan's latest release for John Zorn's Tzadik label is something that we think will appeal to more than just the regular "jazz peeps" out there. It's one for those into Steve Reich style 20th century minimalism as well -- or any sort of mesmerizing, droning, repetitive music that can be both beautiful and challenging. Evan Parker, a stalwart of the UK/European free improv scene since the '60s, is known for both his mastery of the "circular breathing" technique (which can prolong his soloing seemingly indefinitely -- it's a sight to behold if you ever get to see him play!!) and, more recently, for being very open to the use of experimental computer/electronic processing in the context of live acoustic improv. While Time Lapse doesn't involve electronic effects, it does use the studio in a way unusual in jazz, heavily overdubbing the multiple saxophone (and on one track, organ) lines played by Parker. Once set in motion, these burbling streams of sound gradually, mentally mesh into "clouds" of music that in places recall a horn version of AQ fave pianist Lubomyr Melnick. Actually, a few of these pieces ARE in fact completely solo, just one track of saxophone, yet it's testament to Parker's incredible technique that they still sound overdubbed and "multivoiced" even when they're actually not!!! The melodic and tonal qualities of the eleven tracks here certainly differ... some sound completely soothing, with all the prettiness of birdsong, whereas others have more of a seasick, "squeaky wheel that needs the grease" thing going on, like bagpipes fed backwards through a tape machine or something. As mentioned above, we're reminded of Steve Reich, some of this almost sounding somewhere betwixt that swinging pendulum microphone feedback piece of his, and the endless, skronky improv blowing of solo sax familiar to fans of Charles Gayle, Anthony Braxton, Peter Brotzmann... or Evan Parker. Cool.

MPEG stream: Gees Bend
MPEG stream: Pulse And The Circulation Of Blood

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SORRY.

Evan Parker - the venerable saxophonist and avant-jazz icon of the UK, known for his mastery of circular breathing - and John Wiese - the Californian noisenik with a vast array of lo-fi meets hi-tech strategies in gnarled sound - set forth on a series of collaborative concerts in 2008 throughout the UK. On an off day from performing, the two found themselves in the studio where they recorded these real-time improvisations. Parker's looping glissandos and continuous streamed notes result from his circular breathing techniques; and Weise musters a static-laced cacophony, cable buzz splutter, and start-stop tape mechanications given over to MSP control systems. Wiese doesn't succumb to any ill-informed desire to dress-up his noise constructs, if anything his abrasions with all of their soft and loud dynamics are as guttural and gurgling as ever. Well, they never hit the full-on sustained explosion of some of Weise's Sissy Spacek recordings; but what good would that do for Parker? If anything, this is a solid redux of the British improv ethos that Parker helped pioneer in the '70s.

MPEG stream: No Shoes
MPEG stream: The Jist

[ aquarius records catalogue — P ]