[ 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 651 through 700 of 1910.

More one-man metal band madness. This time from Cleveland Ohio, and man is this stuff crazy. Instead of just playing all the instruments himself like a 'normal' one man band, he records the drums, the bass, the guitars, -and- the vocals, loads them into

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We listed Therios' amazing "II" disc last time, and the response was so good that we just brought in a few of this older self-titled Therios release. Like "II", this recording is a studio/computer-assembled one man band project. It's constructed from

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We raved up and down about the Thermals last year with the release of their ass kicking, Strokes squashing jangle punk classic More Parts Per Million, a sweaty, sloppy, lo-fi kick in the nuts, equal parts Stooges, Strokes, Ramones, Guided By Voices and loads of snotty swagger. Now, they're back! With a supposedly cleaner production, which worried us a bit, but on first listen, it became clear that better production just meant differently shitty and sloppy. Which is a relief, 'cause the Thermals' brand of simple, catchy, snotty punk-pop sounds so much better all sweaty and covered in lint and crumbs and broken glass and whatever else was all over their practice space floor. And while the sound is still appropriately raw and in your face, some things -have- changed. There is definitely more of a pop to punk ratio this time around, with the band expanding beyond their 4 chord, 2 part song limit. Although for every lilting melody and sugary sweet hook, the Thermals stomp it to bits within minutes. Lots of folks here think that this is what the Mountain Goats would sound like all drugged up and punk rock supercharged, with the vocalist's nerdy whine, sung/spoken delivery and oblique wordy lyrics. Imagine the simple jangle pop of the Strokes, the skewed take on classic Beatlesque songwriting of Guided By Voices, the three chord stomp of the Ramones and add lots of packed basement, broken down van, DIY, punk rock snarl and you've got Fuckin A.

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Everybody who's been worshiping at the altar of the Strokes for the last year will be facing some serious theological choices with this, the debut from the Pacific Northwest's Thermals. A buzzing blast of white knuckle pop in punk rock's clothing. The Thermals sound like the Strokes cranked on crystal meth and recorded on a boom box in a sweaty smelly basement. The lazy jaded stoned jangle of the current crop of New York hipsters is rolled in dirt and piss and whiskey and handed a beat up old guitar. Thirteen songs, most barely reaching the two minute mark, of blasting fuzz and ramshackle rooooaaaaarrr with a whiny, snotty vocalist climbing all over your table and spilling drinks in your lap. Or think Guided By Voices if their drug of choice was speed instead of Pabst Blue Ribbon and their influences were the Stooges and the Feederz instead of the Beatles and 80's/90's college rock. So great!

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Four-song ep previous to their "More Parts Per Million" full-length that Andee loves so much.

Finally reissued on vinyl, the debut from, and our favorite record by, this kick ass Northwstern trio, who would blow up pretty big after this album, but More Parts Per Million remains the group's best we think. Here's our review from when we first reviewed it way back in 2003: Everybody who's been worshiping at the altar of the Strokes for the last year will be facing some serious theological choices with this, the debut from the Pacific Northwest's Thermals. A buzzing blast of white knuckle pop in punk rock's clothing. The Thermals sound like the Strokes cranked on crystal meth and recorded on a boom box in a sweaty smelly basement. The lazy jaded stoned jangle of the current crop of New York hipsters is rolled in dirt and piss and whiskey and handed a beat up old guitar. Thirteen songs, most barely reaching the two minute mark, of blasting fuzz and ramshackle rooooaaaaarrr with a whiny, snotty vocalist climbing all over your table and spilling drinks in your lap. Or think Guided By Voices if their drug of choice was speed instead of Pabst Blue Ribbon and their influences were the Stooges and the Feederz instead of the Beatles and '80s/'90s college rock. So great!

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

SORRY.

We're excited to finally be able to get hold of this second release by this Tokyo drums and electronics duo! Former Melt-Banana drummer Toshiaki Sudoh and Gaji guitarist Yui Kimijima, together known as Thermo, have been fixtures on Tokyo's avant improvisational underground for quite some time now. Having both been featured in separate improvisational settings on the excellent document "The Improvisation Meeting At Bar Aoyama", as well as numerous performances within their native country, these guys have been unstoppable. In Thermo, Kimijima sets aside his guitar in favor of an assortment of electronic devices and effects, through which he filters the unrelenting fiery force of Sudoh's unstoppable percussive attack. The result isn't as repetitive as one would think -- certainly most appealing to drummers and those into breakbeat culture and instrumental rhythmic jams, the duo's mechanical distorto beats, crunching funktronix and ballistic breakbeats also cough up rhythms and sonics reminiscent of ESG and This Heat. Very cool -- although, be warned, the casual listener (like your housemates, say) may be driven insane by this.

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These Arms Are Snakes surprise us by going in a new, increasingly metallic direction. It spurred us to muse, "what happens when the guys leave their Mastodon and Big Black records out in the sun next to each other?" Not a bad thing, just quite different from what this post hardcore band used to sound like... at least to our memory. There's fewer convulsive fits and starts, and a steadier stream of aggressive rock intensity. Standouts are the ninth and tenth tracks, the winding "Lady North" (think Pleasure Forever colliding with Jesus Lizard!) and the Pink Floyd leaning "Perpetual Bris". Cool!

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Did someone say post-hardcore? Bringing it back from the near-dead, Seattle's These Arms Are Snakes are just born and ready to unleash their slightly arty raucousness on you. On their debut album, Oxeneers or..., TAAS offer that signature balance of dissonance and melody with much brooding fans of other post-hardcore bands will recognize (though in a vein that's more Rodan than Shellac). You'll enjoy some arty post-hardcore similarities to Drive Like Jehu / Hot Snakes, even the slightest seasoning of melodic guitar angularities as heard in Brooklyn's Les Savy Fav. Really good stuff.

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After some truly spectacular British only singles, These New Puritans landed their debut album on Domino. In the process of recording Beat Pyramid (including some rehashing of those earlier singles), the art-punk quartet polished up their sound with the production chops of Gareth Jones, who had worked with Wire, Nick Cave and Einsturzende Neubauten back in the day and more recently with the Liars. These New Puritans have adopted the classic post-punk sound with jittery sparkplug guitar riffs and nervously taut rhythms, which could come from the best works from Gang Of Four, the Fall, or Joy Division. Unlike many of their contemporaries which also wear those same influences on their sleeve (i.e. Interpol, Bloc Party, The Editors, etc.), These New Puritans keep it dark without ever getting maudlin. Vocalist Jack Barnett has a dispassionate delivery more in keeping with Mark E. Smith's slurred bark. If only his subject matter were a bit more caustic like Smith's, though. Much of what Barnett has to say is rather quotidian verses about numerology or paranoiac surveillance or whatnot. Fortunately, the band is good enough to overcome his shortcomings at this stage in the game as a lyricist. Altogether, Beat Pyramid makes for a pretty damn good record.

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We reviewed a previous, long out of print reissue of this, way back in 1999, saying simply and succinctly (as we did back then, we're more long winded now): Outstanding psychedelic folk rarity with delicate female vocals, from Hawaiian trio circa 1973. There's just enough tabla, slide guitar, and Arp synthesizer to give it an 'edge.' We further cited it as being one of then AQ-owner Windy's new favorites. Well, These Trails apparently have fans over at Drag City too, 'cause they've just reissued it, on cd and vinyl, and we're glad to have this old fave back! These gentle, melodic songs are alternately sunny, sprightly and delightful, or moody and mellow, a bit country-twangy and tropical too, this album overall having a wonderful hippy Hawaiian vibe to it... As mentioned above, some strangely buzzing, burbling synth alongside the acoustic guitars and dulcimer gives the proceedings a darker, mystical feel much of the time, with tracks like the droning, melancholy "Hello Lou" being among our favorites. The vintage electronics, in combination with the lovely harmonized vocals, do definitely put this into a very special category of its own, even among all the privately pressed, mysterious one-album-ever gems out there, from the dusty past. Definitely for fans of Linda Perhacs, also perhaps imagine '70 UK folksters Trees on a Hawaiian vacation, on the beach at sunset, with a synth plugged in somewhere. Perfect time to have this reissued, with the ongoing acid folk and New Age revival, lots of folks haven't heard this before and are gonna LOVE it. We should have had it on our Summer Special last inbetween list, come to think of it. So check it out, and hang loose, very loose, with These Trails. Maybe Drag City will reissue The Enlightening Beam of Axonda, next...? By the way, amazing that These Trails somehow anticipated the internet, by writing a song here called "Of Broken Links"... haha.

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Another new offering from So-Cal avant hip hop label Deathbomb Arc (who also gave us wicked releases from BLCKHRTS, Daveed Diggs, Signor Ben Edick The Moor, True Neutral Crew, etc.), the first we've heard from They Hate Change, and unlike much of the other DBA stuff, the sound of THC is way more laid back, still pretty experimental, but more subtly so. The flows of the two MCs are more drowsy, druggy and soporific, the music backing them too, all hazy swirls and shimmery synth swells, with beats that tend toward the gristly and grimy, the whole thing very home brewed sounding, a sort of 4-track, bedroom hip hop, that still manages to sound pretty slick, but with a lo-fi sensibility that keeps things much more interesting. THC's sound definitely has a cloud rap vibe too, the sort of thing that should definitely appeal to fans of Lil B, Abdu Ali, ASAP Rocky, Main Attraktionz, etc.

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If there's one thing you can count on around any special season, it's They Might Be Giants leading the festivities parade. Hoisting their eggnogs, ringing the bells and handing out plenty of pop goodies from their big sack with plenty of mirth and glee.

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What's your favorite TMBG song? "Ana Ng", "Birdhouse In Your Soul", "Don't Let's Start", "Particle Man", "Spider", "I Palindrome I", "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"? Well, you've got another prime opportunity to figure it out! Yup, here's yet another They Might Be Giants compilation, but it's a much more concise one. Whereas its double disc predecessors "Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants" and "Then: The Earlier Years" were a bit pricey and overwhelming, this new collection has somehow whittled their highlights down to one single ultra concentrated cd serving of TMBG bliss. It's still a whopping 29 songs long though! They could've easily called it "The Best Of..." or "Greatest Hits", but dubbing it a "User's Guide" works just fine. It's sorta one step away from those "...For Dummies" or "Idiot's Guide To..." how-to series -- perfect for that rare guy or gal who has yet to experience the assorted pop mastery of the 'Two Johns'. The liner notes even includes an assortment of both relevant and seemingly irrelevant trivia facts and figures. One thing tho', you'll need a magnifying glass to read them. The print is teeny tiny!

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Despite the title, this is NOT a complete compilation of the two Johns' Dial-A-Song answering machine genius. Bummer! I mean, sure, they let us know in the liner notes that almost each of the songs here originated as a dial-a-song, but that's just not the same. Hold your horses though 'cause what this two cd set is is a gigantic, stellar collection of They Might Be Giants' best to commemorate their 20th year together! Bonanza! They kick it all off with a triple whammy of "Birdhouse In Your Soul," "Ana Ng," and "Don't Let's Stop", but the running order of the songs from there on is somewhat puzzling. Seems to be just a big jumble. Definitely not chronological nor alphabetical, but it does come with a hefty booklet filled with photos, discography, lyrics, and band-written essays - all laid out phonebook style. There's 52 songs in all including a handful of live versions as well as their contributions to the television and movie world (for Austin Powers and Malcolm In The Middle respectively). A genuine TMBG fan undoubtably already owns a copy (or two) of each of the albums from which 95% of these songs come, but then again, a genuine TMBG fan is also undoubtably a completist so.... TMBG fan or not, if you like finely crafted eclectic, eccentric pop, this is splendid!

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Features the wonderful "Birdhouse in Your Soul", "Istanbul", "Particle Man", "Whistling in The Dark"... I could go on and on. 19 songs in all. Quirky, brainy nerd pop at it's best.

Yes, another children's music album from They Might be Giants. Who better to stimulate the minds of youngsters around the globe than these fellows? They've made it their life's work creating remarkably varied, irresistibly catchy and irrepressibly smarty pants pop songs since the 1982. Heck, most of their songs old and new are already totally child-friendly. However just like old Saturday morning cartoons, there's often a subtext that engages the grown-ups too. That said, this their thirteenth album is indeed just for the kids! It's the numerical follow-up to 2006's Here Come The ABCs. Unlike that release whose cd and dvd were sold separately, the cd and dvd for Here Come The 123s come packaged together. What a whale of a delightful, entertaining deal for thrifty parents! Count along with the two Johns -- monkeys, pirates, miles, monster eyes, soup, and pennies too!

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More kids stuff from They Might Be Giants! Here's the dvd version of their latest children's cd that we reviewed a couple of AQ Lists back. The Johns enlisted the assistance and talents of various friends to bring the songs to life via super cute and fun computer animation and puppetry -- the endearing puppet stars are from Robin Goldwasser's Deeply Felt Puppet Theater. True TMBG fans will recognize the names of the folks who produced this dvd 'cuz they were responsible for the excellent documentary film about the band, Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns. Running time: 45 minutes.

For all of you out there who been askin' for children's music, well, They Might Be Giants have once again heeded your call! You might remember their last kids' release, the 2002 album simply titled 'No!' As this title tells, these are alphabet songs... but they're so much more than the traditional "Now I know my abc's, next time won't you sing with me?" song. They start things off by using the alphabet to run through the names of countries, then jump right into letter-related songs about such subjects as animals, music instruments, and food. That's right after years of schoolin' the masses on the wide wide world of pop, the Johns are gettin' even more educational. And they've refined they're quirky songcraft to a textbook-like science -- pun intended, hahaha! Lots of funky beats, bubbly cheezy melodies, and vocoder singing. Of course as with all of their kids music they drop references in here and there that'll probably go right over the heads of the tots and into the ears of their parents (such as Linnell's mention of 'flying v' guitars). This cd includes bonus tracks and cd-rom fun stuff too.

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Would've loved to have had Mr. Linnell and Mr. Flansburgh for elementary music teachers, wouldn't you? The learning process would've been so much fun. So much better than Barney and so much cooler than Sharon, Lois and Bram. Over the years, they've proven that they're just as skilled at schooling kids of all ages on other subjects too - the alphabet (2005's Here Comes The ABCs), arithmetic (2008's Here Come The 123s), history (well, sort of on 1990's "James K. Polk"), geography (well, sort of on 2005's Venue Songs) and now science! Here they succinctly and catchily cover topics such as speed and velocity, the color spectrum, the planets, the elements, the environment, photosynthesis, evolution, thought processes, biology and more. 19 smart, engaging pop tunes that bounce along at a sprightly pace, planting little seeds of learning. For the most part this stands up to repeat listens without completely driving the grown-ups nuts... unless you happen to have an aversion to TMBG's trademark nasality which we understand some folks do. That said, we should note that there are a few more singing voices than usual including that of Mrs. Flansburgh. Heck, though this is definitely for youngsters, older listeners might learn something too! Sounds like the Johns have recycled a few melodic lines from their old songs which might make this ring warmly familiar to those parents who cherish their early TMBG albums. They've even reprised "Why Does The Sun Shine?" from 1994. Plus you also get a terrific dvd that's filled with playful candy colored animated video clips for each song which can be viewed individually in alphabetical order, or altogether as a program hosted by the Johns. With this delightful set, we'd say they're really giving Sesame Street a run for their money!

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Easing themselves into the Barsuk camp with this lil' five song EP, those two Johns (Flansburgh and Linnell) from Brooklyn have kept their almost maddeningly infectious, quirky hooks as sharp as ever. In recent years, they've focused more on writing music for tv shows and movies. One of their TV theme songs is included here -- "Am I Awake?" for the series Resident Life. With its burbly percolating electronic beats and Flansburgh's sleepy vocals, it actually made me think of a hyperactive Notwist on a super sugar rush. Their lyrics are still mighty clever and witty, however the overall tone of the proceedings is much less playful and kooky than even the most recent TMBG offerings. It's no less glorious in the pop department, although each song seems ever so slightly unfinished or truncated. Very odd. They close the EP with their fine version of the Beach Boys' "Caroline, No". Probably not essential, though, unless you're a TMBG completist.

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After many years of romping through almost every possible musical style imaginable and composing tons of music for movies, TV and kids' albums, Join Us find the two Johns bringing the focus back to what they've always done best... that is, writing clever, witty, quirky, hook-laden pop songs with a sweet dorky charm. Really, this is their most solidly classic college pop rock (circa '90s) album in eons. So, if you're an old They Might Be Giants fan with a nostalgic hankering for their earlier sounds (y'know, the ones with the maddeningly catchy jingles!), you'll probably find a bunch of peppy tunes here to tickle your fancy (heck, who are we kidding? All of you true old school TMBG devotees don't need us to tell you that. You already secured your copies of this album the day it was released, right?). One thing we came to realize though while listing to this album was that their use (overuse? abuse?) of their magical hook-writing pen over the past decade for non-TMBG projects has resulted in virtually every song here sounding slightly familiar, quite slick and somewhat calculated... like some gleaming TV sitcom theme. A bit unsettling. To be honest, Join Us just had us digging out and dusting off our beloved Flood and Lincoln albums to hear the real deal, and we recommend you do too!

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The endearingly nasal voices of the two Johns are back. Not as immediately infectious as previous records, "Mink Car" might take a while to grow on you. Even longtime fan Cup isn't quite sure about this one. Ever the quirky, fearless genre-jumpers TMBG deliver their trademark, crafty hooks in a number of different guises - careening from bombastic rock ("Cyclops Rock") into a disco-y, New

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In celebration of their 20th anniversary of 'Giantness, the two Johns decided to release an album "for the entire family", but we ask "which They Might Be Giants album isn't exactly that?!" More accurately this is a record for children. Their skills of conveying twisted tales and toothsome sentiments in a multitude of styles with a sharp, strange wit cross over smoothly into the kids section. Quirky lyrics sung by quirky voices abound. "Here on Fibber Island we hide mittens in our hair. You might need to stare to see the mittens in our hair." Absurd! There's songs about grocery bags, a Supertaster (!), violins, and the Edison Museum. Some are straight-up singalongs, while others are more like their more "grown-up" rollicking tunes (the Supertaster song for instance). Oddly, the march-along track called "Bed Bed Bed" has a very Residents feel to it. Did I mention that John Linnell has a perfect storytelling voice (he's probably had some practice since he's the father of a toddler). Anyways, the big bonus of this release is that it is an interactive disc which if inserted into a computer will offer up a delightful selection of playtime videos.

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Severe Tire Damage is surely no stranger to diehard TMBG fans. This live album was originally released on Restless Records back in 1998, and has been reissued by the kind folks at Zoe Records. So if you somehow missed it the first time 'round or have worn out your first copy, here it is again! Yes, a bunch of the two Johns' classics are here: "Birdhouse In Your Soul", Istanbul (Not Constantinople)", "Spider", "Meet James Ensor", "Why Does The Sun Shine?", "Particle Man", "Ana Ng"... oh, you know'em and love'em all, doncha? Plus demonstrating what quick-wits these gents are, there's a bunch of highly entertaining impromptu stuff at the end.

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After numerous extracurricular activities, reissues and special projects, They Might Be Giants return with their first studio album in three years. Not counting 2005's children's record Here Come The ABCs, their last full band album was The Spine which was released in 2004. So this many moons later, what do the two Johns sound like? Themselves! Well, sort of... the first song sounds strangely like Fat Boy Slim's "Praise You". Lots of rock/pop variety and lots of weird voices, but their trademark dual nasality reigns geeky supreme. The strangest notable thing about The Else is how much everything gleams with a glossy sheen which may be attributed to the production by The Dust Brothers. Nevertheless another TMBG fan pleaser! PLUS: If you hop to it quickly enough, you'll get the limited first edition which includes a bonus full length cd filled with even more They Might Be Giants new tunes!!!

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Of course, They Might Be Giants fans (some of the most rabid around) are gonna buy this album regardless of what the reviews say, but nevertheless here's what our resident TMBG supporter had to say: Damn! The Spine starts off soooooo strong with one of TMBG's catchiest pop tunes in ages ("Experimental Film"). That one song got our expectations soaring, but sadly from there things go terribly awry... repeatedly. Their quirky creative decisions (such as wacky-weirdo vocals) frequently cross the line into too-smartie-pants or just plain bummer territory. Really, whenever John Flansburgh affects that Prince-y soul falsetto, all we can do is go "Ewww!" Makes you feel dirty... in a bad way. We'd actually recommended that you enjoy the abovementioned amazing song with its equally amazing video at the HomeStarRunner website, www.homestarrunner.com. And might as well look around while you're there. Odds are you'll end up still sitting in front of your computer hours later, dazed from so much good stuff! Make sure and peep the Strongbad emails!

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Here's an old favorite title we thought we'd highlight 'cause we've never listed it before and just got it back in stock! Over the years the two Johns (Flansburgh and Linnell) from Brooklyn, NY have cranked out an impressive amount of musical fun and

Love 'em or hate 'em, ain't nobody gonna put a stopper in the musical geyser of those two Johns from Brooklyn. They've put out so much music over the years that it's hard to imagine that they could possibly have anything left in their vaults to unveil, but they apparently do! They are 'lost' no longer! And all of you They Might Be Giants fans / completists can find 'em right here -- all 21 of 'em including odes to NPR's This American Life program and the fabulous McSweeney's Quarterly Concern literary journals. There are a bunch of super treats here that are just as good if not better than many of the duo's album tracks, and of course there are a couple cringe-inducing numbers that we sorta wish had remained in storage, but granted they also serve to flesh out the already very fleshed out TMBG history. A wonderfully varied and still cohesive collection!

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Oh the two Johns never seem to run out of wacky ideas, do they?! And their track record is freakishly good. With the skillz of old tyme ad jingle writers they churn out a steady flow of musical nuggets of every shape and color. Even when the concept seems flimsy, the resulting songcraft is so addictively exuberant and just plain well done that any furrowed brows of criticism evaporate into thin air. For their 2004 tour, they got it in their brains to record a tune for each and every venue they played. Ok, why not? They can pen a jingle about pretty much anything! Venue Songs offers up the aural and visual fruits of those labors. Mind you, many of them don't really seem to be 'about' the actual venue. The insertion of the respective venue's name in the lyrics seems like an afterthought or a convenient rhyme. Ah well, it's still pretty entertaining! The cd compiles the resulting songs -- some live and some studio recorded -- plus five additional studio tracks. The dvd presents videos of eleven of those venues, and four more visual treats including a work they did with aQ fave web-based dynamo Homestar Runner titled Experimental Film. The dvd is narrated by a character known as the Deranged Millionaire (aka John Hodgman of The Daily Show, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, and This American Life among other pursuits). Their diehard fans will surely gobble this up in one bite and need another copy post haste. On the other hand, non-devotees may find this maddeningly dorky. As novel, nutty and 'revenge of the nerds' as ever.

First issue of this rad old school style zine, all about the SF music scene, and featuring tons of aQ faves, and before we go any further, we should really decry the lack of actual zines, sure, we love blogs as much as the next music nerd, but there's something about zines, the passion and energy put into actually making something instead of just sitting in front of your computer. Lots of cutting and pasting and actual physical layout, and going to Kinko's, cutting, stapling. It's like cds and vinyl versus mp3's, there's just no comparison. There's still nothing like picking up a zine, and reading about bands you love, and hopefully discovering some bands you might not even know about yet. So here it is, issue number one of Thick Fog, which really captures the spirit of music fanzines that we love so much, opening with an interview with The She's, who we have yet to hear, but who have a new record coming out any day, and we're now excited to check out for sure. There's also a piece about Tim Cohen, he of the Fresh & Onlys, Magic Trick and of course Amocoma. There's a goofy interview with Swiftumz, an interview with Brilliant Colors, and one with Dominant Legs, not to mentions some other fun stuff, with a cool mix of humor and lightness and some really great writing. Anyone interested in the SF music scene should pick one of these up. Can't wait for future issues! And hell, while you're at it, make your own zine too!

The Thievery Corporation tries to make silky music. But the silk that their sound emulates is the cheaply made synthetic stuff that is woven into the erotic apparel sold by Adam and Eve. Clad on unsexy white people who saturate themselves in Drakkar Noir, these cheap silken garments (bright pink for the ladies, purple paisleys for the gents) have the intrinsic defect of chemically adhering to the skin as soon as it is permeated with sweat. Despite the best efforts of clumsy grinding, the romantically inclinded duo has the unfortunate task of attempting to peel this molecularly fused cloth from their skin before moving onto more unmentionable things. Cotton is king.

Four song ep from this popular electronica act, one track taken from their "Mirror Conspiracy" album.

Right from the get-go of their latest full length, Thievery Corporation are keeping their audience on their well-heeled toes (and maybe knockin' a few of them back on their heels a bit). The reason? Well, for one thing the first track "Marching The Hate Machines (Into The Sun)" features the Flaming Lips! Seemingly odd bedfellows, doncha think? Their participation on this album will surely open them up to a whole new audience. 'Lips presence aside, fear not dear TC fans, all of the duo's suave smooooth grooooovin' is intact, but they've encorporated a multi-culti vibe into each track. Their ultra mellow downtempo core, which already had a lot of jazz and dub in it, has now been even more deeply infused with the sounds of India, Brazil and Jamaica. Special guests include Sista Pat, Perry Farrell, Loulou, Gunjan, David Byrne, Sleepy Wonder, Gigi Rezende, Patrick de Santos and the aforementioned 'Lips.

MPEG stream: Marching The Hate Machines (Into The Sun)
MPEG stream: The Supreme Illusion

Found myself getting rather sleepy while listenin' to this new Thievery Corporation DJ set album. It seemed like Outernational Sound was going to be another trademark T.C. moody, lush downtempo affair, but no! That was only until the eleventh track (of nineteen tracks total) when things kick in something mighty! Getting all funky and hip-hoppy... and we've got Breakestra, Antonio Carlos Jocafi and Major Force to thank for that. They're the ones responsible for the eleventh, twelveth and thirteenth tracks respectively. From there, the T.C. gents continue to do as they please, 'spinning' a totally mixed bag of musical selections. Thus, this is more of a keep-you-on-yer-toes mix rather than a flowing, sink-in-and-get-groovy one. Three things we're not so sure of about this release though: 1.) whether or not we need yet another version of George Harrison's "Within You Without You" - sitar-fest or otherwise, 2.) whether or not we need a song based around that lame, cheesy 'oriental' melody -- y'know the one that begins that 80s tune "Turning Japanese", the one that get's played when Long Duk Dong appeared in Sixteen Candles, 3.) whether or not we need an artist named Crazy Penis. Ewww!

MPEG stream: Cramp Your Style
MPEG stream: Simbarere

These New Order and Philip K. Dick worshipping new wavers return with yet another collection of cool Euro wave electro pop, opening their new record with a haunting pulsing intro that wouldn't be out of place on a Zombi record, that Carpenter / Goblin worship tempered with lush swells of the groups more melodic Euro pop leanings which blossom into the record's first proper track, "Fur Judith", that most definitely has a serious Neu! / Stereolab vibe going on, that sort of hazy motorik mesmer, anchored by a simple propulsive rhythm. As the record progresses, it reveals itself as a whole different beast compared to past TLU records, the group seem to have a way more experimental trajectory this time around, instrumental, minimal, rhythmic, the krautrock vibe is huge, but krautrock via new wave, which is definitely a potent combo. But the sound here also seems to be way more experimental, with brief interludes, what sound like primitive tape experiments, and kosmische synthscape, spread out between more conventional eighties new wave beholden jams. It's pretty heady stuff, definitely elevating them above the current crop of retro-wave revivalists. This is the sort of thing that folks into weirdo electronica, and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and the synthier side of modern krautrock, might really dig. The perfect balance of retro pop wave and avant electronic experimentalism, and by far our favorite TLU record yet!

MPEG stream: Free From The Ice
MPEG stream: Fur Judith
MPEG stream: Get Me To The Kiss
MPEG stream: Lasers Coming Back

We've long been pretty into Thieves Like Us, whose M.O. had been a sort of eighties style electro pop, a vintage sounding new wave that fused the sounds of classic New Order to an icy futureworld beholden to sci-fi author Philip K. Dick, but then something strange happened on their last record, the band ditching vocals completely and transforming into something totally (okay, well, maybe not totally) different, conjuring up a sound much more cinematic and krautrocky, definitely shifting toward the current crop of Goblin worshipping John Carpenter wannabes, experimental, psychedelic, kosmische, so that's pretty much what we were expecting from this, their brand new full length, but it seems that brief bit of sonic dabbling, was indeed just that, and with Bleed Bleed Bleed, regardless of the very evocative album title, the band returns to that shimmery eighties synth pop sound, the opening title track, slow burning and sultry, with a percolating bassline underneath swirling synths, and icy dueling boy / girl vocals. "Stay Blue" sounds opens up with a brief bout of serious Kraftwerk worship, before blissing out into something much more swoonsome and ballady, sounding like some lost jam straight off eighties FM radio or classic era MTV, reminding us more of ABC or Thompson Twins or any of those bands, more than the krautrock forebears who the band also obviously count as influences. And so it goes, a hazy time machine trip back into vintage new wave electro pop, and while more modern moments reminds us of M83 at times, folks who flipped over the anomaly that was the band's krautrocky last record, Berlin Alex, might be a bit confused, and perhaps even disappointed, but for the rest of us, who were already digging their fuzzy retro sound, this definitely hits that same sweet spot.

MPEG stream: Bleed Bleed Bleed
MPEG stream: Stay Blue
MPEG stream: Still Life

The return of these New Order named electro pop new wavers, this one not a new record, but a reissue of a rare 2008 ep, which in turn actually featured early recordings from all the way back in 2005. The title track is the jam here, a fuzzy minimal pop wave gem, all chiming melodies, heartfelt vox, thick buzzing synths, a simple pulsing groove, in some ways it reminds us of a less bombastic and shoegazey M83, that same sort of retro eighties vibe, total new wave dream pop bliss, laced with all sort of shimmery swirl and lushly harmonic guitars, and a sweet sweet hooky chorus. Definitely worth the price of admission alone, but the other three tracks are pretty great as well. "Fur Judith" is a bit more funky and propulsive, sounding a lot like it was built on the framework of Maxwell's "Somebody's Watching Me", all low slung and synthy, but a little radio pop/soul mixed in. "The Moon In The Gutter" is a beauty, all hazy and washed out, hushed and muted and swirly, a perfect chunk of blurred blissy ambience, and finally "Don't Take Your Hands Away" finishes things off in a darkly Depeche Mode. Nice!

They're named after a New Order song, they have a song titled after a Philip K Dick story AND they're on Captured Tracks, what's not to like? Nothing, especially if you like skeletal minimal electronic Euro new wave pop. Four songs of moody swoonsome woozy electro pop, simple programmed drums, super minimal guitar jangle and synth pulse, boy girl vocals, a little bit icy, very Eighties sounding, the opening track a cool, late night electro ballad, all minor key and sweetly sorrowful lyrics. The second track is more of the same, a skittery rhythm beneath soft focus synth swirl and more hazy, dreamy boy girl vocal harmonies, all washed out and dreamlike, a sort of softly psychedelic new wave. The rest of the record follows suit, with "You And I" getting a bit more propulsive, with a thick bassline, wrapped in synth swirls, and a loping rhythm, while the PKD worshipping "Flow My Tears The Policeman Said" finishes things off with maybe the best of the bunch, all soft swirling synths, layered and lush and ambient, eventually joined by glitched out effects, and fuzzy crunchy riffage, the riffs adding more droney swirl, the whole thing a dreamy expanse of new agey new wavey guitarsynth drift that wouldn't be out of place on a Oneohtrix or Pulse Emitter record. Cool! Comes with a download coupon as well.

MPEG stream: Your Love Runs Still
MPEG stream: Flow My Tears The Policeman Said

Thighpaulsandra has recorded with Coil, Julian Cope, and Spiritualized. At times all of those bands have done some pretty amazing things... this album, on the other hand, will hopefully be forgotten as a bad mistake. Highlights include a song called "Home Butt

Thighpaulsandra has made his career out of being weird and making noodly electronic music. After working with Julian Cope (perhaps his only collaboration that really made sense) and Spirtitualized, he's joined Coil fulltime. And considering Coil's new direction; all lunar drones and breathy occultist polemics, this isn't a bad match. Working with Coil's John Balance and Hans Jurgen Rausch on this short EP, Thighpaulsandra merges alot of hallucinatory electronics into a seemless collage dominated by the synth knob twiddle found on the recent Coil release "Queens of the Circulating Library." Interspersed between the analogue synthesisis some early 80s 'Some Bizarre' arppegiated industrial and some space-age bachelor pad jazziness (like Dick Hyman without the great name).

[ aquarius records catalogue — T ]