[ aquarius records catalogue — V ]

Showing results 601 through 650 of 3547.

V/ADervish Ceremonies(New Earth)cd$ 15.98

V/ADes Jeunes Gens Modernes(Born Bad)lp$ 16.98

If you've been keeping up with the fairly recent wave of late '70s, early '80s French post-punk and new wave experimentation, then you're definitely going to need this. Des Jeunes Gens Modernes - Modern Young People - oscillates between the pop electronics of Ruth and the angular guitar stabs of Metal Urbain. Officially, the compilation is in conjunction with a show at the Agnes B gallery in Paris, but for those of us too far to just stop by, this is the next best thing. Also, we've got to admit, college was a long time ago, and our French is pretty rusty. So, attempting to decipher the fold-up insert was a bit of a challenge, and instead of potentially embarrassing ourselves we'll just tell you that it's there. In addition to the bands mentioned above, there are some other rare favorites on here. Guerre Froide, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, and Charles de Goal all make appearances. You may remember Guerre Froide's "Demain Berlin" from the Flexi-Pop series, as well as the band Visible. If nothing else, let it be known: GF's absolutely anthemic and completely amazing "Ersatz" is finally back on vinyl! That alone makes this worth buying! For sure one of the better, if not the best, of the whole early 80's French electronic/punk revival compilations. If you've got any interest at all in that scene then you need to pick this up pronto, because there's no telling when half of these tracks will be available again, not just in general but on vinyl in particular! FYI: unfortunately, the sleeves of pretty much all the copies we were able to get had one slightly crushed corner. It's not a terrible defect but we felt we should mention it, buyer beware and all that. It already took forever to get these in stock so we weren't gonna send 'em back and wait for another batch in several months, which might not be in any better shape anyway. But just so you know.

V/ADestroyers From The Western Skies (As Night Devours The Sun)(Kill Zone)cd$ 14.98

There was a time, not so long ago, when any self respecting metalhead would have scoffed at a black metal band from the United States. If it wasn't Scandanavian who gave a shit. Sure there were a few bands from Germany or Poland, even the UK, but the US seemed to have nothing to offer in terms of pure grim cult black metal. Well, plenty has changed, and now it seems, outside of a handful of bands from elsewhere, a lot of the truly important, personal and risk taking BM bands come from the US. In fact a good handful of our favorite BM comes from right here in California. If you've been following the AQ list, you've probably become plenty obsessed with the likes of Xasthur, Leviathan, Draugar and Inquisition. And rightfully so. In terms of black metal, these bands have been taking the sound of classic black metal and twisting it to suit their own devices, whether it's Leviathan's post rock flecked avant garde weirdness, or Draugar's demented brain melting confusional freak out, or Xasthur's doomy ultra depressive moodiness, they all offer totally unique and highly personal musical visions filtered through each group's singular perception of what black metal is and sounds like. But outside of black metal, each of these bands is making a wholly unique sound, a dark and dangerous outsider art, based in black metal certainly, but offering up totally original, bizarre and beautiful slabs of droney, dirgey, pummeling, pounding, ambient, abstract musical vision. Most black metal aficionados will no doubt be familiar with many of these bands, but those of you who can't get enough of all the above mentioned bands might find some new bands to obsess over. Mostly exclusive tracks from Leviathan, Xasthur (a Manes cover!), Draugar, Krieg, Azrael, Demoncy, Inquisition, Teratism, Thralldom, Cobalt, Engorge, Typhus, Summon, Bahimiron, Kult Ov Azazel, Harvist and Hordes Of The Lunar Eclipse.

V/ADetroit Electric(D.E.)cd$ 10.98

Windy & Carl (no this is not me), Demolition Doll Rods (doing "What Goes On"), Princess Dragon Mom (a.k.a. Warren Defever of His Name Is Alive), Gravitar, etc.

V/ADeutsche Elektronische Musik 2(Soul Jazz)2cd$ 27.00

Second volume in Soul Jazz's stellar Deutsche Elektronische Musik series, collecting classic and rarities of, as the rest of the title helpfully explains: "Experimental German Rock & Electronic Music", which is probably better known to all of us as KRAUTROCK! The tracks here are from the years 1972-83 and features, like the first volume, a good balance of classic artists/tracks and more obscure rarities. All it should take is a list of artists to get most folks pretty excited: A.R. & Machines, Can, Agitation Free, Roedelius, Popol Vuh, Amon Duul II, Faust, Asmus Tietchens, Neu!, Gila, Conrad Schnitzler, Michael Rother, Pyrolator, You, D.A.F., Harald Grosskopf, and loads more. Odds are if you're already a krautrock obsessive, there's a good chance you have most of these tracks already. But even so, as a krautrock mix, it's pretty tough to beat, and who knows, there are definitely a few artists and tracks you might not have heard. And as a primer / introduction, it's pretty bad ass, a good balance of driving motorik grooves, swirling kosmische shimmer, dreamy electronic ambience, avant electronic experimentation, wispy new age drift, brooding, proggy psychedelia, swirling analog synthscapery, pulsing hypnorock mesmer, electronic flecked, rhythmic space rock, the compilation touching on all of the different sounds these artists explored under the umbrella of 'krautrock'. There are a few oddballs, which in most cases adds to the weirdness and coolness of the comps, but in one specific case, ends up being maybe our only complaint. One oddball is Niagra for instance, who we had not heard before, but whose track here is super dense and rhythmic and gloriously psychedelic. But then there's D.A.F.'s "Co Co Pino", which is a cool new wave-y blast of hysterical vocals, skronking sax and funky rhythms, which on its own would be awesome, but in the context of the otherwise sort of tranced out hypnotic flow of the mix, ends up being a strange slightly disruptive sonic hiccup. But overall, a killer comp, an awesome krautrock mixtape, that is WAY recommended for krautrock newbies, along with the first volume, but even if you're a grizzled old krautrock vet, mixes are all about song choice and song order, and even the krautrockers around here who already have most of these records, have been digging this mix BIG TIME! The cd version comes in a jewel case, and full color slipcover, with a BIG booklet, loaded with liner notes and photos, and then like most Soul Jazz compilation releases, the vinyl version is split into two halves, both double lps, each available separately.

V/ADeutsche Elektronische Musik 2 - Vol. 1(Soul Jazz)2lp$ 31.00

Second volume in Soul Jazz's stellar Deutsche Elektronische Musik series, collecting classic and rarities of, as the rest of the title helpfully explains: "Experimental German Rock & Electronic Music", which is probably better known to all of us as KRAUTROCK! The tracks here are from the years 1972-83 and features, like the first volume, a good balance of classic artists/tracks and more obscure rarities. All it should take is a list of artists to get most folks pretty excited: A.R. & Machines, Can, Agitation Free, Roedelius, Popol Vuh, Amon Duul II, Faust, Asmus Tietchens, Neu!, Gila, Conrad Schnitzler, Michael Rother, Pyrolator, You, D.A.F., Harald Grosskopf, and loads more. Odds are if you're already a krautrock obsessive, there's a good chance you have most of these tracks already. But even so, as a krautrock mix, it's pretty tough to beat, and who knows, there are definitely a few artists and tracks you might not have heard. And as a primer / introduction, it's pretty bad ass, a good balance of driving motorik grooves, swirling kosmische shimmer, dreamy electronic ambience, avant electronic experimentation, wispy new age drift, brooding, proggy psychedelia, swirling analog synthscapery, pulsing hypnorock mesmer, electronic flecked, rhythmic space rock, the compilation touching on all of the different sounds these artists explored under the umbrella of 'krautrock'. There are a few oddballs, which in most cases adds to the weirdness and coolness of the comps, but in one specific case, ends up being maybe our only complaint. One oddball is Niagra for instance, who we had not heard before, but whose track here is super dense and rhythmic and gloriously psychedelic. But then there's D.A.F.'s "Co Co Pino", which is a cool new wave-y blast of hysterical vocals, skronking sax and funky rhythms, which on its own would be awesome, but in the context of the otherwise sort of tranced out hypnotic flow of the mix, ends up being a strange slightly disruptive sonic hiccup. But overall, a killer comp, an awesome krautrock mixtape, that is WAY recommended for krautrock newbies, along with the first volume, but even if you're a grizzled old krautrock vet, mixes are all about song choice and song order, and even the krautrockers around here who already have most of these records, have been digging this mix BIG TIME! The cd version comes in a jewel case, and full color slipcover, with a BIG booklet, loaded with liner notes and photos, and then like most Soul Jazz compilation releases, the vinyl version is split into two halves, both double lps, each available separately.

V/ADeutsche Elektronische Musik 2 - Vol. 2(Soul Jazz)2lp$ 31.00

Second volume in Soul Jazz's stellar Deutsche Elektronische Musik series, collecting classic and rarities of, as the rest of the title helpfully explains: "Experimental German Rock & Electronic Music", which is probably better known to all of us as KRAUTROCK! The tracks here are from the years 1972-83 and features, like the first volume, a good balance of classic artists/tracks and more obscure rarities. All it should take is a list of artists to get most folks pretty excited: A.R. & Machines, Can, Agitation Free, Roedelius, Popol Vuh, Amon Duul II, Faust, Asmus Tietchens, Neu!, Gila, Conrad Schnitzler, Michael Rother, Pyrolator, You, D.A.F., Harald Grosskopf, and loads more. Odds are if you're already a krautrock obsessive, there's a good chance you have most of these tracks already. But even so, as a krautrock mix, it's pretty tough to beat, and who knows, there are definitely a few artists and tracks you might not have heard. And as a primer / introduction, it's pretty bad ass, a good balance of driving motorik grooves, swirling kosmische shimmer, dreamy electronic ambience, avant electronic experimentation, wispy new age drift, brooding, proggy psychedelia, swirling analog synthscapery, pulsing hypnorock mesmer, electronic flecked, rhythmic space rock, the compilation touching on all of the different sounds these artists explored under the umbrella of 'krautrock'. There are a few oddballs, which in most cases adds to the weirdness and coolness of the comps, but in one specific case, ends up being maybe our only complaint. One oddball is Niagra for instance, who we had not heard before, but whose track here is super dense and rhythmic and gloriously psychedelic. But then there's D.A.F.'s "Co Co Pino", which is a cool new wave-y blast of hysterical vocals, skronking sax and funky rhythms, which on its own would be awesome, but in the context of the otherwise sort of tranced out hypnotic flow of the mix, ends up being a strange slightly disruptive sonic hiccup. But overall, a killer comp, an awesome krautrock mixtape, that is WAY recommended for krautrock newbies, along with the first volume, but even if you're a grizzled old krautrock vet, mixes are all about song choice and song order, and even the krautrockers around here who already have most of these records, have been digging this mix BIG TIME! The cd version comes in a jewel case, and full color slipcover, with a BIG booklet, loaded with liner notes and photos, and then like most Soul Jazz compilation releases, the vinyl version is split into two halves, both double lps, each available separately.

V/ADeutsche Elektronische Musik: Experimental German Rock & Electronic Music 1972-83(Soul Jazz)2cd$ 21.00

Leave it to the fine folks at the Soul Jazz Label to bring us a stellar Krautrock compilation that is as heavy on obscurities as it is on classics. Don't let the fact that the Neu!, Faust and Amon Duul tracks will probably be familiar to the most casual krautrock listener, or that pretty much all the classic bands in the canon (save for Kraftwerk and Klaus Schulze) are represented, deter you from this well-researched and beautifully sequenced compilation. Why? Well, because this compilation does a great job of showcasing the many diverse facets of the music that defined krautrock: Kosmishe electronica, hippie commune folk, motorik rhythms, proggy jazz-funk and lysergic cinematographic soundscapes. There are plenty of rarities from bands we've barely heard of such as Between, E.M.A.K., Michael Bundt, and Ibliss, as well as bands and artists we love like Kollectiv (aka Kollektiv), Conrad Schnitzler, Deuter and Gila that perhaps casual fans may not know much about. Plus many of the more well known groups are represented by less well known tracks or later periods. The Can tracks, for example. "Aspectacle" and "I Want More" are from later records, while the great Tangerine Dream track "No Man's Land" is from an early eighties record, a less seminal period for most classic Krautrock, but one filled with plenty of amazing discoveries for those brave enough to wade through some crud. Thankfully Soul Jazz did that work for us! Here is the full listing of bands: Can (2 tracks), Between, Harmonia (2 tracks) Gila, Kollectiv, Michael Bundt, E.M.A.K., Popol Vuh (2 tracks), Conrad Schnitzler, La Dusseldorf, Faust, Neu!, Cluster, Ibliss, Moebius, Roedelius, Amon Duul II (2 tracks) Ash Ra Tempel, Tangerine Dream, and Deuter. Comes with a full color booklet showcasing the history of the bands and music. Perfect for both newbies and longtime fans! Awesome!

V/ADeutsche Elektronische Musik: Experimental German Rock & Electronic Music 1972-83 - Volume 1(Soul Jazz)2lp$ 24.00

Leave it to the fine folks at the Soul Jazz Label to bring us a stellar Krautrock compilation that is as heavy on obscurities as it is on classics. Don't let the fact that the Neu!, Faust and Amon Duul tracks will probably be familiar to the most casual krautrock listener, or that pretty much all the classic bands in the canon (save for Kraftwerk and Klaus Schulze) are represented, deter you from this well-researched and beautifully sequenced compilation. Why? Well, because this compilation does a great job of showcasing the many diverse facets of the music that defined krautrock: Kosmishe electronica, hippie commune folk, moterik rhythms, proggy jazz-funk and lysergic cinemagraphic soundscapes. There are plenty of rareties from bands we've barely heard of such as Between, E.M.A.K., Michael Bundt, and Ibliss, as well as bands and artists we love like Kollectiv (aka Kollektiv), Conrad Schnitzler, Deuter and Gila that perhaps casual fans may not know much about. Plus many of the more well known groups are represented by less well known tracks or later periods. The Can tracks, for example. "Aspectacle" and "I Want More" are from later records, while the great Tangerine Dream track "No Man's Land" is from an early eighties record, a less seminal period for most classic Krautrock, but one filled with plenty of amazing discoveries for those brave enough to wade through some crud. Thankfully SouL Jazz did that work for us! Here is the full listing of bands for this volume: Can, Between, Harmonia (2 tracks) Gila, Kollectiv, Michael Bundt, E.M.A.K., Popol Vuh, Conrad Schnitzler, La Dusseldorf, Faust, and Neu!. Comes with a full color booklet showcasing the history of the bands and music. Perfect for both newbies and longtime fans! Awesome!

V/ADeutsche Elektronische Musik: Experimental German Rock & Electronic Music 1972-83 - Volume 2(Soul Jazz)2lp$ 24.00

Leave it to the fine folks at the Soul Jazz Label to bring us a stellar Krautrock compilation that is as heavy on obscurities as it is on classics. Don't let the fact that the Neu!, Faust and Amon Duul tracks will probably be familiar to the most casual krautrock listener, or that pretty much all the classic bands in the canon (save for Kraftwerk and Klaus Schulze) are represented, deter you from this well-researched and beautifully sequenced compilation. Why? Well, because this compilation does a great job of showcasing the many diverse facets of the music that defined krautrock: Kosmishe electronica, hippie commune folk, moterik rhythms, proggy jazz-funk and lysergic cinemagraphic soundscapes. There are plenty of rareties from bands we've barely heard of such as Between, E.M.A.K., Michael Bundt, and Ibliss, as well as bands and artists we love like Kollectiv (aka Kollektiv), Conrad Schnitzler, Deuter and Gila that perhaps casual fans may not know much about. Plus many of the more well known groups are represented by less well known tracks or later periods. The Can tracks, for example. "Aspectacle" and "I Want More" are from later records, while the great Tangerine Dream track "No Man's Land" is from an early eighties record, a less seminal period for most classic Krautrock, but one filled with plenty of amazing discoveries for those brave enough to wade through some crud. Thankfully SouL Jazz did that work for us! Here is the full listing of bands for this volume: Can, Popol Vuh, Cluster, Ibliss, Moebius, Roedelius, Amon Duul II (2 tracks) Ash Ra Tempel, Tangerine Dream, and Deuter. Comes with a full color booklet showcasing the history of the bands and music. Perfect for both newbies and longtime fans! Awesome!

V/ADevil's Triangle(Illinoisan Thunder)cd-r$ 8.98

Raw Hatred, Vampyro, and Tjolgtjar together on one blackly blasphemous cd-r!

V/ADiablos Del Ritmo: The Colombian Melting Pot 1960-1985(Analog Africa)2cd$ 28.00

Holy cow! The Analog Africa label does it again, another amazing archival collection, even more notable this time around for the fact that it's not really even a collection of African music, instead, it's a sampling of sixties, seventies and eighties Colombian music, which as we discovered via this comp, was in fact hugely influenced by African music, and within seconds of pushing play, it's definitely obvious, the hybrid of Latin and African music so perfect, Afrobeat and Afrofunk, psychedelic fuzz funk, the drums and vocal chants of African music perfectly fused to classic Latin rhythms, even the folks around here who aren't always into this kind of stuff, have been digging this big time, and at least one of us has been listening to nothing else. As with all Analog Africa releases, there's a massive booklet, with extensive liner notes, on the history of Colombian music, theories on how African music made it to Colombia (a single mysterious man called Boquebaba? Seafaring traders?), ideas on what drove this fusion that seemed utterly ubiquitous in Colombia at the time (roaming mobile sound systems, innovative and forward looking producers), there's also the story of how this comp came to be, which tells the tale of the curator's repeated visits to Colombia, which involved bringing African records to trade for Colombian records, and which ultimately resulted in threats on his life, as apparently, many of those records existed in Colombia already, but without anyone knowing the artists or the names of the songs, and various DJs and sound systems had been playing those records for years, and now that folks knew what they were, and more copies had been brought to Colombia, they felt threatened. It's all super fascinating, and there's so much more, multiple essays on the evolution of the Colombian sound, of Colombian psychedelic Afrobeat and more more more. But it's really it's all about the music, and the music here is incredible, wild and fuzzy and funky, groovy and psychedelic, crazy percussion, chaotic drumming, wah wah guitars, soulful horns, and check out the vox on opener "El Caterete" by Wganda Kenya, which starts off sounding impossibly African, in fact, had we not known it was from THIS comp, we would have assumed it WAS African, and then when the lead vocals come in, a soaring near operatic croon, that is at the same time totally over the top and almost comical, and one of the coolest vocalists we've ever hear, all over call and response chanting, driving rhythms, psychedelic guitar jangle, groovy loping funk bass, it's KILLER. And it never lets up, the first disc focusing specifically on the Afrobeat and Afrofunk rhythms that worked their way into Colombian music at the time, while disc two, is more oriented toward more danceable tropical Latin rhythms, although both discs seem to offer a bit of both. The beginning of disc two is awesome as well, the vibe a little bit dark and brooding, the first few tracks sounding alternately like the swampy slithery blues of Screamin' Jay Hawkins (right down to some maniacal, echo drenched sinister laughter, wooooohahahahah), sultry and some seriously fuzzed out psychedelic Latin Afro-funk, and at times almost like Klezmer! And this disc two, never lets up, every song a stone cold killer, which will have you nodding your head, tapping your toes, and fighting the urge to get up and dance. Easily our reissue of the year, hands down, coming in just under the wire, to leave all other reissues in its dust. And another strange thing, you don't often find on collections like this, a hidden track tucked away at the end. After a few minutes of silence, what sounds like a call in radio program, and then one final jam, all groovy percussion, whoops and hollers, acoustic guitar strum, and some serious accordion shredding! Fantastically packaged, in a miniature hardcover book, a huge almost sixty page booklet, tons of liner notes and essays, rare photos and more!!

V/ADick Cavett Show - Rock Icons(Shout! Factory)3dvd$ 41.00

This is amazing. Been waiting for the old Dick Cavett shows to hit DVD for a long time. Seems like they've decided to release theme packages -- the Hendrix performances, the Ray Charles appearances, the comedians, and this, Rock Icons. Meaning the likes of David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, and Sly Stone. Who will blow your mind in the interview portion!! [/cat/compilationsplit37.html]

V/ADie Grosse Untergangsshow : Festival Genialer Dilletanten(Vinyl On Demand)cd + dvd$ 60.00

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

SORRY.

V/ADielectric Records Volume 1(Dielectric Records)cd$ 10.98

A few months ago, we presented the debut quartet of releases from AQ-pal Drew(cifer) Webster's new record label Dielectric. Four stylishly packaged 12" vinyl eps from four diverse, mostly-unknown but excellent sonic architects. Now those four are back, together on this cd, each contributing four tracks apiece -- a total of ten new cuts along with one or two tracks per artist that already appeared on the eps. The disc starts of with Akta Ebtekar aka Sote, who prior to his Dielectric release had already gained some attention with a disc on Warp. Actually two of Sote's cuts are credited to Virgox, Ebtekar's collaboration with Safar Bake. Sote/Virgox produce crunching, stuttering beats and computer melodies -- it's like dance music constructed from the sampled sounds of a mad scientist's laboratory. Definitely in the vein of much Warp/Rephlex/Tigerbeat6/Ambush label material. Next up is wunderkind Carson Day, operating in an electonica realm not far from that of Sote, but more mysterious, mellow, and pretty -- less house, more home (with headphones). His broken beats, distorted melodies, and digital fuckery meet up with some hiphop flavor on the standout track "Get Hurt" which makes good use of a vocal sample repeating the title phrase. On the evidence of Carson's four cuts here (only one comes from his 12"), he's a match for the likes of Chris Clark, Matmos, and Lesser... The next four tracks are from Die Elektrischen, the man we know better as Drewcifer. Sure it's his record label, but his music dispels all ideas of a vanity production. It's good stuff. Like Sote and Carson, he brings the beats too, but is much more on the percussive-distorto-drone-extreme side of things. Crinkle, crackle, crumple. There's hints of Merzbow beneath the surface, yet this remains quite musical. Early Scorn meets Philip Jeck meets DJ Scud? Well deserving of his nifty black metal styled Die Elektrishen logo designed by Wrest of AQ black metal faves Leviathan. Last up is Karen Stackpole, perhaps the most left field entry of these four -- she's no laptop or turntable jockey. Her first track is entitled "Gong and Cello #2" which will give you an idea of the sound: percussion and string drone. We could throw around some descriptive catagories like experimental, Mills College, academic, 20th century avant garde, improv... or we can just say that her stuff is really, really nice. Creepy yet lovely. Basically, this a great comp, programmed perfectly -- Stackpole's tracks make for fine wind-down at the end after all the electronic/elektrik tracks. If you've already got the vinyl eps you need this too for all the new cuts. If you don't have the 12" records, get this, and if you like what you hear and you have a turntable, then you'll know what to do! We're definitely looking forward to hearing more from these artists -- are full lengths in the offing? -- and to future Dielectric discoveries as well. And we're definitely not saying all this just 'cause Drew's our friend, he'd be the first to tell you that'd be unlikely. Recommended!

V/ADiggin' Down Argentina(Crazy Apple Boutique)lp$ 24.00

NOW ON VINYL!!! Yay! Always cool to get a new comp of crazy, colorful, psychedelic pop rock treats from way back when (and way far off too, internationally speaking).�The comic bookish cartoony cover art gets the swinging '60s (and early '70s) concept across, plus we were already fans of a couple previous comps on the same label, Neurotic Reactions and Some Songs Stuck In My Mind. So we were curious to hear this, and quite pleased with what we heard! 15 cuts full of fuzzy guitars, funky drum breaks, exuberant vocals, Hammond organ orgies, and other facets of freaky, garagey goodness, all from rare 45s by bands straight outta Argentina circa '69-'75, part of something called the "Rioplatense scene". The lineup: Bosques, Dynamita, Los Fantasmas, Gipsys, Caballo Vapor, Kon-Tiki, Brujos, Wooky Toky, Los Barbaros, Victoria, Them (no, not that Them), Asfalto, Jarabe De Menta, and Little Green Men. Lots of great stuff. We love the backwards effects on Kon-Tiki's "Viaja Al Ayer (Turn Back Time)" which sounds like something by Peru's We All Together, old AQ faves. It's actually one of the prettiest, most restrained songs here, the others go for a variety of pop music that, y'know, really POPS. Like, ferinstance, the sheer organ-heavy FUNK of Caballo Vapor's cut. Or the unhinged mayhem of Gipsys' "Oh! Malala" (they get two tracks here, and the other one, "Kamasutra", is pretty wicked too). Wild, wacky, and fun are what you should expect, especially from the band that calls themselves Wooky Toky...

V/ADiggin' Down Argentina: Nuggets From The Rioplatense Scene, 1969-1975(Crazy Apple Boutique)cd$ 24.00

Yay! Always cool to get a new comp of crazy, colorful, psychedelic pop rock treats from way back when (and way far off too, internationally speaking).�The comic bookish cartoony cover art gets the swinging '60s (and early '70s) concept across, plus we were already fans of a couple previous comps on the same label, Neurotic Reactions and Some Songs Stuck In My Mind. So we were curious to hear this, and quite pleased with what we heard! 15 cuts full of fuzzy guitars, funky drum breaks, exuberant vocals, Hammond organ orgies, and other facets of freaky, garagey goodness, all from rare 45s by bands straight outta Argentina circa '69-'75, that the detailed liner notes in the illustrated booklet will explain were part of something called the "Rioplatense scene". The lineup: Bosques, Dynamita, Los Fantasmas, Gipsys, Caballo Vapor, Kon-Tiki, Brujos, Wooky Toky, Los Barbaros, Victoria, Them (no, not that Them), Asfalto, Jarabe De Menta, and Little Green Men. Lots of great stuff. We love the backwards effects on Kon-Tiki's "Viaja Al Ayer (Turn Back Time)" which sounds like something by Peru's We All Together, old AQ faves. It's actually one of the prettiest, most restrained songs here, the others go for a variety of pop music that, y'know, really POPS. Like, ferinstance, the sheer organ-heavy FUNK of Caballo Vapor's cut. Or the unhinged mayhem of Gipsys' "Oh! Malala" (they get two tracks here, and the other one, "Kamasutra", is pretty wicked too). Wild, wacky, and fun are what you should expect, especially from the band that calls themselves Wooky Toky... Spanish import, limited to 500 copies.

V/ADigital Space(DSP)2cd$ 22.00

"Digital Space is an ongoing programme of commissions and events exploring interactive audio, digital sound-synthesis, generative music and algorhythmic composition. This double cd pack is the first in a series of multi-media releases organised by Sheffield's Lovebytes Organisation. The first of these two cds features commissioned audio pieces by Kim Cascone, Smyglyssna, Team Doyobi, Terre Thaemlitz, Scanner and more, while the second cd is a CD-Rom featuring installations and programs by Mikka Massalo, Tonne, Tom Flemming and more. The package itself, worked out and executed by the Designers Republic, features some pretty-stunning use of Scratch-Card technology, with the track details and specsrevealed only once the sleeve's silver surface is scratched off." --press release

V/ADimension Mix(Eenie Meenie)cd$ 16.98

Besides being a delightful tribute to '60s electronic pop music pioneers Bruce Haack, Esther Nelson and their Dimension 5 record label, this is also a benefit to raise funds for autism charities. This boasts super-cute graphics, but unfortunately there's very little in the way of liner notes, so for those of you who are unfamiliar with the world of Haack and Nelson, you'll have to do a little or a lot of your own research (perhaps check out the Haack - The King Of Techno DVD released earlier this year). One thing that you should know though is that it appeals just as much to the wee tots as it does to the grown-ups who've chosen a... ahem, chemically altered listening experience. Some of the covers remain faithfully within the realm of the Haack/Nelson's kitschy child-view while others venture out on their own personalized trippy excursions. SF's Oranger's rendition of "Catfish" sounds amazingly like veteran good time popsters Young Fresh Fellows, while Beck's version of "Funky Lil' Song" sounds amazingly like Beck. The star-studded list of participants also includes Stereolab, Money Mark, Apples In Stereo, Tipsy, Eels, Irving, Fantastic Plastic Machine, DJ Me DJ You, Brother Cleve, Geoffrey Owens & Mary Christopher, Anubian Nights, Blue-Eyed Son, The Stones Throw Singers, From Bubblegum To Sky, Chris Kachulis, and Danielson Famile! Pretty neat!

V/ADiplo Presents Blow Your Head: Dubstep(Mad Descent / Downtown)cd$ 14.98

We're always on the lookout for killer dubstep compilations, like most UK electronic music genres, the really great stuff ends up being released mostly as 12" singles or even impossible to track down white label dubplates, so often we look to folks who might just be able to get their hands on the best of the best, and hope that they're willing to share the wealth, more often than not in the form of a banging mixtape. Which is exactly what this is, courtesy of beatmaker/producer Diplo, a seriously banging, bass heavy dubstep mixtape that KILLS. The sounds and styles vary, but almost all the tracks here rule, our favorites being the ones with that relentlessly buzzing bass warble and stuttering big beats. DZ's "Down" is is the perfect example, a shuffling hiccupping big beat is defined almost entirely by HUGE slabs of buzz, warbly, rumbling, wheezing basslines, sometimes more than one, and constantly being sped up an slowed down, changing the rhythm and the pitch and turning the song into a dizzyingly dense bass dub jam. Doctor P's "Sweet Shop", begins life all bouncy and ravey, with soulful female vox, but after 30 seconds, the track switches gears and sloooows way down, and becomes this dubbed out bass heavy creep, rife with buzzing synths, and whistle like melodies, all wound around some of the fiercest electronica we've heard in ages. And did we mention the bass? This is the sort of shit we'd pump if only we did in fact possess a booming system. James Blake, who has been getting hyped a lot lately, but who we had never heard, takes a more Zomby-ish tack, a sort of retro eighties pop, but rendered woozy and warbly with processed vox, squelchy synths and heavily effected bass buzz. Dubstep legend Benga of course does not disappoint, after a tangle of high end synthy squiggles, launches into some awesomely twisted bass warble driven skitter. Rusko is another one who starts out with some soft focus radio pop, all diva driven and warm and swirly, only to pull the rug out, and send us tumbling into a swirling psychedelic dubbed out bass synth blowout, only to eventually slip right back into that breezy electronic soul pop. So fucking great. And there's loads more dubbed out bassy goodness, tracks from Ginz, Major Lazer, Diplo himself, Zomby, Untold, Rudi Zygadlo and more more more...

V/ADirty Laundry - The Soul Of Black Country(Trikont)2lp$ 31.00

V/ADirty Space Disco(Tiger Sushi)cd$ 16.98

We've been waiting for this one with all kinds of excitement and anticipation. The always eclectic and forward minded folks at Tigersushi have compiled one of the more intriguing and rewarding comps of recent times. Digging deep into the vaults of the slow and drugged out side of disco's past they have miraculously connected dots that we always dreamed would finally be joined together. Dirty Space Disco brings together folks from the more avant and krautrock worlds like Roedelius (of Cluster), Conrad Schnitzler, and Clara Mondshine, setting their tracks up alongside disco luminaries and obscure dance floor burners from Sylvester, Fern Kinney, Odyssey, Undisputed Truth and more. This is all about the moody, seductive and way late night side of disco. We've been big fans of the current movement of artists tapping into this seductive sound (Lindstrom, Chromatics, Prins Thomas, etc.) but we're so happy to have the blueprints and origins of those sounds all on one disc. Though he's not included in this collection we know Arthur Russell would be so happy to see this disco / avant-garde match up finally happen. We're in love with so much of this comp but it's pretty much worth it alone for Sylvester's "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight" one of the greatest spaced out disco gems of all time, from his amazing Stars LP which came out in 1979 and features the innovative production of Patrick Cowley, one of the unsung heroes and pioneers of the San Francisco electronic/dance scene. Luckily just about every other track is just as fantastic. This collection has been at the top of the charts on KUSF (our local college radio station, where both Irwin and Andee have shows) ever since it went into rotation and it's no surprise because it's the kind of collection that easily wins over folks who thought they just weren't into disco just as much as it pleases those of us who are huge disco freaks!! Highly recommended!

V/ADirty Water 2: More Birth Of Punk Attitude(Year Zero)2cd$ 23.00

Here's the sequel, already, to last year's great Dirty Water comp of proto-punk (sonically and/or spiritually) music from the '60s and '70s, including many often-overlooked, unlikely gems and surprises, plus some "standards" as well. It's another double disc set, with 39 tracks on the compact disc version (and 19 on the slightly less comprehensive vinyl). We were already impressed with what compiler Kris Needs (former editor of British underground '70s rock mag ZigZag) included on the first volume, and this one just as cool. Some bands make a return appearance (MC5, The Silhouettes, Death, the Flamin' Groovies, Suicide, Mott The Hoople), and deservedly so, but there's lots of room for songs by artists dipping into the dirty water for the first time. From famous folks like the Velvet Underground, Bo Diddley, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Captain Beefheart, Blondie, and Big Star to not so well known names like The Vice Creems (Needs was the singer!), The Tidal Waves, The Unrelated Segments, Kilburn & The High Roads, Doctors Of Madness, and The Human Expression, amongst others. This is quite an eclectic collection, and while, say, ESP-label proto-punk bands of radical hippies from downtown NYC like the Godz and The Holy Modal Rounders are obvious choices, many others aren't. For one thing, it's not even all rock 'n' roll. The supposedly "punk" side of jazz is represented here by Albert Ayler and Dizzy Gillespie, the former punk for being so "free" and "out", the latter simply for ripping it up bebop style, we assume! Reggae (Tapper Zukie, Junior Murvin), funk (Parliament, though the track here is oddly more of a gospel tune), and folk (Woody Guthrie) are also included. Krautrock, too, via Faust. The proto-punk thing of course makes more obvious sense regarding entries from the realms of '70s glam, '50s rock n' roll (Eddie Cochran), and '60s garage (The Zachary Thaks) and psych (The United States Of America). And happily, at least one of the suggestions we made in our review of the first Dirty Water is included here, heavy hippies the Edgar Broughton Band. There's also some more heavy psych from the likes of Blue Cheer, The Misunderstood, and Stackwaddy. So once again, a killer collection of tracks that might be familiar to you (but given new context here) and/or that might not (but you'll be glad to hear), forming a primer part II to a "secret history of rock 'n' roll", elaborated upon in Needs' extensive liner notes that come in a huge 86 page booklet (cd version, at least). It's also quite well programmed, like they way Death's "Freaking Out" segues perfectly into the Dizzy Gillespie track, makes sense!! One suggestion for vol. 3: Blue Oyster Cult!

V/ADirty Water: The Birth Of Punk Attitude(Future Noise)2cd$ 23.00

Forget about making your own eclectic mix of edgy proto-punk rock and pop, you don't need to, it's been done. It's all here, folks. Well, enough of it anyway, spread over two cds or four sides of vinyl. 33 alternate-universe "hits" (or 23 on the vinyl version), from underground bands in the '60s and '70s who, if not always properly punk, were still actually punker than most punk bands EVER. That is, if someone had asked us to put together a compilation revealing the gnarled roots of "punk" back in the '60s, and then branching into an examination of some left-field, outside manifestations of the same in the '70s, we couldn't do it any better than this, compiled by Kris Needs, who used to edit the UK rock mag ZigZag back in the '70s. He knows his stuff. From Detroit, NYC, London, LA and elsewhere, there's slicked back '50s rockers, '60s psych garage, '70s prog singer songwriters, downtown NYC art-noise, pub rock, krautrock, and even reggae... connected only by attitude and/or artistry... some cuts being rare and wondrous one-off flashes of genius, other simply displays of what the band in question was capable of doing all the time. Some tunes you'll have heard before, of course, but need to hear again. And there's probably more than a few that might be new to you too. A definite primer on a secret history of rock n' roll we wish wasn't so secret. Some of it's harder, some of it's poppier, some it's glammier, some of it's weirder... but it's all good. Some big names/usual suspects: Suicide, Silver Apples, The Stooges (with a distortion-filled, 12 minute long live track, "Do You Want My Love?"), Flamin' Groovies, The Monks, the New York Dolls, The Seeds, T.Rex, even Sun Ra - demonstrating the outside jazz influence on the MC5, with his "Rocket Number Nine", which the compilers follow with the Five's "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)"... About the only obvious band missing, and we can only imagine it was due to a licensing issue or somesuch red tape, are Radio Birdman, but The Saints are here to represent the Aussie punk explosion. The comp even includes recent discoveries Death, from Detroit, nice to see them now written into the aforementioned secret history, a few years ago they were too unknown even for that. Others in the lineup: The Standells, The Deviants, Pink Fairies (doing "Do It", later covered by the Rollins Band, y'know), Gene Vincent, Jook (who dey?), Mott The Hoople, Zolar X (yay!), The Up, David Peel & The Lower East Side, The Silhouettes, The Last Poets, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Third World War, Dr. Feelgood (with "Roxette", if you look it up a performance on YouTube you might get your mind blown), Peter Hammill (of Van Der Graaf Generator), Can, Red Krayola, Rocket From The Tombs, The Dictators, The Hollywood Brats (doing a Kinks cover, previously unreleased on cd), and Culture. Not bad, eh?? Ok, maybe if there was a third disc we'd expect to also hear Crushed Butler and Amon Duul II and Angel Face and Les Rallizes Denudes and The Sonics and the Imperial Dogs and Gaseneta and the Edgar Broughton Band and a few others, but heck, this is a pretty good start! And it comes with a HUGE booklet (76 pages) filled with detailed info from Needs on all these artists, crucial and obscure (or both). Really well done. You want a Xmas present to immediately up someone's hippness quotient (or impress them with yours)? Try giving 'em this comp, as well as a copy of Savage Damage Digest zine, also reviewed this list. FYI, as alluded to above, the double lp format has fewer tracks (lacking, feristance, that Stooges number) and no huge booklet, but is still a good spread of stuff, and comes on 180 gram vinyl, for those that want some proto-punk 'tude for their turntable.

V/ADis-Jointed(Dis-Joint)cd$ 14.98

About a year ago we wrote about a 12" split of a couple of Wackie's tracks that were both amazing in their own ways. The A-Side was Horace Andy's "Musical Episode", an extended 12" mix which is probably one of the best disco mixes we'd ever heard and the B-Side was an absolutely bizarre extended mix called the "Wack Rap" from 1979 and featuring some completely off kilter impersonations of the Sugarhill Gang. Well, Dis-Joint records, the fellas who released that 12", have put together a nice compilation of tracks featuring the aforementioned along with several singles -- new and old -- that their label has released. Now the vinyl-ly challenged can also join in on the enjoyment of these two tracks and then some. There's quite a few rare tracks here, including an instrumental mix of Ronnie Gee's "Raptivity" from 1980, Zap Pow's reggae homage to Kool & The Gang "Lottery Spin" recorded at Dynamic Sounds way back in 1976, plus some new dance floor cuts inspired from the old school by the likes of DJs Cool Chris & Romanowski, Ben Cook & Deep Fuzz, Dub Diablo and more.

V/ADisco Deutschland Disco(Marina)cd$ 16.98

Oh how we've adored the Germans' take on various musical styles over the years, and we're not just talking about their obvious kosmiche krautrock brilliance. No, it's German musicmakers' handling of the more unexpected genres that have deepened our love affair tenfold. The hip '60s kitten heeled go-go pop of the In-Kraut compilations? The spaghetti (er, sauerkraut?) westerns of the Wig Wam Weste(r)n Weisse Wolfe collections? Yes and yes! Those two genres are unquestionably more commonly associated with French chanteuses and American cowboys, so the unmistakable German inflections that surface always make for a delightful twist on the familiar. Now Marina Records, who brought us those In-Kraut comps, takes it (or is it retakes it?) to the dancefloor with this compilation of German disco and funk music circa 1975 thru 1980. They're not messin' around. This is straight-up boogie wonderland business. Awesome. Some highlights include the 8+ minute Supermax track, a lowdown I'm so sexy unstoppable groover... the Giorgio Moroder studio band Munich Machine's classic "Get On The Funk Train"... and a disco-era hit from In-Kraut alumnus Peter Thomas and his Sound Orchestra... among 15 other mainly killer, glitterball dazzlers. Now, if the weird thing is, this isn't really that weird. Heck disco's even back "in" now. Don't go expecting krautrocky craziness, instead just get yer dancing shoes on and yer ass in gear. Seriously, this has been getting spun in the store by AQ staffers just as much or more than anything else lately, and when it's on we've been getting our work done with just a little more groove. Includes a 14-page booklet of informative liner notes, with such interestin' tidbits as that Berry Lipman's track "Sex World" was used as the theme song for an American porno film, but originated as an instrumental from the German sci-fi TV series Star Maidens...

V/ADisco Italia(Strut)cd$ 14.98

The past few years have been good to disco. Somehow it's managed to rise above its mucky kitsch value in which it had become historically mired. The popular conception that it was just a mess of ridiculous clubs jamming The Andrea True Connection packed tight with sequins and cocaine is apparently not wholly true. Not every club played Andrea True. But amidst the silly outfits and copious drug use, there were some fantastic songs and artists that expanded on the innate dance potential within funk and soul. As the ubiquitous cowbell and 4/4 rhythmic pattern of disco spread across the world like a glamorous plague, different regions seemed to add their own take on the dance phenom. Perhaps most notably were the Italians. Ah, even in pop culture, where would dance music be without the bassline arpeggiations of Giorgio Moroder? The clearest trademark of much Italo Disco, along with the synthetic drum sounds, and the overall spacey, futuristic bent. That is to say, there was a specific sound that became relevant and distinctive. And while this compilation really does have some amazing songs - like the semi-obvious "Now Baby Now" from Kano - not every song really does a good job at conveying what it is that makes this very recognizable genre what it is. Moreover, even as a disco collection, there are some notably weak moments. For instance, Revanche's "1979 It's Dancing Time," with b-rate, throw away choral vocals that cheaply hint at the Philadelphia sound. Not to mention the insanely dated and just plain cheesy title. Then there's D. D. Sound's "Burning Love," a secondhand version of the wonderfully sleazy, inventive Rinder and Lewis work that earmarked the AVI sound from LA - geez, will someone reissue that stuff?! There is a booklet inside, which is fairly informative, if not a little self-serious. An example is contained within the first paragraph where the author of "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life," Bill Brewster, very boldly claims that if not for Italo, then "dance music would have remained decidedly more monochrome and house music would almost never have happened." We're going to say that Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles might disagree a bit. Sure it was definitely an important chapter in dance music history, but let's not get completely carried away. Okay, enough of the negative aspects. There are some great songs on here that are totally worth owning, like Kasso's "Brazilian Dancer." What an amazing song! Totally in the vein of French group Voyage's completely epic and timeless "I Love You Dancer." Bands like Daft Punk and Phoenix can just send them a thank you letter and royalties at any point in time. So, completists will want this, but maybe it's not the best starting place for someone just working their way into this type of music. Although if you're a big fan of disco already, then you have probably been searching for one or more of these tracks at some point.

V/ADisco Not Disco(Strut)cd$ 16.98

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

SORRY. Wow! As if the Tony Allen reissues and the stellar Club Africa compilations weren't enough, the excellent UK label Strut has undertaken to compile a look back at the early days of *underground* disco when disco was an outgrowth of both New York punk and "No New York" proto new wave. This record is fantastic. It is ass kicking stripped down disco with no affectations and no stupid fashion victim Saturday Night Fever synth action to muck up the groove. Wailing JB's-style horns, chiming guitars and staccato bass, all backboned by totally organic percussion that makes you think "fucking kick ass live drummer" instead of "hmmm, good drum machine programming". Sure, this music has been sitting around for years and most of you have probably heard a track or two contained here, but Strut's stroke of genius has been to compile these tracks *together*, coming as they do from seemingly totally disparate groups who don't (to our ears today) share much in common -- from Yoko Ono (a track she began remixing on the day John Lennon was killed) to Liquid Liquid (the classic "Cavern", whose bassline was stolen, er, appropriated by Grandmaster Flash for "White Lines")... to Bill Laswell, Ian Dury, Steve Miller(!) and Don Cherry(!). The pages and pages of liner notes do a lot to bring these artists together in a musically logical sense, and I have to say that the Loose Joints track "Tell You (Today)" is hands down my fave single of the year -- thank god for "Disco No Disco" or I never would've heard it (we put almost the whole seven minute track up on the website so you can hear it in all its glory -- it starts in one place and ends up in quite another and you're not quite sure how you got there but you're glad). If the word "disco" makes you cringe, get ready for your world to change. And if you thought that band !!!'s record funkified your indierock life, they ain't NOTHING compared to "Disco Not Disco". P.S. Someone really needs to tell Neil Hamburger he sounds exactly like Steve Miller on "Macho City".

V/ADisco Not Disco (3)(Strut)cd$ 16.98

Strut is back! After releasing 2 amazing comps of the finest in underground leftfield disco and post-punk dance rarities, Strut called it a day. This was heartbreaking news as we were hoping Strut would become a stalwart reissue label like Soul Jazz or Numero Group. Miraculously, they have defied the odds and with the help of K7! and risen once again, hopefully to stay around for awhile. And with their return comes this third volume from the always exciting Disco Not Disco series. Billed as Post Punk, Electro and Leftfield Disco classics from 1974-1986, the bulk of the cuts are heavier on the eighties side with classic tracks from Shriekback, Quango Quango, Material and Konk. But also with rare leaps into Belgian and German territory with Liaisons Dangereuses, Kazino and Gina X performance (which due to an 11th hour dispute may or may not really be a Yellow Magic Orchestra track). Vivien Goldman and Delta 5 represent classic late seventies British post-punk while a Kid Creole remix of James White and The Blacks "Contort Yourself" offers a breezier twist on the New York scene favorite. The proto-disco fusion groove of Isotope is the earliest and our least loved track, but the white hot store favorite status goes to A Number Of Names' "Sharivari" and The Pop Group spin off project, Maximum Joy's minimal dub winddown "Silent Street / Silent Dub". So Killer! Strut's essential comps do not stay in print for very long so don't miss out on the first of 2008's awesome party jams!

V/ADisco Not Disco 2(Strut)cd$ 17.98

As you probably know, the first volume of Strut's Disco Not Disco compilation has been a big hit here at AQ, with customers and staff alike. Well, we're happy to report that volume 2 is also great. It's a look back at the early days of *underground* disco

V/ADisco Rallado(Broklyn Beats)cd$ 9.98

V/ADisco Undead(Device)cd$ 16.98

How could we resist a disc with cute lil' bitty lo-res computer graphic zombies on the cover? We couldn't! Disco Undead is a theme compilation, an electro tribute to horror movies, especially the Italian '70s and '80s gore and suspense variety, as directed by maestros like Argento and Fulci. So of course you should expect some Goblin worship, and you get it with Bangkok Impact's version of Goblin's seminal Profundo Rosso theme, here titled "The Pianist And The Reporter". Not only that, but the theme to Suspiria also gets covered as well (Solenoid's "Suspiriorum"). We've gotta say, though, that it is just a little weird/lame that Goblin themselves are credited nowhere on this! It's a tribute after all, so why not give credit where credit is due? Other artists/tracks include Gigue's "Fulci's Rotting Children", Negative's "Cannibal Sluts", Orgue Electronique's "Le Notti Del Terrore", Legowelt's "Season Of Samhain" and Porn Darsteller's "Holocaust" among others. Movie themes are plundered and re-interpreted, beats get dropped onto spooky incidental music, and much inspiration is taken from the stylishness of these campy slasher flicks. Just imagine if John Carpenter made electro/techno dance mixes...kinda like his theme to Friday The 13th. Creepy keyboards, distorted computer voices, zombie-plodding rhythms, soulless textures, all good stuff! It's true that some of this comes off a bit like electro elevator music, but that's the case with a lot of the original horror scores as well, which are eerie and sinister mainly due to context, not content. After all, a lot of the best Goblin is more funky than frightening! Anyway, this is a perfect fit for the already-retro electro approach, and that Profundo Rosso version is a classic!

V/ADiscover Indonesia(Smithsonian Folkways)cd$ 6.98

For those of you who may find the full 20-volume Smithsonian Folkways "Music Of Indonesia" series a little daunting, and don't know just where to begin, the kind folks at SFW decided to release this budget-priced series sampler cd. Featuring 15 tracks selected from the many amazing entries in the series. Everything from xylophone duets to brass bands, from church songs to gamelan, from bamboo tubes to funeral gongs. Totally great. Get this and then begin collecting the volumes from whence comes the music that intrigues you the most on here. We also recommend Vol. 20 ("Indonesian Guitars") and Vol. 2 ("Popular Music of Indonesia") as being good starting points and definite essentials in this series.

V/ADo The Pop!(Shock)2cd$ 18.98

50 songs of Australian garage rock 1976-1987, almost all of it fucking great! Most of us are familiar with the The Saints and Radio Birdman, but included on this compilation are a bunch of amazing lesser knowns running the gamut from dirty rock to jangly pop to crusty garage to Detroit influenced punk. Bands like The Hoodoo Gurus (one of Andee's favorite bands ever), Died Pretty, The Lipstick Killers, The Sunnyboys, The Scientists, The Lime Spiders, The Screaming Tribesmen, The Hard-Ons, The Celibate Rifles, The New Christs, The Eastern Dark, The Exploding White Mice, The Stems and more. 2 1/2 hours!! It's like Christmas or something, I (Sadie) already loved The Saints and Radio Birdman but hadn't heard any of these other bands and I'm freaked out at how much awesome garage rock I've been missing out on. Andee told me that the Celibate Rifles are rad, and they are! Other kick ass bands are the Scientists (who also have a collection on Sub Pop), the Lime Spiders, the Victims, oh I could go on and on! Just buy this. One of the best compilations we've heard in a long time! (Particularily great if you got that excellent recent Sub Pop Radio Birdman collection reviewed on list #118, and want to hear more from their scene, or the scene that they inspired.)

V/ADo The Pop! Redux Part One(Savage Beat)2cd$ 24.00

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

SORRY.

V/ADoctor Who Sound Effects(BBC Records & Tapes)lp$ 25.00

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

SORRY.

V/ADocument 03 - Diffuse(Dorobo)cd$ 14.98

"Diffuse" is a collection of work produced by the graduates from the Media Arts Department of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, under the guidance of noted Australian electro-glitch composer Philip Samartzis. It seems that Samartzis has clearly taught his students about a number of contemporary electronic manifestations of sound, but has impressed the neccessity for space and silence for sound to breath and move. Thus, none of his students have presented the claustrophobic assaults of noise culture, rather these are nano-technological movements that bridge the Raster / Ikeda purity of digital sound and the Surreal drama of French musique concrete. Artists include Troy Allan, Thembi Soddell, Andie Reynolds, Bruce Mowson, Camilla Hannan, G_S, James Celil, Sianna Lee, Phillip Pietruschka, 24k, and Haima. Heard of any of 'em? Neither have I, but hopefully they'll put out more work soon.

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V/ADocumenta.II(Agenda)cd$ 16.98

Let's hope that nobody confuses this compilation with any of the "Documenta" shows, as there is really nothing in common with this compilation and the massive art exhibit in Kassel, Germany. Rather this is the second in a series from Agenda (the avant-rock subsidiary of UK house label Peacefrog), featuring "some of the finest moments in the movement of modern acoustic and electroacoustic grooves." What Agenda means by such half-baked lingo is the groovier side of post-rock, and has gotten together a pretty good sampling from the Hausmusik crowd (Lali Puna, Tarwater, Tied + Tickled Trio, and Notwist), plus cuts from Mum (the Icelandic, not the German band), Labradford, Calexico, American Analog Set, Windy & Carl, Mice Parade, State River Widening, Bergheim 34, Re, and Savath & Savalas. It should be noted that while some of these tracks are qualified as "rare," nothing's unreleased or exclusive.

V/ADon't Fuck With Us(Digital Hardcore)3cd$ 15.98

Alec "The Destroyer" Empire, fed up with the Berlin scene, returned to the New York DHR offices and rummaged through the huge box of demo tapes from numerous underground and largley unheard American artists. These three jam-packed discs feature 35 of those

V/ADon't Let The Bastards Get You Down - A Tribute to Kris Kristofferson(Jackpine)cd$ 14.98

The first of two Kris Kristofferson tribute albums to come out in this here year 2002, Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down was put together by local man about town Nick Tangborn. Like a Dwight Yoakum of his day, Kris Kristofferson was equally involved with

V/ADon't Stop: Recording Tap(Numero Group)cd$ 16.98

The Numero Group goes digging deep once again and come up for air with some mighty fine disco and proto-hip-hop jams from the super obscure vaults of an early '80s NY label called Tap. From start to finish this lavishly packaged collection offers up helping after helping of killer grooves and funky jams, from that magical era where funk and disco were the seeds that would blossom into the hip-hop scene that would soon blow up bigtime. While names like Jackie Stoudemire, Magnetism, Arnie Love & The Lovettes and Fabulous 3 MC's might not have become household names, after listening to their tracks on this comp you will be wishing you could get your hands on more of their goods. Every time we put this on we start to have fantasies about being in NY during this era and blasting these songs on a playground while we do some double dutch and then catch ESG playing a show in the Bronx, and afterwards heading to the Paradise Garage where we dance the night away with Larry Levan. This is going to go right up their with The Third Unheard, Big Apple Rappin and the new Funky Nassau collection as one of our favorite party perfect comps of all time. And of course there's a massive booklet with liner notes detailing the full of the story of the Tap label and all the trouble and adventures it took to actually get these amazing sounds into the world. We are so glad they did!

V/ADon't Trust Your Neighbors: Early Albanian Traditional Songs & Improvisations, 1920s-1930s(Hinter)lp$ 27.00

For all you Mississippi Records obsessives, Sublime Frequencies nuts, and just diggers of old timey 78's and world music (which we'd like to think covers a whole lot of folks who read the aQ list), comes this, the first release from record store turned label Hinter Records, and it's a good one, if a bit obscure, but then that only makes it that much more interesting. Don't Trust Your Neighbors is a collection of "Early Albanian Traditional Songs & Improvisations" from the twenties and thirties, and is overflowing with amazing songs, sounds and performances, the vibe is definitely similar to some of the Greek music compilations we've carried, which makes sense since they're neighbors, but we hear plenty of influences from Turkey, and Romania too, the vibe to our ears is definitely a sort of gypsy folk, but the sound is often surprisingly raga-like, hypnotic and droney, for every proper song here, there's a gorgeous sprawling drone-y jam, that evokes the same sort of hypnotic mesmer that most modern space/psych outfits spend their whole careers chasing. There's extensive liner notes, presented as a beautiful 4 panel heavy cardstock insert, that details the quest for the records that make up this collection, as well as plenty on the history of Albania and the artists here, which is super interesting, but even removed from the historical background, the music here is so powerful, and so intense, dramatic and tense, quite dark much of the time, emotional and hypnotic, there are dances, and ballads, traditional folks songs, the vocals so passionate and powerful, but the strangely mesmerizing music and the way the music and the vocals seem to blur and intertwine, it must be the improvisation angle that really gives this the strange energy we find so appealing, but throughout strings buzz, and melodies unfurl into sprawling drones, the raga feel is huge, and makes this so much more than just a historical document. Instead this plays out like a collection of lives and loves, of memories and mysterious, all translated into glorious sound, evoking a sort of muted majesty and a powerful personal energy that imbues these songs with a humanity and intensity that is utterly mesmerizing. Packaged in beautiful full color covers - with art by Robert Crumb! - with the aforementioned heavy cardstock printed insert, which includes liner notes and lots of amazing photos.

V/ADoob Doob O' Rama 2(Normal Records)cd$ 15.98

Second volume of this popular collection of Bollywood madness. More bizarrely recorded, genre splicing, manic and sometimes ridiculous Indian film music. Bring on volume 3!!

V/ADoob Doob O'Rama: Filmsongs From Bollywood(QDK)cd$ 15.98

A collection of Indian film music classics, kind of a bizarre and infectious lo-fi hybridization of genres. If you liked the "Bombay The Hardway" disc, or our favorite, the great "Dance Raja Dance" collection of Vijaya Anand's film music, you'll surely dig this. Features the illustrious Asha Bhosle! Recommended.

V/ADoom & Gloom(Trikont)cd$ 21.00

Train wrecks, war, drought, despair, atomic bombs, sinking ships, and more, are all to be found in the songs compiled by Christopher Wagner for the latest in a string of themed compilations from Trikont. Wagner, in his introductory essay "In The Shadow Of The Apocalypse", takes the position that the modern age brought with it a newfound sense of fear and alienation that isolated individuals from religion, tradition, and community, leaving them with an overarching, unrelenting sense of melancholy that pervaded all aspects of their lives; for him, these recordings are a musical testament to the zeitgeist of that era. Heavy stuff indeed (what else would you expect from a compilation cd that uses a passage from Walter Benjamin as an epigraph�?). But what really stands out in this selection of songs is the depth and breadth of responses to disaster that the musicians are able to present. To be sure, you'd be hard pressed to find more plaintive, harrowing or emotionally evocative recordings than "That Great Ship Went Down" by William and Versey Smith (familiar to anyone who's heard The American Anthology of Folk Music) or "Off To War I'm Going" by The Carolinan Twins, but tracks such as these are starkly contrasted by The Allen Brothers' buoyant, kazoo-driven, "Jake Walk Blues" and the gruesome yet disconcertingly matter-of-fact narrative found in The Dixon Brothers' "School House Fire." Doom & Gloom is a success because the songs themselves are never overshadowed by the academic conceits of the compilation itself -- the thematic thread is always there, but what you hear first and foremost is the humanity, humility and resilience found in the music. Seriously recommended.

V/ADope & Glory: Reefer Songs Der 30er & 40er Jahre(Trikont)2cd$ 24.00

With the diverse amount and massive number of highly vocal supporters of this versatile plant over the ages it's amazing that it's still illegal. And though I don't smoke the reefer anymore (it only gets the best of my onboard paranoia generator), I certainly see no reason why this fragrant plant can't become a productive member of our society. Certainly Trikont's newly released collection of recordings celebrating the wacky weed is no ground breaking concept, as there have been plenty of compilations featuring every possible genre of music devoted to praising the herb. But what probably sets Trikont's double disc "Dope & Glory" apart from the pack is their dedication to compiling a set focusing solely on the early days of American jazz (all culled from the 30's and 40's.) 50 tracks from such heavyweights as Fats Waller, Cab Calloway, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and much much more perform such classics as "If You're A Viper", "When I Get Low I Get High", "Golden Leaf Strut", "Chant of the Weed" and then some! So pack up a bowl, put this disc on the old aluminum spinning laser device and enjoy. Fold out eco-pak includes booklets of liner notes in both German and English.

V/ADouble Articulation(Sub Rosa)cd$ 16.98

A follow-up to Sub Rosa's "Folds & Rhizomes" tribute to philosopher Gilles Deleuze, this time with the original participants (an electronica who's who: Main, Scanner, David Shea, Oval, Mouse on Mars, Tobias Hazan) remixing each other's contributions to the (quite excellent) first compiliation, and in so doing somehow exploring Deleuze's ideas�

V/ADown & Out: The Sad Soul of the Black South(Trikont)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. We're proud to be carrying the very hard to find German label Trikont, who have amassed an incredibly diverse selection of cds featuring music from all over the world. This WONDRFUL compilation collects the warm soul music of the American south, featuring Percy Mayfield, Betty Lavette, Virgil Griffin, Sam Dees, etc. The liner notes set the stage: "Nowhere will a romance be longed for that desperately, nowhere are the comforting powers of love known that well. And still: Soul can do more. Who ever has dared to go beyond the shallowness of radioformatted sounds and has ventured deeper, will soon have discovered stains, all kinds of interesting dirt and spiritual undertones that connect the gutter with heaven. You can get addicted to Soul painfully. You will realize it when the long forgotten voices of ecstasy, irrationality and despair strike back."

V/ADown From The Mountain(Lost Highway)cd$ 17.98

Down From The Mountain is a recording of a live concert held at the Ryman Auditorium (a.k.a. The Grand Ole Opry) that featured many of the artists that appeared on the soundtrack to the Cohen Bros. popular film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" The concert was documented on film by D.A. Pennebaker (who directed the renowned film on Bob Dylan "Don't Look Back" among many other

V/ADown In A Mirror: A Second Tribute To Jandek(Summersteps)cd$ 14.98

Not once, but twice has the Summersteps label commissioned an entire album of Jandek covers. Given the unmistakable idiosyncratic signature of Jandek's vocal warble and shrill guitar picking, it's not an easy task to reinterpret Jandek without watering down the original, even when you're a songwriter as strong as Jeff Tweedy or John Darnielle (aka The Mountain Goats). These are two of 21 artists who took on the challenge, alongside Eric Gaffney, Okkervil River (boldly covering what may be Jandek's best individual song "Your Other Man"), Six Organs of Admittance, Kawabata Makoto, Home For The Def (doing an is-it-brilliant-or-is-it-stupid hip-hop take on Jandek's "European Jewel"), Rivulets, and whole bunch of other people we've never heard of.