[ aquarius records catalogue

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Two discs packed full of Yo La Tengo's genius and love. A wonderful collection of their assorted odds and ends, covers, alternate versions, singles and stuff.

The leadoff track from Yo La Tengo's latest album, Popular Songs, gets the remix treatment from three of the band's favorite hip-hop beat makers. De La Soul, RJD2, and Pete Rock all take their turn remixing "Here To Fall". While we usually aren't the biggest fans of rock bands going the remix route, especially the HIP HOP remix route, luckily Yo La Tengo have always managed to pull of whatever they wanted to do, no matter how unlikely, or seemingly ill advised, and this is yet another example, with all the remixers totally and reverentially respecting YLT's aesthetic while making something new and fresh out of an already great song. De La Soul and RJD2 give more of a break beat groove to the song not adding any of their own vocals which we appreciate, while the Pete Rock remix is for sure the most up front hip-hop one of the bunch. We also know how much these artists mean to Yo La Tengo, as James McNew gushed with excitement about how excited he was to meet Pete Rock, De La Soul and RJD2 the last time he was in town and came to hang out on Irwin's radio show on KUSF. There are few bands you can just blindly trust everything they put out into the world, and YLT are one of them.

MPEG stream: Here To Fall (De La Soul Remix)
MPEG stream: Here To Fall (RJD2 Remix)
MPEG stream: Here To Fall (Pete Rock Remix)

It's been a little over 3 years since YLT graced us with their Summer Sun and we have to say we were starting to get a little antsy. We have pretty much worn out all of our copies of their back catalog. Every album, every single. Everyone here can probably boast a different favorite YLT record, but we all knew we needed some new sounds from them pronto. And here we have it, and it does not disappoint. In fact it delights, confuses, and makes us fall in love with them all over again. While the last couple records (which are some of our favorites!) had a pretty consistent feeling and tone (more on the soft and somber side of things) this is a YLT record that truly connects with all their various sides and shades, moods and sounds. Bookended with two long rockers clocking in at around 11 minutes each, the 12 songs in between touch on all the different sounds Yo La Tengo have explored over the years. From their perfect, super catchy indie rock, to sad and melancholy dreampop to a surprising and irresistible dance number, to some groovy horn section action, and all stops in between. I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass most definitely sounds like a band connecting with every part of their past, present and future. And like plenty of other YLT records, it blossoms and reveals secret after secret on repeated listens. A record that demands you spend time with it, but who needs to be told, one listen and that's all you'll want to do.... Viva La Yo La Tengo!

MPEG stream: I Should Have Known Better
MPEG stream: Mr. Tough
MPEG stream: I Feel Like Going Home
MPEG stream: The Story Of Yo La Tengo

Back print on vinyl!! Now all heavy duty 180 gram. Here's what we had to say the first time around.. Yo La Tengo put a lot of lovin' into each of their albums and over the years have moved further and further away from the raw electric guitar feedback outbursts of their early songs in favor of warm, pretty organ drone lines -- leaning towards a more overall mellow grooviness. But they've done so without sacrificing any of their ultra catchy pop hooks, and for that we are ever so happy and grateful!

Ahhh, Yo La Tengo! Such a band you gotta love... and such a band who loves ya back! With Ira, Georgia and James you get no fancy stuff, no gimmicks, no high fashion. You simply get Yo La Tengo, and they've endeared themselves to legions around the globe. Their hearts are in the right place whether it be making their own awesome music or in this case playing random musical requests to raise funds for beloved radio station WFMU. Released on the band's own label Egon Records, this 70 minute cd compiles the band's on-air performances of tunes requested by listeners in return for a monetary pledge during the station's annual fundraising marathon from 1996 through 2003. They tackle tunes by X-Ray Spex, Eurythmics, Jonathan Richman, Sun Ra, Brian Eno, Hues Corporation, Billy Joel, The Knack, Beach Boys, Yoko Ono, Bachman Turner Overdrive, T-Rex, Archie Bell, Sonic Youth, Rocket From The Tombs, Iggy Pop, Replacements, Petula Clark, and oh so many more. One thing's for sure -- despite their seeming encyclopedic knowledge of music they'll never cut it as a cover band! The title is not an understatement. Heck, they themselves have used the term "dreadful"! Still, it's YLT, and their valiant attempts, on-the-spot figurin' out, muffed lyrics, and strained singalongs played out with gleeful reckless abandon are nothing short of charming and often downright hilarious. The last panel of the terrific Adrian Tomine drawn comicstrip cover art sez it best, "Well, I guess it's for a good cause..."

MPEG stream: Oh Bondage! Up Yours!
MPEG stream: The Hokey Pokey
MPEG stream: Downtown

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

SORRY. If Fakebook wasn't enough for you, then here's another long-overdue Yo La Tengo release composed entirely of covers. This time they give the YLT treatment to Sandy Denny, the Kinks, Beach Boys, Queen, and more. Outstanding.

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

SORRY. Some of Yo La Tengo's best and dreamiest pop songs invariably got bullied out of the way by the Ira Kaplan's earlier tendencies towards Sonic Youth-ian blasts of ear-piercing guitar distortion. Such is often the case on their 1992 album May I Sing With Me, but even still, the melodic genius and intelligent, unwaveringly heartfelt lyrical sentiments stand strong and shine through the dissonance. Don't even think of calling yourself a Yo La Tengo fan if a well-worn copy (or two) of this album doesn't grace your record collection. My (Cup's) second favorite Yo La Tengo album next to Painful. Highlights: "Upside Down" and "Detouring America With Horns". Man, I could listen to those two songs back to back on repeat all day long... in fact, maybe I'll go do that now!

No one understands record making or music loving more than YLT. Here they offer the perfect 7" hot on the heels of their great new album. The A-side is the unexpected dance hit from the new record, "Mr. Tough" and the flipside is another in a long line of great covers, this time they tackle the old soul classic "I'm Your Puppet". Could be just the perfect stocking stuffer to get a hold of early for that special YLT lover in your life.

MPEG stream: Mr. Tough

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

SORRY. Yo La Tengo's selfreleased double 7" "Now 2000 / Excalibur 2001" showcases their collaboration with New York jazz greats so underground they come from the subway (literally!). If you're thinking this will be Yo La Tengo's bittersweet pop with jazzy flares, you'd be wrong. Rather it's a Yo La Tengo keeping up with the free jazz of Roy Campbell Jr, Daniel Carter, and Sabir Mateen.

Yo La's new ep sees them covering (in multiple versions) the obscure, though recently reissued, Sun Ra song "Nuclear War." First things first, if you're expecting the dreamy loveliness of YLT's last album And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out, be forewarned: their four versions of "Nuclear War" are nothing like that! Actually the music on the first two is much more in line with the heavier, groovier stretches of their Sounds Of The Sounds Of Science soundtrack. Georgia, Ira and James have been known to throw an aural curve ball now and again -- detouring from their usual warm, soothing pop path to reveal their respectable jazz inclinations. A good example was their self-released but sadly out of print double 7" that featured their collaborations with New York free jazz artists Roy Campbell Jr, Daniel Carter, and Sabir Mateen. Now two years later, they've offered another glimpse. It's a glimpse that has already received such polarized response from those who've heard it in the store (sorta like the Langley Schools Music Project), that you might just wanna scoop it up to see what the fuss is about. And heck, it's only four bucks! But...we still have to ask, "what were they thinking?" I mean, we're all for the political, anti-war statement being made, but they should have picked a song that didn't require Ira Kaplan to soullessly chant "motherfucker". It just sounds dumb. And then to hear children chanting it too in Version #2? Egads! No, the impact of having kids singing those lyrics isn't lost on us, the stickiness is having them echo the deadpan delivery of Kaplan. The Sun Ra original was a cosmic jazz funk piece in the "Space Is The Place" vein, but as much as YLT like it, they can't pull it off, particularly with regards to the vocals. Makes for pretty difficult listening, but not the good kind! Memo to YLT: protest songs that can only be enjoyed as painful novelty tracks ain't gonna stop no wars... Fortunately, Version #3 is an extended fifteen minute jam that redeems this release considerably with their jazz friends Campbell, Carter and Mateen making a reappearance along with other downtown NYC jazzers Susie Ibarra and Josh Maddell. Oh, and then to mix things up even more, Version #4 is a remix by Mike Ladd. But by that point, do you want to hear more "Nuclear War"? Covering Sun Ra is much like covering The Residents or The Monks (as was recently done) -- arguably pretty futile 'cause each are far beyond the music itself. Furthermore as is often the case with covers, maybe this just should've been reserved for their live performance mode and not committed to tape. Let's just hope that YLT aren't now responsible for causing fans of theirs who've not heard Sun Ra to never check his stuff out merely because their interpretations of this particular (and not entirely representative) composition fall flat. Please go to our review of the Atavistic reissue of Sun Ra's "Nuclear War" for a side-by-side RealAudio comparision...

RealAudio clip: Version #2
RealAudio clip: Version #3

Finally, one of our all time favorite Yo La Tengo albums gets reissued on vinyl! Released in 1993, Painful represented a really important moment for and shift in YLT's sonic scope. While their early records were brimming with feedback and displayed a Sonic Youth like approach to rock, Painful fully introduced the more dreamy, blissed out and intoxicating side of their sound which they have continued to develop and master as the years have gone by. Painful opens with the bittersweet "Big Day Coming", and gorgeously unfolds with some of the most beautiful and sad pop songs ever recorded, including "Nowhere Near" which still freezes us in our tracks and gives us goosebumps every time we hear it. While later albums like And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, and I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, might be more widely recognized as classic albums, Painful really was the blueprint for the sounds that would evolve making Yo La Tengo one of the best bands of our generation. An absolute must have!

MPEG stream: Nowhere Near
MPEG stream: From A Motel 6

They never ever disappoint, in fact more often than not, they totally blow us away. And with Popular Songs, Yo La Tengo remind us once again why they are one of the best bands of the last quarter century. From start to finish this is an album with so many different sounds, styles, moods and motifs, yet it's all so deliciously Yo La Tengo! Like their best albums, the first time you hear this record you know it's going to be an album that you'll listen to for the rest of your life. And in this day and age of disposable culture it's so incredibly refreshing to have YLT, whose music has such a timeless element, and sounds so personal and passionate, and will undoubtedly stand the test of time. YLT never aspired to be the hippest or trendiest or coolest band around. Simply stated, slow and steady wins the race! They've definitely won, and continue to win, and in turn so have we. They've made their indelible mark by just being themselves, and when it comes to pure substance it just doesn't get more richly rewarding than YLT. Popular Songs is like an album that represent the best friend we all wish we could have. Someone you can turn to when it's time to get deep or vent some bittersweet sadness, someone you can also have fun sleepover parties with and let loose and experience total joy together. These are a set of songs that really do hit at almost the entire spectrum of emotion, and the pacing/sequencing of the album just couldn't be more perfect. Whether being melted away by one of Georgia Hubley's beautifully aching drift-away numbers or being swept up in a Motown like fury or rocked by a straight ahead burner, there is such immaculate skill in the crafting of each song. The album features wonderfully lush string arrangements provided by Richard Evans, the legendary soul pioneer who contributed so much to the amazing '60s Chicago/Cadet soul scene, who many of you might know and love for his work on the great Afro-Harping album by Dorothy Ashby. So awesome, and yet after taking so many wonderful twist and turns, it is the ending of the album that really leaves us so stunned and in awe. The last two tracks are very long and mostly instrumental. "The Fireside" is eleven minutes of total shoegaze bliss, that puts most actual 'shoegaze' bands to shame, letting the listener get lost in a slow glowing haze. And then the album's closer "And The Glitter Is Gone", an almost sixteen minute sonic smolder brimming with a droning and triumphant psychedelic spirit that we could listen to forever. One of those rare records that is all 'favorite songs', every listen, a new song gets stuck in your head and fills your heart, only to be supplanted by another the next time, and on it goes, favorite after favorite after favorite. We think it's fair to say this is a total masterpiece from one of our favorite groups!

MPEG stream: Here To Fall
MPEG stream: If It's True
MPEG stream: The Fireside
MPEG stream: And The Glitter Is Gone

Cheers to Matador/YLT for seeing the need and filling it. People want these early albums so much, we can't even keep the expensive import of this cd in stock. Now available at a domestic price: both albums plus a song from an early 7". Strongly recommended.

Matador Records strangely opted to release this concurrently as both a double cd and a triple cd, we've opted to carry just the 3cd set 'cause it's only a couple of bucks more for a whole lot more (well, if you *really* want the 2cd version we can certainly order one for you)! The menage-a-trois has the disc that every Yo La Tengo lover's gonna want and need. In case you can't tell from the title, you might consider the first two cds to be sort of a 'greatest hits' collection (although the word 'hit' seems somewhat incongruous when applied to this particular band, doesn't it?). You might also think of this as a pretty concise overview of the band's recorded body of work. The funny thing is that Yo La Tengo is the type of band whose fans are so devoted that they pretty much don't miss a single release that comes out. So the first two discs of this set might seem redundant to those diehard YLT fanatics. Yo la tengo, indeed! But who's complaining? At the very least this serves as a terrific YLT mix tape displaying all the wonderful, remarkably varied shades of the band (from their pre-Matador days even) -- the only song that I (Cup) noticed was 'missing' was "Nowhere Near" from their album Painful. In my opinion, it's one of their best Georgia-sung songs *ever*. Ah well, I'm sure other folks' will find other personal faves absent too, but such is the case with 'best of' collections, right? Someone had to choose, and that someone wasn't you. The only track that we wish was NOT included is their nearly unbearable cover of Sun Ra's Nuclear War". We didn't like it the first time we heard it on their 2002 ep. As we said back then, it's "difficult listening, but not the good kind." But back to the third disc o' rarities and outtakes (complete with its own booklet filled with handwritten liner notes)... it's darn tootin' terrific! All on its own, it's well worth the price of admission. Sixteen songs (five of which are previously unreleased) including their demo for "Big Day Coming", "acoustic versions of "Tom Courtenay" and "Decora" as well as Kevin Shields' remix of "Autumn Sweater". They did get my hopes up when I saw that song #6 was their version of a song called "Dreaming", but it's another Sun Ra song, not their super-duper cover of Blondie's hit. This whole set effectively encapsulates Yo La Tengo's journey of ever-evolving musical adventures -- now twenty years long and showing no signs of stopping! They're smart, crafty big-hearted pop explorers who need no big bells and whistles. Often their most potent material may simply be composed of Georgia or Ira's drowsy voice melting into a lone organ drone and sparse shuffling drum beat, while at other times it's the bristly feedback-y crunch of electric guitar, a warm flush of countrified acoustic guitar or a swooning jazz-inflected horn line. Recommended!

MPEG stream: Upside Down
MPEG stream: Pencil Test

The festiveness of Yo La Tengo has seen some depressive interludes, and the single for "Saturday" is such a moment with minor chord guitars, sustained organs, and some primitive drum machine (similar to what makes label-mates Arab Strap so charming in their slouching mope rock). The two b-sides "Danelectro 2 & 3" which are variations on a theme are similarly restrained. "Saturday" itself is from "And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out", their most sedate album since "Painful" (release date: Febuary 22, 2000). Import cd single.

Indie rock fans have been waiting since 2009's Popular Songs for new music from Hoboken's finest. Well, good news - Yo La Tengo are in the midst recording a new album now, due out in 2013! And, Matador has just released this teaser 12", featuring an apparently totally different, alternate version of a nice new song, entitled "Stupid Things", that will also appear on said upcoming album. The A side also features an exclusive remix by none other than Eye Yamantaka from Japan's mighty Boredoms! For that alone we know lots of folks are gonna want this, Boredoms and YLT fans both. Then, on the flip, there's another version of the song, its original extended instrumental recording, with indeed plenty of guitar improv from Ira. The 12", which comes with a free download coupon, is limited to just 1500 numbered copies, and we won't have it for long...

Regardless of what style or mood they choose - this time it's very '70s soft rock influenced - Yo La Tengo always create music that reveals their deep personal and artistic bonds. Clearly they know each other very very well. It's so wonderfully evident in the ways the three interact - their voices and instruments weaving together so effortlessly. Summer Sun flows gracefully from the gentlest lullabies into more funky and playful, but still super mellow numbers much like those on their Sounds Of The Sounds Of Science soundtrack. A lovely display of this is on the sixth song "Tiny Birds". Beautiful. Ira, Georgia and James extend their warm familiarity and fondness to the listeners as well - always both welcoming and welcome. Really, what more can be said? The high quality and consistency of their last four or five albums speaks for itself. Very recommended! MPEG Download: "Tiny Birds" [/audio/yolatengotinybirds.mp3] MPEG Stream: "Tiny Birds" [/audio/yolatengotinybirds.m3u]

MPEG stream: Tiny Birds
MPEG stream: Beach Party Tonight

Although this gal (Cup) is a huge admirer of the dreamy works of both Yo La Tengo and surrealist filmmaker Jean Painleve, she was absolutely crestfallen when she missed out on this very special evening at the fabulous Castro Theater last year. Yup, couldn't get a ticket to witness Ira, Georgia and James perform the soundtrack to Painleve's hypnotic sealife imagery on the big Castro screen. Sadly of course the visuals don't come along with the sounds on this cd, so you kinda miss the event's magical chemistry between picture and live sound. However, what you do get is an absolutely mesmerizing instrumental album. Please note: this is a fuller studio version of their performance. They've successfully captured the otherworldly wonder of Painleve's filmworks while still maintaining their distinct warm, enveloping Yo La Tengo sound. The first track titled "Sea Urchins" features sweeping feathery guitar and chiming tones that float along languidly to a steady bass and drum rhythm. If you removed the sealife cinematic context, it'd be just as suited for a sleek cocktail lounge, although I'd like to make note of the one odd thing about this particular track - the whirring sound that sort of made me think "is someone vacuuming next door?" Anyways, "Shrimp Stories" is a much more frantic, driving and almost funky segment. Sure caught me in their groove. Gradually it all descends into a more abstract tenuous viscose roar for "Liquid Crystals" and "The Sea Horse" resurfaces into a shimmery organ pulse. Breathtaking. F.Y.I. This disc is also available at a lower price directly from the band at www.yolatengo.com and from a couple of other stores. But that's it! So don't delay.

RealAudio clip: Sea Urchins
RealAudio clip: Liquid Crystals
RealAudio clip: The Sea Horse

Over the years, Yo La Tengo have proven to be masters at creating such evocative atmosphere and feeling and emotion in their songs. So it was only a matter of time that wise film directors would seek them out to create scores for their films. Between the years 2005 and 2006 four different films employed the (maybe not so) surprising soundtrack prowess of YLT, their film music, not all that removed from their band music, creating lingering bittersweet sounds both classy and sophisticated, lush and intimate. For the score to Old Joy they were joined by Smokey Hormel on guitar to create the perfect hazy sounds for meandering roadtrip and a bit of Northwest exploration. For Junebug they employed a string and horn ensemble adding fluttery floral ambience. For Game 6 the band went at it alone creating the most dynamic and eclectic set of the bunch showing once again what amazing range YLT posses. The disc concludes with their contributions to the John Cameron Mitchell film Shortbus, adding some nice, light and charming sonic snippets to that sexually provocative/honest film. Aside from being perfect for film music, we also always appreciated just how painterly the instrumental side of Yo La Tengo managed to be, conjuring so many moods and images with such a nice wide palette of delicately employed sounds. We want to give this to all our artist friends as we think it would be the perfect record to have playing in the studio when folks go to create art of their own. This collection came out last year but we only just got in enough of them to list, so grab one as fast as you can, 'cause if we run out we're not sure how quickly we will get them back in stock, since they were sent to us directly by the band (who says rockstars don't go to the post office!?) on the same day they left to go on a big tour!

MPEG stream: Getting Lost
MPEG stream: Love Chant
MPEG stream: Wizard's Sleeve

Yo La Tengo are like the Energizer bunnies of indie-rock, aren't they? There's always a new album or ep and, not only that, it's always usually pretty good. So, get set, here's a fine new six-song ep to add to your collection. The first three tracks are derived from the sessions for YLT's Summer Sun album that came out earlier this year. You get a more 'rock' version of "Today Is The Day" (which appeared on Summer Sun in a milder version) along with two other tracks that were cut from Summer Sun 'cause they also just rocked too hard, which didn't quite fit with the rest of that album's material. But they sound great here. Then, getting away from the rock, there's also a lovely Georgia-sung cover version of "Needle Of Death" by British folk guitarist Bert Jansch, a previously-unreleased mellow instrumental groover called "Dr. Crash", and a live-on-the-radio acoustic take on "Cherry Chapstick" from YLT's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out. Real nice. Oh, and downtown NYC free jazz bassist/big shot William Parker shows up on one track, playing not bass but double reed horn, by the way.

MPEG stream: Outsmartener
MPEG stream: Needle Of Death

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

SORRY. One song from their "and then nothing turned itself inside out" album, one previously unavailable track, and the cd single (but not the 7") also features a (sadly unimpressive) Sonic Boom remix.

Two Live Crew meets Le Trim with the politics of Bikini Kill - Hell Yeah! These three bold and brave women from Florida have created that hip-hop record we always wished existed. Tearing down the often misogynistic and homophobic content of the modern hip-hop scene without a sense of fear or apology and all the while creating tracks that are so damn fierce and on fire. Crunk meets riot grrrl in such fun and pleasing ways! With their super dirty mouths, pumping infectious beats and a spirit that can't be denied it was confusing to find out that some of them identify as being Christians, but that all seems to be irrelevant as their music is so bumping and it's own beast. Their live shows are already legendary, known for playing without their shirts on as they shake their large and in charge bodies with no shame in their game. They've already gained big name fans likes The Gossip and CSS and what makes them so great is that they are equal parts full on fun and full on fire. They don't come off as preachy or uptight, quite the contrary, their songs aim to empower and shake a whole lot of booty in the process and they succeed with flying colors!

MPEG stream: Club Action
MPEG stream: Never Be Afraid
MPEG stream: Blame It On The Change

Dooming ever onward, Oregon's re-activated Yob are back with their 2nd Profound Lore release, the 6th full-length overall from this heavier-than-thou trio, and all Yob and/or doom fans (like us) should be well chuffed! After several years hiatus (during which singer/guitarist Mike Scheidt stayed doomy in his ill-fated Middian project), Yob's 2009 comeback album The Great Cessation emphasized the darker side of Yob, black metal influences to the fore, Yob still spacey and sludgey to be sure, but sounding way more EVIL and nihilistically negative than ever. They haven't brightened up much on Atma, either. There's something primal about these proceedings, Yob calling upon ancient powers with their heavy sonic rituals. It's serious business. Scheidt still busts out his best, very metal, strangled shriek (a distorted blend of Ozzy, Geddy Lee, and the gargly Dan McCafferty of Nazareth) when he wants to soar (yay, that's what we came for!), but he also goes for a diversity of sore-throat wretched vokills as well; his melodic guitar leads likewise occasionally are heard, snaking out from the murky mire of rumbling riffage, the tarpit black hole in which Yob make their crusty cosmic home... the band's lumbering swing always buried beneath dirty piles of steel-wooly abused amp torture, Atma's production far from clean, instead filthy and cruel. It's like some unholy combination of the Sabbathy sludge of Eyehategod, the brutal/beautiful bombast of Neurosis (whose Scott Kelly shows up as a guest on a couple of these songs), the most malevolent and monolithic of Melvins, and hint of the denim and leather of old school metal as well. The five loooooong songs here weave atmospheric gloom (the rainy forest field recordings found on the title track ferinstance), fist-in-the-air metallisms, post-rock dynamics, and angsty artiness into their sheer crushing DOOM, and do it all damn well. Make no mistake, this is hellishly heavy, including album-ender "Adrift In The Ocean", even with its semi-acoustic passages and whooshing ambience. Epic, awesome, utterly everything we expect from Yob and then some.

MPEG stream: Prepare The Ground
MPEG stream: Atma
MPEG stream: Upon The Sight Of The Other Shore

Ok, we've got one here for anyone into the sludgy, stoner sounds of the likes of Electric Wizard and Sleep!! Yob is perhaps your new favorite band. From Portland, Oregon, these psychedelic doom lords take their chosen genre's obligatory Black Sabbath worship to the extent of incorporating the swingin' jazzy/jammy aspects of the Sabbath sound that most doomsters tend to disregard. Nor do they skimp on the the meaner, rigidly metallic side of the Sabs, or on the mountains of the moon sized riffage doom fans require. Yob is slow motion, sweat leaf'd sludge to the max. Most notably, while their vocalist does dip into a demonic growl at times, mainly he soars like an insane, heavily effected hybrid of Ozzy and Geddy Lee. The result is a remarkably unique sound for a band that unquestionably wears their influences on their collective sleeve. The closest comparision would be to a spaced-out combination of Sleep and Dead Meadow. The three long tracks (18, 7, and 23 minutes) showcase a stoned style that even fuses funk with full-on dirge doom. There's a couple other fine doom metal releases on this weeks' list (Solitude Aeturnus, Well Of Souls). But while those bands' style is to build big castles, these guys tunnel through the earth, out the other side, and into outer space. Recommended.

MPEG stream: Aeons
MPEG stream: Ether

Trampling you underfoot or simply, softly embracing in (muscular) arms of despair, the juggernaut of heaviosity known simply as Yob is back, offering up another four looong songs (all double digit durations) of their indeed epic extreme metal, a blackened blend of doom metal and post rock, with some seriously LOUD/soft dynamics. That they're now on Neurot with the cd release of this (vinyl via Relapse) makes sense, Yob somehow sounding more Neurosis-y than ever here, though still very much Yob, a distinction that comes from the guitar and especially the vocals of mainman Mike Scheidt, who does both throat-shredding death bellows and his trademark, heavily effected, clean, soaring singing here, which we always love. This is, like, the band's 7th album, and really it's another doozy, for anyone into sheer, crushing riff sludge, majestically arranged. Track three, "Unmask The Spectre", could be this year's most perfect 15 minute marriage of melody, emotion, atmosphere, and utter heaviness - though track four, "Marrow", could be the best 18+ minutes of the same... Truly, the whole album's got plenty of all that, an over an hour long journey into the heart of the desolate dimension of Yob.

MPEG stream: In Our Blood
MPEG stream: Unmask The Spectre

Yay Yob! Ever since our doom-lovin' hearts here at AQ first went pitter-pat for the heavy sounds of Portland Oregon's Yob, we've been wanting to sell you this here record, their debut from 2002. But, until now, we were never able to get any. By the time we reviewed and raved about their second album of super-doomy space sludge, 2003's Catharsis, Elaborations Of Carbon had already gone out of print. They've done two more awesome albums since Catharsis (and we'd witnessed some great shows too), so we're bigger fans that ever and it's nice to finally be able to stock the entire Yob discog, now that this is back in print. So if you've been loving their latest, The Unreal Never Lived, as well as The Illusion Of Motion and Catharsis, and you don't have this one, here you go! Thank you 12th Records for finally getting off the couch and putting away the bong long enough to get this repressed. This debut is definitely the Yob we know and love -- the Sabbathy riffery, the psychedelic drones, the unique, weirdly soaring vocal style, it's all here. If we were reviewing Yob for the first time, we'd probably say something about how this sorta sounds like stoner legends Sleep, but with even more creepy atmospheres and a unique vocal approach that sounds like Geddy Lee doing an Ozzy impersonation through a ton of effects (that's a good thing, really!). And being the band's first record, you know it's gonna have some of their best riffs on it. Compared to their subsequent releases, this one also is notable for having more, shorter songs in its 70 minutes... though there's still only six and most of 'em exceed ten minutes, with two over 15 each. Now they write, like, half-hour songs, but it's not like the head-nodding doom on this disc seems cramped for space. Recommended to Yob fans of course and anyone who hasn't yet checked them out but likes Ufomammut, Corrupted, Electric Wizard, Sleep, and the rest of the doom brigade of which Yob became definite members in good standing as soon as this album was originally released.

MPEG stream: Universe Throb
MPEG stream: Clear Seeing

Attention all fans of spaceward soaring sludge!!! In 2010, blackened doom-mongers yet all-around nice guys Yob left their Pacific Northwest environs to travel to Europe, appearing at the Roadburn Festival in Holland, which we know from experience to be just about the best fest that any metal/psych fan could ever hope to attend. Yob now join the elite ranks of such bands as Wolves In The Throne Room, Earthless, Bong, Church Of Misery, and most recently White Hills, in having their Roadburn performance released on disc! In this case (as it was with WITTR's), they've included both a cd and a dvd in the swank digipack package, Yob's show having been professionally filmed in no-frills fashion with multiple cameras as well as audio-recorded. If you're a fan, pretty much all you need to know about something like is is, is the audio/video quality any good? And was their performance killer? The answer to all those questions is, yes... Yob slay live, and this release will prove it to anyone who hasn't yet seen 'em. In the hour allotted, they do four sprawling songs, "Quantum Mystic", "Burning The Altar", "Kosmos", and "The Great Cessation"; that's 2 from their most-recent-at-the-time The Great Cessation album, and 2 from their previous slab to that, The Unreal Never Lived. Epic and intense as you might expect. There's no difference between the cd and dvd tracklists, it's of course the same songs either way, but if you want to SEE how heavy they are as well as hear 'em, you've got the visuals option. The set is structured nicely, crushing with riffy heaviness almost from the grinding get-go, but then "letting up" to space out psychedelically towards the end...

MPEG stream: Quantum Mystic
MPEG stream: The Great Cessation

Oregonian space-sludge doom mongers YOB have been through a lot. After four albums together (all of 'em big AQ faves), and some success, things went awry. First, in 2006, the original band splits up (creative differences?). Then after some struggle, mainman Mike Scheidt (vocals/guitar) gets a new band together, the mighty Middian, whose album Age Eternal we highlighted back on list #263, two years ago. Good news for doom fans. But THEN, some stupid unknown band whose name isn't even spelled the same way as Middian's (one less d) threatens to sue them for, like, trademark infringement. Middian's label, Metal Blade, apparently deathly afraid of anything to do with lawyers, promptly drops 'em - and the Middian album, along with pretty much the entire earlier YOB discography, goes out of print! Good grief. Heck, but they're a doom band, so it's all grist for the mill. And after all, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Perhaps taking all this as a sign that YOB should rise again, Scheidt teamed up once more with his former YOB (and H.C. Minds) bandmate, drummer Travis Foster, also enlisting new bassist Aaron Reiseberg. And now, on the ever-reliable Profound Lore label, we have the return of YOB, with what will undoubtedly be one of 2009's doomiest releases, The Great Cessation. Not really a cessation though, quite the opposite, a rebirth! Engineered, mixed, co-produced by Sanford Parker (so you know it's heavy, probably the heaviest thing he's recorded since Samothrace), The Great Cessation sees YOB positively thriving on the negativity of the recent experiences. This is a meaner, darker, blacker YOB for sure. How can we tell? One clue is the graphic design (mostly all black!) and the new, more spiky, blackmetal-ly YOB logo. Then there's the lyrics and song titles ("Burning The Altar", "Silence Of Heaven", "The Lie That Is Sin", etc.) that indicate an (anti-) religious theme, in the black metal ballpark. Or, just listen...! The spaced out sounds of YOB are now so far into space they've entered a black hole. The five songs, one hour of music here brutally burst with surging waves of downtuned doom riffage, and distorted exotic snakecharmer guitar leads. There's also plenty of post rock dynamics, brief quiet acoustic interludes, melodic majesty, Neur-Isis crush, stoner swing... at times this suggests a blackened Sleep. And, the usual unique YOB-isms are present as well, especially Scheidt's trademark soaring vocals, electronically eerily treated and vaguely Geddy Lee-ish, mixed with belching death grunts. Imagine Dead Meadow meets My Dying Bride. And the final, title track definitely demonstrates this is in the tradition of vintage YOB, it's 20+ minutes long, after all! Talk about doomed. Call it a comeback. Recommended!

MPEG stream: Burning The Altar
MPEG stream: The Lie That Is Sin

DOOoooooooOOOOM! We're not gonna stint on the O's in doom 'cuz this here's the third* album from the mighty Yob, who are Portland, Oregon's masters of massive doom-sludge. Think an unholy melding of Electric Wizard, Corrupted, Dead Meadow, and Ufomammut. Slow and low uber-heavy guitar and bass riffage, psychedelic space-out song structures, pummelling drums of doom, all perfectly topped by vocals that take to the skies like a heavily effected** hybrid of Ozzy and Geddy Lee, with the occasional descent into hellish death metal gutteralisms. Their previous album Catharsis was progtastically, trance-inducingly awesome, but The Illusion of Motion (their debut for unlikely new label Metal Blade!) may even be better. More dynamics, shifts of mood and tempo than before, and no slack on the heavosity scale. Yessir, they've become one of our favorite doom ensembles. And they're really nice guys too, as we discovered when we met them after the trio played in SF recently. Yes, we were lucky enough to witness Yob live for the first time at the 3 Days Of Darkness festival here in San Francisco last month. Despite some initial technical difficulties, once they got going they were unstoppable. And even the tech problems proved them to be true doom masters. Anyone with any doom/stoner rock cred knows about Orange amplification and how cool it is. And also the even rarer Green amps. But Yob not only was using Orange AND Green amps, but also Black. And when gremlims took out the Black amp, Yob then brought out... a White amp! Wow. But due to time constraints brought on by the aforementioned amp-switcheroo, they didn't get to play the new 26 minute epic that closes out this lengthy-but-only-four-song album (that's just one more than on Catharsis), so I hope they come back soon! *if you're wondering, Yob's first album is out of print but soon due for a repress, we'll get 'em in when that happens of course. **they don't sound anything like Jane's Addiction of course, but those vocals seem to use the Perry Farrell effect if you know what I mean.

MPEG stream: Ball Of Molten Lead
MPEG stream: Exorcism Of The Host

Sure, there's doom/sludge albums we *don't* like. But this ain't one of 'em! We've loved Portland's Yob from day one, and with this fourth album The Unreal Never Lived, they only exceed our expectations yet again. Four new tracks that don't just bring the doom but also demonstrate Yob's weirdly progressive songwriting craft, with dynamics and surprises throughout -- along with, of course, a bludgeoningly blissful overdose of utter heaviness. This disc is another amazing Yob outing, with all the lopingly massive riffage, lengthy song structures, psychedelic space-outs, and uniquely effected/distorted soaring and sometimes growling vocals that have become their trademarks. Compared to their previous (excellent) album The Illusion Of Motion this isn't that different, just at least as good or better in all respects. Heck it's again got got four songs, the longest being the last, going past the 20 minute mark, just like Illusion. Disembowelment, UFOmammut, Electric Wizard, Corrupted, Boris, Pelican...along with the likes of those heavies we've got to herald Yob!

MPEG stream: Quantum Mystic
MPEG stream: Grasping Air

We went a little nuts for the skewed not-quite-black-metal of the oddly monickered Yoga, whose split with Ghast we reviewed a while back. Their sound not really buzzy and brutal as much as warped and twisted and blackened, more like a blurry shadow of black metal, the murky muddy underbelly of a sound more traditionally buzzy and black. Or as someone here opined, it's not black metal, but it wouldn't exist without black metal. We'd been anxiously awaiting more, having played that split to DEATH, this full length definitely one of our most anticipated records of the year, and an inevitable Record Of The Week. The band do not disappoint. Once again, exploring all manner of spaced out otherworldliness, the blackness more implied, the buzz doused in druggy FX and wrapped around twisted streaks of fragmented pop and sprawling deconstructed dronemuisc. The core of the sound a sort of blissed out, uneasy, lo-fi dronescape, infused with fragmented riffage, pounding drum detritus, and super effected howling vox. There are definitely moments on Megafauna where Yoga begin to resemble an actual and proper metal band, but even then the sound is ragged and off kilter, effects swooping and swirling, the repetitive buzz becoming mantra like, the various strands of melody unraveling before your ears, like a live, metal, Disintegration Loop, with sounds crumbling and falling to pieces, the sound of dissolution and destruction rendered in abstract sound. Imagine Tim Hecker or Philip Jeck, filtered through a grim black bedroom black metal aesthetic. Or better yet, Jeck in full corpse paint, hunkered over a row of black turntables, candles guttering in the evening breeze, lit from below like some hellish visage, the sounds emanating from his warped vinyl manipulations, being these: fuzzy, gauzy smears of indistinct shimmer and ghostly shadow, haunted music box missives, grim buzzscapes underpinned by heaving swells of crumbling blackness, abstruse sonic alchemy begetting bursts of almost orchestral crush, as well as long stretches of fun house mirror hum and whir, all gathered into a loose songsuite that oozes and drifts, interrupted only by the occasional squall of buzzing metal pound, either looped and frenzied sounding, or lurching and doom-ic, the drums a murky plod, the guitar slippery and shimmery, the riffs melty and viscous, the arrangements endless and lysergic, the sound washed out and shoegazey, a sort of hybridized black metal space rock trip out, that may lumber or blast or crunch, but always eventually slips back into a sound more abstract and metaphysical, psychedelic and darkly dreamy. Yeah!

MPEG stream: Seventh Wind
MPEG stream: Flying Witch
MPEG stream: Encante
MPEG stream: Wagion

Originally released as an ultra limited cassette, and then available on cd as half a split with Canadian blackened doom noise outfit Ghast, and now finally available on vinyl for the first time... Yoga is a pretty unlikely name for a black metal band. But then Yoga are a pretty unlikely sounding black metal band. So much so that we're not even sure they really are black metal. Or metal at all. But they are. Sort of. The sound of Yoga takes the lo-fi practice space recordings of grimmest of the BM outfits, and combines it with the murky muddy noise drenched blur of bands like Wold. But then take it even further rendering their sound so muted and lo fidelity that even when they're blasting furiously, it still sounds like a busted music box or an old black metal 78. And then there's the fact that Yoga spend a good amount of their time not blasting blackly, but instead, crafting synth heavy Goblin style film music, all throbbing bass and buzzing synths, creepy minor key melodies and tons of haunting ambience. Those songs too are wreathed in a foggy night-on-the-moors sort of murk, which ties those songs closely to the more blackened ones. The strange combination of grim and Goblin, the tripped out fucked up recording quality, the damaged arrangements, the looped hypnotic vibe, turn Yoga into something totally out there, most likely way too abstract and psychedelic and deliriously lo-fi to appeal to folks looking for grim buzzing blackness, but for the rest of you, if you can try to imagine some impossible mix of Philip Jeck, Wold, Goblin, the Skaters and some of the super weird EEE unblack bands, all produced by John Maus and Ariel Pink, then you're gonna flip out over this stuff for sure...

MPEG stream: Deep With-in The Cave Of Sesame
MPEG stream: Littlefoot

Proven himself to be a deft musical chameleon, Susumu Yokota has drawn much praise and respect from critics and fellow musicians. Grinning Cat is no exception.

Sadly, with the exception of the first track which kinda reminded us of Mum, this album just sounded like generic downtempo to us. Ho hum.

Susumu Yokota has been active in the electronic music scene for the last twenty years. While his early days were spent mostly on house and other facets of dance music, recent years have found him exploring more ambient and textured sides of electronic production with a sound that often sounds similar to a Philip Glass or Steve Reich composition. In fact we were playing this in the store right after listening to the new Steve Reich and a customer who was here while we were playing it didn't realize we were now listening to Yokota and during "Flaming Love and Destiny" one of the best tracks on the album remarked "Wow, this new Steve Reich is great!" Yokota loves to intertwine the worlds of classical and modern electronica. While sometimes he can be guilty of pouring it all on a little thick and syrupy (as does Mr. Glass to whom he's often aligned) as happens on the first and last tracks, luckily for the most part he finds a nice balance of subtly and emotion that makes for a really nice listen.

MPEG stream: Flaming Love and Destiny
MPEG stream: Blue Sky And Yellow Sunflower

For over a dozen years, the immensely prolific Susumu Yokota has adeptly moved in and around many different genres -- drawing much critical acclaim and praise from fellow artists such as Radiohead, Super Furry Animals and Philip Glass (actually many moments on this particular release are quite reminiscent of Glass). His albums, each very distinct from the next, are often categorized as 'ambient' or 'house' or the all-encompassing 'electronica', but his music is much more far-reaching. This album is certainly no exception. It's a haunting, fluid, organic work which Yokota has called his "dream story" with the boy in the title being himself. Definitely not for the dancefloor, The Boy And The Tree seems more suited for a pair of good headphones. As each track unfurls an array of traditional Japanese instruments, a new beautiful atmosphere emerges.

RealAudio clip: The Colour Of Pomegranates
RealAudio clip: Red Swan

We have always preferred Yokota's ambient works to his more danceable efforts. It's hard to beat the sublime and playful shimmer of Symbol or the delicate kosmiche vibe of Sakura. On Wonder Waltz, Yokota tries to bridge these two worlds that orbit each other but it never quite touches down. The results are mixed. With too many ideas, and too many female guest vocalists (Kahimi Karie among others), the music tries too hard for likeability. While there is some really pretty stuff here, a lot of it ends up sounding like music for upscale car commercials.

MPEG stream: Capital of Daisy
MPEG stream: Don't Go Sleep

Hot on the heels of Lovely Gold, Michael Yonkers unearths yet another collection of songs from his vast arsenal. Recorded in 1974 and released originally in what we would imagine would be a tiny amount, Goodby Sunball showcases Yonkers' folkier side, and the songs here display a more skeletal acoustic approach that would be electrified a few years later on Lovely Gold. However, calling this "folk" doesn't entirely hit the mark - this is Michael Yonkers we're talking about, a man whose approach represents a unique vision in the history of home recorded music. And to those paying attention, you might find Goodby Sunball presenting some of Yonkers' weirdest lyrics, even though the music itself is probably his most traditional sounding. The songs almost give off a spiritual vibe, and the lyrics alternate between sad laments and aching passion, with some impenetrable wackiness thrown in for good measure. Looking at the cover, with the man himself posed between two trees and the back, with a bearded, cult leader-looking Yonkers, one might wonder if this album represents time lost in some mental wilderness. Many of the songs are ultra melancholy, and the use of multi-tracked vocals gives things a hazy, ethereal quality, while lines like "Hand me another beer and you'll see happiness" make you wonder... But no complaints here, just Michael Yonkers doing his thing in the 1970s. It's great having these tracks available, probably the first time many people have heard this stuff... of course, with a pressing of only 500, you might want to act fast. And for now, we're the first to have these, weeks before they land everywhere else, so dig in! ----* ----* Selected New Arrivals : ----*

Is this a lost Bert Jansch or Fresh Maggots record? Sure sounds like some beautifully arcane British Acid Folk, or old timey Appalachian balladry, but with some anachronistically strange lo-fi recording effects and drones and other weirdness going on. Like a psychedelic John Jacob Niles perhaps. Sounds like it's either really old or could be totally recent like something by Mike Wexler, or even Aaron Ross. Oh wait, it's Michael Yonkers?! The outsider garage guitar visionary whose Microminiature Love album from 1969 is an absolute all-time favorite around here. Wow, this is not the sound we usually expect from him. First of all, instead of amped up electricity, it's all about acoustic guitar, and even more surprising, it was recorded the same year as Microminiature Love. Geez, this dude never stops surprising us. Released on vinyl in 1974, Grimwood pretty much sank without a trace. But he's definitely having a prolonged renaissance now with two brand new albums and possibly more reissues in the works. Definitely for fans of Comus, Jan Dukes De Grey and everyone mentioned above!

MPEG stream: Damsel Fair and Your Angel
MPEG stream: Lonely Fog
MPEG stream: Tripping Through The Rose Gardens

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

SORRY. The Michael Yonkers cd on Sub Pop is probably *always* going to be a steady seller here at AQ. It's the unreleased album from 1969 that blew everybody away upon (re?)discovery in the here and now, Yonkers' Microminiature Love has already attained classic status, a fucked up and wonderful '60s garage guitar album totally alien and ahead of its time, a big fave with everyone here and quite a few of our customers judging by how many we've sold. So...what's this LP then? A *new* record from a much older but still eccentric Michael Yonkers? Yes, the man (after battling disability for many years) is back and kicking out the jams yet again. His raw, wild abandon, weird guitar tunings and unique vocal stylings are all present and accounted for here, on this very stripped-down, starkly primitive recording, done all by himself on a four-track machine with no overdubs or anything. In fact, the back cover proudly states that these 19 tracks are all first takes, recorded in sequence! Ok, it's not Microminature Love all over again, but it's better than we might expect from such a 'comeback' LP. He sure hasn't gone all Clapton on us or anything. Definitely get the Sub Pop cd first, but if you're a fan you might dig this quite a bit. It is kind of 'bar-rock', but fucked up and slowed down (we'd actually love to hear a 'screwed-and-chopped' version) and distorted and dissonant and choppy. Plastic Crimewave did the sleeve artwork and released this on his label Galactic Zoo Disk in conjunction with the fine folks at Eclipse. LP-only so far.

One wonders how many new discoveries will be unearthed from legendary outsider rocker Michael Yonkers. But man, we don't want it to stop. Whether he's putting out new stuff or digging through the vaults, Yonkers' strange story just keeps getting better and better, and to think that the man has retained such an amazing vision for almost 50 years is truly astounding. Lovely Gold collects songs from a period in Yonkers' career that many of us had yet to hear: the late '70s. 1977, in fact, you know, the year of punk and all that shit. But Lovely Gold is something else, and like most of this guy's stuff, it defies simple categorization. The strangest aspect of Yonkers' music is how it manages to recall things we all know and love, mostly from a garage rock template, but things are warped into beautiful creations that only Yonkers could produce. Take a look at this cover. Michael Yonkers sitting in front of a wall of recording devices. That's really all he needs, and the man is going it alone on this one. Actual percussion is sparse, with guitars providing most of the rhythm. There is a welcome abundance of multilayered vocals here, which combine for amazingly ethereal sounds. The songs "I Knew You'd Remember" and "Will It Be" show off this effect best of all. These songs are unbelievable, the kind that will stop you in your tracks. Mutant gospel? Experimental Gregorian chanting? What the fuck IS this stuff? Totally amazing for one thing, but trying to describe it is no easy task. You might think of Silver Apples or Peter Grudzien, but if you look at the back cover with the photo of the jumpsuited Yonkers holding the Fender Jaguar he whittled into a plank, that should really tell you that you're in strange territory indeed (Minneapolis to be exact). The song "Drifting Off" actually sounds like the work of a band, it rides out with a nice spooky feeling and sounds a bit more like the material on Microminiature Love. "Gone Down Old Sun" uses guitar strumming as percussion while the layered voices moan in unison, the end result sounding like your favorite pop song stretched and warped beyond anything you could have prepared for. "Nevermore" (listed, for some reason, as a "bonus track"), ends things on a very high note, sounding a bit like the song "Puppetting" from MML, only with vocals delivered from beyond the grave by Edith Piaf. At the end of the record, you realize you have just had access to someone's strange and fantastic private world. We can only wonder what else is out there waiting to see the light of day. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! ----* ----* AQ x WFMU x SXSW 2010 POSTERS : ----*

Oh how we love Minneapolis' Michael Yonkers. Especially for the acid fried, outsider garage psych guitar excess that he unleashed on the all time AQ fave Microminiature Love, originally recorded back in 1969 (and which he's still a master, witness the Carbohydrates Hydrocarbons album he waxed with backing band The Blind Shake not too long ago, which stomped and throbbed like '69 was just yesterday). But also we dug the weird acoustic folk bag he got into on another long lost, recently reissued 1969 set, Grimwood. Turns out we hadn't yet heard all sides of Yonkers... here's a brand new recording, a limited edition cd released by the Portuguese experimental label Ruby Red Editora (who recently brought us a cool disc by Tabata Mitsuru of Acid Mothers Temple). Taking the "psych guitar excess" mentioned above as a starting point, this is a full-on solo guitar, instrumental NOISE album. Really extreme and out there, the loud blasts of distortion on here putting Yonkers into the league of such heavy hitters as Rudoph Grey, Jojo Hiroshige, Keiji Haino, and Lou Reed (on Metal Machine Music only). This isn't "garage rock", unless the garage in question was collapsing under the weight of an apocalyptic UFO invader (summoned by the automatic door opener?) landing on the roof and spraying the neighborhood with death rays... This 11 track assault lasts 37+ minutes, and it's all an echoing, swirling, billowing miasma of sheer amped-up volume n' distortion... some tracks are sooo utterly droning and destructive that it'd be hard to tell what sort of electronic device was used to produce 'em - it's not necessarily recognizable as guitar. Others, like "Steer It" seem to hint at something a bit more "musical" (and may involve either overdubs or live looping). Either way it's clear that Mr. Michael Yonkers, when appropriately armed with a guitar and amp and electricity, is still darn dangerous and extreme even 38 years after Microminature Love, an underground guitar hero as far as we're concerned. We can see fans of everything from Wolf Eyes to the Dead C to Solmania to Howlin' Magic bowing down to this.

MPEG stream: Whisper
MPEG stream: Steer It

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