[ aquarius records — Rock Pop ]

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Showing results 6051 through 6100 of 19388.

The Sgt. Peppers cover album!

One of SIX new Flaming Lips lps in the recently launched vinyl reissue program for everyone's favorite psychedelic weirdos turned mainstream indie rock heroes, 2002's Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, was the record that followed the group's massive breakthrough album, 1999's The Soft Bulletin. Yoshimi found the band returning with yet another gem which saw the band maturing, but seemingly only getting better with age. We used to think that about Tom Waits, Stereolab, and (some here think) Radiohead, but all those folks eventually released mediocre (perhaps bad?) records, whereas The Flaming Lips' career-long consistency through at the time 12 albums was pretty remarkable. Certainly many of their indie rock, pre-Warner fans abandoned the group well before this record, having soured on their current efforts, and probably just as many folks who discovered them via their hit "She Don't Use Jelly" (or possibly "Waitin' For A Superman") probably couldn't find much to enjoy in their early drug addled, psychedelic bombast. But with such a continually evolving yet uncompromising sound, they're bound to alienate some. There's a striking resemblance on Yoshimi to the recent works of Radiohead, but then again there's definitely much that parallels the Lips' career with that of our faves from across the Atlantic. Like Radiohead, The Flaming Lips have chosen ever more increasing studio experimentation, combining electronic music elements with lush arrangements and cohesive album-oriented productions. But more significant perhaps is that Yoshimi, a semi-concept album, shares a similar paranoid and alienated angst that Radiohead has been honing these last several albums. But where as Radiohead takes a decidedly maudlin, Orwellian approach in their song writing, the Flaming Lips work in an absurdist, comedic fashion more akin to Philip K. Dick. "One More Robot / Sympathy 3000-21" could have been cut straight out of a P.K.D. story: "Unit three thousand twenty one is warming / makes a humming sound - when its circuits duplicate emotions - and a sense of coldness detaches as it tries to comfort your sadness..." All this arranged about as close to a Sade song as Coyne and the Lips can conceivably get (which we also see as a friendly jab at the sterile audiophile machinations of modern "soul".) The humanization of machines vs. humanity stripped of love and hate is the theme that's mulled over throughout. Most of the songs on the album are in direct reference to a painful breakup (either real or concocted) and the fictional battle between Yoshimi and the Pink Robots is more of a parable for struggling in the aftermath of having one's heart dashed to pieces. The two themes are intertwined on the album, but loosely enough so that you aren't forced into a Pink Floyd Wall of a concept album. While not as completely rife with hits as The Soft Bulletin, there's a lot to be warmed up to with Yoshimi. At first listen it seemed as though the Lips and Mercury Rev-ifier Dave Fridman had produced nothing but 45 minutes of studio wizardry and ear candy, but continual listens finds these songs opening up like a veritable flower blossom. "In the Morning of the Magicians" with its recurring, heart rending instrumental bridge will even bring a tear to the most desiccated of eyes. And "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" (Part 1, *not* part 2) will have you singing along in your best cracked falsetto soon enough. We imagine the bean counters at AOL/Time Warner had a hard time listening to this more than once, if at all, as they neglected to print up enough copies for the first run, and we're not sure of the significance or if the title and her appearance on this record are mere coincidences or -gasp- something more, but AQ fave/crushworthy drummer/vocalist Yoshimi of the mighty Boredoms was a musical guest!!

MPEG stream: In the Morning of the Magicians
MPEG stream: One More Robot / Sympathy 3000-21
MPEG stream: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt. 1

Normally we scoff at the ongoing fleecing of music lovers by re-releasing albums with a DVD of bonus crap forcing fans to buy the album twice. And we're not sure why this Flaming Lips DVD couldn't have just been released by itself, but it wasn't, so once again, fans are faced with the choice of buying the record again, or missing out. Thankfully, the stuff on the DVD is actually pretty great, so it might be worth getting rid of your old Yoshimi and picking up this new one. The cd is virtually unchanged, and the full review is below. The DVD contains the full album, but mixed in 5.1 surround sound. Two different videos for "Do You Realize?", the making of "Do You Realize?", "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1" video, a making of the "Yoshimi" video, "Fight Test" video, "Phoebe Battles The Pink Robots" video, a trailer for the Flaming Lips upcoming Christmas On Mars movie (that looks deliciously low budget), and a making of this here DVD. Also there are two animated DVD-Rom tracks, and 6 unreleased tracks (4 alternate versions and two new tracks). There's also a weird sort of trippy video jukebox. Hard to know what was all on there because the DVD was sort of hard to navigate, but it's pretty jam packed with goodies that most Flaming Lips fans will not want to be without. Now here's what we had to say about the record itself: The Flaming Lips return with yet another gem and it's beginning to look as if they are only getting better with age. We used to think that about Tom Waits, Stereolab, and (some here think) Radiohead, but all those folks have released mediocre (perhaps bad?) records, whereas Flaming Lips' career-long consistency through 12 albums is pretty amazing. Certainly many of their indie rock, pre-Warner fans have long since abandoned their current efforts just as many who discovered them via their hit "She Don't Use Jelly" (or possibly more recently with "Waitin' For A Superman") probably don't find much to enjoy in their early drug addled, psychedleic bombast. But with such a continually evolving yet uncompromising sound, they're bound to alienate some. There's a striking resemblance on Yoshimi to the recent works of Radiohead, but then again there's definitely much that parallels the Lips' career with that of our faves from across the Atlantic. Like Radiohead, The Flaming Lips have chosen ever more increasing studio experimentation, combining electronic music elements with lush arrangements and cohesive album-oriented productions. But more significant perhaps is that Yoshimi, a semi-concept album, shares a similar paranoid and alienated angst that Radiohead has been honing these last several albums. But where as Radiohead takes a decidedly maudlin Orwellian-like approach in their song writing, the Flaming Lips work in an absurdist, comedic fashion more akin to Philip K. Dick. "One More Robot / Sympathy 3000-21" could have been cut straight out of a P.K.D. story: "Unit three thousand twenty one is warming / makes a humming sound -- when its circuits duplicate emotions -- and a sense of coldness detaches as it tries to comfort your sadness..." All this arranged about as close to a Sade song as Coyne and the Lips can conceivably get (which I also see as a friendly jab at the sterile audiophile machinations of modern "soul".) The humanization of machines vs. humanity stripped of love and hate is the theme that's mulled over throughout. Most of the songs on the album are in direct reference to a painful breakup (either real or concocted) and the fictional battle between Yoshimi and the Pink Robots is more of a parable for struggling in the aftermath of having one's heart dashed to pieces. The two themes are intertwined on the album, but loosely enough so that you aren't forced into a Pink Floyd Wall of a concept album. While not as completely rife with hits as The Soft Bulletin, there's a lot to warm up to with Yoshimi. At first listen it seemed as though the Lips and Mercury Rev-ifier Dave Fridman had produced nothing but 45 minutes of studio wizardry and ear candy, but continual listens finds these songs opening up like a veritable flower blossom. "In the Morning of the Magicians" with its recurring, heart rending instrumental bridge will even bring a tear to the most desiccated of eyes. And "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" (Part 1, *not* part 2) will have you singing along in your best cracked falsetto soon enough. We're not sure of the significance or if the title and her appearance on this record are mere coincidences or -gasp- something more, but AQ fave/crushworthy drummer/vocalist Yoshimi of the mighty Boredoms is a musical guest!!

MPEG stream: In the Morning of the Magicians
MPEG stream: One More Robot / Sympathy 3000-21
MPEG stream: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt. 1

The Flaming Lips return with yet another gem and it's beginning to look as if they are only getting better with age. We used to think that about Tom Waits, Stereolab, and (some here think) Radiohead, but all those folks have released mediocre (perhaps bad?) records, whereas Flaming Lips' career-long consistency through 12 albums is pretty amazing. Certainly many of their indie rock, pre-Warner fans have long since abandoned their current efforts just as many who discovered them via their hit "She Don't Use Jelly" (or possibly more recently with "Waitin' For A Superman") probably don't find much to enjoy in their early drug addled, psychedleic bombast. But with such a continually evolving yet uncompromising sound, they're bound to alienate some. There's a striking resemblance on Yoshimi to the recent works of Radiohead, but then again there's definitely much that parallels the Lips' career with that of our faves from across the Atlantic. Like Radiohead, The Flaming Lips have chosen ever more increasing studio experimentation, combining electronic music elements with lush arrangements and cohesive album-oriented productions. But more significant perhaps is that Yoshimi, a semi-concept album, shares a similar paranoid and alienated angst that Radiohead has been honing these last several albums. But where as Radiohead takes a decidedly maudlin Orwellian-like approach in their song writing, the Flaming Lips work in an absurdist, comedic fashion more akin to Philip K. Dick. "One More Robot / Sympathy 3000-21" could have been cut straight out of a P.K.D. story: "Unit three thousand twenty one is warming / makes a humming sound -- when its circuits duplicate emotions -- and a sense of coldness detaches as it tries to comfort your sadness..." All this arranged about as close to a Sade song as Coyne and the Lips can conceivably get (which I also see as a friendly jab at the sterile audiophile machinations of modern "soul".) The humanization of machines vs. humanity stripped of love and hate is the theme that's mulled over throughout. Most of the songs on the album are in direct reference to a painful breakup (either real or concocted) and the fictional battle between Yoshimi and the Pink Robots is more of a parable for struggling in the aftermath of having one's heart dashed to pieces. The two themes are intertwined on the album, but loosely enough so that you aren't forced into a Pink Floyd Wall of a concept album. While not as completely rife with hits as The Soft Bulletin, there's a lot to be warmed up to with Yoshimi. At first listen it seemed as though the Lips and Mercury Rev-ifier Dave Fridman had produced nothing but 45 minutes of studio wizardry and ear candy, but continual listens finds these songs opening up like a veritable flower blossom. "In the Morning of the Magicians" with its recurring, heart rending instrumental bridge will even bring a tear to the most desiccated of eyes. And "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" (Part 1, *not* part 2) will have you singing along in your best cracked falsetto soon enough. I imagine the bean counters at AOL/Time Warner had a hard time listening to this more than once, if at all, as they neglected to print up enough copies in the first run and now we -- and stores everywhere I suppose -- are struggling to find a distributor with remaining copies on hand. And we're not sure of the significance or if the title and her appearance on this record are mere coincidences or -gasp- something more, but AQ fave/crushworthy drummer/vocalist Yoshimi of the mighty Boredoms is a musical guest!!

RealAudio clip: In the Morning of the Magicians
RealAudio clip: One More Robot / Sympathy 3000-21
RealAudio clip: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt. 1

"Warning: This is a unique recording. These 8 compositions are to be played using as many as four compact disc players, and have synchronized start times. This recording also contains frequencies not normally heard on commercial recordings and on rare occasion has caused the listener to become disoriented." That's right, four cds meant to be played simultaneously, that nonetheless sound engrossing and interesting one by one. That Warner Bros saw fit to release this wonderful experiment in sonic collage is amazing. Then it went out of print for a while, so what's even MORE amazing is that Warner Bros. decided to repress it, again!! Buy this and conduct your own "boombox experiment"...

MPEG stream: Riding To Work In The Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now)
MPEG stream: Thirty-Five Thousand Feet Of Despair
MPEG stream: Big Ol' Bug Is The New Baby Now

Wow. We mean WOW! Haven't watched the whole movie but from what we've seen already, HOLY CRAP! How many bands are lucky enough to have a next door neighbor / past pal who just happens to be an experimental film maker, and who just happens to have filmed everything for the last decade, videos, parties, shows, birthdays, EVERYTHING. This is a delirious travelogue through the strange life of the Flaming Lips, from their beginnings as a ramshackle psych noise band, to their re-invention as pop experimentalists to their Grammy and beyond! All filmed in that cool guerilla, fucked-with-film-stock, overexposed / underexposed, short attention span style we've come to equate with the Lips through their videos. Fear not though. There's plenty of intense emotional stuff going on beneath the visual fireworks. Highlights include a particularly brutal scene involving drummer Steven Drozd shooting up while he discusses his addiction (which the band chose to address together instead of kicking him out of the band), and another scene wherein main Lip Wayne visits his older brother who lives in the bad part of town and discusses his jailtime as well as his involvement in local crime. Plus loads of goofy fun, wild rocking and stuff that makes no sense at all but is fun nonetheless, like the scene in which Wayne and two kids re-enact a robbery at the Long John Silver's where Wayne used to work or the scene where Wayne helps his mom repair the rain gutters! Tons of amazing footage, old class photos, many many embarassing haircuts, loads of amazing music, all presented in a suitably tripped out psychedelic framework. Bonus features include live clips, slide shows, bloopers, deleted scenes, outtakes and really funny commentary from both the director and the band. Recommended, already.

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

SORRY.

Of all the hundreds of super limited Record Store Day releases this year, the double lp superstar collaboration from the Flaming Lips and their 'Fwends' was probably THEE most anticipated one of all, and as might have been expected, those sold out in a heartbeat. But now it's available again, this time as a less limited cd, with different cover art. And yeah, as the title suggests, this is indeed a collection of collaborations, but VERY unlikely ones, with all sorts of other musicians, very few of which we would imagine would normally end up in the same orbit as the Lips. But much has changed over the last couple decades, the band that was once a sloppy chaotic drug rock mess and who toured with bands like the Butthole Surfers, has become one of the biggest bands in the world, and thus, one might not be as surprised to see the list of collaborators: Ke$ha, Biz Markie, Bon Iver, Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros, Prefuse 73, Tame Impala, My Morning Jacket, Nick Cave, Lightning Bolt, Yoko Ono, Neon Indian, Erykah Badu, New Fumes, Chris Martin of Coldplay. Weird, huh? And as much as we want to hate on the modern version of the Lips, and doubt their relevance as a band, all it takes is an earful of their warped psychedelic pop, and we realize that maybe not so much has changed after all. Cuz goddamn if we're not sort of loving this record. The sounds are all over the map, but pretty much always sound like the Flaming Lips, from weird noise drenched electro-pop to drum machine driven psychedelia, from lush orchestral almost choral sounding dreamfolk to rad tripped out electronic skitter and squelch, from fuzzed out falsetto vocal-ed psychedelic dreaminess to super distorted doomy dirgey fuzzy noisepop and even some warm swirly synth heavy new wave. We had already heard their Lightning Bolt collab, and it's pretty much THEE jam here, heavy and heady, noisy and weird as fuck, the perfect mix of the two bands' sounds, dreamy and woozy one second, wild and drum heavy and chaotic the next, but then the Yoko Ono track is pretty rad too, trippy and abstract, tribal, with plenty of fuzz and buzz and crunch, weird effects, Ono mostly shouting "Do It" over the droned out psychedelic dirgery beneath, and Erykah Badu's Flaming Lips-ed version of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" becomes creepy and doomy and super haunting, and heck, even the Chris Martin track is pretty gorgeous too, elegiac, a haunting softly psychedelic ballad that sounds more like the Lips than Coldplay, but manages again to fuse the best of both bands. Needless to say, this is definitely recommended. For new fans and even skeptical old fans like us.

MPEG stream: I'm Working At NASA On Acid (With Lightning Bolt)
MPEG stream: Do It (With Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band)
MPEG stream: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (With Erykah Badu)

We had been holding off on reviewing this until someone here had actually watched the Flaming Lips movie, but it's been so busy around here we haven't had time. And since most Flaming Lips fans are gonna want this no matter what, and folks who have yet to discover the joys of the Lips, would most likely be better off starting a little further back in their catalog, we figured what the heck, let's review the record, the score to the movie, and give a brief synopsis of the movie, just so folks can actually buy it and check it out for themselves. So the record, is not a NEW Flaming Lips record, in fact it's not even a proper Flaming Lips record, as mentioned above it's the score to the film of the same name, the one the band has been working on for close to a decade. So there's no big drums, none of Wayne Coyne's wavery vocalizing, no lush popscapes or BIG hooks, but the thing is, with all of those critical Lips elements removed, the band manage to still make Christmas On Mars sound like a Flaming Lips record, albeit a stripped down sort of ambient one. But heck, remember Zaireeka? The 4 disc set that had the various tracks broken down and spread out over the various discs so to hear the complete songs you had to have 4 stereos and play them all simultaneously? Well, in some ways this almost sounds like ONE disc from Zaireeka, like the backgrounds for proper Lips pop songs. haunting disembodied voices, lush harps and zithers, faux strings, creepy orchestrations, strange sound effects, choirs, shimmering drones, but all shot through with a little bit of Christmas, be it a melody here, or an instrument there. Even removed from the visuals, this plays like some super avant, outsider Christmas record, which, it sort of is. So yeah, recommended for open minded fans of the band, and for folks into space-y (holiday) weirdness, or wonderfully creepy film scores like that Bernard Hermann Brave New World disc we listed awhile back. But that's not all. Both the cd and the lp version (which has a different name for some reason) contain a dvd containing the film Christmas On Mars, a sort of updated but still WAY low budget Plan 9 From Outerspace, starring the bands and lots of their friends. What little we've seen looks really fun, and pretty silly, and definitely demented, again, movie buffs might not love it (movie buffs into kitsch and so-bad-they're-good movies might though) but fans will go nuts for it. The trailer is amazing, super stylized and very very strange, definitely has us wanting to see it bad. One of these days. But for now, check it out. Lips fans, this is essential obviously, the rest of you, depends on how you feel about the band and their music, or how you feel about a green alien with antennae who saves Christmas. The lp, titled Once Beyond Hopelessness, not only contains the same music as the cd, and the movie on dvd, it also includes a BONUS 7" with exclusive music NOT on the cd!

MPEG stream: Once Beyond Hopelessness
MPEG stream: In Excelsior Vagianlistic
MPEG stream: Space Bible With Volume Lumps

Whenever a cover song (let alone a whole cover album!) comes through our doors, we ask, "Did this really need to be covered?" or perhaps more importantly, "Did this really need to be released?!" I mean, yeah, it's super fun to figure out and play someone else's awesome song, and can also be super fun to witness in the live setting like in an encore or something, but to actually commit it to tape or vinyl or cd? Hmmmm. That said, we know people will never stop doin' it, and some folks will for sure do it better than others. Well, in this particular case, can you really think of anyone more equipped to cover the ENTIRE Dark Side Of The Moon than the Flaming Lips?! Nope, we can't either. And apparently live this is some sort of fantastical spectacle, obviously. So yeah, a handful of these tracks sound right at home in the able hands of the Flaming Lips, just getting a bit more twisted and psychedelic, which of course we're totally not opposed to. Peaches and Henry Rollins guest on a few tracks, which we're not so keen on, but heck, it still sounds like it was a lot of fun. Those tracks that do work though are pretty dang incredible, wild and incendiary and heavy and moody and blissful and so so psychedelic... Lips fans will definitely want this, Pink Floyd fans MIGHT, everyone else should give the sound samples a listen and decide for themselves...

MPEG stream: Speak To Me / Breathe (feat. Peaches & Henry Rollins)
MPEG stream: Us And Them (feat. Henry Rollins)
MPEG stream: Any Color You Like

Listening to old Flaming Lips, it's nearly impossible to imagine them as the stadium rock, Miley & Ke$ha collaborating mainstream musical superstars they've become, cosidering they started life as a drugged out, cacophonous mess, on par with fellow psychedelic noise makers the Butthole Surfers. But even on those early records, there were hints of what was to come, and what the Lips were capable of. Over the years, the band got less noisy, less druggy, less fucked up, and popper, their songcraft developing by leaps and bounds, and somewhere right in the middle was the absolute sweet spot. Actually not somewhere, RIGHT HERE. Clouds Taste Metallic is the Lips finest moment, and that's in a career of mostly fine moments. It perfectly balances the unhinged noisemaking, with the impossibly catchy pop, wound up into quirky, psych pop perfection that unfurls and unravels fantastically. It's also a record swaddled in crazy, FX drenched guitar noise, and marks the final appearance of the man responsible for that noise, twisted axe wrangler Ronald Jones. How could a perfect record get any more perfect? Add two whole discs (Due To High Expectations...The Flaming Lips Are Providing Needles For Your Balloons/The King Bug Laughs, and Psychiatric Explorations Of The Fetus With Needles: Live In Seattle 1996), collecting pretty much every EP, every demo, live track, radio session and random recording from the era, a collection brimming with tons of unlikely gems. So worth it for the bonus stuff for fans, but if you've somehow never ever even heard Clouds Taste Metallic, you are about to have your mind, and eardrums BLOWN.

MPEG stream: Lightning Strikes The Postman
MPEG stream: Nobody Told Me
MPEG stream: Put The Waterbug In The Policeman's Ear (live)

Pink vinyl.

For their installment in Azuli Records' Late Night Tales series, Wayne Coyne & Co. have apparently rummaged through their personal record collections and picked out eighteen of their faves. It's somewhat perplexingly and a tiny bit disappointing though 'cause there aren't really any big surprises nor any odd obscurities. The biggest surprise is in just how safe a selection it is -- sorta like one of those old 'As Seen On TV! K-Tel Greatest Hits' compilations. Okay, maybe it's not *that* predictable or mainstream, but see for yourself... Bjork, Radiohead, Nick Drake, Sebadoh, Chemical Brothers, Chris Bell, Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Psychedelic Furs, Chameleons, Love And Rockets, Roxy Music, Lush, Miles Davis, Mice Parade, Alfie, Faust and 10CC! While this comp does stir up fond memories of those good ol' songs, we might've expected the Lips' to take this opportunity to share some more off-the-radar listening treats by including a couple of challenging curve balls in the mix. In fact, the only things here that comes remotely close to curve balls are Faust's "It's A Bit Of A Pain" and 10CC's "I'm Not In Love". That said, 'Lips fans will surely welcome the band's own contribution to the lot which appears halfway through the album. It's their cover of The White Stripes' tune "Seven Nation Army" (apparently this is the exclusive release of this song on cd, but you might also be able to find it on an unrelated limited edition 7"). A final added bonus on this volume of the Late Night Tales series is the second of five clips from multi-faceted Scotsman David Shrigley's Bits And Bobs.

MPEG stream: Seven Nation Army
MPEG stream: It's A Bit Of A Pain

MPEG stream: Once Beyond Hopelessness
MPEG stream: In Excelsior Vagianlistic
MPEG stream: Space Bible With Volume Lumps

Blue vinyl.

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

SORRY.

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

SORRY.

Alternative Tentacles brings the sounds of UK band Flaming Stars to this side of the Atlantic. They've been around for over five years with a handful of releases on Vinyl Japan, but nary a peep in the U.S. until now. Imagine a melding of the Tindersticks'

RealAudio clip: A Place In The Sun

The Flaming Stars' previous release on Alternative Tentacles, Ginmill Perfume: The Story So Far 1995-2000, received quite a warm response around these parts, and Named And Shamed seems destined for a similar welcome. While checking out the album's first few tunes, Andee and Cup agreed that lead singer Max Decharne's dark and deep voice brought to mind a cross between Nick Cave and Lou Reed. However, by the time the sixth song "The Parade's Gone By" came around, Allan had joined the listenin' party and commented that it sounded like Jonathan Richman. So... if you have a particular penchant for (or aversion to) those aforementioned singers you might wanna take appropriate action (i.e, get this right away, or, stay away). As for the rest of the Flaming Stars' sound, for the most part Descharne's keyboards stick with his vocals and Paul Dempsey's steady bass guitar in the lower register creating an overall low, simmering brood-mood. Joe Whitney's drumming and the dual post-punkish electric guitar attack of Huck Whitney and Mark Hosking occasionally jab and poke through the heavy shadows. The band saves the best song for last (at least in Cup's opinion) -- "Locked In Tight" is a somber late night heartbreaker.

MPEG stream: The Parade's Gone By
MPEG stream: Locked In Tight

Finally one of the legendary lost This Heat related recordings gets its first proper release! Originally released as a tape in 1985, recorded by This Heat's Gareth Williams and Mary Currie and friends, shortly after Williams left This Heat, Flaming Tunes is a gorgeous, quirky collection of lo-fi experimental moody textural avant pop, originally conceived as something totally removed from the much more abrasive and rhythmic music he made in This Heat. Unavailable ever since its original cassette release, minus a bootleg which included the tape in its entirety but described it as This Heat's final demo recordings, Flaming Tunes in some ways reminds us of Charles Hayward's Camberwell Now project, in that some of the sounds are familiar and still somewhat This Heat sounding, but the record is much more vocal based, and song oriented, resulting in a sound, that while appealing to This Heat obsessives, offered a whole new window into Williams' approach to sound and songwriting, and in that, a once removed glimpse of some of the elements that helped make This Heat what it was. The record opens with a looped piano wrapped in sizzling electronic buzz, peppered with strange bursts of sonic crunch, stuttery fragmented rhythms, not hard to see why folks believed this could be a blueprint for new This Heat material. But the second song is more of what Flaming Tunes is all about. Tunes. Sing songy weary vocals over plonked piano, squeaking horns, skittery percussion, lots of drones, plenty of tape hiss and amp buzz, definitely lo-fi, some cool synth melodies, the sound definitely reminiscent of the first two Brian Eno records or that classic Flying Nun sound, bands like the Tall Dwarfs or the Pin Group or This Kind Of Punishment or The Children's Hour or even the Dead C at their most poppy. And that's the sound that makes up most of Flaming Tunes, a hazy, gauzy, low fidelity (but strangely lush) bedroom pop, lots of piano, wreathed in reverb, warm warbly bass, occasional strings, programmed rhythms, detuned tangles of minor key guitar, plenty of jangle and chime, with intermittent forays into cool abstract experimentation, but even then, those tracks still sound a little song-y and don't at all disrupt the flow of the record. "Raindrops From Heaven", with a field recording of rainfall, insects, beneath some clattery, muted parlor skitter, or the brooding muddy piano drone of "It's Madness" with its disembodied vox and haunting creepy creaking Victorian vibe, with sampled strings and mysterious textures, before the record closes with a surprisingly Beatles-esque ballad called "Generous Moon", that sort of classic pop, rendered a little bit warped and woozy, the guitars twangy, and the background melodies a sea of whirring keyboards, locking into a looped dreamlike dirge before finally fading out. So nice. This Heat fanatics will flip for sure, and no doubt some have tapes or bootlegs of this already, but it sounds so much better now, and comes in a super deluxe digipak, with tons of photos, artwork and liner notes. And even if you've never heard This Heat (what the hell is wrong with you?), this will still appeal to folks into twisted dark lo-fi pop.

MPEG stream: Another Flaming Tune
MPEG stream: A To B
MPEG stream: Raindrops From Heaven

Who are the Flashing Lights? Well, first perhaps a little Canadian pop history lesson for you. The Superfriendz were a great Halifax-based power pop group of the mid-90s. Full of maddeningly catchy hooks and vocal harmonies, not to mention plenty of youthful vim and vigor. Although they were often lumped in with and overshadowed by fellow Nova Scotians, Canadian pop superstars Sloan, Matt Murphy -- an excellent songwriter in his own right -- and company drew a strong, loyal following across the country. After the Superfriendz' demise a couple of years ago, Matt decided to start anew. Voila! The Flashing Lights. The result? A super summertime record if I've ever heard one. And one that is very much a sweet buoyant continuation to those of his former band. Mr. Murphy just might be the only person who can name a song "Talk To The Hand" and not be beaten to a pulp. Note: this cd was first released in Canada on Matt's own label, but here re-issued on SpinArt, it boasts two bonus tracks.

Thought we'd list this, 'cause we've had one copy for a while that's been sitting up behind/above the counter, alone and unlooked-at, alongside the our other box sets like that ZZ Top "barbeque shack" thing Allan said he'd buy if we didn't sell it by January 1st 2004 (hmm, it's still here...Allan?). Flasket Brinner were a psychedelic, proggy, symphonic, very jazzy ensemble that featured key members of the '70s Swedish underground rock/jazz scene, and were known for their live performances (being what today might be called a "jam band" I guess). Thus a four-cd box set like this one, collecting their live radio sessions from the early '70s, is quite an appropriate release, presumably long-awaited by fans of the band. Perhaps of special note to AQ-customers is that you'll find featured on about half of this set, the Hammond organ of Bo Hansson! Indeed, these discs include several medleys of material drawn from Hansson's Lord Of The Rings album, plus other Hansson compositions. But Flasket Brinner's collective mood was wide-ranging, from Hansson's Middle Earth vibes to Ennio Morricone to traditional Turkish music to tongue-in-cheek covers of rock staples like "Wild Thing". Bewarned: you've gotta like extended jamming, and flutes and sax, to get into this. The box includes a big booklet full of photos and text, with notes on each session and song, along with a history of the band and an exhaustive discography of recordings by the various band members that makes it seem likely that Flasket Brinner alumni played on almost every cool record released in Sweden in the '70s, including LPs by such AQ faves as Algarnas Tradgard and Turid.

MPEG stream: Gunnars Dilemma
MPEG stream: Lothlorien

Holodeck strikes again! The Austin-based electronic label has brought us all kinds of neat stuff, most recently releases by Marie Davidson and Boan, and this one's another cool catch. The two synth maniacs in Flatliner play, as the label puts it, what sounds like horror soundtrack music, produced like club anthems. Best of both worlds, right? Rave the night away, and indulge in the suspenseful atmospherics too. Eerie & ominous yet get-down groovy! Mostly instrumental, but for some gloomy vocodered vocals on the coldwave-ish "City Lights Receding", this four track ep is a driving, detailed celebration of the duo's synth gear collecting obsession and finely-tuned production skills. They utilize a ton of equipment, both analog and digital, from the latest tech to some rare vintage gizmos. Heck they list some of it, for those of you who wanna know: Roland TR-808, SC Pro-One, Juno-6, Crumar Orchestrator, Ensoniq SQ-80, Oberheim Matrix 6, Emu Emax, Ensoniq ASR 10, Studio Electronics SE-1X, MFOS Modular, Dave Smith Mono Evolver, Doepfer Dark Energy, Sherman Filterbank. In any case, for the gear-heads or not, some quite enjoyable 'dance' music. 45rpm, includes download! Limited to 500 copies.

MPEG stream: Blasted Highway
MPEG stream: PC Corporation

It took us a while to be won over. But once we were, we couldn't get enough. We've been anxiously awaiting this new Fleet Foxes for ages, and it's everything we hoped it would be. An utterly gorgeous collection of dark shimmery folk, of harmony-heavy country (indie) rock. Like their debut, Helplessness Blues is just simply beautiful and timeless twangy pop. All the stuff we loved about the first record remains, and if anything, the band have stretched out even further. The Beach Boys harmonies, the warm hushed, reverby production, the seventies Laurel Canyon vibe, but this time around, there are horns, the drums seem to play a bigger part, some of the tracks downright bombastic, the sound is way more varied, from hushed whispery drift to wild skronky free jazz freakouts, from strummy, hazy, psychedelic folk to lush, almost cabaret sounding pop. And the vocals, as incredible as before, Robin Pecknold's croon crystalline and clear, and the harmonies impossibly rich and lush, the vocals bathed in echo and reverb, making every track sound like it was recorded in some dusty old dancehall, exactly as they should. And the songs, like most second records, not as immediately catchy as the first, but upon repeated listens, blossoming and revealing themselves as the perfect pop songs they truly are. The sound is still equal parts Neil Young, Crosby, Stills and Nash, the Beach Boys, the Eagles, Simon And Garfunkel, and still those sounds are filtered though more modern influences like Animal Collective, as displayed by the record's lush layers and dense vocal arrangements, but Helplessness Blues is not just more of the same, the sound, the songs, the arrangements, everything this time around is somehow more, and better, and we can't seem to stop listening.

MPEG stream: Montezuma
MPEG stream: Bedouin Dress
MPEG stream: Sim Sala Bim

We weren't all that into Fleet Foxes when we heard this record the first time. Not sure if it was us reacting to the usual way-too-much-hype that seems to surround so many debut releases these days. Or if the music just didn't move us. So we had sort of written them off as another 'whatever' band, decent enough to carry, but not special enough for us to worry about reviewing. But then we saw them perform live, and something changed. It was a revelation. It's difficult to pinpoint what it was exactly, but they sounded amazing, lush, timeless, sort of rocking, the vocals impossibly beautiful, harmonies to die for. It might have been hearing them LOUD, it could have been the fact that they were performing in a sun dappled glade, surrounded by tress and green grassy hills, probably a little of both. Whatever it was, it opened our ears, and the beauty of Fleet Foxes was revealed to us. A lush seventies Laurel Canyon sort of countryish pop folk. Crosby, Stills and Nash are the obvious reference, maybe the Eagles too. But also mix in some Beach Boys, some Big Star, the pop element is undeniable, the sound fuzzy and sun dappled, the percussion orchestral, the arrangements grand and epic, but somehow, it all sounds so intimate and personal. Sunshiney, melancholy, dreamy, intricate steel string guitars, shuffling drums, hand claps, all just a background for the lovely vocals, a high crystal clear croon, that easily slips into a falsetto, before swooping back down again, and the harmonies, oh the harmonies, absolutely divine. So much so we sometimes find ourselves just waiting for the parts where the band pulls back leaving just the vocals, perhaps an acoustic guitar, those are the moments that make this band so fantastic. Thus returning to the record, we have a whole different take. All of the above describes the sounds within, pretty perfectly, not sure why it took seeing them play live, but for whatever reason, we're glad we did. Otherwise we would have missed out on Fleet Foxes' lush loveliness. Just listen to "White WInter Hymnal" and if you're not sold, well then, figure out a way to get these guys to set up and play for you in some field or forest, it will be well worth it.

MPEG stream: White Winter Hymnal
MPEG stream: Sun It Rises

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

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Superior Viaduct does it again, bringing us much needed reissues of not only one but two classic LA underground records from 1981: The Flesh Eaters' amazing A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die, and The Gun Club's incredible debut, Fire of Love. We're gonna (gotta!) make 'em both Records Of The Week! Death, drugs, sex, voodoo, evil blues, macabre horror and a sublimely detached southern gothic sensibility pervades the sound of these two bands who sat somewhere between the margins of the "death rock" and "cowpunk" or "gothabilly" genres in the LA punk scene of the late seventies and early eighties without fitting neatly into either. Chris Desjardins, or Chris D., was the central force behind The Flesh Eaters as well as producer for The Gun Club, and other bands of the era such as Tex and The Horseheads (featuring his then girlfriend Texicala Jones) and his later band, The Divine Horsemen. Once a writer for the popular underground fanzine Slash, Chris D assembled The Flesh Eaters from many bands of the scene, such as The Blasters, Wall of Voodoo, Los Lobos, and X, and indeed no Flesh Eaters record had quite the same line-up. Their second release, A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die remains the band's most critically regarded effort and it's easy to see why. Featuring John Doe and DJ Bonebrake from X on bass and marimbas respectively, Dave Alvin and Bill Bateman from The Blasters on guitar and drums and Steve Berlin from Los Lobos on sax, the band's swampy but driving voodoo rhythms marked most notably by the unusual use of marimbas and saxophone and Chris D's horror-spun lyricism and guttural vocals put them in a similar scene as bands like 45 Grave and The Cramps, but with a fiercer edge and far less campy aesthetic. Instead, A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die is like a dark spaghetti western full of werewolf marauders, evil curses, night fevers, grave-digging and a rollicking hell-bent fury. Essential listening for fans of The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, and any of the bands mentioned above.

MPEG stream: Digging My Grave
MPEG stream: Divine Horseman
MPEG stream: River of Fever
MPEG stream: Satan's Stomp

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

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

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This Punk band from the East Bay has been around for two years. Its members had been previously playing in other punk bands like the 3Tards Sledwreck, and The Dairy Queens, and have put out songs on a variety of compilations and split singles with such bands

RealAudio clip: Yes, I'm Starting Shit

Local boys who were on a split 7" with Phantom Limbs now have released this ep. The first song sadly reminded me of typical East Bay punk, the second song was a weird ballad about 'futbol' and the third song sounded just like Drive Like Jehu or Pitchfork (which isn't a bad thing). It went on like that. The record is all over the place but mostly soft punk (ya know, with a heart). It's a lot lighter than I would have thought knowing that they are cohorts of the notorious Phantom Limbs.

RealAudio clip: Fists of Mercy
RealAudio clip: Bon Bons
RealAudio clip: The Game of Futbol

Freaky early '70s psych rock from Japan here folks, as you may know already on account of how we highlighted the reissue of this band's second album on our last list. This one, with a truly hard-to-beat title, was Flied [sic] Egg's debut, released originally in 1972, on Vertigo -- with Flied Egg one of the few, if not only, Japanese acts to appear on the roster of that legendary UK-based label known for proto-metal, jazz-prog and other "hairy funk" delights. This album dishes such delights all over the place, ranging from the Blue Cheer meets Uriah Heep heaviness of "Rolling Down The Broadway" to the weird choral interlude of "15 Seconds Of Schizophrenic Sabbath" to the classical prog flourishes of "Oke-Kus" (sounding like a warped version of ELP) to the sheer hippie psych-pop lunacy of the title track. And more! All in all, this is quite as crazy as its Dali-esque cover painting indicates. Definitely an essential for our Japanese '70s psych section, and anyone who loves them some acid rock guitar!

MPEG stream: Dr. Siegel's Fried Egg Shooting Machine
MPEG stream: Burning Fever

This Japanese psychrock reish, now available on vinyl! Yes that's right, it's Flied not Fried Egg. Uh, 'cause they're Japanese. Think about it. Hey, it's their joke. Anyway, this one's for all you '70s heaviness lovin' proto-metal fans who may have missed it before. Good Bye was Flied Egg's second of two albums (both '72, and both on the famed Vertigo label, best known as the home of Black Sabbath). The first one, with the marvelous title of Dr. Siegel's Fried Egg Shooting Machine, is as you might guess is some pretty wild acid psych. Good Bye, however, is the heavier of the two, and we can simply say it's a no-brainer for Blue Cheer fans. Basically, this album is distinctly split between two sides, the first half recorded live, possibly at their farewell concert, we'd guess from the title. This in-concert portion is the heaviest, it's all bad ass fuzzed out blooze rawk swagger that makes us think Blue Cheer, Blue Cheer, Blue Cheer! (Also Grand Funk, Cactus, and Mountain.) Hear 'em rile up a cheering crowd with these party-pleasers: "Leave Me Woman", "Rolling Down The Broadway" (a stompin' composition that appears in a studio version on their debut), BB King's "Rock Me Baby", and the twelve-minute-plus "Five More Pennies", which includes a drum solo in addition to all the acid guitar excess. Following all that, the studio half of the album gets a bit more proggy and wigged out (ending with a multi-part piece entitled "521 Seconds Schizophrenic Symphony", wow!) while also containing a couple of mellower melodic numbers, namely the sad and gentle "Out To Sea" and finale "Goodbye My Friends". FYI, not a favorite of Julian "Japrocksampler" Cope, but WE like it. Members of Flied Egg also did time in some other hard rockin' underground Japanese psych acts whose reissues we've previously reviewed, including Strawberry Path, Brush!?, and Food Brain... if you dig those, or the likes of Flower Travellin' Band, Blues Creation, Speed Glue & Shinki, or Too Much, then Flied Egg is for you too.

MPEG stream: Rolling Down The Broadway (live)
MPEG stream: Five More Pennies (live)

Flies Inside The Sun is the out-rock / free-jazz trio comprised of New Zealand stalwarts Kim Pieters, Peter Stapleton, and Brian Crook. Collectively, they've worked in a number of projects that have varied from the angry-pop of Scorched Earth Policy to the Kranky label approved drone-rock of Dadamah to the angular improvisations of Rain. By and large, each of the bands carries over a signature lugubriousness which certainly migrates into the Flies Inside The Sun. Imagine Movietone or Crescent turning even further to the tropes of jazz, than you come close to the sounds of Flies Inside The Sun.

Frat-rockish '60s garage reish.

First thing you gotta do to truly enjoy Flight Of The Conchords, is to pretend you've never heard or seen Tenacious D, and if for some crazy reason you -haven't- seen Tenacious D, and we're talking about the HBO show not the movie, then for chrissakes go get it now. You will not see a funnier, more totally wacked show, or hear more amazing metal tinged acoustic rock songs EVER. So once you've seen, and enjoyed Tenacious D, and then immediately begun to pretend that you haven't, then it's okay to dig into Flight Of The Conchords, a similarly damaged acoustic comedy duo. But FOTC are a lot more feel good than Tenacious D. The D had a serious sinister edge, with songs rooted in HEAVY METAL, swearing and screaming,� blood and chaos and mayhem, where as the Conchords are more friendly, more deadpan, like the TV show, a more sort of Napoleon Dynamite vibe, long pauses, non sequiturs, a sort of rumpled discomfort instead of the D's in your face full frontal comedic pummel. And while we love the D, there is definitely a place for the Conchords. And while they don't seem as inspired as the D, the show is pretty dang funny, and some of their songs are awesome, "Robots" being the most obvious, a tale of the distant future, the year 2000, complete with a kick ass 'binary solo', the band rapidly reciting ones and zeros over madly strummed guitars. "Business Time" is pretty funny too, sexy and silly, and more of that deadpan style. The live tracks are the best, mostly cuz the duo have killer chemistry, and are able to riff endlessly on the stupidest and most minute things, but the upshot is it leaves you wanting to see a whole set of their stand up, or at least the show (which is peppered with homemade videos for all of their songs), but for now, until you get a chance to see them live, or finally get HBO, this little chunk of goofy toonage should hold you over nicely.

MPEG stream: Robots (live)
MPEG stream: Business Time
MPEG stream: If You're Into It

We were pretty skeptical when we first hear about Flight Of The Conchords. Who in their right mind would dare try follow in the footsteps of Tenacious D? And we're talking just the original six HBO episodes. Never has a shitty open mic, dual acoustic guitar band been so metal, so funny, and so fucking genius as Tenacious D. So when we first checked out New Zealand's Flight Of The Conchords, our reaction was that these guys were just ripping off the D. But the more we watched, the more they demonstrated that they were definitely their own thing. The duo, Bret and Jemaine (NOT Jermiane) are super charming, and super hilarious in a weirdly deadpan way. If you haven't seen the show, definitely check it out. Their manager Murray steals the show, as does their only fan Mel, and their dirtbag only friend, the guy who runs the pawn shop. And the songs are pretty funny too, loosely tied into whatever happens to be going on in that episode, and occasionally the whole show is tied instead into the concept of the song, which results in much more tweaked and whatthefuck goings on. So yeah, love the show, and love the music, which might pose the only problem. As with Tenacious D, we love the songs EXACTLY as they are on the show, the same instrumentation, the same arrangement, the same production, THOSE are the songs we want to hear. So it's frustrating to hear them re-recorded as they are here, the vibe is definitely more polished and less loose, but thankfully still can't take way from the charm of these songs. Fans of the show might feel the same, taking a while to warm up to these alternate versions, but a lot of this stuff wasn't really focused on in the show, or maybe not in the show at all, and the ones that were, you've probably been dying to hear again. And for fans, all the hits are here: "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)", "Business Time", the amazing rap track "Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenocerous (Featuring Rhymenocerous And The Hiphopapoatumus)", the dancehall jam of "Boom", and of course the awesome 'binary solo' in "Robots". Not only are the lyrics funny, but the songs are catchy as hell. Not sure how this would play to someone who hadn't seen the show, but if you haven't, what the heck is wrong with you anyway? Buy it, or rent it, and you might as well buy this too, you're gonna want to hear these songs over and over, since after one viewing they stick in your head like crazy. And if you're not interested in the show, but dig clever goofy silly novelty folk, then this will definitely hit the spot. The packaging is pretty excellent too, a six panel digipak with a cool pop up of Bret and Jemaine, behind which is the cd and a massive poster.

MPEG stream: The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)
MPEG stream: Robots
MPEG stream: Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenocerous (Featuring Rhymenocerous And The Hiphopopotamus)

An album of pure pathos, Ohne Titel by the German multi-instrumentalist Enrico Wuttke (aka Flim whose previous albums have graced the fine electronica-pop label TomLab) is his response to the death of his 8 year old daughter. Both a lilting tribute of atmospheric, instrumental melancholy and a work-through-the-pain therapy session, Wuttke's album exposes all of his emotions through his sorrowful tunes of elegantly smeared compositions for piano, organ, his daughter's toy metallophones, and plenty of computer processing. While this album falls squarely in the empathic gloominess also found in the work of Sigur Ros, William Basinski, and those Alva Noto / Ryuichi Sakamoto collaborations, a few moments of sparkling exuberance march across the album as if Wuttke were racing through the memories of his daughter to find those that were most precious to him, but all the while captured by the weighty sadness of his loss. For all of the poignancy in the album, it is also achingly beautiful.

MPEG stream: Schellenegel
MPEG stream: Luftschloss

At long last, reissues of the four best works by San Francisco's own Flipper! Founded in 1979, Flipper was an anomaly. Though featured in the 2006 documentary "American Hardcore," alongside bands like Minor Threat and Bad Brains, they seemed totally miscategorized. They were far easier understood in the context of SF artpunk, but their shitty production values, menacing lyrics and nihilistic attitude ingratiated them with the hardcore crowd. Often credited with inspiring a thousand sludge rock bands, there's no doubt that their influence runs far and wide. From '80s contemporaries like No Trend and Drunks with Guns, to Rick Rubin's copycat band Hose, to bands with later, greater success like the Melvins and Nirvana, the impact of Flipper is formidable. In fact, the Melvins in particular owe so much to Flipper; having recorded SO MANY covers of their songs - and obviously influenced by Flipper's hollow, sparse, plodding drum style - they may be Flipper's number one fans. But unlike their disciples, Flipper's music remains far less polished, less categorizable and more enigmatic, in our humble opinion. Their debut album, Generic, is classic - a crushing, pounding, drug-addled nightmare of existential angst and torment. Lyrically hateful - yet hopeful - Flipper seems like a band at war with the audience and themselves. Their music is an utter trainwreck - it's often out of time and out of tune. You get the feeling that the band could really give a damn about playing well or recording quality. It's cynical, blase and yet utterly hypnotizing. It's also occasionally hilarious. From the opener "Ever," with its caustic lyrics (complemented by hand clapping!) to the seriously dark and murky "(I Saw You) Shine," to its ultimate peak with the optimistic "Life" ("Life is the only thing worth living for"), it's a glorious, fucked up listening experience. Ending with the 8 minute long epic "Sex Bomb" - a punk "Louie Louie" if there ever was one - Flipper managed to create an album that epitomizes alienation and discomfort. It's pure poetry. Reissue contains additional photos and obligatory liner notes by Nirvana's Krist Novoselic, who joined the band a few years ago.

MPEG stream: (I Saw You) Shine
MPEG stream: Life
MPEG stream: Sex Bomb

At long last, reissues of the four best works by San Francisco's own Flipper! Founded in 1979, Flipper was an anomaly. Though featured in the 2006 documentary "American Hardcore," alongside bands like Minor Threat and Bad Brains, they seemed totally miscategorized. They were far easier understood in the context of SF artpunk, but their shitty production values, menacing lyrics and nihilistic attitude ingratiated them with the hardcore crowd. Often credited with inspiring a thousand sludge rock bands, there's no doubt that their influence runs far and wide. From '80s contemporaries like No Trend and Drunks with Guns, to Rick Rubin's copycat band Hose, to bands with later, greater success like the Melvins and Nirvana, the impact of Flipper is formidable. In fact, the Melvins in particular owe so much to Flipper; having recorded SO MANY covers of their songs - and obviously influenced by Flipper's hollow, sparse, plodding drum style - they may be Flipper's number one fans. But unlike their disciples, Flipper's music remains far less polished, less categorizable and more enigmatic, in our humble opinion. Flipper's second album finds them better recorded, although it almost doesn't sound right - like an ill-fitting suit. And no suit can make this band sound any less dirty - Gone Fishin' is still full of lurching, menacing bass lines and repetitive, drug-fried riffs. And occasional piano. And horns. And xylophone. It almost sounds like a UK post-punk band at times, until the vocals kick in and it degenerates into a sloppy, group sing-a-long. It's a mess. Best songs include the triumphant opener "The Light, The Sound," the chilling "Sacrifice" (since covered by the Melvins, yes, on Lysol), and the disorienting "Talk is Cheap." The cover reproduces a scaled-down version of the original LP art, which is an interactive cut-out model of their tour van and band members. You could cut this one out, but it's not recommended. Reissue contains additional photos and highly entertaining liner notes by Buzz Osborne of the Melvins, who rightfully gives thanks.

MPEG stream: The Light, The Sound
MPEG stream: Sacrifice
MPEG stream: Talk's Cheap