[ aquarius records — Rock Pop ]

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Join Kev Hopper (former bassist of Stump) on his third album as he meanders down a gently winding path festooned with pretty marimbas, vibes, and musical saw. Textured percussion and strings weave their way. At times diaphanous and shimmering, and at others shadowy and mysterious. Hopper (who has played on albums by High Llamas and Stereolab) is accompanied on his journey by Charles Hayward (This Heat) and Sean O'Hagan (High Llamas).

Quiet/loud saxophone squealing and squawking, over a background ambience of ominous clatter and drone...piano, percussion, tape hiss... Free jazz fairy tale music from France circa 1971. It's very moody and dark, but then there will be eruptions of Warner Bros cartoon music, almost. You could imagine a cartoon mouse tip-toeing around to some of this. A very scared little mouse. This ultra-rare Futura LP now sees cd reissue via Italian label Mellow, and fans of skronky Euro-improv as well as the more cosmic psych soundscapes of, say, Taj Mahal Travellers, should investigate.

RealAudio clip: Gestation Sonore 4

While, sure, there were indeed heaps of exciting Record Store Day releases to freak out about this past weekend, but as you can tell from perusing this week's list, there are of course lots of other recently released things to get excited about as well. Like this - especially if you dig goddamn good ol' rock n' roll music. It's the new album from Swedish retro-proto-metallers Horisont, released Stateside by Rise Above licensees Metal Blade. It just came out this week, on Tuesday, and if we weren't so busy, we woulda been happy to spend Tuesday night with this cd and a six pack of an appropriate bubbly beverage as our only entertainment. As you might have already surmised from the title, this is Horisont's second album. We raved about their debut Tva Sidor Av Horisonten a few years back (the first word of our review was "Wow"), and Allan here was lucky enough to see 'em play at Roadburn in 2010 (they slayed!), so yeah we've been eagerly anticipating this new album, and it's a doozy, definitely for fans of Witchcraft, Graveyard, Burning Saviours, Gentleman's Pistols, Danava, and others who keep the spirit of '70s style heavy rockin' alive today. Meaning, also for fans of Sabbath, Judas Priest circa "Sad Wings", Uli-era Scorpions, UFO, Nazareth, Swedish gods November, Leaf Hound, and all the other (proto-)metal granddaddies that the Horisont boys are doubtless making very proud. There's ten new, timeless sounding, tracks here, rollickin' with boogie rock action borne of both youthful exuberance and love of those classic influences. Horisont kick out the jams big time, veering from bluesy, bellbottomed lope to sheer speedy early-metal gallop, these songs replete with soaring vox and soaring melodies, lots of tasty guitar harmonies and catchy riffs. You've got your hard rockers, a few moodier, psychier moments, more hard rockers, and then wow when it seems that it can't get any better, the disc ends with a hell of a bang, Horisont creating their proggiest metallic construct yet with the stuttering, stunning "Thunderflight", a NWOBHM-ish triumph that fans of such diverse acts as La Otracina, Pharaoh Overlord and even Slough Feg will want to hear in heavy rotation. Along with the rest of the disc. Damn. We know that Swedes seemingly have access to a Rock n' Roll Way Back Machine, and Horisont have put it to good use here, again.

MPEG stream: Second Assault
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Wow. Or maybe not wow, 'cause we should be used to it by now. But yeah, wow. ANOTHER Swedish band that seems, magically, to be from the '70s, though they're actually quite contemporary in 2010. Like AQ faves Witchcraft, Burning Saviours, Dead Man, Elope, Dungen, Graveyard, et. al., newcomers Horisont possess the secret to sounding so '70s, that they probably think Nixon, or maybe Ford, is still the US President. At the latest (and at their most metal), it wouldn't appear that their influences extend beyond the early years of the NWOBHM. (Though that's not to say you won't flash on QOTSA or something while listening to this, but its more akin to vintage and obscure likes of, say, Highway Robbery and Vardis.) And not only do they sound '70s, but like those other Swedish bands we mentioned, they're damn good, too. In fact, it's from the same label that brought us Dead Man that we've imported the debut cd by Horisont. We ordered it on LP too, but unfortunately they arrived damaged, hopefully we'll get more soon and be able to list the vinyl next time. And while vinyl (or 8 track?) might be the appropriately retro medium for this music, even on cd Horisont kicks out the heavy progressive blues rock in utterly killer fashion, a la early Sabbath (but with maybe more in the way of uptempo energy), Led Zeppelin, UFO, and we think we even hear a little Aerosmith. And what's even more awesome, track 4, "The Unseen", reminds us of Uli-era Scorpions too! Also of course, Horisont sound a lot like their Scandinavian '70s prog-psych uncles, November, Life and others. This IS pretty dang bluesy, and rockin', with high, wailing vox, tasty guitar licks, lumbering riffage, and a propensity for cow-bell-knockin' boogie. They make no bones about it, they even named a song "Horisont Boogie", just in case you didn't believe us. All right! Yet, we must say they boogie quite elegantly, and they also have their mystic moods too, getting mellow and melancholic on occasion, and about half-way through this ten song set, they switch from singing in English to their native language, which adds to the "progg" vibe most charmingly. Classy, catchy, way impressive stuff, especially for a debut. We're looking forward to seeing 'em play live someday (no, we don't know if they're gonna tour in the USA any time soon, but they ARE playing at the Roadburn festival in Holland next year that Allan here has plans to attend...). We don't know how they do it, but they do. All lovers of '70s proto-metal prog heaviness, who dig hearing a new band doing it right, give it up for Sweden and HORISONT! This is what that Dead Weather blues rock album we never got around to reviewing really shoulda sounded like, although Dead Weather, for all their supergroup status, and bonus points for covering Pentagram, aren't of course Swedish and that's not their fault we suppose.

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Horrid Red can hardly be qualified as a side-project anymore, but pretty much everything born from the twisted vision of Glenn Donaldson is in a constant transformation from one aesthetic strain and/or band to another. Horrid Red emerged out of the creative overload of Teenage Panzerkorps through the talents of Donaldson (here cloaked in the guise of Edmund Xavier) and the Teutonic punk vocalist Bunker Wolf. Where Der TPK blasted outward as a furiously darkened drone-punk, Horrid Red sought more of an elegant take on the post-punk agenda with Factory inspired synths and Death In June's urgent acoustic guitars; but those megaphone vocals from Bunker Wolf on all of the Horrid Red and Der TPK recordings make the projects somewhat interchangable and just goddamn great! Celestial Joy is the second record in about twelve months for Horrid Red, following Der TPK's impressive German Reggae and a 'singles' collection; and this album finds Burial Hex's Clay Ruby joining the fray. Some of the songs on Celestial Joy seek a minimal-wave brightness such as on the skittering groove of "Marble Staircase, III" complete with electric piano lines and Bunker Wolf crooning the vocals instead of barking them through a megaphone. "Nothing In My Heart" cops a few choice guitar licks from The Cure's "In Between Days." But other tracks sport the bass-driven punk propulsive favored by Der TPK, such as "Men And Sand" and the death-disco vibes on the title track. The Holiday Records vinyl version of Celestial Joy is limited to 400 copies and comes with a much nicer print-job on the artwork than the domestic version, hence the higher price.

An offshoot of Teenage Panzerkorps / Der TPK, Horrid Red is described by the band's Glenn "Edmund Xavier" Donaldson as a militant new wave project somewhere near the likes of Death In June circa Nada. A beloved album of Death In June fans for sure, but Nada was a very clumsy attempt at bringing an occult obliqueness and right-wing imagery to the more romantic strains of new wave - Donanldson's recapitulation of '80s stark post-punk is WAY better. The name Horrid Red might also be a play on the peculiar, forgotten new wave iconoclast Snowy Red, who sort of fell between Suicide and Fad Gadget; this was a band that Donaldson once professed considerable admiration for. That said, Horrid Red doesn't fall that far from the TPK sound, especially since Bunker Wolf is very present in delivering his booming Teutonic vocals with megaphone volume and clarity. Donaldson's arrangements are more stripped down than in TPK, but no-less spiky with their propulsive basslines, and also feature these sad, melodic leads that certainly look back to his earlier work in the Knit Separates and early Blithe Sons. But then there are the minor-key, haunted synths that take a page out of the Blessure Grave / Zola Jesus playbook and the minimal wave rhythms that gird almost every song. Released on Holiday Records, who seem to be the Sacred Bones of Italy. A necessary album for all fans of the recent wave of new goth. Limited to 300 copies!

Half of Teenage Panzerkorps comprises Horrid Red, including the Teutonic punk vocalist Bunker Wolf and the multi-instrumentalist Edmund Xavier (aka Glenn Donaldson of all things Jewelled Antler). Those familiar with Bunker Wolf's Teutonic vocal bark from Der TPK will instantly recognize it here as well, although the Horrid Red sound is a little different from Der TPK's grimy punk hypnosis, as this has got much more of a neo-goth / cold-wave vibe with springy basslines and motorik-pop rhythms butting against atonal swarms of guitar noise and morose synth atmospheres, that come together sounding a lot like Blessure Grave trying to cover "Love Will Tear Us Apart" but mixing up the bassline with a Cure song instead. Limited to 300 copies, comes with a download coupon.

Another blast of post-apocalyptic cold-wave inspired dark goth-pop from Horrid Red. Comprised of members of Teenage Panzerkorps, including the ever prolific and talented Glenn Donaldson (Art Museums, Skygreen Leopards, Jewelled Antler, etc.) as well as a rotating cast of band members including some AQ alumni. "Silent Party" is perhaps the most infectious song Horrid Red have crafted yet. Sounding like some lost gem of gloomy dark wave pop that one might hear on some awesome reissue by Dark Entries. But just as we played that song over and over several times and finally allowed ourselves to hear the next track "The Horror & The Cruelty" we had to seriously rethink if this track now takes the cake for their best blast of sneering motorik Fad Gaget inspired darkness. The two tracks on the B side "Marble Staircase" and "Parts I & II" are less immediate but showcase their ability to create a downer atmosphere with such success. At a time when we've been getting lots of 7"s with just one killer song, we appreciate that there are four totally strong tracks on this 7" making it well worth the price.

If you like your rock'n'roll on the sweaty, trashy and garage-y side, The Horrors may be just the thing for you. This Iowa trio kick up quite the howl'n'stomp storm on Vent, the follow-up to last year's self-titled debut. Searing abrasive retro blues raunch'n'roll! MPEG Download: "Karen" [/audio/horrorskaren.mp3] MPEG Stream: "Karen" [/audio/horrorskaren.m3u]

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MPEG stream: When I Get Home

AQ pal and Pink of Pink and Brown Mr. John Dwyer recommended this lovely release to us. Word is, the guy who owns In The Red likes them so much that he not only put this cd out, but roadies for them as well. A raw and raunchy combo from Cedar Rapids, IA who formed three years ago at the tender age of 18. Their self proclaimed influences range from Leadbelly to Black Sabbath to Doo Rag to Dr. Dre to Pussy Galore to Prince. The sound isn't nearly so eclectic, but it is pretty great. Lo-fi, high energy, stripped down, haphazard, kick your dick in the dirt, punk rock garage kicks. Sadie says "Hell yeah!"

RealAudio clip: Every Inch Of My Love
RealAudio clip: I Don't Need A Woman I Need A Nurse
RealAudio clip: Hurt That Bird

Baltimore's Horse Lords scrawl delightfully squiggly line drawings of instrumental motorik jams that might look sort of like Laddio Bollocko, early Circle, Faust, Neu, or even This Heat if you were squint hard enough. This four-piece interweaves hillbilly-raga guitar tangles and droning stabs of saxophone through a daisy-chain of delay pedals and tape-loop accumulators that top their archetypal kraut rhythm section of one-the-one bassline throb and some serious Jaki Leibezeit worship going on behind the drum kit. Saxophonist Andrew Bernstein keeps the expository investigations through his instrument to a minimum, and he's at his best when he nestles all of the blurting / bleating notes into harmonious interlocking patterns that ripple through the echoing electronics. Similarly, Owen Gardner's guitar settles into hypno-rock, jitterbug jangle that rings with the harmonic dissonance of Chatham, Branca, or Conrad. The two of them never fight over each other, instead working to balance and complement the two instruments in their mutual pursuit of groovy art-rock. Each of the tracks exhibit a couple of start-stop-start-again-in-another-direction big changes to what Horse Lords do, but it never sounds self-indulgent or wanky. It all comes together as a profoundly jubilant mess that works very, very well. Yup, download included with this piece of wax.

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Imagine The Locust, if instead of being raised on a steady diet of grind and hardcore, they were only allowed to listen to Magma and Yes and E.L.P. Okay, and maybe a little Black Flag. Well, you might start to get a feeling for this oddly named combo. Horse The Band are a stumbling chaotic maelstrom of shouted vocals, off kilter rhythms, shards of angualr guitar, and totally fucked prog-tastic keyboards! So wild and fun and spastic and awesome! Definitely like Yes, if they were 15 year old hardcore kids, with beat up guitars, a casio, and all their be-patched backpacks piled up in a corner of the practice space. Drunk on Yoohoo and Redbull, doing their best to out prog, out spazz, and out ROCK all comers!

MPEG stream: Seven Tentacles And Eight Flames
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Here's some crazy keyboard punk rock metalcore blurt from Horse The Band on their second energetic full-length, released last fall (yeah, we're playing catch-up here, been meaning to list this for a while) on the newly revitalized Combat imprint. Looks like Combat's speed/death metal focus back in the '80s has given way to a new breed of blenderized indie-punk kinda-metal. Horse The Band, anyway, is the best thing on the new Combat. With loads of heavy guitars, pummelling drums, honkin' synth, screamo vox, emo melody, and mathy song constructs, all tightly wound and ready to explode, this will appeal to fans of of An Albatross, The Locust, that sort of thing. This also reminds us a bit of Reggie and the Full Effect's take on "Raining Blood" on that I Love Metal covers comp a few years ago...

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MPEG stream: A Million Exploding Suns

It's not just us that thought Horseback's latest album was so awesome. A blurb taken from the following review of ours does appear on this Relapse-reissued and repackaged top obi, alongside similarly enthusiastic quotes from both The Wire magazine and Invisible Oranges blog. Originally released by the amazing Utech label, this album garnered the attention of the corporate metal overlords (just kidding) at Relapse, who obviously thought it could, and should, find a wider audience. Good for Horseback! Definitely pick this one up if you missed the Utech edition. Here's what we said about it before: Something very strange must have transpired since the last Horseback disc. Something traumatic maybe? Some spiritual crisis of sonic faith? Where that record was a glistening, glimmering, dreamy, drifty drone record, this one is, well, much heavier, and more rocking, and WAY more intense and EVIL sounding. So much so that it almost sounds like a different band. That said, we dig it. A LOT. Super intense, and super heavy psychedelic twang flecked metallic post rock. The guitars buzz, and drone, and occasionally twang, the drums are powerful, tight, the instruments locked into slow burning build ups, some strange hybrid of newer Earth, Godspeed, Circle, the Necks and maybe a little Scenic. There's a sort of krautrock vibe going on too. Sun baked, a little lysergic, space-y hypnotic, repetitive, the tracks looooooong, with mostly a single part, that gradually builds and builds. The cool thing is it never explodes into a metal coda, a la Isis or Neurosis or a million other bands, it's all about the journey not the destination, and the journey is riveting enough without tacking on an explosive blow out. But then there's the vocals, a harsh demonic rasp totally at odds with the music beneath, which in some ways makes the combination sound that much more intense and evil. Especially when the rasps are locked in a sort of call and response with the guitars, really strange but definitely compelling. The first three tracks are variations on a theme, each an incredible slab of brooding, mesmerizing hypno-rock, lush and layered, with tons of cool little extra guitar flourishes, the drums busy enough to be interesting, but still locked tight into the groove, those vocals, adding menace for sure, but also a strange element that as mentioned above changes the whole feel. A track will be moody and woozy and will suddenly sound a bit evil, or at least a little ominous, before slipping back into the loping, pounding crush of the main riffs. The strangest thing about this record is that the track with the most overtly evil title, the closer "Hatecloud Dissolving Into Nothing", is the least heavy or evil of the bunch, and the only track that sounds like the first Horseback record. A 16+ minute drift of soft focus new age-y ambience, of dreamy drift, sun dappled guitars draped over long stretches of gauzy whir, the sound delicate and crystalline, definitely dreamy and blissed out, the only remnant of the tracks that came before, are some barely audible harsh vokills, way way way down in the mix, that almost sound like a slow shifting layer of hiss or buzz, beneath the kaleidoscopic shimmer of blurred guitar hum and melancholic melody, another strange combination, but similar to the vocals on the first three tracks, they lend a very subtle hint of menace to the otherwise tranquil proceedings. The new jewelcase packaging is still quite nice, though not as gorgeous as the original Utech sleeve.

MPEG stream: Invokation
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Two of our favorite local bands team up for some serious noisemaking. Horseflesh usually traffic in longform dronescapes and epic post industrial kraut drone, while Borneo specialize in a sort of pop infused heaviness, that we described as Harvey Milk or Jesu covering Lync or Seam or even Codeine. So the question is not necessarily why these guys decided to get together, the real question is what happened when they did. And Courage Rock is the answer. A twisted post rock hybrid, not in the sense of post rock the genre, but rather POST-rock, beyond rock, beyond even post rock, the opening salvo finds the Borneo duo unfurling thick, repetitive anti-grooves, thick chugging metallic riffage, pounding motorik thumps, while Horseflesh bathes the whole thing is thick swaths of tripped out kosmische effects, streaks of white noise, layers upon layers of hiss and buzz and crunch, tossing in the occasional squall of bleeps and bloops and swoops. As the record continues, Borneo dial it back a little contributing some more minimal pulse like rhythmic minimalism, while the guitars rumble and buzz, and Horseflesh keeps things thick and murky and spaced out. Elsewhere, full on bursts of white noise give way to hazy sun baked riffage, a doomy crawl, almost like Earth, wrapped in a speaker rattling undercurrent of tectonic rumbles, long stretches of layered haze wrapped around incendiary feedback, that pulse like thump holding it together, a gloriously noise flecked spaced out druggy drift, rife with stuttery loops, shards of FX and buried melodies, crushing downtuned doomy sludge, almost stonery, with heavy Neanderthal drumming, and woozy minor key guitars, pounding through a cloud of black fuzz and twisted effects, a seriously fierce psych-drone blowout, so good that it makes us almost think these guys should ALWAYS play together... SUPER LIMITED, in hand painted and hand assembled packaging....

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Another new record from Robert Horton, whose Just Before Setting The Sky On Fire cd-r we raved about recently. And even though we had never heard of him until that cd-r, he hails from right here in San Francisco. Which makes a lot of sense actuallly, as his sound is the perfect mix of New Zealand style free noise (hence his releases on CPsiP and other microlabels) and Jewelled Antler folk ambience (there's even a song on this disc titled "Jewelled Antler Basement", dedicated to the JA folks whom he recently performed with). Horton's music is truly lovely to listen to, and the strange sounds he uses to create those songs are at once totally familiar, but also completely perplexing. A quick look at the list of instruments used makes it obvious why: mbira, turntable, casio, wah wah pedal, bike pump trumpet, washing machine full of superballs, trash can lid, grass, leaf, bark, boot, vibrator, calliope, teasle, field recordings of hummingbirds, turntable-hurdy-gurdy-sexmachine, turntable-hurdy-gurdy-guitar and more. We could fill up a whole page with the stuff Horton used to make this record. In most hands all that crap would make a big ol' mess, but here's it's all carefully and delicately composed and laid out for maximum dreaminess and droniness. Every track is a smear of droned out bliss, with abstract folkisms and stretched out melodies, dense and challenging, but also simple and tripped out in that perfect close your eyes and drift off sort of way. One of the coolest and weirdest tracks is definitely the washing machine superball track, with the boinging rubber balls creating a furious tangle of free jazz rhythms, that are complimented by some REAL drums, skittering around and about the chaotic rubber balls, like a super distorted, sped up drum battle between Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. So cool. SUPER LIMITED AS ALWAYS!! NOT SURE WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET MORE WHEN THESE ARE GONE!

MPEG stream: Trees Rarely Move
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Some of us who hadn't heard The Hospitals before always assumed they were just some ordinary garage rock band, at least based on the context of how we had heard about them or flyers we had seen, but when we finally got to hear Hairdryer Peace we quickly discovered that something much more fucked up and unique was at play! This ain't no garage rock, in fact we think most folks into your ordinary punky garage rock wouldn't know what to do with this record and that's a very good thing. Dense with layers of fuzz, junk and some serious noise, The Hospitals have created an album that is always just on the verge of self-destruction and which often erupts into something brilliant just when you thought the ship was about to go down. This is some full on weirdo-rock, we hear hints of the most extreme lo-fi wonder of the New Zealand scene as well as the freakout psychedelics of the Japanese underground. Jandek on meth playing High Rise covers?! A pumped up Pumice joining forces with The Shining Path, Black Dice and Excepter!? The Skaters covering the first Comets On Fire album?! If you can start to imagine any of those scenarios then you start getting an idea of the charged and bizarre world in which Hospitals are operating. We slept on this album when it came out last year and you may have seen it listed as the number 3 record of the year picked by the Bible of the avant underground, The Wire. While a cd release of the album is in the works, this is your last chance to snag a copy of the vinyl as the band is down to it's last batch. Get it while you can!

"Clowns have always existed as mirrors of the human comic tragedy. They have always served mankind by making us laugh at our dark side. From the political parody to the hobo mocking the rich and famous, clowns have been there to remind us of our basic heart and soul � to remind us of our vulnerability. But what about the hospital clown? There is a place inside I go when I get into character. My clown is my inner child. Putting on the red nose gives her permission to come out and play, which I think makes Shobi more fun than funny. The clown is the joke. A little smile, a funny gesture, a tipping of the head � people will just look at me and smile. In the hospital it is my rule, no one gets by me without smiling. I tried this in the San Francisco financial district once. Not so easy, I'd say only three out of 10 would smile. That means that 70 percent just walk by me as if I were the norm. Brightly colored Shobi Dobi certainly was not the norm amongst the business suits. (There is a Bag Lady Clown, being created in my imagination, dressed in elegant patches of silk and velvet, who goes to the financial district and hands out nickels.) That Bag Lady Clown would not go over that well in the hospital, nor would "Dick E. Dude" my construction worker clown character (Shobi's revenge on the circus' washer-women clown skits)." -- taken from a Google search for "san francisco hospitals rich people." We return to our regularly scheduled program already in progress. The Hospitals latest ep features a new song, "Rich People" on side A. And I have to say I like it! Mike Donovan (Sic Alps, Big Techno Werewolves) offers seemingly room-mic'd vocals with a ton of delay within the spaced-out no-wavey noise-fest. Side B contains six digitally crunchy covers (of The Who, Royal Trux, Harry Pussy, The Kinks, The Fingers and a special mystery track) that sound like they were transferred from a copied cassette tape. Mmmmmm... Released by French 12" label, Yakisakana.

As we're sure you've noticed, over the past year, we've been reviewing tons of Chinese indie rock / noise pop / experimental music, and based on the response we've gotten, you're all digging it as much as we are. Even on this list, you'll find a bunch more cool weird Chinese stuff, including this one, from Hot & Cold, which oddly enough comes by way of Chicago label Moniker, but once you get an earful of these guys, it'll make perfect sense, cuz H&C are a perfect fit on Moniker, their sound a sort of zoner-psych, kraut-drone psychedelia, all programmed rhythms, loping stoned basslines, wasted Velvets vocals, and some blown out distorto organs, giving it all a kick ass lo-fi psych-garage vibe, that while not necessarily distinctly Chinese sounding, definitely hits the spot, falling somewhere between Moon Duo, Suicide, the Velvet Underground, Spacemen 3, and the like, all dirge-y, druggy outsider/weirdo mesmer. Border Area is killer blast of minimal, psych garage kraut-boogie that we have been digging like crazy! Includes a download code too!

MPEG stream: Out Of The Grey
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On the last list, we reviewed an lp from Hot & Cold, a Chinese group who somehow found their way to Chicago label Moniker, and as we mentioned in that review it was a perfect fit, as H&C's twisted brand of lo-fi noise pop / minimal psych kraut / psychedelic noise rock was pretty well removed from much of the other Chinese stuff we've been reviewing lately, which tends more toward the jangly/fuzzy end of nineties style American indie rock. But we (and lots of you) dug that lp, and wanted more, so here's another blast of FX drenched weirdo pop noisiness, and if anything, it's equal to the Moniker lp, right from the get-go, opening with a feral blast of distortion drenched, feedback slathered, bass heavy crunch. Siren like melodies swirl atop a bed of tangled high end squiggles, some fierce distorto bass buzz, yowled Mark E. Smith style vox, all wreathed in a weird cloud of sculpted industrial feedback, and driven by a clipped minimal electro beat, and it's so good! One of those opening tracks we had to listen to 5 or 6 times before we could make ourselves listen to the rest of the record. Which is equal to that opener, albeit not all nearly as noisy and chaotic. "Simon's Angry Song" doesn't sound nearly as angry as that opener, but does deliver a tense sprawl of loping noise rock mesmer, with some crunchy guitar buzz, another drum machine beat, the vocals buried in the mix this time, but as we've come to expect, it doesn't take long for the song to splinter into full on WTF freakout, a twisted squall of wild psychedelic noise, and glitched out weirdness, all still draped over that original hypnotic groove. "Knife Fight" sounds like a more wasted, WAY more abstract Stooges, a single riff looped and layered into something super tranced out, like the other tracks, gradually getting more and more twisted and trippy. We could probably go through the whole record track by track, cuz every song here is a twisted weirdo gem, hazy zoner-psych krautrock style kosmiche, to loping, stuttering electro-murk grooviness, that explodes into damaged outsider rhythmic meltdown, to super blown out, noise rock damage, to druggy dirgey mesmer, that sounds a bit like Spacemen 3 and the Velvets, melted down and doused in hallucinogens, to crunchy, robotic new wave noise-pop... Seriously twisted, WTF avant pop electro noise radness, an oddball sonic outlier amidst all the killer Chinese indie rock and noise pop that we've been reviewing recently, but one that's quickly revealing itself to maybe be one of our favorites so far!

MPEG stream: Helen's Interiors
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Most genre labels end up being so annoying and wrong. IDM for example - when did Oval really make you dance. Hot Chip would never be labeled IDM but taken for its literal meaning they are totally intelligent dance music. With elements similar to last years great record from The Junior Boys, Hot Chip have made a record that will shake your ass and somehow soothe you at the sem time. Songs that reference Stevie Wonder, Ween and Yo La Tengo, but with a vocal aesthetic that brings to mind more recent Damon Albarn outings. There are those occasional moments when they walk the cheese line (saxophone) but those moments luckily don't last too long. Utilizing elements of hip-hop production and a smart-ass pop sensibility Hot Chip are both dorky and sincere. Electronic and pop. Smart and catchy.

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In the last few years Hot Chip have made the transition from being a well kept electro-pop secret to one of the more popular bands in the world of indie/electro-rock. It's for good reason as they really found a refreshing way to tap into both the more interesting elements of electronic pop while also delivering jams that you can really shake your stuff too. Incorporating elements of indie rock, electronica, pop, and even sneaking some avant garde and experimental influences into their super catchy blend of music for the masses, a sound that doesn't pander but instead creates a super fun place where music lovers of all stripes and persuasions can come together for a super good time. Tapping into everything from OMD to Daft Punk, Prince to Gary Numan, Justin Timberlake to Soft Pink Truth. This is what the kids are going crazy for at the moment, and they could be doing lots worse cause Hot Chip are really good!

MPEG stream: Ready For The Floor
MPEG stream: Don't Dance

We have to hand it to Hot Chip, they were one of the major forces to really reimagine and reconstruct indie-pop by mixing electronic and dance music with extremely earnest and fleshed out songwriting, to create music that not only gets stuck in your head immediately but holds up on repeated listens. While they helped open the gates for so many new groups who want to get your ass shaking, Hot Chip still really sit at the top of the class. They are as much informed by commercial pop music as they are more nuanced influences, bringing out the best of all the sounds that influence them. Unapologetically sincere, this is irony free, hearts on sleeves dance pop. The total charm of Hot Chip is how they are somehow so totally dorky yet super cool at the same time. We became bigger believers in them when we saw them live, totally owning the stage with their enthusiasm and energy, as a sold out Fillmore audience all totally lost it, dancing and jumping like crazy. It was such a sight to be seen. This is what New Order might sound like if they were produced by The Neptunes, or imagine Erasure, OMD and The Pet Shop Boys with Timberland behind the board. One Life Stand has the high energy bangers that we've come to love, as well as a few slower emotional tunes that make us think they've been turned on to the classic sounds and songwriting of Boy George / The Culture Club. But it really is the more uptempo dance side of the band that we think is their strongest asset which luckily makes up the majority of the record.

MPEG stream: One Life Stand
MPEG stream: We Have Love
MPEG stream: I Feel Better

Hot off the heels of the recent domestic release of their smart fun & dorky in a good way debut, Coming On Strong, here are 3 new songs and the obligatory remixes of the title track. Over and Over is a really good catchy blast of electronic pop that recalls the early era of Depeche Mode, the full on dance mode of New Order and the seductive hooks of Goldfrapp. Fun stuff.

MPEG stream: Over and Over
MPEG stream: Plastic

Hot Chip follow up their debut with an even more satisfying collection of smart and fun electronic pop. With a more assured yet equally creative and satisfying sound, this record seems less self-conscious and more realized than Coming On Strong. Listening to Hot Chip sort of feels like going to a disco with super sweet nerdy boys in glasses. They have no problem shaking their asses yet manage to stay sensitive and intelligent at the same time. Even at their most catchy there is something bittersweet underneath it all that makes Hot Chip such a satisfying and pleasing listen. Folks who like The Postal Service, more recent Notwist and have Daft Punk records in their collection should check this out for sure!

MPEG stream: Colours
MPEG stream: (Just Like We) Breakdown

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

SORRY.

By now this 3-song EP's title song (the radio edit of "Bandages") has already been hammered into indie (and quite a few non-indie) ears around the globe for months... which is not entirely a bad thing! Heck, it's a darn swell song. However, the other two songs have not been previously introduced. They're fresh and new. The second song "Apt.101" has HHH donning their crunchy, angstful and guitar-driven suits, while the third calls to mind their more mod janglin' leanings a la The Jam. Solid tunes both of them, and definitely not your typical b-sides. We'd bet that if you truly dig Victoria, BC's Hot Hot Heat, you won't wanna miss this! And it actually makes for a pretty good intro to the band for those still unfamiliar. Although if that's the case, you might as well just grab a copy of their right-on full length Make Up The Breakdown.

MPEG stream: Apt. 101
MPEG stream: Move On

Damn, the cool pop playing field suddenly got even more crowded! Let's run through the roster again: Maximo Park, Franz Ferdinand, Killers, Futureheads, Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, British Sea Power and now here's Hot Hot Heat's second full length (and major label debut). Your cd player's gonna be mighty packed with so many toe-tappin', blood pumpin' pop hooks, it's gonna be difficult choosing which to play first. Oh, 'tis such a burden, isn't it?! Take the best songs from those bands and you've got yourself one absolutely killer mixtape! Anyways for their sophomore album, HHH have wisely broadened their scope a bit while still retaining their catchy retro pop core. There's the prerequisite sweet jangly guitars, crunchy angular electric guitars, '60s organ keyboards (although sadly much less present than previously so) and pouty boy vocals, but they also toss in some other elements (check out the funk in "Shame On You"). It's a much more polished album than its predecessor. Obviously the major label funds have clearly afforded them more studio time to apply more attention to details ("Island Of The Honest Man" and the title track). But it also seems like maybe they spent a littleless time and attention on the actual songwriting, and the Dave Sardy production seems to have unexpectedly smoothed away some of the breathless urgency and edginess that made Make Up The Breakdown so great. The resulting tameness comes as something of a letdown for folks who dug the band's past kinetic punchiness, although repeated instore listens have turned Andee into a new fan. Probably the biggest positive change on this new record is in the vocal department. Oozing with total goin'-for-it enthusiasm, lead singer Steve Bays seizes his mic duties with such vigor that his vocals occasionally threaten to crowd out the rest of the band. Actually prior to the album's release we heard a live version of the single "Goodnight Goodnight" and umm... we don't want to be harsh but let's just say the performance (marred mostly by oversinging and sloppy drumming) had us wincing and fearing for the worst. However, fortunately the studio recorded version of the song fares much better. So although our initial reaction to this album is indeed one of maybe mild disappointment, we're hesitant to totally mark this Elevator 'out of order' because despite its not being immediately addictive, we have a sneaking suspicion that it may prove to grow on you/us. We shall see. A side note: In keeping with the elevator theme, the album begins with the sound of elevator music playing in the background as well, the song listing on the back of the cd cleverly has the fifteenth and final song at the top and the first at the bottom.

MPEG stream: Island Of The Honest Man
MPEG stream: Shame On You

While Hot Hot Heat's second album and major label debut Elevator in 2005 was a bit of a disappointment to the HHH supporters around here, their infectious 2002 Sub Pop debut Make Up The Breakdown continues to be a particular fave. So we still maintain a lil' soft spot for this still-youthful Canadian band. On their latest full length Happiness Ltd., Hot Hot Heat tricked us with an unexpectedly low-key, muted beginning. But before we were able to settle into the seeming mellowness, they burst into a wave of big bombastic rock pop. Zowee! In our opinion, it's a vast improvement on Elevator which seemed somewhat overly arching and slick, but still falls a bit short of their early feisty, untethered, angular recordings. This album actually has a good touchstone to show how much they've evolved. They've recycled and retooled their song "5 Times Out Of 100" which appeared on an early indie release of theirs. Singer Steve Bays is still a little heavy handed with the lyric repetition -- y'know, singing the same one line over and over and over again -- but the songs are more focused and more fully realized. The band seems more at ease with themselves and the studio production resources at their beck and call. For one thing, the hooks are definitely sharper and more solidly in place which is absolutely key to this kind of music. If comparisons are to be made, these days the band actually sounds a lot like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand circa 2004. Catchy, boyish and very radio friendly.

MPEG stream: Happiness Ltd.
MPEG stream: 5 Times Out Of 100

These young Canadians have certainly come a long way in a very short period of time. Their first Sub Pop cdep 'Knock Knock Knock' only came out earlier this year, and I believe they had just one other release prior to that. They started out in 1999 with a different vocalist and churned out boyish angst filled post-punk made notable by its catchy rockin' synth lines (which were very much like the amazing, but sadly long defunct The VSS). Nowadays however, they're quite a different band. No longer spurring fewer comparisons to Circus Lupus or bands from San Diego's ThreeOneG and Gold Standard Laboratories roster, they're drawing more from the British, buoyant mod pop sounds of the '60s and yes, the new waveness of '80s. Polished, styled out and very danceable, yet still retaining their youthful exuberance. Very fleshed out vocals with great gang of boys backups deliver the clever lyrics. Oh and yes the rad riffin' keyboard lines are also still present. Ultra-infectious and energetic! If you've liked Outhud, !!!, the most recent Rapture 12" or the last Radio 4 album 'Gotham' (a sidenote: oddly enough HHH's singer often sounds a lot like R4's vocalist who actually sounds a lot like early Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello), then you'll definitely want to check this out! Mind you they're a much more pop than funky! Recorded by Seattle studio vet Jack Endino. Get ready folks, you're probably going to be hearing a lot from these boys in the months to come! Recommended!

RealAudio clip: Get In Or Get Out
RealAudio clip: Talk To Me, Dance With Me

Youthful, angsty synth-driven post-punkiness bursts forth from Victoria, BC in the shape of the quartet known as Hot Hot Heat. This is their first full length, but they've already gone through a batch of changes since these recordings. Word has it the

RealAudio clip: Matador At The Door

Hot Hot Heat's contributions to this split cd feature their earlier temper-tantrum vocals (courtesy of former HHH vocalist Matty Marnik) and darkly catchy Juno 60 keyboard lines (courtesy of current vocalist Steve Bays) -- very angstful and angular late 90s San Diego / post punk influenced (a la Gold Standard Laboratories label). Recorded back in 2000, these songs are a great deal more abrasive, flailing and uneven than those on their recent finely tuned, punchy pop album Make Up The Breakdown, but this older material fits well with the other band with whom they share this cd. The Red Light Sting are HHH's friends and fellow Vancouverites. Their sound is quite similar to HHH as mentioned above, but it's got much more aggressive hardcore tendencies like Convocation Of, The VSS or The Locust, but add female vocals to the already blistering fray. Check 'em out! Oh, by the way, we also wanted to let you know that this is an enhanced cd that includes live footage. Pop it into your computer and go!

MPEG stream: I Blew A Fuse In My Personality
MPEG stream: Cork Up The Stink

Been meaning to list this for a while now, we knew we'd get to it "Sooner Or Later" (as one of the best tracks here is titled) and there was no rush since it's been so long already since the music found here was originally made. San Francisco '70s folk rockers and hash smokers Hot Knives put out a couple of 45s back in the day, but this, their complete full-length album, remained unreleased for like 35 years. As the extensive liner notes in the thick, fully illustrated cd booklet puts it: "Caught in between eras, the Hot Knives were a little too late for the '60s hippie trip and little bit too hippie for the crash 'n' burn punk-rock scene that followed..." But, thankfully, at long last their record has been rescued and released, and it's quite nice indeed, a treat for anyone into the likes of Jefferson Airplane, the Byrds and Moby Grape (whose "Hey Grandma" Hot Knives cover here). Also fans of the Flaming Groovies may be interested, as ex-Groovies Tim Lynch and Danny Mihm were members of the Hot Knives, on guitar and drums, respectively, plus Groovies Cyril Jordan and Ron Loney were credited with production, or at least hanging out in the studio, for some of these songs. But the core of the band were lead vocalists Mike and Debbie Houpt, a brother-sister duo whose lovely harmonies hark back to the influence of Peter, Paul & Mary in their youth. But don't think this is all flowery '60s folkiness, the Hot Knives definitely rock out upon occasion. While definitely not new wave punk rockers, they could do the raucous garage thing all right, witness their killer cover of the Knickerbockers "Lies"... And while we've mentioned a few covers, it's the originals that make this truly worthwhile. Great classic-sounding songs like "I Hear The Wind Blow" deserve to be heard. How was that one not a hit? In the cd booklet, there's a clipping from a vintage issue of the fanzine Bomp!, wondering the same thing, editor Greg Shaw saying the Hot Knives "are the best thing happening in San Francisco these days". Also reproduced in the cd booklet, we noticed a print ad for one of the Hot Knives singles that says it's available at Aquarius Records, and also Rather Ripped in Berkeley, "two of the finest independent record stores in the Bay Area". (The ad also features 7"s by Crime, Bryan Ferry, and The Nerves, among others.) So, super nice to have this, and so nicely presented, definitely a good example of the seemingly endless supply of lost gems out there still awaiting (re)discovery.

MPEG stream: Sooner Or Later
MPEG stream: I Hear The Wind Blow
MPEG stream: So Fast

On the same label that released the recent live White Hills tape as well as a post Brainbombs No Balls jam we were never able to get, comes this brand new 7" from these San Francisco psychedelic stompers, thick with blown out guitars, classic rock riffage, wild octopoidal drumming, Stooges-y stomp and wild manic almost Jello-like vocals, the sound a glorious tangle of sixties style psych, eighties punk rock, hairy fuzzy proto-metal and seriously shredding guitar mastery, the lyrics and unhinged vox remind us of some lost proto-punk classic, but then it's all set amidst some BIG riffs and killer melodic leads, which sound way more heavy seventies. Either way, killer stuff, and we're definitely hankering for a full length. Features some super scary green-goo'd space teeth cover art.

2nd 7" from these local skate punk/psychsters.

We just have a very small handful of these limited split singles, and when they're gone, they're gone... So you probably already know if you want to (quickly try and) get one, if you're a big fan of one or more of the four badass SF rawk groups on here, all throwbacks to sweet times in the heavy, glammy '70s for sure. Of special note, two of the bands do covers: Dirty Fences taking on Blondie, and big aQ faves Hot Lunch covering the obscure yet mighty UK proto-punks Crushed Butler - a perfect choice for 'em!

Hot Rod Circuit are the latest in Vagrant's assault on radio/MTV while simultaneously getting punk rockers to listen to music that belongs on TRL as much as Blink 182 or Christine Aguillera do. Ok, I know. That's kind of harsh. But I've long wondered, since the days of Sensefield (remember them?) how certain bands continued to appeal to punk rockers (Sensefield patch next to your Crass and Avail patches) while others were immediately labeled sellouts and banished to break up if they didn't make it big. I'm sure there's label, and location and history and scene politics and all that but it still baffles me. And it baffles me why anyone considers Vagrant a punk label (punk is an attitude, a lifestyle, not just the music, well for more on that see the amazing story on Vagrant in the new Punk Planet). So that brings us to Hot Rod Circuit, who are actually a pretty good pop band. They have all the requisite qualities of a great pop (not punk) band, great vocalist, big thick guitars, short sharp songs, they're all kinda cute, hot chick on the cover. But the songs just aren't there. Unlike the Anniversary or the Get Up Kids, HRC aren't yet great songwriters. But they do sound great, and they're great players, and there are some great moments on this record. So let's just wait and see what they come up with next. Could be great.

RealAudio clip: The Pharmacist
RealAudio clip: At Natures Mercy

Hot Snakes' second release on Swami Records is finger lickin' good! Yow! Rick and John (both ex-Drive Like Jehu) have enlisted a new drummer, Mario Rubalcaba (ex-pro-skateboarder and ex-Clickitat Ikatowi) since former drummer Jason left for the Burning Brides. Hot Snakes also now feature San Diego rock luminary Gar Wood (Beehive and the Barracudas) on bass. Man this band totally kicks ass!!! What else can we say? Imagine the Godlike Drive Like Jehu, but stripped down to its garage rock bare bones, but sacrificing none of the fury or intensity or musical chops. Raw and catchy and makes you want to just jump up and down and bang your head and wiggle like crazy. The recording of Audit In Progress awesomely captures their fired-up energy and offers an accurate taste of their live show. I saw them recently here in San Francisco -- all types of new HS fans and older Jehu fans were going totally bananas. This album and their live show will kick you in your face and you'll be begging for more! Plus it's always nice when bands actually produce their own artwork instead of just stealing someone else's, or hiring some crappy graphic designer. Rick Froberg, HS's singer/illustrator/animator is an incredibly talented and respected artist in addition to being a wicked rock frontman. The last Hot Snakes record was so perfect who would have thought the ante could be upped. But upped it has been...it's been upped...well, you know what we're saying. This record rules! And this band just keeps getting better and better. Buy this now!

MPEG stream: Braintrust
MPEG stream: Hi-Lites

Hot Snakes is the long awaited reunion of John Reis (Rocket from the Crypt) and Rick Farr, who made some of the most amazing and kick ass post punk guitar rock as Drive Like Jehu. While John's one man band, the Back Off Cupids (recently released on Drunken Fish), is more of a lo-fi home recording instrumental experiment, the Hot Snakes is definitely carrying the Jehu torch. Heavy and rocking and bristling with energy, it's almost like a weird mix of both Rocket and Jehu; the voice and the sound is unmistakenly Jehu, but the songs aren't nearly as complex and ultra-precise. Instead they opt for a looser, noisier, wilder sound. People have been referencing the Wipers, and Black Flag, but basically, it just sounds like a dumbed down Drive Like Jehu (which is essentially what Rocket From the Crypt is too), which is not a bad thing at all.

Here's a little four song cd ep for those of you who don't have the inclination to pick up the 7" version of this on eBay. Since Swami only pressed a few hundred of em, they're fetching "hype-induced" prices on ye ol' auction internets thingy, so here's your chance to buy em cheap and digital-like. Includes their rockin "Automatic Midnight" and "This Mystic Decade" tunes plus two others recorded in November of 2004 at the BBC, with that wonderful recorded-at-the-BBC sound.

MPEG stream: Automatic Midnight
MPEG stream: This Mystic Decade

Undoubtedly very eagerly anticipated by Drive like Jehu, Rocket From The Crypt and of course, Hot Snakes fans everywhere, the second full length has arrived. So the question is raised: How could Hot Snakes possibly match their blisteringly hot first album Automatic Midnight? Well, Suicide Invoice provides the answer: Sort of. It's kind of hard to compare the two. 'Suicide Invoice' is way more toned down, and way less frantic than the first Hot Snakes. A lot of folks here were totally diappointed, and thought it was dull and uninspired. But it seems more to me like just a new direction. Instead of doing the same thing all over again and making 'Automatic Midnight 2', they've stretched out and kind of dialed back the P U N K and tried to craft more studied songs, more intense, serious and more listenable as opposed to just crazy jump in the pit, ride your skateboard, fuck shit up furious punk rock action. I'm not slagging 'Automatic Midnight'. Fuck no!!! I love that record. We all did. The new record is just different, not really better or worse, just different. If you're in the mood to ROCK OUT, pull out your old beat up copy of 'Automatic Midnight'. But if you're in the mood for some cool moody rocking post punk goodness, and miss the late great Drive Like Jehu or maybe you just miss Rick Farr's high pitched wail then throw this on and let it sink in.

RealAudio clip: I Hate The Kids
RealAudio clip: Paid In Cigarettes

John Reis and Rick Froberg were responsible for one of the best and most copied rock bands of the '90s, Drive Like Jehu. While Jehu only left the world with two full lengths, Reis continued pouring his soul into Rocket From The Crypt as well as his many side-projects. He also started his own label, Swami, and began doing an amazing radio show in San Diego. Answering the prayers of so many Jehu fans across the globe Reis and Froberg reunited to form a new band together. Hot Snakes are a much more straight ahead affair then the intricate near prog bombast of Jehu but the guts, fire and passion ring just as loud and true. Back when I (Irwin) was living in Southern California my old radio station KSPC put on an amazing concert series. One of the highlights was when the Hot Snakes were to embark on their first tour playing only a handful of shows across the states and ended up playing at a show I helped book! A dream come true. They completely tore apart the basement where the show took place and we all felt so sorry for the other bands that opened since once the Hot Snakes started playing, every trace of the opening band, every memory was blown clear out of everyone's heads before the end of their first song. This release captures Hot Snakes in all of their sweaty and hard rocking live glory, during one of their last shows in Australia, reminding us of what a joy it was to get to see these guys live. Sounding just as perfect, adrenalized, and spot on as they did in the studio. This last incarnation of Hot Snakes was rounded out by the great drumming of Mario Rubalcaba (Clikitat Ikatowi, RFTC) and the so totally underrated guitar stylings of one of San Diego's unsung treasures Gar Wood (Tanner, Beehive & The Barracudas) proving that Hot Snakes were indeed hands down one of the best live bands on the planet.

MPEG stream: Retrofit
MPEG stream: Suicide Invoice