[ aquarius records — Rock Pop ]

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LOVE, COURTNEYAmerica's Sweetheart(Virgin)cd$ 16.98

Latest from Ms. Love. Good grief.

LOVE, DARLENEThe Sound Of Love: The Very Best Of Darlene Love(Phil Spector / Legacy)cd$ 13.98

Here comes another one from the vaults displaying Phil Spector's production glory. But before we go giving Spector all the credit, there is no doubt that Darlene Love is one of the greatest singers of all time! Just ask folks like Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick, Gene Autry, The Beach Boys, and Aretha Franklin who all employed her at one point for her vocal prowess. A founding member of The Blossoms, she would then meet Phil Spector in 1962. He was so in love with her voice that he even released some songs he recorded with her under The Crystals moniker, since he owned the name, even though none of the actual members of The Crystals were on the record. This collection brings remastered versions of seventeen of her classic tracks together on one disc, many of which could only be found on different compilations until now. Spector's wall of sound production only adds to the overall glory and power of Love's voice. Pop perfection!

LOVELY MIDGETNorth Head(Family Vineyard)cd$ 14.98

Lovely Midget is Rachel Shearer, a long time player/participant in the New Zealand noise/drone/free rock underground. Lovely Midget, her one woman project, falls squarely in the ambient drone side of that NZ scene, along with likeminded Kiwis Flies Inside The Sun, Omit, etc. Dark and langorous soundscapes of gently rippling reverb, heartbeat like pulses buried beneath barely played guitars, rumbling almost-not-there bass, occasional percussive clatter, and ultra minimal vocalisations. Some of the most beautiful, serene, dreamy ambient noise we've heard in a while.

LOVELY PUBLIC, THEBurning Tape At The Mystery Dinner(Wall Of Noise)cd$ 7.98

Very strange and cool. The debut album from this SF group brings with it a heady air of somber intrigue. The Lovely Public draws together many styles as they roam through different dramatic scenes, slinking in and out of the shadows -- like an ensemble of olden time court entertainers descending into an electrified pagan ritual. Burning Tape At The Mystery Dinner has elements of jazz, post-rock, avant-folk, pop, krautrock, psych and much more. Whew, can you keep up with them? At once, very trippy yet very surefooted. Fans of Oneida and the latest Liars album will probably find much to dig here. Recommended.

LOVEMAKERSTimes Of Romance(Cherrytree/Interscope)cd$ 10.98

Well the 80's new wave resurgensation isn't over yet, friends. The thing is, despite how much our Lovemakers sound sooo much like Depeche Mode and Human League, their songs are so catchy and good! Their veer a little over into that territory of songkraft-cheesiness that DM and HL often lathered themselves in, you know... those tracks that aren't huge hits are pretty big stinkers. But the tracks on Times Of Romance are not huge hits, nor are they all thaaaat baaaad. At moments they nearly reach that level of huge new power-pop as seen in Maximo Park! If your sleek electro new wave personal dance party isn't over yet, you gotta pick this up. For fans of Interpol, The Faint, Maximo Park, and you know... those OLD bands, Depeche Mode, Human League, Soft Cell, etc.

LOVERSSleep With Heat(Orange Twin)cd$ 15.98

Let's face it, there's a lot of singer/songwriter acoustic folk out there. Some we could simply live without, and many straddle the fence between good and not greatly stand-outish. An album can toe the line pretty convincingly with beautiful singing and decent guitar strumming, but the lack of well crafted songwriting becomes crystal clear when you hear a strikingly great singer/songwriter like Carolyn Berk, the brainchild behind Lovers. On Sleep With Heat, Berk's beautifully melancholic vocals paint scenes of love's exciting inception, unfortunate demise, and the subsequent struggle to let go so vividly that you can't help but be swept up in her emotional rollercoaster. Berk might be the broken heart of Lovers, but she couldn't have asked for a better backing band who sparingly contribute guitar, violin and drums as heavy hearted as the lyrical content. Highly recommended for fans of Mascott, Mirah, Mazzy Star, post-punk Raincoats and Bright Eyes or for anyone who needs a soundtrack for heartbreak.

LOVESLIESCRUSHINGCrwth (Chorus Redux)(12k)cd$ 14.98

Chorus was a record by the post-shoegazing duo Lovesliescrushing that was released via an obscure Peruvian imprint called Automatic Entertainment sometime in 2007. Needless to say, it's an album that practically nobody has heard, barring a download from a blog or something. Despite the novelty of this incredibly rare record, Chorus was also a major departure for the duo in that voice was the only source material for all of the blissed out driftscapes, with Scott Cortez eschewing the fizzed, opiated, and blurred guitar in favor of effects-heavy treatments upon the wordless vocals of Mellisa Arpin-Duimstra. Crwth is a re-edit of the raw material used for Chorus, emerging with a very similar muted hue of softed loops and delicate drones that hang gently upon the backdrop of digital dust blown upon a velvet surface. For those of you who had gotten a hold of the limited 2cd boxset on Projekt (or had been familiar with the last couple of Lovesliescrushing albums for that matter), this sole use of voice isn't all that much of a stretch, as Lovesliescrushing has been pushing a trajectory away from the beautiful noises of their MBV-inspired Bloweyelashwish and toward an angelic, slightly melancholy ambience with only the flicker of a song structure hovering at the bottom of their echo chamber. It's been said that Lovesliescrushing finds themselves between Slowdive and Fennesz; yes, that's true, but the reductionism down to an essential beautiful sound is taken even further than that imagined hybrid. Really, this is quite fantastic.

LOVESLIESCRUSHINGGhost Colored Halo(Projekt)cd$ 16.98

Took us a while to get these to list, but, now we have a few, at last... Ah, Lovesliescrushing! What a beautiful noise you make! Ghost Colored Halo finds the shoegaze duo returning to Projekt Records, where they released their first album nearly 20 years ago. Little has changed in terms of the group's sound during those two decades, as Scott Cortez stills weaves thick, amorphous clouds of blissed-out guitar noise around the siren-song vocalizations of Melissa Arpin-Duimstra. With just voice and guitar at their disposal, Lovesliescrushing elegantly deconstructs the pop-song into an oceanic wash of sound, all without the use of any rhythm section whatsoever. Much of the work that has been released over the past decade was stitched together from old tapes of guitar drones and vocal tracks reworked many years afterwards. Both the Shiny Tiny Stars album on Handmade Birds and the Girl Echo Suns Veils boxset on Projekt were examples of Cortez reworking archival material and with Arpin-Duimstra dubbing vocals later. These albums further atomized the overblown shoegaze wash of sound into beautiful blurs of reverberation and echo, with the song all but entirely eradicated in the lush soundscaping. On Ghost Colored Halo, the two actually got together in the same room to record for the first time in well over a decade. Here, the song begins to appear once again, and the in-studio chemistry results in a more focused set of compositions as nebulous as they may be. The opening number "Blemished Sunspot" blossoms with all of the majesty of one of Tim Hecker's constructions as radiant glistenings of soft-focused guitar noise gradually lift off and soar into the upper regions of the stratosphere. A more plaintive guitar strum along with Arpin-Duimstra's voice grounds tracks like "The Tiger Hunts Alone" and "The Wounds That Won't Heal," the latter almost sounding like it could have been a track from the early Tarentel records (an interesting reference to hear, especially since Tarentel's Jefre Cantu-Ledesma actually penned an homage to Lovesliescrushing on his solo record Love Is A Stream). And to throw a monkeywrench into everything we had thought about Lovesliescrushing, the duo toss a steady heartbeat pulse into rapturous, pop-ambient waltz "Ghost Colored." It's all gorgeous stuff, and we're head over heels to hear Lovesliescrushing once again, especially working with comparitively more structured material!

LOVESLIESCRUSHINGGirl Echo Suns Veils(Projekt)2cd + wooden box$ 54.00

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

SORRY. Here's a record that we had been excited about for well over a year, back when Projekt announced that they would be releasing a 2cd set by Loveliescrushing. This is a band that should warrant a much bigger pressing than the 300 copies of this elaborate box; but, at least we have a few copies to offer. Loveliescrushing is a shoegaze duo out of Tuscon, Arizona who made a surprise debut on the darkwave / goth label Projekt around 1993 or so, with the cassette Bloweyelashwish (which later did get a cd release). This album took the My Bloody Valentine overdrive of distortion, reverb, more distortion, and more reverb to a deconstructed end, further blurring the notion of song structure and entirely getting rid of the rhythm section. The duo has slowly been releasing work over the past two decades, gradually smoothing out the distortion and leaving an almost Tim Hecker like mass of droned texture from ethereal female vocals and once heavily distorted guitar wash. The two discs of Girl Echo Suns Veils are split between the crunched shoegaze density of their earliest recordings and the most recent explorations of their narcotized drone-pop. Those early recordings are remastered from demo tapes dating back to 1990, when 'the noise' and 'the pretty' were coming together in equal resolve. The later material is certainly nothing to scoff at, and would make for a great addition to the next Pop Ambient compilation. Brilliant stuff, and packaged in an oversized wooden box, hand silkscreened by Loveliescrushing's Scott Cortez, with some collaged art work, and a feather or two found within. AND CRAZY LIMITED. We have less than 10 copies, and can NOT get more, so grab one while you can...

LOVESLIESCRUSHINGGlissceule(Sonic Syrup)cd$ 9.98

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

SORRY. Back in stock, and always worth raving about. Here's the review we wrote when this came out originally: Shoegazing -- originally the derogatory term applied to bands like Ride, Slowdive, and My Bloody Valentine for the lackluster stage presence -- developed into an impressive aesthetic during the early '90s whereby the jangle of '60s psych-pop was married with Brian Eno's notions of ambient music as an oceanic / prelingual return to the womb. After its gilded crescendo from a couple of records (most notably MBV's Loveless), shoegazing as an artform faded away, with many of the original proponents shedding the layers of distortion to concentrate upon their songwriting (most notably Neil Halstead formerly of Slowdive, now a minstrel of sunny folk-rock). Loveliescrushing -- the post-shoegazing US duo of Scott Cortez and Melissa Arpin-Henry -- disagreed with this trajectory away from etherealism and towards songsmithery, thus centering their music around only the faintest residues of melody and ghostly reminders of what might be a song somewhere within all of their bleary-eyed guitar washes. Their first two exceptional albums (Bloweyelashwish and Xuvetyn) found their way onto Projekt, the stalwart proprietors of America's darkwave / goth scene, although they didn't readily fit with Projekt's aesthetic for black lace and blood red roses. The only connection with Projekt may have been in the mutual affinity for the Cocteau Twins, whose glossalaic siren songs certainly resonate within the incomprehensible siren-like vocalizations of Arpin-Henry. Yet for all of the aforementioned references, Loveliescrushing has little use for a rhythm section, presenting that soft female voice floating way off in the distance amidst oceans of radioluminescent layers of guitar reverberation. Compared to their previous records, Glissceule has smoothed over some of Loveliescrushing's expressionistic bursts of static and bristling noise, striving for a more enchanting eternal drone. In all probability, this will stand as one of my (Jim's) favorite 'pop' albums of the year, even though there's nothing 'pop' about it.

LOVESLIESCRUSHINGShiny Tiny Stars(Handmade Birds)lp$ 21.00

Shiny Tiny Stars is another collection of archival, unreleased material from the deconstructed bliss-pop duo Lovesliescrushing. A couple years back, Projekt released a beautifully packaged 2cd entitled Girl Echo Suns Veils (it came housed in a silkscreened wooden box!), with half of the material culled from the demos that predated their first album and the other half being newly constructed pieces. The recordings here were created from 1991-97, obviously a very prolific period for the duo of Scott Cortez and Melissa Arpin-Duimstra; which also begs the question, will we ever again see any new recordings? It probably matters not, as any Lovesliescrushing material is welcome around these parts! The Lovesliescrushing sound blossomed from a classic shoegaze template, but stuck to a decidedly lo-fi approach, layering and overdubbing soft noise, reverb, more soft noise, more reverb, all on a 4-track instead of something more akin to Kevin Shields' meticulous productions for Loveless. With the limitations of just 4 tracks, Lovesliescrushing swept the legs out from underneath the shoegaze 'song' - removing the bass and drums entirely, leaving the vocals and guitars suspended vertiginously in mid-air. More so than anywhere else in Lovesliescrushing's back catalog, they sound a hell of lot like Grouper with the vocals creating the fundamental melody which cycle woozily through blurred motifs while the guitars dreamily drift in oceans of reflective echo and drone. Beautiful stuff, for sure; and like all Handmade Birds titles, it's painfully limited, this time to 300 copies.

LOWA Lifetime Of Temporary Relief(Chairkickers' Music)3cd + 1dvd$ 44.00

Low fans are a mighty loyal lot, and this box set probably needs no introduction nor explanation for them. For those less devout, this is the slowcore royal family's highly anticipated ten year retrospective collection. Perhaps a bit daunting for a Low neophyte (psst, maybe start with Secret Name first)! However instead of releasing a 'greatest hits' or 'singles' type of thing, they've opted to reward their legions (who undoubtably own all their albums already and don't need to be told what the 'best' were!) with tons of obscure musical gems and visual delights. The fifty two rarities, demos and b-sides fill up three whole discs, and an additional dvd is packed with two documentaries and videos galore. One particular track on the third disc reminded us that Low have made some bizzare (but strangely appealing) cover choices over the years, like Journey's "Open Arms" (okay... granted they did it as a wedding gift for their friends, but still!). On the other hand, Disc 2 has their positively dreamy rendition of the George Harrison penned Beatles' song "Long Long Long". Gorgeous. And an absolute necessity for any Low fan.

LOWC'mon(Sub Pop)cd$ 13.98

What's there to say about Low that hasn't been said before. Without a doubt one of the most inspiring, emotionally riveting and chill inducing bands of our generation. Their ability to capture mournful emotion and conjure up deep mystery in their songs has often been imitated but one rarely gets to that same satisfying bittersweet state of sound that they do. While the first half of their career found them as leaders of the slowcore movement, in recent years they haven't been afraid to play with their sound and speed things up a bit, and even rock out from time to time. But no matter how they allow new sounds and styles to enter their fold, they always sound like Low, and that is a very good thing indeed. C'mon introduces an almost twang like sensibility on several of the songs. But ultimately it's still about the way they can transform a four minute song into a meditation on sadness, longing, and despair. Like all of their records, C'mon takes a few listens to really start seeping in, but damn once it did we realized we have yet another great Low album that we'll be listening to for years to come.

LOWCalifornia(Rough Trade)7"$ 4.98

Sub Pop continues their string of cd-singles and EPs drawing from their artists' recent releases... er... well, sorta. Although Low is on Sub Pop here in the U.S., across the pond their Great Destroyer album was released on Rough Trade, and that's who put this single out. And actually the cd-single is much more of a European format anyways, isn't it? So is Rough Trade following Sub Pop's lead or vice versa? Ah, what am I babbling on about?! Just need to let you know that this Low disc contains the album version of "California", an alternate, very stripped-down gorgeous version of (the already gorgeous song) "Cue The Strings" and a video for their song "Death Of A Salesman" (not on the 7" version of course). Although it's not really all that indicative of the band's body of work as a whole, for those of you who've yet to acquaint yourselves with the wonders of Low this is a nice little samplin' to start you off.

LOWChristmas(Kranky)lp$ 14.98

Now available on vinyl for the very first time! Here's what we said about this Christmas-time perennial when it first came out: Although the first song on this Xmas ep will surprise fans as it is Low at their most upbeat(!), the rest of this ep is vintage Low - languid songs heavy with atmosphere and tension. Brief, but what else needs to be said? Christmas classics, done in Low's lovely and lugubrious, darkly romantic, dreamlike slowcore style, The vinyl is likely to be limited, so despite the fact that it's got "Little Drummer Boy" on it, we don't really expect this to be around by the time Christmas rolls around...

LOWCurtain Hits the Cast(Vernon Yard Recordings)cd$ 14.98

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

SORRY.

LOWDinosaur Act(Tugboat)7"$ 5.50

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

SORRY. Two new tracks, not sure if these will be on the upcoming album. This is a shinier happier Low, and you have to wonder if, musically speaking, that's a good thing or not. Not a trace of sinister atmosphere. UK import, limited!

LOWDrums And Guns(Sub Pop)cd$ 13.98

After Low's 2005 album The Great Destroyer surprised the heck out of us with a startling yet splendid shift in direction into more pop song structuring, we were all curious as to where they'd go next. Well, everyone's favorite slowcore band has drifted halfway back to their former selves. We're a little disappointed to find that there aren't any of the comparatively upbeat yet dark pop numbers that populated their last album. Drums And Guns definitely maintains a consistent somber pace, but they've brought in other new elements in the form of drum machines and sampled loops. It makes their music equally lulling and hypnotic via different channels. That said, some of the gritty dissonance of The Great Destroyer does still linger. Subject matter dips heavily into a dark undercurrent of menace and violence -- glints and glimpses of guns, hatchets, poison, murderers. Need we say? Recommended. For a limited time, while supplies last, when you buy a cd or an lp, you get a bonus 7"!!

LOWI Could Live In Hope(Plain Recordings)cd$ 14.98

Finally reissued, the first two albums from Minnesota slowcore pioneers Low, whose records were a template for a million slow bands to follow, and yet whose sound, especially on these first two records, sounds utterly unlike anyone else. Hushed and hazy and dolorously brooding, the guitars slipping from muffled murky chug to lazy washed out jangle to crystalline chime, the drums a skeletal shuffle, the bass drowsily driving in the background, sounding almost like some abstract take on those dour Joy Division basslines, the perfect backdrop for the haunting and heavenly boy / girl harmonies, all of those elements blended into into a gorgeous stately dreampop that's blurry and bleary, gauzy and psychedelic, droned out and minimal, darkly propulsive and narcotically hypnotic. I Could Live In Hope was the group's 1994 debut produced by Shimmy Disc / Noise New Jersey head honcho Kramer, who added his own production haze, which perfectly suited the group's mesmerizingly somnambulent minimalism, the arrangements spare, displaying a delicate sonic economy, but somehow, the sum so much more than its parts, strangely epic and majestic, and even the most hushed minimal drifts imbued with impossibly catchy hooks. It's like the perfect pop record just slowed way down and stretched way out. Check out "Lazy", the record's 'hit' if hits could be dark claustrophobic doom pop dirges, or the sprawling blissed out "Lullaby", that almost even 'rocks' part way through, like an ultra minimal Godspeed, all slow build sonic drama, or the smokey, shimmery "Down". Still all these years later, I Could Live In Hope would have to rank up there as one of THEE essential releases of the nineties. But then really so would the next year's follow up, Long Division, which once again matched the band up with Kramer, and the result was essentially an extension of I Could Live In Hope. Although, if anything, Long Division found the band, ditching some of the gauzy atmosphere of that first record, their sound suddenly super clear and crystalline, and somehow all the more haunting for it. Opening track "Violence" is still dark and minimal, but more like some minimal torch song ballad, all sun dappled and dreamy. In fact, much of the record has a sort of sun dappled vibe. If I Could Live In Hope was all overcast skies and rainswept streets, Long Division finds the clouds party, just a bit, to reveal streaks of blue sky, and letting just a few stray sunbeams through, which Low somehow transform into perfect slo-mo pop. "Below & Above" is a gorgeous lullaby, "Shame" is a twang flecked soft focus dirge, "Throw Out The Line" is all tarpit jangle and lush harmonies, and so it goes, every song here, so easy to get utterly lost in, the whole record, the perfect light to I Could Live In Hope's dark, but with both blurring the line in between. These reissues tack on a handful of bonus tracks, B-sides and demos, which unless you already have their A Lifetime Of Temporary Relief triple cd odds and ends collection, you probably haven't heard. Long Division includes their version of the Bee Gees' "I Started A Joke", and it sounds like it was written specifically for them...

LOWLast Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me(Chair Kickers Music)cd ep$ 7.98

A few years back, Low played a Halloween show in Los Angeles in which they came out as the Misfits, complete with hyperbolic widow's peak, ghoulish corpse paint, and -- most shockingly -- a rather accurate performance of Misfits covers. While Low hasn't Low really does try to out-do Morrissey's melodrama on "Last Night..." with Alan gently singing along to a quiet guitar strum over ringing feedback and an ample dose of reverb, before the band explodes in a majestic crescendo of theatrical excess. Add an original from Low and a video of the single "Dinosaur Act" off their "Things Lost In The Fire" album, and you've got yourself one fine cd single.

LOWLong Division(Plain)lp$ 16.98

One of the most emotionally devastating and beautiful records of all time. We couldn't be more happy that this classic album by Low has finally been reissued on vinyl. It's an album really made to be listened to in the solitary refuge of your bedroom, so hopefully your turntable is in there. Produced by Shimmy Disc mastermind Kramer, and released in 1995, this will always be the way we hear the sound of Low when we close our eyes and think of all the times their music has been the soundtrack during times of heartache, confusion, and despair. The pinnacle and defining moment of slowcore, every single song on Long Division slowly creeps its way into your subconscious. No other bands could use such a minimalist approach and achieve such a heavy & haunting aura. Songs like "Violence", "Caroline", "Shame", and "Alone", are not only some of the best Low songs ever recorded, but they are simply some of the most emotionally impacting songs of the last two decades.� Long Division is not a record you put on in the background or when you're just hanging out with friends, this is a record you listen to during moments of introspection, of soul searching, loneliness and sorrow yet they're also infused with a sense of hope. Music doesn't get more emotionally intense or elegant then this. A perfect album!

LOWLow In Europe: A Film by Sebastian Schrade(Plexifilm)dvd$ 24.00

Not so much just a tour video, but a history of the band as well, which is surprisingly interesting and quite beautifully filmed. All the band members seem quite likable, and have interesting stuff to say about the joy of playing music, touring, the music industry, family (two band members are married and they travel with their young child). The live performances are lovely and intense. It's easy to think a band like Low would be mind numbingly boring live, but somehow it works. Reverent and hushed, the band barely move, but bathed in soft light, usually in a church, they really manage to transport the listener / viewer to some wholly other place. What's most remarkable perhaps is that all of the footage (most shot on digital video, some on super 8) manages to convey the same sort of vibe as the music: brooding, dark, slow, sparse, lugubrious, emotional, moody, almost as if the movie itself was just another Low song.

LOWOnes And Sixes(Sub Pop)cd$ 14.98

Holy shit... they did it again! Two plus decades into their career and Low have managed to make yet another breathtaking record, a collection of songs that even on first listen, induced the sort of chills that only the most special records ever do. Along with Yo La Tengo, Low have proven to be one of the most consistent and reliable bands to emerge from the indie landscape in the last twenty-five years. Pioneers of the slowcore sound, their music has always been rich with wrenching emotion and a relentless power. Over the years, they have experimented with more rocking and poppy directions, but even then, their slowcore roots remained, and somehow they always ended up, if not back where they started, at least sonically expounding on all the glacial beauty that came before. With Ones & Sixes, Low they have created maybe one of their best records yet, one that most definitely belongs with other Low faves of ours, alongside Long Division, Secret Name, and Things We Lost In The Fire. Everything we love about Low is in full flower here. Alan and Mimi's aching vocals, soporific songs that unfold like slowly blossoming flowers, with melodies that have us humming along - and in a perfect world, could/should/would be all over the radio. Low have never compromised their singular vision, and like the rest of Low's records, this is exactly it sounds like when a band remains connected to their truth and purpose. Brilliant!

LOWOwl Remix(Vernon Yard)cd$ 15.98

Certainly an unlikely candidate for the seemingly ubiquitous remix, Low has received a few brilliant reworkings by likeminded slo-mo electronica superstars Porter Ricks, DJ Vadim, and Neotropic. Worth owning simply for the Porter Ricks cut which demonstrates that Andy and Thomas truly understand the slow motion minimalism of Low with this beautiful piece of delicately shifting electronics.

LOWParis '99: Anthony, Are You Around?(P-Vine)cd$ 22.00

An album that remains one of my favorite recordings in the face of advancing technology and fancy pants studio wizardry is the Cowboy Junkies' first album "The Trinity Sessions." Recorded in an empty church directly into a stereo pair of microphones and onto tape, it's a testament to the possibilities of "live" recordings. I'd always thought that a band that deserved to be treated

LOWSanta's Coming Over(Sub Pop)7"$ 4.98

No stranger to crafting holiday tunes, Low's Christmas epfrom several years ago is still a big time favorite around here come wintertime. This new 7" finds Low singing about Santa Coming Over on the 'a' side while the flipside finds them getting as close to reggae as they probably ever will with "The Coming Of Jah." Beautifully and subtly packaged with white on white embossed lettering, and it comes with a coupon for free digital downloads of the tracks. A no-brainer as a stocking stuffer.

LOWSecret Name(Kranky)cd$ 13.98

The sixth studio album from Low is not so much a shift in song writing but rather in production as they've employed the technical prowess of Steve Albini. By wholly avoiding the reverb drenched production that has carried over since Low's early albums recording with Kramer, Albini chooses a very sparse dry sound that exposes Mimi's and Alan's voices cracking against the beautifully languid orchestration of slow motion rock minimalism. Its end result is delicate, fragile, and gorgeous. This may very well be their best album to date!

LOWSongs For A Dead Pilot(Kranky)cd$ 11.98

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

SORRY. Low's first outing on Kranky is even more sparse than their Vernon Yard recordings...the gaping spaces in between the desolate notes create an ominous (at times...) atmosphere.

LOWThe Curtain Hits The Cast(Plain)2cd$ 19.98

Here's the third in the ongoing reissue campaign of the early works from Minnesota slowcore pioneers Low, 1996's The Curtain Hits The Cast. The first two records, the Kramer produced I Could Live In Hope and Long Division, recently reviewed here, introduced the band as purveyors of a gorgeous strand of minimal slowed down indie rock, glacial and meditative, haunting and hushed, and while certainly a sound other groups had explored, no one had reimagined it so completely, and made it so totally their own, to the point, where it's practically impossible at this point to hear a Low song and not immediately know it's Low. The instrumentation spare and sparse, simple shuffling rhythms, muted murky basslines, disembodied minor key jangle, all blurred and smeared into hazy, woozy, soporific drifts, over which gorgeous boy/girl harmonies unfurl dreamily, slipping from slo-mo dream-pop to something at times almost liturgical. While those first two records most definitely benefitted from Kramer's blurred gauzy percussion, on Curtain, the band seem to have peeled away much of the fuzz and shimmer, revealing something delicate and crystalline underneath. The songs here creeping ominously one second, drifting lazily the next, the vocals much more intricate, with long drawn out harmonies, that often blur into hazy vocal drones, thee's even a hint of twang here and there, as if Low were purveyors of some lost folk music, all flickering shadows, and soft swirls of melody. Meditative and mesmerizing, in a perfect world this is the music kids would slow dance to, and the music that would play over the heartbreaking denouements of obscure art films, moving and emotional, and heartbreakingly beautiful slow motion indie rock balladry that still knows no equal. This reissue includes two tracks which were originally only available on the original vinyl, and the cd version (sorry vinyl folks) also tacks on a WHOLE EXTRA DISC with five bonus tracks: B sides, alternate versions and more.

LOWThe Great Destroyer(SubPop)cd$ 13.98

Holy smokes, talk about potent reactions! We can hear the roar of dismay from Low fans miles away in response to this new album, but hang on a second folks, don't push it aside so swiftly, give it another listen... and another! Yes, The Great Destroyer does mark a change in direction (perhaps most noticeably in tempo and the presence of crunchier guitar dissonance) for the band. The first two songs, the synth and guitar laden "Monkey" and the great poppy "California" make that perfectly clear. What this album does is confirm what we already know, that is, just what great songcraftsmiths Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker and Zak Sally are. However, it also makes us realize and appreciate that they really could be doing any style they choose (and doing it exceedingly well), but because they've stuck to the slowcore for so many years and so many albums, they've in a sense produced a recognizable 'product' called Low that fans know and love... and do not want to change. So it's not surprising that after twelve years and six albums, a change in Low would draw some passionate (or maybe even irate) response from fans. For those folks, we'll just say cherish your Secret Name and Long Division, but maybe find a place in your heart for The Great Destroyer too. A tip of the hat to the band for following their artistic muse and throwing a challenging curve ball rather than simply making more of what they themselves know they can already do, and more of what they surely know their fans want. No, this album doesn't offer their trademark blanket of hushed, lulling glacialness, but the heartaching lyrical impact and stunning arrangements are still more than present. Really, it's no exaggeration to say that some of these songs will floor you! The Great Destroyer is an emotionally expansive, deeply moving and fully rewarding album. It was co-produced with David Fridmann who also after years of unmistakable grand blown-out productions (Flaming Lips, Sparklehorse, Delgados) makes some changes to his approach, showing surprising restraint particularly on songs such as the more familiar 'old-Low' sounding songs "Silver Rider" and "Death Of A Salesman". Beautiful! Highly recommended... 'nuf said. NOTE: this has a "street date" of 1/5/04 which means we can't sell it to ya 'til then, next Tuesday. But go ahead and order it now if you're a mailorder-er.

LOWThe Invisible Way(Sub Pop)cd$ 14.98

Another gorgeous collection of dreamy downer pop brilliance from these slowcore legends, and like on 2010's C'mon, it's hard to know what to say about Low, that we haven't already, but on The Invisible Way, some things have definitely changed. Not just the sound, but the songs as well. The sound, is massive, lush, and layered, much of the record sounding like some classic pop record, baroque and majestic, the instruments perfectly preserved, the sound live, and ALIVE, as if they were playing right there in front of you, but also meticulously recorded to perfectly capture every nuance, no matter how subtle. The harmonies, always an integral part of Low's sound, are even more beautiful this time around, so much so, that in places it seems like the instrumentation has been purposefully dialed back to let the vocals carry the whole song, and they do, and it's sublime. There's also lots of piano this time around, and what sounds like strings. There's one track with a weird sort of handclap beat, that almost sounds like a drum machine. It all makes for a gorgeous record, one that remains true to the group's slowcore past, but is definitely pushing the sound in exciting new directions. Jeff Tweedy from Wilco produced the Invisible Way, so he can probably take credit for some of this new sound, but then there's the shift in Low's sound, which in places, definitely sounds a bit twangy and even a little bit country, but in others like seventies British folk, and in others like baroque pop, and still in others like some sort of ethereal blues. All of those elements definitely existed in the band before now, but never has each of those been so perfectly honed, the songs here achingly beautiful, heartfelt and haunting, and yet still impossibly catchy. As much as we sometimes think to ourselves, "oh ok, another Low record, ho hum", the second we hear it, we are immediately transfixed, utterly smitten, and are reminded that Low is one of the rare bands who seem unable to make a bad record, and who just get better and better and better, even after nearly twenty years. And once we begin listening to a new Low, we can't help but let ourselves get fantastically and inexorably lost in Low's dreamlike soundworld. And The Invisible Way is no different.

LOWThings We Lost in the Fire(Kranky)2lp$ 16.98

Finally, a new full length from Low! Yet again Steve Albini is at the controls, though it seems he has loosened his production reigns a bit since Secret Name -- having wetted up the mix a bit more with the reverb that Low appreciates so. On top of that, Low continues to push their self-established, simmeringly-quiet barebones envelope by actually filling out their sound with mellotron, violins, piano, etc. But at the heart of it all, it's still the same lovely, patient Low songwriting we love. "Laser Beam" is the highlight of the album, wherein Mimi sings so purely. There's a bit of disagreement here at AQ whether these continued experiments and the new songs are more or less successful than Secret Name, so we can't give it an assertive "yay" or "nay". The jury is still out on this one. LP has two extra non-cd tracks.

LOWTransmission EP(Vernon Yard)cd$ 8.98

5 songs including a Joy Division cover (which also appeared on the tribute compilation album a whiles back) and a Supreme Dicks song, but it all sounds like quintessential Low.

LOWTrust(Kranky)cd$ 14.98

I feel compelled to lay this on the table: I am totally, absolutely biased toward loving this album. The way I feel about Low is indelibly intertwined with the fact that my first experiences listening to them occurred in my impressionable, and typically miserable, teenage years. While many of my other favored sonic vehicles for massive teen mope fests have long been sold off and forgotten, I still treasure my Low records. This is in no small part due to the fact that they continue to release one record after another that expands and pushes their sound without abandoning the essential Low-ness that made me like them in the first place. That "Low-ness" could, at first, be simply attributed to their glacial pace and minimalist approach, but as their records become more and more lush and full, finding space for added instrumentation and songs that increasingly use the vernacular of straight up rock/pop, something else emerges as the core. "Trust" continues the momentum established in "Secret Name" and "Things We Lost in the Fire," albeit in a way that is not as immediately graspable as those albums, both of which struck me immediately with their undeniable pop sensibility and catchiness tempered with dark themes. Where vocal-musical interplay on "Things We Lost in the Fire" resulted in an almost black-comedic bleakness, "Trust" regains a more purely somber tone (with the possible exception of the album's fuzz-rocking *hit* "Canada") that repeatedly deals with a worldview informed by ambiguous religious imagery. As Mormons, Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk surely have a relationship with a higher power, but through their chilling songs one gets the feeling that their god is one of impartial omnipotence and destruction as sure as one of love and creation. It is, perhaps, this exploration of the capability of life and the forces in it to deliver both tragic and beautiful moments, often simultaneously, that makes Low so fucking great. A bit more about "Trust": Albini didn't produce this one, and there aren't any string arrangements, although the bigness of sound is still there. There's a re-emergence of a kind of minimal two-note dirge a la "Long Division" or "The Curtain Hits The Cast" (see "Candy Girl"), although the spaces that existed in the songs on those records are filled in a bit here with reverb and spacy fuzz. If you already like Low, of course you need this. If there's any tendency at all in your record collection toward the sparse and melancholic, then you need this as well, because Low has shown more versatilty and virtuosity within a potentially limiting genre than anyone else, and this album is so gorgeous it hurts.

LOWYou May Need A Murderer(Touch and Go)dvd$ 16.98

Needless to say, a must-see (and must-hear*) for Low fans! This dvd features a 2007 documentary by filmmaker David Kleijwegt which captures both private and public moments in the lives of Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk, otherwise known as beloved slowcore band Low. Intimate, poignant, thought-provoking and deeply moving. *The dvd's bonus material comes in the form of six acoustic tracks (their cover of the Bee Gees' "I Started A Joke", "Done", "Dinosaur Act", Sharp-Tooth Dinosaur", Little Argument With Myself" and "Pretty People") recorded during the making of the documentary. Yes, as devastatingly beautiful and beautifully devastating as ever.

LOW & SPRING HEEL JACKBombscare EP(Tugboat)cdep$ 8.98

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

SORRY. Thoroughly delightful little EP wherein Low's Mimi and Alan supply the vocals and UK electronic experimentalists Springheel Jack make the instrumental accompaniment. Clearly big Low fans, Springheel Jack have respectfully kept the music quiet and sparse... just like Low would have, only with added embellishments Low usually avoids, like ominous electronic rumbles, evocative strings, serene piano. Very pretty.

LOW + DIRTY THREEIn The Fishtank 7(Konkurrent)12"$ 14.98

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

SORRY.

LOW / DIRTY THREEIn the Fishtank(Konkurrent)cd$ 11.98

Yep, it's as good as you had hoped it might be. This is the Dirty Three collaborating with Low for the newest in the KonKurrent label's In the Fishtank series of releases, where artists are given two days in a Dutch studio to do whatever they like. And the

LOW / SHEARWATERStay / Novacane(Sub Pop)7"$ 5.98

LOW / VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRAsplit(Misplaced Music)7"$ 6.98

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

SORRY. Expensive split single from the UK. One of Low's best-loved but never-released songs, "David & Jude" is brief and starkly beautiful. The addition of Calvin Johnson on melodica is very nice. Leeds quintet Vibracathedral Orchestra offer up a cyclical groove of primitive percussion in a macabre carnival atmosphere. Worthy of your time.

LOW ANTHEM, THESmart Flesh(Nonesuch)cd$ 12.98

After discovering these guys via a cd sampler in a magazine of all places, we quickly became pretty obsessed, their last record, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, becoming a fast favorite. Their sound dark, and melancholy, a sort of twangy slowcore, a moody countrified folk, the instrumentation spare, yet lush, the vocals incredible, the songs pretty much perfect. For their new record, the group gathered in an old abandoned pasta factory, in a massive space, all wood floors and huge windows, and expanded their already expansive sonic palette, the usual rock instruments augmented by clarinet, upright bass, trumpet, harmonium, violin, cello, electrified pump organ, flugelhorn, jaw harp, trombone, re-amp, melodeon, banjo, wind chimes, omnichord, harmonica, crotales with sizzling coins (!) and flickering film (!!). Yet even with all those extra instruments, the sound remains skeletal and intimate, the band weaving softly swirling stretches of warm country shimmer, the album opener is a heart breaking mournful lament, the horns unfurling sweetly sorrowful melodies, over a dreamy balladic background, while "Apothecary Love" is more of a Dylan-y chunk of folk, rife with slippery slide, but the band do let loose, and do make full use of the increased complement of sound making devices on "Boeing 737", which sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel or Arcade Fire via Uncle Tupelo, rollicking and rocking, and epic, the sound lush and nearly orchestral, but right after, the band return to something much more minimal, a series of haunting dreamlike fuzzy twang flecked dreamfolk ballads, mostly just buzzing steel strings and vocals, the songs colored by wheezing organs and harmonicas, warbly harmoniums, lots of subtle, lush and layered buzz, the room sound too, an instrument of its own, wreathing the songs in a soft reverby haze. So lovely. Definitely for fans of Vic Chesnutt, Jayhawks, Sparklehorse, Iron And Wine, Songs:Ohia and the like.

LOW FLYING HAWKSKofuku(Magnetic Eye)cd$ 14.98

First we've heard from this LA (by way of Mexico) power trio, which includes members both of the Melvins and Mr. Bungle. And while there's not a whole lot of Bungle-isms, the Melvins connection is definitely solid. Low Flying Hawks traffic in a slow, lugubrious sludge pop, slipping from downer dirge, to fuzzed out heaviness, to brooding death rock, to swirling psychedelia, all driven by the killer rhythm section of Dale Crover and Trevor Dunn. The mysterious third member / LFh mainman more than holds his own, his guitar crunchy and melodic, crumbling and blown out in equal measure, his vocals landing somewhere between the bellow of Buzz from the Melvins, the anguished wail of Creston from Harvey Milk, the mumbled croon of Dan from True Widow and the sneery snarl of Mark Arm from Mudhoney. The songs lurch and lumber, a sort of shoegaze stoner metal, heavy and doomy and tripped out, melodic and catchy, weary and woozy, a dreamily downer slowcore dirge rock that evokes all kinds of favorites from the seventies, eighties and nineties. Fans of all stripes of depressing heaviness, moody miserablism and wasted, downer psych, will definitely dig this big time.

LOW FREQUENCY IN STEREO, THEFuturo(Rune Grammofom)cd$ 17.98

We don't always know what to expect from a Rune Grammofon release, other than snazzy graphic design of course. The music is usually really nice too, but what genre? Sometimes drone, sometimes electronic, sometimes improv jazz... In this case, we still couldn't tell you after listening to the first few songs. The opening track is an instrumental, and seems like some sort of jazzy techno rock, with a dash of surfy skronk. Pretty cool, modern prog we'd guess we'd call it. It's like something on the early '70s Vertigo label given an electronica update. Then track two is glitchier and noisier - but also poppier, with sweet, finger snappin' female vocals in English. Track three introduces male vocals as well, singing about Star Trek's "Geordie La Forge" (???) over a slightly excited motorik beat. That one's a bit like a more mild mannered Circle, but gone indie rock, or something. Track four, meanwhile, is much moodier. The songs that follow incorporate all of that stuff and more... What IS this? Well, we're not entirely sure, but we know it's growing on us. We also know that Norway's The Low Frequency In Stereo is a five piece band, everybody playing organ (among other things), plus guests including violinist Nils Okland and sax player from Ultralyd. And it seems that producer Sir Dupermann may well play a crucial role on this album as well, he's credited with "samples and sounds everywhere" and those are definitely all over the place here. TLFIS's busy pop songs are full of sound FX and samples, things like sawing strings and birdsongs and outer space electronics. While the male and female vocals are usually quite calm and melodic, the music is much more nervous and noisy. It always sorta sounds like there's a clock ticking someplace in the mix. Alongside the band's assorted guitars, throbbing bass, trumpet, piano, & all those organs, etc.... In the comparisons dep't, we can offer that maybe LFIS is like a groovier, pop version of another RG band, Shining? Referencing a couple other Norwegian acts we like, When and Salvatore, also seems valid. Throw in a little bit of the B-52s and that's getting closer to what's going on here. Recommended, though we'd have probably preferred it if they'd done all the singing in Norwegian, for added mystery.

LOW ON HIGHs/t(self-released)cd$ 8.98

Amy Davis and Jon Moritsugu are on the loose again! You might be more familiar with their combined coolness via other avenues - Amy's stylin' art and graphic design (she was a regular contributor to Paper Magazine for years and years) and Jon's ultra punk indie films (Mod Fuck Explosion, Scum Rock, Fame Whore to name a few!). Never ones to shy away from a creative whim or flight of fancy, nor ones to ever be pinned down. This time they're whippin' up an indie rock fun storm in their new band Low On High. Over the past decade they've hopped from here in SF to Hawaii to a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest and are now settled in New Mexico... all pretty chill locales, yes? But the raucous music they're makin' still sounds deeply rooted with one foot in the big city lip-glossy glitzy fashionista scenes. Moritsugu tackles the guitar while Davis plays bass and delivers most of the vocals in a druggy, woozy petulant swoon. Very DIY, free spirited, and more than a little rough around the edges, Low On High is very reminiscent of early '90s lo-fi pop rawk, and inspired by the likes of Sonic Youth, Jesus And Mary Chain and grrrl punk. Noisy distorted tunes with a candy crunch core and glamor puss accessories!

LOW RED LANDDog's Hymn(GMR Thread)cd$ 11.98

Here's the sophomore album from SF's Low Red Land! It finds the band traversing more rocky and turbulent territory than on their 2006 debut Weight Of Nations. Dog's Hymn is laden with far stormier moods, darker tones, and increasingly weathered vocals. Layers of churning post rock guitar lines build densely overcast atmospheres. Overall, still very emotively reminiscent of Doug Martsch (both in Treepeople and Built To Spill) in its cathartic delivery especially on tracks such as "Better Angels" and "West Texas", but also brings to mind The Weakerthans or a more rocked up Mountain Goats. Good stuff!

LOW RED LANDWeight Of Nations(self-released)cd$ 11.98

This is the debut album from Bay Area indie rockers Low Red Land. The band wastes no time in stepping up to the plate to take a swing at the emotive smart pop ball being played by the likes of Pinback, Built To Spill, and Modest Mouse. Plenty of punch, big fuzzy guitars, emo boy vocals and some nice rhythmic twists.

LOWDOWNRevolver II(Strange Attractors Audio House)cd$ 13.98

LOWDOWN, THEY Is A Crooked Letter(Zum)cd$ 11.98

LOWE, NICKJesus of Cool(Yep Roc)cd$ 16.98

Nick Lowe had a huge influence on the early years of punk and new wave, working on albums by folks like The Damned, Elvis Costello and The Pretenders. But when it comes down to it, Nick Lowe is all about pure pop chops. His debut, released originally in 1978, is finally getting the proper reissue treatment it deserves including all the tracks issued on the UK and US versions along with eight extra tracks! As smart as they are clever and catchy these songs have always made us think of what it would sound like if Elvis Costello did a record of Harry Nilsson covers. With a sly sense of humor and a knack for infectious hooks, Jesus Of Cool (also released at one point under the title Pure Pop For Now People) still stands as one of Lowe's greatest moments. Chances are you've heard and loved some of these songs before without knowing that this was the record they were from, if that's the case, you might have a new old fave here.