THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Here it is, drooling Magma fans -- the third, penultimate "Epok" in the eternal French "Zeuhl" gods triumphant live four-disc DVD series, Mythes Et Legendes, celebrating 35 years of their utterly unique, heavy prog sounds. Recorded in May of 2005, the nine compositions performed here begin with a full 32 and a half minute rendition of their epic "Kohntarkosz" from 1974, continuing on to include such classics as "Emehnteht-Re", "Hhai", and "Zombies", hitting (at least some of) the highlights of the Magma songbook up to 1977 or thereabouts, drawing from such albums as Kohntarkosz, Hhai/Live and Attahk. If you've got the first two dvds (hard to imagine you'd be getting just this one) then you know that Magma drummer/vocalist/mastermind Christian Vander's current band totally KICKS ASS. Besides Vander himself, the Magma documented here features the vocals/percussion squad of Stella Vander, Antoine Paganotti, Himiko Paganotti and Isabelle Feuillebois, alongside James Mac Gaw on guitar, Emmanuel Borghi on Fender Rhodes, and Philippe Bussonnet on bass. Former keyboardist Bentoit Widemann guests on Fender and Minimoog as well. Brilliant. NTSC, all-region, 115 minutes totale!
(A bonus feature on this disc is the special DRUMS-ONLY viewing angle available for the Attahk track "The Last Seven Minutes". They know their fans!)
1980 collection. Vander: "I composed for the 11th anniversary of Magma the theme 'Retrovision' (or 'Attahk'). It was like a summary of all the tunes played by Magma until then. The result was so powerful, like a punch in the eyes of all that had criticised us, those who said: 'Magma is dead...' (as at each time that we didn't play for 3 months). The theme says 'Magma is said to be dead.. he is not!'. It was a joy and triumph during three days at the Olympia Hall. From these three nights, we have recorded three albums, 'Retrospektiw III' and then 'Retrospektiw II' where you can hear a tune that many had waited for so long: 'Theusz Hamtaahk'. So great!'
Magma fanatics will want this! Five songs originally released only on 7" vinyl (the tracks are taken from three different singles, circa 1971-1974). From the stomp of Jannick Top's "Mekanik Machine" to the weird grooviness of Vander's "Klaus Kombalad", all great stuff.
Praise the gods of Zeuhl. Here's the latest from French spiritual, operatic sci-fi prog jazz masters Magma! Fans over here should be doubly excited, because Magma are soon to embark on their first US tour in ages, including a date here in San Francisco in early April. In all likelihood, they'll be playing some material from this release, and it will fit right in with their classic '70s material. Magma's current lineup - with both young whizzes and old vets - is potent to say the least, we have no doubts that their shows will be amazing.
The symphonic onslaught of Slag Tanz is Magma at their usual over the top selves, a complex and conceptual 8-part piece (about 21 minutes total) full of insistent rhythms, heavy duty basslines, operatic exhortations, darkness and light. It's mostly sung in their made up language of Kobaian, of course, so we have no idea what it's "about" (even though the lyrics are printed in the booklet!) but it's clearly something serious, of course. We'd compare it with the likes of Japan's Ruins and Koenjihyakkei, if the influence wasn't in fact the other way around.
Cool all-black cover, with embossed logo and title. Digipack cd, or 180 gram vinyl with download code.
Send out the Ork alarm! Here's a major event for those initiated into the cult of this French prog colossus, the Wagner-meets-Coltrane-meets-'70s prog rock outfit MAGMA. A rare, brand new release, with the current lineup of the band filling
Perhaps we can give this 2 hour, 43 minute dvd a fuller review sometime, but as they've been blowing out of here fast, here's a brief description as we wanted to list it this time before we run out (again) -- never fear, though, 'cause we will be able to get more in the event they're gone when you ask for yours.
It's our favorite beyond "prog" band Magma, live in concert for their 30th anniversary in Paris, May 13th and 14th 2000. This concert dvd is a total pro job, with great sound and of course out-of-this-world music, as the one and only Christian Vander and his (mostly much younger) current incarnation of Magma play the entire "Theusz Hamtaahk" trilogy: "Theusz Hamtaahk", "Wurdah Itah", and "Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh". Vander is older and grayer and burlier, still totally in command of his drum kit and his band, his majestic and bizarre musical vision undiminished, and in fine voice as well. Dramatically lit and well shot (with multiple cameras), it's the next best thing to actually seeing them live -- and not everyone is that lucky.
The bonus material on this all-region NTSC DVD includes interviews (in French) and additional live footage of a cute little kid playing drums on stage with Vander, who I'd guess is the proud dad. That chapter is called "Fabien, cadet de la Zeuhl".
Features the classic bass-heavy track "De Futura", which is more or less the basis for the Ruins' entire output! Much better sounding than the Tomato-label version some may be familiar with. Says Vander: "In this album we can hear 'De Futura', one of the rare tunes recorded by one of the most creative musician of Magma, Janik Top. Its beauty is icy and internally unbreakable. The tune is accompanied by other themes, some of them being composed by Bernard Paganotti, Janik Top or I; these are less interesting perhaps but in the same vein as 'De Futura'."
Each cd features 23 songs of Stephin Merritt's wry, romantic, witty, droll, lovelorn tales - when collected together there's all 69 of his love songs. A song for each and every possible matter of the heart. For when your heart is broken, for when your heart is swollen... and when it's not, Stephin will do it for you. He understands. Box set includes all three cds, a slipcase, and a small book...
Each CD features 23 songs of Stephin Merritt's wry, romantic, witty, droll, lovelorn tales -- when collected together there's all 69 of his love songs. A song for each and every possible matter of the heart. For when your heart is broken, for when your heart is swollen... and when it's not, Stephin will do it for you. He understands. This did come as a box set which included all three cds, a slipcase, and a small book... We were shocked to have sold out of it in about three hours! It's being repressed, and in the meantime we are selling the individual discs. Hopefully the label will make copies of the booklet available to those fans who bought the single discs! Merge, are you listening?
Each CD features 23 songs of Stephin Merritt's wry, romantic, witty, droll, lovelorn tales -- when collected together there's all 69 of his love songs. A song for each and every possible matter of the heart. For when your heart is broken, for when your heart is swollen... and when it's not, Stephin will do it for you. He understands. This did come as a box set which included all three cds, a slipcase, and a small book... We were shocked to have sold out of it in about three hours! It's being repressed, and in the meantime we are selling the individual discs. Hopefully the label will make copies of the booklet available to those fans who bought the single discs! Merge, are you listening?
Each CD features 23 songs of Stephin Merritt's wry, romantic, witty, droll, lovelorn tales -- when collected together there's all 69 of his love songs. A song for each and every possible matter of the heart. For when your heart is broken, for when your heart is swollen... and when it's not, Stephin will do it for you. He understands. This did come as a box set which included all three cds, a slipcase, and a small book... We were shocked to have sold out of it in about three hours! It's being repressed, and in the meantime we are selling the individual discs. Hopefully the label will make copies of the booklet available to those fans who bought the single discs! Merge, are you listening?
Last list we got to rave about one of our favorite old Magnetic Fields records, Holiday, from the early '90s, which was just reissued on vinyl. This time we get to rave about a NEW slab of wax from Stephin Merritt and his crew. With a new album coming out in March this awesome 7" gives us a sneak peak at what the style/set-up will be this time out and from the sound of these two tracks we're pretty excited. The title track is not only one of the wittiest songs Merritt has penned (and damn he's made a living out of crafting witty songs) but it also brings back synths to the Magnetic Fields sound, something we've been missing so much in recent outings. The B side "You Ain't No Picasso" is classic Merritt, bittersweet and sardonic, it's also an exclusive track which won't be on the upcoming full length. This is a no-brainer for Magnetic Fields fans.
Yet another triumph by Stephin Merritt in his Magnetic Fields guise. The perfect driving record. Songs about leaving a place you don't want to be, traveling somewhere you don't want to go. Sad deep vocals, lovely keyboards, piano, and cello. One of this band's best endeavors to date.
It's only January but we're pretty sure we have a contender for record of the year on our hands! We're always so impressed with the rare examples of bands who have reached such heights of popularity yet still keep challenging themselves and their fans. Sadly there aren't many in that club, but folks like Yo La Tengo, PJ Harvey and Sonic Youth have helped demonstrate that even many many records deep into a career you can still make thrilling and rewarding music. With their latest, Stephen Merrit's Magnetic Fields have proven to be a full fledged member of that elite club as well.
While Magnetic Fields last album, I, found Merrit pouring it on pretty thick, this long awaited follow up (with plenty of extracurricular activity by Merrit in the meantime) finds Merrit stripping it down and finding the fun in layers, noise and yes...distortion. Many tracks feature the charming and beautiful voice of Shirley Simms, and the songs that Merrit sings find his vocals way more buried in the mix than usual. Distortion reminds us a lot of the early bedroom charm of Magnetic Fields records like Charm Of The Highway Strip and one of Merrit's many alter egos The Future Bible Heroes. We love how it sounds like they are tapping into the spirit of the New Zealand lo-fi pop underground of the '80s and even hints of the fuzzy and dreamy qualities of the heyday of Creation records. Not many people could get away with having a major label release such a non-slick and unpolished record. In fact there are moments on Distortion that sound like they could have been on some awesome cassette release from Shrimper back in the day.
Distortion is a timeless gem. While it does tip its hat to some of the most yummy and fuzzy pop of the last couple decades and boasts a wall of sound that's kind of like Phil Spector producing a twee-like Jesus & Mary Chain record, what makes the album so special is that you know it's going to sound as meaningful and alive twenty years from now as it does today. Merrit is still writing music for wry and broken hearts but he's injected new life into old pain and in doing so he's created another classic!
First reviewed almost 10 years ago and a constant aQ favorite and big seller ever since, Magnetic Fields' Get Lost finally gets a super sweet vinyl release. Our way too brief review from way back in the very early days of the list, long before we wrote epic tomes as reviews, went a little like this:
"Everyone has a favorite record that acts as a faithful crutch throughout their life and this is ours. Every song has a different heartbreaking theme. Each devastating in their own way. You will never tire of this, Stephin Merritt's masterpiece."
And indeed, this is a gorgeous, sad, beautiful, wryly humorous, and utterly heartbreaking and heart rending slab of morose sweetly sour pop. That is of course utterly and emphatically recommended.
One of our all time favorite Magnetic Fields albums finally reissued on vinyl! Holiday was first released in 1993, and marked a big shift for Stephen Merritt as it was the album on which his idiosyncratic voice began to take center stage. While his earlier outings always had his female muses singing lead, Holiday was the moment that voice of his became the prominent focal point of the band. It was also the record where his songwriting skills started to reach the next level of being so crazy good. As we go back and listen to this again we are struck by the thought that just about every one of these songs made it on a mix-tape that we made at some point in the '90s. "Strange Powers", "Desert Island", "Take Ecstasy With Me", "All You Ever Do Is Walk Away", "The Trouble I've Been Looking For", it goes on and on. Most bands wish they could have that many standout tracks throughout their career, let alone on a single album. We could go on and on, as this really does represent our favorite era of the Magnetic Fields. This is pop perfection!
The first two Magnetic Fields albums reissued by Merge Records on one disc! This is where you go when you need to hear the early genius of Stephin Merritt. Putting his lo-fi keyboards and drum machines to wonderful use. These two full lengths feature the vocals of Susan Anway. Merritt didn't take on vocal duties until subsequent releases. Her voice however is a fitting female counterpart to his deep croon - so droll, yet drenched with romantic longing. Alternately reminiscent of '60s Brill Building girl group pop and glistening, lush chamber pop. Classic heartbreak music. Highly recommended.
Alright all you Stephin Merritt / Magnetic Fields fanatics, the wait is finally over! Your patience has been rewarded with this splendid new full length. Sure, in the time that's passed since their 1999 epic 69 Love Songs triple cd, Merritt's work on film soundtracks (Pieces of April and Eban & Charley) as well as his other projects The Sixths and Future Bible Heroes have kept our bittersweet cravings at bay, but really, they're no substitute for a genuine Magnetic Fields album, right? Right!
This glorious album is comprised completely of songs beginning with the letter "i" (mostly in the role of the pronoun). All but one is brand new (the second song "I Don't Believe You", previously released on a 1998 7" single, makes a welcome reappearance -- it's an old Andee mixtape fave!). This thematic choice makes us muse whether this is the beginning of a new wry Merritt endeavour, an alphabetical adventure (albeit starting a little out of order)?! Overall, i is a hushed, acoustic chamber music affair. Even the lone dancier number "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend" is considerably low key. He's set aside his assorted synthesizers and drum machines for the time being. Instead, he's favored minimal arrangements with just his and Claudia Gonson's voices, some percussion and one or two of the following instruments -- piano, guitar, banjo, harpsichord, sitar and cello. Not at all surprisingly, the results are deeply moving and captivating. Merritt's singing reaches its most torchy, frail and vulnerable range... and it's absolutely heartbreakingly wonderful! Recommended.
For their return to Merge Records, The Magnetic Fields have made their first release featuring synthesizers in over 10 years. After a slew of "concept" records (i, Realism, Distortion), it seems that Stephin Merritt has made a conscious effort to go back to his Holiday or Charm of the Highway Strip roots, and the results are somewhat mixed. There's plenty of punning and playfulness in his lyrics, a few harpsichords and hand claps. The songs (at least the first few) are extraordinarily catchy and well put together, and oh so clever, but despite the return to form, there's something lacking from the record that makes it as a whole a bit disappointing. Not disappointing necessarily for dedicated fans, perhaps, and Stephin Merritt has PLENTY of those. It just feels a bit like Merritt & Co. set out to make a record because they felt that they needed to, rather than because they actually had anything new to say. Love at the Bottom of the Sea is not their finest work, but it's the most true to form disc they've put forth in a decade. Also noteworthy is the appearance of San Francisco's own Randy Walker (aka Carletta Sue Kay) on backup vocals on a few tracks!
Nobody makes misery and endless longing sound better then Stephin Merritt. As it's been raining nonstop in San Francisco we've been eagerly awaiting this new Magnetic Fields album since pretty much nothing sounds better when it's gray and grim outside, than the beautifully morose pop that Merritt and his comrades create.
Realism is very much the counterpoint to the last Magnetic Fields album, Distortion, which was all plugged in, in the red, filled with fuzz, a sonic nod to the Jesus & Mary Chain. Realism goes in the opposite direction. Made completely with acoustic instruments, this is their 'baroque folk' album. In many ways it has much of the same kind of sound and style found on 69 Love Songs, the masterpiece which catapulted Magnetic Fields from indie sweethearts to full on cultural icons. Merritt is no doubt one of the best songwriters of this generation, both in the memorable lyrics he writes and the nuanced arrangements he creates. Like all great songwriters Merritt is able to create in a wide variety of styles. In the past he's made electronic pop, fuzzy lo-fi rock, ukulele stompers, and shoegaze like dreaminess. And when you see The Magnetic Fields play live its so awesome because they often change the arrangements and styles of their songs, like when they toured for Distortion they actually played all those loud rocking songs all hushed and acoustic!
Realism is another reminder that no matter what style, aesthetic or theme Merritt choses to work within he's always able to emerge with memorable and moving songs that will have remain emotionally and sonically relevant for so many years to come.
Given the look and sound of this short EP, Magnetic Stripper could be some terminally obscure DIY-industrial-synth project circa 1982, with the tinny drum machines, noisy blurts from various synths, and plenty of references to Absolute Body Control, Minimal Man, The Units, and Chris Carter's synth moments within Throbbing Gristle. But in fact, this is the work of San Francisco's James Ellis, currently working and performing today. There are four short pieces that would make for a great teaser for a forthcoming record, with the weird-science array of disjointed synth melodies and electro-static squiggling, all hanging upon skeletal drum machine pulses. The title track has more of a bedroom project New Wave feel with its motorik rhythms and percolated step sequencing. The other three tracks take more of an early SPK direction with all of the drum rhythms taking on a lumbering pace, minus the snarled noise and grizzy imagery. Both sides of the 7" end on locked grooves, and the single comes with a retro-looking button. Very cool.
Pacific NW space-rock band's home-recorded demos, '94-'96 or so, taking up two compact discs. Jessamine Jr.?
9 new songs by Aimee Mann, remember her? Til Tuesday? The girl with one long braid coming out of her short new wave do. Since her songs are all over the film Magnolia, this soundtrack is sort of like her new album. Also included, two of the greatest songs ever written: Supertramp's Goodbye Stranger and Logical Song.
What can be said that hasn't been said already about the mighty Americana troubadour Jason Molina? He continues to weave his wonderful rustic folk pop tapestry in various deep dark shades of sorrow. On Josephine, he once again absolutely nails the heartbreak and the despair in classic country rock fashion. Of the generous list of fourteen tunes, standouts include the title track as well as "Little Sad Eyes", but the best might be "Knoxville Girl". Check 'em out!
Geez, Jason Molina, what are you tryin' to do to us!? How the heck can we possibly sufficiently listen, watch, digest and report in on your new release that includes four cds and one dvd? If we did, well, it would probably take weeks and the release wouldn't be new anymore! We have heard some of it, and not surprisingly, the few songs we did hear were prime Molina fare -- well-worn, roaming loner melancholia -- but in the interest of timeliness, we'll let the sticker on the shrinkwrap of this special wooden boxed set say it all... "Secretly Canadian is proud to present The Sojourner Boxset. It is the accumulated work of thirteen musicians, five locations, four recording engineers, three filmmakers, two designers and one songwriter, including enough material for three full lengths, one EP and one DVD. Explore the celestial map of Jason Molina and the various constellations of his... Magnolia Electric Co."
Perhaps following his Amalgamated Sons Of Rest cohort Will Oldham's multi-naming lead (y'know making music as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Palace Music/Brothers/Songs, etc) and to mark a new chapter in his musical travels, Jason Molina (aka Songs:Ohia) has assumed a new performance moniker. It is Magnolia Electric Co., and it was the title of his final album as Songs: Ohia. Aaah, a rose by any other name...! Anyways, your official introduction to M.E.C. is the hearty country rock of this live album which was recorded in Brussels in 2003 (psst, a studio album is set to be released in the spring!). Maybe to ease his fans through the name change, Molina mixes the old with the new, performing a bunch of new songs as well as a few Songs:Ohia tunes. Actually many of these songs also recall those good ol' days of AQ fave Uncle Tupelo -- not only is Molina's vocal delivery very often akin to Jay Farrar's, but the guitar tone, pacing and mood are quite similar as well -- particularly on fine songs such as "North Star". Fans take note, this cd release is a "limited" pressing of 10,000!
Regardless of under which moniker he chooses to release his music, you'll usually find Mr. Jason Molina's recordings falling into one of two baskets -- his threadbare, rumpled melancholia or his considerably more fleshed out tavern rock. For this, the official studio recorded debut of his new band Magnolia Electric Co., he's found a fine middle ground. Molina mellows out the Co's electricity ever so gently on What Comes After The Blues, and the results are a startlingly Neil Young-ish album. For those of you who were looking forward to more Magnolia Electric Co. bootstompers like those on their recent now-out-of-print live album Trials & Errors, sorry, these are more along the lines of mid-tempo weep-in-your-beer numbers. The already-heavy-hearted songs are made even more achingly lovely by the addition of the equally forlorn trumpet, violin and guest female vocals courtesy of Jennie Benford of Jim & Jennie And The Pinetops. Definitely check out the Jennie-sung second song "The Night Shift Lullaby".
Sticking with his Magnolia Electric Co. moniker, Mr. Jason Molina (aka Songs: Ohia) follows up his last full length What Comes After The Blues with this new five-song EP. The first four tunes are of his trademark beleaguered, drown your sorrows folk stylings, while for the fifth Molina does his best Warren Zevon on a rendition of "Werewolves Of London". Aaawoooooo!
Ex-Bongwater. Kramer must be weeping.
Finnish post-rock heavyweights Magyar Posse return with a second, even better, album. Like their first, We Will Carry You Over The Mountains, Kings of Time will appeal first and foremost to fans of God Speed You Black Emperor and/or Mogwai. And while these comparisons may be a double-edged sword for Magyar Posse, the blade that cuts closest -- that of being seen as derivative -- might as well be a butter knife. Truthfully, Magyar Posse outdo what others have done before them. They're like the Alban Berg or Anton Webern of post-rock to Tortoise or GSYBE's Arnold Schoenberg. Kings of Time is an instrumental concept album on par with Pink Floyd, or an epic soundtrack worthy of Ennio Morricone's tip of the hat. Using a plethora of instrumental variations, from sparse reverb laden guitar to full blown orchestral arrangements of epic proportions -- all modern recording studio wizardry, Magyar Posse recontextualize leit motifs, and develop melodies like no one else in the post rock camp can. Reminiscent at times of Morricone's spaghetti western soundtracks they incorporate cooing wordless vocals into the mix with the utmost in subtlety. If some filmmaker doesn't snatch this band up to write a soundtrack to their film soon, we'll be really surprised. Completely amazing.
FINNISH INSTRUMENTAL CINEMATIC EPIC PROGROCK ALERT!!!
Okay, now that we've got your attention. When Andee was in Finland a few years back, Jussi from Circle took him to a tiny club to see a friend's band play, and the band totally destroyed, they were so epic, so massive, it was like seeing Godspeed! You Black Emperor play in a broom closet. Huge glowing swells of sound, totally memorable melodies, gorgeous arrangements, all swirled into majestic sweeping soaring emotional epics. Even back then, before the band even had a record out. Not soon after, they did in fact release a record, and we were immediately in love. The band was Magyar Posse, and that first record totally captured the majestic might of the band, while at the same time adding all sorts of sonic subtleties and even more dense layers of sound. A second record followed and somehow the band managed to sound even bigger and better. We had been hearing about a brand new record for a while, and were thrilled when a big box showed up a few days ago from Finland and inside was Random Avenger, the newest release from Magyar Posse. We were almost ready to be disappointed considering how much we dug those other records, or at least preparing ourselves to just be happy for more of the same, but if anything, the band have expanded their sound even further, coming up with epic soundscapes even more intense and epic and emotional than before.
This record, even more than the others, sounds like it just has to be a real soundtrack. Pop music is not meant to be so dense and rife with emotion, painting pictures with wordless music as vibrant as if there were in fact lyrics telling a story. The sound is very prog, intensely cinematic and while it is dark and dreamy it can also be strangely playful. Some moments, we're transported to some lost Bond film, others we find ourselves in some dusty Leone Western, while still others we're lost on some moonlit street running for our lives in a mysterious Italian giallo. The first track, "Whirlpool Of Terror And Tension" is a lush and dense, multilayered world of sound, with a strange sort of Bolero staccato rhythm, with strange scrabbly guitars, abstract sixties style female vocals, minor key guitar twangs, chimes and bells, keening guitars feedback, and simple propulsive drumming. The main riff is very Morricone, but is backed up by a thick wash of soaring strings and gorgeous glockenspiel, it's almost impossible not to close your eyes and see a cool sixties Mondrian style credit sequence for some Danger Diabolik style caper movie. That vibe definitely permeates the whole record, but each track definitely has it's own feel and distinct emotion. A handful of the tracks take Magyar's progressive post-rock into definite Goblin / Zombi territory with minor key strings, relentless rhythms, pulsing drums and new wave synths locked into angular krautrock grooves, while spacey sound effects swoop and swirl, strings soar and sing, and again we're just transported to whole new worlds, but worlds with totally kick ass soundtracks!
This is definitely still post-rock, and thus will appeal to fans of Tortoise and Godspeed and Cerberus Shoal and Cyann & Ben and Explosions In The Sky and the like but Magyar Posse have something totally their own going on. A unique sonic vision, an alternate musical universe, where a pair of headphones and a walkman transform you into a super spy or a wily seductress or a hired killer, and turns your boring neighborhood into 1960's Paris, or a dusty ghost town or a secret base in the Arctic. This is music as dense and as rich and as much of an escape as any book or any film could ever be, and music that can have such an incredible effect on the listener, is way too rare. And so very precious.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
We've really been enjoying this find from Finland: Magyar Posse have put together a really great set of sweeping, emotive post-rock instrumentals highly reminiscent of the excellent "La Planete Sauvage" (aka Fantastic Planet) soundtrack, believe it or not. Orchestral embellishments introduce the icy sounds of reverb-laden guitar and trembling electric organ. Suave drums and spooky glockenspiel melodies mix with manifestations of krautrock in the funky basslines and oscillating, moog-y synth sounds. Occasionally, plaintive vocals are subtly placed low in the mix, buried in layers of echo. And is that the haunting voice of a musical saw I hear? Why yes, it is! The whole thing builds into climactic crescendos a la Godspeed You Black Emperor. Truly splendid! Andee actually saw this band play when he was visiting over in Finland not long ago -- they hail from Pori, also the hometown of AQ-faves Circle, and we think any Circle fans ought to like the Posse. It's really majestic, beautiful stuff, and more original and a lot less wimpy than the general run of post-rock that they might get lumped in with. Recommended.
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
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The unique underground Japanese group Maher Shalal Hash Baz -- a mostly untrained ensemble that plays simple, psychedelic pop songs with child-like innocence and imprecison -- recently performed a pair of shows here in the Bay Area. I caught the one over in Oakland, and it was amazing. Beautiful, shambolic, jazz-flecked primitive pop groove. The weirdest thing, was that they tried REALLY HARD to play the songs 'correctly'. Leader Tori Kudo even stopped the band on several occasions to instruct the bass player (his wife, I believe) on how to play a song's bass line properly. It was a bit uncomfortable, actually, but I'm not totally sure it wasn't intentional. After all, the impact of their naive novice musicanship is lost when the whole audience expects it -- so why not throw everyone off balance by making it seem like it's NOT supposed to sound so warped and damaged, even when it is?? Brilliant. Even the parked car that was set on fire down the block during the show couldn't compete. So, it's nice now to get these two new Maher documents. Blues Du Jour is the full length, and by that we mean it's got 41 tracks on it! Some are full songs, ballads, others short sketches, interludes, cryptic and lovely. Sweetly retarded horns and jangling guitars wearing innocent smiles, music that's cute and quaint but also serious and heartfelt. You'll hear hints of Ghost, the Beatles, Faust, Syd Barrett... Wrong never sounded so right. Meanwhile, they're also released an ep called Open Field that includes four songs from the full-length plus one special mix that features Bill Wells and members of The Pastels. Get it if you can't handle the full 41 tracks or you need everything with Bill Wells on it...
If you thought that recent recordings by Japanese shambolic psychedelic pop outfit Maher Shalal Hash Baz sound full of simple, child-like naivety, imagine the even less-trained, even more-Shaggsy charm of this band back, say, twenty years ago! Well you actually don't have to imagine 'cause now PSF has provided us with this disc of archival live recordings, from performances in 1984 and 1985. That's truly delving into Tori Kudo's troupe's earliest years (he started the band in '83). In fact, the 1984 performance documented here was in fact their FIRST EVER gig, opening for High Rise and Kousokoya! May have been High Rise's first show too... (hmm, does that mean PSF has tapes of their sets as well?). Their entropic sound was much like it is today, though. Not-quite-jazz horns bleat out distressed melodies over stumbling beats, gentle vocals hold your hand as guitars are strummed with more feeling than finesse. The recording quality is suitably lo-fi and tape-hissy and makes this even more of a warm blanket of softly sunny clangy jangle and blissful pop chaos, so wrong it's right. Ariel Pink's got nothing on this. With interesting liner notes about these early daze from Kudo, translated into English by Alan Cummings.
See the review of Maher Shalal Hash Baz's Blues Du Jour album for information.
Exosphere is Main's second contribution to the ongoing series of VPRO radio commissions, following a three way split with Flying Saucer Attack and White Winged Moth. Robert Hampson launched the Main project over a decade ago, after jettisoning the blackened hypno-rock of his incredible ensemble Loop in favor of a droning deconstruction and ambient isolationism that he qualified as 'drumless space.' A few years after the drums left and Main's structures became more and more abstract, Hampson set his guitar down to collect dust for good, as Main has now become entirely about digital fragmentation with a parallel aesthetic to Janek Shaeffer, Roel Meelkop, and Ekkehard Ehlers. For Exosphere, Hampson began with the recordings of those elements of a journey that are typically uninteresting and often forgotten, such as the taxi cab to the airport or the time waiting at the train station. With all of his DSP filters run amok, very little of those field recordings retain their original banality; instead, they acquire a dynamic expressivity with shivering digital textures, anxious time-stretching ripples, and monolithic drones that have more in common with the holy minimalism of Phil Niblock and LaMonte Young than the digital aersolization of Fennesz. Staalplaat continues their unique packaging of the Mort Aux Vaches series with a single piece of trifolded paper, holding the disc in place with a winged-brad. For Exosphere, Staalplaat cleverly recycles the waxy cardboard from orange juice containers.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Staalplaat continues their "Mort Aux Vaches" series of commissioned radio broadcasts with this split release between Main, White Winged Moth, and Flying Saucer Attack. These recordings find all three experimental guitarist artists at their quietest and on their best behavior. Flying Saucer Attack gets the most attention with 4 softly played acoustic guitar tracks that are buried underneathe a building wall of reverb -- sort of like the mellower pieces on FSA's recent album "Mirror". Main offers a 15 minute track for treated guitars that is quite active by the standards of Robert Hampson's increasingly inaudible outfit. Tiny samples of malfunctioning guitar cables and soft scrapes on the strings repeat throughout the composition along with a bell like tonal drone. White Winged Moth (aka New Zealander Dean Roberts) also presents a 15 minute piece, with his humid guitar drones. Altogether this is an excellent compilation of work.
CLEAR VINYL! Limited release!!
Back in '97, when this utterly distorted slab of Japanese psychrock was originally released on compact disc, we were perhaps a little bit more succinct in our reviews than we are now, saying simply in two sentences:�
Nanjo, Kawabata and Yoshida return, with another blast of High Rise-style psychedelic riffery. Turn it up past, like, "2", and give your stereo speakers a few final thrilling moments before they fry.
Still true! Perhaps, for those just tuning in, we should add that Asahito Nanjo is the bassist from legendary PSF-label psychedelic speed freaks High Rise, Makoto Kawabata is of course the hairy bearded "motor psycho" guitarist from the beloved Acid Mothers Temple, and Tatsuya Yoshida is the eight-armed drummer from Magmoid prog duo Ruins, just to mention the primary crucial underground Tokyo acts these cats have been involved in. Mainliner Sonic was the trio's 3rd album, give or take a cd-r or cassette or two, if we've got the chronology correct. And it's just one of two Mainliner efforts with Yoshida on the drums, a lineup that happened to be identical to that of another, more spazzed out band, Musica Transonic.�
At a little more than a half hour in length, these five tracks represent a typical in-the-red session of Mainliner's more Les Rallizes Denudes than thou loud garage psych improv groove mayhem. Really, you've heard of "fuzz monsters"? This is, like, fully 94 percent fuzz, almost like a blast of Merzbowian noise, with some crashing drums and raucous riffing and squiggly soloing buried beneath. Totally trance inducing. All the noisiest garagiest bands today PLAYING AT THE SAME TIME might not be able to top this. For fans of Acid Eater for sure!!!
The cd version has been out of print for years (though we hear rumors of a reissue on a Chinese label...) so it's even awesomer to have this vinyl edition on new label Assommer (run by one of the guys from the LA psych band OGOD, currently on tour in the USA with Acid Mothers Temple).
At last, a reissue of the debut album from Japanese heavy psych trio Mainliner. It came out on Charnel Music in '96, but has been out of print for a long while now and with its unavailability has grown in stature. Of course, it's a great record, the one that Acid Mothers Temple were trying to emulate on their recent "Electric Heavyland" set. And yep, it does feature AMT's Kawabata Makoto on 'motorpsycho' guitar, along with free jazzer Hajime Koizumi on drums and bassist Nanjo Asahito of the legendary High Rise. Mainliner always was just a slight variant on the High Rise template (themselves a variant on the Les Rallizes Denudes template it seems), formed originally by Nanjo 'cause his High Rise bandmates were averse to touring and he wanted to take his rock on the road, or so the story goes. Anyway, this disc was Mainliner's first and best, all players outdoing themselves in the realms of psychedelic heavy garage improv distortion overload. So, if you missed it the first time around, now's your chance to experience this classic. It's nice to have it back in just 'cause now we're listening to it again and we'd forgotten how great it is. Rock!
MPEG Download: "Black Sky" [/audio/mainlinerblack.mp3]
Prepare to be soothed and elated. Here's the second album from Majeure, aka A.E. Paterra, one half of Zombi. (FYI, the other half of Zombi, Steve Moore, also has a new solo album out, Light Echoes on Cuneiform, that we'll hopefully have reviewed for you next time around!)
Any longtime aQ customer knows we're big Zombi fans, and of the duo's respective solo work too. In fact, the first Majeure album, Timespan, was a Record Of The Week. So this new one, well, it's great, that's a given really. But beyond that, we're have a hard time coming up with stuff to say about it. What to add to what we've said already about Majeure's brand of propulsive, synth-laden, spacey instrumentals? (Of Timespan, we wrote: "Sprawling spaced out sci-fi electronic minimal kraut disco epics of the highest order. Fusing the creepy film music of Vangelis and John Carpenter with the pulsing hypnotic minimalism of Steve Reich or Philip Glass, even some propulsive motorik Can style krautrock, all woven into sprawling spaced out psychedelic futuristic retro faux film music, layered synths, looped melodies, and a killer mix of programmed rhythms and live drumming".) This new disc is a bit less sprawling, with only one of the six songs breaking into the double-digits duration-wise. And the mood is perhaps lighter and lovelier. But otherwise, what? We will stress that A.E. Paterra really knows what he's doing. (Moore too, on his discs.) This is well-crafted, retro cosmic shimmering synth bliss with some groove, yeah. We're lovin' it. It's like New Age disco music, and we mean that in a good way.
Ok, why not let's list all the gear Paterra is credited with playing on this: "drums, Moog Source, Moog Voyager OS, Kawai SX-240, Korg Lambda, Korg Polysix, Roland Alpha Juno 2 + Roland PG-300, Arp Omni II, Ursa Major Space Station, Mu-Tron Bi Phase, and an old German plate reverb". You don't even have to know what all that stuff is to get an idea about what this album is like. But gadgetry aside, what's more important is, like we said, Paterra knows how to use all those synths to make truly mesmeric music, that sounds both authentic and enjoyable.
Majeure's retro-vision isn't limited to the music - the art and graphic design is nostalgically spot-on. In fact, while there will be a vinyl lp release of this (which was bumped back a bit), the compact disc is the way to go anyway, on account of how they've replicated the '80s look, including the text explaining the superior performance of the Compact Disc Digital Audio System, and how to care for your new cd ("If you follow these suggestions, the Compact Disc will provide a lifetime of pure listening enjoyment"), which proudly bears the DDD code meaning a digital tape recorder was used for recording, mixing and mastering. At the same time, the cover looks like it's been reduced down from an lp-sized original, everything in tiny type, the tracklist divided between a side 1 and side 2. Nice.
Majeure is the drumming half of electronic sci-fi prog synth duo Zombi, and explores similar territory on his 3 song debut. A measly 3 songs you say? Yeah, but 3 songs in 42 minutes! That's right, sprawling spaced out sci-fi electronic minimal kraut disco epics of the highest order. Fusing the creepy film music of Vangelis and John Carpenter with the pulsing hypnotic minimalism of Steve Reich or Philip Glass, even some propulsive motorik Can style krautrock, all woven into sprawling spaced out psychedelic futuristic retro faux film music, layered synths, looped melodies, and a killer mix of programmed rhythms and live drumming, the vibe is ominous and epic, so evocative, it's impossible not to imagine some sort of insane fight in zero gravity, jump suited androids grappling amidst a strange neon latticework, or some futuristic car chase, through dimly lit streets, a grim crumbling futureworld, where the outcome of said chase will determine the fate of humanity.
The opener, the awesomely sci-fi named "The Dresden Codex", is a total future space disco kraut jam, the first half a throbbing mesmerizing krautdronesynthscape, eventually, bass drifts in as does awesomely fuzzy bass synth, the melodies dramatic and epic, a slow build that gets more and more intense before fading out into a stripped down moody bit of synthy drift, before exploding back into action, the live drums going nuts, suddenly it sounds a bit like a way more sci-fi Trans Am too, with a little M83 fuzz thrown in for good measure. "Teleforce" is all afternoon special straight to video science fiction, with its throbbing low end synth, and simple drumming, but the sound quickly gets thicker and more dense, and all ominous and intense, thick layers of rumble and whir over that machinelike pulse, then in come soaring strings, and after a brief bit of tension building Carpenter like spaced out minimalism, a lazer battle ensues, the track churning and chugging amidst a sky full of swirling effects and lazerblast-like pyew-pyew-pyew's...
Finally, the album finishes off with the 18+ minute "Timespan", beginning with a cloud of rumbles and whirs, before the sky fills with flecks of synth and space-y FX, a haunting bit of Logan's Run ambience, before the track slips right back into some groovy eighties sci fi synth disco, and for the next 10+ minutes, we're careening though a neon lit future world, battling on dancefloors, soaring between strange obelisk like structures, dodging lazer fire, running for our lives from lumbering robots, and finally destroying the mainframe and liberating the human race, all to the strains of some of the coolest, retro sci-fi sounds since, well, since these sounds weren't really retro at all.
Making an awesome album even awesomer, the cd version (but not, sadly, the vinyl) comes with a bonus remix disc (reissuing an out of print 12"), featuring reinterpretations of the album tracks by Steve Moore (the other half of Zombi), Justin Broadrick of Jesu, and Black Strobe. Moore takes "Timespan" and roughs it up a bit, giving it a more bruised, darkened and ominous cast, still an eighties soundtrack, but this time it's some dark foreign film, death more imminent, the end of civilization a foregone conclusion, but this is the sound of a ragtag group of survivors, hurling themselves into the void, on a desperate quest to save the universe, all to the strains of a pulsing Goblin / Carpenter score. Broadrick takes "Teleforce", and does something to it, hard to say exactly what, but suddenly it sounds like a warped Moroder post rock remix 12" spinning off kilter, warbly and hypnotic, eventually blissing out, more and more minimal and skeletal and softly psychedelic, before a bad ass dubby last few minutes, thumping muted rhythms, underpinning eighties new wave synths, and clouds of M83 style haze, a fucking killer groove that would seal the deal had the deal not already been WELL sealed. And finally, Black Strobe rework "The Dresden Codex" into something much more house-y and minimal, a sort of gleaming late night futuristic drift through mysterious silvery danceclubs, and exclusive penthouse parties, everything prismatic and blurred by a space age cocktail of psychotropics, a night spent cavorting in your gleaming surrogate body, your consciousness painting the town red, while your physical form sits safely in stasis at home, this is the sound of that soul shearing, head spinning rush, as an entire night's debauchery is downloaded in a 17 minute timelapse sonic injection, a heady, hypnotic, burst of electronic color. So rad.
The double compact disc comes in a super fancy, oversized mini lp style gatefold sleeve. And the vinyl version, also gatefold packaged, includes a digital download so you can iPod it.
Recently reissued as a bonus disc accompanying Majeures's Timespan full length, these three tracks were originally available as a 12", featuring reinterpretations of the album tracks by Steve Moore (the other half of Zombi), Justin Broadrick of Jesu, and Black Strobe.
Moore takes "Timespan" and roughs it up a bit, giving it a more bruised, darkened and ominous cast, still an eighties soundtrack, but this time it's some dark foreign film, death more imminent, the end of civilization a foregone conclusion, but this is the sound of a ragtag group of survivors, hurling themselves into the void, on a desperate quest to save the universe, all to the strains of a pulsing Goblin / Carpenter score. Broadrick takes "Teleforce", and does something to it, hard to say exactly what, but suddenly it sounds like a warped Moroder post rock remix 12" spinning off kilter, warbly and hypnotic, eventually blissing out, more and more minimal and skeletal and softly psychedelic, before a bad ass dubby last few minutes, thumping muted rhythms, underpinning eighties new wave synths, and clouds of M83 style haze, a fucking killer groove that would seal the deal had the deal not already been WELL sealed. And finally, Black Strobe rework "The Dresden Codex" into something much more house-y and minimal, a sort of gleaming late night futuristic drift through mysterious silvery danceclubs, and exclusive penthouse parties, everything prismatic and blurred by a space age cocktail of psychotropics, a night spent cavorting in your gleaming surrogate body, your consciousness painting the town red, while your physical form sits safely in stasis at home, this is the sound of that soul shearing, head spinning rush, as an entire night's debauchery is downloaded in a 17 minute timelapse sonic injection, a heady, hypnotic, burst of electronic color. So rad.
Are You Alone is the latest from moody Montreal downer duo Majical Cloudz, whose last record, Impersonator, remains one of our all time favorite records. On Are You Alone, the general modus operandi remains the same, swirling synths, minimal programmed rhythms, and dramatic, crooned vocals over the top. The main difference this time around, is that the vibe is not nearly as dark as on Impersonator. That record was dense and brooding and super introspective, and while some of that most certainly remains here, the overall feel is much lighter, hewing closer to maybe Magnetic Fields than Scott Walker. More electro-pop than electro-torch-song, and while some folks might be disappointed, the songs are still pretty fantastic, and play like the perfect soundtrack to a lonely stroll on a grey afternoon, a melancholy mixtape meander along rain swept streets, wistfully winding its way into your psyche.
We weren't at all sure what to make of this at first. Apparently there's been some degree of hype around these guys, the usual 'next big thing' stuff, of which we were blissfully unaware, instead we threw Impersonator on having no idea what to expect, and initially we were a little perplexed, faced with a moody, minimal drift, underpinning some big, super dramatic vocals, a world weary emotional croon, draped over a strange swirl of layered and looped vocal fragments, we were almost immediately mesmerized. The strange thing is that it landed at aQ right around the same time as two other sonically similar records, both reviewed elsewhere on this week's list. One is the Mayerling, which is another sort of slow croon minimal pop record, but that one is more electronic, and there's the new Dean Blunt, which also recasts his/their sound as something more darkly and electronically croony.
And while we dig all three of these records, there's definitely something special, and yeah, majical, about this record, hushed and haunting and heartfelt, the melodies aching, and in their own way timeless, the musical accompaniment so minimal in some cases, as to be nearly not there, a whispery organ whir, a chordal smear blurred into a soft focus drone, but elsewhere, beats percolate and surface, synths swirl, sounds blossom into prismatic flurries, sounds crumble and fade, at least one song sounds like some old eighties new wave ballad, but for the most part, these are dark, mysterious modern minimal torch songs, the vocals the focus, and the driving force, the melodies gorgeous and unforgettable, we're reminded of Scott Walker, Ian McCulloch from Echo & The Bunnymen, Midge Ure of Ultravox and even more so, the more we listen to Impersonator, the more it sounds like it could actually be the sonic sketch for a much bigger, more bombastic record. From the choruses, the arrangements, the vocals, even the minimal instrumentation, it's easy to imagine reworking this songs with buzzing guitars and pounding drums, sheets of synth buzz, which might be why they're so effective in this much more minimal form. It actually sounds like these could be tracks by groups like the Editors, or Interpol, or The National, with all the elements stripped away, leaving just the bare minimum, and somehow retaining the dark energy, the emotional heft and musical intensity of 'the original'.
A truly strange, and truly wonderful record, one that we've been listening to almost non stop since it came in. And for some of us, already a definite contender for our end of the year best of 2013 list...
