The shoegaze renaissance continues! This is the debut full length from this Philadelphia band after a string of singles and EPs, and alongside aQ faves True Widow, shows the typically metal-centric Relapse Records branching out further into the realms of atmospheric rock. Guilty Of Everything (a title that's leant an added weight by founder Dominic Polermo's two year jail stint prior to the band's formation) is an enormous monument of heavy shoegaze, loaded with bittersweet hooks and infectious melodies. What sets Nothing apart from most of their contemporaries, and even a lot of the first wave shoegaze bands, is how song oriented they are. Buried underneath an absolutely massive overwhelming production and what feels like a thousand layers of guitar, is an album full of genuinely moving nostalgic pop melodies and arena sized hooks that bring to mind the epic dreamy dirge of bands like Hum and Catherine Wheel. The contrast between these beautifully fragile yet addictive melodies and the wash of reverbed guitar, crunchy low end distortion and bombastic drumming is dramatic and totally perfect, and it plays a massive part in setting Nothing apart in a musical movement that's in constant danger of oversaturation. All the while the vocals hazily drift in and out, the lyrics just on the border of being indecipherable, fragments of sentences floating to the surface like half remembered afterthoughts. While the album is mostly pretty mid paced, there are also moments of driving groove and uptempo punk rock bop that help to momentarily break the hypnosis, but all the while the songs still drip with that same starry-eyed melancholic wonder. Catchy and immersive, rousing yet introspective and totally addictive. A no-brainer when it comes to your 2014 year end list. If you've lately found yourself smitten by the likes of Weekend, Alcest, Deafheaven and Whirr (with whom these guys will be releasing a split later this year) then this is absolutely essential.
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Down south in LA, this band makes some of the most elegant, challenging, and pretty pop music we have ever heard. Franklin Bruno's got the cheek to rhyme "cherubic" with "seraphic;" he can turn a phrase like no other.
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This is Franklin Bruno and co.'s super smart power pop.
Straight out of Orland, California it's another slab of hot wax psych rock scorchers from Nothing People. With Doug Pearson of Monoshock fame now a part of the band, these two songs find NP in fine form. Continuing their driving explorations in punchy and dirty rock that reminds us a lot of Chrome, Moon Duo, Hawkwind, Mission Of Burma, Naked Raygun, Wire, A Place To Bury Strangers, Oneida, and MX-80. What makes Nothing People so cool is that while so many other psych minded bands seem to really just narrow their focus on a very specific era of psych rock, Nothing People have found a way to bring together multiple elements from the last several decades into a punk spirited reverberation that doesn't come off like a simple imitation, but instead rings loudly with stripped down sincerity. The 7" comes in classy packaging with gold foil stamping and there were only 500 pressed so grab one fast!
Full length number two from these California drugged out psychedelic dirge rockers, who now count a member of late great Monoshock among their membership, which makes sense, as these guys whip up a similarly murky moody protopunk psychrock sound, but where NP's debut was a more noisy garage-kraut sci-fi psych rock blowout, Late Night does seem to sonically fulfill its monicker, crafting a darker dirgier moodier minimalism, the songs sprawling dark brooders, all whirring organs, pulsing processed guitars, swirling FX and reverb drenched vocals, that slip from hushed croon to almost soulful falsetto, all set amidst streaks and swirls, smears and blurs, a druggy late night sonic comedown, the record occasionally exploding into some propulsive crunch, or distorted pound, but spending most of it's time oozing and creeping, electronic rhythms wound around fluttery effected melodies, some sci-fi synths remain, adding a haunting cinematic vibe to the proceedings, pop songs melting and oozing from the speakers, for a super obscure reference, think the organ driven dour pop of the Velvet Monkeys, the same sort of moody meandery moonlit minimalism, dirgey ballads crossed with slo-mo garage rock, indie rock jangle slowed way down and transformed into something more twangy and maudlin, reminding us of times of Aussie post punkers Naked On The Vague.
We loved the first NP record, but we're digging this one even more, a killer collection of murk pop gems, hooks everywhere, but wreathed in gauzy creep and wheezy shimmer, blurred shimmery buzz and hazy spaced out psychedelia. A new favorite for sure!
What a kick ass slab of fucked up driving and dark yet totally rocking and catchy post-punk sounds! Nothing People offer up one of the most addictive full lengths in recent memory, chock full of pummeling, paranoid and no-wave tilted garage burners! Taking cues from the likes of The Birthday Party and Chrome, these songs have a hint of danger and dystopia without feeling forced or contrived. We also think a lot of bands like A Frames, Simply Saucer and a more seductive and melodic Mayyors. In fact Nothing People are like this awesome blend of a lot of the fucked up warped garage sounds that have come out on labels like Captured Tracks and Sacred Bones, but with a much heavier and meaty old school Amphetamine Reptile vibe that really fuels the fire of these smoking songs.
Some of us around here have become a little obsessed with Ke$ha, and that song "Tik Tok". The song is crazy addictive, and the fact that she's kind of a babe and has that whole haughty trampy rockstar thing going on, what can we say? But if we were gonna be totally honest, THIS is what we really wish Ke$sha sounded like, it's still sexy and slutty and a little bit filthy, but musically, it's way more dark and fractured and fucked up. A sort of Missy Elliot meets Glass Candy electro thing, but with plenty of T. Raumschmiere or Motor mixed in. Big stuttery beats, squelchy synths, woozy loops, twisted and tweaked effects, thick buzzy bass, and some sultry vocals that here and there are definitely a dead ringer for Ke$ha, but again, it's so much darker and more sinister, less singing, than sort of mewled and whispered and spoken, a sex kitten sort of croon, but the vocals often doused in effects or weirdly sped up, and screwed with in some way, which perfectly mashes with the constantly shifting sonic mashup in the background, all woozy and washed out and Portishead-y one second, deconstructed sliced and diced Art Of Noise the next, synthy Daft Punk euro groove the next, but always groovy, funky, and sexy, and yeah, this is the sort of shit they should be playing on the radio, even though it's probably way more suited to some dark and dingy danceclub in Berlin, way on the wrong side of the tracks.
We Are Nots is the super-fucking catchy debut for this synth-punk quartet from Memphis. The Nots could be the kid sisters of Jay Reatard's Lost Sounds, cranking out similar tension of sci-fi campiness, black lipstick frowns, and full-throttle punk propulsion. Originally, Nots were a two-piece comprised of Natalie Hoffmann (guitars / vocals) and Charlotte Watson (drums), with the former yelping out epithets in lockstep staccato with the non-stop THUMP-THUMP-THAP from Watson. Bass, synths, and the occasional backing vocal were brought in to wisely color the primitive songs with radioactive neon and black leather grime. The opening cut "Insect Eyes" girds on a B-movie synth-line diving back to the Damned's Black Album for inspiration, with an air-raid siren of a guitar lead that bends neatly around the anthemic barking from Hoffmann. Her voice is so classically punk in its untrained sneer, rhythmic delivery, and upturned scratchiness of every final syllable on the lyrics - which taken to the extreme would become the emphatic slurs from Mark E. Smith or the sandpaper abrasiveness of Poly Styrene. Hoffmann may not yet have the charisma and magnanimity of those two punk iconoclasts; but she more than makes up for it with smash 'n' grab enthusiasm and urgency. Eleven tracks the rip through their monotone riffs with scabbed knees, bruised elbows, and sugar-high mania, coming to screeching halt some 25 minutes after blasting out of the gates. A great introduction to a band for which we've got high hopes!
For those of you hungry for more of The Notwist, here's a half hour long ep of three remixes, a 'version' and one soothing new instrumental song called "Red Room". Starting things off are two remixes of "Neon Golden" and "Pilot" by band member Martin Gretschmann (aka Console). Disappointingly they're somewhat watered-down versions of the original songs that don't really bring much more to the already groovy Notwist picture. In the remix process, they've lost a lot of the Notwist charm and distinction. The basis for the "Different Cars And Trains" version by Loopspool (a member of Notwist brethren the Tied & Tickled Trio) is actually a pleasingly stretched out and dubbed out song segment you might recognize from "Pilot". Of the five tracks, the strongest is definitely the stuttering remix of "This Room" by Four Tet and Manitoba. Certainly not essential unless you're a diehard fan.
The Notwist have displayed quite a range of sounds and styles over their lengthy career, morphing from a more experimental outfit into a powerhouse band crafting some of the most scrumptious and infectious songs that have been in heavy rotation around these parts going on years now.
In so many ways their range and breadth of sound position them as true kindred spirits to Radiohead. The same sort of pop / experimental music hybrid. While they have definitely demonstrated that they can really get to the heart of melodic avant-pop, we're sure this opportunity to score a film by Hans-Christian Schmid was an exciting prospect, allowing the band to once again zero in more on ambience and texture. Their score for Music For Storm is moody and brooding and could easily sound right at home on a record by The Necks, Sylvain Chaveau, Arve Henriksen, or any of our favorite hypnotic mood peddlers on labels like Miasma, Root Strata, Rune Grammofon and Type. Utilizing bowed xylophone, effects laden glockenspiel, minimal electronics and accordion, The Notwist have proven once again they are group who understand how to evoke and create strong moods and suspenseful sounds. This LP comes in a striking silk-screen print cover, with a 24-page photo booklet and a cd version to boot!
If you're a regular AQ customer you already know that we're all huge fans of Village of Savoonga, the darkest and most dramatically experimental of the many musical outfits hailing from the loose collective of musicians based in Bavaria, Germany. Another group from this incredibly fertile scene, The Notwist started out as a punk band but have gotten better and more different with each release (reflecting the Acher brothers' growing musical smarts and proficiency), culminating in this nice rock album. But not just any indie rock, this music is wistful, lyrical, softly flowing music that's *extremely* well executed, no filler, and brings in all kinds of non-rock elements -- in sort of the same way that the Beta Band does -- *casually*, not making a big deal out of it. Cos electronic keyboards and programming and stuff (courtesy Martin Gretschmann of the solo electronic act Console) are merely one facet of The Notwist's sound, which also includes very catchy minor key hooks, attractively textural cracklings and wooden clop clops, plucked strings (cello?), machine made gurgles and squishies, even out-of-place (-but-not-really) breakbeats that actually work.
In addition to the guy from Console, The Notwist personnel includes the abovementioned Acher brothers Micha (Village of Savoonga, Tied+Tickled Trio) and Markus (VoS, T+TT, Lali Puna).
Highly recommended! This is a grower.
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Hurrah! The Notwist's long awaited follow-up to aQ fave album Neon Golden has arrived! That 2002 album set the bar pretty high for modern German electronic pop/rock and its wistful forlorn songs really resonated with many of us. Needless to say, the over five year wait may have elevated our expectations to unrealistically lofty heights. So we're approaching with care, and we'll be totally honest The Devil You + Me hasn't quite knocked up on our butts and tickled our heartstrings the way that Neon Golden did. The exacting and seamless pop blend of programmed and organic instrumentation that left us aghast. All right, we said it, and we won't belabor the point. Devil's appeal is certainly not as immediate, but it does sink in slowly, and Markus Acher's hushed yearning vocal delivery is as charming and affecting as ever. Songs such as the title track are sweetly engaging in a surprisingly Belle & Sebastian way. Meanwhile others such as "Sleep" draw easy comparisons to the lovely pop-tronic tunes of Canada's Caribou. Overall, it's a much darker, less catchy, less pop structured collection of songs. A bit more brooding, a bit less dreaming, and perhaps drawing in a bit more of some of their other bands: both Village Of Savoogna's sprawling sonic explorations and Lali Puna's breezy, melancholic ruminations. Indeed, it instead favors more grand and sweeping journeys particularly with the gracious presence of The Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra. Ask yourself, when doesn't the presence of a bassoon and a harp add epic sorrow and fantasy panache (respectively)? We're sure this one's going to continue to lay down its roots long into autumn. If you're new to this band, Neon Golden's the place to start, but you definitely shouldn't overlook the charms of the Devil.
NOW ON VINYL!
Hurrah! The Notwist's long awaited follow-up to aQ fave album Neon Golden has arrived! That 2002 album set the bar pretty high for modern German electronic pop/rock and its wistful forlorn songs really resonated with many of us. Needless to say, the over five year wait may have elevated our expectations to unrealistically lofty heights. So we're approaching with care, and we'll be totally honest The Devil You + Me hasn't quite knocked up on our butts and tickled our heartstrings the way that Neon Golden did. The exacting and seamless pop blend of programmed and organic instrumentation that left us aghast. All right, we said it, and we won't belabor the point. Devil's appeal is certainly not as immediate, but it does sink in slowly, and Markus Acher's hushed yearning vocal delivery is as charming and affecting as ever. Songs such as the title track are sweetly engaging in a surprisingly Belle & Sebastian way. Meanwhile others such as "Sleep" draw easy comparisons to the lovely pop-tronic tunes of Canada's Caribou. Overall, it's a much darker, less catchy, less pop structured collection of songs. A bit more brooding, a bit less dreaming, and perhaps drawing in a bit more of some of their other bands: both Village Of Savoogna's sprawling sonic explorations and Lali Puna's breezy, melancholic ruminations. Indeed, it instead favors more grand and sweeping journeys particularly with the gracious presence of The Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra. Ask yourself, when doesn't the presence of a bassoon and a harp add epic sorrow and fantasy panache (respectively)? We're sure this one's going to continue to lay down its roots long into autumn. If you're new to this band, Neon Golden's the place to start, but you definitely shouldn't overlook the charms of the Devil.
Prog from this Guapo related band.
Kick up your kitten heels and smooth out your voluptuous coif to the groovy sounds of Nous Non Plus! Driven primarily by snappy electric guitars and woozy keyboards, their songs run the gamut from pretty lounge fare to '60s Ye Ye Girl pep to the downright punchy garage pop. The fact that they sing mostly in French helps these New Yorkers slip right in step with the likes of April March and Stereo Total. Super saucy, coy'n'playful! If you're looking for a summertime combo this goes quite swimmingly well alongside the new album from Brazil's CSS!
We really couldn't resist the charm of the first two Nouevelle Vague records. Filled with covers of so many post-punk favorites all done in the groop's smooth and sultry samba soaked style. But on this latest record, any sense of their own unique take or interpretation of songs seems to have been lost and thus, the whole thing just falls pretty flat and sounds lifeless to our ears. Not sure if the world needed any more covers of the Violent Femmes "Blister In The Sun" and maybe it's time for Nouvelle Vague to listen to a Smiths song they haven't covered yet:"That Jokes Not Funny Anymore". 'Cause this time out everything feels so phoned in and lacking any true excitement or creativity...we really ain't feeling this one.
Last year Nouvelle Vague seemed to hit the scene out of nowhere with a recipe we were surprised to discover hadn't been done to death yet. Sweet, swank versions of some of our favorite 80's punk, post-punk and new-wave classics. It worked then, and it works now, and now they are back at it again. This outing is another round of covers, this time The Buzzcocks, Blondie, A Certain Ratio, Billy Idol, The Cramps, Bauhaus, Visage and loads more. Trading in the samba delivery of the first album for a more Caribbean slant this time around and adding a bit of a darker vibe to the proceedings, this is still totally fun and wildly charming. While Bande A Part does have a few duds (does anyone need to hear U2 covered at this point?) it's still got enough fun moments to keep us smiling and dancing!
100 percent pure fun! All your favorite early 80's new wave and post-punk classics done bossa nova style by a couple of French producers with some wonderful female vocalists from France and Brazil. The story goes that the producers (Marc Collin & Oliver Libaux) found singers who were unaware of the original versions in order to capture a totally fresh cover version. And they did! Joy Division, XTC, The Clash, P.I.L., Dead Kennedy's, The Undertones, etc. get the treatment. The perfect soundtrack for when you want something that will make you smile and dance around your house. This moves beyond guilty pleasure and ranks right up their with one of the most fun and well executed cover records in a long long time.
"Featuring The Cateroeternally Live Sound" it says, whatever that means...well, it means it's from the psychedelic '60s of course! Yep, the '60s psych pop reissues never seem to stop coming. Obscure bands with one collectable LP to their name having their tunes dug up and put out on cd at long last. In trying to keep up with the constant deluge, we've of course learned that not every reissue shoulda been -- but this 1967 album IS a good example of a worthwhile reish!
Dunno much about 'em, and being a Radioactive disc there ain't much in the way of liner notes, but we know The Nova Local were an American band (from Chapel Hill, NC), who seem equally influenced by both Hendrix and the Beatles. Their songs feature lovely vocal harmonies alongside heavy organ and psych fuzz guitar work, and range from garagey, Nuggetsy fare a la the Electric Prunes to more orchestrated lite-psych, with some trippy interludes of surreal '60s silliness. The first track on side one, "$5 A Ticket" deserves minor hit status, we think (and no, of course it's not a song about going to a Fugazi show!). And they do a really great, uniquely laid-back and lengthy version of the oft-covered "Tobacco Road".
One thing that makes this band something special is the voice of rhythm guitarist Randy Winburn, who sings lead on a lot of these tracks. Randy is indeed a fella, but his voice is high, almost weirdly womanly, contributing to the band's nice blend of dark and light here.
Nova Scotian Arms is the solo project of Grant Evans, who runs the psychoactively inclined Hooker Vision label with his wife Rachel Evans, better known as Motion Sickness of Time Travel. Her ephemeral electronica laced with moonshine hallucinations and rural psychedelia made quite an impression in these parts with her first two albums on Digitalis; and there's definitely some overlap with Grant's debut lp Cult Spectrum as they appear to be sharing the same synths, set to druggy swoosh and sodden ambient amorphousness. But where Rachel crafts narcoleptic vocal melodies amidst her hypnotic, post-Kosmische synth patterns, Grant follows more the organic, accretive processes that aren't that far from Emeralds' early dronecentric work and the polyglot explorations of Brian Pyle (e.g. Starving Weirdos, Ensemble Economique, and especially RV Paintings). Amidst the Popul Vuh style elongated ambient phrasing of "Overcast Strumming (1st Delay)," Grant conjures hissing whispers and distantly tapped percussion hung with thick coats of reverb and echo, creating a somber elegance of faded memories furthering their decay through layers of dust and cobwebs. On the sixteen minute long "Emulsion," spooky wisps of synthesized smoke spiral into a darkly shimmering ambient wash undercut by the sound of Grant rasping his knuckles against an acoustic guitar, whose forceful riffs ooze out of the decomposing mass of decade-long growth from kudzu and Spanish moss. In all this spectral ambient decay, Nova Scotian Arms comes across not too far from the Twinsistermoon / Natural Snow Buildings camp or like a thoroughly deconstructed Steven R. Smith album. Druggy bliss-out dronemuzik, for sure!
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Now domestically available, another cool Krautrock reish from Revisited! Their recent cd-ifications of Eroc, Klaus Schulze, Embryo, and Amon Duul II, among others, have been in heavy rotation here at AQ, and this one joins the gang. Revisited appear to be reissuing titles from the legendary & collectable green-labelled 1000-series by the seminal krautrock label Brain, and this too is one of those "green Brain" records. Produced by AQ fave Achim Reichel, Novalis' 1975 self-titled release was the 2nd album from these keyboard-dominated, synthed-out "romantic" space rockers from Hamburg, and is a proggy, groovy, classical gas indeed. Imagine a krauty mixture of E.L.P., and Trans Am, perhaps.
Keyboard whiz Lutz Rahn doesn't stint on the symphonic synths, and Novalis seem to specialize in taking both folk and classical motifs from the past and using them in a "futuristic" rock context. There's also plenty of guitar here too (with two guitarists in the band). The very first track, the sprightly "Sonnengefecht", starts things off with something of a '70s TV cop-show vibe, but one that fans of Zombi should dig. Further cuts reveal Novalis to be flamboyant, yet moody. Energetic, epic, erudite. Some of their lyrics were derived from the 18th century poetry of Karl Friedrich von Hardenberg, better known as Novalis, the band's namesake. Others are their own, as on one of this album's highlights, "Impressionen", which makes good use of themes borrowed from the 5th Symphony of Anton Bruckner.
Like many of the other Revisited reissues, this includes bonus material not found on the original vinyl. Here you get a ten and a half minute, live in '75 version of "Impressionen". As usual as well, this is nicely presented in a digipack, with color photos in the cd booklet, and liner notes in both German and English. Keep 'em coming, Revisited -- there's quite a few other "Green Brain" albums we'd like to have on cd!!
Land is the first full length from this all female British psychedelic noise pop crew, who have previously shared a split with another aQ fave, nineties shoegaze revivalists The History Of Apple Pie, and while their sounds aren't all that familiar, they're definitely complimentary.
And fans of that sort of dreamy jangly retro-indie rock sound will definitely find much to love here, a sound reminiscent of groups like Stereolab, Electrelane, Lush, Curve, and the like, but these ladies give the psychedelic space rock boy's club a serious run for their money as well, fusing those super melodic pop elements to seriously heady stretches of droned out, motorik mesmer, dense hypno-rock grooves wrapped in distorted spidery guitars, the group slipping effortlessly from straight psychedelic indie pop, to explosive heart-of-the-sun, out-jams that, minus the vocals, would likely elicit comparisons to heavier psych/space/neo-kraut rockers like Wooden Ships, White Hills, Carlton Melton or even Loop. In fact there are plenty of moments on Land that sound like total Loop worship, channeling the taking-drugs-to-make-music-to-take-drugs-by grooviness of Spacemen 3 and cranking it way up and looping (yup) those supercharged sounds into a druggier, more driving sprawl.
But at their heart, Novella are definitely a pop group, with a handful of hooks to die for, with pretty much every track here boasting some earwormy melody, some fantastic vocals, lovely harmonies, which just happen to be often paired with some groovy, fuzzy, jammy psychedelic trip out. It's a pretty stunning combo, and one that will likely have pop kids, space nerds and psych freeks equally smitten. Slipcased cd or vinyl with 'bonus' 7" featuring two tracks also on the cd.
This one is going to be a major contender for drifty/dreamy/droney record of the year! We really have loved everything we've heard (and seen!) from Sarah Lipstate (she is a great filmmaker as well as a blissed out drone music maker). And each release of hers seems to soar just a little higher and reach new levels of daydream hazy washed out perfection. Desert Fires might just be our favorite outing yet from her, as it drifts and drips with a drugged out disposition that wanders through the outer realms yet flows so totally serenely. It reminds us a bit of the more spaced out and glacial outings by Kawabata Makoto, Steven R. Smith and Roy Montgomery. It's remarkable the way she's able to use her guitar to create such an ethereal and tripped out ambience, similar to the sound and feel that folks like Tim Hecker and Emeralds create in their soundscapes. It's a record that makes you want to close your eyes and just get lost in its soft focus and hypnotizing waves of sound forever. Utterly beautiful!
For some reason, it has been frustratingly difficult to restock last year's outing by Noveller, Desert Fires, which is such a shame as it was truly one of the years best drifting and dreamy albums. Here's hoping that her new record, this one right here, Glacial Wave, will not suffer the same distribution problems, as she has again crafted another exquisite collection of some of the most substantial blissed out sounds you are liable to hear all year long.
It's been so nice to witness the evolution of Noveller's music, from her much noisier, harsh and slightly unfocused beginnings to the much more serene, spaced out and majestic tones and songs she's creating now. But we think that background in the noise scene has helped her create such a strong core and depth to these beautifully ethereal soundscapes. There is something both so mournful and harrowing about the sounds on Glacial Glow. Much like Grouper and Windy & Carl, Noveller has this amazing ability to create utterly haunting and mesmerizing moods in her music. We've been playing this as we go to sleep, as we wake up and actually at all hours in between as there's no better sounds for when we are feeling dazed and glazed. Highly recommended!
We've been big fans of Noveller's trance inducing guitarscapes for quite a while now. She's one of those artists that takes her sweet time between albums, and that sort of meticulousness and patience comes with rewards. While her first five records all seemed to showcase just what she could do with just a guitar and handful of pedals, this time out she's expanded her sonic palette, adding washed out synths, subtle piano, even some murky electronics.
What separates Noveller, and this album, from its peers, is that there is real song structure beneath the wall of sound that seems to cascade gloriously up and down and all around this whole record. Haunting melodies are deftly woven into the tracks, making the experience of listening to No Dreams one that taps into worlds of washed out memories, distant yesterdays, and a present moment that blurs the line between the material world and something much more ethereal and ephemeral.
With soaring sonic elements that remind us of Robert Fripp alongside majestic crescendos that recall Glen Branca and Rhys Chatham, No Dreams also has a cinematic quality that evokes the come down moments of some of our favorite records by folks like Godspeed You Black Emperor and Mogwai. Noveller has managed to create a record that manages to be drifty and dazy without ever getting stale or static. The perfect soundtrack for when all you want is to wash away you day and let dreams whisk you away, blast this at full volume, and let yourself disappear into Noveller's gorgeous world of No Dreams...
After two full lengths on No fun, a split with Aidan Baker from Nadja, as well as a handful of limited releases and comp tracks, comes this latest, short sweet burst of beautiful avant drone, from Sarah Lipstate, who besides making beautiful drone music, also plays (or played?) guitar for the group Parts & Labor, and is an accomplished filmmaker. Over the course of her recordings, we've become quite enamored of Noveller's approach to drone music and minimal ambience, and this 7" just continues to demonstrate that she deserves the same sort of hype afforded to groups like Emeralds, considering the similar sonic terrain they explore.
Warm liquid buzz, hazy and otherworldly wrapped around swirling FX and looped processed guitar, deep rumbling tones, shimmering synths, all floating on a wheezing chordal drift, an amorphous cloud of sound, soothing and tranquil and hypnotic. The A-side builds to a bit of a Sunroof! style climax before drifting off into a muted thrum. The B-side adds a loping guitar figure, a mesmerizing looped melody, bathing the sounds in an ethereal glimmer, creating a gorgeous slab of gauzy dreamlike pop ambience. So nice!
1971 Swedish hard rock power trio rarity, now available on cd. Pretty great heavy psych rock, kind of proggy too. Just like their first one. If you're into the heavy '70s psych that's not yet metal, you might want to check these guys out.
1972 Swedish hard rock power trio rarity, now available on cd. Pretty great heavy psych rock, kind of proggy too. With some bonus tracks, including some English language versions.
1970 Swedish hard rock power trio rarity, now available on cd. Pretty great heavy psych rock, kind of proggy too.
This is the long-awaited follow-up to the wonderful AQ-staff-and-customer-fave Milk Cult album! Since this time just 2/3 of Milk Cult participated in the making of the record, they're calling themselves Novex. But it's the very same delicious combination of
This album is also much more traditionally "pop" than the Milk Cult record, complete with real songs, choruses, Beatles-y hooks, indieboy vocals (sorta like the Apples in Stereo, sorta like Robyn Hitchcock) and a relatively sweet tone throughout, which when combined with the electronic and breakbeat stuff, makes for a keenly charming combo. Thus the record will appeal not only to fans of Milk Cult, but also Land of the Loops and other purveyors of looped fun.
(While supplies last, get a free set of three "Maxine" trading cards drawn and produced by Agent Nova / Dale Flattum of Milk Cult / Novex.)
Horns! We love 'em! Especially when they're Canadian horns! What the hell do we mean by that?! Thanks for askin'... we're particularly recalling with much fondness those fine brassy tones of ol' AQ faves Zumpano. Ah, but we digress. These Canucks are label brethren of the New Pornographers and well ... there really must be something in the water up there! From the first track Novillero mean business! There's a balance of mature urgency and youthful exuberance in their latest full length Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives. Lead vocalist Rod Slaughter sounds positively fired up. Have to say, some new musical magic has definitely clicked into place with his new band. Whereas his former two-piece Duotang (another fine Mint Records' pop band) crafted amazingly full, '60s-influenced mod-ish tunes with just vocals, bass guitar and drums, the Novillero quartet encorporates a much broader spectrum of sounds blending organ, piano, accordion, Moog synths, the aforementioned horns and a healthy dose of tambourine into the mix. Each band member tackles an array of instruments. Theirs is pop music that packs a (still mod-tinged) punch with snappy choruses, soaring melodies and buoyant vocal harmonies that ring with the joyous highs akin to not only those of Carl Newman and co., but also Sloan or The Posies -- the latter particularly when bandmate Grant Johnson takes the mic. However, this album's lusher side also align the band with fellow current gorgeous grand popsters such as Arcade Fire, Stars and The Dears, but with a bigger tiger in their tank. Check out their wonderful "Insomnia" and "The Hypothesist". They spend eleven songs igniting their dazzling pop fireworks, and bring things to a soft, sweet finish with the duet "Let's Pull Over Here". Oooh, the song recalls classic swooning duets by the likes of Gainsbourg and Bardot. Recommended.
Second record from this Georgia outfit fronted by Andy LeMaster from Bright Eyes. While not as patently weird as their debut, this is still a gorgeously off kilter chunk of moody, country tinged, beat driven indie jangle and swoon. Dark and minor key, with keening vocals that soar over an amazing array of harmonies, and rich sonic tapestries. Guitars are soaked in syrupy effects, drums become electronic skitters, acoustic guitars strummed over dark and mysterious sonic chasms, melodies twist and pulse, sounds drone and twang, warble and shudder, slither and wheeze. But the vocals definitely make it. LeMaster sings in a gorgeous and rich tenor, sounding effortless but tortured, commanding even at a whisper, miserable even at a roar. A sweetly perfect amalgam of Joel Phelps (ex-Silkworm), Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes and Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. Wasn't sure we liked this as much as the first one, but the more we listen, the more we absolutely do. Features guest vocals from Conor Oberst and Michael Stipe of R.E.M.
From Athens, GA comes a nice breath of fresh air -- Now It's Overhead. The oddly-named band is two boys (the main guy is Andy LeMasters) and two girls (both of Azure Ray), all of whom have strong Bright Eyes connections, and they have made a mellow,
(Andee just did the Ladysmith Black Mambazo dance here in the office, it truly must be seen to be believed... where's Daniel Robin with the video camera whan ya need him?)
We hate to say it, or maybe we don't really hate to say it, but it seems like, well, you could pass a (rather draconian) law that no new music is allowed to be recorded or released, EVER, and even then, just by virtue of folks digging up and reissuing old obscure recordings from the '60s, '70s, etc., there'd still be enough awesome releases for Aquarius at least to still have a kick ass New Arrivals list of reviews every two weeks, right?? The cool reissues that keep on coming seem like proof of this. Here's the latest great example.
Long forgotten, private press, early '70s American psych-prog, rather pastoral (it's dedicated to the pagan Greek god Pan after all), masterminded by some earnest, bearded prog nerd doing his musicianly best to emulate his English/European heroes of the day, shades of Pink Floyd and King Crimson. That sorta sums up this all-instrumental album, recorded by composer William Nowik with a little help from his friends somewhere in upstate New York back in 1974. Except, that doesn't quite convey quite how fantastic and unusual Pan Symphony In E Minor really is! Possibly Nowik was into krautrock too, and we do know that the Master Musicians Of Joujouka had some influence on his musical vision of Pan.
Nowik's meticulously crafted, moody song-suites flow gorgeously, making precise sudden shifts as well. There'll be mellow rustic folkiness one moment, then -wham- it starts rockin' out with some fairly heavy guitar riffing, but then things wend and wind along further, and it's back to all-acoustic folk or jazzy bliss, but wyrd y'know, and then wyrder, with parts that are downright experimental, such as the passage towards the end of the disc which sounds like people climbing stairs while a church organ plays, followed by the sounds of a ticking clock, then plinking thumb piano...
There's just something ELSE to Nowik's music, an x-factor (the -actual- influence of Pan, perhaps?) that's hard to define but makes it more than just another obscure '70s prog effort. He takes things further, the music goes places other than where you'd expect, and dwells there longer, before heading off in another surprising direction (acoustic folky groove morphing into disjointed funk, ferinstance, at one point). But in all cases it really pulls you naturally there along with it. And it's beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Much will appeal to fans of Six Organs of Admittance, among other acts (Citay too?), we think.
The cd booklet is filled with enthused liner notes & lots of vintage b&w photos, giving a glimpse into the album's creation and the subsequent career of its creator. Since only a mere handful of copies were originally pressed in '74, and it was barely distributed to boot, thank Pan that it's been reissued and more folks can enjoy this today.
We will note one oddity of the cd reissue: though there's 14 tracks listed, the actual disc is only indexed into 3 tracks (one very short, two quite long). Doesn't really matter though, as you should listen to the whole thing all the way through every time anyway...
Second Load release from this dark and weird instrumental band from Norway featuring our pal Kjetil Brandsdal, whom the more 'experimental' among you might know as a solo drone musician. But playing bass and baritone guitar in Noxagt he makes a much more *rock* racket. Actually Noxagt are hard to pin down, surely fitting in among the other Load label misfits while doing something unlike anyone else. That's because their sound has evolved from the short sharp 'Nor Wave' punk fuckery of their earlier releases into something...folky. But very heavy. The instrumentation is key. Along with Kjetil's bass, and the drumming of Jan Kyvik, what stands out is the viola (and violin and piano) played by Nils Erga. The Iron Point is an album his of cyclic string drones wedded to crunching, spronging bass and sometimes almost black metallish blasting drums. With sudden prog-rock changes, punk/metal urgency, and the aforementioned folkish melody...all instrumental except for the vocals of guest Hagbard Heien on traditional tune "Kling No Klokka" which is a fine surprise. Speaking of surprises, the disc concludes with Noxagt covering "Regions of May" by Tom Rapp of Pearls Before Swine! Gentle yet bomastic, it's lighter than what's come before yet totally fits in on an album that overall we think is Noxagt's best yet, wherein they've really developed into something more melodic, more 'folky' yet even heavier and more focussed than before. And, continuing a tradition begun on their last album, there's smart ass liner notes courtesy of noted British smart ass Stefan Jaworzyn (ex-Skullflower). Also, again production by noted producer Billy Anderson, who knows as much as anyone about heaviness. (Nice cover/design by the way -- you can tell Kjetil is a big record collector.)
There's a lot of weird stuff going on with this Noxagt band. First, it's maybe not the kind of band you would imagine finding experimental drone guitarist Kjetil Brandsal fronting. And playing bass no less. You might not expect it, but once you hear it, it makes perfect sense. And Noxagt has an instrumental line-up that you definitely don't see everyday: bass, drums, and...viola! But once you hear the viola, again it makes perfect sense. And you also then wouldn't necessarily expect to find this band on Rhode Island's Load records, although they fit quite nicely between the neanderthal noise rock of Pink And Brown and the spastic grind prog of Lightning Bolt. So here we are, the second record from Norway's Noxagt, a sludgy thud rock band in the finest tradition of pummelling crunch and spastic clomp. Pretty fucking heavy for just a bass and a viola. Take some Jesus Lizard, some Load rock, some Bulb rock, some eighties Homestead rock, and some modern noise rock (Laddio Bolocko maybe) and mush it all together into a stinky little rehearsal space or an even stinkier little van, and you get this brief (26 minutes) blast of burly, instrumental quasi-abstract abrasiveness. Produced by heaviness guru Billy Anderson (Sleep, High On Fire, Cathedral, etc.) with really funny liner notes by Stefan Jaworzyn (Skullflower, Whitehouse, Ascension, etc.) And the inside is one of those amazing pictures that when you stare at it long enough with your eyes blurred just the right way a hidden 3-D image pops up. So cool!
MPEG Download: "Mek It Burn" [/audio/noxagtmekitburn.mp3]
MPEG Stream: "Mek It Burn" [/audio/noxagtmekitburn.m3u]
Kjetil Brandsdal may be known best for his antique, guitar-grit drones that got released on Corpus Hermeticum and Ecstatic Peace, but he's also been quite active in the "Nor Wav" scene in his native Norway. Where much of the No Wave sensibilities have been resurfacing in the US through the angular, noise-core, costume rock of Pink & Brown and Lightning Bolt, Brandsdal's Noxagt finds
NSU's record taught me (Allan) a little lesson. I came across a cd reissue of the lone LP by this obscure Scottish sixties psych band a couple years ago, and picked it up for its heaviness potential (it had been described as being really heavy by an overseas dealer). At first hearing, though, the heaviness I wanted wasn't really there. I had been hoping for a proto-metal album like, say, Toad or Leaf Hound, and so was disappointed and set the NSU aside. But then, some weeks later, I gave it another chance and, as so often happens when you aren't judging something by your wishful expectations but instead taking it on its own terms, I ended up really really liking it. I realized, this was a pretty nifty album with some marvelous songs and vibe from a pretty cool band, that while not quite competition for Black Sabbath or Blue Cheer, still operates on the cusp of proto-metal heavy, sixties style, and surely provides lots of wailing guitar! So now we're quite happy to have this in stock, a new nice digipack cd reissue of what we've come to regard as a bit of a gem, if you have any sort of a soft spot for Cream-y British '60s guitar blues psychedelia! Originally released in 1969 on Stable, the same label (and year) as the record by Lemmy's old band Sam Gopal that we love so much, and that this reminds us of just a bit, especially the more mellow and laid back parts, and they also share a penchant for lyrical subject matter that tends towards the dark and/or druggy! One song is even simply titled "Stoned".
So again, a lesson, give stuff more than one listen! You never know what you might like better then second time... We're still wondering, though: N.S.U.? What's it stand for?
Early '70s jazz rock fusion from this British band, pioneers in the field, who later contributed members to Soft Machine. With an instrumental line-up that included trumpet, piano, oboe, sax, flute, bass, guitar, and drums, this never before released live 1971 radio concert recording demonstrates the funky rhythmic drive of the band, and features some of the wild acid guitar skronk of the legendary Ray Russell in his only recorded (and previously unknown) appearance with Nucleus! With him on board, this is not quite so loose and out-limits pushing as Miles' 70s rock/jazz ensembles, but gettin' there.
Featuring folks from some other Portland aQ faves like Fontanelle, Strategy, and Valet, Nudge seem to have really hit their stride and found their voice on this, their fourth outing. With the wonderfully melty and psychedelic vocal delivery of Honey Owens (Valet, Jackie O Motherfucker) swirling in the midst of subtle electronics and smoky instrumentation, As Good As Gone kind of sounds like some amazing amalgamation of Mazzy Star, Grouper, Windy & Carl and Nite Jewel, if they all joined forces for a blissed out 4AD inspired late night musical love affair. Dazed and hazy in all the right ways, with such a nice touch on the electronics that gives the record its unique slant on cloud surfing shoegaze glory. So good!
Debut full length from Olympia rockers Nudity, and boy is this a hell of a record. A supergroup of sorts, featuring members of Tight Bro's From Way Back When, The Need, Sex/Vid, and Broken Water. You might think this maybe sounds like some noisy Olympia punk, but somehow the result is totally different, and totally awesome!
Think of some punked up combo of Ty Segall's riff-centric Fuzz project, Love Gun-era Kiss, and the pulsating synth-rock of Moon Duo, and you're sorta on the right track with Nudity - total '70s worship of the highest caliber.
On the absolutely boisterous opener "White Hot Gold," you get what might be the rock n' roll single of the YEAR, an absolutely riffed out jammer that seriously could have come out in 1975. "(I've Got The) Death Energy" and "Carnal Heart" follow this template of high-energy no-nonsense rock n' roll, but on "Death Energy," Nudity get downright kraut in the middle, playing an extended spacey build up jam complete with vocoders and Thin Lizzy-esque dueling guitars. "Light & Grace" has a '70s blues-rock/proto-metal boogie that could easily have been an unearthed gem from some private press release (or maybe an released Satan's Satyrs track?). Then you get tracks like "Myrna Loy/Leatrice Joy" and "Here Comes the Light," pulsating, synthy, krauty jams that are equal parts spacey and heavy, along with some seriously ripping solos (sax, synth, and guitar).
We recommend that you start now with Nudity and say you were listening to them from the beginning. Not to be missed! This release is lp only, however, it does come with a digital download.
The Nightfeeders is the newest release from Olympia Washington's, Nudity! This group of self-proclaimed astral travellers brings us a highly limited, vinyl-only 12" of heavy kraut freak-out! Their sound is huge and galactic, bluesy and blown out, the perfect formula for some solid psychedelic jams. Music that makes you want to knock over amps and take your shirt off. Get this one before it's too late, we only have a handful... you don't want to be shirtless without it.
