Yay! Yaaay! Finally the long-overdue domestic release of a bunch of albums by one of Andee and Cup's all-time fave Canadian pop bands... SLOAN! Yaaaaaaaaaay! Before the New Pornographers, before Arcade Fire, before Hot Hot Heat, before Godspeed You Black Emperor, Bassist Chris Murphy, drummer Andrew Scott, and dual guitarists Jay Ferguson and Patrick Pentland were rockin' and representin' for the land of the maple leaf! Twice Removed is by far Cup's favoritest album of theirs. She pretty much knows it by heart. So does Andee in fact! Perhaps you'll wanna get geekily acquainted too -- y'know, be able to distinguish a Chris song from an Andrew one or be able to recognize Jay's guitar playing from Patrick's? A general rule of thumb: the oft-falsetto-piped Murphy writes a lot of the more bombastic power pop songs such as the lead-off track "Penpals" which reportedly was based on a sneak peek at their former DGC labelmates Nirvana's fanmail, the angelic voiced Ferguson pens the peppier boyish pop tunes such as "Snowsuit Sound" (a definite album highlight if you had to single one out and maybe one of the greatest pop songs EVER!), bespectacled Pentland's contributes many of the slower heartfelt romantic numbers, and the drollest of the bunch Scott inserts a bit of slightly eccentric artiness. And that's not even taking into consideration how they support one another, fleshing out each song with great multi-part harmony backing vocals which elevate things to a whole 'nother level. Soooo good! With each of the four bandmembers contributing an equal share of the songwriting and singing, it's not difficult at all to imagine each of the fellows leading his own band, but fortunately for us they haven't 'cause of course their chemistry does add that significant intangible extra 'something'. While other bands frequently go through line-up changes with varying degrees of success, the founding foursome have stuck together for over a dozen years and maintained their high pop standard and their seemingly inexhaustible fountain of hooks that balances brains and balls. Ultra highly recommended, and if you disagree, well then you'll have to face the wrath of Cup (and Andee too)!
We love Riot Season. Easily one of our favorite labels, consistently delivering fucked up heavy weirdness, far out psychedelia, and pretty much every variation in between, Shit And Shine, Acid Mothers Temple, Aluk Todolo, Black Boned Angel, Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Todd, Skull Defekts, Mainliner, Circle, Hey Colossus, Aufgehoben, most recently Ultraphallus, and now Sloath, who couldn't have found a more fitting home for their sprawling slo-mo downtuned doomage.
The label mentions Sleep and Sabbath and Melvins and Earth (old Earth we presume), and while these guys do carry on the tradition of doomed out heaviness, it's also it's own warped beast. Three epic jams, super hypnotic and mesmerizing, the guitars massive, so distorted that at times it sounds like the speakers are getting fried, but it's also melodic, lumbering and moody and epic, the vocals, wordless and chantlike, the band locking into full on psychedoomdelic space jams, like some sort of ultra heavy Hawkwind, the tracks laced with streaks of feedback, occasionally getting super dynamic, slipping from lurching groove to Harvey Milk like extreme plod to woozy slowcore slither.
The final track is a massive 22 minute epic, beginning all post rocky and lightly psychedelic, clean guitars, simple minimal rhythm, but still subtly doomy and heavy, the sort of thing that psych rock heavies should be flipping for, the vocals delivered like some psych doom shamen, and after about 9 minutes, the hammer falls, the guitars explode, even more distorted than before, the track building to a seriously majestic in-the-red space rock doom sludge blow out, wild psych leads draped over the churning Sabbathy swing underneath, totally heavy and epic and fucking incredible.
This RULES. These guys are the perfect bridge between the doom/sludge scene and the space rock / psych world, two sounds that really aren't all that far removed from each other as they seen anyway�
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES.
Huzzah! San Francisco's idiosyncratic old school metal masters Slough Feg are back with a new record, already! We made their previous album, 2009's Ape Uprising, a Record Of The Week, and wrote, like, thousands of words about it. So we'll be a bit briefer here, whilst still giving this our highest recommendation. If you liked it when they Aped it Up, then you know what you're in for on The Animal Spirits. Kinda...
Slough Feg already did an album called Atavism, but THIS is their most atavistic yet. Their most '70s rock. (Heck, most Broadway too.) In part, heavy, ripping, raw. In part, majestically melodic. So very melodic, and often major-key, almost pop instead of metal. But not "pop-metal", no not that. And always, always, eccentric. Also epic, can't forget epic, though none of the songs are even over 5 minutes long. Speaking of epics, what metal band would do a song about somebody named Thor, on an ocean voyage, and have it NOT be about Vikings? Slough Feg, naturally, with this album's "Kon-Tiki", about Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl's daring raft expedition across the Pacific in 1947. Another unusual, historical number is "The 95 Thesis", about Martin Luther and the Reformation, maybe the only metal song on that subject and certainly the only one to features the lines "Some hide in sophistry but you had the balls / to nail your thesis to the cathedral wall", as it's not so much about religious history as it is about someone being a badass.
So, perhaps even moreso than on other Slough Feg albums, expect the unexpected. Like the crude but cool b&w artwork, for instance, drawn by the band's vocalist/guitarist/mastermind Mike Scalzi himself. Or the Alan Parsons Project (!) cover they do, "The Tell-Tale Heart", which utterly sounds like a Slough Feg tune, Scalzi totally owning the vocal part originally sung by none other than Arthur "I Am The God Of Hellfire" Brown on the 1976 original.
It's also perhaps unexpected that this record would be released on cult avant blackened doom label Profound Lore (though they've lately been signing a lot of the Bay Area underground's best, it seems). Sure, PL has put out some somewhat "trad" metal before, like the last Hammers Of Misfortune double disc and the recent, recommended Dawnbringer opus, but this still has to be the weirdest release on Profound Lore ever... who, by the way, claim that Slough Feg are America's most important heavy metal band of the past 20 years!
Over those years, especially with their current lineup, Slough Feg certainly have earned a reputation as an incredible live act, really you won't see too many more impressive or entertaining performances from a metal band, or any band, these days. They're a band that rejoices in being on stage, that revels in the skill they possess and the power they wield, and they capture that spirit and energy and showmanship and sense of abandon with these new songs for sure. The Animal Spirits is lively, dare we say playful. Sometimes cryptically, cleverly humorous. Bold and brash and totally unselfconscious. So they can do rockin' tracks like the frantic boogie of opener "Trick The Vicar", or the thrashy closer "Tactical Air-War" (which features special guest vocalist, Bobbie Wright of another San Fran metal cult, Brocas Helm!!), and in between find room for a few numbers that are closer to musical theater, though still quite heavy.
We've talked about the unexpected, the other hand, you CAN of course expect plenty of guitar harmonies, shredding leads, bombastic vocals, and memorable riffs... they still sound 100 percent like Slough Feg (and thus a bit like Maiden, a bit like Priest, a bit like Sabbath, and a bit like Thin Lizzy). If you've ever said, nobody makes music like that anymore, well Slough Feg do. But they're original about it too.
Oh, and good thing they released this in time for Halloween, as there's songs about both vampires and werewolves on here. The latter, live stand out "Lycanthropic Fantasies", is a show stopper on stage, and one of this disc's best as well. The former, "Ask The Casket", is a ridiculously melodic dirge inspired by the cult '60s TV gothic horror soap opera Dark Shadows.
Another of our favorite tracks is "Second Coming", which starts off acoustically, and features one of Scalzi's most emotive and heartfelt vocal performances, as well as (more) gorgeous twin lead guitarwork... like Slough Feg's earlier "The Sea Wolf", it's a song inspired by writer Jack London, but maybe 'cause the lyrics make reference to San Francisco, it seems like Scalzi's really singing about himself here, somehow.
Finally, by the way, unlike Ape Uprising, which did have a song or two about apes, The Animal Spirits is NOT about animals (or spirits). The title refers to an archaic philosophical concept that Scalzi finds amusing, and we don't think pertains to the content of any of the songs on here.
Attention all headbanging nerds!! Look out, here's a brand new song from San Francisco's weird metal lords Slough Feg, a propulsive sci-fi themed rocker entitled "Laser Enforcer", sounding, especially in this rough-and-tumble demo version, a heck of a lot like some long lost NWOBHM single. We've heard it played live as well, it's a good one! It's slated to appear, in re-recorded form, on their upcoming studio album Digital Resistance, due out sometime next year on Metal Blade, but why wait? This raw rendition was originally intended for a split with cult Canadian doomsters Funeral Circle, but somehow that fell through, so here it is, self-released by the band on 7" vinyl, and paired instead with another, older recording from their vaults.
We're especially taken with the groovy instrumental breakdown, with brief drum break and chicken scratch guitar pattern, that happens at about the 1:30 mark of "Laser Enforcer" and then recurs again a bit later on, both times segueing into emotive twin guitar leads, with lots of zip-zip-zap-zap sound FX swirling 'round. Elsewhere, the superbly melodic verse/chorus vocal parts find Slough Feg mainman Mike Scalzi's distinctive tenor in fine form, as he tells you the fantastical facts about what metaphysical effects his regime of laser enforcement will bring about. Despite the song's driving groove, it also has a sort of moody, melancholy vibe to it, interestingly enough. Definitely makes us look forward to the upcoming album, as if we weren't already.
Then, for something completely different, the B side, from a previously unreleased 4-track recording that dates back to the Atavism era, is a Government Issue cover! Yep, the '80s DC hardcore band. Slough Feg do a dead-on job with their raging version of GI's "Blending In" from the 1984 album Joyride. It's a nod to Scalzi and fellow Slough Feg guitarist Angelo Tringali's roots in the punk scene back then; after all they've always cited the likes of Black Flag as an influence alongside Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy.
Limited to 500 copies.
The Slow Poisoners do what they do very very well! And that is, mainman Andrew Goldfarb and his merry band of minstrels craft a plethora of gleeful, slightly trippy retro 60s/70s-ish tunes, and they certainly seem to have a splendid time doing so. Their second full length is a characteristically playful affair filled with multi-layered vocal harmonies, gently tweaked lyrics and quirky harpsichord and organ embellishments. Make no bones about it (where did that saying come from anyway!), these Bay Area super-polished popsters have been deeply moved by the works of the Beatles and David Bowie. Song by song, the deep reverence is more than evident. As well, on a number of songs, there's an ample dose of Donovan-esque folky eccentricities too. Toothsome, intelligent and fun.
These SF eccentric songsters have released a new 7" that's chock full o' nuts - five suitably off-kilter new songs. The Slow Poisoners are definitely a hard group to pinpoint. Led by mainman Andrew Goldfarb, they've followed their muse hopping from genre to genre and mood to mood for five years now. Perhaps we could call this folk-glam? Hmmm... sorta, but not quite. Give 'er a spin!
If angels started a pop band, they wouldn't sound like Built To Spill. They wouldn't sound like the Polyphonic Spree. They wouldn't sound like Grandaddy. They wouldn't sound like Elliott Smith. They would sound like Slow Reader. Although they would have to be angels that had broken hearts and who didn't know how to talk to that one girl, and who remember that one summer, and who are lonely and misunderstood, and whosit at home on their cloud writing perfect little pop songs, who even thogh they are angels sound sort of 'emo', who sing in perfect falsettos in perfect harmony and who sing about amputees and lost loves and drugs and stuff.
Slow Reader take elements of all of the above bands and mix them into a perfect, dreamy sweetpop confection. Not to intimate that this is light in any way. This is just as melancholy and dark as anything, it's just that the darkness is wrapped up all snug and tight in a radiant, delicate pure white cloud of rapturous sound, all pure and angelic, etherial and heavenly (to stretch this allusion to its breaking point). Heavily strummed acoustic guitars, pianos that tinkle and drop notes around your ears like spring showers, warm and rich organs that wrap everything in a dreamy haze, peculiar rhythms that range from super processed, heavily affected drums that sound almost electronic to "We Will Rock You" style handclap/footstomp percussion. But it's the vocals that really get me. Gorgeous and drenched in reverb, with a whispery urgency like Elliott Smith, capable of turning misanthropic tales of amputees into daydreamy lullabies. Outside of the Goldcard record reviewed elsewhere on this list, this is almost all I've been listening to. Fans of any of the bands mentioned NEED this.
Random note: Not sure what it is, but Slow Reader are the second brilliant pop band in recent memory to be born from weird punk/ska band roots (the first being The Stereo, who we've repeatedly raved about in the past). Not sure if it means anything, but it just seemed interesting.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
It's a bit of surprise that we actually got some of these, and even more shocking that we got enough in stock to list, as we got the impression that we would NEVER be able to get very many at all, if any. But we did manage to get a handful, not sure how long these will be aroubd, but guessing not long at all... What's all the fuss? Well, Slow Walkers is in fact a collaboration between Liz Harris (aka Grouper) and Lawrence English - one of the preeminent ambassadors of Australian sound art; and their first fruits are as good as any of us had hoped. The album is dripping with all of the haunted, spectral atmospherics that Harris has brought to her Grouper records as of late, with both artists collaborating on the damp, dreary shadows of melody and drone that float, drift, and creep throughout. The two eschew the song and the voice in favor of a dark, lugubrious ambience that's probably got more in common with the morose tendencies of Cold Meat Industries than the ephemeral shimmer of Kranky, but it's totally entrancing and totally beautiful nonetheless. With this limited to 400 copies and sporting handpainted gold artwork, there's no need to belabor the issue. Grab it while you can, you won't be disappointed. And they'll be gone before you know it...
Hurray, available again! Back in 2004, this Icelandic duo's self titled album made its way across the pond and into our welcome ears. Mind you, we had to turn every noisy machine in the store and hope for a respite from the jackhammering road work outside... yes, their music is really that hushed and hanging-by-a-thread intimate. Maybe best listened to late at night in a darkened room or deep in the woods? Daylight would surely overwhelm it.
Here's what we said about it the first time around:
Slowblow whisper out the gentlest of folk-pop, and they're assisted in their quiet mission by some baby-girl cooing vocals courtesy of Kristin Anna Valtysdottir from fellow Icelanders Mum. Some of their songs are so frail that a full drumkit would surely overwhelm them, thus instead a soft beat is tapped out on a woodblock. The livelier numbers do feature a more fleshed out rhythm section complete with handclaps. Although most of the album is of the hushed and earthy nature, every so often Slowblow take an unexpected musical detour or two. For instance, while the fourth song "Second Hand Smoke" sounds like a secret menagerie of wooden and tin toys, the very next track is a raw, almost garagey and Fall-ish tune with distorted vocals and clatterous percussion. Then, it's back into a somber, countrified number with plucked banjo and beleaguered Arab Strap-y male vocals. Depending on your sugar tolerance, you might find the songs with Kristin's vocals a bit cloying, but overall this album is ultra wistful and pretty.
We had never heard Slowcoach before, but we've learned to trust the Deathbomb Arc label, who not too long ago gave us a killer reissue of late great SF noise rockers Rrope, and now deliver this single sided 12" from syrup sipping Cali downer pop indie rockers Slowcoach, who seem to inhabit a sound that hovers right between, say Pavement and the Grifters or the Radar Brothers and Polvo, or Sparklehorse and the Swirlies, or, well, we could go on and on and on. There are hooks galore, and melodies, and all sorts of pop stuff, but all suspended in a washed out doper haze, a haze that often collapsesinto psychedelic sound collage, or abstract druggy smolder, but always stumbling back into some semblance of cough syrup pop. Way too brief, the 5 songs her clocking in at about 16 minutes, but the replayability is off the charts, and we can vouch for that, since we've already listened to this like 20 times in a row.
Be warned though, this is LIMITED TO ONLY 30 COPIES and we got a tiny handful, so grab one while you can!!!
My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive embody the term shoegaze. If you have, have had, or may one day have even the smallest interest in said genre, you have this or you need this. Guitars are simply texture, bass and drums take the driver's seat, and vocals flutter here and there. This is their second to last album, but kinda the last. After this was Pygmalion, which was recorded by only half the band's members (one more than the other) and caused Creation to kick them off the label. Oh, we should mention that Brian Eno produced one song, and he played on two.
Not to mention any names, but one (former) AQ staffer has a Slowdive tattoo. This record is more than recommended, it's essential.
Includes 4 bonus tracks "not on import".
The beautiful Slowsix cd Private Times In Public Places was originally released by Habit Of Creation back in 2004, and it has now been reissued on cd by Western Vinyl!
Here's what we said the first time around: Mesmerizing! Something new from the Brooklyn, NY Habit Of Creation label who brought us the two wonderful Edison Woods albums. If you dug Seven Principles of Leave No Trace, you'll surely wanna check this out! Slowsix is very much in the same glistening yet darkly mooded spirit as E.W. but less song-oriented and more soundscape-y. Treading solemnly in the footsteps of Philip Glass, their open, spacious aural atmospheres are crafted primarily from strings, guitars, sampled dialogue and Rhodes keyboards (both processed and clean).
Sound good? Yes. And don't let the fact that there is only three tracks mislead you. With a running time of 73 meditative minutes long, this is a perfect cd to sink in and drift off to... especially on such a chilly winter's day as today. Recommended.
With a name like Slug Guts, you might expect some ugly ultradoooooom from this band, but they express their misanthropy and disgust in another genre, as these punks Slug Guts are in fact Aussie underground garage rock wranglers, swampy and sinister in the grand tradition of Nick Cave & The Birthday Party, also sharing deviant DNA with the likes of Bird Blobs, King Snake Roost, Lubricated Goat, The Scientists, and other degenerate Down Under gutter crawlers of that ilk, from over the years...
We'd first heard 'em on their import-only debut Down On The Meat a couple years back, and are stoked that Sacred Bones have added them to their fine roster for this sophomore outing. Even if we hadn't heard of 'em before, the SB seal of approval (and the band name!) would have gotten us onboard.
Plus we love this sort of thing, being big fans of the bands mentioned above, so we're primed for Slug Guts' insidiously catchy caterwauling and late night, whiskey soaked dirgery. Perhaps not quite so noisy/nasty as Down On The Meat was, here Slug Guts show off their pop side, such as is, the record being a rollin' and tumblin', slow drunkard's stagger consisting of eerie guitar jangle, low-slung bass, and deep, drawled vocals, all bathed in loads of reverb, and menace. Opener "Howlin'" has a bit of a sinuous "Painted Black" vibe and indeed the entire album is cloaked in damnation and darkness.
Slumber Party's third full length is indeed titled 3! The breezy follow-up to this Detroit, MI quartet's 2001 Psychedelicate album features more of their unadorned jangling electric guitars and casually sung vocals. Although most of their songs are straightforward barebones, lo-fi pop reminiscent of Velvet Underground (particularly on songs like the very "Waiting For My Man"-ish "No Sleep Tonight"), Lois and Marine Girls, they do weave into a porchswing-y, down-by-the-creek laidback earthiness on the harmonica'n'tambourine-laced seventh song "Black Heart Road". Nice.
We've said it before and we'll go ahead and say it again: Fans of Young Marble Giants, Marine Girls, Raincoats, Velvet Underground, check out these Detroit rock minimalists! Their music often sounds like it's from 'back in the day' (circa late '70s/early-mid '80s), but they're not. Aliccia Berg and co.'s fourth album Musik just came out and is mostly comprised of their usual sweet summery folksy tunes. Think: cozying up under a patchwork quilt rather than walloping your pals in a pillow fight.
That said, we'd add that this time it sounds like they've developed a little chip on their collective shoulder as there are also a few edgier post-punk-y numbers amongst the lilting pop tunes.
This is the third full length from these four sweetie pies from Michigan. Gretchen, Aliccia, Marcie and Leagh make dreamy, retro and folky songs with sweet girl vocal harmonies. The guitar sound is soft and pretty. Low key and unassuming, this is quite
We tried so hard to get our hands on the 12" Small Black released last year to review on the list, with no success, which was a bummer as it was really one of the best slabs of wax to come out of the then just blossoming chill-wave scene. Luckily those songs made it to the ears of a good range of folks via blogs and college radio, and Jagjaguwar were smart enough to sign the band and release this, their debut full length.
New Chain is brimming with awesome waves of Hacienda inspired pop, equal parts dream and dance. One of the things that has been making Small Black stand out over lots of their chill-wave friends is the fact that they are actually a full band, able to pull of live what they capture so well on their recordings. In fact lots of folks we know who saw them open on tour for Washed Out agreed that Small Black gave a way better live performance. They sit right near the top of the crop with folks like Washed Out, Neon Indian and Nite Jewel, in delivering lo-fi soaked sounds with such great hooks and inviting melodies. Hazy and blissful pop that hits the spot!
Fuzz guitars, sitar-psych, blues licks, flamenco influences, anarchic comedy, melancholic pop brilliance: that's Smash! Nope, not something new at all, this is actually a 2001 release reissuing music much older than that. Y'know, not only do we try to review as many crucial new releases and newly reissued things as we can (which isn't nearly as many as there are, unfortunately!), there's also all kinds of not so new, but new to us (and quite possibly new to you, too) stuff that we come across and really really dig and want to let y'all know about too.
This would be one of those things, just discovered by Allan last year. Now we have finally got enough of 'em to write up on our list. Smash were a psychedelic rock band from Spain that flourished from 1969 to about 1972 or so, and this double cd compiles their complete recorded output as far as we can tell -- all their singles, both their albums Glorieta De Los Lotos and Esta Vez Venimos A Golpear (aka We Come To Smash This Time), and their half of a split LP. 32 tracks on two cds! And it's all pretty great. Since it's everything they ever did, the music here explores wide territory...from the blues to rustic folk to raga rock to psych pop to hard rock heaviness. Variously, Smash would seem to have been Spain's answer to the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Led Zeppelin, all. We're also reminded a bit of Os Mutantes at times. And we can make a couple of more modern comparisons: the slow n' sad beauty of Smash's "I Left You" totally could be a song off that Elope album we loved from last year, and their dark, drifting "Look At The Rainbow (Flying In The Sky)" is a dead ringer for something by Japanese psych shamans Ghost! They do it all, and really really well. Just imagine that Musica Dispersa reissue we recommended recently, if they also cranked things up occassionally to rock n' roll ya on a Mississippi mountain side... The last time a double cd of vintage psych stuff impressed us this much would have been when that amazing Public Nuisance collection came out.
If any of us ever bother listening to this, we'll let you know how it is.
Billy's got one of those egos that thrives off of the love/hate relationship he has with the media. And while selling Smashing Pumpkins records is not AQ's bread & butter, it's a morbid curiousity to listen in... and no, not much is there: the romantic drama of Duran Duran, a few heavy licks, and Billy's squealing whine. Regardless of what we say, you'll either want it or not.
The Smashing Pumpkins are back. Well at least Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin. You probably know where you stand on the Pumpkins by this point, and while some of us here have never been fans and a few who never made it past Gish (which still ruleez says Andee!) there are a few of us here who aren't ashamed one bit to let it be known that we have always had a big ol' soft spot in our hearts for the Smashing Pumpkins. If you came of age in the '90s it's pretty much impossible not to have some nostalgia for how perfect their angst sounded in our poster decked teenage bedrooms. And love him or hate him Billy Corgan is one great guitar player who's managed to write some of the most memorable songs of the last couple decades. That being said they do leave lots of room for criticism and this new outing probably won't be the one to convert you if you've never been a big fan. But for those of you with that aforementioned soft spot, we think you should check this out and play it for a few times before you make your mind up as we've found this one to be a serious grower with repeated listens.
Portland's clattery, free improvised noise unit meets Ann Arbor's caustic power electronic doom-synth trio, for an unprecedented meeting of the..uh..minds. Smega seem to come out on top, with the overall sound falling squarely in their clinking, crashing, hippie music concrete by way of No Neck Blues band free folk clatter and Negativland-ish plunderphonic found sound collage. The strong sonic personalities in Wolf Eyes seem to have no problem playing the supporting role here, underscoring the ramshackle freeness of Smegma, with their buzzing homemades synths, and grinding electric guitar grit.
Ah, Melters, easily one of our favorite local labels going. Masters of the cavity-inducing bubblegum pop, hazy bedroom psychedelia, and cultivators of endless earworms. So, it should go without saying, we are VERY stoked to get in their newest release, the debut 7" from local power poppers Smiles. The only complaint here is you only get FOUR of the best Teenage Fanclub worship this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Simultaneously melancholic and sickly sweet. Pitch-perfect pop for fans of the aforementioned Scots, along with Elliott Smith's more boisterous numbers, and obviously a must for anyone who has enjoyed the flawless Melters back catalog (Ovens, Swiftumz, and Violent Change). Recommend!
These kids from Chicago are musically way wise well beyond their age. Barely out of high school they proved on their debut that they were most definitely a musical force to be reckoned with, playing infectious guitar driven pop that fits somewhere between the sounds of their slightly older peers and touring pals, Girls and Hunx & His Punx. With their second full length, they have upped the ante even more, once again demonstrating their knack for creating songs with huge hooks and melting warmth. Their love of T. Rex can be heard boldly throughout these songs, but you also get the feeling they spent a lot of last year being swept away by Beach House's Teen Dream, as there is a new level of sophistication and a whole other layer of woozy warmth woven into their sound. We love how SW's are both so full of energy yet also ridiculously talented musicians who have found a way to merge spirit and talent in such satisfying ways.
Full length number three from these Midwestern jangle poppers, whose fuzzy bubblegum garage pop has changed a lot since their 2009 debut. No band wants to hear how they've 'matured', but since these guys were barely out of high school when they released that first record, it's not surprising that 4 years, and 2 records later, that their sound would have blossomed into something more fully realized, Soft Will is sonically much more lush, and the songwriting this time around finds SW's taking classic popsongsmithery and making it their own. Just check out opener "3AM Spiritual" and see if you're not smitten. Cuz really if you're not, that pop music heart of yours must be shriveled and gnarled, cuz this might be some of the most perfect pop we've heard in ages. Lilting, super melodic, swathed in swirling synths, summery guitar strum, sweetly crooned vocals, busy but understated drumming, and then halfway through, the song blossoms into chiming, shimmering, softly psychedelic dream pop bliss out, suddenly cranked up, even louder, more full and lush, the gang vocals drifting over layered guitars, more synths, dreamily dramatic, with a cool lead guitar breakdown before swooping right back into it.
Which pretty much sets the template for the rest of the record, a killer collection of delightfully hook filled sun dappled jangle pop that's catchy crazy, liberally doused with streaks of fuzz guitars, subtle psychedelic swirls, lush almost orchestral swells, equal parts old school eighties new wave, classic power pop and more modern garage pop jangle.
We'll be the first to admit that sometimes our customers are quicker than us to be turned on to the newest coolest sounds. We hadn't heard the Smith Westerns but a few of our regular customers kept gushing about them and told has we had to check it out. And we're so glad they did. While there has been no shortage of lo-fi garage pop in the last couple years, Smith Westerns have their own endearing and charming take on that kind of fuzzy bubblegum garage pop we can never seem to get enough of. While they hail from Chicago, these guys would be so at home right here in the Bay Area as they share a similar spirit and aesthetic with folks like Hunx & His Punx, Girls, Thee Oh Sees, Nobunny, Personal & The Pizza's, etc. In fact we just found out they will be playing a Valentines Day show here in San Francisco with the above mentioned Girls and Hunx & His Punx. So perfect!! We love how Smith Westerns bring in a wide range of influences, from T. Rex to girl groups, to create songs that are fleshed out and lushly lo-fi while bursting with bright eyed excitement. So fucking cool!
The debut solo album from percussionist / vibraphonist about town (and beyond) Ches Smith! He's built quite a name for himself as both a studio and touring percussionist. Perhaps you've seen/heard him perform with the likes of Secret Chiefs 3, Marc Ribot, Xiu Xiu, Carla Bozulich or Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant? Congs For Brums is comprised of ten explorations in rhythmic and dynamic progressions incorporating a broad spectrum of percussion instruments, both the conventional and the less so. The works range from the absolutely stark single strike per instrument tour at the beginning of the second track "My Motherfuckin' Roda!" to the more fleshed out full kit rush of "Metal Vacation" to the resonant vibraphone tones of "The Clarinet In B Flat" (uh, there is no clarinet!) and "Mental Vacation". A particular fave is a repeating segment of track #5 "Homemade Posi" that brings to mind a drunken camel. While this disc may not find itself on regular rotation in your living room, it's so well recorded that we'd bet that pieces of it are going to resurface as prime sample material for many other musicmakers.
Finally! After years of being a huge fan of Australian guitarist Chris Smith, and only being able to track down split eps and comps, or collaborations, we've finally got our hands on the latest, and seems only in-print cd releases from this amazing musician. Some of you might remember Smith from the split Fatcat 12" he shared with Jewelled Antler outfit The Ivytree a while back, or more recently, the killer collaboration with fellow Australian�Justin Fuller, reviewed�at the beginning of this year (and still in stock!).
All of Smith's proper releases, even a stateside collection of 'greatest hits' are all out of print and unavailable, which is s massive shame as this man is a guitar genius. But where other records feature Smith mostly solo, using his guitar to weave magical landscapes of abstract sound, on Bad Orchestra, he seems to have put together an actual band (a Bad Orchestra?) and written some songs, for a record that is as rock as we've heard him for sure. Thankfully, Smith's rock is as good as his non-rock, dark and emotional, epic and intense, at times sounding like Dinosaur Jr. channeling Crazy Horse, right down to the vocals, a whiney plaintive croon, at others sounding a bit like a more moody meandering Dirty Three, and still at others unwinding into sparse deserty twang. The guitars thick and reverb drenched, the drums slightly distorted and heavy, acoustic guitars below sheets of psyche rock fuzz, that alone would have made Bad Orchestra a winner, but the rock tracks here are scattered amidst more abstract (and more familiar to us) pieces, guitarscapes and expansive ambience, the opener, a brief spell of Scott Tuma style Appalachian murk, to the forlorn sounding piano-in-a-warehouse of "Glue Factory" or the glistening high end raga of "Slight Problems (Intermission)", the Dead C like fractured noise pop of "Jimmy's Theme" to the blurred Tim Hecker like washed out soundscape of "Your Tunnel".�
A pretty perfect mix of gorgeous ambient experimentalism, blown out RAWK, and haunting dark desert pop. Obviously WAY recommended.��
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
As the years pass after Elliott Smith's sad suicide, it's becoming more clear that his musical legacy will have the same impact and influence on future generations that Nick Drake's did a few decades before. He created such intimate and fragile songs that anyone with a heart (that's been broken) could relate to and find warmth, comfort and solace from. His songs have proven to be so practically perfect and seemingly timeless. He wasn't a part of any musical fad or trend. Instead he was one of those rare songwriting geniuses, the ones that only come along every few generations and craft songs that become the soundtrack to so many of our lives.
An Introduction To... is just that. A selection of his best songs spanning all his albums as well as a couple tracks from New Moon, the collection of B sides and demos during the era he was on Kill Rock Stars. We're sure the only problem the folks at KRS had with this collection was having to narrow it all down to fourteen tracks, as he did leave behind so many amazing songs. But we have to say they did an impeccable job choosing which songs and in what order to craft this ultimate ES mixtape.
There are also great liner notes written by Tape Op editor Larry Crane which gives a nice history and plenty of insight into the music of Elliott Smith. For any of our friends who somehow slept on his music in the past, we must INSIST this you at least pick this up, you'll soon be under his spell for sure, we can't imagine many lovers of music not finding so much beauty and richness in these stunning songs.
We miss you Elliott!
Finally, the new album from the fine introspective singer/songwriter formerly from the band Heatmiser. His songs will break your heart... seriously. One of his best.
Wow, now back in print on vinyl, all deluxe 180-gram style, for first time since it was originally released!!
It's easy to forget that when Elliott Smith first hit the scene things were a lot different than they are now. There weren't that many sensitive singer songwriters roaming the underground and there was still a pretty huge divide between the 'indie' and the mainstream. Of course that has all changed so much, but when Elliott first started to get wider attention thanks to Gus Van Sant's use of his songs in Good Will Hunting and the Oscar nomination that followed, it was really an exceptionally strange occurrence in the indie music scene. It kind of marked the moment where much of what had been a big well kept secret would soon become a part of popular culture. We can still remember watching Smith on live TV performing at the Oscar's in his white tuxedo looking so sweet, nervous and humble. It truly felt like one of US was finally getting their deserved moment in the spotlight. Of course he lost to Celine Dion, but there was really no one you would rather get to represent so many of the underdogs than Elliott Smith. It was like finally getting to see someone honest and uncorrupted in a mainstream Hollywood setting. His music was so pure and beautiful, with this uncanny ability to make the bitter sound so sweet.
Figure 8 was his follow up to XO and his second outing on Dreamworks. It found Smith continuing his exploration of a more orchestral sound as well as some of the more full on rock moments that came to bloom on XO. There was so much anticipation for this album, especially after the fantastic XO, and Smith found himself under much more media scrutiny and heightened label pressure to SELL MORE RECORDS.
Luckily, he came out of it with a record that in many ways was his breeziest and even at times hinted at a happier Elliott Smith. It was of course not without its heart wrenching songs and daydream moments. While so much attention is given to his amazing voice it's so clear on Figure 8 and all of his releases really what a gifted guitar player, overall musician and of course talented songwriter he was.
This is an album so full of warmth, like it was made just for you, the music flowing out of your speakers, filling your room or your headphones with glorious beautiful sound. Songs about lovers, friends, relationships and the human condition, that will ring with warm truth for decades to come.
Man, it's hard to review this record. No matter how good it is or isn't, it's just really really sad. Elliott Smith was one of those musicians everybody liked. You wouldn't be at all surprised to find his records in your metal friends' collections, and for sure no indie / emo / post rock collection was complete without EVERY one of his records. Some folks were disappointed with Smith's later musical trajectory, abandoning his whispery vocals and barely-there hushed acoustic back drops in favor of big production and strings and pianos and pop bombast. But at the root of it all, Smith was always a gifted songwriter, capturing all the confusions and regrets of his life in a way that we could all relate to in our own way. We may not have struggled with addiction but an Elliott Smith song about addiction would be just as likely to end up on a mix tape for the love of your life than helping you through your struggle with smack. And that's quite a gift, turning a specific subject into a universal fear or hope. And somehow Smith managed to do just that for us. It's always sad losing someone like that. Like Kurt Cobain. When Cobain died we were all crushed. It was like losing one of our own. The same with Elliott Smith. None of us really knew him. He played at Aquarius once a long time ago. He was really quiet, and super nice. But you could tell he was just deeply deeply sad. His set was stunning, leaving several AQ staffers in tears. That was how powerful his music was. And still is. From A Basement On A Hill is a bit of a dodgy proposition. An unfinished record, completed by friends and family after his death. I guess the real question is just how unfinished the record was. Sonically this is definitely along the lines of XO or Figure 8, big Beatles-esque pop, swooning, swaying, all lush and gorgeous of course, with the occasional, ultra stripped down number, with just Smith's vocals and a guitar. Pretty intense. It all sounds a bit raw in places, but that's to be expected. And it's hard not to read too much into the songs knowing the sort of emotional turmoil that helped shape them, but ultimately it doesn't really matter. This is a great Elliott Smith record. Like they all are. And everyone will take what they want or need from it. Simply a great pop record, a glimpse into the tortured soul of an artist that is sorely missed, or a record full of personal and private thoughts, hopes, dreams, and revelations that we can all understand or try to understand in our own way. More likely all of those and more. A sad and beautful and strangely hopeful musical treasure.
Without a doubt, the years Elliott Smith spent on Kill Rock Stars will always have a very special place in our hearts. His 2nd and 3rd albums came out when the label was still a somewhat small and emerging indie usually more associated with riot grrrl and the artier side of indie rock and punk than dreamy wistful folk. His self titled album and Either/Or spoke to all of us, across the board, even to ears that weren't at all used to hearing just one man and a guitar. This was several years before any kind of new folk revival.
This two disc collection features recordings from that era that didn't make it on to either of those two amazing records, but many of which are just as great and jaw dropping as the ones that did. As much as he would later be attracted to grander orchestration and a lush and full sound, there is something about when it was just him and his guitar, that perfect voice, so moving and vulnerable. So many in our generation can remember watching the Oscars for the first time ever with true excitement, when he was nominated for "Miss Misery." When he took the stage in his white tuxedo there was something so honest and real happening in a space that is usually void of true emotion and honest heartbreak. Of course Celine Dion walked away with the statue, but that night you couldn't help but feel so proud that this gifted songwriter was getting the widespread attention he deserved. Not much was added or done to these stripped down recordings. But they really didn't need it anyway. The songs are practically perfect as they are. It's just another reminder that not many people are capable of creating bitter beautiful sounds as sweetly at Elliott Smith did. And sometimes the emotional cost is devastating. These aren't just some unnecessary out takes from a famous dead name. These are songs that will find their way on to any Elliott Smith mix you will make from now on. Simply said, a must have for anyone who loved his music as much as we did.
We were beginning to worry about Mr Smith. After so much critical hoopla and even a performance on the Academy Awards, you would think he would have been a perennial on the Hollywood party circuit, but instead he just up and disappeared. We were beginning to fear the worst. Maybe he picked up some of his old bad habits, pawned his guitar and was wandering the streets. Or worse?! He may very well have been, but it seems everything is okay now, as we've now got this two song 7" and look forward to a forthcoming full length. Musically, not much has changed, jangly, chiming guitars, loping simple rhythms, tinkly pianos, warbly organs, some fuzzy psychedelic guitar, mournfully melancholy melodies and Smith's sweet, aching, gorgeously whispery vocals. Nice to have him back, safe and sound, warm and dry.
Wow, now back in print on vinyl, all deluxe 180-gram style, for first time since it was originally released!!
It's easy to forget that when Elliott Smith first hit the scene things were a lot different than they are now. There weren't that many sensitive singer songwriters roaming the underground and there was still a pretty huge divide between the 'indie' and the mainstream. Of course that has all changed so much, but when Elliott first started to get wider attention thanks to Gus Van Sant's use of his songs in Good Will Hunting and the Oscar nomination that followed, it was really an exceptionally strange occurrence in the indie music scene. It kind of marked the moment where much of what had been a big well kept secret would soon become a part of popular culture. We can still remember watching Smith on live TV performing at the Oscar's in his white tuxedo looking so sweet, nervous and humble. It truly felt like one of US was finally getting their deserved moment in the spotlight. Of course he lost to Celine Dion, but there was really no one you would rather get to represent so many of the underdogs than Elliott Smith. It was like finally getting to see someone honest and uncorrupted in a mainstream Hollywood setting. His music was so pure and beautiful, with this uncanny ability to make the bitter sound so sweet.
XO was Smith's major label debut and he took full advantage of a bigger budget, and more time in he studio to explore and reach further, honing his amazing ability to construct and orchestrate grand yet never bloated pop songs. There was still lots of the more minimal moments, stark songsmithery and delicate fingerpicking, all hallmarks of his earlier work, but there was a new lush and and much fuller sound on XO. Without trying to sound too hyperbolic, XO is as close to a perfect pop record as you can get. We can't count the times that one of these songs was put on a mixtape we made, or was played over and over and over as it so closely corresponded to a relationship we were having or a moment in time we were going through.
He never hid the fact that he was hugely influenced by The Kinks and The Beatles and while countless others made careers out of trying to rip off both of those bands, Smith managed to tap into the internal world of those bands, their amazing melodies and moods, like no one else has, carrying the torch for smart, sincere, heartfelt and truly timeless pop music.
This is an album so full of warmth, like it was made just for you, the music flowing out of your speakers, filling your room or your headphones with glorious beautiful sound. Songs about lovers, friends, relationships and the human condition, that will ring with warm truth for decades to come.
Elliott's also in Heatmiser, but his solo work is worlds away from that band... and it's pretty darn great.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Lenny Smith is a high school Latin teacher and head of the Smith family, whose 5 kids are otherwise known by their stage name Danielson Famile. Yep, the Danielson Famile's exuberant music was nurtured in the home. Can you imagine the hoedowns this family must've had at Christmastimes? The music on this record is a bit staid, but come on, he's a high school teacher. Get this only if
In response to reports of painful rockcrit overdoses via pageful o' Patti reviews in SF Weekly, including those from Bill Wyman crony Jim DeRogatis and Ms. Sarah Vowell (Gina Arnold in sheep's clothing, accuses Paul Ashby's letter to the editor), we hereby refrain from further frothing up the fray.
