[ aquarius records — Rock Pop ]

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Showing results 1551 through 1600 of 19388.

While Bertrand Betsch's lovely previous album, La Soupe a la Grimace, was a sensitive singer songwriter affair, with heartbreakingly pretty hooks and whispered vocals, this record features the addition of 'beats' so it's a lot heavier and Bertrand

RealAudio clip: La Folie des Hommes
RealAudio clip: J'entends plus la guitare

Wonderful! This French singer/songwriter's emotional, serious songs are delivered in a breathy, delicate manner that will DEFINITELY appeal to fans of Belle & Sebastian, although Bertrand's unique style isn't as sticky sweet. Highly recommended!

A couple lists ago we had the Easy Beatles compilation... now we've got some not-so-easy Beatles! This reissue will drive some folks crazy, but we're lovin' it. Hooray for East Bay label Hook Or Crook for getting their hands on this great outsider classic out of Omaha, Nebraska circa 1981. The Better Beatles played Beatles songs with a naive and fucked up post-punk charm. While there are no shortages of Beatles covers and tribute records, none have been made that suit our bizarre tastes better than this one! With primitive electronics that sounded like they could break at any moment and a detached delivery that gives these songs a feeling somewhere between cold wave, new wave and no wave. Not far off from what The Flying Lizards were doing around this same time but much more out of the loop and less self-conscious. It's super interesting to see how while being one of the most famous and mainstream appreciated bands of all time, the Beatles have spawned so many outsider fanatics from Daniel Johnston to Bobb Trimble. What makes The Better Beatles so damn cool is that they truly made these songs something else, it's not just novelty (though that is a factor), there is a lot of intensity in their delivery. They might have been joking about being "better" but maybe they meant it, they certainly sound like they mean it when they sing John and Paul's lyrics, which are often the only recognizable parts of the songs. We can't count the times we've had a customer in the store get reeled in by this record without even knowing that it's Beatles covers and when they find out they say something like 'I don't even like The Beatles but this is fucking cool!' and even for those of us who love the Beatles as well we can agree, this IS fucking cool!

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There's a trend in metalcore these days to mix in super melodic, catchy parts that don't fit at all in some sort of bid to appeal to folks who can't handle their metalcore being ALL metal, or to make it onto MTV, where there's now a glut of bands who, when not pounding away in a loose approximation of death metal, sound like boy bands or super wussy indie pop. While BTBAM do have their 'sensitive' moments, they're not just stuck on as an afterthought, they are as critical to the song as the crushing riffs and howled vocals. For the most part, BTBAM are HEAVY through and through, dense and downtuned, pummellingly intense, and rhythmically super complex with obtuse time signatures, hiccupping and stuttering, stop/starts, with even the most straight ahead rhythms complicated by little off time breeches. There's definitely some Swedish influence here (In Flames etc...) but BTBAM manage to take the sound of Swedish death metal, and infuse it with the mathematic complexity of Dillinger Escape Plan and their own strange idea of songwriting, all convoluted and serpentine, and come up with something pretty original in the process. No mean feat considering metalcore's sound-alike tendencies. Songs flit from buzzing black metal to muffled crunchy brass knuckle chug, ultra low gutteral death metal barks stumble through chaotic and lurching, stuttery breakdowns, blazing double kick underpins dual guitar harmonies that sound more demonic than melodic and everything is tempered by waltzy minor key melodic bridges with soaring harmony vocals. Thanks to AQ pal Metal Dave for turning us on to this!

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

SORRY. Aussie import cdep of new material by this beloved San Francisco indie-pop band. Lush, instantly catchy Elephant 6 style pop confidently executed ala the Apples or Olivia Tremor Control. Four songs.

San Francisco's Beulah cruise into their third full length with a breezy '70s feel, drawing them away from their formerly much more pronounced '60s Beach Boys/Beatles leanings. They still retain a few glimmers of rollicking Elephant Six-ness, but the E6

RealAudio clip: Gravity Is Bringing Us Down
RealAudio clip: What Will You Do When Your Suntan Fades

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

SORRY. The only local band to boast Elephant Six credentials, this is pure pop, much lighter and sweeter than the Elf Power record mentioned above, with similar Beatles / Beach Boys / Kinks influences throughout. Very very catchy.

The fourth full length from local darlings Beulah might just be their best album. Miles Korosky's songwriting is more remarkably mature than ever, with unpredictable chord changes and smart arrangements that convey intense emotion but executed with careful precision. This is perfect pop with a rocker edge and clearly delivered lyrics. Embellishing the usual indierock instrumentation, pedal steel, baritone and tenor saxophones all add a welcome dose of very pretty minor key sincerity. So much to like here, especially for fans of the Elephant6 bands.

MPEG stream: Landslide Baby
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If your favorite band is SF popsters Beulah and you're still nursing your heartbreak as a result of their breakup, here's a posthumous audio and video treat to brighten your day. This dvd features a documentary of the band on the road back in 2003 touring the U.S. and Canada in support of their final album Yoko, as well as a heap of bonus material (live footage of the band performing seventeen complete songs, deleted scenes, etc). One thing that this dvd reminded us about is that they (well, particularly lead singer Miles Kurosky) sure do swear a fuck of a fucking lot. You might wanna keep it away from the eyes and ears of grannies and children.

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

SORRY. A great live album of Nick Saloman and Company, recorded right here in SF on May 16, 1998. "This recording features no overdubbing, re-mixing, enhancement or applause from a different live album."

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

SORRY. Nick Saloman and band's first domestic release is a double whammy of 25 songs on 2 discs. One of rock's most prolific songwriters whose quality never dips, hear his songs as they were meant to be heard, not cleaned up and prettified as on the Mary Lou Lord album.

Nick & co. return with more psych-guitar anthems for the Terrastock Nation!

The latest from Nick Salomon and crew, aka The Bevis Frond, known by thousands as the UK's premier latter-day guitar psych band. Heroes to the Ptolemaic Terrascope crowd, these stalwarts are on to their 19th album with Hit Squad! Well, we don't want to dissuade serious fans -- you're gonna have deeper understanding of what Nick's up to here than we do -- but it's hard to not write a review that simply states what we all thought when we put this on in the store the day we got it in... At its best, it could have been bad Monster Magnet. At it's worst, it coulda been Lenny freaking Kravitz. Not what we were expecting. Sorry! There's some sort of goofy retro pop angle they're going for here we just aren't digging...

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We have a couple of these remaining from RSD, and in this reviewers opinion, they are easily the best things reissued for this holiday of redundantly repressed dollar-binners (though, these both were reissued as recently as 2014, go figure). These first two albums from The Bevis Frond, both originally released in 1987, are all-time classics of bedroom 4-track psych freakery, covered or namedropped by a who's-who of drugged-pop all-stars (Teenage Fanclub, Elliott Smith, Sonic Youth, J Mascis). Although both are equally stellar, Inner Marshland is the more drug-damaged, like the flower-power psychedalia of Odyssey & Oracle ten years on. Random bursts of effects from Salomon's records pop in and out of the mix, adding all manner of discombobulation. Trust us, if you haven't heard this, one of your favorite bands has and has obsessed over it. Time to pass the torch.

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This is the first time this particular Bevis Frond album (originally released in 1992) has ever been released here in the USA, and yes, it was well worth the thirteen year wait! It comes packed with a half dozen bonus goodies making this cd a probably must-have for fans who already have the import. Following an introductory traditional number "Stonedance", the band wastes no time, launching right into what might be the album's best song "Coming Round" (a fuzzy indie pop tune that clearly comes from the same songwriting pen that wrote the Mary Lou Lord-sung gem "Lights Are Changin'"). But mainman Nick Saloman is a multi-faceted fellow, and it's made more than apparent on London Stone. Through most of the middle songs he unfurls his serious blues and psychedelic rock guitar chops, only taking a brief breather later in the album for the soft folk number "Lord Of Nothing" and another punchy indie rock tune "And Now She's Gone".

MPEG stream: Coming Round
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We have a couple of these remaining from RSD, and in this reviewers opinion, they are easily the best things reissued for this holiday of redundantly repressed dollar-binners (though, these both were reissued as recently as 2014, go figure). These first two albums from The Bevis Frond, both originally released in 1987, are all-time classics of bedroom 4-track psych freakery, covered or namedropped by a who's-who of drugged-pop all-stars (Teenage Fanclub, Elliott Smith, Sonic Youth, J Mascis). Although both are equally stellar, Miasma hints towards the Britpop future that Nick Salomon (the sole freak behind The Bevis Frond) would embrace. There are some seriously catchy jangly anthems on here, all surrounded of course by Salomon's guitar wizardry and strange vocals. Trust us, if you haven't heard this, one of your favorite bands has, and has obsessed over it. Time to pass the torch.

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Wow! It's like Beyonce read our minds. We've always had a big soft spot for her dating back to her days in Destiny's Child and absolutely LOVED about half of her last solo record. But the other half go way too ballady and schmaltzy R+B slow jam for our liking. And BAM! B'Day is all killer no filler, with the fat cut, leaving pure, full on, blood pumping, adrenaline rushing, booty shaking, dance inducing modern R+B groove done to perfection! Beyonce has been often been described as a Diana Ross for her generation and we can't say we really disagree. Her ability to churn out hit after hit, jam packed with killer beats and hook after hook leaves the rest of the hip hop ladies in the dust. With B'day she seems to be moving toward some sort of imaginary kinship with Missy Elliott, what with her new found undeniable intensity, energy and confidence. Every one of these songs (minus the long closer) keeps the intensity full throttle, no letting up, no throwaway tracks, just fierce commanding bad ass funkiness that grabs you by the hair, sends you spinning onto the dancefloor and will NOT let you go. While 99 percent of what's on commercial radio and MTV is pretty tired, stale and disposable, Beyonce continues to make hits that we'll still want to hear 20 years from now.

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Norway's Beyond Dawn build upon the unique sound they established with their Misanthropy-label classic "Revelry": gothic dirge-pop infused with both electronica and metal. Kind of like Katatonia meets Tarwater, with a healthy dose of the Swans (the vocals are magnificently, uncannily close to those of Michael Gira). Beyond Dawn began as yet another black metal outfit (albeit one that stood out from the pack by their use of the trombone!), and now have evolved into something very different, and very special. But the trombones remain! Highly recommended.

There seems to be a trend over the last few years in Norwegian metal. A serious obsession with techno, that when combined with the distinctly Black metal notion that maturing musically means becoming LESS metal, results in all sort of new permutations, that while definitely pushing the boundaries, tend to disappoint long time fans. Look at Manes, Arcturus, Ulver, etc. So what does this have to do with Beyond Dawn? Well...they started out as a seriously grim black metal band, whose unlikely use of a trombone was the only clue to their future direction. They soon moved in a distinctly dirge-y, melancholy, gloom pop direction, sounding more like Katatonia and even the Swans (due in no small part to the vocalist's uncanny Michael Gira like croon) and less like Darkthrone of Mayhem. At the same time, they began to incorporate all sorts of electronic glitchery: drum machines, weird processing, and studio trickery. On Frysh, their latest and weirdest record to date, things have gone about as far away from metal as humanly (or inhumanly) possible. They've pretty much given up the metal ghost entirely, opting for a melancholy techno-doom-pop. Weird bleeping synth melodies hover over skittish almost-techno rhythms, shimmering washes of synthesizer hum, and even some slide guitar! The sticker on the cd calls them "Norwegian's Loungecore Kings". Not sure how accurate that really is, but this definitely has more in common sonically with Depeche Mode or the Pet Shop Boys that it does with any metal bands I can think of. But don't get the wrong impression. This record RULES! Finally a metal band, that instead of talking about how much they love Depeche Mode or some other gloomy pop bands, and maybe even covering a Depeche Mode song once in a while, actually writes gorgeously catchy and sweetly depressive songs that rival those of any of their influences. To me this sounds like a more electronic Angels Of Light, or a metal flecked Magnetic Fields, or Dntel or the Postal Service covering Katatonia with Michael Gira on vocals. So so good. Took me a while to get over the silly and garish cover and the 'loungecore kings' sticker and the goofy new band member names (Clubshoes, Tore Jazztobakk, Hi-Fi Haavik, and Espen Weltschmertz). I was smelling 'jokeband' for sure. But the more I listen to Frysh, the more it reveals itself as a decidedly rich, multi-layered tapestry of perfectly morose, exquisitely crafted, bewitchingly dreamy techno pop gems. SO recommended!

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Hell yeah! We were just doing a bit of cleaning, and found a little stash of these, an AQ record of the week from WAY back in June of 2000!!! We only found 10 copies, and we're pretty sure this is out of print now, so as soon as these are gone, that's it! This record is sooooo amazing. So dark, and beautiful, creepy and mysterious. So much so that we just had to make it record of the week! Initially, our interest in Beyond Dawn was due mostly to the bizarre fact that they were a trombone-fronted black metal band!! But, in the space of one record (Revelry, the record preceding this one), their sound shifted completely, to something less metal, more experimental, a morose sort of "avant-pop" with a heavy heavy heavy Swans vibe. As well as a bit of Katatonia too. And thankfully, the trombone remained. The mostly acoustic follow-up "In Reverie" also could quite easily be a late period Swans record or an Angels Of Light disc. But for our money, it's even better than most of the later Swans records. The voice is a deep ringing baritone, a dead ringer for Michael Gira's, but the music is way more bizarre. Somehow managing to be both lush and spare, Beyond Dawn create rickety tales of loss and sorrow with plaintive trombone, simple minor key strumming, bizarre percussion, clouds of subtle glistening electronics and warm emotional swells, all wrapped in a creepy atmospheric intensity. Immediately following this disc, they then went on to explore a more electronica-influenced sound on their next record, the completely different but equally amazing Electric Sulking Machine, reviewed elsewhere on the site. Not sure what happened to these guys, they sort of just disappeared, which is an incredible shame as they are just such an amazing band, a perpetual AQ favorite for sure, and this is such a totally breathtaking disc. For everyone who somehow missed out on this 6 years ago, at least ten of you get a second chance. Don't blow it again! So recommended!

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Ahhh, how nice is it to see the name Beyond Dawn again? One of the great unsung heroes of the '90s Norwegian metal scene, Beyond Dawn never quite got the accolades they deserved . Maybe because even in their early heavier days they were a hard band to pin a genre to. Maybe because they were one of the first metal bands in Norway to abandon metal altogether for more experimental territory. Maybe because every record sounded so drastically different than the last. Maybe it's because they almost never played outside of their native country. Or maybe it's just because they had, like, A TON of trombone. Whatever the reason, a band who should have enjoyed a career as illustrious and respected as their countrymates Ulver (who the band played some of their earliest shows with in 1993) instead dissolved over a decade ago with the most cult of followings. But thankfully Duplicate Records has done all fans of heavy downer weirdness a great service in releasing this retrospective. But in classically unpredictable fashion, this isn't a greatest hits package so much as it is a two cd chronological collection of odds & sods: album demos, alternate mixes, outtakes and live recordings. Despite how that may sound, it works surprisingly well as an introduction to this band's surreal shadowy world, touching neatly on everything that made them interesting. Even in their earlier days of brooding gothic doom there was a touch the modern and avant garde, a somber and mournful dirge in the tradition of early Anathema complimented perfectly by Espen Ingierd's vocals, deep and commanding but strangely emotionless and distant, at times a dead ringer for Michael Gira. And like we mentioned earlier there's that trombone, which is never far away, and man, if Beyond Dawn don't make a good argument for the trombone being the saddest sounding instrument of all time (in fact this release inspired this topic of conversation in the store the other day: Why don't more metal bands use trombones???), but at the same time it lends a certain regal timeless quality to their music that really sets it apart. The second disc tackles the 2000's when the band left metal behind entirely, and began flirting with downtempo electronics, nocturnal dub, post punk and melancholy pop. While it's aesthetically a much quieter approach, it was no less emotionally captivating, engrossing and at times devastating. And while the band certainly evolved drastically as they progressed, this collection provides a nice way to follow the threads that ran through the band's sound, especially the general mood they always seemed to conjure up no matter what genres they were experimenting with: a sort of lonely distinguished elegance. Nocturnal and shimmering, depressive yet strangely proud, like putting on your best suit in preparation for the gallows. Highly recommended for fans of Vaura, Swans, Beastmilk, Ulver, and all things strange, sad and loud.

MPEG stream: I Am A Drug
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It's no secret that we've been smitten with the Dark Entries label from the very beginning. Over the years they've cranked out killer reissues of so many obscure lost gems, ranging from post-punk, to dark wave, minimal synth, to left field dance jams, and all with a curatorial hand that's always spot on. In fact this list we have TWO other great Dark Entries titles you should probably grab, but this one in particular stands out as being super unique in that it's a brand NEW recording from an artist right here in San Francisco. We've been waiting for this for a while, as Bezier (aka Robert Yang) has been a fixture in the underground club scene in San Francisco for years, most notably as a member of our favorite DJ collective, Honey Soundsystem. With his debut release he puts his analog synths to use, creating a kind of hi-prog-nrg music that blows us away. Equally influenced by hi-nrg, disco, sci-fi, and a strain of prog that manages to inject sensuality and sexuality into that usually so nerdy of genres. When we caught Bezier live for a special test pressing release party of this record we were swept away, these songs making us move like crazy but also creating a space where sometimes we just closed our eyes and got lost in the swirling arpeggios and actual songs, brimming with movement and dynamics. Ensconced makes us think of some awesome hybrid of Giorgio Moroder and Goblin, or maybe Patrick Cowley sitting in with Chris & Cosey. In fact that comparison is particularly apt, this record inspiring us to grab our favorite Chris & Cosey records, and feeling like Bezier is a modern sonic kindred spirit. All thirty one minutes of the record feel thought out and purposeful, yet never too smart for its own good, allowing for both the mind and body to move in unexpected directions. So totally recommended!

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While best known as a reissue label, Dark Entries has also released quite a stellar selection of new records by modern artists which still manage to fit perfectly into DE's dark/synth/new wave aesthetic. One of our favorites of those is by San Francisco's own Bezier, whose debut Ensconced we still spin like crazy, even now. So obviously, we were super excited to get this new Dark Entries release by Robert Yang, also know as Bezier, and the minute the needle hit the grooves, and Yang's analog synth wizardry began to pulse from the speakers, we knew Telomeres was bound to be just as good, if not better than Ensconced! It's almost as if Yang has discovered the perfect musical formula, taking the spaced out sci-fi sounds of electronic pioneers like Deila Derbyshire, Bruce Haack, and Kraftwerk, and reengineering them for the dance floor, a gloriously sizzling, drugged out sonic swirl. The opening minutes of the record made us think of the earliest incarnation of OMD, highjacked by Patrick Cowley's bathhouse jams. Seeing Bezier live is so refreshing, in that we all know how stale it has become to see someone stuck behind a laptop, and instead when Yang is on stage he's commanding an army of analog synths, that he manipulates like the mad musical scientist he is. Luckily, that live energy and intense presence can be felt throughout these studio tracks, which find Yang's sound more melodic then ever, and yet somehow still oozing with after-hours sleaze.

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Debut single from this brand new duo, featuring Eric Copeland of long running noiseniks Black Dice and Jimi Hey, formerly of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, and we have to say, the sound definitely falls somewhere closer to Hey's old outfit, two slab of tweaked, warped, carnivalesque outsider pop, rife with sped up vocals, woozy harmonies, backwards guitar swoops, bizarre production. The A side sounds a bit tropical and summery, very Ariel Pink / John Maus for sure, everything warped and liquid sounding, bloopy melodies, the record almost sounding like it's physically melting, or like a classic pop 45 spinning on a malfunctioning turntable, the RPM's constantly changing, dreamily queasy, sunshiney and washed out, but with a thick buzzy second half that gets weirdly heavy and distorted. The B side offers up more of the same, another drowsy druggy chunk of outsider jangle pop, more strangely harmonized vox, tangled up wah wah guitars, and a super crazy catchy melody, that the rest of the song and all of the sounds seem deadset on subverting. Cool strange stuff. Definitely recommended for fans of lysergic outsider pop and warped weirdo summery jangle, which we're guessing is probably a whole lot of you!

In the same way that the Melvins' last collaboration (Melvins + Lustmord) was more a Melvins than Lustmord sounding affair, this team-up with former Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra sounds more like Jello's record...but it's punk rock, not spoken word, don'tcha worry. As his back-up band, the Melvins rock out righteously, and of course there's nothing like unstable times to stoke the flames of the irrepressible, razor-tongued Jello Biafra. He's sure got plenty of material to work with these days. This actually nears the Biafra fury of old DK days. As usual, plenty of easy targets get clobbered (fer instance, the anti-SUV song "Yuppie Cadillac", perhaps a sequel of sorts to the DK's "Winnebago Warriors") and it's a lot of fun -- as long as you're not a Jello-hater. Anyone with a soft spot for the DKs ought to enjoy this though! Maybe less so for Melvins fans (who were better served with that Lustmord collab disc) but the punkier among you will like both the Melvins-penned cuts and the slightly goofier-sounding Biafra written tunes. Definitely the best Biafra in a while, that's for sure. And in the vast Melvins canon, not nearly as difficult or wacky as, say, Crybaby or Prick!

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The team-up of former Dead Kennedys singer / pissed-off political humorist Jello Biafra and underground heavy rock gods the Melvins on last year's Never Breathe What You Can't See album was probably the best Jello record in years, definitely bringing back memories of the DK's heyday. And it sure brought out the punk side of the Melvins. Well, this new album from the Biafra/Melvins conglom should be of interest to anyone who really got off on that last one, consisting as it does of more anti-Yuppie, anti-corporate, anti-Reagan (whoops, I mean Bush) sonic rants recorded during the Never Breathe sessions. Also included: a live track and remixes from Dalek, Melvins's drummer Dale Crover, and Ministry's Al Jourgensen (who collaborated with Biafra some years back in Lard).

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MPEG stream: The Lighter Side Of Global Terrorism (extended space-melt version)

Following up his shimmery, celestial debut album Fi, Bibio brings his music more down to earth with his no less warm 'n' blissful second album, Hand Cranked. Really pretty, willowy, pastoral soundscapes crafted from slightly woozy sampled loops of delicately picked guitar, piano, recorder and other found sounds from his collection of cassette-recorded field recordings. Can't tell for sure if they're real or not (probably are), but adding to the outdoorsy breezy atmosphere of the fifth track "Marram" are some sounds that resemble twittery birdsong. Another stand-out is the final fluttery track "Overgrown". Conjures visions of butterflies, raindrops and babbling brooks. Very very nice!

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

SORRY.

We're gonna do this review in 2 entirely separate parts: FIRST, for folks already fans of this kickass Chicago-based old school metal squad (perhaps on account of our previous rave reviews), hell it's a new album from 'em, after four years a fine follow up to 2008's rulin' Freedom Metal - 'nuff said, you know you need it! SECOND, if like a lot of folks, you're not familiar with the inexplicably underrated BOTD... well maybe you're into another band of shredders, from here in SF, The Saviours? They're pretty durn popular, and we love 'em too (their reviews on our site should attest to that), but we've always wondered why BOTD weren't at least as successful, 'cause, not to take anything away from The Saviours, BOTD are even better. Both bands play heavy, riffy '70s/'80s inspired, but sorta punked up metal, with tons o' twin guitar action - and with both bands, the vocals are the weak link. While the singing is superior in BOTD's case, let's say that their gravelly vocals still aren't the greatest, with more attitude than aptitude, but do get the job done. Besides, they sure do come up with catchy choruses, so that YOU can (and will) sing along, and see if you can do better! The backing vox whoah-oh-oh style stuff has become a BOTD hallmark all right, so they're doing the best with what they got. But anyway, it's in the guitar dep't where these boys shine. And shine they do, here, there and everywhere. The guitarwork is jaunty and jubilant, with plenty of nods to what's gotta be one of their biggest influences, Thin Lizzy. Yep, as always, we're hearing a lotta Lizzy... NWOBHM too of course... and also some Led Zeppish funkiness on the track "Raw & Order". BOTD are the heirs to a lot of classic rock and metal moves that few bands today do as well as they do, or even do at all. Mention should also be made of the surprise horn section in the middle of "I Know What Is Right (In The Night)", nice! The rough n' ready production job points up something else you should know about these guys - they're a great live band, go see 'em if you get the chance. Drunken air guitaring will be your fate... very likely too even if you just listen to this at home. Recommended especially, as indicated, to fans of The Saviours and Thin Lizzy, also to fans of the likes of High Spirits, Gypsyhawk, Danava, and occasional partners-in-crime Slough Feg...

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Like Zebulon Pike last list, here's another band recommended to us by our pals Hammers Of Misfortune, who played with 'em when on tour this past summer. Mike from Hammers lent me their new cd, and I agreed with him that it rocked and immediately wanted one and figured a few of you might want one too...so here it is! Chicago's Bible Of The Devil are a ass-kickin' garage-metal outfit, cranking out raw guitar riffage with raucous vocals. Influences probably include AC/DC, Alice Cooper and the NWOBHM. Both really heavy and kinda punk, these greasy long-hairs know what they're doing that's for sure. You don't possess a profanity-laced screech like their singer or engage in the twin axe action with which Bible Of The Devil's guitarists are adept without payin' some dues. Should stoke all the same urges as Motley Crue and Motorhead...we'd also cite the Hellacopters, Turbonegro, the Necros, and SF locals Night After Night and Drunkhorse as like minded acts whose fans ought to do some 'Bible study'.

MPEG stream: Ball Deep, Mountain High
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Bob Forrest of Thelonious Monster�s new band.

Fans of the late great beer guzzling, punk rock, riff slinging metalheads Karp must now rejoice, as Big Business are a dead ringer for those metal miscreants, which of course makes plenty of sense as the CEO of this particular Big Business is none other than Karp frontman Jared! So if you loved Karp, you're obviously gonna love this. And if you don't know Jared / Karp / Big Business, think relentless riffing, powerhouse drumming, shouted vocals, goofy but sort of brilliant lyrics, a supercharged AC/DC filtered through a beer soaked haze, a mild obsession with Judas Priest and a desire to kick much ass. Not hard to imagine legions of white belted, tight pants-ed irony-metal bands being rounded up by the true metal police and beaten into submission while protesting the true rock of Big Business which threatens to make their joke metal obsolete, all beneath the towering Marshall stack shapped monolith of Big Business, while Jared and his board of directors sit in their penthouse, twenty stories above hurling riff after riff after motherfucking riff at the cowering crowd below, laughing maniacally and rocking relentlessly!

MPEG stream: O.G.
MPEG stream: Focus Pocus

MPEG stream: Just As The Day Was Dawning
MPEG stream: Hands Up
MPEG stream: Shields

Big Business had always sounded a bit like the Melvins, which made perfect sense, as the drums and bass duo also function as 2nd bass and 2nd drums in the Melvins. But they always had their own thing going on, a sound that while still heavy and obtuse, was weirdly melodic, a sort of metallicized fractured pop. We meant to review last year's Here Comes The Waterworks, a totally classic chunk of hooky heaviness, equal parts heaving metallic heft, and twisted melodicism, but somehow it slipped through the review-writing cracks here, whoops. We were mostly expecting more of the same on Mind The Drift, but holy shit, it's even better than Waterworks. Way more epic and sprawling and proggy, showtunes is probably not the best word to use to describe the songs here, but that was definitely our first thought, not cheesy showtunes like your parents made you listen to in the car on long trips, no, BB's tunes could be the soundtrack to to some otherworldly Broadway musical jam packed with twisted carnivalesque epic songsmithery, smoke and streamers and flames and leering demonic faces, twisted shapes, colors psychedelic and kaleidoscopic, but more than anything, the songs are incredibly catchy, the vocals soaring and dramatic, a huge development from the punk rock howl of their earlier recordings, the instrumentation is lush, fleshed out by a guitarist, and the arrangements are impossibly complex, lots of stop / starts, amazing vocal interplay, some of the most incredibly irresistible melodies ever, all woven into super tight, dense mini-epics. It's not metal, it's not punk, it's not post rock, it's bits and pieces of all of those, but cobbled together into something completely jaw droppingly over the top, but not ostentatious, the songs might feel grand and majestic, but it also feels like these guys could just reel off a new song at the drop of a hat and it would sound as good as any of these. The band do get rough and raw, and rock out a bit, but they shine on those aforementioned numbers, where they kick out the sprawling dramatic soundtracky post punk show tune jams, like some impossibly rad mix of the Melvins and Meat Loaf (circa Bat Out Of Hell). Our favorite track is probably "Gold And Final" (although it seems like every time we listen to this we discover a new favorite), with its super tense brooding verse, the little looped effected stutter before a devastating chorus, and an insane hook. We've been humming this song nonstop since we got this. Just listen to the sound sample, totally timeless, like some classic rock jam transported forward in time several decades, but picking up all sorts of detritus in the process and growing gradually slightly more warped and twisted. So good. Could be a contender for record of the year. Really. Incredible packaging too, done up like found vintage postcards, the song titles and credits worked into mysterious missives, all the images washed out, complete with a Big Business post mark and everything.

MPEG stream: Found Art
MPEG stream: Gold And Final
MPEG stream: Cats, Mice.

MPEG stream: Faith Healer
MPEG stream: San Quentin
MPEG stream: Loch Ness Monster
MPEG stream: She's Fetching

The first thing that is immediately striking about Big Eagle's debut record is the outstanding musicianship. The twangy pedal-steel guitar floats like a dream and might bring salty tears to an eyeball or two; the subtle bass lines never overstep or outshine the lead melodies; the drums hold the songs' foundations with elegantly simple beats. And the vocals! Robyn Miller (formerly of The Peels) does what all the greatest country singers have done: write and sing beautiful songs about death, lust and hopelessness with a grace and dignity unavailable to most human beings. She not only channels Lucinda Williams, though: consciously or not, there's definitely some Chan Marshall and maybe a bit of Joanna Newsom thrown in. Like Cat Power's album The Greatest, Willow Creek walks the fine line between indie rock and traditional roots music. Even in the titles of the songs, there's a strong dose of Americana: "Colorado," "Mississippi," "For Sale." "Broken Heart" mines the classic theme of heartbreak and has some excellent slow banjo work. "Colorado" is a short requiem, the pedal steel guiding you through the fragments of the best dream you ever had. "For Sale" has a bit more humor, with some clever lyrical wordplay and a playful guitar solo that lasts almost the entire song. The last track, "Bill Robinson's Run," might be the best on the record. The guitar and the banjo spar back and forth, the Hammond organ screams, the breaks are catchy and clever. A truly outstanding record from start to finish. Highly recommended!

MPEG stream: Anywhere The Wind Blows
MPEG stream: Broken Heart
MPEG stream: Bill Robinson's Run

The influence of the folk music of the British Isles (especially via it's '70s hippy interpreters), and Appalachian American folk as well, continues to filter into the indie-rock realm of today. Getting into the act now is Drew Nelson, bassist from post-rockers Sonna, who offers up a project named for an Incredible String Band album. It's mellow and maybe a bit mopey, featuring mostly originals with a few traditional tunes like "Bonnie Boy" thrown in. Drew sings and plays various instruments including guitar, banjo, dulcimer, and is joined by a few other folks on accordion, ukulele, and percussion. So if gentle, old-timey, acoustic folky stuff sung in an tenuous tenor warble -- trying to be Cat Stevens or perhaps Jeff Mangum or Will Oldham -- is your thing, then you could check this out, it might go on your discman or iPod as a pleasant afternoon coffee shop soundtrack.

MPEG stream: Harbor To A Hill
MPEG stream: Atop A Secret Mountain

Double (cd-r) disc from SF's favorite wild and wooly, rambunctious, foot stomping, bar fighting, beer drinking bluegrass outift, the Big Meat Combo, featuring Chewy Marzolo of Hammers Of Misfortune on drums. These two discs collect some live shows and some random studio recordings, that perfectly capture the playful drunken abandon of these guys. Songs about drinking, and fucking, and fighting, Tourette's Syndrome, Guns, and so much more. Steel strings, thumping tubs, harmonica, and harmony vocals, all snarled up in a chair smashing guns in the sky, musical bar brawl. Includes some unlikely covers: theme from Dukes Of Hazzard, "Working In A Coal Mine", "Fat Bottomed Girls", the Jungle Book theme and more. Fans of Bloodshot country, Pine Valley Cosmonauts, Jon Wayne, Waco Brothers, Split Lip Rayfield and the like will definitely dig!

MPEG stream: Lowdown
MPEG stream: Fat Bottomed Girls
MPEG stream: If I Were King

NOW ON VINYL!!! We were a bit surprised the first time we heard The Big Pink from the UK. We assumed the band was named after the famous record by The Band, so we were expecting something more rock or rootsy, but instead were treated to some awesome droned out druggy gothy smeary shoegazey electro pop. Weird enough to appeal to folks into all that strange shit, but catchy and hooky enough to end up on 4AD and be a super hyped next big thing. And we're cool with that for sure. If there's gonna be a next big thing, it might as well be these guys. It's like a way poppier, more commercial version of some badass hybrid of Suicide, Depeche Mode, M83, My Bloody Valentine, Interpol, a little noisy, WAY poppy, a bit eighties, a lot nineties, a little new wave, there's some Pixies in there for sure. The Big Pink are a duo, but have an extended band that weirdly enough includes a member of aQ prog faves Guapo, not that you'd mistake this stuff for prog, but it does hint that there might be something more going on than just another band looking toward the pop charts. And all the backward looking pop these days, the coldwave revival, new wave seeping into everything, seems like a good time for these guys, not to say that if you love Cold Cave and Former Ghosts and Zola Jesus and the like that you'll dig this, but you just might, and if you like Interpol and M83 and dig lots of synths and drum machines and catchy choruses and washed out guitars and big beats and warm feedback, but on a bigger, stadium sort of scale, then check this out, it's pretty addictive stuff....

MPEG stream: Crystal Visions
MPEG stream: Too Young To Love
MPEG stream: Count Backward From Ten

We were a bit surprised the first time we heard The Big Pink from the UK. We assumed the band was named after the famous record by The Band, so we were expecting something more rock or rootsy, but instead were treated to some awesome droned out druggy gothy smeary shoegazey electro pop. Weird enough to appeal to folks into all that strange shit, but catchy and hooky enough to end up on 4AD and be a super hyped next big thing. And we're cool with that for sure. If there's gonna be a next big thing, it might as well be these guys. It's like a way poppier, more commercial version of some badass hybrid of Suicide, Depeche Mode, M83, My Bloody Valentine, Interpol, a little noisy, WAY poppy, a bit eighties, a lot nineties, a little new wave, there's some Pixies in there for sure. The Big Pink are a duo, but have an extended band that weirdly enough includes a member of aQ prog faves Guapo, not that you'd mistake this stuff for prog, but it does hint that there might be something more going on than just another band looking toward the pop charts. And all the backward looking pop these days, the coldwave revival, new wave seeping into everything, seems like a good time for these guys, not to say that if you love Cold Cave and Former Ghosts and Zola Jesus and the like that you'll dig this, but you just might, and if you like Interpol and M83 and dig lots of synths and drum machines and catchy choruses and washed out guitars and big beats and warm feedback, but on a bigger, stadium sort of scale, then check this out, it's pretty addictive stuff....

MPEG stream: Crystal Visions
MPEG stream: Too Young To Love
MPEG stream: Count Backward From Ten