[ aquarius records — Rock Pop ]

Showing results 16401 through 16450 of 19388.

TIMBERLAKE, JUSTINFuturesex / Lovesounds(Jive)cd$ 16.98

We all kinda secretly like Justin Timberlake, don't we? Some of us not so secretly.

TIME FLYSRebels Of Babylon(Birdman)cd$ 14.98

Sophomore album from Oakland '70s style punkers The Time Flys, which leads off with the title track of their 'tween albums single, "Reality (Is A Rock Band)". Like their debut, this retro-rockin' disc is appropriately snotty and undoubtedly well-schooled in their chosen genre, with lotsa energy, not a lotta chords, and some handclaps, but this time 'round we're not feeling it as much... something here (the lyrics, maybe) just seems a bit forced. It's like, they're trying too hard. If you're gonna emulate the likes of the Ramones, you've gotta make it seem easy, c'mon! On the other hand, maybe we just weren't in the mood for the 'tude when we first put this on, and it's just gonna take a few more spins (and a few more PBRs?) for us to 'get'... we'll see.

TIME FLYS, THEFly(Birdman)cd$ 14.98

This looks and sounds like it's gotta be a reissue, a lost '70s punk vinyl classic dug up by a devoted record collector and at long last put out on cd. But actually The Time Flys are a band from the here (Oakland, specifically) and now, so if you live 'round these parts you can not only spin this disc but also go see 'em play, which is a good show I'm telling you. The Flys are three guys and one girl, the girl playing drums, all of 'em rock-star skinny, one of the guys being Andy from The Cuts. And I'm sure none of 'em are teenagers but they're all about the teenage angst and energy. Just check the song titles here: "Smokin' Dope", "Jailbait", "In My Skool", "Teenage Is The Stone-age" (which comes right after another song called "Teenage Tears"). There's 12 songs in 27 minutes 32 seconds, total '70s wasteoid punk stylings in the vein of thee MC5, New York Dolls, Heartbreakers, and (to mention another current band similarly retro-fitted) Chicago's Vee Dee. With snotty vocals, distorted guitar jangle and primal drum clatter that altogether does the shimmy, not to mention the packaging -- b&w pics and typewritten lyrics -- in a blindfold test this would probably fool even some not-so-casual old skool punk rawk collector types. Produced by Greg Ashley of the Gris Gris, another great Oakland garage band with a way-back machine (though theirs is dialed more to the '60s). Very kool.

TIME FLYS, THEIn Crowd(Douchemaster)7"$ 5.50

TIME FLYS, THEReality (Is A Rock Band)(Birdman)7"$ 3.00

All right! Three energetic new tunes for those of you who have been rockin' to these teenage (well, in spirit, anyway) '70s garage punk throwbacks' debut from last year. With their authentic vintage stylings, Oakland's Time Flys surely do belong on seven-inch black wax... you'd almost think you'd have to buy this from some collector scum on eBay but this is here and now and in print, for only $3.98.

TIME FLYS, THERebels Of Babylon(Birdman)cd$ 14.98

Sophomore album from Oakland '70s style punkers The Time Flys, which leads off with the title track of their 'tween albums single, "Reality (Is A Rock Band)". Like their debut, this retro-rockin' disc is appropriately snotty and undoubtedly well-schooled in their chosen genre, with lotsa energy, not a lotta chords, and some handclaps, but this time 'round we're not feeling it as much... something here (the lyrics, maybe) just seems a bit forced. It's like, they're trying too hard. If you're gonna emulate the likes of the Ramones, you've gotta make it seem easy, c'mon! On the other hand, maybe we just weren't in the mood for the 'tude when we first put this on, and it's just gonna take a few more spins (and a few more PBRs?) for us to 'get'... we'll see.

TIME OF ORCHIDSEarly As Seen In Pace(Epicene)cd ep$ 7.98

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

SORRY. NYC-based quartet who play an insane variety of time signatures and styles, and they do it so athletically and manically that I broke out in a sweat listening to it. You'd think they were Mr Bungle or something. Or maybe even better? This group certainly has been inspired by Bungle, but now that Bungle have split off into so many other projects, it's nice that these guys are carrying the torch so adroitly. Crashing power metal chords are interrupted by furious screeching, pummelling bass and advanced percussion. Contemporary avant pianist Marilyn Crispell even guests on one amazing track, the 18-minute long "Laugh Track" which stretches out pastoral paino tinklings and culminates in layer after layer of cascading piano randomness. Nice!

TIME OF ORCHIDSMelonwhisper()cd$ 8.98

NYC-based quartet who play an insane variety of time signatures and styles, and they do it so athletically and manically that I broke out in a sweat listening to it. You'd think they were Mr Bungle or something. Or maybe even better? This group certainly has

TIME OF ORCHIDSSarcast While(Tzadik)cd$ 16.98

Geeky and proud artrock prog math madness from the same scene, more or less, as Infidel?/Castro!, Behold The Arctopus, and Kayo Dot. So if you're into those bands, and Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs, Estradasphere, Idiot Flesh, that sort of thing, then this new release on John Zorn's Tzadik label might just be the ticket for you. But then again, they're probably not quite what you'd expect (which is the idea). While sometimes heavy and more often mathy, they aren't really so much of a metal deal like some of those other bands. Plenty of indie rock melody makes it into their quirky, claustrophobic mix. We're actually reminded a bit of Heavy Vegetable (remember them?) and we're pretty sure that both OK Computer and Angel Dust just might be in somebody in this band's top 10. Along with lots of the poppier '70s and '80s prog. They're a quartet (augmented by a guest trumpeter and vocalists, including Julee Cruise) and a look at the cd booklet will reveal that one guy, for instance, is credited with "keyboards, vocals, guitar, machine parts, hair dryer and sequencing" which might give you some idea of the weirdness amid the melody that they get up to here.

TIMEOUT DRAWERAlone(The Consumers Research And Development Label)cd$ 8.98

A brief breezy follow up to Timeout Drawer's Nowonmai that we made record of the week a little while back. This six song, 22 minute ep acts as a asort of addendum to the blown out majestic epic loveliness of the full length. Following firmly in the footsteps of fellow postrock pioneers Mogwai, Godspeed and the like, but with their own strange little twists. On the full length it was massive thick fuzzy synths all over the place, on Alone, the synths are sort of moved into the background, while the band sort of explores different sounds, from the perfect quiet loud explosive rock of opener "Man Must Breathe" to the soft circusy shimmer of "Women And Children Line The Rocky Shore" to the strange DJ Shadowy trip hop shuffle of "There's Just An Empty Space". The last three tracks add some angular Slinty riffing, some My Bloody Valentine guitar wash, even some keening vocals, finishing off with the ultra aggressive "The Exorcist" (yes, they're covering the Tubular Bells music by Mike Oldfield!) with fuzzy synth, shuffling stuttering drumming and freaked out distorted psych guitar squalls over some downright metal riffing. Wow!

TIMEOUT DRAWER, THENowonmai(Consumer Research and Development)cd$ 14.98

If there was ever going to be a band to FINALLY steal the slow-building-atmospheric-cinematic-post-rock-soundscape crown from Godspeed! You Black Emperor it would definitely have to be The Timeout Drawer. Sure there's Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, the Grails, Mono, Silver Mt Zion and about a million Godspeed! side projects, but as good as those bands are, and as much as we love them, we'd definitely be hard pressed to pass a blind listening test. Sure, they all do their own thing, with subtle differences, but there's plenty of times we couldn't tell you if a certain track was a Mogwai song or an Explosions In The Sky track, even with a gun to our head (okay, -maybe- with a gun to our head). Which brings us to Nowonmai by The Timeout Drawer. A quick listen will reveal all the stuff we love about post rock, pulsing hypnotic rhythms, languorous soundscapes, moody melancholia, intricate arrangements, no vocals, slow building epics. What can we say? We love that stuff. But listen a little closer and you'll begin to understand how the Timeout Drawer manage to avoid sounding like just another post rock band. We haven't actually been this blown away by an instrumental rock band since we discovered German post rockers Fuehler (no longer available sad to say) way back when. Drifting dreamy atmospheric bliss builds and builds beneath fuzzy synthesizer melodies and throbbing propulsive rhythms, before super blown out distorted guitars explode the whole thing into a dense wall of white hot fuzz, a thick slab of rumbling buzzing guitar drone, that then crumbles to pieces and from the wreckage emerges a groovy jazzy shuffle, meandering lazily through a gauzy soundfield of throbbing low-end and barely-there synthesizer chirps. And that's just the first track! Phew. Not every track runs the sonic gamut like that, some just sort of drift along, dreamy and shimmering, some explode with feverish intensity and never let up, but they all manage to be dense and complex and make every part seem totally essential to the whole, no matter how convoluted or how simple they seem on the surface. Sonically it's the synthesizer really that is the most noticeable addition to the Timeout Drawer's post rock pallet, not that most bands don't use a synthesizer, it's just that the Timeout Drawer use it for everything. Weird warbly melodies, rumbling drones, wild wigged out space rock swoops, every track is laced with that warm synth fuzz, sometimes replacing the guitar or the bass, sometimes just adding more and more layers of sound. Add to that a penchant for unlikely stretches of Calexico-ish deserty twang, pounding metal guitar crunch, bursts of manic angular riffing, lonely moaning horns and even shuffling programmed beats. Programmed beats? Well, that sort of makes sense when you realize the band started out on hip hop label Chocolate Industries when they were more of a post rock / IDM hybrid, and that skittery shuffling IDM sensibility translates strangely well to these brooding epic instrumentals. Plus how can you not love a band with song titles like: "What Looked Like Morning Was The Beginning Of Endless Night", "Bursting With Tears I Commit To Destroying You", "I Fall So Far And I Fall So High" and "Blue Eyed And FIlled With Horror"!

TIMES NEW VIKINGBorn Again Revisited(Matador)cd$ 13.98

The kings (and queen) of shitgaze return once again, to prove once again, that none of those wannabe noiseniks can even come close. It's not about your shitty 4-track, or your busted ass equipment, or recording onto a boombox in Mom's basement, it's about songs and hooks, the riffs and the melodies, and TNV have it all covered. The songs rule, impossibly catchy, with weary drawled indie sad boy vocals all tangled up with dreamy girl group la la la girl vocals, the guitars are crunchy and angular, the drums are blown out, in-the-red basement crunch, the keyboard is warm and warbly and wheezy, not sure if there's an actual bass, it's hard to tell since most of these tracks lean toward the trebly, and the production varies, from surprisingly clean and shimmery (on "Martin Luther King Day"), to crumbling and distorted almost everywhere else. But again, that's all incidental to the songs, which manage to be sort of pop, sort of punk, a little new wave, a bit crusty, all wrapped around unlikely, but irresistible hooks, a few songs get super jagged and no wave-y, and the sound totally suits them, but then there are jams like "Martin Luther King Day" which sound like classic nineties indie rock, albeit a bit rougher around the edges. And the rest of the tracks fall somewhere in between, raw, blown out garage-y new wave-y pop, that easily outshines all the other shitgaze combos, as well as positioning TNV comfortably amidst a similar but parallel scene, the weirdo lo-fi new wave garage pop scene that Thee Oh Sees, Sic Alps, The Fresh & Onlys, Ty Segall and Tyvek all call home. We LOVE this band!

TIMES NEW VIKINGBusy Making Love & War(Columbus Discount)7"$ 4.50

A brief blast of murky scuzzy garage pop from our latest fave Siltbreeze combo. This 3 piece kicks up a serious racket, a sort of Guided By Voices via The Strapping Fieldhands stomp but with plenty of Dead C skree sprinkled on top. Boy / girl vocals, trashy distorted guitar, the whole sound a fuzzy lo-fi blur, but everything dominated by the ORGAN, big blown out buzzy blast of melody like some long lost Fuzztones organ riff played through a wall of Marshall stacks. So good.

TIMES NEW VIKINGDig Yourself(Siltbreeze)cd$ 13.98

We're obviously not graphic designers, or even all that computer savvy considering it took us a little too long to get the band name joke (hint: it's a font, sort of). Anyway, this newest release on the always impeccable SIltbreeze comes in the form of this here crusty noisy blast of aggro garage scuzz. Maybe the best part is how they got signed to Siltbreeze. A found cassingle, lodged in some sort of street shrine discovered according to the label "on a street corner during our annual litter crusade. Inside the cassette's handmade case was scrawled 'This am band. Good band!' Next to that was a crude drawing of what appeared to be three people playing instruments. It smelled musty and had a real creepy, cultish vibe to it." I mean, c'mon, how could it not be great? And it sounds exactly how you think it would after that sort of story. Straight from the gutter, to a practice space, some fried mics and a blown out 4-track, and then slapped on a cd. Fuzzy superdistorted guitars, wheezing blasts of organ, splattery drumming, shouted male female vocals, all buried in tape his and amp buzz. Mostly noisy and ramshackle and stumbling through a minefield of Dead C outtakes and broken GBV cassettes, but once in a while, like on "Skull Versus Wizard", they'll whip out a veritable pop gem, a little slice of Pavement, beaten and bloodied and rolled in the mud, but still a sparkling pop gem under all that grit. Speaking of "Skull Versus Wizard", they have other killer song titles too: "Lions And Oil", "Fuck Books", "Fashion To Talk About The Moon", "We Got Rocket" and more. At times it almost sounds like a not-annoying Kim Gordon fronting Gate or the Dead C while they try to record popular indie rock favorites. Fans of the Bunnybrains, Icky Boyfriends, Liquorball and grimey gritty scummy noise pop rejoice!

TIMES NEW VIKINGMove To California(Matador)7"$ 5.50

TIMES NEW VIKINGOver & Over(Siltbreeze)lp$ 13.98

Yet another blast of fuzzed out, hook heavy shitgaze from these long time aQ faves, who as hard as they may try, can't seem to keep their sound from getting more and more polished, same with their songwriting. Sure it's still pretty rough and tumble, loose and ramshackle, the drumming a little stumbly, the harmonies wavery and woozy, the synths, slipping from simple sing songy melodies, to wild squalls of detuned chaos, the sound still plenty lo-fi, but there's that saying about not being able to polish a turd, well, with these guys it's exactly the opposite. You just can't disguise their perfect pop, no matter how fractured or fucked up you make it, and their core, these jams are pure pop, and catchy as all get out. Reminding us as always of old Sebadoh, Guided By Voices, the early Days of Matador, and the poppier side of the late great Homestead Records. The sound this time is heavy on the boy/girl harmonies, the songs rife with spidery melodies, lots of fuzzy crunch and dreamy jangle, the opening one-two punch of "Sleep-In" and "Telephone Wires" is tough to beat. But then the group get all angular and dirgey on "Y2K2" and as if to prove our point, somehow transform a weird bass heavy tangle of murky churn into something crazy catchy, the female vox drifting over a strange keening snake charmer melody, all wrapped around driving tribal drums, and crunchy jagged guitars. And then it's right back to the crunchy garage pop on "Future With Girls", and then, for the remainder of this all too brief ep, the band toss of one classic lo-fi pop gem after another, culminating in "At The Bars" which might just be one of the catchiest TNV jams yet! Includes a download code!!

TIMES NEW VIKINGPresent The Paisley Reich(Siltbreeze)cd$ 13.98

There seems to be two sides to Siltbreeze. The arty noisy side, represented by bands like the Dead C and Harry Pussy, and the fractured pop side, with bands like Guided By Voices, Psychedelic Horseshit, the Strapping Fieldhands (be prepared FINALLY for a cd reissue of SFH's mindblowing classic Discus this year!) and of course, Times New Viking, who sonically have much in common with labelmates Psychedelic Horseshit, but where PH do a sort of post new wave jangle filtered through nineties noiserock, TNV are much more jagged and sing songy, a definite post punk pogo vibe. Less deconstructionist that their Horseshit pals, instead, they just write perfect indie rock jams, but when committed to tape, they somehow turn into something much more raw and intense. Howling teenage noisepop jams that stick in your head as they're destroying your eardrums. Dig past the distorted buzz and lo-fi crunch, and there's all sorts of crazy stuff going on in there, chunks of classic new wave, riot grrl howl, groovy sixties style jangle, furious garage rock stomp, but all wrapped up into something that really only sounds like Times New Viking. We LOVE it.

TIMES NEW VIKINGRip It Off(Matador)cd$ 12.98

We only just reviewed the -last- Times New Viking on the most recent list, even though it had been out for a while. And now here we are two weeks later, with a brand new TNV, and it's more of the glorious blown-out in-the-red chaotic ultra catchy pop same. As it says on the back of the record "Times New Viking play pop songs with guitar keyboards drums." Which is definitely simplifying it a bit. Since they also incorporate a huge amount of NOISE, and feedback, and buzz, and tape hiss, and all manner of distorted blur and skree and howl. That said, this new one is even poppier and catchier than Present The Paisley Reich, and even more buried under thick slabs of crumbling sonic chaos. But even with all the noise, at it's heart, TNV is definitely a pop band through and through, the dueling boy/girl vocals, the warbly keyboard, the bouncy indie guitar jangle, sometimes it sounds like Superchunk, but if they were on Siltbreeze and recorded all their songs on a microcassette recorder and mastered it with a tin can and twine. They also sound a bit like Mates Of State, but way less polished, way more punishing, thick bolts of high end and dense clouds of hiss bombarding the lilting sweet pop, the bouncy keyboards and crooning earnest vocals. Here and there, the noise drops off a bit, revealing the pure sweet sunshine underneath, but it's quickly swallowed up again, by another wash of speaker shredding buzz and soaring hyperdistorted melodies. We just can't get enough of this stuff. Pop record of the year contender? Absolutely, and it's still January. If there was ever a band who deserved the sobriquet of 'noise pop' it's definitely Times New Viking. And it certainly doesn't get any noisier or poppier than this. Certainly not at the same time!

TIMES NEW VIKINGStay Awake EP(Matador)7"$ 3.98

TIMES, THEE For Edward / Pure / Et Dieu Crea La Femme(Artpop!)2cd$ 16.98

Ed Ball, the mastermind behind the headfuck shoegaze genius that is Teenage Filmstars, is not just a master of sonic manipulation and avant audio alchemy, no he's also a POP genius, which in some ways is precisely why Teenage Filmstars was so compelling, for every whatthefuck collage of bizarre sounds, or the dizzying spinout of backwards drums and warped reverse guitars, was some perfect melody, some kernel of absolute classic pop tunesmithery, even at its most obtuse and impenetrable, it was always weirdly poppy, or subtly melodic. The long running classic British pop combo The Times is the groop in which Ball let his otherwise sublimated pop demons loose, gobbling up every trope of classic pop music from the sixties, seventies, and especially the eighties and the nineties, and spitting them back out as his own brand of primo pop, which sounds quite a bit like some ever shifting, and slightly tweaked fusion of Oasis, Ride, the Happy Mondays, the Style Council, Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears, Pop Will Eat Itself, and the like. But only slightly tweaked. Don't be expecting any freaked out sonic fuckery, or some fractured meta-pop, the Times were never meant to be experimental, they're more like a musical time capsule, for Ball and his cohorts to go skipping through the history of pop music. And to bring back bits and bobs that he then assembles into the Times museum of classic pop. And classic it is. From mod jangle, to new wave synthy groove, to big guitar power pop, to strummy slow jam, to string soaked balladry, to glimmering soft focus shoegaze, no quirky prog-pop, and pretty much every stop in between. And it's not just the sounds, it's the songs, lush and jangly and melodic, hooks galore, catchy as all get out, total retro pop bliss, every song a gem. Another glorious chapter in Ball's long and storied sonic history, or chapters, this double disc reissue consisting of 3 different The Times records, originally released in 1989 and 1990... Like all Artpop! releases, comes with a huge, somewhat confusional booklet, packed with liner notes and pics, and also includes a bunch of killer bonus tracks!

TIMESBOLDWoe Be Gone...(Tin Drum)cd ep$ 10.98

We had never heard of these folks until AQ fave Greg Weeks came to town with his travelling musical revue (Timesbold in tow) and I have to say I was BLOWN AWAY by this band. How a band could be this good, sound this polished and self assured, share so many

TIMESBOLDs/t( Blue Sanct)cd$ 14.98

Finally a full length from the amazing Timesbold! We first discovered them as the opening act for AQ fave Greg Weeks last year and loved the shit out of their debut ep. This full length fufills every promise their ep made and then some!! A dark and lonely trip down some very familiar paths, but the scenery is quite different and the company is much better. Taking the mournful, bleak country rock of Palace or Songs:Ohia, the lush melancholia of the Flaming Lips or Mercury Rev, and the classic songsmithery of Neil Young or the Band, Timesbold emerge with something at once totally timeless and classic, but also fresh and unique. Piano and acoustic guitars are the foundation for these expansive and gut wrenching tales of misery and hopelessness. Spare and sparse, evoking wastelands, both physical and spiritual, these tunes are so intense and brutally poignant, furtive peeks into the souls of men damned by love and loss. Breathtaking and intense, dark and dreary, but gorgeously recorded and produced. Thick throbbing low end, wisps of shimmery harmonium and that voice, a warbling, cracked cry to the heavens for forgiveness and salvation. So so good. This is probably the saddest, most beautiful, best sounding record we've heard in a really long time. Fans of Woven Hand, 16 Horsepower, Palace, Songs:Ohia, Souled American and all that sort of rickety, dreamy, country/folk/rock will LOVE this as much as we do. MPEG Download: "Giniwin" [/audio/timesboldginiwin.mp3] MPEG Stream: "Giniwin" [/audio/timesboldginiwin.m3u]

TIMMY'S ORGANISMRaw Sewage Roq(In The Red)cd$ 13.98

Latest blast of garage punk filth from these Detroit weirdos, and at first blush, unlike the noise-rock-space-garage what-the-fuck chaos of their last record, Rise Of The Green Gorilla, this new one, album title Raw Sewage Roq notwithstanding, seems to be a bit more reeled in. It's classic Stooges-y swagger and fuzzed out garage blooze crunch, the opening one-two punch of "Cats On The Moon" and "Bouncing Boobies" sounding more like something you'd hear from some SF garage rock combo, a sound not that far removed from Ty Segall, Mikal Cronin and all the rest, but then once we get to "Monster Walk", things start to go wonderfully wrong, and slip back into something much more warped and tripped out, thick swaths of wah guitar, weird almost Beefheartian vox, not to mention strange bellowed background vox, but somehow, it still manages to be catchy as fuck. Which is pretty much TO's M.O., a wild swirling cacophonous mess, piled atop crazy catchy hooks and indie pop jangle, everything wreathed in super distorted lead guitar shred, and thick buzzing low end bass thrum, often driven by some weirdo vox, just check out the weird punk rock gang vox sing along of "Unhook My Leash", or the almost death metal growls of "Take The Castle", which by the way, might be one of our favorite jams here, a sort of epic near-metal dirge jam, all tribal drumming, and woozy wah wah guitars, the aforementioned vox, all murky and muddy and freaky and psychedelic. And thankfully, the record never lets up, slipping easily from dark almost ballady creeps, to churning garage punk snarl, and from classic fuzz drenched pop to the full bore noise rock garage pound of the title track that finishes things off. So good!

TIMMY'S ORGANISMRise Of The Green Gorilla(Sacred Bones)cd$ 13.98

A blurry blast of noise-rock-space-garage-what-the-fuck distorto rock from this Michigan weirdo, the opening track is an in-the-red chunk of amp melting blown out Stooges style riff rock swagger, the vocals in your face, snarling and mewling, while the drums pound, and the guitars swirl and smolder, run through an arsenal of pedals, flanger, phaser, wah wah and DISTORTION, captured on a busted 4 track, totally psychedelic and maniacal and awesome! That's only one facet of Timmy's twisted sonic Organism, a schizophrenic sound that flits from off kilter garage rock groove to damaged glam trash blooz, to gorgeously tripped out lo-fi dream pop ambience, to crusty ramshackle fuzzed out indie rock, to full on abstract pop experimentation, the whole thing constantly on the verge of collapse, little bits of perfect melody emerging from fierce squalls of noise drenched heaviness, Joe Meek like production wrapped around full on noise psych brutality, Chrome-like sci-fi space rock gives way, to drawled Jandekian reverb bedroom folk, which transforms into some sort of synthwave weirdness, before finishing off with a gorgeous bit of lush epic and majestic indie pop mood music. Weird as fuck, and all over the map, but definitely total bliss for anyone with a sweet tooth for totally cracked pop and unhinged lo-fi noise rock weirdness.

TIMONY, M. BAND (MARY)The Shapes We Make(Kill Rock Stars)cd$ 14.98

Whoa, this first few songs on this new Mary Timony album sounds about as close to her old band Helium as it could possibly get. And in our opinion that is a mighty good thing because although we've appreciated her many solo flights of fancy into fantasylands filled with castles, wizards and unicorns, our hearts still pine for the good ol' college radio solid Helium. On The Shapes We Make, Timony slips easily into each of her different musical guises that she's assumed over the years. Medieval maiden, indie rock firecracker, piano parlor princess, woodland pixie, dissonant axe goddess... yes, she's been all of those and then some. This is one of her best, most well-rounded albums to date! Recommended for old fans and neophytes alike!

TIMONY, MARYEx Hex(Lookout)cd$ 13.98

For her third solo outing, Mary Timony appears to have slipped away from her previous two albums' land of fantasy themes into more earthbound personal subjects. Ex Hex is certainly much more immediate and direct. The change is a refreshing one and is in many ways a return to her 'old' self. Indeed, some of these songs come closer to capturing the spark of her old beloved band Helium than any of her recordings since that band's demise. We're particularly happy to hear the return of that great bending guitar tone which was such a perfect foil for her distinct winding vocal style. The album balances her majestic side (check out the beautiful "In The Grass") and her more edgy side ("Hard Times Are Hard!" -- yes, the title has an exclamation mark!), effectively drawing together key elements from throughout her career into this one place.

TIMONY, MARYMountains(Matador)cd$ 14.98

What can you expect from Mary Timony's first solo album? Well, from an initial look over the song titles and lyrics... more mystical tales of another time and place. Painted horses, poison moons, and golden fruit. Musically, many a bent note, deep rough strings, and those oh-so familiar vocals that sweeps from low, almost spoken phrases to prickly falsetto. Not surprisingly, this does sound quite like a Helium album, but here all music is performed by Ms Timony and Christina Files with guests John McEntire and Ash Bowie. As you might expect, the three tracks that Mr. McEntire plays on (especially the instrumental "An-Deluzion") end up sounding a bit like Tortoise and a bit out of place.

TIMONY, MARYThe Golden Dove(Matador)cd$ 14.98

Ever since The Magic City (Helium's final album back in 1997), Mary Timony's music has descended further and further into the lair of dragons and castles. Her solo full length Mountains in 2000 was nothing but boggling fantasy tales. Truly a puzzling shift in musical direction that left me scratching my head in perturbed disappointment (and I know I wasn't alone in that department). I mean, after Helium's excellent, twisted pop album The Dirt Of Luck as well as their Pirate Prude and Superball EPs, I was so eager to hear more in the same vein. But alas, it was simply not to be with either of the above-mentioned albums... pixies and unicorns? No, not my cup of tea. And from the looks of the Ms-Timony-as-damsel back cover photo on Golden Dove, I shuddered and almost gave this album an automatic pass. But hold your horses honey pie! It appears this fair maiden has wisely blinked her dewy lash back to her sassy Helium days. Surprise! She's achieved a sweeter balance between her two worlds of lilting indie rock and fantasy chamber pop, although as the album progresses it is drawn back towards the latter realm. Swirling and romantic with an occasional glimpse of her old feist.

TIN FOIL STARMort Aux Vaches(Staalplaat)cd$ 15.98

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

SORRY. With a handful of Kranky-esque 7's and 10's, Tin Foil Star caught the ear of Staalplaat, who got them to appear on the VRPO radio series and consequently issued this limited edition CD. The first release on Staalplaat (normally known for its obtuse experimentalism) by somebody whose name has floated more within indie rock circles (albeit droning circles). Tin Foil Star here manifests a warm if lonely pop-electronica.

TIN FOIL STARToo Late Then, Too Late Now(Noise Museum)cd$ 16.98

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

SORRY. Blankets of thick analog buzzes and hums weave around more delicate ambient tones, textures and vocals. With its repetitive keyboard melodies, at times this brought to mind a tiny, entranced, mad organist in a very large ancient cathedral. Very textural, melancholic and relaxing. A great follow-up to the Mort Aux Vaches cd on Staalplaat. For fans of Spacemen 3!

TINDERSTICKSAcross Six Leap Years(Lucky Dog)cd$ 16.98

Not exactly a new album proper, but more an anniversary celebration of sorts, Across Six Leap Years finds Tindersticks convening at Abbey Road to re-record an album's worth of lesser known tracks from their illustrious 20 year career. But far from a fans-only affair, this works surprisingly well as an album in its own right. So much so that this particular aQ staffer didn't even realize it wasn't an actual lp until approximately listen number three! For those unfamiliar with Tindersticks, Across Six Leap Years is a sleepy nocturnal wash of lonely xylophones, spacious pianos, gently strummed guitars, and brushed drumming that pitter-pats like rain against a window. Stuart Staples' hushed fragile vibrato lends a weight to the songs that brings to mind the less schmaltzy moments of latter era Roxy Music, while musically the sparse balladeering of Nick Cave's The Boatman's Call or the woozy nighttime lounge of Morphine would be good comparisons. "Marseilles Sunshine" with its twinkling bells and humming violins has an affect that's truly dreamy, like floating over an empty city in the middle of the night. It's all quite peaceful, but lyrics like "I've got memories / I keep them away from me" reveal a gloomy restlessness creeping underneath, while "Say Goodbye to the City" creates a genuinely menacing sensual tension with its slithering bass, blustery horns and shrill female backing vocals. It's not hard to imagine that the patient slumbering drama of Tindersticks might have had quite an impact on relatively newer groups like The National or Antony & The Johnsons in their younger years. Best enjoyed with a bottle of red wine, a crackling fire and a few old memories you've been trying to rid yourself of.

TINDERSTICKSCan Our Love...(Beggars Banquet)cd$ 15.98

The Tindersticks never cease to amaze me. Their unique and heartwrenching sound evolves with each release. "Can Our Love..." is their 5th full length album and the most soulful record to date, taking inspiration from such artists as Curtis Mayfield, Bobby

TINDERSTICKSCurtains(Polygram)cd$ 15.98

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

SORRY. Beautiful, lush pop of the most grand & dramatic kind. Tindersticks' deep, slow ballads and velvety songs draw you in. Plus a guest vocal appearance by Ann Magnuson of Bongwater. 'Nuf said. Recommended!

TINDERSTICKSDonkeys 92-97(Island)cd$ 25.00

A collection of rarities, singles (that SubPop single you never see anymore), and unreleased recordings... one of the tracks seems to be a Pavement cover. Lovely cover art is a riff on Duke Ellington's "Anatomy of a Murder" soundtrack.

TINDERSTICKSFalling Down A Mountain(4AD / Constellation)cd$ 17.98

Since the 2006 departure of one of the founding members, multi-instrumentalist Dickon Hinchliffe (along with longtime drummer and bassist Al Macauley and Mark Colwill), the Tindersticks' sound has shifted quite dramatically away from their trademark well-worn velvety orchestral grandeur. Some fans delighted in the new developments, while others were torn. On this album it appears they've gone the farthest afield, and we're not quite sure if the challenging shifts will send us packing. Even where you'd think there could be no chance of change there is some - that is, in the deeeep intonations of lead singer Stuart A. Staples! He's singing ascends into a slightly higher register which certainly makes for a more varied tone, but we feel it often undermines the overall impact. The songs come in a grabbag of styles - smoky jazz, a little flamenco, cowboy twang - and if that were the extent of the band's new directions, things would probably be less perturbing. But without Staples' baritone delivery it all seems to drift somewhat nebulously, lacking the potent nail-you-in-the-gut gravity of their earlier releases. Nevertheless, we simply can't turn our backs to this beloved band just yet. Might need to take this for a few more spins. It will be interesting to see if they continue along this new path on their next album, and venture beyond these seeming growing pains into altogether new terrain. So, all of you diehards, we know this review probably won't dissuade you, but we just wanted to issue a warning!

TINDERSTICKSHungry Saw(Constellation)cd$ 15.98

Tindersticks creep their way back into our hearts with their latest (and seventh) album - their first studio full length since 2003's Waiting For The Moon. As always, their music lures you into its clutches with its balance of soulful threadbare emotions, gently caressing instrumentations and slowly (downward) spiralling arrangements. No one captures the essence of devastatingly beautiful despair like Stuart Staples and co. However, there are a couple of unexpected numbers on Hungry Saw in which the band, dare we say, almost has a skip in their step - case in point, the title track! Nevertheless, this is classic Tindersticks, a fine bruise-red vintage to drown your sorrows in. Sure to not only please their legions of devoted fans, but also captivate many new ones!

TINDERSTICKSLes Salauds (OST)(Lucky Dog)lp$ 29.00

TINDERSTICKSNenette et Boni(Bar None)cd$ 15.98

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

SORRY. Finally a domestic re-issue of this Tindersticks soundtrack to Claire Denis' French film about Nenette and Boni.

TINDERSTICKSThe Something Rain(Constellation)cd$ 15.98

While we found 2010's Falling Down A Mountain slightly underwhelming, we've quickly fallen under the spell of UK mope rockers Tindersticks' new one, the spoken word driven opening track "Chocolate" playing out like a much more lush (and less sexually deviant) take on Arab Strab, the music so lovely, shuffling drums, tinkling chimes, twang flecked softly psychedelic guitars, a little bit slowcore, a little big Godspeed slow build epic, a dark orchestral late night sprawl of horns and warm sonic swirls, lead vocalist Stuart Staples in story telling mode, it's actually quite compelling, and hauntingly lovely. The rest of the record returns to the Tindersticks sound of old, smoldering and sensual, the instrumentation spare, but the arrangements lush and almost symphonic in places, but nearly skeletal in others, Staples' distinctive croon sounding as good as ever, the music gorgeous and lush as always, but some of our complaints about the last record still ring true, the band trying out different sounds and vibes, none of which suit them as much as the dour dreary doomy pop miserablism that defined their early records, the horns too are a bit much in places too, as are the female background vocals, but folks who dug the last record will like this one too, and longtime fans will of course be pleased, but that first track is definitely a stunner, and might be worth the price of admission on its own...

TINDERSTICKSTindersticks(This Way Up / London / Polygram)cd$ 14.98

This is the sophomore album by this oh so elegant band from Nottingham, England.

TINDERSTICKSTrouble Every Day Original Soundtrack(Beggars Banquet)cd$ 22.00

Tindersticks' soundtrack to Claire Denis' eagerly awaited and rather infamous new film 'Trouble Every Day' (starring Vincent Gallo and Beatrice Dalle). The film has been out in France and other parts of Europe since mid-July 2001, following its controversial

TINDERSTICKSWaiting for the Moon(Beggars Banquet)cd$ 13.98

Don't let the embittered scowls, anguished winces and brooding stares of the front cover art dissuade you. Each Tindersticks album finds its way into your heart and mind -- creeping in ever so gradually and deeply -- and this one is no exception. On this their fifth full length, multi-faceted member Dickon Hinchliffe takes on more of a vocal presence. The contrast between his thoughtful, mellow delivery and main vocalist Stuart Staples' deeeep smoky velvet near-spoken word brings a touch of ambered light to the usually all-consuming trademark Tindersticks shadowy gravity. At the beginning of the fourth song "4.48 Psychosis" a voice asks "What do you offer your friends to make them so supportive?" In the Tindersticks case, it's maintaining a consistently grand body of work steeped with immense drama and glistening beauty. Wonderfully somber elegance.

TINDERSTICKSWorking For The Man: The Greatest Hits(Koch)cd$ 15.98

Although the existence of a 'greatest hits' collection for the Tindersticks seems a bit odd... really, who would think of this band as having 'hits'? Fan favorites? Sure. Hits? Uh uh. Nevertheless this new Tindersticks cd is great for many reasons. For one thing it serves as a great introductory sampler for anyone unfamiliar with the band. It also serves as a great career overview revealing the subtle changes that their smoky, langourous balladry has taken over the years (for instance excursions into Morricone style western soundtracks and Mayfield-inspired soul). Along with their recent Bareback video collection dvd, this cd is sure to please their devoted fans and perhaps garner them some new ones too.

TINDERSTICKSs/t (II)(Plain)lp$ 22.00

Hurrah, two early Tindersticks albums have recently been re-released on vinyl, and we heartily recommend them both! If you're only going to get two Tindersticks lps, these are they. Of this band's first two triumphs, their second (and also self-titled) album, from 1995, is at least as good as the first, maybe even better and more sophisticated, but of course still similarly somber and elegant, with a lush sound that is definitely reminiscent of Scott Waker (1-4), plenty of vibes, delicate melodies, swirling strings and vocalist Stuart Staples deep haunting sung/spoken croon, that at times reminds us of a more torch songy Lambchop, and years later, we can't help but realize how much bands like the National and the Editors and the like owe to the mighty Tindersticks. Absolutely gorgeous stuff, another moody masterpiece. 180 gram vinyl. Not a gatefold though, unlike the other one.

TINDERSTICKSs/t (aka The First Tindersticks Album)(Plain)lp$ 22.00

Hurrah, two early Tindersticks albums have recently been re-released on vinyl, and we heartily recommend them both! This is the Nottingham, England band's self-titled debut album which was originally released in 1993, not to be confused with their second album from 1995 which was also self-titled. Although lead singer Stuart Staples and company have shifted into different stylistic choices in the past few years, back in the early days you could definitely count on the band for a consistency in sound, mood and aesthetic (and album titling too, apparently!) that was distinctly their own and which drew masses of diehard fans.� This one is where it all started, and where any potential fan should start. Staples' trademark deeeeep vocal delivery is on display amidst their somber, elegant, downright lush chamber pop compositions. Lyrically, Staples delves into some less than elegant areas, however (song titles include "Jism" and "Drunk Tank"), although like Arab Strab, Staples and company are masters at taking such salacious sentiments and transforming them into brooding loveliness.� Nice to have this on vinyl again, for maximum decadent atmosphere. 180 gram wax, gatefold sleeve.

TING TINGS, THEWe Started Nothing(Columbia)cd$ 13.98

Annoyingly infectious! You know the feeling. The minute it comes on, you roll your eyes and then a minute later against your better judgment you can't help singing along. Sassy Brits, The Ting Tings have created a nice buzz thanks to "Shut Up And Let Me Go" featured on a recent iTunes ad. Sort of like if Tegan and Sara invaded clubland or Le Tigre without the politics, We Started Nothing has some nice head-nodding moments where they pillage new wave, electroclash, and classic rock like it was a big tangled box of shiny bangles. Yet overall, it's pretty hit and miss. Most evident when the girl singer actually tries to sing. But if you like big summer jams to get your party on, there are more than a few right here.

TINSELThe Lead Shoes(Alice In Wonder)cd$ 16.98

Wisconsinite Michael Hopkins (with help from a few friends) presents his debut album under the name Tinsel. He's responsible for the music -- lovely drone-folk, with a moody, late-night atmosphere. That's fantastic, but he also is responsible for the vocals

TINTED WINDOWSs/t(S-Curve)cd$ 12.98

Unless you've been in some sort of high security isolation unit, or stranded on a deserted island, you've no doubt been inundated with the hype around this band, Tinted Windows. We were just at SXSW in Texas, and they were one of the bands everyone wanted to see. It sort of makes sense, c'mon, a band with the guitarist from Smashing Pumpkins, the bass player from Fountains Of Wayne, the drummer from Cheap Trick and, wait for it, the singer is one of the Hanson brothers! Exactly. They had it made before anyone even heard a note. Or maybe they were doomed to fail, the most ridiculous and unlikely supergroup ever, one that on paper seemed like a put on. But you know what? This record kicks ass. It's not ground breaking or anything, it's just a killer chunk of old school seventies / eighties style power pop. You can hear Cheap Trick all over Tinted Windows, but you can also hear "Jesse's Girl" era Rick Springfield. We know Fountains Of Wayne dude is a pop master, having written tons of power pop classics, as well as writing the music for the movie That Thing You Do (still one of our favorite rock movies), and Iha definitely had a hand in some classic Pumpkins jams, and maybe most surprising of all, Taylor Hanson has got a decent set of pipes on him, surprisingly gritty and kick ass, but able to slip smoothly into a falsetto, and right back. And as mentioned above, with a pop pedigree like this (and yeah we're counting Taylor Hanson too), these guys were bound to be able to kick out some seriously catchy jams, and they do. The slower songs don't fare quite as well, sort of ballady, a little bit cheesy, but thankfully those are few and far between. Tracks like the first single "Kind Of A Girl", "Can't Get A Read On You" and our favorite of the bunch "Messing With My Head" (which we just listened to about 10 times in a row, no lie) just kill. Total mix tape, cruising with the top down, kick ass, eighties rom-com montage, stereo cranked, feel good, rock and roll, power pop radness for sure!