These guys have been the talk of the town lately. Folks can't tell if they're serious or a total pisstake, or if it even matters. The music is a wild raucous glammy punk rock, simple and catchy, snotty and repetitive, funny and rocking as all get out. Lots of sing along parts, lots of super simple guitar leads, the vocals delivered in a thick Cockney sneer with plenty of attitude. Their look is total eighties glam punk, skin tight trousers, ripped t-shirts, Doc Martens or Converse All Stars, leather jackets, sun glasses, and BIG teased glam rock hair. We're not sure what all the fuss is about. They look awesome. They sound awesome. What more do you need to know? Who cares if it's a joke? They're like some sloppy collision of the Sex Pistols, Hanoi Rocks, G.B.H., the Damned, the New York Dolls and Andrew W.K. which sounds pretty good to us. If you're a punk purist you'll probably immediately want to beat the shit out of these guys, but if you dig the Darkness, love the above mentioned bands, and are in the market for some big, fun, wild, dumb, air guitar worthy glampunk rock and roll, you can't really do much better than the Towers Of London.
On their follow-up to last year's lovely C'mon, Chicago soundscapists Town and Country drift into view with 5 (yes, it's their fifth full length). Stretching each song out langourously from the shortest, the 4:23 "Lifestyled" to the eleven minute long album closer "Shirtless", they allow the instruments (strings, woodwinds, percussion, a cornet, a glass of water) to resonate, ebb and flow naturally. Melodic and rhythmic elements take shape gradually, and give way to the spacious drones. An entrancing album with a beautiful, warm ambience. Nice!
The third album from this Chicago quartet who lovingly weave together harmonium, piano, guitar, trumpet, and contrabass. While their previous album was also a serene, dreamy gathering, Town And Country's new one reveals a lessening of their gentle guitars
This is a near-perfect album of stark, lonely instrumentals. Using a variety of chamber instruments -- including cello, piano, kalimba, organ, melodian and snare drum -- to gorgeous effect, these guys know how to pile on the cool sounds without oversaturating the songs' natural ambience. With barely a beat to play against, these four compositions just seem to flow together and fall apart with relative ease. And best of all, no signs of hated hack indie hipster jazz (always a danger from Chicago/Thrill Jockey acts).
It seems like this ensemble never get the credit and attention that many of their peers in Chicago do. Hopefully that will change with "Up Above" their most fully realized and compelling album to date. The record finds them incorporating lots of eastern instrumentation like tambura, sitar, karkabas along with lots of hand percussion, glockenspiel, violin and countless other musical tools which they bring together to brew some front porch minimalism at its finest. It's like they found a way to channel the meditations of Terry Riley with like a more celestial Henry Flynt. While past releases have always been really nice but also somewhat predictable, we were so happy to hear that they've set their sights to a higher place and hit their target oh so nicely.
For a record produced and assembled by Weasel Walter of the Flying Luttenbachers, and titled The Unlistenable Years, and documenting some lost never before heard No Wave recordings, this Toy Killers disc is in fact, surprisingly listenable. But listenability is for sure relative, as this is still some pretty out there and difficult listening.
The names Mark E. Miller and Charles K Noyes are probably unknown to all but the most obsessive No Wave / No New York fanatics, but Miller and Noyes were both percussionists, who began life in the seventies as a crazed noise duo, that would morph into a strange noise / punk / free jazz hybid often playing with more well known NY scene luminaries like John Zorn, Arto Lindsay, Elliott Sharp, Bill Laswell, Wayne Horvitz, all of whom appear on these recordings right here, culled from a trove of unreleased and until now virtually unheard studio and live recordings captured on tape in the early eighties.
A spastic, dubbed out anti-funk, collaged noise groove free jazz what the fuck that veers from groovy woozy Material like post-dub to maniacal frenetic Ruins like skronk, and various stops in between, Krautrock rhythms underpin buzzing new wave synths, bursts of drums-down-the-stairs rhythmic freakouts, garbled speaking in tongues vocals, blown out wah wah bass and exotic percussion, angular guitar scrape and wail, chopped up samples and junkyard clang and clatter. The songs skip wildly from fuzzy anti disco funk to super skeletal This Heat skitter to super distorted almost grindcore to abstract atonal pound to total no wave vocal / drum / horn damage, to minimal noise dub and on and on and on.
The record finishes off with nearly half an hour of improvisations, that offer up all manner of minimal drone and dirge and buzz and skronk, ambient drift and stumbling deconstructed jazz, wild percussive freakouts, haunting collaged soundscapes, some deep and creepy dronemusic, and a whole lot of noise.
Features liner notes by Weasel Walter, who put this record together, and Anton Fier, who was THERE, and got to see some of this shit GO DOWN!
For many folks, Kiwi (post) punk outfit Toy Love was their introduction to Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate, but for us, we were already in love with the twisted home brewed bedroom pop of the Tall Dwarfs, aka Knox and Bathgate, before we learned that there was something that came before. And for some reason, we were expecting some sort of proto-Tall Dwarfs, and in a way, that is what Toy Love were, albeit sonically a whole different kettle of snotty punk rock fish. The clever lyrics, and strange turns of phrase, the inventive arrangements, and rollicking rocking looseness, not to mention the hilarious between song banter, all had their genesis in Toy Love, but for all that would follow, Toy Love were indeed a punk band, described by the label as New Zealand's answer to Wire, which is really not that far off the mark. And while there is a double cd collection which captures virtually everything the band ever recorded (we can order it for you, just ask, you should! It's awesome!), live, the band were something else altogether. Hearing this now, it's hard to imagine a band this good, with songs this great, would hang it up, especially after only a couple years (they only existed for two years, 1979-1980). This live set was one of their final shows, and displays the band in fine form, the sound loud and pristine, the songs KILL, the band tight as fuck, wiry and angular, but at the same time loose and wild, the onstage back and forth between the bandmates the sort of thing that makes the whole audience feel like they're just hanging at the rehearsal space drinking beers watching their buddies' band practice. This is one of those live records that most definitely captured a special moment in time, and a special band at their prime.
And the songs, holy shit, how has the Toy Love catalog not been plundered by a million punk bands looking for covers infinitely better than their originals, in fact the opening salvo here is pretty much untouchable, "Fifteen", is all buzzing bassline, wild octopoidal drumming, jagged shards of guitar, swaggery, snarly vox, and a hook to kill for. "Unscrewed Up" is more of the same, slowing it down a bit and adding some slither, the guitars spidery and droney, the drums still the driving force, the vocals a raspy yowl, and another killer chorus, the vibe dark and a little Wipers-y, which leads right into "Amputee Song" which is pure pop dressed up in punk clothing, crazy catchy, super melodic, very reminscent of -that- NZ pop sound, but way more punk. And so it goes, for the whole of this epic set, relentless, and relentlessly great! The set rife with slow, dark brooders, and crazy catchy punky pop songs, but leaning mostly toward wild, gleefully chaotic pop flecked post punky crunch. An essential NZ underground music artifact for sure!
Includes a mini-foldout poster, with extensive liner notes and rare photos.
This has the Casio-tinged sweetness of Takako Minekawa with a Mouse on Mars sense of playful melodicism. (Not that we're saying Toyen are quite on the level of MoM or Takako, of course.) From the eclectic Blackbean and Placenta record label. All tracks
The man they call MC Trachiotomy is a cohort of mad sonic scientist/organist Mr. Quintron from New Orleans. Certainly not to be confused with their ladyfriend and puppet wrangler Miss Pussycat! Such a mysterious, eccentric trio they make. You might've spotted them on Quintron's recent Drum Buddy tour. What is a Drum Buddy? Well, it's another Mr. Quintron invention, an amazing light beam triggered spinning instrument contraption thing that spews crazy drum beats and sounds, and it makes an appearance on this cd too! Anyways, back to the business at hand, "W/ Love From Tahiti" is Trachiotomy on his own, and yes, it was indeed recorded in Tahiti. You might find this cd in the hip hop section of many record shops, but we're not so sure if that's really the right place for him to be. His often incoherent mumbling sort of sounds like a cross between Tom Waits and Bill Cosby. This "rapping" is plopped over a jumble of shuffling beats (many I'm sure are courtesy of the aforementioned DB) and assorted samples. Quite haphazard and homespun, distorted and a bit murky. The sizeable sample of Steve Martin as Navin Johnson in the movie The Jerk on the track called "Valentine" (I think that's the title, but I can't really tell for sure 'cause the liner notes are in messy chicken scratch) perked up my ears, but that might be because it sticks out amid the tracks as a *somewhat* coherent voice. Note: there is a warning in the liner notes that states "this is 'THE' baby makin' music. NNUUUUUTTHIN' BUT SSLLOOOOWW JJJAAAAAAAAMMMMZZZZZ!" Hmmm, dunno 'bout that! But whether or not that's completely true, we do recommend proceeding with caution. Maybe it's just me, but I found this to be some pretty weird, swampy and a bit dirty stuff - especially the track called "Along Th' Coast" that's driven (ha ha! bad pun intended) by a play-by-play pitstop commentary of the changing of a Maserati's tires. Something's might be better experienced live and in the flesh. You might say "Yikes!" or you might say "Yum!"
From Sub Pop's new sub-label comes a full length from SF's own Track Star, strumming furiously and angsting so much you'd think they were the Wedding Present or something.
Wyatt Cusick is the skilled scribe of some of the sweetest, smartest tunes around!! And he's in two of the brightest pop bands around - the Aislers Set and Trackstar. Purveyors of all that is sensitive, peppy and charming, tempered with a balanced dose of fuzzy and jangly guitars. His fellow Track Star Matthew Troy is certainly no songwritin' slouch either. After so many years of making music together its clear their chemistry is capable of brewing up a melodious storm. Each fellow brings his distinct approach to the group, Wyatt all warm, soft and boyish, and Matthew a bit more feisty and gritty. The faster songs are driving power pop whereas the slower ones have a definite Belle And Sebastian-esque fragile lilt and sigh to them (such as on "Green To Gold" a song that also appeared on their late 2001 Omnibus Records 7"). This is made even more pronounced on the song titled "The End" by the added honey-sweet vocal grace of Alicia Vanden Heuvel (of the Aislers Set and Poundsign). This release also marks drummer Brian Girgus' (formerly of Lowercase) full length debut for the Trackstar team.
Wyatt Cusick is one damn fine pop songcraftsman (you may have also heard his skills at work in the wonderful Aislers Set). He, together with bandmates Matthew Troy and Brian Girgus (formerly of Lowercase) presents this lovely short'n'sweet two-song single.... maybe even too short! It seems the songs are over before they've barely begun. Consider this just a hint of their new
Tractor is the early '70s UK heavy-folk-rock duo of Jim Milne and Steve Clayton, who made two classic albums, one record under the name The Way We Live, and this one as Tractor, which was originally released in 1972 on John Peel's Dandelion label. Here it's reissued on cd as a '30th Anniversary Special Edition'. Probably the heavier of the two records, "Tractor" comes off like a combination of obscure UK folksters Tony, Caro & John (whose album reissue on Shadoks we recommended a few months ago) and heavy rock n' rollers Led Zeppelin or Budgie (or, to be obscure again, T2). Doomy fuzz guitars, conga drums, mystick lyrix, acoustic strum... This 'power duo' recorded in a bedroom studio but their sound is BIG. Anyone into either kick-ass '70s psychedelic guitar heroics or epic blissful folksy melancholia, or *both* especially, should investigate. There's one goofy blues number, but that's more than made up for by the epic, fierce "Little Girl In Yellow", a heavy rock classic if there ever was one.
Hisses and boos to the record label though, for crudding up this disc's front and back covers with little blurbs about the record (including the logos of the magazines from whence several of the blurbs were derived). What were they thinking? Save that stuff for a sticker on the shrink wrap! We're also not entirely sure that including two recordings (and photos) from the band's 2002 reunion as 'bonus' tracks was such a great idea, although the extra four demo tracks from Jim Milne, just acoustic guitar and voice, are quite nice, whenever they may be from (they don't tell us).
Unfortunately no '30th Anniversary Special Edition' of The Way We Live's "Candle For Judith" has come our way, but if it ever does we'll give you the heads up on that too.
MPEG Download: "All Ends Up" [/audio/tractorallendsup.mp3]
MPEG Stream: "All Ends Up" [/audio/tractorallendsup.m3u]
Culture For Pigeon begins with Ms Tracy (aka Wynne Greenwood) at her most sing-song-y. Whereas in the past she's drawn comparisons to Kathleen Hanna and Hanna's electronic pop alter ego Julie Ruin, this time around comparisons may be drawn to a lo-fi Solex with a subdued PJ Harvey or fellow Olympia, WA starlet Mirah at the mic. It's definitely not as much of an all-out party as her 2001 debut full length Muscler's Guide to Videonics was. It's filled with tumbling programmed beats, slow moody organ-driven numbers and odd chuggy synth sounds that sometimes resemble someone pretending to play the trumpet (go on, listen to "Henrietta" and tell me it doesn't sound like that!). All in all though, this shouldn't disappoint her fans who know her live show is where it's at -- complete with video projected backing band Nikki and Cola (actually Greenwood in costume). Indeed in the past her live show has often stolen the thunder from her recorded work. However this release brings the two experiences closer together 'cause it includes a bonus DVD!
Tracy + the Plastics is the low-fi electro-dance solo project of Wynne Greenwood, an Olympia, WA-based artist. She used to be in the video-band Meme America and now she has taken on the alter-ego of Tracy, and her own two sidekicks, Nikki Romanos and Cola. Live, Tracy performs while the other two accompany her as pre-programmed video-projections. Quite impressive with the split personality, schizo, tight, well-rehearsed performance art. Both recorded and live Tracy and The Plastics strongly draws comparison to Julie Ruin (another alter ego electronica/ dance band solo project) by both taking on the characteristics of Kathleen Hanna's voice and the mood of the casiotone, low-fi, drum machine madness.
This is her second release on Chainsaw Records and was recorded by Joe Preston (of the Thrones, the Need, and the Melvins), Donna Dresch, and Tracy herself.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Finally available on vinyl, with two bonus remixes by 1774. Long awaited full length from Olympia, WA-based multimedia queen Wynne Greenwood, formerly of MeMeAmerica. Recorded by Joe Preston (Thrones), this LP compiles new material with songs previously heard on their previous cassette-only release on Heartcore. Lo-fi electro grooviness for fans of The Need. Carrie Brownstein (Sleater Kinney) makes an appearance on one track.
Long awaited full length from Olympia, WA-based multimedia queen Wynne Greenwood, formerly of MeMeAmerica. Recorded by Joe Preston (Thrones), this cd compiles new material with songs previously heard on the cassette-only release put out last year by Heartcore.
Trad Gras Och Stenar -- aka Trees, Grass and Stones -- are from Sweden and have a long, long history to go along with their wonderful band name. Presently, the members (all providing vocals) are: Bo Anders Persson (guitar), Jakob Sjoholm (also guitar), Torbjorn Abelli (bass), and Thomas Mera Gartz (drums). These "four old men" (as they describe themselves in the liner notes) have been playing together for many, many years: three of 'em were founder members of the totally amazing psychedelic drone band Parson Sound in 1967, which morphed into the equally amazing, also-heavy-but-folkier outfits International Harvester, then Harvester, and then Trad Gras Och Stenar, who released their last album in 1969. Now, 33 years later, here's another great Trad Gras Och Stenar disc! They certainly demonstrate here that they've still "got it" -- a la Faust, another, rather similarily experimental band of baby boomers who are still making great music today. They also demonstrate that yesterday's prog or psych rock is now today's post-rock, but better!
"Ajn Schvajn Draj" was recorded from 1998-2001 under various circumstances -- in an atmospheric detail, they thank the "patient horses" in the pasture outside the building on the island of Faringso where they recorded much of this. Fittingly, this 74 minute album conjures up a mostly somber mood that you can imagine horses enjoying, one that's dark, pretty, nicely repetitive, and gentle but also fully capable of unleashing some dense, "free rock" heaviness. Somber, but with humor, indeed, with some rather unusual singing -- we mentioned Faust, and we're also reminded of Can (some of the vocals seemingly channel Damo Suzuki).
Actually, at first listen, a couple of the vocal tracks were tough going (why sing in French if you don't have to?) but the rest is mighty fine, in particular the several extended, improvised instrumentals that really recall the heavy psych-rock power of Parson Sound and International Harvester. Overall, you'd never be fooled into thinking this was the old Trad Gras Och Stenar (it has a much more "modern" sound), but if you're familar with those records, you'll be able to tell it's the same band on these tracks for sure.
Track four, "The Dove", starts off with vocals that sound like a French version of U2's Bono, but by the end of the song the band has gotten into a repetitive groove that reminds us much more of French post-rockers Ulan Bator. Two later tracks are Swedish language versions of "Nothing", by '60s freak rockers The Fugs, which here sound like Viking drinking songs, backed by laughter and merriment. These Nothings bookend the twelve minute long instrumental "Ringring", perhaps the album's most Parson Sound-ing track -- a heavy, majestic piece that's indeed ringing with energy. Then, after the reprise of "Nothing", a lovely backwards guitar excursion ("Albatross Meets Lonely Sailor") segues into an ECM-ish drifting ambient piece ("Exit") to nicely end the album.
Certainly, you should get their original albums first (see elsewhere on our website for raves about Parson Sound, Int'l Harvester, et.al.) but out of 2002's post/prog/psych/whatever rock releases, this album is well worth checking out.
Yes! Maximum damaged Swedish guitar psych jamming in the house! Knowing how much we at AQ LOVE the sixties Swedish psych sounds of Parson Sound/International Harvester/Harvester/Trad Gras Och Stenar (multiple manifestations of basically the same band, whose crucial original LPs and unreleased recordings have been reissued on cd over the past couple of years, a boon to music-lovers everywhere -- see elsewhere on our website for reviews) you can imagine how excited we were to find out that TWO MORE Trad Gras Och Stenar LPs of early seventies vintage were now being reissued by new US label 1/2 Special, who indeed do a bang up job with these two discs. The booklets feature lots of photos and posters, a discography, and detailed liner notes from the band (delving into remembrance of the personal and social transformations of the hippie era). Plus, each disc's got a hefty bonus track (32 minutes on "Djungelns" and 27 on "Mors")! And of course it's the music that really makes these essential.
Influenced by Scandinavian folk music, drugs, radical politics, Terry Riley, the Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix, Indian ragas, etc. this is some awesomely messed-up far-out rock music for sure. If these guys were German instead of Swedish, we'd be talking about a Krautrock legend. TGOS, as the final incarnation of group that started as Parson Sound, features a stripped-down line-up playing music that is perhaps more conventionally "rock" based than earlier formations, but definitely the heavy minimalism of Parson Sound and the Amon Duulish folked-out trippiness of Harvester remain important elements of their lugubrous sound.
"Djungelns Lag" ("Jungle Law" in English), originally issued in 1972, collects tracks recorded by TGOS on tour in Sweden and Norway during the summer and fall of 1971. You get extended dual guitar tangle and lovely sad folk laments, brief bouts of sunshiney nonsense vocals backed with acoustic guitar strum ("Dibio"), and even hippie hoedown jaw-harp jams ("Munfiol"). Wherever they wander, this is generally mellow yet moving, always measured and stately even when at its most abstract and electric.
Likewise with "Mors Mors" (aka "Bye Bye"), a 1973 album of tracks originating on tour in Sweden and Denmark in '72, which continues with both the gentle freakiness and distorted thud. The Rolling Stone's "Last Time" gets a TGOS treatment (not quite as blasted as their take on "Satisfaction" found on their self-titled album, though) and again their originals feature plenty of what we dig: moments of ragged Haino-worthy axe attack, tripped-out Quicksilver leads, and lovely pastoral folk-drone...
So it's appropriate that both discs were reissued simultaneously, if you want one you'll want 'em both. What else can we say...well, anyone who buys Acid Mothers Temple discs ought to be sure to take some Trad Gras Och Stenar home too, that's for sure. As with all the reissues from this camp, highly recommended.
It's been, what, three years since Swedish psych veterans Trad Gras och Stenar toured the United States? Too long anyway. If you saw 'em then, you know why we're so excited about this new DVD. This band has been around, in one form or another, since the late sixties, starting off in 1967 as Parson Sound, then morphing into International Harvester, Harvester, and finally Trad Gras och Stenar (Trees, Grass, and Stones). And they somehow have maintained their radical hippy outlook, their politics and their musical adventurousness, all these years (they were on a long hiatus from 1972 until their 1995 reunion). This band just rules. Makes us young 'uns a bit less worried about getting old.
Heavy and mesmeric, TGoS's jams are something like a more hippified version of Circle, minimalist, rhythmic, trance-inducing. For more description of their sounds, please refer to one of our reviews of their several albums. Presumably if you're curious about this dvd you've already heard 'em, and just want to know what the dvd is all about. Basically, it's like their home movies from tour (and tour-prep). It's done in a cinema-verite manner, capturing quirky detail, Trad Gras definitely interested in demystifying and debunking any "rock and roll" pretense. For instance, when at one point the plays on Swedish television, the clip from the actual TV show is never shown, just their own "behind the scenes" footage. And then there's a scene of the band out of doors, in the snow (!), trying to tune in themselves on an old TV set, almost just to be silly.
Shot by filmmaker Michael Hogstrom circa 2002-2005, this documentary follows TGoS around Sweden and over to both Russia and the United States to various gigs, playing their wonderful music and dealing with the mundane misadventures of life on the road. There's plenty of performance footage and lots of inter-band banter (with English subtitles, yay!) in the tour van or backstage. In fact, thematically this movie is almost as much about "old friends" as it is a musical document. It's almost two hours worth of the Trad Gras och Stenar experience -- not a substitute for seeing 'em live in person but the next best thing for sure (and since we in the USA don't have that opportunity all that often, this is a treat!). And, another treat: there's a few minutes of 8mm footage of the band appearing at one of the famous free Stockholm summer festivals back in 1970, a montage of various vintage clips of the scene there, all scratchy and colorful. These were silent films, so the sound isn't synched, but there's a Trad Gras album playing on the soundtrack (literally, in a preamble, we're shown the needle being dropped on the vinyl). A nice bonus!
If you're not charmed by the way the dvd begins, outside Trad Gras och Stenar's practice space at a house somewhere in the Swedish countryside, with their wizened guitarist and spiritual leader Bo Anders Persson seated on a motorcycle, trying to get the thing to start up, as the rest of the band looks on, then perhaps this excursion won't be for you. But if immediately you wish you were hanging out with those guys, helping with the motorcycle, hearing their stories, basking in their music, then you're a fan of TGoS and will enjoy the rest of the movie!!
Somehow, we never wrote up a review of this before, although it was probably the first document of anything by this longtime AQ fave Swedish psych rock band that we ever stocked. (Guess it took us a while to really get into 'em.) So, cool this disc has at last been repressed, for us to finally list, especially since their several other live albums are all out of print.
If you're new to Trad Gras Och Stenar (Trees, Grass and Stones) you should read some of our other reviews of records by them and the other bands they morphed out of, like for instance their earliest incarnation as Parson Sound! In short, the whole TGOS/Parson Sound/Harvester/International Harvester thing was Sweden's answer to krautrock: droned out, rhythmic hippie hypnorock, representing radical politics and alternative lifestyles, in an almost proto-punk, or primitive prog style. Seriously, if they were German they'd be up there with Amon Duul I&II, Faust, Can, etc. And fans of Hawkwind also oughta check 'em out.
This live recording is an instant timewarp back to the pothaze atmosphere of the famous underground Gardet Festival in 1970, sorta the Swedish Woodstock, giving the listener a dose of TGOS's magic, live and raw. While there's other albums maybe we'd suggest for first timers, since this is a tad lo-fi, this WILL demonstrate their mesmeric majesty pretty darn well. Like we said, it's raw, and it rocks in its druggy dreamy hella distorted way. Oh, and it was recorded (on Nagra tape recorder, with one mic) by their fan, none other than Joakim Skogsberg, himself responsible for the amazing Jola Rota album.
Six songs here, almost an hour of music, including their oh-so-woozy cover of the Dylan by way of Hendrix classic "All Along The Watchtower" along with a wild nine-minute rave up on the Stones' "Satisfaction", and of course several lengthy, and equally wild, jamming originals, like the rollicking (and bluesy/folky) "In Kommer Gosta".
Must have been amazing to have been there that summer day. You can tell the audience is enjoying it. Rad it was recorded (thanks Mr. Skogsberg!).
The cd booklet is full of liner notes and vintage photos from the festival. And, by the way, this is also available in a relatively recent double vinyl pressing that we think we'll be getting some more of in soon, too.
We're forever amazed at this band of Swedish psych veterans. They've been around for what, 40 years?? Yep, if you go all the way back to their Parson Sound incarnation, one of our favorite archival dronerock releases ever. Trad Gras Och Stenar's 2002 comeback/reunion album Ajn Schvajn Draj was a most pleasant surprise, and their US tours afterwards honestly mindblowing. Seeing 'em live is a once, twice, let's hope a few more times in a lifetime event. Grizzled they may be, but they put many of today's young, so-called psychedelic bands to shame.
So here they are in 2009 with a new album. And it's again something special, for fans young and old and yet to be. Eleven songs, some sprawling, some not, that come across quite a bit like an especially drugged out, somnolent Circle or Pharaoh Overlord! It's supremely moody and immersive, the senior psych statesmen of TGOS slowly kicking out the heavy-lidded (and sometimes just plain heavy) lumbering riff repetition and instrumental interplay.
Be aware however, the very first song is actually a bit of an anomaly on this album, it's almost a pop number, with English language vocals, that can be a bit off-putting at first. The lyrics to "Punkrockarn" are a surprise as well: "Yes I am a punk rocker I am". Weird, or what? Then again, we get the idea that these guys really were the original punk rockers, back in the '60s. Political hippies, in a time of war and strife, doing subversive things the DIY way. In any event, it's an interesting if odd start to this album, which turns out of be mostly instrumental otherwise, and much more in a sleepy improv jam mode, full of both distorted guitar riffing and dreamy arctic ambience. Ferinstance, immediately with track two "Folkets Lok I Obeveklig Rorelse" we're definitely in more familiar Trad Gras territory, the song a seesawing grind and spaced out druggy lope, a nearly 7 minute jam that's timelessly TGOS (and thus nods as much to ye olde krautrock as it seems current with the likes of Wooden Shjips and Acid Mothers Temple). More of that, please? That's what they give us! Heck, these Homeless Cats end up sounding like something that the Holy Mountain label would be eagerly adopting regardless of whether their lease allowed pets or not! Also, several tracks, like "Svarmors Brudpolska", reveal hints of the traditional Nordic folk vibe that TGOS and precursors Harvester/International Harvester evoked in back in '70s, as well.
Definitely recommended, and we hope this means they'll be coming back to the States again to tour, it's been too long.
Super limited edition (500 copies) vinyl-only release from our favorite (especially after seeing the reunited band's recent brilliant gig at The Bottom Of The Hill here in San Francisco) Swedish folk-psych-jam band. If our country had been blessed to have them all these years instead of the Grateful Dead, I might have become a hippy and followed them around endlessly, selling hemp chips and utili-kilts to make a living. So maybe it's a good thing that they graced Scandanavia instead. But I digress, Live 1972 is, like the name implies, additional performances of TGOS in their prime and previously unreleased on viny or cd. Each side is one track of TGOS doing what they do best: extended jams. Side one is yet another great take on the Rolling Stones' "Last Time" medlied with TGOS' own "I Ljuset Av Din Dag". So if you dug the two entirely different early '70s live Trad Gras cds 1/2 Special issued last year, buy this and make your turntable happy, hippy.
Yes! Maximum damaged Swedish guitar psych jamming in the house! Knowing how much we at AQ LOVE the sixties Swedish psych sounds of Parson Sound/International Harvester/Harvester/Trad Gras Och Stenar (multiple manifestations of basically the same band, whose crucial original LPs and unreleased recordings have been reissued on cd over the past couple of years, a boon to music-lovers everywhere -- see elsewhere on our website for reviews) you can imagine how excited we were to find out that TWO MORE Trad Gras Och Stenar LPs of early seventies vintage were now being reissued by new US label 1/2 Special, who indeed do a bang up job with these two discs. The booklets feature lots of photos and posters, a discography, and detailed liner notes from the band (delving into remembrance of the personal and social transformations of the hippie era). Plus, each disc's got a hefty bonus track (32 minutes on "Djungelns" and 27 on "Mors")! And of course it's the music that really makes these essential.
Influenced by Scandinavian folk music, drugs, radical politics, Terry Riley, the Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix, Indian ragas, etc. this is some awesomely messed-up far-out rock music for sure. If these guys were German instead of Swedish, we'd be talking about a Krautrock legend. TGOS, as the final incarnation of group that started as Parson Sound, features a stripped-down line-up playing music that is perhaps more conventionally "rock" based than earlier formations, but definitely the heavy minimalism of Parson Sound and the Amon Duulish folked-out trippiness of Harvester remain important elements of their lugubrous sound.
"Djungelns Lag", originally issued in 1972, collects tracks recorded by TGOS on tour in Sweden and Norway during the summer and fall of 1971. You get extended dual guitar tangle and lovely sad folk laments, brief bouts of sunshiney nonsense vocals backed with acoustic guitar strum ("Dibio"), and even hippie hoedown jaw-harp jams ("Munfiol"). Wherever they wander, this is generally mellow yet moving, always measured and stately even when at its most abstract and electric.
Likewise with "Mors Mors" (a 1973 album of tracks originating on tour in Sweden and Denmark in '72), which continues with both the gentle freakiness and distorted thud. The Rolling Stone's "Last Time" gets a TGOS treatment (not quite as blasted as their take on "Satisfaction" found on their self-titled album, though) and again their originals feature plenty of what we dig: moments of ragged Haino-worthy axe attack, tripped-out Quicksilver leads, and lovely folk-drone...
So it's appropriate that both discs were reissued simultaneously, if you want one you'll want 'em both. What else can we say...well, anyone who buys Acid Mothers Temple discs ought to be sure to take some Trad Gras Och Stenar home too, that's for sure. As with all the reissues from this camp, highly recommended.
Along with the Algarnas Tradgard and International Harvester cds we re-listed last time, we're also super happy to have a couple other Silence label reissues back in stock, after a lengthy absence. This one is another entry in the discography of one of our absolute favorite Swedish psychrock band "families" that began with the group Parson Sound. The post-Harvester quartet Trad, Gras Och Stenar (Trees, Grass and Stones) was the most "rockist" outgrowth of the Parson Sound/International Harvester collective which you'll find celebrated elsewhere on our site. Indeed, this album starts with two covers of well-known rock tunes, one of the Dylan/Hendrix classic "All Along The Watchtower", followed by a version of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" that is so depressed and wasted-sounding that it *really* sounds like they can't and won't get no satisfaction, ever! Pretty soon, though, they've given up on any Top of the Pops pretentions and are delving into twisted, waltzing, freak-psych compositions that draw more from traditional Swedish folk music than British/American rock n' roll (although the fuzz guitars remain). Some of the material here also recalls the minimalist throb of their earlier work in Parson Sound and International Harvester.
What Hrvatski said of the Harvester album applies to this as well: "Another piece to the incestuous little jigsaw that was the 1967-1972 Swedish druggist music school dropout sector." A jigsaw well worth spending some of your time with! And we'll add that if you ever get a chance to see these guys play -- they're still in action -- don't miss it. They've been to SF a couple times in recent years and blew us away. Still amazing, and really nice guys as well. If only we could be as cool as they are, when we're their age...
We're pretty picky when it comes to garage rock/punk, it's really got to be raw, impassioned and at least a little fucked to truly catch our full attention. Traditional Fools blast out the kind of reckless garage rock jams we can totally get behind. Should be no surprise as one of the members of the band is Ty Segall whose solo debut last year was one of our favorite records of the year! Traditional Fools are a bit more on the traditional side of punk/garage rock, but still way blown out, lo-fi and way fun. They cover Red Kross and Billy Childish which gives you a pretty good idea where they're coming from, and this full length really is full of drunken garage rock delights that could have been at home on Crypt or Rip-Off Records back in the hey day of classic garage. Fun and irreverent and totally raw and rocked out.
A co-release by two great San Francisco labels Make A Mess (home to Nodzz, Brilliant Colors) and Wizard Mountain who put out Ty Segall's first cassette. Comes on nice white vinyl and for so cheap. It's a no brainer!
The Traditional Fools were an early group featuring glam garage troubadour Ty Segall, and their sole full length, released in 2008, was a raw shot of noisy garage rock blooze. So here's a companion of sorts, a collection of 7" singles and unreleased tracks, even more raw and lo-fi than the record proper. A gloriously ramshackle and totally trashy surf-scuzz, heavy on the surf this time around, in fact, TF sound like a proper surf rock band here, albeit one that's blown out, gritty and garagey. Plus they cover the Damned, Love, the Mummies, Redd Kross and Gary Glitter!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Inarguably an all-time classic of sixties psych. Peru's Traffic Sound might not be the most famous band from the era, but those in the know, know. At long last we have a cd reissue of their second album, Virgin, a masterpiece recorded in 1969. It's brought to us by the Repsychled label from their homeland, responsible also for that Tarkus reish we raved over a not long ago. And it's about time. Maybe you saw our review last year of the Traffic Sound compilation Yellow Sea Years? It included only one track from this album (the hit single in Peru "Meshkalina") for reasons we can't fathom, except that you'd want the whole thing anyway, and here it is! Psychedelic pop/prog perfection, featuring both dreamy melodies and some freaked out, flutey jazz/krautrock sounding passages, including a dose of backwards weirdness and several tracks of acoustic beauty. They were contemporaneous with better-known American and British acts such as the Beatles, Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, and Love, and influenced by the likes of them no doubt. But on Virgin, Traffic Sound make the case for their own spaced-out, groovy, early-prog creativity. And in fact this was the first album by a Peruvian rock band to feature all-original compositions. As albums of the era from Latin America go, this is one of the essentials, particularily if you've been digging, say, Mexico's La Revolucion De Emiliano Zapata, or any of those awesome psych titles from Brazil that we've seen lately...
Repsychled has some interesting packaging notions, this is in a sort of under-sized cardboard digi-folder thing. It seems like each title we get from them is in some different, non-standard sleeve. In any case, for this official reissue they've gone to the master tapes and done a careful remastering job, and the cd booklet is packed with vintage photos and suchlike.
Yeah! Yellow Sea Years is a great collection of tracks from this legendary '60s psych outfit from Peru. We've actually had this in stock since last year and always meant to list it but only got around to it now. Traffic Sound's early influences should be readily apparent from the cover versions that populated their first album, 1968's A Bailar GoGo: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Burdon, Iron Butterfly (nope, not "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" -- they did "You Can't Win"!), and Skip James's "I'm So Glad" (as featured on the Latin American installment of the Love, Peace & Poetry compilation series). Of those debut album tracks, only Eric Burdon's "Sky Pilot" is included here. By the time of their second album Virgin in '69, they'd definitely established their own, wonderfully spacey, groovy and melodic, sound. That brilliant LP is only represented on this disc by "Meshkalina" though this comp takes its name from the epic "Yellow Sea Days" (not included). Following on from Virgin, Traffic Sound continued to explore more mellow, Pink Floydy pop as well as getting into funkier Latin-tinged soul-psychedelia... the latter perhaps being the reason that Vampi Soul has opted to focus mainly on material from the band's third and fourth LPs, Traffic Sound (1970) and Lux ('71), cramming as much of those albums onto this 80 minute cd anthology as possible. And there's definitely some great stuff here! For example, the utter jazz-horns boosted psychedelic grooviness of "Tibette's Suzettes" (with a slightly Ozzy-ish vocal). Badass track that one. Yep, if you're into upbeat, '60s psych-pop rock that draws on prog, folk, and funk, you need to check out the Traffic Sound. Now if they'd only also reissue all of Virgin!
Tragedy are the reigning kings of (underground) U.S. hardcore. Without even a website or a label behind them, they have managed to become an infamous live proposition, a band whose records sell in the thousands, with no publicity other than their devastating live shows, and with a die-hard cult of followers who are absolutely rabid about the band.
Nerve Damage is the third release from this Portland-via-Memphis outfit, whose members have formerly done time in such legendary acts as Deathreat, His Hero Is Gone, Union of Uranus & Copout so you know this is gonna be punishing stuff.
While Tragedy is known for its powerful "D-Beat" (think Discharge via Motorhead) approach to hardcore, on this record they infuse their fat chugging riffs with plenty of melody, but don't think for a second that means they've gotten soft.
The ever present feeling of despair and their furious "will to fight back" is still in full effect, in fact, it's like they've finally learned the art of "the dynamic" and are proving it over and over and over. While in the past their songs relentlessly bludgeoned the listener square in the face with a scream and a riff, Tragedy have mastered the art of subtlety, with sweeping guitars, gorgeous harmonics, and even a bit of piano here and there.
Now if only all punk rock circa 2006 was this good...
Record number three from these local country punks, and the first one we've reviewed, which is weird, since some aQ-ers have long been fans, but also because Trainwreck Riders include amongst their members, Andrew from SF pop gods the Ovens, but while TWR are in fact a bit poppy, their sound is much more twangy, bringing to mind, most obviously, Camper Van Beethoven, Uncle Tupelo, Dieselhed and that whole No Depression crowd. And sure none of those bands exist anymore, and really that whole scene sorta dried up and disappeared, but these guys definitely remind us of why we loved that stuff so much, and have us again wondering why more bands still don't do the whole country punk / country rock thing. It sounds as good now as it ever did. And it's easy to imagine these guys being huge back in the nineties, records on Bloodshot, touring with the Old 97's or the Mekons, but these days, they're definitely doing something WAY outside of what's hip and cool. But goddamn these guys nail it. Big jangly guitars, lush arrangements, loping rhythms, plenty of twang, drawled, laid back vocals, crazy catchy songs, with some occasionally exploding into kick ass start/stop almost mathy breakdowns, like on the second half of "Gypsy Stealin', which finds the band unfurling a dense tangle of progged out twang flecked post rock churn, which somehow fist perfectly with the rest of the songs droned out blugrassy groove.
The band definitely have their pop down too, every song here impossibly catchy, "House On The Hill" being one of our favorites, heavily beholden to Uncle Tupelo, sounding like it could be a cover of some Anodyne B-side, which is a huge compliment for sure! "Orchard Keeper" too, definitely displays a huge UT influence, the song shifting constantly from country gallop to woozy twangy dream pop and back again. But the more we listen, the harder and harder it gets to pick a favorite, as more and more of the songs become potential candidates, which is always the sign of a great record, in fact we only just now made it to the brooding closer, "Shark Attack", a moody woozy reverb drenched country ballad with some seriously grim lyrics about, yep, a shark attack, the music appropriately dirge-y and ominous, a serious chunk of grim dark twang.
The cd comes in a digipak, the vinyl pressed on 180 gram vinyl, also includes a cd version of the whole record!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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From the lead-off track "Delia", Trainwreck Riders come galloping at ya, and they maintain that fevered clip throughout the rest of the album's eleven kick-in-the-pants songs. Where The Neon Turns To Wood is filled with scruffy, whisky-soaked country rockin' that brings to mind the hoarse Jeff Tweedy yelp of Uncle Tupelo, but the band also occasionally veers into more straight-up indie rock territory a la Modest Mouse.
Rejoice! For it is another ugly offering from Florida's Absolute Contempt Records. II comes courtesy of Tampa's Traitor Crucifix and offers up a short sharp shock of blistering d-beat infused metalized hardcore. All static rage, slashes of razor sharp feedback, pummeling drum rolls & anguished screams. The kind of recording that leaves you for dead & is out the door before you even know what hit you. Awesome! Includes a download code!
Alright, Thanksgiving has just passed so we figure we can offically start unfurling the holiday cheer (heck, the department stores started weeks ago!). Let's begin with these New York pop kids Tralala and their cleverly titled Christmas EP Falala-la-la With Tralala. There's no "Little Drummer Boy" nor even the somewhat expected "Deck The Halls" here. Nope, what you get are three Tralala originals "Christmas Never Comes (When You're Alone)", "Holiday Hearts" and "Everybody Christmastime". Sorta like a tinsel-adorned hybrid of The Donnas, Bananarama and The Flatmates.
Psst... if you're looking for more early bird Christmas-y treats, we've also just received Brian Wilson's delightful What I Really Want For Christmas, a collection of old and new tunes. And don't forget Bathtub Shitter's Xmas 3"cd on Andee's tUMULt label!
Do you believe in reincarnation? Well if you do at least musically and fictionally speaking, Tralala are today's Rizzo and the Pink Ladies. Come on, you know who we're talking about don't you? Go on, just give a listen to their latest album and tell us we're wrong. No? You mean you've never seen the movie Grease?! Anyways, these Brooklyn kids really know how to have a peppy, perky, pop party! We don't think it'd be bad at all to be kept after school with them in detention hall 'cause all the good time, bad girl mischief (y'know, smokin' in the girls' room, hangin' out in the parking lot, crackin' your gum in class) would be well worth it.
The bubblegum-y good times are sure hoppin' these days. Joining the pep rally already in progress by the Go! Team, are the seven-member musical bunch known as Tralala! Proving you can't judge a book by its cover, the fashion magazine-y posed photos of the band members in the cd booklet made us expect Brooklyn electro-clash or dance punk, rather than the unaffected, unabashedly youthful, energetic pop contained within. In fact, the super snappy electric guitars and girl-gang harmony vocals of this their self titled debut closely resemble those on The Rondelles' last album The Fox (a particular Cup fave)! Bound to keep the energy of early summer going strong into fall!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Remixes by Dan The Automator, Prefuse 73, John Herndon (Tortoise), Dabrye, and Jonathan K (Trans Am's sound guy). Three songs off of Trans Am's last studio album, TA, get the treatment ("Cold War", "Infinite Wavelength", and "Different Kind of Love") from these five remixers. That means, in the case of Herdon and Jonathan K's "Cold War" and Dan the Automator and Prefuse 73's "Different Kind of Love", you can compare and contrast the different styles of remix, from dark electro to party-hardy hiphop.
Trans Am keeps getting better, their sound keeps maturing, and they keep surprising us. Rumbling analogue synths, vocoder, disjointed drum beats mixed with Kraftwerk electo beats, strung-out Tubeway Army guitars, just the right amount of emotive distortion, tha funky bass, Six Finger Satellite ass-kickin', cheesey low resolution Apple II cover art. The ingredients of a perfect record.
Imagine a post-rock version of The Darkness. That's kinda how Trans Am started off (hence a name like Trans Am), full of indie irony even as their instrumentals rocked pretty hard. Then, exchanging one variety of '80s kitsch for another, they evolved through a major Kraftwerk phase. Various other avenues have been explored by the band over the years, but they basically remain a Tortoise you can rock out to, or do the electric boogaloo.
Back and broadcasting from our nation's capitol with this kinda politically-themed album (judging by the titles, graphics, and the soundbites), Trans Am continue to kick out the hard-hitting, electro-wired grooves. Heavily rhythmic or synthsationally atmospheric, these 14 tracks oughta do most Trans Am fans right. However, some of the sampling perhaps should have been reconsidered: firstly, the track with President Bush plunderphonically telling the truth about the Iraq war is something we've basically all heard before on the internet, as right-on as their anti-Bush message is. And then what's with the sped-up weather report we're treated to couple songs later? Some of these tracks do sound like they need something added, but sampling isn't it. Real liberation is going to require some new ideas!
The love-'em-or-hate-'em electronic post-rockers' fifth album. Their Vocoder still ain't broken. Over twenty tracks here, including one that I thought was a cover of Black Flag's "Thirsty And Miserable".
For a few years it seemed like Trans Am could do no wrong. Their live shows were legendary, loud and on fire. Albums like Futureworld, Surveillance and The Red Line were some of the best offerings to come out of the post-rock scene for sure. But as the '90s came to end a new decade brought some seriously lackluster releases, including their last and most disappointing outing, Liberation. So when Sex Change came our way we were a bit skeptical. BUT we are happy to report that Trans Am have seriously redeemed themselves with this new record! Their love of vintage prog, '70s rock, and '80s synthesizer glory all come together to create their most cohesive album since The Red Line. At their best Trans Am have always been masters at being both retro and futuristic simultaneously... Pulling inspiration from Magma, Heldon and mid-late '70s Can and crafting a record that cuts out the fat and shows off a revitalized, lean and mean Trans Am.
Second full-length meanders from pretty amazing (if completely derivative) boomin' electro lowrider themes to distortion-happy techno. Way less 'rock' than previous album.
Trans Am unleash their new synth rock assault in the form of TA. And it appears they've really gone and done it... crossed the point of no return. Taken up permanent membership in the league of joke bands. With irony and silliness in full effect, there's no more trying to camouflage it. Although it sounds really great, a total hi-fi quality recording with a good synthy dance sound to it too, musicianship and production values can only carry it so far. This just sounds like an '80s parody utilizing 2002 technology. Geez, the first track "Cold War" sounds just like ZZ Top circa "Legs". I know I'm not alone in totally embracing that decade's keyboard dance music, and welcoming any current valiant attempts at its revival, but come on! Some quality control please! There's an enormous difference between the fun yet vacuous Dead or Alive or Animotion and the brilliance of artists like Gary Numan. Although the term 'new wave' has been bandied about lately with offensive, reckless abandon, distinctions need to be made. Not all '80s music was fluff and cheese! When Trans Am perform live they're a lot more guitar heavy and less synth-laden, and in my opinion sound sooo much better. I wish they could capture that energy on their recordings. Anyways, while I was listening to this and criticising it, some nice customer came in, loved it and bought it right away. Me, I'm extra disappointed that I can't even applaud their band photos this time around as Miami Vice dudes. You may recall their past press shots, so amazingly, so hilariously composed and executed.
There's a wonderful track on this album that sounds just like "The Song Remains the Same."
2010 album from these post rock vets!
