[ aquarius records — Rock Pop ]

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Showing results 18201 through 18250 of 19388.

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Pig fuck. Now there's a poetic way to describe the sound that a band makes. It's sort of a shame that the description had already been applied to the grit and snot of '80s NYC bands like Pussy Galore, Live Skull and even Lydia Lunch at times, as it's a perfect encapsulation of what San Francisco's Veronica Lipgloss & The Evil Eyes are doing in this day and age. That said, about half of the debut album from Veronica Lipgloss does sound an awful lot like the mid '80s Lydia Lunch album In Limbo co-written by a thoroughly drugged-out Thurston Moore doing his best Birthday Party impersonation (quite well in fact!). The other half of the album picks up the tempo considerably and addresses their death-disco fix on par with what fellow San Franciscan goth-revivalists The Vanishing did so well: spry post-punk rhythms laced with taut basslines, tortured female punk vocals (e.g. early Siouxsie, X-Mal Deutschland, The Slits, etc.), blood splattered saxophone leads (which lends to James Chance & The Contortions comparisons), and arpeggiated synths that Fisherspooner would be proud of. Imagine a dishevelled porn queen with thoroughly smeared mascara, torn fishnets, a rumbled cheap-ass platinum blonde wig, and a needle dangling pathetically from her arm, and that's Veronica Lipgloss. There's nothing pretty about her, but all of the egotistic turmoil, self-appointed abjection, and escapist transgressions can make for a compelling listen.

MPEG stream: Driving Thru The Rain
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Versus are a NYC band who in my opinion have had a stellar track record with their contributions to compilations and who have a very very loyal following, but who have yet to bring forth a full-length truly representative of their amazing songwriting talents. Well, this their fourth just might be the one! Perhaps their most fully realised collection of songs to date. The year and a half that they spent recording this album was definitely time well spent. The lovely Fontaine Toups and ever-boyish Richard Balayut's voices weave together beautifully over the textured pop melodies and occasional noise excursions. Layers of moving sweeps, swells and lulls. If you swooned to the last couple of Yo La Tengo albums but are yearning for something a little more upbeat, songs such as "You'll Be Sorry" will surely catch your ear. Hurrah, indeed.

RealAudio clip: You'll Be Sorry

For a few years, we'd frequently see our pal, Versus guitarist Richard Balayut, across the street at Lost Weekend Video where he worked with his then-Whysall Lane bandmate Adam Pfahler (also of Jawbreaker). Great guy, great bands. We were super sad when he decided to move back East to New York about a year or so ago, but we were overjoyed to hear that it brought him back into the fold of this beloved NYC band. Yes, after a long long hiatus they got back together last year, and we couldn't be happier. They were one of the best purveyors of that '90s college radio classic indie rock sound because they not only nailed the driving loud/quiet/loud dynamics, but also delivered fantastic pop hooks and intelligent lyrics... not to mention many a heartstring was plucked by Ms Fontaine Toups' lovely voice. It's been a decade since they've released an album, but On The Ones And Threes makes it feel like it was just yesterday, as their classic sound is still so vibrant and fresh sounding. The record really shows all the great sides of the band from the more rocking moments to the bittersweet melancholy they've always been able to capture so perfectly. We're reminded a bit of the Low record, The Great Destroyer as it has a similar punchy and up front feel, and there are even some moments that make us think of The Breeders doing X covers. While we tend to be a bit reticent about bands we loved from the past reforming after so many years, there is something so organic, unforced and free flowing about this new Versus record that just makes us so happy they are back!

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Some freaked out acid prog, experimental home recorded garage psych avant art rock weirdness from seventies Ohio outsider noisemaker Jim Shepard, who would go on to front the group V-3, before killing himself in 1988. Slit And Pre-Slit is the very earliest documentation of Shepard's primordial sonic madness, falling somewhere between fellow sonic outsiders Destroy All Monsters and classic Pere Ubu, a dizzying swirl of thumping garage rock, spaced out kraut prog, and audio collages and tape experiments, a free flowing stream of consciousness jam veering wildly from crunchy Stooges style buzz to proggy classic rock, to bar band blues, all tangled up with looped answering machine messages, squalls of processed and layered psychguitar freakout, buzzing siren like analog synths, mangled cut up tape experiments, loads of primitive effects, delay and echo and reverb, little bits of classical steel string fingerpicking, short stretches of dreamy droney fuzz guitar, stumbling detuned anti-folk digressions, whistled melodies, dark brooding sort of ballads (sounding quite a bit like old home recorded Sebadoh/Sentridoh), very fragmented and ADD, barring the occasional jam, where the songs could finally sprawl, the band locked in and spaced out, unfurling multiple variations on the late night / early morning, drug addled psychedelic drift, with some of the tracks randomly truncated, others transforming into garbled sonic weirdness, and still others seeming to stretch out endlessly. The original vanity pressing was limited to a mere 100 copies, with many of those, rumor has it, ending up in the collections of folks like Todd Rundgren, John Cale, Robert Fripp and Peter Hamill! This version is limited to 350 copies! And should most definitely end up in YOUR collection.

For the follow-up to their 2006 debut Mourir C'est Facile, The Very Hush Hush take a bold and unexpected turn away from the Interpol moody rock territory into a less song-structured and much more varied and discordant album. In fact, the seventeen songs and noisescape interludes almost seems cut-up and randomly reassembled. For instance, at one point a solemn piano number nudges into something that resembles a dismembered M83esque shoegazerly track that builds into fuzzy prickly blasts. Definitely as dark in tone as their previous album but the dour male swagger is now tempered with non-anthropomorphic ominous presences. Cool.

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Oooh, why would we wanna keep this one quiet?! Quite an impressive debut for this Boulder, CO band (now transplanted to Oakland, CA). Its title translated into English is basically "Dying Is Easy", and while that statement may spur many a lengthy late night deep discussion, we can say that the dynamic sounds contained within are mighty easy on the ears. We can certainly see this band's music easily appealing to fans of Interpol, but they're by no means a simple soundalike. Although there is a breathy angstful resemblance in the vocal department, they've definitely got a sound of their own. No, it's in their rich sense of somber mood and shadowy atmosphere where more of the similarities lie. As well, their dark, shoegazer-y and lovely guitar washes bring to mind the glistening waves of M83. If you've a penchant for the abovementioned bands and/or opulent, lush rock in general, please make haste to The Very Hush Hush!

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We had never heard Vessels before, a 5 piece from the UK, this record just showed up one day in the mail, so we threw it on and BAM, were totally BLOWN AWAY. We're tempted to say they don't make music like this anymore, but then we're not really sure they ever did. Like a supercharged modernized big beat-ed post rock maybe, starting out with woozy Konono like melodies over big distorted Tortoise like drums, and when the track kicks in, the sound is impossibly dense, everything wrapped in thick buzzing synths, a propulsive, almost groovy slab of super rhythmic, post-kraut hypno rock, imagine maybe if Black Moth Super Rainbow were making records for Thrill Jockey in the nineties, this is sort of what we imagine that might have sounded like. But in some ways it's too modern, the sound impossibly lush and polished, the arrangements too, balanced delicately between progged out and intricate, and super repetitive and hypnotic, with some of THEE most kick ass drumming we've heard in ages. All woven into some seriously heavy and epic modern post rock. Just check out opener "Monorform" which we basically just described, except for the super heavy final movement which finishes things off with a totally majestic blast of blown out Godpeed worthy heaviness. The Tortoise vibe is big too, with the band getting post rocky and jazzy all over the place, that combination of delicate instrumentation and big booming drums, what we liked so much about the early Tortoise recordings, but again here, Vessels crank it up, and make it impossibly heavy, the sound dense and layered and gloriously and melodically cacophonous, super dynamic too, the band deftly switching gears from full on bombast to hushed intricate skitter, from churning dirge to washed out drift, often in the same song. The vocals are minimal, and when they do pop up, they work perfectly, otherwise Helioscope is mostly instrumental, and Vessels are smart enough to know that sans vocals, the music is everything, and the music here is incredible, just check out the sound sample and see if you aren't as blown away as we were. Most definitely a new favorite!

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Some folks may know Lisa McGee from Barn Owl side project, Higuma, or her vocal work on Jefre Cantu-Ledesma's Love Is A Stream, or perhaps even Portraits, the zen-minded supergroup of Bay Area improvisationalists. Truth is, McGee has been a muse behind a lot of great recordings in that circle so it's really nice to see her finally in the spotlight via her debut solo effort, Vestals. In some way McGee is channeling Rachel Brook from early nineties Bristol bands, Flying Saucer Attack and Movietone, in her ethereal noise-pop laden songs replete shimmering electric guitar, and featuring Trevor Montgomery's bass and partner Evan Caminiti's bowed guitarscapes. The atmosphere of desolate spaciousness and the smoldering shoegazed distortion that ripple through the Higuma recordings are certainly present; but in Vestals, McGee pushes the song-writing to the forefront with chiming hypno-drone-rock bliss akin to Roy Montgomery channelling the Velvets, which thrums and drones most prominently on the album's lengthy mantra "Of Ripples." But she can also shift into quite the chanteuse, as on the crushed-velvet noise-pop of "Forever Falling" and "In Waking Dreams" where McGee's voice carries the songs to stratospheric crescendos through a hook-laden bliss. A gorgeous debut that limited to a mere 300 copies!

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For those of you who loved Vetiver's self-titled debut and/or for those of you who've yet to experience their wistful dream-folk, here's a shorter serving of five new ultra hushed and intimate live and home recordings. Between features a few new originals from the pen of Vetiver main songwriter Andy Cabic plus a casual, off the cuff cover of Fleetwood Mac's song "Save Me A Place"! New full-length upcoming too...

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Vetiver's beautiful new record places a welcome emphasis on textured atmospherics and rhythm that is so warm and enveloping, we just want to melt in its lovely embrace. Each track is delicately nuanced with such strong musicianship and songcraft that we feel transported every time we hear it. Frontman Andy Cabic DJ's a regular night here in SF at The Rock Bar, called Mellow Shots, exploring the deeper cuts of seventies and eighties soft rock nuggets, and Cabic is an extraordinary crate digger of some obscure far-flung sides. So it's apparent that some of the better aspects of that influence has seeped into his songwriting and arranging, while doing away with the cheesy familiarity that most people associate with music from that era. So nice!

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New 7" single from the latest covers ep by local folk rock giants, Vetiver. Features "Hey Doll Baby" a classic fifties R&B hit for both The Clovers and The Everly Brothers and the previously unreleased track "Miles Apart" from late eighties dream popsters, A. R. Kane. The B-side is the reason to get this as they turn a later-period track from these minor 4AD stars into an even better pop confection than the original. Our favorite of all their covers!!!

A teaser EP of 5 more obscure covers to hold us over before their Sub Pop debut arrives sometime next year. The same seventies country folk-rock vibe prevails here as it did on the full length covers records, Thing of The Past. The one exception being the opening track "See You Tonight", by The Wizzards, which reminds us of Guided By Voices channeling seventies power popsters The Only Ones. Songs by Gordon Bok, Nils Lofgren's Grin, Titus Turner and Vernon Claude and Jerry Organ round up the collection. Sweet!

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Another breezy summer jam from local favorites, Vetiver. It's even more apparent on this second release on Sub Pop, that Vetiver is making larger strides towards a wider audience. The songs have a less introspective quality than on their last record while keeping the warm and hazy production intact. But in the arrangements and especially the song-writing, Andy Cabic and cohorts have stepped up their game big time. We can see this as the soundtrack to many summer barbeques and friendly gatherings for the months to come. Nice!

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Cover records can tread into dangerous territory. If the song choices are too obvious or well-known (for example: Patti Smith's "Twelve"), it's torture on the listener. But if all the choices are too obscure, it misses the whole point of doing a cover. You want a sense of familiarity, but with enough reinterpretation that the song is re-energized and sounds new again. Vetiver's new record treads that fine line rather gracefully, offering up tracks by familiar enough artists, even if the songs themselves are not the most well known. An avid record collector, Andy Cabic of Vetiver has selected twelve songs that have inspired his folk and roots musical leanings, with a track by Hawkwind being the most left-field. Songs by Louden Wainwright III, Garland Jeffreys, Townes Van Zandt, Biff Rose, Michael Hurley, Ian Matthews, and Norman Greenbaum, may harken back to a day when all these records used to be easily found in second hand shops, where surely most of them were purchased. But the surprises are from the most obscure tracks such as "Sleep A Million Years" by Dia Joyce (from an album by Kathy Heideman) with guest vocals by Vashti Bunyan (!), and "Houses" by Elyse Weinberg. While we would have loved to have heard more diverse genre-busting choices (The Vetiver/Neighbors 12" remix really whetted our appetites for new possibilities with Vetiver's sound), Thing of the past feels just like that, a well worn and dusty artifact that still charms after repeated playing.

MPEG stream: To Baby
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Vetiver makes the major leap to Sub Pop and it's a good fit indeed! Vetiver's unique blend of airy Americana and sun-dappled country folk seems right at home with groups like Iron and Wine and Fleet Foxes. Using his last record of early seventies covers of obscure folk and country rock as a jumping off point, Andy Cabic makes a sublime record that could easily be mistaken for a lost seventies artifact. But don't expect this to be just a mere genre exercise. Warm soft breezy lullabies, perfect for early morning or late night listening, filled with gentle atmospherics and subtle flourishes of horns and cellos. A bit more introspective than the earlier records, Cabic imbibes the proceedings with plenty of well hewn songwriting heft and master musicianship, especially in the side closers, "Down From Above" and "At Forest Edge" where he performs mostly all the instrumentation himself. Here the lilting keyboard textures and treatments transport us to a different kind of cosmic place altogether. Wonderful!

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Oh Man! We haven't been able to stop playing this record from local San Francisco folk heroes Vetiver since the day it arrived. We knew it would be good but we're really surprised at how amazing and fresh it sounds given the tidal wave resurgence of the neo-folk movement that Devendra Banhart and Vetiver front-man Andy Cabic have spawned in the last few years (check out the Devendra-curated Golden Apples of the Sun compilation reviewed elsewhere in this list, to see what we mean). To be honest, the neo-folk scene has become a bit over-saturated as of late. Not that we don't enjoy the music, but there are so many folk acts nowadays that it's become almost too overwhelming to keep up. So the stakes have been raised quite a bit since Vetiver's quiet self-titled debut, as the past couple of year's have seen Cabic, out on the road touring not only with Vetiver but also as part of Devendra's touring band, starting record label Gnomonsong with Banhart (which released the debut Feathers cd), and garnering a huge amount of praise, attention and expectation. It seems the months on the road have been very good to Vetiver as recent homecoming shows at 12 Galaxies and the Great American have shown, delighting packed audiences and winning new converts who may have overlooked their fine debut. No more playing tiny intimate shows at Adobe Books, a little sad to say, but really, we are very happy for them. To Find Me Gone is more rock-oriented than its predecessor, as the band has evolved from an acoustic guitar, violin, cello trio to include a full time rhythm section (including Otto Hauser from Espers on drums, and Kevin Barker from Currituck Co. and Noah Georgeson on guitars) with spectacularly rich results. Unlike their debut, where the strong songwriting and performances were a bit overshadowed by the heavyweight guest appearances from Hope Sandoval, Colm O'Ciosoig and Joanna Newsom (It also came across in some press as a Devendra side project), Cabic comes fully into his own here, showcasing a sublime quality of world-weariness hewn from months on the road. It's exciting, after hearing their debut, which was years in the making, to not find the usual sophomore slump, but instead witness such naturally self-assured songwriting and arrangements. Opener, "Been So Long (Gb Fade)", a song first heard in a more acoustic arrangement on the Between EP, begins with a raga drone that spaciously opens up into fantastic sighing choral harmonies. In fact there is a subliminal pulsation to the whole album that really brings out Cabic's sweet vocals but also keeps them centrally present as the country tinged ambience of flutes and cellos (played with grace and restraint by Vetiver veteran, Alissa Anderson) swells and swirls around him. Country shuffler, "Won't Be Me" sounds like Yo La Tengo in a rare pop Americana moment while the sudden electric surge on "Red Lantern Girls" is pure shoegazer country-stomp acid folk. The closer "Down at El Rio" co-written with Devendra is so nostalgic and sad, a gorgeous gorgeous song. A long time record collector, and stellar DJ, Cabic mines his influences well. Less "freak-folk" than his friends and contemporaries, Cabic instead follows the compositional path of 70's singer-songwriters like J.J. Cale, Emitt Rhodes and John Phillips. It's a refreshing next step in the ever prevalent neo-folk scene. For a limited time, we have a special limited version of To Find Me Gone with two extra bonus tracks. Beautiful and so totally recommended!

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Two dreamy and blissful remixes of "You May Be Blue" and "Been So Long" from the last Vetiver album. Showing frontman, Andy Cabic and collaborator/ producer Thom Monahan (aka Neighbors) successfully opening up their known folk rock imprint into warbled shuffling electronica and kosmiche dub raga drones. Not necessarily for the dance floor, but highly recommended all the same.

First record from local bliss folk heroes Vetiver, channeling the classic sound of sixties hippy rock, seventies British folk and classic songsmithery into a sweet poppy package of shimmery and folky mini-epics, cellos and violins and gently strummed acoustic guitars with dreamy wistful vocals sounding like Nick Drake or even Cat Stevens at times. Fans of the current SF avant folk scene a la Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom and the like will LOVE this. In fact, both Banhart and Newsom guest on this record, as well as Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval and Warm Invention collaborator, My Bloody Valentine's Colm O'Ciosoig.

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For those that haven't heard the legendary Hungarian group VHK (aka Vagtazo Halottkemek, or the Galloping Coroners) before, how the heck to describe 'em? Well, this primal psychedelic punk ensemble has been around for years (their first album came out in 1988, but they had formed as far back as the mid '70s!) and they're for sure a band equally at home in a radical '80s punk squat, or on an ancient Indo-European battlefield, or out in space among the stars. As well as at home now on Ektro / Full Contact, the eccentric label associated with our fave Finnish space rock weirdos, Circle. They have put out previous albums on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label, and can certainly be considered one of the most significant, and definitely unique, Eastern European "punk" bands ever. Their sound is part pagan improv, part raucous gypsy-punk hoedown, part Hawkwind style blast-off. Their naturally "tribal" sound even reminded one person here, who hadn't heard 'em before, of Echo And The Bunnymen - but way more raw and wild and loose and heavy. They've been on some sort of hiatus for quite a few years now (their last release came out in 1999), so it was a pleasant and exciting surprise to find 'em back again with this record, and at full force! The powerful, expressive voice of VHK's frontman, "Grandpierre Atilla", leads the charge, singing and screaming with passion in his native language. Yet, this album begins in a deceptively mellow mood, VHK conjuring a shamanistic campfire ritual on opening track "Handshake", at least at first, being acoustic, melodic, and in a way almost comforting. Those aspects persist, but as the album progresses, it builds and builds in intensity, always offering much compelling rhythmic drive and dark atmospheric vibes, culminating in a track, "Hun Testveriseg" ("The Hun Brotherhood"), recorded live at a festival last year called Black Noise, where we really can imagine these guys coming across as reincarnations of their ancestors, channeling their warrior spirit with electricity and amplification. You want some "music review math"? Well, there's moments on this album that sound like the Sun City Girls jamming with Neurosis, and we'd further suggest that VHK are perfect for anyone who enjoys both Acid Mothers Temple and Rudimentary Peni. Of course, if you already know VHK, you'll be happy they're galloping again! Old fans like us will love this. And for those who have yet to be trampled underfoot, this is a fantastic introduction to the mythology of this strange band. We realize that we we've never previously reviewed anything by VHK (we've only referenced them twice before on our site, in fact, in reviews of records by countryish space rockers U.S. Christmas and avant-folky black metallers Hollenthon). Glad we're able to rectify that now with this write-up. Limited vinyl version available now, get 'em while you can. We also should hopefully be stocking a cd of this at some point in the future.

MPEG stream: Kezfogas (Handshake)
MPEG stream: Az Elet Unnepe (The Celebration Of Life)
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At long last the highly anticipated debut from VHOL is here, via Profound Lore. Highly anticipated 'cause VHOL, if you don't already know, are a "supergroup" of sorts. Actually, as far as we're concerned, in more ways than one. Firstly, VHOL (dunno if the name is supposed to be in all-caps, but it looks good to us like that) is formed by members of several other groups we like, band that might not be household names required of supergroup status, but probably ARE household names where people who read the aQ-list dwell. And on top of that, they're all amazing musicians so it's "super" that way too. VHOL consists of guitarist John Cobbett (Hammers Of Misfortune, ex-Ludicra, ex-Slough Feg, etc.) and his former Ludicra bandmate, drummer Aesop Dekker (also of Agalloch, Worm Ouroboros, etc. - and a noted blogger too), plus on bass Sigrid Sheie, who is also in Hammers with John. And making this more than just a San Francisco scene thing, on vocals is Mike Scheidt from Portland's mighty sludge-space-doomsters YOB. With these individuals involved, it sounded pretty good on paper, and now the proof is here, it actually sounds extremely good for real as well!! Prior to hearing this, we'd been informed that the concept behind VHOL was "psychedelic D-beat" music or something. Well... ok, sorta. Aesop's a punk drummer at heart, to begin with (remember Hickey?). And yeah, having Scheidt provide his unique soaring screaming vox, all spacey and wavery and effected, can't help but make this sound psychedelic, plus the preponderance of mindboggling guitar solo shred from Cobbett helps in that dep't too. Early reports that had VHOL being a full-on Dis-core Crust-Metal band were somewhat misleading, however. Just like Ludicra, Hammers, heck ALL their other bands, this is a hybrid of a whole bunch of different things. And ends up being its own special thing. But if we had to say, sonically this perhaps aligns closest with John & Aesop's previous outfit, avant-black metallers Ludicra, and with the more black-metally side of Yob. There's some delving into doomy, post-rock depths at points, plus of course Scheidt's distinctive vocals. So a cross between Ludicra and Yob, perhaps. But with some of the grandiose artistry of Hammers too. And both hectic punkish attack and sheer rockin' NWOBHM-inspired old school metal moments as well. Lots of them. Which is really what makes this for us. What a combo - and it works. Both energetic and epic, with churning riffs, intricate soloing, pounding rhythmic chaos, and actual catchy songwriting too. Our knack for finding buried "pop" music in the most unlikely, ugly places is not to be thwarted here, especially ferinstance on track four, "Grace", where some very effective, very poppy hooks are hiding, amidst that track's dense ripping architecture that conjures the sci-fi spectre of old (and new!) Voivod - a connection also suggested by this disc's very Away-like cover artwork, done by Cobbett himself. Crucially, Scheidt puts on quite a performance, varying his vocals in cleanliness, from clean-ish to unclean, layered over each other even, doing death grunts and blackened rasps and guttural screams as well as his trademark higher-pitched, but distorted wailings - even getting into almost '80s metal ballad territory on the album's closer, "Songs Set To Await Forever". Favorite tracks are hard to single out, they're all good, but "Arising" really, really impresses - a rollicking tour de force that kinda reminds us of certain latter day Darkthrone efforts, a la some tracks on their recent The Underground Resistance. Some of the same influences at work perhaps. All in all, VHOL lives up to expectations (whatever they were!), certainly quality-wise. And perhaps confounds some others. But definitely doesn't disappoint. In fact, we might be digging this more than some of the VHOL folks' "main" bands right now, and that's saying a lot.

MPEG stream: Insane With Faith
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VHS Or Beta join the legions of sleek, well executed retro-80s-wavers currently making the danse punque scene... y'know (and perhaps luv) the likes of The Killers or Radio 4. Dangerously close to being a complete Duran Duran copycat with its funky Chic-style bassline and very Simon LeBon-y vocals. Clearly they took full advantage not only of the major label resources but also of the current hip disco punk wave, producing a slick slab of dancefloor candy to be gobbled up by hip fashionistas far and wide.

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VHS Or Beta join the legions of sleek, well executed retro-80s-wavers currently making the scene... y'know (and perhaps luv) the likes of The Killers or Radio 4. This is the first single and title track for their first full length on EMI, and it's dangerously close to being a complete Duran Duran copycat with its funky Chic-style bassline and very Simon LeBon-y vocals. Clearly they took full advantage not only of the major label resources but also of the current hip disco punk wave, producing a slick slab of dancefloor candy with three surprisingly faithful remixes (i.e, they're not totally unrecognizable from the original) by Interpol's Carlos D, Tommie Sunshine and Cut Copy.

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Packaged like a miniature passport, this 3" cd by the globetrotting French-Canadian duo Vialka squeezes five hectic songs into about 22 minutes. They're a quirky bass and drums two-piece, a bit along the lines of Ruins, Sabot, or Hella, with the drummer (a woman) providing most of the somewhat dramatic vox, that go well with the skronky twists and turns of their energetic music. These songs were apparently written in a small mountain village in Slovenia this past winter and recorded in "a fit of early morning low-fidelity mayhem" in Geneva, Switzerland this summer. We don't know much else about this band, but they just played here in San Francisco and we bought a few (six) copies of this release, that's all we have and all we're gonna have so be quick if you want one of these "Vialka Passeports".

MPEG stream: Communication System Of The Bored And Boring
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French prog from the seventies can move us in just the right ways, especially if it hits that sweet spot between Kosmiche new age and sublime Euro-jazz, yet still has that individually eccentric feel that you only get from the French. Patrick Vian's sole 1976 lp Bruits et Temps Analogues, famously included on the Nurse With Wound list, is just such a record. An amalgam of Michael Rother sky gliding electronic music and a mellower take on the "Superficial Music" of Bernard Szajner, Vian packs a lot of punch into his compositions, propelled forward by the hypnotic counterpoint of sunny guitar lines, analog Moog washes, flutes and all kinds of dazzling rhythmic instrumentation, such as kinetic jazz drumming, and deep vibraphones, the latter thanks to the help of Mino Cinelu (who had played with the likes of Gong, Weather Report and Miles Davis). There's also an exotica quality at play here especially on the track, "Orenock" which feels like we're on safari on some strange desolate planet, as well as some avant-garde tendencies, such as using tape manipulations of recordings of American sporting events on the musique concrete piece, "Tricentennial Drag". Vian began his musical career in the legendary French prog /free jazz band Red Noise, but the vibe on Bruits et Temps Analogues is way more serene and groovy. It lives up to its awesome cover painting. Originally released on the Egg / Barclay label, it's about time this stellar album got reissued. Thanks Staubgold! Highest Recommendation!!

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MPEG stream: R&B Degenerit!
MPEG stream: Tricentennial Drag

Back in print! And cheaper! First reviewed on list #182, four years ago, as follows: This amazing record, previously LP only, finally gets the digital reissue from the until now primarily F/i oriented Lexicon Devil label. This one's for all you turntable-less folks and those of you who just may have missed out on this the first time around. But even those of you with the lp might have to pony up again, since there are 3 lengthy bonus tracks! Long, long, long pulsing drones, with strummed guitars, thrumming and warbling wind instruments and wheezing hurdy-gurdies. Classic Vibracathedral. At one point the mostly rhythmically free drone moves into a brief section that's surprisingly rocking for Vibracathedral Orchestra with drums beating out a steady 4/4 beat and lead by organ and electric guitar along with the usual saturation of droning accompaniment before settling back into a wash of gorgeously swelling drones once again. As always, totally mesmerising.

MPEG stream: Track 2
MPEG stream: Track 3

We've long worshipped at the altar of these psychedelic shamans, dutifully prostrating ourselves before them, and bathing in the luxurious glow of their din, a din that has constantly evolved over the years, sometimes pure, cosmic ur-drone, other times, free-from, avant rock space-psych, and at others, a sort of mutant electronica. But in each incarnation, the group never failed to conjure up a sort of transcendental soundstate, the music, whether caustic and chaotic, or moody and minimal, always evoking a tranced out sense of mesmer, a true psychedelia that is rare, even amongst proper 'psych' bands. Rec Blast Motorbike, finds the group's original line-up together again (Michael Flower, Bridget Hayden, Neil Campbell, Adam Davenport, Julian Bradley and John Godbert) and it sounds like it. If we didn't know better, this could easily have been some old self released cd-r, which is fine with us, the sound raw, and free, lo-fi, yet somehow lush and epic, beautiful blustery blowouts set alongside fractured folkiness, essentially rhythmless, but the rhythms that are present are more spluttery and loose, sounding like an errant snare rolling down an immense flight of stairs one minute, a field recording of someone bored restlessly tapping a tabletop at others, some tracks are driven by what could be a junkyard wind chime, and others, by a veritable hippie percussion ensemble. All the while, the rest of the crew are unfurling streaking arcs of distorted guitar buzz, rippling sheets of feedback and grinding FX doused riffage. It's hard to define exactly what would qualify as 'classic' Vibracathedral', but to our ears, this is pretty much it. The old gang together again, making a glorious noise, like they never stopped in the first place.

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

SORRY.

On which perhaps our favorite troop of UK blissed out dronesters takes the percussive clatter, free jazz bleats, and latent Krautrockery of weird America's No Neck Blues Band and Sunburned Hand of The Man, adds some Eastern raga to the mix and then melds it to their already divine cosmic drones resulting in Vibracathedral Orchestra become perhaps the only true heir to the long vacant Krautrock throne. Epic and unfettered, VCO emit long peals of sweet sonics that leisurely unfurl into massive expanses of cosmic hippy bliss, but the pulsing rhythms and relentless throb, harness the ethereal ambience, and manage to squeeze free sonic strum into ultra hypnotic, pounding perfection.

MPEG stream: Our Head Shone Like A Stone
MPEG stream: Magnetic Burn

Originally released in 2004 in a criminally limited run of just 250 copies, this killer slab of classic psych/drone/raga is available again, however briefly, reissued on VHF, a swank double lp, accompanied by a live DVD (more on that in sec). An amazing archival selection of tracks, performed by the 'classic' lineup: Mick Flower, Neil Campbell, Bridget Hayden, Adam Davenport, Julian Bradley, and right off the bat, it's total bliss, a thick droned out wash of heavy layered buzz, soaring upper register skree and pulsing low end throb woven into a feedback drenched psych-kraut raga, laced with all manner of fluttering woodwinds, warped FX, which sort of sets the template for the rest of the records, longform drugged out space psych ur-drone drift, the various tracks bleeding into one another, ending suddenly, the edits weirdly jagged, but it all contributes to the home brewed flavor of these incredible psychedelic explorations. Pulsating guitars are blurred into thick swirling clouds, and draped over woozy low slung basslines and creaking electric guitar buzz, primitive ritualistic rhythms, pound and skitter through a fog of sci-fi bleeps and bloops, smatterings of splattery percussion drift atop processed guitars and streaks of string buzz and electronic squelch, the sound often coalescing into some seriously heady grooves, total mesmerizing minimal hypnorock krautjams that should have fans of Circle and Sylvester Anfang and Wooden Shjips losing their shit. The second lp takes up right where the first one lets off, but dials it back a bit, with some tripped out alien folk, all looped steel string guitar and bloopy rhythm, which gradually becomes more and more driving, like some strange motorik electro folk, replete with keening vox and loose chaotic drumming, before slipping into some sweetly somnambulent buzz, a simple stumbling rhythm, beneath a sky of shimmery strum and hazy chordal wheeze. Soon the sound becomes almost funky, a strange sort of folk groove, that sounds like a field recording of some lost tribal folk, which dissipates leaving some gorgeously serene folk, all fuzzy and softly twangy, which almost immediately splinters into stretch of pulsing krautrocky grooviness, only to return to that washed out skyfull of swirling strums, this time with some skittery splattery free jazz drums added to the mix, and some atonal twang, before finishing off in a soft focus blaze of skronk flecked psychedelic thrum. So awesome. The accompanying dvd includes some amazing live footage of the group, the video of varying quality, with two of the clips looking professionally shot/edited, the sound incredible, with the band mostly in full rock mode, bombastic and heavy, some seriously energetic psychedelic stuff, and also includes some amusing band commentary on one of the tracks!

The first physical release on Accident Prone in nearly five years is this killer split from two new to us cold / synth wave outfits, the first is Vice Device, who hail from Portland, and whose sound is dark and angular, caustic and chaotic, the music equal parts swirling psychedelic synthiness and buzzing clattery post punk, check out "Fractured Desire", which lays down shards of electro buzz, would in tight coils of sinewy bass, pelted by distorted squelches and clouds of FX, driven by a motorik pulsing, relentless rhythm, all beneath some super powerful, dramatic female vox. "Even Blind" adds some droned out moodiness, and introduces some super melodic male vocals, giving the sound an almost Interpol-ish vibe, with a hint of old school LA goth (Abecedarians, Kommunity FK). The rest of the Vice Device side unwinds similarly, tense and taut, distorted and darkly dramatic, hints of Depeche Mode surface on "Symmetry", a woozy brooder, and things get downright balladic on closer "Bound", which sounds like classic Berlin via Soft Moon! Void Vision is a one woman cold/synth/new wave project from Philadelphia, whose sound is much more electro, opening with a beat that's a dead ringer for classic New Order, before in swoop ominous, buzzing, arpeggiated synths, underpinning, swirling sci-fi melodies, and some eighties style percussive flourishes. The female vocals much more girlish, and more down in the mix, the sound darkly distorted, with some buzzing post punk guitar crunch wound into the otherwise woozy, skeletal synthiness. The sound slipping from cold and clinical and robotic, to swirly and psychedelic and seriously tripped out. "Not Much Of Anything" sounds like a more robotic Gary Numan, icy vox over percolating metallic melodies, flurries of electronic drums, and some dizzying atonal music box melodies draped over the chorus. And VV closes with a killer cover of Queen's "Take My Breath Away", here re-envisioned as a brooding, psychedelic synth ballad, FX heavy vocals, witchy and sultry, delivered over plink/plonk music box synth lines, and swirling clouds of dubbed out shimmer! THE LP IS LIMITED TO 330 COPIES!! Each copy hand numbered. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl, and includes a cd version of the record as well! The cassette version is limited to just 60 copies, and most copies were only available direct from the band at shows, and those include DL codes as well!

MPEG stream: Fractured Desire
MPEG stream: Even Blind
MPEG stream: A Version
MPEG stream: Take My Breath Away

One of two reissues of NZ obscurities on this week's list. Elsewhere is the complete recorded works of Scorched Earth Policy (featuring members of Pin Group, Terminals, Renderers, Vacuum), and then there's this, originally released in 1983 on Flying Nun, the lone self titled lp from the Victor Dimisich Band, and while you might expect there to be a Victor Dimisich in the band, like Scorched Earth Policy, VDB is in fact fronted by NZ scene staple Peter Stapleton who played in Pin Group, Vacuum and Terminals, and the sound of those groups definitely informs the brooding minimalism of the Victor Dimisich Band, Stapleton's deep dramatic croon somewhere between Roky Erickson and Scott Walker, the music a sort of gloomy psychedelia, a little garage rock, a little classic balladry, a little drugged out Morricone style twang, and yeah, a little distorted NZ noise rock, but overall, it's a darkly dramatic affair, Stapleton's vocals the driving force, while the band wove lush gothic sonic backdrops, lots of organ warble, Velvets-y jangle, the whole thing moody and minimal, with many of the tracks super stripped down, while others blossom into near orchestral arrangements, while still others splinter into atonal post punk, and a few others get downright noisy. Flying Nun obsessives who don't already have this will flip for sure. And any/everyone who dug that Pin Group reissue, this will likely be right up your alley! LIMITED TO 500 COPIES!!! Includes a download code!!

MPEG stream: Native Waiter
MPEG stream: Thirteenth Floor
MPEG stream: Claude
MPEG stream: Jonah

Victrola was an Italo-disco project that released just one single in 1983 although they began performing as a standard quartet back in 1979, only to slim down to just a duo, electronics and guitar. This one single hedges more toward the darker regions of Italo-disco with minor-key basslines girding metronomic hi-hat and mechanoid disco rhythms. The title track graces us with some catchy, ice-synth melodicism and monotone vocal melancholy that's not too far from the likes of Section 25 or Neon Judgement; and this was actually featured on the recent Mutazione compendium of Italian post-punk, new wave, and early Italo-disco. The B side "Game Of Despair" is an even darker affair with skeletal guitar chords chiming with the elegiac electronics and slow-motion rhythmic tranced-out programming. Both tracks are well over 8 minutes long, and it seems that this is all that Victrola were ever to record. That's a shame as these are stellar tracks for the black-eyeliner set! As always, Dark Entries has spared no expense with the production value of the vinyl, with a top-shelf remastering job by George Horn and an exact reproduction of the original artwork.

MPEG stream: Martime Tatami

From the band Town & Country...

Not super familiar with Ben Vida, but this super limited cassette for Root Strata has definitely whetted our appetite for more. On two long form synthscapes, originally a soundtrack to a video projection / art installation, Vida takes the whole synthdrone sound, that frankly is getting a little played out, and twists it all up, most noticeably, constantly shifting the speed/pitch, creating unlikely melodies by speeding up the sound, then slowing it down, making those buzzing synths gorgeously woozy and warped and warbly. Not to mention that the whole thing is wreathed in field recordings of chirping crickets, bird song, and the subtle white noise of crashing surf, or burbling brooks, as well as adding extra panpipe like melodies, and some swirling sci-fi spacey fx, but subtly, the various elements, even the field recordings, shifting dramatically in volume, in the foreground one second, barely audible the next, the label describes it as some kind of sonic safari, and it really does sound like it, maybe like some synth/flute performance, taking place in some remote forest glade, the entire thing recorded onto a 4 track with dying batteries, the results, a dreamily druggy, atmospheric ambience, a warped ritualistic Jewelled Antler styled new age, and a seriously divine soft epic. LIMITED TO 100 COPIES.

MPEG stream: Soft Epic, or: Savages of the Pacific West

This is the first we've heard from the awesomely monikered Video Nasties, aka Montreal video artist Rob Feulner, whose sound is a mix of lo-fi psychedelic dub and noise drenched no-fi new wave synth damage. The opening starts out straight up dub, all upstroke guitar and swirling atmospheric shimmer, but soon, a buzzing warbling synth enters the mix, and the sound grows more woozy and washed out, druggy and darkly dreamy, the various effects cranked to 11, that dubbed out beginning soon submerged beneath a wild squall of echo and reverb and wild squiggles and blasts of high end skree, before gradually transforming into a more sort of spaced out droney drift, all scrabbling melodies and blurred chordal drift, before transforming again, into a heady bit of kosmische almost Reich-like carnivalesque home brewed synth wave minimalism. The flipside explodes right out of the gate with a blast of ear piercing feedback, which gives way to some feedback drenched super distorted chords, sounding like an old Casio run through a million distortion pedals, a lilting synth-noise lullaby, driven by a weird industrial rhythm consisting of just short sharp blasts of white noise, the rest of the side shifting from strange distorted bloops and bleeps, to smeared layered textures, and finally another long stretch of pulsing cosmic synthscapery, that sounds like a lo-fi little brother to folks like Zombi or Majeure. LIMITED TO JUST 25 COPIES!!! Each one housed in a gorgeous screen printed wooden box, along with a full color insert and a pin.

MPEG stream: Side One (exceprt 1)
MPEG stream: Side One (exceprt 2)

Radioactivity is Kraftwerk's seminal album from 1975 of electronic pop, touching on a distinctly German melancholy whilst pioneering the future of music with an elegant, simple sci-fi pop for synths and drum machines. Matthew Bourne and Franck Vigroux offer their replicant revisoning as an homage in celebration of the classic krautrock album's 40th anniversary. Vigroux, we know from a recent collaboration with Mika Vainio, while Bourne we're just making an acquaintance with here. The album begins true to the original with a click pulse simulation of a Geiger counter (not a real Geiger counter, mind you) leading into the heavenly synth pop of the title track. The latter half of the record veers away from the original with a particularly atonal and noise-crunched version of "Antenna" and the hushed vocal abstraction of "Radio Stars". The differences in technology between 1975 and the present day become apparent only in these more abstract and dissonant moments, though the synth patches that Bourne & Vigroux dial up are particularly rich and well suited to Kraftwerk's original sound. It may not be as good as the original, though Vigroux and Bourne have plenty of solid ideas for this new take on the material. Well worth checking out, and since we never got a chance to make the original Radioactivity a Record Of The Week, this is certainly deserving. The vinyl comes with a cd version too, and the cd edition comes 24-page book packaging.

MPEG stream: Radioactivity
MPEG stream: Airwaves
MPEG stream: Antenna

Heavy bluesy kraut '70s stuff... very underground, but don't let anyone tell you they sound like Black Sabbath.

Awesome old DC band.

Like plenty of other folks, we were all super excited for this new set of songs from beloved Philly troubadour, Kurt Vile. Even before the full length landed, we were already pretty smitten by (and addicted to) the album's first single, "Pretty Pimpin", due in no small part to its awesome body duplicating video. From our experiences with past Vile albums, we knew to reserve judgment until after multiple listens, as Vile has proven to be a grower, that special sort of songwriter whose songs gradually seep into the listeners subconscious, the songs slowly blossoming, the sound becoming more and more perfect with repeated exposure, eventually revealing all manner of intricacies, subtle melodies and more. The studio is used to perfection here, with banjos, pianos and various other instruments complimenting Vile's distinctive songwriting, and singular guitar style, so perfectly. Vile is a master of crafting perfect soundtracks for long drives, slow bus rides, and lonely road trips. Like an impossible combination of Neil Young, Willie Nelson, and Thurston Moore, Vile proves once again on B'lieve I'm Goin Down, that he's something special, the rare artist who seems to have made the transition from underground sensation, to proper (almost) mainstream musical voice. And he's made another record that we're already hooked, and one we're likely to throw on for years to come. The vinyl is is the ultra limited edition triple lp version, B'lieve I'm Goin (DEEP) Down, which contains four extra songs as well as instrumental reprises not on the cd (or the 2lp version we're not listing), and is housed in an extra fold-out gatefold with bonus inserts and a poster!

MPEG stream: Pretty Pimpin
MPEG stream: Dust Bunnies
MPEG stream: Wheelhouse

MPEG stream: Pretty Pimpin
MPEG stream: Dust Bunnies
MPEG stream: Wheelhouse

Riding high on the success of a string of releases, Kurt Vile seems poised to break into the spotlight with his Matador debut, Childish Prodigy. It's hard to imagine that not happening, because this stuff is just so great, recalling at various times everyone from Neil Young to the Stooges to shoegazing giants like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. At the end of the day, however, you could say this sounds like, well, Kurt Vile! The guy masterfully breathes life into sounds others have done and overdone by emphasizing what you love about this kind of thing and avoiding the pitfalls of getting lumped into a specific genre. It's pretty rootsy stuff, but everything is strong enough to avoid being pigeonholed, and while certain elements could be categorized as "retro" or "lo-fi", we would prefer to call it "classic" or "timeless". Kurt Vile is clearly someone who understands the importance of production; instead of half assing things on a cassette 8-track, these songs are not only well written, but recorded with a great attention to detail, making them awesome for late night headphone listening. The sounds are hazy and swirling with the perfect amount of grit, and really Childish Prodigy sounds like it could have been recorded any time within the last 30 years or so. But guess what? It's 2009, and Kurt Vile has ARRIVED. The album begins with a re-recorded version of "Hunchback", lifting elements from the song "Freeway" off Constant Hitmaker, with some slight chord changes. The song flows with a nice lazy groove, like the Stooges after a couple bongloads, adding some distorted vocals to compliment the perfectly dirty analog sound. Kurt's folkier side is demonstrated on the following track, "Dead Alive", with fingerpicked electric guitar and some badass vocals up in the forefront as a fuzzy analog hiss rides steady in the background. "Overnight Religion" is a nice surprise, with an incessant drum machine beat carrying the song forward for over 7 minutes as the instruments lock in perfectly. "Monkey" is a melodic, slow burning rocker that successfully merges upbeat psych pop with a sound that incorporates elements from folk and shoegaze. And yeah, the guitars sound killer. The album flows really well, and certain melodic themes appear and reappear in different songs, helping to tie everything together perfectly. It's been a great year for Kurt Vile, and one can only imagine that things will get even better for him now. We can't wait to see where this guy heads next!

MPEG stream: Hunchback
MPEG stream: Dead Alive
MPEG stream: Overnite Religion

We've been meaning to list this one for a while now, not sure if it had to do with the glut of purposefully lo-fi garage rock that's making the rounds these days, but it just sort of slipped under the radar. Too bad for us, because once we got around to actually listening to Constant Hitmaker, it became quite clear that not only is Kurt Vile NOT about half-assed garage rock, but he is in fact a very skilled and sincere songwriter whose talents will hopefully outlive the frenzied hype surrounding the genre he seems to have been lumped into. Perhaps the best thing about this album is how effortless but totally genuine it all feels. Sure, "lo-fi" is an appropriate descriptor for the music within, but this should not be equated with "sounds like shit". On the contrary, Kurt has taken his decidedly non-professional recording situation and produced a set of songs that are lush, shimmering, and densely layered. At the heart of it all is a classy style of songwriting that appears, to us anyway, to have more to do with rootsy mid-'80s bands like the Embarrassment or even the Replacements, than it does with the Nuggets boxset or snotty '70s punk. With a primitive drum machine providing most of the rhythm, these songs come across as delightfully off kilter and less straightforward than they really are (this is not meant as a slight, by the way), and will probably be one of the reasons Kurt's records will not be filed in the Americana bin. There is also plenty of murky ambience and spaced out synths to add a slightly exotic touch, but never at the expense of the songs themselves. An air of experimentation permeates Constant Hitmaker, but only out of a love for pure sound, not as some stale academic bullshit. Kurt's vocals are delivered in a cool, slow drawl with a Dylan-esque cadence, and he's also a pretty damn fine guitarist, as evidenced on "Slow Talkers". Elsewhere on the record, slightly pastoral acoustic guitars and layered vocals create a nice ethereal mood, while other songs follow a more bouncing groove. The lyrics are cool and often quite endearing, like on "Classic Rock In Spring", where Kurt talks about ditching class to listen to Bob Seger and take acid. How can you argue with that? And if everything else on the album has not convinced you of this guy's natural talent, then the beautiful acoustic reprise of "Freeway" certainly should do the trick. Even the skeptics had to admit that it's pretty fucking great, perfectly exhibiting Kurt's natural melodic sense and the excellent transitions within his songs. It just can't be denied, this guy is good.

MPEG stream: Freeway
MPEG stream: Slow Talkers
MPEG stream: Best Love

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

SORRY. Repressing of this sought after KV platter, originally released in 2009, and still limited we imagine. 12 tracks, some of 'em taken from an earlier tour-only cd-r, others exclusive to this lp. Fans of this rockin' psychfolk phenom want this, if they don't have it already...

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

SORRY.

SHIT YEAH. Kurt Vile returns with this 3 song teaser to his upcoming full length on indie rock powerhouse Matador, and if the scores of KV records we've been digging these last few months weren't confirmation enough, this 7" proves it: Kurt Vile is no fucking fluke, but the real deal. An honest, heartfelt songwriter and a damn fine guitarist who will no doubt be setting the world on fire with his catchy, melodic tunes and cool slow drawl vocals. "He's Alright" is a cool acoustic number, sort of Neil Young-ish with a nice upbeat acoustic guitar and some spacey electrics. It's simple and straightforward, but the production is lush and 100% bullshit free. The B-side kicks off with the brief "Farfisas In Falltime," utilizing the legendary titular organ to create a droney, buzzing looplike interlude before finishing up with "Take Your Time," another acoustic number showing off Kurt's fingerpicking proficiency and delightfully mushmouthed vocals. This little record comes pressed on handsome marbled blue vinyl, and has us jonesin' for the day - not too far off now - that Kurt unleashes Childish Prodigy upon the world. We can't wait!