Originally released only on cd-r, Christina Carter's solo venturings while a member of Charalambides are put together here all in one proper go by Kranky. The equation is quite simple -- voice and guitar -- though Christina's musical sense is beautiful and touching. Not in a delicate cheesy way touching, but in an intelligent and innately spiritual way. As though Charalambides' combination of noise, gospel, folk, blues were all boiled down to super skeletal structures from which an ageless and naked sound forms. Christina keeps an evocative distance through simple chord changes and her overall beathless minimalism. But this distance is well balanced by an extra bit of tape hiss, adding a strange sense of presence to her songs. Recommended!
Originally released as an ultra limited cassette, Texas Blues Working now gets a pretty substantial upgrade, a massive super deluxe double lp version, with a 21 minute bonus track!
Unlike many of Carter's solo records, that tend toward the super hushed and minimal, Texas Blues Working is surprisingly lush, a much more sonically expansive bit of dreamlike psychedelia, her vocals multitracked and layered, the harmonies ethereal and haunting, the guitars spidery and serpentine, the overall sound ghostly and wreathed in otherworldly echo, the songs super hypnotic, cyclical and mesmerizing, often thick with reverb and delay, but sometimes spare and whispery. But even the sparest tracks seem to gradually spiral into something more lush, especially the vocals, which slip from dreamy and intimate to soaring and powerful.
"The Other Planet" sounds like some strange mix of liturgical hymn, traditional folk, and lo-fi lysergic psychedelic, her voice slipping into Kate Bush like trills, the reverby atmosphere especially thick, the guitars buzzy and bluesy. "Bird's Nest" pushes the vocals way up in the mix and adds some truly strange almost alien sounding electric guitar, the result, haunting and druggy and beautifully weird. "Dinner Plate Of Dust" is another one where Carter's angelic vocals are paired with some warped guitar buzz, the two disparate elements somehow woven into something lovely and otherworldly.
The bonus track, a 21 minute epic called "Lady Friend", harkens back to some of her other solo records, just vocals and guitar, the guitar playing atonal and Jandekian, here vocals rich and emotional, a little bit raspy, the melodies underneath skeletal and angular, a haunting bit of abstract blues, so dark and lovely.
SUPER LIMITED, already sold out at the label. Pressed on ultra thick virgin vinyl, and housed in a gorgeous heavy gatefold sleeve.
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.
This is not new, but we only just discovered this head spinning slab of totally demented fifties style (recorded in the sixties) rockabilly genius (or madness!) thanks to our pal Brian Turner at WFMU. And holy crap are we kicking ourselves for missing this. You'd never know from the cover, featuring Carter in a zebra striped jacket mugging with his guitar behind big colored letters, what freakiness lurks inside. And freaky it is. Not all of it. There are of course some straight up old school garage rockabilly jams, but some of the songs are soooooo far out, Carter was a bit like a rockabilly Joe Meek, always after new sounds, on the hunt for new equipment, anything to realize the twisted sounds in his head. He also reminds us of Michael Yonkers!
Take for example the cover of Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock" which opens up this collection, a totally twisted off kilter take on the original, with way more aggressive vocals, some weird high end tones over almost the whole thing, and a completely over the top insanely psychedelic guitar freakout (made by grinding the neck of the guitar against a mic stand) right in the middle, which was meant to sound like an actual jailhouse riot going on. As if that weren't enough, besides the usual rock instruments, Carter gathered up various friends and family members to contribute ukulele, accordion, and clarinet, played by a neighbor's 12 year old daughter!! But that's only the tip of the iceberg, the second track is a super rocking garage jam that sounds like early MC5, but then the third "I Got A Girl" is all buzzy garage stomp, with super raw vocals, and a weird looped female "ahhh" that repeats non stop throughout the entire song. Weird? Oh yeah, and it only gets weirder. "Rebel Woman" is a super heavy organ driven Screamin' Jay Hawkins style workout, and then there's the killer cover of "Fever", a classic jam for sure, but made a little bit more creepy with Carter's occasional croak, and his yelped vox throughout, as well as a droney looped sounding main guitar part. "Run Rabbit Run" is a lurching weirdo bit of gloomy garage pop, with growled vox, an amazing main guitar riff, that sounds almost metal at times, some awesome tribal drumming, and a weirdly innocent sounding female chorus.
But "Midnight Sun" might just be our favorite, after a spoken intro, the main guitar riff seems to slow down, the guitar creating a woozy dizzying seasick loop, the vocals dramatically crooned, some warm warbly organ, and a hook to die for, we've been listening to this track EVERY DAY. But heck, we end up playing this whole disc over and over and over. A perfect mix of outsider experimentation, classic rockabilly garage rock jamming, sixties psychedelia, and that Joe Meek like kitchen sink inventiveness, plus, it's SUPER rocking, suprisingly heavy, killer stuff for sure.
Lots of liner notes and tons of pix too. WAY RECOMMENDED.
There is no doubt in our minds that Pavement has some crazy die-hard fans. This one is for them. Ever dream of hearing Pavement songs done as jazz standards? Well James Carter did and in fact he put together a quartet of mighty fine players to do just that. These aren't just like indie rock hacks picking up the sax, fender and upright bass. These are very competent yet pretty straightforward jazz musicians. It would have been a little more exciting to see what more outside jazz hands did with Malkmus' back catalog. But if you're a diehard Pavement fan you still might want this to feed your obsession.
A gorgeous blast of thick, warm, dreamily distorted, heady and heavy electric guitar raga from guitarist Tom Carter, he from the awesome Charalambides, here just unfurling fantastically melodic squalls of divinely twisted guitar wrangling, transforming his guitar and amp into some sort of electronic drone machine. At first it sounds like some dude with a guitar, but give it a second, as Carter weaves impossibly lush guitarscapes that sound like bagpipes or sruti boxes or synths or all three, looping melodies, pulsing rhythms, swirling textures, lush harmonies, reminds us a bit of a heavier more distorted Amps For Christ, in that Carter seems to be recasting classic folk and Appalachia via his own distinct vision. Folks into modern shamen and ritualist musical visionaries like Daniel Higgs or Zomes will find the same sort of blissed out, head trip nirvana here. Awesome.
LIMITED TO 120 COPIES.
When you envision a monument, don't images of formidable marble and concrete structures or sculptures come to mind? Well, Tom Carter's Monument is nothing of the sort. It's comprised of two tracks (one is a mere two minutes long and the other stretches out to forty seven minutes) of barely-there humming and rumbling soundscapes. Seemingly distant notes from his effected lap steel guitar appear faintly and dissipate like ghostly presences. Really, you'll need to either crank the volume way up on your stereo or have excellent hearing to register the sounds on the first track... the second is somewhat more audible. Although, headphones might help -- we were listening to it in the store, where it had to compete with conversations and traffic sounds. Note: this was previously available as a really limited cd-r pressing on Carter's "band" Charalambides'own label.
Carter, who as you may or may not know is one half of psych folk dronesters Charalambides, has been stepping out quite a bit lately, this super limited one sided 7" the latest evidence of that. Two tracks, that sort of melt into one, a barely there ambient drift far away electric guitar moans float above a vast spare backdrop of hiss and whir and ambient noise. The guitars build into a thick murky wash of pitch shifted riffing, warbly seasick melodies, crumbling slabs of high end that drifts and crackles as if it were being transmitted via shortwave. Creepy but hauntingly pretty.
Limited to 211 copies, we only got a handful. Packaged in a hand stamped, hand stitched, embossed textured paper sleeve. A one sided 7" each copy hand numbered on the actual vinyl!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
You know how you get together with folks and have dinner, or watch a movie or go bowling. Watch a football game, some ultimate fighting or some Olympic curling. Some folks have barbecues, ping pong parties, pool parties. Some folks just sit around and do nothing, just shoot the shit and hang out. But then there are some folks who record their get togethers. Instead of showing up with a bottle of wine or some bread and cheese, they show up with a lap steel, an el guitar, e-bow, a prepared guitar, a 'sex machine' (no, it's not that type of party) and some effects. That's what Tom Carter from Charalambides brings along. But the host has a greater responsibility, so a host, like say Robert Horton, will have a beautiful spread all laid out when his guest Tom Carter arrives. The whole table is overflowing with goodies: a boot, a bowed boot, a computer, a vibrator, the el-toothbrush, slinky, electric barometer, snare drum, another 'sex machine' (maybe it is that kind of party), Casio MT-68, a computer, some field recordings, some microphones, some noise canceling headphones and maybe a nice harmonica. Everything you need for an afternoon of blissful drones, and ominous soundscapes, shimmering and dreamlike, and rumbling and ethereal. This may have started out as a dinner party, but it ended up a series of lovely and mysterious Ur-drones, clattery, slow shifting ragas, percussive tribal free jam drones, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Sunroof!, Ashtray Navigations, Double Leopards, Pelt, you get the idea. A room filled with smoke and sound, swirling and drifting lazily skyward. So lovely. We should definitely do this again sometime...
From the folks who brought us that recent German Army collection, comes a new disc from the New York duo of Tom Carter (the alchemical psych-folk guitarist from Charalambides and a million other collaborations and solo projects) and the equally abstract and esoteric sonic explorer Pat Murano (of Decimus, No Neck Blues Band, K-Salvatore, & more). Not sure if these two have played together before [they did, we looked it up, one previous lp back in 2012], seems like they should have. Certainly from the sound of this they're on the same wavelength, one that vibrates with both delicate guitar pickery and heavy-duty drone.
The two, untitled, tracks on this disc are long ones - around 24 and 23 minutes, respectively; and after you've been enveloped by the first of them for about ten minutes or so, you'll surely be mesmerized for the remainder of the journey. The first track begins gently, its whisper-soft improvisations swathed in echoing ambience. Carter and Murano's M.O. here is a heavily effects laden one, with backwards swoosh and swooping loops, the piece hushed yet vibrant, a layered, shifting transmission of rapid strum and constant drone.
it's a slow build, slow burn affair, eventually turning towards sharper sounds, with what sounds like the searing, psychedelic soloing of an electric guitar, in fractured fashion, rising from the bed of glistening electronic reverberations and shortwave static sounds. After some time (15 minutes or so) the first track really enters into an amplified zone, much louder and even more distorted than before, a grinding cosmic howl, like some sort of overloaded snake charmer music to charm the world-snake. It could be difficult listening for some, certainly a bit harsh 'round the edges and towards the end, but possessed of a radiant warmth and brittle beauty that's calming; not as chaotic as it may seem.
The second track falls back into spacier, sparser realms at first, with feedback seeping through cracks in its ominous soundscape of creeping, cyclic drones, dragging chains and nebulous melodies, that again all gradually expands and engulfs, volume rising, amplifiers glowing... a quite satisfying conclusion. Fans of Carter and Murano both will be pleased, we think, and we could also compare this in some ways, with its glitches and drones, to what a hypothetical Radian/Urthona collaboration (on a horror soundtrack?) might perhaps sound like...
From the label that most notably brought us those two amazing releases from the Moglass, comes this latest missive from those mysterious Ukrainian drone / sound artists, this time sharing a little disc space with Americans Tom Carter (Charalambides) and Vanessa Arn (Primordial Undermind). Carter and Arn offer up two tracks totalling over 30 minutes, of lonely lap steel guitar, hovering atop drifting sheets of muted feedback, ghostly harmonic traces, and mournful melodies twisted and pulled apart into bits of sound, drifting dreamily through an ambient dronescape of whir and flutter. The Moglass give us three gorgeously creepy and haunting drones assembled from what sounds like bowed metals, reverberating into dark ripples of sound, minor key melodies melt into swirling pools of crystalline warble, flecked with strangely affected guitars, almost percussive, plucking out other alien melodies that give the whole thing an almost post rock vibe. As with everything on Nexsound, gorgeously packaged in a silkscreened cardboard sleeve with a little cardboard obi!
One of the niftier 7"s to pass through the store in quite a while is the work of Caruso, a young North Carolinian with his first release on the promising UK label Crustaceans and Reptiles. "Titles Are For Babies" is a quick excursion through a number of
A mind-bending Italian library obscurity gets a nice reissue thanks to Penny Records. Daniela Casa may not be as well known as Ennio Morricone, Egisto Macchi, or Alessandro Alessandroni, but his 1970 concept album Societa Malata (The Sick Society) is one of the strangest psych "soundtracks" we have heard. It begins very dreamy, with hypnotic vibes and woodwinds lulling us into a restless sleep state, where we are introduced to the acid guitar grooves, loping bass rhythms and bongos that seem to anchor the majority of the record as we traverse otherworldly landscapes tinged with paranoia, seduction and uncertainty. Moogy flourishes and hectic rhythms add to the fever dream feel. With piano and echoing metallic percussion highlighting the noirish vibe, but it's not all terror. "Esoda" carries a wondering pastoral vibe, even if it does have a creepy tinge, but not as creepy as a track like "Occultismo" with its chorus of ghostly voices, or the final track, "Dittatura", a beautifully doomed march to destinations unknown. It's a wonder how the Italians can make such beautifully dreamy music that scares the bejeezus out of us, but we're entranced every time! Each record comes with a cd version as well, nice.
Solo debut from Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, and there's no doubt this man knows his away around infectious melodies and he can most definitely kick out pop songs that can get stuck in your head FOREVER. While the last couple Strokes albums have been a bit hit and miss, there is no denying how great their debut was and despite all the hype that surrounded them it's a record that still stands on its own. We were excited to hear what Casablancas would do on HIS own, especially when we heard it was going to be more of an '80s pop, synthesizer driven affair. And man the good songs on here are sooooo great and catchy! But just like recent Strokes outings there are a few tracks that just fall a bit flat. "11th Dimension" is for sure one of the best and catchiest pop songs of '09, in fact it would have sounded right at home on the latest album from Phoenix. But yeah there are a couple bummer tracks, not full on clunkers but just songs that don't have the same brightness and color which keep this from being a start to finish thriller. But worth it for the several killers....
Simply in a class of her own. We've said it before and yes, we'll say it again... Neko Case's voice can invoke a power capable of levelling anything in its path emotionally and maybe even physically too -- leaving some hearts melted, some empowered and some broken. That said, this lady knows that you must wield such a force responsibly and wisely, and over the years she's attained full mastery of its might. On Fox Confessor brings The Flood as on her past albums, an ample serving of reverb in the recording process has ensured that her voice embraces your ears with utterly dreamy warmth, but it doesn't overpower its characteristic nuances. We all know (no doubt herself included) that she could floor you just by singing the alphabet or a grocery list, but we (and she) know that there's more to *it* than that. With each album she's steered clear of trends, reinvented herself subtly and honed a different facet of her craft. Here its her songwriting inkwell which has been given a thorough loving and it runneth over with the deepest indigos and the reds of blood and rubies. Yes, the most noticeable shift / development on Fox Confessor is definitely in the lyrics department. An ever-evolving and maturing lyricist, Case has honed her lyrical imagery into what very well are her least literal, but most poetic and vivid to date. The songs are definitely less immediate with fewer obvious hooks than those of her last three albums, but Fox Confessor inhabits a different realm, and is so very deeply moving and enchantingly special in its own ways. Indeed, it comes across much more as the work of a wise, seasoned storyteller than a flavor of the day pop songstress. Certainly not one to rest on her laurels, for her fourth album Case raises the bar once again, challenging both herself and her fans. Plus with the support of her revolving cast of supremely talented players, her musical tapestry has never been more lushly and intricately detailed. This time she's invited Garth Hudson of The Band into her collaborative fold/family which already shines with the likes of The Sadies, Giant Sand's Howe Gelb, Ms Kelly Hogan, Tom Ray, Jon Rauhouse, Brian Connelly, Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino. Each of her albums has been lauded as "her best yet", but with Fox Confessor we'd dare to say she's taken things to a whole 'nother spine-tingling level.
A side note for fans of her live show... you'll be pleased to find that "John Saw That Number" (or perhaps you might know it as that "holy to the world" song) makes a rousing appearance midway through the proceedings. With its soaring rounds of choruses, it's a particular crowd favorite at her shows she shares with her singin' pals Kelly Hogan and Carolyn Mark ('tho the latter is sadly missing this time around). Need we say? Highly recommended.
And also, Fox Confessor has just been put out on vinyl (no five song bonus disc though, unlike the new deluxe cd edition). Sorta pricey due to the walloping Canadian dollar, unfortunately. But if you gotta have vinyl, here 'tis.
Simply in a class of her own. We've said it before and yes, we'll say it again... Neko Case's voice can invoke a power capable of leveling anything in its path emotionally and maybe even physically too -- leaving some hearts melted, some empowered and some broken. That said, this lady knows that you must wield such a force responsibly and wisely, and over the years she's attained full mastery of its might. On Fox Confessor brings The Flood as on her past albums, an ample serving of reverb in the recording process has ensured that her voice embraces your ears with utterly dreamy warmth, but it doesn't overpower its characteristic nuances. We all know (no doubt herself included) that she could floor you just by singing the alphabet or a grocery list, but we (and she) know that there's more to *it* than that. With each album she's steered clear of trends, reinvented herself subtly and honed a different facet of her craft. Here its her songwriting inkwell which has been given a thorough loving and it runneth over with the deepest indigos and the reds of blood and rubies. Yes, the most noticeable shift / development on Fox Confessor is definitely in the lyrics department. An ever-evolving and maturing lyricist, Case has honed her lyrical imagery into what very well are her least literal, but most poetic and vivid to date. The songs are definitely less immediate with fewer obvious hooks than those of her last three albums, but Fox Confessor inhabits a different realm, and is so very deeply moving and enchantingly special in its own ways. Indeed, it comes across much more as the work of a wise, seasoned storyteller than a flavor of the day pop songstress. Certainly not one to rest on her laurels, for her fourth album Case raises the bar once again, challenging both herself and her fans. Plus with the support of her revolving cast of supremely talented players, her musical tapestry has never been more lushly and intricately detailed. This time she's invited Garth Hudson of The Band into her collaborative fold/family which already shines with the likes of The Sadies, Giant Sand's Howe Gelb, Ms Kelly Hogan, Tom Ray, Jon Rauhouse, Brian Connelly, Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino. Each of her albums has been lauded as "her best yet", but with Fox Confessor we'd dare to say she's taken things to a whole 'nother spine-tingling level.
A side note for fans of her live show... you'll be pleased to find that "John Saw That Number" (or perhaps you might know it as that "holy to the world" song) makes a rousing appearance midway through the proceedings. With its soaring rounds of choruses, it's a particular crowd favorite at her shows she shares with her singin' pals Kelly Hogan and Carolyn Mark ('tho the latter is sadly missing this time around). Need we say? Highly recommended.
Just in time for the holiday gift-givin' season, here's something for that special someone who has somehow yet to be turned onto the powerhouse pipes of Neko Case! This is a new special cd edition of Ms Case's most recent album Fox Confessor Brings The Flood. It comes with a 5-song bonus disc! If you're a diehard fan, Anti Records is forcing you to prove your completist-ness! You'll no doubt already have all the songs here except one -- an unreleased demo of "Behind The House"! The rest of the extra tracks are a pair off of her second album 2000's Furnace Room Lullaby and another two from her third album 2002's Blacklisted. (FYI: both albums have been recently remastered and reissued by Anti too).
Here's what we said about this album when it first came out early last year:
Simply in a class of her own. We've said it before and yes, we'll say it again... Neko Case's voice can invoke a power capable of leveling anything in its path emotionally and maybe even physically too -- leaving some hearts melted, some empowered and some broken. That said, this lady knows that you must wield such a force responsibly and wisely, and over the years she's attained full mastery of its might. On Fox Confessor brings The Flood as on her past albums, an ample serving of reverb in the recording process has ensured that her voice embraces your ears with utterly dreamy warmth, but it doesn't overpower its characteristic nuances. We all know (no doubt herself included) that she could floor you just by singing the alphabet or a grocery list, but we (and she) know that there's more to *it* than that. With each album she's steered clear of trends, reinvented herself subtly and honed a different facet of her craft. Here its her songwriting inkwell which has been given a thorough loving and it runneth over with the deepest indigos and the reds of blood and rubies. Yes, the most noticeable shift / development on Fox Confessor is definitely in the lyrics department. An ever-evolving and maturing lyricist, Case has honed her lyrical imagery into what very well are her least literal, but most poetic and vivid to date. The songs are definitely less immediate with fewer obvious hooks than those of her last three albums, but Fox Confessor inhabits a different realm, and is so very deeply moving and enchantingly special in its own ways. Indeed, it comes across much more as the work of a wise, seasoned storyteller than a flavor of the day pop songstress. Certainly not one to rest on her laurels, for her fourth album Case raises the bar once again, challenging both herself and her fans. Plus with the support of her revolving cast of supremely talented players, her musical tapestry has never been more lushly and intricately detailed. This time she's invited Garth Hudson of The Band into her collaborative fold/family which already shines with the likes of The Sadies, Giant Sand's Howe Gelb, Ms Kelly Hogan, Tom Ray, Jon Rauhouse, Brian Connelly, Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino. Each of her albums has been lauded as "her best yet", but with Fox Confessor we'd dare to say she's taken things to a whole 'nother spine-tingling level.
A side note for fans of her live show... you'll be pleased to find that "John Saw That Number" (or perhaps you might know it as that "holy to the world" song) makes a rousing appearance midway through the proceedings. With its soaring rounds of choruses, it's a particular crowd favorite at her shows she shares with her singin' pals Kelly Hogan and Carolyn Mark ('tho the latter is sadly missing this time around). Need we say? Highly recommended.
Ooooh Neko fans, this will surely send glorious shivers down your spine! Back in 2003 shortly after the release of Blacklisted and prior to The Tigers Have Spoken, beloved chanteuse Neko Case performed before a studio audience on the venerable country music tv program Austin City Limits (now over thirty years old!). This cd offers up her complete set of fourteen songs from that show (psst, there's also a dvd version for a few bucks more!). A well balanced mix of originals and covers, it inevitably ends up being sort of a 'Best of Neko Case' compilation (well, up to that year at least!). It offers more proof (not that any more is really needed) that she's definitely one of the few artists around whose performance and personality are just as potently captivating and affecting live in person, on live recordings and on studio productions.
As always, she's supported by a stellar group of musical friends -- Jon Rauhouse on pedal steel, guitar and banjo, Tom Ray on stand up bass and Kelly Hogan on backing vocals. The latter once again provides her trademark high dulcet tones as a sweet counterpart to Case's lusty smoldering delivery. It's almost as though Case is being accompanied by an angel. Lovely!
Many many fan favorites are included: "Deep Red Bells", "Hex", "Furnace Room Lullaby", "Outro With Bees", and yes, "Favorite"! Plus many wonderful covers too: "Hank Williams' "Alone And Foresaken", Bob Dylan's "Buckets Of Rain", Catherine Irwin's "Hex" and a smokin' rendition of "Look For Me (I'll Be Around)" an ol' classic popularized by Sarah Vaughan. Need we say? Recommended!
What can we say about Neko Case that we haven't already? And what else can we add to the crazy amount of press and publicity surrounding the release of here latest record Middle Cyclone? Maybe nothing. But what the heck, we love Neko Case, we have for years. From The Virginian to Furnace Room Lullaby to Blacklisted to Canadian Amp, and of course we were early champions of the New Pornographers, especially the Neko fronted Mass Romantic. Hell, way back in the day, she even played in the band Cub with our very own Cup!!
But by now, you've probably been inundated by images of Ms. Case, interviews, magazine covers, there was even a mini documentary on the front page of Amazon, this record is getting one heck of a push, the weird thing is it doesn't really need it. On its own, minus the publicity and all the various other efforts to promote the woman and her album, the music itself speaks for itself. Lush but obviously hand crafted, the lyrics as ever are smart and wry and funny and bittersweet, the songs are fantastic, varied, played by a crack back up band, and then there's Case's voice, which as many others have stated before us is truly a force of nature. One of those once in an era voices. Dark and sultry and sonorous, but so strong and powerful, the old adage about singing the phone book, can now be applied to anything, programming code, microwave instructions, with Case, whatever it is becomes a gorgeous sweetly sour heartbreaker.
Plenty has been written about the making of Middle Cyclone too, but for those who don't have TV or radio or internet, we'll tell you much of this record was recorded using a handful of pianos Case got for free on Craig's List, set up in her drafty old barn, on the Vermont farm she now calls home. And that 'piano orchestra' is a wonder, each piano's inconsistencies blending with the other pianos, all blending together into a sound impossibly lush and totally unique. The various parts recorded in the barn also peppered with the sound of crickets and frogs outside, wind whipping through the eaves, all adding to the personal and intimate vibe that the record already had in spades.
From brooding ballad, to country rocker, to epic slow burner, every song here is a gem. After a few listens we're liking it way more than Fox Confessor Brings The Flood. There's even a Sparks cover! And a Nilssen cover! Both easily and fully transformed into what are essentially Case originals.
And if it wasn't already a stone cold classic, the 31 minute bonus track pushes Middle Cyclone into utter aQ obsession territory, with what is essentially a half hour long field recording of crickets! So great!
Finally Available on Vinyl!
What we said when the cd came out: Here it is! The much anticipated follow-up to Neko Case's fabulous debut album of 1997 The Virginian. Have no fear, this ain't no faux-country a la Shania Twain or Dixie Chicks, No! Ms Case has some unbelievable true blue old-school country pipes and spirit (that have drawn many comparisons to kd lang and Loretta Lynn). Indeed, hers is a voice that can lift your heart and let it soar or wrap it in velvet aches... or pick you up by the seat of your pants and give it a swift kick. This time around she's got a band with a solid line-up backing her up; one with whom she's toured and written most of the songs on this album. Plus her usual lengthy list of guest players, among them Brian Connelly (formerly of Shadowy Men From A Shadowy Planet, a truly awesome guitarist in his own right but perhaps most noted for writing the theme to 'Kids In The Hall'), Carl Newman (guitarist/vocalist of Zumpano, Superconductor, and The New Pornographers) and her labelmates The Sadies and Kelly Hogan. Whereas on her first record half of the songs were loving cover versions of many of her old favorites and inspirations, this album is wonderfully all her own.
New album from this venerable singer/songwriter and former member of The Nerves and The Plimsouls.
Another phoenix rises from the ashes of beloved Bay Area band Half Film (the other being former HF drummer Jason Lakis' The Red Thread). [The] Caseworker is primarily ex-HF bandmates Conor and Eimer along with their buddies Sean and Monte of another beloved SF band Swell. Together, these four talented individuals craft some of the most lovely dream pop around. They welcome the listener into their soft, soothing airy atmosphere. Quite an impressive, understated 'debut'.
No sharp edges here, everything is smooth and rounded and soothing. [The] Caseworker have pop smarts that set them in league with bands like Pinback and Death Cab For Cutie. It's no wonder though considering the band members' impressive pedigree -- Conor Jonathan and Eimer Devlin were formerly in Half Film and Monte Vallier is from Swell. To boot, AQ pal Will Waghorn provides the solid, steady but slightly unpredictable drumming which helps to keeps things interesting. The warm muted male vocals recall Pink Floyd's David Gilmore or Alan Parsons Project's "Eye In The Sky". The slink of the sliding guitar lines make for a wonderful counterpart to the hazy vocals -- cutting through like headlights in the dark. Soooo good!
Johnny Cash has done a pretty great job of both remaining relevant and making consistently great music. This album is pretty wonderful. It's got a healthy mix of Cash originals (indeed "The Man Comes Around", based on the Book of Revelations, is one of the best songs he's ever written, IMO) and covers of such unlikely sources as Nine Inch Nails, Paul Simon, Sting, Depeche Mode, the Eagles, etc. To Cash, if a given song is exceptionally well-written and suited to his stylistic interpretation, then he'll do it. No genre snobbery here. He infuses all the songs with an epic, anthemic tone some of them didn't know they had in 'em! (There are only a couple duds -- a stiff "Danny Boy" and an ill-chosen Beatles tune.)
The guest musicians are also unlikely, and as much as I hate random celeb-littered projects, believe me they're not annoying at all. Guests include Fiona Apple, John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), the legendary Billy Preston on piano, Roger Manning Jr (Jellyfish), etc. This is a really nice record, classic and modern and smart at the same time. Recommended!
ANTONY alert!!! CURRENT 93 alert!!
OK, now that we have your attention, we can tell you about this gem of an ep recorded over a few years back in '99-'01 and now finally seeing the light of day. Michael Cashmore is best known for his stellar contributions to Current 93 over the years. Playing a major role on C93 classics like Thunder Perfect Mine, Soft Black Stars, All The Pretty Little Horses and the latest C93 outing Black Ships Ate The Sky. Last year he released an amazing solo album of guitar and bass compositions, and now we have The Snow Abides, which finds him collaborating with one of our favorite vocalists, Antony of Antony & The Johnsons. Antony croons in his immediately recognizable style with David Tibet providing the dark and moving lyrics, oh what melancholy bliss! Piano, violin, oboe, cello, flute and percussion all woven into a gloriously dramatic whole with grace and style, making the instrumentals on the record just as captivating as the tracks with Antony's show stopping vocals. So nice!
Seems pretty perfect that on one of the coldest days we've experienced here in SF in a long time, we got this new collection of odds and ends from the always so cuddly and comforting Casiotone For The Painfully Alone to keep us all snuggled up and warm. Unless you are a total fanatic who has every single rare split 7" and compilation track, then this collection will offer up lots of new sweet Casiotone pop gems. We can't help but fall for the way Owen crafts such simple, endearing songs, that while emotional and full of memories and nostalgia never become schmaltzy or sound forced. In fact Owen Ashworth (the man behind CFTPA) is really carrying the flame of those early Magnetic Fields records, creating something Stephen Merrit might create armed with only a 4-track and some rudimentary electronics. Lots of awesome tracks to be found here plus the prerequisite odds & ends covers - Missy Elliott, Bruce Springsteen (best cover of "Born In The USA" ever!), and Paul Simon. Aww such sweet sweet sounds....
Originally released on the Cassingle label, the debut album from AQ fave one-man band Casiotone For The Painfully Alone now happily gets reissued on Tomlab (also home to his dreamy, sweet second full length "Pocket Symphonies For the Lonesome Subway Cars"). What can we say? It still gives us the warm fuzzies. If you require a more in depth description... here's what we said the first time around: Owen Ashworth has set his ruminations on the awkwardness of crushes and infatuation with rock stars to music. With just a couple of casio keyboards, a distortion pedal or two, and a 4-track, Owen's Casiotone for the Painfully Alone somehow succeeds, teetering between affected bedroom-rock naivete, and excerpts from a musical diary never meant for strangers' probing eyes. A recommended album for fans of early Sebadoh and Magnetic Fields, and especially the legendary early Mountain Goats cassettes.
Even though Bobby Malone Moves Home is credited to CFTPA, the moniker Owen Ashworth, AKA Mr. Casiotone, has used for numerous releases of his perfectly doleful dreamy casiocore, Ashworth shakes things up a bit on this new 5-song cdep (note: there is also a 2-song 7" vinyl version). For one thing, he's opted for a full band with acoustic instruments this time around. There's piano, guitar, cello, drums and other vocalists too. In addition to the charming title track, there are four live tracks with the audience demonstrating their hushed yet warm appreciation. Particularly of note is the lively "It Wasn't The Same Somehow". Ashworth seriously rocks out! The rest is more characteristically soft and pretty and utterly sincere. So nice.
Yaaay, a new album from our dear pal Mr. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone (aka Owen Ashworth)! Seems like it was only yesterday that his last full length Twinkle Echo was released, but it was actually 2003. Wow, time sure flys! Anyhoo, Etiquette picks right up where that album left off, even in the cover art department with another lovely, enchantingly odd painting by his pal Heidi Anderson. Tho' Ashworth might portray a perpetually bashful, lovelorn teenager in his lyrics and stage presence, the musical manner in which he conveys his heartfelt confessions and sentiments has blossomed and flourished with each subsequent album. Yes, his beloved trademark bedroom-y lo-fi quality of bittersweet valentines being played out on thriftstore-scored toy electronic keyboards still surfaces here and there, but the compositions have gotten increasingly ambitious. Indeed this is his most grand (but still unmistakably CFTPA) to date. No longer a one man band (or at least not for the time being), he has a bunch of friends joining in the musicmaking fun which certainly contributes a good deal to the breadth of the recordings. Lots of different voices singing and playing a much more varied array of instruments.
One thing tho' that we must take issue with is that while there are times and places when the phrase "menstrual blood" should be mentioned, a Casiotone song ("Love Connection") seems like the last place you'd want to hear it... sung. It sure made us hit the brakes and go, "Whoa!" Don't get us wrong, we're not squirmish, but when we spend the better part of a CFTPA album getting up to 'holding hands' speed, it's a bit of a nasty jolt to be reminded of that time of month. Maybe they should've taken a cue from the same song's later lyrics "Some things are best left unsaid"? Perhaps somewhat unfortunately that's also the album's final song. Ah well, just press 'play' once more. You'll be right back to the beginning again, and all will be well.
AQ's sweetest pal Owen Ashworth moved from SF to lo-fi pop haven Portland, OR a short time ago. And we've dearly missed his quiet, but completely passionate enthusing over our mutual pop faves -- in particular, Young Marble Giants. The minimal, sweet music that
Dear friends, now that Casiotone's first two albums are out of print individually do not despair! They've magically reappeared together here on one disc!
And here's what we said about both albums back when they were first released...
Answering Machine Music: Originally released on the Cassingle label, the debut album from AQ fave one-man band Casiotone For The Painfully Alone now happily gets reissued on Tomlab (also home to his dreamy, sweet second full length "Pocket Symphonies For the Lonesome Subway Cars"). What can we say? It still gives us the warm fuzzies. If you require a more in depth description... here's what we said the first time around: Owen Ashworth has set his ruminations on the awkwardness of crushes and infatuation with rock stars to music. With just a couple of casio keyboards, a distortion pedal or two, and a 4-track, Owen's Casiotone for the Painfully Alone somehow succeeds, teetering between affected bedroom-rock naivete, and excerpts from a musical diary never meant for strangers' probing eyes. A recommended album for fans of early Sebadoh and Magnetic Fields, and especially the legendary early Mountain Goats cassettes.
Pocket Symphonies For Lonesome Subway Cars: AQ's sweetest pal Owen Ashworth moved from SF to lo-fi pop haven Portland, OR a short time ago. And we've dearly missed his quiet, but completely passionate enthusing over our mutual pop faves -- in particular, Young Marble Giants. The minimal, sweet music that he creates under the moniker Casiotone For The Painfully Alone is certainly lo-tech and lo-fi, but totally high on shy boy romance and earnestness. Pocket Symphonies (released on German label Tomlab) maintains the intimate bedroom recording feel of his debut Answering Machine Music. Owen's soft vocal delivery once again really brings to mind the Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, but also Mike Donovan of SF's Church Steps, with the barely audible, almost spoken, hesitant vocals, programmed drumbeats and occasional static-y casio-noise bursts... or, I imagine, Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields, Sixths, etc) as a young schoolboy. If you haven't seen Owen play live, you're missing a precious experience, this big bespectacled boy behind tiny synths, one heel shyly pivoting left and right to keep time. Super simple but with an undeniable catchiness. Sixteen fragile'n'pretty, electronic toybox heartstring pullers.
Oh how we miss having Owen Ashworth, aka Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, as a neighbor since he moved away from the Bay Area a few years ago, but luckily his busy touring schedule finds him in town quite often, so we do get frequent visits, and the store is always brightened by his easy going and sweet demeanor, and lucky for us he's own of those rare folks whose music is a direct reflection of his personality.
Owen's latest offering finds him in top form, with many of the short tracks being instrumental it makes sense that some of them were written for the soundtrack to the indie film Stay The Same Never Change, as they do such a perfect job in setting a breezy and daydreamy atmosphere. In many ways this is CFTPA at their/his stripped down best, while we did like some of the recordings that came out of Owen expanding his efforts with a full band, truth be told the true charm of his music comes directly from his rudimentary DIY approach to electro-pop. The few tracks that do have vocals had us thinking a lot of Stephen Merrit when he's doing Future Bible Heros and the overall feeling of this twenty minute ep captures a colorful and rich, melting sensation that's as earnest as it is endearing.
Everyone's fave one-man band Owen Ashworth returns with his third full length. In the two years since he departed SF and shortly thereafter released his sophomore effort Pocket Symphonies For the Lonesome Subway, he's become one very well-travelled fellow (actually as we speak, he's over in Japan touring with Xiu Xiu!), and it definitely shows in his new music. Twinkle Echo reveals a much more mature, self-assured, finely tuned Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, and proves to be a smooth progression onward from his past two albums. No big detours though, it's all simply more of his deeply heartfelt, lo-fi Casio-driven odes, but they've been captured on record much better this time. Wonderfully warm and intimate. The only thing that you might notice a difference in is Owen's vocals. His formerly hesitant near-whisper delivery has taken a slightly deeper, hoarser and more insistent tone, but never fear, it still fits very well amid the sweet-tart, woozy toy keyboard melodies and tick-tocking preprogrammed rhythms we know and love so well. Sure to please the growing circle of CFTPA devotees.
Hooray for our dear pal Owen Ashworth! Over the years his instrument palette has expanded a good deal beyond the keyboard named in his moniker. As well, his music production has flourished out of the bedroom and into a much broader arena; and his songwriting delves deeper into darker subject matter than the beloved lighthearted musings and unrequited crushes of years past. And yet, his music still embodies a beautiful intimate earnestness, sweet tart romantic yearnings and a biting sense of humor. Though he's still the gallant knight of indie pop, his fifth full length is definitely far less twee and far more composed than his early recordings. It might seem that this is more of a 'serious' CFTPA, but then again there has always been a subtle undercurrent of gravity to his music. On Vs. Children, he incorporates organ, Mellotron and piano, which makes for a nicely rounded, enveloping listen. That said, although the music might get you in a cozy mood, his lyrics will keep you on your toes. He continues to prove what a really really good storyteller he is! Ever endearing and engaging!
Hot on the heels of the split 7" Casiotone For The Painfully Alone did with Fox Pause comes another short'n'sweet C.F.T.P.A. release (this one's available on 2-song vinyl and 4-song cd)... And just in time for Valentine's Day, no less! This one man band (aka Owen Ashworth) seems to have a bottomless heart-shaped box of schoolboy lo-fi pop-tronic bonbons. On the first two tunes of this cd (the two that make up the 7" version), his trademark rudimentarily programmed drumbeats and perky Casiotone keyboard melodies once again make us muse as to whether or not Ashworth and Stephin Merritt might be long lost brothers. That said, in more ways that one, the standout track is definitely the somber finale on the cd version. An alternate version of his song "The Subway Home", its plucked cello strings bring to mind the final droplets of rain that fall from leaves after a stormy night. Moody loveliness.
Mr. C.F.T.P.A. himself Owen Ashworth just brought these new snazzy t-shirts in! Two color combos: navy blue with silver print of his hand-drawn logo, and baby blue with red print. Assorted sizes. Stock varies depending on whether Owen's in town or on the road, so please ask for size availability.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Limited pressing of 500
We just got these brand new Casiotone For The Painfully Alone 7" records straight from the man himself! It's a split 7" with his pal Sara Han aka Fox Pause. His side has three of his wonderfully doleful heartache tunes with his trademark deep boyish near-spoken delivery and his comparatively spritely percolating Casiotone rhythms and melodies.
Her side has four much more peppy twee songs. She sings in the opposite end of the octave range from him. High, sugary sweetness.
Hot on the heels of the split 7" Casiotone For The Painfully Alone did with Fox Pause comes another short'n'sweet C.F.T.P.A. release (this one's available on 2-song vinyl and 4-song cd)... And just in time for Valentine's Day, no less! This one man band (aka Owen Ashworth) seems to have a bottomless heart-shaped box of schoolboy lo-fi pop-tronic bonbons. On the first two tunes of this cd (the two that make up the 7" version), his trademark rudimentarily programmed drumbeats and perky Casiotone keyboard melodies once again make us muse as to whether or not Ashworth and Stephin Merritt might be long lost brothers. That said, in more ways that one, the standout track is definitely the somber finale on the cd version. An alternate version of his song "The Subway Home", its plucked cello strings bring to mind the final droplets of rain that fall from leaves after a stormy night. Moody loveliness.
The Casket Lottery was borne of the mighty Coalesce, but their sound is far removed from Coalesce's pummelling metalcore. More a bizarre hybrid of emo, power pop, weird almost-prog, new wave and just balls-out rock. Huge emotive swells of thick rich chords,
A little odds and ends collection from one of our favorite emo bands. Lots of soaring, sad boy vocals, BIG guitars, almost-metal riffery, melancholy melodies, and catchy punky pop. Think Sunny Day Real Estate, the Get Up Kids, and that sort of thing. This disc collects all the Casket Lottery's tracks from comps and splits, a handful of unreleased tracks, some demos, and lots of wicked covers, the Cure, the Police, Government Issue, Kill Creek, Shudder To Think and a brutal spot-on cover of Helmet's In The Meantime with vocals courtesy of Coalesce's Sean Ingram. Nice.
While some reissue labels specialize in digging up the obscure '60s garage or '70s psych of collector's dreams, Shadow Kingdom's idea of a long lost gem is something like this, a pretty much unknown quasi-metal American rock act from the early '80s that went precisely nowhere with their strange brand of theatrical, "magickal", poppy, proggy hard rock / metal, despite a lot of spunk and even some talent too. This disc contains Cassle's 1983 ep plus a bunch of unreleased songs from the era filling it out to full-length cd status.
We say quasi-metal 'cause while they've got the medieval name of Cassle (i.e. Castle - it seems they liked to spell things differently, they were originally called Miraaj), and do indeed sport some fairly heavy, gritty guitars and fantasy/horror themes, they're really much more Rush than Maiden. And they've got keyboards. Yup, so '70s prog/pomp rock outfits like Rush, Styx, and Kansas were probably as big or bigger influences on 'em than the then-contemporary riffage of the NWOBHM. It's also a set of influences they share with another Shadow Kingdom band, Manilla Road.
But that's what gives this a lot of its charm, some kids from LA trying to do the pomp thing on a budget and without worrying much about being "cool". Well actually, they probably did think this was cool. And if you're like us, you might think it's cool too. How can you not love it when they actually sing "A dungeon, a dragon..." in one of their songs here, "Revenge (Cassle Walls)"?!
They're no Manilla Road but this is still pretty fun, it kinda reminds us of Sorcery's Stunt Rock soundtrack, and Legend US (From The Fjords), a bit. Cd booklet includes new liner notes, full lyrics, and color photos of the band back in the day.
