[ aquarius records new arrivals — issue 130 ]

Showing results 51 through 97 of 97.

MEGADETHKilling Is My Business... (Remastered)(Loud)cd$ 15.98

Reissue of this seminal thrash band's finest moment (although Allan insists 'Rust In Peace' deserves that honor). 'Killing...' is heavy and fast and loud and catchy. Mustaine spent some time in Metallica and there was plenty of mudslinging from both sides as

MINUSJesus Christ Bobby(Victory)cd$ 16.98

While this is noisy, chaotic metalcore (a la Converge, Coalesce, Botch, Cave In) on Victory, there -are- some twists: First of all, these guys are from far-off Iceland (and to prove it, they even got an ex-Sugarcube to sing on one song -- not Bjork though)

MODERN NORDEUROPAISCHE DORFMUSIKWestberliner Stadtmusik 1969 I-IV(Leiterwagon)cd$ 16.98

77 minutes of free-improv "psychedelic scorch" put to tape in 1969 by this trio of West Berliners: Norbert Eisbrenner, Werner Goetz, and Sven-Ake Johansson. Johansson (his solo work the subject of a recent Unheard Music Series reissue) played drums on Packaged in a cardboard sleeve, with liner notes only in German.

MONSTER ISLANDDream Tiger(The End Is Here)cd$ 11.98

What struck me first when I heard Monster Island was how the soft female vocals and one-speed plunky-chunky guitar were more than a little bit reminiscent of the Young Marble Giants... but with further listening a psychedelic, slightly strange, off-kilter edge

MORTIISThe Smell of Rain(Earache)cd$ 15.98

What can one say about Mortiis? Hmmm, he's apparently acquired a new set of ears since his last pair were stolen while on tour many moons ago. But one may ask, "has along with his new elfin ears come a new look and sound too?" An emphatic "yes!" From the

NOVEXKleptophonica(Revolver)cd$ 13.98

This is the long-awaited follow-up to the wonderful AQ-staff-and-customer-fave Milk Cult album! Since this time just 2/3 of Milk Cult participated in the making of the record, they're calling themselves Novex. But it's the very same delicious combination of This album is also much more traditionally "pop" than the Milk Cult record, complete with real songs, choruses, Beatles-y hooks, indieboy vocals (sorta like the Apples in Stereo, sorta like Robyn Hitchcock) and a relatively sweet tone throughout, which when combined with the electronic and breakbeat stuff, makes for a keenly charming combo. Thus the record will appeal not only to fans of Milk Cult, but also Land of the Loops and other purveyors of looped fun. (While supplies last, get a free set of three "Maxine" trading cards drawn and produced by Agent Nova / Dale Flattum of Milk Cult / Novex.)

ORCHESTRA BAOBABPirates Choice(World Circuit)2cd$ 22.00

Orchestra Baobab was formed in 1970 in Dakar, Senegal to inaugurate the opening of The Baobab Club. The band was made up of musicians from Dakar's Star Band (formed in 1960) and numerous other big players in Senegal's fertile music scene played parts in

ORTHRELMAsristir Veildrioxe(Troubleman)cd$ 11.98

Second release from former Crom-Tech guitarist Mick Barr and Josh Blair (of ABCS) following their debut on Tolotta. Ninety-nine tracks fly by at a warp speed twelve-and-a-half minutes. Naked City meets Yngwie Malmsteen gone hardcore pretty much sums it up.

PAIK, NAM JUNEWorks 1958-1979(Sub Rosa)cd$ 16.98

Five compositions by video artist Nam June Paik. Long before he became famous for his work in the visual arts, Paik had travelled to both Japan and later to Germany (along side Karlheinz Stockhausen at the Westdeutsche Rundfunk's Studio For Electronic Music)

PANTHERSAre You Down??(Troubleman)cd$ 11.98

New York City's Panthers feature a couple of faces that you just might find familiar - namely Kip from The Red Scare and Justin from Turing Machine. Red-hot, charging rock assault that reminded me of any one of the numerous seminal post-punk outfits lead by

PERREY, JEAN-JACQUESMoog Sensations(Pulp Flavor)cd$ 13.98

Along with Gershon Kingsley, Jean-Jacques Perrey comprised the legendary duo of "Perrey & Kingsley" as pioneering madmen in electronic music. With two amazing records "Spotlight On Moog" and "The In Sound From Way Out" they inspired generations of

PERRY, LEE SCRATCHJamaican E.T.(Trojan)lp$ 17.98

Sadly, an unremarkable new album from Lee Perry. It's tempting to give props for sticking with a live band to lay down the tracks on this album, but then I remember those insane Ariwa proto-drum n' bass discs that Perry put his name to and think better of it. The tracks on "Jamaican E.T." sound like some tepid hotel reggae band where a drunk and senile Perry has stumbled over from the

PERSONAFencesitter(self released)cdr$ 5.98

In the wake of the Gravitar boxsets, Eric Cook - the drummer from the Michigan powerhouse of hypno-ferocity - offers a couple more CD-Rs of his Persona electronica side project, not included in those sets. "Fencesitter" calms down the manic Lesser / Kid 606 drill 'n' bass workouts that Cook has previously offered; rather, interlocking drum programming loops form an abstract electronica

PERSONASplinter(self released)cdr$ 5.98

In the wake of the Gravitar boxsets, Eric Cook - the drummer from the Michigan powerhouse of hypno-ferocity - offers a couple more CD-Rs of his Persona electronica side project, not included in those sets. "Splinter" is even further removed from the drill 'n' bass workouts of previous Persona releases, concentrating on metallic tonalities. Scraped and hammered percussion (gongs, pots,

PINK AND BROWN / DEATHDRUGSplit(Load)12"$ 10.98

Second installment in Load Records' split 12" series. Five new songs by the Providence via SF/LA duo Pink and Brown. Yes, one performs in pink while the other in brown. These new tracks, recorded last year around the time of their US tour with longtime pals Lightning Bolt, offer more groove and danceability while retaining the harshness and sonic dissonance of "Final Foods", and

PIXELTANs/t(Troubleman Unlimited)cd$ 11.98

Four track debut from Brooklyn art punk outfit Pixeltan. Heavy, rhythmic, overdriven grooves recalling the no-funk of Downtown NY circa 1981, only faster, nastier, and pumped full of echo and fucked up electronics. Beats courtesy of Hisham Bharoocha of Black

PULPWe Love Life(Island)cd$ 20.00

The irrepressible Jarvis Cocker and co. have returned, but you just might wanna think about holding your celebratory cheers. Yes, Pulp has certainly gone through its share of ups and downs, starts and stops, and stylistic shifts since its inception in 1978,

REPLICATORValidation Complex(self released)cd-r ep$ 4.98

Picking up from right where they left off with last year's cd "Winterval", Replicator's follow-up comes in the form of a cd-r. They've taken their loud/quiet approach up a few notches, leaning much more on the former this time out. Aggressive, and angstful

RIVULETSs/t(Chair Kicker's Union)cd$ 13.98

Warm, intimate and gentle. Rivulets' slow, pretty songs are based primarily around the voice and acoustic guitar strumming of mainman Nathan Amundson, but with the delicate textural and melodic embellishments of humming optigan, chiming xylophone, droning

SACRED STEELSlaughter Prophecy(Massacre)cd$ 14.98

Not to be confused with that whole genre of spiritual lap-steel playing! No, this is metal... Faster and more brutal than before, these German speed metallers return with their fourth album, first for new label Massacre (I guess they won't be playing "Crusaders of the Metal Blade" anymore). If you don't know 'em, let's just say Sacred Steel are a band that makes metal music by, for, and about metalheads. They're massive fiends for '80s metal obscurities, and with "Slaughter Prophecy" they seem to be especially inspired by the heavier, speedier section of their record collections: Nasty Savage, Slayer, Agent Steel, but also the epic and doomy likes of Candlemass and Cirith Ungol. As a result, this album is a double bass driven metal fist in your face. They even do a song called "Raise The Metal Fist"! Lead singer Gerrit Mutz is the reason you'll hate this (if you're a poser): his singing can only be described as ridiculous, yet he's got the balls and the charisma to pull it off. If you're insecure about liking something with silly but sincere vocals, you won't like Mutz or Sacred Steel. Me (Allan), I love Mutz's vox! Imagine Jello Biafra trying to sing like a metalgod. Mainly inspired by the weirdisms of old Saint Vitus vocalist Scott Reagers, Gerritt wails and warbles in a completely insane, over the top fashion. But he also indulges in a death metal growl upon occasion (sounding not unlike King Fowley of Deceased), moreso than on previous Sacred Steel releases. I would suggest their last album, "Bloodlust" (a R.E. Howard / H.P. Lovecraft weird tales inspired epic) as being the best Sacred Steel to start with, but "Slaughter Prophecy" is maybe slightly more accessible to fans of "extreme metal" (black, death, etc.). Eccentric traditional METAL you'll either love or hate. In digipak w/ bonus track "while supplies last".

SADELovers Live(Sony)cd$ 16.98

Hefty 70-minute documentation of Sade's 2001 world tour. If you can get past the annoyingly extra-loud crowd enthusiasm, you'll find this is a nice collection. Sade's chilled out, smooth-as-silk vocal delivery is perfectly matched by the easy-listenin'

SAMARTZIS, PHILIP / SACHIKO MArtefact(Dorobo)cd$ 14.98

Philip Samartzis is an Australian electro-acoustic composer, who had gone on a tour across Japan a few years ago and through his travels developed some interesting relationships with a number of likeminded composers in Japan. After working with onkyo

SHERWOOD, ADRIANZero Zero One / Pass The Rizla(Green Tea)10"$ 9.98

Seems it's been a while since I've heard anything from Mr Sherwood that's tickled my ear. Though not groundbreaking, the two tasty bits here are as good as any of the dub homages on either of the Select Cuts From Blood & Fire comps and it makes me wonder why

SHIPP, MATTHEWNu Bop(Thirsty Ear)cd$ 16.98

Here's another new one from the prolific, AQ-fave jazz pianist Matthew Shipp, another entry in Thirsty Ear's forward-looking, Shipp-curated "Blue Series". The futuristic jazz found on "Nu Bop" is quite similar to David S. Ware's recent "Corridors & Parallels", which featured three of the players found here: Shipp, bassist extraordinare William Parker, and drummer Guillermo E. Brown. On "Nu Bop", Daniel Carter handles sax & flute, and someone named FLAM is responsible for synths and programming (leaving Shipp to his customary piano, instead of the keyboards he played on the Ware disc). This group has produced a unique, enjoyable mix of electronic beats and droney synth atmospheres, and up-tempo, uh, "nu-bop" jazziness. The album's sci-fi theme is reflected in the somewhat hokey track titles, like "Space Shipp", "X-Ray", "Rocket Shipp", and "ZX-1". As with other Blue Series offerings (like that great Spring Heel Jack "Masses" disc from last year), these hybrid jazz/electronica experiments are both good places for the jazz-curious modern music listener to begin exploring, and for the avant-jazz-centric to branch out. The future sound of jazz? We'll leave that for others to debate. We just hope that Shipp doesn't take it *too* far (no DJ remix disc please!!).

SINISTERCreative Killings(Martyr Music Group)cd$ 14.98

Deadly, devilish Dutch death metal done darn well. These guys have been around for a while, and always produce some of the most brutal and um, sinister sounds in their genre. Albums like "Hate" and "Aggressive Measures" are definite DM classics. With

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE / CHARALAMBIDESSongs From the Entopic Garden Volume Two(Time-Lag)lp$ 17.98

The second in this limited edition vinyl series dedicated to the works of cosmic krautrockers Popul Vuh offers the hypno-drone psychedelia both of Northern California's wonderful Six Organs Of Admittance and the stalwart Texan ensemble Charlamabides. Again, Charalambides -- now whittled down to the duo of Tom and Christina Carter -- create a similarly swirling sound, but from the mournful chords of intertwining guitar and bass reverberations. Both pieces are some of the best work from either of these two artists. As we say, limited, and we only have a few. We also still have just a few of the equally excellent first volume in the "Songs From The Entopic Garden" series, the Drona Parva / Ultrasound split LP (reviewed on list #128).

SQUEALERUnder The Cross(AFM)cd$ 14.98

Veteran German metal band Squealer (great name, huh?) are not too well known, but here at Aquarius Andee and Allan have somehow become fans of their unpretentious, solid speed metal. They're melodic and muscular, with a fairly tough sounding singer and a

STRATFORD 4, THEThe Revolt Against Tired Noises(Jet Set)cd$ 14.98

Here it is, the first release by The Stratford 4 on their new label home Jet Set Records. It follows their two well-received self-released cds (one of which was the totally great "This Could Be Heaven" from last year). I've got a good feeling about this

SUN CITY GIRLSHigh Asia Lo-Pacific(Abduction)2cd$ 16.98

"High Asia Lo-Pacific" comprise volumes 9 and 10 of the Sun City Girls' Carnival Folklore Resurrection series. High Asia, disc one, finds the Girls returning to their quasi-ethno folk which they seem to do so well. Using primarily stringed instruments --

SUNN O)))3: Flight Of The Behemoth(Southern Lord)cd$ 13.98

The third (duh) album from the lower-than-low doom duo of Stephen O'Malley (Burning Witch, Khanate) and Greg Anderson (Goatsnake, ex-Engine Kid). SUNN O))), formed in tribute to defunct Sub Pop heavies Earth, never fails to warm our doom-drone lovin' hearts, The first two tracks, totalling 22 minutes, constitute a new SUNN original, with dark waves of Earth-worthy droneriff rolling relentlessly ever onward. (Track one is called "Mocking Solemnity" and track two is called "Death Becomes You", but there's no discernable break between them, it'll really all one piece.) Then come the two mixes, and the surprise is that they're even better than the SUNN-alone tracks! Maybe that's 'cause they were produced by Masami Akita, aka the notorious Japanese noise artist Merzbow! His first mix (5 mins) drops some atonal piano into the dronezone of Sunn, while mix number 2 (13 mins) really goes for a grinding godhead experience. He really takes it to another level. After the Merzbow tracks, "Flight" closes out with another original track called "F.W.T.B.T.", and it's another good 'un, featuring guests "Bootsy Kronos" on bass, and, uh, "Aspirin Feast" on drums. Drums! Steve O'Malley did a great job with the album design, too, somehow emulating the graphics of Earth's "2" with nicely colored picture of a hunting dog, a shot of the SUNN boys looking like long haired, black clad twins, and -- get this -- what appears to be Ozzy Osbourne's Klonopin perscription from a Beverly Hills pharmacy! Southern Lord recommends this to fans of Earth, Melvins, Thrones, Thomas Koner...and we do too!! Add to that list Boris, Corrupted, Fushitsusha, and Loop (the last two are SUNN fan Julian Cope's comparisons)... "Flight of the Behemoth" is truly a massive, rumbling, varied, experimental DRONEDOOM ESSENTIAL!

SUZUKI, DAISUKED.D.D.(Idea)lp$ 18.98

Daisuke Suzuki is mostly known as the proprietor of Siren Records in Japan, home to some amzing drone records from the likes of Jonathan Coleclough and Andrew Chalk (including the universally acclaimed "Sumac" album). But Daisuke has also contributed sound works on occasion to Ora (the loose collective of Chalk, Darren Tate, Colin Potter, Coleclough, and others). "D.D.D." marks

T CELLSs/t(Smash)10"$ 8.98

One of many new wave offshoots of the defunct Long Beach punk comedy troupe Le Shok. Hot Rod Todd and Darryl Licht get lo-fi nastee with cheap synths and a rhythm box. Four songs, including a warped cover of The Troggs' "Strange Movies". Limited to 1000, and on wacky mustard yellow vinyl (only).

T2s/t(Acme)cd$ 19.98

British psych/prog power trio T2 released one amazing album on Decca in 1970, the bizarrely-titled "It'll All Work Out In Boomland". That LP didn't make much of an impact at the time (although the band did play the Isle of Wight Festival) and has T2, composed of drummer/vocalist/songwriter Peter Dunton, guitar whizz Keith Cross, and bassist Bernard Jinks, played HEAVY psychedelic bluesrock (a la Cream, Hendrix, Blue Cheer), mixed with progressive stylings (acoustic guitar, piano, mellotron, orchestration). Dunton's songs combine big fuzzed-out hard rock riffs and Cross' psych-skronk leads with mellow, melancholic pretty parts and gentle, whispery vocals. Very melodic, very heavy yet beautiful, totally classy and special. Definitely one of the best bands from those magical years of the early '70s! (If you dig the aforementioned Blue Cheer, and can imagine them crossed with heavy progressive Krautrock stuff like Gila and Amon Duul II, or even early, pastoral British psych/prog like King Crimson, you've got some idea about the genius of T2.) The seven tracks on this self-titled, 45 minute cd were recorded in 1970, intended as the follow-up to "Boomland" -- but the band broke up and this material languished in the vaults until this cd release. Had it come out at the time, who knows -- maybe people would have caught on and T2 would be more than just a cult band today. But, that's the way it is, and here's your chance to join the cult...

THREE DAY STUBBLELet Your Morsel Find Its Way(Nerd Rock Music)cd$ 13.98

This is the most challenging album yet from local love-'em-or-hate-'em self-proclaimed "nerd rock" outfit Three Day Stubble, who've been seriously puzzling audiences long before lead singer Donald the Nut's legendary Gong Show appearance in the late '80s.

TRACY & THE PLASTICSMuscler's Guide To Videonics and Remixes By 1774(Chainsaw / Thin The Herd)lp$ 10.98

Finally available on vinyl, with two bonus remixes by 1774. Long awaited full length from Olympia, WA-based multimedia queen Wynne Greenwood, formerly of MeMeAmerica. Recorded by Joe Preston (Thrones), this LP compiles new material with songs previously heard

TREN BROTHERS & SISTERSwing Pts. 1 & 2(Chapter)7"$ 4.98

Those "Brothers" Tren whom you may be more familiar with as two parts of the moody, melancholic Dirty Three (yup, Mick Turner and James White on guitar, harmonica and drums) are joined on this record by their "sister" violinist Jessica Billey. These two

TROUMTjukurrpa: Part Two Drones(Transgredient)cd$ 14.98

Troum's second installment in their "Tjukurrpa" trilogy is self-evidently subtitled "Drones" (and makes us ask, the first one wasn't?). Since their days in the prolific isolationist ensemble Maeror Tri, the two members of Troum continue to masterfully

V/AForcelab Edition: Composure(Force Lab / Force Inc)cd$ 16.98

This disc is pretty much Force Inc's answer to Richie Hawtin's "DE9: Closer To the Edit", method-wise. Guest producer Algorithm was commissioned to create this album, using a series of digitized loops from Force Lab's catalog of singles as well as some

V/AIn the Beginning There Was Rhythm(Soul Jazz)cd$ 17.98

Wow. The London based Soul Jazz label does it again. They've already documented the global history of funk and soul in several astonishingly well-executed collections including the universally loved "100-500% Dynamite" series of Jamaican soul, rocksteady, and reggae; the Philadelphia Roots collection; the Nu Yorica albums; that ESG reissue, and even an Art Ensemble of Chicago album. Yet none of these albums has been as highly anticipated or so spot-on timely as this new one from Soul Jazz, "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm." This compilation succeeds in encapsulating that heady time between the years 1978 and 1982, when the "second wave" of British punk bands found inspiration in both the musical and political power of reggae. As the situationist propaganda of Malcolm McLaren and the Sex Pistols spawned a global theater of anarchist shock tactics, even such right-wing idiots as the skinhead, white power, and neo-Nazi parties dared to embrace punk's celebration of chaos. Thus, those (mostly white) musicians within the punk movement who were *opposed* to such unsavory politics stood in solidarity both politically and aesthetically with their black brothers in Jamaica. Incited by the offbeat attack of The Clash and the huge dub bass production from Public Image Limited, the late '70s punk movement began a vast exploration into possibilities of bridging dance music with the revolutionary anthems of punk. While neither The Clash nor PIL are included in this compilation, "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm" does collect some of the best tracks from the huge vaults of post-punk, many of which might have gone forgotten had it not been for this album! Even 20 years after their initial releases, the bands here -- including Gang of Four, Cabaret Voltaire, 23 Skidoo, The Pop Group, A Certain Ratio, The Slits, This Heat, Human League and Throbbing Gristle -- still sound fresh, often melding choppy rhythms with angular slash-and-burn guitar, spit out vocals, rubbery bass, and nascent forms of electronica. We'll say it again -- the music here is simply perfect -- the punk holds back dance music's tendency to get too mechanical 'n boring, while the dance elements impart melody and groove to the punk. Highlighting the compilation are A Certain Ratio's urgent amphetamine funk on "Shack Up" and "Knife Slits Water", melding the unlikely combination of Joy Division's grim urgency with a George Clinton funk arrrangement. Gang Of Four's "To Hell With Poverty" marks their transition from the agitated punk grooves found on their classic (but impossible to find) debut "Entertainment" into a smooth dancefloor-friendly attack punctuated by Marxist rhetoric. The Human League -- who are unfortunately best known for their chart topping new wave singles -- had incredibly adventurous beginnings on the often forgotten punk label Fast (also early home for The Mekons and Gang of Four). Their early offering "Being Boiled" is a primitive piece of spartan electronics loaded with theatrical tension and dark arpeggiations more expected from people like Coil and Throbbing Gristle (who contribute their perverse fascination with ABBA in the subversive aesthetics of "20 Jazz Funk Greats"). But, why is this compilation so short? Judging from how few people today remember or even have heard Section 25, Tunnelvision, DAF, or Fad Gadget, there's plenty more work for Soul Jazz to do in compiling more compilations of this sort! Not just recommended, this is *required* listening. Strongly recommended to any and all!

V/ANow Thing: 15 Dancehall Instrumentals(MoWax)2lp$ 17.98

Seems like it's been ages since we've got anything in on MoWax. I guess I haven't been paying much attention to them of late, their second volume of sleepy bedroom trip hop Headz bombed so bad, I thought that was the end of them. So it's a bit odd to be

V/ARock Music : A Trubute To Weezer(Dead Droid)cd$ 14.98

Does there need to be a tribute to Weezer? Maybe, although need is a strong word. Could there be? Sure. Should there be? Probably not, especially when the bands and their versions deviate very little from the original. Pretty pointless. Features Weezer

V/ATake The Brain Train to the Third Eye: Bud Mathis' Sunset Strip 1963 - 1967(Dionysus)cd$ 13.98

Take the Brain Train to the Third Eye. Oh...oh my... God...it's all so trippy. This compilation revolves around Bud Mathis, an ex prize fighter turned manager / songwriter / man about town / guy on the Sunset strip in the '60s. All of these songs are rare

WARD 21Mentally Disturbed(Greensleeves)cd$ 14.98

At last we've got our paws on a dancehall album that we can recommend from start to finish. Jamaica's highly fertile music scene still seems geared towards the single and the majority of dancehall that we've been excited about in the past has been in the form Ward 21 is unlike most of the dancehall acts coming out of Jamaica in that they are a group and not an individual. Apprenticing under the legendary King Jammy, the group exists as a collection of four producers -and- d.j.'s who have made their mark on the Jamaican music industry by producing tracks and albums for some of the island's top vocalists like Elephant Man (who makes a guest appearance on this album) and Beenie Man, and creating some of the most popular rhythms in dancehall. After working behind the scenes for years the group has finally pooled their engineering and producing prowess to put together 22 tracks of insane dancehall. Along with being consistently top notch in the production department throughout, the vocals on "Mentally Disturbed" are a case study in how to sing dancehall right.... in the humble opinion of AQ's dancehall heads. For the most part the lyrics are grumbled, not sung, in gruff voice -- almost forced into a lower octave than the singer's range -- and the lyrics themselves are long winded, stream of conscious like rants. This stuff is crazy. Relentless repeated rhythms hammer away while the vocalists growl about sushi and Kurt Cobain and 'Hoochieland' and assorted other weirdness. Catchy and funky and funny and if you have a boomin' system in your ride this is way more suitable for window rattling than whatever Miami Bass or MTV flavor of the moment you happen to be listening to. The hip hop vibe is definitely present, in some of the beats, and some of the toasting is definitely practically rapping, but this is dancehall through and through. Byram and Andee have been listening to this non stop for a week now. No higher recommendation than that (well, at least until Allan starts playing it, taking up otherwise valuable Slough Feg listening time!). *** By doing an Exact Keyword Search on the Aquarius website for "hip hop remix" (without quotes) you'll see a list of all such 7" singles we've stocked and cataloged to date with the rhythms that they use.

WILLARD GRANT CONSPIRACY / TELEFUNKIn the Fishtank 8(Konkurrent)cd$ 11.98

In case you're unfamiliar with the In The Fishtank Series, here's a brief synopsis, Dutch label Konkurrent invites a pair of touring groups into the studio to spend a couple of days recording whatever they like. Past artists who have accepted the

WOLFBlack Wings(No Fashion)cd$ 14.98

These eager young Swedish metalheads return with a followup to their excellent self-titled debut. The sticker on the front of the cd case says it all, in two simple words: "Heavy Metal" (with a picture of a spike-clad fist coming at you). It's the NWOBHM all We praised their debut for being fresh and powerful, retro but not cheesy (unlike so much current European powermetal that's popular). They had a kind of garage edge that got under our skin. This disc is certainly similar -- maybe a bit less catchy than the debut but if anything *more* metal -- starting with the cover. Maybe the unfair criticisms of the wonderful, but somewhat whimsical and unusual album cover art of their previous disc got to the band, 'cause the cover of "Black Wings" sports a much more typically metal design, complete with a new, chrome-plated Wolf logo. That's in keeping with this disc's generally darker, more "evil" tone than Wolf's debut. Song titles like "Demon Bell", "Night Stalker", "Venom", "Genocide", and "Unholy Night" stress that darker, more diabolic direction as well (and demonstrate some imaginative shortcomings, but what do you expect)... Solid Swedish heavy metal for fans of Maiden!! (By the way, this disc comes with a "special surprise" for PC users -- a hidden song you can download from Wolf's website. Which is nice, but think about it: if the idea is to make a song available only to people who own the cd, why not just PUT IT ON THE CD??! Duh.)

XENAKIS, IANNISMusique Electro-Acoustic(Fractal)cd$ 16.98

This disc premieres two compositions of electro-acoustic work from legendary composer Iannis Xenakis, both utilizing his UPIC system, a method of composition also documented on the recent "CCMIX: New Electroacoustic Music from Paris" double cd compilation.

YEAH YEAH YEAHSs/t(Shifty)cd$ 9.98

This self released five-track ep by up and coming Brooklyn trio is going to give the comparatively more famous White Stripes a run for their money. When she's not absolutely screaming, the girl lead singer wails with a strong gravelly voice and that trembly