Aquarius Records closed in 2016. This site is an archive — a place to rediscover their extraordinary music recommendations. Nothing here is for sale.
Showing results 51 through 98 of 98.
MARDUKBlackcrowned (Limited Edition)(Regain)2cd/video$ 40.00
Sweden's black metal panzer division get the box they always deserved. Two full cds of rare, unreleased and re-recorded goodies spanning their entire career. Plus a live video and a booklet with tons of photos and lyrics. This one's definitely just for
MARS VOLTA, THETremulant EP(GSL)cd ep$ 7.98
If you've been in search of some new and exciting sounds, you simply should not miss this introductory EP to The Mars Volta. Although this sextet will undoubtedly receive much attention for two of its members' past band (Omar and Cedric were the most recognizable members of At The Drive-In) not to mention the presence of Jon Theodore (of Golden and formerly of Royal Trux and Him) on drums, they fully deserve to be taken on their own ground. The Mars Volta are determined *not* to take the path of least resistance by retracing the steps they've already trod. Instead, they're traversing a fresh, dynamic terrain. Crafting intricate, multi-layered songs with a definite *prog* angle. Shades of King Crimson and Yes (and U2 in the vocals, but it's not annoying at all). And they've got the chops to successfully execute their formidable mission. The vocals - so untethered, hoarse and fiery in ATDI - are here molded into an emotional falsetto that rings clear and strong with additional effected ones adding an air of alienation. The music is an amazing, intricate blend of ultra-tight drumming, deep bass, keyboards and guitar made even more potent and unsettling by carefully arranged, foreboding samples and electronics. Oh and in case I didn't make myself clear... They absolutely rock! If these three songs are any indication, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Blistering! Please note: this is not to be confused with DeFacto (TMV members Omar, Cedric, Jeremy and Ikey's experimental dub side project).
MATMOS WITH J LESSERLive(Vague Terrain)cd$ 11.98
This limited edition collection of live material from Matmos with J Lesser (and a couple of guests) exposes the improvisational ability of this San Francisco electronica duo (or trio if you count Lesser) who are mostly reknowned for their transmutation of Matmos wanted to keep this a limited release, only selling these to a handful of shops across the globe. While not quite exclusive to Aquarius, this album isn't terribly likely to be showing up at many other shops! Act fast!
MELVINS / FANTOMASMillennium Monsterwork 2000(Ipecac)cd$ 13.98
Here it is! Your opportunity to (re)experience the New Year's Eve 2000 festivities Fantomas-Melvins-tagteam-style. This live album captures their combined heavy eccentricities featuring the vocal acrobatics of one Mr. Mike Patton and the deep rumble-grumble and
MERZBOWAmlux(Important)cd$ 12.98
In the continuing onslaught of Merzbow releases (and considering the emphatic reverence displayed by the attendees at Akita's All Tomorrow's Parties performance, as well as Sonic Youth's seal of approval, there will no doubt be tons more to come), Newbury,
MERZBOW / MATSUNAGA KOUHEISplit(Tigerbeat6)cd$ 13.98
Split disc between two noise giants from Japan via Kid 606's Tigerbeat6 imprint. Masami Akita furthers his explorations in the digital domain, appropriating the tranquil somniloquisms of Olivier Messiaen's "Mode De Valeurs Et D'intensite Pour Piano" and
MILTON, ANTONYNear / Far(Celebrate Psi Phenomena)cd-r$ 10.98
Four tracks of droning dreaminess. Track one is a stuttering, wheezing violin drone over absent mindedly strummed, downtuned guitars sounding like a doped up Roy Montgomery. The second track is an industrial landscape of machinery buzz and electronic hiss
MORRICONE, ENNIOPsycho Morricone(GDM)cd$ 16.98
Ah, Morricone compilations. So many to choose from, so little time (and money). Being an avowed Morricone fan-atic, I (Windy) have had to be very very picky with all these records suddenly appearing out of the woodwork. I mean, we want quality, right. Some bang
MURRAY, SUNNYs/t(ESP Disk)cd$ 14.98
1966 recording from the legendary free jazz drummer, originally released on the seminal ESP label. The quintet featured here includes the brilliant Alan Silva, Jack Graham, Jacques Coursil and Byard Lancaster.
MY MORNING JACKETChocolate and Ice(Badman)cd ep$ 10.98
Hurrah! You get a double dose of My Morning Jacket this AQ List 'cause along with their split cd they did with Songs: Ohia, - which is quite nice, by the way! - we've got this new six-song EP too. Of the half dozen tracks, the standout is the unexpected
MY MORNING JACKET / SONGS: OHIAsplit cd(Jade Tree)cd$ 10.98
Four songs from My Morning Jacket and an almost ten minute long track by Songs: Ohia. The former includes a kinda dorky, messing-with-the-speed-control track called "The Year In Review" as well as a couple of numbers that fans of Sparklehorse might
NEED NEW BODYNeed New Body(File 13)cd$ 13.98
Rising from the ashes of Philadelphia art-psych-rock combo Bent Leg Fatima comes this eccentric quintet who play a jumble of experimentations in free jazz and art rock. Sax, organ, drums and other random percussive instruments are tossed into the mix with
OSBOURNE, OZZYBlizzard Of Ozz(Epic)cd$ 12.98
In the same spirit as listing My Bloody Valentine's 'Loveless' a few lists past, it occurred to us that like 'Loveless' there are probably some of you who don't own 'Blizzard Of Ozz.' Or perhaps some of you probably had it when you were 15, but haven't thought "I would certainly never claim to be an expert on metal and my eyes fairly glaze over shortly after Andee and Allan begin one of their 'which album by _____ (random metal band) is the best' arguments. Having identified with punk rock in my formative years (though my appearance and actions made me look more like an effete and dorky new-waver at best), I was scared of the big hairy guys who I associated with metal in high school. But long before all that nonsense of cliques and fitting in, I used to ride around the suburbs on my BMX bike and listen to music regardless of its association to a particular fan demographic. With my walkman strapped on, "Blizzard of Ozz" was my soundtrack while I made my rounds checking the pay phones and newspaper machines for change. And I'm certain that I wasn't the only young suburbanite who wandered the streets plugged into Ozzy. As his first solo album away from Black Sabbath, the million-plus-selling "Blizzard of Ozz" demonstrated that Ozzy had a broader appeal than his earlier efforts with the group had. Over 20 years later, after people get over their ironic chuckling, this album still holds its ground. Those of you who've now lost or worn out your old cassettes and those of you who never gave the post-Sabbath Ozzy a chance should pick this 24-bit remastered and low priced classic up immediately!" Also, if you were disappointed by the totally pointless / throwaway bonus tracks on the recent Judas Priest reissues (and let's be honest, 90% of bonus tracks on *all* reissues), you won't be here. The bonus track, 'You Lookin' At Me Lookin' At You,' is more kick ass-catchy metal and seems like it would have fit perfectly on the original album. A total timeless classic, for metalheads and non-metalheads alike.
PENTAGRAMSub-Basement(Black Widow / Southern Lord)cd$ 14.98
There's been a lot of activity lately from these semi-legendary lords of doom, surprising coming from a band that's been around for about thirty years and has dwindled down to only two members! But (thankfully for all fans of dark, doomy heavy metal)
PIMMON (VS LEMPK)Thong Of Naif(Celebrate Psi Phenomena)cd-r$ 10.98
Pimmon is probably one of the best know artists in Celebrate Psi Phenomena (other than Birchville Cat Motel) and here offers more unique Australian 'electronica.' Rumbling and gurgling low end, haunting and atmospheric with rhythmic crackle over found sound
POP GROUP, THEY(WEA Japan)cd$ 26.00
Ever since the release of that great Soul Jazz "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm" compilation on which The Pop Group appear, and also with the rise of current artists like San Francisco's Erase Errata whose work shares and reflects the spirit and energy of Formed in 1978 by four young men from Bristol, The Pop Group unleashed itself from the frigid political environment of their native England and its narrowing punk scene. Lyrically and visually committed to leftist political ideals (much like their peers in Crass and some time later, The Ex), and sonically more "out" and dissonant than any other "punk" act of their time, The Pop Group abandoned the "no future" stereotypes for more serious and thought provoking ideas both ideological and musical. Produced by veteran reggae/dub producer and musician Dennis Bovell, who was also responsible for "Cut" by The Slits, another post-punk outfit with whom The Pop Group happened to share an early single (the fabulous "Where There's A Will" backed by The Slits' "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm"), this explosive 1979 debut kicks off with "Thief Of Fire" in which short blasts of guitar noise fills in the gaps where an aggressive bass funk and a primitive percussive drive weave in and out of each other. From there on, the record just gets more and more angular, outrageous, and weird as it unfolds. "Snowgirl" features crackling guitarwork accompanied by macabre tinkling piano and the odd wail of vocalist Mark Stewart (who would go on to form Tackhead and become an integral part of the On-U Sound collective). And of course there's the "hit" single (and arguably their defining moment), "She Is Beyond Good And Evil", a must-hear (it's also on the "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm" comp). The booklet has lyrics in English and Japanese as well as a nice collage of photos. Highly recommended! While we are sure to soon run out of this hard-to-get import, we've been assured we'll be able to get more of them within a few weeks, never fear.
PRINCESS SUPERSTARIs(Rapster )cd$ 17.98
I was all set to hate this record. You know that if someone's getting profiled on the often musically-clueless NPR, there must be something wrong with 'em. But nonetheless, this record actually is surprisingly likable, and Concetta Kirschner is commendably
RADIO 4Gotham(Gern Blandsten)cd$ 11.98
If you're expecting the total retro pop catchiness of Radio 4's debut album "The New Song And Dance", you might be a bit disappointed with "Gotham" (as we initially were). That's not to say this is a disappointing album. It's just that after the first
RADIO BERLINThe Selection Drone(Your Best Guess)cd$ 13.98
Radio Berlin's new full length is a much tighter and more propulsive effort than their promising debut album "Sibling", but still retains the swirling, sirening synth and guitar sounds and lamenting, angstful vocals popularized in the early '80s by British
RAILROAD JERKOne Track Mind(Matador)cd$ 8.98
OK kids, put down your White Stripes records, and your Clinic records, and your John Spencer Blues Explosion records, and burn your Strokes records, and your Yeah Yeah Yeahs records. This is the real shit: gritty, cocksure, whiteboy blues, junkyard
RANDOMNUMBERI Understand Your Date and Time of Nowhere(Rocket Racer)cd$ 11.98
What do sandpaper and spraypaint bring to mind? Abrasiveness? Graffiti? Woodwork? Well, this is definitely not the case with Randomnumber. Those particular materials are what adorns this cd. Squares of sandpaper of varied grit are the insert and traycard.
RHAPSODYPower Of The Dragonflame(LMP)cd$ 14.98
Either you've been eagerly awaiting this new full-length album from Italy's best, most baroque, bombastic symphonic metal band since their last release (the "Rain Of A Thousand Flames" ep), or you could care less. Double bass drums, crazy keyboards and They call what they do "Hollywood Metal" but that refers to a Hollywood that only makes blockbuster fantasy films about dragons and wizards...not surprisingly, Peter Jackson gets a mention in band leader Luca Turilli's thanks list! If you want to take a chance on some ridiculous yet amazing metal, you could do no better than check this out!
RIP OFF ARTIST, THEPump(Mille Plateaux)cd$ 15.98
Umpteenth record from Matt Haines and his first for Mille Plateaux. Super rigid algorithmic textures akin to the aesthetic of Schematic artists Phoenecia or Richie Devine. Skittering, frenetic rhythms whisk by your ears before you can actually process
RUINS1986-1992(Skin Graft)cd$ 14.98
Aquarius customers probably know this band already, the famed hardcore progrock bass/drum duo from Tokyo led by drummer extraordinare Tatsuya Yoshida. They're big favorites of several AQ-staffers, being one of Allan and Jeff's favorite bands ever! This new Skin Graft cd collects (as its title suggests) tracks from the first six years of the Ruins career, which, as great as the Ruins still are today, may have been their best era. There's the happy, hectic (Hella-like, to reference another two-piece we've recently raved about) really early stuff from when Hideki Kawamoto was the Ruins' bassist, and then more massive, majestic material from later on with bassist Kazuyoshi Kimoto and then Ryuichi Masuda (yep, Yoshida is currently playing with bassist number four). About half of these tracks are from long-out-of-print Japanese releases, while (the second) half of the disc pulls from the Ruins' two Shimmy Disc albums, which are also more-or-less out of print as well (the reason we say 'more-or-less' is kinda complicated, ask Allan if you care). And the tracks selected (by Yoshida, who also remixed and remastered 'em) do make for a good "best of" -- we'd have picked many of the same tracks ourselves. (Though Yoshida should have included "Power Shift" from "Burning Stone"! oh well). Ok, this part of the review is for fellow Ruins fanatics: basically, you don't need this ONLY if you already have the "Burning Stone", "Stonehenge" (the original Shimmy version with the bonus tracks that is), "Ruins III" (aka "Infect"), and "Ruins II & 19 Numbers" cds. Otherwise you definitely need this!! Not to mention, these tracks are remastered, and you probably don't have the track "Cambodia" from the "NG II" comp... And if you've got the rare "Early Works" Ruins cd, don't worry, none of those recordings are on here. Everybody else -- this is a great collection that we'd highly recommend as a starting place for your Ruins experience, although you'll eventually want to hunt down their out of print cds too, to hear the entire albums. Essentially, essential.
RYE COALITIONOn Top(Tiger Style)cd$ 14.98
It's good to see/hear that Rye Coalition continue to succeed where the seemingly likeminded And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead have recently fallen flat. That is, this NY outfit maintain a consistent level of intensity in their aggressive angry boy
SALVATOREFresh(Racing Junior)cd$ 12.98
The new album from our new favorite Norwegian instrumental 'post-rock' band, finally in stock (along with restocks of the two discs we listed before, "Clingfilm" and "Jugend")! We think people will like this quite bit, although we're slightly less gung-ho
SEHTDronemusic(Celebrate Psi Phenomena)cd-r$ 10.98
Dronemusic indeed. Seht is one Steven Clover, who has released a handful of limited lathe cuts under different names. On 'Dronemusic' Clover crafts deep, rich sonorous drone music, seemingly simple but lush with harmonic overtones. As the record
SHAGRATPink Jackets Required(Get Back)cd$ 14.98
Another collection of '69/'70 material by Steve "Peregrine" Took's post-Tyrannosaurus Rex acid-folk-rock outfit, mined from the bottomless vaults of Shagrat drummer/co-conspirator Twink. Includes demo versions of songs previously released on the recent
SIGHTINGSs/t(Load)cd$ 12.98
The pristine, calming baby blue and pink bars that make up the cover art of this release give not a hint of the chaotic sonic stew contained within. Sightings are a New York cacophonous trainwreck spewing a distorted murky mess of vocal screaches and howls over This is the dissonant and flailing full length follow-up to their debut 7".
SPIRIT CARAVANSo Mortal Be(Tolotta)7"$ 3.50
Two new tracks from these stoner metal heroes. The A-side's "So Mortal Be" is typical rockin' Spirit Caravan fare, while on B-side "Undone Mind" bassist Dave Sherman takes over on vocals from Wino, his rougher, more wretched pipes fitting well with the song's doomier vibe. White vinyl by the way.
TEETH OF LIONS RULE THE DIVINERampton(Southern Lord)cd$ 12.98
A doom metal super-group (or, to borrow a pun from Julian Cope, a stupor-group) featuring members of Sunn O))), Goatsnake, Khanate, Iron Monkey, Cathedral, Burning Witch, etc... (that is, Stephen O'Malley, Lee Dorian, Greg Anderson, and Justin Greaves).
TRIBES OF NEUROTAdaptation And Survival(Neurot)2cd$ 15.98
I've always been into the concept of Tribes Of Neurot. The concept of a band starting another related band that experiments and expands on their original sound seems kind of cool. And ToN are cool, but their sound/visual/art/ambient onslaught has never
V/ASurrounded By Sun(Fonal)cd$ 14.98
From far north in Finland, the Fonal label, home to Es, Kiila, and a bunch of other fine bands, has just released a compilation focusing not only on their countryfolk but also likeminded artists from around the world. Psychedelic, experimental, indie, Floating Flower is an Acid Mothers Temple side project, featuring Kawabata Makoto on acoustic guitar, Yuki on vocals and violin, and Kaneko Tetsuya on tabla and electric guitar. A very lovely six minute track indeed. The P.G. Six track is another of his fragile, folk/psych compositions featuring just his voice, acoustic guitar, and piano. Greg Weeks, Janne Laurila, Ring, Ville Leinonen, and, well, quite a few of the artists on here take a much similar approach: sparse, homerecorded songs that are both quiet and melancholy (of course, some are better singers than others...). Fursaxa (who just played here in San Francisco with fellow psychedelic Philadelphians Bardo Pond) combines droning organ and sustained, sad female vocals. Scorces (members of Charalambides and Ash Castles On The Ghost Coast) does something similar, using bells instead of drones to back their extended, wordless vocal duet. Kinda creepy. The disc concludes with Kemialliset Ystavat's beautiful hippy-chant-folk-jam "Milla", which could have been an International Harvester outtake. This comp is very Ptolemaic Terrascope, to say the least! We like.
V/AU-Sound, Vol. One(Parallelism)cd$ 15.98
Parallelism is the London based imprint run by Matador head /Air Traffic Controllers guitarist Gerard Cosloy. Portland, OR based Tom Greenwood and Josh Stevenson (of Jackie-O Motherfucker and Cast Exotic Archives, respectively), collect recordings documenting
V/AVs. Kitty-Yo(Quatermass)cd$ 16.98
The respected Belgian label Quatermass here releases a new "vs" comp (a couple previous ones being remixes of the work on Atom Heart's Rather Interesting label and the Kompakt label). Here they ask five of their artists to remix five artists from the German All in all a nice compilation, relaxing but illuminating, with a variety of electronica subgenres nicely sequenced and nicely messed-with.
V/AYou Don't Need Darkness To Do What You Think Is Right(Geographic)cd$ 13.98
Do you like the sweet, drowsy pop sounds of groups such as The Pastels? If your answer is an emphatically murmurred "yes", boy, have we got THE compilation for you! Released on Stephen Pastel's own label, it consists completely of very like-minded, P.S. Buyer beware: You might be tempted to get this only for the Kevin Shields track, his first in umpteen years, but unfrotunately it's not impressive at all, and it's also short. The reason to get this is for all the other artists on this great label.
V/Amusic inspired by the film 'Scratch'(Transparent)cd$ 17.98
Okay, I totally lamed out and forgot to go see this movie, argh! Judging from the soundtrack, the film (a feature documentary about scratching) must be amazing, although I'm not sure if any of the tracks here were actually in it -- this album is billed as I find some of the purely turntablist albums a bit much to take in one sitting, and so might you, but this album is so well put together, perfectly sequenced, and refreshingly varied in terms of DJ scratching styles, that I really enjoyed the listen. If you've never bought a turntablist record before, this is a great place to start. And people who've already got turntablist wax in their collections should give it a go too. Recommended. RealAudio clip: HERBIE HANCOCK, WITH MIXMASTER MIKE, GRANDMASTER DXT, ROB SWIFT, QBERT, BABU, FAUST & SHORTEE "Rockit 2.002" [/audio/scratchherbiehancock.rm]
VAINIO, MIKA / FENNESZ, CHRISTIANInvisible Architecture #2(Audiosphere)cd$ 16.98
The second in the "Invisible Archecture" series of live collaborations from Audiosphere is Christian Fennesz and Mika Vainio from Pan Sonic. Housed like the Jeck / Tetreault / Yoshihide album in the annoying "super jewel box," this features a 34 minute
VON SCHIRACH, OTTOBoombonic Plague: Chopped Zombie Fungus Vol. 1(Schematic)12"$ 8.98
More hyperspastic funk-ass algorithmic computer music from Miami butt-technician Otto Von Schirach. First in the Chopped Zombie Fungus trilogy of eps.
WOBBLYPlaylist(Illegal Art)3"cd$ 9.98
Disguising itself as a demonstrational disc from Broadcast Programming, a corporate music marketing and programming group developed to "help you stay on top of your market", the latest ep from Jon Leidecker presents itself as a conceptual piece
WORMWOODRequiescat(Arm / Legion)cd$ 9.98
Pounding, ugly, crusty doomcore from this Seattle metal band, mastered by Steve Austin of Today Is The Day (not that it matters terribly much who masters something, but Mr. Austin's name will give you an idea where these folks are coming from). Other hints:
WRIGHT, PETERA Tiny Camp In The Wilderness(Celebrate Psi Phenomena)cd-r$ 10.98
This is a gorgeously sublime drone record reminiscent of Maeror Tri/Troum or Organum at times. Lots of bowed guitars, bowed cymbals, random found sounds (markets, rain, church), and guitars all looped into thick velvety drones, with clanging percussion
XENAKIS, IANNISMetastasis / Pithoprakta / Eonta(Le Chant Du Monde)cd$ 14.98
These three pieces date back to the early orchestral work of Xenakis in the mid '50s and early '60s when the Greek composer / mathematician was shifting away from Serialism towards what he called "Formalised Music." "Metastatis" divided the orchestra into
XIU XIUKnife Play(5rc)cd$ 14.98
This band is great! Bravo to Xiu Xiu for being original in an indie rock world where originality just doesn't seem very important anymore -- groups like Adult and the Faint are copying '80s electro, every other band has got a member who made a (boring) And then there's the local group Xiu Xiu who've put out a record on Kill Rock Stars' sister imprint 5RC. The two girls and two guys in Xiu Xiu are so familiar with indie rock's cliches that they anticipate them... and then mess with the formula, thereby coming up with a far artier and more interesting sound (kinda like how Bjork and Radiohead do). Example: the lead singer's voice is this super intense, desperate, achingly sad, warbly moan (a la The Cure / Talk Talk / Ultravox), and we're used to hearing that kind of voice accompanied with Brit-style synthpop stuff (i.e. "Melt With You"). Yet with Xiu Xiu the backup to that incredible voice is trumpets and saxophones and clattery percussion (bells, gongs, perhaps even pots 'n pans), with a solid yet obviously lo-fi Casio beat keeping time, and velvety basslines which are where the melody often resides. The band are also admirably unpredictable in leaving guitar pretty much in the background (if it's present at all) and instead letting this crazy synth action function *just like a guitar solo* -- distorted, climactic, wailing. So cool! Xiu Xiu is arty and chaotic, but with new wave '80s poppiness. This is a very weird record that is also accessible and really good.
XTCA Coat of Many Cupboards Boxset(Caroline)cd$ 58.00
AQ-pal and our computer-life-saver Eric Rose wrote the following review for us: Brand-new 4-disc set of live tracks, album demos, alternate versions, and outtakes from those crafty popsters from Swindon: XTC. Few bands inspire and facilitate such rabid collector-frenzy and completism among their fan-base, and in a magnanimous gesture, the "lads" have thrown open the vaults, bringing almost 20 years worth of buried treasure to the surface. (Also rumored for release later this year: "Fuzzy Warbles" - a collection of non-album demos). Hardcore XTC fans already know that they need this like they need air to breathe, and thus will buy it track-list unseen. The trick, then, is creating a solid overview/sampling of the band's career that'll appeal to the casual fan, while offering the diehards something that they haven't yet gotten their collector-paws on. In this regard, the set is a success, covering the ground between their Devo-meets-New York Dolls beginnings in '75 to their stately, elegant pop of the 90's, via recordings that are -- for the most part -- recently-unearthed and un-bootlegged. A sprinkling of "representative" album tracks throughout provides a nice counterpoint to the largely unpolished nature of the collection. As an added bonus, the set includes a 60-page book, featuring track commentary by the ever-witty Andy Partridge and the ever-humble Colin Moulding.
YERMO / M.C.M.S.The Womb That Gives Birth To Itself(Celebrate Psi Phenomena)cd-r$ 10.98
This is a split between the curiously monikered Yermo and the also curiously monikered M.C.M.S. But they seem to be a perfect match and this is possible one of the best discs in this series. Yermo presents one thirty minute piece, a wall of shimmering
YOSHIHIDE, OTOMO'S NEW JAZZ ENSEMBLEDreams(Tzadik)cd$ 16.98
Avantgarde Japanese pop vocalists Jun Togawa and Phew join our favorite turntable experimentalist's jazz unit for their second release on John Zorn's Tzadik label. It's very different from the previous New Jazz Ensemble disc, and is really not readily
ZORN, JOHNHockey(Tzadik)cd$ 16.98
The Zorn archival onslaught continues with another cd reissue of one of his many game piece compositions. 'Hockey' was recorded in 1980 and performed by an all-star cast of Downtown NY visionary improvisors. The composition itself, written in 1978, requires