The Album Leaf and Bright Eyes are the first contributors to this 7" series from the label that just recently brought us the new Track Star album. The Album Leaf, perhaps most noted for being the opener on Sigur Ros' first U.S. tour last year, is the solo side project of Mr. Jimmy LaValle (guitarist for San Diego based post-rockers Tristeza). Bright Eyes is Mr. all-by-his-lonesome Conor Oberst. Jimmy provides the instrumentation (lightly scritchy electronics, samples of children's voices), and Conor, the weary voice. Sounding just as one might expect... mellow, pretty and more than a little doleful. The only problem I found was the brevity of this record. Really, if you're gonna blanket the listeners in fuzzy indie bummerness, you gotta let 'em wallow in it a while.
This is basically the Raster-Noton allstars: Alva Noto, Byetone, Komet, and Signal (which is a collaboration of the aforementioned three artists) recording for Staalplaat's acclaimed "Mort Aux Vaches" series. Alva Noto's piece is a live documentation of the material found on his debut, with its terse electron pinpricks evolving amidst very slowly developing pure-tone, post-techno structures. Nicolai's performance of "Prototypes" clearly incorporates the same sounds found on his studio album, but the arrangement is one very long track and is completely different than the original. Byetone (aka Olaf Bender) is the least prolific of the Raster-Noton founders, with only a couple of releases. His 30 minutes for the Raster "Mort Aux Vaches" is a solid replication of Mika Vainio's crystalline "Metri" album for Sahko, as a surgical presentation of acid house bleeping grooves. Komet, who has recently simply been recording under his given name Frank Bretschneider, is the most effects-happy amongst the Raster-Noton family, warbling his pure tones through ring modulation and ample delay patterns to give the whispered clickery and alarm call bleeps a Frippertronic feel. The Signal recordings may be the weakest amongst the group, Pan Sonic / Goem throwaway tracks with electronic loops are set up and left unchanged, as if nobody amongst the group wanted to change anybody else's sounds. It is the slippages between melody and rhythm that make the Raster-Noton sound so appealing. While the rest of this double set is well worth checking out, Raster-Noton's collaborative efforts prove they are perhaps better as solo artists.
Another excellent, albeit quite possibly not entirely authentic, collection of dubs from Jamaican Recordings (please see description of King Tubby's "Lost Treasures" also reviewed on this list for more on this.) Featuring Bunny Lee's house band the Aggrovators (in this case Sly & Robbie on drums and bass, Earl Smith on guitar, Winston Wright on organ, Augustus Pablo on keyboards, Tommy McCook on saxophone and Bobby Ellis on trumpet) the backing tracks on this album were recorded at Randy's, Channel 1, King Tubby's, and Harry J's between 197 and 1976. There are some excellent dubs of some great Horace Andy tracks including Skylarking, My Guiding Star (a Heptones original), Just Say Who, Love of A Woman, Money Money and more. Like all Jamaican Recordings releases the CD version includes bonus tracks not available on the vinyl.
Akarma does their mini-LP sleeve digipack reissue thing with this 1969 British psych gem -- "The definitive British psych album" says Nick Saloman of Bevis Frond, in fact -- and it's well worth checking out for fans of early Floyd, Cream, The Nice, and that T2 disc we reviewed a few lists back. Arzachel not only had a weird name, the band members had unlikely names (pseudonyms, actually) too. Meet guitarist Simeon Sasparella (aka Steve Hillage, later of Gong fame), drummer "Basil Dowling", faux-Kenyan bassist "Njerogi Gategaka", and organ player "Sam Lee-Uff", actually one Dave Stewart (not the Eurythmics guy) who is better known for being in progsters Egg later on.
The first half of this album features their poppier psych/garage numbers, including the lovely instrumental "Queen St. Gang", which seems to feature the "Hey Joe" bass line coupled with the melody from the theme to The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly! The second half of the album indulges in extended heavy psych jams of the sort Arzachel specialized in playing at London's tripped out Middle Earth club. The acid blues of "Leg" sounds like an organ-led Cactus, while the howling, epic "Metempsychosis" is nearly seventeen minutes of primitive, pounding, distortion-filled psychedelia that could be mistaken for Amon Duul II. Good stuff! With their teenage enthusiasm and ambition, the Arzachel boys managed to wax a classic -- totally of their times in so many ways and yet unique and timeless as well. Doubtless Simeon, Basil, Njerogi, and Sam, with pseudonyms discarded, improved their musical skills in subsequent years, yet can anything from their later proggy careers really stand up to Arzachel?
Lovely! Beachwood Sparks' third release, a half hour, six song EP, is pretty damn good. The band's sound is maturing and becoming so much more their own, whereas their first album's twang reminded me of the '60s country rock scene a la Byrds / Gram Parsons... Now Beachwood Sparks are sounding more like themselves than anyone else. The sweet pop tone is tinged with a glimmer of psychedelia. The vocals are just as plaintive as ever. Vocalist Mia Doi Tod guests on one track. If buzzwords like Court & Spark, Radar Brothers, Olivia Tremor Control mean anything to you, you need to check this ep out. Very nice.
Beautiful cover art by Jim Woodring!
If you've been following the adventures here at AQ for some time now, you probably already know that there are definitely strong pro- and anti-B&S folks here, but it should be noted that our Jim (who usually sides with the latter team) has said this is perhaps the only B&S album he can take. Cup (who hasn't seen the movie, but does like B&S) thinks the music's lovely (especially the title track), but the dialogue samples are somewhat intrusive. All of that said...
Hopping aboard the film music train (along with the recent likes of Badly Drawn Boy's About A Boy and Stephin Merritt's Eban & Charley), Belle & Sebastian combine their trademark lush folk with dialogue snippets from Todd Solondz's film Storytelling. Unlike BDB's soundtrack which can almost be taken on its own as his second full length, B&S's film music is more distinctly a soundtrack like that of Mr. Merritt. At times this sounds like a '70s Afterschool Special score (in a good way), or the Bugaloos (particularly on "Scooby Driver") or like a Charlie Brown/Peanuts cartoon with its Vince Guaraldi-esque piano moments. Upliftingly sweet and lovely compositions with strings that soar and plink, guitars that jingle jangle, and shakers that keep perfect chika-chika-chika time. Oh yes, and of course gracing the six new B&S vocal songs are those familiar velvety soft voices of Stuart Murdoch, Stevie Jackson and Isobel Campbell (who, fans will undoubtedly be crushed to hear, makes her final B&S appearance on this release).
During the late '70s and early '80s, Maurizio Bianchi was responsible for some of the most expressive manifestations of Industrial Culture, recording under the monikers MB and Sacher Pelz. Those albums, in particular "Endometrio" and "Symphany For A Genocide" were overwhelmingly dark orchestrations for mechanical rhythms, ominous synthetic drones, and abject metaphors for grand epistomological conflicts. But in 1984 much to the dismay of his contemporaries, Bianchi suddenly stopped making music and became a Jehovah's Witness. It took 13 years for Bianchi to return to making music. While his return incited the re-issue program of all of those older, impossible to find records, the recent albums haven't been all that good. "Frammenti" - released merely as a cd-r - may be the strongest of his recent work, but it's still not even close to the intensity and execution of those early albums. Here, Bianchi has sharply collaged shortwave static, white noise from a record needle scraping across a label, and snippets from the orchestral finales from a number of classical compositions. Yup, that's it. Even the die-hard Bianchi fans here at Aquarius had to wonder about this one.
During the brief hiatus that was once thought to be the demise of Blectum From Blechdom, each member went on to craft their own, distinct personalities. While Blevin tucked herself away to assemble the epic sonic explorations of "Talon Slalom", Kevin took to small stages around the world, presenting her Kurt-Weill-meets-karaoke-diva-performance-artist-as-portrayed-by-Mary-Katherine-Gallagher-gone-completely-mad to the masses willing to endure that highly engaging, albeit cringeworthy affair. "I Love Presets", unlike the beautifully awe-inspiring solo material on the instrumental "The Inside Story" or "And The Tempo Of Doom" eps, focuses on Kevin's "pop star" potential, with emphasis on vocal delivery and lyrical "wit". Songs tend to be personal, as displayed in her heart-wrenching cover of Tina Turner's "Private Dancer" or her much-too-informative reminiscence of a former relationship in "Mr. Miguel". The highlights, musically, are in the Kurt Weill / carnivalesque "Shelley Sho'nuff" and Kevin's response to gearhounding know-it-alls in "Talkin' Tech". Also included is the current Blectum standard, "Interspecies Love". This is pure kitsch, novel for a few listens, but sadly tires much too quickly...
First things first, a side note (not solely specific to David Bowie's new album but we'll use it as a timely example): Y'know, something that irks me to pieces is the overuse of the term "classic". It just gets tossed around like any other superlative! Doesn't a bit of time needs to pass before something can deservedly be proclaimed "classic"? And I don't wanna be told that something brand spanking new is classic, least of all on a sticker applied to the shrinkwrap. Grrrrr.
Rant aside, Heathen is Bowie's twenty-seventh studio album. Among those, there've been innumerable highs and lows. Hard to say what the score is now, but reportedly this is his return to his Low / Scary Monsters (ie, high) realm, or more generally a return to form. Interestingly it's a revisiting of one of his truly classic periods rather than yet another pursuit of the newest happenin' sounds for him to adopt and adapt. Also, notably this is his reunion with producer Tony Visconti (who co-produced many if not all of Bowie's greatest albums which certainly helps to recapture the mood and atmosphere of those amazing works), but the best thing about this album is his voice. Not trying to force it into the style of the day, he sings with an ease and aplomb that's been missing from many of his albums of the past two decades. Many songs do occasionally veer into the overwhelming sheen and excess of AOR territory - check out "5:15 The Angels Have Gone" which brought many in-store comparisons to Peter Gabriel - but they're countered by his more arty, idiosyncratic moments. There are a few odd/questionable choices made however, one of them was to cover The Pixies' "Cactus" (not to mention placing it second on the album). This track was met by a chorus of raised eyebrows and groans. He also delivers renditions of Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting For You" and The Legendary Stardust Cowboy's "I Took a Trip (On A Space Shuttle)" here parenthetically renamed "...(On A Gemini Spaceship)" and made all super hyper-electronic beat-funky. Guests include Pete Townsend and Dave Grohl. A solid Bowie album? Perhaps. A classic? Hmmm.
Here it is... the return of Kim Deal and sister Kelley after such a long silence, and they're joined by a whole new gang of fellows for this Breeders incarnation. It's not a bad record (think how easily it could've been!) but it's not very exciting either. Sounds like they're taking things at their own pace and not trying too hard, despite knowing that both fan and critic expectations are probably pretty high after all this time. The songs are stark and nicely stripped down, almost like demos (me, I tend to like demos better than finished stuff in general anyway, see PJ Harvey's 4-track material). Their former trademark bright, jangling hooks and harmonies are scarce. Instead, the songs are darker, and steeped with a somber, melancholic edge. Ms Deal's deliciously precise way of singing is intact, tho' she sounds slightly bummed out and fed up, but still driven to make music. There's nothing here as good as "Cannonball". Byram equated it to a musical yawn. Windy gives them a little credit for not making anyone remix them. Yet. Knock wood.
The many unknown (to us, that is, for the most part) '60s psych rock reissues from labels like Akarma, Gear Fab, Sundazed, and Shadoks tend to be hit or miss affairs, with some truly being unearthed gems (Dreamies, Arzachel, Mad River) but quite a few being duds. Unfortunately, Brigade doesn't qualify as a gem, though it's not entirely the latter either. Garage psych pop (with lotsa pretty pre-prog keyboards) from Portland, Oregon that's nice and inoffensive and has a certain appeal to connoisseurs of the era no doubt, but lacks the x-factor (pop genius, heaviness, weirdness?) that would pique our interest. (More fuzz, please!) Recommended for collectors only. Probably the coolest thing about this band is that they won a KLSN Radio Portland Teen Fair Battle Of The Bands in 1968 and got a 1954 custom purple Cadillac hearse as the prize!
Thankfully the current batch of Shadoks reissues includes a much better West Coast rock entry (SoCal's Peacepipe, reviewed elsewhere) and a bonafide gem (British folkies Tony, Caro & John, also reviewed elsewhere), so they're still batting over .500.
A new solo instrumental album from this former member of not one but two highly lauded and loved indie rock bands Codeine and Come. Oh and we don't wanna overlook the groups he's currently in - The New Year, Consonant, Pullman as well as performing on the road with Evan Dando. Whew, busy guy! Proficient on both guitar and percussion, Mr. Brokaw plays it all on Red Cities. With many layers of guitars - some sinking deep in reverb, others more sparsely raw and crunchy, and others warmly acoustic - the overall sound is a sort of western-tinged post-rock complete with chimes. It frequently brought to mind the wonderful dusty twang of Calexico, but perhaps more rockin' and gritty. And lastly, he covers the Burt Bacharach soft-lovin' hit "The Look Of Love" to boot.
While V/VM has been unrelentingly releasing the dumbest, least funny jokes in electronica, the arrival of an album from The Caretaker is a welcome respite. This project -- which may or may not have anything to do with the members of V/VM -- has been the ONLY listenable thing released on the V/VM label since day 1! Like the aptly named debut "Selected Memories From The Haunted Ballroom," The Caretaker's "A Stairway To The Stars" digitally manipulates 1930's ballroom waltzes into occasionally dreamy, occasionally creepy atmospheres that blur the edges of the original vinyl tracks into somnambulant dronings. Aesthetically speaking, the only connection between V/VM and The Caretaker is found in the limited palette of effects cranked all the way up. While V/VM would use just a ring modulator on a Lionel Richie song for a really boring piece of post-irony, The Caretaker's overblown use of cathedral reverb turns those waltzes into something much closer to Troum. That said, there are a couple of tracks in which the ring modulator warbles far too often. Nevertheless, this is album that will surely invoke references to those eerie ballroom scenes from "The Shining."
Our local troublemakin' party band dish out more lo-fi, stripped-down garage rawk at its trashy finest. Akin to the Gories, or Doo Rag or any of Billy Childish's incarnations. Tinny, distorted Pussy Galore / Jon Spencer-ish vocals issue from the wisecracking mouth of John Dwyer, Valencia Street's answer to Bart Simpson. They put on such a kickass show live, you have to see them if you ever get a chance. If not, you should of course hear them on record, but you won't get as wet with beer, soaked with sweat or kicked in the head with crowd surfers.
In 1996, Coldcut, the UK duo of Jonathon More and Matt Black, ex-radio djs turned freestyle mixers / producers / remixers, released an album called Journeys By DJ, and it has finally been reissued: a 70-minute disc that has many times been called the best mix album of all time. Well... it's pretty inspired and great, that's for sure. Throwing in everything from Mantronix to Photek to Jhelisa, Red Snapper, Harold Budd, Jello Biafra, Junior Reid, and a lot more, Coldcut seamlessly connects everything using a variety or breakbeat tricks, jungle beats, vocal snippets, atomospheric bits. Lesser DJs (I guess that would be everyone else) oughta listen and learn. Pretty great.
Compilation of unreleased tracks, demos, singles and demos from this Scottish quartet. Ultra-fucked country and western garage with nasty offensive lyrics. Super lo fi and totally kick ass. Sounds a bit like some weird mix of Billy Childish and the Fall but with a fake country drawl. Soooo good. Twangy and mean. Sadie's favorite release of the month.
An international punk rock mini-fest, this split release features four tunes each from Japanese trio Eastern Youth and Omaha, NE emo-punk boys Cursive. Consider this your preparation for their imminent U.S. tour together. Eastern Youth fares best when vocalist Hisashi Yoshino totally cuts loose - which in my opinion, he doesn't do hardly enough on these songs - 'cause when he's singing in a calmer fashion the songs tend to drag and stumble (although at times it sort of reminded me of Shudder To Think). I've noticed a prevalent and very distinct sound in the Japanese punk rock recordings I've heard to date (particularly noticeable in the guitar tone). The individual instruments/musicians sound isolated from one another. Clean and somewhat sterile, like the music production on Japanese tv variety shows. Made me think - sizeable budgets but lacking in a unified rockin' energy. Their live rage just fails to come across consistently in the recorded realm. As for Cursive, they've seldom let their fans down, and they're not gonna start now. Tim Kasher's raw, angstful voice is primed and ready as they kick out four new songs of angular punk rock aggression made even more moody by the relatively recent, highly complementary addition of cello to their standard guitar/bass/drums lineup.
The totally original oddity that is Danielson sees their very first album (1995) reissued. A double disc set, this has 24 inspirational songs that're meant to be played at the top of every hour over the course of one day. Amazing, amazing band. All six members are indeed kids from the same Northern New Jersey family (except the keyboardist who's been a family friend since grade school), they're hardcore shiny happy Christians who sing about God's love and stuff, they dress in handmade white doctors and nurses uniforms. Weird huh? They also have this super sweet visual aesthetic going on with handmade quilts with songlyrics embroidered on them and hand-drawn pictures and stuff. They even designed a Danielson Famile loafer for Fluevog Shoes.
Their sound? Daniel, the lead singer and guitarist, yowls in a whiny falsetto that has a punchy punk energy to it, while his sisters Rachel and Megan cavort on flute and xylophone and accompany Daniel's vocals with the prettiest call-and-response backup harmonies and, best of all, choreographed dances and hand gestures. You cannot take your eyes off the girls -- they're like the Supremes, narrating the entirety of each song with their hands and bodies in perfect unison. It's like the Supremes mixed with the angular savage songwriting chops of the Pixies mixed with the precision vocal stop-start antics of Heavy Vegetable. Uh huh!
This deluxe double disc reissue features 4 quicktime clips you can play on your computer! There's one short film explaining how to listen to the album, a video for one of the songs, and two live performances (the historic live debut of the Famile!) at head of the Famile Daniel Smith's Rutgers BFA thesis show. Note, it looks to me like they weren't just playing his thesis show, it looks like the Danielson Famile in all its glory actually *is* his thesis.
Gosh. What can I say? This is absolutely the finest moment of Deerhoof's recorded output. At 34 minutes, there is absolutely no filler on Reveille: it is an astonishingly precise and accomplished half hour of some of the most challenging, interesting avant-rock we've heard in a long long time. Jeff loves this album so much he almost started a record label just to put it out! The local trio of Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich and Greg Saunier are old school; you can hear in their music the lessons they learned from vintage Bay Area weirdos like Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 and Caroliner, and from the famously avant garde Mills College music program -- all of which have resulted in a great, eccentric band whose aesthetic is fully formed, mature and confident. Satomi's light, singsong vocal delivery (similar to Boredoms' Yoshimi, Blonde Redhead, Yoko Ono) careens from stereo left to stereo right, a dose of melody and almost j-pop sweetness that plays perfectly against the macabre repeating guitar lines and the great, unpredictable, muscular drumming. Sudden stops and starts punctuate eight minute songs against one minute collages of noisy audio squiggles. Much like the Thinking Fellers did, Deerhoof juxtaposes melodic passages against weighty, distorted guitar a la Sonic Youth; they rarely descend to all-too-easy verse/chorus/verse trad songwriting, yet amazingly enough the album is quite accessible. Experimental music that everyone can enjoy. Wonderful. This record is perfection.
Only the second album from Manchester trio Doves (not to be confused with The Doves), but what a beauty it is! An ultra lush production of mellow, earthy British pop. Often quite akin to fellow Brits Coldplay especially on their slower songs with their lilting, emotive male vocals, warm piano and combined acoustic and electric guitars. The trio's compositions swell to gorgeously grand proportions with some very tastefully applied strings (as arranged by Sean O'Hagan of High Llamas), horns and woodwinds (check out "Friday's Dust", oooh!). And glistening glockenspiel too! Truly soaring and dramatic, but never excessively so. However, these fellows show they're more than capable of also kicking things up a notch or two on tracks like the solid pop of "Pounding", a super catchy number propelled by drums that certainly get their share of thumpin'. Sorta made me think "I'd like the Strokes' if they sounded more like this and less detached and indifferent." Near the close of the album, the songs - particularly the title track and "The Sulphur Man" - shift in tone subtly into something that strongly reminded us of American Music Club, in part due to the striking vocal resemblance between Mark Eitzel and Jimi Goodwin on these tracks. Also includes a bonus limited edition EP of four more gentle songs. Very very nice!
A miasma is defined as a heavy, vaporous emanation or atmosphere, also used to describe a corrupting influence (thank you, dictionary dot com!). So obviously, Chicagoan Kevin Drumm has been hanging around miscreants Peter Rehberg and Masami Akita and has decided to drop a nasty, pungent aural fart on all of us. Normally, guitarist Drumm crafts near inaudible soundscapes which leave much to be imagined. But "Sheer Hellish Miasma", his first recording for the stalwart experimental electronic jetset label Mego, is just FUCKING LOUD!!!! As to be expected from Mego, there's an abundance of clicks and whirrs, digital chirps and skitters, but I repeat, it is FUCKING LOUD!!!! (!) This'll probably be up for Prix Ars Electronica against Whitehouse. Or not. Who knows what those Ars Electronica people are thinking? The closing "Cloudy", in contrast, builds a simplistic, yet wonderful shimmering drone that ends the disc quite gorgeously. Well done. A necessity for all you pure noise freaks out there. Epic and apocalyptic, much like the work of Zbigniew Karkowski, Boyd Rice as NON, the overdriven sonic capacities of Whitehouse or the more hellish punishments of Merzbow (it's a bit like "Hard Lovin' Man" in its trance-inducing aspects).
The hard rockin' biker doom metal outfit led by Spirit Caravan bassist Dave Sherman drops their debut full-length on the ever-reliable Southern Lord label. Sherman sings in Earthride, leaving the bass to one of his bandmates, and his gravelly voice gives this more of a crusty Motorhead vibe than the Wino-fronted Spirit Caravan, and the music is also a tad more raw and pummelling. We liked their previous 4-song ep, and this album is no let down. Heavy duty 70's style sludge stomp for all you long-haired, tattooed rockers out there. (Or, if that description doesn't fit you, this will still appeal to your *inner* long-haired tattooed rocker self.) Nothing at all "new" here, but if brutal stoner rock is what you crave, Earthride delivers. (And the booklet graphics do too, with closeup photos of the band's favorite amps, and a "Master Of Reality" cover parody on the back emphasizing their allegiance to Sabbath.)
AQ-faves Electric Wizard return with the eagerly anticipated "Let Us Prey". After their totally wrecked, wretched performance here in San Francisco last year (which we still enjoyed, but as comedy), this excellent, totally competent new album can only beg the
Doom metal doesn't have to be stoner rock, and stoner rock isn't always (or even often) doom metal, but the combination is natural -- and for that nobody beats the Wiz. Electric Wizard's spacey, metallic drug-punk (a mixture of Sabbath, Hawkwind, and the Melvins) features lost, buried, hopeless vocals singing dirgey hymns to the God-Bong amidst bowel-rumbling, super-heavy, super-sludgey guitar and bass psychedelia. What's not to like?
This is the kind of album that lends itself to a track-by-track rundown (why? 'cause there's only six songs):
The disc starts with a classically slow n' massive Wizard song entitled "A Chosen Few", designed to bludgeon the listener into stuporific submission from riff one.
"We, The Undead" changes tactics, being fast and kinda punky (in an Eyehategod/Black Flag way), with a riff that's *very* Saint Vitus.
"Master Of Alchemy" is another slow crusher a la the first track, with a truly EVIL sounding main riff. This song is a relentless juggernaut that eventually morphs (it's a two-part suite nearly ten minutes long) into a mellower, but still quite EVIL, psychedelic drone jam.
"The Outsider" is, if possible, even lower, slower, and more drugged-out sounding, building into a wah wah propelled epic before its nine minutes are out.
Then, out of nowhere, the beautiful, melancholy "Night Of The Shape" (great title) kicks in -- noir-sh piano figures over busy, shuffling drumbeats that sound almost drum n' bass inspired. This could be on a Radiohead record, yet somehow it's totally doomy.
After that lovey interlude, the Wizard get back to their usual business on the epic album closer "Priestess Of Mars". More sludge, more wah, more pot smoke.
And then, three quarters of an hour after you put it on, "Let Us Prey" is over and you'll need another fix!
What needs to be said about the 'Em. You all know him. You all already either love him or hate him. I happen to really like a lot of Eminem songs. And this new record is pretty darn good. Some catchy songs, some wickedly funny lyrics. The real weak point is when Em gets all sensitive and trys to SING. Ugh. Badbadbadbad. And the wicked Dre production that was all over the Marshall Mathers lp isn't quite as prevalent this time around which is too bad. But overall, a big fun, catchy dumb record. Limited edition comes with a bonus disc DVD!
Been wonderin' what ever became of Enon after their debut album (released in 2000) sorta fell through the cracks following the dissolution of their label See-Thru? Fret no longer, they are back with their sophomore effort on the much more sturdy label Touch & Go. High Society is another mishmash of styles (just as Believo was, but perhaps a bit more poppy and upbeat, and less eccentric and angular). Sometimes they quite adeptly meld the disparate elements into a sound of their own, other times less so. The third song "In This City" is quite Blonde Redhead-esque, but imagine Kazu Makino's expressive off-kilter vocals replaced by a more cloying baby doll delivery of -surprise!- former Blonde Redhead member Toko Yasuda (also of The Lapse). Despite this aspect, it unfortunately falls short of BR's art rock greatness in other ways as well. Somewhat lacking in dynamics, its single synth melodies take turns over a basic hi-hat/snare beat and sparsely funky bass line. Seemed like it was going somewhere, but didn't. When combined, Yasuda and John Schmersal's vocals - hers the soft kittenish coo, his a hoarse, Girls Against Boys / Jon Spencer sexed-up growl - often make for an interesting mix especially on tracks like "Natural Disasters" on which they come across as a sort of emo-new-wave girl/boy call and response. "Leave It To Rust" is a strangely intrusive mildly darkwave-ish number resembling something off of the recent Deadsy album. What other styles does Enon throw into the mix? Indie/college radio rock, trashy garage, and various shades of pop, but as mentioned earlier with varying degrees of success. Engineered by Girls Against Boys' Eli Janney and produced by Dave Sardy (alt-metal producer/engineer for the likes of Marilyn Manson and System Of A Down, formerly of Barkmarket and See-Thru label boss).
Having just got back from tour with my band, during which I read Marianne Faithfull's autobiography, I have to say this release is timely. I feel like I know her. I could tell you about all of her sexual exploits, and all the drugs she did, the rock stars she hung around. Sadly that's all anyone ever cares to speak of in regard to Miss Faithfull. Why? Well... probably because it's a lot more exciting than her music. This is her first record in 3 years. Beck, Jarvis Cocker (of Pulp), Dave Stewart (of the Eurythmics) as well as Blur all help her out on this one - 'though not nearly enough. After reading the book I didn't like her at all. I got tired of her bragging and dull stories, and after listening to this cd (twice) I was equally unimpressed. Bad techno with horrible droning vocals and embarrassing lyrics. The music really embodies how I feel about her; substanceless, dull, show-offy crap. Unbearable.
Local boys who were on a split 7" with Phantom Limbs now have released this ep. The first song sadly reminded me of typical East Bay punk, the second song was a weird ballad about 'futbol' and the third song sounded just like Drive Like Jehu or Pitchfork (which isn't a bad thing). It went on like that. The record is all over the place but mostly soft punk (ya know, with a heart). It's a lot lighter than I would have thought knowing that they are cohorts of the notorious Phantom Limbs.
Goodiepal is an extremely shy young man from Denmark who plays gleefully bent music that teeters on the fringes of experimental electronica (ala Mego) and Scandinavian flavored folk music. A collector of unusually tweaked and jagged sounds, Goodiepal maintains a day job independently contracting sound work from companies like Nokia, Chupa Chups, Hitachi, Carlsberg, Matrix, blah blah blah... Anyway, the music itself disguises a dissonant, troublemaking problem child with wide-eyed innocence as captivating as it is irritating. To confuse even further, he records under aliases like Chupa Chups and Mainpal Inv. and collaborates with the Italian Gamers In Exile and those V/VM pranksters. From dreamy, otherworldly arrangements involving acoustic guitars, resonating chimes, car horns, toy recorders and other wind instruments to a brilliantly conceived acapella track performed through a vocoder, Goodiepal brings back a Jean Jacques Perry or Electric Company (the old TV program, mind you) feel to inspire a new, inventive, and playful electronic music. After I first put this on, I looked again inside the cardboard package to see if there was a toy prize! On Dat Politics' own label Skipp!
We're not gonna bother trying to convince you one way or the other about a new Guided By Voices release. Let alone 4 releases. By this time, after 10+ albums and 50 side projects and thousands of songs, you probably know whether Pollard and Co.'s lo-fi Beatles / Kinks / classic Brit-pop filtered through American indie rock schtick is your cup of tea or not. If you're anything like me (Andee), you find yourself ready to dismiss every new GBV project with cries of 'Quality Control!' but ultimately find yourself digging almost everything Pollard comes up with. These four 7"s are no different. Each single's A side is a track from their forth coming full length, while the B sides are all exclusive to these here 7"s. And they're all pretty darn good, with a couple gems even ranking up with some of the best GBV songs ever. Vinyl only. And limited of course.
We're not gonna bother trying to convince you one way or the other about a new Guided By Voices release. Let alone 4 releases. By this time, after 10+ albums and 50 side projects and thousands of songs, you probably know whether Pollard and Co.'s lo-fi Beatles / Kinks / classic Brit-pop filtered through American indie rock schtick is your cup of tea or not. If you're anything like me (Andee), you find yourself ready to dismiss every new GBV project with cries of 'Quality Control!' but ultimately find yourself digging almost everything Pollard comes up with. These four 7"s are no different. Each single's A side is a track from their forth coming full length, while the B sides are all exclusive to these here 7"s. And they're all pretty darn good, with a couple gems even ranking up with some of the best GBV songs ever. Vinyl only. And limited of course.
We're not gonna bother trying to convince you one way or the other about a new Guided By Voices release. Let alone 4 releases. By this time, after 10+ albums and 50 side projects and thousands of songs, you probably know whether Pollard and Co.'s lo-fi Beatles / Kinks / classic Brit-pop filtered through American indie rock schtick is your cup of tea or not. If you're anything like me (Andee), you find yourself ready to dismiss every new GBV project with cries of 'Quality Control!' but ultimately find yourself digging almost everything Pollard comes up with. These four 7"s are no different. Each single's A side is a track from their forth coming full length, while the B sides are all exclusive to these here 7"s. And they're all pretty darn good, with a couple gems even ranking up with some of the best GBV songs ever. Vinyl only. And limited of course.
We're not gonna bother trying to convince you one way or the other about a new Guided By Voices release. Let alone 4 releases. By this time, after 10+ albums and 50 side projects and thousands of songs, you probably know whether Pollard and Co.'s lo-fi Beatles / Kinks / classic Brit-pop filtered through American indie rock schtick is your cup of tea or not. If you're anything like me (Andee), you find yourself ready to dismiss every new GBV project with cries of 'Quality Control!' but ultimately find yourself digging almost everything Pollard comes up with. These four 7"s are no different. Each single's A side is a track from their forth coming full length, while the B sides are all exclusive to these here 7"s. And they're all pretty darn good, with a couple gems even ranking up with some of the best GBV songs ever. Vinyl only. And limited of course.
A compilation of Hellacopters tracks you might've missed 'cause they're all from singles, 10"s, split releases, etc on labels from Sweden, Spain and the U.S. As is often the case, some of the best songs appear in limited release on 7"s, and so it is with the Hellacopters. If you're a fan of the garage punk revival (particularly the Swedish one - hello, Hives!) you'll surely want to check this comp out.
Nicke Royale (aka Nicke Andersson ex-drummer of Entombed) writes some damn catchy retro rock anthems full of ballsy guitars, hammering piano, gang vocals. And they do some respectable rockin' covers of songs by the Stones, Iggy Pop, Nino Tempo and Social Distortion. One thing though, the cd's packaging is a bit confusing. I opened up the six panel foldout and found that one whole side is taken up by a "Cream of The Crap" poster. The weird thing is it looks as if the poster was supposed to be nine panels instead of six and they just sliced off the top three. Confused? Me too. On San Francisco's garage, punk and hotrods label Gearhead Records. Also features the track 'Killing Allan'. Hmmmmmm.
"Rave Is Back! (It's Official)" has been the DJ Scud / Ambush slogan for the past year and UK's Hellfish And Producer have followed suit with their much anticipated follow-up to 2000's "Constant Mutation". Not a whole lot has changed in the last couple of years, but these boys can still crank out the adrenaline charged fuckstep mashup gabba jams they've become known for. Plus, they plunder in some old school B-Boy jams like "Rock The Bells" and rude boy deejay toasting for fun and good measure. Just as great, if not better, as anything out on DHR or Praxis or Ambush. And unlike much in this genre, there's a healthy amount of humor and good fun prevalent, rather than the usual apocalyptic propaganda that plagues it. Full on headpummeling beatdown that never fails to piss off at least one customer every time it's played in the store...
Eight new weighty sonic slabs from San Francisco's premier stoner metal outfit, High On Fire (fronted by Matt Pike, formerly of Bay Area doom legends Sleep). Yes, this is HoF's brand new second album, following hard on the heels of the Tee Pee reissue of their debut "The Art of Self Defense". We know that anticipation has been running high for this new disc -- and to our ears, it's no disappointment, full of bludgeoning guitar riffery, ragged vox and relentless drum-pound as per our expectations. As heavy as Matt's old band, but not so slow -- their black as pitch, tar pit dirges are cranked up faster into violent headbanging territory. Sludgey rock n' roll that's perfect bloody battle music for the axe-wielding barbaric warrior depicted on the album's front cover. Fed on juicy steaks of Black Sabbath, Celtic Frost, Melvins, and Eyehategod beef, "Surrounded By Thieves" is a ravening brute that means to trample you underfoot, but if you're a fan of all things heavy instead of running away, you'll let it give you a big senses-numbing, trance-inducing bear hug.
Massive collection of everything these legends of grind/metal ever recorded. Surprisingly, for such an influential band (their influence due in no small part to drum god Dave Witte who would go on to play in Atomsmasher, Burnt By The Sun, etc.) they only ever released one proper EP, and a handful of 7"s and compilation tracks. This 2 cd set includes their EP, the 7"s, the comp tracks, an unreleased tune and all of their demos (4 to be exact). Human Remains were the masters of metallic grind, kicking out ultra complex jams with amazing musical dexterity, unbelievably crushing riffs, devastatingly heavy parts, and of course INSANE drumming. All of you grindcore freaks out there that managed to miss out on Human Remains, now's your chance to make everything right.
The retrospective compilation of the short-lived NY hardcore band known as I Robot includes three previously unreleased tracks, as well as a couple of 7" cuts and a live performance on KXLU Radio. Most notable about the music here is the contrasting vocals of Matt Grande and Peter Bisso (now in Homesick For Space) - an acidic, shriek-yell assault much like that of The Locust in which any moment you expect to be hit in the eye by a projectile tonsil versus a considerably more gentle emo-boy approach. And the music is right there along with them alternating from moments of subdued, lulling guitar post rock to more imposingly raging walls of guitars.
Installment number two from this mysterious UK electronic outfit, who as we have stated before) is part of the underground electronic scene that no one seems to be taking notice of. EP2 takes up where EP1 left off, pulsing buzzing hiss over squealing instruments and distant melodies, pounding video game big beats over buzzes and bleeps and blips, creepy rumbly ambience, spacey drones and hypnotic pulses, and a super spare 10 minute final track of minimal blips and clicks, pulses and whirrs that are occasionally overtaken by insectoid buzz and gorgeous minor key synth washes.
Aquarius' favorite German volk metallers (think Rammstein at a Rennaissance faire) return with their third domestic release. They seem a bit less medieval, more metal than we remember -- or so it seems, until the bagpipes kick in after a few minutes. And some of their catchy and quite heavy songs are still sung in Latin! Totally rockin', and kinda industrial despite their pre-industrial trappings.
The multimedia (cd-rom) portion of this disc includes bio, discography, and video clips. There are interviews and live footage, as well as an MTV-style music video for their song "Vollmond", which has a modern-day goth/vampire concept featuring a leggy, toothy model and crossbow-wielding vampire hunters in a black car!
Interpol aren't groundbreaking or anything, but boy does this NYC quartet sound good. (They probably look good too, got the 'scrod' style DOWN.) The singer's voice has the arch desperation of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. The music is dominated by intertwining guitars that're sometimes angular and choppy, sometimes pensively creating a lush blanket of minor key intensity. Very Factory Records, very Echo & the Bunnymen... but not annoyingly so, for a modern group. I like it! This is a three song, inexpensive teaser single in preparation for the full length to be released August 2002.
- RealAudio clip: PDA
- RealAudio clip: NYC
New collection on this Dutch audiophile vinyl label of early eighties dub mixes by Junia Walker. Heavy rhythm tracks -- real drums, not electronic -- with LOTS of effects of the percussive variety run through excessive delay, occasional analogue synth blasts, train horns, etc. It's almost hard to say it, but there's too much effects-foolery going on here at times. None the less, it's a pretty decent record if you want some off the wall dubs.
So this collection of King Tubby dubs called "Lost Treasures" was released some time ago. It's one of the few on this label that we haven't listed yet. It's not because it's a bad disc that it hasn't been listed, but because apparently the dubs on the album are suspect, ie: bogus dubs. After King Tubby was murdered in 1989, friends coming by the studio to pay their respects made off with armloads of master tapes (including a good deal of Lee Perry produced material that was in King Tubby's possession.) Apparently, according to those in the know, those tracks on that Tubby mix were not mixed on his board, and do not include the trademark effects gear that Tubby used. It's actually a nice record, with some great rhythm tracks and excellent playing all over the place, plus the fidelity is superb -- coming from the master tapes -- they just weren't mixed by King Tubby, but were more likely done posthumously. So I'm trying to sort out this mess with the Tubby dubs, because I still want to list it, and then I find out that the Lee Perry disc on Jamaican Recordings -- "Skanking With The Upsetter" -- is also chock full of bogus dubs. Boy do I feel like a sucker.
So now I'm wondering if any of the albums that Jamaican Recordings have released are legit. One of the biggest suspects in the 'theft' of Tubby's tapes is none other than Striker, a.k.a. Bunny, a.k.a. E. Lee (whose name is all over Jamaican Recordings' releases as producer and copywrite holder.) Bunny was one of King Tubby's biggest clients and through the seventies Tubby was essentially Bunny's engineer, so a lot of the sessions that make up the source material for much of Jamaican Recordings' catalog are in fact produced by him. In that case it is arguable that these tapes are legally his anyhow (except maybe the Perry tapes which make up 'Skanking With the Upsetter'). So technically these aren't even bootlegs, like the nefarious Abraham's LPs. But why bother faking it by calling them rare dub plates and yadda, yadda, yadda? If Mr Bunny Lee is the legit owner of the original master tapes, why not just release them as contemporary dub mixes of classic Aggrovators material? I think people would have more respect for that in the long run, as it is suspicion and allegations of illegitimacy that will eventually catch up with this label and hurt sales. Or maybe not; I've been surprised before. Legit-Tubby or ersatz-Tubby; this album is still fucking great. The slap-back delay on percussion never fails to float my boat and the source material is all first rate, taken primarily from mid-seventies Aggrovators productions by Bunny Lee and layed down at the best studios (Dynamic, Randy's & Channel 1.) Like all releases on Jamaican Recordings, the CD versions all have extra tracks not included on the vinyl and in the case of 'Lost Treasures' there are a few really nice ones that are only available on the aluminum disc.
With a name like that - golly, pretty much says it all, eh? - these three guys get right to business. Mark Kleiner, Pete Mills and Kurt Dahle (whom you might recognize from his able beat-keepin' and singin' in that lil' pop group the New Pornographers) are the trio in question. And we promptly get to see what these fellows look like as they're pictures prominently on the front cover. Absolutely no poncey artwork, no frills. And their music? Straight-shooting hook-laden power pop jam-packed with effervescent vocal harmonies, punchy guitar, sunny piano and oh yes, handclaps too! Whew, was that quite enough adjectives for you in one sentence??? If you need some reference points, they brought to mind the mid/late-'70s Squeeze, Elvis Costello or Todd Rundgren or the more recent likes of fellow Canadians Sloan and Flashing Lights, as well as The Stereo, and Silver Sun. Mr. Kleiner has doffed his formerly more glam trappings (except his zebra print pants) and sings all bright and boyish, delivering a falsetto with the ease of Sloan's Chris Murphy. Lyrics are amply sprinkled with power pop staple lalala's and oooh's. Definitely not ones to get mired in heavy meanings or complexities, the 'Power Trio's agenda is all about lettin' the good times roll. So it's no surprise that the only times they falter is when they slow things down to balladness, but that only happens a couple of times really. Includes a cover of Phil Seymour's "Baby It's You". A buoyant summertime delight.
Ruins + Keiji Haino = Knead! Yes, this new PSF group Knead (we're curious about how/why they picked that name, it's kind of odd isn't it?) is none other than a trio consisting of Keiji Haino, Tatsuya Yoshida, and Hisashi Sasaki. Haino of course is the guitar/vocal shaman of Fushistsusha and much solo fame, while Yoshida and Sasaki are the drummer and bassist of equally famous Tokyo duo Ruins! Indeed, Haino and Yoshida are both truly titans of the Tokyo underground rock scene. Haino is a pillar of dark, psychedelic phantasia, while Yoshida is more of a progressive rock stalwart. On paper, it might seem like the super hyper, stop start hardcore acrobatics of Ruins would be an ill match for Haino's freeform drone guitar freakouts. But fans familiar with the respective massive outputs of both, know there is in fact much common ground. That said, Yoshida and Sasaki pretty much let the 50 year old Haino take the lead in Knead, with bassist Sasaki accepting a supportive role more typical of his instrument (which is certainly not the case in Ruins), wisely deciding not to directly duel with Haino's apocalyptic guitar. But you still hear a lot of nimble playing from him, while partner Yoshida of course unleashes mighty drum salvos pretty much continuously. The eight tracks (75 minutes) of Nipponese noise rock nirvana found here are kind of like Fushitsusha with a supercharged rhythm section. At the energetic peak that much of this attains, Haino torches the place as if his guitar was a flamethrower, while the Ruins duo busily thrash away. Upon a few other moments, they find calm, throwing in sections of atmospheric clatter and vocal babble. At the outset of track 5, Haino's primal, gutwrenching singing is joined by Yoshida's much less anguished, falsetto cries and bizzare vocal sound fx. (Although Yoshida's vocal model has always been Magma's Christian Vander, we noted while listening to this the similarity of Yoshida's warble to Robbie Basho's singing!) Soon, though, the vocal duet gives way to Knead's combined instrumental firepower.
Haino, even though he hardly needs anyone's help to generate entire universes of emotive psych-skree, has thrived in collaborative settings, having recorded with Boris, COA, High Rise, Musica Transonic, Shoji Hano, Peter Brotzmann, Masada's rhythm section, Bill Laswell & Rashied Ali, and others...much of it great stuff indeed. Whereas, the Ruins collaborative track record is not so good: generally fun but tossed-off improv sessions. Their jams with Derek Bailey, Guapo and Omoide Hatoba were pretty much ok, but we could've done without their meetings with Ron Anderson, Jason Willett, and the Sun City Girls. Knead, thankfully, is much better than these -- infinitely better than RonRuins!
Haino and Yoshida of course have actually vibrated the cosmic ether, I mean played, together before. Haino guested on the first disc by Yoshida's Tairikuotoko vs. Sanmyakuonna band, and he also did an album with Musica Transonic (for whom Yoshida drums)...more recently there was an excellent Haino/Yoshida duo disc (and tour in China) called "When Water Grasps Flame". We sold out of that disc before we could even list it, but hope to get more of 'em in soon!
Recommended, especially to Haino fans. After all, Fushitsusha's last record, the shockingly guitar-less "Origin's Hesitation", really was pretty great -- but even those of us that loved it can't help but yearn for more of Haino's intense wall of sound guitar playing. And for that, Knead will more than meet your needs!!
It's really hard to tell if Manowar are in on their own joke or not. These four guys have spent the last two decades trying to live out a Conan the Barbarian meets Spinal Tap fantasy, and are probably the most self-referential metal band ever -- most of their songs are essentially about metal and/or Manowar and/or their fans!. Really, they have more lyrics about themselves than your most braggadocious rap MC! In addition to their over the top metal rhetoric, they boast string-snapping piccolo bass solos, muscles, loincloths, cheesy symphonic ballads, and their very own arms-clasped overhead "sign of the hammer" symbol for fans to make at shows. None more metal, none more silly. But, they certainly know what they're doing. While they might be considered a novelty at best, has-beens at worst in their native USA, they're a big deal in Europe, South America, and elsewhere. An arena-sized big deal. And even here, they have their fans -- they've played twice in San Francisco in recent years, the last time with Immortal a few weeks back, and boy do they get a rabid response! People come out of the woodwork to raise the sign of the hammer, let me tell you. And Manowar's relative lack of success stateside doesn't stop them from doing a bizarre, if patriotic, "American Trilogy" on this release, a medley of "Dixie", "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", and a traditional prayer for the war dead. Apparently this is intended as a tribute to Elvis Presley, who performed the same Civil War themed medley at his live shows! How ridiculous is that? They MUST know it. But they do it anyway, which is what's so great about these campy metal masters. All hail Joey Demaio & Co.! And, more serious-minded metal fans will find that there's actually some awesomely punishing stuff on here (hard-charging battle hymns like "Hand Of Doom", "House Of Death" and "Fight Until We Die"), and Eric Adam's voice rules whatever you think of the absurd lyrics (which you'd better like!). They'll never let on if it's all tongue in cheek, and that's the way it should be. Otherwise how could you get the tingle of "metal patrotism" that anthems like "Warriors of the World United" somehow generate? This is their first studio album in six years, at least as good as the last one...and while I can't really think of a compelling reason for someone to buy this who doesn't already have a few other Manowar discs, I'd certainly recommend it to fans, 'cause they do it for you and have never let you down. But if you've yet to be convinced of Manowar's might, you certainly could start here and work your way back through their catalog (which will be good for a few laughs at least) or go get their 1984 masterpiece "Hail To England".
This claims to be the "baddest and maddest" of the MC5's recorded performances, which is certainly possible, as it's totally great, high energy kickass radical White Panther rock n' soul music. Half of this cd is previously unreleased material (live tracks, demos, and alternate takes) the rest being hand-picked gems from *other* Total Energy label collections of previously unreleased live/outake material (American Ruse, Power Trip, Starship, Ice Pick Slim). Former MC5 manager/guru John Sinclair gets more than his 2 cents in, in this disc's lengthy liner notes, discussing each track as well as making some points about his role in the band's (r)evolution. Trying to set the record straight, he claims that the 5, especially afro-sportin' singer Rob Tyner, were a bigger influence on *his* politics than he was on theirs. Interestingly, he also denies that the 5 were any sort of punk rock band (despite their current veneration as proto-punk heroes along with fellow Motor City madmen the Stooges). He stresses their discipline, musical talent, and deep roots in African-American musical tradition over the punk aesthetic they seem to have forerun. With or without Sinclair's controversial writings, is this disc a worthy addition to the MC5's published history? Well, it's a bit problematic that they included five tracks taken from other Total Energy releases, as any true 5 fan is gonna have those already (but isn't that the problem with any "Baddest", I mean, "Best of"?) but will want the remaining eight unreleased cuts. That issue aside, It IS an excellent selection of live-only stuff such as "I'm Mad Like Eldridge Cleaver", interesting demo takes on songs like "Over & Over", and even on-stage spoken word such as the "What Is Zenta?" rap (which you'll also find on the "Music Is the Revolution" collection that Sinclair had a hand in). So, while maybe not the definitive 5 "Best Of", this disc is still badder and madder than most things you're gonna hear this year, even if you've heard some if it before.
A very eclectic and adventurous offering from the Ryori No Tetsujin of noise. "A Taste Of Merzbow" serves up a smorgasbord of sonic catastrophe, texturally shifting from Akita's current digital synthesis practices to the jagged cut'n'paste aesthetic that harkens back to the days of "Ecobondage" and "Batztoutai With Material Gadgets". Conceptually, Akita has assembled a collection of recipes that correspond to each track, though the relevance and/or significance of the relationship between composition and cuisine is unknown to us. Most unusual is the use of distinctly digitally rendered randomizations and algorithmic structures, not of common practice in the past. While not as powerful as the recent "Hard Lovin' Man" or "Amlux", this is still an extremely potent mÈlange of furious vehemence and elegance. Very Mego, very Merzbow. Seconds, anyone?
This installment from the prolific Mirror catalogue finds Mirror's core protagonists Andrew Chalk and Christoph Heeman working with the avant-rock darling Jim O'Rourke, who has kept himself busy by joining Sonic Youth. His presence will certainly bring this understated drone project to a bigger audience, and hopefully more attention to the reclusive, yet brilliant Chalk, whose solo work as well as his work with Organum, Ora, and Jonathan Coleclough remain all-time favorites here at Aquarius. The recordings found here were culled from a Mirror performance at the Lagerhaus in Bremen, Germany just a few months back in April 2002. The instrumentation appears to be organ, drone guitar, bowed metal, and some unidentified resonant clatter hovering at the event horizon much like the miniature sounds that Keith Rowe has produced for the recent AMM recordings. Through the glassine drone tricks that Chalk and Heeman have perfected in previous Mirror recordings, all of these sounds seamlessly meld into a tranquil piece of evocative ambience. Sporadically, a tremolo flutter emerges, probably indicative of some laptop trickery from O'Rourke. Do not fear, O'Rourke has left his Max / MSP patches turned off and thoughtfully ensured that his contribution was complementary to the Mirror sound. "Die Spiegelmanufaktur" is the least ominous Mirror recording, conjuring images of the colorful spectacle of calm sunrises, but fortunately, Mirror veer far from the artistic suicide of New Age drivel. This is another beautiful recording for Mirror.
While in a few months a slightly different mix of this performance will be published on CD, "Die Spiegelmanufaktur" is now available as a picture disc feature Chalk's artwork and is strictly limited to 400 copies!
Confusingly enough, there are two Mum's who have popped up at around the same time and revolve around similar artistic spaces in electronica. The Mum we're talking about here is the Icelandic Mum and is the Mum which has been garnering tons of rave reviews and Sigur Ros-esque hype as being the next big thing from Iceland. Boards of Canada, Sigur Ros, Bjork, and even Belle & Sebastian are adequate jumping-off points in describing Mum. The latter reference may be of interest as Mum's twin singers Kristin Anna and Gyda Valtydottir had been cover stars for Belle & Sebastian's "Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant". Mum builds bright-eyed, electronica tunes filled with childlike wonder, but contextualized by the grown-up disillusionment that those dreams will never step beyond the realm of innocent fantasy. Thus, a benign sadness seeps through Mum's adept orchestrations that (like Bjork) seemlessly integrates live instrumentation (accordion, melodica, glockenspiel, synthesizers, music boxes, guitars, bass, and cello) and laptop tricked-out beats and tweaks. All in all, Mum is pretty good, but never really jumps beyond any of those references.
Album number two from this Swedish stoner rock outfit. Vocalist Spice, now an ex-Spiritual Beggars member, definitely still brings in much of the vibe of his former band. The Mushroom River boys rock hard and heavy, playing Kyuss/Monster Magnet style, seventies-inspired stuff just as you'd expect. As with their first album, another solid but same-y Swedish entry in the stoner rock sweeps.
