[ aquarius records new arrivals

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Essentially this limited double 10" set collects all of the tracks that didn't make it on the ACR "Early" vinyl but were featured on the cd.

More weirdness from our favorite Japanese avant-hippy musical commune. Starting off with some heavy, throbbing electric psych jamming ("Psycho Buddha"), and then calming down into the folky drone-chant of "Space Age Ballad", this disc promises to be as

RealAudio clip: Psycho Buddha
RealAudio clip: Space Age Ballad

Well, one thing's for sure, American Analog Set sure like their crash cymbals loud... at least that's how it seems from the first track "Desert Eagle (All I Want For Christmas Mix)". Rattled me right outta my seat. Luckily that doesn't happen too often on this six-song EP. Packed with reworkings and remixes, it features two tracks by the band themselves (one a remix, one a cover of a Her Space Holiday song), two contributions from their seeming electronic counterparts Her Space Holiday (actually those particular tracks also sound like there was some input from The Faint camp too... hmmm). HSH first stretch an already glistening, mellow AmAnSet pop tune out into an even more laidback, shuffling number, then picking things up a bit with an almost funky groovin' remix. The last two tracks are the re-workings of Belgian's Styrofoam who gently break AmAnSet's melodies apart and apply their own light, sparkling electronics to the picture.

RealAudio clip: Desert Eagle (All I Want For Christmas Mix)
RealAudio clip: Know By Heart (Her Space Holiday Mix)
RealAudio clip: The Postman (Styrofoam's Just Like The Nineties Never Happened Mix)

Two disc remastered reissue of this out of print cd as well as two out of print/super limited eps from one of our favorite black metal bands, before they got all 'weird'. This is Arcturus at their black metal prime, before they discovered techno and Mr. Bungle and circuses and rapping. Fast and majestic Nordic black metal more along the lines of Dimmu Borgir and the like with lots of keyboards, soaring baritone vocals (sounding remarkably like Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan and hinting at their future direction perhaps) inhuman shrieks, blazing double kick drumming as well as orchestral/melodic breaks. Totally melodic but still pretty brutal and fierce, and kinda "prog" too, but not nearly as prog as they ended up getting... A lot of you probably already have the original, but this double disc is remastered and includes the tracks from their 1991 7" and a 1994 promo only cd.

RealAudio clip: To Thou Who Dwellest In The Night
RealAudio clip: Wintry Grey

Lincoln, Nebraska. America's heartland. Corn Huskers. Saddle Creek (technically Omaha, but whatever). Now bear witness to the spastic grinding futurist attack of Armatron. Veterans of the Midwest hardcore-metal crossover scene, the newly expanded quartet has been slowly perfecting their brand of mutant electro pummel. Two basses, one drummer and an army of synths spit sonic venom in the vein of The Locust (as Armatron mastermind Lux had a short lived stint with said groop), though with a more powerful low end rumble. A long overdue followup to their split disc with Cattle Decapitation and Ticwar on Toyo's "The Science Of Crisis". Hopefully we haven't heard the last from these kids. More to come? Incredibly hilarious artwork by J. Vonwolf (also responsible for the Erase Errata cover art).

Beequeen is but one of the many sides to Frans De Waard - the Dutch vangardist who has also explored post-techno minimalism in Goem, blissful guitar drone work in Shifts, musique concrete in Kapotte Muziek, and about a half-dozen other smaller projects. As with all of those aforementioned projects, De Waard typically follows the lead of a 'trendy' line in experimental music -- PanSonic, Main, Pierre Henry, etc. For Beequeen, it's a little more vague, originally taking off from the Legendary Pink Dots (as De Waard met fellow Beequeen member Freek Kinkelaar out of their mutual admiration of Ka-Spel and Co.), but more recently picking up cues from the Temporary Residence aesthetic of quiet guitar led introspection and moody post-rock atmospheres espoused by Sonna and Tarentel. As with the majority of the De Waard projects, Beequeen mimics its influences remarkably well.

RealAudio clip: My Wicked Wicked Ways
RealAudio clip: Beam Ends

Very Apples In Stereo / Silver Sun / Sloan jubilant pop with jangly guitar melodies, and perky vocal harmonies. Benson possesses a boyish voice with a lilt that reminded me a lot of Rufus Wainwright or Jason Faulkner. Nice.

RealAudio clip: What
RealAudio clip: Tiny Spark

You just might hear this on Wild 94.9, the Bay Area's dance station! Gentlemen, the transformation is complete. Bis are totally pumpin' out the dance tracks. Not a single glimmer of their past Scottish elfin indie pop selves. This album is even eons away from their Powerpuff Girls theme song. Sounding like they're shooting for a more mature audience, they've stripped away any of the sweet charm and energy of their past releases (particularly "Social Dancing" which successfully fused all of these key Bis elements). Alas, what we're left with is decent, if almost faceless, music. If you just wanna dance the night away in fluffy '80s discoland, this might be for you. Also features mixes by Adult., Tommie Sunshine and Ectomorph (Perhaps hoping to move a few more units, SpinArt Records threw the "electroclash" tag on the shrinkwrap. Argh!).

RealAudio clip: Don't Let The Rain Come Down
RealAudio clip: Robotic (Adult. Almost Instrumental Mix)

London, 1967: ground zero for the explosion of fab British pop psych rock bands, including many known today only to collectors -- among them, this bunch of mop tops, Blossom Toes. Here's a Japanese cd reissue of the first of their two albums. Their brand of psychedelic pop music was ornate, orchestrated, lush, and very British -- they songs called "Mrs. Murphy's Budgerigar" and "I'll Be Late For Tea" -- think Beatles, Zombies, Kinks, very early Bowie, with dashes of surreal Pythonesque zaniness ("The Remarkable Saga Of The Frozen Dog", "The Intrepid Balloonist's Handbook, Volume One", etc.). Indeed, they even played Captain Beefheart covers live! Produced by Swinging Sixties London scenester Giorgio Gomelski (their manager, who also managed the Yardbirds among other claims to fame). Note: "Packaged with the original artwork and lyrics (as opposed to the ugly-ass Heritage Entertainment version previously available)" sez Revolver.

RealAudio clip: Look At Me I'm You
RealAudio clip: I'll Be Late For Tea
RealAudio clip: The Remarkable Saga Of The Frozen Dog
RealAudio clip: Love Is
RealAudio clip: What's It For

It's such a formula. I'm finding it hard not to scoff. [1] ALBUM COVER: blurry photo of wall, stairwell or Eames chair (graphic designer friend happens to have a pair in living room). [2] MUSIC: endlessly repeating rhythms resembling depressed heartbeat, overlay arty record crackle. [3] INNER SLEEVE: not there to convey information; must be totally blank except for more blurry photos of horizons and shit. [4] LABEL: must be German or Austrian; if you release it on an American electronica label no one will pay attention to you. Et voila. Electronica-by-numbers.

RealAudio clip: Commune

We first heard about the Cardiacs from our friend Jussi From Circle. He didn't really give us much to go on, just told us to find Cardiacs records. So when I (Andee) was in England last year I looked everywhere for Cardiacs records. No stores stocked them, no one had even heard of them. Rough Trade? Nope. Record And Video Exchange? Nope. So on a whim I went into Tower Records, and whhattayaknow, the Cardiacs had their own big ol' section. So I bought 4 of the 8 records they had in stock, without even knowing what they sounded like. The guy I was staying with was not at all impressed, telling me "Nobody likes the Cardiacs". But when I finally got down to listening to them, boy was I pleasantly surprised. Somehow not at all what I expected, but that only made me like it more. It's definitely pop, but it's not pop like you or I know it, it's freaked out, complex, super dynamic, totally catchy, weird vocals, drum machines, high pitched lead vocals, carnivalesque, bombastic kick ass sort-of-power-pop. It's really hard to describe. When I brought my copy to play for people in the store, every couple of minutes someone walked up wanting to buy whatever it was we were playing. So finally, we were able to get enough copies to list and let you all get your grubby litttle paws on this demented pop goodness. Think the Pixies meets the Sweet meets the Toy Dolls meets Uz Jsme Doma meets Queen meets the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack meets XTC but more punk rock, and more prog, or something like that. With totally unlikely but irresistible melodies, squiggly guitars, circus organs, the occasional children's choir (?), drumming that is so stuttery and precise it sounds like it must be a drum machine, burbly spaced out ambient keyboards, completely fucked lyrics and amazing vocals and harmonies. It's like power-pop-prog-ska (like Uz Jsme Doma sounded ska) punk craziness. Goes from manic and intense to throbbing and dreamy at the drop of a dime. I think this band was 'big' for a while in the UK which is why my hipster friends scoffed, but to be honest I can't understand why they're not still big, or big here too. Just a little too weird, methinks. 'Guns' is my favorite record of the bunch. Just listen to the sound sample for the song 'There's Good Cud'. One of the most perfect pop songs I've ever heard. Weird and damaged but totally catchy and fun. Sort of like the whole record. And the sample after that 'Wind And Rains Is Cold' shows the softer (but no less weird) side of the Cardiacs. Lilting pop loveliness wrapped in a warped rock framework. This record totally rules.

RealAudio clip: There's Good Cud
RealAudio clip: Wind And Rains Is Cold
RealAudio clip: Spell With A Shell

We first heard about the Cardiacs from our friend Jussi From Circle. He didn't really give us much to go on, just told us to find Cardiacs records. So when I (Andee) was in England last year I looked everywhere for Cardiacs records. No stores stocked them, no one had even heard of them. Rough Trade? Nope. Record And Video Exchange? Nope. So on a whim I went into Tower Records, and whhattayaknow, the Cardiacs had their own big ol' section. So I bought 4 of the 8 records they had in stock, without even knowing what they sounded like. The guy I was staying with was not at all impressed, telling me "Nobody likes the Cardiacs". But when I finally got down to listening to them, boy was I pleasantly surprised. Somehow not at all what I expected, but that only made me like it more. It's definitely pop, but it's not pop like you or I know it, it's freaked out, complex, super dynamic, totally catchy, weird vocals, drum machines, high pitched lead vocals, carnivalesque, bombastic kick ass sort-of-power-pop. It's really hard to describe. When I brought my copy to play for people in the store, every couple of minutes someone walked up wanting to buy whatever it was we were playing. So finally, we were able to get enough copies to list and let you all get your grubby litttle paws on this demented pop goodness. Think the Pixies meets the Sweet meets the Toy Dolls meets Uz Jsme Doma meets Queen meets the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack meets XTC but more punk rock, and more prog, or something like that. With totally unlikely but irresistible melodies, squiggly guitars, circus organs, the occasional children's choir (?), drumming that is so stuttery and precise it sounds like it must be a drum machine, burbly spaced out ambient keyboards, completely fucked lyrics and amazing vocals and harmonies. It's like power-pop-prog-ska (like Uz Jsme Doma sounded ska) punk craziness. Goes from manic and intense to throbbing and dreamy at the drop of a dime. I think this band was 'big' for a while in the UK which is why my hipster friends scoffed, but to be honest I can't understand why they're not still big, or big here too. Just a little too weird, methinks. This is my second favorite Cardiacs record ONLY because two of my favorite Cardiacs' songs are on 'Guns' (see other review). But it's easily as good as 'Guns' with its frenetic pop, completely mad vocals and brain-melting arrangements. I mean just listen to the sound samples!! You might as well buy both of them because this band is the fucked up, off-kilter, totally difficult and damaged pop band you've been looking for your whole life. I kid you not.

RealAudio clip: Big Ship
RealAudio clip: Tarred And Feathered
RealAudio clip: Burn Your House Brown

This album comes directly after my glorifying / praising review of their 12" on Flapping Jet in list #140. I said this full length couldn't come fast enough and BAM! It's here. I feel the same as I did two weeks ago, if not more so. This recording is as tight and energetic as the 12". Vocals with that perfect amount of grit and soul, blazing electric guitars, and their full throttle double-barreled drum attack. It was recorded by the flawless Tim Green at Louder Studios here in SF. Rock'n'roll revivalists The Cherry Valence bringing the 70's right to your doorstep with rock riffage a la MC5, Stooges, and Kiss. Hot!

RealAudio clip: Can't Get Enough
RealAudio clip: Riffin
RealAudio clip: World of Trouble

I (Andee) had to push really hard for this to be record of the week back in June as we seldom make LPs records of the week, but now it's been RELEASED ON CD! So all of you turntable-less folks can now also enjoy what is easily one of the most amazing records I have ever heard. We knew about this record but had never actually -heard- it until the aforementioned vinyl reissue. And we were just blown away. We were convinced that this could be the jazz record to cure Jim of his I-Hate-Jazz attitude (we'll let you know what happened with that) (umm, nope. - Jim). Gorgeous cover art depicting a little ant on the yolk of a big fried egg! Quite striking. Recorded in 1971, 'Orient' features 2 separate live performances with Cherry in two different trios, one with Han Bennink (drums, percussion, accordian, vocals) and Mocqui (tamboura) and the other with Johnny Diani (bass) and Okay Tamiz (drums, percussion). The track 'Orient' which was a side and a half of the 2lp set is the real gem here (although all four tracks are spectacular). 'Orient' starts off with minor key piano and subtle percussion, with mumbled, chant-like vocals, slowly building, rumbling clattery percussion, not all that different from what No Neck Blues Band seems to be working towards. Ten minutes in, the track explodes into a hyper-rhythmic free-jazz frenzy with wailing trumpet and completely mad silverware-drawer-down-the-steps drumming from Bennink. The chanting vocals return, this time, much higher in the mix turning it into a musical tug of war between a somber spiritual and a crazed drum circle free-for-all. The drums prevail, beating out a tribal rhythm, with drum kit and tamboura weaving a rich rhythmic framework, that slowly winds down to dark and dreamy melancholy piano and huge gong swells, with occasional percussive clatter in the background. Suddenly the trio slips into a classic jazz groove that is perfect, but also perfectly out of place. No need to worry, as the groove quickly dissipates into a free jazz supernova of squealing horns and chaotic drumming. Track two, named for Cherry's son, starts with loping and meandering, deep dark beats, with owl-ish flutes and ghost-like horns. Some percussive clatter and an almost Roland Kirk-like breathing/singing whips up a frenzied fervor over throbbing bass, skittery percussion and wild piano (at this point it's necessary to point out the fact that Cherry is handling piano/trumpet/flute single handedly!). The trio soon click into an almost Santana-ish groove with Cherry's soaring vocals following the piano. The track winds down with Cherry going crazy on BOTH the trumpet AND the piano! Track three 'Togetherness' displays some truly breathtaking free-jazz interplay from Cherry and drummer Okay Tamiz. Cherry alternates between pocket trumpet and flute, playing complicated and unlikey melodies over the thick pulsing bass and frenzied percussion (drum kit, but also bells and shakers and gongs!) eventually finishing off with more of that Santana-ish groove and wild, free vocals! The final track, 'Si Ta Ra Ma' is the weirdest of the bunch, again reminding us sonically of No Neck and other of the more modern drone/clatter ensembles. Guttural vocalisations that vacillate from droning almost-throat singing to what sounds like speaking in tongues, with muted horn sputter, droning low-end trumpet buzz, clapping and sorrowful chanting vocals. Over the course of the last ten minutes, the vocals gradually fade into the mix as the percussion (steel drums?) build and build while Cherry solos dreamily and mournfully until the end of the track. Amazing and essential and totally timeless.

RealAudio clip: Orient
RealAudio clip: Orient (Part 2)
RealAudio clip: Si Ta Ra Ma
RealAudio clip: Togetherness

So short! Four raw spurts of noise-alicious herky-jerk. We barely caught a glimpse of these two new members of the Gold Standard Laboratories clan . Certainly not the black sheeps in this family, they seat themselves quite comfortably in the recently vacated, overturned chairs of spaz-punks LeShok and XBXRX. So who are these mysterious newcomers? Well, arty postpunkers the Chromatics rose from the ashes of Seattle, WA's underappreciated The Vogue (and you might have also heard of another of their incarnations, The Soiled Doves). Like-minded Monitor Bats just happen to be the jazz-punk side project of blues-rockin' kids The Gossip. Word has it that a Chromatics full length is in the works, so keep those ears to the ground. Until then, you might just have to make do with this brief encounter.

SF's Crack:WAR strike back with two new tracks of electro street hustle with slovenly vocalisations. No, they didn't tour Africa, but their fans sure act like animals at their live shows. Wild.

Ten years on and Craw (remember them?) are still at it. Combining some of the best parts of the Dazzling Killmen, Bastro and Jesus Lizard and coming up with a bass heavy, groove laden, crushing metal onslaught. Equal parts metalcore and post rock, Craw spread out expansive rhythmic structures, with the bass and drums tightly wound together while guitars roar above and around, riffs weaving in and out, slowly building into walls of sludge-thick guitars. Craw's weak point has always been the vocals. So much so that a lot of people I know would probably cite Craw as one of their all time favorite bands, if it wasn't for those damn vocals. Well, the vocals are still a bit of a problem, but they are so much better than before. Not sure if the singer is singing better, or the vocals are more buried in the mix (more like both methinks) but whatever it is, makes this new Craw record go down way easier and means that this is WAY RECOMMENDED!

RealAudio clip: Caught My Tell
RealAudio clip: Weedy Species
RealAudio clip: Sex

A sticker on the shrinkwrap proclaims "founding members of At The Drive-In and Hella", but don't go buying it just because of that fact. Really now, this sounds very little like either band (well, maybe they lean towards a more subdued Hella... which sounds like quite a nice thing to me). This is a half dozen very well-executed post-rock instrumentals that are both pretty and driving. My ears perked up even more from the third track "Come Here, Raider" and on when the instrumentation and arrangements get a little more fleshed out. Check it out!

RealAudio clip: Come Here, Raider
RealAudio clip: Worldwide CB

A beautifully rendered document of the early stages of this San Francisco trio. A posthumous release of sorts, considering the radical personnel changes since the recording of "Fast Talks". But alas, we can now enjoy the magic of what once was. Comparisons to Beefheart's Magic Band, The Shaggs or the reserved expansiveness of guitarists like Derek Bailey, Taku Sugimoto or Fred Frith certainly come to mind, though those likenesses are only fragments of the larger landscape. The duelling guitars of Chris Cohen and Trevor Shimizu weave into one another, not colliding or stepping on each others toes, but crafting a web in which the stumbling percussive rolls of drummer Jamie Peterson (ex-Saint Andre) are able to grasp onto. Peterson's unique style recalls the Magic Band's John "Drumbo" French, though with more reservation and a playful discretion. In fact most of the songs on "Fast Talks" are refreshing in their sheer simplicity and sense of discovery. You might be inclined to say "naive" upon first listen, as remnants of "outsider" artists such as The Shaggs can be traced through their arrangements, though these pieces are extremely well conceived, complex and strongly informed by restraint and the spaces in between. Several moments throughout the record even contain qualities which recall another SF avant-rock outfit -- Deerhoof -- whose guitarist John Dieterich, coincidentally, takes production controls here. Vinyl only, and gorgeously packaged as per the Thin Wrist standard of excellence.

RealAudio clip: 22nds
RealAudio clip: Athletes In The Stars
RealAudio clip: Dim Weeks
RealAudio clip: Slippers

"Showroom Dummies" is the latest performance piece developed by the Grenoble, France dance company Groupe DACM. The acclaimed organization is known for its maverick and unorthodox approach in their use of new media and radical experimentation. Don't know too much about the full story behind "Showroom Dummies", the images accompanying the Mego packaging bring to mind a macabre Vanessa Beecroft performance. In conceptual essence, it places characters -- based on icons of fiction Wanda Von Sacher-Masoch and Yvonne, Princess Of Burgundy -- in situations of submission and resistance, studying the fine line between desire and disgust. In their attempt to complement the confrontational nature within these themes of repulsion and erotism, Groupe DACM had employed the notoriously abrasive (and confrontational in his own right!) Peter Rehberg aka Pita. Unlike the full on scathing aural tornado prevalent in his solo recordings and with Ramon Bauer, Rehberg splices snippets of his aural shrapnel into rhythmic repetitive patterns of subtlety. Perhaps the involvement of Japanese musician Noriko Tujiko in early constructions of the pieces could explain the reserved intensity. However, this release does not credit her for any part of the production, though she is given an acknowledgement of gratitude. Having said that, Rehberg is still extremely effective in his own attempt to exploit the dichotomy of harshness within a docile and inviting arrangement, the pieces here subversively insert a sense of intemperance in a "safe" habitat. Somewhat suspicious of his intent in creating linear cosmopolitan "dance music" under the guise of performance art, some of these pieces could very well be mistaken for fluid dancefloor rhythm tracks, aesthetically resembling a chance meeting between Pan Sonic and Merzbow (like that hasn't happened before). At least one track is an obviously deconstructed trance techno track, pummeled out of its own melody into another dimension. Ultimately, Rehberg regurgitates these consummations into his own beast child. Frigid and austere, yet wholly engaging and seemingly harmless on its surface, "Showroom Dummies" lures you into its web only to chew you up and spit you back out. Lovely.

RealAudio clip: 04
RealAudio clip: 07
RealAudio clip: 09
RealAudio clip: 11

Newest Dead C record released on their own Language Recordings label and expectations are HIGH since that last double Dead C cd was so amazing. We all went to see the Dead C live a few months ago, many of us for the first time, which is actually when we first discovered this new Dead C record, and to be honest we were WAAAAAY disappointed. Some didn't even stay for the whole set [although some did and actually dug the concert quite a bit!] Rambling, scattershot, clumsy percussion, noisy but not really all that inspired. Lots of aimless on stage wandering and interband discussions MID-SET!!! But you gotta cut them some slack, improvised music is really hit or miss, and relies as much on the audience's perception as it does the band's performance, and that's what makes it so exciting. So we weren't sure what to expect from the new record. A couple of folks had expressed their diappointment with 'New Electric Music', but we are happy to report, while it's a lot different than the self titled double cd, it's still a GREAT Dead C record. 'NEM' starts off with six minutes of burbling barely audible low end, pulsing and creeping, like a thick fog. Track two launches into a primitive rock and roll cave-stomp, simple propulsive drumming pins down whirls of white noise and chaotic rumble. The next two tracks veer more towards the traditional Dead C sound with track three a crumbling avalanche of guitar skronk and fluttery percussion, squalls of noise and waves of rumbling drone, and track 4 a sort of Jandek of the South Seas, with mumbled distant vocals over a loose free-twang framework. The final 30 minute track is gorgeous and if you ever had any doubts about the 'C being at the top of their game, this track should silence non believers. A rumbling, low end drone-scape with a metronomic burst of feedback that sets the whole thing into an hypnotic , almost-industrial rhythm. While in the background, electronics and unrecognizable guitar creaks and swells, rumble and soar and wrap the relentless one-beat rhythm in a coarse blanket of grit. As the track progresses, the background sounds intensify, threatening the rhythm but never quite overtaking it. So gorgeous. Probably one of the best things they've ever recorded. Dead C fans will not be disappointed and those unfamiliar could do worse than starting their education here!

RealAudio clip: Repulsion
RealAudio clip: Killer
RealAudio clip: Hush

This double cd set looks like one of those sensitive singer-songwriter affairs that I admit I'm sort of a sucker for... that is, when it's well done. Unfortunately, Dempsey isn't well done. (Let's say it's medium rare.) I mean, all the elements are there to make this "the soundtrack album of the summer" (as a press clipping proclaims) -- tastefully programmed breakbeats and subtle samples mixed with guitar balladry, moody cello, smoky trumpet, and a Mick-Jagger-three-times-removed kind of lazy wannabe drawl -- and for all I know the folks in the UK are digging into this stuff (like it's filet mignon, heh.) Even the sleeve art is as predictable as the music, a closeup of an acoustic guitar, photos of desert landscapes, the sea, lightning -- stuff you see "on the road". But come on, the melodies aren't nearly as assured or memorable as they need to be in order for that sensitive singer-songwriter stance to ring true. The lyrics are amateurish (and I find the voice incredibly annoying). The entire thing feels a little bit manufactured, but maybe that's cos I've never been impressed with Brit powerhouse obvious-genre-mixing impresario Trevor Jackson, who co-wrote and produced "Sunset," the second disc here. Kieran Hebden of AQ-faves Fridge co-wrote and produced the first disc, called "Sunrise". The members of Fridge make up the band Dempsey. Oops, let's not forget the "main guy" Geoff Mcintyre. Mediocre.

RealAudio clip: Big Time
RealAudio clip: Hippydream

With the demise of Atari Teenage Riot due to Carl Crack's untimely death, Digital Hardcore's mainman Alec Empire continues to preach / sing / scream to the hordes of disaffected electro-punk youth. On the first disc of this set, Empire's tactics remain consistent with the ATR output, as heavy duty punk explosions signified by the relentless samples of gated, grindcore riffs are punctuated by huge 909 throbbing drum kicks and stabs of searing white noise. Not surprisingly, "Intelligence And Sacrifice" finds Empire aligning himself more with the industrial / metal crossovers of Ministry and the guitar crunch attacks from the mid-'90s Wax Trax! clones. The second disc lands more in a disjointed acid breakbeat / micro-glitch realm, that is as good as anything Mille Plateaux / Ritornell has been releasing during the past few months. Quite effective, but neither of the two aesthetic sides of Alec Empire can be purported as entirely groundbreaking.

RealAudio clip: Everything Starts With A Fuck
RealAudio clip: Intelligence And Sacrifice
RealAudio clip: Vault Things Of The Night
RealAudio clip: Silence And Burning Ice

One of our all time favorite sludge/metal/grind bands, who until now, had only released tracks on compilations and seven inches. Must be at least 7 or 8 years now that Floor have been contributing their downtuned dementia to the underground scene and they have managed to remain pretty unknown. Hopefully this full length will change that. And it really should, cause their sound has definitely changed with the times. Instead of wallowing in their underground-basement-split-seven-inch past and rehashing their slow motion grind (in the style of Cavity and Eyehategod), they've added LOTS of clean vocals and a surprising amount of melody, ending up with a sound somewhere between your favorite pop punk emo band, the Melvins, late period Fudge Tunnel, and Nirvana, but way, way heavier. Seriously. They've turned into a honest to goodness pop band, but a downtuned, amps-on-11, super-distorted, kick-in-the-guts pop band. Great production too with super distorted low end that makes their huge bursts of guitar sound like the end of the world! Way recommended.

RealAudio clip: Scimitar
RealAudio clip: Return To Zero
RealAudio clip: Downed Star

A nice 12" from Fog, the one man band from Minneapolis that sits expertly astride the line separating "rock" from "electronica". Gorgeous strummed guitar gives Check Fraud its texture, while numerous sonic interruptions, vocal snippets, and bloopy bleeps enhance it. Kid Koala provides a stunning remix of the piece, slowing it down and making the melody even more pretty and sweet. Very nice. Good for DJs. I'm going to spin this for sure.

While writing a recent review about his favorite group King Crimson (!), Vincent Gallo allowed himself the indulgence of a viperous tangential rant against Harmony Korine: "When a mini-dwarf rich kid from Nashville like Harmony Korine flies first class and moves to New York City's Soho in his 'plush safe' apartment, running around town quoting Godard with lines like, 'Fuck the bourgeois', it's insincere, it's calculated, it's unoriginal, and it's the worst thing in the world, 'trendy'. He already knows that he and his boring girlfriend Connecticut Chloe Sevigny are going to be on the cover of 'The Face'. He knows he'll get his run at The Angelica and be hip in Japan. But no one will ever make an important film because they saw 'Gummo' or 'Donkey Boy'." (http://www.vincentgallo.com/writing/KingCrimson.html) The irony of such a statement is that many of Gallo's critics have uttered very similar attacks against him. In a lot of ways, Gallo brings it upon himself with the public display of a blunt persona that is crass, misogynistic, and brutally ugly. Yet amidst these horrible aspects of humanity, Gallo's facade cracks with wondrous displays of romantic dreams that sing the praises of 'pretty girls,' Genet-like love stories borne out of abjection, and the ephemeral magic of his musical constructions. How much of this dichotomy falls under the category of artistic calculation and how much of it is a hyper-dramatization of Gallo's polarization of human characteristics -- both positive and negative. Of course, Vincent Gallo doesn't give a fuck what you or I may think about his art, as he's already convinced that's he a genius. I (Jim) enjoyed the grim artistry of "Buffalo 66" but was initially skeptical of his music, as a passing fancy for dilettante who somehow managed to convince Warp Records to sign him. Yet, in setting my pre-conceptions aside and actually listening to his previously published "When" (a bit of a sleeper hit among several of us here at Aquarius) and now "Recordings Of Music For Film," Vincent Gallo is a musician whose talent is not easy to dismiss as a cultural fluke. Like "When," his film scores to "Buffalo 66," "The Way It Is," "Downtown 81" and "If You Feel Froggy, Jump" are delicate, bittersweet wisps of song fragments, with ghostly guitar strumming that recalls late '80s Jandek, Gallo's Chet Baker-like voice, passing flourishes from a clarinet or a melodica, and very little else. What is most impressive is the consistency between all of these recordings despite the 15 years between "Buffalo 66" and "The Way It Is," whose scores make up the majority of this album. Regardless, it ends up being beautiful, no matter what opinion you may hold about Vincent Gallo.

RealAudio clip: Her Smell Theme
RealAudio clip: The Girl Of Her Dreams
RealAudio clip: Six Laughs Once Happy
RealAudio clip: Lonely Boy
RealAudio clip: A Somewhere Place

Sounds like the GoGoGoAirheart fellows have shifted their music making approach just a little for their fourth full length, focusing more on guitars and pop-structured songs and less on their more familiar extended dubby bass, post punk jams. In the process, they've relinquished a bit of the tension that made the music on both their self-titled and "Love My Life Hate My Friends" albums so immediate and absorbing. It's in those jams that the best of GGGAH surfaces. Likewise, live, they can be hit or miss, but when their improvs lock into a groove... Hoo boy, they are amazing -- especially when the fluid bass playing of A. Vyas is given room to move. The angstful howl'n'yelp of main vocalist Michael Vermilion is still very much in the vein of The Pop Group particularly on the longer numbers ("Here Comes Attack"), but quite often in the shorter punky songs his voice also takes on a nasality reminiscent of the Buzzcocks' Pete Shelley ("Sincerely P.S."). He's joined on vocal duties by Vyas and guitarist Benjamin White. Also thrown into the instrument mix are trumpet, piano, programmed drums, Moog synths and organ.

RealAudio clip: Here Comes Attack
RealAudio clip: Sincerely P.S.
RealAudio clip: When The Flesh Hits
RealAudio clip: Good Things

Who rocks the parti? Local darling Gold Chains cracks the whip with five new dancefloor hotties giving a heads up to the Cologne and Berlin Schaffelfieber sound. Having travelled the world in his brief career as Gold Chains, Topher Lafata has absorbed the sounds of other lands to craft his own brand of electrosonic hiphop thunder. Following on his acclaimed debut for Orthlorng Musork, "Straight From Your Radio" is another brief encounter with the hard beat mystic nonmaterialistic witch doctor. Each track is very distinct from the next from the rubbery bass of the lead off track to the absurd cootchie song. So silly and repetitious, it lyrically reminded me of Snow's "The Informer" from '93. Continuing on, "Let's Make It" pumps out the big beats Sweet and Gary Glitter style. Y'know those thumpin' '70s enormo-party anthems! He even does a reworking of Samhain's "Human Pony Girl"! Come join the caravan...

RealAudio clip: I Treat Your Cootchie Like A Maze
RealAudio clip: Let's Make It
RealAudio clip: Human Pony Girl

Low level drones drenched in feedback and synth tones from the Olympia, WA duo known as Growing. Like a lo-fi Popol Vuh or midrange Earth, but with a dreamier edge via ambiguous vocalizations.

You know how much I love flutes, so it would only stand to reason that I would also love tubas. What!? Makes perfect sense to me. Two of the most maligned instruments, the instruments that even band geeks made fun of. Well not any more!!! Flutes have already proven themselves (check out Osanna and a million other kick ass prog bands), now it's the tuba's turn to shine. And shine it does, although not in nearly as ostentatious a manner as the flute. Partially because tonally, the tuba is more well designed to rumble and drone than freak out. So Tom Heasly, who, we sadly know little about, takes his tuba, mixes in some throat singing, loops and digital processing, and comes up with this dreamy, willowy record of gentle swells and warm drones. Bordering occasionally on new age, Heasly manages to just barely steer clear of Windham Hill, adding some grit to the gentle soundscapes, making notes ring endlessly, as other notes join in and gently pulse along side. Washes of gauzy major key hum whirl in lazy rings around rumbling swells. Kind of like Stars Of The Lid without the guitars, or Gas without the beats or a Coleclough record with lots of tuba!!

RealAudio clip: Thonis

This is either totally fucking stupid, or absolutely brilliant. Like a lot of records we love, it's really tough to tell sometimes. And we do love this record. The last Hecker record was one of our favorite post-Oval cd-manipulation/glitch record ever. Dense, thick soundscapes made up of damaged, manipulated and chopped up discs. 'My Love...' follows the same modus operandi, only this time all of the source material is Van Halen. That's right, Van Halen. Your first clue was the pen and ink sketch of David Lee Roth on the cd cover, your second clue is the Van Halen-lyric title 'My Love Is Rotten To The Core'. And of course if you know Van Halen, it's easy to pick out the riffs that surface in bits and pieces amidst all the stutter/shuffling/skipping/skittering. The record itself is gorgeous. Super dense, with the VH guitars lending themelves perfectly to being manipulated into thick slabs of SOUND, shifting ever so slightly, changing the ebullient VH party melodies into stretched out minor key dirges. The songs are separated by collages of VH interviews and radio snippets. We're tempted to dismiss this record as a silly gimmick, with all the clever allusions to Van Halen (without ever actually fessing up to stealing all the songs): the between song collages, the song titles and the cover art! It would've been way more intense and effective to just let the music speak for itself (like COH's metal album 'Iron') because the music, in Hecker's hands, becomes a wholly unique and original sound. But maybe Tim Hecker just really loves Van Halen and this is the best way he knows how to show it!! Either way, this is definitely one of the most fun and creative, and fucked glitch/drone/cut-up/plunderphonic records of the year.

RealAudio clip: Introducing Carl Cocks
RealAudio clip: Sammy Loves Eddie Hates David
RealAudio clip: Hello Detroit

Brand new double cd-r release from The Hototogisu, the occasional project of Sunroof!/Skullflower mainman Matthew Bower. Unlike previous Bower efforts (and the last Hototogisu cd-r) 'Floating Japanese Oof!' plays out like one massive 140 minute piece (regardless of how it's tracked). This is bliss out, drone music the way it was meant to be experienced, in massive mind expanding chunks. Shimmery clouds of ambient high end guitar drone and squiggly brain tickling twinkles, with pulsing low end, and distant clatter. Gorgeous, otherworldly and totally essential.

RealAudio clip: Disc A Track 2
RealAudio clip: Disc B Track 1
RealAudio clip: Disc B Track 2

Local gorecore heroes Impaled (Ludicra bassist Ross Sewage's *other* band) vomit forth another gnarly dose of their death metal medicine. It's definitely the cure for those wasting away from a lack of Carcass in their diets -- Carcass, y'know, being the UK grindcore greats who Impaled ape so well. Nothing wrong with that, we love Carcass as much as Impaled do. Well, maybe almost as much, 'cause we didn't actually start a band to try and emulate the razorsharp riffing and sickening lyrics of those Brits. But Impaled have other influences as well, to be fair: Italian splatter cinema and, um, shit. (We didn't say they were *wide-ranging* influences...) Anyway, this Impaled is a good 'un, go get it you death grind freaks!

RealAudio clip: The Worms Crawl In

Umpteenth album (first on Necropolis, though, after quite a few for Relapse) from these underground American death metal stalwarts. Incantation have always been one of Allan's (few) favorite death metal acts, because they understand that being heavy isn't always about unrelenting, monotonous blasting. Indeed, bands that play fast all the time often don't end up sounding very heavy at all. Incantation contrast their fast parts with slow, doomy parts too -- that really IS heavy. In addition, they're creative with their dissonant guitar riffs, reminding us just a bit of the avant-gardisms of another fave, Gorguts. Brutal, blasphemous (of course) stuff, with speedy, dense textures and awesomely dirgey breakdowns.

RealAudio clip: The Fallen

More true metal from the cult Miskatonic label run by Rich Walker of UK doom metal masters Solstice (R.I.P.). Ironsword hail from Portugal, and, well, are a little hard to recommend. As much as we admire the spirit of heavy metal that they share with such bands as labelmates Twisted Tower Dire, this just sounds terrible. Poverty-stricken production, a drum machine for a drummer, and gruff, heavily accented English vocal wailing: it's not a pretty picture. But, perhaps you'll find that they fall into that so-bad-its-good catagory (a personal judgement for everyone). Their songs ARE anthemic, as powerful as the production will let them be, tirelessly energetic (thanks to the drum machine, in part), and completely devoted to the cause of true metal. Good at least for a laugh at your next beer-n-metal bash. Doubtless they have a cult following somewhere. As the liner notes say: thanks to "Rich Walker (for being crazy enough to sign us)." So ask yourself, metalhead, are *you* crazy enough to buy this?

RealAudio clip: King Of All Kings

The flood of compact disc reissues of obscure krautrock albums has been constant and overwhelming in recent years, but few discs are truly as cosmic and inspired as collector hype claims make them out to be. Usually an album's rarity is confused with "classic" status. But every once in a while, we get pleasantly blown away by an unexpected unknown. Kalacakra is one such album that deserves its mythical, mystical reputation (and $300 price tag on the collector's market). Reissued in 2001 (but not heard by us until more recently, due to the glut of such reissues alluded to above), Kalacakra's "Crawling To Lhasa" contains eight tracks of mantric acid-folk self-released in 1972 by the apparently drugged-out duo of Claus Rauschenbach ("guitars, kongas, percussions, vocals, harmonica, slentem") and Heinz Martin ("electr. guitars, flute, piano, vibraphon, schalmi, cello, violin, synthesizer"). Their strange, hippie sense of humor and obsession with the culture of Tibet (the name Kalacakra is the Tibetan term for "wheel of time") results in some fantastically nonsensical, eastern-influenced psychedelia (nonsensical? well, that "slentem" that Claus plays is in fact a non-existent, made-up instrument!). The album begins with the dark, hypnotic "Nearby Shiras", a song about a plague-ravaged town in olden Persia, which features some totally sinister and maniacal whispered German-language vocals, reminding us a bit even of Comus. As their crawl to Lhasa continues, Kalacakra venture into zones of lovely folk-strum and raga-rock as well, before the album wraps up with a a deranged and damaged blues stumble called "Tante Olga". Oh, then there's two "bonus" tracks, recorded by Heinz in 1993, that are perhaps best ignored: electronic "world music" unfortunately lacking the mystery and insanity of his 1972 output, inoffensive but an unnecessary addition to this reissue for sure. Claus, we're told, still lives (on social security) in Kalacakra's home town of Duisburg, but does no recording. Good for him. Some folks we know (who often make music under the name Thuja) got so inspired upon hearing this disc that they determined to start their own hippie psych side project, to be called "The Ways Of God To Man", drawing upon Kalacakra as well as the similar sounds of Yahowah 13 and Maru Sankaku Shikaku and Faust's "Tapes" as influences. We'll let you know if they manage to actually record anything! Garden of Delights did their usual thorough job with this reissue, which boasts a thick booklet full of liner notes (in German and English), reproductions of label art from the original LP *and* from bootleg versions, plus photos of Claus and Heinz looking about as weird and long-haired and hippie-ish as it's possible to get! Albums like this make us worry about overlooking other hidden gems amid the multitude of kraut/psych/prog reissues that we're blessed/cursed with every month, so we'll do our best to try and check 'em all out, eventually...whew...

RealAudio clip: Nearby Shiras
RealAudio clip: Raga No. 11
RealAudio clip: Tante Olga

Another two weeks have passed. Must mean it's time for another AQ-list. AND another Acid Mothers Temple record!! That's a slight exaggeration, but -only- slight, as the insanely prolific Makoto Kawabata (surpassed only by the stupidly prolific Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices) unleashes yet more music, this time with his power trio Mothers Of Invasion and their debut recording "Hot Rattlesnakes" (a reference to the only Zappa record Allan thinks you might want to own). Fans know what to expect and won't be disappointed. Track one is a thirty minute, freaked out psychedelic rock and roll jam. Bass and drums kicking out an endless groove while Kawabata goes to fuckin' town! Wailing and squealing and spraying gobs of freaked out Hendrix guitar all over the place. Endless guitar god nirvana. You know you love it! Track two is ten minutes of delayed and reverbed guitars warped into a hypnotic wash of warm guitar atmospherics and gently finger picked low end melodies. Subtle and quite nice. The closing 15 minutes is back to the jam, with an even more intense burst of psychedelic mayhem, phasers set to stun and flangers set to... well to FLANGE MOTHER FUCKER!!!!! The track blisses out for a moment while Kawabata wrings some emotion from his dying guitar, only to bring it back to life and exit in a blaze of guitar shredding, amp melting glory!

RealAudio clip: Theme of Hot Rattlesnakes
RealAudio clip: Fripian Flipped Over Niffy Their King Of Frippery
RealAudio clip: French Sweet Suger House

Another fine reissue from fine reissue label Sundazed (who put this out in '99 -- so we're slow, sorry) of late sixties era psych rock. Kennelmus were from the Arizona desert and played a sunbaked style of almost surfy psychedelia, as documented on this, their sole LP release from 1971. Influenced by the Beach Boys, early Alice Cooper, and we'd have to assume some mind-expanding drugs, this is gorgeous stuff that's also weirdly unhinged as you'll discover as the album progresses. 'Indonesian instrumental '60s guitar pop band The Steps doing Morricone Western soundtrack music' (cool!) is the first thing we thought after hearing the initial three or four songs, but then as the tracks advance, more and more songs feature vocals, often silly, nasal ones...partially because of this, at times this reminds us of another strange band originally from Arizona, the Sun City Girls! Kennelmus have their own, unique vibe, but you never know what to expect: there's the song "Mother Of My Children" with vocals that sound exactly like Lee Hazlewood, lotsa studio trickery and effects (backwards guitars galore), and then album-closer "The Raven" (yes, the famous Edgar Allen Poe poem set to music). Which explains the bird silhouette on the disc's fantastic purple cover. If you liked Sundazed more recent reissue of the Gandalf album we reviewed last list, this is way weirder but similarily lovely and obscure.

RealAudio clip: I Don't Know
RealAudio clip: Dancing Doris
RealAudio clip: Black Sunshine
RealAudio clip: Think For Yourself

I know we seem to be kind of hard on Kid606. We are. He's the artist du jour. He's on practically every electronica compilation that came out in the last two years, everyone wants to put his records out, everyone wants to remix him (or be remixed by him),

RealAudio clip: MP3 Killed The CD Star (Excerpt One)
RealAudio clip: MP3 Killed The CD Star (Excerpt two)
RealAudio clip: Kiddy Needs A New Pair Of Laptops
RealAudio clip: Never Underestimate The Value Of A Holler (Vipee-pee Mix)

As an objet d'art, Thomas Koner's "Unerforschtes Gebiet" is almost perfectly executed from beginning concept to final product. The title translates from Koner's native German as "Unchartered Territory," a common theme for electronica's isolationist whose previous work has prompted metaphors of arctic desolation, astrophysical emptiness, and Zen-like nothingness. Inscribed upon one of the loveliest picture discs we've ever seen with images of antique seafaring maps of the Arctic Ocean / North Pole, Koner's "Unerforschtes Gebiet" is a very quiet composition that explores variations of low frequencies which crawl very slowly in and out of audibility amidst down-pitched cracklings and muted rumbles. It could be assumed that Koner has kept this album relatively quiet and has geared-down all the frequencies to give more presence to the surface noise inherent in all picture discs (which for better or for worse never sound as good as a thick slab of 220 gram vinyl). Koner has stated that this album has its origins from his experiments with the projections of a really dusty piece of blank 16mm film; thus, he's done his best to cover all the conceptual bases between the historical references to those old maps, the surface noise, and that dusty film. Of course, if you can't stand surface noise, by all means stay away and be content with the knowlegde that a slightly different CD version of this album will be published later on this year. But if you waffle on this one, I guarantee you will miss out as Die Stadt has manufactured a mere 700 copies!

RealAudio clip: Unerforschtes Gebiet 1
RealAudio clip: Unerforschtes Gebiet 2

A slight departure from the silence and drones that often-inaudible composer Bernhard Gunter's Trente Oiseaux label is known for, this disc by Japanese cello and violin duo Kuwayama Kiyoharu and Kijima Rina is a live acoustic improv set. Not exactly jazz improv, though! More of an avant-garde modern classical chamber improv thing, but minus the actual "chamber", 'cause the real twist is that "01.06.16" isn't just live, it's what you might term a "field recording" -- they recorded it outdoors, beside a highway at midnight! So you get the sound of passing cars and trucks, adding a whooshing, rumbling texture to the proceedings. We're not sure if they're really listening to the traffic and interactively improvising with those sounds -- although it seems that way at least some of the time -- but the ambient (and very present) pulsation of the highway noise makes a nice setting for the creaking, scrabbling, droning interplay of their strings. This type of thing is this duo's modus operandi, as we've also heard Mr. Kuwayama's and Ms. Kijima's previous, self-titled disc on GG Records which featured them improvising similarily in a warehouse and on the construction site of an expressway. Although we're still a bit surprised to find this on Trente Oiseaux -- being the label that released Reynols' "Blank Tapes", we'd have expected them to want even more highway and less violin and cello on this release...

RealAudio clip: 01.06.16 f

Holy shit! The Bolt get a proper visual document for those of you who missed out on the live action! Or if you were there and couldn't see past the rabid flurry of sweat and flesh of the adrenalin charged audiences! Or if you did see everything and now you want to see yourself on film, you narcissistic bastard! Speaking of which, camera whore and AQ doorman John Dwyer makes his international film debut as himself and as Pink of Pink and Brown, he's all over this thing like flies on shit, relaxing in someone's backyard completely in costume or just bobbing along to the live action!! Anyway, the film takes us across America with one of the loudest bands on the planet. Join Brian Chippendale and Brian Gibson as they whip unsuspecting crowds into disco frenzied mosh pits. Rarely does a band make the audience bang their heads *and* shake their booties -- these kids do it right. Watch indie rock nerds get knocked over as they're trapped in the Bolt's surprise attack from the back of the room, opposite the stage. See scenesters get ridiculously stupid as Gibson's 3800 watt tower scrapes earwax outta their pretty little heads! If you couldn't really get into their records (since their music certainly has a physical element which could only be imagined whether you've seen them or not), this will definitely knock you on your ass! Bonus features include two hilariously animated music videos, a remix video by Libythth, a gallery of Brian Chippendale's wonderfully screenprinted poster art and a humorous clip of the duo rehearsing and discussing the relevance of their art. Very well done.

Best known as the bass player for Sebadoh (he also joined Will and Ned Oldham on Palace Music's "Viva Last Blues"), Jason Loewenstein sets out on his own with his first solo album. In Sebadoh, it was inevitable that his songwriting skills would be overshadowed by the irrepressible works of Barlow. Nevertheless, he did contribute an increasing number of songs on later albums. Unfortunately it seems what made those songs work more often than not was the presence of Barlow. Left to his own devices, Loewenstein veers into straight-up indie rock terrain full of loose and stringy electric guitars and trundling bass ("Circles"). There's driving numbers that fit well with the current crop of Hellacopters and Hives rock'n'roll ("Codes"), and strange grungey "heavy metal" guitars ("H/M"). The songs that seem to click here (like "Upstate") are the ones you soon realise sound just like Sebadoh crossed with Sonic Youth.

RealAudio clip: Codes
RealAudio clip: Circles
RealAudio clip: Upstate
RealAudio clip: H/M

Compiled by legendary musician / producer / remixer Kurtis Mantronik, this is a collection of tracks from the late '70s and early '80s, all of which he considers not only super influential on his own work, but also typical of the groundbreaking dance / hip hop / electro / disco / house music being made in New York at this time. If you're a fan of ESG or any of the music on the two "Disco not Disco" comps, you're gonna love this too. It's a fantastic collection of tracks covering everyone from Art of Noise to Yellow Magic Orchestra, Visage, Yello and T-La Rock. More than easily standing up to today's scrutiny, none of the tracks sound dated in a bad way at all. Another great comp from Soul Jazz, the London store/label that brought us the In the Beginning There Was Rhythm comp, the 100-400% Dynamite collections, etc. Highly recommended!

RealAudio clip: That's the Joint
RealAudio clip: Computer Games
RealAudio clip: Pleasure Boys

Why he records under the moniker Full Swing some of the time and his given name Stephan Mathieu on other occasions is a mystery, as the blueprint for all of his work remains a constant. Nevertheless, Mathieu is quickly becoming the most consistent electronica composer, often upstaging Christian Fennesz and Carsten Nicolai. Picking up where Mathieu left off on his exceptional Full Swing "Edits" album, "Gigue" is a live recording of his synthetic swells expanded out of digital minutae. His signature buzzing resonance drifts warmly out of digitized crackle and thick droning hiss. While such sounds had been common on the aforementioned "Edits" album, Mathieu pushes these sounds even further into a tumultuous wash of reverberant static, white noise and digital percolations, which stand out as quite intense for the typically sublime Mathieu. This crescendo of noise never strives for Merzbow, rather it presents the metaphor of the vast pressures and heat from deep sea hydrothermic vents where blackened plumes of scalding water blast upward amidst the frigid seawater at the bottom of the ocean. A short 30 minutes from this accomplished musician, but well worth every minute!

RealAudio clip: Gigue

Boston's Mr. Lif releases an eight-track cdep, a concept album of sorts, wherein Lif the MC has supposedly been taken by government agents or something, presumably because his clearly-delivered message is so insurgent. The liner notes are even written by his compadre Akrobatik: "As one of Lif's closest friends, I know that he provided sociopolitical commentary in hopes that his listeners would discuss the issues brought forth..." Cannibal Ox's El-P lends his talents to two tracks. The cd comes with two videos you can play on your computer. It's good.

RealAudio clip: Phantom / feat. El-P
RealAudio clip: Heavy Artillery

Talk about cult black metal! Nargaroth's Rasluka Part II (not sure what happened to Part I...) pretty much defines it. This four song, 25 minute ep is the latest blast of hate-filled mayhem from infamous German black metal maniac Kanwulf and his hordes. Like all true black metal, this begins with a creepy intro track, featuring someone playing a recorder along to a bunch of morosely-quacking ducks, which then gives way to Naragoth's equally morose but much louder buzzing guitar/drum pound and vocal rasping, a la Burzum, Mayhem, Darkthrone. Nice n' evil like it should be. But despite the almost symphonic, ambient cascades of distortion in which their music is bathed, as well as Kanwulf & Co.'s questionable ideology, this is still at heart simply rock n' roll -- which goes some way to explaining why track four is preceded by sound samples discussing the drunken death of AC/DC's original singer Bon Scott!

RealAudio clip: ...Und Ich Sah Sonn' Nimmer Heben

Now in on LP!!! And it's about damn time! The first pressing of this glorious pop album was gone in such a flash we barely caught a glimpse of it, but now we've got the AQ ultra fave pop album in splendid vinyl abundance with lyric sheet to boot! So go on! Sing your lil' hearts out! In case you somehow missed our gushing about the cd version (or your memory's a bit foggy), here's what we had to say: Amazing pop maestro Carl Newman (Zumpano, Superconductor) heads the star-studded cast of what is, to AQ's collective ears, simply THE BEST POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2000. When was the last time the AQ staff and our wildly differing tastes happened to *unanimously* agree on a single album's brilliance? Maybe Neutral Milk's second record? The Soft Bulletin or Conet Project? Suffice to say that this happens very rarely, and that's how good this New Pornographers record is. "Mass Romantic" is absolutely shiningly great power pop, with influences as wide-ranging as Big Star, the Zombies, Eno, the Beach Boys, Cheap Trick, and Built to Spill. Not since, well, the last Zumpano record (or Silver Sun's debut) has a pop record emerged that's this powerful, kickass, well-crafted and totally complex. Really. Each of the twelve tracks is a fully realised pop creation unto itself. Intelligent, infectious, and uplifting, with truly flawless arrangements (the key to pop greatness). In a sparkling non-country spin, the wonderful Neko Case lends her vocal gusto to complete the soaring FOUR-PART vocals on such gems as "Letter From An Occupant" not to mention the title track. And the four other members of the New Pornographers are super talents in their own right: Daniel Bejar (the enigmatic figure behind the very Nilsson-influenced combo known as Destroyer), John Collins (bassist/engineer for the Nardwuar the Human Serviette-lead freakos the Evaporators, garage-pop stalwarts Smugglers, and the rock army known as Superconductor), Kurt Dahle (drummer for Canadian college popsters Limblifter), and indie filmmaker Blaine Thurier. Recommended for everyone -- even if you only buy one pop or rock record this year, this should be it.

RealAudio clip: Letter From an Occupant
RealAudio clip: The Fake Headlines
RealAudio clip: The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism
RealAudio clip: To Wild Homes

Seems like Jim O'Rourke keeps sticking his grubby little paws where they're not needed. Tortoise? Stereolab? Mirror? Sonic Youth? Phill Niblock?!?!?!? Good thing he doesn't think Aquarius is cool enough otherwise that bunny-suited dork would be ringing you up at the cash register!! Maybe that's a little mean, but it does seem, where hipness goes, O'Rourke will follow. And in this case, at least, we can't really complain since it means we are treated to one more amazing Phill Niblock record. Niblock who has been active for 20+ years, but had never recorded due to his distaste for the process and the resulting less-than-adequate and timeless document, has recently seen more and more of his work seeing the light of day thanks to better recording and a medium (cds) with more room for longer duration pieces. Niblock also runs the XL label that has been focusing on twentieth century composers specialising in extended drones. On G2, 44+/X2, Niblock has composed an extended piece for multi-tracked guitar. The first version features guitar samples from Rafael Toral, Robert Poss, Susan Stenger and David First. The second version features the same 24 track mix as the first version, but with Kevin Drumm, Lee Ranaldo, Robert Poss, Alan Licht and Thurston Moore adding 2 live parts each. The results are stunning. Version one warm and ALIVE, a swelling, throbbing, beating wall of thick guitars, feedback and chords, all layered into one massive otherworldy drone. The second version is quite similar, but even more dense, with the extra guitars adding more low end rumble and a dizzying array of ultra-subtle harmonics. When the record ends, it's like a vacuum in your skull. It almost physically hurts when the music stops, as if you were floating on a rich, thick bed of sound and suddenly it was yanked out from under you and you find yourself laying on the cold hard ground. Nothing to do but push play again, sit back and let the guitars lift you toward the sky. SO GOOD!!

RealAudio clip: Guitar Too, For Four - Toral Version

Remember that band Xerobot that were around during the Midwest No Wave craze of the mid nineties? Numbers is ex-members of Xerobot, and everybody is gaga for No Wave in SF right now. Catchy punk rawk, chaotic choppy guitar, screamy/shouty boy/girl vox though distorted makeshift microphones -- it's all good, but the amateurish homemade synth bleeps and token Moog distract from the totally fierce guitarwork. Influences definitely include Gang of Four and Wire. Ten songs, nineteen and a half minutes. Tigerbeat6. Down with the scene.

RealAudio clip: Prison Life
RealAudio clip: I'm Shy

[ aquarius records new arrivals — issue 141 ]