Okay, this is volume two in Acid Mothers Temple's Magical Powers From Mars series and while we raved about the first one, I'm afraid we have to be a little harsh this time around. Not on the music. No, the music is great, as always. And if you bought the first one, you're gonna need this one too. AMT can do no wrong it seems. This is a thick slab of gorgeous, psychedelic freak out, with wailing female vocals and space-y swooshes and interstellar bleeps and beeps. A 15 minute burst of damaged psych brilliance. But that's where the trouble starts. Fifteen minutes! For $11!! The first volume was nineteen minutes and was also $11. By our thinking, both those tracks, hell, even the forthcoming less-than-twenty-minute volume three could all fit on ONE CD. But that would be fine, conceptually, there's nothing wrong with a series of EP's. And the 3-D lenticular cover on volume one was really something to see. So we resigned ourselves to buying all three. But what's this? Volume two has THE EXACT SAME COVER?! As will volume three we discovered! What the fuck?!? And the cool 3" cd embedded in a 5" plastic disc with crazy space art? EXACTLY THE SAME. Kind of shitty if you ask us. Basically, you're looking at $33 for 50+ minutes of music and three practically identical cases/covers. But of course, if we've learned one thing: liking Acid Mothers Temple is all about COLLECTING, so collect away!!
Not too long ago we reviewed the recent reissues (on the Garden of Delights label) of the first two albums by this AQ-beloved krautrock band, an outfit up there with Pink Floyd, Ash Ra Tempel, Wishbone Ash, Can, Guru Guru, etc. in our book of cool '70s psych/prog.
Recorded live in 1973 and '74, and then originally released in '76, this is Agitation Free's third album (and, at the time, final album -- though there's been other posthumous live/archival releases since then). We thought since everybody likes their first two so much we ought to tell you about "Last"! Basically, if you liked the wide-open, psychedelic jamming guitars and electronic experimentation of Agitation Free's "Malesch" or "Second" you'll want to check this one out too. The three cosmic, spacey instrumental tracks here include a version of the lovely "Laila II" from their second album, and bits from their first. And track three, the VERY spacey, minimalist rock of "Looping IV" (which, at 23 minutes, covered the original LP's entire B-side), will lull you into a beatific trance just as well as anything by today's expert space/drone bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Landing, or Kinski...
More limited cd-r madness, again from our Finnish faves Avarus. A super limited one track 22+ minute live set, and it'a a little surprising considering what we're used to from these guys. The last few Avarus releases have been dreamy, stumbly psychedelic tinged folk, with loose tribal drumming, and an odd assortment of bowed, plucked and strummed instruments, reminding us very much of AQ faves Kemialliset Ystavat (with whom Avarus share members) and tribal, free-rock collective the No Neck Blues Band. But this live record is a different beast altogether. Channelling the spirit of the Dead C, Avarus kick up quite a racket, a thick slab of sound, with LOTS of guitars, feedback and some seriously chaotic drumming, recorded hot and overblown, adding just the right amount of distortion and haze to the recording. It almost sounds like some New Zealand noise rock band like Gate or maybe UK psych/drone ensemble Sunroof! -covering- Avarus. A nice new direction for one of our favorite bands! In handpainted sleeves, every one unique!
The new album from Will Oldham & friends is simply wonderful. And we know we rave about Oldham a lot, from his work with Palace Bros to the solo material, but really we mean it -- this is one of his best records. In fact, I think that without the charming but sometimes syrupy twang prevalent on his earlier efforts, Master and Everyone has finally launched Oldham into the same lofty, hallowed territory as other iconoclastic folk practitioners such as Townes Van Zandt. Yeah, this is that good.
The new record has the same kind of low-key charm as his last offering, Ease On Down the Road, although while that record had a sunny back-porch vibe and moments of sly, naughty humor, the laconic, mellow sound of Master And Everyone is tinged with melancholy -- as is much of Oldham's recorded output -- but doesn't try to reach into the inky realms of cathartic intensity found on I See A Darkness (which is one of the best records he's made). Instead, the feeling is familiar and comforting, as Oldham wraps a honeyed falsetto or low, secretive whisper around distant stories of love and lonelines, filtered through the phrasing of early god-fearing folk balladeers. Female harmonies add to the sweetness. Gone is Oldham's faux Appalachian hillbilly guise, and the tenuous, always-cracking vocal warble, and the sometimes pointlessly peurile lyrics, and in its place is a warm, muted, dark folk record. Very reminiscent of seventies British folk, especially Nick Drake, with gorgeous female vocals perfectly complementing Oldham's warm languorous voice. A perfect drifiting off record.
Probably the best testimonial to the goodness of this record is not the fact that the AQ staffers who're already Bonnie Billy fans like it, but the fact that Andee, a.k.a. staunch Oldham naysayer (likes nothing after the Palace Bros debut), LOVES this record too. And that's saying somethin'!
Bottleskup is another twig off of the Godspeed You Black Emperor tree. Actually its the alias of One Speed Bike which is the alias of Aidan Girt. He's also the figure behind Exhaust not to mention being the drummer for GYBE. Whew! As with 1SB, he reveals the rougher, unpolished improv side of the Montreal music scene. Often hit or miss, and often a bit crude in its execution, Girt's work is more about capturing the gritty moments. Loops and samples are thrust through a cloud of belching distortion and processing. Murky, repetitive, and verging on industrial. The first song features a simple dorky keyboard melody awkwardly tapped out with one finger. The final track burbles with the decaying theme song from Entertainment Tonight. Vocals are few and far between but when they do surface, they're muffled spoken or hollered proclamations. All the while foggy four on the floor dance beats churn away like lo-fi house tracks. Ten tracks in all, each with very long song titles like "If anyone in this high school fucks with you for being a freak, just tell me and I'll kick their ass" and "The day I defeated the Dutch shelf toilet".
The Sea And Cake's new album and now Brokeback? Is it just me or does it seem Chicago bands are shifting towards a more European suaveness? Brokeback's new album is much less low-key jazz that their past releases - although they do give a nod to their brethren Tortoise with a rendition of "The Suspension Bridge At Iguazu Falls". Looks At The Bird is an ultra-soothing affair filled with smooth jetsetter film music a la Morricone's Danger Diabolik, but perhaps more earthy. It evokes expansive desert scenes with glimmering mirages melting in and out of view. Furthering the filmic mood, they close the album with a cover of "Pearl's Dream" from the movie The Night Of The Hunter. The languid atmosphere's graced with the ethereal vocals of the late Mary Hansen and Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab. Each time we've played this in the store, someone's scooped up a copy! Very nice!
Cryptic and creepy, Caacrinolas is the "black metal" project of German AQ-pal Bjoern Eichstaedt and his colleague Larry Luer, both of whom more typically make music in the realms of avant-garde jazz and experimental electronics. But, inspired by the likes of Burzum and Emperor, Bjoern and Larry created Caacrinolas, whose first, cultish cd-r release "A Thousand Cries Has The Night" was much liked by AQ staff and customers. Now they're returned to terrorize us further with "Caacrinolas 2: Valley Of The Dead". Again, it's a single track, but a longer one, at 36 minutes this time. Again, it's in a limited, numbered edition of 100. The packaging is a bit fancier -- a clear dvd-sized "Super Jewel Box", with a suitably chilling black-and-white cover photo beneath a sheet of blood-red acetate. Nice (and thus, the price is a bit more than before). And again, this is a scary 'lil disc! It does seem like they maybe have less of an overt black metal concept going on this time -- they're really establishing their own style of horror soundtrack jazz vs. metal, seemingly referencing both Bohren & Der Club of Gore and Cradle of Filth, Fantomas and Morricone, Bernard Herrmann and Sigh!
This disc's journey of darkness begins with classical strings and malevolent petrodactyl squawks, seguing into a Bohren-esque, noirish jazz-drone soundscape with zombie monk vocals in the background. But sudden changes will constantly catch the listener unawares -- lurking at every turn there are bursts of jagged metalcore riffing with roiling drums, passages of doleful organ, blasts of noise and distortion, dark and droney Tangerine Dream synth-work, and, as the disc concludes, pensive, pretty piano a la David Shire's soundtrack for The Conversation. Yep, it's good! (and evil.)
Admittedly we approached this new Crooked Fingers a bit gingerly. Really, just how far could Eric Bachmann travel down that slippery slope of bummerness? Well, from the looks of this, his third album as Crooked Fingers, it appears he's hit a bit of a ledge of hope and dusted himself off. Earlier recordings drew visions of a lone man completely embittered and beaten down. Hunched over a bar, his slumped shoulders bearing the full weight of his hopeless world as he drowned his sorrows with an endless line of whiskey shots. These days, things are brighter, much more lushly composed. Bachmann's certainly moved beyond the confines of his former bluesy twang in both musical and emotional scope. A clearer vision and broader presentation, it's almost a complete transformation. Still, his voice - warmer and softer than his former rasp - continues to resemble that of Neil Diamond, but overall this is much closer to Badly Drawn Boy or Elliott Smith. Hurrah!
Dead Raven Choir centers on the person known as Smolken (a native of Poland, temporarily residing in Texas). Smolken contributed a track to the recent "Heat & Birds" compilation on San Francisco's Jewelled Antler cd-r label, and now this DRC cd-r becomes the first thing released by JA not to feature musicians from their Thuja/Blithe Sons/Child Readers/Franciscan Hobbies/Skygreen Leopards/etc. collective. So what got the Jewelled Antlers all so gosh-darn interested in DRC? This disc provides the reason: DRC specializes in a warped, weird old-timey folk music -- all sparsely strummed guitar, with dark cello drones, atonal piano, and spooky organ faintly heard in the background, over which Smolken sings, in a rather unique style. It's bizarre outsider folk made by a black metal fan. Imagine the dead bones of a rustic farmer, propped up on his back porch with a broken-down guitar, possessed by a spirit or vampire from the Old Country. This animated corpse is made to strum the guitar, and to sing and whisper in an oddly dramatic, Polish accented voice, in this case declaiming lyrics from the poems of Hilaire Belloc and Rainer Maria Rilke!! Eerily quiet (mostly, but for some violent outbursts), and very dark and disturbing, the strange Eastern European theatricality of Smolken's singing and his abstract, alienated string pluck creates a negative, but fascinating, psychological atmosphere. It reminds us a bit of Japanese avant-garde folk troubadour Kan Mikami, or the mysterious Jandek...but creepier.
One of two very different new PSF releases from our favorite dark lord of Japanese psychedelic improv (Haino's "Mazu Wa Iro O Nakuso Ka" being the other, reviewed last list). This one's actually an archival release, recorded way back in 1981. As per the title, it's a "free rock" jam merging the talents of Haino with a bunch of dudes from pioneering weird-music collective the Los Angeles Free Music Society! With Haino and Rick Potts both on guitar, plus the Doo-Dooettes trio of Dennis Duck (drums), Fredrik Nilsen (bass), and Tom Recchion (on his home-made instruments the "mock cello" and "strungaphone"), this group really whips up a wild and woolly storm of avant-rock insanity. It's one single thirty-five minute long track which actually has its own title -- we'll repeat it here 'cause it's so evocative: "Blueprint For The Shimmering Quivers Of The Deep Purple Ultraviolet Tuning Fork". Pretty much says it all. You can definitely hear Haino's distinctive guitar in there, but the LAFMS guys hold their end up too. And as messy as it may at first seem, it does go somewhere musically. Verdict: Worth hearing for sure, if you're into alien noise-rock skree at all. An unusual entry in Haino's discography, like his Fushitsusha jamming with the Magic Band or something. Glad they dug this one out of the vaults...
NB. We're told (by a friend who reads Japanese) that Keiji Haino's liner notes for this describe how he visited Aquarius Records on a 1979 trip to San Francisco! He apparently bought a LAFMS LP here and that led him into contact with Potts et. al. and thus to the creation of this very recording. Cool.
With an album title that sounds like it could be the name of the next Immortal record, this new release from Chicago guitar experimentalist Kevin Drumm takes the inspired-by-black-metal aesthetic of his recent Mego-label cd "Sheer Hellish Miasma" even further (what's he been doing, hanging out with Weasel Walter?). In fact, he teams up here with an actual Norwegian! Lasse Marhaug of noisy electronica act Jazzkammer joins Drumm for this live-in-Oslo session, his laptop computer vs. Drumm's guitar and analog synth. Their collaboration/clash results in some dark and droney sounds that are semi-appropriate to the apparent black metal concept, being generally quiet and creepy rather than massive or mayhemic. The guitar, when you can tell it's a guitar, is more Derek Bailey than Burzum. And the arctic winds evoked on here hiss rather than howl. But, there's no mistaking the simulation of the sinister crackling of burning churches, and perhaps even the twittering of malicious goblins in dark forests, via Drumm and Marhaug's electronics. So, of course, we love this. Leaving aside the black metal business, this is atmospheric ambient glitch drone improv at its best -- and most eeveeiil.
What or who is Eesk? She was an integral part of SF's eccentric, eclectic, and highly entertaining Action Plus (note: her alias then was Ursula Blind). With Ghost Taxi, she continues in the A.P. tradition of the unrelenting style and mood melting pot. It's graced with multi-personality vocal acrobatics and definite overtones of international film music. She draws inspiration from wonderfully diverse sources to create an intelligent, finely composed and thoroughly engaging album. Very soundtrack-y! A little spine-tingling sinister at times, a bit strangely trippy at others, and ultra mellow loungey at still others. And although this is her solo album, she's by no means on her own. The album features a shining supporting cast too: skilled guitarist and producer Joe Gore (Action Plus, PJ Harvey, Tom Waits, Eels, Tracy Chapman, Oranj Symphonette), Tin Hat Trio's Rob Burger (on keyboards) and Carla Kihlstedt (on violin), Creeper Lagoon's David Kostiner (on drums), Oranj Symphonette's Pat Campbell (also on drums), cellist Matthew Brubeck (Oranj Symphonette, Jewel, Sheryl Crow), and Joey Waronker (Beck, Smokey & Miho, REM, Elliott Smith, Badly Drawn Boy, and the list goes on and on). Nice!
Despite all the crackling digital fuzz, this is basically a pretty digestible pop record. "It's Hard to be a Baby" is a bit smoother than the usual mind melting laptop glitch fest. Witness the nouveau-bossa acoustic guitar flourishes here and there, mix that with pretty, melodic minor key synth strings and reeds and some non-threatening mid-tempo beats, and you're halfway to the atmosphere of a trendy boutique. There's plenty of interesting moments, though, as attention is focused on process through obvious, pause-ridden loops, and distorted piano and catchy melodies are plastered with distortion. It's all topped off with the sense of playfulness that infuses the Tigerbeat roster. Kinda like downtempo lounge for robot programmers or glitch-core for aspiring international supermodels.
Brooding, languid and very filmic. Like a meeting of Godspeed You Black Emperor, Ennio Morricone and Calexico at the end of a deserted dirt road somewhere in Arizona. Particularly, fans of the latter might also take a considerable shine to these Friends and it's no surprise 'cause John Convertino and Joey Burns were a part of an early incarnation of F.O.D.M. When they split to form their wonderful combo, remaining member Bill Elm continued on. The music on this double cd, the follow-up to their A Place In The Sun album from 2000, is much less lounge / surf inflected than previous recordings. Steel guitar slink over and through the shadowy rhythm section while mellotron and organ do their part to envelop the expansive proceedings. The first disc compiles songs from their albums Wichita Lineman and Live At Club 2 (a 2001 performance they did in Germany). Imagine a soundtrack to an old western directed by David Lynch... sound good? This is!
Don't call Gold Chains a player, he's in love with you. And don't call him played out, 'cause this single is another evolutionary step for the genre twisting, scruffy-voiced laptop MC. Broken electric funk and tech-hop beats infuse one of Gold Chains catchiest, best-produced (and that's saying a lot) tracks to date. Features a hectic pitched-up remix by Kit Clayton, and a groovy house-ier mix by Luomo (aka Vladislav Delay).
Heavy Hydrahead metalcore from Tacoma, Washington's hard rockin' Harkonen. Headbanging, punked-up sludge music with an arty bent, something like Neurosis, Melvins, old Cave In, and (let's try a more obscure reference) Nonoyesno. They employ raw vocals, pounding drums, guitar feedback, and bits of droney atmosphere -- all in the service of what are, underneath, kinda catchy lil' songs. Maybe not the most groundbreaking release on Hydrahead ever, but still good recommended heaviness.
Straightforward, brittle country folk from Gainesville, FL warmed and embellished by some slinking slide guitar, cello, trumpet, piano, some sweet backing vocals, and mainman John Orth's earnest lead vocals. Quite reminiscent of Uncle Tupelo. You might've also heard him on the recent album Sharpen Your Teeth from indie super group Ugly Casanova along with members of Black Heart Procession, Modest Mouse, Califone and Red Red Meat. Actually RRM's Brian Deck and MM's Isaac Brock both make a number of appearances on this debut album -- and a solid one it is!
These young Canadians have certainly come a long way in a very short period of time. Their first Sub Pop cdep 'Knock Knock Knock' only came out earlier this year, and I believe they had just one other release prior to that. They started out in 1999 with a different vocalist and churned out boyish angst filled post-punk made notable by its catchy rockin' synth lines (which were very much like the amazing, but sadly long defunct The VSS). Nowadays however, they're quite a different band. No longer spurring fewer comparisons to Circus Lupus or bands from San Diego's ThreeOneG and Gold Standard Laboratories roster, they're drawing more from the British, buoyant mod pop sounds of the '60s and yes, the new waveness of '80s. Polished, styled out and very danceable, yet still retaining their youthful exuberance. Very fleshed out vocals with great gang of boys backups deliver the clever lyrics. Oh and yes the rad riffin' keyboard lines are also still present. Ultra-infectious and energetic! If you've liked Outhud, !!!, the most recent Rapture 12" or the last Radio 4 album 'Gotham' (a sidenote: oddly enough HHH's singer often sounds a lot like R4's vocalist who actually sounds a lot like early Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello), then you'll definitely want to check this out! Mind you they're a much more pop than funky! Recorded by Seattle studio vet Jack Endino. Get ready folks, you're probably going to be hearing a lot from these boys in the months to come! Recommended!
Okay, so what's goin' on with Joan Of Arc? Shortly after the release of their last album The Gap a couple of years ago, they officially called it quits. Then less than a year later providing a little more closure, there was a posthumous cdep. It seems though that there's something in the water that makes Kinsella bros' bands come back to life. Case in point? Another of their early combos, The Owls were quickly ressurrected filling the postrock-y emo space vacated by JOA. Now, this new cd has surfaced. Yes, they're back -- sounding quite refreshed we might add, but much more subdued and controlled. The somewhat tedious jazzy noodling and intrusive experimentations on The Gap have been honed and better encorporated into the big picture. There's a nicely arranged interplay between the soft, emotive vocals, gently meandering keyboards and guitars. Pleasing, delicate post-rock. Welcome back JOA.
There's over 70 minutes of high-flying, low-droning instrumental space rock on this here split cd! AQ-faves Kinski start things off with "Keep Clear Of Me, I Am Maneuvering With Difficulty", a twenty-minute long improv which gives them plenty of time to build from quiet, outer-space atmospherics to the sort of loud, fuzzed-out mantric heaviness that we love 'em for. Their driving rock mayhem attains levels of distortion that the Acid Mothers Temple would envy, before Kinski bring things down into a nice cosmic drone zone to end the piece. Easily as good as anything on their excellent new Sub Pop album "Airs Above Your Station" reviewed here last list. Next comes a band with whom we were not familiar, Paik (named after artist Nam June?). Their two tracks clock in at about twenty minutes total too. Ponderous yet shimmery, you probably won't realize you're not still listening to Kinski -- no complaints there. Real nice & pretty. And then Surface of Eceon (another AQ-fave, related to Landing) take a half-hour to soothingly drone their way through this disc's finale. Blissful. These three were definitely a good choice of bands to share a split, style AND quality-wise. Kinski definitely get up to the most rock action, but the other two bands space out beautifully. Recommended to all you psychedelic post-rock drone-heads.
When Uncle Tupelo broke up way back, their fans were split into two distinct groups. Those that sided with Jeff Tweedy, and preferred his voice and his songs. And those that were Jay Farrar boosters all the way. Around these parts, we pretty much all fell into the latter camp. Farrar's desperately ache-y, whiskey soaked drawl beat out Tweedy's reedy whine every time. And post UT, it could've gone either way, the first Son Volt was perfect, exactly where we wanted to see Farrar go. But then the first Wilco was no slouch either. But we quickly lost interest in Wilco as record after record continued to become more bland and pointless (regardless of critical praise). But then unexpectedly, Jay Farrar took a horrifying detour into what we can only describe as adult contemporary country rock. Mediocre. Boring. Bad. And then out of the blue, Jeff Tweedy made a similar about face, but instead of sinking into radio friendly pap, he turned towards US, you and me, the ones that love weird, beautiful, fucked up, experimental goodness, with arms outstretched. And thus, we were given Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, a beautiful record for sure, but beautiful in a way that wasn't always obvious. Kind of like the "ugly" girls in movies who are actually totally hot, but just happen to be wearing glasses and paint splattered overalls and pigtails. And if you're like me, she's always WAY hotter than the "pretty" girls. Anyway, a totally great record. Not so experimental that there couldn't be good songs. And catchy songs that only seem to be helped by their experimental surroundings.
So now we have Loose Fur, which sounds just like you imagine it would seeing as it's 3 folks from Wilco, two of which, Jim O'Rourke (unofficial Wilco member and Tweedy cohort) and Glenn Kotche, are hugely responsible for Wilco's new sound and direction. Loose Fur sound a lot like Wilco kicking back and jamming for fun, recording on an eight track with some beer and some take out BBQ instead of in a $5000 a day studio with a catered buffet and a 'producer', recording in the basement or at home, whenever the mood strikes 'em. Like a fuzzed out, druggier, dreamier, more lo-fi Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. A sweet and unassuming mix of pop, country, folk and psychedlic weirdness. Really really great! The perfect thing to hold you over until the new Wilco, or to drown your 'what-happened-to-Jay-Farrar-well-at-least-we-have-Jeff-Tweedy' blues.
The evolution of Robert Hampson's career has employed a steady skeletonization of the guitar -- possibly to the point that he doesn't even play guitar anymore on any of his records, but at least to the point where he's producing nothing that resembles a guitar. After dissolving his first band (the incendiary hypno-rock group Loop) and fronting Main, Hampson first dropped all drum tracks, then removed the bass, and gradually shifted towards sampling technologies over the guitar itself. "Transiency" is a short 20 minute EP, released by longtime Main / Loop / Hampson fan Kid 606 on the Tigerbeat 6 label. True to the last couple of releases, Hampson offers studied compositions of electronic minimalism and concrete flourishes that have been clipped against gaping voids of quiet spaces.
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A four song introduction to the Moving Units from Los Angeles in preparation for their forthcoming full length. It would be admirable of me if I could write this entire review without drawing comparison to the obvious. Every review I read about these guys says they sound exactly like this one band whose around right now who sounds exactly like this other band who is no longer. So I don't see the good I would do in repeating that. I'm so jaded, weird and bitter about the resurgence of the 80's new wave punk sound, soooo I am not going to even go there. I'll simply say that this sounds like a band that grew up listening to this certain kind of music with quirky funky bass lines, hectic high guitar melodies and staccato, stop-start, dancy drums. I must say though, it is completely successful post-punk dance music. Smooth and fun with alternately sullen / angstful boy vocals. I'm so over this recent trend in music, but they are doing it well. And I'm sure they'll go relatively far if only on nostalgia points alone.
We've noticed that in lots of our reviews we make reference to the No Neck Blues Band. Assuming, of course, everyone would know exactly what we were talking about. But then we discovered that we had only really reviewed two of their previous records, one with only a single sentence! Certainly, it seems, not enough to warrant so many comparisons. What neglect for a band to whom we constantly refer! But this dearth of reviews is mostly due to the scarcity and limited nature of most of their releases. Currently, there is only one double cd available, a reissue of a release from a few years back as well as a sort-of-bootleg lp. And now this new vinyl package.
For us at AQ, the name No Neck Blues Band has become synonymous with the sort of stumbling/free/improv/space/psych/drum-circle/hippy/tribal free jams that we love so much (Avarus, Kemialliset Ystevat, Anaksimandros, Thuja, Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Jackie O Motherfucker, etc.). NNBB is a loose collective of hippies, shamans, musicians and hangers on that seem to be able to effortlessly conjure up wild, free and totally mesmerising jams reminiscent of the ESP Records roster, the thudding primitve, dirge-psych of German Oak, and the spaced out psychedelic krautrock of Amon Duul. In the past we described their sound as "loose & stumbling, trippy neo-kraut, free 'sort-of-jazz' improvised jams, drunken drones and hypnotic hums" and that sound hasn't changed too much. If anything it's gotten a little poppier, albeit in the loosest sense of the term, and a little more structured. But it's still some of the best transcendental, tribal, droning, rhythmic, hypnotic free sort-of-rock we've ever heard. NNBB have never been ones to skimp on packaging and this time around is no different: a thick slab of vinyl housed in a gorgeous, cloth bound lp sleeve (like an old hardcover book) with embossed text and pasted-on image on the cover. Also comes with a bonus 7" from a 'related' group called Mount Analog, although to my eras, the two songs on the 7" fit perfectly with the sounds on the lp. Also comes with two pages of NNBB rants. Curious and typically indecipherable.
A bit price-y for sure, but as with all NBBB releases, it's limited, will soon be out of print, and considering how little of their stuff is readily available, fans of all of the above mentioned bands as well as folks into all things tribal/hippy/pschedelic will be kicking themselves if they miss out.
Ominous shadows lurk in the dank maze of sewer tunnels beneath the city, and O.S.T. has lured them to the surface. Well, not literally, but this does sound pretty close to what you might imagine... that is, if the tunnels were inhabited with tiny electronic spiders weaving webs of prickly circuitry. Subdued bleep'n'click rhythms keep things on an even keel through the layers of synthetic strings, severely processed samples and vaporous drones. This was probably pretty great to experience live in a darkened club setting, but you surely can scoop up a copy of this limited cd-r and recreate an equally suitable atmosphere at home. Just shy of an hour long.
Perhaps his most polished work to date, O.S.T. covers a lot of sonic terrain on his newest album. As opposed to many of his previous releases on which you might encounter just one of his sonic personas - extremely abrasive confrontations, spacey atmospherics, arachnidian electronic glitchiness - on D.N.P.W.W.O. he incorporates all of them. This provides for a vast contrast from one track to the next, but not jarringly so. You'll get the droning heaviness, clusters of electronic shards, distorted carnivalesque melodies (check out "Jeux"), gluey minimal pulses and more throughout these eighteen tracks.
Hmmm, has Robert Pollard been compared to the Energizer bunny yet? Goodness! When does this man ever rest? Perhaps he's aiming for a spot in the Guinness Book for most cds released? Yet another solo offering of his distinct, lo-fi (relative to later, not earlier, efforts), unadorned psych pop that jumps from cloudy, tripped-out guitar fuzz with vocal fits, to threadbare folkiness with piano and acoustic six-string in the blink of an eye (particularly on the four sectioned "The Spanish Hammer"). As is typically the case with any of his release, there's one or two songs that shine brighter than the rest. Motel of Fools is no exception, it's graced with the wistful "Captain Black". However there'll also be the one or two less... er, pleasing moments present also. On this cd, it's the beginning of the third song "Red Ink Superman" in which the vocal recordings are slowed down to a crawling sludge. Once he's done with that though the rest of the song - and album - for that matter - bounce back to fine Pollardness.
A live 2cd set of the suitably partnered Rumah Sakit & Sweep The Leg Johnny recorded right here in SF at the Bottom Of The Hill. Putting these two angular, mathrock bands together was a great idea. Guaranteed to make fans of either or both group absolutely pee in their pants. Disc 1 contains seven songs performed by Sweep The Leg Johnny and the other has six by Rumah Sakit. STLJ offers the more unrelenting angular ass-kickin' with squelches of saxophone and tense, strained vocals, On the other hand, RS delivers the prettier, but no less heavy action with moments of sparse drumming and chiming melodic cycles. Overall, a pretty great live recording that captures the emotion and vitality of these two bands' live shows.
Another full length from those tireless, sharply suited gents, and who's complaining?! Whether they're in one of their loping or galloping moods, it just doesn't matter 'cause they smoke either way. The Sadies will hit you one way or another like a stampede of cattle or a stiletto knife in the back. Often labelled simply as a country or garage or surf band, this Canadian quartet is all of this and more. While they can definitely deliver the goods solidly in any of these departments alone, unlike many bands these days they don't just regurgitate a style. They incorporate aspects of one into another, making music that echoes of a different time, but sounds distinctly of the Sadies. Visions of the ol' west with its trusty steeds, dusty desert sunsets and ten gallon hats may come to mind but are swept away by images of scorned lovers, shifty speakeasy figures with smoking guns.
Another blast of AQ style rock (you know exactly what we mean) with a healthy side dish of professional wrestling from AQ pal Kevin and his master-of-all-other-zines magazine Salt. Issue five features tUMULt's own 7000 Dying Rats, the hyper-literate metallic grind of Bloodhag, an amazing interview with one of Andee's favorite comic book artists Renee French, label feature on iDEAL Recordings, a review of Kawabata Makoto and Jojo Hiroshige live in Japan, former Man's Ruin rockers Croatan, the relatively little know Japanese band Syogana, some reflections on the ECW, reviews of underground wrestling videos, some comics, and even some record reviews. A great read. Send this guy some money so he can turn this thing into a regular magazine and knock the Wire and Spin and Magnet and Terrorizer on their asses!
Yes! The new Satyricon! Black metal fans rejoice! Satyr and Frost are back with another slab of cold twisted grimness to rock you. Actually, we've had copies of this import disc for several weeks now, but held off on listing it 'cause we were hoping that a domestic release was imminent. But, alas, that does not seem to be the case. Now that these Norwegian gods are on a big major label over in Europe, there's some corporate bullshit preventing an indie from putting out "Volcano" over here. So, it's only available as an expensive import for the foreseeable future. However, we assure you that it's well worth the extra $$$ you'll pay! Satyricon have long been one of our favorite Nordic metal bands, maybe our number one fave, and "Volcano" only builds upon the artistry of their previous masterpiece "Rebel Extravaganza". This doomy, dark and violent disc is full of the usual Satyricon surprises. Voivod-dense, industrial prog-metal soundscapes built upon Frost's brutal drum battery and Satyr's throat-torn vox, precise and massive guitar riffing, and sci-fi synths. The totally rockin', almost Killing Joke-ish punk headbanger "Fuel For Hatred". Guest vocals on several tracks from Bjork-esque Norwegian electronica diva Anja Garbarek. A disc-closing, fourteen-minute epic of heaviness called "Black Lava" which boasts the amazing line: "Autumn in the air, the smell of black metal 1990-95"! Aside from the somewhat un-thrilling cover art (a snake's head), and that they allowed the label to change the album's title from the eccentric spelling "Vulcano" to the mundane "Volcano", these guys can do no wrong.
NB. we've only got five of these, and it might be a while before we can get more, so please don't cry if we tell you they're all gone already...
Yet another incarnation of the Ian Svenonius / Michelle Mae thing (the Make Up!), and perhaps our favorite to date, that's for sure -- though that's not necessarily saying too much 'cause there's really no big Make Up fans at AQ. However, Ian & company have progressed from sounding like a watered down version of a James Brown backup band or a bad Prince cover band to this actually kinda fun fucked up fuzzed out 70's funk/trippy/soul thing. It sounds like it would indeed be exciting to see them perform live -- we figure they'd be fun, dancey and crazy in a good way. Actually Allan can confirm this, he happened to see 'em play (rather by accident, he was there to see another band) not long ago and though he's never been a Make Up fan, he had to admit that the Scene Creamers put on a good show -- Mr. Svenonius is a geniune showman indeed and you can't argue with some good ol' fashioned rock n' soul entertainment with a sense of humor. Does that come through on record? Well, while some of this reminded us of what we didn't like about the Make Up -- the line between funny & kitsch and pretentious & dumb being crossed in the wrong direction too often -- all in all we're into it. It's true that all the posturing and styling and preaching that Ian and Michelle do can cause people who don't immediately dig that sort of thing to hate them before they've heard 'em, but really their whole propaganda thing about how "making sexy music and dressing well will uplift the oppressed proletariat" can be fucking hilarious. So give 'em a chance, we did and ended up thinking this was surprisingly rad.
By now you may be familiar with the all-45's sets performed worldwide by famed DJs Cut Chemist (Ozomatli) and DJ Shadow and their accompanying cd recordings (when we have them, which isn't often as they are quasi-legal!). Here's another installment of their funk-fueled, sweet soul hipswayin', rare groove-y, hip hop spirited sessions. While the first three tracks are underwhelming yet but welcome opening sets by NuMark (doing his cute "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" bit) and rockwrangler Z-Trip, on the body of the disc is where Shadow and Cut Chemist really shine. Consists of 6 practice tidbits and 10 lengthy live performance clips. Lots of happy "oh shit!"'s and frenzied speedracer scratching showstoppers. High energy and a ton (80 minutes!) of nonstop fun. If you've already got all the other Brainfreeze discs, you could *maybe* skip this one, but then again one always needs another play-it-all-night party disc...
Ex-Dieselhed frontman and perennial Aquarius favorite Virgil Shaw returns at last with a new collection of songs. Virgil's songwriting is at the top of its form; painting vivid pictures, recollecting grainy memories, faded epics and otherwise expressing the most heart rending lyrics he's ever written. The melodic hooks are so kindly and accessible without deepening into sappiness -- a difficult feat to pull off but with Virg it seems effortless. In terms of musical accompaniment, Still Falling is perhaps the most lush and varied in its arrangements with horns, organs, pianos, oodles of percussion and even -- for a couple seconds between two tracks -- the remnants of the dixieland jazz band from the recycled tape that they used to record the album on. Along with regular Shaw cohorts Danny Heifetz and Atom Ellis (also ex-Dieselhed), Virgil is joined by a cadre of musicians including American Music Club's Mark Eitzel (who sings vocals on a couple tracks), percussionist Willie Winant and regular salts Marc Capelle (playing just about every keyboard invented to within an inch of its life), Jeff Palmer, Matt Hall and more. Eight new originals, a Terry Allen cover ("Wilderness of This World") and a version of Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home".
Those who've been long time fans of Dieselhed are acutely aware of the limitations that the recording studio had in capturing the Dieselhed everyone knew and loved as a fantastic live band. The same, fortunately, does not apply to what Virgil has been doing since Dieselhed decided to call it quits. In fact, if anything, this newest album from Shaw and his back up band The Killer Views is closer to capturing the spirit of what Dieselhed was -- at least during their ballads -- than ever before. This is probably due in part to the presence of the above mentioned Dieselhed alumni. So nice!
High recommendations for this British record which seemingly came out of nowhere to reach our pop-lovin' ears. Equal parts perfect psych pop something like the first time I heard Olivia Tremor Control and XTC side project the Dukes of the Stratosphear, coupled with a Sea-and-Cake-ish serene cool and a cocktail lounge melancholy, the Squire's first full length is a real pleasure. And you know how much AQ likes discovering bands who might otherwise go without deserved attention. There's tessellated, shimmering trebly guitar, indomitably upbeat harpsichord, "ba da ba, BA DA BA"-style happy vocals... plus at times a warm rolling bass -- the sort of rare grooves sound that DJ Shadow searches 7" bins for -- that mixes with the pop astonishingly well. Give this a try for sure.
Finally we've managed to get our hands on some of these cd-r's by Andee's new favorite band, Sunburned Hand Of The Man (you may remember me gushing at length about their recent 'Headress' lp a few lists back), and these cd-r's, if anything, are even better than the lp! Sunburned Hand take the tribal clatter of the No Neck Blues Band (with whom they share members) and add all sort of other elements: seventies folk, droning krautrock, creepy ambient soundscapes, free jazz, stumbling free rock thud, and some actual ROCK! And come up with a totally otherworldy sound. Space-y, folky, dark and drone-y, dreamy and ethereal, driving and relentless, creepy and scary, morose and melancholy, all in the space of a single record. Bizarre instrumentation and a way with sound make SHotM heirs to the modern ESP/krautrock/psych/freerock throne!
Mind Of A Brother, recorded in 1998, is the first cd-r in this proposed series of fifty, and it's probably the most ambient. Dreamy and wispy, guitars fade in and out, echoing into nothingness, shakers shake out simple almost imperceptable rhythms, guitars play serpentine leads that are buried in murk and grime, while hums and whirrs set the foundation for these sonic explorations. Every once in a while, the drums kick in, a simple, rock rhythm, but the added rhythmic oomph pushes the sound into classic krautrock territory, motorik and propulsive, and the ghostly guitars seem to take a more solid shape as if in response to the drums new found purpose. The record ends in a primitive sort of ritual, guitar swells and warm washes of thick tones with wailing Yoko Ono-ish vocals. Some really heady and amazing stuff from this Massachusetts band!
Finally we've managed to get our hands on some of these cd-r's by Andee's new favorite band, Sunburned Hand Of The Man (you may remember me gushing at length about their recent 'Headress' lp a few lists back), and these cd-r's, if anything, are even better than the lp! Sunburned Hand take the tribal clatter of the No Neck Blues Band (with whom they share members) and add all sort of other elements: seventies folk, droning krautrock, creepy ambient soundscapes, free jazz, stumbling free rock thud, and some actual ROCK! And come up with a totally otherworldy sound. Space-y, folky, dark and drone-y, dreamy and ethereal, driving and relentless, creepy and scary, morose and melancholy, all in the space of a single record. Bizarre instrumentation and a way with sound make SHotM heirs to the modern ESP/krautrock/psych/freerock throne!
The humorously titled Piff's Clicks, also recorded in 1998, is the second in SBHotM's proposed 50 cd-r series, and this one is a lot less dreamy than the Mind Of A Brother cd-r. The sound here starts off way more primitive and active, a sort of outsider-psych-folk, with simple shaker rhythms and spastically plucked, heavily reverbed guitars, with wild shouts and what sounds like the calls of dolphins. Reminiscent of Reynols at their most rocking or Jandek as far as the guitar sound. The record sort of blisses out as it progresses, with wailing horns and distant blues melodies, chiming harmonics and space-y soundscapes, clattery percussion, muted wah wah guitars and dark ambient drones. Think: a hillbilly Tangerine Dream, or a space rock band playing twentieth century classical, or musique concrete played by the Godz or the Fugs. This stuff is so good. Can't wait for the next 48!!
We remember when Supersilent 1-3 came out, and we were like, who the heck are these guys with a debut triple cd?? After listening to it, of course we became fast fans. And Supersilent 4 and 5, which made interesting stylistic shifts, only served to deepen our appreciation of this Norwegian quartet. Now Supersilent 6 is upon us, and it's been eagerly anticipated -- we sold a whole bunch the day we got 'em in! On this disc, Supersilent continue to creatively pursue their own unique Nordic mind-meld of improv, electronics, jazz, and what we might describe as live musique concrete. Maybe we should call it glitch-fusion? Maybe not, but there's gorgeous Frippertronics guitar one moment, breathy trumpet the next, all with electronic drones and scattered drum-beats underneath. Delicate, shimmering soundscapes build into mammoth sound-masses, still shimmering. Their music still holds a great deal of mystery, even if the band is at last getting the exposure they deserve, such as a feature in the new issue (#228) of The Wire. Others have observed that it's amazing that Supersilent's music is totally improvised and without overdubs, and we'd have to agree. Supersilent 6 is a disc thick with noise of great beauty, and comes highly recommended.
Finally! The long awaited new Tall Dwarfs album is in our hot little hands. The New Zealand indierock duo of Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate have each released solo work, but in my opinion *pure magic* occurs when they pool their prodigious talents. Their songs are constructed from delightfully unpredictable vocal, found sound, and percussive loops all overlayed with Bathgate's incredibly sweet, melodic guitar and various casio tinklings. There are poppy Beatles-y tracks, tracks with a rough T Rex-style buzz to them, and one that sounds like an excellent Capt. Beefheart outtake! The combination is, however, immediately recognizable as Tall Dwarfs' own singular sound, and I love it. While this new album is not as stunningly, unbelievably perfect as Fork Songs (IMO their peak), it easily sits near the top of Tall Dwarfs extensive catalog, and I have no doubt you will be pleased with it. It is also a fine place to start for the neophyte Tall Dwarfs listener.
PLUS!: included here is the second volume of the International Tall Dwarfs project, wherein Dwarfs-friendly likeminded musicians collaborated with the Knox and Bathgate on eight individual tracks -- one features Jad Fair, two have Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) and Laura Carter (Elf Power), plus the Clean's Kilgour brothers, Robert Scott of the Bats, Graeme Downs of Verlaines, a Dutch group called Mongrell, etc.
BACK IN STOCK! We thought these were gone for good a month ago, but we've just managed to get a few more!
Here's the soundtrack to your wildest blaxploitation-fueled fantasies, baadasssss R&B with an acid rock edge. You'll never need to ask, "Mommy, what's a funkadelic?" after this.
"Chains & Black Exhaust" is a compilation of late sixties/early seventies raw, fuzzed-out funk put together by some young, devotedly-crate-diggin' Memphis DJs, who apparently don't think we need to know what exactly we're listening too, 'cause there's no artist info, no track listing, nothing -- heck, the title of the comp appears nowhere on it, even! They give us a tantalizing but unhelpful glimpse of some original 45 labels in a photo in the cd booklet, which is otherwise illustrated with snapshots of black motorcycle club insignia. We can't imagine this lack of info is for copyright reasons, perhaps they just don't want their finds being identified & scooped by other DJs...? And unfortunately, none of us here, despite our enthusiasm for this stuff and general musical expertise, can tell you what's on here, nor did we locate a tracklist on the internet.
Oh well, whoever these mystery artists are, what's important is that they kick out the jams big time here: hard, heavy stuff full of wailing acid-psych wah wah leads, driving organ, killer grooves, and soulful vocals. It's funk verging on rock, with Black Power meets garagey rock n' roll attitude. Of course, these old singles tracks are served up with lots of lovely ol' vinyl crackle, just scratchy enough to lend that extra level of authenticity and atmosphere to the party. Highly recommended -- if you're into *early* Parliament-Funkadelic you'll dig these 16 cuts. This is one of those albums that just sells itself the second we put it on over the stereo -- even our pal DJ Z-Trip bought one instantly. Enjoyed that Peanut Butter Wolf-produced collection of unearthed funk singles? Then you'll love this one too. Right on.
We're told that *perhaps* someday this will get reissued with proper liner notes (the kind that actually tell you who is on the record at least) but that's at least a year or a year and a half off, if ever. So, we'd recommend grabbing these copies now, while you can, before they're gone, again...
Those sweethearts from Dionysus/ Bacchus Archives (who brought us the awesome Hava Narghila Compilation) released this great series of early to mid 60's American garage, a while ago, but we only recently discovered them. Great sound quality, and a collection of obscure songs. Not a greatest hits garage comp that sounds like an hour on an oldies station, but some super hard to find gems with an emphasis on psychedelically tinged garage. Volume six is titled Come Into My World and has tracks from Thackeray Rocke, Those Guys, The Tasmanians, King James and The Royal Jesters, The Night People, The Insects, The Endd, and much more.
Those sweethearts from Dionysus/ Bacchus Archives (who brought us the awesome Hava Narghila Compilation) released this great series of early to mid 60's American garage, a while ago, but we only recently discovered them. Great sound quality, and a collection of obscure songs. Not a greatest hits garage comp that sounds like an hour on an oldies station, but some super hard to find gems with an emphasis on psychedelically tinged garage. Volume 7 garage by the Spirits of Blue Lightning, The Lazy Eggs, The Cindermen and others, including a rarity by a different, not-famous Ides of March.
The third in a series to help acquaint the public with the many and differing artists on Kill Rock Stars. All 3 feature a dog belonging to an employee at krs. This hella cheap sampler illustrates how great the past year or two has been at this label. Lets see here, there's the dirty rad danciness of Gravy Train!!! and The Goxxip (you may know them as the Gossip). The vintage sweetness of Slumber Party, the flawlessness of Deerhoof, I could go on and on. The other highlights are the Bangs, Stereo Total, Quix*o*tic, Unwound and the Tight Bros From Way Back When. There are a few tracks on here that are just awful, but that's sort of inevitable with most comps, altho' we're happy to report that on this here comp they're few and far between. The Gravy Train!!!, Goxxip, Sport Murphy, and Men's Recovery Project tracks are previously unreleased!!
Things have been rather quiet from the U.S. Pop Life camp for quite some time, but Contact Records ringleader Yoko Sawai bursts back with two new compilations (complete with visuals). A huge U.S. pop music fan, she moved to New York from Osaka a couple of years ago, and has been tirelessly releasing cds of diverse indie music with the intent to introduce Japanese kids to the American bands she loves. Basically each release is themed geographic or stylistic - whatever catches her fancy. Initially they leaned towards soft'n'twee pop, but over the years they've gotten progressively more abrasive and angstful. Volume 15 is no exception! It contains a stellar cast of very now, blisterin' bands like the Liars (exclusive track), Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hella, Erase Errata, the Cherry Valence, and Enon (exclusive track). Please note: many tracks are previously (or soon to be) released in the U.S. however it's her hope that her comps will turn some Japanese kids onto the bands' albums from which these songs came. On this side of the Pacific however, they're the equivalent of a kickass comp tape from your friend Yoko.
Things have been rather quiet from the U.S. Pop Life camp for quite some time, but Contact Records ringleader Yoko Sawai bursts back with two new compilations (complete with visuals). A huge U.S. pop music fan, she moved to New York from Osaka a couple of years ago, and has been tirelessly releasing cds of diverse indie music with the intent to introduce Japanese kids to the American bands she loves. Basically each release is themed geographic or stylistic - whatever catches her fancy. Initially they leaned towards soft'n'twee pop, but over the years they've gotten progressively more abrasive and angstful. Oh, and don't be mislead by the titles! She does take quite a few liberties with band categorization. For example, this one, "Extension Of Electro" features few artists who fall under or near the genre "electro", but somehow Yoko's enthusiasm overrides any urge to be nitpicky. Volume 16 contains a dozen tracks including ones by Soviet, Yume Bitsu, Thievery Corporation, Andrew Duke and Ghost Orchids. Please note: many tracks are previously (or soon to be) released in the U.S. however it's her hope that her comps will turn some Japanese kids onto the bands' albums from which these songs came. On this side of the Pacific however, they're the equivalent of a nicely packaged comp tape from your friend Yoko.
New Zealand comes to Rhode Island. Peter Wright, whose records on Celebrate Psi Phenomena we have dug in the past, gives our pals at Last Visible Dog one 70+ minute track recorded for a gallery in New Zealand, and it's pretty darn lovely. It starts off with a lush soundscape of chimes and bells and electronic buzz before it dissipates into a vast expanse of hum and skronk and reverb and lots and lots of S P A C E. Very musique concrete. Drones swarm out of inky blackness, only to diappear as suddenly as they appeared, leaving us to once again carefully feel our way through this cavernous piece.
Wow, wild and beautiful solo guitar interpretations of Masada tunes! The long-running, deservedly popular Masada project has perhaps been the most fruitful product of the convergence of two of composer John Zorn's deepest devotions: Judaism and jazz. (His interest in Japanese bondage, on the other hand, intersects with his music in Naked City and Painkiller, but not here). Probably the various Masada recordings would take a primary place among the prolific Zorn's many releases, were we writing his epitaph (or critical discography). And this new Masada disc is a fine addition to the canon. Here, three well-known, Zorn-connected downtown NYC avant-guitarists -- Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell, and Tim Sparks -- try their hand at adapting Zorn's ancient-seeming melodies to their own arrangements and extended techniques. Alternating performances across the twenty-one tracks on offer here, these guitarists wring much emotion from their strings, but generally do so quietly and with care. Achingly beautiful, beautifully tangled. There are three distinct personalities playing here, yet this manages to flow together into one quite lovely whole. Maybe *too* lovely for some of us here who don't like their jazz so pretty...but we're pretty sure this is going to be a hit.
