Try some Werewolves And Lollipops on your funny bone! If you share our sense of blackened humor, we're sure you'll find Patton Oswalt's second album to be a perfect fit... especially because this cd of his live stand-up in Austin, TX in December 2006 comes with a dvd of his live stand up in Athens, GA two months earlier (and doin' some other stuff too)! In our opinion his Athens show is not as 'on' as the one in Austin, but nevertheless his Jonathan-Winters-in-miniature, stubbled, disgruntled grimace is just as entertaining to see as it is to hear. While he certainly shares with his buddy David Cross the deep influence of the Bill Hicks and George Carlin school of scathing yet insightful social political humor, he also shares with another fellow stand-up Dave Attell a penchant for liquor'd up, absurdist, saucy bon mots. He deftly juggles all of that while infusing the proceedings with his own ever present pottymouth, comic book geekiness and self deprecation.
This show took place at the Cap City Comedy Club in December 2006, and the only segments here that we recognize from a previous recording are the reworked versions of his Racist Cell Phones and Best Baby In The Universe bits (not that we're complaining... the latter is one of his best). You might recall that the original appeared on his unedited 222 Live & Uncut double cd that was released a few years back by the Chunklet Magazine folks (it didn't appear on the edited version of that show which was titled Feelin' Kinda Patton though). That means for those of you who haven't seen him perform live in the last couple years, you get 21 tracks of previously unheard hilarity. Awesome! Keep your ears peeled for his mention of Brian Dennehy and his explanation of the birds and the bees. Holy shit, it'll have you in wicked stitches. Need we say? Recommended!
Warm up your chilly spring eves (at least here in SF!) with this cozy album. Vancouver's P:ano craft unassuming, pretty-pretty, lush chamber pop. This is the follow-up to their 2002 debut When It's Dark and It's Summer. It's definitely more confident and composed than its hushed, slightly shamblin' predecessor. Each song's melodies are carried mainly on... yes, piano! with some great horn and swirling string accompaniments and the gentlest of percussion. Lilting laidback male and female vocals melt sweetly like marshmallows in your hot chocolate drawing fitting comparisons to Scottish dreamies The Delgados. Recommended.
We love so much music coming out of Finland these days. Last year Paavoharju's debut Yha Hamaraa on Fonal Records charmed us silly. If you haven't heard it yet, by golly you'd better get with the program! So we were mighty excited to hear that the group has returned with a 2-song vinyl 7", allowing us another fleeting glimpse into their unique gloriously hazy dream world. Side A features an enchanting blurry folk number with male vocals, while Side B has a delicate, contemplative instrumental. It seems almost cruel to release this group's music in such a short format, for their music is so immersive it's utterly addictive. More please.
Oh how we adore the Finnish label Fonal Records -- home to the likes of Kemialliset Ystavat, Islaja, Kiila and Es. And now, won't you please kindly welcome the newest addition to the Fonal roster, Paavoharju! We can say that that welcoming 'em is not such a difficult thing to do 'cause they sure do make some wonderful music! In fact, Cup (and Jim for that matter) has listened to it almost every day since its arrival. It's true!
Note: We don't want to deny anyone the pristine 'first listen' magic that we experienced. We can attest that it was a sheer delight packed with many surprises, and our fondness has only grown with each listen. So if you want your introductory spin to be 'pure', please be forewarned that this review contains what some might call spoilers... that means stop reading now!
In many ways Paavoharju can be likened to fellow enchanting Finnish artists Lau Nau and Fonal labelmates Islaja, but their finely detailed yet loosely strung music is considerably more melted and collaged and electronic. Listening to Yha Hamaraa is almost like eavesdropping on a dream... or having someone else's heartbreaking memories come back to hazily haunt you. Sounds, voices and melodies drift in and out of focus, occasionally overlapping and seeping into one another. Sometimes it seems like you're listening to a rickety old radio with the dial set between stations so that the sounds somehow magically fit together. Odd faintly familiar elements make their presence felt such as in the ninth song where the male vocal melody brought to mind a twisted folk (and of course very Finnish) version of "Stairway To Heaven". The swooping, trebly female vocals find their own special place between Indian film music singers and the Southeast Asian voices that surface on the similarly (un)structured Sublime Frequencies travelogue field recording compilations. And reference must be made to Bjork as well! Now after having read this far in our review, you might find the very first track with its swell of distorted static-y noise to be somewhat unexpected, disorienting even, but we encourage you to go with it (and with us). Allow the wash of sounds to transport you into Paavoharju's intoxicating world. Completely and utterly breathtaking.
The highly anticipated, long overdue, new full length from Miami, Florida's cinematic IDM duo Phoenecia was well worth the wait. Finely crafted and mood-altering, it achieves a successful melding of seeming opposites: claustrophobia and expanse. Fragmented,
Back in stock! Seven outstanding remixes mutating Phoenecia's super-rubbery beats into even more rhythmically complex IDM from Autechre, Richard Devine, Push Button Objects, Ectomorphm Takeshi Muto, Soul Oddity (actually, this is one of their alter egos...
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
With such a visual grasp on the surreal puppets of Jan Svankmajer, Piano Magic invokes the musical equal to a Victorian cabinet of curios - carefully arranged avant-pop songs filled with macabre nursery rhymes that shimmer & sparkle in spite of the dust, dimly lit spaces, and eerie moodiness. Quite similar to the early incarnations of His Name Is Alive or the later days of Tear Garden. Quite possibly Piano Magic's best, most focused work. Stunning!
Much anticipated new full length from Rob Crow (Heavy Vegetable / Thingy / Optiganally Yours) and Zack (Three Mile Pilot). My co-worker Jeff first thought this was the new Modest Mouse until it started sounding like the Sea & Cake. Oddly enough the last
Rob Crow (Heavy Vegetable, Thingy) takes his music into much more of a downer territory than that of his previous outings. With intertwining vocal duets, lazy-day rhythms, yet effortlessly catchy indie-pop mellowness. Pretty darn great and pretty darn recommended!
Did you know electronic music pioneer and guitarist for the mighty '70s prog rock band Heldon, Richard Pinhas was recently in the Bay Area to play two criminally underpromoted shows? Yes, fortunately the word of mouth reached our ears at the very last minute, and some of us were able to attend this rare event. It was his first time performing in SF and only his second visit to the city in twenty five years. Less than ideal sound and somewhat awkward stage set up aside, Pinhas on guitar, his laptop collaborator Jerome Schmidt and drummer Antoine Paganotti made the most of the situation, holding the small audience rapt for the duration of their performance. Quite possibly the most intimate and casual setting in which he's performed in years. Pinhas' musical path has travelled from early loose rock jams into absolutely tight prog precision and outwards through richly textured atmospheric soundscapes.
Iceland is his third solo album which was released back in 1979. It focuses on the latter two directions, flowing seamlessly from one into the other and back again. The sixth track "The Last Kings Of Thule (Part 2)" highlights the deep influence Robert Fripp's snaking sinewy guitar work has had on Pinhas who slinks his way into far more dystopic territory. While the eighth track titled "Greenland" flows out into an epic expanse of overlapping cyclical synthesizer sequences. The album closes with the twenty four minute long Eno-friendly frosty shimmering dronescape of "Wintermusic". Meditative and beautiful. The album as a whole could be the perfect soundtrack to a winter night's Aurora Borealis. A majestic, hypnotic wonder.
Sugary dance-pop you know and, possibly, love -- from the land of the cute, Japan. Much more frantically punchy than their past releases. This is the soundtrack to your dream holiday in Tokyo as you rush about scooping up as many last minute souvenirs. Cruising through scenes of super-bounce glitzy pop to frenetic jazzy numbers to full-on boogie fever to brief, weird, almost sinister (for Pizzicato 5, that is) segments. All kept aloft by the soaring horns, strings and tambourine. Includes three bonus tracks not available on the import version. And as usual wonderfully stylin' photos and packaging. Go go jetsetter!
Release the bats! It's another case of ex hardcore kids discovering the joys of rockin' the dark side-- Pleasure Forever used to be the Slaves who were most of the VSS, and they play wonderfully dark-tinged pop with piano, guitar and drums. Comparisons to the likes of Nick Cave/ Birthday Party, the Doors and These Immortal Souls have been cropping up in adulatory reviews, and those references (These Immortal Souls especially) are certainly in evidence in these very catchy yet slightly sinister tunes. The piano really makes their sound, transforming the whole thing into an intensely heady rock cabaret that reminds me of that "hit" Black Heart Procession song "Release."
Over the course of only a few brief years and two albums, these fervent music makers drew an equally fervent following. So many hands were wrung and much despair was expressed when word got out that Pleasure Forever had disbanded a few years ago. Granted the individuals have continued on making stellar music separately as Andrew Douglas Rothbard, Rabbits and Red Sparowes, but... it's just not the same! Which brings us to this posthumous Pleasure Forever release. We welcome it with open arms and eager ears. Bodies Need Rest is comprised of equal parts originals (previously unreleased numbers, rarities and compilation tracks) and covers. Throughout these eight tracks which span the band's existence, the trio maintains their trademark piercing focus while perpetually on the verge of spinning wildly out of control. They fuel Black Flag's "The Bars" with their own rage, then just as ably enter irony-free into tender territory with their hazy dream rendition of ABBA's "Honey Honey". Drums, guitars, vocals and keyboards come together, a musical tempest as fierce as it is beautiful. Recommended.
Combining beautiful harmonies and heartbreaking epic songs, this first effort from these local boys as Pleasure Forever (formerly Slaves), displays elements of the Doors if they were good and the sadder parts of great eighties rock, such as Swans or the Birthday Party. The recording itself is so complex and layered it's hard to believe this band is a 3-piece.
The year is 1965 and a feisty teenage Suzi Quatro is kicking ass on all the boys in town. Yep, that's pre-Leather Tuscadero, sweetcakes! Ultra-raw, raunchy garage rock straight from the day re-issued by the fab garage mavens at Norton Records. Hot!
Many pop fans were severely saddened when those Scottish dreamboats The Delgados sailed off into the sunset in 2005 after ten years and five albums. Well, we can all dry our tears... at least a little bit because Ms Emma Pollock (who was one of the charmingest voices from that band) has emerged with an album that respectfully carries on in her former band's wonderfully sumptuous and poignant pop tradition. On the surface Watch The Fireworks reflects the sound of lemon meringue, dew drops, crushes, and snugglin', but there's more to it than simple sweetness. After you get swept up immediately in the opening number's carousel waltz tempo and Pollock's voice, you'll find songs with a bit more burly energy than that of the Delgados. The backdrop of electric guitar crunch, sturdy bassy organ lines, solidly struck piano keys and insistent drums make for a pleasing counterpart to her sweet singing. It propels each song up-up-up into the super pop stratosphere, burning off any grey clouds and leaving nothing but warm golden sunlight. It's easy to see why it was such a good idea for her to open for the new Pornographers on their latest tour for their album Challengers. if you get a chance to see her, don't miss it! Otherwise, buy this now!
When the familiar wonderful chiming vocal harmonies of Ken Stringfellow and Jonathan Auer fell silent a few years back, the pop world fell a quite a few shades paler, but now the Posies are back! Their return comes as quite a surprise to many, but a very, very pleasing one nonetheless. I, Cup, am quite giddy about the whole matter. The first we heard of this rejoining of two brilliant pop forces was when the AQ phone rang a couple of months ago with an offering of a Posies in-store performance in August. Still, we were a bit unsure and puzzled. But now we're happy to know it is definitely true. On this cd, they approach their songs (newer and older) live at the Showbox in Seattle, seated and armed with acoustic guitars. And the oldies sound wonderful --- included among them one of my all-time favourites "I May Hate You Sometimes" from their first full-length. As this is a live recording all the expected crowd noise is intact (though not too intrusive on the music), but it is clear that the Posies are among old friends and fans with moments of singing along and loving cheers.
Indie darlings Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello and Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie join forces in The Postal Service. Apparently these collaborations did indeed take shape via tapes mailed back and forth between the two. Each track is subtle variation of the following: bashfully boyish vocals, chiming music box melodies and soft jangly guitars that play off one another over a simple thumping or clicking programmed beat. Gibbard sings oh so sweetly in his melted ice cream voice while Tamborello delivers the delightfully pretty electronics and bounding rhythms. Just what you might expect from a project starring these two fellows. Plus there's an added aural delight here and there in the form of lovely vocals by Jen Wood and Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis. It's easy to draw comparisons to Kings Of Convenience vocalist Erlend Oye's new solo album which also sets a gentle male voice -- more familiarly heard with soft guitars and drums - singing atop light electronic dancey tracks. However unlike Oye's Unrest on which music and voice sound somewhat detached from each other, Postal Service's Give Up has a wonderful chemistry that swirls everything together perfectly. Recommended!
This four song introductory ep offers barely a peep of Postal Service's effervescent crushworthy tunes. Ah, such a sweet peep it is! A perfect accessory to their full length that's out now too. Definitely see the full album review for all the PS nitty gritty, but in particular regards to this ep (a current Cup fave by the way), the title track is an instantly catchy gem that's sure to find its way onto friends' mixtapes everywhere. The second half is actually PS songs performed by two other bands - fellow Sub Poppers The Shins and Iron And Wine. The brief encounter ends with Iron And Wine's drowsy acoustic rendition of "Such Great Heights". And y'know what? This lil' cd is worth picking up for that track alone. Beautiful! Each version is strong on its own and great in contract to one another. Recommended!
For those that didn't want to pay $34 for the 2013 deluxe triple lp reissue of this 'indie electronica' fave, Sub Pop has also now done a regular, no frills vinyl reissue too! Here's some of what we said 'bout the last reissue, sans stuff about the extras (eps and rarities) included on the triple:
It's hard to believe it's now been more than a decade since the original release of this fantastic little slice of indie electronica, a collaboration between Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello (the electronics and production) and Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie (the bitter sweet indie jangle and that voice!) a project they called at the time The Postal Service (with a little bit of protest from the actual USPS!). Since then, their sound has served as a template for a million other bands, mining much of the same territory, sad boy, mix tape break up indie jangle pop, but all wound up in percolating beats, and warm lustrous electronic shimmer, not indie club music by any stretch, it still had that sort of homebrewed 4-track bedroom vibe that made (and makes) music like this so relatable, but it expanded the typical indie pop sonic palette, and resulted in a serious of glistening, dreamily propulsive, nearly anthemic electronic pop, that does indeed sound just as good now as it did when everyone was freaking out about it the first time around.
The Give Up record originally took shape via tapes mailed back and forth between Tamborello and Gibbard. Each track is subtle variation of the following: bashfully boyish vocals, chiming music box melodies and soft jangly guitars that play off one another over a simple thumping or clicking programmed beat. Gibbard sings oh so sweetly in his melted ice cream voice while Tamborello delivers the delightfully pretty electronics and bounding rhythms. Pretty much exactly what you might expect from a project starring these two fellows. Plus there's an added aural delight here and there in the form of occasional lovely vocals by Jen Wood and Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis. The Postal Service's Give Up has a wonderful chemistry that swirls everything together perfectly.
I really cannot express the extreme jubilation-then-plummeting-bummerness I felt when I saw that we'd received a "new" issue of Archer Prewitt's brutally hilarious comic. But alas, it wasn't new at all! No, it's a special reprint of the first (and only) two issues together. Well at least for everyone who missed them the first time around, here's your second chance. Of course you may be thinking "isn't she over-reacting just a wee bit?" And well, all I can say is "see for yourself." Oh my, hee hee... Okay!
Primal Scream's latest has Bobby Gillespie getting Kevin Shields to help (smoke pot) in the studio. Big beats and pop hooks galore. Those in the know, tell me, that when on the dancefloor, this is the shit. But seeing as the dancefloor is the last place I want to be EVER, i'll just say that this is a surprisingly catchy, block rockin' big beat extravaganza, that to me, the little wallflower, sounds remarkably like Pop Will Eat Itself (complete with the unfunky British white guy raps!). Actually if you're not prone to fancy footwork neither, you might instead wanna take this one out for a drive. Pretty hot freeway cruisin' music!
-Where am I?
-In the Village.
-What do you want?
-Information.
-Whose side are you on?
-That would be telling. We want -- information.
-You won't get it.
-By hook or by crook, we will.
-Who are you?
-The new Number 2.
-Who is Number 1?
-You -- are Number 6.
-I am not a number -- I am a free man!
-[laughter]
In The Prisoner, the sixties James Bond superspy entertainment phenomenon is subverted into an enigmatic, psychedelic critique of the Cold War and modern mass society -- or something. The 1967 British TV series, starring Patrick McGooghan, has long been considered one of the most innovative and original TV shows ever, and enjoys quite a cult following today. Hence the release of this soundtrack disc, one of at least three planned.
This collection blasts off with Ron Granier's famous, dramatic theme, complete with thunder, the roar of motorcar, and the hiss of anesthetizing gas. It's one of the most famous tunes in spydom next to 007, Mission Impossible, and Secret Agent Man. The rest of the disc, taking music from the first three Prisoner epsiodes in order (Arrival, The Chimes Of Big Ben, and A. B. and C.) ranges from more jazzy suspenseful numbers to lovely lullabies to Strauss marches, and also contains many snippets of dialogue, including the classic bit quoted above (which many will remember from Iron Maiden's "The Prisoner"). Only some of the music here was composed and recorded especially for the series, with many selections coming from the Chappell Recorded Music Production Library. The Library music is often quite benign, reflecting the surface serenity of the Village, which after all is a very pleasant resort town -- albeit one from which you can't escape, and in which constant efforts are being made to break your will, if you're an obstinate fellow like Number 6. Suddenly the sixties library music, a 'genre' enjoying a hipster renaissance of late, takes on a sinster significance.
Lovely! The entrance of The Prom is one of grand descending orchestral processions. Would make the perfect soundtrack to a '70s film of doomed romance and drama. Sumptuous chamber pop instrumentation with the piano leading the way. Beautiful, heartrending lyrical tales from the graceful pen of Mr. James Mendenhall - quite reminiscent of Elliott Smith and XTC's Andy Partridge. The third song's piano beginning really made me think of a Journey ballad (uh-oh!) until the vocals came in, then it felt much more in line with Quasi (whew, a good thing!). This album finds itself on Barsuk Records, home to the likeminded intelligent pop of John Vanderslice, The Long Winters and of course Death Cab For Cutie, but it fits just as comfortably in the finely crafted company of lush Brit bands like Doves or Coldplay. A very very impressive debut!
The third full length from Portland, OR duo Sam Coomes (Heatmiser, Donner Party) and Janet Weiss (Sleater Kinney) is overflowing with well-crafted pop. With Farfisa organs, dreamy strings, girl/boy harmonies, catchy hooks, and a dollop of full-on rock to boot, each song is an irresistible treat! Fans of Built to Spill's 'Keep It Like a Secret' and the Flaming Lips' 'Soft Bulletin' should definitely take note. When this gets played in the store, we invariably end up hitting 'play' again as soon as it ends... a few times at least! Really. Recommended!
Added attraction: Coomes' former Heatmiser bandmate Elliott Smith plays a little bass on three songs.
Ooooh, in a perfect world if you were to look in the dictionary for "70s classic pop", you'd find a big photo of this band alongside their fellow '70s AM radio masters Bread and Electric Light Orchestra. Their heart-string pulling treasures such as "Go All The Way" and "Let's Pretend" recall the blissful pop orchestrations of the Beatles, Beach Boys and the Zombies. Actually we (Andee, Byram and Cup) noted that Eric Carmen's voice sorta resembles two Pauls' (very McCartney and less so Stanley), and come to think of it, their respective bands' personalities (i.e, Wings and Kiss) are definitely reflected in Raspberries music -- the glorious power pop sweetness and the ballsy power rock crunch. Raspberries' bright, often bubblegum-y hooks, swirling string arrangements and earnest multi-part vocal harmonies will totally appeal to your sappy soft side, leaving you weeping in a sunbeam. The liner notes include song-by-song commentary by the band members.
Fantastic! The list of Rauhouse's friends/guest players on his second solo album is enough to make you wanna nab it immediately -- a bevy of lovely ladies like Neko Case, Carolyn Mark, Kelly Hogan and Sally Timms (perhaps you've heard/seen him performing with one or all of them?), not to mention a gathering of dapper gents like Tommy Connell, Howe Gelb, and Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino! However, you'll soon discover (in case you haven't already!) that all by his lonesome Mr. Jon Rauhouse is something of a multi-instrumental magic man. With a natural ease and mastery of the full spectrum of mood, expression, and vintage style, he captures the sounds of a bygone era. Able to unfurl the amazing melodious sounds of Hawaiian guitar, smoky lounge, country, spaghetti western... you name it, but he just as readily can conjure the most dissonant thunder from the strings of his pedal steel guitar. Really folks, the only place where he stumbles is in the lyrics department, particularly on the songs he sings himself. Kooky rhyming couplets and matching guitar accents just aren't our cup of tea. But fret not! The strengths of this album far outshine those fleeting weak moments.
Originally released back in 1996, the remastered reissue of The Refused's definitive album Songs To Fan The Flames Of Discontent (easily as good as their breakthrough / final release The Shape Of Punk To Come) confirms this Swedish band's music to be just as vital and potent today as it was eight years ago, and so much more so than the majority of bands calling themselves 'punk' and 'hardcore' these days. Theirs is far more concentrated, cerebral and challenging than flaccid fist-pumpin' 3-chord punk rawkTM. The Refused was a truly compelling, caustic force levelling all in its path. Ready to get your ass kicked?
The reissue of this great singles collection from the sadly defunct Swedish band The Refused reminds us: a) just how fierce and awesome this band really was, b) just how varied and wide a musical scope they had, c) they just don't make 'em like they used to! Blazing and heavy, weird and wild, catchy as fuck but so intense and supercharged. Their classic final release The Shape Of Punk To Come will soon be re-issued, but until then this singles comp and the also-just-just-rereleased Songs To Fan The Flames Of Discontent should be plenty to keep your blood boiling, fists pumping and head banging until then!
The predominantly Scottish supergroup returns with another album of dreamy mellowness and an expanded roster which now includes members of Teenage Fanclub and Idlewild. The recognizable sounds of the participants' individual bands (Arab Strap, Belle & Sebastian and Mogwai to name a few) are much less obvious this time around - seeming much less like a compilation than a collaborative effort. Last time, we could really proclaim, "That song sounds just like Arab Strap." On Son of Evil Reindeer, The 'Section sounds much more cohesive although still keeping within the wistful, melancholic territory of the bands mentioned above. Comforting blankets of folky pop tunes to wrap yourself in and a few peppier numbers to liven things up a bit. Very recommended for fans of the pretty and bittersweet. Warm hugs and pints for all!
If there's one Residents record that is the one Residents record that people who aren't necessarily Residents fans own it is Eskimo (their sixth release, from 1979). There's good reason for this album being in so many libraries, if for no other reason than that it's one hell of a concept album. And if there's one thing the Residents do well it's concept albums. For Eskimo the Residents partially impersonate a Folkways ethnomusicological document from the 60's and a Firesign Theater record. The album is presented as a recreation of "not only the Eskimo ceremonial music, but also a living context for its existence". And so included is a booklet of stories illustrating the daily life and ceremonies of the Eskimo with which you can read and follow along with the music. The music is a combination of likely, but miscellaneous percussion instruments (Chris Cutler of Pere Ubu, Art Bears, Henry Cow fame is credited for his "precision drumming" here), analog synths, and chanted vocals. It's all about as convincing as genuine Eskimo music as you can imagine coming from the eyeballed wonders, and that's definitely part of its charm. The vocals themselves you can take as non-sensical made up words, or listen closely and you might be able to hear some familiar phrases here and there: "Coca Cola adds life" and "we want Coke, oh yeah!" are definitely in here. How much other subliminal marketing the Residents slipped in here is up for debate. Some people hear more than others. This handsome digipack edition comes with the original cover art; a classic image of the Residents on wearing tuxes, tails and eyeballs on a deco stage setup out of the 40's.
With her clear, velvety voice steeped in emotion and yearning, Missy Roback easily draws comparisons to Aimee Mann or Margot Timmins of Cowboy Junkies. She sings with such enviable grace and ease. As well, there's quite a few things in common with the recent debut from fellow-SFer Snowy (aka Bonni Evensen). Apart from the striking vocal similarities, there's also the presence of Tim Mooney (ex-American Music Club), and Steve Roback (ex-Rain Parade) on her team - handling the production and mix duties respectively as well as playing a number of the instruments - not to mention that this too is a polished, impressive debut. She blends the sounds of swirling chamber pop, ghostly psych-twang, and maybe even some '60s girl group balladry thrown in for good measure. The result? A lovely album that's refined, self-assured and composed. Hannah Marcus guests on the title track.
We heart The Rogers Sisters! Their new album kicks so much serious butt we can hardly take it! Each of the ten songs packs the combined wallop of a fierce glare, a cigarette burn and a doubleshot of bourbon. The gritty crunch and smeared lipstick snarl of their guitars... The snotty sneer of their throaty (sort of a cross between Kim Deal and Kate Pierson) vocals... The bratty yet solid stomp of the drums... Sooo rad! This is bad boy/bad girl music that makes you wanna get up to no good too. Don't get us wrong, The Rogers Sisters ain't no possessed wild men of rawk a la Screamin' Jay Hawkins or The Monks, but they do have their own brand of prickly bluesy garagey electricity. Can't wait to see this trio live! We'd say more, but we're too busy rocking out. Recommended.
Hooooray! Here's the second album from Bay Area pop dreamies Rogue Wave. No sophomore slumps here. No way! Hearing Descended Like Vultures in many ways reminds me of hearing Death Cab For Cutie's first album Something About Airplanes for the first time. Descended Like Vultures is soft, sweet and immediately endearing with its melted ice cream boyish vocals and lush pop arrangements. Mainman Zach Rogue is one dandy songwriter and composer with an overflowing treasure chest of irresistibly dreamy hooks and melodies. Very reminiscent of The Beatles, Raspberries, Bread and the abovementioned Ben Gibbard and co. You can bet yer boots that popcraft as splendid as this certainly comes highly recommended!
You might've caught sight of this new SF quartet opening for AQ faves Spoon at the Fillmore recently. One dozen delightful tunes that take turns lulling you sweetly and perking you back up again. A couple of songs particularly bring to mind the intelligent pop of bands like Thingy, American Analog Set, Death Cab For Cutie or Pinback. And well, if you have any inclination of how we feel about those bands, then you know this bodes very very well for our appreciation of these new popsters.
Fantastic lilting vocal harmonies, crafty hooks, and little embellishments like delicate chimes or birdy chirps to pretty things up even more. But heck, don't just take our word for it, see for yourself! Check out the album's third song, the gentle pop confection "Be Kind + Remind". Aaah, so lovely, and such a great debut!
Bubblegum rock'n'roll action from Albuquerque! Peppy, high-spirited tunes for your next rollerskate party. This cd has not left Cup's stereo since it came out. Yes, it's that good from start to finish. Snappy songs, super hooks. Confident vocals at once youthfully exuberant, world weary, and wise beyond their years. An ultra-great trio sure to glue a smile on your face. Hey, Donnas fans in need of a more pop fix...this is definitely for you!
Andrew Douglas Rothbard, the self-taught keyboardist, bassist and vocalist formerly of potent (and elusive) aural conjurers Pleasure Forever, Slaves and The VSS, has returned with his first solo album. On Abandoned Meander, Mr. Rothbard seems unconcerned with... no, make that completely detached from trends and popularity contests, and his openness to reinvention results in music which flows forth so naturally it seems effortless.
While passages of Abandoned Meander are fleetingly reminiscent of early T-Rex, Zoso-era Zep or more recent artists such as Devendra Banhart and Ariel Pink, these generally lo-fi but ultra textural and weirdly 'orchestrated' creative forces exist in a realm far outside and beyond the current crowd of experimental psych-folk artists. Time is just another word in the as above / so below matrix of this release, with the I-ching derived musical concepts and astrological / musical conjunctions aligning just in time for us to hit 'repeat play' and reenter Abandoned Meander's audio alchemy. It's swirling strangeness also has the good sense to leave behind the faux eccentricities and posturing of mere mortals, with each hazy number crafted from an open palette of conventional and more unorthodox instrumentation. New and different but not wholly unfamiliar, Abandoned Meander may initially conjure a neo-psychedelic folk impression, but just as swiftly an altogether distinct and personal delirium takes over... and it's not one that we want to escape from anytime soon. Need we say? Highly recommended!
Not only are two of the band members brothers of a musical family (Dallas and Travis of the Good Family), but The Sadies as a whole are a formidable branch of a bigger musical family which includes the likes of Neko Case (whom they back up on her own live album The Tigers Have Spoken), Kelly Hogan, Blue Rodeo, Jon Langford, members of Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet and Rick White (of Eric's Trip, Elevator, etc.) not to mention many Bloodshot Records brethren. All of them along with Jon Spencer, Gary Louris (of Golden Smog and the Jayhawks), Steve Albini and a whole slew more got down to business on this live recording which took place over two nights at Lee's Palace in Toronto back in February. Whew! Whoa! As you might already be aware, the core Sadies all by their lonesome kick some serious wall to wall ass live each and every time. So entertaining. So lanky'n'loose and razor-sharp at the same time, effortlessly roaming from Morricone western soundtrack to frenetic surf guitar to murder balladry and back. Now with all the other folks in tow, hot damn, they very well cause a meltdown. 2 discs, 41 tracks, 110 minutes!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Much like the equally amazing Cramps Live At Napa State Mental Hospital video, for years this live footage of the Screamers' seminal synth-punk action has been circulating in increasingly grainy, on the verge of disintegrating VHS copies. Not anymore! This must-see legendary video document has finally been dvd'd! Hallelujah! Hell yeah!
Lots of claims could be made for best indie rock record ever. Pavement's Slanted And Enchanted is an obvious choice. But there are tons of other contenders, records by Dinosaur Jr., Galaxie 500, Seam, Archers Of Loaf, the Pixies, the Breeders, Unrest, Slint, Yo La Tengo, Superchunk...
But what about Sebadoh? Originally Lou Barlow's bedroom side project while he was playing bass in Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh went from soft 4-track sad boy ruminations to full on rambunctious indie rock without losing Barlow's tender hearted, mopey moodiness. This record, III, is where they really clicked. To be totally honest, the first two are our absolute favorites (c'mon, somebody reissue The Freed Weed!!!) but until those are available again, we'll just have to cast our lot with III. Not entirely fair to compare them though. The first two Sebadoh records were just Lou, in his bedroom, singing and strumming, a ramshackle collection of sweet sad songs and freaked out tape experiments, where as by the time of III, Sebadoh was a real rock band, with not just two other band members, but two other songwriters, Eric Gaffney and Jason Lowenstein. Giving Sebadoh a distinctly schizophrenic sound, veering from introspective to noisy and annoying depending on whose song it was. Years before Conor Oberst ascended to the weepy, slouchy indie throne, Sebadoh's Lou Barlow was already the king of the lo-fi tearjerker. He ruled the roost of unabashed romantics in his rumpled threadbare cardigan, spectacles and tousled mop of hair. However, as III proved beyond a doubt, Sebadoh wasn't confined to lovey-dovey bedroom balladry, nope they could tear shit up a-plenty providing both cathartic heartbaring sadsack sweetness and blistering noise rawk for indie kids near and far.
The copious liner notes are a bit confusing though. As far as we were concerned, Sebadoh WAS Lou Barlow, who was later joined by Eric and Jason. But the liner notes, especially Gaffney's, paint a quite different picture. Gaffney goes on and on about how it was basically his band and his songs. But a quick listen to the record (and a look at each member's subsequent sonic track record) reveals the truth, that Lou was still the quiet mastermind. Eric has some killer tracks for sure, and Jason's songs are wild and chaotic (this was before he would grow into a songwriter to rival Lou on later Sebadoh discs) but almost without exception the perfect pop gems here are penned by Lou. Just check out the opener "The Freed Pig", hard to imagine a more perfect indie rock song. Jangly and catchy, a little ramshackle, a teensy bit melancholy, but exuberant and hopeful. With a killer crunchy chorus.
III is peppered with sweet soft acoustic numbers that sound like they were plucked from old Sebadoh cassettes. Each one sad and lovely, perfect mix tape material way back in 1991 (Yeesh, has it really been fifteen years?!), the prototype for EVERY home recorded bedroom record since. Jason contributes some Minutemen sounding instrumental jams ("Sickles & Hammers"), some slow motion druggy stoner jams ("Smoke A Bowl"), a killer twangy acoustic hoedown ("Black Haired Girl") and most of the really esoteric tunes. Eric offers up some lilting minor key jangle ("Violet Execution"), some super fuzzed out jangly tribal psych rock ("Limb By Limb") and the super lengthy bizarre drugged out psych jam "As The World Dies The Eyes Of God Grow Bigger". Between all of these musical flights of fancy, Lou gives us perfect pop song after perfect pop song, whether it's in the form of a whispered mumbly song fragment, or a glorious rocked out jangly jam. Somehow these disparate elements mesh perfectly into a totally rollicking chaotic indie rock masterpiece. A reissue of III on its own would definitely merit record of the week status, but there's a whole extra disc of singles and outtakes that make this absolutely essential.
First up on the extras disc is "Gimme Indie Rock" a tongue in cheek slam on their more popular indie contemporaries, which inadvertently became a hit and somehow sounded like, but better than, all the bands it was poking fun at (check out the very Dinosaur-like leads!) Speaks volumes that a tossed off fuck around track can be this good. Next up is quite possibly the best Sebadoh song ever "Ride The Darker Wave" a loping groove, with a totally catchy guitar part and an instantly unforgettable melody. Heavy and sludgy but perfectly poppy. The rest of the disc is jam packed with outtakes and alternate versions, a whole bunch of Gaffney tracks, as good as anything on the record proper, as well as a few other Lou gems. Also, tacked on at the very end is "Showtape '91" a 12 minute experimental tape piece, the band used to play at shows before they came on stage. It features the band reading various reviews (positive and negative), repeating the various mispronunciations of the band name, all amidst a cacophonous soundscape of tape manipulation and guitar grind. Very annoying but very very funny.
As befits a classic record like III, the packaging and reissue extras are amazing. Besides the wealth of extra and unreleased tracks, there are extensive liner notes from all three band members, tons of photos, and the whole thing is housed in a snazzy slipcase with the band name and album title embossed in metallic gold ink. We feel like we're 21 again!!!
Of all the post-Mr. Bungle bands featuring its members, the instrumental Secret Chiefs 3 are carrying the torch for what I most enjoyed about Bungle -- their intense love for all kinds of music, and the irrepressible, joyful schizophrenia that results. Like
Secret Chiefs'd like to be as weird and esoteric as the SCGs, and try really hard in the purposefully obtuse liner notes, but let's face it, as great as the Secret Chiefs are, they don't possess the singular sound, feeling and mystery of the Sun City Girls -- instead they're successfully mixing up all those world music influences, Bungle, and the Boredoms.
The band is primarily Mr Bungle alumni Trey Spruance & drummer Danny Heifetz, and along with frequent Sonic Youth collaborator / percussionist William Winant, brilliant violinist Eyvind Kang (a frequent SCGs collaborator, hey) is all over this record. The instrumentation is as wide-ranging as to include dumbek, zils, contrabass, sax, electric sitar, organ, and something called a santur.
A quite satisfying, surprisingly consistent, well-executed album!
The Book Of Horizons is another sonic tome scribed by these occult chieftans, destined for the same library as outre literary works like the Principia Discordia and the sanity-blasting Necronomicon of the Mad Arab Abdul Alhazred. (This just goes in the audio section of said library.) To the uninitiated, we should explain that Secret Chiefs 3 is the arcane alter ego of Mr. Bungle's Trey Spruance and others from the same axis of absurdity. Almost all instrumental, imagine some sort of technically insane Middle Eastern surf music, a collision between the Sun City Girls and Fantomas, or a John Zorn-scored soundtrack to some desert epic. Italian horror film music, black metal, and even turntables all enter the mix. In the liner notes, Trey finds it necessary to state: "What you hear is music, not samples"! As always, impressive and inscrutable, even if the mood is occasionally broken by the more incongrous elements. Fans can spend their time listening to this, also attempting to decipher the meaning of the SC3's cryptic Kabbalistic computer graphics and song titles. A five star sequel to the band's previous opus Book M.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Mr. Bungle Fan Alert!! Here's a live recording of this brilliant Bungle side-project, released on guitarist Trey Spruance's new label (and only available via mailorder from their Web of Mimicry website, except that we, being fans of all things Bungle, have it too). Recorded at Slim's, San Francisco by Billy Anderson. Also of note: this features the violin of Eyvind Kang, and a song by Ananda Shankar. Packaged in a cardboard sleeve as part of Web of Mimicry's "nice price" effort I guess.
Finally a reissue of the Secret Chiefs (Mr Bungle side project sans Mike Patton) too-long-out-of-print first album! Like a screwy world music, surf band version of Naked City. Contains bonus tracks not on the original version.
And the long-awaited reissue of the second cd by members of Mr Bungle (no Mike Patton here, sorry.) Sort of a screwy world music, surf band version of Naked City. Contains bonus tracks not on the original version.
Few artists' music can guarantee to brighten your days and nights the way Atom Heart (and his numerous aliases) can. Any new release from this fella is received with a huge aQ grin! If you dug the recent Yellow Magic Fever tribute from the always deliriously delightful Senor Coconut and Los Negritos' Speed-Merengue Mega-Mix, you know what we're talking about and you definitely won't wanna miss these freshly reissued earlier Senor Coconut releases including this, his awesome Kraftwerk tribute! Even if you got 'em the first time around, heck, we're sure you know somebody who'd benefit from this festive treat!
Back in 2000, we had this to say about El Baile Aleman: Senor Coconut is actually the guy better known as techno/electronica artist Atom Heart. He's moved to Chile and gone all Latin and groovy on us. However, all the songs on this (high-) concept album are Kraftwerk covers! So this joins a long line of weird and wonderful tributes to Kraftwerk. Soon we'll be able to have a whole bin at Aquarius dedicated to such endeavors: the Balenescu Quartet one, the Terre Thaemlitz one, the one with all the Slovenian acts, the Japanese import one, the Miami Bass one, etc. etc. Anyways, so incredibly executed down to the tiniest detail, this one will sit at the top of the heap! Super duper fun.
If you have a particular penchant for balladry that has the power to move you to tears, please do yourself a favor and check out the wonderful Canadian singer/songwriter Ron Sexsmith! Highly lauded by critics and notable fellow songwriters - Elvis Costello,
Finally back in stock. One of the best soundtracks to one of the greatest movies EVER!! Really. The last time we listed this was almost 5 years ago and we just now managed to get another batch in. Here's what we had to say about this amazing disc:
This is simply one of the greatest films ever made. You can call AQ and argue with us if you disagree. This film is so personal and intense. So completely thrilling and perfect. And it features what has to be Gene Hackman's best performance ever (except maybe for The French Connection). Also features Harrison Ford and Cindy Williams in one of the best scenes of all time (the scene in the park, filmed in San Francisco's Union Square). And the soundtrack is equally impressive. David Shire, who also did the score for the oh so amazing Taking Of Pelham 123, was presented with a new challenge in the scoring of the Conversation. First, Coppola insisted that the score be simple and stripped down, unlike the bombastic full orchestras Shire was so adept with. Second, the score was composed before the film was finished (like Morricone with Leone), which allowed the score to guide the filming and really help focus the performances. So the score ended up being mostly just solo piano (with Shire believing the whole time that they would orchestrate it later). Dark and minor key. Simple, but so goddamn creepy. It's absolutely chilling and almost too perfectly captures the paranoid unhappiness of Hackman's Harry Caul. It's way scarier and dismal sounding than anything more modern doomsters like Piano Magic or Tindersticks have been trying to pull off. Another interesting aspect of the score is the 'jazz records' that Hackman's character plays sax along to in the film. Those 'records' were actually composed by Shire specifically for the film and Hackman actually played the sax. He had never touched a saxophone before, so on the set he had someone teaching him to play, and he would spend his time practicing scales instead of going over his lines. Those tracks are on this disc, complete with Hackman's sax accompaniment. Another bonus on the disc is a full band version of the Theme From the Conversation, where Shire finally gets to flex his arranging muscles. This soundtrack has never been released in any form, so it's pretty exciting that the folks at Intrada managed to pull it all together and get this out (they actually had to do quite a bit of legwork, remixing, re-EQing, and re-editing to put this all together!). Not really available at stores, we're managed to get a few copies 'cause we're such slobbering The Conversation fans.
And for those of you who haven't seen The Conversation...WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? WALK AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER RIGHT NOW. WALK TO YOUR NEAREST VIDEO STORE. RENT THE VIDEO. UNPLUG THE PHONE. AND WATCH. YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY. An absolutely beautiful film with some of the best performances, directing, and music you will ever see or hear.
A prediction: we'll soon be reading an abundance of reviews of Nancy Sinatra's album referencing her '60s pop hit. Y'know, phrases like "forty years later her boots still keep walkin'". Oops, and now I'm guilty of it too!
Anyways, is this woman some sort of freak of nature or what?! Holy shit, she just popped back up over thirty years after her last release (1971's This Is Nancy Sinatra) and sounds *exactly* the same. Her voice is absolutely ageless, and she's made her music pretty timeless too. Joined by a diverse bunch of younger jaunty musical suitors such as Morrissey, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Jon Spencer, Thurston Moore, Stevie Van Zandt, U2, Pete Yorn and Calexico, she covers such a broad pop palette that she can't be pinned down. As a result this album may appeal to virtually all ages and all walks. The album begins in the best possible way with Sinatra singing the Joey Burns-penned tune "Burnin' Down The Spark" with Calexico as her backing band! It's a fantastic inspired match (oops, no pun intended). The second song "Ain't No Easy Way" recalls her wonderful old duets with Lee Hazlewood. Aah, her ladylike vocals contrasted with the kinda strange'n'creepy male ones (on this one, it's Spencer who assumes the Hazlewood role). Have to say though I'm not so sure about his exclamation of what sounds like "sock it to me!" halfway through. Yikes! Further on, Sinatra proves she's got the spookiness in her too on the eery fifth song "Momma's Boy" penned by Moore. Among the eleven songs there's also smoky ballads, perky energetic numbers and more with Sinatra and all the boys rising to the occasion. Go Nancy!!
Songs composed and played by Magnetic Fields mastermind Stephen Merritt, but sung by a variety of wonderful artists including Lou Barlow (Sebadoh, Folk Implosion), Georgia Hurley (Yo La Tengo), Amelia Fletcher (Heavenly, Marine Research, Tender Trap), Chris Knox, Mac McCaughan (Superchunk, Portastatic), Dean Wareham (Luna), Mary Timony (Helium) and more. Can music possibly get more bittersweet and lovely?
