Recorded from 1970-74 and shamefully, until now, only available as imports, this album, along with 4 other albums from Miles' kozmik groove electric period, has been properly issued. Limited edition format (which probably means they'll be available in 2 months, a little cheaper and in jewel cases) features the original gatefold LP graphics, digipak & booklet with new essays, rare & previously unpublished photos. Stretched out experimentation, sometimes ferocious, always enlightening. With the talents of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira, Joe Zawinul, Ron Carter, etc.
Three years ago, the big rock n' roll sleeper hit here at Aquarius had to be the awesome Agents Of Oblivion album, featuring two crucial ex-members of the late lamented cult band Acid Bath. Heavy, poppy, psychedelic rock with vocalist Dax Riggs crooning beautifully over it all. We shoulda made it record of the week, we all thought in retrospect. Windy had it in heavy rotation in her Trans Am for ages! We were really bummed to hear that the Agents, like Acid Bath before 'em, broke up not long after the album's release. But, fortunately, there's more to the story. Rumors filtered in that Dax and a new crew of New Orleans n'er-do-wells had formed a new band with the unlikely name of Deadboy and the Elephantmen to carry on where the Agents left off. Allan confirmed this when he happened to visit N.O. two years ago and was lucky enough to catch a live performance from this new band. They had a demo out then, and we anticipated a full album release on some big label to appear soon...we waited...and waited...and now, *finally*, here's the Deadboy debut, a self-released cd 'cause those big labels dropped the ball apparently. Mystifiying, 'cause Dax is a rock star if ever there was one, and these guys should be HUGE. Totally accessible yet morbidly underground, we hear everything from some voodoo Alice Cooper darkness and drama, to a little Aerosmith swagger, to the heaviness and angst of Alice In Chains of course -- Acid Bath was always a AIC meets EHG (Eyehategod) hybrid, in a really good way. Radiohead's "Ok Computer" is hinted at too, and Jeff Buckley, as the music combines weirdly sensitive melodicism and dark atmosphere inspired by their hometown's swamps and cemeteries. Dax is as impressive as ever, he really *sings*, drawing out vowels over a dozen notes. His vocals are oddly warm and comforting but also anguished and intense. While the songwriting on this album does not quite match the relatively flowery yet heavy tunesmithery of the Agents of Oblivion album, and neither does the instrumentation call attention to itself, that's not necessarily a bad thing as it lets Dax' voice take center stage and he... just... wails. Sometimes despairing, sometimes incantatory. Oh the angst! For fans of Alice in Chains, Acid Bath/Agents of Oblivion (of course), Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees, and Woven Hand.
MPEG Download: "Graves Beyond Windows" [/audio/deadboygraves.mp3]
MPEG Stream: "Graves Beyond Windows" [/audio/deadboygraves.m3u]
AVAILABLE AGAIN ON VINYL FOR A LIMITED TIME.
An all time AQ perfect pop favorite! Here's our brief yet concise review from way back in the 20th century before these guys had gotten HUGE:
At the risk of slipping into hyperbole, which we try avoid at all costs (snicker...), this is hands down, one of the best (and possibly most overlooked - we almost missed it ourselves, gasp!) indie rock records ever. Landing somewhere between 'There's Nothing Wrong With Love' and 'Perfect From Now On', Death Cab craft a Built-to-Spill-ian universe, full of lazy sad pop, intricate compositions, jangly melodies, shifting structures, odd time signatures, and haunting cellos. This record has been an unbelievable hit in the store. It's pretty much never ever been played without at least one person buying it, sometimes 2 or 3!
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Without fail if this album is played in the store, customers immediately ask who this is. Leans gently towards lo-fi and unassuming, yet epic and orchestral, this Scottish outfit has produced a majestic pop album of instantly catchy, toothsomely epic ditties and waltzes. The second track "Accused of Stealing" is a beautifully crushing composition. One of Cup's favorite albums of all time. Highly recommended.
Is it just me or would more rock bands be better served by either a) becoming an instrumental band, or c) singing in another language other than English? Certainly part of this wish is born out of a desire to be spared the painfully bad lyrics often penned by would-be poets, but also because it's often so much nicer to hear singing for singing's sake, and to hear the wonderful inflections of vowels and consonants as they're treated through the mouth of a completely different vocal tradition. I always imagined that had Sonic Youth employed a Vietnamese singer they'd have been my favorite band -- at least for the first several years of their career. And I'm sure that one of the main reasons people, myself included, love the Cambodian Rocks compilation (and alternately why the mainstream public probably don't) is due to the vocals. Yeah, it's some great stripped down garage rock. But what puts that album over the top are the vocals. So it was pretty exciting to hear that a group had formed in honor of that venerable collection of Cambodian garage classics. While the instrumental backbone of Dengue Fever is truly an all-star cast of musicians, including Senon Williams of the Radar Brothers on bass, Zac Holtzman of Dieselhed on guitar, David Rallick of Beck on saxophone, Ethan Holtzman on farfisa and Paul Smith on drums, without their vocalist Chhom Nimol they'd really be a rocket without fuel. Nimol, the princess, is the real star of the show. Born and raised in Cambodia, Nimol was a pop star there before emigrating to Orange County several years ago. To give you an idea of her status back home, Nimol regularly performed for the king and queen of Cambodia. That's right, the king & queen! And now she's essentially slumming it with a bunch of indie rockers. But the pairing couldn't be better, and I highly recommend that the next time the group is even remotely near your town that you go see them play, because you won't regret it. Until that day comes, you'll get a very good consolation prize in Dengue Fever's new studio recording released on Trey Spruance's (Mr. Bungle) Web of Mimicry label. While the group began by simply covering the Cambodian Rocks album wholesale, their repertoire has grown to include several originals -- included here -- and a cover of Mulatu Astatke's "Yegelle Tezeta" (from Ethiopiques Volume 4), which blends quite nicely with the Cambodian pop material. And what the group may lack in the raw spontaneity of those original tapes, they make up in spades with full arrangements and sensuous fidelity. Nimol's beautiful voice comes out wonderfully prisitine so that you can hear every minute inflection, and it's a voice so beautiful you won't need to see her to fall instantly in love. Highly recommended!
No doubt you've at least heard 'Survivor', and you've most definitely heard the Charlie's Angels song. And unfortunately, outside of a track or two, those happen to be the best songs on the record. So while it is a good record, it maybe doesn't measure up to the last one. Windy loves it, and thinks it actually might be better than the last one. But Allan and Andee are yet to be
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Dieselhed's 4th album is a sweet collection of all of the slow songs and ballads that have become their well loved standards in their live sets, yet have not made their way onto tape until now! Their 'real life' catalog of straightforward, quotidian lyrics about life in Eureka, drunken mishaps on Alaskan fishing boats, lap dancing, etc... are perfectly complemented by twangy, melodic hooks and stunningly sublime harmonies worthy of comparisons to Louvin Brothers and Lennon-McCartney. One of Windy's all-time favorite bands.
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One of San Francisco's best bands breaks out with their 3rd full length, a little more twang and slow and a little less rock than their previous work but JUST AS GREAT. We can't stress enough how rewarding a close reading of Virgil and Zack's lyrics can be ("Is that paint, I can't tell / A white square where a picture fell"). And don't forget to wait for the last hidden track, "Yoga Instructor").
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We're finally carrying my very favorite rocksteady (i.e. post ska, pre reggae) singer who had several hits in the late 1960's. Excruciatingly lovely, light, clear voice is part American soul stirrer, part Jamaican heartbreaker. Very highly recommended!
I dunno, I'm sitting here slowly and pleasantly realizing anew how completely and totally brilliant The Dismemberment Plan is. All the sonic elements combine so well into a singular style, immediately recognizable, always compelling and completely
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Sounds like Ozzy Osbourne screeching over tinny, lo-fi jungle, and it totally works.
This all time beloved AQ tresure, out of print for ages, finally gets reissued, in time to give as a gift, to ANYONE you know who might not have this, because everyone should own these records. Some of the most breathtakingly lovely folk music EVER. Now with new artwork, and with the addition of the recent Nick Drake documentary A Skin Too Few. To make room for the dvd, they bumped the odds and sods collection Time Of No Reply, but is not such a loss, as much of that stuff has surfaced in one form or another in the recent spate of collections gathering up anything and everything Drake ever recorded.
But here, in addition ot the movie, you get everything you need, all three classic albums: Pink Moon, Bryter Layter and Five Leaves Left. Breatless, intimate, heartfelt, tragic, lovely, dreamy, wistful, heart breaking, personal, intense and mysterious folk music that sounds as otherworldly as it does timeless.
In a super nice box, with a new 100 page book. Absolutely essential.
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Long a treasured 'bootleg' amongst Drake fans, these are 18 rare home recordings that sit comfortably beside his 4 other essential albums. So lovely!
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Sometimes it's hard to believe that certain records just go out of print. I mean who would let the Conet Project go out of print, or Souled American, or the Incredible String Band. It's even weirder when the record is not old or obscure. Then it's usually some bureaucratic red tape or major label bullshit that keeps people from hearing some great record. Such is the case with the second, ultimate release from San Diego's Drive Like Jehu, originally released on Interscope in 1994. A record Allan and Andee and Jim and Sadie and Windy and quite possibly the rest of the AQ staff would rank as one of the best rock records ever! Easily as good/important as Slint's Spiderland. For those who don't know, Drive Like Jehu was fronted by John Reis of Rocket From The Crypt (who has now reissued Yank Crime on his own Swami label) and featured vocalist Rick Farr (his rock name, he's also known as Eric Froberg) who later went on with Reis to play in the Hot Snakes. Drive Like Jehu also just happened to have one of the tightest rhythm sections EVER. E V E R! Yank Crime is a tightly wound record of 'post rock' (before post rock meant watered down instrumental indie rock bullshit) with head nodding, repetitive grooves, propulsive, ultra concise drumming, and some of the most inventive guitar playing we've ever heard. All topped off with Farr's distinctive high pitched vocals (familiar to all you folks who dig the Hot Snakes) The songs are looooong and hypnotic but never boring. The band locks into totally intense, static grooves, that can go on for minutes before exploding into mayhemic bursts of controlled fury. So goddamn good. Anyone who likes the Hot Snakes MUST own this record. Drive Like Jehu is like a hyper charged, heavier, more intense and complex, MUCH BETTER Hot Snakes. Anyone who likes Feuhler or Don Cab or Slint or Engine Kid or almost any post rock will discover what all those other comers had been shooting for. This is IT. Trust us. An automatic AQ "record of the week" selection as soon as we heard it was finally being re-released -- with three bonus tracks to boot! ("Bullet Train To Vegas" and "Hand Over Fist" from their Merge label 7", and the original version of "Sinews" from a Cargo/Headhunter compilation.) So even if you have the original you might want to get this reissue for those.
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What a breath of fresh air! As if a new Circle album wasn't enough (see "Prospekt" elsewhere on this list), there's also a new release from this Circle side-project. A side project staffed *entirely* by members of Circle, we might add. Hence, there's an unavoidable but definitely welcome similarity between the two bands.
Ektroverde are kind of like Circle's alter-ego -- less intense (and yet, still really intense!), sometimes jazz, sometimes fucked up hi-NRG pop. The trademark Circle rhythmic hypnosis remains, but the sometimes austere riff-mongering and prog-rock precision is mostly superseded by a generally more playful and groovier approach, certainly nothing as heavy or "rockin'" as what's found on "Prospekt". Gorgeous, psychedelic instrumental explorations, even venturing into the realms of primitive techno electronics at points (Ektro-house?)... There's actually many moods to this record, some parts silly and some downright spooky. To get a sense of the album's range, please listen to all three soundclips. We are especially enamoured of the track "Gradient" with its baa-ing sheep (this must be heard to be believed!) and Pansonic-like pulsations, and equally in love with the following track of creepy drone-effects, more like an Organum piece. In fact, this disc at moments reminds us of everything from Goblin soundtracks (creepy keyboards) to Van Halen's "Jump" (well, that only briefly). Very highly recommended!!
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An old record, but new to us! As mentioned in Windy's Bay Guardian column, and from the label that brought us the Conet Project!
Each member of The Electric Family (which was the collective of all the electronica artists for the very odd Irdial records... Anthony Manning, Beautyon, Spy vs. Spy, Mrs. Mimi Magick, Ray Tracing, Gas Man, Spacemole, 2007) was given a Nintendo Super Famicon with the instruction to write a song only using the music sequencer and the sound pre-sets from Mariopaint. Clumsy yet entirely brilliant melodies with quirky horns famous from Simm City, whimisical digitized bells, and wholly un-hip beats. Somehow it makes complete sense that Akin Fernandez (Irdial's proprietor) would three years later release the Conet Project!
With every Elf Power release the band grows in leaps and bounds, gleefully becoming more psychedelic and less sweetly pop. This is a good thing! Developing their own, original spin on the tried and true Elephant 6 sound (the underground pop collective typified by Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, and Apples in Stereo) has resulted in "Winter is Coming", which is filled with delightfully ambitious psychedelic rock with a few nods here and there to their toothy pop roots. Very well executed and stunningly melodic. Highly recommended!
For those of you who don't have MTV, avoid mainstream hip hop radio, and thus may not ever have heard Missy Elliott before, take our advice and get this record. It's pretty damn worthwhile. Missy is a big and curvaceous hip hop diva (unlike the rail thin waifs we've become accustomed to seeing) whose cool 'n husky vocal delivery is here augmented by the manly talents of Ludacris, Redman, Ginuwine, Busta Rhymes, Jay Z, and Method Man, plus the divas-in-training lady vocalists Eve, Da Brat, Jade, etc. Girlfriend wrote or co-wrote almost all the songs with Timbaland, uh huh. But the production chops are what shines here -- with Timbaland behind the board you know that there are choppy melodies and stutttering, rumbling bass along with the all-important lurching rhythms and Timbaland's signature beats that are left OUT of the track, forcing YOUR ears to fill them in -- brilliant!
As a proud rocksteady collector, I'm a little embarrassed to say I never gave Hortense Ellis much time until we got this nice collection in recently. Hortense was the sister of the much-more-famous Alton Ellis, and she dueted with him on many tracks, as
Unlike most of the recent reissues of classic albums, Brian Eno's aren't graced / padded with extra bells'n'whistles (outtakes, demo versions and the like) nor are there swollen booklets of liner notes, photos, glowing praise, etc. No, you get the albums as they were originally released -- albeit remastered and packaged in simple digipaks with plain clear plastic slipcovers -- and frankly, with albums as timeless and remarkable as these, that's enough! Each is an inspired and inspiring work, remaining vital and compelling even thirty years later. Needless to say, each is fully deserving of an honored place in any record collection.
"My baby's on fiyaaaaaaa!"... so good. Eno's first solo album after leaving Roxy Music finds him in 'proto-everything' territory, pre-dating art-pop, punk and indie rock with his Dada-esque lyrics and a fresh 'non-musician' approach (those are his words, although a bit misleading -- it's not like he was a gardener before he walked into the studio!) to avant garde songs. Glammy, brooding, and exploratory. This, along with his mood-masterpiece Another Green World, comprise the essential bits of pre-ambient Eno.
Unlike most of the recent reissues of classic albums, Brian Eno's aren't graced / padded with extra bells'n'whistles (outtakes, demo versions and the like) nor are there swollen booklets of liner notes, photos, glowing praise, etc. No, you get the albums as they were originally released -- albeit remastered and packaged in simple digipaks with plain clear plastic slipcovers -- and frankly, with albums as timeless and remarkable as these, that's enough! Each is an inspired and inspiring work, remaining vital and compelling even thirty years later. Needless to say, each is fully deserving of an honored place in any record collection.
One of Eno's best songs kicks off TTM(BS), the ubiquitous and lovely "Burning Airlines Gives You So Much More", with a gorgeous post-Beatles melody and snaky harmonized guitar (an Eno trademark, often played by Robert Fripp on these releases). From there on out, TTM(BS) expands upon -- but doesn't often better -- the ideas that began with Here Come The Warm Jets. Slightly more introspective. It's also less sneering. Of course, Bauhaus resonated with Eno's idea of absurdist / glam / experimental pop, later covering this album's sixth song "Third Uncle". Really, this often sounds like Chairs Missing era Wire in spots, and we all know that's a good thing!
How many other groups can you think of that have been equally embraced by the house, the hip hop, and the punk scenes? There ain't no one but ESG. The four black Scroggins sisters from the South Bronx formed their band in the late '70s (mom bought 'em intruments to keep them off the streets). They released their first single on Factory in the UK, and on 99 Records (No-Wave home of Liquid Liquid, Glenn Branca, etc) in the US. So not only did they play with groups such as The Clash and Gang of Four, but their single "Moody" was a bona fide disco hit, and the B-side of that single "UFO" has become one of the most recognizable, most sampled parts in the history of hip hop. Everyone from LL Cool J to 3rd Bass to Marley Marl to Big Daddy Kane has sampled ESG, you will be AMAZED when you listen to these original tracks. Super stripped-down, raw percussive tracks with enough groove to make a girl forget she's not swimming in jewels. Three full lengths and a couple of singles later, ESG (Emerald Sapphire and Gold) gets the best-of treatment in this excellent compilation of the group's best tracks (including Windy's personal favorite "Erase You": "Well I got news for you boys / I'm gonna erase you / just like a drawing / Erase you / flush you like my toilet / Pump it up girls!"
The Extra Glenns is two musicians near and dear to Aquarius' heart: John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats and Franklin Bruno (Nothing Painted Blue and an esteemed solo artist). Together they've brought their li'l side project Extra Glenns to full fruition
"John Fahey and many of his contemporaries and fans consider this disc to be his finest work. It contains both the 1963 and 1967 versions of Death Chants, Breakdowns, and Military Waltzes. The striking differences between the two point up the dramatic stylistic approaches Fahey was exploring during those few short years." (from the liner notes on the album). This is some of the loveliest solo guitar work and folksy fingerpicking that we've ever heard Fahey or anyone else do! Essential!
For some time now I've been meaning to make this *great* album "Oldie but Goodie of the Week", and then lo and behold, it got reissued with 8 extra tracks! So it is with great pleasure that we offer Fairport Convention's Heyday. I'm a big fan of this band, who formed in the late '60s and whose sound melded traditional British Isles folk music with rock influences. Heyday is actually Fairport at their most rock -- it predates their better known (and much more "traditional" classics such as Unhalfbricking and Liege & Leaf), and is almost completely comprised of covers. This earliest incarnation of Fairport (which has since seen almost all its founding members move on) included the immensely talented Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Simon Nicol, Ian Matthews. Thompson's sublime guitarwork on Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" absolutely brings that song to its feet, plus they cover Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" and animate tracks by Joni Mitchell, Richard Farina, the Everly Bros, Gene Clark, etc. The eight extra songs included with this extended version of Heyday were similarly recorded in the late '60s and are mostly covers / traditionals, including tracks by Bob Dylan and Jackson C. Frank. They're more folky and less rock than the proper Heyday tracks, but in that they tantalize the listener by offering a glimpse at where the band was going, they're more than worthwhile.
That these tracks made it to tape is lucky -- the band performed live on the radio about once a month but tried to never repeat themselves! So it is a precious document, and it sounds great. You will never tire of Heyday.
Over the past couple of years, it has become apparent that there are two modes of production for the esteemed Austrian electro-glitch artist Christian Fennesz. On one hand, there are the studio driven productions where he focuses on the digital decomposition of various guitar signatures (exemplified within the "Plays" single whose beautiful cover of The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" was originally commissioned for the ill-fated "Painted Black" compilation -- due soon on tUMULt), and on the other, there's the live improvisation techniques he brings to any number of European free-jazz / new music ensembles (i.e. MIMEO, FennO'Berg, Polweschel, Golden Tone, Orchestra 33 1/3, etc.). While his technical prowess and expressive immediacy can be quite graceful on those electro-improv recordings, Fennesz excels in the studio.
"Field Recordings 1995:2002" -- which is NOT a collection of Chris Watson-esque field recordings -- picks up some of the studio driven scraps that had been released on compilations, special projects, and film soundtracks during the past 7 years. Of particular note, "Field Recordings 1995:2002" features all of the cuts from his amazing "Instrument" debut EP released on Mego in 1995. Even before such incredibly powerful programs as SuperCollider and Max/MSP had been as widely available as they are now, Fennesz has always been interested the atomization and disintegration of digital recordings at their most basic level. While all of these tracks from "Instrument" still sound great by today's standards, there is a strong connection with the sampledelica guitar trickery of '90s UK post-rock of Seefeel, Main, and Disco Inferno as hyperactive, time-stretched kaleidoscopes of post-MBV distortion and skittering electronica rhythms. The other tracks include reworkings of the soundtrack composed for "Blue Moon," remixes Fennesz did for Ekkehard Ehlers and Stephan Mathieu, and compilation tracks from "Decay" (Ash International), "RKKCD13" (Reckankreuzungklankewerkzeuge), "Clicks and Cuts 2" (Mille Plateaux) and "Krev X" (Ash International) -- that last contribution being a digitally fuzzed-out cover of America's "A Horse With No Name."
While many 'loose-end' collections run the risk of being full of cast-away tracks from the proper albums, Fennesz' "Field Recording" is as good as any of his previous albums, and shouldn't be missed!
You may have already heard Ibrahim Ferrer on the spectacular second track off the Buena Vista Social Club record, his high, light voice soaring over the expert Cuban instrumentalists backing him up. How lucky are we to have an entire album of Ferrer's lovely voice?
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The relative ease with which this German band outshines the post-rock-fanboy holy-grail trio Don Caballero (keeping in mind that we really like Don Cab), makes one wish that the general indie rock audience at large was harder to please. Then perhaps more bands would try to expand on the Don Cab sound instead of incessantly aping it, and more records would sound as jaw droppingly brilliant as this one. In place of Damon Che's non stop avalanche of 'Moby Dick'isms and DonCab's metal-in-post-rock's-clothing is a complex sonic tapestry of hypnotic drones and cyclical riffs. Feuhler take the droning single note repetition of Tony Conrad, the scraping stones of Loren Chasse, the heavy prog of Voivod, the dynamics of Slint, and the slowly evolving Reich-ish rock of Circle, and fashion a music at once emotive and heavy, intellectual and kick ass.
Barrelhouse piano, some delightfully cheesy drum machines and uptempo rhythms highlight the truly amazing Astrology Songs album. (For those who bought it when it was on Amarillo Records, note that this version has added back up vocals). There's one song for each sign, and I'll bet a dollar you will find yourself skipping ahead to your own sign within a minute of putting the record on... only to find that Harvey Sid has got you totally pegged. Each song is sung in the first person, and are as varied as moody lovesongs (like "Moonchild" -- so titled because Harvey Sid didn't want to use the word Cancer), and playful uptempo show tunes ("Talkin' 'bout the Taurus / talking 'bout the bully-bull-bull! / wooly bully / You be good I'll love you till the end / and you will have a lover you can count on as a friend / I like being rich and I like being well fed / I'm good in the kitchen and I'm good in bed"), and western-style epic ("Lib-Lib-a-Libra Lib-Lib-a-Libra / I'll flirt and conquer then withdraw / Lib-Lib-a-Libra Lib-Lib-a-Libra / then maybe might come back for more / In love with all of my heart / the act of love is more of an art / Irrational passion some will say / But uh-uh I'm no glutton more a love gourmet"). Listen to the soundclips below for the full Harvey Sid experience!
Local customers might want your first Harvey Sid Fisher experience to be with the Astrology Songs *video*, which simply has to be seen to be believed. A tuxedoed Harvey sings while a modern dancer in leotards acts out the lyrics of each song. Un-fucking-believable. We have this video available for rent. Mailorder customers -- we can order this for you ($17.98).
The Battle of the Sexes disc reminds us of the 60s-style folk-rock duets Lee Hazelwood performed with Ann Margaret, Suzy Jane Hokum, etc. Subtitled "Duets with couples fighting -- Putting the 'fun' back into dysfunctional". With subjects like money, communication, affairs, and sex, they are so so so funny. Here's some lyrics from "I Want Sex":
Man: "I want sex / I want sex / You got me climbing up the wall"
Woman: "You talk like I'm not giving you enough"
M: "You ain't giving me any at all"
W: "You know I've been busy / lots of work to do"
M: "Oh please please please I work as hard as you"
W: "You know I would if I could"
M: "But you don't when you should!"
W: "Well the fact of the matter is you're not that good!"
Legendary premiere recording of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely & Butch Hancock from 1972, now on cd.
This is one of those albums that's neither new, nor even a recent reissue, but that we here at Aquarius decided, heck, let's list, it deserves it! (While this disc already appears on our website, it was never actually *listed* in any of our newsletters.) So while many might already know this album backwards and forwards, it has most certainly slipped through the cracks for too many others out there. Being a Japan-only import can't help. Allan wisely reordered some copies recently (when a customer special ordered it for themselves on-line) and Byram, unwittingly playing it in the store, found himself getting progressively more obsessed with the album (and the band)! It wasn't long before Jim and Marcy were also finding themselves hooked. Now almost any day you come into the store, you'll hear the Flower Travellin' Band blaring.
This is an album (and a band) that are not celebrated nearly enough -- possibly out of misguided notions of their being another bad psych knock-off among the many crowding the record racks in the early seventies. But Japan's Flower Travellin' Band were no mere cheesy imitators of occidental rock 'n roll, they were in actual fact a full-fledged, pioneering tour de force of psychedelic progressive hard rock, equalling the krautrock heavies of the era. FTB can be compared favorably to Amon Duul's better efforts with their experimental meandering (think Yeti), and the best trancey spaceouts from Can. Yet there's never a sense that FTB lose track of their compositions no matter how far out they take a track. Perhaps because even more than these experimental Krautrockers, FTB's heavy (fucking ominously heavy) sound points to a major Sabbath, Purple, and Crimson influence. Released in 1971, Satori is the band's second and arguably best album (all but the first album Anywhere have now been reissued by Warner Japan). From the first screech/howl at the beginning of track one -- "Satori Part I" (the tracks on the album are all "Satori", parts I-V) -- from vocalist Joe, who inhabits a zone somewhere between Can's Damo Suzuki and Deep Purple's Ian Gillan, the album gets straight down to business. Joe's scream is followed by a foreboding bass, guitar and drum dirge that's straight up collision between Cream and Black Sabbath in which no one survives. It's got so much more teeth than either, it's not even funny, predating punk by a good many years. "Satori Part II" however is quintessential FTB Over a pounding tribal drumbeat, alternating between a buzzing sitar-esque guitar drone and a melody line that curls ripples and lilts like a plume of burning incense smoke, guitarist Hideki Ishima lays out one of the creepiest, coolest guitar leads ever. If that ain't enough, vocalist Joe's singing is like that of Axl Rose being channelled by the Sun City Girls! Even if the rest of the album were total shit -- which it ain't -- the cost of this cd would still be well worth it for this song alone! "Part III" -- an instrumental -- picks up where II leaves off but slows the tempo down to a deathly pace, which makes it even heavier. This is the Sabbath influence on FTB writ large. Replete with an improv freakout before returning to the original riff and building into a frenzied crescendo. Needless to say, if you weren't bobbing your head at the beginning of the song, you will be by its end. "Part IV" could be considered FTB's "blues" number, with Joe picking up the harmonica instead of singing. But instead of churning out the expected twelve bar formula, FTB truncate the form and construct a minimalist jam around a short riff instead. "Part V" shows yet another facet of FTB's seemingly infinite potential with Hideki (?) playing some kick ass, spooky koto-like guitar overdubbed on top of some heavy psych. Damn! They could have done ten fucking albums around this schtick alone and probably never lost our interest... sigh... but this (and the other two that are also available, look for reviews in future) will have to suffice for now. Absolutely, fucking recommended!!!!
MPEG Download: "Satori Part II" [/audio/flowersatori2.mp3]
MPEG Stream: "Satori Part II" [/audio/flowersatori2.m3u]
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The new Old! Avant/ambient/ex-grindcore guitarist James Plotkin returns with the perfect, hypnotic, techno-pop experiment! (That's techno in the sense of "done with machines".) Vocalist Ruth Collins adds her quite good spoken word poetry (a la Lori Carson in the Golden Palominos), and production is handled by Mick Harris of Scorn fame. Highly recommended.
The Flying Burrito Bros were formed in 1969 by Gram Parsons, dearly departed father of country rock whose legend is still growing ever larger as his influence continues to be felt. I could go on and on and on about what a genius Parsons was, but then this description would be pages long, and anyway Ben Fong-Torres already wrote a book about 'im (Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons, highly recommended).
After leaving The Byrds, with whom he recorded just a single perfect album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Parsons formed the Burritos with ex-Byrd Chris Hillman and other compatriots. Though the Burritos have released many records since their inception, the only ones that Gram appears on are the first two, both of which appear here in their entirety (the "Train Song" single is also included here, making Sin City more complete than the other best-of comp, Farther Along). While the second Burritos album was in progress, Parsons starting hanging with Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, who let him record the stunning version of "Wild Horses" found here. He drifted away from the band (or was asked to leave). In 1971 and '72 he released the two flawless solo albums, GP and Grievous Angel, that sealed his reputation as legend. By 1973 he was dead.
The two Burrito Brothers albums, then, are essential to any Parsons fan's collection, as well as fans of country rock, and "No Depression"-style alt.country in general. The combination of catchy melodies, rollicking good humor, joyous twang, and solid rock backbone make these records essential listening. Get this now!
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Classic first full length recording.
Henry Flynt's "Spindizzy" is the second volume in his series of "New American Ethnic Music," following the incredible document "You Are My Everlovin' / Celestial Power", an earlier assortment of country-fried, Fluxus inspired minimalism. Flynt had been an
In early 2001 Windy got really into the original release of the Fog record, which I guess we and a few stores in Minneapolis carried, and that's it. Well, the fine and talented folk at Ninjatune signed Fog, and here's a re-release of the album, plus three
Fog is a one-man project out of Minneapolis that takes you on a journey through said guy's twisted brain. As evidenced by the preponderance of mournful, epic guitarwork on the record, Andrew Broder's background is certainly with guitar-based rock music, but hey it's the new millenium now and samplers have changed everything. Thus the record begins with a spoken piece by hip hop emcee MF Doom, followed by a lengthy tornado of manic samples and swirling percussion. The tension's got you half expecting the breakbeats to kick in at that point (yeah, that's how much this record's first few minutes sound like a DJ Shadow or other Mo'Wax record), but instead you get Beck-like stuttering beats and languid, albeit heavily processed, vocals. In fact this reminds us a lot of Beck (who in fact came in a few weeks ago with Dan the Automator and they both bought the Fog 12"). A bevy of swiped genres battle one another throughout the record, turntablist scratching overtakes doom-laden moans, Broder indulges his inner DJ's penchant for using sampled vocal snippets to carry on an album-length narrative, and it all finally culminates in a nine minute impassioned aching guitarsong at the end that reminds us of Joel Phelps or Rex. Eclectic indeed! In a good way. It's not perfect, but we still recommend it.
BTW, this The Fog is no relation to J. Mascis' similarly named band.
Kieran Hebden, Putney, London-based wunderkind, has released some lastingly beautiful records as part of Fridge (whose amazing Eph was Windy's #1 album of 1999). Four Tet is his solo project. A little more "electronic" than the post-rock Fridge, this is very
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Reissue of early Freakwater alternative country lp.
The southern California hip hop outfit known as Freestyle Fellowship (including Aceyalone, J. Sumbi, M.D. Himself, Mikah 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Self Jupiter) originally released this album in, like, 1993 or something, as a promo-only white label 12"! Then they got signed to a major and released several albums, but this one was never officially released (except for a rare version available for about 5 minutes years ago). Aceyalone's MC style is deft and hilarious, and this killer record is a must! The first track on the album may be Windy's favourite hip hop song ever, wherein "you're wack" gets rhymed with "succotash" and the punchline goes "Every rapper in the house, shut the funk up!"
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So beautiful! Windy's #1 favorite album of 1999, an overlooked masterpiece from a band that's been building up to this after several mediocre records. They've finally done it -- destroyed every other post rock band out there with "Eph".
Mellow, serious electronica filled with lovely layers and melodies. "The latest full-length from the trio of Sam Jeffers, Kieren Hebden (aka Fourtet), and Adem Ilhan, after a handful of beautifully packaged/sounding EPs and albums for Output, Piao, and Go Beat. The timing is perfect for someone to concoct a millenium-lullaby out of old casio beats, organ drones, phased guitars, swell loopery, and random acoustic/electric machinery; these guys have done it (with a few bright months to squeeze in a few table tennis matches). Positively, absolutely destined to be 'huge', if not I'm going into hiding, deep within the earth's crust until this whole thing blows over..." - Hrvatski/Forced Exposure
So beautiful!!! The London-based trio Fridge has finally wrested back the rights to their masterpiece Eph from the evil major label and have re-released it themselves in the UK, and for the first time in the US, on Temporary Residence. Windy's hands down
The reissue also contains a second bonus disc that brings back to life the out-of-print "Kinoshita Terasaka" single and the "Of" EP, plus two previously unreleased remixes by Matt Herbert (Dr Rockit) and Viennese electronicist Patrick Pulsinger.
You *must* hear this record. I don't usually use Andee's favorite final word in my reviews, but I have to here. ESSENTIAL.
The UK trio Fridge's 1999 album Eph was a big staff fave here at Aquarius, a stunning combination of dark theatrical Morricone style melodies alongside electronic and organic instrumentation. It swelled with emotion and tasteful skills, like other
Fridge's new album Happiness is another fine work, in my opinion, although some of my coworkers disagree and think this is unimpressive post-rock. While Happiness isn't as breathtakingly surprisingly good as Eph (which by the way is out of print until Temporary Residence reissues it stateside in 2002), it's nonetheless soooo lovely. The magic is in the simplicity of the music: each song features a lilting melody that simply carries you along for four or seven or eleven minutes, building upon itself with just a minimum of elements -- cut up piano and xylophone on one track, childrens voices on another, drum machines and glockenspiel on yet a third.
The record will appeal to fans of Tortoise, Papa M, To Rococo Rot, and definitely Four Tet (Fridge member Kieran Hebden's other project).
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First single for UK electonica/postrockers Fridge on Go-Beat after so many on Output. Dreamy and expansive (if taut) rhythms with occasional "Hindi" flares...sorta like a cross between Tortoise and Talvin Singh?
You probably know artist Andy Goldsworthy -- the British 'sculptor' (I guess you'd call him a sculptor?) who works with materials found in the natural environment, creating amazing pieces constructed from leaves or sticks or rocks or ice, on site? If not, check out his books -- for his works often exist only long enough to be photographed -- they're certainly some of the best, widely available volumes to hit the coffee tables of the world in recent years. Last year, a beautiful, beautiful documentary film called Rivers And Tides took viewers into Goldsworthy's world. Hopefully you saw it. When that film was basically taking over San Francisco (it was at the Roxie for a loooong time), we got many requests for the soundtrack, which didn't yet exist. We knew though that if it ever did come out, we'd sell a ton. Composed by the amazing Mr. Fred Frith, it was a big part of the film's appeal, no mean feat considering that the visuals were so great already. And now at last, we're happy to announce, here it is, the highly anticipated soundtrack to Rivers And Tides. And yes, it is as good as you remember it -- not some uninspired background music this! The album draws you in immediately, the main melodic theme slipping out effortlessly within the first 30 seconds of the album and repeated throughout. Running water gives way to highpitched soprano sax only to be subsumed under the surface of Frith's calm, stilling guitar, plucked Brazilian berimbao, and other, droning ethnic instrumentation. Tension and calm ebb and flow like, er, the tide. The reed instruments interweave, sprightly and evocative. Even if you haven't seen the film, this soundtrack rates as major highlight of one of our favorite experimental composer's ouevre. Highly, highly recommended!
The packaging is also gorgeous as per Winter & Winter's norm, with heavy duty digipak, letterpressed cover, and full color multipanelled foldouts of Goldworthy's works.
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I'm embarrassed to say it took a few months for me to realize the brilliance of this album, but better late blah blah blah... This is stark and understated pop, nothing sweet about it, quiet and intense. Unpredictable in the best ways, like a song will be building up up up to a soft climax, only to have the bass stop at crucial moment -- it's that kind of beauty. Definitely for fans of Palace and early Pavement, I cannot recommend them, one of SF's best local bands, more highly. Packaged in a (pre-June of 44) matchbook cover with nice Fuck sticker.
