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The September release in the 20' to 2000 series of experimental/minimalist/electronica is from Noto. What has been so surprising of this series is the exceptional quality... I mean is there going to be a dud in the lot? Not yet! Carsten Nicolai - aka Noto and label boss for Noton/Rastermusic - presents perhaps his best best work of minimalist clicks and electronic pops emerging rather unassumingly at first, but later structuring themselves against slow moving rhythmic bass pulses.
Nurse With Wound's catalogue is a daunting venture. And if you aren't sure where to start, this double cd of collaborations offers an exceptional sampling of the wide variety of sonic adventures that Steven Stapleton could take you. The Nurse With Wound aesthetic is primarily a dadaist assault of musique concrete techniques within a weird, often dark, often psychedelic context of mutant pop.
The star studded collaborators including Stereolab (whose contributions here are "Animal or Vegetable" off 'Crumb Duck' and one of the "Simple Headphone Mind" tracks), Chrystal Belle Scrodd (Stapleton's wife Diana Rogerson performing an excellent kraut-groove), Coil (a remix by Stapleton of their ritualistic "How To Destroy Angels"), Foetus (as Jim Thirwell and Stapleton cover the lysergic funk of Brainticket), Tiny Tim (yes, Tiny Tim!!!), Legendary Pink Dots, William Bennett (of Whitehouse on a very early track before the two parted on bad terms in the early '80s), Current 93 / David Tibet (both Stapleton and Tibet have worked extensively together for the past two decades), Aranos, Tony Wakeford (of Sol Invictus), Chris Wallis, and Peat Bog. Windy gives this a solid recommendation for all (like her) who haven't known where to start.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY. NEW EDITION IN STOCK NOW THOUGH!
This is one of the very best pop albums of 1996. Psychedelic and sweet, everyone here at AQ loves this. If you've never heard the Olivias before, start here.
20 track collection of OTC rarities, bumming out collector scum but making the rest of us very happy. You'll find several of the finest examples of GOOD psychedelic pop from the acclaimed 'Elephant 6' collective on this here disc. Included is the truly stunning, impossibly rare 6-song "California Demise" single (which contains 2 or 3 of their hands down best songs ever), the excellent "Giant Day" single, the track from the Apples in Stereo/OTC split single, songs from various Kindercore and Ptolemaic Terrascope comps, and one previously unreleased track. Rumor has it the Olivias just broke up, so at least this 'last' release is one of their best.
Sweden's Bjorn Olsson (a member of The Soundtrack Of Our Lives) returns with yet another album of nostalgic soundtrack-sounding stuff that'll have you asking yourself "where have I heard this before"? Of course, that may be because, when you get through the whole album, you'll have heard many of the songs twice! (Yep, for the same obscure reason he did so on his last album "UPA", ol' Bjorn put the same songs twice on one disc, though the second time around they're definitely different mixes at least.)
Anyway, after hearing these tracks a couple times (that is, after one spin of the disc, heh) we found ourselves -- store employees and customers alike -- fairly whistling along, mostly because Olsson's catchy melodies are quite irresistible, but also partly 'cuz several of the best tracks here indeed feature whistling as the melodic lead (think Morricone's "Giu La Testa"). Yep again, as with his previous two albums Bjorn continues to emulate Ennio Morricone, to the point where he's nearly out Heroded Herod. Along with his knack for melody -- super catchy and incredibly reminiscent of specific tunes that will rest on the tip of your tongue -- Olsson's arrangements are increasingly more brilliant to boot. Like a spaghetti western that takes place in a sunny, pastoral meadow or something. A very lovely album, that at first we thought might be a bit too "Hallmark card" pretty, but really really grew on us. Windy's new favorite album, and Byram likes it too!
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Boredoms guitarist Yamamoto's trio has made their poppiest record yet and still it kicks ass, never sickly sweet at all, just excellent chiming guitars alongside a whole lot of that genre-twisting racket we already love Hatoba for perfecting. This is the US version of the import, and it has an extra song NOT on the import.
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This is Omo's, second major label effort, not scheduled for US release. Their records keep getting better and better, this one reaching new heights of toothy melody and sludgy sweetness, along with their usual tour through the murky depths of rock's weirder edges. Yamamoto (of Boredoms), Tsuyama and friends explore new post-rock-electronica realms...
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AMAZING! Sounds like experimental electronic or ambient beauty, yet it's done completely on mouth organs in Bangladesh. The Murung people are an isolated society from a densely forested region of Bangladesh. Just as their religion has remained a type of spirit worship, Murung's ritualist music has developed independently from the rest of the world. It is a hypnotic cyclical music which has preceded the minimalism of Terry Riley and Steve Reich (but done much better!!!) by eons. The Murung perform their songs on 'plung' - mouth organs built of gourds punctured by bamboo and reeds resulting in eerie sustained trills. It may be an irrelavent point, but during these rituals, the Murung get pretty drunk on rice beer - yet remain calm, mirroring the methodic pulse of the ecstatic sounds emanating from their mouth organs. An excellent documentation. Anyone who enjoyed the compilation of music by the Ede people of Vietnam which was one of our 'records of the month' back in February should check this out too!
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Even though I know it's sacrilege to suggest that there are records somehwere in the vicinity of being as good as Gram Parsons two solo records, I'm a'gonna go out on a limb and say that if you are a fan of Gram and Emmylou, you really oughta hear the Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers.
Since 1997, Victoria Williams, Mark Olson (of the wonderful alt.country group Jayhawks), and Razz Russell have been living in Joshua Tree (scaring up Gram's ghost, no doubt) and selfreleasing their own music on their own label. Recording as the Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers, they've crafted a delicate, sunbaked country rock sound complete with perfectly-written songs (that tell stories, hey!), shuffling twang, and AMAZING harmonies (imagine the break-yr-heart chord changes Jayhawks were famous for, alongside Victoria's completely unique voice). The sound is augmented with "juice" harp, mandolin, and pedal steel, and guests include John Convertino of Calexico and some guy from the Black Crowes. The Creek Dippers actually sound a lot like you'd expect them to, which is a VERY good thing.
We HIGHLY recommend ALL of the Creekdippers releases, especially for fans of Victoria Williams who've been wondering what she's been up to, and for fans of the Jayhawks (cos these are the first appearances of Mark Olson since leaving Jayhawks). The selftitled one came out first (1997), Pacific Coast Rambler is the second (1998), and Zola and the Tulip Tree is the new one. Each is 12.98 and we have all of them in stock.
We just can't think of a more perfect way to walk into Aquarius. It's finally nice and sunny here in the city to begin with, and then we walk in the door to find, sitting on the front counter, the recently reissued back catalog from one of our favorite bands of all time, Os Mutantes!!! Whoo-hoo! The timing couldn't be better as a reformed Mutantes (minus Rita Lee, tho) are on tour right now, spreading their sound across the globe. It's been a few years since the first three crucial albums from these Brazilian psych-pop pioneers were available on cd domestically, and the import versions we previously had from South America have been out of print for a long time too. Until now. They've been repressed in Brazil and we've got import copies of not just the first three classics (reviewed here) but the also-pretty-great fourth and fifth Mutantes records too (which we've never reviewed before, and plan to list next time around). We are so stoked.
This, their 1969 sophmore effort (self titled Mutantes, again, not to be confused with the also self titled debut Os Mutantes) is, along with their debut, another one of the most important and influential records of the last quarter century. Seriously. In fact we might as well just consider the first three Os Mutantes records a single entity, as they are absolutely the perfect 1-2-3 pop punch! Here was a band from Sao Paulo, Brazil creating sounds with so many layers and styles intertwined, dense and dizzying, lush and lilting, elaborately arranged but so simple and catchy, who have gone on to help inspire some of the best and most beloved musical outfits in recent times. Their blending of breezy psychedelia, fuzzy delicious pop, and drops of musique concrete was the perfect infusion of experimental elements into challenging and rewarding pop that STILL sounds so amazingly enchanting, weird and irresistible. We could go on listing forever some of the bands and artists who have been inspired by so much of the Muntantes' spirit, sound and aesthetic: Stereolab, Broadcast, the whole Elephant Six scene, Beck, The Flaming Lips, Tower Recordings, Tater Totz, the list is endless. Today we even just noticed how Sonic Youth totally took the guitar melody of "O Relogio" for their classic "Little Trouble Girl". The scope and breadth of Os Mutantes influence is immeasurable. At one point, Kurt Kobain was desperately trying to convince Os Mutantes to tour with Nirvana! And while best-of collections and a few songs on comps here and there are nice, this is the kind of band whose records need to be heard in their entirety. We can't say it loud enough but just imagine us singing to you in glorious sun dappled Technicolor as we tell you that THIS TOO IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL! You might as well just give in, you absolutely need ALL of their first three albums. Never has there been a more perfectly unique and effortless blend of bossa nova and fuzzed out psych rock as on this trio of perfect discs! If you love Os Mutantes (album #1, 1968) and how could you not? Then, there's no way you wouldn't also want this one, Mutantes (album #2, 1969) with its amazing green alien band photo on the back cover. And of course A Divina Comedia (album #3, 1970) with its slightly proggier sound and striking graveyard scene on the cover. Their "Sgt. Pepper meets Astrud Gilberto mix" holds up brilliantly across all three original Mutantes records. It's the sort of thing where we're kinda envious of anyone who hasn't heard 'em already and now has the chance to buy these cds for the first time!
We just can't think of a more perfect way to walk into Aquarius. It's finally nice and sunny here in the city to begin with, and then we walk in the door to find, sitting on the front counter, the recently reissued back catalog from one of our favorite bands of all time, Os Mutantes!!! Whoo-hoo! The timing couldn't be better as a reformed Mutantes (minus Rita Lee, tho) are on tour right now, spreading their sound across the globe. It's been a few years since the first three crucial albums from these Brazilian psych-pop pioneers were available on cd domestically, and the import versions we previously had from South America have been out of print for a long time too. Until now. They've been repressed in Brazil and we've got import copies of not just the first three classics (reviewed here) but the also-pretty-great fourth and fifth Mutantes records too (which we've never reviewed before, and plan to list next time around). We are so stoked.
This, their 1968 debut (self titled Os Mutantes, not to be confused, though it's easy, with their also self titled 2nd album Mutantes) is one of the most important and influential records of the last quarter century. Seriously. Here was a band from Sao Paulo, Brazil creating sounds with so many layers and styles intertwined, dense and dizzying, lush and lilting, elaborately arranged but so simple and catchy, who have gone on to help inspire some of the best and most beloved musical outfits in recent times. Their blending of breezy psychedelia, fuzzy delicious pop, and drops of musique concrete was the perfect infusion of experimental elements into challenging and rewarding pop that STILL sounds so amazingly enchanting, weird and irresistible. We could go on listing forever some of the bands and artists who have been inspired by so much of the Muntantes' spirit, sound and aesthetic: Stereolab, Broadcast, the whole Elephant Six scene, Beck, The Flaming Lips, Tower Recordings, Tater Totz, the list is endless. Today we even just noticed how Sonic Youth totally took the guitar melody of "O Relogio" for their classic "Little Trouble Girl". The scope and breadth of Os Mutantes influence is immeasurable. At one point, Kurt Kobain was desperately trying to convince Os Mutantes to tour with Nirvana! And while best-of collections and a few songs on comps here and there are nice, this is the kind of band whose records need to be heard in their entirety. We can't say it loud enough but just imagine us singing to you in glorious sun dappled Technicolor as we tell you that THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL! And not just 'cause it's the one that features perhaps their best-known hits, "Baby" and "Bat Macumba". Heck we could even do without those songs at this point, the rest of this is so great. An absolute all time Aquarius favorite and quite possibly one of the best pop records EVER! You might as well just give in, you absolutely need ALL of their first three albums. Never has there been a more perfectly unique and effortless blend of bossa nova and fuzzed out psych rock as on this trio of perfect discs! In addition to this their absolutely perfect debut, there's also Mutantes (album #2, 1969) with its amazing green alien band photo on the back cover. And of course A Divina Comedia (album #3, 1970) with its slightly proggier sound and striking graveyard scene on the cover. Their "Sgt. Pepper meets Astrud Gilberto mix" holds up brilliantly across all three original Mutantes records. It's the sort of thing where we're kinda envious of anyone who hasn't heard 'em already and now has the chance to buy these cds for the first time!
David Byrne's Luaka Bop label decided to follow up the Os Mutantes "best of" collection which was volume one of their "World Psychedelic Classics" series with this disc of by long-forgotten seventies singer/songwriter Shuggie Otis. Thus those of us who
Impressive full length debut from ex-Californian, now Brooklynite band Out Hud. This group plays the instrumental, angular dance music that the indie rockers currently adore. You know the type -- think ESG, Liquid Liquid, Cabaret Voltaire, the Disco Not Disco comps, etc. And of the many bands that now sport this sound, I think Out Hud do it best. Icily precise guitar gets the echo dub treatment and is used sparingly. Metronomic drumming. Spacy stereo separation tricks. Warm, not melodramatic, cello. Strange metallic crashes. Doesn't annoy or call too much attention to itself, and pleasantly low key and slow to mid tempo. Really restrained in a good way. All of that, plus actual melodies that show off the group's rock roots. Highly recommended!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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Two tracks from the instrumental angular dance/punk/funk outfit known as Outhud. Like their split 12" with !!!, this is very smart, low-key stuff for fans of 99 Records (Liquid Liquid, ESG). Recommended.
Very, very good instrumental 12" from two Sacramento bands (the latter is pronounced 'chikchikchik'), both of whom draw heavily from the chugga chugga guitars of Wire and the art/punk/funk of Liquid Liquid. Highly recommended! Windy cannot stop playing this in the store.
Some of the most beautifully pure and emotional electronica we have ever heard, kind of like a more digitally-"clean" Labradford, if you need a comparison, and also like Carl Stone and Cluster, but composed entirely on the computer. WAY BETTER THAN THEIR PREVIOUS ALBUMS. This is the one. And if you already have the German import, know that both the cd and lp of this domestic version have 2 extra (very good) songs, plus the lp has an extra 12" with remixes by Jim O'Rourke, Scanner, Mouse on Mars, and Christian Vogel. As close to new age as we will ever come. Highly, highly recommended.
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Limited edition re-issue of super limited tour 7". Contains one exclusive, un-released track and an alternate take from David Pajo's "Live From A Shark Cage" album. Very pretty. Recommended.
You know those super pretty, melodic parts of the Gastr del Sol records, but they only last for a coupla minutes? This record sounds like a whole album of that stuff -- so wonderful! Papa M is the newest moniker (following Aerial M, plain ole M, and oh yeah he was also in Slint and is in Tortoise) of Dave Pajo. This is very pretty music: plaintive, pastoral, neo folksy guitarwork along with modern touches of programmed percussive elements. Extremely pleasant; highly recommended; one of Windy's favorite records.
Got some of these in, thought we ought to get it up on our website. After all, in my (Windy's) opinion the best Parliament album is this, their first, released in 1970. Removing the "s" from their name heralded George Clinton's change from the Parliaments' doo-wop sound to a truly original mix of gospel / country / funk / rock / even classical. That they hooked up with a white woman from England, Ruth Copeland, who wrote several of their most devotional tracks is even more weird, but then you've got hear this album to believe just how weird, yet totally accessible and great, it is. Especially if you're only familiar with Parliament / Funkadelic's more shiny dancefloor-oriented later material, then this will be a full-on revelation to you, so be *sure* to give the soundclips a try. While some folks choose to take sides over liking either Funkadelic *or* Parliament, Clinton's bands existed simultaneously and there is so much crossover in personnel and style that they may as well be considered the same band. So I tend to divide their sounds into early and later, myself much preferring the early work of both Parliament and Funkadelic -- 1971's Maggot Brain is my fave Funkadelic masterpiece. Osmium comes with seven bonus tracks to round out the album's original 10. Essential essential essential!
P.S. This has been reissued several times, including as a Brit import some years back called Rhenium, so note that if you've got that one you already have all the stuff here except the bonus tracks.
An absolutely essential album in any self-respecting country rock music fan... seriously. It just doesn't get much better than this. A true classic. 'Nuf said.
Rhino releases a very nice anthology covering the broad swath of Gram Parsons' short (he died in his mid-twenties) but brilliant career, thru almost all the bands he took part in, including the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Burrito
If you don't already have his solo records and the single Byrds album he appeared on (Sweetheart of the Rodeo), then why not give this anthology a try. It's got one previously unreleased Int.Sub.Band outtake (that's quite good), copious liner notes, including notes on each song included, plus lots of photos of Parsons in his Nudie suits that I'd never seen before, some words from Emmylou, and it's all packaged in a very nice slipcase. Recommended.
Note: we always carry the two solo albums he made -- GP and Grievous Angel -- which have been released on one disc.
Wow! After 40 years-and-counting, Dolly Parton releases her very first all-bluegrass recording. For this she chose some of the best bluegrass musicians in the world, including Sam Bush (founder of New Grass Revival and, according to No Depression magazine, "generally considered one of the top three bluegrass mandolin players in the world"), dobro player Jerry Douglas ("acknowledged to be the best in the world"), fiddler Stuart Duncan, guitarist Bryan Sutton and banjoist Jim Mills (both ex-Ricky Skaggs band), along with the angelvoiced Alison Krauss and Patty Loveless as backup singers. Alternately growling, yowling, and crooning her own originals and covers of Hazel Dickens, Blackfoot, Lester Flatt, the Louvin Brothers, and Johnny Cash, this is Dolly at her best -- without slick, deadening prodcution values that's cost many a country album its vitality and life. If you thought Alison Krauss' last record was a little too watered-down-commercial and you already have all the Freakwater albums, then this record is for you.
One of the saddest records ever made. Prime krautrock (from Austria), circa 1972, what goths would have listened too had there been goths back then. Complete with full-blown psychedelic guitar freakouts, coupled with somber church-like organ and a vocalist
Hew it strew it do it too/Say it slay it just to do/Try to call yourself on the phone/Surely you are not at home/Sweep the swept floor once again/Stab yourself and feel the pain/Then stand and watch the speed/Clean your eyeballs wash your feet/Listen and repeat'. Or from "Stop These Lines": 'Morning peace dusty air/Clean your teeth comb your hair/Dressed in clothes you always wear/Go to work I won't be there/Lunchtime snackbar eating chips/Ketchup's running down your lips/Deadeyed waiters selling bibs/Which you have to fix with clips/Sitting waiting find an end/Meaningless with no comment/Is this life in your own hand/People are like grains of sand/Pick up streets and pull down skylines/Ravish women blast the mines/Burn the whiskies spill the wines/Find beginnings stop these lines'.
A most melancholic, wonderful record, and it's too bad that it's the sort of thing usually relegated to the prog/psych collectors corner (y'know, because of the distribution and press that this sort of reissue gets). More people (people without ponytails and huge record collections) should get to hear this. So, even though it's not a really new reissue at all, we ordered a bunch to turn people on to. It's an odd, but excellent, hidden treasure!
You are hereby forewarned that five AQ staffers totally hate this record, while two others like it a lot. AQ fistfight!
We'd heard a lot from various customers recently about this female rapper with a disc on German indie-electronica label Kitty-Yo, so we finally had to order some in, and it's proved to be very controversial indeed.
Here's what the thumbs-downers have to say:
Yuck! Someone take that groovebox away from her, and wash her pottymouth out with soap. This is... really stupid and bad. Sheer aural annoyance. I could go on, but don't want to waste the space. File under: Chicks On Speed (no, actually it's worse than that).
And here's the other side of the coin:
Sure, Peaches is shallow ear candy, but we all need sugar sometime. With songtitles like "Fuck the Pain Away" and "Lovertits," Peaches far surpasses Li'l Kim in raunchiness, and her cool vocal delivery is equal parts coked-out ice-queen, white girl trying out hip hop a la Debbie Harry, and fierce punk yowler on the level of PJ Harvey and Kathleen Hanna. The music is super simple freeze-dried disco / wannabe electro / digital hardcore complete with stark drum programming and disembodied armies of handclaps. The whole package is slightly tongue in cheek -- Peaches has got the Sandra Bernhard-style parody / pathetic reality thing down cold. Those who would spend their money on Chicks on Speed should really check this out instead. Peaches delivers.
P.S. Interview between Le Tigre and Peaches at http://tvwww.webfreetv.com/de/de/de_national/culture_zone_de/musicrules/peach/.
Full-length from one of San Francisco's best-loved but now defunct bands, Pee, the pop punk quartet who do the dueling-boy-girl vocal thing so well, and whose drummer you may have seen behind our counter. That's peripatetic Andee, full o' charm, good vibes, and impeccable taste. The vinyl is perfectly clear.
Finally reissued from 1977, Pere Ubu's debut full length. Essential stuff, and still sounds unbelievably great, vital, and groundbreaking 21 years later.
The psychedelic folk fans here at Aquarius are overjoyed that this brilliant obscurity is at last back in print -- and in an expanded, vastly improved cd edition no less. Originally released in 1970, Linda Perhac's "Parallelograms" is a lost gem of lovely, delicate folk-psych songs in line with Joni Mitchell or Heart's folkier moments, gone waaay underground and mystic. For a long long time, although collectors held the record in great esteem, no-one knew anything about Ms. Perhacs at all. When the Wild Places label first reissued the album on cd some years ago they had to do it from a mint vinyl copy of the record. Since then, they've miraculously managed to track down Linda and got their hands on reel to reels dubbed from the original masters, along with a passel of bonus tracks -- half a dozen of 'em. Whoo-hoo! Along with that good stuff, some mysteries were answered. It turns out that, for instance, the popularly held belief that Perhacs was from Hawaii was incorrect. But she lived in the Pacific Northwest and California, so that's not too far off, really... They also confirmed that this was indeed her only recording. But if you're only going to make one record, having it be as good as "Parallelograms" is a neat trick. Her gossamer vocals encounter tripped-out electronic effects and gentle folk-rock backing, transporting the listener to a place not usually or easily reached in this day and age. There's a track or two that gets strangely coffee-house beatnik on us, and sound a bit dated, but most of this is truely ethereal hippie folk-psych beauty unparallelled. Really nice, and recommended.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Ex-Silkworm guitarist's haunting solo album drips with emotion. For fans of Mark Eitzel.
It took until today for me to realize how similar indie rock crooner Joel Phelps (formerly of Silkworm, now of Downer Trio) can sound to country singer Iris DeMent -- there's something achingly gorgeous in the way both singers will s-t-r-e-t-c-h out a vowel until it twists upon itself painfully. Here Phelps delivers one plainly gorgeous original (which appears to be about the premature death of his sister) amidst six covers: two songs by the aforementioned angel-voiced DeMent, plus tracks by Fleetwood Mac, Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, and the Go-Betweens. This is one of those quiet, simple, very very subtle singer-songwriter records that will creep under your skin if you let it -- and it doesn't matter that he didn't write all the songs because Joel's delivery redefines each one (indeed, fans of the covered artists will love this record, as will worshippers of Elliot Smith and Will Oldham). With acoustic guitar, piano, and occasional understated percussion. Absolutely lovely and highly recommended.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Unanimous AQ-favorite! The next best thing to the Young Marble Giants, and that is saying a lot. Delicate, bittersweet electronica-pop that updates the aforementioned Giants with subtle dinginess reminiscent of Third Eye Foundation. This is one of the groups that beautifully bridges the ever-closing gap between indierock and electronica. We highly recommend you give this taster, or their full length, a try.
The criminally underrecognized Pinetop Seven have been plugging away for years, as they watched Lambchop, Whiskeytown, the Old 97s and a handful of their alt-country peers hit it (relatively) big. But with their fourth album, Pinetop Seven's time has finally come. The band takes simple country ballads, stretches and expands them, adding strings and lush textures, bizarre and exotic instrumentation, and create gut wrenching, brutally intimate country epics. The vocals are deep and trembly like the guy singin' 'em might be about to have a breakdown -- Roy Orbison channeled through Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke, and Chris Isaak. You know how bands like Godspeed and Blackheart Procession reside at the dark murky end of the indie rock spectrum? That's what Pinetop Seven is to the alt-country scene. And in the same say that Godspeed is, at this point, only barely connected to an "indierock" sound, Pinetop are only tangentially "country" by way of their slight twang. What gets us is that it's also perfectly accessible, dark music that in a perfect world would be on adult radio all the time. This is real honest-to-god music that lingers in your brain for a while -- it's about as far from trendy and flash-in-the-pan as you can get. Very accessible, very deep, and very highly recommended.
Note: we also have one of their previous albums, "Rigging the Toplights", which is one of Andee's absolute favorites of all time.
Every once in a while, there's a record that is so good and makes me so happy, I find it virtually impossible to write a review of it. There's all this pressure to somehow convey in the space of a hundred or so words how goddamn good a record is. To convince YOU that this record will move you as much as it did me. So I hem and haw and write all my other reviews around it until I have no choice but to face my fear and go for it. So here it is. The new record by Florida's Poison The Well. Up until now, I've been a fan, and definitely enjoyed their records. But 'Tear From The Red' is such a colossal leap from their last record. Ostensibly a 'metalcore' record, it manages to encompass so much more: rock, emo, hardcore, death metal, even pop. The heavy parts, even when the vocals are howled, are somehow as catchy and heart wrenching as any Get Up Kids weeper, if not more so. And then when PtW -do- go for it, and break it down and get all mellow and sweet and emotional it's just devastating. And the playing on this record is so phenomenal. The riffs are so thick and huge they just smack you upside the head, but you just kind of bob along, oblivious, banging your head and spitting out teeth and letting this wave of furious emotion watch over you. The songs shift from crunching near-death metal, to wild free-metal, to stuttering stop-start rhythms, to spacy almost Voi Vod-ish melodies, and dreamy shoegazey bliss out parts. Halfway through the record they break out with just vocals and acoustic guitar, but the melody is so odd, and the voice is so impassioned and the chord progression is so unexpected that it ends up being just as intense as any of the heavy stuff, and not cheesy at all. And track three! What can I say? If you could wear out a track from playing a cd too much, I would definitely need a new one by now. Track three has the absolutely most punishing part of almost any song I have ever heard, where the kick drums, guitars, and bass all stutter then stop, over and over. Huge and unbelievably heavy. I was listening to it in my housemate's truck, and when that part came on I had to turn up the stereo so loud that I could SEE the beat making little waves in the rear view mirror. We have been getting a little worn out on this whole metalcore explosion, but Poison The Well have stepped up to the plate with not only one of the best metalcore records ever, not just one of the best emo records ever, but one of the best records I have heard in a long time. Period.
Ever since the release of that great Soul Jazz "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm" compilation on which The Pop Group appear, and also with the rise of current artists like San Francisco's Erase Errata whose work shares and reflects the spirit and energy of
Formed in 1978 by four young men from Bristol, The Pop Group unleashed itself from the frigid political environment of their native England and its narrowing punk scene. Lyrically and visually committed to leftist political ideals (much like their peers in Crass and some time later, The Ex), and sonically more "out" and dissonant than any other "punk" act of their time, The Pop Group abandoned the "no future" stereotypes for more serious and thought provoking ideas both ideological and musical.
Produced by veteran reggae/dub producer and musician Dennis Bovell, who was also responsible for "Cut" by The Slits, another post-punk outfit with whom The Pop Group happened to share an early single (the fabulous "Where There's A Will" backed by The Slits' "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm"), this explosive 1979 debut kicks off with "Thief Of Fire" in which short blasts of guitar noise fills in the gaps where an aggressive bass funk and a primitive percussive drive weave in and out of each other. From there on, the record just gets more and more angular, outrageous, and weird as it unfolds. "Snowgirl" features crackling guitarwork accompanied by macabre tinkling piano and the odd wail of vocalist Mark Stewart (who would go on to form Tackhead and become an integral part of the On-U Sound collective). And of course there's the "hit" single (and arguably their defining moment), "She Is Beyond Good And Evil", a must-hear (it's also on the "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm" comp).
The booklet has lyrics in English and Japanese as well as a nice collage of photos. Highly recommended! While we are sure to soon run out of this hard-to-get import, we've been assured we'll be able to get more of them within a few weeks, never fear.
First of all let's just say: Highly recommended for fans of similar hybrid-minded artists like Amon Tobin, Boom Bip, Nightmares on Wax, Kid Koala, Fridge, etc!
With his second full length for Warp, the label that rarely puts out bad records, Prefuse 73 has created a downtempo breakbeat electronica album with a healthy grounding in hip hop. Yet the tracks with rapping don't stick out like sore thumbs (like on some lesser records I can think of) -- the album instead works as a happy, seamless whole, with cut-up buried rapping seguing into jazzy groove numbers blending into synth workouts next to glitch-filled triumphs of editing and then there's a vocal snippet and so on... There are no filler tracks, it's all quality -- bass-heavy, booty shakin', delicately clickety clackety *quality*. It's also delightfully unpredictable; you never know where it's going to take you next. Smoke pot to this record, or at least listen loud with headphones. The AQ staff was unable to get behind Mr Herren's first album but this one is just so good... With guests Tommy Guerrero, Daedelus, Mr. Lif, and more.
MPEG Download: "The End of Biters - International" [/audio/prefusebiters.mp3]
MPEG Stream: "The End of Biters - International" [/audio/prefusebiters.m3u]
Archer also plays in Coctails and the Sea & Cake and he draws the comic Sof'Boy. *Beloved* by everyone who works here, this record is excellent solo material -- less precious than the Coctails and way more Bacharach than recent Sea & Cake -- think S&C's first record, mix in some sunny trumpet, a loping, relaxed tempo and meditative, grooving whiteboy vocals. At least 3 extra tracks are included on the 7". Highly recommended!
A record with so much kickass climactic energy, seems yr speakers're pulsating like living things --like the Replacements' video for "Bastards of Young!"-- Prolapse reminds us of The Fall crossed with Stereolab and Crass. One song, "Flex," is fifteen minutes yet still too short. Scheduled to take over the world after opening much of 1996 Stereolab tour.
A very strong debut release from Los Angeles' PS001 (starring Ron Russell, Gabie Strong, and David Patton). These spacious instrumental tracks fit quite comfortably between a pair of headphones, and meld into an arid minimalism for guitars and cymbols somewhere between Gastr Del Sol, Labradford, and Nurse With Wound's "A Missing Sense". Recommended!
The Bay Area's own DJ Qbert, one of the most famous turntablists in the world, proves himself a pretty great teacher and comedian in this how-to-scratch DIY dvd. Whether you're a turntablist or not, this is *delightful* to watch. He demonstrates over 25 different scratches, beginning by talking about each scratch's history -- who invented 'em and when -- then breaks the move down into its parts. The demos loop so you can just leave 'em playing until you've mastered the crab, the lazer, the phaser, the swipe, etc. You're supposed to be able to watch the scratches from four different angles, too, but I couldn't do it on this computer. Qbert looks at the camera a lot so you feel like he's talking right atcha, plus he's totally sweet 'n nice, not a trace of attitude, no talking down to the viewer at all. There's a whole section of tips and tricks where he demonstrates how to set up your turntable and customize it to your own liking, how to make your own slipmats, how to fix a record that's wobbly cos its center hole is too big, explains why fingertip moistener is better than lickin' yer fingers, even how to count bars. There is a volume issue with the dvd, though, it keeps fluctuating, but it's not terribly annoying and it never drops out completely.
There's even a battles section with several djs for you to trade scratches with. OK, this is how brilliant Qbert and his cohorts are: instead of taking the easy way out by just filming himself scratching, with pauses for you to scratch back, each of the battles (which are arranged in order of difficulty) have visual themes, like level 1's Dek Demon who is wearing a black cape, way oversized devil mask, and is surrounded by flames. Really. Another cute one features Spiderman scratching on a bus while another masked man is stitting next to him steering the bus. Pretty funny shit, you could just set it up at a party and let it run. Makes learning fun!
As if all that wasn't enough, there's some plum extras, like a mock "other videos in this series" section where Q demonstrates how to do plumbing repair with the help of a sock puppet, the trailer for his animated film Wave Twisters, even a hidden surprise.
The tone of the whole thing is casual and precise, he's constantly making jokes, and his love for the craft is clear. Get this dvd! You never know when you're gonna wanna learn how to scratch, plus, this glimpse into the mind, craft, and funny bone of Qbert is just about the nicest, friendliest, most hilarious thing I've seen in a long time. Highly recommended.
Back in November of '99, Radar Brothers' album The Singing Hatchet was our Record of the Week. Didn't think it was possible, but the band has actually gotten even better (to the point of -gasp- converting an AQ staffer or two who didn't like' em before), thus we hereby bestow the same honor on the new record And the Surrounding Mountains. For those of you who're unfamiliar with the LA-based trio of Jim, Senon, and Steve, their sound can be most easily described (and I'm sure they're tired of hearing it) as very similar to Pink Floyd. And not just any ole Pink Floyd, mind you!, but specifically the sad, epic two songs that conclude The Dark Side of the Moon: "Brain Damage" (y'know, "the lunatic is on the grass...") and, god, especially "Eclipse" ("And all that is now/And all that is gone/And all that's to come/And everything under the sun is in tune/But the sun is eclipsed by the moon...") You know how you never want that song to end, it's such a pretty, bittersweet way to close an album? Radar Brothers have made FOUR ALBUMS of that sound all stretched out and atmospheric and personal and warm. The guitars are ever so plaintively strummed so that you hear the chords but also the individual strings, the vocals are hushed and sung usually as a duo, the melodies achingly gorgeous, majestic swells of emotion. They're so great that I find it hard to do anything else while listening to Radar Brothers; like Low and Red House Painters' work, Radar Brothers' songs *demand* stillness and respect -- all your attention. Highly recommended.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Mellow LA-based slowcore trio Radar Bros make some of the most emotional music we've ever heard. With super-plaintive, Pink Floyd-y vocals, creamy thick guitars, and hook-filled melodies, some of Radar Bros songs are so beautiful you literally have to stop what you're doing just so you can listen to them -- yeah, they're that good! Fans of Low, Half Film, Red House Painters, and Palace will LOVE this record.
Wow, out of nowhere (okay, there was a 10" a coupla years ago but we missed out) comes this FANTASTIC trio from Los Angeles whose quiet, mournful sound and plaintive vocals remind us of Neil Young & the delicate side of Pink Floyd. For fans of Low, Scud Mountain Boys, Radiohead, and Rex. Definitely a winner; we highly recommend you hear them.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
If you love Jackie Mittoo, you'll most certainly love Ernest Ranglin as well. Ernie is the guitar equivalent to Mittoo's laid back keyboard stylings. Impeccably-produced instrumental guitar work, somewhere between Martin Denny style lounge and rock steady. Excellent!
One of the most refreshing listens we've heard in a long long while, Ray's Vast Basement is a collection of perfectly-crafted, honest-to-gosh SONGS written in the tradition of gravelly-voiced observers-of-life such as John Prine, Bob Dylan, and especially Butch Hancock, one of the four founding members of Austin's legendary Flatlanders (who also spawned Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore). Oh, and Andee thinks they sound a little like the Dire Straits. "On the Banks of Time" is a fully formed aesthetic triumph.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS REGULAR VERSION OF THIS CD, WITHOUT THE ADDED EXTRAS: LYRIC BOOKLET, TIMELINE CARDS ETC. WE CAN GET THE DELUXE VERSION FOR YOU. THE COST IS $25.The lyric booklet and stunningly executed, heartbreakingly poignant series of 60 cards detailing the 100,000,000-year history of Ray's Basement, the fictional cave in the town about which all the songs are written (which were included with the original pressing) are now available for purchase at the band's website.
One of the most refreshing listens we've heard in a long long while, Ray's Vast Basement is a collection of perfectly-crafted, honest-to-gosh SONGS written in the tradition of gravelly-voiced observers-of-life such as John Prine, Bob Dylan, and especially Butch Hancock, one of the four founding members of Austin's legendary Flatlanders (who also spawned Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore). Oh, and Andee thinks they sound a little like the Dire Straits. "On the Banks of Time" is a fully formed aesthetic triumph.
The lyric booklet and stunningly executed, heartbreakingly poignant series of 60 cards detailing the 100,000,000-year history of Ray's Basement, the fictional cave in the town about which all the songs are written (which were included with the original pressing) are available in this deluxe version.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS THE DELUXE VERSION OF THIS CD, WITH ALL THE ADDED EXTRAS: LYRIC BOOKLET, TIMELINE CARDS ETC. WE CAN GET THE REGULAR VERSION FOR YOU, TOO. THE COST IS $12.98.
"The best thing I've heard all year," says Spiritualized's Jason Pierce in Mojo magazine's recent year-end poll. Windy's new favorite record. Red Rat is super tinny, way catchy Jamaican dancehall with cover art that makes you think they're gonna sound like Kid 'n Play. Energetically juvenile in a good way. Here's more from Jason (with whom we heartily agree): "I think 1997 was a year in which drum'n'bass became more divided in terms of the quality of what was being produced. Alongside the more innovative output - Springheel Jack, Photek, and the fervour of Grooverider - there was a whole load of background, formula music to a point where it became harder to hear the real classics ... "With this in mind, hearing [Red Rat's] 'Shelley Anne' played for the first time or Aphrodite's 'Woman That Rolls', it was clear that this was not ENGLISH drum'n'bass but was so radically different and exciting in the same way as, say, hearing Tricky's garage version of Public Enemy's 'Black Street.' "I always said that hearing drum'n'bass in England had a feel of what it must have been like to attend a Sam & Dave or an MC5 show in the late '60s. Everyone knew that this was exciting, knew that this was exploting unknown territory but it was also just entertainment of the highest order. 'Shelley Anne' possesses all of this and more - alongside Aphrodite, some of the most exciting music of the year."
Depending on how you look at it, this record is either the best, or the funniest record we've heard in a while. A pretty successful pastiche of the highly illogical musical tastes of adolescence; post-Hardcore grind, shiny-faced emo pop, and gangsta rap (brilliantly exploited, with a Ween-like irreverance; the opening 'skit' makes Reggie the victim of a driveby shooting). Plus bizarre but totally appealing '80s new wave love songs, faux-Crass faux-Euro polito-punk songs (the hilarious 'Dwarf Invasion'), and pure disco grooves MC'ed by a hillbilly calling for some weird linedance that could only have origins in Fresno. Totally absurd but, man, it works. I'm the first one around here to immediately dismiss a joke record, but this is no joke. The pop songs are first rate, hooks and kick ass melodies. The metal is metal! Grinding and pounding, thanks in no small part to members of Coalesce being the core of Reggie. But some of the disc's best moments come with the effortless mix of the two, crunching brutality mixed up with Weezer-worthy radio fare. God knows how it works but it does. Humor + honest to gosh pop hooks + crazy surprises may be the formula. Yup, a unanimous AQ staff favourite.
Wow, a very nice collection of the best of Minnie Riperton, who possessed one of THE most amazing voices in the history of rock and soul music -- hey, everyone from Stevie Wonder to Denzel Washington to George Benson will tell you that. (Denzel said he got thru the toughest time in his life by listening to her Perfect Angel album over and over again.) Her biggest hit "Lovin' You" amply demonstrated her astonishing (and perhaps unmatched since?) 5 1/2 octave vocal range and ability to hold notes for what seem like minutes.
Minnie grew up on Chicago's Southside, cut some tracks as "Andrea Davis", then was invited to join the multiracial psychedelic / rock / soul group Rotary Connection. Most people familiar with Rotary Connection back in the day say they should've been huge, and that if they had only gotten the exposure they deserved (such as a slot at Woodstock), they would've caught on like wildfire -- that's how good they were. Three Rotary Connection tracks are included here, a totally unrecognizable version of Otis Redding's "Respect", a Cream cover, and an unreal Middle Eastern-ish epic called "I Took a Ride (Caravan)" (see soundclips below).
When Minnie decided to make a series of solo albums, she left the psychedelic heaviness of Rotary Connection for a sound all her own -- part soul, part rock, always forefronting her incredible songbird-like voice. She did everything from stark Joni Mitchell covers to down home funky songs like "Reasons" (my favorite song of hers, ever, see soundclips below) to sweet bell-clear love songs penned by her and her husband by the duck pond in the idyllic little Florida backwater house they lived in for two years. Stevie Wonder was proud to produce the tracks, and she enjoyed several "hits" before her untimely death of breast cancer at the age of 31. She is sorely missed.
This 2-disc collection is ultra-handy because it collects Minnie's best tracks in one place, as well as showcasing previously unreleased demos and live tracks (and admittedly just a few duds). The liner notes are quite extensive and detailed, and the photos are... well, let's just say you'll be in love after seeing the photo of her with the overalls and the ice cream cone. Recommended!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
All-bass English trio Rothko consistently conjures up the loveliest, warm sounds. Often compared to Tortoise, but much better! Recommended.
If you are looking for Lita Ford or Joan Jett, sadly you have found the wrong Runaways. If you are looking for that blunted Mo'Wax-style experimental instrumental tricknology found on the label's legendary Headz compilations, then you're in luck. One of the best instrumental hip hop records of 1997 has finally been re-issued here in the States. A stunning combination of the sharpest of breaks and witty turntablism, with the addition of classical guitar on a coupla tracks, for fans of the old Mo' Wax sound found on the first Headz compilation (the Runaways personnel is two guys from Mo'Wax group RPM). It's all midtempo and very accessible.
