New
Releases
33Hz
Paris, Texas
PS, US Featuring TEKI LATEX & DEVIN THE DUDE. The 7" has
the original 33hz mix & DJ Raze Murdafunk Mix.
DitherDown
45
$4.75
33Hz
Paris, Texas
PS, US Featuring TEKI LATEX & DEVIN THE DUDE With remixes by ARCHITECTURE
IN HELSINKI, GENTLEMEN DRIVERS, MAX PASK, IN FLAGRANTI, CURTIS VODKA,
VICTOR RICE & DJ RAZE. Additional mixes by VICTOR RICE, 33hz,
and CHICUS.
DitherDown
CD
$8.50
a.P.A.t.T.
Black and White Mass
PS, UK Exploring similar landscapes to Frank Zappa - minus the virtuoso
elements - Liverpool-based a.P.A.t.T. are a bewildering and completely
original two to seven piece band, utilising all available genres to
create a daft and beautiful music. 'Black and White Mass' sets a new
standard in home entertainment, featuring some of a.P.A.t.T.'s most
accessible compositions to date, whilst still retaining an element
of surprise. Some bands are just damned impossible to classify: a.P.A.t.T.
are a (usually) 6 peice amalgamation of all that has come before &
all that will slowly catch up in the end. Beyond genre defying: every
instrument and style you can think of, mashed up together in jawdropping
live performances. The experimental and chaotic beeps, buzzes and
blips of a.P.A.t.T., (described on the BBC Merseyside website as sounding
like Frank Zappa having a fist fight with Mighty Mouse) have steadily
built up a growing army of admirers. They were featured on the promotional
video for Liverpool's Capital of Culture bid, and have recently staged
a multi-media installation called 'Quartet', featuring four films
projected whilst the band performed inside. As if this wasn't enough,
they even found time to compose the incidental music for the BBC Radio
Merseyside alternative music show, PMS. a.P.A.t.T. officially began
with the completion of a C90 cassette tape in 1998. It was decided
from the offset that the way the music was formed on this tape (disjointed,
non-specific, omni-style) was to influence the revolving multi-instrumentalist
approach, and dictate the 'anti-hierarchical' line-up of the act.
It was not until 2002 and the introduction of digital recording techniques
that a.P.A.t.T. were to make an 'official' release. Following several
lineup changes, software changes, hardware changes, various support
slots and a Dutch tour, a.P.A.t.T. teamed up with London label, Lowsley
Sounds, to release their first full album, (L.P.) in 2004. Although
hopes were high for this release and it sold well, a.P.A.t.T. were
never satisfied with the final outcome, wanting to push things further
musically. 2006 saw more line up changes and the continuation of the
recordings for that "perfect album". Which brings us to
"Black and White Mass". "a.P.A.t.T. are a motherfucking
experience. Probably the only UK band i can think of to come up with
their vision of the dark, vicious and fuck me, rather scary vision
of the ACID PUNK dropped onto us from the visions of Gibby from the
Butthole Surfers. We love them. You need to hear this. It's insane"
[Alan Mcgee, Creation/Poptones].
PickledEgg-68
CD
$17.75
Affinity
S-T
PS, US Featuring 8 rare tracks, not found on their original LP, including
two tracks from their rare single and two tracks from their 1969 EMI
acetate.
Lilith-145
CD
$18.00
Affinity
S-T
PS, US ALSO ON 2LP!
Lilith-145
DLP
$29.50
Afghan Whigs
1965 [re-issue]
PS, US A re-issue of this 1998 release?
SBME
CD
$6.50
Air Traffic
Fractured Life
PS, US A debut of stellar proportions - brilliant, exuberant, introspective.
Music made with gnarly guitars and anthemic intensity.
Astralwerks
CD
$13.00
All In The Golden Afternoon
S-T
PS, US Rachel Goldstar (Experimental Aircraft/Eau Claire/Monster Movie)
and Carlos Jackson(ex-Polyphonic Spree/The Shells) present an explosive
debut. This texas duo prove they are a band you are going to want
to watch out for in the future. Down the rabbit hole we go. Picture
Flying Saucer Attack, Mazzy Star, Pram & Seefeel all getting together
for a jam session & you might be close. AITGA's fuzzy laid back
guitar driven songs are a breath of fresh air & have a way of
making you want to take the day off of work & just float away.
This wonderful debut ep features 6 songs that flow together seamlessly
& leave you begging for more. Welcome to wonderland Alice!
MindExpansion
CD5
$8.00
Arbol
You Traveled My Heart Inside Out
PS, SPAIN Arbol´s 3rd release "You Travelled my Heart Inside
Out" is out now. Miguel Marín, aka Arbol, continues to
walk a path that the enigmatic lushness of his previous work cannot
erase. Where a clearing in the forest of "Dreams made of paper"
(Lejos Discos, 2005) forced us to linger over songs that poured down
on us as a sudden and marvelous light before continuing on our mottled
passage, the select track of "You Travelled my Heart Inside Out"
opens like a delta to new and wide pastures, bringing calm waters
to soak the feet of the city. For this new release, Miguel has collaborated
with Suzy Mangion, D-fried and the Japanese singer Eri Makino. It
was recorded between 2004 and 2007 in London, Barcelona and Tokyo
and confirms the crucial role played by Miguel Marín in the
development of imaginary soundtracks as an independent musical genre.
"You Travelled my Heart Inside Out" shows the influences
that Arbol´s music has been subject to in recent years as he
moved between three completely different cities, three distinct ways
of seeing music and life.
LejosDiscos-009
CD
$15.50
Baby Dee
Safe Inside the Day
PS, US Baby Dee is an internationally traveled singer, songwriter
& performer. This is her 3rd album. Produced by MATT SWEENEY &
BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY, who also played on the record, along
w/ ANDREW WK, ROBBIE LEE, MAX MOSTON, WILLIAM BREEZE, JOHN CONTRERAS,
JAMES LO & LIZ KESSEL, all of whom bring extra fullness to Dee's
old-world pop sensibilities. This is such a great album, filled w/
deeply moving songs & sharply produced in vivid images.
DragCity-351
CD
$13.25
Baby Dee
Safe Inside the Day
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
DragCity-351
LP
$13.25
Baby Walrus
S-T
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
SaddleCreek
LP
$12.50
Baby Walrus
S-T
PS, US They are jingle bells, guitars, vegetables, books, trumpets,
trombones, flutes, shakers, bongos, hats, banjos, cabinets, drills,
screwdrivers, mallets, cymbals, singing, clapping, stomping, cats,
dogs, noise... sprawling & discordant & messy & confusing.
The 3rd release of Saddle Creek understudy, Slumber Party Records,
this is the work of Art in Manila, Flowers Forever collaborator Chris
Senseney on guitar, keyboards & vocals & Spaceage Polymers
members John P. Voris on percussion & Dylan Strimple on guitar
& keyboards.
SaddleCreek
CD
$12.50
Baja
Wolfhour
PS, US Daniel Vujanic´s third full-length release under the
alias Baja, entitled, intensively displays the composer/musician´s
exciting approach towards a "free electronica" genre. Fusing
stripped-down folk, (free-)jazz, twisted pop, electroacoustic sound,
maximized-minimalism, indietronics, eerie chamber music and a portion
of sedative post-post-rock, "Wolfhour" plays with postmodern
expectations as much as possible while avoiding pretentious, highbrow
implications. There is at least as much ear-friendly repetition as
there is stunning fragmentation. Vujanic´s compositions range
from psychedelic piano ambience to sunny uptempo-pop, from electronic
jazz fusion to cryptic sample ruins. Leitmotifs appear, evolve and
fall apart into transcribed bits of data nebula. Beginnings sound
like ends and vice versa. Sounds teleport. Comments on Baja's Sound:
"Mirroring the obstinacy and arbitrary nature of human emotions,
Vujanic is using electronic music in a way that makes it less a statement
about media or a contemporary discussion about subverting conventional
songwriting than a tool of matter-of-factness..." - Coke Machine
Glow "If the indie rock just isn't getting it done for you anymore,
Baja's enveloping, intangible compositions may be just the guide you
need to more engaging musical territory. Tiny Mix Tapes ...beautifully
strange thing in between postrock, notebookindie, jazzy bitparts and
occasional guitar eruptions and - yes, indeed - pop..." (10 points)
- VISIONS Magazine.
OtherElectricites-011
CD
$12.25
Beck
Odelay [deluxe edition]
PS, US The original album plus a 16-track bonus disc!
Geffen
DCD
$30.00
Believer
February 2008
PS, US This issue features articles on the troubled symbolism of black
history month, the 33 most deranged bequests of all time, the sorrows
of young Marx, Poems,interviews & much more. Stock, read, &
love this mag. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Believer-051
ZINE
$7.50
Bell, The
Make Some Quiet
PS, US The Bell's new album Make Some Quiet might take you back to
a time when you were first discovering bands that acted like the ideal
soundtrack to your post-teenage life. We think of Echo and the Bunnymen
and The Cure, on our trip down fond memory lane... NPR: "The
Swedish pop group The Bell doesn't have a name for its drum machine,
but if the Bunnymen are going to deny Echo its place in history, this
new trio should snap it up. It's not just The Bell's drum machine
that gives it a right to the Echo name. The group's wiry guitar-rock
also recalls many of the bands that came up in the wake of, or were
contemporaries to, the Bunnymen, such as House of Love, The Mighty
Lemon Drops and The Church. The Bell's debut CD, Make Some Quiet,
draws on these influences throughout, and modern music fans will likely
hear Interpol in the group's post-punk pop."
Badman
CD
$13.75
Biirdie
Catherine Avenue
PS, US A big, stunning Great American Rock Record. The band spins
sweeping anthems told in California semi-gloss, with twinges of West
Coast Country and big-hearted Southern balladry. It's an album about
place and location, about the way that geography affects us. California
itself figures heavily as a character on the record; two of the band's
members are Southern ex-pats and the lyrics often address the bewilderment
of finding oneself transplanted to Los Angeles. If you need musical
analogues then we hear Fleetwood Mac, Grandaddy, CSNY, Rilo Kiley,
and Brill Building pop, but that's by no means a complete list. This
is ambitious orchestral music decked out in gorgeous harmonies, ringing
pianos, and some pretty killer guitar work that knows a thing or two
about dynamism. It knows when to take a breather, and it knows when
to go for the knockout. 3HIVE REVIEW: "Biirdie brings the heartache
like a slow-approaching thunderstorm."
LoveMinusZero
CD
$11.00
Birds of Maya
Vol. 1
PS, US Debut LP from Philly power-trio. Lo-fi rock recalling '60s/'70s
classics like Cream, Blue Cheer, Hendrix, Black Sabbath, the Stooges,
etc.
HolyMountain
LP
$15.00
Birds of Prey
Sulfer and Semen
PS, US Raw, dirty, & extreme metal feat. members of ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY,
BARONESS, Beaten Back To Pure, & MUNICIPAL WASTE. Too fast for
sludge,
too grim for death, too precise for punk.
Relapse
CD
$13.25
Black Lips/Subsonics
Split
PS, US 4 songs from two of Atlanta's best!! live at the infamous Clermont
Lounge. Recorded back in August to sold out show. BLACK LIPS do "Bad
Kids" & "Lean." SUBSONICS do "Hello Beauty"
& "Pistol." LIMITED TO 2000
Rob'sHouseRecords-031
45
$5.25
Black Mountain
In The Future [deluxe edition]
PS, US Favorite psych-and-prog-spiritual pioneers BLACK MOUNTAIN are
back with "In The Future", their second full-length album
that resonates with the same epic ring, beloved deep rock touchstones
and genuine folk fragility that made their self-titled debut full-length
an instant classic. The new album possesses immense breadth, seamlessly
showcasing short and classic folk-pop gems along with driving modern
rock masterpieces, peaking with "Bright Lights", a seventeen-minute
multi-dimensional opus that gives Pink Floyd's "Echoes"
a run for its money. The DELUXE EDITION, at the same price as the
regular version, includes second disc with 3 additional recordings.
Jagjaguwar-090
DCD
$11.50
Black Mountain
In The Future [deluxe edition]
PS, US ***** Pre-order and receive the MP3s of the entire album! Details
below. ***** Favorite psych-and-prog-spiritual pioneers BLACK MOUNTAIN
are back with "In The Future", their second full-length
album that resonates with the same epic ring, beloved deep rock touchstones
and genuine folk fragility that made their self-titled debut full-length
an instant classic. The new album possesses immense breadth, seamlessly
showcasing short and classic folk-pop gems along with driving modern
rock masterpieces, peaking with "Bright Lights", a seventeen-minute
multi-dimensional opus that gives Pink Floyd's "Echoes"
a run for its money. The DELUXE EDITION, at the same price as the
regular version, includes second disc with 3 additional recordings.
Jagjaguwar-090
DLP
$12.25
Blood On The Wall
Liferz
PS, US Having gone from hometown heroes to national fan favorites
and critical darlings, the band has earned its reputation as top of
the rock heap. Putting out raucously fun records. "Liferz"
is a portrait of a band at the top of their game - somehow they have
managed to get even more "Awesomer". PITCHFORK: "Steeped
in classic indie rock, this muscular trio makes no bones about blasting
faux-Pixies or Sonic Youth songs well into the red."
TheSocialRegistry-060
CD
$11.50
Bodies Of Water
Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink
PS, US BODIES OF WATER started in DAVID METCALF and MEREDITH ARTHUR'S
closet. They were newly married and lived in a very small house. The
closet was the only place to put the computer that they used for recording.
They eventually formed a musical group to play David's songs. Meredith
figured out the piano, and their friends Kyle Gladden and Jessie Conklin
learned to play the bass and drums, respectively. In the ensuing years,
the four have learned to deftly spin those threads which inevitably
weave their way through every Bodies of Water song: ebullient group
singing, melodic invention, thundering polyrhythms, and sublime dramatic
tension. "Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink" is their
first full-length record, and the first release from the band's own
THOUSAND TONGUES label. The songs stray from verse-chorus structure
but are engaging and memorably crafted, drawing on an admixture of
traditions; the transcendent intensity of gospel, brutish gusto of
punk rocking, earnest idiosyncrasy of American folk, sonic inclusiveness
of tropicalia, planned jamming of prog, and the sincere bombast of
musical theatre. These songs can be likened to a sort of emotional
topiary; an unruly living mess lent its shape by the psychic framework
around which it grows. Since its inception Bodies of Water have added
an auxiliary corps of musicians and when playing in L.A. their ranks
can swell to as many as 11; hitting, blaring, strumming and bowing
away. The four core members' vocal synchronicity remains the group's
hallmark. Their calls, responses, shouts and harmonies ride above
and around a retaining wall of sound in a fleeting burst of neo-tent
revival immediacy.
SecretlyCanadian/ThousandTongues-12
CD
$11.50
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Wilding in the West
PS, JAPAN New import-only live album from BPB! ALL MUSIC GUIDE: "Recorded
in California in 2007, Wilding in the West is a live Bonnie "Prince"
Billy document, incorporating 14 ragged-but-right songs. His band
includes guitarist Emmett Kelly, bassist Aram Stith, drummer Alex
Neilson, and keyboard player Azita, plus Dawn McCarthy and Paul Oldham
on vocals. The material comes largely from 2003's Master and Everyone
and 2006's The Letting Go, not so very far away from 2005's live album
Summer in the Southeast (which even has a similar design scheme).
Billy is an impassioned performer in a live context, and while the
quiet beauty of songs from The Letting Go and Master and Everyone
is what made them so powerful in the studio, they're not without their
charms here."
p-Vine/Spunk
CD
$16.25
Box
Studio 1
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
RuneGrammofon
LP
$19.50
Box
Studio 1
PS, US This is the debut release by Raoul Bjorkenheim (SCORTH TRIO),
Trevor Dunn (FANTOMAS, ELECTRIC MASADA), Stale Storlokken (SUPERSILENT),
Morgan Agren. Something of an international supergroup, the founding
of this excellent ensemble is a touch of genius that remains something
of a mystery. Hand-picked by writer & film-maker Philip Mullarkey
to record & play live as part of the art/film project Box. It
quickly became apparent that this avant-garde juggernaut was heading
in the right direction.
RuneGrammofon
CD
$18.00
Brittle Stars
S-T
PS, US Limited to 303. Custom die cut hand screened jacket. Red vinyl.
Classic 90's pop effort from the lazy south.
RuinedPotential-07
10
$16.25
Bubblegum Lemonade
Ten Years Younger
PS, US Magnificent debut release from a 60's influenced indie-pop
affair from Glasgow, Scotland. Bubblegum Lemonade is principally a
man called Laz, a 12-string Rickenbacker enthusiast with more than
a few Velvet Underground, Byrds, Jesus and Mary Chain, and Razorcuts
records in his collection. Title track 'Ten Years Younger' updates
the Mary Chain's take on The Velvets with nice bursts of electronica
and beautiful female backing vocals courtesy of Sandra from fellow
Glaswegians Strawberry Whiplash. 'The Tomorrow People' is a wonderful
60's-drenched jangle pop gem that should please even the most ardent
Byrds or Razorcuts fan, while 'Unsafe at Any Speed' is Ralph Nader
meets the Mary Chain with liberal dollops of reverb and distortion.
Finally, 'That Thing You Do!' is a glorious cover of the title song
from the mid-90's hit movie of the same name. Written by Adam Schlesinger
(Ivy, Fountains of Wayne), the song was originally credited to the
fictitious band The Wonders and needed to be roughed up a bit as it
is here. With insanely catchy songs, masterful 12-string guitars,
shimmering pop melodies, and the feedback drenched sounds of the Mary
Chain, Bubblegum Lemonade is an extraordinary addition to the Matinée
roster proving that old school indie will never go out of style. Limited
to 1000 copies in custom minijacket sleeve.
Matinee-064
CD5
$6.50
Buddyrevelles
American Matador
PS, US "'One, Two' is a perfect example of the benefits resulting
from the slightly thicker, more complex sound the band has chosen
to explore on their latest record. Time changes, layered guitars,
and a generally expanded musical vocabulary make American Matador's
better moments a true step forward for an already excellent band ...
and when the grand finale arrives, and drummer Dan Reinholdt's kit
explodes like fireworks, any conceivable doubt disintegrates: American
Matador is an awesome record." -Pitchfork [8.0]
NoKarma-066
CD
$10.50
Buddyrevelles
September, November
PS, US Listen to that Telecaster chime! Those intertwining vocal lines!
Those dynamic yet dancey rhythms! The Buddyrevelles really are one
of the best pop bands around, and their debut CD (released in 1998
on Motorcoat Records) proves that 14 times over.
NoKarma-065
CD
$10.50
Bulat, Basia
Oh, My Darling
PS, US ALL MUSIC GUIDE: "Basia Bulat had already made quite a
splash in Britain and her native Canada before her full-length debut,
Oh, My Darling, even made it out to the United States. And it's easy
to see why she's been so popular. She has an easygoing, friendly style
that borrows heavily from the chick-rock craze of the 1990s, songs
full of warm melodies and sweet vocals. But where someone like Natalie
Merchant was able to delve into the complexities of life and love
intelligently and without relying too much on sentimentality or cliché,
Bulat's lyrics and instrumental lines aren't quite able to push past
those barriers. Instead, it is her singing that is the most appealing
thing about Oh, My Darling, an alluring, folky vibrato-filled mix
of the aforementioned Natalie Merchant, Antony Hegarty, fellow Canadian
Serena Ryder, and even, strangely enough, Ted Leo."
RoughTrade/Beggars
CD
$15.00
Burial Chamber Trio
Wvrm (PIC 10")
PS, US The 2nd vinyl only release by the the collaborative project
between: OREN AMBARCHI, GREG ANDERSON & ATTILA CSIHAR. They return
w/ a special picture disc 10" vinyl w/ sick, elaborate packaging
designed by Seldon Hunt. The audio material is taken from the groups
performance in Rotterdam, Holland in Jan. 2007 at club: Wvrm. LIMITED
TO 3000
SouthernLord
10
$14.00
Buzzcocks
30
PS, US New live album from punk-pop legends and orgasm addicts, still
jackin' it 30 years on. Recorded on their 2006 reunion tour.
CookingVinyl
CD
$13.75
Can
Ege Bamyasi [re-issue]
PS, US 2008 Mute re-issue.
Mute-9378
CD
$12.25
Can
Tago Mago [re-issue]
PS, US 2008 Mute re-issue.
Mute-9377
CD
$12.25
Canned Heat
Vintage
PS, US Here's how they sounded in '66 when R&B pioneer Johnny
Otis produced their first recordings. A perfect match, considering
that Wilson & Hite were avid record collectors & blues aficionados.
Lilith-139
CD
$18.00
Castanets
Strong Animal
PS, US This limited edition 7" includes a remix of "Strong
Animal" from CASTANETS recent "In the Vines" full-player,
as well as "Golden", an outtake from that same album. The
remix was part of a series of remixes given out via the interweb to
help promote "In The Vines". This one was too deliciously
geared for dance floors so we felt that not putting it to wax was
a crime to the night. West Coaster and Hero to All, RAFTER, manned
boards and faders and clickers for it. Bass up, mids wherever. Artwork
is by Castanets good friend Tara Jane ONeil. Here's to big airplanes
and weekend agoraphobics.
AsthmaticKitty-034
45
$3.75
Cat Power
Jukebox [deluxe version] (ON SALE)
PS, US Her second album of covers; this one a tribute to the great
vocalists who've influenced her over the years. This deluxe version
comes in a silver-foil gatefold cover with a bonus disc of extra tracks.
Backed by Dirty Delta Blues (Judah Bauer, Gregg Foreman, Jim White,
Erik Papparazzi). Guest appearances from Spooner Oldham (Neil Young,
Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan), Larry McDonald (Toots & The Maytals,
Taj Mahal), Teenie Hodges (Al Green, Memphis Rhythm Band), and Matt
Sweeney (Chavez, Will Oldham). MOJO: "She inhabits other people's
songs with a fierce conviction that's sometimes startling.".
Matador
DCD
$15.00
Cat Power
Jukebox [regular version]
PS, US Her second album of covers!!!
Matador
CD
$13.25
Cat Power
Jukebox (Deluxe)
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!! Deluxe silver-foil gatefold cover!!!
Matador
DLP
$25.00
Catwalk
Shiny Girl
PS, US Catwalk is fusion of west coast inspired guitar music combined
with electronic sample with gentle vocals.
Yay!Records
45
$5.00
Cave, Nick & Warren Ellis
Assassination of Jesse James
PS, US 2007 soundtrack to the acclaimed film starring Brad Pitt. The
soundtrack's composers, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, come from the
internationally celebrated bands Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, The
Dirty Three and Grinderman. Cave and Ellis composed, played and produced
this compelling and intense soundtrack for director Andrew Dominik's
savage tale of the true West, The Assassination of Jesse James By
The Coward Robert Ford. This soundtrack perfectly captures the charismatic
and unpredictable nature of the film's central protagonist. Like the
film, Cave and Ellis' music cuts through the mythic figure of Jesse
James to reveal the complex, contradictory man beneath. Daring and
passionately delivered, this beautiful soundtrack retains its captivating
power even without the benefit of Dominik's images. BBC:
"Starring Brad Pitt as Jesse James and Casey Affleck as his devoted
but deadly follower Robert Ford, Andrew Dominik's epic Western demands
a soundtrack to match its scope. If anyone is up to the task it's
Nick Cave and Bad Seed / Dirty Three maestro Warren Ellis, men who
understand the outlaw mentality better than most musicians working
today. Expansive, evocative violin and piano ensure that the listener
doesn't miss the visuals: but this music also creates enough atmosphere
all on its own."
Mute
CD
$15.25
Celletti, Alessandra
Way Out
PS, UK LTM is proud to announce a new studio album from Alessandra
Celletti, the virtuoso Italian composer/pianist whose previous CDs
include acclaimed interpretations of works by Glass, Satie and Gurdjieff.
Way Out is Alessandra's third album of original material, following
Overground (1997) and Chi Mi Darà le Ali (2006). Recorded in
Rome in 2007, Way Out marks an innovative exploration of several musical
styles, including vocal tracks sung by Alessandra as well as a number
of her exquisite solo piano compositions. She is joined on most of
the tracks by drummer Fabio Ferri, while Renzo Pin provided English-language
lyrics. Stand-out tracks include Dear To Me, Burning and Hundred Points,
the latter a future pop classic complemented by a brilliant animated
video clip made by Tony Sbarbaro. A unique set that defies classification,
Way Out also features one bonus song, the beautiful title track from
Alessandra's previous artist album, Chi Mi Darà le Ali. The
memorable cover image is the painting Pensando alla Guerra by artist
Isobel Blank. Short biography: Alessandra Celletti studied piano at
the Santa Cecilia Music Conservatory in Rome . After graduating she
continued her studies with Vera Gobbi Belcredi, specializing in French
piano works of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. In 1994 she
released Les sons et les parfums, an album of pieces by Debussy, Ravel
and Satie. Since then she has followed an irregular artistic path,
characterized by sudden departures from classical music. Her second
album, Viaggio a Praga, an exploration of the work of Bohemian composers,
saw Alessandra awarded a scholarship by the Czech Republic in 1997.
On returning to Italy she began working with Kha Records. Her collection
Esoterik Satie proved hugely popular in France , and Gnossienne #1
was used by Guy Ritchie in his 2005 movie Revolver. Alessandra is
now preparing to release two new albums. The Golden Fly will appear
in Italy in October 2007, and Way Out by LTM in January 2008.
LTM-2505
CD
$17.00
Cha Cha Cohen
S-T
PS, SCOTLAND Re-issue of CCC's 1999 debut album.
ChemikalUnderground
CD
$12.25
Cha Cha Cohen
All Artists Are Criminals
PS, SCOTLAND Re-issue of CCC's 2002 album.
ChemikalUnderground
CD
$12.25
Chessie
Manifest
PS, US They continue their musical exploration of the railway environment,
this time focusing on the freight trains & railway corridors that
simultaneously divide & connect America's landscapes. It's an
exhilarating journey through a realm of extremes, where stillness
is shattered by jarring motion & cacophony subsides into silence.
Using guitars, bass, drums, signal processing, samples, analog synths,
organs, horns, & other instruments, they capture the interplay
between the manufactured & natural worlds that railroads inhabit.
PlugResearch-084
CD
$11.50
Chico Hamilton Quintet/Elmer Bernstein
OST: Sweet Smell Of Success
PS, UK One of the most important films of the fifties, Sweet Smell
Of Success boasts one of the great jazz scores; a combination of abstract
jazz themes written and performed by the Chico Hamilton Quintet and
a furious orchestral score by the masterful Elmer Bernstein. These
albums were released seperately in 1957 - both became very considerable
rarities - and are here combined in a single edition in digital format
for the first time. Sweet Smell Of Success is memorable for the vicious
performances of Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis and its uniquely nasty
view of the tough underbelly of New York fifty years ago. It was directed
by Alexander mackendrick ('The Ladykillers' 'Whisky Galore' 'The Man
In The White Suite' 'Mandy') Its audience is with jazz and film buffs
and the eternally stylish; strong export potential everywhere.
El-132
CD
$15.50
Clark, Gene
Self -Titled "White Light"
PS, US Further proof that '71 could very well have been the best yr
ever for pop music is this LP. Following his '66 departure from The
Byrds, as well as a release w/ the Gosdin Brothers & 2 w/ Doug
Dillard as Dillard & Clark, Gene cut this w/ guitarist/produced
Jesse Ed Davis, Burrito Brother Chris
Ethridge & pianist Ben Sidran.
4MenwithBeards-116
LP
$16.25
Clark, Guy
Old No. 1
PS, US His debut from '75 is one of the all time classic country singer-songwriter
records. From the rollicking Texas swing of opener "Rita Ballou"
to the fingerpicked heartbreak of closer "Let Him Roll"
there is not a stinker to be found. Feat. EMMYLOU HARRIS, RODNEY CROWELL
& a young STEVE EARLE.
DBKWorks-539
CD
$16.50
Clark, Guy
Texas Cookin'
PS, US Originally released in '76, this sophomore effort for RCA is
another fine set of country tunes that run the gamut of emotions from
goofy & playful to brutally heartbreaking, sometimes within the
same song. Feat. a ridiculous talented set of players that includes
Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Gimble, Chip Young, Jerry
Jeff Walker & Rodney Crowell,this is an Outlaw Country classic.
DBKWorks-540
CD
$16.50
Collections Of Colonies Of Bees
Birds
PS, US COLLECTIONS OF COLONIES OF BEES sweep in grandly, in billowing
swarms of sound, bourn aloft on a thousand wings of minuscule, elegant
detail. Guitars chime and soar; deft yet intensely focused percussion
propels towards an inevitable dawn; covering it all is a gossamer
veil of subtly nuanced electronica. Their CD "Birds" is
joyous, epic minimalism in exquisite registration, a sound that is
dazzling - and as sweet as honey taken straight from the comb.
TableOfTheElements-810
CD
$13.00
Collett, Jason
Here's To Being Here
PS, US More Broken Social Scene solo-side-project... PREFIX MAG: "Here's
to Being Here finds Jason Collett stepping out with a solo album,
much like his Broken Social Scene bandmate Kevin Drew did last year.
Just because this one doesn't sport the "Broken Social Scene
presents" label doesn't mean that Collett completely crafted
the record himself. Like any good member of that band, he got plenty
of friends to help him out. Those include Andrew Whiteman of both
BSS and Apostle of Hustle, Liam O'Neill of the Stills, and Collett's
backing band, Paso Mino. The album was put down in Toronto with producer
Howie Beck."
Arts&Crafts-030
CD
$15.25
Costa, Matt
Unfamiliar Faces [re-issue]
PS, US Second album on Jack Johnson's Brushfire label. Full of more
folky beautiful songs. Produced by Tom Dumont.
Brushfire
CD
$15.00
Daughters of Albion
S-T
PS, UK The Californian duo of Greg Dempsey and Kathy Yesse combined
their talents with those of producer Leon Russell and musicians including
legendary guitarist Jesse Ed Davis and long-term Eric Clapton sideman
Carl Radle to create this stunningly original psych-pop classic in
1968. Combining knockout hooks with gorgeous female vocals and truly
unexpected studio tricks, it was perhaps too bizarre to connect with
the mass audience it deserved the first time around, and makes its
long-overdue CD debut here.
Fallout
CD
$16.25
Davis, Betty
S-T
PS, US Vinyl version! Limited to 1500, gatefold sleeve with bonus
45.
LightInTheAttic
LP
$21.75
Davis, Betty
They Say I'm Different
PS, US Vinyl version! Limited to 1500, gatefold sleeve with bonus
45.
LightInTheAttic
LP
$21.75
Dead Meadow
Old Growth
PS, US A remarkably clear, powerful, and confident recording that
should elevate the trio into the pantheon of the great guitar bands
of our time. Darlings of both the stoner rock and the modern psychedelia
worlds, Dead Meadow transcend both and have created a sound all their
own. Packaging includes CD in digipak with tipped-in booklet featuring
a gorgeous painting by LA artist Charles Wish. CD enhanced with bonus
video.
Matador
CD
$13.25
Dead Meadow
Old Growth
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
Matador
DLP
$19.00
Dead Raven Choir
My Firstborn Will Surely Be Blind
PS, US An altogether noisier undertaking than Smolken's other project,
WOLFMANGLER. An unholy cross of Black Metal and Folk. The instrumentation
is entirely bass centered. Raw, violent & organized.
AuroraBorealis
CD
$14.25
Dear, Matthew
Don & Sherri
PS, US This is an emotional explosion, a robust & elegant marriage
of beats & melody, hinting at the more accompliIsnhteedrn lyarticioisnma
l& deft songwriting explored on the universally wellreceived album
Asa Breed. Feat. a jaw-dropping remix by HOT CHIP & electro duo
M.A.N.D.Y. provides an additional mix of the title track, while veteran
German techno producer DJ KOZE shows a new side of 'Elementary Lover'.
Ghostly
12
$8.75
Dengue Fever
Venus On Earth
PS, US There is virtually no other band in the world playing "Khmer
Rock," the style of 1960s Cambodian rock derived from Armed Forces
Radio in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Sophomore album features
eleven original songs that expand on the band's sound but will please
hardcore fans of both the group & the genre. PREFIX MAG: "Though
constantly hailed by local outlets like the Los Angeles Times as the
city's most "original pop band," the Cambodian-American
psyche-surf rock quintet has sat patiently at the precipice of a national
break for several years now. The group shifted into overdrive the
last two years: an appearance on the Broken Flowers soundtrack; a
documentary about singer Chhom Nimol's homecoming and the band's first
trip to Cambodia, called Sleepwalking Through the Mekong; and now
its third album, Venus on Earth. On it, Nimol's gorgeous Khmer and
English vocals are paired with the band's inventive blend of garage
rock, Cambodian folk and Ethio-jazz."
M80Music
CD
$16.25
Destroy All Monsters
Live In Tokyo
PS, US Stretching out into spacey sonic territory, DAM attacks Japan
at their crusty best in these performances in Tokyo & Osaka, Japan,
from 1996. This 17 track, 72 minute CD contains early revamped DAM
classics as well as newer exotic oddities.
BookBeat
CD
$14.50
Devastations
Yes U
PS, US Moody, meandering rock that recalls both Talk Talk and Big
Black at the same time? But doesn't sound like Xiu Xiu? Much. As in
much more song-oriented and with a transcontinental flair.
BeggarsBanquetUS
CD
$12.50
Die! Die! Die!
Promises, Promises
PS, US Determined to make your head, heart & soul their home,
the trio has been on a series of countless tours (supporting: blood
brothers, wire, slint, wolfmother etc) & gained them world wide
notoriety. Reminiscent of the spirit & sounds of Black Flag, The
Pixies, the Wipers, Wire, & Bailterspace they embody a vitality
that has long since made its way into the recent rock & punk circuits.
SAF
CD
$12.00
Dirty On Purpose
Like Bees EP
PS, US Five brand new songs, including a cover of Real Life's 80s
hit "Send Me An Angel". PITCHFORK: "Brooklyn's Dirty
on Purpose returns with a second EP, just as big a reminder of the
band's past and potential as Hallelujah Sirens, an LP also on the
cusp of something great. "Back to Sleep", a standout track
here, has been around since about 2005, and it returns, re-produced,
a little more precise, deliberate, and a touch slower than the first
version. It was always one of the loveliest, most promising of the
band's tracks, a long hangover nap that coddles the listener with
a languorous guitar pattern dipped in the sweet, echoed flavor that
has come to define the band's sound."
NorthStreet
CD5
$6.50
Drawbacks, The
Slightly Less Vague
PS, US So most of the kids in Falkoping like to pimp out their Volvos,
hang around in a parking lot, and maybe form a heavy metal band. There's
not too much else to do 250 miles from Stockholm, in a town where
the express train passes but doesn't stop. Heck, it's even 2 hours
from Gothenburg. Fortunately though, the Drawbacks had other ideas...
With one foot firmly placed on the Swedish west coast, and the other
somewhere in the American indie-rock scene, the Drawbacks craft a
brand of hooky and dynamic guitar pop. Tobias (guitar & lead vocals),
Wilhelm (bass & vocals), Johan (drums & vocals), Klas (guitar
& vocals), and Martin (keyboards) have been playing for several
years, gigging both in Sweden and abroad. As Tobias says, they "spent
a considerable amount of time learning how to deliver some kind of
emotional context" through their songs, and they've gotten quite
good at it. After a few self-released demos, Slightly Less Vague is
the Drawbacks' first official release. We hope you enjoy it as much
as we do.
ChocolateHearts-05
CD
$7.50
Dub Trio
Another Sound Is Dying
PS, US Third studio album after 2 on our beloved ROIR. This is a mostly
instrumental set, feat. a return vocal cameo from MIKE PATTON. 14
tracks - over 60 min. of hard hitting Metal meets Rock (w/ dub asides).
This studio album proves to be monster!
Ipecac
CD
$16.25
Durutti Column, The
Circuses & Bread
PS, UK LTM is proud to announce the release of four expanded CDs by
The Durutti Column, the legendary Factory Records ensemble formed
and fronted by virtuoso guitarist/composer Vini Reilly. Circuses &
Bread was originally released by the Factory Benelux label in April
1986, and features ten tracks written and performed by Vini Reilly,
together with drummer Bruce Mitchell. Stand-out tracks include All
That Love & Maths Can Do and the single Tomorrow. This expanded
edition of Circuses & Bread also features ten bonus tracks, including
the rare Japanese single For Noriko/Love Fading, compilation album
tracks Verbiers and The Aftermath, and four previously unreleased
tracks from the cancelled 1983 album Short Stories For Pauline. The
bonus cuts also include the rarely heard 1983 single I Get Along Without
You Very Well, a Hoagy Carmichael cover sung by Lindsay Reade and
dedicated to her former husband, the late Anthony H. Wilson (Factory
Records founder and Durutti Column manager). The booklet restores
the original cover design by 8vo. Artist biography: Manchester native
Vini Reilly formed The Durutti Column in 1978, recording his debut
album The Return of the Durutti Column the following year with producer
Martin Hannett, a set of delicate instrumental tracks housed in an
abrasive sandpaper sleeve. Subsequent landmark albums include LC (1981),
Without Mercy (1984), The Guitar & Other Machines (1987), Sex
& Death (1993), Fidelity (1996) and Someone Else's Party (2003).
A prolific recording artist in his own right (usually with drummer
Bruce Mitchell), Reilly has also guested on records by Morrissey,
Olive and Holly Johnson. For many years the group were managed by
the late Anthony H. Wilson, founder of Factory Records.
LTM-2510
CD
$17.00
Egg
The Civil Service
PS, UK EGG were exponents of the so-called "Canterbury"
style of rock music and were focused around the compositional and
keyboard playing skills of Dave Stewart (later in HATFIELD & THE
NORTH) and Mont Campbell and Clive Brooks. The band recorded two superb
albums for Decca Records between 1969 & 1971 before going their
separate ways. In 1974 they recorded their final album for the newly
established Virgin Record label. Featuring guest musicians such as
STEVE HILLAGE and members of the unique HENRY COW, "The Civil
Surface" is now regarded as a classic of the "Canterbury"
and "Progressive" genres. This ESOTERIC RECORDINGS release
has been remastered from the original tapes and is certain to the
many who made the reissues of EGG's previous work such a success.
EsotericRecordings-2003
CD
$20.25
El Paso Hot Button
When I Need Sympathy
PS, US 2nd full length release by Norman, Oklahoma's ONE MAN BAND
wonder Mickey Reese. Local favorite, has played w/ a myriad of bands
from Black Keys to Bobby Conn to Destroyer. Danceable punk rock that's
solemn, creepy, & shrieky. For fans of Les Savy Fav and the Rapture.
LittleMafia
CD
$10.00
Envy
Abyssal
PS, US Following their acclaimed fourth album, "Insomniac Doze",
Japan's ENVY return with this face-melting four-song EP. Though acting
as a stop-gap between "Insomniac Doze" and their eagerly
anticipated next full-length, "Abyssal" sounds more like
the missing link between the driving, cacophonous force of their breakthrough
third album, "A Dead Sinking Story", and the lush, cinematic
tones of "Insomniac Doze". In fact, were it not for its
somewhat brief half-hour running time, "Abyssal" would be
the ideal Envy album, marrying their vast influences into a transcendent,
almost romantic sound that is rarely heard or felt in heavy music.
TemporaryResidenceLtd.-132
CD
$9.00
Envy
Abyssal
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
TemporaryResidenceLtd.-132
LP
$11.50
Envy
All The Footprints You've Ever Left and the Fear Expecting
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
TemporaryResidenceLtd.-129
LP
$11.50
Envy
All The Footprints You've Ever Left and the Fear Expecting
PS, US Originally released in 2001 on respected Japanese punk label
H.G. FACT, "All the Footprints You've Ever Left and the Fear
Expecting Ahead" introduced ENVY to Americans when it was licensed
for limited release in 2003 on DIM MAK RECORDS. Their original pressing
sold out almost immediately, and the album has been scarcely available
ever since. The vinyl now regularly fetches over $100 on eBay, and
the CD is equally difficult to score without paying increasingly undesirable
import fees. Along with their now-legendary follow-up, "A Dead
Sinking Story", All the Footprints is widely regarded as an innovative
high-water mark for hardcore. These two albums are justifiably viewed
as modern hardcore classics whose monumental footsteps created an
unending ripple.
TemporaryResidenceLtd.-129
CD
$9.00
Evangelicals
The Evening Descends
PS, US "The Evening Descends"Š and worlds collide.
First you hear the prodigious musical skill: the deft guitar work,
the clever pop sensibility, the wild arrangements. But then on other
end of the spectrum there is the innocent and youthful charm of a
trio of lost boys who seem to have no business making music with such
maturity and sophistication. Taken together, you have EVANGELICALS,
a wholly demented ensemble from Norman, OK. Dabbling in glam, slipping
in a little funk and soul, drinking the psychedelic Kool-aid, blasting
the synths, cranking up the guitars, and wrapping it all up with a
dose of pop smarts, "The Evening Descends" is the first
great album of 2008.
DeadOceans-4
CD
$11.50
Evangelicals
The Evening Descends
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
DeadOceans-004
LP
$11.50
Ex, The
In New York: Building A Broken Mousetrap
PS, US Shot at New York's Knitting Factory on an auspicious kickoff
day to a US tour - Sept. 11, 2004 - the film is a celebration of life
& activism, intertwining exciting live music w/ construction site
footage from New York & Amsterdam, protest footage
from the Republican National Convention, & city footage. It's
the blurred line between building & destruction through &
through. 4 songs are captured in 16 mm film, 4 in DV.
Touch&Go
DVD
$12.75
Eyeless In Gaza
Caught In Flux / The Eyes Of Beautiful Losers
PS, UK With animated gestures of disdain Eyeless In Gaza can answer
detractors who dismissed their debut LP, 'Photographs As Memories',
as a precious exercise in the art of self-indulgence. 'Caught In Flux',
the bands second offering of the year, is a measure of progress, and
though there's still room for growth some mark of maturity has undoubtedly
been forged. Caught In Flux- Sixth Sense / Point You / Voice From
The Tracks / Scale Amiss / The Decoration / Continual / Soul On Thin
Ice / Rose Petal Knot / Skeletal Framework / See Red / Half-Light
/ Every Which Way The Eyes Of Beautiful Losers- The Eyes Of Beautiful
Losers / Still Air / Out From The Day-To-Day / True Colour / Keynote
Inertia
CherryRed-145
CD
$15.50
Eyeless In Gaza
Drumming the Beating Heart / Pale Hands I Loved So Well
PS, UK Martyn Bates and Peter Becker had been recording together for
two years when Pale Hands I Loved so Well and Drumming the Beating
Heart, respectively the 3rd and 4th Eyeless in Gaza albums, was released.
Both albums have a magic that has endured and Pale Hands is especially
wondrous, witnessing the maturation of EIG's gift for evocative improvisational
impressionism. Drumming The Beating Heart- Transience Blues / Ill-Wind
Blows / One By One / Picture The Day / Dreaming At Rain / Two / Veil
Like Calm / Throw A Shadow / Pencil Sketch / At Arms Length / Lights
Of April / Before You Go Pale Hands I Loved So Well Tall And White
Nettles / Warm Breath, Soft And Slow / Blue Distance / Sheer Cliffs
/ Falling Leaf-Fading Flower / Goodbye To Summer / Lies Of Love /
To Ellen / Pale Saints / Letters To She / Light Sliding / Big Clipper
Ship
CherryRed-127
CD
$15.50
Eyeless In Gaza
Back From The Rains
PS, UK As part of Cherry Red's 30th anniversary commemorations - we
shall be re-visiting many key artists' releases where we shall be
re-mastering, repressing and re-promoting. What better then than to
kick-start proceedings with one of Mike Always' first signings - the
esteemed band Eyeless In Gaza. Between These Dreams / Twilight / Back
From The Rains / Lie Still, Sleep Long / Catch Me / Evening Music
/ She Moves Thru The Fair / Sweet Life Longer / New Love Here / Welcome
Wow / Your Rich Sky /Flight Of Swallows / My Last, Lost Melody / New
Risen / Bright Play Of Eyes / Scent Of Evening Air / Drumming The
Beating Heart
CherryRed-069
CD
$15.50
Eyeless In Gaza
Photographs As Memories
PS, UK The first album on Cherry Red from the esteemed Eyeless In
Gaza, one of Mike Always first signings and indeed a fine way to kick
of the 30th year Anniversary celebrations. Seven Years / Fixation
/ Looking Daggers / From A To B / Clear Cut Apparently / Speech Rapid
Fire / John Of Patmos / Knives Replace Air / Faceless / In Your Painting
/ A Keepsake/ Whitewash/ No Noise / Bonus Tracks- Invisibility / Three
Kittens / Plague Of Years / Others / Jane Dancing / Ever Present /
Avenue With Trees
CherryRed-166
CD
$15.50
Fair Weather
Beginning From An End
PS, UK ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW's CLASSIC PROGRESSIVE ALBUM - NOW 24-BIT
REMASTERED WITH 6 BONUS TRACKS. Following the demise of AMEN CORNER,
Andy Fairweather Low and fellow musical cohorts Blue Weaver, Clive
Taylor and Dennis Byron underwent a musical transition into the band
FAIR WEATHER. Heading into a "Progressive" direction the
band adopted a harder edge and were the first act to sign to RCA Records'
progressive imprint NEON (an attempt to rival Philips' VERTIGO label).
Perhaps the most successful NEON signing, the band secured a UK TOP
TEN hit in "Natural Sinner" before releasing their sole
album, "Beginning from an End". Featuring guest contributions
from DAVE EDMUNDS on "I Hear You Knockin'", although the
album was a success in Europe, FAIR WEATHER lasted a mere 13 months
before disbanding. This ESOTERIC reissue gathers together the album
and six tracks released over three singles to comprise this definitive
edition remastered reissue.
EsotericRecordings-2028
CD
$20.25
Fairport Convention
Unhalfbricking
PS, US Originally released in '69, Ian Matthews left midway through
the recording. As a result the band looked further into their own
country's folk traditions for influence, as their decidely British
style was cemented by the addition of Dave Swarbrick's fiddle.
Water
CD
$14.00
Fairport Convention
What We Did On Our Holidays
PS, US Their 2nd, originally released in '69, is the 1st to feat.
the beautifully haunting vocals of the legendary SANDY DENNY.
This finds them moving away from the California folk-rock of their
debut album towards a more British approach to similar material. It
is also the last full LP to feat. IAN MATTHEWS on vocals & many
consider this lineup to be the finest in their long & varied career.
Water-211
CD
$14.00
Farr, Gary
Strange Fruit
PS, UK GARY FARR's LONG LOST CLASSIC FOLK ROCK ALBUM - NOW 24-BIT
REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES WITH BONUS TRACK. "Strange
Fruit" is a great undiscovered work of the acoustic rock / classic
rock genres, cited by some as a minor masterpiece. In the late 60's
Gary Farr made the transition from leader of R&B outfit The T-Bones
to a noted singer-songwriter. Recording an album for Marmalade Records,
Farr then signed to CBS Records in 1970, recording this sole album
for the label. Sessions featured contributions from RICHARD THOMPSON
on lead guitar and leading lights of the underground MIGHTY BABY.
Unavailable on CD for many years, "Strange Fruit" is a record
made by an often overlooked singer-songwriter made available once
more by Esoteric Recordings and is certain to appeal to all who adore
acoustic music both melancholic and uplifting. The reissue also features
the first ever CD appearance of the single edit of "Revolution
of the Season".
EsotericRecordings-2029
CD
$20.25
Feelies, The
Crazy Rhythms [re-issue] (DELAYED)
PS, US Originally released in 1980 and featuring a noisy angular sound
that's somewhere between Krautrock, the Velvet Undergound, & New
Wave. Massively infuential to bands as wide-ranging as R.E.M. &
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. A post-punk classic back in print for the
first time in many years.
Water
CD
$14.00
Felix Kubin Und Das Mineral Orchester
Music for Theatre and Radio Play
PS, GERMANY VINYL VERSION!!!
Dekorder-022
LP
$17.00
Felix Kubin Und Das Mineral Orchester
Music for Theatre and Radio Play
PS, GERMANY We are extremely excited to announce the 1st collaboration
between the Dekorder label and our old friend, local conspirator and
private hair gardener Felix Kubin. Kubin has achieved worldwide reputation
by releasing post-dadaist, futuristic NDW-influenced Organ&Korg
smash hits on his own Gagarin label, on A-Musik, Ski-pp, Meeuw, Diskono
et al. He has collaborated with People Like Us, Coolhaven, Mark Boombastik,
Asmus Tietchens, ensemble Intégrales, David Fenech, Ergo Phizmiz,
Boris D. Hegenbart, Wojtek Kucharczyk and many others. His first recordings
date back to his teenage years in the early 1980's, followed by his
electro acoustic noise duo Klangkrieg and the pseudo-communist Liedertafel
Margot Honecker. Right from the start Felix Kubin has written and
recorded music for films (hence the title of his first album) by the
likes of Mariola Brillowska and Anke Feuchtenberger and continues
the German tradition of "Hörspiel" (radio play) with
works such as "Territerrortorium", "Nachtspeicher",
"Orpheus' Psykotron" and "Syndikat für Gegenlärm"
(with guest appearances by Matmos, DAT Politics and Wolfgang Müller
of Die Tödliche Doris). Some of Kubin's most gorgeous and adventurous
works are his contributions to "The Raft" (a radio play
by the mysterious Xentos Bentos of The Homosexuals, directed by Lukas
Simonis of Coolhaven, Trespassers W, Dull Schicksal) and his soundtracks
for theatre plays by Branko Simic ("Zufall", based on a
short story by Vladimir Nabokov) and the notorious Schorsch Kamerun.
The latter (known in Germany as a member of Goldene Zitronen) directed
"Hollywood Elegien" based on a song cycle by Bert Brecht
and Hanns Eisler. Now the best parts of these works are for the first
time available on LP and CD, simply (and aptly) titled "Music
for Theatre and Radio Play". While the musical spectrum on this
release covers a variety of styles and moods it's still almost immediately
recognizable as a typically Kubin-ist work featuring the main ingredients
his records and body-and-mind-boggling live shows are famous for.
Twisted rhythms & playfully clever arrangements that could have
been created by a mutated reincarnation of the legendary Juan Esquivel;
hauntingly ethereal tracks sounding like a narcoleptic John Carpenter
playing Angelo Badalamenti arrangements; contorted Big Band music,
pre-war Schlager and Vaudeville sent through a malfunctioning pre-digital
time machine; Ennio Morricone cloned as a Russian male choir; instrumental
workers' songs Hanns Eisler might have imagined in a feverish nightmare
- it's all there, and more!
Dekorder-022
CD
$15.00
Fennesz
Transition
PS, UK 7" vinyl only -- no legal downloads of these tracks are
available. These three tracks are based on 8 different guitar recordings
made at Amann Studios, Vienna, between 2005-2007. The acoustic guitar
was recorded with an AKG C12 microphone. Other sounds were made using
a Fender Stratocaster and a Vox AC15 amp. The 7" is part of the
Touch Sevens 7" vinyl-only series, which began with Oceanus Pacificus
by Chris Watson
Touch
45
$6.75
Fessenden
v1.1
PS, US Joshua Convey, Stephen Fiehn, and Steven Hess (On, Pan American,
Haptic) have been actively writing and performing as Fessenden since
2004. This Chicago/New York-based electro-acoustic trio creates distinct,
atmospheric and progressive sound collages, at times weaving quietly
subtle textures against harsh moments of volume, or low hums and buzzes
against crisp percussion while drones interplay with staccato chords.
"v1.1" represents their first release of studio-recorded
material. An exercise in restraint, where hypnotic and atmospheric
palettes create a vague sense of foreboding, this release engages
the acute listener with new concepts of structure and texture. Praise
for Fessenden: "Playing on a rusty knife edge, these artists
mould a new genre of inquisitive reduction of technical abuse..."
-Touching Extremes "Contemplative music that combines the best
of improvised music, real instruments and yet manages to sound so
micro-sound." -Vital Weekly "Like drifting Arctic waters
in an atomic sub, slowly diving, headset plugged directly into the
hull."- Avant Music News "One of the more patient ensembles
I've heard, Fessenden members seem to be in no hurry to move things
along here...just a few compass degrees this way or that...Fessenden
provides a nice trip." -KFJC
OtherElectricites-010
CD
$12.25
Finn, Liam
I'll Be Lightning
PS, US Debut album from the spawn of Crowded House's Neil Finn. ALL
MUSIC GUIDE: I'll Be Lighting finds Liam coming into his own as a
singer/songwriter not unlike how Neil did around the time of True
Colours, a remarkable parallel in musical development that, when combined
with the passing similarity in their songwriting styles, can perhaps
tie Liam a little too closely to his father. Like his dad, Liam has
an ear for hooks and a predilection for melodic craft, but he is not
only his own man, he is certainly the product of his own generation,
raised on classic pop dating back to the Beatles but obsessed with
indie singer/songwriters of the '90s, specifically Elliott Smith.
I'll Be Lightning has the same spare, dreamy qualities of Smith's
music, but Liam Finn isn't as haunted as Smith, even if he has a similar
knack for floating melodies. Despite a fair share of brokenhearted
ballads here, this isn't an overly melancholy album; it can be comforting
in its spells of sadness, partially because they're balanced by lighter
material that meshes with the slower, sadder songs to give this depth,
a richness in lyric and music uncommon to young singer/songwriters....
The 14 songs here seem stronger upon each listen, with the songs soon
seeming indelible. This kind of gift is rare, but it has been passed
on from father to son in a way that is similar yet quite different
and equally valuable, as this excellent debut makes plain."
YepRoc
CD
$15.00
Finn, Liam
I'll Be Lightning
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
YepRoc
LP
$18.25
Fireflies
Goodnight Stars, Goodnight Moon
PS, SWEDEN Fireflies is Lisle Mitnik. He grew up in the tundras of
New England playing classical piano and one day he moved to California
to go to school and decided to start writing songs. He bought a porta-studio
and started recording, combining his love for lo-fi indie recordings
of the 1980s and 90s with his unrefined knowledge of classical arrangement.
He try to craft each song into a tiny snow-globe-sized universe you
can curl up in and get lost for a little while. We believe that this
release will be loved by those who appreciate: The Clientele, Field
Mice, Beach Boys, Nick Drake, Galaxie 500, The Cat's Miaow, Her Space
Holiday, Nobuo Uematsu, The Softies, Belle & Sebastian, Fransoise
Hardy and Trembling Blue Stars.
MusicIsMyGirlfriend-014
CD
$13.50
Fleshtones, The
Take A Good Look
PS,US The Fleshtones are back with Take a Good Look, a romping revival
of happy-go-lucky mayhem. CBGB heyday stalwarts The Fleshtones are
the originators of the garage revival still raging in the 21st century.
With Take a Good Look, the band has reduced its Super Rock sound down
to pure muscle and bone. Fuzzy guitars, vintage organ and cocksure
swagger abound as the band re-stakes its claim on early 60s garage.
Co-produced by session vet Ivan Julian (The Clash, Richard Hell, Elton
John), the album seethes with party anthems and head-bopping mod rhythms
YepRoc
CD
$14.50
Folk Spectre, The
The Blackest Medicine
PS, US Black vinyl with silk screened covers. Limited to 500. Solo
tunes by Pete Nolan of the Magik Markers, GHQ, Vanishing Voice, Virgin
Eye Blood Brothers, etc. This is music from the American underground.
The feeling is dark and fucked up and somehow sublime. A solid statement
of loner home-made goodness. A pop statement from behind a veil of
dirt.
Woodsist
LP
$14.00
Food
Molecular Gastronomy
PS, US This is the 5th full-length release, now down to the duo of
Iain Ballamy (saxophones, alto flute) & Thomas Stronen (drums,
electronics). This duo-version is mostly improvised, much in the same
way as the music of Stronen's other duo, Humcrush. Ashley Slater,
who played w/ Ballamy in Loose Tubes in the late '80s & went on
to form Freakpower w/ Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), mixed this record
& also contributes on 3 tracks. Maria Kannegaard plays Fender
Rhodes on 5 tracks & is also a superb pianist w/ 3 trio-recordings
to her name.
RuneGrammofon
CD
$17.00
Formby, Richard
Volume 1
PS, US The first of three CDs to be released on Mind Expansion, Vol
1 features 8 beautifully produced masterpieces of pure sonic bliss.
Formby's debut solo album, is very much a sound engineer's album.
Seen as something of an Eno for the post-rock generation. Formby builds
on warm, looped fragments, cut up drums, guitar chime & organ
arrangement, with all the ascending tact of Reich. In his world it's
sometime in the 70s', at the height of classical experimentation &
kraut motorik.
MindExpansion-2011
CD
$11.50
Free Form Funky Freqs
Urban Mythology: Vol. 1
PS, US Feat. VERNON REID, JAMAALADEEN TACUMA & G. CALVIN WESTON.
This extraordinary meeting of the minds & souls breaks new ground
in the definition of the timeless trio sound using the best elements
of improvisation, modern DSP & good old fashioned funk.
ThirstyEar
CD
$13.25
Hamill, Claire
October
PS, UK CLASSIC FOLK ROCK ALBUM - NOW 24-BIT REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL
MASTER TAPES WITH BONUS TRACKS. The possessor of one of the finest
voices in popular music, Claire Hamill signed to Island records at
the age of 16, recording two albums which featured contributions from
JOHN MARTYN, FREE & TERRY REID. "October" is Claire's
second album, a masterpiece of folk rock and the art of songwriting
and features music of both innocence and maturity. Produced by Paul
Samwell Smith (who had recently worked with Cat Stevens), "October"
is a highlight of Claire's early career and is certain to appeal to
those who appreciate the art of the singer songwriter. The Esoteric
reissue includes "Baby What's Wrong" as a bonus
tracks. With her songs covered by EVA CASSIDY and cited by KATE BUSH
as an influence, this reissue is the first part of a programme that
sees the reissuing of Claire's work by Esoteric Recordings.
EsotericRecordings-2032
CD
$20.25
Hamill, Claire
One House Left Standing
PS, UK CLASSIC FOLK ROCK ALBUM - NOW 24-BIT REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL
MASTER TAPES WITH BONUS TRACKS. The possessor of one of the finest
voices in popular music, Claire Hamill signed to Island records at
the age of 16, recording two albums which featured contributions from
JOHN MARTYN, FREE & TERRY REID. "One House Left Standing"
is Claire's first album, a masterpiece of folk rock and the art of
songwriting and features music of both innocence and maturity. The
Esoteric reissue includes four bonus tracks, three of which are unreleased,
including a version of "Meet Me On the Corner" featuring
Gerry Rafferty and Steeler's Wheel as backing musicians and the evocative
single B-side "Alice in the Streets of Darlington". With
her songs covered by EVA CASSIDY and cited by KATE BUSH as an influence,
this reissue is the first part of a programme that sees the reissuing
of Claire's work by Esoteric Recordings.
EsotericRecordings-2031
CD
$20.25
Handsome Ned
Name Is Ned
PS, US ALL MUSIC GUIDE: "A two-disc anthology may seem a little
extreme for an artist who never released a full album during his lifetime.
However, in the case of the Handsome Ned set The Name is Ned, it is
a welcome introduction to a nearly forgotten Canadian singer/songwriter.
When Handsome Ned died in 1987 at the age of 29, he left behind a
wealth of recordings, from studio tracks to live recordings and radio
appearances... A fairly even mix of originals and covers and an impressive
array of guests. Murray McLauchlan shows up on a version of Johnny
Cash's "I Still Miss Someone," Lydia Lunch can be heard
hyping Handsome Ned's radio show before a live, acoustic version of
"Sea of Heartbreak," and for the finale, Blue Rodeo invites
Handsome Ned onstage at the Horseshoe Tavern to sing the Merle Haggard
classic "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down." However, while
the cover songs have a charm of their own and help to shed light on
Handsome Ned's influences, it's the original songs that display the
depth of Handsome Ned's talent... Clearly a labor of love for those
involved (Handsome Ned's brother contributed the liner notes), is
a worthy reminder of a talented Canadian artist."
OtherPeoplesMusic
DCD
$15.00
Harp
February 2008
PS, US MARS VOLTA on the cover! Features on them, WU-TANG CLAN, DEATH
CAB'S CHRIS WALLA, WALK HARD'S JOHN C. REILLY & more. Plus Cat
Power's Latest, Post-9/11 Syndrome, Alt-Country Showdown & tons
more. Still over 100 reviews!
ZINE
$4.00
Harter, Ali
Worry The Bone
PS, US Debut LP from 23 year old Oklahoma City songstress. Has shared
the stage w/such acts as Magnolia Electric Co. & The Actuals.
Favors ghostly, lovely acoustic numbers w/old time jazz inflections
a la Eleni Mandell or Jolie Holland.
LittleMafia-053
CD
$10.00
Head of Skulls
S-T
PS, US Feat. CHRIS HANSEN (PINEBENDER), ALLISON HOLLIHAN (ABPK) &
NOAH LEGER (MILEMARKER, wORLD/INFERNO) w/ their upbeat Kick-Ass Rock
Music! Short fast songs that are 100% bubblegum free. They've put
in an official bid w/ Mother Earth to become a rock band that people
will want to pipe down & have a listen to.
HeadofSkulls-001
12
$8.75
Heaven
Brass Rock 1
PS, UK CLASSIC PROGRESSIVE JAZZ ROCK ALBUM REISSUED ON CD OFFICIALLY
FOR THE FIRST TIME- 24-BIT REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES.
Heaven, a jazz rock group from Portsmouth, burst forth onto the British
rock scene in 1970 when they appeared at the legendary Isle of Wight
festival sharing a bill with The Who, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix et al.
Making a stunning debut, the band (now managed by festival organiser
Rikki Farr), soon secured a recording deal with CBS Records who signed
the band for a large advance. The resulting double album "Brass
Rock 1" appeared in 1971, adorned in a lavish fold-out sleeve.
Well received critically, the album failed to achieve the expected
success and Heaven soon disbanded, leaving behind a fine example of
classic jazz rock. Officially released on CD for the first time, this
Esoteric Recordings reissue is digitally remastered from the original
master tapes and restores the artwork of the album in full.
EsotericRecordings-2030
CD
$20.25
Helio Sequence
Keep Your Eyes Ahead
PS, US After 3 albums and ten years of touring and recording, The
Helio Sequence (Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel) have recorded
their most dynamic, extraordinary work to date. Keep Your Eyes Ahead
marries the Portland duo's signature layered keyboards and impossibly
big guitars with crisp songwriting and a newfound appreciation for
minimalism. The finger picking on "Shed Your Love" is backed
by exquisite strings and ambient noise, but Brandon's serene, self-assured
delivery remains front and center. While songs from the band's early
releases spanned up to 7 minutes, even the longest, lushest, catchiest
track on Keep Your Eyes Ahead (fiery anthem "Hallelujah")
clocks in at 4 and a half minutes, evidence of just how refined their
craft has become. Vocals were recorded spontaneously in bedroom closets
and living rooms, which may explain the haunting urgency you hear
in Brandon's voice, especially on driving tracks like "Keep Your
Eyes Ahead." The band also took its time on the album. After
the bulk of official recording was completed, a listen through all
the demos and snippets on Brandon's hard drive convinced Benjamin
there were more gems in the rough (which is how both "Hallelujah"
and "Keep Your Eyes Ahead," as well as the mid-tempo "Back
to This" were rediscovered and retooled). Produced by the band,
Keep Your Eyes Ahead confirms in The Helio Sequence an energy and
a range that continues to defy narrow categorization. Unapologetic
pop and folk meld seamlessly to create songs that are bigger, more
epic and polished than anything they've ever done. Keep Your Eyes
Ahead is the sound of a band and a decade-old partnership that's been
invigorated. And that's exactly how the songs will make you feel:
invigorated.
SubPop
CD
$12.00
Helio Sequence
Keep Your Eyes Ahead
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
SubPop
LP
$13.00
Hello, Blue Roses
Portrait Is Finished And I Have Failed To Capture Your Beauty
PS, US Visual artist Sydney Vermont and her man DAN BEJAR (Destroyer,
Swan Lake, New Pornographers) formed Hello, Blue Roses in Vancouver
in 2005. Sydney writes the songs & Dan arranges them. Song ideas
were knocked back and forth over a period of 2 years. Last year Dan
& Sydney took time out of regular life to be together, write,
read and think about life differently; It was in the balmy climes
of their home away from home - Malaga, Spain - that the originals
that make up their debut album, The Portrait Is Finished And I Have
Failed to Capture Your Beauty... took real shape. In mid 2007, Hello,
Blue Roses committed these songs to tape with the help of friends
and family after their return to Vancouver at longtime fave spot JC/DC
studios. Roses cite 60s faves (Bridget St. John, Bill Fay, the group
sing of Trees Community), 80s AOR (Prefab Sprout & Kate Bush)
and the cheery mysticism of young Scotland ( Orange Juice & Felt)
as musical influences to their sparsely populated, timeless pop sound.
LocustMusic
CD
$13.00
Hello, Blue Roses
Portrait Is Finished And I Have Failed To Capture Your Beauty
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
LocustMusic
LP
$17.25
Hexlove
Knew Abloom (Life's Hood)
PS, US While he's a current member of Who's Your Favorite Son God
& Prints, this is Zac Nelson all by himself going nuts. His enthusiastic
mania is not just in the realm of Keith Moon-ness but as a multi-instrumentalist
who channels Dennis Wilson, Neil Michael Haggerty, & post-"Vision
Creation Newsun" Boredoms, & combine it all & play it
off like it was mixed by Tod Dockstader.
HolyMountain
CD
$13.25
Hey Willpower
P.D.A.
PS, US "Which band can claim to take over the dancefloor with
a twist of R'n'B, Radiopop and Electronica? Who has the secret recipe
for a sound that equally stimulates teenagers and people in their
30ies? Who sounds as sexy as Justin Timberlake and The Soft Pink Truth
combined? And who was the cover star of the San Francisco Guardian
in May 2005 with the headline "dance, punk, dance"? HEY
WILLPOWER is one of the hottest acts in the R'n'B Underground emerging
from the US."
Tomlab-081
CD
$12.25
Holland, Michael
Simple Truths and Pleasures
PS, GERMANY This is the third solo release by Michael Holland, from
Carrboro, North Carolina. Michael was a founding member of Jennyanykind,
which released several critically-acclaimed albums on Elektra/Time
Warner, Yep Roc and other labels between 1992-2003. Burned out by
many tours through 48 states, label changes from minors to majors
and back and in a state of complete emptiness and sadness, he received
the Harry Smith Anthology as a gift and it completely changed his
view towards music. His new masterpiece, Simple Truths and Pleasures
is once again performed with members of the Big Fat Gap Bluegrass
Band from NC -- the vast majority of it recorded live in the studio.
More traditional than the previous record, the earthly songs reflect
influences by Earl Scruggs, Blind Boy Fuller, Mississippi John Hurt,
The Carter Family, Doc Watson and especially Hank Williams. The music
is a perfect and very melodic mixture of truly timeless Southern musical
forms: acoustic country, folk, bluegrass, honky tonk, old time string
band, blues and gospel, led by Michael Holland's warm and haunting
voice.
Moll-025
CD
$15.00
Holy Fuck
LP
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
XL
LP
$13.25
Holy Fuck
LP
PS, US If electronic music is a highly sophisticated robot operated
by hi-tech computers, Holy Fuck are the evil counterpart, hell bent
with battery operated gadgets, keyboards, and analogue tape. Balanced
somewhere between an experimental noise-out and a free-for-all dance
party. NME named them in the top three new bands of this year's Glastonbury
Festival. MP3 coupon sold with vinyl. Early limited edition tour EP
sold out immediately.
XL
CD
$13.25
Holy Moses
S-T [re-issue]
PS, UK First time on CD! Though short-lived, the Woodstock-based Holy
Moses came up with one of the psychedelic era's most enduring hard
rock one-offs, packed with strong songs and blazing guitar parts by
Ted Spelios, whose playing is said to have stunned the young Bruce
Springsteen. Produced by Kim King (of Lothar and the Hand People)
and Mike Esposito (of the Blues Magoos), and recorded at New York's
legendary Electric Lady studio (built by Jimi Hendrix), it quickly
vanished upon release in 1971, though its cult reputation has never
stopped growing.
Fallout
CD
$16.25
Hot Chip
Made In the Dark
PS, US VINYL VERSION.
Astralwerks
LP
$17.00
Hot Chip
Made In the Dark [deluxe edition]
PS, US Deluxe edition with DVD.
Astralwerks
CD/DVD
$18.75
Hot Chip
Made In the Dark
PS, US Their 3rd full length & shows them at their best; wonderfully
quirky, clever, soulful & poppy. The sound has evolved toward
a wilder, heavier electronics, though still coupled w/ a signature
pop aesthetic. They are equally at home creating songs of intimacy
& melancholy as they are dancefloor killers.
Astralwerks
CD
$15.25
Human Bell
S-T
PS, US Feat. David Heumann (ARBOURETUM, CASS MCCOMBS, BONNIE PRINCE
BILLY) and Nathan Bell (LUNGFISH, P.W. LONG, Mighty Flashlight, &
Television Hill). Their gorgeous guitar duets form an instrumental
canvas painted in the warm colored hues of folk & rock music,
& simultaneously a blank canvas for the listeners themselves to
paint. Their songs are delicately crafted w/ an immaculate clarity,
expressiveness, & most of all, openness.
ThrillJockey-191
CD
$14.00
Ida
Lovers Prayers
US, PS Vinyl version, limited to 1,000 deluxe, 180-gram 2 x LPs in
double gatefold jacket. Includes free digital downloads from the label
plus two bonus tracks.
Polyvinyl
DLP
$14.00
Ida
Lovers Prayers
PS, US This is their first new album in three years and their clearest,
most dynamic to date. A collection of songs that invoke the proximity
of the invisible and the reality of love with an earned grace that
comes from experience, persistence, and an undiminished enthusiasm
for making sounds together. This is their seventh album; recorded
with Levon Helm (The Band). Packaged in a special, green-friendly
digipak and double-gatefold jacket.
Polyvinyl
CD
$11.50
Instruments Of Science And Technology
Music From The Films Of R. Swift
PS, US For the critical listener, INSTRUMENTS OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
sounds like Brian Eno and Wendy Carlos had a love child in the 70's
and subsequently marooned him/her/it on an Oort Cloud. If they had,
this might have been the recording their love child beamed back to
Earth. This largely instrumental electronic project may seem out of
character for RICHARD SWIFT, who has raised eyebrows and turned heads
over the past few years for his unmistakably beautiful singing voice,
melancholic lyrics and sophisticated songwriting. Taking into account
all three releases, it appears that Swift considers the last 80 years
of recorded music as his own personal spice rack of musical texture
from which to draw and concoct new musical recipes. With Instruments
of Science and Technology, Swift has resurrected the earliest forms
of electronic music, thrown in a few dashes of dub, hip-hop, kraut-rock,
and Motown-and created a new hybrid dish. So fire up the hooka coals,
turn on that full screen iTunes visualizer, and pump these jams as
loud as your speakers/neighbors will allow.
SecretlyCanadian-148
CD
$11.50
Instruments Of Science And Technology
Music From The Films Of R. Swift
PS, US FVINYL VERSION!!!
SecretlyCanadian-148
LP
$11.50
Isabelle Antena
Transmissions
PS, UK 28 tracks. NTSC Region 0. LTM is proud to present the very
first DVD by Isabelle Antena, the acclaimed easy and electro-samba
pioneer from Paris , acclaimed by everyone from Nouvelle Vague to
Thievery Corporation. Transmissions gather together 16 remastered
video clips for singles and key album tracks recorded between 1982
and 2000, together with 12 tracks from a live concert at the Koseinenkin
Hall, Tokyo, on 26 June 1991. Stand-out clips and tracks include Seaside
Weekend, Easy Street, Poisson des Mers du Sud, Laying on the Sofa,
Romancia del Amor, Jouez le Cinq, and the classic 1982 clip for debut
single The Boy From Ipanema by the original Antena trio. The DVD also
includes some amusing 'lost in translation' style interview extracts.
The 1991 live footage from Japan runs for more than an hour, and features
Antena favorites such as Antena, Be-Pop and Eclat de Nuit, on which
Isabelle is backed by a crack jazz band including Fritz Sundermann
and Marco de Meersman, as well as guest musicians from Japan. Artist
biography: chic trio Antena formed in Paris in 1981. After scoring
cult hits with wry single The Boy From Ipanema and classic mini album
Camino Del Sol in 1982, the band left Crepuscule for major label releases
on Island and Mercury. Going solo, Isabelle Antena returned to Crepuscule
in 1986, and since then has released a further twelve albums, her
writing spanning jazz, funk and Latin, and achieving notable success
in Japan and the Far East. The most recent Isabelle Antena album,
Easy Does It, appeared in 2005. A new Antena album, Toujours du Soleil,
was released in 2006.
LTM-2494
DVD
$21.75
Jackson, Joe
Rain
PS, US New album! POPMATTERS: "The eclectic pianist/songwriter
delivers a treat -- ten perfectly crafted pop songs that recall his
best work or maybe are his best work."
Ryko
CD
$17.75
Japancakes
Down The Elements
PS, US Reissue. MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! Eric Berg's heady instrumental
visions maintain something of an
unintentional defiance that suggests that the 21st century technology
is still a far-off proposition. By focusing on cello strains, droning
bass and guitar lines, and insistently groovy acoustic drum patterns,
it appears that he and his other Athens, GA, cohorts don't recognize
the cut-and-paste, sample-centric age that most rock is now generated
in. This EP, which is sandwiched between two larger efforts of equally
hypnotic textures, creates moods that are far more demanding of a
listener's attention than much of the ambient music produced by the
synthesists the world over. The wonderfully infectious riff that propels
"A.W. Sonic" somehow manages to sustain its drawing power
for the majority of the track's 11-minute lifespan. "Sputnik"
and the title track are the disc's straight-ahead electronic fare,
but they are so skillfully arranged it's as if they'd been secretly
peering in the Orb's laboratory for years. As a lower cost introduction
to what Berg has begun to achieve from an experimental rock concept
gone right (unlike most), Down the Elements is immensely satisfying.
-- ALL MUSIC GUIDE.
Originally released as an EP by Kindercore
in 2000, Down The Elements clocks in at 37:58 minutes, which makes
it a full length in the real world. These recordings were made at
the same time as those for If I Could See Dallas. Eclectic, mostly
upbeat, instrumental explorations like Trans Am meets Tangerine Dream
backed with beautiful blips and burbles sure to sooth.
Darla-189
CD
$9.00
Japancakes
The Sleepy Strange
PS, US Reissue. MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! Building on the accessible
experimentation on If I Could See Dallas and the Down the Elements
EP, Japancakes' aptly named second album, The Sleepy Strange, is dreamy
and earthy, complex and immediate, and challenging and soothing. Though
their modus operandi -- repeating melodic phrases for hours at a time
to highlight the subtle shifts in tone and rhythm - - remains the
same, The Sleepy Strange is the band's most cohesive work to date;
yet it keeps all of the spontaneous beauty of their previous releases.
If anything, the slightly more focused sound highlights the band's
strong melodies and interplay, making it one of the warmest, most
inviting post-rock albums since Jim O'Rourke's Eureka, which also
featured a fair amount of Japancakes' secret weapon, the pedal steel
guitar. Whether it takes the lead, as on the opening waltz "The
Waiting," or adding to the weightless beauty of "Disconnect
the Cables"' avant soft rock, the group's masterful use of the
instrument gives the music a dreamy, strangely western-tinged timelessness.
The surprisingly propulsive "Soft N EZ" adds naive-sounding
analog synths to fiddles and pedal steel, highlighting the group's
highly inventive (and somewhat startling) mix of styles and sounds
within one track. This is also Japancakes' most varied album, both
musically and emotionally; "This Year's Beat" subtly shifts
from brooding to assuring, while the loopy, languid title track and
the dark string- and keyboard-driven finale, "Vinyl Fever,"
couldn't be farther apart in sound or mood. Hypnotically beautiful,
The Sleepy Strange is the best representation yet of Japancakes' exciting
repetitions, and one of 2001's best albums. --ALL MUSIC GUIDE.
Darla-191
CD
$12.25
Japancakes
If I Could See Dallas
PS, US Reissue. MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! Japancakes' improvisational
drone pop symphonies defy easy classification, stretching a single
chord to its breaking point and picking up the pieces to create dense
but inviting soundscapes which somehow find the common ground between
the soothing wash of ambient and the propulsive energy of rock. For
If I Could See Dallas, group ringleader Eric Berg and engineer Andy
Baker handcrafted the disc's 11 instrumentals from snatches of studio
performances, giving the songs a form and shape their live set no
doubt lacks, but the cumulative effect is no less hypnotic -- for
all of the record's cosmic glow, the recurring presence of steel guitar
keeps the music rooted in terra firma, a paradox which makes the music
that much more difficult to pinpoint in any single time or place.
The evolutionary process, which guides each song, is almost imperceptibly
subtle, their circular melodies shaded by analog synths and strings
that bubble in and out of the mix -- creating music that arrives without
traveling, Japancakes is that rare experiment as fascinating in practice
as it is in theory. --ALL MUSIC GUIDE
Darla-186
CD
$12.25
Jarvinen, Anna
Jag Fick Feeling
PS, SWEDEN This is the debut solo full-length release from Stockholm-based
Anna Järvinen, former member of Sweden's Granada from 1998-2004.
Granada released three albums and one EP on record labels such as
Universal, V2 and Look Left Recordings, and were produced by Björn
Olsson and Mattias Glavå, who also heavily contributed to this
record. Jag Fick Feeling was recorded in the Kungssten industry area
in Gothenburg during a rainy summer and cold winter with members of
Dungen and The Works, amongst many others. For this record, Järvinen
tried to make music she has always loved, with melodies that she grew
up hearing: "...the soundtrack to Brideshead Revisited, The Carpenters,
Elton John's darling '70s tunes, Vesa Matti Loiri's interpretations
of Eino Leino's poetry, Woody Allen movies, Pentti Saarikoski, nature
poetry, drug and alcohol abuse, nostalgia, the Finland of my dreams,
falling in love, sorrow, homesickness." As a result, Jag Fick
Feeling is full of longing, made with delicate orchestration, flute,
vibraphone, piano and autoharp. On top of it all, Anna Järvinen's
clear-as-a-bell voice rings with a tone not unlike The Sundays' Harriet
Wheeler. Each song is sung in Swedish, but the heart doesn't.
Hapna
CD
$15.00
Jet Age, The
What Did You Do During the War, Daddy?
PS, US This the Jet Age's (ex-Hurricane Lamps) follow up to 2006's
critically acclaimed Breathless. Boasting brilliant tunes, breathtaking
