Untitled Document

New Releases

5ive
Hesperus
PS, US Boston's 5ive were a two-piece with no vocalist or bass player long before being instrumental and having an unorthodox band assemblage became "cool". They have a Kyuss style guitar tone without the bad vocals. Their debut full-length was one of Terrorizer magazine's top twenty of 2001. "Ben Carr's guitars are thickly layered without the sound becoming mushy. The distortion he gets out of his amp makes his riffing sound like balls of flame. Charlie Harrold's drumming complements the guitar playing exceptionally; these are two musicians that are well in tune with each other" - Brainwashed.com.
Tortuga
CD
$12.50

Abrahams, Chris + Mike Cooper
Oceanic Feeling-Like
PS, AUSTRALIA "The sea pronounces something, over and over, in a hoarse whisper; I cannot quite make it out." ~Annie Dillard It's this musical whisper that is amplified on Oceanic Feeling-Like, as Italian based musician Mike Cooper and Australia's Chris Abrahams unite for the first time to create what can only be described as a picturesque horizon of melodic ocean swell. Stretching out horizon-wide, Oceanic Feeling-Like is generously colored with Cooper's unique guitar approaches and Abrahams distinctive piano motions. Both musicians bring with them a wealth of technique and improvised flare that is brought to bear over a series of island like compositions, that eventually form an unusually divergent sound archipelago. Recorded in Sydney at Abrahams' home studio, each of the pieces explores a unique post-marine sound space - that's both reflective and reflexive. Truly a release that ebbs and flows in the best way imaginable. An ocean of sound awaits - sometimes calm and flowing, occasionally choppy and unexpected, but always experiential. Mike Cooper for the past 40 years British guitarist Mike Cooper has traced a path completely his own. An international musical explorer, performing and recording, solo and in a number of inspired groupings and a variety of genres. Initially a folk-blues guitarist and singer songwriter his work has diversified to include improvised and electronic music, live music for silent films, radio art, field recording and sound installations. Chris Abrahams "(His) relentless and steady patterning started to metamorphose the nature of the piano, the upper chords sounding like a distant locomotive hoot, and then an accordion weaving in and out of a shimmering bank of flutes". The Wire, UK 2001.
Room40-420
CD
$15.00

Accidental, The
Knock Knock (Tunng Mix) / Brave New World (Benge Mix)
PS, UK Fripp and Eno, Gainsbourg and Vannier, Kuti and Allen - two's company, and great musicians often travel in pairs. The Accidental is a pairing of Sam Genders (Tunng) and Stephen Cracknell (The Memory Band, Gorodisch, co-founder of Trunk Records). This single is their first outing as well as a forerunner for a debut full-length album, due in Spring 2008. As a founder member of Tunng, Sam Genders is an extraordinary songwriter, melding Lewis Carroll's flights of fancy with all the pathos of a 19th Century Russian novelist - a tragic-comic outlook on life and fascination with both the natural and unnatural, like Gogol with a guitar. With Tunng, his well-drawn tales weave in and out of the bobbing electronics, crafting electro-tinged folk songs which pulse and caress with equal measure, combining an easy melodicism with the band's expansive touch. Stephen Cracknell has a similarly attuned ear for the properties which link the acoustic and pastoral with the synthetic sounds of electronica, managing to conjure an organically simple fusion of elements which is defiantly modern. Under the moniker of the Memory Band, Cracknell's sleight of hand has seen him essay that relationship between the traditional folk lament and the circular, glitchy stylings heard on his electronic output as Gorodisch. This seven-inch release marks the first airing of material by the Accidental, featuring remixes of two of the songs slated for inclusion on their forthcoming debut album. Knock Knock is remixed by fellow Tunng lynchpin Mike Lindsay, the scratchy atmosphere and booming beats lending it a distinctly tribal feel, while bass frequencies lurch and stretch underneath plaintive vocals. On the reverse is the Benge remix of Brave New World - a slice of blissful electronica akin to Four Tet sitting down for tea and scones with Animal Collective, while snaking rhythms rattle alongside cut-up vocals and odd percussive flourishes. Slip on the headphones and drift away. Limited to 500 copies on seven inch wax only. Vinyl comes in a harvest house bag with print.
StaticCaravan-158-7
45
$7.75

Acid Mothers Temple
AMT Fest. Vol. 5
PS, US This is the live footage of the full concert of AMT Fest. vol.5 (Dec. 2006) in Nagoya Japan feat. Mani Neumeier (drums, percussion, voice: Guru Guru), Kuriyama Jun (voice: ex.Ox) as well as Tsuyama Atsushi (monster bass, voice, recorder, guitar), Higashi Hiroshi (synth, guitar, voice), Kawabata Makoto (guitar, voice), Kitagawa Hao (voice), and Tabata Mitsuru (freak out). Region free - limited one time pressing of 1000 copies
Eclipse
DVD
$18.00

Acorn
Glory Hope Mountain
PS, US The ambitious album is an homage to lead singer Rolf Klausener's mother. Recorded over nine months, the album
is intensely personal and heartfelt. Part historical narrative and part surreal fairy tale.
PaperBag-027
CD
$13.75

All Golden In The 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! Ltd to 1000 copies, only 600 copies to be distributed.
MindExpansion-2012
CD
$8.25

American Music Club
The Golden Age
PS, US Every AMC record is an effort to experiment and extend the range of their expression. "The Golden Age" is no exception: from the Mariachi horns to the breezy Beach Boys harmonies to the unfolding layers of feedback, this album is full of varied, joyous, and generous pop music.
Merge
CD
$14.00

Antarctica Takes It!
The Penguin League
PS, US Debut album by a four piece, from Santa Cruz, CA, whose joyous folk pop has been compared to Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists and Beirut. A bedroom band put together by 22-year-old Dylan McKeever, Antarctica Takes It! recorded the songs on "The Penguin League" straight onto a friend's laptop, using the computer's internal microphone. No problem if you're a straightforward rock'n'roll band, but Dylan's songs boasted an array of accordions, glockenspiels, cellos, ukuleles, trumpets, harmonicas and pianos. The result should have been extremely lo-fi - and in places it is (you can actually hear the instruments battling for airspace at some points). But, overall, thanks to Dylan's patience and prodigious talent, "The Penguin League" conjures a tiny orchestra out of thin air. From the opening "I'm No Lover", which sees mariachi horns collide with a rattling folk melody, to the magical "Flightless Birds", which transports "Pet Sounds" to the Antarctic wastes, this is a record that sounds like it's anywhere but a suburban bedroom on the American West Coast. In fact, lyrically and spiritually, Antarctica Takes It! reside, as their names suggests, slightly further south. The album's highlight, "Antarctica", sees the band knee deep in a polar expedition, while the photos for the cover and CD booklet were provided by Dr Samuel Silverstein, who headed the 1967 American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition. Dr Silverstein also writes about his photos in the booklet, which makes this the first album to be released with sleeve notes by an Antarctic explorer. Press/Radio: Reviews in Uncut, NME, The Guardian, Plan B, Pitchfork, PopMatters, with more TBC.
HowDoesItFeelToBeLoved-003
CD
$16.25

Antietam
Opus Mixtum
PS, US First album in their 25 year career that combines the ferocity of their calling card stage show, the quiet acoustic moments of TARA KEY's solo recordings, their pristine pop & sprawling instrumental ambience. Flying just below the radar for more than 20 years, but always making uncompromising music and maintaining a deeply devoted fan base throughout the world, Antietam play raw rock and roll that is nearly impossible to define. Originally, the double-CD, triple-LPOpus Mixtum was supposed to be two separate, distinct releases: one a powerful rock record tracked at the band's new home-away-from-home, Brooklyn's Seaside Lounge, with producer (and now auxiliary live band member) Josh Clark, tracked on two-inch tape in a beautiful live room and finally allowing the band to truly capture the fire of their live performances; and the other a sprawling, loopy and diverse instrumental album constructed piece by piece in Tara and Tim's digital home studio. Somewhere along the way the albums became tangled together. The title Opus Mixtum comes from a method of laying brick in ancient Rome that combined rectangular and diagonal patterns, but the band uses it to connote the mix of three styles -- Antietam rock, the acoustic pop of Tara Key solo releases, and the instrumental soundtracks of their lives. Piece in Mark Howell's horns, Katie Gentile's (Run On, Special Pillow) violins, and Rick Rizzo (Eleventh Dream Day) on stunt guitar and the album flows effortlessly through its varying moods-- instrumental passages disappear into hooky pop, Tara's defining guitar is enveloped by Hammond organ or a lush string passage, and then the pounding rock and roll of the classic trio punches through. So you get pop with "Turn It on Me," rock with "Pennants and Flags," and just pure melody with "March Echo" and "Steel G." As they say in Louisville, if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes.
CarrotTop-041
DCD
$12.00

Apes, The
Ghost Games
PS, US POPMATTERS: "Forgoing lead guitar for shambling, sinister organ licks, DC post-punk outfit the Apes strike a strange middle-ground between minimalism and maximalism. Lacking guitar accompaniment, Jeff Schmid's drums and and Erick Jackson's bass tend operate in spare cages of plunging rhythms and blurting stabs, and when the keys afford them some space, the whole feels crisply open. However, just as often as organist Amanda Bynes allows herself to be constrained by the others' rhythms, she surges past and breaks free, letting her organ swell to fill every gap with psychedelic squeal."
GypsyEyes
CD
$15.00

Architect
I Went Out Shopping To Get Some Noise
PS, GERMANY Reissue. Ever prolific, Haujobb's Daniel Myer returns for a second album as architect, I went out shopping to get some noise. Myer's previous architect album, 1998's galactic supermarket, leant toward the darker threads of technoid drum'n'bass (panacea, tarmvred, etc). For I went out shopping to get some noise, Myer reigns in the breaks to toss down thirteen mind-bendingly tight electro-acid-industrial-techno cuts, each bearing Myer's signature dark flair and impeccable production. Comparisons range from afx and caustic window on 'track 7' to emotive digital synthpop like early attaché on 'track 5.' not to be outdone by other sample-aholics, Myer ensnares the ultimate - Beethoven's moonlight sonata - and contorts it into a neoromantic opus on 'track 6.' if this is what Myer means by noise, the rest of the musical world has a lot of catching up to do to touch architect.
Hymen-737
CD
$15.50

Baker, Aiden
Scalpel
PS, US EXTREMELY LIMITED. As a solo artist, Baker explores the deconstructive sonic possibilities of the electric guitar as a primary sound source, creating music that ranges from experimental to post-rock to contemporary classical. Latest release is more stripped down than previous efforts & what Aiden himself calls his "folk "record. What you get is nearly 50 minutes of sparse guitars, ebbing & flowing intertwined w/ ghostly vocals creating an ambient gem.
Kora-008
CD
$12.75

Balmorhea
Rivers Arms
PS, US Mirroring the vast Texas skies, the soulful collection of songs on "Rivers Arms" is imbued with a visceral weight and endless space. BALMORHEA'S shows have included dates with The Drift, Bexar Bexar, One AM Radio, Caspian, and more. They're currently planning a Spring tour to coincide with this release and working on a Summer tour with their Italian friends Port-Royal. The track "Baleen Morning" will be featured on an upcoming documentary about the company "Toms Shoes", which will premier the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
WesternVinyl-051
CD
$11.50

Bardot, Brigitte
Sings
PS, US By the time this album was released in the US, the 'princess of pout' had already had men flocking to her films for than a decade, hoping for a glimpse of BB in a bikini. This is her 1963 vocal debut.
Lilith-146
CD
$18.00

Beat Circus
Dreamland
PS, US This second full length album is a uniquely fierce and magical record composed by singer/songwriter Brian Carpenter, who delivers dark narrative songs of Deadwood saloons, gangsters from The Bowery, Coney Island sideshows, and the Santa Fe Railway. Loosely based on historical events associated with turn of the century New York, Dreamland is the culmination of a two-year effort by Beat Circus and marks the first installment of Brian Carpenter's Weird American Gothictrilogy. Brian leads a 9-piece band with a unique & exciting instrumentation: pump organ, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, accordion, jawharp, tuba, trombone, banjo, mandolin, saxophones drums and percussion. Dreamland was engineered and produced by legendary NY producer Martin Bisi (SONIC YOUTH, FOETUS, DRESDEN DOLLS, BARBEZ).
Cuneiform
CD
$14.25

Belong
Colorloss Record
PS, US While BELONG still considers these cover songs, what we are presented with are shells, the ghosts of what we think we know about such a fleeting medium as music in the first place. And like the title implies, the music sounds weathered, a faded version of some original we might only imagine. As a record of covers, it sounds like the sonic palimpsest that it is exactly. On "Colorloss", one finds a humble treatment of the hierarchy of sounds. It is the equal attention given to each sound and its place in the mix that makes this a true musical democracy where each element shines in its own way, while propping up the others in a puzzle that would charm Archimedes. A wash of fuzz finds itself meandering thru a track holding hands with the vocals, the space between a breathe before the next submergence. What we have as a result is work of such staggering beauty and melodic thoughtfulness to stop KEVIN SHIELDS in his tracks at the wonder of it. And while the instrumentation and means might be different, this is a music that has as much in common with late 20th-century composition in the vein of JOHN CALE or TONY CONRAD as it does with the soundscapes of WILLIAM BASINSKI or MY BLOODY VALENTINE.
St.Ives-017
LP
$11.50

Big Fresh
B.F.F. (Big Fresh Forever)
PS, US New album from Lexington, KY avant-garde superheroes Big Fresh, featuring members of The Apples In Stereo and Ullysses. Crystalline pop rainbows beamed through a prism. An ambitious tapestry of danceable hits, bubbling soundscapes, electric light harmonies, and synthetic orchestrations from Lexington, Kentucky's avant-garde heroes (including members of The Apples in stereo and Ulysses). Produced by Big Fresh in their home laboratory over a seven-year period, and mastered by Robert Schneider (The Apples in stereo, Elephant 6), the shining sounds of this album will transport you to another world. LEXINGTON HERALD-LEDGER: "For more than a decade, the band has mixed summery soul, pop, dance grooves and more into a bright sound all its own. Within B.F.F.'s grooves...you sense a spring thaw is at hand." OPTICAL ATLAS: "B.F.F. plays like a great lost prog-rock album, as though Brian Wilson had tried to revisit Smile in the 70's with help from ELO."
GardenGate
CD
$12.00

Big Sleep
Sleep Forever
PS, US Tighter, more focused & heavier than before, w/o losing any of the energy. It's guitar rock w/ a heavy dose of noise, & a big focus on rhythm. It's loud because the music needs to be felt.
FrenchKiss
CD
$13.25

Bjork
Declare Independence (12"/CD/DVD)
PS, US NEW SINGLE from her latest album "Volta". A muscular & militant rallying cry, this song sees her at her most passionate & inventive. Tracks include Ghostigital 12". Mark Stent Mix, Matthew Herbert 12" & Mark Stent Instrumental
OneLittleIndian
LP
$36.00

Black Hollies
Casting Shadows
PS, US After wide acclaim from their debut album and a practice regiment that has left their jaw-dropping live shows tighter than a pegged pant leg, they've reached a little further into space, introduced a wonderfully psychedelic element to their sound & come out on the other side with Casting Shadows, a powerful rock album full of unforgettable nuggets. Member of RYE COALITION. "A mash up of British Invasion blues, guitar heroics & psychedelia that would bring a smile to Brian Jones' face" -Rolling Stone.
ErnestJenning-036
CD
$11.50

Blood On The Wall
Liferz
PS, US NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!! "Liferz" is a portrait of a band at the top of their game - somehow they have managed to get even more "awesomer".
TheSocialRegistry-060
LP
$10.25

Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
Jagjaguwar
LP
$11.50

Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago
PS, US This debut is centered around a particular aesthetic; Justin Vernon, the primary force behind Bon Iver, moved to a remote cabin in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin at the onset of winter, alone for three months. This solitary time fed a bold, uninhibited new musical focus. All his personal trouble, lack of perspective, heartache, longing, love, loss, and guilt that had been stockpiled over the past six years was suddenly purged into song. The NY Times called this record "irresistible", and it was given a "Recommeded" rating by Pitchfork. RIYL: Iron & Wine, M. Ward, and Elliott Smith.
Jagjaguwar
CD
$11.50

Booka Shade
Movements Tour Edition (CD/DVD)
PS, US This incl. the original dance classic Movements album in its entirety, & a new live DVD which includes a full recording of their incredible live performance at Belgium's Pukkelpop Festival, as well as a tour documentary, bonus remixes, a visual discography, & more. RECOMMENDED!
Get Physical
CD/DVD
$19.50

Bow Street Runners
S-T
PS, US 1996 reissue. "Flushed from Fayetteville, North Carolina -- where they thought they could remain comfortably obscure -- by our release of their only album, the Runners have recently re-surfaced. Issued in ultra-limited quantity by B.T. Puppy in 1970 -- and now changing hands for sums more familiar to NASDAQ -- this is an otherworldly blend of sweet female blotter acid harmonies, hypnotic Farfisa and high-octane fuzz guitar histrionics."
Sundazed
CD
$13.25

British Sea Power
Do You Like Rock Music?
PS, US New album! ALL MUSIC GUIDE: "The band has crafted a wintry, nuanced, and bold collection of epic songs that integrate the sweeping theatricality of Arcade Fire-era indie rock without all of the insularity. This is music made for people, not a person. The sound effects, choral vocals, strings, and feedback that populate DYLRM feel organic and necessary rather than just pasted in for drama's sake. There has always been a sort of rough-hewn sepia-tone unity to BSP songs, and that odd, inclusive wartime fervor permeates each track." FOUR 1/2 STARS!
RoughTrade
CD
$15.25

British Sea Power
Do You Like Rock Music?
PS, US Vinyl version.
RoughTrade
LP
$16.00

Brotzmann, Peter & Uuskyla
Born Broke
PS, US PETER BROTZMANN (tenor sax/clarinet) & PEETER UUSKYLA (drums) have once again joined forces & spirits picking up where their trio w/ Peter Friis-Nielsen left off & whose only known competition in the field is Vandermark & Nilssen-Love's Dual Pleasure implosion unit. A fresh double dose of soul purge from free men.
Atavistic-185
DCD
$17.25

C.A. Quintet
Trip Thru Hell
PS, US 2 LP version, deluxe gatefold packaging, 1996 reissue; originally released 1968. "Something very, very strange was afoot in the Midwest during the '60s, and we're not talking about David Letterman's stint as a local TV weatherman. While L.A. was tiptoeing through the tulips, New York was groovin' and London was electrifying bananas, these brainiacs were booking a journey to Hades. Get your contact high from a safe distance with this intense, fuzz-ridden passel of ones and zeros. Our package contains the entire mind-bent original album plus bonus cuts, and a gatefold sleeve jammed with rare photos and notes, and more!"
Sundazed
DLP
$19.75

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
Dust Sucker
PS, UK Previously on CD, now on vinyl for the first time. "The new Ozit vinyl sets are all deluxe in terms of packaging, gatefold sleeves with PVC protective covers and all 180 gram vinyl based on the Simply Vinyl type of special vinyl re-issues. These sets are limited to 1000 copies only worldwide and will not be around for too long. This 2LP set includes the 12 tracks from the Captain's own tape of the original Bat Chain Puller album (you will never have heard these tracks in this quality). When Mojo did a feature recently on classic lost albums, this was one of the main albums featured. There are a further 7 extra tracks, including 5 live recordings of tracks from 'Bat Chain Puller,' plus a version of 'Well Well Well' featuring Rockette Morton and a live festival performance of 'My Human Gets Me Blues.'
Ozit
DLP
$25.00

Cardopusher
Down To The Wire
PS, US Luis Garban of Venezuela has released heaps of records these past couple years for labels such as Ad Noiseam, Peace-off, Intellectual Violence, Mirex, Cock Rock Disco & Wrong Music, but for Terminal Dusk he reveals his passion for dubstep. 'Down To The Wire' contains high energy levels, sick low bass and brilliantly selected reggae samples. This album is executed perfectly and includes remixes from two fellow dubstep heads: Atki2 & Starkey. Side A kicks off with 'Maybe Next Time' dropping the warbly and brutal bass and some hot B-boy samples. Give in to the head nod effect. Next up is 'Keep On Truckin' with a wall of low end synth leads & Bollywood style atmospheres. Rounding off the A side is 'Knock Yuh Out' and it's a badman, turning up the energy. Flip for the B side and 'Everything Is A New Surprise' kicks in with an ultra disgusting bassline & pitched up bongos, massive! Next are the remixes, Starkey starts it off with his remix of 'Knock Yuh Out' which takes the original to another level, slows it down a bit, and offers some proper dubstep swagger. Atki2 finishes the record with his rendition of 'Keep On Truckin', bringing the Bristol styles, a classic remix.
TerminalDusk-007
12
$10.50

Carrots
Anthology
PS, JAPAN An anthology of the best songs of genius Spanish psychedelic pop band, Carrots, who designed soundscapes full of colored fantasy and baroque flavor. They wear their influences--the Beatles and the Beach Boys--on their sleeves, bridging genres and generations with tinges of funk, rock, and (gasp) country. Much to our regret, they have broken up, so you can regard the stamp sheet artwork as a bittersweet souvenir. We love Carrots!!! Jangling electric and acoustic guitars, breezy vocals and even breezier harmonies (we're talking 'Breakfast In America'), eyelash-fluttering synths and piano, the good vibes flowing from the speakers are intoxicating! How is it that one band can sound like Squeeze and Stereolab and Supergrass and The Beach Boys and The Buggles and The Byrds, at the same time? Heck, we' ve already tagged them with some respectable names, yet still feel compelled name-drop a few more, the likes of Sloan, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Bikeride, Supertramp, Primal Scream, Kevin Ayers, The Posies' happiest songs, they all figure in here, with mucho gusto! Carrots is dead, long live Carrots!
Quince-032
CD
$13.50

Cashmore, Michael
Snow Abides
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
DurtroJnana
LP
$17.00

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone
David Horovitz Picture Disc
PS, US Casiotone for the Painfully Alone will join an already amazing list of artists (Xiu Xiu, Lucky Dragons) who have already contributed the series of picture disc 7"s featuring the photography of David Horovitz. Both tracks are exclusive to a one time pressing of 500 copies. These will go fast since these singles are already becoming collectors items.
Aagoo
45
$10.00

Cherry Orchard, The
The Start of Our Affair
PS, JAPAN The debut album from UK-based boy/girl indie-pop duo, Jason and Sara. CD features melodies of Trash Can Sinatras (or Prefab Sprout), arrangements a la early Eggstone, sweet vocals, and a sophisticated sound. This is a genuine 90s pop masterpiece.
Quince-9005
CD
$13.50

Collett, Jason
Here's To Being Here
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
Arts&Crafts
LP
$15.75

Company
Old Baby
PS, US "Old Baby" is the latest record from COMPANY, a songwriting collective and rock band rooted in folk, punk, country, and psychedelic traditions. Evocative guitars, dynamic rhythms, uplifting harmonies, and lyrics by turns incisive and insightful interweave to create a homespun sound that is as striking as it is familiar. In these songs, simplicity shimmers, dreams pack the punch of hard facts, and the human heart is laid bare, weird, defiant, and lovely.
BrahRecords/JagJaguwar-012
CD
$11.50

Conn, Bobby
On The Farm
PS, US 2 brand new, never released before tracks, representing his latest invention, Eco-Disco. What is Eco Disco?? It is a passionate, yet groovy, call to move out of the cities and into rural communes to lead a more responsible and down to earth existence, while at the same time making good music.
Bec-Rec
45
$6.75

Contents Are, The
Through You
PS, GERMANY The Contents Are: Dave Neumann (guitar, vocals); Paul Staack (drums, vocals); Larry Smith (bass, vocals); and Craig Hute (lead guitar, vocals) from Iowa. The Contents Are were one of many '60s bands from the Quad City's fertile garage music scene. With labels/studios like Fredlo and IGL, it was a very healthy regional area for bands with an unusually high per capita for record releases. Up until the recent discovery of an original copy a couple years ago, it was only rumored to exist and remained an enigma with hardcore record collectors. In most cases, The Contents Are were only known by astute collectors for their two excellent 45 releases (non-LP). Well the mystery is over, and here's your chance to hear one of the most rare and greatest garage records ever recorded. Here's the story about the record: four high school seniors from Iowa decide to release an album of all original tunes, exclusively sold at their live shows. Originally released on the Rok label (a subsidiary of the already obscure Fredlo label) in 1967 with only 100 copies pressed. These guys were not your typical garage band - talented players, professional grade vocalists and no cover songs! Their music is a nice blend of garage rock with hints of hipster folk and early psychedelic influences. As good if not better as other similar top-shelf rarities like Mystery Meat and the Bachs, but without a major quantity release, making original copies of their recordings ten times rarer. Get it or miss it! CD jewel case with 8-page booklet, plus 4 bonus non-LP tracks from singles.
Shadoks-090
CD
$16.25

Crom
Hot Sumerian Nights
PS, US Thundering metal from these underground Gods. Featuring members of -16- & 400 Blows, these maniacs have picked up where The Cocaine Wars left off w/ plenty of obscure & in your face metal samples w/ a refined sound. This album will melt your face off.
Underdogma
CD
$11.00

Cryptacize
Dig That Treasure
PS, US Every song on "Dig That Treasure" is a miniature journey, a free fantasia, a dreamy habitat built out of the minimum of material. Sudden rhythmic gestures and frequent key changes will leave you feeling pleasantly disorientated in a song. But trust your tour-guides! You might feel as if you've come across a small tribe that speaks an unstudied language, and miraculously, find that you can speak it too! "Dig That Treasure" is humbly inspired by the larger-than-life emotions of West Side Story, the joyfully percussive guitar gospel of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Wizard of Oz's bittersweet escapism, the other-world sentimentality of Sun Ra's Spaceship Lullaby, and Henry Cowell's ethereal piano string strumming.
AsthmaticKitty-38
CD
$11.50

Crystal Skulls
Blocked Numbers
PS, US Debut from Seattle's darlings presents a wholly satisfying batch of songs undeniably refreshing yet immediately familiar. Pulling from hidden gems of crooners, power-pop underdogs & intergrating those impulses w/ winnin g aspects of heavy-hitter favorites both obscure & exploded, past & present .
No.3Records
LP
$13.50

Dabrye
Get Dirty
PS, US He's been in the shadows, creating the next wave of beats to unleash upon the wIonrtledr, nbautti noonta blefore unleashing a few more nuggets to keep the fans fed. This is from the "Two/Three" sessions, a club-style banger that feat. the characteristic brag of his legendary gritty, parping bass sound has been modernized, or "Blade Runner'd" into a mutant squelch for this choice cut. Also feat. FLYING LOTUS & KODE 9 remixes, flip side all instrumentals.
Ghostly
12
$8.75

Danava
UnonoU
PS, US VINYL!!!
Kemado
DLP
$21.75

Davies, Ray
Working Man's Cafe
PS, US Very enjoyable new solo album from Kinks frontman.
NewWest
CD
$17.25

Dead Raven Choir
My Firstborn Will Surely Be Blind
PS, US Awesome fancy "art edition" vinyl version.
AuroraBorealis
LP
$17.00

Dead Science
Tomlab Alphabet Series: V
PS, US The "V" single, and the two songs contained therein, will be a sort of satellite of THE DEAD SCIENCE'S next album, "Villainaire", a record dealing with a very specific period of time in singer Sam Mickens' life and, more generally, in the embrace of personal nihilism and the potential psychic luxury of amorality. The A-Side, "Make Mine Marvel (Remix)" will be, in the style of R. Kelly's remix work, a completely new song, with completely new melodic and lyrical content, built on components of the original "make Mine Marvel" which will appear on "Villainaire". The B-Side, "White Mane," was a song initially intended and recorded for the album, but which will be exclusively here instead. "White Mane" is, in fragmentary and impressionistic fashion, about the American film actor Robert Blake, both in his own recent life and in terms of his relationship to certain past roles.
Tomlab-104V
45
$5.40

Denny, Sandy
S-T
PS, US Perhaps the greatest British folk singer of all time, she first came to prominence in the quintessential British folk band, the Fairport Convention. Her singing and songwriting took the band to unimaginable heights and proved her to be a true talent of the last century. After leaving Fairport in 1970, she continued to produce solo work. Sandy, released in 1972, is her second post-Fairport release and her pre-eminent solo effort. Featuring two bonus tracks from the soundtrack of the movie Pass Of Arms." 180 gram virgin vinyl.
VinylLovers
LP
$28.00

Differnet
Collapsing Universe
PS, SWEDEN "Differnet's 2007 album finds the Swedish quartet again grappling with compositions that don't quite comfortably fit into any obvious form of popular music-crackling sounds of insects and general everyday noise meshes with slow cascades of synth strings and an extremely slow, deliberate rhythm before suddenly breaking into a vocal and drums break that could be a nervous soundtrack to a car chase. And this is all on the first song "Pattern of Parklands," which still doesn't describe everything in the piece-without specifically pushing sonic boundaries Differnet here again demonstrate more of the possibilities to be found in flowing collages of styles that reincorporate familiar rock, dance and other moves into a more modern approach." - Ned Raggett, All Music Guide. "They're almost like a Friendly Noise version of the Knife, but more personal. Includes a killer cover of Eurhythmics' 'Savage!'" - Other Music, NYC Influences: Throbbing Gristle, Franz Schubert, Cocteau Twins, Oval, Pet Shop Boys, Bernard Parmegiani, Einstuerzende Neubauten, New Order, Wire, Pierre Henry, Propaganda, Durutti Column... TRACK LIST: 1. Patterns of Parklands 2. Caring Arms 3. Savage 4. Prediction and Event 5. Survival Kit 6. Electricity (is Not What it Used to Be) 7. Stadium 8. A Fairy Tale
FriendlyNoise-050
CD
$13.50

Dirtbombs, The
We Have You Surrounded
PS, US
InTheRed
CD
$14.25

DJ Donna Summer
Panther Tracks
PS, UK He's back! It's been 2 years since Jason Forrest released his last full-length album, and 5 years since he's released as Donna Summer. So now he's back, this time with the slightly different moniker (DJ Donna Summer) and his first release for his own Cock Rock Disco label. Just as "Shamelessly Exciting" was a record that mixed different genres into a new mash of sampled sounds, "Panther Tracks" is a record comprised of different styles of dance music made solely with the intention to get people moving! From Booty to Breakcore, Happy Hardcore to Hardstyle, Techno to B'more Club Music, Forrest has it in there! Initially begun as a sort of remix record, "Panther Tracks" builds heavily on a variety of sampled heroes. One can hear Dj Chip and Dj Technics form the skeleton of more booty oriented tracks like "Peepers" and "Boomshakalaka". While some live recordings (on cassette) of old-school Uk Breakbeat Rave festivals by DJ Slipmat, Ratpack, and Ellis D are reconstructed to make new Breakcore styled dance tracks. Traces of Hardstyle, Techno and a whole lot of Breakcore yield such gems as "Party People", "Get Down" and "Rock Rock Rock". No style too hard or too cheesy to learn from, "Panther Tracks" is like the ultimate Rave; it's fun, slightly crazy, and will keep you dancing all night long.
CockRockDisco-018
CD
$17.75

Dominique A
Sur Nos Forces Motrices
PS, SPAIN Four concerts were recorded and trawled through to pick out the best of the best: those moments when the group played perfectly, captivated by and focused on the music; when it played at its best without sacrificing the level of energy that simply makes a concert; when they struck that perfect balance between the brutal, wild side, when the group really puts its foot down, and the subtlety of, at times sophisticated, arrangements, accompanied by brass and keyboards. Yes, but is it a "greatest hit" or not? Let's say it sounds like one massively, but Dominique clearly isn't making it a question of principle. For Dominique, a live version must enhance or surpass the original version. In that respect, we can be reassured. Dominique and his group have come up with a bunch of new ideas. Meaning that this album sweeps through the guy's entire career. No album is forgotten - some songs even sprout new limbs, like L'Amour, squarely presented as an overture. The pillars of his work are all here. Le courage des oiseaux, so often reinvented, has been turned here into rock-funk; La mémoire neuve, Pour la peau, Antonia are al included. The nostalgic side of Dominique A, which he could hardly convey through silence, comes out in Tout sera comme avant and Music hall. Less well known, Le commerce de l'eau and the very rare Empty white blues captivate. Lastly, as a bonus free gift, two unpublished titles have been concocted: Revoir les choses and the highly literary and deeply moving Marina. So there you have it, a new disc from Dominique A boasting no fewer than fifteen titles. A fully rounded disc that should appeal beyond his audience of fans, so much does he go beyond the famous distinction of new "chanson française" to serve up a platter of songs that are simply superb, with singing that is at times soothing and absorbing, rustled up by a top-flight quartet of musicians. It's the precise moment and the ideal way to discover or rediscover the artist that is Dominique A.
GreenUFOs-033
CD
$17.25

Envy
Compiled Fragments 1997-2003
PS, US Celebrating the release of their incendiary new EP, "Abyssal", and in conjunction with their forthcoming North American tour, TEMPORARY RESIDENCE LIMITED is proud to re-introduce the lion's share of ENVY'S colossal back catalog. Along with their second and third albums - "All the Footprints You've Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead" and "A Dead Sinking Story", respectively - we are happy to finally bring you "Compiled Fragments 1997-2003". This collection of singles, rare tracks and unreleased gems maps Envy's storied transformation from pioneering spastic hardcore to masters of exquisite, triumphant doom. Originally released in 2003 on the group's own SONZAI RECORDS in Japan, this album has never been available in North America, and has never been previously released on vinyl.
TemporaryResidenceLtd.-130
CD
$9.00

Erickson, Roky & the Explosives
Halloween: Live 1979-1981
PS, US Live stuff from a key period for this Texan psych guitar great.
Steadyboy
CD
$15.75

Exillon
It's Ok To Dance
PS, GERMANY Exillon brings acid to IDM, speeds things up several notch, and bombs the dance floor with a high energy album of catchy twisted club tunes. Tapping on his high production skills, "It's OK to Dance" brings back life to twisted beats and complex rhythms and does it all with a smile. It's OK to take the acid test, and certainly impossible to resist. In 2006, Exillon had helped bear the grief of IDM with "The Keening Dithers", an album which brilliantly closed chapters both for this musician and for the kind of music he had been known for. Two years later, the keening has dithered for good, and Jay Fields (Exillon) has taken his art from the moody, glitchy and modest waters of his past electronica to more daring, club-oriented and uplifting ones. It might have to do with Jay Field's relocation to San Francisco, with a more energetic, dance floor-friendly trend in electronic music or just with the evolution of an artist per se; "It's OK To Dance" is a CD in which the clear, sharp and flowing sounds that Exillon has been using since his Debut in the early 200os get mixed and mashed in a lively, bouncy way. A party album for raving robots, this album is the meeting point of Exillon's hi-fi sounds and production and a deliciously retro, 90's acid sensibility. Not satisfied with just reviving the acid sound (something which has been done by many, without much soul or innovation), Exillon makes this sound his, and draws from his experience as a beat & tone trickster to bake a whole new recipe altogether. Mixing the best of both worlds, Jay Fields reclaims the dance floor, and manages to entertain his audience without insulting the brain (something which over the year has almost become an Ad Noiseam motto). Good trip guaranteed and yes, it is really OK to dance.
AdNoiseam-086
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

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
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
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

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
LP
$17.00

Fern Knight
Music For Witches & Alchemists
PS, US This is a dark & beguiling collection of neo-psychedelic songs. Beautifully recorded at Hexham Head by ESPERS' Greg Weeks, the songs are cast in rich, detailed arrangements feat. Alec K. Redfearn, GREG WEEKS, JESSE SPARHAWK on harp, Otto Hauser (Espers, Devendra Banhart, Vetiver) & other Philadelphia-area luminaries contributing to the sweeping sound. Numbered edition of 800 copies - beautifully screenprinted jackets.
Eclipse
DLP
$18.25

Flowers Forever
S-T
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
TeamLove
LP
$14.00

Flowers Forever
S-T
PS, US This is a project Derek Pressnall started in early 2007 after having a mental breakdown / woke up bored / saw the future / turned off the lights / lost faith in humanity / went dancing / fell in love / buried some friends / watched the news / gave up. Inspired by late 80's / early 90's punk, the B-52's, David Hockney, Lou Reed, dumb conversations, bike rides, & all other normal things, he wrote a bunch of songs.
TeamLove
CD
$12.50

Gate 9
Moon Ranger Gone Evil
PS, US Slow & low cosmic doom from Norway for fans of Spirit Caravan & Sons Of Otis. The power trio's demo received great reviews from StonerRock.com & Daredevil Magazine. This debut full-length will further their reputation in the world of doom.
Underdogma
CD
$10.00

Genghis Tron
Board Up The House
PS, US This enigmatic trio weave an ocean-sized orchestra from just a few instruments & machines. Giant riffs & frenetic beats make perfect sense next to haunting vocal melodies & moments of subtle beauty.
Relapse
CD
$13.25

Goldfrapp
A&E
PS, US 1st single from the long-awaited follow up to "Supernature".
Mute
CD5
$4.75

Goldstoned
I Was A Teenage Pop Addict
PS, JAPAN I Was a Teenaged Pop Addict is a perfect name for this 60's soul/80's disco/upbeat bossa-nova album by Goldstoned. On LP3, a compilation of previous recordings on Quince, there were just a few songs with an upbeat pop content, but Pop Addict features 100% of songs that will make you happy and dance! The references here are: The Style Council, Elvis Costello, Edwin Moses and Orange Juice.
Quince-10
CD
$13.50

Goldstoned
Ready Steady Goldstoned
PS, JAPAN A compilation album from Berlin-based Goldstoned, featuring new and previously unreleased songs, and a 4-song EP (Firestation Records). Released exclusively on Quince, Ready Steady Goldstoned reveals influences of 70's rock and soul, mod, retro-film soundtrack, psychedelic, lounge, and boss nova, with traces of Beatles, Beach Boys, and Style Council.
Quince-03
CD
$13.50

Gone
Epic Trilogy
PS, US This is the band's 10th album in more than 20 yrs. It hits the ground running in true GREG GINN fashion, blending heavy guitar w/ funky, jazz infused chords & an edgy, surfer punk vibe. The driving repetition is almost hypnotic, but then, dramatically, it cuts to a groove that puts the FU in funk. Feat. HR on vocals.
SST
CD
$16.00

Gown
For the Maples
PS, US Gown (aka Andrew MacGregor & 1/2 of the BARK HAZE w/Thurston Moore) went into the studio w/the SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN gang to melt some audio consoles. This represents a portion of that recorded output & believe us, it's some massive stuff. Sunburned's thick funk presents the perfect background for Gown's shredding guitar play. Extremely hot stuff. LIMITED TO 639 w/a limited CD.
ThreeLobedRecordings
LP
$22.00

Grand Archives
S-T
PS, US While Seattle is famous for many things, sunlight isn't one of them. Yet illumination and warmth suffuse the self-titled debut from this Emerald City quintet. Dark times do not necessarily call for dark music. While singer/ guitarist Mat Brooke's previous ensembles (Band Of Horses, Carissa's Wierd) often shied away from light, he's changed direction with this band. Like the timeless classics of The Mamas & The Papas or The Turtles, it responds to the turbulent times of its genesis with hope, high spirits, and a sense of camaraderie.
Subpop
CD
$12.50

Grand Archives
S-T
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
Subpop
LP
$12.50

Grey Daturas
Owly Claw Hammer
PS, US You can hear this trio feeling each other a year ago, as these A & B sides spin in '08 in your living room: a triad w/ cleared heads & no preconception, speaking to each other w/ demonic waves, while not once looking at the other's eyes or hands nor saying a word. Maybe something should be said about what it sounds like. Shit. "Having a half-hour orgasm right before a natural disaster's about to kill you, while an early Celtic Frost instrumental 7-inch plays at 16rpm?"
EmperorJones-080
LP
$16.00

Grimund, Dominique
Les Quatres Directions
PS, US He's a hidden treasure of france's psych, free rock, electronic & jazz improv scenes. As a founding member of the legendary psych / krautrock inspired french act Camizole (1970-78) to his equally celebrated no wave/new wave duo Video-Aventures (1978) whose groundbreaking music has been viewed as a precursor to the sound of Stereolab. Here he reemerges w/ a whirlwind mind altering long form microgroove composition of grand proportions that hearkens back to the expanded audio visoneering & spiritualism of 60s electronic music luminaries from Stockhausen to Ramon Sender. LIMITED!
Locust
CD
$13.00

Growing
Lateral
PS, US "Lateral'" finds the band reflecting on their past two (may we add highly underrated) albums while gazing to the future with newfound rhythmic motifs and otherworldly heights to their sound sculptures. The textures are warm and inviting, tempting the listener to focus on stunning minimalist changes within GROWING'S dense aural fog.
TheSocialRegistry-064
12
$10.25

Harmony Rockets
Paralyzed Mind of the Archangel Void [re-issue]
PS, US Re-issue of Mercury Rev side-project's 1995 debut. ALL MUSIC GUIDE: "The brain-searing Paralyzed Mind of the Archangel Void is a trip into the furthest reaches of sound, a complete immersion into space noise and melodic chaos. Comprised of a single, 42-minute live performance piece, the Harmony Rockets' guise allows Mercury Rev the opportunity to push their music to its breaking point; instead of the ear-splitting avant freak-out one might have expected, however, the disc seems to exist in slow motion, characterized by ominous waves of sound. Guitars drone, trumpets throb, and Jonathan Donahue's vocals float in and out of the mix like random messages intercepted from another galaxy; the cumulative effect is an amazing distortion of the time-space continuum, a shape-shifting aural world almost alien in its dementia."
ExcelsiorMelodies
CD
$19.00

Headlights
Some Racing, Some Stopping
PS, US Their sophomore follow-up to "Kill Them With Kindness". Based around acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, drums, and other instrumentation, this record combines the pop sensibilities of previous efforts with a more restrained approach to songcraft that results in a clearer, concise musical vision. Original artwork by Parasol Pal Elzie Sexton (New Ruins).
Polyvinyl
CD
$12.00

Headlights
Some Racing, Some Stopping
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
Polyvinyl
LP
$12.00

Higgs, Daniel
Plays the Mirror of the Apocalypse and Other Songs
PS, US CD version of a previously released limited cassette. Lengthy droning ragas, that drift hypnotically from deconstructed
Appalachia to John Cale like slow-shifting skree (joined on those tracks by violin), to moody melancholy crawls, to thick serpentine swirls of snake charmer melody & reverberating steel string shimmer. Raw & lo-fi for sure, but so darkly emotional, & dreamily hypnotic.
OpenMouth
CD
$11.50

Hitchcock, Robin
Shadow Cat
PS, UK Robyn Hitchcock has taken time out from working with The Venus 3 (which features various members of REM) and John Paul Jones (who has been busy with his former band Led Zeppelin lately...) to compile an exclusive album, Shadow Cat, for London's premier oddball label Sartorial Records. This collection of previously unreleased material from the Hitchcock vaults dates from 1993-99, providing the missing link between The Egyptians on A&M and the Warner Bros years. Shadow Cat itself features Moris Tepper, mainstay of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, on lead acoustic guitar, and all tracks are Hitchcock originals, but for the Hendrix cover "The Wind Cries Mary" (on which Sartorial boss Terry Edwards plays Hammond organ). Aside from Edwards making a further appearance on "Never Have To See You Again", Robyn performs all instruments & vocals. From the concise opening cut, For Debbie Reynolds, to the concluding title track, the quality of the songwriting & performance shines through - "out-take" albums are all too often cobbled together from unreleased (unrealizable!) material. Not so here. These 14 tracks were whittled down from around 30 contenders, carefully edited & remastered to create a cohesive album - even to the point of sequencing the songs as two sides, despite it not being manufactured on vinyl. Essential for those who have followed Robyn from his early days in The Soft Boys (with Kimberley Rew, Morris Windsor and Andy Metcalfe) to his work with film director Jonathan Demme and beyond, this release also serves as a fine introduction to the work of one of Englands most treasured songwriters. Enjoy! Track listing SIDE 1: 1 For Debbie Reynolds, 2 Never Have To See You Again, 3 Love Affair, 4 The Wind Cries Mary, 5 High On Yourself, 6 Because You're Over, 7 The Cat Walks Her Kind Of Line. SIDE 2: 8 Statue With A Walkman, 9 The Green Boy, 10 Real Dot, 11 Nothing But Time, 12 Beautiful Shock, 13 Baby-Doll, 14 Shadow Cat.
Satorial-030
CD
$17.75

Instant Orange
S-T
PS, GERMANY Besides home to the Hell's Angels, farmers and citrus grooves, San Bernardino, California was also where Instant Orange lived and released their first single in 1968. Terry Walters, Randy Lanier and Lynn McCurdy are Instant Orange with the help of Joe Bianchi and Bob Lautz. The band forged ahead and released another single (1973), album (1973) and two 10" EPs (1974 and 1975). All of their releases were small pressings of 100 copies and to this day, Instant Orange remains virtually unknown. Their homemade sound is a refreshing reflection of the West Coast folk-rock influences that were so prevalent during the '60s and early '70s. All original tracks with inspiration from bands like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Love, Sandy Bull and others. Songs full of electric and acoustic guitars with nice doses of McGuinnesque 12-string riffing as well as many unexpected surprises (antiquated electronic effects, rambling rural explorations, long jams, experimental moves, stoner banter and other weirdness between songs, caveman fuzz, etc.). A solid listen with enough original imagination to keep it interesting without the band creating an identity crisis by trying too hard to be something other than themselves. Grab this before it becomes elusive like some of San Bernardino's motorcycle riding inhabitants.
Shadoks-091
CD
$16.25

Jennifer Gentle & Makoto Kawabata
Wrong Cage
PS, ITALY ALL MUSIC GUIDE: "Besides leading his main band, Acid Mothers Temple, and plenty of other side projects, Makoto Kawabata has carried out a number of collaborations over the years; this one, taken from a live show in Italy in May 2002, finds him with the young psych act Jennifer Gentle. In many ways it's very much Jennifer Gentle's show -- of the three songs on the short release, the two that take up the most time are extended versions of tracks from their first two albums. "Bring Them," originally from I Am You Are, makes for a full-on neo-stoner masterpiece."
ASIlentPlace
CD
$16.75

Joy Division
Let The Movie Begin
PS, US Deluxe packaging, gatefold sleeves w/ pvc protective covers & 180gm vinyl. Ltd. to 1000 copies worldwide & contains extremely rare audio interviews w/ all members of Joy Division,some of which have never seen the light of day, plus spoken word contribution on 1 number from Martin Hannett along w/ superb & very rare live performance.
Ozit
DLP
$25.00

Kula Shaker
Strangefolk [expanded]
PS, US New album from British psych-o-nauts, aging gracefully.
CookingVinyl
CD
$15.75

Laven & MSO
Reach
PS, GERMANY Laven & MSO, the two producers from Frankfurt, put so much pop appeal into the vocal mix of "Reach" (feat. Malte) that colleagues like Fischerspooner should prepare themselves: the whole gorgeous ten minutes of this track have enough power to atomize every nightclub into dust. On the flip is a killer old school acid instrumental.
KlangElektronik
12
$9.50

Le Mans
Rebel Action
PS, SPAIN New album from Spanish dream-poppers.
Locomotive
CD
$16.25

Little Annie & Paul Wallfisch
When Good Things Happen To Bad Pianos
PS, US She returns, fresh from the success of Songs From the Coalmine Canary, w/ a more introspective album of cover versions. They have recorded a batch of their favorite songs, rearranged in a duo setting.
DurtroJnana
CD
$16.00

L'Ocelle Mare
S-T
PS, US The solo project from Thomas Bonvalet, guitarist from CHEVAL DE FRISE. His musical approach reminds us of John Fahey and/or David Grubbs. Recorded in different deserted French places in July 2006, you can hear the silence in a ruined stable and bats in obscurity.
Sickroom-048
CD
$12.50

Louis XIV
Slick Dogs and Ponies [Bonus CD]
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
ATL
LP
$14.50

Louris, Gary
Vagabonds
PS, US Through his two-decade stint as singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of The Jayhawks and as a member of alt-supergroup Golden Smog, Gary Louris has built a deeply compelling body of music whose artistry and integrity has earned him a loyal audience and the respect of critics and his peers. With his solo debut, Vagabonds, Louris steps out to deliver some of his most evocative and personal music yet with the aid of Black Crowes frontman and longtime fan, Chris Robinson, who produced the album's organically soulful performances.
Rykodisc
CD
$16.00

Lowe, Nick
Jesus of Cool [Bonus Tracks] (Digipack Packaging)
PS, US Reissue of his classic first solo record. Pop record making at it's finest. A must own!
YepRocRecords
CD
$15.50

Magnet
#78
PS, US AGAINST ME! on cover, interviewed by indie darling BEN LEE. 2007 The Year in Music: top 20 albums and 10 best records you didn't hear, features on Black Mountain, Mark Lanegan, Helio Sequence & more!
ZINE
$3.00

Martha & The Vandellas
Dance Party
PS, US One of the top "girl groups" of all time, they dominated the female side of Motown of the mid 60s & made top ten hits into creations like "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave", "Nowhere To Run", "Honey Chile" & their anthem "Dancing In The Street". This classic '65 release is one of their best full lengths; not only does it feat. the hits, it's also packed w/ Motown dance standards of the day like "Mickey's Monkey", "Hitch Hike" & "The Jerk."
Lilith
LP
$21.50

Martial Canterel
Refuge Underneath
PS, US Martial Canterel's first full-length CD release entitled 'Refuge Underneath', a compilation of the artist's first two long-deleted self-released cassette tapes as well as 5 previously unreleased tracks, all digitally re-mastered. Martial Canterel records and performs using only vintage analogue synthesizers and sequencers, producing a highly-crafted, complex, and idiosyncratic form of electronic music that is simultaneously romantically melancholic and affirmatively aggressive. Inspired both by the first wave of relatively unknown minimal electronic bands in Northern Europe and the seminal industrial noise bands such as Throbbing Gristle, SPK, and Cabaret Voltaire.
Weird-003
CD
$10.00

Maus, John
Love Is Real
PS, US Better known as a collaborator with ANIMAL COLLECTIVE'S PANDA BEAR and ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI, Maus is an idiosyncratic pop genius.
UpsettheRhythm-015
CD
$14.25

May or May Not
Kaledioscope of Egos
PS, US A significant evolution from their first album, skipping around genres like a furious record collector (or digital music pirate, yarr!). Whether it's the psychedelic reminiscing sing-along "Do The Disaster" or the winding, prog-tinged anthem "Lavender Shell" the band's confidence to mine from the past is clear, but all with a fresh outlook for the future. First single "Boots" rides Aaron Brink's atmospheric guitar hooks & the thunderous, double-time drumming of Mike Brunette all the way through the assured singing of Amelia Styer, who shares vocals throughout Kaleidoscope with Maxwell & Reidell.
TwoThumbsDown-023
CD
$8.50

Megafaun
Bury the Square
PS, US From the vibrant Southern quasi-capital of Durham emerge MEGAFAUN, wearing earnestness across the chest and abstraction along the sleeves. They pour forth dulcet harmonies, as seeking vocals tug banjo lines up the Appalachian mountains; redemptive noise soaks everything, like thick air wafting from the Atlantic. Clawhammer banjo and strummed acoustics lock and roll with electric guitars and electronic textures. They realize that folk implies deep, personal, intense expression, whether the instrument is a parlor piano with the lid thrown back or a distortion pedal with the case cracked loose. In this band, orthodoxy and unorthodoxy flow together as one.
TableoftheElements-815
CD
$13.00

Metric
Live at Metropolis
PS, CANADA Canadian synth-rock superstars live in Montreal in 2006 on their "Live It Out" tour plus videos for 3 singles. Emily Haines and the entire Metric posse are releasing a new concert DVD from their Live It Out tour. The DVD captures the band jamming out at their Fall 2006 Montreal stop on their Live It Out Tour. Live at the Metropolis also includes the videos for three Live It Out singles: "Monster Hospital", "Poster of a Girl", and "Empty".
LastGang
DVD
$14.50

Mexico 70
Thirty Five Whirlpools
PS, US "Thirty Five Whirlpools Below Sound" Latest from long-running, rugged Britpop shining stars. Ranges from pop gems reminiscent of Elvis Costello to more philosophical fare including trademark jangly, Byrdsy guitar & witty, imaginitive lyrics.
ToucanCove
CD
$14.50

Moffat, Aiden John
I Can Hear Your Heart
PS, UK New solo album from Arab Strap frontman, warning: explicit content! AVERSION: "t should come as no surprise that the onetime Arab Strap singer's first solo album, a spoken-word poetry/prose affair that's usually accompanied by incidental music or other sound effects, is laden in tales of cheating lovers, sexual experimentation and soaked in booze. It might come as a surprise, though, to find out Moffat was holding back with Arab Strap, avoiding the stickiest situations, the dirtiest references and the most damning confessions that come forth in this semi-autobiographical audio tome."
ChemikalUnderground
CD
$15.75

Mojack
Under the Willow Tree
PS, US Greg Ginn's latest release w/ his funk rock band is full of twists & turns. 10 yrs in the waiting, this picks up where Home Brew left it hanging.
SST
CD
$14.00

Mojo
#172 (March 2008) [Magazine + CD]
PS, UK
ZINE
$10.00

Monade
Monstre Cosmique
PS, UK New album from Stereolab chantuese Laetitia Sadier's Monade! PITCHFORK: "Stereolab singer/lyricist Laetitia Sadier here takes a slightly more elegant take on her day job's search to find the pop in the avant-garde."
TooPure/Beggars
CD
$15.00

Mould, Bob
District Line
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
Anti
LP
$15.50

Mould, Bob
District Line
PS, US Guitarist/singer/songwriter Mould returns to form as a solo artist on his Anti debut. "District Line" combines the fire of his earliest work in Husker Du, the accessibility of his alternative rock, genre-defining trio Sugar, and the introspection found in his solo releases. He describes it as "stories of my simple life in a complicated town", that being his adopted city of Washington, DC. Working with Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, Mould has returned to the live band sound of Husker Du and Sugar to kick out ten songs that sound as youthful, energized, and immediate as anything he has ever recorded.
Anti
CD
$15.50

Mountain Goats
Heretic Pride
PS, US The Mountain Goats have recorded four fine albums that have established them as a genuine cult phenomenon and confirmed John Darnielle's status as one of the finest lyricists of his generation. "Heretic Pride" is a suite of songs about mythical creatures, imaginary cults, slasher films, and pulp fiction novelists. Here, Darnielle has also come up with some of the most anthemic, impassioned, and downright catchy songs of his career. "It's rare to come across such specific and purposeful prose in modern pop. But, alongside Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and the Decemberists' Colin Meloy, John Darnielle is helping bring fine lyric writing back to life" - NY Daily News.
4AD
CD
$13.25

Mountain Goats
Heretic Pride
PS, US VINYL VERSION!!!
4AD
LP
$14.00

Mountain High
Wicked Wanderer
PS, US They fit somewhere on the continuum between groups like Amon Duul II, the Pink Fairies & Tony McPhee's Grounhogs. Sort of proto-punk & grittier than most psych, & somewhat blues-rooted, though altogether their own thing, w/ mini-anthems & non-sequitor tributes to Punky Brewster & Yankee pitcher Mel Stottlemyre. M.H. seem to really not care much about current musical trends, what's hot & so forth, rather they just lay down some of the sweatiest grooves happening. Prepare to have this stuck on your headphones for a month straight .
HotDogCity-018
CD
$9.00

Mr. Thing
Strange Breaks & Mr. Thing
PS, US World champion DJ Mr. Thing mixes a collection of vintage 60's & 70's funk. The collection features a connoisseur's selection of extremely rare breaks mixed w/ style & precision. Rare & sought after never before compiled tracks spanning from soul, disco, jazz, funk, folk & soft rock.
BBE-096
DCD
$16.75

Mt. St. Helens
Of Others
PS, US A more refined & concise version of their compelling, guitar driven sound. Of Others draws from influences as diverse as Unwound, Shudder to Think, Ride and Boards of Canada but the result is far from derivative. Guitar player Michael Sprague has constructed a cadre of masterfully spare guitar leads that are at once striking & hypnotic. Guitarist/vocalist Quinn Goodwillie's (also of acclaimed local group Sleep Out) voice has increased in range & fortitude and is greatly bolstered by the stalwart rhythm section of Jason Sprague (bass) & Ben Geier (drums).
TwoThumbsDown-022
CD
$8.50

Mudhoney
Live Mud
PS, US REPRESSED!! LIMITED! Recorded in Mexico City on Pearl Jam's mobile recording unit in 2005, this is a very limited live LP capturing the Godfathers of Fudge playing their classics, old & new-ish. Incl. a coupon to download all the tracks in a glorious bitrate of 192! FOR FREE! Get 'em while they're hot gang.
Subpop
LP
$12.00

Mumlers
Thickets & Stitches
PS, US This is a portrait of a young band in love w/ music, exploring the various textures of the rock genre & creating something satisfyingly original. There are crowdpleasing mid-tempo rockers, mesmerizing ballads, call-and-response soul stompers & songs that defy easy categorization.
Galaxia-029
CD
$14.25

Neptune
Gong Lake
PS, US Behold: NEPTUNE, the most harrowingly original band on this planet - or the next. Its three members are, in turn, musicians, sculptors, scientists, blacksmiths, electricians, and industrial machinists; relentlessly inventive, possibly sane. Together, they construct all of their instruments, forging guitars and drums out of circular saw blades, gas tanks, oil drums, bike parts, VCR casings, and miscellany from the trash. Electronics, and even cords, are homemade as well. The combined effect is a bizarre, post-apocalyptic mélange of steel, iron, wire, rust, rivet, knob, and cable; it's lunacy, arc-welded for maximum destruction. Concerts are seizures of motion. Wearing 40-pound guitars assembled entirely from scrap metal, the members don't play their instruments - they battle them, like mechanized golems. But make no mistake, this is not simply art with sharp edges and serious customs issues. Neptune rocks. Hard. Recalling the slapdash angularity of The Fall, the rhythmic ack-ack blasts of This Heat, and the sheer proto-clangor of Einstuerzende Neubauten, they count as one of the best experimental rock bands of any era. Their dynamic, expertly wrought songs and skilled improvisations don't start; they explode. "Gong Lake" is the band's first unlimited CD release, and with it the world will discover what fans of their live shows have known for years: Neptune is otherworldly.
TableoftheElements-811
LP
$14.25

No Depression
#74
PS, US STRING THEORY, today's neo-traditionalists redefine their music. A new generation of string bands explores the past, present, & future of American music. Plus features on Daniel Lanois, Gary Louris, Kathleen Edwards, Jim White, & more. Plus all the other usual great stuff you've come to expect from No Depression.
ZINE
$5.00

No Kids
Come Into My House
PS, US "Come Into My House" is the first release by Vancouver, Canada trio NO KIDS, which is comprised of three-quarters of the critically revered pop band P:ANO. "Come Into My House" achieves an unexpected cohesiveness despite the wide range of musical styles over its 12 tracks. Golden era Hollywood musicals, Jam & Lewis-inspired production techniques, the icy displacement of contemporary R'n'B, and the breadth of Arthur Russell's, disco, pop, and avant garde compositional work are referenced and married together by novelistic narrative strains, a lush instrumental palette, and a cinematic atmosphere.
Tomlab-108
CD
$12.25

Notorious Hi-Fi Killers
Which Side Are You On?
PS, UK Rocket Recordings are proud to announce the release of Which Side Are You On?, the debut album by Southeast London 3-piece The Notorious Hi-Fi Killers. Which Side Are You On? presents the trio's distinctive take on loud, throttling noise rock blended with manic psychedelia, taking the listener on a journey through ferocious 4-track blasts, analog tape space rock and intuitive heavy blues. This is the sound of a primal rock and roll band at their most uncompromising and dirtiest. From the one and a half minute biker-punk anthem of 'Queen O' Fuck' through the fuzzed-up blues of the Freddie King classic 'Going Down' to the 18 minutes of psychedelic bliss of 'Near The Final Destination' which crumbles into a mantra of noise, drones and horns, with the added assistance of Alexander Tucker, Duke Garwood and members of Part Chimp. The Notorious Hi-Fi Killers have been a common sight on the stages in their hometown of London and various dimly-lit warehouses across the country, playing alongside bands like The Heads, Lords, Parts and Labour, Shit & Shine and White Hills.
RocketRecordings
CD
$17.00

Paint It Black
New Lexicon
PS, US This marks their 1st recording w/new drummer Jared Shavelson (Hope Conspiracy, None More Black) & boasts guest vocals from Jeff Pezatti (NAKED RAYGUN). Still, many of the best surprises occur behind the scenes. Rather than straining to re-create "lo-fi" in a studio, this rings in an aggressive clarity.
JadeTree
CD
$13.25

Panther
14 Kt. God
PS, US Two-headed effort of Charlie Salas-Humara (THE PLANET THE) on vocals, cello, guitar, & keys & Joe Kelly (31 KNOTS) on drums. Think Ian Curtis' convulsive intensity & James Browns spastic swagger & you still won't have PANTHER, but a sense of what-the-fuckness that all of them seem to call up.
KillRockStars
CD
$13.00

Park, Patrick
Everyone's in Everyone (Digipak Packaging)
PS, US The previous albums by Colorado-born, Los Angeles-based neo-folkie singer/songwriter Patrick Park have been promising but spotty, but coming nearly four years after 2003's Loneliness Knows My Name, the far more self-assured Everyone's in Everyone is a big step forward. Opening with the immediately engaging solo voice and guitar tune "Life Is a Song," Everyone's in Everyone moves from strength to strength. Highlights include the genuinely great "Here We Are," a propulsive country-rocker in the vintage '70s Laurel Canyon style that features a strong, memorable chorus, and the moodier, mysterious "Saint with a Fever," which mines territory closer to vintage Richard Thompson. There isn't a single duff track on this concise 11-song album, which seems destined to put Park alongside Josh Ritter and Josh Rouse in the top tier of American folk-rock singer/songwriters. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
Curb Appeal CRBA5.2
CD
$13.65

Parsons, Gram
Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel (Digipack Packaging)
PS, US Awesomeness. You should own this DVD just to be graced by Hillman's superb 'Tache.
Rhino
DVD
$17.50

Peculiar, Vinny
Goodbye My Angry Friend
PS, UK There are times you can hear Nick Cave and Johnny Cash in these power pop meets kitchen sink drama songs but a better comparison might be Stephen Duffy for the romance-against-the-odds, me-against-the-world, railing-against-the-dying-of-the-light feeling of this record." Manchester song-writing maverick, performance poet and Smiths associate Vinny Peculiar has cultivated an alternative music career spanning the past 10 years collaborating with a diverse range of artists from Bill Drummond to Bonehead. 'Goodbye My Angry Friend', his 7th studio album, is an ambitious, vengeful, tuneful and intriguing collection of songs. Produced by sonic magpie Tim Browne it fuses influences that are, to many a pop music connoisseur, poles apart...from Nick Cave to The Darkness...from Johnny Cash to Queen. Here is a record that, for better or worse, plays by its own rules. The opening salvo reflects upon the death of the Vinny Peculiar alter ego whilst 'Kiss Me [I'm a Social Worker]' reeks of abuse and mistrust. 'Seasonal Affective Disorder' is a tenderly affecting paean of mood disorder and melody. 'Lazy Bohemians' portrays and gently dismembers a world of would be revolutionary misfits...a world in which Vinny stars as idler in chief. From garage band symphonies to rock and roll nursery rhymes here is a record of audacious musicality from an artist not simply content to sit on the edge. Vinny Peculiar is prepared to jump.
Pronoia-007
CD
$17.75

Pegasuses-XL
Antiphon
PS, US Mark Dale (Disband), Jeff Tobias (We Versus the Shark, Dark Meat), Joel Hatstat (Cinemechanica) & Jeff Rosenstock (Bomb the Music Industry, Arrogant Sons of Bitches) join forces based on their mutual admiration of bikes, coffee & books. Here they make music with whatever instruments they felt were appropriate, which is pretty much what you get when you mix those bands together anyway. Mostly keyboards & synths, the Antiphon is their response to questioning themselves. The music is everything they've ever done in life, crumpled up into 38 minutes of experimental/electronica/rock .
ErnestJenning-037
CD
$11.00

Planeta Imaginario
Biomasa
PS, US Planeta Imaginario are a creative and extraordinary 8 piece jazz-rock band that have emerged from the Catalan region of Spain. Founded in 1999 by keyboardist and leader Marc Capel, Planeta Imaginario originally performed psychedelic rock music but over time evolved into their present-day sound as the band grew in size and added musicians who added jazz and jazz-rock elements. Biomasa is their second album and with this release the band have a chance to have their music heard on a much wider basis. For fans of: Chick Corea's Spanish-tinged fusion works, Deus ex Machina, Gilgamesh, Pat Metheny, Soft Machine, Weather Report and Frank Zappa.
Cuneiform
CD
$14.25

Racer, Kris
Has A Banner Year
PS, US As former frontman for Ohio pop-punkers Tagline, Kris Racer came to Chicago & left the rest of the band behind, opting to unplug & become an acoustic, solo act. But staying true to his punkier roots, Kris Racer is more Mike Ness than open mic. Racer's new EP continues to explore the themes of adolescence redux he covered on his debut. It's that time you reach in your mid-20s when you're still not sure what you're exactly supposed to do with your life; it's that stage in the game when you're caught thinking about whether jobs should turn into careers or if girlfriends should become wives.
TwoThumbsDown-018
CD5
$5.00

Raveonettes, The
Lust Lust Lust
PS, US New album from Danish duo, can't wait! Coasting is the easy option. Having the balls to recognize that things aren't right and doing something about them is much harder. It may have taken The Raveonettes' Sune and Sharin a little while but they made the right decision in the end- both personally and creatively- and 'Lust, Lust, Lust' is where the two worlds collide. The songs cover the toughest decisions, the fondest of memories, the scariest of fears and the most tempting of desires all from the most personal viewpoint yet captured in The Raveonettes back-catalogue.
Vice
CD
$14.00

Parasol New Arrivals • February 19, 2008
Howdy folks! We’re really excited that our pals the Headlights’ new album called “Some Racing, Some Stopping” was released today. And let us tell you, it’s pretty darned amazing right down to the artwork, which was done by our multi-talented partner in crime Elzie Sexton. Other than that, we’re going to keep you extremely busy with all of the new goodies that were added into the catalog this week. So, put on your reading specs and have at it. End transmission, Roy & Paul
Below is a list of new arrivals for this week. To search for a specific item or to browse our entire catalog click here. Or, click here to go back to the Parasol Home Page. Click here to see previous weeks new arrivals.
QUICK LINKS INTO PARASOL.COM DIGITAL UNDERGROUND: FREE PARASOL DOWNLOADS JIM's PICK: Great Music from Scandinavia Thrillsville: Parasol staffers' personal picks New Releases Mail Order Portal Gift Certificates
Parasol Mail Order Pick of the Week
	C.A. Quintet "Trip Thru Hell" DLP $19.75 DLP version, deluxe gatefold packaging, 1996 reissue; originally released 1968. Something very, very strange was afoot in the Midwest during the '60s, and we're not talking about David Letterman's stint as a local TV weatherman. While L.A. was tiptoeing through the tulips, New York was groovin' and London was electrifying bananas, these brainiacs were booking a journey to Hades. Get your contact high from a safe distance with this intense, fuzz-ridden passel of ones and zeros. Our package contains the entire mind-bent original album plus bonus cuts, and a gatefold sleeve jammed with rare photos and notes, and more!.
New Releases 5ive Hesperus PS, US Boston's 5ive were a two-piece with no vocalist or bass player long before being instrumental and having an unorthodox band assemblage became "cool". They have a Kyuss style guitar tone without the bad vocals. Their debut full-length was one of Terrorizer magazine's top twenty of 2001. "Ben Carr's guitars are thickly layered without the sound becoming mushy. The distortion he gets out of his amp makes his riffing sound like balls of flame. Charlie Harrold's drumming complements the guitar playing exceptionally; these are two musicians that are well in tune with each other" - Brainwashed.com. Tortuga CD $12.50 Abrahams, Chris + Mike Cooper Oceanic Feeling-Like PS, AUSTRALIA "The sea pronounces something, over and over, in a hoarse whisper; I cannot quite make it out." ~Annie Dillard It's this musical whisper that is amplified on Oceanic Feeling-Like, as Italian based musician Mike Cooper and Australia's Chris Abrahams unite for the first time to create what can only be described as a picturesque horizon of melodic ocean swell. Stretching out horizon-wide, Oceanic Feeling-Like is generously colored with Cooper's unique guitar approaches and Abrahams distinctive piano motions. Both musicians bring with them a wealth of technique and improvised flare that is brought to bear over a series of island like compositions, that eventually form an unusually divergent sound archipelago. Recorded in Sydney at Abrahams' home studio, each of the pieces explores a unique post-marine sound space - that's both reflective and reflexive. Truly a release that ebbs and flows in the best way imaginable. An ocean of sound awaits - sometimes calm and flowing, occasionally choppy and unexpected, but always experiential. Mike Cooper for the past 40 years British guitarist Mike Cooper has traced a path completely his own. An international musical explorer, performing and recording, solo and in a number of inspired groupings and a variety of genres. Initially a folk-blues guitarist and singer songwriter his work has diversified to include improvised and electronic music, live music for silent films, radio art, field recording and sound installations. Chris Abrahams "(His) relentless and steady patterning started to metamorphose the nature of the piano, the upper chords sounding like a distant locomotive hoot, and then an accordion weaving in and out of a shimmering bank of flutes". The Wire, UK 2001. Room40-420 CD $15.00 Accidental, The Knock Knock (Tunng Mix) / Brave New World (Benge Mix) PS, UK Fripp and Eno, Gainsbourg and Vannier, Kuti and Allen - two's company, and great musicians often travel in pairs. The Accidental is a pairing of Sam Genders (Tunng) and Stephen Cracknell (The Memory Band, Gorodisch, co-founder of Trunk Records). This single is their first outing as well as a forerunner for a debut full-length album, due in Spring 2008. As a founder member of Tunng, Sam Genders is an extraordinary songwriter, melding Lewis Carroll's flights of fancy with all the pathos of a 19th Century Russian novelist - a tragic-comic outlook on life and fascination with both the natural and unnatural, like Gogol with a guitar. With Tunng, his well-drawn tales weave in and out of the bobbing electronics, crafting electro-tinged folk songs which pulse and caress with equal measure, combining an easy melodicism with the band's expansive touch. Stephen Cracknell has a similarly attuned ear for the properties which link the acoustic and pastoral with the synthetic sounds of electronica, managing to conjure an organically simple fusion of elements which is defiantly modern. Under the moniker of the Memory Band, Cracknell's sleight of hand has seen him essay that relationship between the traditional folk lament and the circular, glitchy stylings heard on his electronic output as Gorodisch. This seven-inch release marks the first airing of material by the Accidental, featuring remixes of two of the songs slated for inclusion on their forthcoming debut album. Knock Knock is remixed by fellow Tunng lynchpin Mike Lindsay, the scratchy atmosphere and booming beats lending it a distinctly tribal feel, while bass frequencies lurch and stretch underneath plaintive vocals. On the reverse is the Benge remix of Brave New World - a slice of blissful electronica akin to Four Tet sitting down for tea and scones with Animal Collective, while snaking rhythms rattle alongside cut-up vocals and odd percussive flourishes. Slip on the headphones and drift away. Limited to 500 copies on seven inch wax only. Vinyl comes in a harvest house bag with print. StaticCaravan-158-7 45 $7.75 Acid Mothers Temple AMT Fest. Vol. 5 PS, US This is the live footage of the full concert of AMT Fest. vol.5 (Dec. 2006) in Nagoya Japan feat. Mani Neumeier (drums, percussion, voice: Guru Guru), Kuriyama Jun (voice: ex.Ox) as well as Tsuyama Atsushi (monster bass, voice, recorder, guitar), Higashi Hiroshi (synth, guitar, voice), Kawabata Makoto (guitar, voice), Kitagawa Hao (voice), and Tabata Mitsuru (freak out). Region free - limited one time pressing of 1000 copies Eclipse DVD $18.00 Acorn Glory Hope Mountain PS, US The ambitious album is an homage to lead singer Rolf Klausener's mother. Recorded over nine months, the album is intensely personal and heartfelt. Part historical narrative and part surreal fairy tale. PaperBag-027 CD $13.75 All Golden In The 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! Ltd to 1000 copies, only 600 copies to be distributed. MindExpansion-2012 CD $8.25 American Music Club The Golden Age PS, US Every AMC record is an effort to experiment and extend the range of their expression. "The Golden Age" is no exception: from the Mariachi horns to the breezy Beach Boys harmonies to the unfolding layers of feedback, this album is full of varied, joyous, and generous pop music. Merge CD $14.00 Antarctica Takes It! The Penguin League PS, US Debut album by a four piece, from Santa Cruz, CA, whose joyous folk pop has been compared to Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists and Beirut. A bedroom band put together by 22-year-old Dylan McKeever, Antarctica Takes It! recorded the songs on "The Penguin League" straight onto a friend's laptop, using the computer's internal microphone. No problem if you're a straightforward rock'n'roll band, but Dylan's songs boasted an array of accordions, glockenspiels, cellos, ukuleles, trumpets, harmonicas and pianos. The result should have been extremely lo-fi - and in places it is (you can actually hear the instruments battling for airspace at some points). But, overall, thanks to Dylan's patience and prodigious talent, "The Penguin League" conjures a tiny orchestra out of thin air. From the opening "I'm No Lover", which sees mariachi horns collide with a rattling folk melody, to the magical "Flightless Birds", which transports "Pet Sounds" to the Antarctic wastes, this is a record that sounds like it's anywhere but a suburban bedroom on the American West Coast. In fact, lyrically and spiritually, Antarctica Takes It! reside, as their names suggests, slightly further south. The album's highlight, "Antarctica", sees the band knee deep in a polar expedition, while the photos for the cover and CD booklet were provided by Dr Samuel Silverstein, who headed the 1967 American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition. Dr Silverstein also writes about his photos in the booklet, which makes this the first album to be released with sleeve notes by an Antarctic explorer. Press/Radio: Reviews in Uncut, NME, The Guardian, Plan B, Pitchfork, PopMatters, with more TBC. HowDoesItFeelToBeLoved-003 CD $16.25 Antietam Opus Mixtum PS, US First album in their 25 year career that combines the ferocity of their calling card stage show, the quiet acoustic moments of TARA KEY's solo recordings, their pristine pop & sprawling instrumental ambience. Flying just below the radar for more than 20 years, but always making uncompromising music and maintaining a deeply devoted fan base throughout the world, Antietam play raw rock and roll that is nearly impossible to define. Originally, the double-CD, triple-LPOpus Mixtum was supposed to be two separate, distinct releases: one a powerful rock record tracked at the band's new home-away-from-home, Brooklyn's Seaside Lounge, with producer (and now auxiliary live band member) Josh Clark, tracked on two-inch tape in a beautiful live room and finally allowing the band to truly capture the fire of their live performances; and the other a sprawling, loopy and diverse instrumental album constructed piece by piece in Tara and Tim's digital home studio. Somewhere along the way the albums became tangled together. The title Opus Mixtum comes from a method of laying brick in ancient Rome that combined rectangular and diagonal patterns, but the band uses it to connote the mix of three styles -- Antietam rock, the acoustic pop of Tara Key solo releases, and the instrumental soundtracks of their lives. Piece in Mark Howell's horns, Katie Gentile's (Run On, Special Pillow) violins, and Rick Rizzo (Eleventh Dream Day) on stunt guitar and the album flows effortlessly through its varying moods-- instrumental passages disappear into hooky pop, Tara's defining guitar is enveloped by Hammond organ or a lush string passage, and then the pounding rock and roll of the classic trio punches through. So you get pop with "Turn It on Me," rock with "Pennants and Flags," and just pure melody with "March Echo" and "Steel G." As they say in Louisville, if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes. CarrotTop-041 DCD $12.00 Apes, The Ghost Games PS, US POPMATTERS: "Forgoing lead guitar for shambling, sinister organ licks, DC post-punk outfit the Apes strike a strange middle-ground between minimalism and maximalism. Lacking guitar accompaniment, Jeff Schmid's drums and and Erick Jackson's bass tend operate in spare cages of plunging rhythms and blurting stabs, and when the keys afford them some space, the whole feels crisply open. However, just as often as organist Amanda Bynes allows herself to be constrained by the others' rhythms, she surges past and breaks free, letting her organ swell to fill every gap with psychedelic squeal." GypsyEyes CD $15.00 Architect I Went Out Shopping To Get Some Noise PS, GERMANY Reissue. Ever prolific, Haujobb's Daniel Myer returns for a second album as architect, I went out shopping to get some noise. Myer's previous architect album, 1998's galactic supermarket, leant toward the darker threads of technoid drum'n'bass (panacea, tarmvred, etc). For I went out shopping to get some noise, Myer reigns in the breaks to toss down thirteen mind-bendingly tight electro-acid-industrial-techno cuts, each bearing Myer's signature dark flair and impeccable production. Comparisons range from afx and caustic window on 'track 7' to emotive digital synthpop like early attaché on 'track 5.' not to be outdone by other sample-aholics, Myer ensnares the ultimate - Beethoven's moonlight sonata - and contorts it into a neoromantic opus on 'track 6.' if this is what Myer means by noise, the rest of the musical world has a lot of catching up to do to touch architect. Hymen-737 CD $15.50 Baker, Aiden Scalpel PS, US EXTREMELY LIMITED. As a solo artist, Baker explores the deconstructive sonic possibilities of the electric guitar as a primary sound source, creating music that ranges from experimental to post-rock to contemporary classical. Latest release is more stripped down than previous efforts & what Aiden himself calls his "folk "record. What you get is nearly 50 minutes of sparse guitars, ebbing & flowing intertwined w/ ghostly vocals creating an ambient gem. Kora-008 CD $12.75 Balmorhea Rivers Arms PS, US Mirroring the vast Texas skies, the soulful collection of songs on "Rivers Arms" is imbued with a visceral weight and endless space. BALMORHEA'S shows have included dates with The Drift, Bexar Bexar, One AM Radio, Caspian, and more. They're currently planning a Spring tour to coincide with this release and working on a Summer tour with their Italian friends Port-Royal. The track "Baleen Morning" will be featured on an upcoming documentary about the company "Toms Shoes", which will premier the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. WesternVinyl-051 CD $11.50 Bardot, Brigitte Sings PS, US By the time this album was released in the US, the 'princess of pout' had already had men flocking to her films for than a decade, hoping for a glimpse of BB in a bikini. This is her 1963 vocal debut. Lilith-146 CD $18.00 Beat Circus Dreamland PS, US This second full length album is a uniquely fierce and magical record composed by singer/songwriter Brian Carpenter, who delivers dark narrative songs of Deadwood saloons, gangsters from The Bowery, Coney Island sideshows, and the Santa Fe Railway. Loosely based on historical events associated with turn of the century New York, Dreamland is the culmination of a two-year effort by Beat Circus and marks the first installment of Brian Carpenter's Weird American Gothictrilogy. Brian leads a 9-piece band with a unique & exciting instrumentation: pump organ, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, accordion, jawharp, tuba, trombone, banjo, mandolin, saxophones drums and percussion. Dreamland was engineered and produced by legendary NY producer Martin Bisi (SONIC YOUTH, FOETUS, DRESDEN DOLLS, BARBEZ). Cuneiform CD $14.25 Belong Colorloss Record PS, US While BELONG still considers these cover songs, what we are presented with are shells, the ghosts of what we think we know about such a fleeting medium as music in the first place. And like the title implies, the music sounds weathered, a faded version of some original we might only imagine. As a record of covers, it sounds like the sonic palimpsest that it is exactly. On "Colorloss", one finds a humble treatment of the hierarchy of sounds. It is the equal attention given to each sound and its place in the mix that makes this a true musical democracy where each element shines in its own way, while propping up the others in a puzzle that would charm Archimedes. A wash of fuzz finds itself meandering thru a track holding hands with the vocals, the space between a breathe before the next submergence. What we have as a result is work of such staggering beauty and melodic thoughtfulness to stop KEVIN SHIELDS in his tracks at the wonder of it. And while the instrumentation and means might be different, this is a music that has as much in common with late 20th-century composition in the vein of JOHN CALE or TONY CONRAD as it does with the soundscapes of WILLIAM BASINSKI or MY BLOODY VALENTINE. St.Ives-017 LP $11.50 Big Fresh B.F.F. (Big Fresh Forever) PS, US New album from Lexington, KY avant-garde superheroes Big Fresh, featuring members of The Apples In Stereo and Ullysses. Crystalline pop rainbows beamed through a prism. An ambitious tapestry of danceable hits, bubbling soundscapes, electric light harmonies, and synthetic orchestrations from Lexington, Kentucky's avant-garde heroes (including members of The Apples in stereo and Ulysses). Produced by Big Fresh in their home laboratory over a seven-year period, and mastered by Robert Schneider (The Apples in stereo, Elephant 6), the shining sounds of this album will transport you to another world. LEXINGTON HERALD-LEDGER: "For more than a decade, the band has mixed summery soul, pop, dance grooves and more into a bright sound all its own. Within B.F.F.'s grooves...you sense a spring thaw is at hand." OPTICAL ATLAS: "B.F.F. plays like a great lost prog-rock album, as though Brian Wilson had tried to revisit Smile in the 70's with help from ELO." GardenGate CD $12.00 Big Sleep Sleep Forever PS, US Tighter, more focused & heavier than before, w/o losing any of the energy. It's guitar rock w/ a heavy dose of noise, & a big focus on rhythm. It's loud because the music needs to be felt. FrenchKiss CD $13.25 Bjork Declare Independence (12"/CD/DVD) PS, US NEW SINGLE from her latest album "Volta". A muscular & militant rallying cry, this song sees her at her most passionate & inventive. Tracks include Ghostigital 12". Mark Stent Mix, Matthew Herbert 12" & Mark Stent Instrumental OneLittleIndian LP $36.00 Black Hollies Casting Shadows PS, US After wide acclaim from their debut album and a practice regiment that has left their jaw-dropping live shows tighter than a pegged pant leg, they've reached a little further into space, introduced a wonderfully psychedelic element to their sound & come out on the other side with Casting Shadows, a powerful rock album full of unforgettable nuggets. Member of RYE COALITION. "A mash up of British Invasion blues, guitar heroics & psychedelia that would bring a smile to Brian Jones' face" -Rolling Stone. ErnestJenning-036 CD $11.50 Blood On The Wall Liferz PS, US NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!! "Liferz" is a portrait of a band at the top of their game - somehow they have managed to get even more "awesomer". TheSocialRegistry-060 LP $10.25 Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago PS, US VINYL VERSION!!! Jagjaguwar LP $11.50 Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago PS, US This debut is centered around a particular aesthetic; Justin Vernon, the primary force behind Bon Iver, moved to a remote cabin in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin at the onset of winter, alone for three months. This solitary time fed a bold, uninhibited new musical focus. All his personal trouble, lack of perspective, heartache, longing, love, loss, and guilt that had been stockpiled over the past six years was suddenly purged into song. The NY Times called this record "irresistible", and it was given a "Recommeded" rating by Pitchfork. RIYL: Iron & Wine, M. Ward, and Elliott Smith. Jagjaguwar CD $11.50 Booka Shade Movements Tour Edition (CD/DVD) PS, US This incl. the original dance classic Movements album in its entirety, & a new live DVD which includes a full recording of their incredible live performance at Belgium's Pukkelpop Festival, as well as a tour documentary, bonus remixes, a visual discography, & more. RECOMMENDED! Get Physical CD/DVD $19.50 Bow Street Runners S-T PS, US 1996 reissue. "Flushed from Fayetteville, North Carolina -- where they thought they could remain comfortably obscure -- by our release of their only album, the Runners have recently re-surfaced. Issued in ultra-limited quantity by B.T. Puppy in 1970 -- and now changing hands for sums more familiar to NASDAQ -- this is an otherworldly blend of sweet female blotter acid harmonies, hypnotic Farfisa and high-octane fuzz guitar histrionics." Sundazed CD $13.25 British Sea Power Do You Like Rock Music? PS, US New album! ALL MUSIC GUIDE: "The band has crafted a wintry, nuanced, and bold collection of epic songs that integrate the sweeping theatricality of Arcade Fire-era indie rock without all of the insularity. This is music made for people, not a person. The sound effects, choral vocals, strings, and feedback that populate DYLRM feel organic and necessary rather than just pasted in for drama's sake. There has always been a sort of rough-hewn sepia-tone unity to BSP songs, and that odd, inclusive wartime fervor permeates each track." FOUR 1/2 STARS! RoughTrade CD $15.25 British Sea Power Do You Like Rock Music? PS, US Vinyl version. RoughTrade LP $16.00 Brotzmann, Peter & Uuskyla Born Broke PS, US PETER BROTZMANN (tenor sax/clarinet) & PEETER UUSKYLA (drums) have once again joined forces & spirits picking up where their trio w/ Peter Friis-Nielsen left off & whose only known competition in the field is Vandermark & Nilssen-Love's Dual Pleasure implosion unit. A fresh double dose of soul purge from free men. Atavistic-185 DCD $17.25 C.A. Quintet Trip Thru Hell PS, US 2 LP version, deluxe gatefold packaging, 1996 reissue; originally released 1968. "Something very, very strange was afoot in the Midwest during the '60s, and we're not talking about David Letterman's stint as a local TV weatherman. While L.A. was tiptoeing through the tulips, New York was groovin' and London was electrifying bananas, these brainiacs were booking a journey to Hades. Get your contact high from a safe distance with this intense, fuzz-ridden passel of ones and zeros. Our package contains the entire mind-bent original album plus bonus cuts, and a gatefold sleeve jammed with rare photos and notes, and more!" Sundazed DLP $19.75 Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Dust Sucker PS, UK Previously on CD, now on vinyl for the first time. "The new Ozit vinyl sets are all deluxe in terms of packaging, gatefold sleeves with PVC protective covers and all 180 gram vinyl based on the Simply Vinyl type of special vinyl re-issues. These sets are limited to 1000 copies only worldwide and will not be around for too long. This 2LP set includes the 12 tracks from the Captain's own tape of the original Bat Chain Puller album (you will never have heard these tracks in this quality). When Mojo did a feature recently on classic lost albums, this was one of the main albums featured. There are a further 7 extra tracks, including 5 live recordings of tracks from 'Bat Chain Puller,' plus a version of 'Well Well Well' featuring Rockette Morton and a live festival performance of 'My Human Gets Me Blues.' Ozit DLP $25.00 Cardopusher Down To The Wire PS, US Luis Garban of Venezuela has released heaps of records these past couple years for labels such as Ad Noiseam, Peace-off, Intellectual Violence, Mirex, Cock Rock Disco & Wrong Music, but for Terminal Dusk he reveals his passion for dubstep. 'Down To The Wire' contains high energy levels, sick low bass and brilliantly selected reggae samples. This album is executed perfectly and includes remixes from two fellow dubstep heads: Atki2 & Starkey. Side A kicks off with 'Maybe Next Time' dropping the warbly and brutal bass and some hot B-boy samples. Give in to the head nod effect. Next up is 'Keep On Truckin' with a wall of low end synth leads & Bollywood style atmospheres. Rounding off the A side is 'Knock Yuh Out' and it's a badman, turning up the energy. Flip for the B side and 'Everything Is A New Surprise' kicks in with an ultra disgusting bassline & pitched up bongos, massive! Next are the remixes, Starkey starts it off with his remix of 'Knock Yuh Out' which takes the original to another level, slows it down a bit, and offers some proper dubstep swagger. Atki2 finishes the record with his rendition of 'Keep On Truckin', bringing the Bristol styles, a classic remix. TerminalDusk-007 12 $10.50 Carrots Anthology PS, JAPAN An anthology of the best songs of genius Spanish psychedelic pop band, Carrots, who designed soundscapes full of colored fantasy and baroque flavor. They wear their influences--the Beatles and the Beach Boys--on their sleeves, bridging genres and generations with tinges of funk, rock, and (gasp) country. Much to our regret, they have broken up, so you can regard the stamp sheet artwork as a bittersweet souvenir. We love Carrots!!! Jangling electric and acoustic guitars, breezy vocals and even breezier harmonies (we're talking 'Breakfast In America'), eyelash-fluttering synths and piano, the good vibes flowing from the speakers are intoxicating! How is it that one band can sound like Squeeze and Stereolab and Supergrass and The Beach Boys and The Buggles and The Byrds, at the same time? Heck, we' ve already tagged them with some respectable names, yet still feel compelled name-drop a few more, the likes of Sloan, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Bikeride, Supertramp, Primal Scream, Kevin Ayers, The Posies' happiest songs, they all figure in here, with mucho gusto! Carrots is dead, long live Carrots! Quince-032 CD $13.50 Cashmore, Michael Snow Abides PS, US VINYL VERSION!!! DurtroJnana LP $17.00 Casiotone For The Painfully Alone David Horovitz Picture Disc PS, US Casiotone for the Painfully Alone will join an already amazing list of artists (Xiu Xiu, Lucky Dragons) who have already contributed the series of picture disc 7"s featuring the photography of David Horovitz. Both tracks are exclusive to a one time pressing of 500 copies. These will go fast since these singles are already becoming collectors items. Aagoo 45 $10.00 Cherry Orchard, The The Start of Our Affair PS, JAPAN The debut album from UK-based boy/girl indie-pop duo, Jason and Sara. CD features melodies of Trash Can Sinatras (or Prefab Sprout), arrangements a la early Eggstone, sweet vocals, and a sophisticated sound. This is a genuine 90s pop masterpiece. Quince-9005 CD $13.50 Collett, Jason Here's To Being Here PS, US VINYL VERSION!!! Arts&Crafts LP $15.75 Company Old Baby PS, US "Old Baby" is the latest record from COMPANY, a songwriting collective and rock band rooted in folk, punk, country, and psychedelic traditions. Evocative guitars, dynamic rhythms, uplifting harmonies, and lyrics by turns incisive and insightful interweave to create a homespun sound that is as striking as it is familiar. In these songs, simplicity shimmers, dreams pack the punch of hard facts, and the human heart is laid bare, weird, defiant, and lovely. BrahRecords/JagJaguwar-012 CD $11.50 Conn, Bobby On The Farm PS, US 2 brand new, never released before tracks, representing his latest invention, Eco-Disco. What is Eco Disco?? It is a passionate, yet groovy, call to move out of the cities and into rural communes to lead a more responsible and down to earth existence, while at the same time making good music. Bec-Rec 45 $6.75 Contents Are, The Through You PS, GERMANY The Contents Are: Dave Neumann (guitar, vocals); Paul Staack (drums, vocals); Larry Smith (bass, vocals); and Craig Hute (lead guitar, vocals) from Iowa. The Contents Are were one of many '60s bands from the Quad City's fertile garage music scene. With labels/studios like Fredlo and IGL, it was a very healthy regional area for bands with an unusually high per capita for record releases. Up until the recent discovery of an original copy a couple years ago, it was only rumored to exist and remained an enigma with hardcore record collectors. In most cases, The Contents Are were only known by astute collectors for their two excellent 45 releases (non-LP). Well the mystery is over, and here's your chance to hear one of the most rare and greatest garage records ever recorded. Here's the story about the record: four high school seniors from Iowa decide to release an album of all original tunes, exclusively sold at their live shows. Originally released on the Rok label (a subsidiary of the already obscure Fredlo label) in 1967 with only 100 copies pressed. These guys were not your typical garage band - talented players, professional grade vocalists and no cover songs! Their music is a nice blend of garage rock with hints of hipster folk and early psychedelic influences. As good if not better as other similar top-shelf rarities like Mystery Meat and the Bachs, but without a major quantity release, making original copies of their recordings ten times rarer. Get it or miss it! CD jewel case with 8-page booklet, plus 4 bonus non-LP tracks from singles. Shadoks-090 CD $16.25 Crom Hot Sumerian Nights PS, US Thundering metal from these underground Gods. Featuring members of -16- & 400 Blows, these maniacs have picked up where The Cocaine Wars left off w/ plenty of obscure & in your face metal samples w/ a refined sound. This album will melt your face off. Underdogma CD $11.00 Cryptacize Dig That Treasure PS, US Every song on "Dig That Treasure" is a miniature journey, a free fantasia, a dreamy habitat built out of the minimum of material. Sudden rhythmic gestures and frequent key changes will leave you feeling pleasantly disorientated in a song. But trust your tour-guides! You might feel as if you've come across a small tribe that speaks an unstudied language, and miraculously, find that you can speak it too! "Dig That Treasure" is humbly inspired by the larger-than-life emotions of West Side Story, the joyfully percussive guitar gospel of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Wizard of Oz's bittersweet escapism, the other-world sentimentality of Sun Ra's Spaceship Lullaby, and Henry Cowell's ethereal piano string strumming. AsthmaticKitty-38 CD $11.50 Cryptacize Dig That Treasure PS, US Every song on "Dig That Treasure" is a miniature journey, a free fantasia, a dreamy habitat built out of the minimum of material. Sudden rhythmic gestures and frequent key changes will leave you feeling pleasantly disorientated in a song. But trust your tour-guides! You might feel as if you've come across a small tribe that speaks an unstudied language, and miraculously, find that you can speak it too! "Dig That Treasure" is humbly inspired by the larger-than-life emotions of West Side Story, the joyfully percussive guitar gospel of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Wizard of Oz's bittersweet escapism, the other-world sentimentality of Sun Ra's Spaceship Lullaby, and Henry Cowell's ethereal piano string strumming. AsthmaticKitty-38 LP $10.25 Crystal Skulls Blocked Numbers PS, US Debut from Seattle's darlings presents a wholly satisfying batch of songs undeniably refreshing yet immediately familiar. Pulling from hidden gems of crooners, power-pop underdogs & intergrating those impulses w/ winnin g aspects of heavy-hitter favorites both obscure & exploded, past & present . No.3Records LP $13.50 Dabrye Get Dirty PS, US He's been in the shadows, creating the next wave of beats to unleash upon the wIonrtledr, nbautti noonta blefore unleashing a few more nuggets to keep the fans fed. This is from the "Two/Three" sessions, a club-style banger that feat. the characteristic brag of his legendary gritty, parping bass sound has been modernized, or "Blade Runner'd" into a mutant squelch for this choice cut. Also feat. FLYING LOTUS & KODE 9 remixes, flip side all instrumentals. Ghostly 12 $8.75 Danava UnonoU PS, US VINYL!!! Kemado DLP $21.75 Davies, Ray Working Man's Cafe PS, US Very enjoyable new solo album from Kinks frontman. NewWest CD $17.25 Dead Raven Choir My Firstborn Will Surely Be Blind PS, US Awesome fancy "art edition" vinyl version. AuroraBorealis LP $17.00 Dead Science Tomlab Alphabet Series: V PS, US The "V" single, and the two songs contained therein, will be a sort of satellite of THE DEAD SCIENCE'S next album, "Villainaire", a record dealing with a very specific period of time in singer Sam Mickens' life and, more generally, in the embrace of personal nihilism and the potential psychic luxury of amorality. The A-Side, "Make Mine Marvel (Remix)" will be, in the style of R. Kelly's remix work, a completely new song, with completely new melodic and lyrical content, built on components of the original "make Mine Marvel" which will appear on "Villainaire". The B-Side, "White Mane," was a song initially intended and recorded for the album, but which will be exclusively here instead. "White Mane" is, in fragmentary and impressionistic fashion, about the American film actor Robert Blake, both in his own recent life and in terms of his relationship to certain past roles. Tomlab-104V 45 $5.40 Denny, Sandy S-T PS, US Perhaps the greatest British folk singer of all time, she first came to prominence in the quintessential British folk band, the Fairport Convention. Her singing and songwriting took the band to unimaginable heights and proved her to be a true talent of the last century. After leaving Fairport in 1970, she continued to produce solo work. Sandy, released in 1972, is her second post-Fairport release and her pre-eminent solo effort. Featuring two bonus tracks from the soundtrack of the movie Pass Of Arms." 180 gram virgin vinyl. VinylLovers LP $28.00 Differnet Collapsing Universe PS, SWEDEN "Differnet's 2007 album finds the Swedish quartet again grappling with compositions that don't quite comfortably fit into any obvious form of popular music-crackling sounds of insects and general everyday noise meshes with slow cascades of synth strings and an extremely slow, deliberate rhythm before suddenly breaking into a vocal and drums break that could be a nervous soundtrack to a car chase. And this is all on the first song "Pattern of Parklands," which still doesn't describe everything in the piece-without specifically pushing sonic boundaries Differnet here again demonstrate more of the possibilities to be found in flowing collages of styles that reincorporate familiar rock, dance and other moves into a more modern approach." - Ned Raggett, All Music Guide. "They're almost like a Friendly Noise version of the Knife, but more personal. Includes a killer cover of Eurhythmics' 'Savage!'" - Other Music, NYC Influences: Throbbing Gristle, Franz Schubert, Cocteau Twins, Oval, Pet Shop Boys, Bernard Parmegiani, Einstuerzende Neubauten, New Order, Wire, Pierre Henry, Propaganda, Durutti Column... TRACK LIST: 1. Patterns of Parklands 2. Caring Arms 3. Savage 4. Prediction and Event 5. Survival Kit 6. Electricity (is Not What it Used to Be) 7. Stadium 8. A Fairy Tale FriendlyNoise-050 CD $13.50 Dirtbombs, The We Have You Surrounded PS, US InTheRed CD $14.25 DJ Donna Summer Panther Tracks PS, UK He's back! It's been 2 years since Jason Forrest released his last full-length album, and 5 years since he's released as Donna Summer. So now he's back, this time with the slightly different moniker (DJ Donna Summer) and his first release for his own Cock Rock Disco label. Just as "Shamelessly Exciting" was a record that mixed different genres into a new mash of sampled sounds, "Panther Tracks" is a record comprised of different styles of dance music made solely with the intention to get people moving! From Booty to Breakcore, Happy Hardcore to Hardstyle, Techno to B'more Club Music, Forrest has it in there! Initially begun as a sort of remix record, "Panther Tracks" builds heavily on a variety of sampled heroes. One can hear Dj Chip and Dj Technics form the skeleton of more booty oriented tracks like "Peepers" and "Boomshakalaka". While some live recordings (on cassette) of old-school Uk Breakbeat Rave festivals by DJ Slipmat, Ratpack, and Ellis D are reconstructed to make new Breakcore styled dance tracks. Traces of Hardstyle, Techno and a whole lot of Breakcore yield such gems as "Party People", "Get Down" and "Rock Rock Rock". No style too hard or too cheesy to learn from, "Panther Tracks" is like the ultimate Rave; it's fun, slightly crazy, and will keep you dancing all night long. CockRockDisco-018 CD $17.75 Dominique A Sur Nos Forces Motrices PS, SPAIN Four concerts were recorded and trawled through to pick out the best of the best: those moments when the group played perfectly, captivated by and focused on the music; when it played at its best without sacrificing the level of energy that simply makes a concert; when they struck that perfect balance between the brutal, wild side, when the group really puts its foot down, and the subtlety of, at times sophisticated, arrangements, accompanied by brass and keyboards. Yes, but is it a "greatest hit" or not? Let's say it sounds like one massively, but Dominique clearly isn't making it a question of principle. For Dominique, a live version must enhance or surpass the original version. In that respect, we can be reassured. Dominique and his group have come up with a bunch of new ideas. Meaning that this album sweeps through the guy's entire career. No album is forgotten - some songs even sprout new limbs, like L'Amour, squarely presented as an overture. The pillars of his work are all here. Le courage des oiseaux, so often reinvented, has been turned here into rock-funk; La mémoire neuve, Pour la peau, Antonia are al included. The nostalgic side of Dominique A, which he could hardly convey through silence, comes out in Tout sera comme avant and Music hall. Less well known, Le commerce de l'eau and the very rare Empty white blues captivate. Lastly, as a bonus free gift, two unpublished titles have been concocted: Revoir les choses and the highly literary and deeply moving Marina. So there you have it, a new disc from Dominique A boasting no fewer than fifteen titles. A fully rounded disc that should appeal beyond his audience of fans, so much does he go beyond the famous distinction of new "chanson française" to serve up a platter of songs that are simply superb, with singing that is at times soothing and absorbing, rustled up by a top-flight quartet of musicians. It's the precise moment and the ideal way to discover or rediscover the artist that is Dominique A. GreenUFOs-033 CD $17.25 Envy Compiled Fragments 1997-2003 PS, US Celebrating the release of their incendiary new EP, "Abyssal", and in conjunction with their forthcoming North American tour, TEMPORARY RESIDENCE LIMITED is proud to re-introduce the lion's share of ENVY'S colossal back catalog. Along with their second and third albums - "All the Footprints You've Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead" and "A Dead Sinking Story", respectively - we are happy to finally bring you "Compiled Fragments 1997-2003". This collection of singles, rare tracks and unreleased gems maps Envy's storied transformation from pioneering spastic hardcore to masters of exquisite, triumphant doom. Originally released in 2003 on the group's own SONZAI RECORDS in Japan, this album has never been available in North America, and has never been previously released on vinyl. TemporaryResidenceLtd.-130 CD $9.00 Envy Compiled Fragments 1997-2003 PS, US Celebrating the release of their incendiary new EP, "Abyssal", and in conjunction with their forthcoming North American tour, TEMPORARY RESIDENCE LIMITED is proud to re-introduce the lion's share of ENVY'S colossal back catalog. Along with their second and third albums - "All the Footprints You've Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead" and "A Dead Sinking Story", respectively - we are happy to finally bring you "Compiled Fragments 1997-2003". This collection of singles, rare tracks and unreleased gems maps Envy's storied transformation from pioneering spastic hardcore to masters of exquisite, triumphant doom. Originally released in 2003 on the group's own SONZAI RECORDS in Japan, this album has never been available in North America, and has never been previously released on vinyl. TemporaryResidenceLtd.-130 DLP $14.25 Erickson, Roky & the Explosives Halloween: Live 1979-1981 PS, US Live stuff from a key period for this Texan psych guitar great. Steadyboy CD $15.75 Exillon It's Ok To Dance PS, GERMANY Exillon brings acid to IDM, speeds things up several notch, and bombs the dance floor with a high energy album of catchy twisted club tunes. Tapping on his high production skills, "It's OK to Dance" brings back life to twisted beats and complex rhythms and does it all with a smile. It's OK to take the acid test, and certainly impossible to resist. In 2006, Exillon had helped bear the grief of IDM with "The Keening Dithers", an album which brilliantly closed chapters both for this musician and for the kind of music he had been known for. Two years later, the keening has dithered for good, and Jay Fields (Exillon) has taken his art from the moody, glitchy and modest waters of his past electronica to more daring, club-oriented and uplifting ones. It might have to do with Jay Field's relocation to San Francisco, with a more energetic, dance floor-friendly trend in electronic music or just with the evolution of an artist per se; "It's OK To Dance" is a CD in which the clear, sharp and flowing sounds that Exillon has been using since his Debut in the early 200os get mixed and mashed in a lively, bouncy way. A party album for raving robots, this album is the meeting point of Exillon's hi-fi sounds and production and a deliciously retro, 90's acid sensibility. Not satisfied with just reviving the acid sound (something which has been done by many, without much soul or innovation), Exillon makes this sound his, and draws from his experience as a beat & tone trickster to bake a whole new recipe altogether. Mixing the best of both worlds, Jay Fields reclaims the dance floor, and manages to entertain his audience without insulting the brain (something which over the year has almost become an Ad Noiseam motto). Good trip guaranteed and yes, it is really OK to dance. AdNoiseam-086 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 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 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 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 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 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 Fern Knight Music For Witches & Alchemists PS, US This is a dark & beguiling collection of neo-psychedelic songs. Beautifully recorded at Hexham Head by ESPERS' Greg Weeks, the songs are cast in rich, detailed arrangements feat. Alec K. Redfearn, GREG WEEKS, JESSE SPARHAWK on harp, Otto Hauser (Espers, Devendra Banhart, Vetiver) & other Philadelphia-area luminaries contributing to the sweeping sound. Numbered edition of 800 copies - beautifully screenprinted jackets. Eclipse DLP $18.25 Flowers Forever S-T PS, US VINYL VERSION!!! TeamLove LP $14.00 Flowers Forever S-T PS, US This is a project Derek Pressnall started in early 2007 after having a mental breakdown / woke up bored / saw the future / turned off the lights / lost faith in humanity / went dancing / fell in love / buried some friends / watched the news / gave up. Inspired by late 80's / early 90's punk, the B-52's, David Hockney, Lou Reed, dumb conversations, bike rides, & all other normal things, he wrote a bunch of songs. TeamLove CD $12.50 Gate 9 Moon Ranger Gone Evil PS, US Slow & low cosmic doom from Norway for fans of Spirit Caravan & Sons Of Otis. The power trio's demo received great reviews from StonerRock.com & Daredevil Magazine. This debut full-length will further their reputation in the world of doom. Underdogma CD $10.00 Genghis Tron Board Up The House PS, US This enigmatic trio weave an ocean-sized orchestra from just a few instruments & machines. Giant riffs & frenetic beats make perfect sense next to haunting vocal melodies & moments of subtle beauty. Relapse CD $13.25 Goldfrapp A&E PS, US 1st single from the long-awaited follow up to "Supernature". Mute CD5 $4.75 Goldstoned I Was A Teenage Pop Addict PS, JAPAN I Was a Teenaged Pop Addict is a perfect name for this 60's soul/80's disco/upbeat bossa-nova album by Goldstoned. On LP3, a compilation of previous recordings on Quince, there were just a few songs with an upbeat pop content, but Pop Addict features 100% of songs that will make you happy and dance! The references here are: The Style Council, Elvis Costello, Edwin Moses and Orange Juice. Quince-10 CD $13.50 Goldstoned Ready Steady Goldstoned PS, JAPAN A compilation album from Berlin-based Goldstoned, featuring new and previously unreleased songs, and a 4-song EP (Firestation Records). Released exclusively on Quince, Ready Steady Goldstoned reveals influences of 70's rock and soul, mod, retro-film soundtrack, psychedelic, lounge, and boss nova, with traces of Beatles, Beach Boys, and Style Council. Quince-03 CD $13.50 Gone Epic Trilogy PS, US This is the band's 10th album in more than 20 yrs. It hits the ground running in true GREG GINN fashion, blending heavy guitar w/ funky, jazz infused chords & an edgy, surfer punk vibe. The driving repetition is almost hypnotic, but then, dramatically, it cuts to a groove that puts the FU in funk. Feat. HR on vocals. SST CD $16.00 Gown For the Maples PS, US Gown (aka Andrew MacGregor & 1/2 of the BARK HAZE w/Thurston Moore) went into the studio w/the SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN gang to melt some audio consoles. This represents a portion of that recorded output & believe us, it's some massive stuff. Sunburned's thick funk presents the perfect background for Gown's shredding guitar play. Extremely hot stuff. LIMITED TO 639 w/a limited CD. ThreeLobedRecordings LP $22.00 Grand Archives S-T PS, US While Seattle is famous for many things, sunlight isn't one of them. Yet illumination and warmth suffuse the self-titled debut from this Emerald City quintet. Dark times do not necessarily call for dark music. While singer/ guitarist Mat Brooke's previous ensembles (Band Of Horses, Carissa's Wierd) often shied away from light, he's changed direction with this band. Like the timeless classics of The Mamas & The Papas or The Turtles, it responds to the turbulent times of its genesis with hope, high spirits, and a sense of camaraderie. Subpop CD $12.50 Grand Archives S-T PS, US VINYL VERSION!!! Subpop LP $12.50 Grey Daturas Owly Claw Hammer PS, US You can hear this trio feeling each other a year ago, as these A & B sides spin in '08 in your living room: a triad w/ cleared heads & no preconception, speaking to each other w/ demonic waves, while not once looking at the other's eyes or hands nor saying a word. Maybe something should be said about what it sounds like. Shit. "Having a half-hour orgasm right before a natural disaster's about to kill you, while an early Celtic Frost instrumental 7-inch plays at 16rpm?" EmperorJones-080 LP $16.00 Grimund, Dominique Les Quatres Directions PS, US He's a hidden treasure of france's psych, free rock, electronic & jazz improv scenes. As a founding member of the legendary psych / krautrock inspired french act Camizole (1970-78) to his equally celebrated no wave/new wave duo Video-Aventures (1978) whose groundbreaking music has been viewed as a precursor to the sound of Stereolab. Here he reemerges w/ a whirlwind mind altering long form microgroove composition of grand proportions that hearkens back to the expanded audio visoneering & spiritualism of 60s electronic music luminaries from Stockhausen to Ramon Sender. LIMITED! Locust CD $13.00 Growing Lateral PS, US "Lateral'" finds the band reflecting on their past two (may we add highly underrated) albums while gazing to the future with newfound rhythmic motifs and otherworldly heights to their sound sculptures. The textures are warm and inviting, tempting the listener to focus on stunning minimalist changes within GROWING'S dense aural fog. TheSocialRegistry-064 12 $10.25 Growing Lateral PS, US "Lateral'" finds the band reflecting on their past two (may we add highly underrated) albums while gazing to the future with newfound rhythmic motifs and otherworldly heights to their sound sculptures. The textures are warm and inviting, tempting the listener to focus on stunning minimalist changes within GROWING'S dense aural fog. TheSocialRegistry-064 CD5 $7.50 Harmony Rockets Paralyzed Mind of the Archangel Void [re-issue] PS, US Re-issue of Mercury Rev side-project's 1995 debut. ALL MUSIC GUIDE: "The brain-searing Paralyzed Mind of the Archangel Void is a trip into the furthest reaches of sound, a complete immersion into space noise and melodic chaos. Comprised of a single, 42-minute live performance piece, the Harmony Rockets' guise allows Mercury Rev the opportunity to push their music to its breaking point; instead of the ear-splitting avant freak-out one might have expected, however, the disc seems to exist in slow motion, characterized by ominous waves of sound. Guitars drone, trumpets throb, and Jonathan Donahue's vocals float in and out of the mix like random messages intercepted from another galaxy; the cumulative effect is an amazing distortion of the time-space continuum, a shape-shifting aural world almost alien in its dementia." ExcelsiorMelodies CD $19.00 Headlights Some Racing, Some Stopping PS, US Their sophomore follow-up to "Kill Them With Kindness". Based around acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, drums, and other instrumentation, this record combines the pop sensibilities of previous efforts with a more restrained approach to songcraft that results in a clearer, concise musical vision. Original artwork by Parasol Pal Elzie Sexton (New Ruins). Polyvinyl CD $12.00 Headlights Some Racing, Some Stopping PS, US VINYL VERSION!!! Polyvinyl LP $12.00 Higgs, Daniel Plays the Mirror of the Apocalypse and Other Songs PS, US CD version of a previously released limited cassette. Lengthy droning ragas, that drift hypnotically from deconstructed Appalachia to John Cale like slow-shifting skree (joined on those tracks by violin), to moody melancholy crawls, to thick serpentine swirls of snake charmer melody & reverberating steel string shimmer. Raw & lo-fi for sure, but so darkly emotional, & dreamily hypnotic. OpenMouth CD $11.50 Hitchcock, Robin Shadow Cat PS, UK Robyn Hitchcock has taken time out from working with The Venus 3 (which features various members of REM) and John Paul Jones (who has been busy with his former band Led Zeppelin lately...) to compile an exclusive album, Shadow Cat, for London's premier oddball label Sartorial Records. This collection of previously unreleased material from the Hitchcock vaults dates from 1993-99, providing the missing link between The Egyptians on A&M and the Warner Bros years. Shadow Cat itself features Moris Tepper, mainstay of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, on lead acoustic guitar, and all tracks are Hitchcock originals, but for the Hendrix cover "The Wind Cries Mary" (on which Sartorial boss Terry Edwards plays Hammond organ). Aside from Edwards making a further appearance on "Never Have To See You Again", Robyn performs all instruments & vocals. From the concise opening cut, For Debbie Reynolds, to the concluding title track, the quality of the songwriting & performance shines through - "out-take" albums are all too often cobbled together from unreleased (unrealizable!) material. Not so here. These 14 tracks were whittled down from around 30 contenders, carefully edited & remastered to create a cohesive album - even to the point of sequencing the songs as two sides, despite it not being manufactured on vinyl. Essential for those who have followed Robyn from his early days in The Soft Boys (with Kimberley Rew, Morris Windsor and Andy Metcalfe) to his work with film director Jonathan Demme and beyond, this release also serves as a fine introduction to the work of one of Englands most treasured songwriters. Enjoy! Track listing SIDE 1: 1 For Debbie Reynolds, 2 Never Have To See You Again, 3 Love Affair, 4 The Wind Cries Mary, 5 High On Yourself, 6 Because You're Over, 7 The Cat Walks Her Kind Of Line. SIDE 2: 8 Statue With A Walkman, 9 The Green Boy, 10 Real Dot, 11 Nothing But Time, 12 Beautiful Shock, 13 Baby-Doll, 14 Shadow Cat. Satorial-030 CD $17.75 Instant Orange S-T PS, GERMANY Besides home to the Hell's Angels, farmers and citrus grooves, San Bernardino, California was also where Instant Orange lived and released their first single in 1968. Terry Walters, Randy Lanier and Lynn McCurdy are Instant Orange with the help of Joe Bianchi and Bob Lautz. The band forged ahead and released another single (1973), album (1973) and two 10" EPs (1974 and 1975). All of their releases were small pressings of 100 copies and to this day, Instant Orange remains virtually unknown. Their homemade sound is a refreshing reflection of the West Coast folk-rock influences that were so prevalent during the '60s and early '70s. All original tracks with inspiration from bands like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Love, Sandy Bull and others. Songs full of electric and acoustic guitars with nice doses of McGuinnesque 12-string riffing as well as many unexpected surprises (antiquated electronic effects, rambling rural explorations, long jams, experimental moves, stoner banter and other weirdness between songs, caveman fuzz, etc.). A solid listen with enough original imagination to keep it interesting without the band creating an identity crisis by trying too hard to be something other than themselves. Grab this before it becomes elusive like some of San Bernardino's motorcycle riding inhabitants. Shadoks-091 CD $16.25 Jennifer Gentle & Makoto Kawabata Wrong Cage PS, ITALY ALL MUSIC GUIDE: "Besides leading his main band, Acid Mothers Temple, and plenty of other side projects, Makoto Kawabata has carried out a number of collaborations over the years; this one, taken from a live show in Italy in May 2002, finds him with the young psych act Jennifer Gentle. In many ways it's very much Jennifer Gentle's show -- of the three songs on the short release, the two that take up the most time are extended versions of tracks from their first two albums. "Bring Them," originally from I Am You Are, makes for a full-on neo-stoner masterpiece." ASIlentPlace CD $16.75 Joy Division Let The Movie Begin PS, US Deluxe packaging, gatefold sleeves w/ pvc protective covers & 180gm vinyl. Ltd. to 1000 copies worldwide & contains extremely rare audio interviews w/ all members of Joy Division,some of which have never seen the light of day, plus spoken word contribution on 1 number from Martin Hannett along w/ superb & very rare live performance. Ozit DLP $25.00 Kula Shaker Strangefolk [expanded] PS, US New album from British psych-o-nauts, aging gracefully. CookingVinyl CD $15.75 Laven & MSO Reach PS, GERMANY Laven & MSO, the two producers from Frankfurt, put so much pop appeal into the vocal mix of "Reach" (feat. Malte) that colleagues like Fischerspooner should prepare themselves: the whole gorgeous ten minutes of this track have enough power to atomize every nightclub into dust. On the flip is a killer old school acid instrumental. KlangElektronik 12 $9.50 Le Mans Rebel Action PS, SPAIN New album from Spanish dream-poppers. Locomotive CD $16.25 Little Annie & Paul Wallfisch When Good Things Happen To Bad Pianos PS, US She returns, fresh from the success of Songs From the Coalmine Canary, w/ a more introspective album of cover versions. They have recorded a batch of their favorite songs, rearranged in a duo setting. DurtroJnana CD $16.00 L'Ocelle Mare S-T PS, US The solo project from Thomas Bonvalet, guitarist from CHEVAL DE FRISE. His musical approach reminds us of John Fahey and/or David Grubbs. Recorded in different deserted French places in July 2006, you can hear the silence in a ruined stable and bats in obscurity. Sickroom-048 CD $12.50 Louis XIV Slick Dogs and Ponies [Bonus CD] PS, US VINYL VERSION!!! ATL LP $14.50 Louris, Gary Vagabonds PS, US Through his two-decade stint as singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of The Jayhawks and as a member of alt-supergroup Golden Smog, Gary Louris has built a deeply compelling body of music whose artistry and integrity has earned him a loyal audience and the respect of critics and his peers. With his solo debut, Vagabonds, Louris steps out to deliver some of his most evocative and personal music yet with the aid of Black Crowes frontman and longtime fan, Chris Robinson, who produced the album's organically soulful performances. Rykodisc CD $16.00 Lowe, Nick Jesus of Cool [Bonus Tracks] (Digipack Packaging) PS, US Reissue of his classic first solo record. Pop record making at it's finest. A must own! YepRocRecords CD $15.50 Magnet #78 PS, US AGAINST ME! on cover, interviewed by indie darling BEN LEE. 2007 The Year in Music: top 20 albums and 10 best records you didn't hear, features on Black Mountain, Mark Lanegan, Helio Sequence & more! ZINE $3.00 Martha & The Vandellas Dance Party PS, US One of the top "girl groups" of all time, they dominated the female side of Motown of the mid 60s & made top ten hits into creations like "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave", "Nowhere To Run", "Honey Chile" & their anthem "Dancing In The Street". This classic '65 release is one of their best full lengths; not only does it feat. the hits, it's also packed w/ Motown dance standards of the day like "Mickey's Monkey", "Hitch Hike" & "The Jerk." Lilith LP $21.50 Martial Canterel Refuge Underneath PS, US Martial Canterel's first full-length CD release entitled 'Refuge Underneath', a compilation of the artist's first two long-deleted self-released cassette tapes as well as 5 previously unreleased tracks, all digitally re-mastered. Martial Canterel records and performs using only vintage analogue synthesizers and sequencers, producing a highly-crafted, complex, and idiosyncratic form of electronic music that is simultaneously romantically melancholic and affirmatively aggressive. Inspired both by the first wave of relatively unknown minimal electronic bands in Northern Europe and the seminal industrial noise bands such as Throbbing Gristle, SPK, and Cabaret Voltaire. Weird-003 CD $10.00 Maus, John Love Is Real PS, US Better known as a collaborator with ANIMAL COLLECTIVE'S PANDA BEAR and ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI, Maus is an idiosyncratic pop genius. UpsettheRhythm-015 CD $14.25 May or May Not Kaledioscope of Egos PS, US A significant evolution from their first album, skipping around genres like a furious record collector (or digital music pirate, yarr!). Whether it's the psychedelic reminiscing sing-along "Do The Disaster" or the winding, prog-tinged anthem "Lavender Shell" the band's confidence to mine from the past is clear, but all with a fresh outlook for the future. First single "Boots" rides Aaron Brink's atmospheric guitar hooks & the thunderous, double-time drumming of Mike Brunette all the way through the assured singing of Amelia Styer, who shares vocals throughout Kaleidoscope with Maxwell & Reidell. TwoThumbsDown-023 CD $8.50 Megafaun Bury the Square PS, US From the vibrant Southern quasi-capital of Durham emerge MEGAFAUN, wearing earnestness across the chest and abstraction along the sleeves. They pour forth dulcet harmonies, as seeking vocals tug banjo lines up the Appalachian mountains; redemptive noise soaks everything, like thick air wafting from the Atlantic. Clawhammer banjo and strummed acoustics lock and roll with electric guitars and electronic textures. They realize that folk implies deep, personal, intense expression, whether the instrument is a parlor piano with the lid thrown back or a distortion pedal with the case cracked loose. In this band, orthodoxy and unorthodoxy flow together as one. TableoftheElements-815 CD $13.00 Metric Live at Metropolis PS, CANADA Canadian synth-rock superstars live in Montreal in 2006 on their "Live It Out" tour plus videos for 3 singles. Emily Haines and the entire Metric posse are releasing a new concert DVD from their Live It Out tour. The DVD captures the band jamming out at their Fall 2006 Montreal stop on their Live It Out Tour. Live at the Metropolis also includes the videos for three Live It Out singles: "Monster Hospital", "Poster of a Girl", and "Empty". LastGang DVD $14.50 Mexico 70 Thirty Five Whirlpools PS, US "Thirty Five Whirlpools Below Sound" Latest from long-running, rugged Britpop shining stars. Ranges from pop gems reminiscent of Elvis Costello to more philosophical fare including trademark jangly, Byrdsy guitar & witty, imaginitive lyrics. ToucanCove CD $14.50 Moffat, Aiden John I Can Hear Your Heart PS, UK New solo album from Arab Strap frontman, warning: explicit content! AVERSION: "t should come as no surprise that the onetime Arab Strap singer's first solo album, a spoken-word poetry/prose affair that's usually accompanied by incidental music or other sound effects, is laden in tales of cheating lovers, sexual experimentation and soaked in booze. It might come as a surprise, though, to find out Moffat was holding back with Arab Strap, avoiding the stickiest situations, the dirtiest references and the most damning confessions that come forth in this semi-autobiographical audio tome." ChemikalUnderground CD $15.75 Mojack Under the Willow Tree PS, US Greg Ginn's latest release w/ his funk rock band is full of twists & turns. 10 yrs in the waiting, this picks up where Home Brew left it hanging. SST CD $14.00 Mojo #172 (March 2008) [Magazine + CD] PS, UK ZINE $10.00 Monade Monstre Cosmique PS, UK New album from Stereolab chantuese Laetitia Sadier's Monade! PITCHFORK: "Stereolab singer/lyricist Laetitia Sadier here takes a slightly more elegant take on her day job's search to find the pop in the avant-garde." TooPure/Beggars CD $15.00 Mould, Bob District Line PS, US VINYL VERSION!!! Anti LP $15.50 Mould, Bob District Line PS, US Guitarist/singer/songwriter Mould returns to form as a solo artist on his Anti debut. "District Line" combines the fire of his earliest work in Husker Du, the accessibility of his alternative rock, genre-defining trio Sugar, and the introspection found in his solo releases. He describes it as "stories of my simple life in a complicated town", that being his adopted city of Washington, DC. Working with Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, Mould has returned to the live band sound of Husker Du and Sugar to kick out ten songs that sound as youthful, energized, and immediate as anything he has ever recorded. Anti CD $15.50 Mountain Goats Heretic Pride PS, US The Mountain Goats have recorded four fine albums that have established them as a genuine cult phenomenon and confirmed John Darnielle's status as one of the finest lyricists of his generation. "Heretic Pride" is a suite of songs about mythical creatures, imaginary cults, slasher films, and pulp fiction novelists. Here, Darnielle has also come up with some of the most anthemic, impassioned, and downright catchy songs of his career. "It's rare to come across such specific and purposeful prose in modern pop. But, alongside Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and the Decemberists' Colin Meloy, John Darnielle is helping bring fine lyric writing back to life" - NY Daily News. 4AD CD $13.25 Mountain Goats Heretic Pride PS, US VINYL VERSION!!! 4AD LP $14.00 Mountain High Wicked Wanderer PS, US They fit somewhere on the continuum between groups like Amon Duul II, the Pink Fairies & Tony McPhee's Grounhogs. Sort of proto-punk & grittier than most psych, & somewhat blues-rooted, though altogether their own thing, w/ mini-anthems & non-sequitor tributes to Punky Brewster & Yankee pitcher Mel Stottlemyre. M.H. seem to really not care much about current musical trends, what's hot & so forth, rather they just lay down some of the sweatiest grooves happening. Prepare to have this stuck on your headphones for a month straight . HotDogCity-018 CD $9.00 Mr. Thing Strange Breaks & Mr. Thing PS, US World champion DJ Mr. Thing mixes a collection of vintage 60's & 70's funk. The collection features a connoisseur's selection of extremely rare breaks mixed w/ style & precision. Rare & sought after never before compiled tracks spanning from soul, disco, jazz, funk, folk & soft rock. BBE-096 DCD $16.75 Mt. St. Helens Of Others PS, US A more refined & concise version of their compelling, guitar driven sound. Of Others draws from influences as diverse as Unwound, Shudder to Think, Ride and Boards of Canada but the result is far from derivative. Guitar player Michael Sprague has constructed a cadre of masterfully spare guitar leads that are at once striking & hypnotic. Guitarist/vocalist Quinn Goodwillie's (also of acclaimed local group Sleep Out) voice has increased in range & fortitude and is greatly bolstered by the stalwart rhythm section of Jason Sprague (bass) & Ben Geier (drums). TwoThumbsDown-022 CD $8.50 Mudhoney Live Mud PS, US REPRESSED!! LIMITED! Recorded in Mexico City on Pearl Jam's mobile recording unit in 2005, this is a very limited live LP capturing the Godfathers of Fudge playing their classics, old & new-ish. Incl. a coupon to download all the tracks in a glorious bitrate of 192! FOR FREE! Get 'em while they're hot gang. Subpop LP $12.00 Mumlers Thickets & Stitches PS, US This is a portrait of a young band in love w/ music, exploring the various textures of the rock genre & creating something satisfyingly original. There are crowdpleasing mid-tempo rockers, mesmerizing ballads, call-and-response soul stompers & songs that defy easy categorization. Galaxia-029 CD $14.25 Neptune Gong Lake PS, US Behold: NEPTUNE, the most harrowingly original band on this planet - or the next. Its three members are, in turn, musicians, sculptors, scientists, blacksmiths, electricians, and industrial machinists; relentlessly inventive, possibly sane. Together, they construct all of their instruments, forging guitars and drums out of circular saw blades, gas tanks, oil drums, bike parts, VCR casings, and miscellany from the trash. Electronics, and even cords, are homemade as well. The combined effect is a bizarre, post-apocalyptic mélange of steel, iron, wire, rust, rivet, knob, and cable; it's lunacy, arc-welded for maximum destruction. Concerts are seizures of motion. Wearing 40-pound guitars assembled entirely from scrap metal, the members don't play their instruments - they battle them, like mechanized golems. But make no mistake, this is not simply art with sharp edges and serious customs issues. Neptune rocks. Hard. Recalling the slapdash angularity of The Fall, the rhythmic ack-ack blasts of This Heat, and the sheer proto-clangor of Einstuerzende Neubauten, they count as one of the best experimental rock bands of any era. Their dynamic, expertly wrought songs and skilled improvisations don't start; they explode. "Gong Lake" is the band's first unlimited CD release, and with it the world will discover what fans of their live shows have known for years: Neptune is otherworldly. TableoftheElements-811 LP $14.25 Neptune Gong Lake PS, US Behold: NEPTUNE, the most harrowingly original band on this planet - or the next. Its three members are, in turn, musicians, sculptors, scientists, blacksmiths, electricians, and industrial machinists; relentlessly inventive, possibly sane. Together, they construct all of their instruments, forging guitars and drums out of circular saw blades, gas tanks, oil drums, bike parts, VCR casings, and miscellany from the trash. Electronics, and even cords, are homemade as well. The combined effect is a bizarre, post-apocalyptic mélange of steel, iron, wire, rust, rivet, knob, and cable; it's lunacy, arc-welded for maximum destruction. Concerts are seizures of motion. Wearing 40-pound guitars assembled entirely from scrap metal, the members don't play their instruments - they battle them, like mechanized golems. But make no mistake, this is not simply art with sharp edges and serious customs issues. Neptune rocks. Hard. Recalling the slapdash angularity of The Fall, the rhythmic ack-ack blasts of This Heat, and the sheer proto-clangor of Einstuerzende Neubauten, they count as one of the best experimental rock bands of any era. Their dynamic, expertly wrought songs and skilled improvisations don't start; they explode. "Gong Lake" is the band's first unlimited CD release, and with it the world will discover what fans of their live shows have known for years: Neptune is otherworldly. TableoftheElements-811 CD $13.00 No Depression #74 PS, US STRING THEORY, today's neo-traditionalists redefine their music. A new generation of string bands explores the past, present, & future of American music. Plus features on Daniel Lanois, Gary Louris, Kathleen Edwards, Jim White, & more. Plus all the other usual great stuff you've come to expect from No Depression. ZINE $5.00 No Kids Come Into My House PS, US "Come Into My House" is the first release by Vancouver, Canada trio NO KIDS, which is comprised of three-quarters of the critically revered pop band P:ANO. "Come Into My House" achieves an unexpected cohesiveness despite the wide range of musical styles over its 12 tracks. Golden era Hollywood musicals, Jam & Lewis-inspired production techniques, the icy displacement of contemporary R'n'B, and the breadth of Arthur Russell's, disco, pop, and avant garde compositional work are referenced and married together by novelistic narrative strains, a lush instrumental palette, and a cinematic atmosphere. Tomlab-108 CD $12.25 Notorious Hi-Fi Killers Which Side Are You On? PS, UK Rocket Recordings are proud to announce the release of Which Side Are You On?, the debut album by Southeast London 3-piece The Notorious Hi-Fi Killers. Which Side Are You On? presents the trio's distinctive take on loud, throttling noise rock blended with manic psychedelia, taking the listener on a journey through ferocious 4-track blasts, analog tape space rock and intuitive heavy blues. This is the sound of a primal rock and roll band at their most uncompromising and dirtiest. From the one and a half minute biker-punk anthem of 'Queen O' Fuck' through the fuzzed-up blues of the Freddie King classic 'Going Down' to the 18 minutes of psychedelic bliss of 'Near The Final Destination' which crumbles into a mantra of noise, drones and horns, with the added assistance of Alexander Tucker, Duke Garwood and members of Part Chimp. The Notorious Hi-Fi Killers have been a common sight on the stages in their hometown of London and various dimly-lit warehouses across the country, playing alongside bands like The Heads, Lords, Parts and Labour, Shit & Shine and White Hills. RocketRecordings CD $17.00 Paint It Black New Lexicon PS, US This marks their 1st recording w/new drummer Jared Shavelson (Hope Conspiracy, None More Black) & boasts guest vocals from Jeff Pezatti (NAKED RAYGUN). Still, many of the best surprises occur behind the scenes. Rather than straining to re-create "lo-fi" in a studio, this rings in an aggressive clarity. JadeTree CD $13.25 Panther 14 Kt. God PS, US Two-headed effort of Charlie Salas-Humara (THE PLANET THE) on vocals, cello, guitar, & keys & Joe Kelly (31 KNOTS) on drums. Think Ian Curtis' convulsive intensity & James Browns spastic swagger & you still won't have PANTHER, but a sense of what-the-fuckness that all of them seem to call up. KillRockStars CD $13.00 Park, Patrick Everyone's in Everyone (Digipak Packaging) PS, US The previous albums by Colorado-born, Los Angeles-based neo-folkie singer/songwriter Patrick Park have been promising but spotty, but coming nearly four years after 2003's Loneliness Knows My Name, the far more self-assured Everyone's in Everyone is a big step forward. Opening with the immediately engaging solo voice and guitar tune "Life Is a Song," Everyone's in Everyone moves from strength to strength. Highlights include the genuinely great "Here We Are," a propulsive country-rocker in the vintage '70s Laurel Canyon style that features a strong, memorable chorus, and the moodier, mysterious "Saint with a Fever," which mines territory closer to vintage Richard Thompson. There isn't a single duff track on this concise 11-song album, which seems destined to put Park alongside Josh Ritter and Josh Rouse in the top tier of American folk-rock singer/songwriters. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide Curb Appeal CRBA5.2 CD $13.65 Parsons, Gram Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel (Digipack Packaging) PS, US Awesomeness. You should own this DVD just to be graced by Hillman's superb 'Tache. Rhino DVD $17.50 Peculiar, Vinny Goodbye My Angry Friend PS, UK There are times you can hear Nick Cave and Johnny Cash in these power pop meets kitchen sink drama songs but a better comparison might be Stephen Duffy for the romance-against-the-odds, me-against-the-world, railing-against-the-dying-of-the-light feeling of this record." Manchester song-writing maverick, performance poet and Smiths associate Vinny Peculiar has cultivated an alternative music career spanning the past 10 years collaborating with a diverse range of artists from Bill Drummond to Bonehead. 'Goodbye My Angry Friend', his 7th studio album, is an ambitious, vengeful, tuneful and intriguing collection of songs. Produced by sonic magpie Tim Browne it fuses influences that are, to many a pop music connoisseur, poles apart...from Nick Cave to The Darkness...from Johnny Cash to Queen. Here is a record that, for better or worse, plays by its own rules. The opening salvo reflects upon the death of the Vinny Peculiar alter ego whilst 'Kiss Me [I'm a Social Worker]' reeks of abuse and mistrust. 'Seasonal Affective Disorder' is a tenderly affecting paean of mood disorder and melody. 'Lazy Bohemians' portrays and gently dismembers a world of would be revolutionary misfits...a world in which Vinny stars as idler in chief. From garage band symphonies to rock and roll nursery rhymes here is a record of audacious musicality from an artist not simply content to sit on the edge. Vinny Peculiar is prepared to jump. Pronoia-007 CD $17.75 Pegasuses-XL Antiphon PS, US Mark Dale (Disband), Jeff Tobias (We Versus the Shark, Dark Meat), Joel Hatstat (Cinemechanica) & Jeff Rosenstock (Bomb the Music Industry, Arrogant Sons of Bitches) join forces based on their mutual admiration of bikes, coffee & books. Here they make music with whatever instruments they felt were appropriate, which is pretty much what you get when you mix those bands together anyway. Mostly keyboards & synths, the Antiphon is their response to questioning themselves. The music is everything they've ever done in life, crumpled up into 38 minutes of experimental/electronica/rock . ErnestJenning-037 CD $11.00 Planeta Imaginario Biomasa PS, US Planeta Imaginario are a creative and extraordinary 8 piece jazz-rock band that have emerged from the Catalan region of Spain. Founded in 1999 by keyboardist and leader Marc Capel, Planeta Imaginario originally performed psychedelic rock music but over time evolved into their present-day sound as the band grew in size and added musicians who added jazz and jazz-rock elements. Biomasa is their second album and with this release the band have a chance to have their music heard on a much wider basis. For fans of: Chick Corea's Spanish-tinged fusion works, Deus ex Machina, Gilgamesh, Pat Metheny, Soft Machine, Weather Report and Frank Zappa. Cuneiform CD $14.25 Racer, Kris Has A Banner Year PS, US As former frontman for Ohio pop-punkers Tagline, Kris Racer came to Chicago & left the rest of the band behind, opting to unplug & become an acoustic, solo act. But staying true to his punkier roots, Kris Racer is more Mike Ness than open mic. Racer's new EP continues to explore the themes of adolescence redux he covered on his debut. It's that time you reach in your mid-20s when you're still not sure what you're exactly supposed to do with your life; it's that stage in the game when you're caught thinking about whether jobs should turn into careers or if girlfriends should become wives. TwoThumbsDown-018 CD5 $5.00 Raveonettes, The Lust Lust Lust PS, US New album from Danish duo, can't wait! Coasting is the easy option. Having the balls to recognize that things aren't right and doing something about them is much harder. It may have taken The Raveonettes' Sune and Sharin a little while but they made the right decision in the end- both personally and creatively- and 'Lust, Lust, Lust' is where the two worlds collide. The songs cover the toughest decisions, the fondest of memories, the scariest of fears and the most tempting of desires all from the most personal viewpoint yet captured in The Raveonettes back-catalogue. Vice CD $14.00