EAR/Rational Update Week 13, 2008

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This week's CD update contains releases by:

23s, The * A Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-la-la Band * Aidan Smith * Anla Courtis/Seiichi Yamamoto/Yoshimi * Bardo Pond * Bixobal * Black and Whites * Brainville 3 (Daevid Allen, Hugh Hopper, Chris Cutler) * Chapin Sisters * Colleen Lovett * Demian * Dennis Oppenheim * Derek Joe Brockett * DJ Shadow * DJ Spooky * Doleful Lions * Dominique * Electric Pop Group, The * Eliot Lipp * Felicia Atkinson/Sylvain Chauveau * Incredible Vickers Brothers, The * J Dilla * John Cage * Keef Hartley Band * Khazad-doom * Kid Dakota * Magic Bubble * Magic I.D. * Marty Topp * Mellow Candle * Michael Maksymenko * Mikami Kan * Miners Of Banal, The * Mochipet * Mt. Wilson Repeater * Nikola Kodjabashia * Northern Portrait * Rainman * Retribution Gospel Choir * Richard Swift * Robert Rauschenberg * Simone White * Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin * Spectrum * Spiritual Family Reunion * Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer * Steve Peters * Sun Ra * Tape * Thee Oh Sees * Toshimaru Nakamura/English * Vajra * Vladislav Delay

[ F E A T U R E D   R E L E A S E S ]

Anla Courtis/Seiichi Yamamoto/Yoshimi - Live At Kanadian CD (Public Eyesore) [PECD110] $11.00
Argentina's ANLA COURTIS (REYNOLS) and Japan's SEIICHI YAMAMOTO (BOREDOMS, OMOIDE HATOBA) and YOSHIMI (Boredoms, OOIOO) team up for a four-track improvisation session at club Kanadian in Osaka. Microscopic texture fields, squealing guitar, organ-like drone pulses and wailing banshee from bangalorian-venus vocals make for this hypnotically out vertigo.

Various Artists - John Work III CD (Spring Fed) [SFR104] $16.25
A unique window into the fieldwork of PROFESSOR JOHN WESLEY WORK, III, this compilation brings forward the private collection of Work's field recordings, collected throughout the south in the late 1930s and early 1940s. A classically trained composer, Work still felt it vital to collect the folk expressions of the South's rural black communities. This collection gathers sacred harp singing, quartets, string bands, blues and gospel singing totaling fourteen tracks in one enlightening package. Extensive liner notes contributed by independent music scholar, BRUCE NEMEROV. This CD presents fourteen tracks of remastered field recordings, cleaned up for modern ears while retaining the life of the original recordings.

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23s, The - Bolivia CD (Karaoke Kalk) [KK043CD] $14.75
RELEASE DATE: 06-10-2008
Bolivia is the debut album by the Düsseldorf-based band, The 23s. With The 23s, Karaoke Kalk is putting forward yet another hitherto unknown project. And still the first notes already sound strangely familiar - not a familiarity that originates from a sound that you have heard a million times before but rather some sort of heimatgefühl (trans. "homeland feeling"), evoked by the free performing of music that embraces all its varieties in spite of depending on preconceived sound worlds.

A Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-la-la Band - 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons CD (Constellation) [CST51] $14.50
The music of the full band (two guitars, two violins, cello, contrebasse and drums) has grown louder, looser, full of spittle and tears. On 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons, riffs are the backbone more than ever. Anchored by new drummer ERIC CRAVEN (ex-HANGEDUP), the band works its slow build and burn with newfound patience, sinuousness and ferocity. Whether methodically framing walls of sound over the four-on-the-floor punk dirge of "1,000,000 Died To Make This Sound" or exploding in sheets of free noise and melody on "Black Waters Blowed," the band has never rocked harder and has never sounded more determined, desperate and driven

Aidan Smith - Allotments CD (Humble Soul) [HS202CD] $16.50
No description available at this time.

Bardo Pond - Bufo Alvarius, Amen 29:15 CD (Drunken Fish) [DF15] $12.00
No description available at this time.

Bixobal - Bixobal #3 Magazine (Beyond Da Booth) [BIXOBAL003] $3.25
No description available at this time.

Black and Whites - Black and Whites CD (Douchemaster) [DMR017] $11.00
Douchemaster is pleased to offer the debut album by Oxford, Mississippi's THE BLACK AND WHITES. Since the recordings that produced the first three Black and Whites singles, leader TALBOT ADAMS replaced a rotating cast of players with PREACHER'S KIDS member JOHNNY VALIANT on guitar and vocals and PAT McKEAGE of THE DUTCHMASTERS on drums. Talbot and Johnny split the songwriting duties on this record as well, and the result for the most part is a faster, wilder, Ramones-esque Black and Whites. You'll probably want a beer and a smoke before the end of the first song.

Brainville 3 (Daevid Allen, Hugh Hopper, Chris Cutler) - Trial By Headline CD (Recommended) [RERBV3-1] $16.50
No description available at this time.

Chapin Sisters - Lake Bottom CD (Plain) [PLAIN130] $13.25
LA's THE CHAPIN SISTERS (three actual sisters) wed lilting voices, dynamically complex vocal harmonies, and folk-influenced melodies to dark, wryly sarcastic lyrical content. Their words express heartbreak, love lost and disillusionment from different and unique angles, while their singing expresses an exultant celebration of life. The arrangements are sparse yet rich, showcasing the sisters' sophisticated vocal harmonies supported by ABIGAIL and LILY's subtle acoustic guitars and the occasional accent of bass, percussion, electric violin and singing saw. Produced by THOM MONAHAN (Devendra Banhart, Vetiver, The Pernice Brothers) and MIKE DALY.

Colleen Lovett - Birds With Broken Wings CD (Fallout) [FO2095CD] $16.00
Featured on the renowned Hippie Goddesses compilation, this soulful, nakedly honest singer-songwriter LP sets the breakdown of a relationship to strong tunes, lounge-funk backing and unusually candid lyrics. Texan-born Colleen Lovett had been recording since the 1950s, but didn't make this until 1974, at Hollywood's famed Gold Star Studios (where legendary sessions by Phil Spector, Jimi Hendrix, The Beach Boys and many others were also taped). The album makes its long-awaited CD debut here, complete with its original artwork and two bonus tracks from an ultra-rare 1966 45.

Demian - Demian CD (Fallout) [FO2094CD] $16.00
This lost hard-psych classic is in fact the second album by Texan psych legends Bubble Puppy, who'd changed their name for legal reasons. Recorded late at night at the celebrated Record Plant in Los Angeles, it's a stupendous blend of tough rock riffs, pop hooks, glorious melodies and biting psychedelic guitar, but was sorely under-promoted on its original release in 1971, causing the band to splinter the following year.

Derek Joe Brockett - Yon CD (Tract) [TR064] $10.25
From the bowels of Mexico...Yon is full of jazz fusion fuzz and acid rock meandering with a touch of the ol' Samhain incantations for good measure. If Ozzy could still speak or stand, he'd want DEREK JOE BROCKETT in his band.

DJ Shadow - Essential Mix CD (Bunghole Recordings) [ESSCD01] $17.00
DJ SHADOW's Essential Mix is a live BBC Radio broadcast showcasing his endless random rap crates blended with breaks and exclusive freestyles. If you liked Funky Skunk then this is for you.

DJ Spooky - Sound Unbound CD (Sub Rosa) [SR281CD] $14.75
RELEASE DATE: 05-13-2008
...Excerpts and Allegories from the Sub Rosa Audio Archives. This is the second volume and follow-up to DJ Spooky's highly-acclaimed Rhythm Science: Excerpts and Allegories from the Sub Rosa Audio Archives Vol. 1 released in 2004. DJ Spooky once again remixes the complete Sub Rosa catalog. More groovy and DJ-oriented, including some unpublished audio, important artists and a big Wave Spectrum poster, this is the ultimate continuous mix-up. Sound Unbound is an audio essay that links artists as diverse as Marcel Duchamp, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Antonin Artaud and Allen Ginsberg with stellar music from John Cage, To Rococo Rot, Iannis Xenakis, Philip Glass, Carsten Nicolai and many more.

Doleful Lions - 7 CD (Parasol) [PARCD108] $13.00
RELEASE DATE: 05-20-2008
After clearing the vaults with their previous album, Song Cyclops Volume Two, Doleful Lions return with a new lineup, direction, and wisdom. Their new album 7 represents the next step in the evolution of Doleful Lions, marrying their keen, classic pop sensibilities with an adventurous new sound. The usual folksy guitar strummings of their previous releases have been replaced with an eclectic mix of electronics, epic song structures and a focused lyrical intensity. Instead of striving for uniformity, 7 allows the Lions to give each song its own unique sound. "Magic Without Tears" plays like an Aleister Crowley fronted New Order. "Don't Ever Hide Your Enchantment" is a fuzzed-out Michael Jackson track. "Winfield Walker" is champagne jam featuring a coked-out Giorgio Moroder producing the Flaming Lips. These pop masterpieces sit next to moody instrumentals like "Screams in the House of the Deranged" and mid-tempo burners like "Hazlehurst". After the limited palettes of their previous albums, Doleful Lions have used 7 to explore new sonic horizons. Lyrically, much has changed in Jonathan's worldview, but like the Voltron head, he's still always on point. Having abandoned the monster movie motifs of The Rats are Coming! The Werewolves are Here! and the traditional spirituality of Out Like a Lamb, the Lions have embraced the occult as defined by the teachings of Theosophy and Freemasonry. "The Luminous Sons of the Manvantaric Dawn" describes the origins of the universe as taught in Stanzas of Dzyan, an ancient tome popularized by H.P. Blavatsky in The Secret Doctrine. "Here Come the Star Nations" expresses a true desire for the long-awaited harmonic convergence promised by humanity's first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence. 7 is a truly adventurous album in all regards; an album that has ventured further beyond any music created by the Doleful Lions in the past. It is their spiritual manifesto demanding a world filled with love for one another and the acceptance of all religions as the one true religion. It is a message that is needed now more than ever. Uncut Magazine: Sixties revisited by modern-day spacers. This is what the Beach Boys 20/20 might have sounded like if you heard it under sedation, from down a corridor, with the pitter-patter of light drizzle in the background-- A must for wanderers, tender souls and those who like to look at the world with a lazy smile through a light layer of mist. Mojo Magazine: Kaleidoscopic pop kings, Doleful Lions are based around Jonathan Scott's conceptual vision, and his ambition to deliver smiles, vibes and harmonies. Gear Magazine: A beautifully bizarro indie-rock Narnia that dead-rings a lost Radiohead soundtrack to Dungeons and Dragons. Pop Matters: Innocuous, oh-pardon-me-while-I-blow-your-mind epics. Delusions of Adequacy: Indie pop never sounded so beautiful, and neither did lovely singer/songwriter material sound so strong and catchy-- Jonathan Scott is truly a gifted songwriter.

Dominique - More Love Now CD (Dial) [DIAL011CD] $14.75
RELEASE DATE: 05-13-2008
This is the third release from Dominique, the Berlin-Kreuzberg based group, started around 1999. From the beginning, Dominique has been structured more as a loose collective than as a band, each member already an artist, writer, filmmaker and/or musician in their own right. Building on the success of their first album Speak To Me and the more or less "live" sequel The Same You, their third album More Love Now, is their most ambitious, elaborate and best offering to date. It was written and recorded over a period of two years by the band's current six members plus various guests; Thomas Goldhahn recorded and helped to arrange the strings, and if Dominique's collaborative ethos accounts for the music diversity of the album, it is Richard Davis' production that lends their combined efforts its sparkle and epic grandeur.

Electric Pop Group, The - Sunrise CDEP (Matinee) [MATCD067] $7.00
RELEASE DATE: 03-31-2008
Brilliant Matinée debut from popular Swedish band The Electric Pop Group. The quartet astonished everyone late in 2006 with a self-released debut album that came out of nowhere to make numerous year-end lists and earn countless favorable reviews including comparisons to legendary bands on Creation Records (Razorcuts, Primal Scream, The Pastels, Jesus and Mary Chain) and Sarah Records (The Sea Urchins, Another Sunny Day, Brighter, and The Field Mice). As one of many indie record labels that took notice, Matinée made contact with them just as they started work on new recordings last summer and this EP is the first fruit of those sessions. Especially notable given the band’s name, this EP also marks the addition of acoustic guitars to their repertoire. The EP kicks off with ‘I Could See The Lights’, an incredible tune and one of the first new songs the band recorded following the success of its debut album. Guitars jangle, drums pound, keyboards chime…the song simply shimmers and will serve as a perfect summertime anthem even in the face of less agreeable weather. It demanded to be released as a single so here it is! In addition to the lead track, the EP features three glorious additional songs: ‘This Is The Town’ is another chiming A-side, an infectious song that features prominent keyboards as the perfect counterpoint to three glistening guitar parts. ‘Summer’s Day’ is a showcase for the newly added acoustic guitar, a fragile song that is similar to and every bit as poignant as the classic track ‘For Always’ by Razorcuts. Finally, ‘Come And See Me’ employs keyboards to great effect, creating a mesmerizing and soaring hit that is an especially lovely way to end the EP for sure. On this release, the band takes its sound described by one esteemed music writer as “both studiously retrospective and thoroughly contemporary” and expands it with added instrumentation and superb songwriting. The result is a modern indiepop classic and another sparkling addition to the Matinée discography.

Eliot Lipp - The Outside CD (Mush Records) [MH258CD] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Felicia Atkinson/Sylvain Chauveau - Roman Anglais CD (O Rosa) [ROS002CD] $17.75
"Felicia and Sylvain's debut collaborative effort is quite noticeably the work of two of the field's most noteworthy songwriters."

Incredible Vickers Brothers, The - Gallimaufry CD (Bus Stop) [BUS10348] $13.00
RELEASE DATE: 05-20-2008
Hailing from the wooded coastal community of Felton, California, The Incredible Vickers Brothers have crafted a kind of music as familiar as the seasons and as unpredictable as the weather. Having honed their skills in apprenticeships with legendary California bands Cerebral Corps and The Orange Peels, brothers Rob and Bob Vickers decided the time was right to strike out on their own. Setting up camp with producer ALLEN CLAPP at Sunnyvale, California's Mystery Lawn studio, they began concocting a unique stew of '60s-inspired Brit-rock, Americana and '80s pop with a dash of 1920s Vaudeville lunacy thrown in for good measure: a "Gallimaufry."* Modest to a fault, The Incredible Vickers Brothers want nothing less than to take their place among the great brother acts of history! Influenced by the zany surrealism of the brothers Marx plus the yin-yang/love-hate relationships of Phil & Don Everly and Ray & Dave Davies, the Vickers Bros. aim to mix a myriad of ingredients, musical and otherwise, into the forever boiling pot of rock music.

J Dilla - Jay Love Japan CD (Operation Unknown) [OX2002] $13.50
Long shelved for unspecified reasons, J DILLA's mini-album Jay Loves Japan is finally available on CD!!! Features guest vocals from TA'RAACH and BAATIN, and incredible production from Dilla. Nine tracks.

Khazad-Doom - Cherrytown LP (Void Records) [VOID048LP] $15.25
"This is a limited 700 press on black vinyl with brilliant color cover and incredible color songbook with each album."

Kid Dakota - A Winner's Shadow CD (Graveface) [GRF28] $10.25
Like the Black Hills of songwriter DARREN JACKSON's native South Dakota, alt-rock duo KID DAKOTA is a creature of extremes-whisper-quiet vocals explode into searing guitar riffs and crushing drumbeats in a single breath. Loneliness and beauty go hand in hand. Dusty, heartfelt, roots-tinged rock that conjures desolate landscapes and tugs at the heartstrings while creating a powerful turbine of sound. Ten tracks.

Magic I.D. - Till My Breath Gives Out CD (Erstpop) [CDMAGICTill] $15.75
Avant pop composed and performed by Berlin electroacoustic / free improv bigwigs KAI FAGASCHINSKI (clarinet), MARGARETH KAMMERER (vocals and guitars), CHRISTOF KURZMANN (vocals, computer) and MICHAEL THIEKE (clarinet). Plaintive, simple and unadorned throughout, yet beariing the unmistakable imprint of Euro highbrow.

Michael Maksymenko - Businesscide CD (Recommended) [RERMM1] $16.50
No description available at this time.

Mikami Kan - Juw CD (PSF) [PSF8027CD] $18.25
"Latest in PSF's popular long-running series of solo releases by Kan Mikami. It's another coruscating slab of truly individualist dada-folk-blues, obliquely twisted songcraft that refuses to pander to the banal realities of contemporary society."

Miners Of Banal, The - The Miners of Banal CD (Recommended) [SLAGAX99] $16.50
No description available at this time.

Mochipet - Microphonepet CD (Daly City) [DCR127] $10.00
RELEASE DATE: 04-01-2008
***After moshing through Girls Love Breakcore (2007) with Rotator and Otto Von Schirach, and dancing though the techno Disko Donkey (2006) nights with Ellen Allien, MOCHIPET is back with an army of MCs, hell bent on bringing the hip hop genre to whole new levels creativity. Microphonepet is a collection of Mochi-Beats (2003-2008) matched with notable MCs such as: CASUAL & OPIO of HIEROGLYPHICS, RAASHAN of CROWN CITY ROCKERS, MYKAH9 of FREESTYLE FELLOWSHIP, DOPESTYLE of KUTMASTER KURT, RQM of AL HACA, JAHCOOZI, 215TFK, and KUTTI MC to combine elements of glitch, dubstep, jazz, funk, Afrobeat, and computer rock to bring you something entirely different. The results will have Club Kids rocking out to Miles Davis and Backpackers picking up Roland TB-303s. This is hybrid-hip-hop on Platypus Party Acid Baby!

Mt. Wilson Repeater - Mt. Wilson Repeater CD (Eastern Fiction) [EF003] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 04-14-2008
After ten-plus years fronting Los Angeles' favorite sons, the RADAR BROS., Jim Putnam now brings his acclaimed talent for composition, melody and command of the studio to his new project Mt. Wilson Repeater. Recorded in his renowned backyard studio in Atwater Village, CA, Mt. Wilson Repeater is the sound of late nights at the piano, bourbon in hand, after a day spent watching his dog Hal eat freshly fallen grapefruit from the adjacent tree. Playing multiple instruments on the album and utilizing many of the techniques learned from his father, Bill Putnam, Jim delivers masterful recordings of his trademark aesthetic. This self-titled debut expresses that warm southern California sun worshipped by Putnam, the Radar Bros. and their fans yet the similarities between Mt. Wilson Repeater and the Radar Bros. suddenly come to an abrupt end. Vocals take a backseat to music on this album­if they get in the car at all­serving more as an integral part of the sound and instrumentation rather than as a point of focus. Jim creates lush, psychedelic arrangements swimming within an intimate bedroom ambience ~V a seamless welding of electronic and acoustic worlds. The experiment that is Mt. Wilson Repeater sits comfortably in the backyard along with tradition, sharing drinks until tradition passes out, allowing him to sneak back into the studio.

Nikola Kodjabashia - The Most Of Now CD (Recommended) [RERNK2] $16.50
No description available at this time.

Northern Portrait - The Fallen Aristocracy CDEP (Matinee) [MATCD048] $7.00
RELEASE DATE: 03-31-2008
Magnificent debut release from new Danish trio Northern Portrait who are ready to take the world by storm with one of the strongest singles released by Matinée to date! The release has all the makings of a modern pop classic and, according to somebody in the know, will “shake the indiepop world to its very foundations.” The band lists indie legends The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, and The Housemartins among its influences and they certainly should appeal to fans of these and other classic pop groups plus contemporary favorites like Math and Physics Club too. Lead track ‘Crazy’ is the one that got the band noticed when it appeared on a newly-christened Myspace page late last summer. Written and recorded in a four-hour time frame which marked the beginning of Northern Portrait, the song was completed intuitively with absolutely nothing prepared until guitars plugged in. A mix of acoustic and electric Rickenbackers, the guitars jangle in all the right places recalling Smiths classics like ‘This Charming Man’, and the vocals fit the music perfectly. It’s a hit! ‘A Quiet Night In Copenhagen’ is the first of three additional tracks on the EP and sets the bar pretty high with more jangling guitars, nice tempo changes and other instrumentation. Short and to the point, the song is a fairly universal tale of a kind of voluntary outsiderism. ‘Waiting For A Chance’ is a bit slower and recalls the brightness of The Trash Can Sinatras or The Sundays if they had a male singer. The song features more of the characteristic Northern Portrait guitar sounds plus some nice keyboards. Final track ‘The Fallen Aristocracy’ is an ode to all romantics bittersweet, but definitely more sweet than bitter. Using glockenspiel in addition to guitars, the song bounces along nicely and just might make the case of saving the strongest track for last. This debut demonstrates amazing promise for a new band and leads one to wonder if the b-sides are this good just what does Northern Portrait have in store for its debut album?

Retribution Gospel Choir - Retribution Gospel Choir CD (Caldo Verde) [CV005] $11.75
LOW visionary ALAN SPARHAWK cranks the amps for a radical stylistic departure. Crude, mangy guitars collide with trudging stoner-rock rhythms and some catchy melodies -for modern day spirituals that defy all preconceptions. Produced by SUN KIL MOON's MARK KOZELEK for maximum impact, Retribution Gospel Choir will surprise and delight fans of Low as well as those new to the music of Alan Sparhawk.

Richard Swift - Richard Swift As Onasis 2CD (Secretly Canadian) [SC173CD] $13.50
No description available at this time.

Simone White - I Am The Man CD (Honest Jon's Records) [HJR028CD] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 05-13-2008
I Am The Man is California-based Simone White's debut full-length release for Honest Jon's. These 13 heart-stopping tracks of soulful folk loveliness were recorded in Nashville with the team behind numerous Lambchop/Calexico/Will Oldham/Silver Jews classics. White was born in Hawaii and raised in a commune where they listened only to classical music and didn't have a TV. She first started playing the guitar at 22, influenced by Sonic Youth and The Pixies. It took several years and multiple moves - Seattle, Paris, London, New York - before White began playing and singing in what she describes as her true voice, also inspired by Low and Bonnie Prince Billy's Master And Everyone, produced by Mark Nevers, who would go on to record her The American War EP for Honest Jon's. White is resistant to making comparisons to her sound: she's much happier talking about her influences, which have moved from Sonic Youth to Nina Simone, Cesaria Evora and Odetta. Leading off with Carole King's "I Didn't Have Any Summer Romance," I Am The Man takes in an enormously broad range of subjects and moods - from a surrealist flight of fancy like "Why Is Your Raincoat Always Crying?" to the stricken intimacy of "Sweetest Love Song" to the clear-eyed and full-voiced protest of "The American War." Politics, humor, love, despair and good tunes, Simone White has it all.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing CD (Polyvinyl) [PRC151-2] $13.00
RELEASE DATE: 04-08-2008
Pershing is the sophomore release from Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Since the band's critically acclaimed debut, Broom, they have shared the stage with the likes of Mute Math, of Montreal, Sound Team, Catfish Haven and Chin Up Chin Up, to name a few. They headlined a European tour and even made their way to their namesake's homeland of Russia! Spin declared them the band that "could succeed The Shins" and enthusiastic press rolled in. Now, they are raising the bar even higher with Pershing. Pershing has all of the attributes that made Broom so endearing; however, while Broom posed SSLYBY as a promising young act on the rise, Pershing seems to act as its mission statement. On Pershing, SSLYBY works out its adventurous streak by way of quirky chord changes amid massive hooks and addictive melodies. The new model is not only an improvement on the original, but seemingly posits itself as the shape of things to come. Tracks "Think I Wanna Die," "Glue Girls," "Modern Mystery," "Boring Fountain," and "Dead Right" are sure to be favorites.

Spiritual Family Reunion - Goodbye Ceremony CD (Tract) [TR063] $10.25
"After moving to Nashville, PATTY LEMAY formed a band with PAUL NIEHAUS (CALEXICO) and a drummer who had moved from Louisiana, CASEY SANDERS. Lap steel player MASON VICKERY joined, and then drummer BEN SMYTHE replaced Casey who's has been busy with his own projects. CASSIE BERMAN (SILVER JEWS) joined in on bass. WILLIAM TYLER also of the Silver Jews has played with her most of the 6 years SPIRITUAL FAMILY REUNION has been together. She has been compared in reviews to Will Oldham, Neil Young, and her laid back country style to the Emmy Lou Harris, and the Silver Jews."

Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer - Cold Peace Counterpoints CD (Recommended) [RERST3] $16.50
No description available at this time.

Steve Peters - The Webster Cycles CD (Cold Blue Music) [CB027CD] $7.75
No description available at this time.

Tape - Luminarium CD (Hapna) [HAPNA042CD] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 05-27-2008
This is the eagerly-awaited fourth album from the Stockholm-based trio of Tape, comprised of Andreas and Johan Berthling and Tomas Hallonsten. Taking cues both from pop, experimentalism and minimalism, Tape's sound has become recognized internationally and is clearly unique. This new album is a luminarium of sound where past and present merge at the speed of light. A world which lets itself be sensed, not known; the first light of your rosy-fingered youth; birches and concrete, touch and go.

Thee Oh Sees - The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In CD (Tomlab) [TOM117CD] $14.50
No description available at this time.

Toshimaru Nakamura/English - One Day CD (Erstwhile) [ERST053CD] $13.50
No description available at this time.

Vajra - Live 2007 CD (PSF) [PSF176CD] $18.25
"First live album by the Japanese rock power trio to end all power trios - Kan Mikami, Keiji Haino and Toshiaki Ishizuka!! Limited edition of 1000 in mini-LP style paper-sleeve."

Various Artists - Second Marriage CD (Marriage) [MAR038] $13.75
Marriage Records weighs in with it's second comp of Portland, Oregon fineness. Artists include: WHITE RAINBOW, PRIVACY, ADRIAN ORANGE, VALET, JESSE DUROST, MATT McCORMICK, KARL BLAU, MOUNT EERIE, AARON FLYNT, GHOSTING, DIRTY PROJECTORS, DEAD SCIENCE, YACHT, ROB WALMART, WATERY GRAVES, DRAKKAR SAUNA, and more.

Various Artists - My Favorite Things CD (Mule Electronic) [MULE011CD] $17.25
RELEASE DATE: 05-13-2008
Mule Electronic's second label compilation features some new artists and regular Mule electronic acts.

Vladislav Delay - Anima CD (Huume) [HUUME015CD] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 05-13-2008
Huume Recordings re-release of Vladislav Delay's (Luomo) classic Mille Plateaux album, originally released in 2001, including a previously-unreleased alternate version. Anima is an opus of over 60 minutes, a continuous mix that reveals itself beyond audio design. Delay succeeds in developing his new, atypical methods of production: rather than familiar electronic traits of looping sounds, Anima continually develops in an organic flow, thus giving the interpretation that perhaps the music is less a digital excursion and more an instrumental development. Vladislav Delay is setting on potentials, effects and impulses of the never-heard: a new world of audio. Furthermore: the word "anima" is a psychological term meaning "an inner feminine part of the male personality."

[ D V D ]

Dennis Oppenheim - Tooth and Nail: Film and Video 1970-74 DVD (Microcinema) [MC778DVD] $24.25
"With the publication of this portfolio in collaboration with the artist's studio, this seminal series of quasi-anthropological performances is now available to the public for the first time on DVD.."

John Cage - Variations VII DVD (Microcinema) [MC749DVD] $20.25
All-region NTSC/PAL DVD. 41 minutes + 85 minute audio track. "In 1966 ten New York artists and thirty engineers and scientists from Bell Telephone Laboratories collaborated on a series of innovative dance, music and theatre performances, 9 Evenings: Theatre & Engineering, held in October at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City. The artists were John Cage, Lucinda Childs, Öyvind Fahlström, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, David Tudor and Robert Whitman. Archival material has been assembled into ten films, each of which reconstructs the artist's original work and uses interviews with the artists, engineers and performers to illuminate the artistic, technical and historical aspects of the work."

Marty Topp - Paradise Now: A Collective Creation of The Living Theatre DVD (Arthur) [ARTHUR003DVD] $25.25
"The screams the unchained soarings of a sincerity which is on its way to this revolution of the whole body without which nothing can be changed." - Antonin Artaud. "Arthur Magazine proudly presents our newest release Paradise Now: The Living Theatre in Amerika DVD featuring rare, never-before-distributed films and a bacchanal of revolutionary multimedia documents from The Living Theatre's historic and influential '68-'69 American tour. A fulminating art-meets-life installation brought to you in collaboration with The Living Theatre, The Ira Cohen Akashic Project and Saturnalia Media Rites of the Dreamweapon. Transform your living, work or performance space... hit play, but don't say we didn't warn you! "

Robert Rauschenberg - Open Score DVD (Microcinema) [MC596DVD] $20.25
No description available at this time.

[ H I S T O R I C A L ]

Keef Hartley Band - The Time Is Near... CD (Esoteric Recordings) [eclec2047] $19.75
Considered by many to be one of the finest exponents of powerful Jazz Rock, Keef's earliest engagement was as replacement for Ringo Starr in Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He was also Mick Fleetwood s replacement in John Mayalls Blues-Breakers and featured on many recordings by the band. In 1968 he formed his own group recruiting the highly regarded Miller Anderson on guitar and vocals. Although they performed at Woodstock the band was not filmed. Latterly Hartley became involved with group Vinegar Joe and with singer / songwriter Michael Chapman.

Khazad-Doom - Cherrytown CD (Hallucinations) [HCD009CD] $12.75
"Recorded in 1967 prior to the legendary Level 6 1/2 album, this is a brilliant album of fantasy Beatles-esque garage psychedelia. The whole package on vinyl and CD sounds and looks brilliant."

Magic Bubble - Magic Bubble CD (Fallout) [FO2093CD] $16.00
This lost pop-psych classic was made by Canadian brother and sister Frank and Rita Rondell in 1969, along with a taut backing band.

Mellow Candle - Swaddling Songs CD (Esoteric Recordings) [eclec2044] $19.75
Featuring girl singers Clodagh Simonds and Alison Williams, Mellow Candle never achieved commercial success they deserved spawning a legendary psychedelic folk-rock album akin to Fairport Convention or Fotheringay. Touring to support Thin Lizzy (Simonds played on Lizzy s album Shades of a Blue Orphanage ) and Horslips, the band had a short lived existence. Clodagh Simonds later went on to play again with Mike Oldfield and Jade Warrior and this release serves as evidence of the talents of both Simonds and the band who deserved far more commercial success than they attained. Now rightly regarded as a classic of the genre, Esoteric Recordings are proud to add Swaddling Songs to their catalogue. Featuring girl singers Clodagh Simonds and Alison Williams, Mellow Candle never achieved commercial success they deserved spawning a legendary psychedelic folk-rock album akin to Fairport Convention or Fotheringay. Touring to support Thin Lizzy (Simonds played on Lizzy s album Shades of a Blue Orphanage) and Horslips, the band had a short-lived existence. Now rightly regarded as a classic of the genre, Esoteric Recordings are proud to add Swaddling Songs to their catalogue.

Rainman - Rainman CD (Fallout) [FO2092CD] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 05-13-2008
Originally released only in Holland, this is the first CD reissue of the superb 1970 solo LP from Frank Nuyens aka Rainman - the lead guitarist of legendary Dutch blues/psych-rockers, Q65. A moody blend of folk, pop and psychedelia, with some blazing guitar leads.

Spectrum - Milesago 2CD (Aztec Music) [AVS033CD] $24.50
"Spectrum's second album Milesago is one of the key Australian releases of the seventies and a progressive rock milestone. The double album was originally released on EMI's Harvest Records imprint (home to artists such as Pink Floyd, Kevin Ayers, The Move and Deep Purple) - and you couldn't find a more appropriate label for such spaced out progressive psych!"

Sun Ra - Media Dreams 2CD (Art Yard) [ARTYARD002CD] $26.50
No description available at this time.

This week's VINYL update contains releases by:

Alecs Marta * Am-Boy * Antoine Rencontre Les Problemes * Axel Bartsch * B. Dolan * Bardo Pond * Benno Blome * Black and Whites * Clark * Coma * Deepchord * Dominique * DZ featuring Awaken Lion * Emptyset * Foot Village * Frank Martiniq * Frisco ft. Trim/Skepta/Wiley * Glimpse * Gowentgone/Marcel Dettman & Fengler * Gui Boratto * Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts * Hearts Of Animal * Incredible Vickers Brothers, The * Jona * Kelley Polar * Khazad-Doom * Little Women * Magic I.D. * Mi Ami * Mollono.bass/Dreher & Smart * Prolyphic and Reanimator * Richard Swift * Ruff Sqwad * Sebastian Roya * Sebastian Russell * Shining * Simon Bestone * Smasher & Lewi White * Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin * South3rn * Steven Hess/Miles Tilmann * Stumps * TRG * Whitman * Wolf Eyes/sickness * Wonder

Alecs Marta - Ramper 12 inch (Treibstoff) [TREIB079EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Am-Boy - Clayton's Hideout LP (Wobblyhead) [WBL014] $10.00
Forrest Wolf returns with his sophomore effort, a 10 track nugget of kaleidoscopic melodies. Perpetuating his trademark "Walt Disney World on acid" brand of nostalgic electronics, this particular journey is a limited vinyl-only affair. The synths have sheen, the reverb is whale-like at times, and the rhythms are programmed simply and effortlessly to lock down the pace. Am-Boy maps out a gauzy route through his own daydream nation, inviting you to get lost for 35 minutes and ease away from reality. Very spliff friendly. Not a departure, but an upgrade from his debut, Floridian, this Long Player proves the songs to be better and frankly, more psychedelic. The moods vacillate between the up tempo chime of opener "Clayton's Hideout" to the slack-keyed wooziness of "I am boy." "Ready to Go Home" and "Glass Wails" represent two of the best tracks Am-boy has given us with their clipclop rhythms, warm bass lines and hallucinatory toppings. The 3 tracks closing out side two are an ambient postcard from the depths of wonderment, awaiting the perfect science fiction images to accompany the walk home. Warm, rich and a bit twisted, Clayton's Hideout is a charming addition to the growing Wobblyhead catalog.

Axel Bartsch - Twofer 12 inch (Sportclub) [SPORT015EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

B. Dolan - Live Evel 12 inch (Strange Famous) [SFR013] $8.75
RELEASE DATE: 04-01-2008
***Highly acclaimed performance artist, rapper and cofounder of Knowmore.org (with SAGE FRANCIS,) B. DOLAN pays tribute to one of America's greatest heroes with the Live Evel EP. Comprised of six tracks from his upcoming debut LP The Failure, this EP pays full tribute to Evel Knievel with a heartbreaking persona piece that lobbies for Death to take mercy on someone who "was not a good man...but he was a great man." Live Evel also captures the best of B. Dolan's blend of hip hop, spoken word and audio theater in the course of six solid tracks produced by some of hip hop's most promising beat-makers (ALIAS, RENIMATOR, KURTIS SP, and more). After touring the US with Sage Francis and Buck 65 in 2007, Dolan is poised to capture an audience of his own with a mix of songs and writing that will ensure his status as a most creative force in modern music.

Bardo Pond - Batholith LP+CD (Three Lobed) [TLR043] $22.00
Released early march 2008. Batholith is a collection of six tracks that are near and dear to BARDO POND but, for some reason or another, have never previously been released. that one-sentence description might lead one to think that these tracks are "outtakes" or cutting-room floor type material-neither conclusion could be further from the truth. The tracks included on Batholith range from previous live staples ("a tune," one made 'famous' by opening Bardo's set at Terrastock II in San Francisco as joined by Roy Montgomery [and a recording of which was featured on the KFJC compilation Live from the Devil's Triangle, Volume 2]) to tracks the band recorded in John Peel sessions. Collected as a whole, these tracks form a fluid and cohesive album.

Benno Blome - Rumburak/Red Tuna 12 inch (Sender) [SENDER075EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Black and Whites - Black and Whites LP (Douchemaster) [DMR017LP] $10.25
Douchemaster is pleased to offer the debut album by Oxford, Mississippi's THE BLACK AND WHITES. Since the recordings that produced the first three Black and Whites singles, leader TALBOT ADAMS replaced a rotating cast of players with PREACHER'S KIDS member JOHNNY VALIANT on guitar and vocals and PAT McKEAGE of THE DUTCHMASTERS on drums. Talbot and Johnny split the songwriting duties on this record as well, and the result for the most part is a faster, wilder, Ramones-esque Black and Whites. You'll probably want a beer and a smoke before the end of the first song.

Clark - Turning Dragon 2xLP (Warp) [WRP162] $15.75
CHRIS CLARK has earned his reputation as one of the world's most adventurous dance producers with a catalog of twists and turns that owe just as much to the avant-garde as they do to the dancefloor. On Turning Dragon however, it's the dance floor that receives most of the attention from this collection of turbocharged tracks.

Coma - Coma 12 inch (Firm) [FIRM027EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Deepchord - Grandbend 2x12 inch (Echospace) [ECHOSPACE005EP] $21.25
Deepchord's immense "Grandbend" was originally released on Deepchord's DC-10 release and has been often cited as the most beautifully spacious of all of Rod Modell's recordings. This doublepack brings together a remastered version of the original plus reworkings from Echospace, cv313 and Deepchord themselves, plus some killer dubs. These 6 versions are another intoxicating installment in the perfectly formed Echospace catalog.

Dominique - More Love Now LP (Dial) [DIAL011LP] $14.75
RELEASE DATE: 05-13-2008
This is the third release from Dominique, the Berlin-Kreuzberg based group, started around 1999. From the beginning, Dominique has been structured more as a loose collective than as a band, each member already an artist, writer, filmmaker and/or musician in their own right. Building on the success of their first album Speak To Me and the more or less "live" sequel The Same You, their third album More Love Now, is their most ambitious, elaborate and best offering to date. It was written and recorded over a period of two years by the band's current six members plus various guests; Thomas Goldhahn recorded and helped to arrange the strings, and if Dominique's collaborative ethos accounts for the music diversity of the album, it is Richard Davis' production that lends their combined efforts its sparkle and epic grandeur.

DZ featuring Awaken Lion - Chalice 12 inch (Lodubs) [LODUBS8005EP] $7.75
No description available at this time.

Emptyset - Doxa 12 inch (Caravan) [CRAN003EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Foot Village - Friendship Nation LP (Gilgongo) [LPFOOTFrie] $12.00
"As fad diets and food pyramids come and go, 'you are what you eat' still sounds like a pretty decent ground rule. After nearly three minutes of tribal percussion smackdowns, jungle growls, and cuckoo-house ululations, FOOT VILLAGE's 'Protective Nourishment' lets us know what recipes the no-electricity Los Angeles drum freaks love most: 'I like pee pee in my coke,' the band's GRACE LEE yowls, to which a robot voice supplements, 'I'm not afraid to eat my greens.' Lee and another Foot Village member, BRIAN MILLER, are also bandmates in Load/Ecstatic Peace noise act GANG WIZARD, and Miller's huge role in the local underground scene includes helping run art-punk hangout the Smell, organizing music festivals called Neon Hates You, and putting out music on his own Deathbomb Arc label. Along with Load band FRIENDS FOREVER's JOSH TAYLOR, Lee and Miller raise a controlled, communal racket on 'Protective Nourishment,' from forthcoming full-length Friendship Nation"-Pitchfork

Frank Martiniq - The Astropopshop 12 inch (Kickboxer) [KICK020EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Frisco ft. Trim/Skepta/Wiley - Back 2 The Lab Volume 1 & 2 12 inch (No Hats No Hoods) [NHNH001EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Glimpse - 5 Easy Pieces 12 inch (Glimpse) [GLIMPSE007EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Gowentgone/Marcel Dettman & Fengler - EP Remixes 12 inch (Vidab) [VIDAB0055EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Gui Boratto - Tales From The Lab Remix 1 12 inch (Defrag Sound Processing) [DFRG025EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Gui Boratto - Anunciacion 12 inch (K2) [K2032EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts - The Flying Dutchman 12 inch (Karat Records) [KARAT035EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Hearts Of Animal - Hearts Of Animal 7 inch (Dull Knife) [KNIFE001] $5.75
HEARTS OF ANIMALS is MLEE SUPREAN from Houston, Texas. "Quite the find here, a natural bridge between straightforward indie pop traditions and some more daring territory...abstract and loaded with delay, skronking horns, and a psychedelic/free mindset at play"-Dusted Magazine

Incredible Vickers Brothers, The - Gallimaufry LP (Bus Stop) [BUS1034LP] $13.00
RELEASE DATE: 05-20-2008
Hailing from the wooded coastal community of Felton, California, The Incredible Vickers Brothers have crafted a kind of music as familiar as the seasons and as unpredictable as the weather. Having honed their skills in apprenticeships with legendary California bands Cerebral Corps and The Orange Peels, brothers Rob and Bob Vickers decided the time was right to strike out on their own. Setting up camp with producer ALLEN CLAPP at Sunnyvale, California's Mystery Lawn studio, they began concocting a unique stew of '60s-inspired Brit-rock, Americana and '80s pop with a dash of 1920s Vaudeville lunacy thrown in for good measure: a "Gallimaufry."* Modest to a fault, The Incredible Vickers Brothers want nothing less than to take their place among the great brother acts of history! Influenced by the zany surrealism of the brothers Marx plus the yin-yang/love-hate relationships of Phil & Don Everly and Ray & Dave Davies, the Vickers Bros. aim to mix a myriad of ingredients, musical and otherwise, into the forever boiling pot of rock music.

Jona - Antiplano/Secret47 12 inch (Planet E Communications) [PE65297EP] $7.75
No description available at this time.

Kelley Polar - Entropy Reigns 12 inch (Environ) [ENV031EP] $7.50
No description available at this time.

Little Women - Teeth LP (Gilgongo) [018] $11.00
Brooklyn quartet LITTLE WOMEN (members of ZS, EXTRA LIFE, CUTTER, PERIOD, and ARCHAEOPTERYX) formed two years ago to create music that blurs the line between structure and spontaneity. The group's sound distilled from a broad range of influences that stretch from classic Chicago free jazz thru pop music, punk rock, math metal, and harsh noise. Little Women never stop pushing into new sonic territory: splitting overtones to create ghost notes, violently disassembling their instruments onstage, and attacking written and improvised material with equal ferocity. During performances band members often experience side-effects more commonly associated with prescription drugs such as nausea, dizziness, and internal bleeding. Little Women stomp all over genres, creating some of the most adventurous, in-the-moment, wrenchingly honest music of their generation. Members have recorded and/or performed with some of the top names in jazz/improvised music such as: Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy, Mark Dresser, Jim Black, Trevor Dunn, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, George Garzone, Chad Hugo (The Neptunes), Gerry Hemingway, Joe Morris, Matt Wilson, Michael Formanek, Mat Maneri, and Dave Koz.

Magic I.D. - Till My Breath Gives Out LP (Erstpop) [LPMAGICTill] $27.50
Avant pop composed and performed by Berlin electroacoustic / free improv bigwigs KAI FAGASCHINSKI (clarinet), MARGARETH KAMMERER (vocals and guitars), CHRISTOF KURZMANN (vocals, computer) and MICHAEL THIEKE (clarinet). Plaintive, simple and unadorned throughout, yet beariing the unmistakable imprint of Euro highbrow.

Mi Ami - Mi Ami LP (White Denim) [LPMIAMS/t] $11.50
The debut 12-inch by San Francisco's own MI AMI is available now on White Denim. Through three tracks and roughly 18 minutes, Mi Ami call to mind the finest early Rough Trade groups, from the Pop Group to the Prats, where it wasn't uncommon to sink a dubbed-out bass line into a wall of guitar noise. This isn't the first time that two of the three Mi Ami fellas worked with White Denim, as their previous group BLACK EYES contributed a track to the Closet Full of Clothes compilation LP some years ago. There's definitely some Black Eyes to be found in Mi Ami, although the chance to fall apart from a functioning band and explore drone, improvisation, dub and noise has served them well. Limited to 400 copies packaged in plain beige jackets.

Mollono.bass/Dreher & Smart - SOS 12 inch (3000 Grad Records) [3000GRAD001EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Prolyphic and Reanimator - Artist Goes Pop 12 inch (Strange Famous) [SFR014] $7.00
Rapper PROLYPHIC (Providence) and producer REANIMATOR (Chicago) make their definitive mark on hip hop with their debut 12-inch Artist Goes Pop. Despite Prolyphic's reputation for having high lyrical content and Reanimator's beloved production on all of SAGE FRANCIS' albums, P&R remain relative unknowns in the indie rap world. SFR decided to put the two together for The Ugly Truth album, and it's sort of like when chocolate first met peanut butter. "Artist Goes Pop" is the first single off of The Ugly Truth LP and it's an explosion of the bottled up frustration felt by Prolyphic in regard to mainstream mentality in music, while Reanimator backs him with one of the most head noddingest beats since DJ Premier's prime. "Survived Another Winter" features Sage Francis, B. DOLAN and ALIAS, who all share some New England camaraderie while taking turns to criticize "those who go West Coast in search of fame." The one non-album track, "Salt," picks apart consumer culture and the dead-end job lifestyle it creates. The B-side of this 12-inch provides instrumentals for each track and allows Reanimator's meticulous production/programming to take the front seat.

Richard Swift - Richard Swift As Onasis LP (Secretly Canadian) [SC173LP] $13.50
No description available at this time.

Ruff Sqwad - Ruff Sqwad Mandem 12 inch (No Hats No Hoods) [NHNH002EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Sebastian Roya - Andante 12 inch (Connaisseur Superieur) [CNSS010EP] $10.75
Sebastian Roya is back on Superieur again, Connaisseur's sub-imprint, where he had his first release and his first hit. With "Andante," he shows his talent for massively drivin' voodoo grooves and weird soundscapes. He layers and builds until the track is a big rolling bulldozer no one can stop. Jens Zimmermann, a warhorse of electronic music for almost 20 years, is responsible for the outstanding remix.

Sebastian Russell - Sexus 12 inch (Adjunct) [ADJUNCT020EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Shining - Shining 2xLP (Rune Grammofon) [RLP3060LP] $24.50
RELEASE DATE: 05-13-2008
Double vinyl edition including both In The Kingdom Of Kitsch You Will Be A Monster and Grindstone. Comes in a beautiful gatefold sleeve designed by Kim Hiorthøy. Limited to 500 copies only.

Simon Bestone - Krankenwagen 12 inch (District Of Corruption) [DOC023EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Smasher & Lewi White - Back In Da Day 12 inch (Beyond Da Booth) [BDB001EP] $11.00
No description available at this time.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing LP (Polyvinyl) [PRC151-1] $13.00
RELEASE DATE: 04-08-2008
Pershing is the sophomore release from Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Since the band's critically acclaimed debut, Broom, they have shared the stage with the likes of Mute Math, of Montreal, Sound Team, Catfish Haven and Chin Up Chin Up, to name a few. They headlined a European tour and even made their way to their namesake's homeland of Russia! Spin declared them the band that "could succeed The Shins" and enthusiastic press rolled in. Now, they are raising the bar even higher with Pershing. Pershing has all of the attributes that made Broom so endearing; however, while Broom posed SSLYBY as a promising young act on the rise, Pershing seems to act as its mission statement. On Pershing, SSLYBY works out its adventurous streak by way of quirky chord changes amid massive hooks and addictive melodies. The new model is not only an improvement on the original, but seemingly posits itself as the shape of things to come. Tracks "Think I Wanna Die," "Glue Girls," "Modern Mystery," "Boring Fountain," and "Dead Right" are sure to be favorites.

South3rn - Fully Loaded/Muslim Dub 12 inch (Lodubs) [LODUBS8006EP] $7.75
No description available at this time.

Steven Hess/Miles Tilmann - Departures LP (Other Electricites) [OE013] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 06-03-2008
Vinyl only. Steven Hess (Pan American, Fessenden, Haptic and the Dropp Ensemble) and the experimental electronic composer Miles Tilmann (Consumer Research, Sub:Marine, Toytronic) come together to present Departures - their forthcoming vinyl-only release on Other Electricities. Hess creates a unique hybrid of improvised percussion and electronics, where Tilmann's deep bass tones and sublime waves of sound converse with Hess's intricate rhythms and textures: the sonic equivalent of a complex series of weather systems that assemble, unfold and disintegrate according to their own logic. Simultaneously intriguing and elusive through their manipulation of sound's depth of field, they successfully incorporate this often underused element, pressurizing shimmering pulses alongside chaotic decays. For Fans of: Fourtet/Kieren Hebden and Steven Reid, Andrew Pekler, Biosphere.

Stumps - Split Fleet Dodge LP (Palindrone Recordings) [PALP001] $15.00
This what could be called "prototypically New Zealand" 2006 album by SEHT, ANTONY MILTON and JAMES KIRK (SANDOZ LAB TECHNICIANS, BLACK BONED ANGEL, Wiser Table-era GATE) peppers its laid-back blown-out noise rock with free jazz drum splatter that careens haphazardly over thick slabs of distant distorted riffage. Guest appearance by CAMPBELL KNEAL (aka BIRCHVILLE CAT MOTEL) on wild, disembodied prog keyboards and electronics that that swirl and wobble. 300 copies on black vinyl. Imported from New Zealand (with slight corner sleeve damage, boo).

TRG - Time Is Now/They Know 12 inch (Immerse Records) [IME007EP] $11.00
No description available at this time.

Various Artists - Funkeiros e Progresso Ep LP (Flamin Hotz) [FHZ010] $12.00
The Funkeiros e Progresso EP - getting your ears wet for some more down and dirty Funk from Rio de Janeiro. Every track on this EP was battle-tested by the DJs who tear up the bailes with crowds thousands deep every weekend in the favelas and suburbs of Rio. Flamin' Hotz Records met up with all of these MCs and DJs over the summer of 2007 to spread the bass north of the equator.

Various Artists - Sweet Sixteen 12 inch (Manual) [MANUAL016EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Various Artists - My Favorite Things 12 inch (Mule Electronic) [MULE044EP] $9.75
RELEASE DATE: 05-13-2008
Mule Electronic's second label compilation features some new artists and regular Mule electronic acts.

Whitman - White Sunrise LP (Folktale/Shrimper) [FOLKTALE022/SHR154] $14.75
Upon listening to White Sunrise, you might ask, what kind of bizarre world does WHITMAN come from? You would be right to assume it's bizarre. Whitman grew up in Beaumont, CA, on the edge of the Mojave, as well as in a variety of camps for problem children in places like Provo, UT and rural Idaho. The sounds you hear on this album; rusted, dusted and forlorn, are much like the places he's resided. While Whitman plays songs about the age old topics of love, loss and guilt he does so in a fashion all his own, with disintegrated instruments, scraps of metal trash and guitars that would have been relegate to the garbage heap by anyone else. His withered plucking sounds something like the soundtrack to your brain being fried by the blistering sun; it is both intriguing and memorable. The albums intrigue is only added to by a slew of guest of guest musicians, a list that includes some of the most interesting players in Southern California. Including herein are shreds of oscillator sound courtesy of the enigmatic HENRY BARNES of AMPS FOR CHRIST, drums by COREY FOGEL of the MOUNTAIN GOATS and the MAE-SHI, vocals by ERIKA ANDERSON of the GOWNS, cello by JESSICA CATRON of CARLA BOZULICH'S NIGHT PORTER and clatter by JOHN THILL of AUM RIFLE. In a way the album is a representative of a burgeoning completely off-the-grid folk/noise music scene in Los Angeles, CA based around vacant lots, crumbling slumlord rentals and a variety of illegal spaces. Whitman's music is infused with the same sort of joy and brutality as the neighborhood in Pomona he calls home, where weeds sprout and couches get left on street corners.

Wolf Eyes/sickness - There is a Part of Me That You Will Never Know LP (Hospital Productions) [HOS209LP] $16.50
No description available at this time.

Wonder - Full Metal Jacket/Swamp Meet 12 inch (Wonderland) [WND001EP] $11.00
No description available at this time.

[ H I S T O R I C A L ]

Various Artists - Pebbles Volume 6 LP (Aip) [AIP6081LP] $14.00
"The Pebbles series has made available over 800 obscure, mostly American 'Original Punk Rock' songs recorded in the mid-1960s 'primarily known today as the garage rock and psychedelic rock genres' that were previously known only to a handful of collectors. This vinyl re-issue of Pebbles Vol. 6 is on blue colored vinyl!"

Various Artists - Pebbles Volume 7 LP (Aip) [AIP6082LP] $14.00
Green colored vinyl. "The Pebbles series has made available over 800 obscure, mostly American 'Original Punk Rock' songs recorded in the mid-1960s 'primarily known today as the garage rock and psychedelic rock genres' that were previously known only to a handful of collectors. This vinyl re-issue of Pebbles Vol. 6 is on blue colored vinyl!"

Various Artists - Pebbles Volume 8 LP (Aip) [AIP6083LP] $14.00
Orange colored vinyl. "The Pebbles series has made available over 800 obscure, mostly American 'Original Punk Rock' songs recorded in the mid-1960s 'primarily known today as the garage rock and psychedelic rock genres' that were previously known only to a handful of collectors. This vinyl re-issue of Pebbles Vol. 6 is on blue colored vinyl!"

Various Artists - Pebbles Volume 9 LP (Aip) [AIP6084LP] $14.00
Purple colored vinyl. "The Pebbles series has made available over 800 obscure, mostly American 'Original Punk Rock' songs recorded in the mid-1960s 'primarily known today as the garage rock and psychedelic rock genres' that were previously known only to a handful of collectors. This vinyl re-issue of Pebbles Vol. 6 is on blue colored vinyl!"

Various Artists - Pebbles Volume 10 LP (Aip) [AIP6085LP] $14.00
Yellow colored vinyl. "The Pebbles series has made available over 800 obscure, mostly American 'Original Punk Rock' songs recorded in the mid-1960s 'primarily known today as the garage rock and psychedelic rock genres' that were previously known only to a handful of collectors. This vinyl re-issue of Pebbles Vol. 6 is on blue colored vinyl!"

Various Artists - Living Is Hard: West African Music in Britain, 1927-1929 2xLP (Honest Jon's Records) [HJR033LP] $19.00
RELEASE DATE: 05-13-2008
Honest Jon's has prepared a series drawing on some of the earliest recordings in the EMI Hayes Archive - recovered from more than 150,000 78s - staggering music from Iraq, Turkey, Caucasia, Lebanon, Iran (including sides made in Old Street, London, in 1909), Egypt and the Belgian Congo. This series opener presents the music of the West African underground of 1920s Britain, recorded at Hayes and released on the Zonophone label (which exported nearly all the records to West Africa). You can hear Caribbean influences here, the promise of highlife there, but Living Is Hard mostly disavows fusion and assimilation. And by contrast with antecedents in the history of black music in Britain - minstrelsy and spirituals, for example, ragtime and jazz - these recordings are unhitched from the protocols of a white listenership. These are startling, trenchant, elemental roots - carrying troubled news home, along with signs of the new African nationalism - and an enthralling glimpse of other lives, another time.