EAR/Rational Update Week 14, 2008

Click here to jump to VINYL udpate.

This week's CD update contains releases by:

Aarde * Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO * Alva Noto * Andy Ortmann * Annea Lockwood * Apples In Stereo * Arborea * Ass * B. Fleischmann/Tarwater * Beatundercontrol * Bipolar Bear * Bjerga/Iversen * Blackpepper * Blues Control * Boredoms * Caned & Able * Colour Revolt * Country Funk * Dead Wood * Dead Wood/Red Needled Sea * Electric President * Experimental Dental School * Explosions aND Screaming * Freddy Fresh * Gazelle * Germlin and Thee Moths * Group 180 * Hecq * Humanfly * Hunting Lodge * Iamblichi * Intrusion * Jet Black Crayon * Jim Noir * Joe +N * John Cage * Juanita y Los Feos * Kasper van Hoek * Keiji Haino & Tatsuya Yoshida * Kettel * King Razor/Posset * Koenjihyakkei * l o ï s l * Machinefabriek * Mahmoud Refat * Mekons, The * Miss High Heel * Neva Dinova * Nurse with Wound * Pagans * Palumbo-Tomasini * Pinkeye feat. Linda * Quarter After * Red Needled Sea * Robyn Hitchcock * Rorschach Garden, The * Sindre Bjerga * Sindre Bjerga/Cam Deas * Sinnataggen * Sound_00 * Spoono * Stars of the Lid * Steve Stoll * Sun Kil Moon * Tall Firs * Textured Bird Transmission * The Domestic Front * Uw Hypothekkkadvies * Vataff Project * Witch * Wondrous Horse

[ F E A T U R E D   R E L E A S E S ]

Bipolar Bear - Mountain Dewd CD (Yosada) [YOS016] $11.00
Structurally and melodically wayward, Bipolar Bear’s Mountain Dewd is an album that will deafen you with angular creativity. The album’s ingenuity is in its unyielding approach to defy the laws of music through renegade guitar and bass lines, with innovative rhythms that kick you in the brains in the best way possible, and vocals that are delivered staunchly. The tracks are about two minutes each in length which could keep the attention of a sugar-high six-year-old, and each song employs its own unique musicianship just incase you have no attention span whatsoever. This album is relentless in its desire to make you love this band, and regardless if you like it or not, you will require a new frontal lobe after this record gives you the best lobotomy anyone’s ever had.

Hunting Lodge - Energy Czar CD (Yosada) [YOS012] $12.00
From the south coast of the UK comes this art-damaged bunch of songs. Imagine the Jesus lizard, Captain Beefheart, Les Savy Fav, prog, jazz, funk etc. All fighting together in a room, and you'll only be halfway there. Loping bass does battle with tight rhythms and spazzed-out, freeform guitars clash with crazed ranting vocals - genius. Hunting lodge have already featured in the first posthumous festive 50 on the Radio 1 John Peel show (reaching #18), shared a 7" with fellow Peel-stars Mugstar and played amazing live shows up and down the UK. Terry Edwards guests on sax on a couple of tracks too...

Steve Stoll - Untitled CD (Locate) [LOC01] $13.00
i began to program the source material used in these recordings three years ago and repurposed these loops based on my current experiments in digital signal processing. i attempted to explore the relationship between nature and the creation of technology to alter our perception of what is true nature. software is a prime player in the creative process. all tracks mixed live from reassembled, and reprocessed audio files, the majority of which were created years prior to the execution of the project*. i encourage the further dismantling/recycling of this work as outlined in the creative commons license. *lost files rediscovered on a previously discarded hard-drive. tools: homebuilt oscillator, ixi software, max/msp, ableton live. effective listening at lower volume settings.

Vataff Project - Kalitz CD (Aleph Zero) [AlephZ09] $22.10
It's not often that a label can say it is releasing something that sounds like nothing ever made. With the release of Vataff Project's Kalitz, Aleph Zero is proud to say just that. Welcome to the dark mysterious forests of Bulgarian musician Victor Marinov's mind. In the age of instant hit tracks we invite you to an 80 minutes long journey out of this world. Arranged as one piece like in Vataff Project's live sets, Kalitz offers a true album experience. The project has its own distinct sound, although it contains elements of psychedelic techno, IDM, trip hop & ambient, occasionally incorporating traditional Bulgarian instruments. Vataff's music is like nothing you've ever heard and it engulfs you in thick psychedelic atmosphere with alien sounds that sucks you into another world from the first note.

[ D I R T Y   D E M O S   L A B E L ]

Aarde - A Whole Day CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR025] $9.97
limited edition of 50 oversized cardboard case with inserts. French collaboration project. Glitchy electronics & guitar. For fans of 12k, Taylor Dupree etc.

Bjerga/Iversen - Live At Sound Of Mu, Norway 2006 CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR006] $9.97
limited edition of 50 clam case Room recording of a live set performed by the Norwegian duo back in the summer. Noise and drone.

Blackpepper - Disabled Algebra 1/3 CD3 (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR008] $8.97
limited edition of 100 mini DVD style case. hand drawn + numbered inserts. comes with pattern making kit. Debut release from the master of twitched out breakbeat. Playful melodies meet spazzed out broken beats. First in a series of three.

Dead Wood - Reinforced Signal CD3 (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR007] $8.97
limited edition of 50 handsprayed disc and packaging. clam case in PVC sleeve. 21 minutes of frequency based sound experiments. Sinewaves and glitch.

Dead Wood - Same Place Different Weather CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR002] $9.97
limited edition of 50 clam case Experiments with clicks, hiss, tones and field recordings. Glitchy and minimal.

Dead Wood/Red Needled Sea - Split Series #3 CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR027] $9.97
limited edition of 60 Handsprayed disc in PVC case. Sinewave glitch & haunting static drone

Explosions and Screaming - Infinitely Huge And Endlessly Loud CD3 (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR005] $8.97
limited edition of 50 handsprayed disc Glorious microglitch. One 20 minute track of subtle ambient crackle and hush. Exploring the world of near silence and soft clicks. This is a side project from Alex of Thee Moths.

Germlin and Thee Moths - Beau Chien CD3 (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR010] $8.97
limited edition of 50 Mini DVD style case. handsprayed disc with insert. Ultra cool collaboration. Organic sounds and instruments verses digital processing, resulting in glitched out electronica with fragmented melodies.

Iamblichi - All Worlds CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR022] $9.97
limited edition of 50 hansprayed disc in clam case. Iamblichi is a mysterious experimental music/mutimedia project based in Berlin, Germany. After 2 releases and a bunch of live shows, they return with the well rounded 'All Worlds' album. Here Iamlichi touch on various territories such as scratchy electronix, ambient soundscapes, microsound, glitch and rhythmical click n' hiss. Awesome!

Joe +N - Head Cold CD3 (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR015] $8.97
limited edition of 50 handsprayed disc and packaging. 2 pieces recorded live at A|V in Rochester, NY, USA. Loud guitar with distorted and looped melodica.

Kasper van Hoek - Den Haag/Groningen/Froombosch CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR028] $9.97
Limited edition of 50 Numbered cardcover. 6 tracks of manipulated field recordings which are named after the Dutch street addresses they where recorded. Beautifully crafted microsound.

King Razor/Posset - Split Series Vol 1 CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR019] $9.97
limited edition of 50 numbered ejector case. King Razor delivers digital high frequency screech, field recorings and distortion, while Posset serves up a tasty dish comprising of highly creative heavy analogue noise. A nice mixture and a great way to kick off the split series.

l o ï s l - Inland CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR009] $9.97
limited edition of 50 ejector case Debut album from this French experimental artist. Beautifully structured digital sound textures. Industrial ambience.

Pinkeye feat. Linda - The Lost Form Of Echo CD3 (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR001] $8.97
limited edition of 40 handsprayed disc in red silk fabric case A short but sweet journey of acoustic folk woven with electronix and noise.

Red Needled Sea - Transmission Signal CD3 (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR014] $8.97
limited edition of 50 Mini slimline jewel case. Intelligent drone from Greece.

Sindre Bjerga - I Never Promised You A Rose Garden CD3 (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR017] $8.97
limited edition of 50 PVC case. Truly menacing skull crushing piece from Norwegian producer Sindre Bjerga. Hypno-heavy, dark drone. The sound of a blizzard in Antarctica.

Sindre Bjerga/Cam Deas - Split Series #2 CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR026] $9.97
limited edition of 50 PVC case. Handmarbled cover with hand numbered insert. Second in the Split Series. Track 1 is a twenty minute piece by Norwegian noise lord Sindre Bjerga, recorded at last months gig in Dorset presented by Dirty Demos and Dea Sea Liner label. An intense performance, entirely constructed with a cassette recorder, egg whisk, microphone and distortion pedal. Subtle wispy low drone start, slowly progressing with bubbling noise gentley piecing the surface. As the drone picks up pace, the noise builds up tention and an explosion of colourful shimmering sound takes place. Track 2 is an abstract studio piece by UK based artist, Cam Deas. Cam takes the listener on a wild trip of warped and bent guitar. Treated sections of sound are fused together, creating an ever changing patchwork of moods, with loud noise moments and quiet delicate passages.

Sinnataggen - Lille Hus CD3 (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR023] $8.97
limited edition of 100 handsprayed disc in zip bag. shards of instrument melodies clash with digitally manipulated cut up sounds, beats, field recordings. Playful, rhythmical, wonderful and inspired by Scandanavian mythology. For fans of Kim Hiorthøy, Germlin And Thee Moths, Blackpepper etc.

Sound_00 - Ambience CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR003] $9.97
limited edition of 50 handsprayed disc 40 minute engaging mood setting piece. Spooky dark ambient.

Spoono - Sea Breeze CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR020] $9.97
limited edition of 50 PVC case. Layers of distortion, bagpipe imitation and manipulated guitar abuse.
Textured Bird Transmission - Singing Through Trees CD3 (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR021] $8.97
limited edition of 50 handsprayed disc in purple velvet fabric case, with numbered insert. Singing Through Trees is the second release from Dorset based Textured Bird Transmission. Here we are treated to 4 fluid tracks of drone noir. Dense waves of low fluctuating frequencies crash with sheets of textured mysticals. Beautiful and haunting.

The Domestic Front - Datenschutz CD3 (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR013] $8.97
limited edition of 50 Mini DVD style case with insert. This 21 minute piece was created by feeding the raw computer data of exe files, bland mass - market digital porn and transcripts of instant message arguments into a sound editor. The outcome is a ferocious explosion of entertaining rhythmical sound. Brutal.

Various Artists - The Doors of Dorset is the Doorway To Norway CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR024] $9.97
limited edition of 40 hansprayed disc in PVC case. numbered. feat sten ove toft, no context etc Furthering our continued facination with Norwegian noise, here we present 3 slabs of sound by Anders Gjerde, Sten Ove Toft and Sindre Bjerga. Acompaying these are an additional 3 pieces displaying similar musical territories by home grown talent from Dorset including Dead Wood, Jason Kerley and No Context. Expect noise, drone, sound textures, melodic melancholy, sinewave and spectral manipulation.

Various Artists - Observation Point Vol 2 CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR018] $11.96
limited edition of 100 half size DVD case with insert. A varied music compilation featuring unreleased tracks by (etre) & Luigi Rubino, Pelican Island, Blackpepper, Mercury Effect, Textured Bird Transmission, Bjerga/Iversen, Little Boat, Patten, L o ï s l, Claudia Fonti, Moize, Dead Wood, Pinkeye, Matthew, Now & Red Needled Sea.

Various Artists - Location Study CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR016] $11.96
limited edition of 70 PVC case with insert. A compilation of various field recordings and found sound featuring Adrian Newton, Lasse-Marc Riek, Kurt Tidmore, Martin Thompson, Joe Tunis, Adam Baker, Ollie Hall, Allan Upton & Aaron Ximm.

Various Artists - Observation Point Vol 1 CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR012] $11.96
limited edition of 100 half size DVD case with insert. A varied music compilation featuring unreleased tracks by Thee moths, Blackpepper, Little Boat, l o ï s l, Joe+N, Dead Wood, Pinkeye Feat. Linda, Makinoize, Explosions And Screaming, Zenial, Sound_00/Iversen, Matthew, O.M.S. - N.M.A., The Four Fishermen and Now.

Various Artists - Patchwork Connect CD-R (Dirty Demos) [DirtyCDR004] $11.96
limited edition of 100 booklet cover Dead Wood tracks remixed. 19 tracks electronica/noise remix project featuring Ozka, Matthew, Blackpepper, Sound_00, Oak, Sindre Bjerga, Makinoize, Swamps Up Nostrils, Iversen, Sten Ove Toft, Strong City Records, Orange Eye, Patten, Guignol Dangereux, Posset, Tusuri, The Appleseed Project, Every Kid On Speed and Bjerga/Iversen.

[ . . . ]

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso Ufo - Recurring Dream & Apocalypse Of Darkness CD (Important) [IMPREC188-2] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 04-15-2008
Recurring Dream And Apocalypse Of Darkness is the by far the heaviest Acid Mothers Temple record yet. So heavy, in fact, that Kawabata Makoto jokingly said "the album is really heavy, maybe a bit like Sunn o))). hahahaha". The limited edition double LP version of Recurring Dream is packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on heavy duty jacket and it contains two bonus tracks rounding out the double LP set. Both the CD & LP feature remarkable art work by Seldon Hunt. LP is limited to 1000. The Acid Mothers Temple will be embarking on a coast to coast tour to support Recurring Dream And Apocalypse Of Darkness.

Alva Noto - Transform CD (Raster Music) [RASTER079CD] $16.00
"Transform, originally released on Mille Plateaux (mp 102, 2001), is now being re-released on Raster-Noton. The album, released as CD, comes with a new cover and digitally remastered. On Transform, Alva Noto means to reduce the aesthetic of pop to the bone."

Annea Lockwood - A Sound Map of the Danube 3CD (Lovely Music) [LCD2083] $32.00
"Annea Lockwood has been recording rivers since 1970, 'not to document them, but rather for the special state of mind and body which the sounds of moving water create when one listens intently to the complex mesh of rhythms and pitches.' Lovely Music, Ltd. released Annea's seminal work A Sound Map of the Hudson River in 1989. Nineteen years later, we are proud to present A Sound Map of the Danube, her largest river recording project to date. Recorded over three years and five trips to Europe, A Sound Map of the Danube traces the second longest European river's run from the Black Forest in Germany to its delta into the Black Sea. The recordings comprise sounds from the banks, from above and below the water, animals, insects, and interviews with people who live by the great river. The three disc set also includes a fold-out map with album notes and interview translations on the reverse side."

Apples In Stereo - Electronic Projects For Musicians CD (Yep Roc) [YEP2171] $17.25
The APPLES IN STEREO return with their long-awaited Electronic Projects for Musician compilation. Named after an electronics how-to manual by Craig Anderton, the album can be seen as the band's follow-up to their 1996 compilation Science Faire. The album spans over 10 years and includes music from B-sides and rarities recorded between 1995 and 2007. It also features three previously unreleased tracks: "Stephen Stephen," written for and originally performed on STEPHEN COLBERT's The Colbert Report, "The Apples in stereo Theme Song," and the highly anticipated "Dreams," a previously unfinished track from 1997's Tone Soul Evolution.

Arborea - Arborea CD (Fire Museum) [FM017CD] $11.25
"This self-titled collection is the second release for Arborea. Hailing from Maine, the duo of Buck and Shanti Curran (on vocals, guitars, banjos, percussion) are joined on several numbers by Helena Espvall of Espers on cello. Here they conjure up a musical offering that is equal parts Appalachian music, traditional English folk music, and contemporary psychedelic folk with experimental touches creating a sound that stands out as unique while touching upon something that feels as ancient as the urge to create music."

Ass - My Get Up And Go Just Got Up And Went CD (Headspin) [HEAD007] $14.50
Trading under the pseudonym ASS-ANDREAS SOeDERSTROeM SOLO-for more than a decade, he has been the hitherto unknown man of Swedish pop, having played with the likes of electro-pop priestess JENNY WILSON, digital folk stalwarts TAPE, offbeat folk-pop minstrel BLOOD MUSIC, and TAKEN BY TREES, the latest incarnation of former CONCRETES singer VICTORIA BERGMAN. Soederstroem plays all of the instruments found on this quietly intoxicating 10-track record, the follow-up to his astonishingly assured, eponymous debut. My Get Up And Go Just Got Up And Went is largely a non-vocal outing, augmented at various points by electronic gurgles, horns and an accordion. Soederstroem channells a hypnotic style which is at times reminiscent of folk legends such as Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and John Fahey, his crisp compositions nevertheless have an ultra-modernist edge to them, digital elements seeping through and sounding perfectly at home, but with a softly engaging feel rather than the clinical hum of technology. subtle intonation adding a sweetness and warmth to proceedings.

B. Fleischmann/Tarwater - Morr Music Japan Tour 2005 CD (Morr Music) [MORRTOUR004CD] $10.75
2005 tour-only release, distributed in the U.S. for the first time. To celebrate their Japanese 2005 tour, Bernhard Fleischmann and Tarwater decided to put an EP together, with Fleischmann providing two alternative versions of tracks and Tarwater providing three exclusive tracks. Anyone who has heard Fleischmann's The Humbucking Coil will already know "From To" and "Broken Monitors," but hearing them in these new-and-improved versions is a pleasure and a privilege - the tracks are fleshed out with effects and distortion which makes them feel more fun and freer than their predecessors.

Beatundercontrol - Cosmic Repackage CD (Malicious Damage) [MD632] $17.25
RELEASE DATE: 04-28-2008
Since bursting into the world in the late 70s as a punk-driven bass evangelist, Sweden's Ulf "Rockis" Ivarrson has since been on a relentless voyage of musical discovery while paying his dues to pay the rent. Through early 80s bands like The Quiet, playing the blues with the Eivon Boogie Band, backing up Swedish guitar hero Clas Yngstrom in his group Sky High or a host of sessions, Ulf nurtured a growing desire to uncork an inner vision which sounded nothing like any of these lucratively-popular positions. After a stint with world music-techno marauders Hedningama, where he pioneered a new instrument called the bass mandora, Ulf took the plunge in the late '90s and started Beatundercontrol. Conventional song structures went out the window as he explored his fixations with the mighty dub, noise and experimental music which knew no boundaries, emerging with widely acclaimed first album The Introduction in 2003. 'Instead of writing banal three-minute songs with mindless expressions and meaning, I rather try to challenge myself through textures, noises and basslines,' he explains. This philosophy is explored with often stunning results on Ulf's second Beatundercontrol album, Cosmic Repackage, a colossal aural menagerie of space-jazz brass themes and solo flights, subterranean pulses and dark-hued banks of strings which dart between European avant textures to late 60s hypno-drone alchemists the Third Ear Band. It's a heady brew, ranging from the nocturnal back alley jazz of "Neighbourterror Blues" to the intense freeform scattershots and coruscating atmospherics of "Departure". If dub's shadow looms over the album, notably on tracks like the bottomless fizz-bombs of Interruption, it steps out and flashes its glorious sonic stiffie on the alien skank of "Subversion Dub", albeit lashed with dissonance and howling winds.From punk rock to the outer limits, Ulf Ivarrson has cause to celebrate quite a remarkable musical journey and does so with one of the year's most intoxicatingly uncompromising aural statements.

Blues Control - Puff CD (Fusetron) [FUSE047CD] $12.00
No description available at this time.

Boredoms - Super Roots 9 CD (Thrill Jockey) [THRILL197] $14.75
RELEASE DATE: 04-08-2008
***The first new edition in eight years to the Super Roots series, Super Roots 9, finally gets a worldwide release. Super Roots 9 is a recording of a live show on Christmas Eve in 2004, in Japan. The performance featured a 24-person choir alongside the group. Super Roots 9 is the first live recording of the band ever released. The CD, packaged in a special custom-made mini gatefold LP style jacket, will feature artwork by EYE and a 40-page perfect bound booklet with music scores and notations.

Caned & Able - Smoke... CD (Malicious Damage) [MD631] $17.25
RELEASE DATE: 04-28-2008
Since impressing far and wide with their Beats for Bars project Patrick Bird and Martyn Savigar have now expanded their range of collaborators to weird, wonderful and sometimes audacious effect. In the immediate vicinity, there's former Specimen and Siouxsie & the Banshees guitarist Jon Klein, drummer Chris Bell [also Specimen but a bevy of 80s giants too] and, showing up in the course of this hallucino-genic journey, Billie Holliday, Catatonia, Marc Bolan and even the young John Peel, whose unmistakeable and always welcome tones talk about woodland creatures on 'Deaf Aid' amidst another calming space-shuffle before singer Anna Jacyszyn wafts in. The concept is mash-up taken to diverse extremes creating slow motion symphonies which plant some familiar voices in fields of dreams where the mood is deep, dubbed and drenched in ghosts as Billie Holliday looms in "Trav'lin' Light" to spine-melting effect, "Soul Clapp" creates a new hiphop hybrid, "White Space" is an orchestral treatment of goth-glamsters Specimen and there are tracks like "Deuteronomy" where the players stretch out after the guests have left. This is an opiated aural delight from start to finish, by which time you might be stroking the ceiling like a long-lost friend, satisfied that now the world's a better place and wondering why they don't make them like this any more.

Colour Revolt - Plunder Beg And Curse CD (Fat Possum) [FP1111] $12.00
The debut album from Oxford, Mississippi's COLOUR REVOLT. "Starting with the obvious: there's a lot of guitars in Colour Revolt. But they're not dumb guitars, that's what I'm saying. It's pretty sometimes, sure, but it doesn't do to leave gorgeous alone, and sometimes you have to punch the blushing bride in the face, you the low-hearted puggish bridesmaid with nary a suitor. Ugly babies born with buck teeth which will fall out only to be replaced by wolf fangs. All of your children need braces, says Colour Revolt. All the dogs are better christians than we are. At best one can approximate the howl, but it isn't worth much. And what of it? The dogs will outlive us, by God. And they deserve it. What have you ever done? To be bludgeoned to death by sound, by music, says Colour Revolt. We have you and are not afraid."

Country Funk - Country Funk CD (Fallout) [FO2086CD] $16.00
Few artist names or album titles have ever been so misleading as this band's. Though there are certainly elements of funk and country in the mix, their beautifully crafted songs and harmonies (to say nothing of some biting electric guitar) are far closer in feel to the West Coast psychedelia of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Originally released in 1970 on Polydor, the album is a long-lost gem that is sure to please fans of U.S. West Coast rock - it certainly appealed to Beck, who sampled one of its tracks on his Odelay album.

Electric President - Sleep Well CD (Morr Music) [MORR084CD] $14.75
RELEASE DATE: 06-24-2008
This is the second album by Electric President (Ben Cooper & Alex Kane), made in the same shed in Jacksonville Beach, Florida as their previous records and in Alex's bedroom. The wind blows the sounds away. It's foggy. Beads of dew glisten on the leaves. Outside, in the small tool shed, the light is still on. The ocean is not far away. Concentration and contemplation: for over 13 months, Electric President recorded what Ben Cooper calls a "middle of the night record;" his "12 pop songs about dreams and nightmares." Dreams and nightmares is what Sleep Well is about - shadowy and inscrutable atmospheres, the border landscapes of our existence where the fog and the wind passes the sounds over to us. As British as sea-shanties, these songs seem to disappear into echo spirals, when Cooper's voice gradually disappears from the microphone until it nearly sounds ghostly. "Ether" is an absolute metamorphosis in the tradition of Franz Kafka or Orson Welles - a typical Ben Cooper pop song that is hymnal but never theatrical. "Monster" forms sounds into a melodic, sparkling landscape, while "Graves And The Infinite Arm" is a dark, melancholy, gothic novel. The wind blows the sounds away. And us with them.

Experimental Dental School - Jane Doe Loves Me CD (Cochon) [COCH031] $14.25
With fierce creativity and a sense that anything is possible in record making, Oakland California's EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL bring a warmth to chaos and an aliveness that cascade off the tracks of their latest release Jane Doe Loves Me.The guitar-organ-drum trio combines samples with one-of-a-kind instruments to create their own brand of art rock. RYAN BRUNDAGE's fractured beats dance over a hurricane of SHOKO HORIKAWA's Casio riffs while JESSE HALL's guitar lines bend like a broken down slurpie machine. Parallels can be found in Deerhoof, Devo, Captain Beefheart or even the surreal world of Fellini.

Freddy Fresh - Rap Records 2nd Edition Revised Book (Freddy Fresh) [FFP001] $31.00
After the retail success and unanimous critical praise of his first book, FREDDY FRESH is back with a second edition and this time the book is bigger and better with 740 pages packed with over 2,500 full-color photographs of the rarest rap records in the world. It has also been expanded to include mid '90s labels, an updated section on British and foreign labels, and a how-to to distinguish between original pressings and bootlegs and reissues. Also included are interviews with collectors and eBay sellers from Japan, England, and Germany. The book features a complete index cross referencing all artists to the correct record label and city for quick access to every record in the book. As an added feature, Freddy has included rare photos of New York City record stores taken in the '80s.

Gazelle - Sunblown CD (Hidden Agenda) [AHA!090] $13.00
RELEASE DATE: 05-20-2008
Genre: Indie-Rock-Electro-Psych. Gazelle is a new musical extrapolation from two Champaign-Urbana rock scene veterans: studio warlock Jeff Dimpsey (Hum, National Skyline, Honcho Overload, Poster Children) and vocalist Adam Fein (Absinthe Blind). Sunblown is their debut album, 10 tracks of overcast electro-rock, deftly wrought and serenely psychedelic. Sunblown features a guest appearance from Adam's sister Erin Fein, vocalist for Headlights (Polyvinyl).

Hecq - Night Falls CD (Hymen) [Y767] $16.50
RELEASE DATE: 04-18-2008
those who are familiar with ben lukas boysen's 5 year catalog of work will notice an important change while listening to this album. his former creations can be seen as explorations of different sound facets transforming boysen's feelings into music. it took time for this artist to subordinate the innumerable technical possibilities to become implements of his inner self, and he already began to walk this new path with '0000'. now, boysen qualifies 'night falls' as a turning point in hecq's personal and musical history, and also as a conclusion of what hecq stood for until now. artistic expression of personal experiences are often difficult because these experiences often block the artist's creativity. in exceptional cases it is possible to do, one of these cases is 'night falls'. the predominant mood of the twelve tracks which were recorded as one continuous opus ranges from teariness and melancholy up to beauty and puissance, unleashed by discontent, the assurance to need a change, or even a stroke of fate. never before has hecq's music implied such melodic and compositional richness. comparing the music on 'night falls' with romantic classical music seems imaginable; majestic strings interact with electronic soundscapes to bring sentiments into being. this is a manifestation of a person who is aware that changes happen, and that changes have to be made. as boysen says: the sixth hecq album will be much more different - this fifth one is the first of many new steps to follow.

Humanfly - 2 CD (20 Buck Spin) [SPIN021] $12.00
RELEASE DATE: 04-08-2008
Between post-metal, psychedelic post-rock and whatever ever other post-genre label gets writers juiced comes Leeds based riff merchants HUMANFLY. Formed in the early part of the decade and including people from well known Brits CANVAS, Humanfly offer six vast, epic, metallic journeys through huge NeurISIS style heaviness and Pink Floyd via Mogwai atmospherics. Tunes like "Echoes Of The Roman Empire" and "Tjanargata / A Passage To Reykjavik" are given ample space to breathe and build before inevitably crashing into a mountain of mammoth, celestial volume. With the shortest track more than 8 minutes and the longest over 13, each song is a two or three part saga within itself. Vocals are used sparingly focusing primarily on building thematically through the music. Not yet well-known outside their native UK, the release of 2 by 20 Buck Spin will introduce Humanfly to a larger audience and push the band to the forefront of the post-post-rockmetal "genre."

Jet Black Crayon - Experiments In The Space Metal CD (Galaxia) [GLX18] $9.50
No description available at this time.

Jet Black Crayon - Inaccuracies Of The Mind CD (Function 8) [FER88815] $12.00
No description available at this time.

Jet Black Crayon - Low Frequency Speaker Test CD (Function 8) [FER88808] $12.00
No description available at this time.

Jim Noir - Jim Noir CD (Barsuk) [BARK73] $10.25
RELEASE DATE: 04-08-2008
***From a Manchester, UK bedroom to your stereo via outer space, Barsuk is overjoyed to introduce the new album from JIM NOIR. He's named it after himself, but don't be fooled into thinking he's run out of ideas-Jim's eponymous second album is one of the most expansive pop records you'll hear this year. Jim's music has always been a melee of different styles and influences, and this album sees him delving more into his electronic side and going further with melody and vocals than he's ever gone before.

Juanita y Los Feos - Juanita Y Los Feos CD (Dead Beat) [DB75] $12.75
The debut full-length from JUANITA Y LOS FEOS packs twelve new and unreleased songs from Madrids newest bunch of rock'n'roll derelicts. Sung word for word in their native tongue, the album will resonate with any fan of blues-drenched garage rock or keys-laced punk rock. A total scorcher from start to finish for fans of The Mans, Black Lips, Forbidden Tigers, Lost Sounds, Spaceshits, Teengenerate, Motorama, Haunted George, Hex Dispensers, Brimstone Howl, Live Fast Die, Cococoma, BBQ, Oblivians, Spits, Demon's Claws, Reatards, etc.

Keiji Haino & Tatsuya Yoshida - Houenfiomiume CD (Magaibitsu Ltd) [MGC34] $17.75
"The controversial work which stepped into the forbidden territory of editing of the performance of HAINO KEIJI. YOSHIDA breaks up their studio session boldly, and restructures it from The unacceptable tune reproduced by extreme editing to The pop song thing that it is surprised. From the Irregular hard core to Heavy tune. From the modern music short piece, to the lyricism acoustic number.This album shows new possibility with union/condensing the music of Haino & Yoshida. this time they made 2 different (but similar) albums and another one will be released on TZADIK in May." 16 tracks 50 min.

Kettel - Myam James Part 1 CD (Sending Orbs) [SO009] $16.25
RELEASE DATE: 04-21-2008
After two magnificent Sending Orbs albums (Through Friendly Waters 2005, My Dogan 2006), another brilliant album on Clone/Dub (Whisper Me Wishes 2007) and a handful of releases in the early 2000s, Kettel (Reimer Eising) completely forgot how to play the piano, arrange his compositions, let alone have a reasonable conversation with his label. He is constantly blathering about "De Spreeuw", a prune eating lamb, a drunken motorist fish (?) called "De Baars". Can you follow us? Fortunately, he rolled out and finished the plans for a new release before all this happened. Maybe it is even our fault, because we stimulated Mr. Lunatic to release an album series: good things come in twos, right? Anyway, we hope that Kettel will recover soon. In the meantime we will keep you occupied with the Myam James albums. Myam James is maximal electronic music. Kettel manages to squeeze uplifting, warm, cheerful and enjoyable music out of his kettle and pottery factory, which is sad, melancholic and sensitive at the same time. See here the paradoxical twist in much of his work. Beauty lies in the melancholy. Add to this Kettel's profound knowledge of composition and we guarantee you'll be chained to your speakers or earphones for the next months. Probably even longer, because Myam James part II, the sequel, will also be out by then. The album series is in the vain of his very successful earlier work here on Sending Orbs, where Kettel lays claim to the title of Duke of Melody and Count of Charisle, staying surprisingly, but refreshingly true to the roots of the Warp sound from the 90's. For the Kettel newbies who wonder how electronic music like this is possible, some background information comes in handy. Little Kettel was classically schooled on the piano to exploit his early discovered musical talent. He loved to listen to classical music, especially Bach. Pianist Glenn Gould was his first idol. Because of his brother (our employee of the month July 2006), Kettel joined the electronic music fanbase in the mid-1990s. A few years before the millennium Reimer started producing electronic music himself and within no time he put out releases on pretty labels as Planet Mu and DuB. Actually, Kettel was just getting started. His music became more mature with every release ~V if music ever gets old. He also managed to explore different sub genres of electronic music and to produce remarkable crossovers. His ambient album Volleyed Iron (2004, U-Cover) became an instant ambient classic and the Whisper Me Wishes album (2007, Dub) was critically acclaimed for a fantastic crossover of jazz, classical music and electronic music. Remixes for artists as Depeche Mode and Dash Berlin and a Japanese Kettel tour in 2007 are some examples of his growing recognition and popularity. The Myam James series on Sending Orbs denotes the next and absolutely greatest highlight on his discography. Myam James part I is 9 tracks of Kettel ecstasy, a brilliant My Dogan (title track of the My Dogan 2006 album) remix by early influencers Phoenecia (Schematic/Warp), as icing on the cake, 7 minutes of remix synthesizer-madness by Secede (putting on his Vangelis-clothes once again), and as Eising on the icing an immensely surprising digipack artwork by Jeroen Advocaat inspired by Kettel's current mental condition. That reminds us... We wish Kettel all well recovering, and you, of course, many hours of enjoyment. We report back in about three months with Myam James part II.

Koenjihyakkei - Hundred Sights Of Koenji CD (Skin Graft) [GR90] $13.25
The anticipated new album from Japan's KOENJIHYAKKEI-YOSHIDA TATSUYA (RUINS), SAKAMOTO KENGO, KANAZAW MIYAKO, YAMAMOTO KYOTO and KOMORI KEIKO. "KOENJIHYAKKEI is a unique concept for Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins), and it may go down as his greatest achievement: the most perfect fusion of straight prog, the avant-garde and hardcore punk. Amen."-Pitchfork

Machinefabriek - Mort Aux Vaches CD (Staalplaat) [MORTMF] $20.25
No description available at this time.

Mahmoud Refat - Mort Aux Vaches CD (Staalplaat) [MORTMR] $20.25
No description available at this time.

Miss High Heel - Family's Hot Daughter CD (Blossoming Noise) [BN032] $12.75
In their consumptive four-month existence this meta-stuporgroup annihilated no-wave distant past, banal present, and dystopic future. The Family's Hot Daughter, MHH's sole studio document, was meticulously restored for this release from the original, wholly ungovernable recordings. The platinum, members-only standard of insanity. Featuring TOM SMITH, JAMES MARLON MAGAS, WEASEL WALTER, AZITA YOUSEFFI, JIM O'ROURKE, BILL PISARRI, CHUCK FALZONE, ODI M'KHAN, NANDOR NEVAI, and MIKE GREEN.

Neva Dinova - You May Already Be Dreaming CD (Saddle Creek) [LBJ117] $11.50
NEVA DINOVA's third full-length and first since 2005's The Hate Yourself Change is a lush, largely electric affair rich with the rural textures that pepper releases from the band's Omaha contemporaries. Having been a staple in the scene since the early '90s, Neva Dinova have continually evolved their melancholic sound, making masterful use of counterbalanced melodies and poetic lyricism. From the spacious guitar washes of "A Man and His Dream" to the sweeping, dusty strength of "Clouds," this is the band's most fluid and realized effort to date.

Nurse with Wound - Insect And Individual Silenced CD (Raash Recoords) [Raash001] $17.75
This is the official CD release of the infamous fourth NURSE WITH WOUND album from 1983-the album that the masters were burned, but thanks to technology and individuals that were trying their hand at making a record sound amazingly as though it were digitally mastered and recorded today. The restored recordings were presented to STEVEN STAPELTON to re-listen to and he ended up liking an album he previously hated. Insect was a pivotal album in the vast NWW discography and United Dairies label due to it being a huge jumping on point for many friends and fans. Packaged in an 8-panel extra thick digipak with an insert featuring the story of how this CD came to be by Steven Stapleton. Includes original artwork from the album by Stapelton and MATT WALDRON, all housed in opaque outer slipcases with silver print.

Pagans - The Blue Album CD (Smog Veil) [SV070CD] $12.00
No description available at this time.

Palumbo-Tomasini - Canes Veatici CD (Blossoming Noise) [BN033] $12.75
FABRIZIO PALUMBO's (LARSEN, BLIND CAVE SALAMANDER) spectacular orchestrations are paired brilliantly with ERNESTO TOMASINI's (ANDREW LILES, OTHON MATARAGAS) stirring melismatics. Canes Benatici was recorded in Torino, Italy at O.F.F. studio in late 2007.

Quarter After - Changes Near CD (Committee To Keep Music Evil) [EVILCD0512] $16.25
In the grand tradition of many rock'n'roll "brother" bands, the QUARTER AFTER is lead by the two CAMPANELLA siblings-songwriter/singer DOMINIC and guitarist/producer ROBERT. The band greets the new year of 2008 with their second release, Changes Near. Changes Near is still the Quarter After as we know them-Dom's prominent twelve-string Rickenbacker and rich melodies set the tone for songs that range from dense guitar-driven psychedelic attacks to further explorations into down home country in the grand tradition of West Coast rock. All Quarter After members past and present make appearances on this record as well as a fantasmic collection of LA musicians including friend and mentor Ric Menck (Velvet Crush, the Tyde), Matthew Sweet, Miranda Lee Richards, Mara Keagle, Eric Heywood (Son Volt), Christoff W. Certik (Winter Flowers), Kirk Hellie (Meow Meow), Probyn Gregory (Wondermints, Brian Wilson Band), and Matthew Sigley (Lovetones, Daytime Frequency). There's also help from Anton Newcombe and Collin Hegna of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, who helped steer some of the mixes with Rob.

Rorschach Garden, The - Transfer CD (Bazooka Joe) [bubble12] $17.25
RELEASE DATE: 04-18-2008
they are back! never before has a trg album been as self-contained as 'transfer'. compared to their previous albums one will notice a significant wave influence and a turning towards contemporary songwriting; here, the bielefeld based trio present a mixture between state-of-the-art electropop and instrumental tracks which are a perfect invitation to listen deeply and to 'lift-off' as well. the opener 'move myself' already points out the direction: catchy melodies, p.münch's unmistakable vocals, driving beats and moods perfectly balanced between joy and melancholy - once again trg present the perfect connection between vogue and sophistication - a trademark they are well-known for since 'state protection'. contemporary, inspiring electronic songs, a guaranteed aural pleasure - which also explains the verve of the 'japanese friends' from korg who dedicated an extra website to trg. mission accomplished - transfer complete!

Sun Kil Moon - April CD (Caldo Verde) [CV006] $17.25
April, the new album from SUN KIL MOON, is MARK KOZELEK's first original record since the acclaimed 2003 Sun Kil Moon debut Ghosts Of The Great Highway. Eleven songs at almost 74 minutes, April is a collection of songs recorded between March and August 2007 in San Francisco and Seattle. In the spirit of Sun Kil Moon's Ghosts and Tiny Cities, Mark was joined by the same players as before, including drummer Anthony Koutsos (Red House Painters), bassist Geoff Stanfield (Black Lab), violist Michi Aceret, and percussionist David Revelli. April also finds Mark in the company of guest vocalists Bonnie Prince Billy, Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie), and Eric Pollard (Retribution Gospel Choir).

Tall Firs - Too Old To Die Young CD (Ecstatic Peace) [E#41D] $10.25
After a 2006 debut which drew accolades from Rolling Stone, Vice, NME, Q, and Harp amongst others, TALL FIRS return with a second dose of songs showcasing a new non-drowsy formula. A confusing, bittersweet concoction laced with just enough speed to keep you feeling a bit better about the world of sickness closing in around you. Too Old to Die Young maintains the lugubrious lyrical stylings Firs accolades demand. The band are unafraid to invoke the pocket-orchestra balladry of the first record, but several new strands have entered the gene pool as well, and the outcome is no chimera of crudely assembled influences, but a cohesive new beast.

Uw Hypothekkkadvies - Nature Or Nurture CD (Beta-Lactam Ring) [MT159] $14.75
Imagine a heavily armored Glenn Branca guitar army falling DOWN an UP escalator in such a way that they never reach the bottom and are forever tumbling and crashing. Now throw DNA down the same escalator and pour acid on that. UH don't just rock; they ROCK. Like agates gone wild, their abstract explorations come delivered via sledgehammer and arrive on the plate as oddly conceived gemstones with insects trapped inside. It smells like the teen spirits of Naked City and Laddio Bolocko lurk underneath UH's woodpile, but despite the improv flavor of UH's pummeling, they skew away from jazz and lean in more towards prog than Zorn and Co. Edition of 400 numbered copies. (STREET DATE - 4/08/2008)

Various Artists - Lo Dubs Presents Analog Clash, Mixed By 6Blocc 2CD (Lo Dubs) [LODUBS1208001] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 06-09-2008
Lo Dubs is pleased to present Analog Clash, our first Compact Disc, mixed by LA's 6Blocc, and destined to become the Rosetta stone of the Dubstep sound emanating from all regions of the Americas. From Toronto by way of DZ, Bombaman, XI, and the Doom metal group Nadja (Remixed by Vex'd, an exclusive to this release), to Venezuela via Pachecko and Cardopusher, and back to the middle with Philadelphia's own Starkey and the mighty South3rn of Texas, all the earth encompassing the two continents is represented in a release that may very well be the first of it's kind to represent the movement on this side of the pond. As a mix, 6Blocc has demonstrated once again his ability to thrill, compiling a hour-plus recording that weaves through Lo Dubs diverse list of releases, in addition to a host of unheard recordings, many of which will be featured on 12"s in their own right in the months following the CD release, thus continuing the cross pollination process. As a bonus, included is a second disc, containing every Lo Dubs release to date, in full CD audio format, mastered to perfection. This will be THE ONLY WAY any Lo Dubs releases will be available in such a high quality digital format, a point which will be made clear in all aspects of promoting this release. Key points of blag/boast: *Multitude of exclusive tunes, including a remix of the ultra prolific group know as Nadja, Remixed by the one and only Vex'd, and Solvent, known via releases on Ghostly, suction, etc. *Full color, highly evocative artwork, packaged as a 2CD jewel case. Front sticker explaining release, exclusivity. *6Blocc just returned to LA, having just blazed a trail of over 30 dates throughout Western/Eastern Europe, playing many of these tracks on Dub Plate to huge response. *the only way digital DJ's will be able to procure these tracks in digital .wav form is this release, period. *full color posters and postcards. Full press blitz in the works. No dizzah. CD1: 6blocc DJ Mix 1: DZ Feat. Awaken Lion ~V Chalice Dub 2: Starkey ~V Dementia 3: Nadja ~V Alien In My Own Skin (Vex'd V.I.P. RMX) 4: Solvent ~V Think Like Us (Bombaman RMX) 5: XI ~V G Funk-3000 6: DZ/XI ~V Guns at Dawn 7: South3rn ~V Fully Loaded 8: DZ ~V That Bongo Dub 9: Hoodz ~V Clash 10: Pacheko ~V Bi Polar Bear 11: Pacheko ~V Bi Polar Bear (Starkey RMX) 12: Pacheko ~V Tryouts 13: Pacheko ~V Tryouts (Cardopusher RMX) 14: 6blocc ~V Give the DJ a Break 2008 15: Cardopusher ~V Milk Thistle 16: XI ~V Lucky 17: South3rn ~V Mangione Tribe Dub CD2: Unmixed CD audio tracks 1. Starkey ~V Dementia 2. LOSBUD1207002 A 3. LOSBUD1207002 B 4. South3rn ~V Mangione Tribe Dub 5. South3rn ~V La Rana 6. Solvent ~V Think Like Us (RMX) . Bombaman ~V Rise Against 8. LOSBUD1208004 A 9. DZ Feat. Awaken Lion ~V Chalice 10. DZ ~V That Bongo Dub 11. South3rn ~V Fully Loaded 12. South3rn ~V Muslim Dub.

Various Artists - New Orleans Funk Vol. 2 3xLP (Soul Jazz Records) [SJR185LP] $23.25
No description available at this time.

Witch - Paralyzed CD (Tee Pee) [TPE085] $13.50
WITCH is no "indie metal" supergroup or side project. To prescribe such journalistic stigmas would be to underestimate the commitment of Witch's members. After their self-titled debut in 2006, Witch returned to the studio to work on their sophomore album Paralyzed. The new album remains true to the classic heavy rock sound of the first, but has evolved as the band has learned to play to each others strengths. The Vermont based band's new songs highlight the rhythm section of DAVE SWEETAPPLE (bass) and J MASCIS (drums) who return to their punk roots and attack with a more aggressive tempo. This foundation allows KYLE THOMAS (guitar/vocals) to construct wailing vertical melodies of guitar and sinister vocals. Witch has turned out a record that burns with hostility.

Wondrous Horse - Cavallo Meraviglioso CD (Fire Museum) [FM016CD] $11.25
"Welcome one and all to the world of Wondrous Horse! Cavallo Meraviglioso is the debut offering of the transatlantic (Italy/U.S.) duo of Vanessa Rossetto (Pulga, The Mighty Acts of God, etc.) and Salvatore Borrelli (aka (etre) & Harps of Fuchsia Kalmia). "

[ D V D ]

Andy Ortmann - Octagonist DVD (Nihilist Records) [NIHIL088DVD] $15.25
No description available at this time.

Jet Black Crayon - In The Interim DVD+CD (Function 8) [FER88817] $13.25
JET BLACK CRAYON re-emerges with their fifth release and the first since 2004's Inaccuracies of the Mind Machine. On In The Interim, TOMMY GUERRERO (Quannum Projects, Mo'Wax, Galaxia, Function 8), MONTE VALLIER (ex-SWELL, Def American/American Recordings, Beggars Banquet) and GADGET (Function 8) worked closely with independent filmmakers, and seven of the nine tracks on the album are complemented with short films. The filmmakers include ANDREW PAYNTER, DAN WOLFE, GREG HUNT, CHERYL DUNN and CHRISTOPHE BEAUCOURT. Those familiar with Jet Black Crayon will find a renewed soundscape, and those familiar with Guerrero's music will note a more visual, cerebral, and textural sound. The interplay between music and film on In the Interim is key. The creative process was a true collaboration-the band and the filmmakers exchanged rough mixes and edits, allowing them to shape the respective audio and visual parts in tandem. Some of the songs dynamically move to the films while others create a moody score. No export to Japan

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

Group 180 - Music For Pieces of Wood CD (Hungaroton) [HUNG12545CD] $16.50
1995 release. Recorded in 1983. "Water - Wonder" by Tibor Szemzö (1982), "Music for Pieces of Wood" by Steve Reich (1973), "Etude for Three Mirrors" by László Melis (1982), and "Coming Together" & "Attica" by Frederic Rzewski (1972). Performed by Group 180. Recited in English.

John Cage - Thirty Pieces, Music For Piano CD (Hungaroton) [HUNG12893CD] $16.50
1987 release. "Thirty Pieces For Five Orchestras" (1981), performed by the Savaria Symphony Orchestra, conducted by László Tihanyi, Dieter Kempe, Zsolt Serei, Katalin Doman, and Mark Foster; musical direction by Peter Eötvös. "Music For Piano" Nos. 4-19, 21-84 (1952-56). (Realization by A. Wilheim). Performed by Zoltán Jeney, András Wilheim, László Vidovszky, László Sary, Barnabás Dukay (pianists). "Hungaroton continues its invaluable Cage series, this time moving away from the percussion works of past volumes. The works presented here make this self-recommending for anyone devoted to this important 20th century thinker/composer."

Mekons, The - The Mekons Story CD (Buried Treasure Records) [BURT005CD] $12.75
"Originally released in 1982, The Mekons Story (also known as It Falleth like the Gentle Rain from Heaven) is a collection of rare and unobtainable tracks from the U.K. punk legends Jon Langford describes as 'our revenge on the world.'"

Robyn Hitchcock - Shadow Cat CD (Sartorial) [FIT030] $20.25
ROBYN HITCHCOCK has taken time out from working with The Venus 3 (which features various members of REM) and John Paul Jones 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 is essential for those who have followed Robyn from his early days in THE SOFT BOYS.

Stars of the Lid - Gravitational Pull CD (Kranky) [KRANK020] $12.75
No description available at this time.

Stars of the Lid - Per Aspera Ad Astra CD CD (Kranky) [KRANK028] $12.75
No description available at this time.

Various Artists - African Scream Contest: Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds from Benin & Togo '70s CD (Analog Africa) [ANALOGA063CD] $19.75
"Just like with the label's first two releases - albums by Zimbabwean '70s bands the Green Arrows and Hallelujah Chicken Run Band - the essence of Analog Africa is clear yet again: searching in dusty warehouses for forgotten music to keep it alive. All the tracks have been officially licensed, usually from the artists who Ben Redjeb also met with for detailed research. He conducted 16 interviews in various cities in Benin and Togo with artists, producers and sound engineers to reconstruct the history of the '70s music scene for the 44-page booklet which also includes many rare photographs directly received from the artists."

Various Artists - New Orleans Funk Volume 2 CD (Soul Jazz Records) [SJR185CD] $17.75
No description available at this time.

This week's VINYL update contains releases by:

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO * AM/PM * Audience * Baby Shakes * Braincell * Captain Beyond * Cult of the 13th Hour * Daso & Pawas * Datashock * East of Eden * Easybeats, The * Edgar Broughton Band * Electric President * Ellen Allien * Eruption * Fleetwood Mac * Forest * Gentle Giant * Hartmut Geerken * Intrusion * Jens Zimmermann * Jerome Sydenham * Jet Black Crayon * John Daly * Jonas Bering * Keepalive * Martinez * Mathias Schaffhauser * MC Gringo feat. MC Binho * Meat Beat Manifesto * Minilogue & Kab * Modeselektor * Motherlight * My Cat Is An Alien / Mats Gustaffson * Nadja * Panama Limited * Peace, The * Pete Brown & Piblokto * Peverelist * Pier Bucci * Ramadanman * Ramirez * Rekleiner * Sebrok * Shantel * Shonky * Sound_00/Iversen * Subliminal Kid, The * Super Flu * Superpitcher vs. The Congosound * Tama Sumo & Prosumer * Three Legged Race * Troum * Whitehouse * Zero Cash & Khan * Zigon & Friends

[ F E A T U R E D   R E L E A S E S ]

Sound_00/Iversen - 4 Track 7 inch (Dirty Demos) [Dirty7001] $9.97
Jan M. and Antonio collaborate here for the first time, delivering 4 tracks of dark ambient power electronics. Sinister and thought provoking.

[ . . . ]

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO - Recurring Dream & Apocalypse Of Darkness 2xLP (Important) [IMPREC188-1] $22.00
RELEASE DATE: 04-15-2008
Recurring Dream And Apocalypse Of Darkness is the by far the heaviest Acid Mothers Temple record yet. So heavy, in fact, that Kawabata Makoto jokingly said "the album is really heavy, maybe a bit like Sunn o))). hahahaha". The limited edition double LP version of Recurring Dream is packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on heavy duty jacket and it contains two bonus tracks rounding out the double LP set. Both the CD & LP feature remarkable art work by Seldon Hunt. LP is limited to 1000. The Acid Mothers Temple will be embarking on a coast to coast tour to support Recurring Dream And Apocalypse Of Darkness.

AM/PM - So It Goes 12 inch (Dreck) [DRK016EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Audience - Friend's Friend's Friend LP (Timeless Records) [TIME706LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Baby Shakes - Tell Me Now 10 inch (Rob's House) [RHR033] $12.00
THE BABY SHAKES haven't thrown in the towel on power pop, but the first two songs on this record are wonderfully glammy. The shakes bring plenty of sugar coated vocal harmonies, but they've managed to incorporate a salty, tequila soaked vocal toughness that make accusations of wimpiness an absolute impossibility. It's almost entirely befitting that it ended up being a female band that had the balls to write such Slade inspired songs. Recorded by DAVE CARBONA. 500 pressed, red heart-shaped 10-inch vinyl.

Braincell - Absorb 12 inch (Harthouse) [HHMA019EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Captain Beyond - Sufficiently Breathless LP (Timeless Records) [TIME712LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Cult of the 13th Hour - Wickedness 12 inch (Soul Jazz Records) [SJR182EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Daso & Pawas - Det 12 inch (Spectral Sound) [SPC058EP] $9.75
No description available at this time.

Datashock - Datashock LP (Qbico) [QBICO074LP] $22.75
No description available at this time.

Electric President - Sleep Well LP (Man Recordings) [MORR084LP] $14.75
RELEASE DATE: 06-24-2008
This is the second album by Electric President (Ben Cooper & Alex Kane), made in the same shed in Jacksonville Beach, Florida as their previous records and in Alex's bedroom. The wind blows the sounds away. It's foggy. Beads of dew glisten on the leaves. Outside, in the small tool shed, the light is still on. The ocean is not far away. Concentration and contemplation: for over 13 months, Electric President recorded what Ben Cooper calls a "middle of the night record;" his "12 pop songs about dreams and nightmares." Dreams and nightmares is what Sleep Well is about - shadowy and inscrutable atmospheres, the border landscapes of our existence where the fog and the wind passes the sounds over to us. As British as sea-shanties, these songs seem to disappear into echo spirals, when Cooper's voice gradually disappears from the microphone until it nearly sounds ghostly. "Ether" is an absolute metamorphosis in the tradition of Franz Kafka or Orson Welles - a typical Ben Cooper pop song that is hymnal but never theatrical. "Monster" forms sounds into a melodic, sparkling landscape, while "Graves And The Infinite Arm" is a dark, melancholy, gothic novel. The wind blows the sounds away. And us with them.

Ellen Allien - Berlinette 2xLP (Bpitch Control) [BPC065LP] $17.25
Double LP version.

Hartmut Geerken - Amanita 2xLP (Qbico) [QBICO075LP] $38.25
No description available at this time.

Intrusion - Instrusion Dub 2x12 inch (Echospace) [ECHOSPACE007EP] $21.25
RELEASE DATE: 05-13-2008
"Limited pressing: pressed on mixed colored vinyl, packaged by hand with chrome stickers as featured above. An organic variation of selected waveforms processed through select resistors, analog modulators and vintage VCO's much in the spirit of King Tubby's revolutionary sound design concepts. Original recordings were produced somewhere in Detroit in the winter months of 1993-1998, Transferred from tape, reshaped & remastered in 2008."

Jens Zimmermann - On Drumzzz 12 inch (Snork) [SNORK008X-EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Jerome Sydenham - Ebian 12 inch (Ibadan Records) [IRC087EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Jet Black Crayon - Experiments In The Space Metal 12 inch (Galaxia) [GLX18l] $8.25
No description available at this time.

Jet Black Crayon - Mean Streets 7 inch (Function 8) [FER88813] $5.50
No description available at this time.

John Daly - Solitaire/Back It Up 12 inch (International Records Recordings) [IRR001EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Jonas Bering - Can't Stop Loving You 12 inch (Kompakt) [KOM172EP] $9.75
Jonas Bering's overall musical mission is the amalgamation of minimal, deep house, dub techno and ambient. "Can't Stop Loving You" is easily his most disco-style work to date. It's a jolly, well-tempered house tune driven by a disco-ish bass line and euphoric stabs, and it's gonna stick in your ears right after the first listen. It's kitsch, it's pop, there's a true love story behind it, and it's only one of three amazing tracks on this record.

Keepalive - Platinum Chart Topper 12 inch (Zero G Sounds) [0G014EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Martinez - Retrospective 12 inch (3RD Floor) [3RD008EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Mathias Schaffhauser - Holy Pause 12 inch (Adjunct) [ADJUNCT021EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

MC Gringo feat. MC Binho - 1 Real: The Stereo MCs Remixes 12 inch (Man Recordings) [MAN025EP] $10.75
No description available at this time.

Meat Beat Manifesto - Lonely Soldier 12 inch (Planet Mu) [ZIQ201] $7.00
"Lonely Soldier" is the new single from seminal electronic band MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO. Led by sound sculptor and producer extraordinaire JACK DANGERS, the group is continually evolving. On "Lonely Soldier," Dangers ties together many strands of his wide-ranging work, from dub-bass and psychedelic background reverberations to crate-digging breaks and Jamaican toasting. "I feel closest to the dubstep trend," says Dangers. "I feel like dub has always been part of my sound." Upcoming new full-length album due out in April. No exports outside North America

Minilogue & Kab - That's A Nice Way To Give Me Feeback Remixes 12 inch (Audiobahn) [BAHN008EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Modeselektor - Turn Deaf 12 inch (Bpitch Control) [BPC099EP] $9.75
No description available at this time.

Motherlight - Bobak, Jons, Malone LP (Timeless Records) [TIME710LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

My Cat Is An Alien / Mats Gustaffson - Cosmic Debris Vol. 4 LP (Opax) [OPXLP11] $147.50
On the fourth volume in the ongoing Cosmic Debris series of split LPs released in editions of 100 copies, Italian space improv duo adventure beyond their limits in search of something truly alive and free, via astral and cosmic guitars, vocals, mouth harmonica, space toys and burning percussion. Swedish saxophonist MATS GUSTAFSSON-whose twenty-year career boasts collaborations with Peter Brotzmann, Derek Bailey, Joe McPhee, Thurston Moore, Jim O'Rourke, and Yoshimi and Eye among others-plays tenor and slide sax, weevil sax, and electronics on his track, "I Have Not Set Any Time Limits For The Attempt." Packaged with an original acrylic painting on canvas by ROBERTO OPALIO with a unique Polaroid attached. One-way sales only.

Nadja - Long Dark Twenties 7 inch (Anthem) [AnthemX1] $6.00
An unusual turn for Nadja, which culminated via a chance meeting of Aidan Baker and Jon AD of Anthem in NYC, This recording (on a single sided 7") demonstrates Nadja's ability to fuse their sound to the construct of the Pop cover, with the cover in question being "Long Dark Twenties", which was written by Paul Bellini of The Kids In The Hall, and was first widely heard in their film Brain Candy! In doing so, Nadja displays traits rarely exhibited in their music, like full vocals, drumming, even the good old classic pop chorus, all in such a remarkable way this it shows all that the possibilities for reinvention with this group are far from exhausted. "Long Dark Twenties" is presented as a one sided 7" with hand letter pressed covers (both inside and out) and will be available in a multitude of vinyl colors.

Peverelist - Infinity Is Now/Junktion 12 inch (Tectonic) [TEC019EP] $10.75
No description available at this time.

Pier Bucci - Hay Consuelo 12 inch (Alphabet City) [ALPHA072EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Ramadanman - Carla/Offal/Kablammoleven 12 inch (Soul Jazz Records) [SJR183EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Ramirez - Hablando (Radio Slave Remixes) 12 inch (Hell Yeah Recordings) [HYR7015EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Rekleiner - Some People 12 inch (Murmur) [MUR001EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Sebrok - Pyrolator 12 inch (Paso Music) [PASO012EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Shantel - Disko Partizani Remixes 12 inch (Essay Recordings) [AY010EP] $10.75
No description available at this time.

Shonky - Time Zero Part One 12 inch (Freak N' Chic) [FNC0011LP] $10.75
The vinyl version of the new Shonky album is released as 2 separate 12"'s, 4 tracks each; this is part 1. Track 1 "Time Zero' - the album's title track, lets loose with spiralling effects and a repeat-repeat vocal that heightens the psychedelic vibe. The airy chimes of "Nebula" evoke the questing spirit of Detroit and bring in a breath of Kraftwerk a la Tour De France. The obvious titular nod to Voodoo Ray is reflected in the warm, burnished tribal-tech of "Cosmic Ray". He returns to psychedelic techno with stand-out cut "Galactica," a tune whose dense atmospherics, backdrop of wolf-like wails and clever use of a female vocal would make the Belleville Three proud.Finally, Time Zero has landed and it doesn't merely justify the hype, it goes beyond. This is not a first class debut. It's a first class album, full stop. Time Zero is ripe with a musical intelligence well beyond Shonky's years."

Shonky - Time Zero Part Two 12 inch (Freak N' Chic) [FNC0012LP] $10.75
Vinyl version, part 2. "Ondulation" hypnotizes with shimmering waves of acid and gleaming synth lines. There is more classic, intricate Detroit styling up his sleeve on "Odyssey," a clean cut tune rippling with sharp metallic synths and an eerie radio-signals-from-space motif, which tempts you to follow the sound to another dimension. Sexy, dubby, hip jackin' musical movements rule the intro on "Magma," moving into a deeper, more atmospheric space. And the final track "Minor Planets" embraces pure techno with its lush washing synths and crystalline beats. Smoothly tripping you out to now, to this moment, to Time Zero.

Subliminal Kid, The - Dancefloor Head 12 inch (Islands & Islets) [STHLMISLE002EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

Super Flu - Brink 12 inch (Herzblut) [HERZ007EP] $10.75
No description available at this time.

Superpitcher vs. The Congosound - Say I'm Your Number One 12 inch (Kompakt) [KOMPOP012EP] $9.75
No description available at this time.

Tama Sumo & Prosumer - Play Up/Brothers, Sisters 12 inch (Ostgut) [OSTGUT014EP] $9.75
No description available at this time.

Three Legged Race - Living Order / Mourning Order LP (Tone Filth) [TF51] $18.00
ROBERT BEATTY, who may be better known as a member of HAIR POLICE, ARMS OF SMOKE, and as a contributor to BURNING STAR CORE, has been creating some of his most interesting material under the name THREE LEGGED RACE. Living Order / Mourning Order is a reissue of a pair of releases from 2006, Living Order primarily focusing on micro-tonal shifts and movement and Mourning Order setting aside most (but not all) of the tones for composition. A lesson in the beauty of modern electronics. Edition of 335 with 3-color screen print and artwork by Robert Beatty.

Troum - Sen picture disc LP (Equation) [E=MC13] $43.00
"TROUM mines the nether regions of the subconscious to create waking replications of the nightly visions. Their recordings are far from mere transcriptions of dreams to tape: they are the gossamer residues of once vivid memories, passed through mesmeric filters to slowly dissolve present reality into soft focus fragments of thought. Musically, these translations fall both on the sublime and, at times, on the malevolent side of the ambient fence. Sen is fixated on the North Sea where sheets of black ice creak under the tidal currents that roll onto a rocky beach. Troum sees no need to utter any direct references, implying their metaphors behind a bleak drone haze of guitars, bells, voice, and keyboards treated with a heavy dose of Synthetic cathedral reverb. Sen reveals Troum's post-industrial sound. Rarely have they failed to push beyond their potential." Edition of 217 picture disc sets.

Various Artists - Death Is Nothing to Fear 3 12 inch (Spectral Sound) [SPC049EP] $9.75
The third installment of Spectral Sound's compilation series, focused on bringing forward new voices in the world of techno. Brought together by an equally brash and nuanced take on tonal manipulation, the four artists presented here - Sami Koivikko, Seth Troxler, Kate Simko and 2AM/FM (James T. Cotton and D'Marc Cantu) - contribute a vast understanding of the compilation's theme. What unfolds is a tough and modern ride through international techno and house.

Various Artists - Death Is Nothing To Fear 4 12 inch (Spectral Sound) [SPC059EP] $9.75
No description available at this time.

Various Artists - Eiste Skilohissia LP (Obelisk) [LPV/AEIST] $22.00
One side of collaborative and deranged, big-band pain electronics by FECALOVE, MUTANT APE, TORTURING NURSE, and OUBLIETTE. The other side features a five-minute track by each.

Zero Cash & Khan - Chitin Body 12 inch (I'm Single) [IMSINGLE002EP] $10.25
No description available at this time.

Zigon & Friends - Collabo 12 inch (Puzzle Traxx) [PUZZLE005EP] $11.50
No description available at this time.

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

East of Eden - Snafu LP (Timeless Records) [TIME715LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Easybeats, The - Easy LP (Downunder) [D/U001LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Easybeats, The - It's 2 Easy LP (Downunder) [D/U002LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Easybeats, The - Volume 3 LP (Downunder) [D/U003LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Easybeats, The - Vigil LP (Downunder) [D/U004LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Edgar Broughton Band - Edgar Broughton Band LP (Timeless Records) [TIME714LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Eruption - 1972 Live Action Wuppertal 2xLP (Qbico) [QBICO076LP] $38.25
Music by: Conrad Schnitzler, Klaus Freudigmann, Wolfgang Seidel and friends. 3 side long tracks, the complete concert.

Fleetwood Mac - Mr. Wonderful LP (Timeless Records) [TIME707LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Forest - Full Circle LP (Timeless Records) [TIME709LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Gentle Giant - Gentle Giant LP (Timeless Records) [TIME711LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Panama Limited - Indian Summer LP (Timeless Records) [TIME713LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Peace, The - Black Power LP (Groovie) [GROO011LP] $25.75
"The Peace were an obscure band from Copperbelt, Zambia. Killer Afro-psychedelic rock sound, the missing piece from the weird and amazing African Afro-rock '70s puzzle along with other rare as hell records like The Witch, Amanaz and Question Mark."

Pete Brown & Piblokto - Thousands on a Raft LP (Timeless Records) [TIME708LP] $25.75
No description available at this time.

Various Artists - Pebbles Volume 6 LP (Aip) [BFD5023LP] $14.00
New colored vinyl repressings of these classic 60s garage comps. "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. Artists include: The Fairies, Junco Partners, The Cheynes, The First Gear, The Betterdays, The Wild Ones, David John & The Mood, The Wheels, Rhythm & Blues Inc., Erkey Grant & The Eerwigs, Bill & Will, Blues By Five, Steve Aldo, The Rats, Jason Eddie & The Centremen, Bo And Peep."

Various Artists - Pebbles Volume 7 LP (Aip) [BFD5024LP] $14.00
Pebbles Vol. 7 is on green colored vinyl. Artists include: Something Wild, The Descendents, The Denims, The Heard, Hysterics, Silver Fleet, The Human Beings, The Chocolate Watchband, The Craig, The Edge, We The People, The Survivors, The Four Fifths, The Dovers, Sunday Funnies, The Painted Ship, The Live Wires.

Various Artists - Pebbles Volume 8 LP (Aip) [BFD5025LP] $14.00
Pebbles Vol. 8 is on orange colored vinyl. Artists include: The Lollipop Shoppe, The Starfires, The Gants, The Sound Barrier, The Jujus, The Uncalled For, The Bruthers, The Clue, Faine Jade, The Caravelles, The Human Beinz, Question Mark & The Mysterians, The Others, The Cindermen, The Rovin' Flames, The Rockin' Ramrods, Movin' Morfomen, The Lemon Drops.

Various Artists - Pebbles Volume 9 LP (Aip) [BFD5026LP] $14.00
Pebbles Vol. 9 is on orange colored vinyl. Artists include: The Free-For-All, Byron & The Mortals, The Endd, The Knaves, The Bugs, The Bucaneer's, The Beckett Quintet, The Outsiders, The Gestures, The Bold, The Banshees, New Colony Six, Beethoven's Fifth, It's All Meat, The Bad Roads.

Various Artists - Pebbles Volume 10 LP (Aip) [BFD5027LP] $14.00
Pebbles Vol. 10 is on yellow colored vinyl. Artists include: The Next Five, The Moon Rakers, Peter Wheat & The Breadmen, The Marauders, The Ides Of March, The Foggy Notions, The Ugly Ducklings, Raga And The Talas, Leo & The Prophets, The Human Expression, The Wig/Wags, Steve Walker & The Bold, Things To Come, The Five Americans, The Groupies, The Brogues.

Various Artists - New Orleans Funk Vol. 2 3xLP (Soul Jazz Records) [SJR185LP] $23.25
No description available at this time.

Whitehouse - Total Sex 2xLP (Very Friendly/Susan Lawly) [VFSL002LP] $28.25
No description available at this time.