EAR/Rational Update Week 5, 2010

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This week's update contains releases by:

@c * A.L.K. and Brother Clark Damin Eih * Aaron Martin * Aera * Aglaia * Alternative TV * Aossic S'lba * Architect * Atum * Brian Jonestown Massacre, The * Bruno Maderna * Can * Conforce * Cute Lepers * Daniel Menche (w/Waldteufel) * Danton Eeprom * David S. Ware * Dianna Dilworth * Disappears * Duke Ellington * Electric Pop Group, The * Electric President * Eleh * Elodie Lauten * Ent * Esplendor Geometrico * Francisco Lopez & Lawrence English * Gentle Friendly * Georg Friedrich Haas * Graham Fitkin * Grain Belt * Grobbing Thristle * Jack Rose * Jaga Jazzist * Jandek * Jason Urick * Joanna Newsom * Karjalan Sissit * Knife, The * Kouhei Matsunaga * Lawrence English * Lazerlove5 * Les Moore * Liars * Lonelady * Lugano Fell * Male * Matthias Arter * Melodium * Michael Santos * Midway Still * Mieczyslav Weinberg/Fyodor Druzhinin * Mika Vainio/Kouhei Matsunaga/Sean Booth * Miracle Condition * Mux Mool * News * One Starving Day * Oophoi * Pearls Before Swine Experience, The * Pinhead Gunpowder * Quasi * Raincoats, The * Robert Lester Folsom * Rothkamm * Scarlet's Well * Screaming Females * Shindig * Snog * Somatic Responses * Somethingalamode * Sourpatch * Stefan Goldmann * Steve Roach * Stray Ghost * Svartsinn * Symbiosis Orchestra * Television Personalities * Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra * Theodore * Tindersticks * Tongues Of Mount Meru * Tony Wakeford * Virgin Passages * Virgo * Void's Last Stand, The * When The Clouds * White Hills * Wind * Xiu Xiu * Yoshio Machida

[ F E A T U R E D   R E L E A S E S ]

@c - Music for Empty Spaces CD (Baskaru) [karu18] $17.00
RELEASE DATE: 02-15-2010
A romantic piano over bath-time sounds, audio pollution and chirping birds, advanced digital constructs and found sounds - the art of Portuguese duo @c is about contrasts, unheard juxtapositions staged so that they make perfect sense as part of a continuum that is better described as a hallucination or a mystical voyage than mere cinema for the ear. @c consists of Pedro Tudela (b. 1962, artist, musician, stage designer) and Miguel Carvalhais (b. 1974, communication designer, musician). They have been working together under that two-character name for exactly 10 years - their first performance took place in March 2000. They also head the venerable sound art label Crónica.

Ent - F*** Work CD (Baskaru) [karu5] $14.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-15-2010
F*** Work -- ENT's official full-length debut -- has been obtained through the advanced yet surprisingly vivid distillation of several avant-garde music aesthetics, including electronica, post-rock, turntablism, noise and electroacoustic improv. Instruments and machines blend together into a multi-hued soundscape that entices the listener to dive in and immerse himself/herself into the listening experience.

Esplendor Geometrico - Balearic Rythyms CD (Geometrik) [10886] $19.50
Sold out for more than twenty years, the re-release of one of the "classical" EG works, published originally in 1996 (following Veritatis Splendor), now remastered, with completely different artwork and three extra tracks. Pure electronic energy in a mix of Hypnotic and tribal industrial rythms, metallic percussion, ethnic voices, and technoid sounds. The three extra tracks included are from the sold out single 30 Km de Radio (1996) released by Daft Records.

Esplendor Geometrico - Veritatis Splendor CD (Geometrik) [10887] $19.50
A classical sold out since 1995 and now available again in remastered edition! Veritatis Splendor (1994) is the first Esplendor Geométrico album recorded in the nineties, after the split work with MSB "Control Remoto 1.0". It sets the beginning of a new period of the band, where the incorporation of digital technology, synths and rhythms, can be felt. Veritatis Splendor keeps the typical characteristics of EG sound but with a greater production, complex rhythmic structures, and most of all, it achieves an original and personal fusion of classic Industrial sound with elements of tribal music, and also others of avant-garde techno. It has a bigger variety of registers than in their newer repertoire, ranging from the hypnotism of "La radio al día", the classical sound of the duo in "Poder de ruptura", and the bright dance rhythms of "Ensayo de compresión", or "La meta del servicio", an exciting sequence really surprising, with some tribal screams. It is noticeable the constant presence of radiophonic emissions throughout all the album. (Geometrik) GR 06 CD

Francisco Lopez & Lawrence English - HB CD (Baskaru) [karu13] $17.00
RELEASE DATE: 02-15-2010
Francisco López -- the most mysterious sound artist ever, the man who has elevated aural enigma and sonic displacement to artform status -- joins forces with Lawrence English, the leading figure of the Australian experimental music scene, for a puzzling CD. The result is resolutely sombre going on obscurantist: occulted birdsongs, unidentified tremors, delicate but disquieting sounds from a jungle that could be either of the wild or urban kind. This soundworld lies somewhere between mystery and mystification.

Midway Still - I Won't Try: The Collection 2CD (Fire) [SFIRE027CD] $19.75
2005 release. This 2CD set from the U.K.'s early-'90s pop-punk band Midway Still compiles the very best from their two albums -- 1992's Dial Square, produced by Don Fleming, and 1993's Life's Too Long, produced by Leatherface's Frankie Stubbs -- along with bonus live tracks and demo versions. Midway Still's sound was that of gorgeous, unbalanced hardcore pop-punk. Their brilliant, critically acclaimed single "I Won't Try" made NME's list of singles of the year for 1991. Also included is a cover of My Bloody Valentine's "You Made Me Realise."

Rothkamm - Alt CD (Baskaru) [karu15] $17.00
RELEASE DATE: 02-15-2010
He cultivates enigmas. He leaves no one cold. He could be the next genius the right-thinking avant-garde will be late to discover. He is Rothkamm, but his friends call him Frank Rothkamm. This composer, philosopher, and conceptual artist can turn music (electronic and otherwise) into thought territory, an abstract playground, or even a smoke screen. So what about ALT? Don't be surprised to be surprised: this particular album features quite accessible ambient electronic music. This work is less microtonal than Rothkamm's previous similar pieces, more immersive, but just as fascinating, and fans of Scanner and Biosphere will take a shine to it.

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Aaron Martin - Worried About The Fire CD (Experimedia) [expcd012] $13.25
RELEASE DATE: 03-01-2010
Experimedia presents the fourth full length solo album by Kansas-based Aaron Martin. A former collaborator of artists as diverse as Machinefabriek and Dawn Smithson (Sunn O))), Martin originally devised 'Worried about the Fire' as the soundtrack to a short film and the record sees him deconstructing preexisting snippets, sketches and samples from various collaborations and solo performances. All prior restrictions were set aside as Martin forwent his regular live-approach, untypically using electronic processing and effects and editing the parts without limiting himself in any way. Still built around his set-up of cello, banjo, harmonica and organ, there is an unsettling installation-character to the work, with distant echoes of acoustic instruments shining through the ghostly fabric of these twelve short pieces. Mastered by 12k label-head Taylor Deupree, 'Worried about the Fire' has however not only turned out a dark and demure work, but also one of brittle beauty - ranging from the meditative cymbal-space of 'Ice melts' and the broken-Piano semblance of 'Blue Light' to the consoling Ambient-Folk of 'Making Rope'.

Aglaia - White Maps CD (Hic Sun Leones) [10889] $19.50
White Maps is a flowing sonic-flux in 5 tracks. It displays a beautiful spectrum of circular waves-sounds with a rich range of dynamic frequencies. The intense and expanded landscapes remarks the usual Aglaia's sound but with more accent on a "symphonic", and a "choral" quality. File next to Alio Die, Antonio Testa or Oöphoi.

Aglaia - Reverberant Skies CD (Hic Sun Leones) [10890] $19.50
Reverberant Skies follow eleven steps to the cosmic horizon.A meditative sound-flux, to connect with the interior skies, or to the sky we can see from the earth, in a brilliant night full of stars.Another "oceanic" album quite different from the previously four ones, and more close with "Private History of clouds" with Alio Die

Aglaia - Naked Movements CD (Hic Sun Leones) [10891] $19.50
Second of the trilogy of new albums by Aglaia on the Alio Die -label

Alternative TV - Love Lies Limp CD (Fire) [SDEVIL902CD] $14.00
2002 release. Alternative TV were post-punk before there was such a thing as post-punk, capturing the imagination of both, bands and fans alike. This special limited edition collection consists of previously unreleased live recordings of ATV recorded at CBGB's 25 Years of Punk celebration in New York, August 2001. A brilliant 14 track collection which features the early singles "Love Lies Limp" (an ode to impotence released as a flexidisc with Sniffin' Glue), "How Much Longer" and "You Bastard," as well as the punk landmark "Action Time Vision."

Aossic S'lba - Panaeonie Glyphs CD (Old Europa Cafe) [10888] $16.75
Aossic S'lba has an occult direction based in large part on the work of Kenneth Grant, of the Typhonian O.T.O., who knew Aleister Crowley in his latter years at Netherwood. Grant was a major Magus he was the author of books such "Nightside of Eden", Outside the Circles of Time" and "Outer Gateways". Aossic S'Lba is pure Esoteric sound and it's a side project by Ulex Xane better known for his infamous roject "STREICHER". With this new project Ulex shows us a complete different stile and a complete new direction in his music! Don't aspect anything harsh, no power-electronics, no violence but only very accurate, ritual and obscure dark-ambient music

Architect - Consume Adapt Create CD (Hymen) [y781] $16.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-22-2010
for years he has made a name for himself in the modern electronic music scene but the most outstanding of daniel myer's (countless) projects is architect. three years after lower lip interface hymen records presents the long awaited fifth album: consume adapt create. the difference between the true creative artist and the impersonator is the way they deal with influences. myer's inspirations range from drum and bass wizards enduser and current value up to breakcore warlords venetian snares and otto von schirach - but it is unmistakably architect you hear in every note of each track. consume adapt create: a unique blend of atmospheric idm, cinematic samples, powerfully distorted sequences, ramming electro grooves, razor-sharp breakbeats, and haunting ambiance. music to move the dancefloor while still creating enough depth and texture for heavy listening through your headphones. once again, d.myer demonstrates astounding compositions. well-placed sounds and complex arrangements of synthetic noise. as heard on this record: "i see things..." - listen up and see for yourself!

Atum - Legendy Miejskie CD (Beast Of Prey) [10893] $16.75
"Legendy miejskie / Urban Legends", the latest album by ATUM, has just arrived! "Urban Legends", arguably one of the strongest titles of the Beast of Prey label, is an extraordinary album, composed mostly of field recordings registered in Jaworzno, the home town of ATUM. It is an attempt at reconstructing the surroundings in order to distill something that eludes the every-day experience. Despite its private character, the message of the Legends is universal as well. Everyone of us passes dozens of places we think are "tamed", places seemingly devoid of meaning. Just a little effort is what it takes to dispel this illusion. Musically, the album is rather varied. It's a combination of field recordings, drones, whispers, and sounds of different acoustic instruments. The purpose is to reveal the oneiric dark side of the surrounding world. Guests such as Infamis (acoustic guitar), Tomasz K, RafaB Pach, and Piotr U (the author's friends from Jaworzno) contributed to the making of the album.

Brian Jonestown Massacre, The - Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? CD (A Records) [AUK020CD] $16.25
"Recorded in early & late 2009 between Iceland & Berlin with a US tour in between, the Brian Jonestown Massacre move forward with this new full length album , Who Killed Sergeant Pepper?. Working with musicians Will Carruthers (ex Spacemen 3 & Spiritualized), Unnur Andrea, Einarsdottir (who recorded vocals on the last BJM album) & Felix from the Russian band Amazing Electronic Talking Cave & other musicians from France, Germany, & Iceland, this is the band's most multi cultured release to date, while obviously keeping the band's trademark style throughout this album. 13 tracks ranging from the ambient bhangra beats, to rock, to shoegazing, to gypsy influences of Eastern European music, & then back again to the subliminal, all twinged with the psychedelia of the band."

Bruno Maderna - Complete Works For Orchestra Vol. 2 CD (Neos) [NEOS10934CD] $20.25
SACD. Featured works: Composizione in tre tempi (1954), Concerto per flauto e orchestre (1954) performed by Thaddeus Watson, flute; Aria for soprano, flute and orchestra (1964) Claudia Barainsky, soprano; Sebastian Wittiber, flute. Dimensioni III for flute and orchestra (1962-1963) performed by Clara Andrada de la Calle, flute/piccolo. Stele per Diotima for orchestra (1966) performed by Alejandro Rutkauskas, violin; Jochen Tschabrun, clarinet; Ulrich Büsing, bass clarinet; John MacDonald, horn; hr-Sinfonieorchester/Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Tamayo. "At the centre of the second part of our Maderna edition are concertante works many of which formed the building blocks for the opera 'Hyperion.' Conductor Arturo Tamayo was able to draw all instrumental soloists from the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra: in the Hölderlin 'aria' and flute concertos with Thaddeus Watson, Sebastian Wittiber and Clara Andrada de la Calle, in the 'Stele per Diotima' with concert master Alejandro Rutkauskas as well as Jochen Tschabrun (clarinet), Ulrich Büsing (bass clarinet) and John MacDonald (horn). One main theme of the works remains the way the individual is torn between rebellion and resigna-tion, reflected in the words from the 'Thalia' fragment, sung here by Claudia Barainsky: 'I question the stars...the day, and the night, but they do not answer...'." Stereo/multichannel hybrid SACD that can be played on any CD player.

Conforce - Machine Conspiracy CD (Meanwhile) [MEAN020CD] $14.00
Meanwhile's second-ever album release presents the work of Netherlands-based Conforce. Opening with an insolent, precise, tightly-wound bass and hats configuration, there's immediate affinity with Carl Craig's myriad shades of impeccable funk. A kinship is established between windy cities, gloom, lakeside living -- a central, if slightly murked connection. A primordial roving bass line wades through the cooled-out density of "Sonar Conversation," a body-speed, electro-funked tussle follows on "Robotic Arm Wrestle": poised, oiled and housed with the swanked machine operative's last moments. "Love Hate" already slayed on 12" and improves on every listen. "First Impression" typifies this album's marriage of fractured emotion with a heart of soulful belief -- the pulsing but still-functional human wreckage and embers that remain after the machines have moved on, if you like. "Subtraction" doffs its cap to Manchester's own emergent noughties sound: fat, sub-bassed, minimally-conjured, slightly-squeezed, acid-hi-tech-business. Superior stuff that wears it well on a drive at dawn through Babylon. "Intimidation" certainly lives up to its title, a sullen sense of clammy fear and whispered malevolence emanates, while the tune builds up a significant dancefloor momentum, deadly funky even within its coldly insistent patterns. "Machine Conspiracy" warms us back to life with a thrumming Basic Channel surge and a rimshot to die for -- one of those stripped dub destroyers you can return to in any mood for guidance. "Rare Education" jams on it like Magic Juan lording it at a mint bar hosted by Lil Louis -- sheer classic vibes. "Stop Hold" ushers us into humid technological tropics where a brief history of the after-future is busy melting down all connections. Machine Conspiracy is a gripping album.

Cute Lepers - Smart Accessories CD (1-2-3-4 Go) [GO40] $12.00
Their second full-length album! Same formula as last time, classic Briefsesque songwriting (two members of THE BRIEFS are in this outfit) run through a power pop filter, but this time with more jagged teeth! "... the Lepers are cooking with crack. The spiky, power-pop bounce recalls a polished Fastbacks or Modern Lovers huffing the Vapors off Descendents. There's hardly a missed stop from the opening blast..."-Alternative Press

Daniel Menche (w/Waldteufel) - Odradek CD (Beta Lactam Ring) [10878] $15.25
Ed. of 500 copies in a full color gatefold sleeve. Features art and contributions from Markus Wolff (Waldteufel) on a 20 minute track that will have a spoken word (in German) reciting the Franz Kafka story of the creature.

Danton Eeprom - Yes Is More CD (In Fine) [IF1007CD] $14.75
This is the debut full-length release by Danton Eeprom. Eeprom was born in France, lives in London, and has been touring the world since 2005. His live-act contains a rock energy and electronic toxicity that has infected the best dancefloors on the globe (Berghain and Watergate in Berlin, Fabric in London, Rex Club in Paris, Loft in Barcelona). Featuring guest artists Chloé and Au Revoir Simone's Erika Foster, Yes Is More features 12 tracks of intricate, Dante-esque dark-wave and electrified pop mixed with harmonies, solid kicks, and glamorous, new wave elegance.

David S. Ware - Saturnian CD (Aum Fidelity) [AUM060CD] $12.25
"Recorded live in concert at the Abrons Arts Center, NYC on October 15, 2009, Saturnian documents master saxophonist David S. Ware's triumphant return to performance following his kidney transplant in May 2009. This performance prompted features in The New York Times and on NBC Nightly News. Ware, in full peak of form, performed three extended pieces, each one on a different horn. 'Methone' is on the saxello and 'Pallene' features the stritch. David has played these lesser-known members of the saxophone family for many decades and recorded with them in the late 80s, but this was the first time he has performed with them live on stage. The final piece, "Anthe" is performed on the tenor sax. 'To perform solo saxophone is who I have always been,' writes Ware in the liner notes. 'This is the way I've practiced all of these years, as though I am performing a solo. It is just as satisfying as playing in any other context. The freedom allows you to witness and solidify what is passing through. There's a voice inside each saxophone, expressing different orders of Being. When you listen, learn to open your third ear. Listen for the voice inside the music. It will expand who you think you are.' Listening to this recording of profound solo performances, we decided to put it out as soon as possible. 2009 was David's 50th year of playing saxophone (he started at age 10 and never stopped!) and we planned to celebrate that auspicious fact with a new saxophone-focused trio session featuring him on all his horns. The studio was booked and the record was scheduled for a Fall 2009 release, but, of course, the universe had other plans. When David was well enough to perform again, he wanted to present a solo concert, returning to that idea of celebrating his anniversary by playing all three saxophones. That concert is Saturnian."

Disappears - Lux CD (Kranky) [KRANK143CD] $12.75
"Disappears are that rarest of musical things, a 'rock' band affiliated with kranky. But at least they are a rock band and not some less than reasonable facsimile, because let's face it; most bands using that descriptor would not sonically intimidate your grandmother if she were alone in a dark alley. And deliver the granite the Disappears do from the opening chords, delivering scuzzy, driving rhythms that certainly imply a threat of ill will. Drawing on a combined reverence for reverb, heavy tremolo, distortion, delay and repetition, Disappears play minimal rock music inspired by Krautrock, punk rock, the mid 80's New Zealand scene, and a bit of everything in between. And in their minimalist approach the band finds their real strength, hammering home chord structures that are tried and true and can and do remain fresh in the hands of the right talents such as these. As a wise man once said, 'keep it simple stupid.'"

Electric Pop Group, The - Seconds CD (Matinee) [matcd053] $12.25
Sensational sophomore album from Swedish pop heroes The Electric Pop Group! Following the success of the band's self-released debut in 2006 and the very well received 'Sunrise' EP for Matinée in 2008, the band is back with ten magnificent new recordings that solidify their status as heir apparent to the pop throne once held by Matinée favorites Harper Lee and Sarah Records legends Brighter.

The new album 'Seconds' is a study in multilayered, shimmering pop featuring jangling electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and prominent keyboards plus rich bursts of tambourine, strings and other nice instrumentation. Among the album's highlights, lead track 'Not By Another' is a melodic love song with chiming guitars, while 'Out Of Sight' mixes keyboards and guitars in an infectious pop hit with fantastic vocals and a soaring chorus.

One of the newest songs on the album, 'The Way It Used To Do' is catchy, continental pop with keyboards, jangling guitars, and an addictive chorus that recalls early Acid House Kings. Meanwhile, the band demonstrates it can also deliver modern shoegaze classics with 'The Best of Times' showcasing a muti-layered, hazy melancholy with hypnotic percussion.

The album also includes a new recording of 'My Only Inspiration', an Electric Pop Group favorite that first appeared on the 'Matinée Hit Parade' compilation in 2007, while 'Into Thin Air' features more chiming guitars and melodies-a-plenty and 'We Never Made Up Our Minds' is an especially beautiful, orchestral number.

An outstanding new entry to the Matinée discography, 'Seconds' is glistening jangle pop genius perfect for fans of Brighter, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The Field Mice or Harper Lee.

Electric President - The Violent Blue CD (Fake Four Inc) [FFINC015CD] $12.25
"Electric President is a Jacksonville, Florida musical project by Ben Cooper and Alex Kane. The sound is a mix of folk, indie pop and electronics with the occasional reference to shoegaze and epic prog rock. For the last 3 years the band has been releasing music on German imprint and indietronic mainstay Morr, now in 2010 they release their first album on CT based Fake Four Inc."

Eleh - Location Momentum CD (Touch) [TO080CD] $14.00
The mysterious Eleh has chosen to release their first digital recordings on Touch, here available on CD. Eleh has been an enigma since the first record under that name was released in 2006. In numbered editions with letter-pressed sleeves, usually on Important Records, these vinyl-only releases were evidently a labor of love and attention. Further recordings have been released on the labels Taiga and Touch, making up 11 vinyl editions in all. Eleh began as long ago as 1999 as an exploration of analog synthesis, emphasizing low frequency oscillation and resonant acoustic phenomena. Eleh's work highlights the physical presence of sound as it has been inspired by the physical world. "The stuff that Eleh sets in motion from whatever electronic sound generators he/she deploys represents a measured and methodical paring away of all that might appear superfluous, baroque and rococo. Each of the tracks here consists of just a handful of discrete (and discreet) but highly-charged sound events that emerge, overlap, recede and reverberate at critical frequencies over extended durations. At certain crucial points this approach serves as a formula for opening a portal that David Toop has referred to as the dark void, that spectral realm magicked into being (or exposed by) the drone, in which audio apparitions and chimeras dance through smoke and mirrors, suggesting the existence of occult planes and dimensions, multiple other realities, worlds within worlds." --Tony Herrington, The Wire

Elodie Lauten - Piano Works Revisited 2CD (Unseen Worlds) [UW005CD] $11.50
"A 2CD collection of piano works by postminimalist composer Elodie Lauten -- most of which is available for the first time ever on CD. The albums Piano Works (1983) and Concerto for Piano and Orchestral Memory (1984), both reissued here in their entirety with remastered sound, incorporate found and prerecorded sounds into lyrical, minimalist piano works in a highly personal, even baroque, style. They are deeply meditative and expansive but do not require the epic lengths enjoyed by Glass, Reich, Riley. Pop-song length seems to be the standard on these albums, and yet the deep sensitivity of the work is never betrayed by brevity. Contemporary luminaries Arthur Russell and Peter Zummo contribute to the Concerto. Also included in this set is Lauten's performance of her later masterpiece Variations on the Orange Cycle (1991), which was included in Chamber Music America's Century List, and other previously unreleased tracks."

Gentle Friendly - Ride Slow CD (Upset The Rhythm) [UTR031CD] $15.25
"Using a wide palette of sound that successfully captures the intensity of their live performance, Gentle Friendly have just completed their debut album. Ride Slow is an adventurous record, which surpasses the band's lo-fi origins and demonstrates an uplifting emotional range. Thematically a fatalist document, Ride Slow records snapshots of feeling, of conversation, which overlap and phase through different songs. While their self-acknowledged influences (Arthur Russell, Bruce Springsteen, Top 40 hip-hop) are detectable, this album showcases Gentle Friendly as a band who have found their own language, drawing on nostalgia and ritual in equal measure, whilst continuing the tradition of English eccentricity and popular song. Ride Slow works exceptionally well as a continuous piece of music, the band choosing to work with London producer Twins to mix the album through its rounds of echo drench and repetitive rapture. The record glides seamlessly between songs of euphoric warmth to broken stammering rhythms to crushing walls of atmosphere. Tracks like 'Real Fighters,' 'Sleng Teng' and 'Clean Breaker' burst with energy, careering along with thunderous intent, in stark contrast to the album's more reflective moments like the dreamy 'Lover's Rock' and the ambient wash and vocal cycling of 'R.I.P. Static.'"

Georg Friedrich Haas - Works For Ensemble CD (Neos) [NEOS10919CD] $20.25
SACD. Featured works: Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich ... for percussion and ensemble (1999); ... aus freier Lust ... verbunden ... for bass flute, bass clarinet and two percussions (1994/95/96); ... und ... for chamber ensemble and electronics (2008, First version). Works commissioned by Pro Helvetia, Schweizer Kulturstiftung for the Collegium Novum Zürich; Collegium Novum Zürich/Enno Poppe; Martin Lorenz, percussion; Experimentalstudio des SWR, live electronics. "Georg Friedrich Haas writes music that is strongly hypnotic. A simple title like ... und ... (... and ...) forces together the ensemble and electronics, the microtones and the tempered system, this in a unique way. The result - at the premiere in September 2008 - are 27 minutes of intensely exciting playing, with the Experimentalstudio of the SWR and the Collegium Novum Zürich under Enno Poppe. These sounds impinge on the ear, and find their corollary in a vision no less intense: Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich ... (Who heard me when I cried...), with the percussion soloist Martin Lorenz. Other completely different but also fervent notions held by the composer Haas are more redolent of a piece for merely solo voices, which ... aus freier Lust ... verbunden ... (... arising out of free volition ... shall join ...), and are able to - here for example in the chamber music quartet-intermezzo." Stereo/multichannel hybrid SACD that can be played on any CD player.

Graham Fitkin - Circuit CD (Bis) [BIS1517CD] $18.50
SACD. Featured works: Circuit for two pianos and orchestra; T1 for two pianos; Relent for solo piano; Carnal for solo piano; From Yellow to Yellow for solo piano; White for two pianos; Furniture for solo piano; T2 for two pianos. Performed by Noriko Ogawa & Kathryn Stott, pianos. Tokyo Symphony Orchestra/Naoto Otomo. "

Grain Belt - Grain Belt CD (Small Doses) [DOSE75] $11.75
Harsh noise and metal abuse from this Minneapolis trio (WINCE, BACULUM, WILLFUL). Three tracks each recorded at a live show. Edition of 200 copies. Co-released by Phage Tapes and White Centipede Noise.

Grobbing Thristle - Hidden Strategies CD (Beast Of Prey) [10894] $16.75
Who would expect that under the name Grobbing Thristle are hidden mutated clones of Genesis P. Orridge, will be surprised by the amount of sound strategies used by the PoznaD's ensemble. Despite that GT knowingly place themselves in continuum named by the creations of 20 Jazz Funk Greats , their noise-electronic collages with every listening bring new musical universes.

On one of the levels Grobbing Thristle play steel symphony of postindustrial earthy Inferno. Noisy wind of clicks, cracks, laptop grinds, insect like microsamples and psychotic looped vocals lead into paranoic world like in novels of Philipa K.Dicka. The thing that scares here the most is by paradox, the most common and accustom element - voice. The words "...So yes I have to go now, so bye bye..." opening the album sound like a goodbye before descending into the abyss. But this is a hell of cybernetic robots - this is a music that brings pain. Fortunately for artistic might of the recordings GT knows how to dose it.

Jack Rose - Luck In The Valley CD (Thrill Jockey) [THR229CD] $13.75
"Like all pre-war recordings and all of Rose's releases, this album was recorded live. It was not created using overdubs but rather by recording a few 'takes' and selecting the best performance out of those. Rose stated, 'I wanted the songs to have an immediacy and spontaneity as they were being recorded. All the musicians chosen for the record know how to play the songs without overworking the material, but at the same time creating memorable accompaniments on the spot.' Several of the songs are in fact the first takes like 'Blues for Percy Danforth', 'Lick Mountain Ramble' and 'Woodpiles on the Side of the Road'. Also Included in the set are three covers: 'St. Louis Blues', 'Everybody Ought to Pray Sometime' and 'West Coast Blues'. All of these pre-war classics are Rose's unique arrangements. The album title refers to the old red light section of St. Louis and was a code for procuring the services of a prostitute. Says Rose 'I read about it on some liner notes to a reissue of pre-war St. Louis recordings and I liked the ring of it.' An avid record collector with an encyclopedic knowledge of pre-war American music, Rose has been acknowledged as a rising star among contemporary guitar players. Luck in the Valley finds Rose at his best surrounded by like-minded friends on a recording that is enriched by a sense of history but entirely new, vibrant and warm."

Jaga Jazzist - One Armed Bandit CD (Ninja Tune) [ZEN152CD] $15.25
"The Norwegian 9-piece return to the fray with the stunning One Armed Bandit. All galloping rhythms, arpeggiated harpsichord and grandiloquent reach, main man Lars Horntveth describes the new sound, tongue-a-little-in-cheek, as 'Wagner meets Fela Kuti!' Certainly we find it harder to imagine a better soundtrack being written for the first Nollywood Viking epic."

Jandek - Camber Sands Sunday CD (Corwood Industries) [COR0800] $7.25
Recorded live at Camber Sands Holiday Park, England on May 14, 2006. Continues the Corwood representative's "Mannequin series" of album covers, started in 2003 with The Place (COR 0772) and The Gone Wait (COR 0773).

Jason Urick - Husbands CD (Thrill Jockey) [THR225CD] $12.25
"Husbands is Jason Urick's solo debut. Those well-versed in the Baltimore or experimental electronic music scenes might be familiar with his band WZT Hearts or his solo works as themoonstealingproject. Husbands finds Urick at a crossroads where his ideas are becoming more fully realized, and while still experimental in nature, the songs are envisioned as an honest attempt at 'pop.' There are similarities to his previous projects of course. Those familiar with WZT Hearts will feel that the tracks on Husbands are in-line with the more ambient pieces that the band produced. Ghosted, fragmented melodies, distorted tones and so forth. Compared to themoonstealingproject, Husbands has more depth sound-wise and the songs tend to take the longer route with tracks averaging around the 10 minute mark each. After spending four years in WZT Hearts where all the music was improvised, it was a relaxing and refreshing change of pace to take an idea, let it unfurl, and watch it burn slowly into extended soundscapes. The result is an album that is a complex study in subtlety and one that rewards patience."

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me 3CD (Drag City) [dc390-2] $20.25
Label has provided no info. Info forthcoming.

Karjalan Sissit - Karjalasta Kajahtaa CD (8th Cycle) [10874] $15.00
The Finnish pioneer is back from the degenerated and alcoholized Swedish ghetto of Eskilstuna. 3rd full lenght from Markus Pesonen who now dove deeper into total Melancholy, Anti socialism, Bitterness, Disintegration and Alcoholism. Filled with what has defined KARJALAN SISSIT's sound thus far; Bombastic outbursts of Neo classical arrangements entwined in traditional Finnish Humppa and deep industrial sonorities. The songs were this time fiercly enhanced with some added vocals giving the whole album a much more agressive touch. Again produced by Peter Bjärgö at Erebus Odora, this new album definitely stands above it's predecessors.

Knife, The - Tomorrow, In A Year CD (Mute Usa) [MUTE9442CD] $17.50
An opera based on Darwin's On the Origin of the Species. In 2008, Danish theater experimentalists Hotel Pro Forma invited The Knife to write music and libretto for their modern opera, Tomorrow, In a Year . The Knife, Swedish siblings Olof Dreijer and Karin Dreijer-Andersson (aka Fever Ray), created a studio version of this opera in collaboration with the English musician/singer Planningtorock and the American musician/singer Mt.Sims as creative family members. They engaged with the Danish mezzo soprano Kristina Wahlin Momme, the Danish actress Laerke Winther and the Swedish pop singer Jonathan Johanson for the vocal parts. These 90 minutes of music by The Knife and their collaborators Mt.Sims and Planningtorock are sparked by the pioneer of natural selection Charles Darwin and his revolutionary evolutionary findings and writings in his book On The Origin of The Species. First published in 1859 and based on the discoveries he made on his journey to Galapagos Islands from 1831-1836, aboard the good ship HMS Beagle." "From Hotel Pro Forma: In November 2009, it was precisely 150 years since Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, a work that describes the biological and geological world, as it has come into existence and continues to do so every single day. Our view of the world has been changed forever as a result of the theory of evolution. Tomorrow, In A Year uses Darwin's way of observing and describing the world. Change as a process and the interrelationship of all things is the basic material of the performance."

Kouhei Matsunaga - Self VA CD (Important Records) [IMPREC282CD] $11.50
"This is Important's third release in a 4 record Important feature on the work of the enigmatic Japanese artist Kouhei Matsunaga. Self VA is Kouhei's 2nd album. His first was released on the Mille Plateaux label in 1998. Since then he has kept busy with numerous collaborations as well as his work with NHK (Raster Noton). Kouhei seamlessly weaves all of his work together in seemingly effortless fashion. Collaborations on Self VA include Leif Elggren, NHK, Sensational (Jungle Brothers), RLW and more."

Lawrence English - For Varying Degrees of Winter CD (Baskaru) [karu7] $15.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-15-2010
The Australian composer and electronic artist Lawrence English delivers a record for varying degrees of winter. Sounds twinkle and scintillate like snow under the sun, they shine like icicles, they hiss like a polar wind and seep into you through your insufficiently isolated ear holes. Each one of the six pieces is a monochrome composition ranging from the blinding whites of the snow to the blue-grays of cloudy days. Although English's music can be quite abstract at times, here it turns out to be surprisingly evocative and inhabited by an understated sense of musicality.

Lazerlove5 - Flicker Mask CD (Red Velvet) [RVR1] $10.00
This was released June 2005 but has only been sold via the band's website and live shows. With guest appearances from members of The Soft Boys and The Monochrome Set this album certainly falls into the quirky sarcastic smart pop category. Like it's influences, Lazerlove5's 2nd album blends 60's pop sense with post-punk edgyness of the late 70's and early 80's. Bid (of the Monochrome Set), does an eriee Syd Barrett vocal on "Grouch" a song about a kid who loses his pet dog with an Alfred Hitchock twist ending. Song soundscapes range from full band to slide guitar to the sparseness of flamenco guitar, percussion and harmonies on the song "Id". During the Flicker Mask period, Lazerlove5 acted as the backing band for Bid, playing old Monochrome Set and Scarlet's Well songs for the band "The Unreal Scarlet's Well." Recommended for listeners who want to discover something new with each listen.

Liars - Sisterworld CD (Mute Usa) [MUTE9429CD] $14.50
"Liars return in 2010 with their fifth studio album; their boldest and most exhilarating record to date. Sisterworld was written and recorded in Los Angeles by Liars and Tom Biller and is an invigorating summation of their career so far. Building on the back-to-basics approach employed by previous album, Liars (2007), Sisterworld is a dense art-pop thrill from start to finish. Sisterworld is Liars' own space, completely devoid of influence, somewhere remote from the false promises and discarded dreams amassed in LA. In it Liars explore the underground support systems created to deal with loss of self to society. According to Liars - Angus Andrew, Aaron Hemphill and Julian Gross - 'We're interested in the alternate spaces people create in order to maintain identity in a city like LA. Environments where outcasts and loners celebrate a skewered relationship to society.'"

Liars - Sisterworld 2CD (Mute Usa) [MUTE9432CD] $18.50
"Limited edition deluxe version contains album plus bonus CD of remixes and reinterpretations of all 11 tracks on Sisterworld from artists including Thom Yorke, Tunde Adebimpe (TV On The Radio), Bradford Cox (Deerhunter / Atlas Sound), Melvins, Devandra Banhart, Alan Vega (Suicide), Chris & Cosey (Throbbing Gristle) and Blonde Redhead packaged in a special concertina case."

Lonelady - Nerve Up CD (Warp Records) [WARP186CD] $15.25
"LoneLady, AKA Julie Campbell is a self-styled writer, vocalist and tight guitarist. With little more than thorny determination and a shoestring budget, she built a secluded ramshackle studio in the belly of one of Manchester's crumbling mills and created her debut full length album, Nerve Up, in the span of four weeks. The aesthetics of this ex-mill were a pure joy for LoneLady, and invoked the ghosts of bands she loves ... (Joy Division, ESG, Wire, Grace Jones, The Fall, Suicide, PiL). Co-produced by Julie and Guy Fixsen (My Bloody Valentine, The Breeders, Stereolab), LoneLady has delivered far more than just an assembly of songs in album form, but the outcome of a process of making something out of nothing."

Lugano Fell - Slice Repair CD (Baskaru) [karu16] $15.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-15-2010
Lugano Fell is the solo project of James Taylor, a founding member of UK tech house duo Swayzak. After 12 years spent perfecting the pumping house music of Swayzak (whose seminal album "Snowboarding in Argentina" has been reissued in 2009), Taylor felt like trying something totally different, quieter, and more detail-focused. >From the noisy (i.e. loud) and pulsating soundworld of Swayzak, Taylor has sliced and spliced his way to a noisy (i.e. sound-based) and textural soundworld.

Male - All Are Welcome CD (Other Electricities) [oe016] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 02-08-2010
Re-promo/reintroduction. This title was released last year and has been recalled from CID. Male is Jonathan Krohn and Ben Mjolsness, an improvisational duo working with other experimental and jazz artists from the Chicago area. Their debut, All Are Welcome was founded on the concept that each element be recorded in one take. Each musician was assigned a time to show up, had the option of listening to the tracks that Mjolsness and Krohn produced the first day, and recorded. Jeremy Lemos (White/Light) lent his expertise in the recording and mixing process but aside from cutting incidentals, the songs remained the same.

Matthias Arter - Solo Pieces 1993-2007 CD (Neos) [NEOS10940CD] $20.25
SACD. Featured works: Solo 2007 "Dialog" for accordion (2007); Solo 2002 for violin (2002) Voice for horn (1995); Solo 1993 for recorder (1993, rev. 2009) Cadenza for violoncello (2005); 3 Klavierstücke (1999) Cantando for violin (2006); Música for voice (2000) Solo 2001 for flute (2001) Solo 2006 "cantando - recitando" for violoncello (2006). Performed by Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin; Boris Previ?ic, flute; Tobias Moster, violoncello Vladimir Blagojevic, accordion; Céline Herrero, recorder; Olivier Darbellay, horn Sylvia Nopper, soprano; Kristine Sutidze, piano. "This music has vitality, and is played here by an amazing soloist, one who knows just about everything his own instrument can do, and many others besides. This sense of detail and of discovery leads to many a risible scene. Matthias Arter, a pupil of Heinz Holliger, is a composer, oboist and conductor, and has developed many creative projects and events. His works are playful, concrete, associative: the twin bellows of the accordion tell of this (Vladimir Blagojevic); streams of air and concomitant resonances are tested out with a panoply of flutes (Boris Previ?ic); and various registers of the piano come into play too (Kristine Sutidze). Horn (Olivier Darbellay) and recorder (Céline Herrero) raise their voices too. The musical language is full of contradictions, and the strings are a veritable ban-shee of voices: violin (Patricia Kopatchinskaja), violoncello (Tobias Moster) -- plus a poem by Cecília Meireles: 'Música', soprano (Sylvia Nopper), which is read, rent asunder and, to much rustling, put back together..." Stereo/multichannel hybrid SACD that can be played on any CD player.

Melodium - Palimpse CD (Symbolic Interaction) [SIC026] $13.25
RELEASE DATE: 03-17-2010
A new album by French artist Laurent Girard, Melodium, well-known for his fine albums on Audio Dregs, Arbouse Recordings and Autres Directions in Music. The label calls this album his most graceful and elegant.

Michael Santos - The Happy Error CD (Baskaru) [karu11] $15.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-15-2010
UK electronic artist Michael Santos releases his first widely distributed, commercially available album. "The Happy Error" features 11 tracks of soft sonic textures articulated over subtle chords and harmonic changes. The music on "The Happy Error" is resolutely cinematic, without falling for the usual trappings of the genre. The album offers songs without words in which digital glitches and computer filters replace vocals, bringing in a different kind of warmth.

Mika Vainio/Kouhei Matsunaga/Sean Booth - 3. Telepathics Meh In-sect Er Connection CD (Important Records) [IMPREC281CD] $13.00
"This is Important's second release in a 4 record series, each featuring the work of the enigmatic Japanese artist Kouhei Matsunaga. Telepathic full length collaborative release from Kouhei Matsunaga, Sean Booth of Autechre and Pan Sonic's Mika Vainio. Using space, silence and electronic tones these three electricians rewire your brain for a new comprehension of sound."

Miracle Condition - Miracle Condition CD (Tizona) [TIZONA007CD] $14.75
"Debut full length from Chicago noise pioneers: Miracle Condition reconciles the dissonant abrasiveness of U.S. Maple with sublime, spacey grooves, subdued vocal harmonies and swirling sounds. Formed in 2006 by Mark Shippy (Shorty, US Maple), Pat Samson (US Maple) and Matt Carson the group has carved out it's own genre of powerful, cinematic soundscapes reminiscent of the early '90s shoegaze movement. Miracle Condition proves to be quite a departure from Shippy and Samson's earlier group -- trading in the mantle of rock deconstructionists for curators of the deep space soundtrack. Eliptical drones, charging percussion, fragile melodies and below the surface vocal work from Shippy and Carson creates a calculated brand of beautiful tension."

Mux Mool - Skulltaste CD (Ghostly International) [gi099] $14.50
RELEASE DATE: 03-23-2010
Brian Lindgren was determined to explore every corner of his beat-steeped psyche & the resulting document is a masterpiece of eclectic cohesion: chunky instrumental hip-hop sits next to new-wave anthems & dubby dancefloor bangers, which abut skittery slices of D'nB and made-up video-game soundtracks. Skulltaste is an old-fashioned epic, and its diversity - both track-to-track and within the songs themselves - is hard to measure. Lindgren's stylistic blast zone is so wide, that one might think he was pandering, trying to be all things to all people. One close listen, though, and it becomes clear that the world of Mux Mool is just that expansive, a reflection of Lindgren's many-splendored passions - the fact that Skulltaste genuinely has something for everyone is just a happy coincidence.

News - Hot Off The Press CD (Riverman Music) [BTR053CD] $16.00
Riverman Music reissues a unique '70s pop obscurity. The lead instrument is a pedal steel guitar, played with more imagination than anywhere other than the Misunderstood's studio recordings, often with some nice, fuzzy distortion. It rarely sounds "country." The songs are strong pop/rock, with Beach Boys-style harmony vocals on the softer songs, and tougher (but still melodic) singing on the rockers. Other than the opening "song" (three minutes of a guy fiddling with a radio dial), everything here is memorable, and no two songs sound alike. Highlights include the powerful "Loser," with a stunning steel guitar solo, and the long album-closer "New York City," but this is consistent enough that any given listener could feel equally strong about any two others. This is exactly the kind of band a daring major label executive would have struck gold with in the '60s, but nobody would dare to touch in the '70s. The endless streams of slide on these songs makes you almost woozy, but in that pleasant, A.M. radio, hot car/hot summer day, off-kilter '70s way. Surprisingly groovy. Includes one bonus track.

One Starving Day - Atlas Coelestis CD (Beta Lactam Ring) [10879] $14.50
Packaged in a custom designed full color book bound sleeve as an ed. of 500 copies. In the celestial map of metal, there is, of course, a Big Dipper (Metallica),; but there is also the rare and mysterious Scutum (One Starving Day). OSD's obscure place in the Heavens makes for an interesting study. Almost a sort of Metal-In-Opposition, OSD's progressive/avant-garde tactics pit the glottal plosives of black metal against cosmic atmospherics. The star compound thus formed exhibits some characteristics of the martial brutality of early Swans, with the cinematic aromas of Mogwai, suspended in an Arcturus/Isis matrix. Rasped vocals make appearances throughout, but only at intervals against beds of spacey electronics, pummeling guitars, tribal thunder, swelling strings, free-from freak-outs and minimalist drones. Which, maybe, doesn't really make it metal after all - just a unique and visceral spectral explosion at the edge of the galaxy

Oophoi - Whispers From The Noisy Void CD (Practising Nature) [10895] $15.25
Re-mastered reissue of Oophoi's classic album. Compilation with tracks from Cryosphere, Lightnoise and World of Shadows Oophoi plays synths, samples, sampled voices, percussion, lap steel guitar, electronics.

Oophoi - The Dreaming of Shells CD (Practising Nature) [10896] $15.25
Re-mastered reissue of Oophoi's classic album. Considered by many as one of Oophoi's best albums. Oophoi's The Dreaming of Shells is a breathtaking descent straight to an unknown chasm where small clouds of fine luminescent dust drift away, splitting obscure cold waters, swaying to the sound of cavernous tones... This is a submarine hidden chorus, an ode of sirens'voices singing ageless chants... a rain of fragmented glittering particles brushing submerged walls, while golden refractions sleep buried in the fissures... The dreams of shells is a meeting with a resonating radiant world of its own, a long dive in apnea scattered with amazements. Oophoi plays synthesizer, electronics, flute (bamboo), percussion, performer (monochord, crystals), voice, singing bow

Pearls Before Swine Experience, The - Wake Up CD (Caprice) [CAP21587CD] $16.50
Artists: George Kentros, violin; Mats Olofsson, cello; Marten Landstrom, piano; Anders Jonhall, flute. "The peärls before swïne experience take new music out of its traditional milieu with great intensity and a newly written repertoire. They commission short pieces and work in close contact with some of the best young composers from Sweden and abroad. Their setting is actually that of a 19th century salon orchestra, but they instead put their energy towards creating a totally new attitude towards modern music."

Quasi - American Gong CD (Kill Rock Stars) [KRS512CD] $15.25
"Quasi (Sam Coomes, Janet Weiss, Joanna Bome) has been rocking the sticky floored graffiti scrawled dimly lit trenches since '93, & American Gong is their eighth album. It will be released on their new label, Kill Rock Stars. What's been learned in these long years? Get off your ass, kick out the jams, lay it on the line, & communal mind meld is within reach. Do it for love & there is no reason for regret."

Scarlet's Well - Unreal II CD (Red Velvet) [RVR4] $12.25
While the first Unreal album was heavy on Scarlet's Well songs, Unreal II is more focused on early Monochrome Set songs.

The Monochrome Set is legendary. Bid had not played on American soil since 1982. In 2004 that changed when Bid coordinated several live shows playing his back catalog of music with various different bands around the USA. Bands would learn Monochrome Set and Scarlet's Well songs and Bid would drop in for a rehearsal then play a gig or two. This concept with Bid spread to Sweden and Belfast. Many of these shows and rehearsals were recorded and compiled for this incredible release. This album is full of surprises, including legandary Monochrome Set guitarist, Foz guesting on a Scarlet's Well song and two of his own new instrumental recordings (which are very much in the Lost Weekend vein). A hybrid live/studio album, this album also gives the listener some new songs (such as an all Bid acoustic version of Grouch with lovely slide guitar). Recommended to Monochrome Set and Scarlet's Well fans.

Screaming Females - Singles CDEP (Don Giovanni) [DG33] $7.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-09-2010
***A low-priced CDEP comprising all of SCREAMING FEMALES' singles and split 7-inch tracks to date! "The Females recently toured with the Dead Weather; no idea how Jack White had the balls to even walk out onstage after Pasternoster was done with it, or how there was still a stage left at all. Call it Guitar Hero: Riot Grrrl. Bow down."-Village Voice

Shindig - Shindig! Vol. 2, Issue 15 March-April 2010 Magazine (Shindig) [SHINV2#15] $8.50
"Featuring two groups at the polar opposite ends of pop music, The Hollies and Ramones, Shindig! has decided to put them both on the cover... at polar opposites. It's a two-way cover which can be racked either way up. The Hollies: 'We're about as psychedelic as a pint of beer wit' lads!' Maybe so, but their summer of love was one of the brightest; The Ramones: 'We're too real for radio. They play safe stuff that won't upset anybody.' Previously unpublished interviews and 30 years of Rock 'n' Roll High School; The Bosstown Sound: Strange tales from the banks of the River Charles; Giles, Giles and Fripp: The band that became King Crimson; Granny's Intentions: Psychedelic blues from the Emerald Isle; Popol Vuh: Krautrockers who worked with maverick director Werner Herzog on his film soundtracks; Stephen Stills: Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills and Nash, guitar god, what more do you want?"

Snog - Last Of The Great Romantics CD (Hymen) [y780] $16.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-22-2010
Recorded over 2008/2009 in Melbourne, Berlin and Prague, Snog's "Last Of The Great Romantics" is truly a landmark album. Like Radiohead's "Ok Computer" and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" (to both of which it has already been compared) "Last Of The Great Romantics" sees a beloved band at their conceptual and creative peak. >From the blazing space-rock-ballad of opening track "We're All In This Together" to the languid moog-boogie of "The End Of The World" to the disco-metal pyrotechnics of "Wargasm" Snog forge their own path and their own sound, bold, uncompromising and just a little bent. Recorded entirely in analogue facilities using a vast collection of vintage studio equipment with special guests including John Justin Stewart (Grace Jones), Neil Boyack (Angler), The City Of Prague Philharmonic Choir and produced by The Calculators (The Faint, Schneider TM) "Last Of The Great Romantics" is a lush, sincere masterpiece. Early 2010 also marks twenty years since Snog first entered a recording studio to put down "Corporate Slave", their first ever single and a left-field industrial/electro/agit-prop dancefloor hit way back in 1992. Don't make too much noise about it (because it makes the band feel a bit long-in-the-tooth) but do pause for a moment to ponder the ever-changing (and to some people the just plain confusing) nature of Snog. Never generic in any form Snog have in various incarnations donned the costumes of electro-industrialspaghetti estern-folk-country and electro-punk-funk music but the core has remained steadfast - songs that grapple with the innate and important stuff (or at least "how low can humanity go?"). So take a few moments out from your busy day to wonder what this crazy world of ours would be like without the sometimes sneering, sometimes sentimental sounds of Snog and if the urge strikes you, go stand naked in the sunshine eating an organic mango - because that's what David Thrussell is doing right now too.

Somatic Responses - Neon CD (Hymen) [y775] $16.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-12-2010
john and paul healy a.k.a. somatic responses are aurally focussed on complex dislocated & broken beats, distorted intelligent constructions, fascinating sonic structures, force and sweetness enlaced. their early productions' main focus were on hardcore and techno, later on they expanded the musical regions up to electro, dubstep, and even breakcore territories. as a diligent confluence of these styles, 'neon' is a dark, claiming caleidoscope of state-of-the-art electronic sound mastery. dubstep beats are combined with dark ambience and manipulated voice samples. fast, heavy breakbeats are mixed with distorted synth lines creating an industrial music flair. drum and bass meets electro sequences. pulsating subbasses and acherontic synth lines induce a multitude of moods between aggression, disarray and melancholy... this album show how these icons of the challenging electronic scene are still able to open their ears and tap fresh ideas from today's music sensbilities.

Somethingalamode - SomethingALaMode CD (Yellow) [YP255CD] $14.75
Paris' Thomas Roussel and Yannick Grandjean are SomethingALaMode, two classical musicians nurtured in club culture -- musicians just as thrilled by post-Romantics such as Chostakovitch, Stravinsky and Fauré, as by Daft Punk's Homework or Mirwais' Disco Science. Musicians eager to have their album mixed by Arnaud Rebotini, the dark prince of the dark touch, to be released on Yellow, the historic electronic music label with a French touch. SALM was born in 2006, after the two friends had spent years nurturing the project in their minds. One night, Thomas, the violinist, recognized for his collaborations in contemporary art, and Yannick, the cellist, first-prize laureate of the National School of Music, met again -- around an old PC -- caught up again in the sacred fire of "dance" music. Whether it be electronic or pop, they had a desire to melt all their passions into one, to create emotion through a fragile string or the pure sound of a synthesizer without wondering where they belong -- or if the dictates of art permit it. The outcome? The first "string-electro" album dexterously mixing the clanging violins of "Rondo Parisiano," as baroque as they come (featuring Karl Lagerfeld), the lofty soul of "Little Bit Of Feel Good" (featuring Adam Joseph) and the heady bubbles of "5 AM" (with young West Coast rap singer K.Flay). Twelve masterclass titles uniting a very '70s "Easy Loving" (Francis Lai-style, enough to make Dimitri From Paris jealous) with the pent-up wrath of "Dies Irae" -- a war-like march of unimaginable beauty, a hybrid both deeply melodious and radically electronic, a daring fusion of universes which have long been on a quest for each other and which, thanks to SALM, finally prove to be a match made in heaven.

Sourpatch - Crushin CD (Happy Happy Birthday to Me) [HHBTM118] $11.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-08-2010
Romance is a tumultuous place, filled with feelings almost always unspoken and rarely understood. If pop music does anything at all, it helps the painful awkwardness that romance breeds and promotes a certain unmatched sincerity. San Jose natives, Sourpatch, know all about this dynamic. They play with a rough, but beautiful indie pop/punk sound that grabs at influences from both Britain and Coastal United States. A cross between the chicken and the egg, Sourpatch exists in the giant realm of 90's pop worship, where honesty (no matter how unflattering) reins supreme. Initially comprised of three members: Nicole Munoz on guitar and vocals, Christine Tupou on guitar and vocals, and Rich Gutierrez on drums-- joined shortly after their first show by Mandi Ferrell on bass; The band started as an idea for a Go Sailor/Tiger Trap cover band, but quickly took flight as a project of it's own. The four have been playing beautiful noise together for over a year and a half now--in which time, they've managed two small U.S. Coastal tours (East and West), self-released a seven song demo, a single on WIAIWYA from England, and played the San Francisco Pop Fest. The band's newest venture is a LP released on HHBTM Records. The thirteen song release, appropriately titled "Crushin'", is predominately about the perils of confused romance, feelings unrelinquished and blurred friendships, content reminiscent of songs written by Pam Berry, Rose Melberg and Amelia Fletcher over a decade and a half ago. A great majority of the original set list were songs that Munoz, previously in the San Jose all girl band Miss Flo, had written and been working on with Tupou a few years prior to the Sourpatch's existence.

Stefan Goldmann - Haven't I Seen You Before cassette (The Tapeworm) [TTW012CS] $7.25
Cassette-only in a limited edition of 250 copies. Berlin-based producer and head of the Macro Recordings label Stefan Goldmann couches his release for The Tapeworm thusly: "Since I'm a less than mediocre guitar player, but a quite versatile editing engineer with a decade of experience of handling samplers and midi-sequencers, I could finally realize an old project which I can trace back to a lesson with my bass teacher in my teen days. He had found out a bass player with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra had recorded hours of improvisations and paid an engineer to cut it together into an enjoyable 'jazz' album. The teacher, a profound jazz player himself, found this to be some sort of scam, while I was deeply impressed by the idea of merging hi-tech and improvisation. Finally, I had a reason to play and record some guitar for this fine project and cut it to death afterwards. Haven't I Seen You Before is a cycle of five pieces, with two versions each, so it can be listened to as a continuous performance, as well as looped recordings when employing the reverse function some cassette players have. The latter can be done at any point, since the parts on the A and B sides match. All material on this album has a guitar (amplified and microphoned simultaneously) as its only sound source. These initial recordings were cut into loops with durations ranging from a fraction of a second to more than a minute. They were arranged into compositions, adding reverb, stereo panorama and volume adjustments. Layering the loops creates polymetric structures, but I've tried to avoid the usual loop minimalism by the sheer number of looped segments which appear and disappear at distinctly different rates. Micro-loops vs. macro-loops is the main structural feature of the music on this cassette, playing around with a key feature of the format. Three recordings inspired this effort: John McLaughlin's 1970 My Goal's Beyond album, which offered a side of multitrack solo guitar improvisations (I believe this was the first jazz record to do this) as well as his unreleased guitar/voice album with his wife (John and Eve McLaughlin). McLaughlin was heavily under the influence of guru Sri Chinmoy and both albums have this very unique, dark drug/sect edge, adding an extremely intense quality to the modal guitar figures (well, probably also due to the Indian music he has been studying and merging with some impressionist composition techniques). I have tried to capture a bit of the mood and apply it to a loop-based, cut-up orgy. Another crucial record to me has been Derek Bailey's Ballads -- I've been astonished by the tidal movements in and out of the standards he's playing around with. So there is a harmonic base to my guitar mishandling, which is present throughout the entire album -- moving in and out of it. I'd also like to note I applied an altered tuning to the guitar to achieve different natural harmonics than the ones one gets with the standard tuning -- and not to give in to the temptation of cutting some blues licks." --Stefan Goldmann, Berlin, 2009

Steve Roach - Proof Positive CD (Timeroom Editions) [10880] $14.00
I"Shimmering", "life-affirming" and "moving only forward" best describes this new release drawn from the pulsing side of the lifeblood found in Steve's work. PROOF POSITIVE was created over the past year, from '05 to '06. These all-new pieces, sequential with textural undercurrents, have a kind floating sensation; the sum total is purely hypnotic with a contained and sustained energy that is consistent through the entire CD. This one lights up the brain and excites the ears in a way that only a hands-on spontaneous approach to carving pure analog sound can offer. A touchstone release for Steve, this is a perfect set for long drives on the open road or for traveling the inner landscapes while cruising in your favorite listening chair. Proof Positive indee

Stray Ghost - Nothing, But Death CD (Hidden Shoal) [hsr065] $11.75
RELEASE DATE: 03-04-2010
Nothing, But Death is the epic full-length follow-up to Stray Ghost's widely acclaimed 2008 album Losthilde. On his immersive new release, Anthony Saggers mines the rich depths of melancholy and longing, crafting a slow, sad drift of distant melodies, cloaked in smoky ambience. The album signals further development in Saggers' masterful handling of drone, minimalism, shoegaze, ambient and electro-acoustic music, leading the listener through highly emotive soundscapes, rich in cinematic sound design. This is essential music of almost unbearable poignancy and colossal scope that rewards deep listening.

Svartsinn - Elegies For The End CD (26th Cycle) [10873] $16.25
The 4th album by Norwegian dark ambient act, Svartsinn, shows a more melodic yet rather obscure side of the artist. 2009 is the 10th year of Svartsinn's existence and it has inspired Pettersen to try a different approach and to experiment with some new ideas. This new musical journey deals with sadness and melancholy, about not knowing one's place in this vast and at times uninviting world, how it can become a daily torment to not be able to find one's reason to exist. And it's also about finding one's personal path, finding ways to endure and hopefully transcend these engulfing life challenges.

The Double CD includes a unique collaboration track with Dahlia's Tear and a 10 years anniversary bonus disc containing exclusive remixes by Triarii, Kammarheit, Letum, Life Toward Twilight, Gustaf Hildebrand, Tenebrious, New Risen Throne, MGriffin, Visions and Hovmod. All acts giving very interesting perspectives on some of Svartsinn's previously released tracks, making this second disc a very special homage to the singular world of Svartsinn. Edition of 1000 copies in 8 panel foldout cardboard sleeve.

Symbiosis Orchestra - Live Journeys CD (Baskaru) [karu12] $17.00
RELEASE DATE: 02-15-2010
Symbiosis Orchestra blends everything together, fuses everything, takes down genre and esthetic barriers to achieve a state of perfect symbiosis between electronic and acoustic music, computer-based and natural processes, composition and improvisation, beat and pulse, melody and texture, not to forget sound and image. Created in 2005 by Andrea Gabriele, the ensemble is an all-star line-up of sound designers and performers such as Iris Garrelfs, Scanner, Claudio Sinatti, Mario Masullo, Stefano Tedesco and Geoff Warren.

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Kollaps Tradixionales CD (Constellation) [CST063CD] $14.75
"Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra (SMZ) returns with its sixth full-length recording and first since the band's line-up change of summer 2008. As Kollaps Tradixionales ably demonstrates, the band has lost none of its raw and frazzled anthemic power and continues to forge bold new ground in its search for a unique hybrid of punk, blues, psych, folk and modern orchestral idioms. Anchored by the fried electric guitar and plangent voice of band leader Efrim Menuck (who previously co-founded Godspeed You! Black Emperor) SMZ continues to slide comfortably and unforcedly towards an expansive, loose and blues-inflected balladry -- not so much the inexorably riffing blues shuffle of the title track from its previous effort, 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons, but a more languid waltz-time marking an almost smoldering dynamic arc. Needless to say, the slow burn with SMZ, whatever the blues influence these days, bears little reference to typical notions of musical seduction, relaxation, or hip-swinging satisfaction. What smolders here is much more precarious and anxious, driven by some of this decade's more devastating lyrical conjurings -- of the universal outsider and the thematics of 21st century western psychic oppression. The sonic references are abundant, ranging from afrobeat to bouzouki music to hard bop to punk rock -- culminating in the memorable refrain 'dance you motherf***ers.' The three phases of the album's 'title track' on Side Three (with their variant spellings and parenthetical modifiers) are indeed 'traditionals' of a sort, playing on tropes of American and Anglo-Saxon folk, marching song, sea shanty and hymnal."

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Kollaps Tradixionales 2x^10 inch CD (Constellation) [CST063LP] $29.25
"Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra (SMZ) returns with its sixth full-length recording and first since the band's line-up change of summer 2008. As Kollaps Tradixionales ably demonstrates, the band has lost none of its raw and frazzled anthemic power and continues to forge bold new ground in its search for a unique hybrid of punk, blues, psych, folk and modern orchestral idioms. Anchored by the fried electric guitar and plangent voice of band leader Efrim Menuck (who previously co-founded Godspeed You! Black Emperor) SMZ continues to slide comfortably and unforcedly towards an expansive, loose and blues-inflected balladry -- not so much the inexorably riffing blues shuffle of the title track from its previous effort, 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons, but a more languid waltz-time marking an almost smoldering dynamic arc. Needless to say, the slow burn with SMZ, whatever the blues influence these days, bears little reference to typical notions of musical seduction, relaxation, or hip-swinging satisfaction. What smolders here is much more precarious and anxious, driven by some of this decade's more devastating lyrical conjurings -- of the universal outsider and the thematics of 21st century western psychic oppression. The sonic references are abundant, ranging from afrobeat to bouzouki music to hard bop to punk rock -- culminating in the memorable refrain 'dance you motherf***ers.' The three phases of the album's 'title track' on Side Three (with their variant spellings and parenthetical modifiers) are indeed 'traditionals' of a sort, playing on tropes of American and Anglo-Saxon folk, marching song, sea shanty and hymnal."

Theodore - Hold You Like A Lover CD (Moon Jaw) [JAW001] $11.00
THEODORE channels a haunting sound that is honest as hell. It is one that many bands try to evoke, but few manage to accomplish. Only a small, unfeigned lot have ever realized music so eerie, yet so comforting; so riddled with lies, yet so true; so desperate, yet so triumphant. Hold You Like A Lover is not some trite "country" novelty album about whiskey and train tracks, but rather a genuine collection of country-tinged songs that bear well-versed redemption. The St. Louis quartet have only been together since 2006, but one would never know. In this short amount of time they've been named the "Best of St. Louis" by the city's main rag The Riverfront Times. This is a record to make one at ease with feeling down in the mouth; about doing wrong to those whom one ought to do right, if only for the knowledge that one shares this condition with so many others who wake every single day with the hope, misguided as it may be, that today might be the day things turn around. It's a record about longing for a past and a home that did not, do not, cannot, exist. It's about the joy of one's sweetheart and the perverse relief in being caught in a complex lie.

Tindersticks - Falling Down A Mountain CD (Constellation) [CST065CD] $15.25
"The new album by Tindersticks picks up where the band's wonderful return to form on The Hungry Saw (2008) left off. With founding members Stuart Staples (vocals, guitar), David Boutler (keys, vibes) and Neil Fraser (guitar) joined by longtime collaborator Terry Edwards (horns), recent recruit Dan McKinna (bass) and a cast of additional players, Tindersticks deliver a follow up album that brims with similar texture, swinging from exuberance to melancholy and back, with healthy tinges of 'Northern Soul' and Staples' inimitable deadpan voice anchoring the album throughout." Custom gatefold paperboard CD package.

Tongues Of Mount Meru - The Delight Of Assembly cassette (The Tapeworm) [TTW011CS] $7.25
Cassette-only, limited edition release of 250 copies. Brothers in long-form drone music Jon Wesseltoft (also known for his work in Norwegian black metal outfit Thorns) and Lasse Marhaug (also of Jazzkamer) are Tongues Of Mount Meru. The Delight Of Assembly was performed in Oslo, Norway, 2008. Illustration by SavX.

Tony Wakeford - Not All of Me Will Die CD (Eastern Front) [10892] $20.25
No description available at this time.

Various Artists - Duskscape Not Seen CD (Nothings66) [N66CD001] $16.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-17-2010
The debut release from new born label Nothings66 compiles Helios and Goldmund from Type Records, leading artist Keith Kenniff in current electronic music scene, Lusine and The Sight Below from Ghostly International, Dub Tractor and The Gentleman Losers' new album recently released in 2009 at City Centre Offices, September Collective, a band by Stefan Schneider (Mapstation, To Rococo Rot), Paul Wirkus and Barbara Morgenstern, Sons of Magdalene, a solo unit by Joshua Eustis from Telefon Tel Aviv, Color Cassette, releasing a bestselling new album from Autres Directions, aMute, released by Intr_version and now launching their own label Stilll, Crisopa, a popular shoegaze artist in Spain and having numerous fans also in Japan, the head of Anticipate Recordings, Ezekiel Honig, performing at Plateaux Festival and also Mutek 2009, Mou,Lips!, from mOAR and recently also known as Pirandelo, Fieldhead, from Home Assembly and also performing in The Declining Winter. From Iceland, Yagya, performing at Icelan Airwaves 2009 from Sending Orbs, Ozy, once releasing albums from Force Inc and Trapez, Stafraenn Hakon, releasing also from Darla and Nature Bliss, Sketches for Albinos, performing also at Iceland Airwaves 2009. And from Japan, an interlude of dot i/o, from Clammbon performing at Electraglide2009 (warp20).

This compilation offers a unique and united view of the world with various sounds resounding from the abyss and soaking straight into your heart. This album is a breath of fresh air. Its tasteful selection of artists appeals not only to those new to this kind of music but also to more appreciative listeners.

Various Artists - Nigeria Afrobeat Special: The New Explosive Sound 3xLP (Soundway) [SNDW021LP] $25.50
3LP version, featuring five bonus tracks not available on the CD. This is the fourth addition to the Nigeria Special series, a project initiated in 2004 by Miles Cleret, owner of the Soundway record label. Focusing on the big-band sound dominated by wailing saxophones, brass solos and relentless poly-rhythmic grooves, Nigeria Afrobeat Special delivers a no-nonsense collection of tracks that (bar one) have NEVER been re-issued outside of Nigeria. It was Fela Kuti and his musical and political ideals that formed the core of Afrobeat's message. Fela's highly sought-after version of "Who're You?" lends this set its lead. Originally released on 7" in 1971, it would later be re-recorded at Abbey Road for his album Fela's London Scene and is re-issued here for the first time ever. The collection features Fela's rival and fellow Afrobeat veteran Orlando Julius, represented by the track "Afro-Blues" -- amazing that this has previously managed to escape re-issue. Also featured are tracks by big names on the Nigerian scene -- Eric Akaeze, Bongos Ikwue and Segun Bucknor as well as a Victor Uwaifo-produced cut by previously unknown artist Andrew "Madman" Jaga. The album also features a cut featuring Pax Nicholas, a singer whose album Na Teef Know De Road Of Teef has recently been made available after 30 years. Cleret's ambition to distinguish the blossoming music scenes of 1970s Nigeria has lent to an indispensable series of CD and LP compilations documenting the influence of western blues, rock and disco amongst artists and musicians versed in the local musical styles of highlife and juju.

Various Artists - Elevator Music: Vol. 1 CD (Fabric) [FABRIC1017CD] $13.50
"As dubstep splinters and morphs into countless sub-genres, Elevator Music: Volume 1 is the definitive snapshot of bass music in early 2010. Elevator Music is a collation of all variant strains of dubstep; a completely original and exclusive collection of future bumps that reflects the embracive nature of fabric's dance floor music policy. Pooling tracks from established producers like Martyn, Starkey, Untold and Caspa & Rusko with a smattering of producers destined for great things, Elevator Music ticks boxes in categories and niches that don't even fully exist yet; unifying the vision of 16 producers with one simple passion. Bass."

Virgin Passages - Distance CD (Fire) [FIRE114CD] $14.00
2008 EP. British Midlands sextet Virgin Passages create beautifully original soundscapes from often improvised pieces but retain a pop sensibility akin to early Mercury Rev, Spacemen 3 and Jackie-O Motherf***er. Distance sees them in great pop form with the short and sweet title track followed by the meandering, Stereolab-like anthem of "This Is Not The End Of The World Again" and the neu-folk of the subtly sublime "Who Do You Love." Total playing time: approx. 23 minutes.

Void's Last Stand, The - A Sun By Rising Set CD (Long Hair) [LHC085CD] $22.75
"Besides the releases of recordings of the golden age of progressive-, Kraut- and psychedelic rock from the end of '60s to the end of the '70s, Long Hair also decides to release recordings of young bands creating corresponding sounds of today. First release comes from Aachen's young and extraordinary The Void's Last Stand. A Sun By Rising Set is their ambitious debut album. The four members, all in their mid-twenties, are Jonas Wingens (vocals, guitar), Geoffrey Blaeske (guitar), Raschid Touzani (bass) and Ray Dratwa (drums). The album was recorded during the summer of 2009. The four young musicians' complex and demanding work consists of only two compositions while coming up with more than 45 minutes of material. The listener will get confronted with quite a depth of ideas, with dynamics ranging from clear and catchy parts as well as others appearing almost intangible. Once engaged with lunatic and floating changes in harmony, rhythm and time signature you'll find yourself recompensed with an exciting journey to a wondrous place where forgotten myths and alchemical chants mix up with surreal worlds between dream and nightmare which are barely escapable -- a subconsciously existent land where the sun rises with its own set and where time has seemingly halted. TVLS sees themselves in the tradition of classic progressive bands like Van Der Graaf Generator, Nektar, Yes, ELP. Rush, Gentle Giant, Magma as well as more contemporary prog bands like The Mars Volta, Sieges Even, Spastic Ink, Birds and Buildings, Hella, Ungdomskulen, High Wheel, Frost, The Tangent etc, yet they are most of all seeking to create something fresh, original and truly progressive. These two long tracks are really outstanding. This is music you've hardly heard before. The musicians play perfect and the production is brilliant. Booklet contains lyrics worth reading. Long Hair is very proud to present this young band and their great first album. Missing this album is outrageous."

When The Clouds - The Longed-For Season CD (Drifting Falling) [drift016] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 04-20-2010
When the Clouds is the recording project of artist and producer Franceso Galano of Salerno, Italy. Francesco has a strong passion for art which has led him from an early age and culminated in his decision to study Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. At age 13, he had his first brush with making music via a broken acoustic guitar which he'd received as a gift from his uncle. From that moment on, his life was divided by two passions: art and music. While playing in several bands as a teenager, he also began composing music on his own. Francesco released his first demo in 2004, under the name Eid Ethyca, called "White Noise, Awake Memories". This early project was close to the musical dimension he'd later finesse as When the Clouds. One notable difference being, voice was an important component to the song structure. With When the Clouds he's focused more on sound, spending time studying and obsessing over musique concrĨte's textures, noises and glitches. As a result he's steered towards instrumental music, and began to incorporate acoustic instruments in his sound. His focus on more organic sound, he's started to make extremely narrative instrumental electronic music that in and of itself tells a story. In each of these tracks, each listener could define in words or images something different. Inspired by the pastoral beauty of nature and its evocative power that holds sway over him, When the Clouds' very name can be left open to interpretation, just as any viewer can find shapes or meaning in the clouds themselves as they pass overhead. The Longed-For Season is a six track tapestry that reveals more and more of itself with each listen. Equal parts restraint, masterfully crafted tension and euphoric release that will leave listeners lost in thought. RIYL: Mum, Telefon Tel Aviv, The Soul's Release.

White Hills - White Hills CD (Thrill Jockey) [THR232CD] $13.75
"Formed by Dave W. on guitar and Ego Sensation on bass, White Hills are an ever changing entity and always striving to push the envelope. Heads On Fire, out of print on vinyl and CD, was Thrill Jockey's first White Hills release in partnership with London's Rocket Recordings. The album winds through a sonic maze a la Hawkwind, with a nod to the more gritty fuzzed out playing of Mudhoney. The out of print Dead EP that followed, explored more drone heavy territory and textured soundscapes. White Hills finds the band at a break through point musically. It is still heavy and would certainly be labeled 'Space Rock' but it finds the band employing a more open and free flowing style of playing."

Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself CD (Kill Rock Stars) [KRS503CD] $15.25
"The two biggest constants throughout Xiu Xiu's catalog are honesty and evolution. This remains true with Dear God, I Hate Myself, as it delivers a look at responsibility, fear, healing, and societal roles wrapped in rich gothic pop music. The sound is still distinctly Xiu Xiu, but Jamie Stewart's vocals are finally effortless paired with vibrant melodies full of subtlety and the distinct sonic accents expected of this anticipated Xiu Xiu release. The result is a record that proves that art can be pop and pop can challenge you to look inside yourself. Stewart is joined by new full-time band member Angela Seo on piano, synth, and drum programming; with production handled by Jamie and Deerhoof's Greg Saunier. Together they've crafted a fully-grown sound for Dear God, I Hate Myself with elements from goth and pop that are expertly performed by a crop of brilliant musicians."

Yoshio Machida - Hypernatural #3 CD (Baskaru) [karu10] $15.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-15-2010
Six years after the release of "Hypernatural #2", Yoshio Machida is rounding up his magnificent trilogy of electroacoustic collages with "Hypernatural #3". A unique and highly personal work, the Hypernatural series has made of Machida a world-class sound artist. Assemblages of field recordings and treated instrumental sounds, the music on "Hypernatural #3" evokes simultaneously the universal and the intimate, Mankind and Nature.

[ D V D ]

Dianna Dilworth - Mellodrama - The Mellotron Movie DVD (Bazillion Points) [476964] $20.50
Mellodrama, a documentary by DIANNA DILWORTH, explores the rising and falling fortunes of the Chamberlin and its better-known successor the Mellotron-the first musical keyboards to play the pre-recorded sounds of other instruments. From a California workshop to Royal Albert Hall, Mellodrama tells the story of an ingenious contraption called the Mellotron. Essentially the first sampling instrument, its haunting sound has changed the production and texture of popular music-from the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" and the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin" to Radiohead's OK Computer and Kanye West's "Gold Digger." Features members of The Beach Boys, The Moody Blues, The Zombies. King Crimson, Yes, Cheap Trick, Black Sabbath, Genesis, Refugee, Opeth, Latin Playboys, Goblin, Maroon 5, Moog

Various Artists - Secondhand Sureshots DVD+CD (Stones Throw) [STH2237DVD] $19.00
Secondhand Sureshots is a filmed experiment in creative sound recycling. Dublab director Bryan 'Morpho' Younce sent some of the world's best beatmakers/DJs (Daedalus, Nobody, J.Rocc and Ras G) on a safari into L.A. thrift stores with orders to make new music out of five finds while the cameras filmed the whole process. The result is a mini-documentary about putting new life into old vinyl. Over 2 hours of footage, music & bonus material. Accompanying the DVD is a CD of exclusive music created during the process alongside remixes and bonus beats."

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

A.L.K. and Brother Clark Damin Eih - Never Mind CD (Nero's Neptune) [NN010CD] $13.50
On many hardcore psych collectors' Top 10 lists (including one via Patrick Lundborg's Acid Archives book), this insanely rare and impossible-to-describe 1973 brain-fryer from Minneapolis is utterly soaked with mystic, thoroughly-dosed higher key psychedelia -- think Zerfas meets Bobb Trimble, but you're still nowhere near the lysergic laboratory. Damin Eih rambled off to India to clear his head after leaving behind this lone, legendary offering, never to be heard from again. Painstakingly and spectacularly re-mastered from two virgin copies of the original vinyl (the master tapes have long since disappeared), this treasure is now rescued from the deepest catacombs of psychedelic fatso obscurity for all to hear.

Aera - Mechelwind 2CD (Long Hair) [LHC083/84CD] $27.00
"This double CD (CD1: 44:15/CD2: 41:41) unites absolute rarities of famous German band Aera. Aera founded in 1972 by 'Ihre Kinder' guitarist Muck Groh and 2066 & Then keyboard player Steve Robinson were in their very beginnings, when they recorded their special extended version (26 minutes) 'Mechelwind Suite' from their later classic title 'Mechelwind' (on album Hand und Fuss, LHC 44, vinyl-edition). The 'Mechelwind Suite' is divided into 5 parts and is rather different from the later album-version, not only because of Steve Robinson's excellent keyboard playing but also because of Muck Groh's fine guitar playing and Klaus Kreuzeder's pleasant sax tunes. CD 1 finishes with two SWF-recordings, 'Hodibbel' and 'Mechelwind,' from Oktober 1973 again with 2066 & Then keyboarder Steve Robinson. CD 2 contains a live performance of Aera from 23.12.1973 with the same line up as on CD 1. Highlights are the 15-minute version of 'Hodibbel' and 12-minute version of 'Papa Doing.' The recordings show Aera at their very best during their first decade. Both CDs are digitally remastered from the original tapes. Double CD comes with comprehensive booklet with a lot of unseen photos and band history told by founding-member Steve Robinson. A must have."

Can - Delay (1968) CD (Spoon/mute) [SPOON9437CD] $10.00
"Although recorded in the late '60s, the material included on Can's Delay...1968 did not appear commercially until 1981. A collection of cuts featuring early vocalist Malcolm Mooney, these seven songs are among the very first Can tunes ever recorded."

Can - Unlimited Edition CD (Spoon/mute) [SPOON9438CD] $10.00
"Expanding upon 1974's Limited Edition which was limited to 15,000 copies, the release contains previously unreleased tracks from Can's history from 1968 through 1976, when Unlimited Edition was released."

Duke Ellington - In Sweden 1973 CD (Caprice) [CAP21599CD] $16.50
Artists: Harold Money Johnson, Johnny Coles, Barry Lee Hall, Mercer Ellington, Rolf Ericson, trumpets & flugelhorns; Vince Prudente, Art Baron, Chuck Connors, Ä.ke Persson, trombones; Russell Procobe, alto saxophone & clarinet; Harold Geezil Minerve, alto saxophone, flute & piccolo Harold Ashby, tenor saxophone & clarinet; Percy Marion, tenor saxophone; Harry Carney, clarinet & bass clarinet; Duke Ellington, piano; Joe Benjamin, bass; Quentin Rocky White, drums; Alice Babs, Anita Moore, Tony Watkins, vocals; Invited guest pianists: Nils Lindberg and concert producer George Wein. "In October 1973 Duke Ellington gave two special concerts in MalmĶ, Sweden. Alice Babs, singer, and the Swedish musicians appeared as guest soloists. Highlights from the Swedish Radio Jazz Archives."

Les Moore - Yesterday CD (Riverman Music) [BTR052CD] $16.00
Les Moore's first and best album dates back to New Orleans, 1973. This low-budget recording hits all the right notes for aficionados of early private-press SSW music and is considered a minor classic of the "loner/downer" genres. Moore's quavering voice calls to mind Mark Bolan and Devendra Banhart, and his guitar work is subtly virtuosic. Though best known for what Acid Archives calls the "scary jump into the abyss" of the radical cover of The Beatles' "A Day In The Life," it's the original compositions by Moore and Andy and John Davis, full of the kind of raw emotion and sadness totally missing from music today, that make this worth checking out. "Now To Begin" may be the most moving anti-war song ever heard, and "Ooh-Pah-Do-Pah-Do" (included on Numero Group's great Wayfaring Strangers: Lonesome Heroes comp) may be the most deceptively-titled track you'll ever hear.

Mieczyslav Weinberg/Fyodor Druzhinin - Sonata For Clarinet And Piano 2CD (Neos) [NEOS11008/9CD] $20.25
Mieczyslav Weinberg: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 28 (1945, Version for Viola and Piano); Sonata for Viola Solo No. 1, Op. 107 (1971); Sonata for Viola Solo No. 2, Op. 123 (1978); Sonata for Viola Solo No. 3, Op. 135 (1982); Sonata for Viola Solo No. 4, Op. 136 (1983) Fyodor Druzhinin: Sonata for Viola Solo No. 1 (1959). Performed by Julia Rebekka Adler, viola; Jascha Nemtsov, piano. "After fleeing from occupied Poland, Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996) survived in Soviet exile. Defended by Shostakovich in times of crisis, he was tolerated as a symphonist and composer of film music (The Storks Leave, 1957) but was always to remain an outsider. His rich stock of chamber music has been examined by Julia Rebekka Adler, who presents the four solo sonatas for viola, works written between 1971 and 1983. The first is dedicated to the violist Fyodor Druzhinin (1932-2007) and was edited and premiered by him; the others remain unpublished today. The program is rounded out with a solo sonata by Druzhinin himself, as well as an arrangement of Weinberg's early Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, the Klezmer sounds of which may be glimpsed in the version for viola too. The pianist is Jascha Nemtsov, who shares an intimate knowledge of contemporary East European Jewish music and previously rediscovered the violin sonatas by Weinberg."

Pinhead Gunpowder - Jump Salty CD (Recess) [REC121] $12.75
REISSUED!!! PINHEAD GUNPOWDER's first singles collection, originally released as CD-only on Lookout Records in 1995! Twelve songs. LP version to follow.

Pinhead Gunpowder - Carry The Banner CD (Recess) [REC122] $12.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-09-2010
***REISSUED!!! Originally released in 1994 as a 10-inch on Too Many Records, then a CD by Lookout Records. Now available on LP from Recess! Nine songs. Pressed on colored vinyl.

Pinhead Gunpowder - Goodbye Ellston Avenue CD (Recess) [REC123] $12.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-09-2010
***REISSUED!!! Originally released in 1997 on Lookout Records, now reissued on LP and CD by Recess! Pressed on colored vinyl.

Pinhead Gunpowder - Compulsive Disclosure CD (Recess) [REC124] $12.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-09-2010
***REISSUED!!! Originally released as CD-only by Lookout Records in 2003. Now reissued on vinyl and CD by Recess! Pressed on colored vinyl.

Pinhead Gunpowder - Shoot The Moon CD (Recess) [REC125] $12.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-09-2010
***REISSUED!!! Originally released by Adeline Records in 1999, Shoot The Moon features seven songs of love and angst from BILLIE JOE of GREEN DAY's other punk pout-fit. Recorded in Billie's basement for that extra-cred edge. Pressed on colored vinyl.

Raincoats, The - The Raincoats CD (We Three) [WE002CD] $16.25
"We ThRee (the band's own label) announce the reissue of the The Raincoats , the legendary first album by The Raincoats originally released on Rough Trade Records in 1979. Widely acclaimed as one of the musical highlights of the post punk period and a breakthrough moment for women in music, The Raincoats has been commercially unavailable for the past 10 years."

Robert Lester Folsom - Music And Dreams CD (Riverman Music) [BTR051CD] $16.00
First-ever authorized CD reissue of this highly-collectable ($300+) private-press lost classic from Atlanta, 1976. Super-relaxed, earnest n' mellow rock and roll from a simpler, better time. Dreamy '70s guitar groove with the thinnest haze of airy synths, keys n' flange a la Bread, America, and Todd Rundgren. There are some occasional boogie-led jams as well. Undeniably sunny, impeccably-arranged, warm, friendly, and weirdly wonderful songs. Includes two bonus tracks, including the unbelievable, soaring "Warm Horizon." For fans of CSNY, Steve Miller, Paul McCartney, Anonymous, and Jade Stone & Luv.

Television Personalities - Closer To God CD (Fire) [SFIRE018CD] $14.00
This is the 2003 reissue of Television Personalities' sixth studio album, originally released in 1992. Of the many albums released by Daniel Treacy and company, 1992's Closer To God is widely considered to be both their masterpiece and also one of their bleakest works. Though the songs are presented in the same charmingly ragged guitar-pop fashion as earlier gems such as Privilege and And Don't The Kids Just Love It?, accented occasionally with strings and saxes, the topics covered here are often extremely dark. Songs like "Razorblades and Lemonade" and "My Very First Nervous Breakdown," for all their surface jollity, concern suicide attempts and deep depressions in unflinching first-person terms. It's not all gloom, however; both the epic eight-minute title track and "We Will Be Your Gurus" are upbeat and cautiously optimistic, and "Goodnight Mr. Spaceman" has a self-deprecating wit, mocking Television Personalities-inspired scenesters like Creation Records and Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie in an avuncular manner. Closer To God is a shaggy jangle-pop masterwork. "Highly recommended ...painfully sincere, harrowing, primitive psych-pop songs about love, depression, art, and religion...ebullient bits of undeniably skewed pop...more effective than any religious experience I've ever had." -- Spin

Various Artists - Nigeria Special Volume 2: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds CD (Soundway) [SNDW020CD] $14.75
...& Nigerian Blues 1970-6. The Soundway label presents a second volume in their Nigeria Special series. This volume features tracks that have been forgotten or out of print for nearly 35 years, but have since been tracked down and documented by Miles Cleret. The fruits of this arduous labor has taken over 10 years of dedication, research and travel to Nigeria, now culminating in the final part of Soundway's extensive survey of Nigeria's forgotten musical history. The range of styles on Nigeria Special Volume 2 vary from highlife to Juju and Nigerian blues in the languages of Yoruba, Igbo, Bini and Ijaw. With a peppering of "Afro" experimentation, the same musical stew pervades volume 2 as its predecessor -- some artists appear again alongside some new artists as the emphasis continues to focus on the laid-back and mid-tempo feel found on volume 1. It includes the bluesy guitar band style of The Otarus and The Peacocks International Guitar Band, sitting opposite the more uptempo sound of highlife legends Stephen Osita Osadebe (here bringing his Igbo version of the Cuban standard "Peanut Vendor") and Paulson Kalu. Progressive outfits Black Zenith's', The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination, Tunji Oyelana, The Nkengas, Opotopo and Joy Nwoso remind us that these were indeed experimental times with their fusions of jazz, highlife and in the case of Nwoso, opera!

Various Artists - Nigeria Special Volume 2: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds 3^LP CD (Soundway) [SNDW020LP] $25.50
3LP version containing 3 tracks not available on the CD version. The Soundway label presents a second volume in their Nigeria Special series. This volume features tracks that have been forgotten or out of print for nearly 35 years, but have since been tracked down and documented by Miles Cleret. The fruits of this arduous labor has taken over 10 years of dedication, research and travel to Nigeria, now culminating in the final part of Soundway's extensive survey of Nigeria's forgotten musical history. The range of styles on Nigeria Special Volume 2 vary from highlife to Juju and Nigerian blues in the languages of Yoruba, Igbo, Bini and Ijaw. With a peppering of "Afro" experimentation, the same musical stew pervades volume 2 as its predecessor -- some artists appear again alongside some new artists as the emphasis continues to focus on the laid-back and mid-tempo feel found on volume 1. It includes the bluesy guitar band style of The Otarus and The Peacocks International Guitar Band, sitting opposite the more uptempo sound of highlife legends Stephen Osita Osadebe (here bringing his Igbo version of the Cuban standard "Peanut Vendor") and Paulson Kalu. Progressive outfits Black Zenith's', The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination, Tunji Oyelana, The Nkengas, Opotopo and Joy Nwoso remind us that these were indeed experimental times with their fusions of jazz, highlife and in the case of Nwoso, opera!

Various Artists - Nigeria Afrobeat Special: The New Explosive Sound CD (Soundway) [SNDW021CD] $14.75
...In 1970's Nigeria. This is the fourth addition to the Nigeria Special series, a project initiated in 2004 by Miles Cleret, owner of the Soundway record label. Focusing on the big-band sound dominated by wailing saxophones, brass solos and relentless poly-rhythmic grooves, Nigeria Afrobeat Special delivers a no-nonsense collection of tracks that (bar one) have NEVER been re-issued outside of Nigeria. It was Fela Kuti and his musical and political ideals that formed the core of Afrobeat's message. Fela's highly sought-after version of "Who're You?" lends this set its lead. Originally released on 7" in 1971, it would later be re-recorded at Abbey Road for his album Fela's London Scene and is re-issued here for the first time ever. The collection features Fela's rival and fellow Afrobeat veteran Orlando Julius, represented by the track "Afro-Blues" -- amazing that this has previously managed to escape re-issue. Also featured are tracks by big names on the Nigerian scene -- Eric Akaeze, Bongos Ikwue and Segun Bucknor as well as a Victor Uwaifo-produced cut by previously unknown artist Andrew "Madman" Jaga. The album also features a cut featuring Pax Nicholas, a singer whose album Na Teef Know De Road Of Teef has recently been made available after 30 years. Cleret's ambition to distinguish the blossoming music scenes of 1970s Nigeria has lent to an indispensable series of CD and LP compilations documenting the influence of western blues, rock and disco amongst artists and musicians versed in the local musical styles of highlife and juju.

Virgo - Virgo CD (Rush Hour) [RHTX1-CD] $16.00
Originally released in 1989 on Radical Records in the UK, and as a series of EPs on Trax Records in the U.S., this is a very special record, and truly a contender for best house album ever made. Virgo are Chicago house duo Merwyn Sanders and Eric Lewis, who also recorded as Ace & The Sandman and M.E. and shouldn't be confused with the other Virgo of Vince Lawrence and company. This album does not have one filler, all tracks are essential pieces of house music. Of course, it includes the best-known "Do You Know Who You Are?" and "In A Vision" tracks, but check out "Ride" and "School Hall," for instance. Originally released under M.E., and much overlooked, this album is an absolute house classic with dreamy, mellifluously laid-back grooves. Limited release with new artwork and remastered tracks. The vinyl is available as a 2x12", 2 tracks per side in a loud pressing.

Wind - Seasons CD (Long Hair) [LHC086CD] $22.75
"Now for the first time as an official reissue, famous German band Wind's legendary first album Seasons, originally released in 1971. This is a real German Krautrock classic album. The poetic and complexly crafted songs of the album were filled with extensive instrumentals and unusual diversions."

[ S A L E ]

Bass Communion - Loss S t-shirt (Soleilmoon) [08155] $13.00
100% cotton Hanes 'Beefy T' shirt, dark brown, with the quietly evocative cover art from the "Loss" DVDA+CD package printed on the chest. An antique border printed in metallic gold frames the image, and the names "Bass Communion" and "Loss" are printed directly below. Available in Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large and Extra-Extra Large. 100 shirts have been printed for this first run.

Bass Communion - Loss XL t-shirt (Soleilmoon) [08158] $10.00
100% cotton Hanes 'Beefy T' shirt, dark brown, with the quietly evocative cover art from the "Loss" DVDA+CD package printed on the chest. An antique border printed in metallic gold frames the image, and the names "Bass Communion" and "Loss" are printed directly below. Available in Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large and Extra-Extra Large. 100 shirts have been printed for this first run.

This week's VINYL update contains releases by:

AFCGT * Amps, The * Andre Kronert * Black Crowes * Brian Jonestown Massacre, The * Bruner * Busratch * Catherine Howe * Chez Damier * Chmmr * Conforce * Daniel Wang * Darko Esser * Delta Funktionen * Deniz Kurtel * Dirtbombs * Disappears * DJ Hell (feat. Bryan Ferry) * Dreher & Smart * DVA * Dyckman-James * Electric President * Eris * Fusioon * Gay Against You * Gene Hunt * Gentle Friendly * Jack Rose * Japanther * Jesus and Mary Chain, The * Joanna Newsom * Justice Yeldham & Dave Phillips * Kevin "SKIE" Warrington * Kevin Barker * Kirk Degiorgio * Life on Earth! * Lonelady * Love Cry Want * Mako Sica * Melvins * Mighty Mouse * Mika Vainio/Kouhei Matsunaga * Mouthus/Bulbs * MV & EE * Nebraska * NHK * Ninjasonik * Nmperign & Jake Meginsky * Nurse With Wound * Pattern Repeat * Peter van Hoesen & Donato Dozzy/Matt O'brien * Phantogram * Pillars and Tongues * Prurient * Psychic Reality/La Vampires * Quasi * Ricardo Miranda * Rick Poppa Howard * Sam Goldberg * Scion Success * Steffi (feat. Elif Bicer) * Stiff Little Fingers * Sunny Day In Glasgow * Svanfridur * Taras Van De Voorde & Jelle Kuipers * Terror Danjah Feat. D.o.k * Tevo Howard * The Ex Getatchew Mekuria& Guests * The Ex & Tom Cora * Tim Wolff * Tindersticks * Tom Trago * Troggs, The * Trubrot * Usurper * Virgin Passages * Virgo * White Hills * Wind * Wrekmeister Harmonies * Xiu Xiu * Xiu Xiu/Parenthetical Girls * Zombies, The

AFCGT - AFCGT LP + 7 inch (Sub Pop) [SP843LP] $19.00
"Drooling Hillbilly Metal, Sea Urchin Psychedelia, Yukon Freak Thrash, and Beatnik Swamp Drone are musical genres, like dozens of others, which are in the infancy of their developments. Yet someone has finally harnessed the inside track to claiming a few of these elusive styles as their own creations. AFCGT is a rather convenient vernacular for A Frames and Climax Golden Twins but if you're hopeful that the usual sources are stocked with facts and figures about this outfit, think again. There's not much information available on AFCGT. The cretinous calliope that is AFCGT descends from a decrepit longhouse on the shores of a dark lake where the self-inflicted wounds from a windy forest of flailing, whipping branches gave birth to the white heat oddities from this their self-titled new album on Sub Pop Records. Conjoined a little over two years ago, the group has already been dishing out vinyl; recording a 10-inch EP, a full-length LP, and appearing on a 7-inch compilation not to mention a few super-limited CDRs thrown in for kicks. With 3 electric guitars, a bass guitar, and a drum kit they manage to emulate the decaying soundtrack of an international airport with all the trimmings; accidental runway collisions, air traffic control extremism, unauthorized handling of cargo, and bitching passengers at checkpoint screenings." Both the LP and 7" are on white vinyl.

Amps, The - Pacer LP (Plain Recordings) [PLAIN148LP] $16.50
"The one and only full length from Kim Deal's post-Pixes and Breeders group, released in 1995. Though The Amps were originally intended to be a solo project for Deal, they quickly developed into a full fledged band, recording tunes that were slated to be part of the 3rd, never recorded, Breeders' album. Sloppy, raucous, and life-affirming rock and roll that owes more than a little to their fellow Dayton-ites Guided By Voices, Pacer is as good or better as any of the Breeders' releases."

Andre Kronert - Negentein 12 inch (Ostwind Records) [OWLTD019EP] $10.25
"Winter has found its way into our country of Mecklenburg and beautifies our landscape and hearts with its lovely attributes. Even these very same aspects are given to us by Andre Kronert with his second vinyl on Ostwind. Negentein is glazing with two functional tracks which skillfully slide across the ice and, with a glass of hot wine punch, incite us to start dreaming. 'Eisleben', how he calls the A-side track, perfectly reflects the matter of this track. A crystal-clear, upcoming hook which turns into a snow storm and leaves enough space to be astonished. An enthralling, introverted track, which will make feelings run high not only in winter time. 'Cassiopeia' is shining on the B-side with a wonderful groovin, Detroit influenced, funky techhouse track. Music not only for the club!"

Brian Jonestown Massacre, The - Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? 2xLP (A Records) [AUK020LP] $38.75
"Recorded in early & late 2009 between Iceland & Berlin with a US tour in between, the Brian Jonestown Massacre move forward with this new full length album , Who Killed Sergeant Pepper?. Working with musicians Will Carruthers (ex Spacemen 3 & Spiritualized), Unnur Andrea, Einarsdottir (who recorded vocals on the last BJM album) & Felix from the Russian band Amazing Electronic Talking Cave & other musicians from France, Germany, & Iceland, this is the band's most multi cultured release to date, while obviously keeping the band's trademark style throughout this album. 13 tracks ranging from the ambient bhangra beats, to rock, to shoegazing, to gypsy influences of Eastern European music, & then back again to the subliminal, all twinged with the psychedelia of the band."

Bruner - Songs For A Friend LP (Numero Group) [NPH44002LP] $15.25
"Thought to have been recorded between her stint with Rockford, Illinois, psych-rock outfit Pisces and her lone 45 on the Vincent label, Songs For A Friend is the last known recordings by Linda Bruner. Tracked in one continuous session in the back of Nielson's Music Store, Bruner drags herself through five doleful reinterpretations ('Don't Let Me Down,' 'Thorn Tree In The Garden,' 'Georgia On My Mind,' 'Wichita Lineman,' 'Rainy Night In Georgia') and one original. This neglected lover's note caught our eye by chance, the blue spine of its box crying out from a disheveled clutch of Pisces outtake reels. We've chosen to preserve the tape's intimacies, allowing it to roll through its imperfections, bits of banter, and hiss. If her disconsolate pop recreations reveal a tormented songbird soaring toward the edge of despair, its only affirmation of what little we know for sure about Linda Bruner, now long lost. Pressed on high quality 150 Gram virgin vinyl, the 20 minute mini-album features an etched B-side and is housed in a textured tip-on sleeve."

Busratch - Tokei Nikki LP (Rrr) [RRR999LP] $16.50
"Japanese turntable project probably best known for their work with Otomo Yoshihide and Hijokaidan -- after numerous CDs, this is their 1st LP -- it also happens to be their final recording. The band has decided to part ways so the members can pursue new projects. Side 1 = two elegant contemporary avant garde compositions -- kinda reminds me of AMM if they were DJs. Side 2 = 99 lock grooves. Edition 500 copies."

Chez Damier - Time Visions 2 12 inch (Mojuba) [MOJUBAGOD2] $13.25
Chez Damier presents the second release in his Time Visions series. This 12" features a new mix of the epic downtempo "Why" that turns it into a mesmerizing journey to the deep house realm. There's also an unreleased Carl Craig remix of the legendary "Help Myself" track from KMS. Finally, there's a brand-new Chez track in best Prescription manner that has already burned down dancefloors... prepare to be touched!

Chmmr - Love Will Lead U Back/Man 12 inch (Luna Flicks) [LUNA009EP] $11.50
Trondheim is home to trønder rock, bad mustaches, leather vests and one young DJ/producer named Chmmr aka Even Brenden. Aimed straight at the dancefloor, like a piano monster from '88, "Love Will Lead U Back" works its charms at the peak-time of any party. "Man" is an early-morning Italo-acid-disco monster: from the bad-ass bass line and scatty drums to the weirdo synths, as well as a piano line that takes the roof off, all topped with some good ol' acid.

Conforce - Machine Conspiracy 2xLP (Meanwhile) [MEAN020LP] $19.00
Meanwhile's second-ever album release presents the work of Netherlands-based Conforce. Opening with an insolent, precise, tightly-wound bass and hats configuration, there's immediate affinity with Carl Craig's myriad shades of impeccable funk. A kinship is established between windy cities, gloom, lakeside living -- a central, if slightly murked connection. A primordial roving bass line wades through the cooled-out density of "Sonar Conversation," a body-speed, electro-funked tussle follows on "Robotic Arm Wrestle": poised, oiled and housed with the swanked machine operative's last moments. "Love Hate" already slayed on 12" and improves on every listen. "First Impression" typifies this album's marriage of fractured emotion with a heart of soulful belief -- the pulsing but still-functional human wreckage and embers that remain after the machines have moved on, if you like. "Subtraction" doffs its cap to Manchester's own emergent noughties sound: fat, sub-bassed, minimally-conjured, slightly-squeezed, acid-hi-tech-business. Superior stuff that wears it well on a drive at dawn through Babylon. "Intimidation" certainly lives up to its title, a sullen sense of clammy fear and whispered malevolence emanates, while the tune builds up a significant dancefloor momentum, deadly funky even within its coldly insistent patterns. "Machine Conspiracy" warms us back to life with a thrumming Basic Channel surge and a rimshot to die for -- one of those stripped dub destroyers you can return to in any mood for guidance. "Rare Education" jams on it like Magic Juan lording it at a mint bar hosted by Lil Louis -- sheer classic vibes. "Stop Hold" ushers us into humid technological tropics where a brief history of the after-future is busy melting down all connections. Machine Conspiracy is a gripping album.

Daniel Wang - The Balihu Bootleg 12 inch (Rush Hour) [RH108X-EP] $12.25
The Balihu Bootleg EP is the final release in the "best of Balihu" series on Rush Hour. This 6-track EP features two unreleased tracks and four early works and B-sides. "Sylver Belt" was included on the never-released and much in-demand Balihu 002. "Not Feeling It" and "East Village Hustle" are early B-side Balihu tracks that were not featured on the compilation. Side B continues with the instrumental version of "If It Feels Good." This deep, electronic track was taken from Danny's vaults and has never been released. "Shadows" and "Unhouse" are two early Danny tracks that were not on the Balihu compilation.

Darko Esser - Balans Remixes Part 1 12 inch (Wolfskuil Records) [WOLF0171EP] $11.50
Wolfskuil Records presents part 1 of a 4-part series of remixes from Darko Esser's debut album Balans. Nicolas Masseyeff turns the ambient/electronica of "Teardrops" into an epic dancefloor track. André Lodemann remixed the title track and created a beautiful deep house tune where everything is completely balanced. Darko's musical partner in crime Nuno Dos Santos remixed "Teardrops" into stunning electronica for the floor.

Delta Funktionen - Silhouette 12 inch (Delsin) [DSR079EP] $12.25
The original Silhouette EP by Delta Funktionen was previously only available as an ultra-limited, vinyl-only release through sister-label Ann Aimee. Now it's finally back, including a tight, dark and steamy Marcel Dettmann remix.

Deniz Kurtel - Yeah 12 inch (Crosstown Rebels) [CRM056EP] $11.50
The lead single from the debut album from Deniz Kurtel is the energizing "Yeah," featuring Guest Of Nature, complete with remixes from Jamie Jones. His "Shower Curtain Mix" chops up the vocal and beats, building more energy into a straight dancefloor classic. His "Aquafunk Mix" cooks up a funk-infused guitar riff alongside his trademark sci-fi sounds and hooky bass line, lifting the mood into an exhilarating party atmosphere. Constantly evolving, Deniz's music continues to become more mesmerizing.

Dirtbombs - Race To The Bottom 12 inch (Cass Records) [MAMA048] $9.00
"The record no one wants to hear! We took a poll of THE DIRTBOMBS fan base on their likes and dislikes and cooked up the exact opposite of what they're looking for. Enjoy 23 excruciating minutes of aimless, meandering synthesizer noodling. You thought the six minutes of this song on We Have You Surrounded was painful? This 12-inch makes ear-bleeding seem like a blessing in comparison."-Dirtbombs. Limited to 500 copies.

Disappears - Lux LP (Kranky) [KRANK143LP] $12.75
"Disappears are that rarest of musical things, a 'rock' band affiliated with kranky. But at least they are a rock band and not some less than reasonable facsimile, because let's face it; most bands using that descriptor would not sonically intimidate your grandmother if she were alone in a dark alley. And deliver the granite the Disappears do from the opening chords, delivering scuzzy, driving rhythms that certainly imply a threat of ill will. Drawing on a combined reverence for reverb, heavy tremolo, distortion, delay and repetition, Disappears play minimal rock music inspired by Krautrock, punk rock, the mid 80's New Zealand scene, and a bit of everything in between. And in their minimalist approach the band finds their real strength, hammering home chord structures that are tried and true and can and do remain fresh in the hands of the right talents such as these. As a wise man once said, 'keep it simple stupid.'"

DJ Hell (feat. Bryan Ferry) - U Can Dance 7 inch (International Deejay Gigolo) [GIGOLO260EP] $9.75
It was only a matter of time. Two genre-defining artists together... pop music and dance music's most famous arbiters of taste, collaborating at last. DJ Hell's "U Can Dance" is an interpretation of an unreleased Bryan Ferry song, but it's one that reflects a perfect melding of two distinct personalities. The track is a serpentine Moroder-esque disco burner, with typically assured vocals by Ferry -- featured here in a radio edit and a 7" edit by Kikumoto Allstars.

DJ Hell (feat. Bryan Ferry) - U Can Dance 1 12 inch (International Deejay Gigolo) [GIGOLO260T1-EP] $11.50
Part 1 of 3 in a series of 12"s featuring a collaboration between DJ Hell and pop legend Bryan Ferry, "U Can Dance." Includes the album version, plus a remix by Carl Craig.

DJ Hell (feat. Bryan Ferry) - U Can Dance 2 12 inch (International Deejay Gigolo) [GIGOLO260T2-EP] $11.50
Part 2 of 3 in a series of 12"s featuring a collaboration between DJ Hell and pop legend Bryan Ferry, "U Can Dance." Includes remixes by Tim Goldsworthy and Carl Craig.

DJ Hell (feat. Bryan Ferry) - U Can Dance 3 12 inch (International Deejay Gigolo) [GIGOLO260T3-EP] $11.50
Part 3 of 3 in a series of 12"s featuring a collaboration between DJ Hell and pop legend Bryan Ferry, "U Can Dance." Includes an instrumental version and a remix by Simian Mobile Disco.

Dreher & Smart - Zahrtwitz 12 inch (Acker Records) [ACKER016EP] $10.25
"Almost one year after their musical hiking day, their 'Wandertag' to the winter state of Mecklenburg, the two Berlin gents Dreher & Smart return to Acker. Once again they tinkle the ivories of their very own keyboard of unmistakable groove and start playing some considerable hypnotic chords this time. A bubbling bass brew and discreet but pretty twisted rhythm constructions form the basis of 'Flic Flack.' The mysterious wind player samples and sound effects, that hover apparently weightless above those, lend a dramatic- cinematic expression to the track. 'Hirnholz,' meaning something like brain-wood, keeps what its name implies with a distinct forcing thrust in its lower frequency spectrum, that evolves quite some mass appeal together with crunching and clicking background noises. Finally the 'Spiegelkabinett,' the hall of mirrors, is haunted by pregnant with meaning voice recordings which complete with the dreamy, melodic character and the organic bass line of this track."

DVA - Natty/Ganja 12 inch (Hyperdub) [HDB030EP] $12.25
"Rinse FM's breakfast show host, DVA is a producer with a unique take on the UK Funky bug, blending the stiff 8-bar funk of grime with a super-supple rhythmic sensibility, sewing neon colours with a laid back precision into his tracks."

Electric President - The Violent Blue LP (Fake Four Inc) [FFINC015LP] $15.25
"Electric President is a Jacksonville, Florida musical project by Ben Cooper and Alex Kane. The sound is a mix of folk, indie pop and electronics with the occasional reference to shoegaze and epic prog rock. For the last 3 years the band has been releasing music on German imprint and indietronic mainstay Morr, now in 2010 they release their first album on CT based Fake Four Inc."

Eris - Feast Of The Appetites Of Eris LP (Domino Sound) [026] $11.00
Each year, on the Sunday prior to Mardi Gras, a rag tag group of musicians assembles to provide the soundtrack for the progression of the parade of the KREWE OF ERIS. This past parade, a food based banquet, the sounds of this 62-piece band was captured on cassette and two microphones towering overhead. Brass and percussion working through seven originals and a cover through the streets of New Orleans, with accompaniment of paraders, bottles, sirens, and food. Field recording that sounds just like it sounded. A pressing of 1,000 with an insert and silk screened covers. And then they ate cake...

Gay Against You - Righteous Signal, Sour Dudes LP (Upset The Rhythm) [UTR028LP] $15.25
"With Righteous Signals, Sour Dudes, Joe and Lachlann have written a new album which leaps and bounds over their debut Musclemilk, released in 2007 by Adaadat. The dual title is symbolic of the struggle for creative compromise and two pals who are still learning how to work together -- they couldn't agree, so they named it twice -- it works out. Similarly, the music clashes, too, it strikes bargains and agrees to disagree. The album finds progressive rock trying to sit alongside synth-pop and Afrobeat, whilst disco bumps into hardcore, before transcending tropically. There's a lot going on but somehow it makes sense. Album opener 'Cruisin' is a reckless, careering 8-bit punk sideswipe, with hollered words and an ardent keyboard line. 'Geomancer' is a bubbling brew of stammering beats and coupled vocals. 'Stranded In Jurassic Park' tells the tale of buddies chased by dinosaurs into the path of five desert dwelling aggressors over a pulsating call and response track, which shape shifts with every line. The band try their hand at epic balladry with 'Glorious Dawn2,' whilst 'Magic Eye' is a breakneck pop song lost amidst the pogo and guitar wrangle. Righteous Signals, Sour Dudes is an album about unsatisfactory magic, testing friendships and Niels Bohr. It is also a record about forgetting boundaries and forgiving fun."

Gene Hunt - Cancemnini 12 inch (Hour House Is Your Rush) [HHYR009EP] $12.25
Chicago house veteran Gene Hunt presents a great 4-track EP for Hour House Is Your Rush. Gene proves he still has the touch with three deep, yet raw tracks somewhere between jacking Chicago and classic Detroit. Reminiscent of tracks by Boo Williams, Glenn Underground, etc. Special mention goes out to "I Know You Care," which is a lush disco track. Elevating stuff.

Gentle Friendly - Ride Slow LP (Upset The Rhythm) [UTR031LP] $16.50
"Using a wide palette of sound that successfully captures the intensity of their live performance, Gentle Friendly have just completed their debut album. Ride Slow is an adventurous record, which surpasses the band's lo-fi origins and demonstrates an uplifting emotional range. Thematically a fatalist document, Ride Slow records snapshots of feeling, of conversation, which overlap and phase through different songs. While their self-acknowledged influences (Arthur Russell, Bruce Springsteen, Top 40 hip-hop) are detectable, this album showcases Gentle Friendly as a band who have found their own language, drawing on nostalgia and ritual in equal measure, whilst continuing the tradition of English eccentricity and popular song. Ride Slow works exceptionally well as a continuous piece of music, the band choosing to work with London producer Twins to mix the album through its rounds of echo drench and repetitive rapture. The record glides seamlessly between songs of euphoric warmth to broken stammering rhythms to crushing walls of atmosphere. Tracks like 'Real Fighters,' 'Sleng Teng' and 'Clean Breaker' burst with energy, careering along with thunderous intent, in stark contrast to the album's more reflective moments like the dreamy 'Lover's Rock' and the ambient wash and vocal cycling of 'R.I.P. Static.'"

Jack Rose - Luck In The Valley LP (Thrill Jockey) [THR229LP] $15.00
"Like all pre-war recordings and all of Rose's releases, this album was recorded live. It was not created using overdubs but rather by recording a few 'takes' and selecting the best performance out of those. Rose stated, 'I wanted the songs to have an immediacy and spontaneity as they were being recorded. All the musicians chosen for the record know how to play the songs without overworking the material, but at the same time creating memorable accompaniments on the spot.' Several of the songs are in fact the first takes like 'Blues for Percy Danforth', 'Lick Mountain Ramble' and 'Woodpiles on the Side of the Road'. Also Included in the set are three covers: 'St. Louis Blues', 'Everybody Ought to Pray Sometime' and 'West Coast Blues'. All of these pre-war classics are Rose's unique arrangements. The album title refers to the old red light section of St. Louis and was a code for procuring the services of a prostitute. Says Rose 'I read about it on some liner notes to a reissue of pre-war St. Louis recordings and I liked the ring of it.' An avid record collector with an encyclopedic knowledge of pre-war American music, Rose has been acknowledged as a rising star among contemporary guitar players. Luck in the Valley finds Rose at his best surrounded by like-minded friends on a recording that is enriched by a sense of history but entirely new, vibrant and warm."

Japanther - Rock N Roll Ice Cream LP (Menlo Park) [mpk7055] $12.00
RELEASE DATE: 03-01-2010
The story behind Rock 'n' Roll Ice Cream is an adventure tale of exploring harmonies, writing together & a little bit of that West Coast surf vibe whilst lurking a bit towards Japanther's salad days in Brooklyn to draw on pop hooks & simple drum parts that make skating seem easier & bikes move faster. Produced by Michael Blum, whose past projects include Michael Jackson, Madonna (Like a Prayer, Who's That Girl), Pink Floyd and Suicidal Tendencies. It seemed a daring fish out of water fit for an album envisioned by Japanther as a dance party - and all the kids are invited! Comes with digital download.

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me 3xLP (Drag City) [dc390-1] $26.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-23-2010
Label has provided no info. Info forthcoming.

Justice Yeldham & Dave Phillips - Two Thousand-Five LP (Blossoming Noise) [BN044LP] $16.50
"This is the live-document of their 2005 North American tour recorded in Bloomington, Denver, San Francisco & Los Angeles. Mastered by Rashad Becker. Edition of 300 on white vinyl."

Kevin "SKIE" Warrington - It A Road Block 12 inch (Digikiller) [DKR008EP] $10.25
"The Skie Warrington 12" was only released in NY, and is presented as it was originally issued. The Scion Success 12" was issued in NY and the UK, originally released with a tune on a different rhythm on the other side. Here instead we present the fantastic and dark *previously unreleased* vocal from Madoo, to complete the version excursion."

Kevin Barker - You & Me LP (Gnomonsong) [GONG014LP] $14.50
LP version. "You & Me is Kevin Barker's debut album, released by Gnomonsong. Though it's his first solo release under his own name, Barker's no newcomer to the scene -- he's spent the last few years recording, touring, and collaborating with Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Vashti Bunyan, Vetiver, Antony and the Johnsons, and Espers, to name just a few. Essentially acting as everyone's favorite sideman, Barker has influenced and helped create a sound with which this generation is happily familiar. During his college days, Barker became interested in the finger-style guitar playing of John Fahey and Bert Jansch and began to record under the name Currituck County. This solo project (sometime a duo with Vetiver / Espers drummer Otto Hauser) recorded albums for Teenbeat Records, Troubleman Unlimited, and the UK's Track and Field Organisation. Now Barker has assembled an unbelievable group of musicians for You & Me. Produced by Thom Monahan (Vetiver, Lilys, Gary Louris, Devendra Banhart), the album features Pat Sansone (Wilco), Joanna Newsom, Jonathan Wilson (Elvis Costello, Jenny Lewis), Eric Johnson (Shins, Fruit Bats), and Otto Hauser (Vetiver, Espers). Full of sunny, rural country rock, You & Me recalls the rustic grooves of The Band and The Grateful Dead, the heady melancholy of Roy Harper, and the golden harmonies of CSNY."

Kirk Degiorgio - Ripple Effect/Time Spin 12 inch (Rush Hour) [RH029EP] $12.25
Kirk Degiorgio is back in effect with this double A-sided 12". Two solid pieces of techno that are steaming dancefloor tracks, yet they both have a sophisticated, almost elegant touch.

Life on Earth! - Blomkraftens Frukt (Flower Power's Fruit) 7 inch (Subliminal Sounds) [SUBL068EP] $13.25
Deluxe limited edition 7" -- 499 copies only worldwide. By public demand, Sweden's Life On Earth! releases the live favorite "Blomkraftens Frukt (Flower Powers Fruit)" as a single. Also included is the social-realist anthem of self-employment, "Knegareliv" on the flip. As an extra bonus, there's also the story of Harald Hårfäste and Hassan-i Sabbah. This triple combo of songs can illuminate the darkest corners of the winter. Perfect for the dancefloor, and also as a comfort for hung-over afternoons.

Lonelady - Nerve Up LP (Warp Records) [WARP186LP] $15.25
"LoneLady, AKA Julie Campbell is a self-styled writer, vocalist and tight guitarist. With little more than thorny determination and a shoestring budget, she built a secluded ramshackle studio in the belly of one of Manchester's crumbling mills and created her debut full length album, Nerve Up, in the span of four weeks. The aesthetics of this ex-mill were a pure joy for LoneLady, and invoked the ghosts of bands she loves ... (Joy Division, ESG, Wire, Grace Jones, The Fall, Suicide, PiL). Co-produced by Julie and Guy Fixsen (My Bloody Valentine, The Breeders, Stereolab), LoneLady has delivered far more than just an assembly of songs in album form, but the outcome of a process of making something out of nothing."

Love Cry Want - Love Cry Want 2xLP (Wierd Forest) [WEIRD35] $22.25
Nearly 40 years after its creation, Weird Forest is proud to release this seminal jazz album for the first time ever on vinyl. The incendiary grooves captured in this wax defy description. It is not free, funk, fusion or fire music, it encompasses all of these sounds and then blasts far beyond them. Featuring the late great organist, LARRY YOUNG (MILES DAVIS circa Bitches Brew, TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME, etc.), this album is mandatory listening for fans of Miles Davis' Live Evil-fusion era, Young's own Lawrence Of Newark, Sun Ra's cosmic explorations and even Japanese guitar terrorists like Keiji Haino and Masayuki Takayanagi. Beautifully packaged, Weird Forest-style, in a deluxe double-gatefold cover and remastered for vinyl by WEASEL WALTER, the LOVE CRY WANT double-LP is an essential document of a criminally unheralded group.

Love Cry Want - Love Cry Want 2xLP (Weird Forest) [WEIRD035LP] $22.75
"Nearly 40 years after its creation, Weird Forest is proud to release this seminal jazz album for the first time ever on vinyl. The incendiary grooves captured in this wax defy description. It is not free, funk, fusion or fire music - it encompasses all of these sounds and then blasts far beyond them. Featuring the late great organist, Larry Young (Miles Davis circa Bitches Brew, Tony Williams' Lifetime, etc), this album is mandatory listening for fans of Miles Davis' Live Evil fusion era, Young's own Lawrence Of Newark, Sun Ra's cosmic explorations and even Japanese guitar terrorists like Keiji Haino and Masayuki Takayanagi. Beautifully packaged, Weird Forest-style, in a deluxe double-gatefold cover and remastered for vinyl by Weasel Walter, the Love Cry Want 2xLP is an essential document of a criminally unheralded group."

Mako Sica - Dual Horizon LP (La Societe Expeditionnaire) [LSE016LP] $15.25
"'Mako Sica' is a translation of what many Native American tribes called 'land bad'; hence the moniker of dusty mazes, buttes and spires created by millions of years of erosion in poisoned deserts. Taking on a phrase from an extinct language for a band name certainly carries a fair share of social metaphor, political baggage and spiritual darkness. The band lives and works in Chicago (also a Native American term meaning 'wild onion'), where the city's rich jazz history and punk ideals give Mako Sica, containing two ex-members of avant/experimental band Rope, the complete freedom to create music which reflects the spirit of their chosen name. The band's debut full length, Dual Horizon, was recorded and mixed by Todd Rittmann (D. Rider, US Maple, Singer) and Jim Zespy (Magnolia Electric Co.) at Logan Hardware. The sessions were captured completely live without any over-dubs and the result is a powerful and natural forty minute cycle in album form. Layered guitars emerge then disappear, primitive rhythms echo around ancient vocal chants and dark electric grooves lead the journey through a desert of unexpected peaks, valleys, and micro-songs. Side A's twenty minute cycle begins with 'I'itoi,' a song named for a mythological Native American god who lives in a mountain cave and watches over the desert. The voice of a dark storm on the horizon recalls a forgotten voice of ancients stirred by Fuscaldo's visit to the Painted Desert. The menacing, enigmatic tones reflect a lack of written history and the dependence on folklore to tell the cautionary tales of injustices that predicted America's rampant growth and industrialization."

Melvins - Melvins 12 inch (From The Nursery) [FTN0030] $19.50
A limited edition three-track 12-inch EP from MELVINS featuring a long version of "Dies Iraea" and a remix of "It Tastes Better Than The Truth" on the A-side (performed by the line-up of KING BUZZO, DALE CROVER, JARED WARREN and COADY WILLIS in 2008), and a 9-minute version of The Wipers' "Youth of America" on the flip (featuring Buzz, Dale and KEVIN RUTMANIS, recorded by TIM GREEN at Louder in 2000). None of these tracks have appeared on vinyl prior. Limited to 2,000 copies (with 1,500 for distribution) pressed on silver/gray vinyl, with artwork by STEVEN PARRINO. Named "Record of the Month" in the February, 2010 issue of Vice Magazine.

Mighty Mouse - Song For Ellen 12 inch (Mindless Boogie) [MINDLESS022EP] $12.00
"The Mindless Boogie folks bring us another edit bundle which sidesteps the obvious. This time Mighty Mouse are in charge! Known for their remix fame and highly tipped producers for 2010!"

Mika Vainio/Kouhei Matsunaga - Split LP (Important Records) [IMPREC280LP] $17.50
"This is Important's first release in a 4 record series, each featuring the work of the enigmatic Japanese artist Kouhei Matsunaga. Mika Vainio (Pan Sonic) has contributed a side of lengthy work for harsh electronic drones while Kouhei's side consists of experimental breakbeats and modern electronica. Mika Vainio is acclaimed as half of Pan Sonic and for his solo work as well. Kouhei Matsunaga's first record was released on the Mille Plateaux label in 1998. Since then he has kept busy with numerous collaborations as well as his work with NHK (Raster Noton)."

Mouthus/Bulbs - Split LP (Important Records) [IMPREC255LP] $17.50
"Mouthus: Drum and guitar explosion through tape manipulation and a total synth bath. Collided through a number of recording sessions and strings of modulation to elevate the particle riffage to a heightened state of platectonic rock. Bulbs: Like tuning your radio slowly between far off new age stations in the most serene way possible. The marriage of muted melodies existing below feedback skwerls and electronic swerls. Transmissions from a better place."

MV & EE - Barn Nova LP (Ecstatic Peace) [E#100CLP] $15.25
LP version with poster. "Still harvesting and sustaining in the deep woods of Vermont , MV & EE (Matt 'MV' Valentine, once the brawn of the Tower Recordings, and Erika 'EE' Elder, CEO of Heroine Celestial Agriculture and The MV & EE Medicine Show) are following their 2008 release Drone Trailer with their feature-film-for-the-blind Barn Nova, which marks their return to the Ecstatic Peace! label. MV & EE aspire to the sort of beautifully rewarding standard in their documented output that Sun Ra or The Grateful Dead achieved. It is with Ecstatic Peace! that their most consistent works have been born and continue reach fans with The Golden Road, their most constant band. Together with Doc Dunn (pedal steel, rhythm guitar, vocals, drums) and Mike Smith (Rickenbacker 4001, vocals), who appeared on Drone Trailer, as well as J Mascis (drums, guitar, plate reverb) and Woods' Jeremy Earl (vocal, drums) they take you on the ride now known as Barn Nova and here they jam. Justin Pizzoferrato also appears contributing percussion, space echo and aiding once again at the controls. This album was recorded at MV & EE's own home studio 'Maximum Arousal Farm' as well as their current local New England rooms of choice, 'Bank Row' (an old mid 1900s bank) and J's home studio 'Bisquiteen.' These kindred spirits share a wealth of ideas including a serious reverence and desire to upgrade/expand the classic-rock idiom. Barn Nova marks the return of 'Spectrasound,' MV's production technique that places tones dancing all around the stereo sound field: it has to be heard to be believed. This effect is all the more impressive that the majority of it was created recording live, rather than conjured through studio post-production during mixing. Especially potent on the A side-ending stomp 'Summer Magic,' where Erika's economical leads go head-to-head with J's on a particularly mind-blowing live-in-studio effort; It brings to mind the vibe of Green Blues, Mother Of Thousands and even an electric Moon Jook with matured songwriting. Inspired by the likes of Jerry Garcia, John Cipollina and Tom Verlaine, Matt Valentine displays an insatiable appetite to play in various idioms with constant exploration and development. Meanwhile, Elder's harmony leads recall the glorious twinned guitar lines of Canned Heat's Al Wilson & Henry Vestine at their most potent."

Nebraska - A Weekend On My Own 12 inch (Rush Hour) [RHN3-EP] $12.25
This is the third EP by Nebraska on Rush Hour, featuring four strong house tracks. The lush "Soho Grand" oozes magic, while the snappier title track has a perfect late-night drive. Side B opens with the disco-fied "Time Has Come Pt. 1." This is peak-time business. The same can be said of "Masala Dosa," where an infectious jazz groove rides on a finger-snapping bounce. Bam! For fans of Rick Wade, Theo Parrish, Trus'Me, et al.

NHK - Special LP (Important Records) [IMPREC283LP] $19.75
"300 copies. Pressed at RTI & screen printed at Monoroid. This follows NHK's sold out 12" on Raster Noton. This is Important's final release in a 4 record series featuring the work of the enigmatic Japanese artist Kouhei Matsunaga. NHK began in Osaka in 2006 between Kouhei and Toshio Munehiro. Their previous work, titled Unununium, can be found on the Raster Noton label. These experimental electro-rhythmic compositions incorporate beats, noise and a modern aesthetic."

Ninjasonik - USDB LP (Marriage Records) [MAR060LP] $12.75
"Ninjasonik are tha future. Jah Jah's the punk, Telli's the rapper, and Teenwolf keeps the beat spinning. Easy to love hard to hate (unless you're a hater), Ninjasonik come from a place of pure adulation for what they get to do and the good people they get to do it with. Rhythms and synths so filthy they make songs about pregnancy, aids, and tight pants seem like odes to the dancefloor and the company of friends. You already know!" -- popmontreal.com

Nmperign & Jake Meginsky - Selected Occasions Of Handsome Deceit LP (Rel Records) [REL012LP] $16.50
"REL012 is the recorded debut of the trio Nmperign with Jake Meginsky. Pressed on 160 gram copper plate mastered vinyl, REL012 features Nmperign in an energized, turn-on-a-dime form. Prodded by Meginsky into unnamable, angular textures, the trio is agile and unpredictable, occupying many angles of musical extremes. REL012 is a one-sided LP cut to 45 for Maximum Dynamic range. Featuring a striking cover, designed by Eli Keszler, printed by Ashley Paul. A light blue fold-over paper is integrated in to a heavy picture disc sleeve, labeled with a color sticker. Screened notes are featured on the inside. REL012 is a one-time, hand-numbered edition of 300 copies."

Nurse With Wound - Space Music LP (Beta Lactam Ring) [10877] $21.00
Tears for spheres. Be warned: the sounds you are hearing are NOT marmots eating your tweeters, though you are best advised to apply volume lightly at first. Stapleton's astral weeks have been spent distilling sounds into sipping moonshine. LITERAL moonshine. After a viscerally present launch cycle, the Voyager Nurse Module is designed to be piloted by the out-of-body listener. With Lilith-like subtlety, the concrete powered craft makes its way ever closer to the edge of the galaxy. Which one? Who knows? Whichever it is, Vaclav Helhybel (Outer Space: Music) and Frank Perry (Deep Peace) are there, waiting to celebrate the space escapade with chilled cocktails and green frie

Pattern Repeat - Pattern Repeat 01 12 inch (Pattern Repeat) [PATTERN001EP] $11.50
Pattern Repeat is a new music project and label by Kenneth Christiansen, Echocord & Echocord Colour label boss, and his partner Dennis Bøg aka Resoe, running the Baum label. The Pattern Repeat label will only contain productions from Kenneth & Dennis, and the music is focused on the "modern" Berlin techno sound of today -- dubstep and dub-techno. Pattern Repeat will also release records on other labels -- the first one is out on Echocord Colour.

Peter van Hoesen & Donato Dozzy/Matt O'brien - Talis/Into The Red 12 inch (Curle Recordings) [CURLE024EP] $11.50
The second Curle offering of 2010 features the first collaboration between Donato Dozzy, with his unique hypnotic sound that you can hear on his releases for labels such as Orange Groove, Elettronica Romana and Aquaplano, and Brussels' own Peter Van Hoesen. The B-side features a dancefloor destroyer from Matt O'Brien, who you may know from his Off-Key Industries imprint.

Phantogram - Eyelid Movies LP (Ghostly International) [gi104] $17.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-23-2010
LIMITED TO 500!! Vinyl plus download card. Phantogram's music sounds like it's made by a band from the city. Electronic loops, hip-hop beats, shoegaze, soul, pop - each finds its way into their songs. Unexpectedly, the band doesn't live & work in a major urban center, but rather calls the town of Saratoga Springs, NY (population 26,186) home. The duo drive to upstate farmland to allow their natural surroundings & metropolitan influences to meld together creating beautiful, beat-driven, dreamlike pop songs.

Pillars and Tongues - Lay Of Pilgrims Park LP (Empty Cellar) [EMP006] $11.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-09-2010
***After spending more than a third of 2009 touring the United States and Europe, including a month-long tour supporting Bonnie "Prince" Billy, PILLARS AND TONGUES returned to Chicago and executed, in two days, Lay of Pilgrim Park. Recorded primarily live, Lay of Pilgrim Park reads like a map, like a document of a certain space. Rich string textures molded by violinist BETH REMIS and bassist EVAN HYDZIK and fluid vocal improvisations by all three members of the trio flow alongside deep, primal, danceable grooves; percussionist/singer MARK TRECKA's bold lyrical enterprises, styled like a cross between Pandit Pran Nath and Tim Buckley, explore concepts of constant mystery, the impossibility of absolute knowledge, and the purging of those unwanted or crippling things acquired along the way. The music on this record is not easily situated within genre constraints, but has drawn comparisons to music as varied as Dirty Three, Dead Can Dance, the Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir and Moondog. This LP comes with a free CD-quality digital download of the entire album. Limited to 500 copies.

Prurient - The History Of Aids LP (Hospital Productions) [HOS079LP] $16.50
"Massive, textural, throbbing, destructive, electronic, feedback-drenched power electronics and industrial noise with heavily processed vocals and field recordings dealing with vulnerability. Uses some of the thirteenth century love poems of the Persian poet Rumi as lyrics. Originally created in 2000 on CD with the Armageddon label, this was the first widely distributed prurient full length and appears on vinyl for the first time now."

Psychic Reality/La Vampires - Split LP (Not Not Fun) [NNF185LP] $13.50
Psychic Reality is a project from Leyna Noel. LA Vampires is a Pocahaunted side project previously heard on the My Estrogeneration comp.

Quasi - American Gong LP (Kill Rock Stars) [KRS512LP] $15.25
"Quasi (Sam Coomes, Janet Weiss, Joanna Bome) has been rocking the sticky floored graffiti scrawled dimly lit trenches since '93, & American Gong is their eighth album. It will be released on their new label, Kill Rock Stars. What's been learned in these long years? Get off your ass, kick out the jams, lay it on the line, & communal mind meld is within reach. Do it for love & there is no reason for regret."

Ricardo Miranda - Black Acid 12 inch (Hour House Is Your Rush) [HHYR008EP] $12.25
Hour House Is Your Rush goes back to their roots with Chicago producer Ricardo Miranda kicking it raw with this acid burner. This steady club track has already captured the ears of Rick Wilhite, who is set to include Ricardo Miranda on his Vibes Compilation album. On the B-side, Chicago head Legowelt does a remix, which is a tribute to the late-'80s Chicago era. Deep and moody, essential house stuff.

Rick Poppa Howard - I Won't Lay Back 12 inch (Hour House Is Your Rush) [HHYR006EP] $12.25
This release sees Tevo producing his father Rick Howard again. After working together on the first Beautiful Granville release, the duo returns with I Won't Lay Back. Vocal Chicago house just as you like it -- deep and raw! "I Won't Lay Back" is possibly the best track they have worked on so far, in an original and underground mix. The B-side features a remix of "About Fourteen." Classic, raw and dirty house music.

Sam Goldberg - Current LP (Weird Forest) [WEIRD053LP] $13.50
"Sam Goldberg is a Cleveland, Ohio multi-instrumentalist/composer who has been running in the garage rock/electronic underground circles for the last half of the '00s. He also curates and operates the Pizza Night cassette label, one of the most beloved underground cassette headquarters of the midwest as of late. Unique, timeless, and clever constructions of sound created with many instruments like synthesizers, rhythm boxes, and electric guitars provide a wide scope of varied colored tones from release to release. This debut record, Current, is an early document of Sam's solo guitar work. Side A consists of a hazy and humid melodic stasis that may be known from the Emeralds/Sam Goldberg 2007 tour cassette. An untitled piece that evokes a sense of longing and discontent while simultaneously hitting the deep and raw channels of the subconscious past that bring an understanding to the spaces between experience and memory. A gorgeous wash of clouded, ringing guitar not unlike Glenn Branca's Symphony No. 2. On the flip side another phantom composition played only a few times live and recorded over a year ago in a similar weightless, sky guitar fashion rounds out the double side long debut. 'Carol' is a great example of massive tone landscapes that can be born with minimal processing and careful compositional dynamic. Indeed, the sound of the instrument remains quite impressive throughout the album. The universal longevity of this record, however, will lie in the perfect placement of simple musical practices like chord changes, timbre and dynamics. Current has a style quality all it's own from the avant garde to pop rock with everything in between. No pretentions, no exponentiating contemporary concerns. Current stands as a pure and unwavering document of self-expression, a characteristic that the all-time best albums have. It's a rare case when a music with no lyrics or vocals can pave a path to an extraordinary understanding to one's own augmented reality. Outstanding debut album that defies the past and future and only breathes in the present moment."

Scion Success - Settle Them A Settle 12 inch (Digikiller) [DKR007EP] $10.25
"One tough rhythm, five vocal cuts (one previously unreleased!) and two different dub versions, spread across two twelve-inches. Produced at Channel 1 in the mid '80s, then voiced in New York, this Mikey Jarrett production is one of our favorite heavy rhythms of its era."

Steffi (feat. Elif Bicer) - Kill Me 12 inch (Ostgut Ton) [OSTGUT032EP] $11.50
Steffi's touching, classic-jack-inspired productions continue to gracefully bubble towards the international surface with this 12''. "Kill Me" continues the warm night-time vibes and opens Steffi's signature sound up into a full celebration of house featuring the sultry vocal talents of Elif Biçer. An instrumental dub is also included for the creative use of the DJ. Steffi's "Crushed Soul" mix is bass line led and focused on clean, precisely-measured beats and synth lines to tell a captivating story.

Sunny Day In Glasgow - Nitetime Rainbows 12 inch (Mis Ojos Discos) [ojo006] $14.50
RELEASE DATE: 03-02-2010
Clear Vinyl!! LIMITED TO 1000. An album of some of their brightest sounding songs to date. These are the sounds of a band falling in love, a band having fun. "Nitetime rainbows" always struck the band as a song that could be its own album, let alone EP/single. It was one of the most fun songs to record on Ashes Grammar, and it has the most elaborate & strange instruments on it -- from vibes to lap steel to bulbul tarang. Its partner song, "Daytime rainbows," was originally intended to appear on the full length but the band needed a bit more time to develop it. "So bloody, so tight" is one of the band's absolute favorite songs they've recorded to date & it's easy to hear why. The song is full of hope in a way the band has only hinted at previously. While the vocals are still low in the mix, the lyrics for this song are the first the band has ever shared. "Piano lessons" was the result of Ben, who cannot play the piano, sitting at the baby grand for many, many hours one night. By the end of the night he was deliriously pounding the keys, mashing as many as he could with his palms flat. Also includes three remixes by THE BUDDY SYSTEM, BENOIT PIOULARD & EZEKIEL HONIG.

Taras Van De Voorde & Jelle Kuipers - Skylime 12 inch (Wolfskuil Limited) [WLTD008EP] $11.50
Dutch rising stars Taras van de Voorde and Jelle Kuipers are both producers who have been causing mayhem on the dancefloor with releases on Xceptional, Mood Music and Manual. They make their Wolfskuil debut with Skylime, a full-on musical exercise which showcases their talent for creating complex, layered melodies and irresistible, funky rhythms. On remix duties are France's The Youngsters, who turn "Skylime" into a dancefloor bomb, keeping the intimacy of the original while adding trademark Youngsters bass lines and hooks.

Terror Danjah Feat. D.o.k - Acid/Pro Plus 12 inch (Hyperdub) [HDB031EP] $12.25
"Hyperdub has long been a fan of grime don Terror Danjah's razor sharp productions, his unparalleled, skittering rhythm science, deadly riffs, brilliant technicolour synth squiggles, 'gremlin cackle' signature and general ear for a catchy tune. On this first EP for the label, he showcases two strains of his many skills."

Tevo Howard - Crystal Republic 2x12 inch (Hour House Is Your Rush) [HHYR007EP] $21.25
Tevo Howard is the new unsung hero of Chicago house music. After his debut 12" for HHYR Move, Tevo delivers a 6-track double pack. All six tracks are warm, emotional, raw, hypnotic, long and deep tracks and take us back to the original vibe of Chicago house music. Though his tracks are heavily inspired by the early days, his productions sound very crisp and modern.

The Ex Getatchew Mekuria& Guests - Moa Anbessa LP (Mississippi Records) [MR056LP] $12.75
"Getatchew is a legendary Ethio-Jazz saxaphone player. Well documented in the Ethiopiques series, he continues to make amazing music into his seventies. This LP presents eleven new interpretations of Ethiopian tunes. Backed by the awesome force of The EX and a guest horn section."

The Ex & Tom Cora - Scrabbling At The Lock LP (Mississippi Records) [MR054LP] $12.75
"North American re-issue of a masterpiece of our generation. The perfect blend of angsty punk rock, Eastern European leanings and free improv. Tight rhythms, roaring guitars, smartly political vocals and and the late Tom Cora's amazing cello work. Essential."

Tim Wolff - Señor Swanky 12 inch (Eevonext) [NEXT015EP] $12.25
Amsterdam's Tim Wolff returns to EevoNext Recordings with the EP Señor Swanky. The title track sports a smooth trumpet solo set to a relentless bass line, resulting in a jazzy, swaying deep house cut. "God Bless You Detroit" is hypnotic, deep techno that has dubby, delayed synths circling a melancholy vocal sample. On "Does That Count" a young woman's voice lingers over lush organ chords and a vintage plucked bass. Estroe remixes "Señor Swanky," turning it into a thumping, tight techno tune.

Tindersticks - Falling Down A Mountain LP (Constellation) [CST065LP] $21.25
Deluxe 180 gram vinyl version. Includes CD and limited edition poster. "The new album by Tindersticks picks up where the band's wonderful return to form on The Hungry Saw (2008) left off. With founding members Stuart Staples (vocals, guitar), David Boutler (keys, vibes) and Neil Fraser (guitar) joined by longtime collaborator Terry Edwards (horns), recent recruit Dan McKinna (bass) and a cast of additional players, Tindersticks deliver a follow up album that brims with similar texture, swinging from exuberance to melancholy and back, with healthy tinges of 'Northern Soul' and Staples' inimitable deadpan voice anchoring the album throughout." Custom gatefold paperboard CD package.

Tom Trago - Voyage Direct - Live Takes 12 inch (Rush Hour) [RH025EP] $12.25
After dropping his debut album Voyage Direct (RH 025/LP), Tom Trago drops two favorites from his live set. Side A is an extended disco version of "Use Me," morphing into and out of the original like butter, becoming somewhat more modern. Side B is an exclusive from his live set that strips the classic "Over & Over" to the minimum before sliding into the original groove only for a moment, only to continue to ride the rhythm again. Proper club business.

Tom Trago - Voyage Direct Remix Remixes Part 2 12 inch (Rush Hour) [RH025R2-EP] $12.25
The second and final Tom Trago Voyage Direct (RH 025CD/LP) remix EP, including four remixes from his homeland of Amsterdam: Aardvarck, Boris Werner, San Proper and Sotu The Traveller. Boris delivers an even deeper mix of "Lost In The Streets Of NY," which has already been played by the likes of Ricardo Villalobos, et al. Aardvarck roughens up "On The Side" while San Proper discofies "Use Me" and Sotu morphs the title track into a dubstep/house hybrid.

Troggs, The - From Nowhere LP (Sweet Dandelion) [SWDDL719LP] $27.00
"The Troggs are known by everybody through their single releases, especially 'Wild Thing,' a world-wide hit that has been featured uncountable times in TV and Radio spots. For some strange reason, their LPs have escaped the sight of collectors and Rock music aficionados. Sweet Dandelion is proud to reissue, for the first time ever, the Troggs' debut album. Hidden inside are a total of 12 songs featuring Reg Presley's unmistakable rough voice and the best garage sound that Britain was to offer. Cited by Iggy Pop as one of his biggest influences, and covered by such big names as Jimi Hendrix or MC5, the Troggs are a band that certainly deserve to be known better. Limited to 500 copies, with remastered sound and preserving the original artwork."

Usurper - Let's Just See What Happens LP (Rel Records) [REL011LP] $16.50
"REL is proud to present the debut LP of the Scottish duo Usurper (Ali Robertson and Malcy Duff). Creating a sound nearly impossible to describe, Usurper combines obsessive metallic clunk, destroyed voices, broken horns and dropped marbles (?), into dense fields of activity. Working towards an intuitive sound logic all it's own, Usurper creates a surreal, comic structure that is unmatched and an energy that will make you laugh as soon as you shake your head in bafflement. The B side features a trio set with the addition of Sticky Foster (A Band, Prick Decay, Coffee) who blends seamlessly into the group. The LP is a one time, hand numbered edition of 200 copies with bold design featuring Malcy Duff's illustrations silk screened by Ashley Paul. The inside features a liner note pocket housing the full 16 page comic '2.1.3' by Duff."

Various Artists - Document Pt. 2 12 inch (Spectral Sound) [SPC092EP] $11.50
Document Pt. 2 is the second in a series of 12"s highlighting the established and new breed of talented artists from the Spectral Sound roster. Featuring tracks by Audion and Mike Parker.

Virgin Passages - Distance LP (Fire) [FIRE114LP] $19.00
2008 EP. British Midlands sextet Virgin Passages create beautifully original soundscapes from often improvised pieces but retain a pop sensibility akin to early Mercury Rev, Spacemen 3 and Jackie-O Motherf***er. Distance sees them in great pop form with the short and sweet title track followed by the meandering, Stereolab-like anthem of "This Is Not The End Of The World Again" and the neu-folk of the subtly sublime "Who Do You Love." Total playing time: approx. 23 minutes.

White Hills - White Hills LP (Thrill Jockey) [THR232LP] $16.50
"Formed by Dave W. on guitar and Ego Sensation on bass, White Hills are an ever changing entity and always striving to push the envelope. Heads On Fire, out of print on vinyl and CD, was Thrill Jockey's first White Hills release in partnership with London's Rocket Recordings. The album winds through a sonic maze a la Hawkwind, with a nod to the more gritty fuzzed out playing of Mudhoney. The out of print Dead EP that followed, explored more drone heavy territory and textured soundscapes. White Hills finds the band at a break through point musically. It is still heavy and would certainly be labeled 'Space Rock' but it finds the band employing a more open and free flowing style of playing."

Wrekmeister Harmonies - Pittsburgh LP (Tizona) [TIZONA002LP] $16.50
"Chicago-based sound artist J.R. Robinson has been creating live, ambient tonefields in museums around the US and Europe over the past two years-including the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Pompidou Center in Paris, and The Art Center Berlin. Robinson has injected these recordings into collaborations with some like-minded heavy hitters from the noise, post-rock and jazz worlds such as David Yow (Jesus Lizard/Scratch Acid), Mark Shippy & Pat Samson (US Maple), Azita Youssefi, John Herndon & Jeff Parker (Tortoise), Keefe Jackson, Fred Lonberg-Holm and Ken Vandermark. The result (dubbed Wrekmeister Harmonies), is a distinctive hybrid of sound art and avant-garde musics, evoking the essences & influences of masterworks like Joe McPhee's Nation Time, Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music and the sound collages of Stockhausen. One-sided release with an etching by J.R. Robinson on the B-side."

Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself LP (Kill Rock Stars) [KRS503LP] $15.25
"The two biggest constants throughout Xiu Xiu's catalog are honesty and evolution. This remains true with Dear God, I Hate Myself, as it delivers a look at responsibility, fear, healing, and societal roles wrapped in rich gothic pop music. The sound is still distinctly Xiu Xiu, but Jamie Stewart's vocals are finally effortless paired with vibrant melodies full of subtlety and the distinct sonic accents expected of this anticipated Xiu Xiu release. The result is a record that proves that art can be pop and pop can challenge you to look inside yourself. Stewart is joined by new full-time band member Angela Seo on piano, synth, and drum programming; with production handled by Jamie and Deerhoof's Greg Saunier. Together they've crafted a fully-grown sound for Dear God, I Hate Myself with elements from goth and pop that are expertly performed by a crop of brilliant musicians."

Xiu Xiu/Parenthetical Girls - Smiths/Morrissey 7 inch (Upset The Rhythm) [UTR034EP] $6.75
"It doesn't get much more obvious than this, does it? Two like-minded experimental pop groups -- who share a great deal of personal history and an unhealthy, often frustrating obsession with the works of one Steven Patrick Morrissey -- come together to cover a couple of songs. Why hasn't this happened already? Is there an emoticon for 'duh'? Because, well, duh! But sometimes first thought really is best thought. Take, for example, this particularly choice split, right? Celebrating the first half century of our beloved Bigmouth, acclaimed Moz acolytes Xiu Xiu completely eviscerate one of Morrissey's most effective paeans to righteous self-loathing -- the punishing, Gameboy-composed assault of solo weeper 'I Am Hated For Loving.' Likewise, you've got Portland, Oregon's premiere pantywaists Parenthetical Girls appearing here perhaps at their ballsiest -- embracing the muted violence of early, under-represented Smiths masterpiece 'Handsome Devil.' If only all things could be this simple."

Zombies, The - R.I.P. - The Lost Album LP (Sweet Dandelion) [SWDDL718LP] $27.00
"After their world-wide and unexpected hit with Time of the Season, the somehow announced death of the Zombies, who had indeed already disbanded, was put off by an attempt at prolonging this success. Using new Odyssey & Oracle era recordings, and rescuing some old Decca outtakes and demos, a new album was prepared for release. Unfortunately the album never saw the light; instead, a couple of singles were released, and the rest of the album was discarded... until some of the material featured here was released in several compilation albums during the '70s and the '80s, much to the astonishment of Zombies fans. This is the first time that the album is released in the way it was conceived. Unlike much of the 'unreleased' material of other bands, the content of the LP matches the published work of the Zombies, in terms of song-writing and production, confirming the talent of one of the most influential bands of the sixties."

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

Black Crowes - Warpaint Live 2xLP (Vinyl Lovers) [900854] $33.00
As all BLACK CROWES fans know, the band is at its best when playing in front of a live audience, so when they announced the release of a live album (recorded in March, 2008 at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theatre) it was a happy day for all Crowes fans. Still giddy from the release of their amazing, and highly acclaimed comeback album, Warpaint-one of their best albums of any era-fans were thrilled to hear that their one night only LA concert would be committed to plastic. For all fans who missed the chance to see them on their recent tour, this is as good as it gets. The Crowes play through Warpaint in its entirety, jamming out on "Oh Josephine" in the best southern blues tradition, and giving all the songs that Crowes live-stage energy. They also dig into their vaults to unleash a few classic Crowes tracks from their early day, like the poignant "Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye," as well as some choice covers, like "Poor Elijah." This is hard Southern raunch at its finest.

Catherine Howe - What A Beautiful Place LP (Numero Group) [NUMERO012LP] $18.00
"Since arriving on London racks in the summer of 1970, Catherine Howe's debut album has been unavailable in its original format. Less than 20 LP copies survived Reflection Records' demise, and the album sat in the can until Numero's 2007 CD issue. Produced by the legendary jazz pianist Bobby Scott, this orchestral-folk master stroke has once again been set to lacquer, remastered and restoreddirectly from the original master tapes specifically for this deluxe vinyl release. Gatefold package includes replica LP art and complete annotation on the sessions and history of this forgotten Brit-folk treasure." "It's like some missing link between Sandy Denny and Karen Carpenter, or between Ladies of the Canyon and Dusty in Memphis . If you buy no other reissue this year, buy this." - Barney Hoskyns, Guardian UK

Dyckman-James - Independent Study LP (Shadoks Music) [SHAD126LP] $38.25
Numbered edition of 500, heavy sleeve on 180 gram vinyl. Originally released in 1968. "Amazing underground folk-rock album recorded in Hartford, CT by James Grant and Dyckman Mills plus 4 guest musicians. These crazy cats play real hip music, electric and acoustic guitars, double bass, percussion, flute, backwards effects, in the direction of Mick Stevens, Paul Adolphus and Incredible String Band with a strong beatnik touch. Really rare album which was supposedly produced on the same label as famous Jungle. 12 songs, harmony vocals, Woodstock vibe, artrock (before artrock was known), has the same feel in parts like Spoils Of War, hippie tunes, Jack Kerouac style lyrics/beat poetry, strong songs, cool all the way through the album."

Fusioon - Minorisa LP (Vinilisssimo) [MRSSS010LP] $23.00
Vinyl-only. Minorisa (1975) was the best and last record by Fusioon -- the most consistent Spanish prog rock band of the first half of the '70s, whose daring compositions mixed traditional music from Manresa, Ibiza and Menorca with elaborate instrumental passages. The first half of the '70s was a dark age for Spanish rock, but some bands held on to their vision with wonderful stubbornness. Fusioon recorded three albums and achieved some recognition: there's even a video of the band on YouTube defending their radical sound and performing a portion of this album on national television. Hailing from the industrial city of Manresa, the band consisted of keyboardist Manel Camp, his bassist brother Jordi, the spectacular drummer Santi Arisa and guitarist Martí Brunet. Some had a rock background and others came from music school; however, they all shared a penchant for progressive rock and the feeling that folk music could be an ingredient in their experimentations. They recorded two LPs for Belter, a commercial label that didn't know what to do with them. The first one (from 1972) contained folk and popular influences and opened with a composition by Manuel de Falla. The second one (1974), also without a title, featured original songs and a piece by Tchaikovsky. The band used to play seasonal residencies at clubs in Castelldefels, Barcelona and, during the summer, Ibiza. In 1975, there were winds of change: the dictator Francisco Franco began his decline. In July, Fusioon took part in Canet Rock, an open air festival which presented the new musical offerings for the soon-to-arrive times of freedom. The four-piece hoped to join Zeleste, the company which organized the festival and which had a record label, live venue and management office. They weren't interested. Zeleste's rejection demoralized the band. Although they were pioneers in recovering their native roots, they were considered "imperialist" (!) due to their solemn instrumental passages. Unfortunately for them, the stylistic focus had moved from prog rock to jazz rock. Moreover, they didn't have any political message and -- check this out -- they were looked down upon as hicks because of their coming from Manresa, in contrast with the cosmopolitan character of their peers from Barcelona -- and the two cities were only 60 kilometers apart. Despite all that, they bade farewell in style. The Spanish subsidiary of German label Ariola wanted to open up to creative music and signed Fusioon. The band recorded Minorisa in Madrid, their most complex and mature record. The two suites, written by Manel Camp, used folk melodies from Ibiza and Menorca. The third piece, "Llaves Del Subconsciente," revealed Martí Brunet's passion for electronic music. This album is a swansong for the first period of Spanish prog rock: weird, stately, and wonderful.

Jesus and Mary Chain, The - Darklands LP (Plain Recordings) [PLAIN147LP] $16.50
"The second album from the brothers Reid, originally released in 1987. Darklands is more accessible and hooky than Psychocandy, leaving most of the feedback and some of the noise behind to focus on the songs and to make a clear break from the legendary debut album. With tracks such as 'April Skies', 'Darklands', 'Happy When It Rains' and 'Nine Million Rainy Days' the Reid's proved they had plenty of great songs in them and wouldn't be boxed in by the past. An all out classic."

Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material LP (4 Men With Beards) [4M526LP] $16.50
"The debut album from Belfast's finest punk band, originally released on the Rough Trade label in 1979. Inflammable Material features two of the greatest songs recorded on the controversy and violence surrounding Northern Ireland. 'Suspect Device' and 'Alternative Ulster' indict both sides of the conflict, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Irish Republican Army, in driving punk rock form. Those tracks, along with 'Rough Trade' (which blatantly attacks their own record label), and a Bob Marley cover, 'Johnny Was,' make up the highlights of one of the greatest albums of the first wave of punk."

Svanfridur - What's Hidden There LP (Shadoks Music) [SHAD124LP] $41.25
Numbered edition of 500, heavy gatefold sleeve on 180 gram vinyl with 2 page insert. "The Icelandic prog-rock band Svanfrídur released only one album, recorded six months after they played their first gig. This short-lived band rapidly rose to fame, receiving rave reviews for live performances, but in fact their music was way ahead of its time. They were unable to seal a recording contract so they formed their own label - Swan Records. When the album What's Hidden There? was released in autumn 1972 it got mixed reviews and sold only a few hundred copies, leaving the band with a great album but sadly, not the income they had been hoping for. Recorded at London's Majestic Studios, the album was cut and pressed in England. Perhaps one of the best heavy prog/underground album from Scandinavia with amazing guitar & all English vocals. Would have been a famous and successful album on Decca UK."

Trubrot - Trúbrot LP (Shadoks Music) [SHAD125LP] $41.25
Numbered edition of 500, heavy gatefold sleeve on 180 gram vinyl with 2 page insert. "Trúbrot was the first supergroup ever founded in Iceland. It was created in May 1969 when leading members of 'Hljómar' (Sounds) and 'Flowers' set out to create the finest Icelandic rock group of all time. Guitarist and composer Gunnar Thórgarson, bass player and singer Rúnar Júlíusson and lead vocalist Shady Owens of Hljómar had been plotting this for some months, along with organist Karl Sighvatsson and drummer Gunnar Jökull Hákonarson of Flowers, before the band's genesis was announced publicly. These were troubled times and Trúbrot had countless hurdles to overcome before the band eventually fell apart early in 1973. After the début album was released in December 1969 by EMI, vocalist Shady Owens announced that she was quitting. Trúbrot recorded 3 more albums (forthcoming on Shadoks). Tony Branwell of Apple Records was saying these were one of the two best bands he had seen perform on stage in the preceding six months. Really cool underground album full of musical ideas and well-crafted music, male & female vocals. The music should hit the same listener of UK bands such as Blossom Toes, Billy Nichols; underground with a touch of pop."

Various Artists - Nigeria Afrobeat Special: The New Explosive Sound 3xLP (Soundway) [SNDW021LP] $25.50
3LP version, featuring five bonus tracks not available on the CD. This is the fourth addition to the Nigeria Special series, a project initiated in 2004 by Miles Cleret, owner of the Soundway record label. Focusing on the big-band sound dominated by wailing saxophones, brass solos and relentless poly-rhythmic grooves, Nigeria Afrobeat Special delivers a no-nonsense collection of tracks that (bar one) have NEVER been re-issued outside of Nigeria. It was Fela Kuti and his musical and political ideals that formed the core of Afrobeat's message. Fela's highly sought-after version of "Who're You?" lends this set its lead. Originally released on 7" in 1971, it would later be re-recorded at Abbey Road for his album Fela's London Scene and is re-issued here for the first time ever. The collection features Fela's rival and fellow Afrobeat veteran Orlando Julius, represented by the track "Afro-Blues" -- amazing that this has previously managed to escape re-issue. Also featured are tracks by big names on the Nigerian scene -- Eric Akaeze, Bongos Ikwue and Segun Bucknor as well as a Victor Uwaifo-produced cut by previously unknown artist Andrew "Madman" Jaga. The album also features a cut featuring Pax Nicholas, a singer whose album Na Teef Know De Road Of Teef has recently been made available after 30 years. Cleret's ambition to distinguish the blossoming music scenes of 1970s Nigeria has lent to an indispensable series of CD and LP compilations documenting the influence of western blues, rock and disco amongst artists and musicians versed in the local musical styles of highlife and juju.

Various Artists - Thai Beat A Go-Go Volume 2 LP (Subliminal Sounds) [SUBL067LP] $23.75
Finally on vinyl, volume two of the legendary Thai Beat compilation including 7 (!) awesome, previously-unreleased tracks! Incredible and ultra-rare recordings from Thailand in the 1960s. The amazing Thai Beat A Go-Go Volume 2 concentrates on Shadow music string bands, cosmic surf instros, mad garage/beat, mystic go-go organs, wild guitar rave-ups, psychedelic mind-benders, and exotic female singers -- funky and soulful, with extreme sensuality and emotions, surreal and groovy, all with a totally otherworldly Thai flavor. Experience the blossoming Bangkok night club scene with the exotic bar and lounge go-go bands! These recordings have a sound that's completely inexplicable despite the use of standard rock instrumentation and song structures, combining a fascinating and primal version of rock n' roll, surf, and RnB, sometimes all in one song. Don't miss this ultimate, wild rockin' Thai '60s compilation. Limited edition of 1,000 copies worldwide. Housed in a beautiful full-color gatefold sleeve.

Various Artists - The Wicker Man LP (Music On Vinyl) [MOV063LP] $33.25
"Music On Vinyl presents The Wicker Man on 180grams audiophile and limited coloured vinyl. For this 2010 release ALL the songs from the cult classic 1973 soundtrack are included. For many years this was a holy grail among soundtrack aficionados. This release has been prepared from recently discovered master tapes with a clarity and presence that gives the late Paul Giovanni's haunting music the showcase it has so long deserved. The Wicker Man is one of the most sought after soundtracks ever! Now presented in strictly limited edition of 500 copies on coloured vinyl and packaged in a lavish gatefold sleeve with extensive notes and stills from the movie. A luxurious package that pays homage to what is without doubt one of the most innovative and provocative British cult horror films ever produced. This is definitely the stuff that myths are made of! Containing exclusive material from the later, longer version of the film, including the song 'Gently Johnny,' which was not available on early LP issues. Paul Giovanni, together with Magnet, has created a mysterious and sinister world that has a life of it's own nearly 30 years after the film's release -- flutes, lyres, harmonicas, and guitars, mixed in with original and traditional material makes each song totally different, summing up the atmosphere of the movie brilliantly! The Wicker Man is a stunning soundtrack which all you movie buffs and traditional British folk music fans are advised to snap up for your collection!"

Virgo - Virgo 2x12 inch (Rush Hour) [RHTX1-LP] $21.25
Originally released in 1989 on Radical Records in the UK, and as a series of EPs on Trax Records in the U.S., this is a very special record, and truly a contender for best house album ever made. Virgo are Chicago house duo Merwyn Sanders and Eric Lewis, who also recorded as Ace & The Sandman and M.E. and shouldn't be confused with the other Virgo of Vince Lawrence and company. This album does not have one filler, all tracks are essential pieces of house music. Of course, it includes the best-known "Do You Know Who You Are?" and "In A Vision" tracks, but check out "Ride" and "School Hall," for instance. Originally released under M.E., and much overlooked, this album is an absolute house classic with dreamy, mellifluously laid-back grooves. Limited release with new artwork and remastered tracks. The vinyl is available as a 2x12", 2 tracks per side in a loud pressing.

Wind - Seasons LP (Long Hair) [LHC082LP] $28.25
"Now for the first time as an official reissue, famous German band Wind's legendary first album Seasons, originally released in 1971. This is a real German Krautrock classic album. The poetic and complexly crafted songs of the album were filled with extensive instrumentals and unusual diversions. Don't miss this limited edition. LP comes with 4-page insert with band story -- told by bandleader Steve Leistner -- and with a lot of unseen and rare photos. A highlight of Longhair releases!"