Here we go again, a large selection this week to be sure. Old, new & in between the decades. Still a couple of copies of Tool's "Lateralus" double picture disc in stock, but bear in mind it is limited, act now or kick yourself in a couple of months. Sadies/Jon Spencer tickets are flying out the door so make a point of coming in and grabbing some if you're planning on going. Advance $15.00 & $20.00 day of show, but I'm thinking it will sell out well before. See you all soon.
Hasil Adkins- "Moon Over Madison" CD (Norton)
Norton puts out another great anthology of previously issued tracks from the madman of 50's/60's rockabilly.
Carlene Carter- "S/T & Blue Nun" CD (Wounded Bird)
Two of Carlene Carter's (Johnny Cash & June Carter's daughter) great albums from the late 70's on one cd which include her backing band of Nick Lowe (then her husband), Graham Parker, Brinsley Schwarz, Paul Carrack & Glen Tilbrook. Countrified Rock'n'Roll.
Carlene Carter- "Two Sides To Every Woman & Musical Shapes" CD (Wounded Bird)
Two of Carlene Carter's (Johnny Cash & June Carter's daughter) great albums from the late 70's on one cd which include her backing band of Nick Lowe (then her husband), Dave Edmunds, Clarence Clemons & Paul Schafer. Countrified Rock'n'Roll.
Old Man's Child- "Vermin" CD (Century Media)
New cd from members of Dimmu Borgir & Testament. An epic symphonic Black Metal masterpiece.
The Gathering- "Accessories: rarities & b-sides" CDx2 (Century Media)
Although officially meeting their contractual obligations for Century Media Records with 2004’s orchestral/live release Sleepy Buildings - A Semi Acoustic Evening, The Netherlands’ The Gathering (In association with Century Media Records) have decided to put together one final retrospective package in Accessories: Rarities & B-Sides. As the title would suggest, Accessories: Rarities & B-Sides is a colossal double album effort that (On disc one) compiles all the b-sides of their long out of print C.D. singles, and (On disc two) a host of previously unreleased demo material that offers up alternate versions of material from two recording sessions.
Tyranny- "Tides Of Awakening" CD (Firedoom)
While the previous work of Tyranny called 'Bleak Vistae' was a release of proper quality with a low profile, this time around they definitely opt for a more distinct own sound. I must say that they succeed in doing so. The blunt, crushing and ultra-depressive funeral doom is slow, monolithic and as dark as the deepest shafts of Satan's soul. Exactly how it must be done. Riffs are played for consecutive minutes, keyboards in the background provide listening references and the grunts are comfortably deep (but completely indecipherable). So it comes as no surprise that this isn't a doomy snack but more of an eight-course diner. All this however is of no concern when the listener fails to keep his attention due to lack of tension often seen in funeral doom releases, fortunately 'Tides Of Awakening' doesn't suffer from this mistake. To get the idea of how it actually sounds, think of Evoken meets Esoteric. One of the better, extreme doom metal releases this year I reckon.
Xiu Xiu- "Life & Live" CD (Xeng)
In Life & Live you find a brilliant collection of acoustic songs, recorded w/ Devendra Banhart. This album guides you through the essence of the melancholic & twisted universe of Xiu Xiu. Xiu Xiu's music is painfully autobiographical, morose, & histrionic, & is deeply influenced by modern classical, improvisation, British pop & post-punk, techno beats, and, well, the gamelan orchestra.
Death From Above 1979- "Romance Bloody Romance: Remixes & B-Sides" CD (Last Gang)
Just what it says, Remixes & B-Sides including one by Josh Homme (Queens of the Stoneage).
Skalpel- "Konfusion" CD (Ninja Tune)
Skalpel follow up their eponymous 2004 debut for Ninja Tune with a deeper, darker, ambience for their new long-player, Konfusion. Although long is hardly the word, with the 10 new tracks only just passing the 35-minute barrier. Thankfully, what is included is of high quality, and the album comes with a bonus remix CD. This is a chance for the likes of Quantic, Dr Rubberfunk and Skalpel themselves to revisit tracks from the last album.
The Saints- "Nothing Is Straight In My House" CD (UFO Music)
Since their first charting single, "I’m Stranded", The Saints have been plugging away with various lineups and their latest offering shows no signs of a slow down. "Nothing Is Straight In My House" is 12 gritty guitar songs, banged out over a three-week period of chaotic creativity. It’s as much a testament to the glory days of punk as it is a riveting piece of modern garage-rock that can sit comfortably amongst albums by new jack post punkers like The Strokes and Kings of Leon.
Original frontman and principle songwriter Chris Bailey still delivers his songs with unbridled verve, playing alongside latest recruits – bassist Caspar Wijnberg, drummer Pete Wilkinson and Church guitarist Marty Wilson-Piper. Engineer John Morand (Joan Osbourne, Gwar, Cracker, Sparklehorse) keeps the punk rock fully intact with a recording that’s raw and immediate.
Blockhead- "Downtown Science" CDx2 (Ninja Tune)
Ninja Tune has been banging out some real corkers this year. 2005 could easily be the label’s best ever, and this release from Blockhead (Tony Simon) is happy to join the ranks. Following on from Blockhead’s Music By Cavelight album last year, Downtown Science delivers more primarily instrumental hip-hop, pacified only by ocassional sampled vocal snatches, and even frequent, gritty guitar riffs.
Downtown Science literally seethes with bombastic ideas; amalgamated into densley layered adventures in tinkling piano, hip hop beats and jazzy horns, with a sturdy edge of synths and sampling.
The package is completed by the inclusion of a bonus DVD, which includes the winners of a filmmaking competition run by Ninja Tune for Blockhead’s first album, Music By Cavelight. You can therefore now capture that entire album set to a combination of visual shorts. Once again Ninja Tune deliver quality and quantity.
Rogue Wave- "Descended Like Vultures" CD (Sub Pop)
This is where Rogue Wave, the band, really gets started. As Oakland-based singer/songwriter/arranger Zach Rogue puts it, "this record is the sound of four people's ideas colliding." Descended Like Vultures, Rogue Wave's second full-length for Sub Pop, is a velvety, darkly dichotomous album: pop vs. despair; hope vs. realism. Whereas Rogue's '04 release, Out of the Shadow, was for all intents and purposes a solo project, Descended Like Vultures finds Zach Rogue's unapologetic hooks and soaring melodies built up skyscraper-high by bandmates and mulit-instrumentalists Pat Spurgeon, Gram LeBron and Evan Farrell, who have grown close and road-seasoned thanks to a year of intensive international touring with The Shins, The Helio Sequence, TV on the Radio, and Mates of State. While the new album isn't an overtly political record, (rather, it's more humanitarian) Zach Rogue's impeccable songwriting was heavily informed by what he and his band experienced on the road. "I think anyone who is sensitive to what's going on around them has to feel a sense of foreboding and dread," he explains. "You see so many possibilities left behind." And, on this release, Rogue Wave leaves no stone unturned, no possibility unexplored. Descended Like Vultures was recorded at Supernatural Sound outside of Portland, Oregon and was engineered by Bill Racine. The album was produced by Racine and Zach Rogue.
Eddie Spaghetti- "Old no.2" CD (Mid-Fi)
Rebellious countrified rocker Eddie Spaghetti, of Supersuckers fame, has turned in a great performance with Old No. 2, his hybrid album of classic covers and brand new originals.
From the opening chords of Bob Dylan's "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You", it's clear that the point of this record was for Spaghetti to pay homage to his influences, while having a lot of fun with some good time music. Spaghetti's treatment of the aforementioned Dylan song employs the use of a lazy pedal steel which allows the song to exist in a mellow yet upbeat country groove. With "All Along" we are treated to the first of the four Spaghetti originals that make up the rest of the disc. The songs, while fun and immensely listenable, crumble slightly when put up against songwriters such as Dylan, Tom Waits and Willie Nelson, however they still allow for Spaghetti's primary purpose of entertaining the audience to shine through.
The Sadies- "Favorite Colors" CD (Yep Roc)
Restock of this great album. Don't forget to come out and see the Sadies in concert, Nov.4th with Jon Spencer (Heavy Trash) @ The Distrikt (formerly the State). Advance tickets $15.00 here at X-Ray Records.
The Constantines- "Tournament Of Hearts" LP+CD (Sub Pop)
On Tournament of Hearts, The Constantines' second release on Sub Pop and third overall, the band eschews the power-pop and irony of indie rock and play it stripped down and honest. The five-piece even turns away from much of its past. Whereas the previous record, Shine a Light, worked Fugazi noise and loud-soft-loud dynamics to good effect, Tournament is mostly restraint, and the Constantines pull subtlety off as well as they did the loud-soft-loud game. Whether it's a good turn or not comes down to a matter of taste.
Black Keys- "The Live DVD" (Fat Possum)
Back when the blues was only for whiskey-drinking gee-tar players with Mississippi ZIP codes, the Black Keys were a tiny dynamic duo without a name. They started out in Akron, Ohio, and have dropped three great albums, gaining recognition with 2003's Thickfreakness and continuing with last year's Rubber Factory. Dan Auerbach carries his guitar like a blind Buddy Guy and sings like Muddy Waters with a megaphone in his mouth as lanky Patrick Carney slaps snares like he were in Fugazi. Australians welcome them for their terrific first DVD, The Black Keys Live, recorded earlier this year at a theatre in Sydney where before this concert the only people who used the blues were sociology students for dissertations. Seventeen songs of blistered classicist riffs and filthy drums slurring like a drunk Max Roach in New Orleans (RIP). Two lanky white dudes with enough soul to start a chapter of the NAACP crank out the goods like the syrupy "Thickfreakness." Similar to a pissed-off White Stripes or locals Chili Cold Blood, BK calculate freak-outs from three chords. With a sparse backdrop and a sold-out crowd in front of them, songs like "10 A.M. Automatic" with its fidgety drums and the noisy chocolate rhythm of "Have Love Will Travel" sound larger than studios will allow. Hair flies, lights cut across sweaty drums, and the rusty vocals of Auerbach fill the theatre as Australians give love to the lasting philosophy of the blues.
Fireball Ministry- "Their Rock Is Not Our Rock" CD (Liquor & Poker)
On Their Rock is Not Our Rock, Fireball Ministry offer another helping of part stoner, part biker metal… In this day and age, any group that sticks to their guns and doesn’t give in to the mainstream should be commended, and Fireball Ministry refuse to buckle.
The Fall- "Fall Heads Roll" CD (Narnack)
The new cd from Mark E. Smith & company and this time it didn't take 18 months to get released here as did "Country On The Click". A new batch of players create magic all over again. One of indie rocks most treasured groups.
Sheavy- "Republic" CD (Candlelight)
Sheavy combines the propulsion of hard drinkin’ rock and the fuzz of doom for a blast of stoner metal topped off by a vocal style that channels Sabbath-era Ozzy Osbourne perhaps as well as any stoner/doom vocalist I’ve heard. And the best part is it doesn’t sound contrived. Just sounds like the guy’s vox are lucky enough to channel the doom metal master himself. There’s plenty of ‘tude and groove informing Sheavy’s new album and it should be a meeting point for metalheads and those who just plain old like to rock and roll.
The Warlocks- "Surgery" CD (EMI)
When the press kit accompanying Surgery, the latest from psych-rock quintet the Warlocks, claims the new album is "more accessible" than its predecessor, 2003's Phoenix, I'm assuming the kit means to read "less inaccessible" than Phoenix. To be fair, Phoenix was a great album, but, a few bright moments notwithstanding ("Baby Blue", "Shake the Dope Out"), it was a record that took patience to navigate through the narcotic haze. But and so, Bobby Hecksher and company are back with Surgery, an album that is, uh, less inaccessible, and every bit as rewarding as Phoenix.
Surgery ain't Phoenix, Part Deux, either. In fact, Hecksher claims he was aiming to create a new genre with the new album: Sonic space-age doo-wop. And while that sounds like a lost Frank Zappa project (Sleep Dirt meets Cruising With Ruben and the Jets? But I digress.), Hecksher and the rest of the band -- bassist Jenny Fraser, drummers Bob Mustachio and Jason Anchondo, guitarists JC Rees and Corey Lee Granit and organist Laura Grigsby -- fairly approximate what sonic space-age doo-wop might be.
Somehow, the Warlocks have found the middle ground between the Raveonettes' Wall of Soundesque attack and the Flaming Lips' oddball fixation on love, death and outer space.
Cryptopsy- "Once Was Not" Deluxe CD (Century Media)
The new cd from Quebec's most intense thrash metal band ever. Furious shit that lays ruin like a prairie plow wind. This is the deluxe package.
Silver Jews- "Tanglewood" CD+LP (Drag City)
Silver Jews base their musical career around an axiom of dogmatic diktats, which are (verbatim); "The only band that doesn't buy ads, the only band that is never on a tribute album, the only band that doesn't play live and the only band that matters'... Right. However get past this brash sloganeering and there's batch of glorious alt.country/indie songs from a band that includes Mike Fellows, Steven Malkmus, David Berman, Will Oldham and Azita Youssefi, waiting for your perusal. Opening on 'Punks In The Beerlight', Silver Jews sound very much like Ten Benson covering Blondie with a crossbreed of Michael Stipe/Roy Orbison on lead vocals... Honest! But this isn't to say they are nothing but an inward looking clutch of clever-clogs who know their references; a fact forcibly underlined by the beautiful string fidgeting of 'K-Hole' and the glam.country stomp of 'There Is a Place'. Thick and at times quite intense, 'Tanglewood Numbers' is a countrified album for those who like a bit of Cash but approach from the indie end of the spectrum. If the Magic Numbers weren't so twee, this is how they might well sound. (Boomkat)
Elliott- "Photorecording" CD+DVD (Revelation)
Photorecording, Elliott's finale, comes at first with a feeling of loss - the depth and meaning that so many associated with this band is immeasurable. But you'll find it's more of a fond farewell than just a band breaking up. The legacy left behind by one of Louisville's most beloved is one that will endure, and this release closes the door with a close look into the final days (and hours) of the band.
Photorecording is a live studio album recorded directly after their last performance, and also included is the never before seen DVD documentary of Elliott's last tour. The CD+DVD set compiles the aforementioned live studio recording and documentary as well as bonus footage of live shows during the last two years of Elliott's existence. Anyone who is familiar with the band will tell you that the live show is a big part of what made Elliott amazing. The shows not only complemented their prolific recordings, but also enriched the experience for even the most casual fans of Elliott - to miss their live show would be considered a crime. Photorecording is a monument to this great band that still has fans looking forward to each member's future projects.
Amy Rigby- "Little Fugitive" CD (True North)
Amy's strong point is her straight ahead pop sound - imagine a place where Aimee Mann sounds more like Michael Penn - that's irresistibly potent. She can bring the mood from tangibly intimate up to quirky and lively, always convincing with her tart tales of soured love or clever pop wordplay. A flawless record, Little Fugitive was co-produced by Amy and Jon Graboff (Ryan Adams, Laura Cantrell) and mixed by Don Dixon (REM, Smithereens). (Signature Sounds)
Bad Brains- "I Against I" LP (SST)
One of their best on the LP format.
The Bellrays- "The Red, White & Black" CD (Alternative Tentacles)
So can we now finally say that The BellRays are officially caught up? For the last four years, it's been nothing but re-releases and compilations from the Los Angeles band. Following their well-received 2002 album Grand Fury, they released the cool, UK-only best-of compilation Meet the BellRays, an attempt to break into the UK market in the same way The Hives had done the previous year with their similar disc, Meet the Hives. That same year, the band released their debut demo cassette In the Light of the Sun for the first time on CD, and in 2003, the solid Raw Collection CD culled the band's many 7-inch singles, compilation tracks, and outtakes onto a single disc. The fact that each of those albums was released on a different indie label was confusing enough, but when The BellRays released their fifth album The Red, White & Black in the UK in 2003, and not in North America, confusing became frustrating for some fans of the band. Now, thanks to Alternative Tentacles (record label number four in the last four years), those of us Stateside finally have a chance to pick up a non-import copy of The BellRays' new, well, sort of new, album. Despite the rather haphazard way of putting out their music, this is a band that's so good, any new CD is welcome, be it new material or old.
And seriously, how can one not like The BellRays? Theirs is a sound completely their own, a furious combination of abrasive punk and impassioned soul singing. It's all about the way the band's two leaders work off each other, an enthralling combination of catharsis and spirituality; guitarist Tony Fate provides roaring, distorted riffs that sound heavily indebted to the MC5 and Black Flag, while ace singer Lisa Kekaula belts out her lead vocals as if she's leading a gospel revival instead of a gritty garage rock band. Over the last year or so, Kekaula has become considerably more well-known among music hipsters, thanks to her stalwart vocal turn on "Good Luck", the best single from Basement Jaxx's 2003 album Kish Kash, so what better time than now to show new listeners how well her voice meshes with simpler, raw guitar rock?
Jello Biafra and The Melvins- "Sieg Howdy" LP (Alternative Tentacles)
The second sonic sledgehammer from the tag team of the new millenium, Jello Biafra and The Melvins! This time there's some new songs, some covers (Alice Cooper's "Halo Of Flies" and an updated DKs "California Uber Alles"!), and some favorites from the first Melvins album re-mixed by Al Jourgensen (Ministry, Lard), Dalek, and the Deaf Nephews!
Jello Biafra and The Melvins- "Never Breathe What You Can't See" CD (Alternative Tentacles)
Jello Biafra teaming up with The Melvins! This is a musical monster of massive proportions, bristling with Jello's manic energy and anchored by the sheer heft of the Melvins' collective heaviness. With both camps flexing their musical prowess, the result is something that retains the signature qualities of both artists and yet sounds refreshingly unlike anything that either has recorded in the past.
Cut Chemist/Mad Lib- "Bunky's Pick/6 Variations on the Rain" 12" (Stones Throw)
This 12" features two of the tastiest producers out there in the wideworld of music. Cut Chemist (Jurassic 5, Ozomatli, Brainfreeze, etc) and Madlib (Lootpack/Quasimoto) step up here to mix, cut n' blend together some dark old funk. They've basically given themselves free rein to reinterpret a bunch of orginal funk tracks being released on a Stones Throw compilation titled 'The Funky 16 Corners'.
Dead Meadow- "Feathers" LPx2 (Matador)
'Feathers' is the fourth studio album by Washington DC’s Dead Meadow, its second for Matador Records, and its first as a quartet with new guitarist Cory Shane. Dead Meadow play an unusual blend of flawless Hendrix/Sabbath riffage, dreamy psych, heavy undulating rhythms, dirty blues-rock, and environmental jams, with eerie high-pitched vocals. Miles beyond “stoner rock” gimmickry, this is a beautifully natural sound, played by expert instinctive musicians.
Descendents- "Milo Goes To College" T-Shirt/Grey/Large (SST)
Disfear- "A Brutal Sight of War" 10" Vinyl (Feral Ward)
Disfear's classic 1993 MCD, now available on a 10" LP, limited to 1000 copies, on Feral Ward Records.
808 State- "Newbuild" CD (Cat)
Repressed with much good sense and timing by those Rephlex folk, "Newbuild" is the definite UK acid techno album, a mastercalss in bleep constructions that every electro purist and acid freak in the known universe should own. "Flow Coma" alone ends any argument anyone might have about how definitive this album is, so if you don't know it or, indeed, any of the tracks here, now's your chance to get with the programme. Mighty.
Mark Eitzel- "Candy Ass" CD (Cooking Vinyl)
Formerly the brains behind the schorlarly American Music Club, this is a collection of tunes that Marks amassed over the past couple of years, Accoustic numbers stroll side by side with some of the new electronic textures he's been busy with of late. I believe there's also some soundtrack numbers included as well.
Hood- "The King Is Dead" CD (Eulogy)
HOODS are a Hardcore institution. The band formed in Sacramento,CA over 10 years ago and have spent that time building a legacy that will outlast the fakes and pretenders that have infiltrated HC. The band has released several albums and EPs with several labels, but in 2005 chose Eulogy to be their home.
The King is Dead is a call to arms for all of those who have grown tired watching Hardcore be exploited and bastardized. Hoods have used their ten years of experience to craft one of the most brutal and honest releases of 2005. Without question this is the band's best material to date and is sure to ring true with fans of Terror, Hatebreed, and Madball.
Husker Du- "New Day Rising" T-Shirt/Orange/Large (SST)
Lightning Bolt- "Hypermagic Mountain" LP (Load)
Now available on vinyl. Set to be huge. "All killer-no filler follow-up to 2003's Wonderful Rainbow, Hypermagic Mountain slams into hyperdrive for a full 60-minute ride. The songs are dense and constructed from an intense three week recording session in a psychic sweatbox. The band has blurred differences to any other sound pirates with a primal base and new musical vocabulary fueled by chemistry altering volume and SONGS! Throbbing low end played on a 300-foot long bass and kick drums the size of Exxon supertankers, all stretched into a triumphant war stomp all walks can love. With just bass and drums (a two piece band you see) they have constructed the densest sound imaginable... Hypermagic Mountain is eagerly awaited and anticipated, and the planet's media has planned coverage of this monolith. Press and radio, you have been warned. Since 2003 the band has traveled to Japan twice, the UK, Europe, and done several US tours leaving dustpans filled with dropped jaws and soiled bloomers. A Peel session was beamed into the air as well. It seems the stratosphere is no limit for this band. Sign up for this record and enjoy the company of a band with little contemporary musical company in rock or electronic music and find the recipe to lift the doomed species of humanity to a higher place."
Lurker of Chalice- "Lurker of Chalice" LPx2 (Southern Lord)
"Vinyl version of this kvlt underground essential release from Wrest (Leviathan). Vinyl version is a double LP on red vinyl with deluxe gatefold sleeve contains one bonus track not on CD." Vinyl limited to 1000. Limited edition CD to follow.
Milemarker- "Ominosity" CD (Eyeball)
"Milemarker returns from their three-year hiatus and joins the Eyeball Records family. Steve Albini worked closely with Milemarker frontmen David Laney and Al Burian to create their most ambitious and innovative album to date. Guest appearances from Milemarker alumni Ben Davis (as well a whole list of other notable cameos) are just a few of the things that set this album apart from their already successful catalog."
Minutemen- "What Makes A Man Start Forest Fires" T-Shirt/White/Large (SST)
Mogwai- "Government Commissions (BBC Sessions 1996-2003)" LPx2 (Matador)
Live studio recordings from the BBC archives. Double heavyweight vinyl.
Mr. Airplane Man- "C'mon DJ" CD (SFTRI)
Mr. Airplane Man is a female 2 piece (guitar, drums and vocals, sometimes augmented by more on cd, but usually staying stripped down) originally from the Boston, MA area who base their writing in a blues based sound, but aren't afraid to branch out successfully into other music styles, like a homegrown version of Holly Golightly or Mazzy Star with an edge. One look at the cd gives you a good idea where these two women are at - the cover shows them spinning 45s on a retro suitcase type portable record player and the album features raw originals coupled with covers of the likes of Howlin' Wolf (Asked for Water - it's noteworthy that the band name is taken from a Howlin' Wolf song), The Wailers (The Hang Up, a haunting Pacific Northwest garage rocker), The Outsiders (this Dutch group's Sun Goin' Down is another haunting blues ballad), and a traditional blues called Travelin'.
My Bloody Valentine- "Loveless" 180g LP (Plain)
Recent re-issue of their 2nd highly influential LP of shoe-gazer space pop. Their debut "Isn't Anything" is also in stock on heavy weight vinyl.
My Morning Jacket- "Z" LPx2 (Badman)
"My Morning Jacket has been knocking folks off their feet for years. They are known for a fantastic live show and moving, memorable albums. Records you used to throw on the turntable that you could just listen to over and over again-- that's what we're talking about here-- great songs with a voice that you could spend the rest of your life with. One thing that definitely changed on Z is that the band didn't record in the same farmhouse that was the playground for the sound and feel of their earlier albums. This time around the band worked with producer John Leckie whose production work includes George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, Radiohead's The Bends as well as releases by the The Stone Roses. Featured in the upcoming Cameron Crowe film Elizabethtown and appearing on a special U.S. promo tour put together by Crowe. High-quality virgin vinyl packaged in a deluxe gatefold sleeve. Vinyl edition features the exclusive track "Chills" unavailable on CD."
Novadriver- "Deeper High" CD (Smallstone)
If a deeper high is what Novadriver were seeking, they’ve found it. Their modern take on the space/psychedelic genre, blended with their more straightforward influences, makes them truly unique on the riff/desert scene, and for a band who took four years to put out their sophomore release, Novadriver’s return is most welcome. Deeper High might just sound like guys getting stoned and playing guitar to uninitiated ears, but tracks like “Roll You” and “Push The River” rock like Detroit hasn’t rocked in decades, and even in their spacier moments, the band never goes so far out that they can’t reel it back in. It’s great to have them back.
Peanut Butter Wolf- "Peanut Butter Breaks" LPx2 (Stones Throw)
As a young kid growing up in San Jose, Chris Manak soon realized he needed an escape from the realities of suburbian life in the Silicon Valley. The age of nine was his coming of age. This was the year he discovered sports (Pittsburgh Pirates), video games (Pac man), girls (Anita Balderama), and hip hop ("Rappers Delight"). Alongside partner Sweet Steve, young Chris fashioned primitive mix-tapes (using the pause button) and ran amok at the local roller rink.
He took on the name Peanut Butter Wolf in the late-80s when he realized that, in an odd turn of events, a girlfriend’s youngest brother feared the “peanut butter wolf monster” more than death itself. Wolf and his more conventionally-named counterpart, Charizma, began recording in 1989 when the two were still teenagers. Within three years, the duo signed a contract with Hollywood Basic (Disney) alongside label mates Organized Konfusion and DJ Shadow. Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf were riding high, touring Europe, receiving press in magazines such as Billboard and (a then newspaper format) Urb , hanging with radio legends Sway & King Tech on Wake Up Show and performing live shows with groups like House of Pain, Nas and The Pharcyde. Then, in December of 1993, Charizma tragically lost his life. Stunned, Wolf temporarily gave up on music.
After releasing the song "Just Like A Test" with Charizma for David Paul's Bomb Hip Hop Compilation early in 1994, Upstairs Records, a label known primarily for house music, approached Wolf to record an instrumental LP. Thus, the Peanut Butter Breaks was born; the record became the Wolf’s calling card, leading to meetings and collaborations with like-minded DJs like Q-bert, Cut Chemist and Rob Swift.
Propagandhi- "Potemkin City Limits" CD (G7)
Oh sure, these veteran speed-punk demigods may want you to have a good time. They may want you to be entertained. They may want to make you laugh. They may even want to rock you like a huricayeene from time to time. But mostly, you get the sense they want you to shut up, listen up and think about something other than your self-centred, self-satisfied, self-righteous life for one damn minute. And if that means making you Google Potemkin instead of porn for once in order to understand the handle of their new disc, well, that's a good start.
Portishead- "Portishead" LPx2 (Go Beat)
Ramallah- "Kill A Celebrity" CD (Thorp)
Violence is better than a cult of silence. I refuse to worship the human face. Kill a celebrity and you'll find you can strike down a god. - (from Track 2: Kill a Celebrity)
This is White Trash Rob Lind - and he is one pissed off, beaten down, shat on punk rocker who got the short end of life, but instead of falling into depression and admitting defeat, Rob has dedicated his life to hardcore. He has dedicated his entire existence to protesting this life, to screaming in the face of those who go about their lives blind, to those who submit to, believe and live the fallacy of the complacent American world. He stands up for what he believes in and could not give a single fuck whether or not you agree.
In the world of hardcore, he is close to a legend. He made his name as the founding member, guitarist, back-up vocalist of the Boston hardcore group Blood For Blood - who's 2002 album Outlaw Anthems remains one of the best metal-influenced hardcore punk rock albums written, and one of my personal favourite albums. The group are known for their unwavering aggression, hatred and offensiveness.
Rumpelstiltskin Grinder- "Buried In The Front Yard" CD (Relapse)
"Pennsylvania criminal thrash quintet Rumpelstiltskin Grinder administers waves of relentless energy on their Relapse Records debut, Buried in the Front Yard. Spinning speed metal into gold, RsG's Dissection vs. Kreator-esque metal and extreme genre-bending thrash is sure to ignite the moshing hordes of the underground into a sweating - yet bewildered - frenzy! Take hold of your left foot and rip yourself up the middle in two, because the orange and black attack is coming for you. Metal thrashing mad!!! With members of XXX Maniak, Divine Rapture, and Solace in the Shadows."
RZA feat. MF Doom/Del Feat. Aesop Rock- "Biochemical Equation/Preservation" 12" (Babygrande)
"Monster single from the forthcoming Wu-Tang Meets The Indie-Culture album!! On the A-side we get the RZA and MF Doom rocking over a RZA production, while the b-side showcases Del and Aesop Rock's mind-bending lyricism. Simply put, you need this record!!"
Thievery Corporation feat. Perry Farrell- "The Revolution Solution" 12" (ESL)
One of the best singles to come off their latest LP "Cosmic Game". Features Perry Farrell ( Jane's Addiction).
Tool- "Opiate" LP (Zoo)
Vinyl version of their debut LP.
TheVibrators- "Buzzin'" CD (SOS Records)
"With a career lasting twenty-six years, vocalist/guitarist Ian "Knox" Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis and drummer Eddie originally formed The Vibrators in February 1976, and their first gig was supporting The Stranglers at Hornsey Art College in North London. They supported the Sex Pistols at the 100 Club and were one of the bands playing at the now legendary 100 Club Punk Rock Festival, where as well as doing their own set they supported guitar hero Chris Spedding. Chris recommended the band to his then record company, RAK. The band's debut single "We Vibrate" came out in November (one of the first punk singles) and was followed two weeks later by Chris Spedding's "Pogo Dancing" single with The Vibrators as the band on that. This CD was originally released in the UK in 1993 and will be its first release in the USA."
Watchmaker- "Erased From The Memory of Man" CD (Willowtip)
"[T]he brand new full length from the Boston killing machine known as Watchmaker. Ultra pissed, insanely violent and brutal, this is the bands most focused and lethal release of death/grind/black/thrash insanity yet following their previous two heralded full lengths, which landed on year-end top 10 lists worldwide."
Soulwax- "Nite Versions" CD (Play It Again Sam)
After the runaway success of their DJ incarnation, 2 Many DJs, Soulwax take another step over to 'the other side' with this self-produced remix album. Taking the original blueprints of songs from their "Any Minute Now", they re-work them into storming dance floor electro with a live edge that packs a punch. For the CD release, they've even mixed them all into a continuous pounding party album. It's not just remixes of tracks off the last album though. There's also their cover of the Daft Punk song "Teachers" and a collaboration with the LCD Soundsystem. With the band putting in all the work, it makes for an unusual concept for an album. However, it's done with so much zest, that "Nite Versions" is the best album there is to play when you get in from the club to keep the feeling going. A great companion to an already great album.
Naglfar- "Pariah" LP (Century Media)
This is what Redstream inc. had to say about this release, "NAGLFAR's Pariah is a monster that will break humankind of earthbound concerns. Abysmally wicked, it is a flawless work of iniquitous hell-spawned art. Raging guitar riffs, bludgeoning drums, and fiendish vocals combine with haunting melodies to capture eternity's evil winds." This is the limited LP version.
Refused- "The Shape Of Punk To Come" CD (Epitaph)
Restock of this never fail punk cd.
Bohren & Der Club Of Gore- "Black Earth" CD (Ipecac)
Former black metallers re-tool and come back as a noir jazz ensemble. Beautifully subdued, masterfully executed. Insturmentals for your chill out moods, incorporating piano, stand up bass, saxophone & brushed drums. Amazing!
The Detroit Cobras- "Mink Rat Or Rabbitt" CD (SFTRI)
Their debut release, a unique mix of soul/garage/punk & pop. The ultimate party animal. You desperately need this.
The Detroit Cobras- "Life Love And Leaving" CD (SFTRI)
The very cool follow up to the aforementioned cd.
Dirty Three- "Cinder" LP (Touch & Go)
The deliciously mournful music made by Aussie trio Dirty Three is often classified as post-rock. However, they bear little in common with the sturm ünd drang crescendos of Godspeed, You Black Emperor or Explosions in the Sky. Not unlike American string theorists Rachel’s, Dirty Three’s violin-led lilt is really a folksy brand of chamber music. Cinder, their latest for Touch & Go, contains hypnotic mini-suites that sway in delicate rapture.
Nekromantix- "Brought Back To Life" LP (Hellcat)
The vinyl version of this recently unearthed and reissued early recording. Psycho-billy!
Spoon- "Gimme Fiction" CD (Merge)
Re-stock of their very popular current release. Classy indie pop.
The Deadly Snakes- "Porcella" CD (Paper Bag)
If bands could be pieced together at will, with wildly disparate influences snapping into place like lego bricks, every record would sound like a Deadly Snakes album. Expertly fusing classic rock, soul, blues, lo-fi, and punk into one throbbing machine, the Snakes mish-mash aesthetic inadvertently landed them in garage rock bins across the globe, rubbing stickers with the Hives and the Dirtbombs, shaking off the Standells and the Nuggets box, trying their best to reinvent the scrap-heap in a post-Beck universe. (Pitchfork)
Suicide Girls- "First Tour" DVD (Epitaph)
These hot babes took their burlesque show on the road a few months back and this is the unholy result.
Tiger Army- "Tiger Army" CD (Hellcat)
Restock of their 1st cd from 1999.
Tiger Army- "II: Power Of Moonlight" CD (Hellcat)
Restock of their sophomore release from 2001.
Daniel Lanois- "Belladonna" CD (Anti)
Dan's new all insturmental cd is absolutely georgeous. Ambient & oozing melody, it's just him and his treated pedal steel guitar, with spare precussion and wonderful electronic backdrops.
Porcupine Tree- "The Sky Moved Sideways" CDx2 (Snapper)
The most easily accessible album of this band. This has strong Floydian accents but this is no plagiarism as some of that neo-stuff. I would not be saying this is a cornerstone but definitely a good brick of the prog tower. (Progarchives.com)
Porcupine Tree- "Up The Downtair" CDx2 (Snapper)
This, the second studio-album proper for England's PORCUPINE TREE, saw the mighty Porc evolving triumphantly into the promised psychedelic beacon that the first album seemed to avow. Filled with Floydian soundscapes and heaps of infectious melody and atmosphere to spare, "Downstair" is very much like a concept album, yet without an actual storyline. All the songs just seem to belong together and naturally flow from one to the other like an unfolding blossom.
While not being the collaborative band effort that "Signify" would later become (founder Steven Wilson pretty much covers everything here, with a few guest appearances from future PORCUPINE TREE-members), "Downstair" is like a world unto itself. While every track is filled with promise and exquisite beauty, two tracks in particular really stand out: 1) "Always Never", with its infectious chorus, mystical ambiance and a guitar solo sounding as if it were being performed by David Gilmour's doppleganger; and 2) "Fadeaway", a ghostly, unearthly siren-song that comes as close to the nitrous-oxide hallucinogenic experience as I've ever heard. (Metal-Observer.com)
Joe Cocker- "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" DVD (A&M)
The legendary video documentary that accompanied the release of Mad Dogs & Englishmen is now available on DVD. I'm so excited I'm going to have to open a window to cool down. If you don't know this album and/or documentary, here's a quick lesson courtesy of AMG. "
Listening to this CD brings back a lot of memories. Mad Dogs & Englishmen was just about the most elaborate album that A&M Records had ever released, back in 1971, a double LP in a three-panel, fold-out, gatefold sleeve, with almost 80 minutes of music inside and a ton of photos, graphics, and annotation wrapping around it. A live recording done in tandem with a killer documentary film of the same U.S. tour, it was recorded at the Fillmore East, where the movie was a cross-country affair, and the two were, thus, completely separate entities — also, as people couldn't "buy" the film in those days, the double LP has lingered longer in the memory, by virtue of its being on shelves, and also being taken off those shelves to be played. Unlike a lot of other "coffee table"-type rock releases of the era, such as Woodstock and The Concert for Bangladesh, people actually listened to Mad Dogs & Englishmen — most of its content was exciting, and its sound, a veritable definition of big-band rock with three dozen players working behind the singer, was unique. The CD offers a seriously good sound, whether it's just Joe Cocker and a pianist and organist in the opening of "Bird on a Wire," or the entire band going full-tilt on "Cry Me a River"; the remastering was set at a high volume level and there was a decent amount of care taken to get the detail right, so you can appreciate the presence of the multiple drummers, and the legion of guitarists and singers, plus the multiple keyboard players. The lead guitar and solo piano on "Feelin' Alright," for example, come through, but so do the 34 other players and singers behind the lead. This record was also just as much a showcase for Leon Russell as it was for Joe Cocker, which A&M probably didn't mind a bit, as Russell was selling millions of records at the time. As is now known, and it's recounted in the new notes, the tour from which this album was drawn all but wiped out Joe Cocker — on a psychic level — because the music was presented on such a vast scale (and there is a moment in the movie where he mentions breaking up his former backing group, the Grease Band, with a hint of regret in his voice) and his own contribution was so muted by Russell's work as arranger and bandleader. He may well have been the "victim" of a "hijacking" of sorts, but the musical results, apart from the dubious "Give Peace a Chance," are difficult to argue about upon hearing this record anew, decades after the fact — it's almost all bracing and beautiful."
Thievery Corporation- "Cosmic Game" LPx4 (ESL)
This groups crowning effort, combining Brazilian beats, dub, electronica, sitars, and women singing in foreign languages. Ltd. edition vinyl version.
Dark Tranquility- "Character" Limited Edition LP (Century Media)
Him- "Razorblade Romance" LP Pink Vinyl (HIM)
This pink vinyl version just keeps selling. One of these days it won't be available anymore. Get it while you can.
The Stooges- "Fun House" LPx2 (Rhino)
The long awaited remastered re-issue with lots of bonus material on 180 gram vinyl.
The Stooges- "S/T" LPx2 (Rhino)
The long awaited remastered re-issue with lots of bonus material on 180 gram vinyl.
Gun Club- "Mother Juno" CD (SFTRI)
The Gun Club collapsed within a year of the release of 1984's The Las Vegas Story, so more than a few fans were surprised in 1987 when Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Kid Congo Powers returned with a new version of the band, featuring Romi Mori (Pierce's significant other) on bass and Nick Sanderson (ex-Clock DVA) on drums. Even more startling was that the group's comeback album, Mother Juno, was produced by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins, who would hardly have seemed a likely choice to channel the Gun Club's fiery blues-punk assault onto vinyl. But against the odds, Mother Juno turned out to be one of the band's best albums; the hard rock overtones of The Las Vegas Story were replaced by a more direct, streamlined sound that suggested Miami without the twangy undertow, and while "Bill Bailey" and "Thunderhead" proved this band could rock as hard as they ever had before, Pierce's songs were also venturing into new musical territory, as evidenced by the slow, slinky R&B of "Yellow Eyes," the atmospheric carnival-pop of "The Breaking Hands," and the contemplative "Port of Souls."
V/A- "Garage Beat Vol.2" CD (Sundazed)
Our second album of vintage North American garage-rock supremacy! Here's the absolute tops in garage-rehearsin' teens and 20-somethings; the wild ones that within minutes of the Beatles' first Ed Sullivan appearance conspired to overthrow the
world with rock 'n' roll, suburb by swingin' suburb. In their day, the vast majority of these records were under-appreciated or completely unheard beyond their school zone…
V/A- "Garage Beat Vol.3" CD (Sundazed)
From the Sundazed library.This is a really great compilation of 60's garage and psych bands.There are five volumes in the series this one is volume Three..
X-Ray Records
http://xrayrecords.ca/article.php?story=20051023194825805