At a glance:
| BLONDE REDHEAD | Fake Can Be Just As Good | touch and go | tg169 | lp |
| BLONDE REDHEAD | Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons | Touch And Go | TG 216 | lp |
| DON CABALLERO | For Respect | touch and go | tg120 | lp |
| SHELLAC | At Action Park | touch and go | tg141 | lp |
| SLINT | Tweez | touch and go | tg138 | lp |
| U.S. CHRISTMAS | Run Thick In The Night | Neurot Recordings | NR 074 CD | cd |
| NOBUNNY | First Blood | Goner | 60 GONE CD | cd |
| NOBUNNY | First Blood | Goner | 60 GONE | lp |
| ZOLA JESUS | Stridulum | Sacred Bones | SBR 032 CD | cd |
| ZOLA JESUS | Stridulum | Sacred Bones | SBR 032 | 12" |
| A LOSS FOR WORDS | Motown Classics | Paper + Plastick | PP 054 CD | cd |
| DJ NATE | Da Trak Genious | Planet Mu | ZIQ 280 CD | cd |
| DJ NATE | Da Trak Genious | Planet Mu | ZIQ 280 | 3xlp |
| FALTY DL | Endeavour | Planet Mu | ZIQ 279 | 12" |
| FORGETTERS | s/t | Too Small To Fail | TSTF 01 | 2x7" |
| SWANS | My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky | Young God | YG 43 CD | cd |
| CIRCLE PIT | Bruise Constellation | Siltbreeze | SB 140 | lp |
| VAN ETTEN, SHARON | Epic | Ba Da Bing! | BING 072 CD | cd |
| VAN ETTEN, SHARON | Epic | Ba Da Bing! | BING 072 | lp |
| ROSE, FRANKIE AND THE OUTS | s/t | Slumberland | SLR 124 | cd |
| ROSE, FRANKIE AND THE OUTS | s/t | Slumberland | SLR 124 | lp |
| NEKRASOV | Extinction | Crucial Blast | CBR 86 | cd |
| DAWNBRINGER | Nucleus | Profound Lore | PFL 066 | cd |
| v/a | Afro-Beat Airways | Analog Africa | AACD 068 CD | cd |
| SHIT ROBOT | From the Cradle to the Rave | DFA | DFA2253 CD | cd |
| SHIT ROBOT | From the Cradle to the Rave | DFA | DFA2253 | 2xlp |
| PARKER, WILLIAM | I Plan To Stay A Believer - The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield | Aum Fidelity | AUM 062 / 63 CD | 2xcd |
| WARE, DAVID S. | Onecept | Aum Fidelity | AUM 064 CD | cd |
| SOLE / RAVI ZUPA | Pyre | Black Canyon | BCR 007 | BK W/CD |
| FLUFFY LUMBERS | Harry Dolland’s | Group Tightener | GTO 04 | 7" |
| SADIER, LAETITIA | Trip | Drag City | DC 440 CD | cd |
| SADIER, LAETITIA | Trip | Drag City | DC 440 | lp |
| HECKER, TIM | Haunt Me | Alien 8 | ALIENLP 89 | 2xlp |
| SWORD HEAVEN | Gone | Load | LOAD 129 CD | cd |
| YOUNG SCAMELS | Tempest | File 13 | FT 74 CD | cd |
| DEAD FARMERS | Go Home | R.I.P. Society | RIP 009 | lp |
| KITCHENS FLOOR | Loneliness is a Dirty Mattress | R.I.P. Society | LPKITCHLONL | lp |
| HOWELL, PETER & JOHN FERDINANDO | Tomorrow Come Someday | Acme / Lion Productions | ACLN 1016 CD | CD+DVD |
| BE MY DOPPELGANGER | No Composure | It’s Alive | IAR 43 CD | cd |
| BE MY DOPPELGANGER | No Composure | It’s Alive | IAR 43 | lp |
| DOMINANT LEGS | Young At Love And Life | Lefse | LEFSE 010 CD | cd |
| DOMINANT LEGS | Young At Love And Life | Lefse | LEFSE 010 | 10" |
| FLATLINERS | Monumental | Fat Wreck Chords | FAT 243-7 | 7" |
| RANIL Y SU CONJUNTO TROPICAL | Ranil’s Jungle Party | Masstropicas / Light In The Attic | TROPIC 04 | lp |
| ORPHAN | Decapitated Lovers | From The Nursery | FTN 004 | lp |
| BLACK SUGAR | Black Sugar | Secret Stash | SSR LP 276 | lp |
| THEMSELVES | Crowns Down and Company | Anticon | ABR 0106 | cd |
| JAZKAMER | Matthew 28:17 | Pica Disk | PICA 022 CD | cd |
| BROKEN WATER | Normal Never Happened | Fan Death | FDR 019 | 7" |
| SUPER VACATIONS | Thicker Milk | Shdwply | SHDWPLY 018 | lp |
| MONOCHROME SET | White Noise - Early Recordings | Captured Tracks | CT 073 | 12" |
| HARD NIPS | I Shit U Not | BAB | HN 01 CD | cd |
| ADAMS, TALBOT | Jack and Jesse | Douchemaster | DMR 042 | 7" |
| NOBUNNY | Brace Face | Douchemaster | DMR 041 | 7" |
| GENTLEMAN JESSE | She’s a Trap | Douchemaster | DMR 040 | 7" |
| LES RALLIZES DENUDES | Blind Baby Has Its Mother’s Eyes | Phoenix | ASH 3035 | lp |
| LES RALLIZES DENUDES | Heavier Than A Death In The Family | Phoenix | ASH 3037 | 2xlp |
| BLACK MOUNTAIN | Wilderness Heart | Jagjaguwar | JAG 175 CD | cd |
| MICE PARADE | What it Means To Be Left-Handed | Fat Cat | FAT 0101 CD | cd |
| MEGAFAUN | Heretofore | Hometapes | HT 037 CD | cd |
| ELUVIUM | Leaves Eclipse The Light | Temporary Residence Ltd | TRR 164 CD | cd |
| MAJEURE | Timespan | Temporary Residence Ltd | TRR 145 CD | 2xcd |
| ELECTRIC SUNSET | s/t | K Records | KLP 221 CD | cd |
| SWANS | ( Deluxe ) My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky | Young God | YG 43X CD | 2xcd |
| BXI | Boris & Ian Astbury | Southern Lord | LORD 120 | lp |
| ALL SAINTS DAY | It’ll Come Around | Art Fag | AF 010 | 7" |
| MAXIMUMROCK’N’ROLL | Issue # 330 Pt. 1 - Fall 2010 | Maximumrock’n’roll | MRR 330 P1 | mag |
SWANS “My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky” (Young God - YG 43) CD
SWANS “My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky” (Young God - YG 43) LP
***After years of pursuing ANGELS OF LIGHT and recording and producing a diverse roster of
artists for his Young God label, MICHAEL GIRA has reconvened his legendary group SWANS. As he says: "This is
not a reunion. It's not some dumb-ass nostalgia act. It is not repeating the past. After five Angels of Light albums, I
need a way to move forward, in a new direction, and it just so happens that revivifying the idea of Swans allows me
to do that." This highly anticipated album is as powerful and diverse as anything Gira's ever done, in Swans or
otherwise. It opens with the epic, soul-crushing "No Words / No Thoughts," but quickly veers to more pastoral
terrain, and on to ever-ascending monotonal grooves. A filmic-folk idyll featuring DEVENDRA BANHART on lead
vocal abruptly shifts to cataclysm, and is followed by more airplane-taking-off ascensions, art songs and lethal sonic
pummeling. In short, this is the new Swans album, a significant advance from where they left off and as challenging
and emotionally demanding as ever. Massive 18-month tour in support of the album's release begins late
September. Vinyl includes digital download coupon.
SWANS “( Deluxe ) My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky” (Young God - YG 43X) DBL.CD
***LIMITED EDITION DELUXE VERSION FOR STORES ONLY!!! This
limited version contains a bonus CD featuring 1 half-hour track.
FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS “s/t” (Slumberland - SLR 124) CD
FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS “s/t” (Slumberland - SLR 124) LP
***FRANKIE ROSE has a reputation for minimal, Maureen Tucker-like beats and iconic presence in such buzz-stirring
bands as CRYSTAL STILTS, DUM DUM GIRLS and VIVIAN GIRLS—groups that spearheaded a thriving scene that
mixes the sounds of lo-fi garage and big, reverb-drenched, Phil Spector-produced '60s girl groups with the noise
aesthetic of The Jesus and Mary Chain, a touch of Velvet Underground and a strong DIY ethic. On her new group's
self-titled Slumberland Records debut, FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS have their heads in the clouds a bit more
than Rose's previous projects. The singer / guitarist / drummer—backed by bassist CAROLINE YES, guitarist
MARGOT BIANCA, and drummer KATE RYAN—explores her dream-pop side on the album's darker numbers, from
the oscillating organs, spooky sleigh bells and melancholic melodies of "Hollow Life" and "Lullabye for Roads and
Miles" to the disembodied balladry of "Save Me" and "Memo." It's all in the name of making "beautiful, serious music"
that reaches well beyond simple Wall of Sound nods, though. That's because Rose is more concerned with
maintaining a specific mood than rehashing the hooks to which your parents lost their virginity. Includes an Arthur
Russell cover song. Vinyl includes free digital download coupon. No exports to the UK/Europe.
SHIT ROBOT “From the Cradle to the Rave” (DFA - DFA2253) CD
SHIT ROBOT “From the Cradle to the Rave” (DFA - DFA2253) DBL.LP
***To list the ways MARCUS LAMBKIN, aka SHIT ROBOT, spent the '90s and early '00s is to document some of New
York City's most seminal moments in music. After moving to the city in 1992 from his native Dublin, Ireland,
Lambkin served a stint as a resident DJ at the infamous club Save the Robots, co-founded Plant Records and the nowdefunct
Plant Bar (where The Rapture's Luke Jenner poured drinks and which UK magazine The Face called "New
York's coolest and loudest bar"), used his cabinet-making skills to literally help build the DFA studio, and DJed the
legendary Shit Robot parties with future LCD SOUNDSYSTEM frontman JAMES MURPHY. From the Cradle to the
Rave, with its analog sounds and precise arrangements, is an inspired and beautifully crafted update of classic house,
refurbished to feel fresh and new. Lambkin is joined on this excellent debut full-length by notable contributors: James
Murphy co-wrote several tracks and mixed the album, while JUAN MACLEAN, JANINE "PLANNINGTOROCK"
ROSTRON, LCD Soundsystem's NANCY WHANG, HOT CHIP'S ALEXIS TAYLOR, HOUSE OF HOUSE'S SAHEER
UMAR and ex-NATION OF ULYSSES and THE MAKE-UP's IAN SVENONIOUS all contribute vocals to From the
Cradle's stellar arc of songs.
FORGETTERS “s/t” (Too Small To Fail - TSTF 01) DBL.7
***FOREGETTERS is a three-piece Brooklyn band that formed in the summer of 2009. The members, BLAKE
SCHWARZENBACH (JAWBREAKER, JETS TO BRAZIL), CAROLINE PAQUITA (BITCHIN'), and KEVIN MAHON
(AGAINST ME!), are not novices but still believe in the possibility of new music and new forms. In this spirit they
have come together to explore the parameters of the power trio as a vehicle to convey sonic and verbal ideas. Expect
comedy, tragedy, tea and sympathy. Includes free digital download coupon.
NOBUNNY “First Blood” (Goner - 60 GONE) CD
NOBUNNY “First Blood” (Goner - 60 GONE) LP
***Hail! Hail! America's favorite loopily leporine rock 'n' roller, NOBUNNY, is back with a new album, First Blood,
and it's his catchiest batch of tunes yet. The melodious masked man kicks it off with "Ain't It a Shame," a bittersweet
tale of a rocky romance in which Nobunny's lover has no choice but to endure his frequent indiscretions. He's just
that damned charming. "Blow Dumb" is a Velvet-y tribute to all the things that make life worth livin'—"smokin'
Copenhagen," make-out sessions and "burger breaks." In fact, First Blood never overstays its welcome and lasts about
as long as a particularly adventurous mid-party burger run. In under half an hour, Nobunny goes through every
worthy rock 'n' roll subgenre—bubblegum pop, garage, rockabilly and psych—and still beautifully articulates every
single human emotion with ease. Recently completed a two-month US tour; European dates in September and
October with more to come.
SHARON VAN ETTEN “Epic” (Ba Da Bing! - BING 072) CD
SHARON VAN ETTEN “Epic” (Ba Da Bing! - BING 072) LP
***SHARON VAN ETTEN came to Brooklyn via Jersey via Tennessee via Jersey. Along the way, she sang in choirs,
rejected her school's music program, worked at an all-ages venue, trained as a sommelier and got a full time job at a
record label. She also had a few bad experiences in relationships. More than a few. Epic, Van Etten's second album,
lays a romantic melancholy lining over the gravel and dirt of heartbreak, without one honest thought or feeling
spared. She sings of betrayal, obsession, egotism and all the other emotions we hate in others and recognize in
ourselves. Van Etten's grounded and clenched vocals convey the sense of hope—the notion that beauty can come out
of the worst of circumstances. Epic is indeed that beauty. The album was recorded at Miner Street Studios in
Philadelphia with BRIAN MCTEAR. Where Van Etten's first record, Because I Was in Love, explored her thoughts on
love through minimalism and sparseness, Epic embellishes her music to grandiose luminosity. She supplements
guitar and vocals with drums, piano, lap steel and a trio of backing vocalists—MEG BAIRD (ESPERS), CAT
MARTINO and JESSICA LARRABEE (SHE KEEPS BEES)—for a fully realized album that astounds as it elucidates,
disturbs as it soothes. The final track, "Love More," has already been covered live in a collaborative effort by BON
IVER and THE NATIONAL. US and European tours with a full backing band to follow album's release. No exports
to Japan/Asia.
THEMSELVES “Crowns Down and Company” (Anticon - ABR 0106) CD
***CrownsDown and Company completes a trilogy by DOSEONE and JEL's revived rap power-duo, THEMSELVES.
What began in early 2009 with theFREEhoudini—a monumental mixtape that reunited a dozen of indie hip-hop's
seminal vocalists—now reaches its apt conclusion as ten gifted producers reinvent the pair's recently released
CrownsDown LP. While that album, in part, paid tribute to rap's golden age icons (Gang Starr, Ultramag, Public
Enemy), on this companion piece artists like BATHS, LAZER SWORD, BUCK 65, DALEK, and OUR BROTHER THE
NATIVE seize upon Themselves' progressive side to create a document firmly of the future. Limited to 1,500
numbered copies.
U.S. CHRISTMAS “Run Thick In The Night” (Neurot Recordings - NR 074) CD
***Hailing from the Appalachian mountains region of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee,
US CHRISTMAS' unique brand of psychedelic, high-volume blues rock evades easy classification. The band was
founded in Marion, NC, in the summer of 2002, and played biker bars, art spaces and house shows all over the
Southeast dirt circuit for years, self-releasing albums in CDR form. SCOTT KELLY of NEUROSIS heard their third
album Salt the Wound via his radio show Combat Music Radio / KMBT, which lead to the release of 2008's Eat the Low
Dogs on Neurot Recordings. US Christmas now approaches a decade of playing, recording and evolving, and
continues to blur the boundaries of heavy music with earsplitting rock that is by turns jangly, crushing and dark. The
group has often been associated with space rock, and Rolling Stone even included them in an article / compilation CD
on the history of that genre. However, while they recently collaborated with Minsk and Harvestman on a three-way
tribute album to the British space-searchers Hawkwind, US Christmas is influenced by a wide variety of music from
all eras and origins.
CLOUDLAND CANYON “Fin Eaves” (Holy Mountain - HOLY072811) LP
CLOUDLAND CANYON “Fin Eaves” (Holy Mountain - HOLY072811) CD
***NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!! Originally an all-things-not-PANTHERS outlet for guitarist KIP ULHORN
swapping musical ideas with SIMON WOJAN (now in KING KHAN AND HIS SHRINES), CLOUDLAND CANYON
spent several years interpreting the more structurally-challenged examples of Krautrock, '70s psych of the dronediscovering
variety, spots of unnerving (in a good way) improv here and there, and the wonderful '90s bands that
started out as head-scratchers and ended up as innovators (first-wave Siltbreeze and Kranky highlights). Fin Eaves,
the band's third full-length overall, is the inaugural album from Cloudland Canyon Phase II. Joined once again by
significant-other KELLY ULHORN and a rotating cast of contributors, Kip has crafted a unique take on really, really
goddamned loud and noisy. Most important are big, unavoidable pop hooks clawing their way out of a pulsating,
throbbing thickness of guitar, bass, who-knows-what-type-of-effects and understated but omnipresent drumming.
Imagine a Flying Saucer Attack foundation supporting noise on par with the first two Iran albums, or maybe even
Jesu, with flowing vocals providing the major pop-hook components. Vinyl includes free digital download coupon.
LA OTRACINA “Reality Has Got to Die” (Holy Mountain - HOLY6307) CD
LA OTRACINA “Reality Has Got to Die” (Holy Mountain - HOLY6307) DBL.LP
***Since 2003, LA OTRACINA has been hell-bent on creating highly visionary music that melds sonic
ideas from the outer reaches of heavy and weird. The Brooklyn group has released three full-length albums and
twelve mini-albums, along with a slew of splits and compilation trackss on labels including Holy Mountain and band
founder ADAM KRINEY's own Colour Sounds Recordings. La Otracina's new double-album is the first to feature
drummer Kriney as lead vocalist, which catapults the trio into their most cohesive and focused release to date. Reality
Has Got to Die showcases the band's mind-blowing ability to evoke the timeless space-rock magic of Hawkwind, the
prog-improv wizardry of King Crimson, the fuck-yeah of early Metallica, and the synthesizer mind-warp of
Tangerine Dream, all fused in a Krautrock state of mind. This musical journey through deep and heavy sound worlds
envokes images of the emerald beyond and the darkest future alien universe, while also staying rooted in the
tradition of rock 'n' roll's ever-winding history. But don't confuse this for faux-New-Age blabber—this is street-wise
and from the gut, straight from the minds of three men living their art, sacrificing everything and manifesting a
boundless sphere of music, ideas, and imagery. Vinyl version includes a download.
MUNLY AND THE LUPERCALIANS “Petr and the Wulf” (Alternative Tentacles - VIRUS 421) CD
***The first installment in a multi-album set describing The Kinnery of
Lupercalia, Petr & The Wulf is the correct telling of a story about which most have been woefully misinformed. This
truth is courtesy of MUNLY (known as both a solo artist and as the co-frontman of SLIM CESSNA'S AUTO CLUB)
and his extremely talented backing band, THE LUPERCALIANS (which includes DANIEL GRANDBOIS of Slim
Cessna's Auto Club and TARANTELLA). Often described as thinkin' man's country music, Munly has a wide vocal
range which, on top of the Lupercalians' dark, often sensuous string arrangements, makes for a unique, spare sound
that remains long after the music stops. As with his previous Alternative Tentacles release, Munly and the Lee Lewis
Harlots, this goth-twang-country masterpiece was recorded and mixed by BOB FERBRACHE (Blood Axis, Slim
Cessna's Auto Club, Tarantella) at Absinthe Studios in Denver, Colorado. The first installment of a themed multialbum
set. LP to be released 10/05/2010).
CIRCLE PIT “Bruise Constellation” (Siltbreeze - SB 140) LP
***Glimmer Twins infatuation—well, some folks can pull it off, others cannot. We all know how well Royal Trux
rocked 'n' cocked it through the '90s, and now in the second decade of the 21st century, CIRCLE PIT have sauntered
into the boozy sway with their debut LP Bruise Constellation. Seemingly born out of the tar and tobacco of Nellcote /
Exile on Main Street-session blooze, Circle Pit ably finesse a torn and frayed sound that's as retro as it is original.
Oozing raw talent and possessed with uncanny sensual / sexual osmosis, Bruise Constellation will have you believing
it's the Summer of '72 all over again (again).
SOLE / RAVI ZUPA “Pyre” (Black Canyon - BCR 007) BOOK+CD
***The Pyre is a collaboration between TIM HOLLAND (SOLE) and RAVI ZUPA—a 72-page illustrated epic poem
with an accompanying full-length "audiobook" album. The pair evokes the confusion, violence and hope of 12,000
years spent digging in the mud. Holland's far-reaching story of civilization is told in the language of ancient myth
and draws on Keats, Villon, Debord, Byron and The Epic of Gilgamesh. The poem touches on everything from work,
time, human interaction, invention, progress and ethics. The visual inspiration for The Pyre comes from the persuasive
art of propaganda as it appears throughout history. Zupa's series of original drawings adds another dimension to the
text using familiar styles from the German Renaissance, Japanese block art, religious iconography from Europe, Asia
and pre-Columbian South America, and 20th-century revolutionary propaganda. The CD is a cross between an
audiobook, a Herzog soundtrack and an instrumental album, and features 14 tracks recorded on an analog eight-track
and computer.
DJ NATE “Da Trak Genious” (Planet Mu - ZIQ 280) CD
DJ NATE “Da Trak Genious” (Planet Mu - ZIQ 280) TRPL.LP
***DJ NATE grew up on Chicago's West Side. The 20-year-old artist started making Footwurk tracks five years ago,
more recently turning his hand to hip hop and R&B. With only a few self-made CDRs and YouTube videos, Nate
attracted the attention of London's Planet Mu Records. On Da Trak Genious, DJ Nate uses samples from pop and hip
hop, pitched, layered and triggered into unusual edits and often edging into distortion. Simple phrases are repeated
to hypnotizing effect, combined with sparse 808 drum patterns, busy fills, relentless triplets and off-kilter accents.
Tracks like "Back Up Kid" and "You're Gonna Love Me" work with modern R&B samples, while others like "Footwurk
Homicide" and "Fade Da Black Trak" echo the contemporary British grime sound. "Go Hard," "Let The Beat Build"
and "Free" reach back to earlier soul music, crossing half-time drums with slow, looped soul licks, while "A+
Mayhem" cranks the pitch up to hysterical effect. A distant relative of breakdancing, Footwurking (also known as
Jukin') is a style of dancing native to Chicago. The Footwurk sound has its roots in Chicago house music—the
influence and speeds of pioneering label Dance Mania are clear—but the linear, hypnotic 4x4 sound has been recalibrated
with ultra-syncopated rhythms to test dancers. No exports outside North America or Japan
NEKRASOV “Extinction” (Crucial Blast - CBR 86) CD
***Riding atop the recent wave of black metal / noise hybrids that combine the bleak, frosty riffs and blackened
ferocity of underground metal with blown-out, corrosive strains of industrial noise (see also Wold, Emit, Grief No
Absolution, Enbilulugugal, Vargr), the Australian one-man band NEKRASOV has made a substantial mark in the
realm of extremist necro-racket with a series of brutally abrasive limited-edition albums. Extinction is loaded with
blasting, inhuman drumming and ferocious riffing that form noise-drenched trance-scapes, but the subtle attention to
texture elevates this above typical mechanized black metal projects. Immersing the listener in layers of electronic
sound and using creative stereo panning techniques and other production tricks, Nekrasov creates a harsh, alien
atmosphere. This is a scorching new chapter from one of the foremost bands out there fusing black metal and noise
DAWNBRINGER “Nucleus” (Profound Lore - PFL 066) CD
***Chicago's DAWNBRINGER could very well be the most under-appreciated underground metal band in the US.
Formed more than 15 years ago by prolific multi-instrumentalist CHRIS BLACK (also of NACHTMYSTIUM and a
number of other projects), the group put out an EP and two killer and highly praised full-lengths in the late '90s and
early '00s. After a brief hiatus, Black resurrected Dawnbringer in 2006 as a one-man act to release In Sickness and in
Dreams, a dense, 25-minute record packed with myriad classic metal influences. The album caught the attention of
Profound Lore Records, who contacted Black about the status of his band, and just like that, a deal with struck to
release a follow-up. With a new concept for Dawnbringer, Black gathered a few trusted collaborators and entered
Semaphore Studios to record his latest collection of songs with SANFORD PARKER (YOB, ZOROASTER,
UNEARTHLY TRANCE) at the controls. Nucleus is Dawnbringer's strongest work to date, once again proving Black
to be one of the most creative and talented musicians in the underground. Incorporating elements from NWOBHM,
progressive, traditional and melodic death metal, it has all the ingredients of a true classic heavy metal album. No
exports to Canada or the UK/Europe.
LAETITIA SADIER “Trip” (Drag City - DC 440) CD
LAETITIA SADIER “Trip” (Drag City - DC 440) LP
***For as long as records are made—or at least listened to in some fashion, LAETITIA
SADIER will forever be linked with STEREOLAB, the band she has fronted with ex-partner TIM GANE throughout
the heady pre-and-post-millennial years of the past two decades. But 2009 signaled changes—Stereolab announced an
indefinite hiatus and Laetitia disbanded her original solo project/band, MONADE. Fittingly, Laetitia is releasing her
first ‘official’ solo record, The Trip. Laetitia has been performing her new songs at solo live shows this summer with
just voice and electric guitar, but for The Trip she packed a band sound, with musical collaborators including
Americans REBECCA GATES, RICHARD SWIFT and APRIL MARCH and French musicians JULIEN GASC and
EMMANUEL MARIO. The band sound was conceived with a spare touch in mind. It was Laetitia’s intention not to
‘overload or layer’ the music on the new record too much. Throughout the album, a straightforward, carefully
arranged approach expresses Laetitia’s reflections in a personal, yet public form of entertainment. Completing the
contemplation of Laetitia’s own songs are three covers, including Wendy & Bonnie’s “By The Sea” and Les Rita
Mitsouko’s dance-funk-punk classic “Un Soir Un Chien,” featured in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1987 film, Soigne Ta Droite.
ORPHAN “Decapitated Lovers” (From The Nursery - FTN 004) LP
***From The Nursery is pleased to announce its fourth release, a new album by Brooklyn sheet metal duo, ORPHAN,
titled Decapitated Lovers. Prominent among the album's nine tracks is a sprawling anthem, "Tarantula Downforce,"
which clocks in at over 8 1/2 minutes, and a cover of "Well Fed Fuck," originally recorded by Born Against. In 2008,
Other Music named Orphan’s debut “the most ferocious record of the summer.” Two years later, that damaged
intensity continues to drive the cold dark heart of a band called Orphan.The album features cover art work by
GARDAR EIDE EINARSSON, and is limited to 500 numbered copies pressed on clear vinyl.
A LOSS FOR WORDS “Motown Classics” (Paper + Plastick - PP 054) CD
***BACK IN STOCK!!! Boston's pop-punk quintet A LOSS FOR WORDS make their Paper + Plastick Records debut
with a Motown covers album! A Loss For Words recorded the 10-song cover album with Chris Curran at Webster
Lake Studios in Boston, and reworked classic R&B and Motown songs from the Jackson 5, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye
and more. The band has been performing select covers on the road, including their acoustic take on The Temptations
'My Girl."
SWORD HEAVEN “Gone” (Load - LOAD 129) CD
***Columbus, OH two-piece horror sound unit, SWORD HEAVEN clock in with their
first "studio" recording (made at Columbus Discount Studio)—a sweaty water boarded masterpiece of claustrophobic
proportions. Funhouse mirrors and stretched out faces yell from behind flaming curtains while a neanderthal cave bat
clubs your dome over and over and over with the sounds of drums, looped vocals and samples. The kids are not all
right and that is all right.
YOUNG SCAMELS “Tempest” (File 13 - FT 74) CD
***YOUNG SCAMELS are JASON NOBLE (RACHEL'S, SHIPPING NEWS, RODAN),
CHRISTIAN FREDERICKSON & GREG KING (Rachel’s). The band was created for a production of Shakespeare's
The Tempest at Actors Theatre of Louisville. "It’s a brilliant ambient musical experience—you can tune it out if you
choose and it’ll still enhance your surroundings, or you can engage yourself fully and allow it to positively hypnotize
you.”—Pitchfork.
SUPER VACATIONS “Thicker Milk” (Shdwply - SHDWPLY 018) LP
***Thicker Milk is the new sprawling, twenty-one song opus which finds the band, since the release of their self-titled
debut in 2008, expanding in every possible way. Now a formidable five piece, the band’s exploratory psych-surf
nuggets are bigger, bolder, more aggressive, and occasionally darker than before. The riffs are instantly memorable,
the melodies blissfully sloppy and the psych expertly concentrated. Think Captain Beefheart, Guided By Voices,
Kinks and 13th Floor Elevators whizzed up in a heady audio cocktail of pop goodness. Recorded over the past two
years by the band across various locations, Thicker Milk is a record that dips its toes in psych, punk, surf, pop and
points in-between without ever sounding nostalgic or dated. Over the course of twenty-one tracks in thirty-five
minutes, the band whittle their precision riffs and ethereal harmonies down to perfect pockets of sound.
DOMINANT LEGS “Young At Love And Life” (Lefse - LEFSE 010) CD
DOMINANT LEGS “Young At Love And Life” (Lefse - LEFSE 010) 10"
***The great West Coast calls to DOMINANT LEGS, and Dominant Legs, in turn, calls San Francisco home. RYAN
LYNCH (GIRLS) began to write the glittering ballads and blurred out pop songs that, with the addition of HANNAH
HUNT, make up Dominant Legs. Lynch had been honing the band's misty, nostalgic sound for awhile, experimenting
with song writing as a kid and having spent the previous years playing guitar in another SF band. Hunt spent her
childhood singing and performing; her eternal passion for music led her to dive back in after years of not performing.
With Lynch on guitar and vocals, and Hunt on vocals and keys, Dominant Legs' sincere and dance-y pop songs tap
into a sound that is at once naively sweet and self-consciously tragic. No Export to Canada
TIM HECKER “Haunt Me” (Alien 8 - ALIENLP 89) DBL.LP
***Now, for the first time on vinyl, Haunt Me is available on clear double LP packaged in a full color gatefold sleeve.
This edition is limited to 750 copies. TIM HECKER needs much less of an introduction today than he did when he
released his debut recording Haunt Me nearly ten years ago; he now easily holds his own with top tier electronic
artists from around the world. Despite its age the album remains interesting and vital. While not nearly as complex as
more recent outings such as Harmony in Ultraviolet and Imaginary Country, it gives a very clear view into the artist’s
approach and style.
DEAD FARMERS “Go Home” (R.I.P. Society - RIP 009) LP
***“Long awaited debut LP after being the first release on Aarght Records (Eddy Current, UV Race, Super Wild
Horses etc) a couple of years ago. I saw their first or second show three and a half years ago and haven't missed many
since. At the time it seemed everything around me was no-wavey or post-something and these three young men
playing powerful, honest-to-god rock music felt like the most ambitious, genuine thing around. Somewhere between
your garage punk and heavy pyschedelic rock (Groundhogs, Blue Cheer, Mainliner etc). These dudes feel like my
local Stooges/Creedence/Minutemen.”
KITCHENS FLOOR “Loneliness is a Dirty Mattress” (R.I.P. Society - LPKITCHLONL) LP
***Expanding on the promise of their excellent debut 7-inch, Brisbane, Australia's KITCHEN'S
FLOOR's have now blessed us with their first full-length LP. The eleven dark n' dirgey pop songs —as bleakly
monotonous as they are catchy—hint at both the wrong-chorded clang of Pussy Galore and the black-and-white
paste-on mystery of the Xpressway and early Siltbreeze catalogs. Brief and effective, the perfectly-titled Loneliness is a
Dirty Mattress lands with a gloriously blunt THUD. Though it wouldn't be far-off to call whatever it is they're doing
some kind of damaged folk-blues, really what delivers is downer pop at its best—uncomfortable, unsound, and
immediately satisfying.
ZOLA JESUS “Stridulum” (Sacred Bones - SBR 032) CD
ZOLA JESUS “Stridulum” (Sacred Bones - SBR 032) 12”
***BACK IN STOCK!!! ”The far less lo-fi six-song EP from NIKA ROZA DANILOVA. Recording her vocals for the
first time with professional instruments, Nika’s voice is brought to the powerful forefront of the mix unleashing the
full range of emotions that had previously only been hinted at in her previous work. It’s a siren song for the
apocalypse, which manages to come across immensely nurturing at the same time.” Received an 8.1 rating from
Pitchfork.
v/a “AFRO-BEAT AIRWAYS” (Analog Africa - AACD 068) DBL.CD
LES RALLIZES DENUDES “Blind Baby Has Its Mother’s Eyes” (Phoenix - ASH 3035) LP
***Legendary Japanese rock outfit LES RALLIZES DENUDES were formed in 1967 and incredibly, for a
group that had only one official release (Oz Days Live, a double vinyl compilation release in 1973), played their last gig
almost 30 years later in October 1996. The band's name apparently means "fucked up and naked," which more than
adequately describes their music. Formed by band leader MIZUTANI TAKASHI, the music remained remarkably
familiar over the years, and is best described as high volume, raw, lo-fi, repetitive, feedback-drenched guitar-noise
fests with nods in the direction of The Velvet Underground and Blues Creation, but without the electronics. Radical
left-wing politics were never far from the band's agenda, with one original band member (WAKABAYASHI) being
involved in the Japanese Red Army's hijacking of a flight to North Korea. Consequently, the group's live appearances
became less frequent and increasingly clandestine. All the band's albums were released in very small quantities, and
because of the group's reputation for secrecy and violence, as well as the difficulty in tracking down their recordings,
Les Rallizes Denudés has assumed almost mythical status. Blind Baby Has Its Mother's Eyes sits at #11 on Julian Cope's
list of top Japanese albums.
LES RALLIZES DENUDES “Heavier Than A Death In The Family” (Phoenix - ASH 3037) DBL.LP
***Phoenix Records releases the oft-bootlegged Heavier Than A Death In The
Family by legendary Japanese rock/psychedelic noise band LES RALLIZES DENUDES. This "album" is in fact, a
blistering assemblage of live performances (all recorded in 1977, except for "People Can Choose," which was recorded
in 1973) which sits at an esteemed #3 position on Julian Cope's Japrocksampler top 50 list. Reverb so heavy, it will
split your frontal lobe in two.
BLACK MOUNTAIN “Wilderness Heart” (Jagjaguwar - JAG 175) CD
***Wilderness Heart, the new album by BLACK MOUNTAIN, is packed with succinct rock songs that pulse and pound
with startling precision: it pummels you and you ask for more. This is arguably the band’s tightest, most concentrated
venture, but there’s still plenty of raw rock energy at work. Received a 7.4 rating from Pitchfork.
MICE PARADE “What it Means To Be Left-Handed” (Fat Cat - FAT 0101) CD
***Part children's cartoon, part career retrospective, What It Means To Be Left-Handed is the first MICE
PARADE album to be released in the band's second decade of existence. Diverging from the pop sensibilities of Mice
Parade's most recent successes—Bem-Vinda Vontade and Mice Parade—it is a fresh adventure, all over the map and
awash in color; splashes of West-African Highlife mingle with Flamenco, Brazilian Jazz, and the late ‘80s indie rock
that band founder ADAM PIERCE was stuck on in high school. Featuring members of the band’s globally-scattered
touring outfit—vocalist CAROLINE LUFKIN, drummer DOUG SCHARIN (REX, CODEINE, HiM), and classical
guitarist DAN LIPPEL—as well as guests like Swahili vocalist SOMI and Meredith GODREAU of GREGORY & THE
HAWK—What It Means To Be Left-Handed showcases the intricate sonics, joyful audio experimentation, and expansive
worldview that make Mice Parade one of the most compelling ensembles of our time.
ELUVIUM “Leaves Eclipse The Light” (Temporary Residence Ltd - TRR 164) CD
***Following the release of the artistically daring and critically acclaimed Similes earlier this year,
TRR is proud to present Leaves Eclipse The Light EP, a scarcely limited CDEP featuring the stunning opening track
from Similes, plus two brand new exclusive tracks. “Leaves Eclipse The Light” is a gorgeous, laconic piece of ambient
pop that Alternative Press called “breathtaking.” Following that is “A Life In Tides Less Current,” an 11-minute
instrumental in which your mind is taken on the kind of self-reflective, nostalgic journey that made ELUVIUM’s Talk
Amongst The Trees album the cherished treasure that it is. Closing this EP is the incredible, long-awaited remix of “The
Motion Makes Me Last” by electronic/dance icon FOUR TET. Tucked away on the Enhanced CD portion of this EP is
the awe-striking “The Motion Makes Me Last” video directed by acclaimed filmmaker MATT MCCORMICK (The
Shins, Some Days Are Better Than Others). Strictly limited to 2,000 copies and featuring an exquisite custom die-cut
cover.
MAJEURE “Timespan” (Temporary Residence Ltd - TRR 145) DBL.CD
***MAJEURE is the alter ego of ZOMBI drummer A.E. PATERRA, and Timespan is its debut release. Taking the term
“full-length” quite literally, the album is made up of three epic side-long journeys through time and space. Merging
the darkness of Vangelis’ Blade Runner-era Moog-driven scores and the stately minimalism of Steve Reich and Philip
Glass with the relentless drive of Can and Silver Apples, Timespan delivers inspiring sci-fi disco of the highest caliber.
Written, recorded and painstakingly produced by Paterra over an 18-month period, Majeure is unique in its careful
collaboration of live and electronic sounds. Anchored by Paterra’s sturdy, propulsive live drums, each song uses
layers of analogue synthesizers to masterfully craft extended compositions that virtually stop time before speeding it
up, culminating in countless moments of genuine majesty.
MEGAFAUN “Heretofore” (Hometapes - HT 037) CD
***Across its first two LPs—2008’s Bury the Square on Table of the Elements and Gather, Form and Fly, the band’s
Hometapes debut—MEGAFAUN did nothing if not test the boundaries of its comforts. JOE WESTERLUND and
brothers BRAD and PHIL COOK found rarified intersections between bedrock folk and howling drone, between
primal blues and cascading feedback, between canyon rock and warped field recordings. Heretofore, a mini-album
and Megafaun’s third release in as many years, is yet another articulation of the band’s evolved Americana
vernacular. Rather than push the boundaries with sonic plundering or structural pillaging, however, Heretofore finds
Megafaun pairing five of its most concise, communicative songs to date with its most challenging, compelling
experiment ever, a radiant and redemptive 13-minute instrumental called “Comprovisation for Connor Pass.”
ELECTRIC SUNSET “s/t” (K Records - KLP 221) CD
***Affected noises and guitar lines dance around the mist creating a current of shiny sounds, all underlined by a pulse
of Rock and Roll. ELECTRIC SUNSET is a new, solo project from NIC ZWART. The debut album, Electric Sunset is a
distillation of ambient music into spiky pop songs with loud synthetic percussion and muscular bass lines. The
descriptions of loss, love, fear and self discovery coincide with the stops and starts of moving down the coast from the
Pacific Northwest to San Francisco. Old memories rising through the windshield, new promises illuminated by
headlights. Using synthesizers, guitar, modified samplers and computers, Zwart recorded this project alone while on
hiatus from his previous band, DESOLATION WILDERNESS. Both projects have emerged as expansive expressions
of movement; recordings about new places, the infinite possibilities afforded by never staying still long enough to
take root. Now, he is primed to take Electric Sunset on the road following paths already traveled, and creating new
ones, existing as an electric hum on the highway.
RANIL Y SU CONJUNTO TROPICAL “Ranil’s Jungle Party” (Masstropicas/Light In The Attic - TROPIC 04) LP
***With this release, Masstropicas begins its fascinating journey through time
into 1970s Peru. Peruvian cumbia, the heartbeat of the nation that was and is loved by millions, has been rescued and
is now being lovingly introduced to North American audiences. There’s no better way to start than with the hypnotic
electric guitars of the jungle, fabulously played by RANIL & HIS TROPCIAL BAND. The band originally hails from
the Belen district of Iquitos, nestled within the heart of the Amazonian rainforest. The town is famous for being
flooded for several months, transforming it into a steamy South American Venice; this undoubtedly influences its
people and their music. During our journey, you’ll enjoy the different sounds of jungle music we bring to your stereo.
Mix a bit of lush greenery, cool waters, surging heat, sweat, joy, and psychedelia—Ranil & His Tropical Band are the
final product. One-time pressing of 1,000 copies.
BLACK SUGAR “Black Sugar” (Secret Stash - SSR LP 276) LP
***Peruvian funk/soul outfit, BLACK SUGAR has become one of the most popular bands you’ve never heard. They
only released two LPs between ’71 and ’72, but word of their inimitable sound has quietly spread and recently their
albums have become a holy grail of sorts for collectors the world over. Their current underground popularity can
likely be credited to not only their ability to play American funk as well as anyone (and sing in English), but also the
uniqueness of their sound. With driving percussion, powerful key boards, and beautiful melodies, Black Sugar
artfully mixed Latin jazz with American funk and soul to create one amazing sound. In April of 2010, when Secret
Stash Records traveled to Lima, Peru in search of rare music to reissue on vinyl, finding an album like Black Sugar’s
self titled debut LP was about as good a find that we could have ever hoped to make. Now we’ve partnered with
Lazarus Productions to bring you this vinyl reissue.
PETER HOWELL & JOHN FERDINANDO “Tomorrow Come Someday” (Acme/Lion Productions - ACLN 1016)
CD+DVD
***The second release (1969) from the home studio of
future BBC Radiophonic Workshop composer PETER HOWELL and his musical partner JOHN FERDINANDO,
makers of legendary albums under the names Alice Through the Looking Glass, Ithaca, Agincourt, and Friends. This
private press album was recorded as the soundtrack for an underground film production by (later to be) renowned
television director Ian Hamilton: Tomorrow Come Someday. The soundtrack album, now presented from the master
tapes, was originally pressed up in a tiny quantity for friends and people involved in the production; certainly no
more than 70-80 copies were made. So what do we find here? A concept piece revolving around a village threatened
by motorway expansion, and the efforts of short-skirted guitar-slinging young painter Emma Stacey and a local boy
to save the day, and perhaps preserve their growing love. The film is described on the album jacket as “a musical
comedy, shot on location in the Sussex village of Lurgashall, during August 1969,” which of course, doesn’t begin to
tell the tale. Think perhaps of the Kinks’ Village Green Preservation Society characters come to life. See for yourself! For
this is both the compact disc and DVD debut of Tomorrow Come Someday, film and soundtrack, together at last in a
double-disc set. Chunky booklet with plentiful photos gives the full story.
WILLIAM PARKER “I Plan To Stay A Believer - The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield” (Aum Fidelity - AUM 062/63)
DBL.CD
***Bassist/composer WILLIAM PARKER is among the most
active and highly regarded musicians performing today. The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield is the first project in his 35-
year career devoted to the music of another composer; here Parker interpolates the mighty Mayfield songbook with
an equally mighty 8-piece band. Curtis Mayfield was a prophet, a preacher, a revolutionary, a humanist, and a griot.
Words that all apply to William Parker himself. I Plan To Stay A Believer is the definitive document of this project, with
fully exuberant performances of each piece drawn from concert recordings spanning the past decade. Included are
two pieces from the group's very first 2001 performance in Paris with a chorus of 90 children, and another pair from
New York in 2008 which feature a full gospel choir. The group features all long-standing compatriots of Parker's: the
peerless rhythm section of Parker and drummer HAMID DRAKE, along with elder masters DAVE BURRELL on
piano and poet/activist AMIRI BARAKA. The horn section features saxophonists SABIR MATEEN & DARRYL
FOSTER, and trumpeter LEWIS BARNES. Deeply soulful singer LEENA CONQUEST is equally/exquisitely featured
in/on Parker's Raining on the Moon Group/Corn Meal Dance album.
DAVID S. WARE “Onecept” (Aum Fidelity - AUM 064) CD
***The recording and release of Onecept celebrates DAVID S. WARE’s 50th year of singular and profound saxophone
artistry; a studio session specifically arranged for same featuring Ware on three horns: saxello, stritch, tenor along
with fellow musical masters WILLIAM PARKER on bass and WARREN SMITH on drums and tympani. Unlike most
every previous album he has made, there was no rehearsal for this session; the songs/streams were created fully in
the moment of creation, trusting in collective skill to manifest the majesty. Onecept is an impeccable entry in the
oeuvre of his recorded works.
Newly Available:
BLONDE REDHEAD “Fake Can Be Just As Good” (Touch And Go - TG 169) LP
BLONDE REDHEAD “Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons” (Touch And Go - TG 216) LP
DON CABALLERO “For Respect” (Touch And Go - TG 20) LP
SHELLAC “At Action Park” (Touch And Go - TG 141) LP
SLINT “Tweez” (Touch And Go - TG 138) LP
Seven Inches:
NOBUNNY “Brace Face” (Douchemaster - DMR 041) 7
***NOBUNNY’s oral fixation reaches fever pitch with "Brace Face" and "Your Mouth." Also includes an awesome
cover of Moto's "It tastes just like a Milkshake." You know him, you love him, and you're just a little weirded out by
him. 1,000 pressed.
GENTLEMAN JESSE “She’s a Trap” (Douchemaster - DMR 040) 7"
***These two tracks are a couple of teasers for what we truly believe is going to be an incredible rock n roll LP.
Vintage Jesse RNR with "She's a Trap." He slows it down a bit on the B side with "I Won't Say Goodbye." Look for him
in your city soon as he is currently touring his ass off. 1,000 pressed.
TALBOT ADAMS “Jack and Jesse” (Douchemaster - DMR 042)
***TALBOT ADAMS was the front man for THE BLACK AND WHITES. With the birth of his twin boys, Talbot had
to keep the noise down a bit and wrote some quieter stuff. Super sweet and frankly touching stuff from former wild
man turned dad. He does it Douche Master style with four songs all under two minutes. Packed full of Talbot's
patented male oooohhhs. 500 pressed.
FLUFFY LUMBERS “Harry Dolland’s” (Group Tightener - GTO 04) 7"
***FLUFFY LUMBERS is the project of SAMUEL FRANKLIN (BIG TROUBLES) hailing from the oddly prolific
musical hub of Ridgewood, New Jersey (home to Vivian Girls, Real Estate, Titus Andronicus, Julian Lynch, etc).
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