Tuesday, January 26, 2010

((( EVENTS ))) HOTT LAVA III wsg Chicago Underground Duo, Ann Arbor Soul Club + EXPLODE INTO COLORS!

HOTT LAVA III wsg CHICAGO UNDERGROUND DUO - Friday, February 5 @ YELLOW BARN
*** One-and-a-half hours of the brainbending, the hair raising, the beguiling & gnarly tempered with that mysterious & otherworldly SOMETHING. Mini-epics & contemporary monsters are the name of the game. Plus a performance by Thrill Jockey artists CHICAGO UNDERGROUND DUO!
Facebook event link: http://bit.ly/6r5PCx
Yellow Barn / 416 W Huron, A2 / 8PM / $8

ANN ARBOR SOUL CLUB - Friday, February 5 @ BLIND PIG
*** Robert Wells, Brad Hales, Breck Bunce & Aaron Anderson play the finest Northern Soul, r&b, modern, Motown, etc. you will never hear on the radio or pretty much anywhere else. Always, always a good time.
Blind Pig / 208 S. First, A2 / 9:30PM / $5

EXPLODE INTO COLORS wsg Tyvek - Sunday, February 7 @ YELLOW BARN
*** Seriously, the best new band to hit the world in at least one calendar year is making their Michigan debut in Ann Arbor. Three thrilling females that sound a touch like Liquid Liquid will boil your blood. Detroit's excellent TYVEK plays + spins by Forest Juziuk & Brett Lyman.
Facebook event link: http://bit.ly/57IskK
Yellow Barn / 416 W Huron, A2 / 8PM / $5

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Thrill Jockey limited jams, Tape, Beach House & more

BEACH HOUSE Teen Dream LP+DVD+MP3 / CD+DVD
*** "Teen Dream gives voice to a full universe of unbridled imagination, and the manifestation of Teen Dream has been a welcomed and all-consuming obsession for Beach House the past 9-12 months." Vinyl includes free MP3 download.

CHICAGO UNDERGROUND DUO Boca Negra LP+MP3 / CD
*** "Powerful grooves along with ambient sound structures, folk song simplicity and polyrhythmic bursts of energy with lyrical melodic vignettes. CUD is Rob Mazurek (Exploding Star Orchestra, Isotope 217) and Chad Taylor (Fred Anderson, Iron and Wine)."

JOAN OF ARC Don't Mind Control 2xLP+MP3 / CD
*** "41+ members strong the Joan of Arc extended family comes together for 18 exclusive songs curated by Joan of Arc frontman Tim Kinsella. New songs by Tim Kinsella, Owen, Ghosts and Vodka (ex-Cap n Jazz), Euphone and many more. All bands feature members who have played in Joan of Arc at one time or another. Deluxe 2 x LP vinyl edition includes double gatefold cover, digital download of the album, and 18 x 24 poster. Limited edition of 500 on green vinyl.

LICHENS / LEXIE MOUNTAIN Split LP
*** "Electric guitar, loop pedals, voice, cut-ups & more make up two loooooong psychedelic-soul hollers from Robert A.A. Lowe's Lichens project and Alexandra Macchi, aka Lexie Mountain." Limited to 500 copies.

ROBERT A.A. LOWE & ROSE LAZAR Eclipses LP+MP3
*** RECOMMENDED "Rose Lazar's art graces the music of Robert A.A. Lowe (aka LICHENS). The music was recorded at home by Lowe utilizing semi-modular and polyphonic analogue synthesizers & it's beyond natural terrestrial landscapes into those slightly more cosmic or alien." Limited to 750 copies + free MP3 download.

MI AMI Towers Fall 12"
*** BACK IN STOCK! Using Shackleton's now-seminal 'Blood On My Hands' as a source/jumping-off point, Mi Ami take a lateral step away from the visceral punch of their live show, marrying slowly unfolding polyrhythmic grooves and washes of oceanic bass to a long-form synth-and-drum machines workout."

OOIOO Armonico Hewa LP / CD
*** BACK IN STOCK!

PIT ER PAT The Flexible Entertainer LP+MP3 / CD
*** Pit Er Pat is now a duo, recording live & incorporating electronic and acoustic drums seamlessly. The energy is high and exhilarating. Play it at high volume for the best listening results. The instrumentation is electric guitar, synthesizer, voices, kick drum, snare drum, crash cymbal, hi hat, MPC, melodica, conga and cuica."

TAPE Luminarium LP+MP3
*** RECOMMENDED "Taking cues both from pop, experimentalism and minimalism their sound has become recognized internationally and is clearly something of its own. Working intuitive, all by themselves, they created mini symphonies out of electronic sounds paired with a stunning melodic lyricism. With an array of electronic and acoustic instruments at hand they recorded at a small stone barn on the island of Öland, east of Sweden. Luminarium is Tape's fourth album and it was recorded in their Summa studio in Stockholm. The album was released on CD by Häpna in 2008. Immune is proud to release the album on vinyl for the first time."

TAPE & BILL WELLS Fugue LP
*** "TAPE joins legendary Scottish musician Bill Wells (Isobel Campbell, The National Jazz Trio Of Scotland). Tape have been playing their unique blend of pop, experimentalism, and minimalism since 2000." Limited to 900 copies + free MP3 download.

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Beach House, Animal Collective, Four Tet and so much more. Dang!

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE Campfire Songs CD
*** "Paw Tracks is proud to present the reissue of Animal Collective's 2003 album Campfire Songs, a record not of songs sung around a campfire, but songs emerging from the fire itself."

BEACH HOUSE Teen Dream LP+DVD+MP3 / CD+DVD
*** RECOMMENDED "Teen Dream gives voice to a full universe of unbridled imagination, and the manifestation of Teen Dream has been a welcomed and all-consuming obsession for Beach House the past 9-12 months."

CHICAGO UNDERGROUND DUO Boca Negra LP+MP3 / CD
*** "Powerful grooves along with ambient sound structures, folk song simplicity and polyrhythmic bursts of energy with lyrical melodic vignettes. CUD is Rob Mazurek (Exploding Star Orchestra, Isotope 217) and Chad Taylor (Fred Anderson, Iron and Wine)."

FOUR TET There Is Love In You CD
*** There Is Love In You is Four Tet's first full-length album in over four years and is his fifth album to date.

CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG IRM CD
*** "What started as a brief recording session between Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck ended up to be the body of work that is IRM. Beck's role grew to encompass all aspects of the creative process. He worked seamlessly with Charlotte co-writing the lyrics and produced and mixed the recording."

PATTY GRIFFIN Downtown Church CD
*** "Downtown Church is a collection of Gospel-infused songs produced by longtime friend, bandmate and acclaimed producer Buddy Miller. Downtown Church brings to life Gospel songs that have influenced contemporary music in a way that only Patty Griffin can do."

JOAN OF ARC Don't Mind Control 2xLP+MP3 / CD
*** "41+ members strong the Joan of Arc extended family comes together for 18 exclusive songs curated by Tim Kinsella. New songs by Tim Kinsella, Owen, Ghosts and Vodka (ex-Cap n Jazz), Euphone and many more. All bands feature members who have played in Joan of Arc at one time or another. Deluxe 2 x LP vinyl edition includes double gatefold cover, digital download of the album, and 18 x 24 poster. Limited edition of 500 on green vinyl.

LOS CAMPESINOS Romance Is Boring CD
*** "The ambitious 'fully realized' new album by Los Campesinos! is bigger, deeper, more complex and direct than anything Los Campesinos! has recorded to date. Added brass, strings, drum machines and electronics, and guest spots from the likes of Jamie Stewart (XIU XIU), and members of PARENTHETICAL GIRLS and THE DEAD SCIENCE, it is nothing if not ambitious."

MAGNETIC FIELDS Realism CD
*** "Realism is the flipside to the industrial pop of Distortion and its sound is as pristine as a plein-air painting. There are no drum kits to be heard, and the fascinatingly varied instrumentation - guitars, accordions, violins, cellos, tablas, banjos, tuba, even a smattering of mellifluous falling leaves - did not need to be plugged in."

PAT METHENY Orchestrion CD
*** "Metheny + a visionary team of inventors = a veritable made-to-order solenoid orchestra that includes, among other things, bass, pianos, percussion, marimbas, guitar-bots, and a mellifluous cabinet of carefully tuned bottles all controlled by Metheny." It sounds crazy. Look it up.

OWEN PALLETT Heartland CD
*** "The 3rd Final Fantasy full-length is a fully orchestral record, designed to exist simultaneously as an album, a 45-minute piece of orchestral music and a set of songs for looped violin and voice."

PIT ER PAT The Flexible Entertainer LP+MP3 / CD
*** Pit Er Pat is now a duo, recording live & incorporating electronic and acoustic drums seamlessly. The energy is high and exhilarating. Play it at high volume for the best listening results. The instrumentation is electric guitar, synthesizer, voices, kick drum, snare drum, crash cymbal, hi hat, MPC, melodica, conga and cuica."


Wazoo Records
336 1/2 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

734.761.8686
wazoorecords@hotmail.com

wazoorecs.com
twitter.com/wazoorecords
myspace.com/wazoorecords
facebook.com/wazoorecords

Friday, January 22, 2010

((( EVENTS ))) HOTT LAVA III wsg Chicago Underground Duo + Ann Arbor Soul Club

HOTT LAVA III wsg CHICAGO UNDERGROUND DUO - Friday, February 5 @ YELLOW BARN
*** One-and-a-half hours of the brainbending, the hair raising, the beguiling & gnarly tempered with that mysterious & otherworldly SOMETHING. Mini-epics & contemporary monsters are the name of the game. Plus a performance by Thrill Jockey artists CHICAGO UNDERGROUND DUO!
Facebook event link: http://bit.ly/6r5PCx
Yellow Barn / 416 W Huron, A2 / 8PM / $8

ANN ARBOR SOUL CLUB - Friday, February 5 @ BLIND PIG
*** Robert Wells, Brad Hales, Breck Bunce & Aaron Anderson play the finest Northern Soul, r&b, modern, Motown, etc. you will never hear on the radio or pretty much anywhere else. Always, always a good time.
Blind Pig / 208 S. First, A2 / 9:30PM / $5

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Neon Indian, Broken Bells, Oh Sees, SUNN0))), Ty Segall & more

BROKEN BELLS The High Road 7"
*** James Mercer of THE SHINS paired up with DANGER MOUSE & dropped what is probably not a Benny Goodman cover.

LINDSTROM & CHRISTABELLE Real Life Is No Cool LP / CD
*** "CHRISTABELLE (aka SOLALE) teams with LINDSTROM to create an edgy disco-pop album of structured chaos and hypnotic beats. Lindstrom provided the structure for Christabelle to let loose and improvise most of the lyrics on the spot while they jammed."

NEON INDIAN Psychic Chasms LP / CD
*** NOW ON VINYL

THEE OH SEES Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In LP
*** "Sounding a bit like The Mamas & The Papas run through a seriously bent garage blender, this record marked the first recorded appearance of the newly harder rocking version of the band and was immediately met with an enthusiastic response by fans and rock scribes."

PIXELTAN Yamerarena 12"
*** "Pixeltan's latest effort takes a page -- or at least a few notes -- from Larry Levan's Paradise Garage disco songbook, shows an appreciation for ESG, adds layers of dynamic percussive elements, and go from sweetly menacing to raw-throated screams in a moment's notice. Drummer Hisham Bharoocha formerly played with both Black Dice and Lightning Bolt, and Yoneta and bass player Devin Flynn are ex-members of Plate Tectonics."

Q&A Tumbling Cubes 12"
*** "A svelte piece of Detroit-inspired electro -- a lean charge where Mr. Fingers meets Telex and Carl Craig at the Hacienda -- and a taut piece of flabby dirty disco, a dark cavern of sinister cool that comes off like a Padded Cell edit of Patrick Adams remixed by Andrew Weatherall."

TY SEGALL & MIKAL CRONIN Reverse Shark Attack LP
*** TY SEGALL and MIKAL CRONIN bust out a ten-track delight of psychedelic danceable garage rock and effects-ridden psychedelia -- a mind-blowing explosion of loud guitars, pounding rhythms and signature vocal harmonies. The B-side is a single 10-minute Beatles-esque medley that starts off weird, gets mellow and folky, then explodes into a Ventures-induced headache of smashed drums and wildly vibrant surf guitars." 1,000 copies.

SUNN0))) Domkirke 2xLP
SUNN0))) Oracle LP

*** BACK IN STOCK!

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Sun Ra!, RJD2, Lindstrom, Dengue Fever selects Cambodian rockrs

v/a BEARDED LADIES CD
*** Fifteen homegrown selections of forlorn and freakish female songsmiths from the past four decades. Includes music from WENDY & BONNIE, SUSAN CHRISTIE, BRIGITTE FONTAINE, JANE WEAVER, EMMA TRICCA, LIGHTS, and CATE LE BON.

v/a DENGUE FEVER Presents Electric Cambodia CD
*** RECOMMENDED "1960s and '70s independent Cambodia was a period of rapid modernization that not only influenced music, architecture, sculpture, painting, dance & cinema. For many, it was Cambodia's own artistic renaissance, a time pointing to a hopeful future brought to a sudden end when the Khmer Rouge took control in 1975 and brutally attempted to destroy any trace of modern society. Sadly, while many of the recordings of modern Cambodian rock and roll survived, most of the artists who created it did not. DENGUE FEVER has compiled their favorite Cambodian rock and roll from many different cassette tapes. The great music you'll find here is a testament to the spirit of a modern Cambodia that existed not so long ago, and should be remembered today."

v/a HARMONIC SERIES: A Compilation Of Works In Just Intonation CD
*** "The Harmonic Series is a compilation of musical works in Just Intonation created by three generations of contemporary composers who utilize this tuning system compiled to educate listeners about the origins and use of Just Intonation, as well as to portray the unique beauty of this tonal 'color palette,' which is heard by relatively few in the Western world and explored by even fewer. Although all the artists on the compilation work within the avant-garde/experimental genre, each artist lends something unique to the collection, and each employs a different approach toward how to utilize Just Intonation." Feat. PAULINE OLIVEROS, ELLEN FULLMAN, CHARLES CURTIS, MICHAEL HARRISON, GREG DAVIS, R. KEENAN LAWLER, Duane Pitre, THERESA WONG and ZACHARY JAMES WATKINS.

v/a SOFT SOUNDS FOR GENTLE PEOPLE Vol. 5 CD
*** "The fifth installment in Pet’s series featuring the loving sounds of California and beyond circa 1966-1969. Features twenty-one sunshiney tracks from STIX & STONZ, THE JOHNNYS, MOUSE, RAINY DAZE, PEOPLE, WELLS AND FARGO, THINGS TO COME, ROMAN CHARIOT, DELICATE BALANCE, BENTLEY ROAD, CHARTER MEMBERS, CARNIVAL, THE PHOENIX TROLLEY, MISTY MORN, DEVIL’S BRIGADE, SANDALS, LOLLIPOP FANTASY, FLOWER POT, CAPES OF GOOD HOPE, 1ST CENTURY, and FRATERNITY OF MAN."

LINDSTROM & CHRISTABELLE Real Life Is No Cool LP / CD
*** "CHRISTABELLE (aka SOLALE) teams with LINDSTROM to create an edgy disco-pop album of structured chaos and hypnotic beats. Lindstrom provided the structure for Christabelle to let loose and improvise most of the lyrics on the spot while they jammed."

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW Greetings From Wawa CD
*** First album reissued!

REAL ESTATE Real Estate CD
*** "REAL ESTATE waft in on vibes of hazy summers past, reveling in the fleeting waves of freedom that eked in once classes broke and the sun lingered a little longer over suburban roofs, lifting the most sun streaked moments from The Feelies and Yo La Tengo and filtering them through the kaleidoscope of memories aimless drives through parched neighborhood streets."

RJD2 The Colossus LP / CD
*** Fourth studio album from 'one of the few DJs who seems like an artist rather than just a record collector.'

TY SEGALL Ty Segall CD
*** "Classic ‘60s pop-meets-California surf to a fast tempo that pushes the boundaries of punk. While the lo-fi claustrophobia keeps the undercurrent harsh and real, the upbeat melodies and psychedelic, reverb-laden vocals keep it buoyant and hypnotic. Here, Ty Segall is truly a one-man band: he plays a bass drum with a tambourine duct-taped to the front and a hi hat with his feet, guitar with his hands, and sings simultaneously. The result is a “what you see is what you get” whirlwind of energy, best framed within a house party while under the influence."

SUN RA Interplanetary Melodies CD
SUN RA Rocket Ship Rock CD
SUN RA Second Stop Is Jupiter CD

*** "Norton took a rocket ride into the vaults of El Saturn Research and arrived back on Earth with a motherlode of unissued early R&B, doo wop, soul and general weirdness featuring SUN RA and his ARKESTRA backing a variety of artists. This series consists of two albums of “Doo Wop from Saturn and Beyond” and a set of totally twisted sides called Rocket Ship Rock featuring YOCHANAN, 'The Outer Space Vocalist.' Atomic outer space genius from yet another Norton turban headed star!"

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Yeasayer, Tune--Yards, MF DOOM, Disappears & more

BEAT HAPPENING Jamboree LP
BEAT HAPPENING You Turn Me On LP

*** BACK IN STOCK!

BLACK FLAG My War LP
BLACK FLAG Everything Went Black 2xLP

*** BACK IN STOCK!

CAMPFIRES Stormy Late Fall 7"
*** "Rugged, outdoorsy lo-fi pop anthems, tailor-made for sunny autumn days. These are the songs that were conjured up from somewhere in middle America, where you spend your nights loitering in your cabin smoking weed with a peeling Jim Morrison poster and faded Who banner, while your buddies try and banter out some tunes on homemade instruments. 500 pressed."

VIC CHESNUTT North Star Deserter 2xLP / CD
VIC CHESNUTT At The Cut LP+CD+POSTER / CD

*** BACK IN STOCK!

DISAPPEARS Live Over The Rainbo LP+MP3
*** RECOMMENDED! Drawing on a combined reverence for reverb, heavy tremolo, delay and repetition, DISAPPEARS play minimal rock music inspired by everything from Krautrock to The Staples Singers to punk to CCR." Featuring members of 90 DAY MEN and THE PONYS. Colored vinyl / limited to 500 copies.

LUCKY DRAGONS Widows LP / CD
LUCKY DRAGONS Dream Island Laughing Language LP / CD

*** BACK IN STOCK!

MF DOOM Gaziillion-ear EP 12"
*** Remixes by THOM YORKE, DR. WHO DAT?, JNEIRO JAREL, and DAVE SITEK.

THE MICROPHONES The Glow Pt. 2 3xLP
*** BACK IN STOCK!

MOUNT EERIE Wind's Poem 2xLP
*** BACK IN STOCK! RECOMMENDED!

BENOIT PIOULARD Flocks 7"
*** Two long and gorgeous exclusive tracks (a song, "Maginot," and the dense ambient track "Alaskan Lashes") from KRANKY RECORDS' Benoit Pioulard, released on yellow vinyl by Windy & Carl. Limited! Don't sleep on this beautiful release.

TUNE-YARDS Bird-Brains LP+MP3
*** NOW ON VINYL!

VAMPIRE WEEKEND Contra LP+MP3 / 2xCD
*** Perhaps you've heard of them! These fellows have tightened that stuff up & are making it *happen* all over the U.S.A.

WHITE SHIT Sculpted Beef LP
*** RECOMMENDED "White Shit is the mastermind of Andy Coronado (MONORCHID, WRANGLER BRUTES) along with Jared Warren (KARP, BIG BUSINESS, MELVINS), Cody Willis (MURDER CITY DEVILS, BIG BUSINESS, MELVINS), and TITS on bass. An absolute hardcore crossover faster than sludge piece of work."

YEASAYER Ambling Alp 12"
*** "A stand out from their recent live set w/ remixes by friends Memory Tapes and DJ/rupture."

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Vampire Weekend, Nick Cave, Collections of Colonies of Bees & more

NICK CAVE & WARREN ELLIS The Road OST CD
*** "Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have created an evocative score featuring violin and piano with beautiful fleeting melodies and eerie sound loops filled with terror and suspense. The threat of all-too-real cannibal gangs is heightened by disturbing loops and frenetic percussion. A small ensemble of wind instruments adds further scope. At key moments in the movie, scenes between the father and son are set to musical passages that are light, lyrical and elegiac."

RHYS CHATHAM An Angel Moves Too Fast To See CD
*** "RHYS CHATHAM altered the DNA of rock with an inspired amalgamation the textural intricacies of the avant-garde colliding with the visceral punch of electric guitar-slinging punk rock. Raucous and ecstatic, this sound energized the downtown New York scene throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, prefigured the No Wave movement and cast a huge influence over the subsequent work of many."

COLLECTIONS OF COLONIES OF BEES Birds CD
*** RECOMMENDED "Collections of Colonies of Bees sweep in grandly, in billowing swarms of sound, bourn aloft on a thousand wings of minuscule, elegant detail. Guitars chime and soar; deft yet intensely focused percussion propels towards an inevitable dawn; covering it all is a gossamer veil of subtly nuanced electronica." These fellows are the band in VOLCANO CHOIR.

ELVIS COSTELLO Live At Hollywood High, June 4, 1978 CD
*** "First ever release of this historic 1978 concert! 20 songs, 11 previously unreleased."

ARRINGTON de DIONYSO Malaikat dan Singa CD
*** RECOMMENDED "Malaikat Dan Singa is a collection of throbbing, hallucinogenic, trance-inducing Indonesian-sung trans-utopian cosmic post-punk sounds from OLD TIME RELIJUN's Arrington de Dionyso. And you can dance to it."

DIRTY PROJECTORS Slaves' Graves & Ballads CD
*** "Slaves' Graves and Ballads presents classical and pop music's bodies-entwined, souls-commingled wedding, with extended families abiding. Contains shrubs-at-the-edge-of-the-lot imagery."

VAMPIRE WEEKEND Contra LP+MP3 / 2xCD
*** Perhaps you've heard of them! These fellows have tightened that stuff up & are making it *happen* all over the U.S.A.