Thursday, July 17, 2008

(( RECOMMENDED )) Andrew Pekler's Cue

ANDREW PEKLER Cue CD
"Inspired by library music and the anonymous composers and musicians who create it, ANDREW PEKLER conceived and produced Cue. Starting from short expository phrases setting forth a track's instrumentation, mood and development (reproduced on the back cover), Pekler attempted to construct pieces to fit these specific criteria. On the whole it is a vibrant, playful album with the occasional somber passage providing some contrast to the predominantly ebullient tone. Piano and analog synthesizer sounds abound while percussion (when used) is typically reduced to a minimum of tom toms, bells and unidentified noises."

Following some beat-heavy work, Pekler has stripped it down and started from the ground up with something a little stranger, a bit more peculiar.... Thankfully, the greatness of the work can be measured in spades. Sounding something like an updated BBC Radiophonic Library workshop; textures bubble up and ring out, patterns shifting over one another in a warm analog playscape.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Metallica re-issue + My Morning Jackey

METALLICA Master Of Puppets 2xLP
METALLICA Master Of Puppets LP
*** Hot shit! Either get it on double-LP 45rpm wickedness or be, well, kind of lame and get it on a single straight up 33rpm disc.

MY MORNING JACKET Okonokos 4xLP
*** NOW ON VINYL! The semi-out-of-print live album by one of today's finer bands is now available on a superhuman quadruple vinyl set.

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Holy Steady, Nas, Dennis Wilson

HOLD STEADY Stay Positive CD
*** "Follow up to their critically acclaimed album 'Boys and Girls In America.' 3 bonus tracks in limited edition packaging."

NAS Nas CD
*** Looks like he didn't get the "go ahead" on that other title! "Features the new single 'Hero' produced by POLOW DA DON. Featuring CHRIS BROWN and THE GAME."

DENNIS WILSON Pacific Ocean Blue 2xCD
*** The new low-priced "non-fancy" edition.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Fiery Furnaces back-in-print and Ratatat

FIERY FURNACES Gallowsbird's Bark LP+MP3
FIERY FURNACES Blueberry Boat LP+MP3
*** BACK IN PRINT! Includes coupon for high-quality mp3s of the album.

RATATAT Lp3 LP+MP3 | CD
*** "Having toured relentlessly and opened for the likes of Daft Punk and Bjork, LP3 came together over the course of just a few weeks in October and November of last year. Mike's characteristic guitar style is still present on the record but there are an abundance of new textures, from wurlitzer and mellotron, to even live percussion rather than programmed."

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Beck, Patti Smith & Kevin Shields, Jean Grae among other greats

BECK Modern Guilt CD
*** "Modern Guilt is a tightly assembled group of songs that range in lyrical tone from introspection and social commentary to off the cuff wordplay and lighthearted humor. Musically, the album's ten tracks vacillate between economy and experimentation, hybrid and pop classicism, while consistently manifesting Beck and Danger Mouse's shared interest in psych-rock, folk, electronic minimalism and orchestration."

JEAN GRAE Jeanius CD
*** "Blacksmith Music presents Jean Grae and her electrifying and highly anticipated new album "Jeanius", produced by 9TH WONDER. Jean Grae delivers an impressive range of vision that instantly marks her as an extraordinary artist."

ALBERT HAMMOND, JR. Como Te Llama? CD
*** "This is the follow up to Albert's critically acclaimed debut release. Albert Hammond, Jr. is a musician and member of the garage rock band, The Strokes.

MELVINS Nude With Boots CD
*** "Almost 25 years, over 25 albums and still counting. The band still includes founding member King Buzzo and almost founding member Dale Crover, and they STILL have the Big Business guys Jared Warren and Coady Willis playing with them. This is extraordinary considering how hard it is for bass players and others to stick around the Melvins camp for more than two minutes."

RATATAT Lp3 LP | CD
*** "Having toured relentlessly and opened for the likes of Daft Punk and Bjork, LP3 came together over the course of just a few weeks in October and November of last year. Mike's characteristic guitar style is still present on the record but there are an abundance of new textures, from wurlitzer and mellotron, to even live percussion rather than programmed."

PATTI SMITH & KEVIN SHIELDS The Coral Sea 2xCD
*** "Legendary artist Patti Smith and MY BLOODY VALENTINE's Kevin Shields are set to release a double disc set of their live performance of The Coral Sea on their own PASK imprint. The Coral Sea is Patti Smith's posthumous homage to her friend and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and the title to her 1997 book. Kevin Shields accompanies her on guitars and effects and creates a haunting backdrop to the spoken prose."

SON AMBULANCE Someone Else's Deja Vu CD
*** "Their third full-length offers a sharper glimpse into Joseph Knapp's distinct songwriting abilities, and reflects a depth of complexity and dream logic made perfect for a sublime musical experience. A cohesive palette of subtle pop psychedelia encompassing myriad musical genres. Think of an old friend."

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Ghostly & Nomo

SAMI KOIVIKKO Sapphire 12"
*** "Sapphire has that quality of undertow, its a phenomenon if its mesmerizing beauty and its deep compelling power. Following up on his acclaimed work for leibe*detail and Shitkatapult as well as the sublime Paajaasa EP for Spectral Sound, Koivikko perfects his sound here." on GHOSTLY.

NOMO Ghost Rock LP
*** NOW ON VINYL!

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Madlib, Burzum, Ry Cooder and then some, pal!

v/a DISCO ITALIA: Essential Italo Disco Classics 1977-1985 CD
*** "Disco Italia brings together original classics and rarities by some of the genre's leading producers, from Claudio Simonetti and Giancarlo Meo (aka Kasso and Easy Going) to Peter Micioni and Balearic favorite, Tullio De Piscopo. Many tracks appear on CD here for the first time and the album features several exclusive re-edits."

ALKALINE TRIO Agony & Irony CD
*** "Featuring the songs 'Help Me' and 'I Found Away'."

BURZUM Anthology CD
*** Yow! The first domestic anthology by black metal legend Varg Vikernes. Pretty serious.

JACKSON CONTI (MADLIB) Sujinho CD
*** "MADLIB went to Brazil in 2002 to meet Ivan “Mamao” Conti the drummer of the legendary trio AZYMUTH to play him an Azymuth tribute record he recorded. The fruits of this meeting has produced a record featuring the music of Madlib, Mamao, Edu Lobo, Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Luiz Eca, Baden Powell, Vinicius De Moraes, Marcos Valle, Joao Donato, Dom Um Romao, Airto Moreira and even George DukeƉ. Filled with the angularity and edge of a Madlib production and underwritten by the polyrhythmics of Mamao -- Sujinho takes Brasilian music into places it has never been, bringing oft forgotten classics to 21st century ears."

RY COODER I, Flathead: The Songs Of Kash Buk & The Klowns CD
*** "The culmination of his ambitious and fascinating 'California Trilogy.' If you mixed John Steinbeck with, say, Thomas Pynchon, and threw in a bit of Popular Mechanics for good measure, it might read something like the I, Flathead narrative."

DELTRON 3030 Deltron 3030 CD
*** BACK IN PRINT! And not a minute too late!

HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR Hercules And Love Affair CD
*** Pitchfork says "This debut album is a self-contained, self-assured, 10-song set that runs vintage styles through a restless compositional imagination to create something joyfully, startling unique." 9.1/10!

IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE The Third World CD
*** "Revolutionary MC Immortal Technique is back with his new, highly anticipated mixtape/album with DJ Green Lantern. Guest appearances from Ras Kass, Chino XL, Crooked I and Poison Pen."

KLUSTER 1970-1971 3xCD
*** "Founded in 1969, Kluster were originally a trio featuring Conrad Schnitzler, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and Dieter Moebius. During their brief lifespan (before Schnitzler left in 1971 and the duo renamed themselves Cluster) they recorded three LPs, all of which are available here. All three are amazing examples of pioneering ambient music featuring guitar, percussion, keys, and cello heavily processed with echo, filters, and tape machines to create an effect unlike anything else that was being made at the time. Absolutely essential and seminal progressive music."

LIQUID LIQUID Discography CD
*** BACK IN PRINT! "Influenced & sampled by Grandmaster Flash ('Cavern'), & LL Cool J to name a very few, this album compiles the 3 EP's released by Liquid Liquid in the early '80s -- seminal funk no wave action!"

JOHN MAYER Where The Light Is: Live in Los Angeles 2xCD
*** "One special night featuring three unique performances: acoustic, trio, and full band."

VAN MORRISON Veedon Fleece CD
*** BACK IN PRINT! Remastered too.

ODD NOSDAM Pretty Swell Explode CD
*** "A two-disc collection of remixes, b-sides and more. Featuring BOARDS OF CANADA, BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW, SERENA MANEECH, BRACKEN, JESSICA BAILIFF and more. Enhanced with videos."

LIZ PHAIR Exile In Guyville CD+DVD
*** "15th anniversary reissue. Re-mastered special edition includes three unreleased b-sides and special 'Guyville Redux' DVD of Liz Phair interviewing all the original guys of Guyville."

VAST AIRE Deuces Wild CD
*** "After making a mark while being apart of Cannibal Ox and Mighty Joseph, Vast Aire is back with his second solo album. With a guest appearance from Copywrite and production from Pete Rock, this is an album you should be checking for."

SAUL WILLIAMS The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of Niggy Tardust CD
*** "Produced by TRENT REZNOR. Features 4 bonus tracks + list of demand (reparations)."

Thursday, June 26, 2008

(( RECOMMENDED )) Mi Ami

MI AMI African Rhythms / Feel You b/w Clear Light 12"
"The debut 12-inch by San Francisco's own MI AMI. Through three tracks and roughly 18 minutes, Mi Ami call to mind the finest early Rough Trade groups, from the Pop Group to the Prats, where it wasn't uncommon to sink a dubbed-out bass line into a wall of guitar noise. Exploring drone, improvisation, dub and noise has served them well. Limited to 400 copies packaged in plain beige jackets."

Featuring two members of the defunct (and excellent) Black Eyes of Dischord Records, Mi Ami is ruling over the SF area, sometimes DJing sets, destroying house parties, and opening for the likes of Cluster(!!) among others. The tunes are pretty far out, polyrhythmic, danceable jams through a thick dub haze. Not to be slept on.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Tom Waits, Jay Reatard, Matmos, Mi Ami & more

MATMOS Supreme Balloon 2xLP+MP3
*** NOW ON VINYL! Three more tracks than the CD version plus a download coupon for all of the jams.

MI AMI African Rhythms 12"
*** BACK IN STOCK! "The debut 12-inch by San Francisco's MI AMI. Through three tracks and roughly 18 minutes, Mi Ami call to mind the finest early Rough Trade groups, from the Pop Group to the Prats, where it wasn't uncommon to sink a dubbed-out bass line into a wall of guitar noise. Featuring two members of BLACK EYES. Limited to 400 copies."

JAY REATARD Always Wanting More b/w You Mean Nothing To Me 7"+MP3
*** Hard to describe but difficult colorful yet clear vinyl. Severely limited. Actually, we already sold out. Sorry.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND Oxford Comma 7"
*** Album cut "Oxford Comma" b/w exclusive cut "Walcott (Insane Mix)."

TOM WAITS Frank's Wild Years LP
*** NOW ON VINYL! Re-released as a semi-fancy import, this is prime Waits.

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Sigur Ros, Rza, Eccentric Soul & more

v/a ECCENTRIC SOUL: The Trager & Note Labels 2xCD
*** "A ridiculously thorough survey of Jesse Jones' twin labels that operated out of Atlanta from 1968-1977. Featuring 50 rare and unreleased tracks previously lost for thirty years."

v/a EVERY MOUTH MUST BE FED 1973 to 1976 CD
*** Another gem from Pressure Sounds featuring KING TUBBY, U ROY, I ROY, TOMMY MCCOOK, JUNIOR BYLES among others. 20 killers.

v/a THE VERY BEST OF ETHIOPIQUES 2xCD
*** Subtitled: "Hypnotic Grooves From The Legendary Series." These 2 CDs contain some of the very best tracks from the highly acclaimed ethiopiques series.

ATMOSPHERE Sad Clown Bad Spring #12 CD
*** Brand new five-song EP.

G LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE Superhero Brother CD
*** "The new album featuring 'Who's Got The Weed.'"

IT HUGS BACK The Record Room: The First Four Singles CD
*** "New-ish UK band collects their first four singles for a handy CD release."

JAGUAR LOVE Jaguar Love CD
*** "Featuring Cody and singer Johnny from the BLOOD BROTHERS along with Jay Clark from PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES. Cody's crazed Japanese electric 12- string guitar parts remain as complex and Beefheart-esque as ever, but Johnny has turned his scream to a Bolan-esque glam. Result: pop music."

AMOS LEE Last Days At The Lodge CD
*** A slightly grittier follow-up showcasing Lee's vocal range and ability to tackle a number of genres including soul, blues, rock, pop folk, and country.

LOVE Love CD
*** Stereo single-disc reissue of this classic!

RZA as BOBBY DIGITAL Digi Snacks CD
*** RZA claims this is "the definitive and most focused album in the Bobby Digital trilogy."

SHEARWATER Rook CD
*** "SHEARWATER's bold, soaring voice, occasionally falsetto, still anchors the songs, which broaden his pastoral prog-folk chaotic celestial mindfuckery into new realms. Beyond the continuing touchstones of late Talk Talk, Nico and John Cale, there are now allusions to Van Morrison, hints of Joni Mitchell."

SIGUR ROS Meư suư ƭ eyrum viư spilum endalaust CD
*** "Inspired by the unfettered feeling of recent acoustic performances, Sigur Rós adopted a looser approach in creating their fifth album. The album consequently is fresher and more human than anything they've previously recorded. Rough edges, cracked notes, and the sound of fingers on strings are audible resulting in tracks that prove to be the band's sparsest and most affecting work to date. Worry not though, plenty of electric guitar can be heard throughout the album ensuring Sigur Rós' commitment to challenging sonic limitations."

TWINE Violets CD
*** "On their long-awaited fourth full length, Twine move from the muggy backwoods of their early work towards the sonic approximation of icy remoteness. Created by a process of long distance file-sharing, the layers of Violets mesh together in a synchronous and fragile splendor, melding disembodied vocals, guitar rattles and crispy unpredictability to create a modern classic."

Thursday, June 19, 2008

(( RECOMMENDED )) Growing

GROWING The Soul Of The Rainbow And The Harmony Of Light CD
"On their second album, Growing's expansive palette blurs and disguises instrumental points of origin to a point where sheer sound defines itself with authority. Now a duo with Kevin Doria on bass and guitar and Joe Denardo on guitar, Growing have pushed into the manipulation of feedback, hiss and static; wringing out waves of delay from their amps while retaining an earthbound mastery of crushing riffage. These grainy textures contrast with a clean, pulsing lushness that carries traces of bird song and touch on natural environs and the passing of time."

A gorgeous, wild album of shimmering chords repeating & repeating & distorting & collapsing in on themselves alongside long, dense technicolor drones sounding a lot like synths but always guitar and bass. Truly majestic.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: DVD ))))) David Lynch's Twin Peaks

TWIN PEAKS Definitive Gold Box Edition 10xDVD
*** Dang! The pilot plus both seasons in beautiful picture and sound. Have you seen this? You haven't? Huh. Well, you have to. Don't be a loafing Louis. Just writing this makes me want to take a mental health day and retreat back home to watch this disturbing and peculiar series.

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) No Age, Animal Collective & Wolf Parade

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE Water Curses 12"
*** NOW ON VINYL!

NO AGE Eraser 7"
*** An album track plus THREE extra tracks from this hot hot hot hot band.

WOLF PARADE Mt. Zoomer LP
*** NOW ON VINYL!

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Wolf Parade, Silver Jews, Nomo & more

v/a A-SQUARE (OF COURSE): The Story Of Michigan's Legendary A-Square Records CD
*** Featuring MC5, THE SOT RICHARD CASE, THE THYME, THE PRIME MOVERS, THE APOSTLES, THE UP and more.

THE ACCIDENTAL There Were Wolves CD
*** A side project of Sam Genders of TUNNG (whose Thrill Jockey album was the whip), which Q Magazine calls "a perfect distillation of creatively experimental folk music."

COLDPLAY Viva La Vida CD
*** Ms, Paltrow's boyfriend just cooked up a hot batch of Coldplay and it's dee-licious!

ENDLESS BOOGIE Focus Level CD
*** “ENDLESS BOOGIE began with no delusions of grandeur. They started off as just dudes jamming on riffs, locking into grooves, finding that transcendental part of a song and stretching it into eternity. Now they’ve made the best rock record to come out of New York City in years (maybe decades). No, that’s not an exaggeration. What more needs to be said?"

GIRL TALK as TREY TOLD 'EM Super Epic Thrill Jockey Mega Mix CD
*** A mindblower of a mix by Sr. GIRL TALK, mixing and destroying tracks from THRILL JOCKEY's entire catalog. Limited edition and previously only available from the TJ anniversary party.

HUMAN BELL Human Bell CD
*** "Human Bell is David Heumann (ARBOURETUM, BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY) & Nathan Bell (LUNGFISH). Heumann & Bell’s gorgeous guitar duets form an instrumental canvas painted in the warm colored hues of folk and rock music, and simultaneously a blank canvas for the listeners themselves to paint. Their songs are delicately crafted with an immaculate clarity, expressiveness, and most of all, openness."

KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES The Supreme Genius Of... CD
*** "A garage soul inferno! 16 tracks of musical dynamite! Experience the international psychedelic soul explosion that is KING KAHN."

NOMO Ghost Rock CD
*** Dang! Already sold out! From what I've read, this is widely considered their finest work.

THE NOTWIST The Devil, You + Me CD
*** "The highly anticipated follow-up to the critically acclaimed Neon Golden."

SILVER JEWS Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea CD
*** "All a-sweat and working hard, rumbling with terror and humility like old Johnny Cash, DAVID BERMAN is once again our tour guide into the void, pointing out spots whre some dreams died and other candy-colored conceits were conceived. Joined by CASSIE BERMAN among others, Berman delivers a fine sixth album."

STEINSKI What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective 2xCD
*** An insane compilation featuring Steinski's first record, "The Payoff Mix" for a Tommy Boy contest judged by BAMBAATAA and ARTHUR BAKER among others, plus some of the infamous "Lessons", NME flexi-disk tracks, and the critically acclaimed 'Nothing To Fear: A Rough Mix,' an hour-long mash-up. Don't sleep -- this is illegal stuff!

DENNIS WILSON Pacific Ocean Blue 2xCD
*** "Official 2-CD premier edition deluxe set. First solo record from any member of the BEACH BOYS. Includes unheard tracks from the P.O.B. sessions and the never finished follow-up album, Bambu."

WOLF PARADE Mt. Zoomer CD
*** The mighty and possibly "prog" follow-up to their Sub Pop debut certainly full of the same number of hooks and shouts that Apologies had in spades, this is a jam to beat all jams.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: DVD ))))) Fugazi!

FUGAZI Instrument DVD
*** BACK IN STOCK! The excellent feature-length documentary by the talented Jem Cohen made from over ten years of footage shot by Cohen, fans, and others. Truly astounding.

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Numero Group. Manu Chao, & Lyrics Born

v/a DON'T STOP: Recording Tap 3xLP
*** NOW ON VINYL! "The Tap label only issued a handful of 12"s between 1981-83, but the tape deck never stopped rolling. String-heavy sugar-boogie, pioneering raps, and New York all night sound." On NUMERO.

MANU CHAO Politik Kills LP
*** Remix EP. "Manu Chao gets the dub reggae treatment from PRINCE FATTY, Island Records' CHRIS BLACKWELL, UK reggae icons LKJ, DENNIS BOVELL and others! Includes vinyl-only bonus track."

LYRICS BORN Everywhere At Once 2xLP+MP3
*** NOW AVAILABLE ON LP!

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) My Morning Jacket, Flying Lotus, Little Brother, Love & more

v/a BEAT AT CINECITTA Volume 2 CD
*** "More raunchy, erotic filmmusic from the vaults of Italian 1960s & '70s cinema featuring tracks from PIERO PICCIONI, BRUNO NICOLAI, NORA ORLANDI, LUIS BACALOV and more."

v/a POP-SHOPPING: Juicy Music From German Commercials 1960-1975 CD
*** "GERT WILDEN, KLAUS DOLDINGER, JOHNNY TEUPEN, CHRISTIAN BRUHN and others." In the vein of THE IN-KRAUT compilation series!

ADELE 19 2xCD
*** Two-disc limited edition featuring an exclusive live acoustic disc.

AARON DILLOWAY & C. SPENCER YEH The Squid CD
*** Dilloway & Yeh recorded live to 4-track cassette Summer 2006 in Ann Arbor. Yeh on violin, Dilloway on Tape loops of Yeh's Violin. Originally released on LP, this Digipak CD version includes a bonus track collage of the 3 tracks from the duo's out of print FALSE SPEECH cassette.

EMERALDS Solar Bridge CD
*** Seriously thick and spaced kraut clouds by some serious Midwest druggies on synths, tape, and guitar. Released on Aaron Dilloway's Hanson Records.

FLYING LOTUS Los Angeles CD
*** "The first moments of FLYING LOTUS’ Los Angeles come on as lush analog waves, just distorted enough to sound like a faded memory of something you once heard on a radio from across a room. Whether it is forward or backward in time, you’ll never know as the sounds of the record leap recklessly into the future while keeping a sly glance back towards the classics of every genre."

EMMYLOU HARRIS All I Intended To Be CD
*** The new album from this silver fox following her collabo with Mark Knopfler.

LITTLE BROTHER ...And Justice For All CD
*** PHONTE and RAPPER BIG POOH arrive just in time.

LOVE Out There CD
*** "Arthur Lee & Love's double-album from 1969!"

LOVE False Start CD
*** "The last Love album! Featuring JIMI HENDRIX on one tune."

MY MORNING JACKET Evil Urges CD
*** Evil Urges is a strange new concept album from these live killers.

THE ORB The Dream CD
*** "The Orb return with a new album marking a long-awaited return between eternal mainstay Dr. Alex Paterson and original sonic conspirator Youth. The Dream marks a return to the original spirit which spawned the first two classic albums."

MARK STEWART Edit CD
*** The latest solo album from the intense and often frightening former lead singer of THE POP GROUP featuring Ari Up of THE SLITS.

THE TRAVELING WILBURYS Volume 1 CD
*** The first album available again.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: DVD ))))) Low, Pan Sonic & Radiohead

LOW You May Need A Murderer DVD
*** "This 70-minute documentary is the complete unabridged version of a portrait of the band Low, famous for their quietness, beautiful slow songs and fascinating harmonies."

PAN SONIC Kuvaputki DVD
*** "The first ever Pansonic DVD release by Edward Quist, American digital visual artist. A live performance, close filmed. The film is a hyper-real abstract reflection of the duo, in the final year of the last century. Whilst the documentary core remains, the footage is twisted and shaped by Quist into a new form in conjunction with Pansonic’s improvised set, Vaino & Vaisanen are immersed in the imagery of the cathode which seems to live and infect their physicality over the course of the three parallel films until they merge with their own sound and Quist’s mesmerising visuals."

RADIOHEAD The Best DVD
*** Subtitled: The Video Collection. "21 classic videos!"

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Whitehouse, Elliott Smith, Spoon & more

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Zodiac Girls 7" + MP3
*** "Two brand spanking new tracks choc full of the bands signature sound of electro, synth-pop rock from these innovative rockers."

BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY Lie Down In The Light LP / CD
*** "Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy is letting the sun shine in so you can LIE DOWN IN THE LIGHT. Before you get undressed, we’re talking about a brand-new twelve-song album of excellent new songs and sounds, okay? Get that thong back up your crack and listen! Bristling with guitar strings and laced with harmonies, LIE DOWN IN THE LIGHT is the brightest album to date from the Bonnie ‘Prince.’ Brisk tempos skip among his signature slower numbers and ballads. Bonny’s vocals are among his most expressive: carefully nuanced, singing all up and down his range, showing him at a judiciously dynamic and tuneful apex. Coloring the sound is a subtle backdrop of percussive slaps and shakes (but NARY A DRUMKIT), touches of keys and steel, delicate harmony-vocal arrangements and other sweet surprises that might send some sad-sack fans back to their auto-erotic dungeons, fresh toys in hand."

DIPLO & DON RIMINI Bust A Move Remixxxes 12"
*** "As the years scroll by, some rhymes stay forever fly. Back in 1989 Young MC’s “Bust A Move” was a ubiquitous presence on the pop music landscape. Now, “Bust A Move” has been refueled and retooled by two of today’s party-rocking superheroes -- Diplo and Don Rimini -- as part of Delicious Vinyl’s RMXXOLOGY."

DJ ROMES Rhythm Trax Vol. 2 LP
*** "This slab of funky instrumentals from Oxnard's DJ Romes (of the LOOTPACK)."

FREE BLOOD Never Hear Surf Music Again 12"
*** "First up on RONG's shiny, new imprint with DFA is Free Blood. A two-piece consisting of Madeline Davy (Octopi NYC) & John Pugh (!!!). Serious, serious heat: unpredictable druggy and mangled hybrid of Beatles-esque melodies fused angrily with a Butthole Surfers song. On the flip, the Barfly boys stretch things out a bit with a nine-minute Walter-Gibbons-style disco remix of the title track."

MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO Autoimmune 2xLP
*** "The new full-length from seminal electronic band Meat Beat Manifesto, a masterpiece of dubstep and electronica, pushing musical boundaries further than ever."

KELLEY POLAR Entropy Reigns 12"
*** “The first single from Kelley Polar’s highly-acclaimed new album, downloaded nearly 100,000 times in its week as iTunes’ Discovery Download, and Pitchfork said 'the sumptuous, string-drenched boy-girl duet of ‘Entropy Reigns (In the Celestial City)’ is one of the best of the year so far.'"

RUBIES feat. FEIST I Feel Electric - Tiedye Remix 12"
*** "A limited edition TIEDYE remix of the first single from RUBIES’ Explode From The Center album, featuring vocals from FEIST. One-sided 12-inch release."

SHE & HIM Volume One LP
*** NOW ON VINYL!

ELLIOTT SMITH Figure 8 2xLP
ELLIOTT SMITH XO LP
*** REPRESSED! Extra-heavy fancypants vinyl editions of two of Elliott Smith's most lush and orchestrated works.

SONIC YOUTH J'accuse Ted Hughes LP
*** SYR 7. "The A-side a previously unreleased 22-minute drone piece recorded at All Tomorrows Parties 2001. The B-side is a soundtrack-style piece recorded at the band's Murray Street Studio in 2003 for a never-realized collaboration with French clothing designer Agnes B."

SPOON A Series Of Sneaks LP+MP3
SPOON Kill The Moonlight LP
*** NOW ON VINYL!

STARS OF THE LID The Tired Sounds Of... 3xLP
STARS OF THE LID Avec Laudenum LP
*** NOW ON VINYL!

SUN KIL MOON April 2xLP
*** NOW ON VINYL! "MARK KOZELEK returns with eleven songs at almost 74 minutes."

WHITEHOUSE Birthdeath Experience LP
*** "The place it all began: the seminal first album by Whitehouse even to this day is a remarkable piece of work created entirely with tone generators and EDP Wasps, and lyrically full of what would be their uncompromising trademark irony, it would prove instrumental in dragging avantgarde electronic music a long way from its initially limited boundaries."

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Fleet Foxes, Radiohead & more

BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY Lie Down In The Light LP / CD
*** "Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy is letting the sun shine in so you can LIE DOWN IN THE LIGHT. Before you get undressed, we’re talking about a brand-new twelve-song album of excellent new songs and sounds, okay? Get that thong back up your crack and listen! Bristling with guitar strings and laced with harmonies, LIE DOWN IN THE LIGHT is the brightest album to date from the Bonnie ‘Prince.’ Brisk tempos skip among his signature slower numbers and ballads. Bonny’s vocals are among his most expressive: carefully nuanced, singing all up and down his range, showing him at a judiciously dynamic and tuneful apex. Coloring the sound is a subtle backdrop of percussive slaps and shakes (but NARY A DRUMKIT), touches of keys and steel, delicate harmony-vocal arrangements and other sweet surprises that might send some sad-sack fans back to their auto-erotic dungeons, fresh toys in hand."

CLUSTER Berlin 2007 CD
*** "Berlin 2007 was marked the first time Roedelius and Moebius had peformed live in Berlin since their 12 hour concert in the Galerie Hammer in the Europacenter in 1969."

COOL KIDS The Bake Sale CD
*** "The highly anticipated release from The Cool Kids, featuring 'Black Mags,' '88,' and previously unreleased material."

DEATH SET Worldwide CD
*** "Filling twenty-five minutes with eighteen jams, Worldwide boasts the noise of unrefined creation, exploiting consonance and dissonance to the fullest. With breakneck fuzz atop lo-fi electronics, searing vocals over-scored by a lift of positivity, The Death Set redefine the space of the anthem."

DOSH Wolves & Wishes CD
*** "Following a tour as a member of Andrew Bird's band, Dosh restocks with a fresh cast of collaborators with all the explorative wonderment of a debut ablum. Never has our man sounded so free."

FLEET FOXES Fleet Foxes CD
*** "Baroque harmonic pop drawing influences from the traditions of folk, pop, choral, gospel, sacred harp singing, West Coast music, traditional music from Ireland, Japan, film scores, and their NW peers."

THE FUTUREHEADS This Is Not The World CD
*** "Twelve short, sharp, shocks of pure Futurehead joy, not dismissing the killer hooks and choruses that adorn each and every one."

NEIL HAMBURGER Sings Country Winners CD
*** "Neil Hamburger sings country and western! As with the classic “celebrity vocal” albums by the likes of William Shatner and Telly Savalas, Neil’s personality shines through even when his vocal chords don’t. Seven originals and three obscure covers in the tradition of the late great Porter Wagoner."

J. SPACEMAN & SUN CITY GIRLS Mister Lonely O.S.T. CD
*** "The all-new soundtrack album from HARMONY KORINE’s film Mister Lonely featuring JASON SPACEMAN (SPACEMEN 3 and SPIRITUALIZED) and THE SUN CITY GIRLS. The soundtrack is deceptively minimal--a guitar or piano line that blinks past repetition and blushes into something grander; a motif reappearing under new auspices; link pieces that become spotlight moments, densely worked-out, stars in their own right."

LADYTRON Velocifero CD
*** Their 4th album "transcends the confines of electro-pop with a fresh wave of distorted soul."

AIMEE MANN @#%&*! Smilers CD
*** The new album form "one of pop music's most distinctive songwriters."

MODEY LEMON Season Of Sweets CD
*** "With one foot in the sci-fi darkness of their last record, Curious City, one foot in their past angst-ridden garage wreckage, and one foot in the kautrock brilliance of the German Frontier (what, three feet?), Season of Sweets is a fuzzed-out, driving masterpiece with catchy hooks beaten to death by guitar/synth mayhem."

NURSE WITH WOUND Insect & Individual CD
*** "The official release of the infamous 4th Nurse with wound album from 1983. The masters were burned but thanks to some technology and individuals that were able to make it sound as though it were digitally mastered and recorded today. Actual Surrealist Dadaist music."

JIM O'ROURKE Tamper CD
JIM O'ROURKE / CHRIS CORSANO / DARIN GRAY Mimidokodesuka CD
*** REISSUED! The first two installments in DRAG CITY's reissue series of Jim O'Rourke's experimental works. "Do you like Derek Bailey?"

PACIFIC UV Longplay 2 CD
*** "The droning Spacemen 3-esque ambience that once prevailed in their work has countered itself with something more sinister - resulting in an album that balances itself perfectly between noise and melody."

JAMES PANTS Welcome CD
*** XLR8R said: "Future Shock-era Herbie Hancock, L.A. electro, New Age-y French disco, and Paradise Garage love-funkists Skyy may inform the tracks on Welcome, but while the record borrows from these and other roller-rink-friendly '80s grooves, it's no jukebox-style revue."

RADIOHEAD The Best Of CD
RADIOHEAD The Best Of 2xCD
*** 17 vs. 30 classic tracks compiled for the first time.

TERRY RILEY Last Camel In Paris CD
*** Recordings done in Europe during the 1970s after Riley's personal technician built a stereo digital delay out of an ancient computer for Riley's specially modified two-manual Yamaha YC-45D portable combo organ. The organ had a Just Intonation setting and allowed him to feed stereo signals to the digital delay through four channels (two live and two delayed).

RUSSIAN CIRCLES Station CD
*** "Their music weaves up an intense and cinematic albeit soothing clobbering that cannot be put into words but instead into forms of audible head trips that defies pigeonholing."

YORO SIDIBE Yoro Sodibe CD
*** The music of the Bougouni Donsos (hunters) "played before hunts and is meant to both harden the heart and excite it." This is the latest release on DRAG CITY's world music imprint.

SUBTLE Exiting Arm CD
*** 3rd album from this ridiculously talented band featured DOSE ONE and JEL of THEMSELVES and ANTICON.

THE TING TINGS We Started Nothing CD
*** "Debut from UK duo brimming with pure garage-pop noise. Snappy choruses, angular guitar work, and whip smart drumming."

VETIVER Thing Of The Past CD
*** "Andy Cabic's fully realized mix tape to the world -- a new album of old songs from some of his favorite records but presented, sequenced, and in this case performed by Cabic himself, with a little help from his friends far and wide."

WEEZER Red Album CD
*** "New album featuring a whole mess of singles (and regular songs)!"

YELLOW SWANS Deterioration CD
*** "The latest of the vast soundscape known as YELLOW SWANS. These five tracks take you in their grasp on a journey of desolate beauty."