Tuesday, September 30, 2008

(( RECOMMENDED )) Time Pieces: the Ann Arbor Film Festival DVD!

ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL Time Pieces DVD
"Ten award-winning and favorite short films from the 46th Ann Arbor Film Festival, covering all dimensions of the frame: avant garde film art, experimental animation comedy, alternative narrative, poetic and abstract explorations of nature, indie documentary. Time Pieces also includes rare bonus material with deleted scenes, director commentary, artist statements, video installations and audition outtakes.

"All sales revenues of Time Pieces are shared with the filmmakers, furthering the Ann Arbor Film Festival's mission to help support talented artists working with film and video."

Finally! The first-ever DVD collection of short films from the 46th Ann Arbor Film Festival -- and it's an unsinkable, top notch batch, rivaling any experimental film DVD collection out there. It's not all serious brainbenders either; much of the material is hilarious and/or beautiful. By buying this little gem, you're supporting great filmmakers and one of the longest running festivals in the world, A2's own Ann Arbor Film Festival.

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Mount Eerie, Mason Proper, Black Moth restock!

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Dandelion Gum LP
*** BACK IN STOCK!

MASON PROPER My My (Bad Fruit) / Traveling Men (The Pond) PICTURE 7"
*** A very attractive picture disc featuring one track from MP's previous album, Moth, and an exclusive track.

MOUNT EERIE Black Wooden Ceiling Opening 10"+CD
*** "In late 2006 the punkest incarnation of Mount Eerie convened in Anacortes, Washington, made up of Phil Elverum, Jason Anderson, and Kjetil Jenssen (prodigy drummer from the cult hardcore band “The Spectacle” from arctic Norway!). They translated 10 or so songs of Mt. Eerie and The Microphones into a vastly heavier form. They made this recording in the former fire department garage/venue “The Department of Safety”. Half of the songs are never-before released, half are reinterpretations of previously released soft songs. This 10” comes with a 21”x21” fold out double sided poster, a white vinyl record, and a CD."

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Madlib, Ani, Dungen, Medeski Martin & Wood and more!

TERRY CALLIER What Color Is Love CD
*** "Essential, classic album! Epic, melancholic folky soul produced & arranged by cult producer Charles Stepney! A masterpiece! Highly recommended!"

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL Green River CD
*** "40th anniversary edition! Digitally remastered with rare and previously unreleased bonus tracks, expanded liner notes, rare photos and more."

ANI DIFRANCO Red Letter Year CD
*** "Ani Difranco says, 'I've got myself a new mantra: Don't forget to have a good time.' This attitude has clearly influenced the dozen tunes on Red Letter Year, which celebrate existence, profess love and tackle thorny political issues with an infectious sense of glee. It's one of Ani's most joyous records to date."

DUNGEN 4 CD
*** "4 extends Dungen's sound past psychedelia into something far more rare. Blazing, raw guitar workouts have their own time and place, but now, so do stirringly orchestrated, jazz-cooled compositions with cinematic undertones. This is a classic and seamless sound, constructed with lavish studio flourishes and moving, narrative arrangements, and yet able to toughen up to tear veins of fierce blues-psych instrumentals up from the surface."

BEN FOLDS Way To Normal CD
*** "Way To Normal is the first full length release since Songs for Silverman, a very honest look at the last few years of Folds' life. Folds collaborated with Dennis Herring (Counting Crows, Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello) and the track 'You Don't Know Me' features a duet with indie songstress, Regina Spektor."

GRATEFUL DEAD Rocking The Cradle: Egypt 1978 2xCD+DVD
*** "30th anniversary edition 2xCD+DVD set. The CDs feature highlights from historic shows at Egypt's Great Pyramid and pristine HDCD sound. The DVD includes extremely rare concert footage, home movies, and more."

MADLIB WLIB AM: King Of the Wiflip CD
*** "WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip finds Madlib returning to his Western hemisphere roots in hip-hop and R&B, and plays like the days when AM radio ruled the airwaves, transmitting a crackling, low-fi mélange of endless sample fodder, vocal snippets, and sonic intuition, turning singles into stars and flipping wigs with each twist of the dial." Featuring TALIB KWELI, MUTS, OH NO, GUILTY SIMPSON, DEFARI, GEORGIA ANNE MULDROW and others.

MASON PROPER Olly Oxen Free CD
*** "Bandleader and wispy-voiced lyricist Jonathan Visger weaves us into entrancingly experimental post-pop music that sorta recalls indie greats The Dismemberment Plan, Menomena and Islands."

MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD Radiolarians I CD
*** "With the Radiolarians series, MMW will convene for brief writing retreats, perform only that new material on tour, record the material immediately after getting off the road and release it as an album on their own Indirecto label."

MERCURY REV Snowflake Midnight CD
*** "Swirling atmospherics and mantra-like lyrics abound and Mercury Rev continue experiments with laser harps, ad-hoc computer programs and random note generators resulting in a record that moves with grace between avant garde and traditional pop sensibilities." Download the absolutely free companion album, Strange Attractor, from mercuryrev.com.

TOM MORELLO THE NIGHT WATCHMAN The Fabled City CD
*** "Second release of self-penned singer/songwriter Leftist songs from the guitarist best known for his work with Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave."

MURS Murs For President CD
*** "The new album. 15 real hip-hop tracks featuring SNOOP DOGG and WILL.I.AM with production from 9TH WONDER and NOTTZ."

JAMES JACKSON TOTH Waiting In Vain CD
*** Formerly WOODEN WAND. "Toth's scenarios are intriguingly tawdry with dreamlike harmonies and touches of blues, country, soul and punk swagger."

Thursday, September 25, 2008

(( RECOMMENDED )) To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie

TO KILL A PETTY BOURGEOISIE The Patron CD
"The Patron is the debut full length release by To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie. The songs center around an underlying love story between two merging corporations that manage to capture the raw sentiment of isolation, profound discovery, and morbid betrayal.

"The recording process typically began with a basic vocal and guitar structure which was then slowly developed by adding electronics and manipulating sounds, until the original outline is blurred yet still identifiable. The steady passing of sounds and samples are most important to TKAPB's recording process, and they rely heavily on the loss of translation between each pass.

"What TKAPB have produced is a near perfect storm of structure and chaos, melody and noise, the precise and the random, fused into their own unified musical theory of everything that at times soothes while simultaneously grabbing your throat."

A beguiling album of melody and dissonance, TKAPB might be comparable to an imagined collaboration between Broadcast and Wolf Eyes. It's a dense record and a bit of a journey but so completely worthwhile.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: DVD ))))) Silver Jew!

SILVER JEW DVD
*** "In 2006, after five albums and fifteen years, DAVID BERMAN finally decided to take THE SILVER JEWS out on the road. The band toured across America and Europe, all the way to Israel, playing their first forty shows to a widespread outpouring of joy. Silver Jew is a simple document of one of those stops, whereupon the band played two shows in Tel Aviv, and spent a profound afternoon in Jerusalem."

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Mogwai EP & LP, Ratatat, and two more Pixies LPs

BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT Motion To Rejoin LP + MP3 / CD
*** NOW ON VINYL!

MOGWAI Batcat Ep 12"
*** "Limited edition, specially packaged EP containing the song 'Batcat' from 'The Hawk Is Howling', plus two non-album B-sides: 'Stupid Prick Gets Chased By The Police And Loses His Slut Girlfriend' and 'Devil Rides' (featuring ROKY ERICKSON)."

MOGWAI The Hawk Is Howling 2xLP + MP3 / CD
*** Sixth album. "A brooding and atmospheric collection, full of the band's exceptional use of dynamics and creation of hypnotic soundscapes. Instrumentally, the band have somewhat branched out by utilising synthesizers, yet The Hawk Is Howling shares much in common with 2001's Rock Action."

PIXIES Bossanova LP
PIXIES Trompe Le Monde LP
*** NOW ON VINYL!

RATATAT Shempi 12"
*** Remixes by ZONGAMIN and E'ROCK.

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Jenny Lewis, Mogwai, Otis Redding and a couple of other greats

LUIS BONFA Plays And Sings Bossa Nova Music CD
*** With LALO SCHIFRIN and OSCAR CASTRO NEVES.

JENNY LEWIS Acid Tongue CD
*** "Jenny Lewis has never sounded so passionate and her songs never so hard-hitting and acerbic as on her aptly titled solo disk, Acid Tongue. Featuring collaborations with SHE & HIM, ELVIS COSTELLO, and CHRIS ROBINSON. Wicked good."

MOGWAI The Hawk Is Howling 2xLP + MP3 / CD
*** Sixth album. "A brooding and atmospheric collection, full of the band's exceptional use of dynamics and creation of hypnotic soundscapes. Instrumentally, the band have somewhat branched out by utilising synthesizers, yet The Hawk Is Howling shares much in common with 2001's Rock Action."

OTIS REDDING Live In London And Paris CD
*** "The legendary London and Paris concerts presented together for the very first time!" 19 tracks.

TOUGH ALLIANCE A New Chance CD
*** "The hottest electronic pop duo to come out of Gothenburg. This is the much awaited follow up to their debut New School."

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Fiery Furnaces, Matthew Dear, Tortoise re-issues & more

MATTHEW DEAR Dog Days: The Robsoul Remixes 12"
*** "A cross-continental project that mines the connections between Matthew Dear's precision techno-pop and the French label Robsoul's expansive funk." Remixes by DJ SNEAK, PHIL WEEKS, CHRIS CARRIER.

THE FIERY FURNACES Remember 3xLP + MP3 / 2xCD
*** "Remember captures the high energy, intricate complexity vocal acrobatics and the technical musicianship that defines a Fiery Furnaces performance. Collecting songs from their entire catalogue and performances across the globe, Remember is 51 tracks." 3xLP version comes with a coupon to download the album in MP3.

HIGH PLACES High Places LP / CD
*** "The debut full-length album! The duo have created a signature sound out of using bass-heavy, yet crisp beats, lilting vocal melodies, syncopated rhythmic lines performed on folk percussion instruments, guitar duets turned into treated samples, and percussive lines created from the manipulation of household objects."

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS Half Asleep 7"
*** Ex-SECRET MACHINES, ex-ON!AIR!LIBRARY! "School of Seven Bells stylishly split the difference between shoegazing introspection and stargazing dream pop. Compact, propulsive throb; layers of milky-blue synthesizer; bottomless guitar; and the angelic, harmonized coos of sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza."

IRMA THOMAS Sings LP
*** "This is a fantastic collection of all of Irma's early singles for the Minit and Imperial labels. Dubbed 'The Soul Queen of New Orleans,' Irma had some of the most beautiful and raw soul singles yet she never received the notoriety of contemporaries like Etta James and Aretha Franklin."

TINDERSTICKS The Hungry Saw LP / CD
*** RECOMMENDED “The first new TINDERSTICKS album in five years, The Hungry Saw, is most certainly a great one and it sounds a lot like you'd imagine it to. After all, this is a band who've crafted their own very specific language over the years."

TORTOISE Standards LP + MP3
TORTOISE It's All Around You LP + MP3
*** RE-ISSUED! Standards is on red vinyl.

TV ON THE RADIO Dear Science LP + MP3 / CD
*** 'Best New Music' by Pitchfork with a 9.2 "Fine-tuning what they did best on 2006's Return to Cookie Mountain, TVOTR tweak, loop and distort a grand arsenal of aggressive percussion, new wave synths, epic guitar noise and various kitchen-sink devices, then layering them all into a big, beautiful art-rock symphony."

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) TV On The Radio, High Places, Brightblack Morning Light & more

BLITZEN TRAPPER Furr CD
*** "B.T.'s fourth record, refining and expanding on the far-ranging yet distinctive songcraft that lies at the heart of Blitzen Trapper’s unique appeal, rhythm sections printed hot to four-track and then layered and embellished and deconstructed or sometimes just left the way they were."

BOSTON SPACESHIPS Brown Submarine CD
*** "The debut album from ROBERT POLLARD's new band!" And it's only 14 songs, believe it or not.

BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT Motion To Rejoin CD
*** 'Recommended' on PITCHFORK with an 8.3 "Haunting, beautiful, and weird in equal doses, Brightblack Morning Light's second album for Matador was recorded entirely under solar power. Deeper and heftier with sounds ranging from folk to gospel to experimental electronics."

CHRIS BROKAW Canaris CD
*** Ex-CODEINE. "Canaris is an instrumental album entirely for solo acoustic guitar - half ‘straight acoustic’ and half acoustic plugged into amps and pedals. Featuring a cover of Vlad Tepes’ 13 minute epic 'Drink the Poetry of Celtic Disciple' and the title track, an 18 minute drone/feedback piece."

COLD WAR KIDS Loyalty To Loyalty CD
*** "Featuring the new single 'Something Is Not Right With Me'."

ALICE COOPER From The Inside CD
*** RE-ISSUED!

DIANOGAH qhnnl CD
*** "A trio of two bass guitarists and one drummer plus appearances by ANDREW BIRD. The band has progressed since previous efforts to make a mature, consistent album that visits the extremes of both tender and abrasive."

FANNYPACK Ghetto Bootleg CD
*** "Fannypack are an all-female electro/Miami booty bass-rap group from NYC and this is their new release!"

THE FIERY FURNACES Remember 3xLP + MP3 / 2xCD
*** "Remember captures the high energy, intricate complexity vocal acrobatics and the technical musicianship that defines a Fiery Furnaces performance. Collecting songs from their entire catalogue and performances across the globe, Remember is 51 tracks." 2xCD version comes with a coupon to download a bonus song.

GERM (GI) CD
*** BACK IN PRINT!

HIGH PLACES 03/07 - 09/07 (Singles Collection) CD
*** "High Places songs contain a fascinating range of aural layers: bells and bird calls over a wash of ocean waves; mallets hitting mixing bowls over treated guitar and glockenspiel; Mary’s reflective vocals over Rob’s inventive and infectious beats."

HIGH PLACES High Places LP / CD
*** "The debut full-length album! The duo have created a signature sound out of using bass-heavy, yet crisp beats, lilting vocal melodies, syncopated rhythmic lines performed on folk percussion instruments, guitar duets turned into treated samples, and percussive lines created from the manipulation of household objects."

KINGS OF LEON Only By The Night CD
*** NME says "(The new album is) growling, anthemic, and sophisticated."

EDGAR MEYER & CHRIS THILE Bass & Mandolin CD
*** "Co-writing a dozen compositions, their wide-ranging musical dialogue incorporates bluegrass, folk, country, and classical elements. No frills, no words and no other musicians were needed."

GRACHAN MONCUR III Evolution CD
*** RE-ISSUED! RVG edition.

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW Tennessee Pusher CD
*** "The third and most personal album by OCMS. The album itself offers a virtual American road trip, populated with characters that span a century of the South. Down and outers, hustlers, junkies and freighthoppers are just a few of the archetypes we meet along the way."

PIERO PICCIONI The Seduction Of... CD
*** Subtitled: Fantasy & Mod Psychedelia of Sixties Italy and The Wild West. "Of all Italian film music composers, Piero Piccioni is second only to Ennio Morricone in terms of popularity regarded by his many as equally important. Inventive, futuristic jazz for science-fiction, moody orchestration and funk for gangster movies and political thrillers and sunny organ and wah-wah groovers for oddball sexcapades; no genre was beyond his range."

PONTIAK Sun On Sun CD
*** "Swaggering three-part vocals, drums, organ and stellar slide guitar rock that Julian Cope described as, 'straddling a wide sonic rift valley, with references that stretch from the southern latitudes of Spain’s Viaje A800 to the northern majesty of Black Sabbath and Harvey Milk via The Doors.'"

THE REPLACEMENTS Tim CD THE REPLACEMENTS Pleased To Meet Me CD THE REPLACEMENTS Don't Tell A Soul CD
THE REPLACEMENTS All Shook Down CD
*** Remastered + bonus tracks! Plus previously unavailable outtakes and home demos, extensive liner notes, and rare photos."

SAM RIVERS Dimensions & Extensions CD
*** RE-ISSUED! RVG edition.

THIEVERY CORPORATION Radio Retaliation CD
*** "Join an outernational music revolution as Thievery Corporation move seamlessly through a vast myriad of global sounds. An opus!" Featuring FEMI KUTI, SEU JORGEm ABOUSHKA SHANKAR and more.

THE THREE SOUNDS Soul Symphony CD
*** RE-ISSUED! Blue Note Rare Grooves Series.

TINDERSTICKS The Hungry Saw LP / CD
*** RECOMMENDED “The first new TINDERSTICKS album in five years is most certainly a great one and it sounds a lot like you'd imagine it to. After all, this is a band who've crafted their own very specific language over the years."

TV ON THE RADIO Dear Science LP + MP3 / CD
*** 'Best New Music' by Pitchfork with a 9.2 "Fine-tuning what they did best on 2006's Return to Cookie Mountain, TVOTR tweak, loop and distort a grand arsenal of aggressive percussion, new wave synths, epic guitar noise and various kitchen-sink devices, then layering them all into a big, beautiful art-rock symphony."

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Metallica, Fleet Foxes, J Dilla and then some!

13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS The Psychedelic Sounds Of... LP
*** REISSUED! Mono edition.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE Peacebone 12"
*** BACK IN STOCK. Remixes by BLACK DICE and PANTHA DU PRINCE.

BEACH BOYS Pet Sounds LP
*** BACK IN STOCK. Limited edition. 180g.

BUILT TO SPILL Keep It Like A Secret LP
*** BACK IN STOCK. Recently reissued LP featuring one bonus track.

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS Dig, Lazarus, Dig! 2xLP + MP3
*** NOW ON VINYL! 180g double-vinyl with a free high quality download of the full album. You can't go wrong!

FLEET FOXES Fleet Foxes 2xLP + MP3
*** BACK IN STOCK. Double-vinyl includes both the full-length and THE SUN GIANT ep plus the free download of both records.

J DILLA (JAY DEE) F*** The Police 12"
*** BACK IN STOCK! In and out of print track from Detroit's own JAY DEE.

METALLICA Death Magnetic 2xLP
*** NOW ON VINYL! And surprise -- no mp3 coupon!

RADIOHEAD Pablo Honey LP
RADIOHEAD The Bends LP
*** BACK IN STOCK. Limited edition.

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) David Byrne, Gilberto Gil, The Stills & more

DAVID BYRNE Big Love: Hymnal CD
*** Subtitled: Music Written For The HBO Series Plus Other Recent Compositions. Not the ENO collabo everyone's been waiting for but a disc of themes from BIG LOVE and other places.

DRAGONFORCE Ultra Beatdown CD
*** "The true guitar heroes triumphantly return!"

ESHAM Sacrificial Lambz CD
*** "Sacrificial Lambz is the twelth studio album by Esham. He is quoted as saying 'I feel like Sacrificial Lambz is like a gift to the industry and a gift to the consumer, whoever buys it. It’s actually a gift.'"

GILBERTO GIL The Sound Of Revolution 1968-1969 CD
*** RECOMMENDED "The Sound of Revolution combines Gilberto Gil's brilliant 1968 and '69 Tropicalia albums, Frevo Rasgado and Cerebro Electronico; joyous, extraordinarily inventive pop music made against a background of terrible political unrest in Brazil and in the shadow of both imprisonment and eventually exile." Featuring OS MUTANTES and ROGERIO DUPRAT.

GZA / GENIUS Pro Tools CD
*** "One of the most renowned and continually relevant Hip-Hop emcees of all time, GZA returns with his fifth solo album, Pro Tools. GZA is an original member of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan."

ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS Gotta Let This Hen Out! CD
ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS Fegmania CD
ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS Element Of Light CD
*** Deluxe reissues of Sr. Hitchcock's mid-1980s output, all expanded with a number of bonus tracks.

MESHUGGAH Destroy Erase Reloaded CD
*** The most brutal or truly brutal bands remasters and re-releases an early offering. Oh, the brutality!

SONIC'S RENDEZVOUS BAND Live, Masonic Auditorium, Detroit, January 14, 1978 CD
*** THE METRO TIMES said, "The absolute closest you'll ever get to being battered senseless by the buffeting sound that made the Motor City famous." Featuring GARY RASMUSSEN, SCOTT ASHETON, and SCOTT MORGAN.

THE STILLS Oceans Will Rise CD
*** "Beginning with the anthemic lead single, 'Being Here,' conveys a rejuvenated, reinvigorated sense of being. According to vocalist Tim Fletcher, the group felt 'a raw energy of inspiration' during the new album's recording efforts that was absent in previous sessions."

MATTHEW SWEET Sunshine Lies CD
*** "Matthew returns with a power-pop stunner - a kaleidoscopic masterpiece!"

UNKLE End Titles... Stories For Film CD
*** "Featuring 73+ minutes of brand new music inspired by the moving image." Collaborators galore: JOSH HOMME (Queens Of The Stone Age), BLACK MOUNTAIN, WARREN DU PREEZ, GAVIN CLARK and more.

THE VERVE Forth CD
*** Hello big deal! The Verve reunites again and this time it's for real. Maybe!

BRIAN WILSON That Lucky Old Sun CD
*** The old man's back again with his first post-SMILE album. Reviews have been quite kind, even hailing the record as a masterpiece.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Silver Jews, BSS, limited reissues,

v/a PEBBLES Vol. 12 LP
*** REISSUED. Another volume in the series of killer obscure 1960s garage and psychedelic rock, originally released in 1983.

OREN AMBARCHI A Final Kiss On Poisoned Cheeks LP
*** "A Final Kiss on Poisoned Cheeks offers a dizzying gaze straight into a chasm of extreme frequencies - paint-peelingly high and bowel-churningly low - all set atop a sub-strata of menace, angst, and contemplative beauty." MARBLE VINYL.

BEACH BOYS Pet Sounds LP
*** REISSUED! Limited edition. 180g.

BORIS Smile 2xLP
*** NOW ON VINYL! Includes two bonus tracks not found on the album, one with SUNN0)))'s Stephen O'Malley. 180g.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE / BRENDAN CANNING Something For Everyone LP
*** NOW ON VINYL!

CALEXICO Carried To Dust LP+MP3 / CD
*** "Carried To Dust is a return to form, incorporating many Spanish elements and further defining their dusty film noir soundtrack. Calexico have constantly imbued their music with an unparalleled sense of drama, calling upon the myths and iconography of the American West and its Spanish speaking neighbor Mexico."

BOB DYLAN Blood On The Tracks LP
*** BACK IN STOCK!

MY MORNING JACKET It Still Moves LP
MY MORNING JACKET z LP
*** REISSUED!

PEARL JAM Ten LP
*** BACK IN STOCK!

RADIOHEAD Pablo Honey LP
RADIOHEAD The Bends LP
RADIOHEAD Hail To The Thief LP
RADIOHEAD Ok Computer LP
RADIOHEAD Amnesiac 2x10"
RADIOHEAD Kid A 2x10"
*** REISSUED. Limited edition.

SILVER JEWS Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea LP / CD
*** NOW ON VINYL!

THE SONICS Boom LP
*** RESTOCKED!

M WARD The Transfiguration Of Vincent LP
*** NOW ON VINYL!

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Calexico, Okkervil River, Tricky, and then some, pal

CARLA BLEY Appearing Nightly CD
*** "Rich and robust performances of new Bley material with particularly stellar contributions by various soloists. Centrepiece of the album is the 25 minute title track commissioned for the Monterey Jazz Festival and heard here in a premiere recording."

THE BROKEN WEST Now Or Heaven CD
*** "The Broken West wrote most of this record while touring on their last record, still keeping with their Byrds-y vibe, but a bit less alt-country and more XTC pop."

CALEXICO Carried To Dust LP+MP3 / CD
*** "Carried To Dust is a return to form, incorporating many Spanish elements and further defining their dusty film noir soundtrack. Calexico have constantly imbued their music with an unparalleled sense of drama, calling upon the myths and iconography of the American West and its Spanish speaking neighbor Mexico."

CHILDREN OF THE SIXTH ROOT RACE Songs From The Source CD
*** "A lost-and-found 1973 recording of The Source family. SONGS FROM THE SOURCE is more r’n’b-grooved energy, with splashes of synth and organ, a female vocal chorus and streamlined fusion rhythms backing the uniquely Yahowan lyrical populism."

CRYSTAL ANTLERS ep CD
*** "So these sweet bros from Long Beach self released this EP last March. Kinda raging soul punk like. People like PITCHFORK fell under their spell and started flirting with them and they sold 3,000 copies via their myspace. Now on TOUCH & GO."

KIMYA DAWSON Alphabutt CD
*** "A collection of children's songs written by Dawson with her musical friends and their children, successfully leads a group of children in this sunny and energetic batch of songs with plenty of fun in the form of snapping fingers, clapping hands and stamping feet."

FAUN FABLES A Table Forgotten CD
*** Recent BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY collaborator. "Continuing from previous Faun Fables material, vocals are strongly featured throughout; surprising melodies, contrapuntal harmonies, breath and unison chants on the theme of age-old practices of tending a home and its immediate impact upon our day to day lives."

MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD All Rebel Rockers LP / CD
*** "Franti's fiery protest music and thought-provoking lyrics backed by seductive elements of dub, infectious dance music, and irresistible hook-infused soul."

FUJIYA & MIYAGI Lightbulbs CD
*** ""Lightbulbs" is a journey littered with fragmented images, anecdotes from the sublime to the ridiculous, and blurry stories that you feel you shouldn't have overheard. Each track is an aural contamination set to itch your inner ear every waking moment. Truly contagious music that carves a niche all its own."

GROWING All The Way CD
*** "Kevin Doria and Joe DeNardo complete the conceptual arc initiated on their 2006's "Color Wheel", finally achieving a perfect balance of noise and pop. "All The Way" sounds like some sort of frozen urban chaos taking place at a superclub on another planet."

HUMAN HIGHWAY Moody Motorcycle CD
*** "A sound reminiscent to that of ‘50s/’60s soul and doo-wop (i.e. the Everly Brothers) created by ISLANDS members NICK THORBURN and JIM GUTHRIE. The album, which Guthrie says features "hot man on man vocal action," was put together in the course of one week at his house in downtown Toronto."

JESU Why Are We Not Perfect? CD
*** "On this five track EP, Justin Broadrick has set aside the heavy foundation of pounding guitars prevalent in past recordings and brought to the fore elements of texture and melody."

DANIEL JOHNSTON 1990 CD
DANIEL JOHNSTON Artistic Vice CD
*** REISSUED!

DAMIEN JURADO Caught In The Trees CD
*** "Jurado took a full year to make this record, longer than ever before, as he ran away from and eventually found himself in his own songs -- an enigmatic world with an energy and intensity that is all-consuming."

MUSIC TAPES For Clouds And Tornadoes CD
*** "ELEPHANT 6's Julian Koster texturally rich sonic palette and songcraft with an almost religious devotion to the singing saw, and numerous contributions from other musicians in the Elephant 6 orbit."

THE NEW YEAR The New Year CD
*** "Former BEDHEAD brothers Bubba and Matt Kadane return! Several songs are built around the piano. Albini mans the helm as usual. Longing, loneliness, acceptance, resolve, all of our feelings are represented here."

OKKERVIL RIVER The Stand Ins LP / CD
*** "'"The Stand Ins" is the sequel to 'The Stage Names' -- part two of a staggered double album -- delving deeper into the story and theme of 'The Stage Names'. It is a full-length, fleshed-out, deeply ambitious labor of love."

PARENTHETICAL GIRLS Entanglements CD
*** "An orchestral song-cycle of grand sonic ambition! An eleven-song, linear narrative of ascendancy, adolescent sexuality, quantum mechanics, consent and other moral ambiguities! String-swept sentimentality borrowed from the likes of Van Dyke Parks, Scott Walker, Jack Nitzsche, and Burt Bacharach! Hues distantly reminiscent of names like Krzystof Penderecki, Philip Glass, and Gavin Bryars."

sBACH sBACH CD
*** "A.K.A. SPENCER SEIM, the man/creature who serves as the feral axe shredder of HELLA. Kitschy, stoner rock fueled archfiend chock full of bastardized jazz rhythms and chicken scratch electronica. With the grating jingles and chimes of an explosion at a pinball machine factory."

SHAKY HANDS Lung Light CD
*** RECOMMENDED "The current break out of the basement summertime jangly feel good band, already toured with the Shins, played Sasquatch, and recorded a Daytrotter session. A killer live band."

THAO We Brave Bee Stings And All CD
*** "These eleven diverse tracks make for a subtly powerful album concerned with admissions of guilt, life revelations, and failed domesticity. Thao Nguyen's music feels buoyant, even giddy at times, yet she endows her lyrics with a curious juxtaposition of gripping personal detail and saucy humor."

TRICKY Knowle West Boy CD
*** "Tricky is back with an album detailing the travels and travails of his youth, resulting in an eclectic aural history of his diverse upbringing. He reaches into post-punk, Two-Tone, reggae, hip-hop, and pop, twisting them into surreal songscapes."

DAR WILLIAMS Promised Land CD
*** "12 reflective songs that introduce a new Pop sound for Dar Williams. Lending support on the album are such renowned artists as Suzanne Vega and Marshall Crenshaw."

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Justice, Ellen Allien, Kompakt Total, Ed Banger

v/a ED REC Vol. III 2xLP
*** "The 3rd installment Ed Banger compilation. Including exclusive tracks from the entire crew: Mr. Oizo, Sebastian, Justice, Busy P, Uffie." Also features: Mr. Flash, DJ Mehdi, Krazy Baldhead, DSL, Feadz, So Me. Deluxe gatefold sleeve.

v/a KOMPAKT TOTAL 9 3xLP
*** Triple LP version; 10 tracks from the double CD version. "This is the ninth Total, and it marks 15 years of enduring music from Cologne's hardest-working label. Total 9 looks back at the best musical moments of the past year and looks forward to the future, with some exclusive music you will only find here from the likes of the dynamic duo Supermayer, Jörg Burger aka The Modernist, Freiland (the post-Studio Eins series by Wolfgang Voigt), Thomas Fehlmann, Jürgen Paape, DJ Koze, Justus Köhncke, and more."

ELLEN ALLIEN Sool 2xLP / CD
*** Ellen Allien's 4th album. "This one is subtle, mysterious, and minimal. Sool is intended to be a valve, a loophole, a respite from the crazy summers into the introspection and hibernation of winter. This could easily be Allien's most intimate album yet. But Sool also illustrates that minimal is not only meant for private moments, but also for the dancefloor."

ELLEN ALLIEN Sprung / Its 12"
*** "The first 12'' from Allien's 4th album, which presents two tracks from the album in extended vinyl versions. Smooth, precise loops and subliminal bass lines accent the mysterious nature of the songs."

HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR Blind RMX 12"
*** UK-only. Gguest vocals from ANTONY. Track listing: A1: "Blind" (Serge Santiago Version); B1: "Blind" (Frankie Knuckles Dub).

JUSTICE DVNO 12"
*** "Remixes from Justice themselves alongside Surkin (Institubes), Les Petits Pilous, and Sunshine Brother (legendary Todd Edwards), and L.A. Riots."

JUSTICE Waters Of Nazareth 12"
*** BACK IN STOCK!

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Stereolab, Gas, Karen Dalton & more

ost DAISIES CD
*** "The follow-up to the critically-acclaimed release of (the previously unreleased) Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders -- another Czech masterpiece. This immaculate release has been compiled in close accordance to the original storyline and comes complete with unseen archive images, original international poster designs and new and extensive sleevenotes by Andy Votel and Professor Peter Hames. This release also carries personal endorsements from Jarvis Cocker, Trish Keenan (Broadcast) and Jim O'Rourke."

v/a BEAT AT CINECITTA Vol. 1 CD
v/a BEAT AT CINECITTA Vol. 2 CD
v/a BEAT AT CINECITTA Vol. 3 CD
*** "A sensual homage to the most raunchy, erotic beat film music from the vaults of Italian 60s & 70s cinema. Brass pasta sound for hot nights from some of the most acclaimed Italian composers of all time: Bruno Nicolai, Pierro Piccioni, Armando Trovajoli, Luis Bacalov, Riz Ortolani."

v/a BERETTA 70 CD
*** "Roaring themes from thrilling Italian police films. The first compilation dedicated to the smashing sounds from the violent streets of 70s Italy. Though cops in their roaring Alfa cars, soul, groove and vocal tracks like a punch. Italy´s elite of filmmusic composers has gathered to compliment hardboiled crimefighters with Alfa Romeo Action Funk Soul."

v/a THE IN-KRAUT Vol. 3 CD
*** "Guten Tag! Willkommen to the third and final installment of The In-Kraut, a deep trip into the funky musical spheres of 1960s and 1970s Germany -- an undiscovered universe full of Hammond-heavy grooves, tight big band arrangements and fuzz guitar-enhanced dancefloor nuggets. Dip into a motherlode of 20 rare soul, beat, now sound, mod, jazz & soundtrack gems. Hot kraut!"

v/a NEW YORK EYE & EAR CONTROL CD
*** "ALBERT AYLER (tenor sax), ED BLACKWELL (trumpet), DON CHERRY (trumpet, cornet), SUNNY MURRAY (drums), GARY PEACOCK (bass), ROSWELL RUDD (trombone), JOHN TCHICAI (saxophone, alto sax). Michael Snow assembled a stellar group to improvise a sound track for his art film, titled Walking Woman, featuring a silhouette that is rumored to have been inspired by Carla Bley."

v/a NIGERIA DISCO FUNK SPECIAL: The Sound of the Underground Lagos Dancefloor 1974-79 CD
*** "Lagos, Nigeria, 1974-1979: the funk & disco capital of West Africa. Nigeria Disco Funk Special is an amazing collection of heavy dancefloor grooves from urban Lagos in the '70s -- hot and driving slices of funk, disco and boogie that show just how vibrant the music scene was in one of West Africa's most populous and culturally diverse cities."

v/a POP SHOPPING CD
*** Subtitled: Juicy Music from German Commercials 60-75. "Lets go way back in time; imagine Gerd Wilden, Klaus Doldinger and Horst Jankowski when they were young and reckless: this all-style Pop-o-rama with and without sing sung slogans and subliminal messages will leave you and your grandma breathless!"

ELLEN ALLIEN Sool 2xLP / CD
*** Ellen Allien's 4th album. "This one is subtle, mysterious, and minimal. Sool is intended to be a valve, a loophole, a respite from the crazy summers into the introspection and hibernation of winter. This could easily be Allien's most intimate album yet. But Sool also illustrates that minimal is not only meant for private moments, but also for the dancefloor."

BALDELLI & DIONIGI Cosmic Disco?! Cosmic Rock!!! CD
*** "Daniele Baldelli remains one of the first Italian DJs, who started his illustrious career back in the '60s and became one of Italo-disco's kings of the dancefloor. Cosmic Disco?! Cosmic Rock!!! celebrates a turntable odyssey from a man who lived and breathed Italian disco, American Rn'B and synth pop and pioneered the sound which has influenced countless DJs and producers who currently mine the golden age of synth pop for inspiration. A mixture of European records alongside American soul records, rhythm and blues and funk combined with Afro style against Ravel, Steve Reich, Jorge Ben, Depeche Mode and Malinke chants from New Guinea. Edited by Marco Dionigi."

KAREN DALTON Loop Tapes CD
*** "Never-released 1963 home recordings discovered on the same reel-to-reel tapes that house Cotton Eyed Joe. Karen Dalton circa 1962/63 was at her most pure, most powerful, and at ease. These recordings document her unique artistry at the time she was profoundly influencing the likes of Fred Neil, Tim Hardin and Bob Dylan."

GAS Nah Und Fern 4xCD
*** "A remastered deluxe package of all four Mille Plateaux albums by Kompakt's co-founder and co-owner, Wolfgang Voigt. Gas is the vision of a sonic body between Schönberg and Kraftwerk, between French horn and bass drum. Gas is Wagner goes glam rock, and Hansel and Gretel on acid. Gas takes you on a seemingly endless march through the woods into the discotheque. Reducing the material to its basic aesthetic structure by using different zoom, loop and alienation techniques, he releases it from its original meaning and context, creating a kind of aesthetic essence, a cave to get lost inside. This 4CD box comes in a special and stylish collector's format, including 4 small artwork prints."

GROUPER Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill CD
*** "The third full-length for Portland-based Liz Harris. Harris turns down the fuzz boxes which caged (and to some degree defined) her sound and allows her voice to ring out above everything else. It is an album steeped in the world of dream-pop -- a genre pioneered by the likes of Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil -- perfect, left-field pop songs."

HERBIE HANCOCK Hear, O Israel CD
*** "Originally privately pressed in 1968 in minute numbers and only for sale at Friday night prayer concerts, Hear, O Israel has to be one of the rarest and most extraordinary jazz recordings to come out of New York. Written by a 17 year-old and played by one of the greatest jazz line-ups of all time, this really has to be heard to be believed. Music written by HERBIE HANCOCK, JEROME RICHARDSON, THAD JONES, RON CARTER, JONATHAN KLEIN and GRADY TATE."

JOHN HILL Six Moons Of Jupiter CD
*** "This is a previously unreleased concept album from John Hill pulling together a veritable smorgasbord of US legends including SUSAN CHRISTIE, Moog pioneer WALTER SEAR, jazz legend GERRY MULLIGAN and JIMMY VALERIO to produce this progressive break-heavy monster, once doomed never to see the light of day."

JAGUAR LOVE Take Me To The Sea CD
*** "The debut album from Portland, Oregon's JAGUAR LOVE follows their hotly sought-after (and long sold-out) debut EP released this past June. Formed from members of the Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves, JAGUAR LOVE add heavy-duty glam moves and crunchy, addictive hooks to the mix."

MELVIN JACKSON Funky Skull CD
*** "Amplified bass, electronic effects, and more, all served up in one of the headiest funk albums of the '60s. Eddie Harris' bassman Melvin Jackson works with AACM horns, PHIL UPCHURCH, SOUND OF FEELING, and lots of funky rhythms on the stretched-out tracks. Soulful, sophisticated, and totally righteous!"

JENNIFER O'CONNOR Here With Me CD
*** "Here With Me is a breezier, more upbeat work than 2006's fantastic Over The Mountain, but we'd be lying if we told you the album packed any less of an emotional wallop. Jennifer's songs have never before sounded this crafted, or hit the listener with such immediacy."

PAAVOHARJU Laulu Laakson Kukista CD
*** "The 2nd full-length from Finland's Paavoharju. Laulu Laakson Kukista (A Song About Flowers of the Valley) evokes the sounds of raindrops falling on a sheet metal roof melting together with an old television's random dot-pattern noise. Backwards pianos, backwards vocals, tilted organ and baroque beats lean against sweeping operatic soundscapes and gossamer back-porch folk singalongs. Suddenly all this started to form esoteric mildew to cassette's magnetic tape."

JUDEE SILL Dreams Come True 2xCD
*** "Judee Sill died of a heroin overdose in 1979 before she completed her third album. The eight songs intended for that album are included here, mixed by JIM O'ROURKE. This 2CD set also includes rarities from the '60s and '70s."

STEREOLAB Chemical Chords 2xLP / CD
*** FREE 7" w/ purchase while supplies last!! "Arguably the band's tautest, most highly focused work this century, Stereolab's eleventh album is a collection of 'purposefully short, dense, fast pop songs,' according to Tim Gane, brimming with Motown-like drums, Sean O'Hagan's finest baroquepop brass and string arrangements and etched with some of Sadier's most eloquent, mellifluous vocal performances to date."

STUDIO Yearbook 2 CD
*** "This is THE collection of Studio's celebrated Balearic-dub-disco remixes of Kylie Minogue, Williams, A Mountain Of One, Shout Out Louds, Love Is All, Rubies, and Brennan Green. These are highly sought-after remixes compiled together from hard-to-get vinyl releases."

WEE You Can Fly On My Aeroplane CD
*** Former CAPSOUL songwriter Norman Whiteside issued this lone album of psychedelic soul, firmly ensconced in Innervisions-era Stevie Wonder. Smooth, sexy, and synthy, this peerless nine-song LP has been expanded to nineteen "panty soakers".

Thursday, August 7, 2008

(( RECOMMENDED )) Bibio

BIBIO fi CD
"Recommended to Mush by Marcus Eoin of Boards Of Canada, the debut release from central England's Stephen Wilkinson (aka Bibio) is a triumph of saturation, distortion, and musical obscurity. Comprised of seventeen ambient songs built on samples of his own work rather than the work of others, fi is rich in musical imagery. Using manipulated live instrumentation, field recordings, and a strong portion of effects, Bibio's musical influences - the Incredible String Band, Joao Gilberto, My Bloody Valentine, Tortoise, and the producers of Warp Records - seep into his compositions. Bibio's debut is a revelation in the emotional power of lo-fi ambient compositions and clearly establishes him as a producer who has developed his own unique voice."

A gorgeous album of warped and damaged acoustic fingerpickings that Boards of Canada's Marcus Eoin calls "the antidote to the modern laptopia of pristine electronic music." This is solitary and moody enchantment, equally perfect for walks and road trips. For a slightly more frenetic workout, check Bibio's second album, Hand Cranked. A third record, Vignetting the Compost, should arrive later this year.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: DVD ))))) Daft Punk's film debut!

DAFT PUNK Electroma DVD
*** THE GUARDIAN says "Visually stunning and thematically arresting, Daft Punk's widescreen debut is a beautiful sun-blushed nugget of cinema."

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: Vinyl ))))) Atlas Sound, Nas, and re-stocks

ATLAS SOUND Let The Blind Lead Those Who Cannot See + Another Bedroom 2xLP
*** "This is the first vinyl release for the acclaimed solo debut from Bradford Cox. To make the 4 sides of the album complete, there are six new songs added. Rest assured, these are not mere 'leftovers' from the mixing of the album. In fact, most of them were recorded after the album had already been completed." Deluxe gatefold packaging.

BJORK Volta LP
*** BACK IN STOCK!

FLYING LOTUS Reset 12"
*** BACK IN STOCK!

NAS Nas LP
*** NOW ON VINYL!

((((( NEW ARRIVALS: CDs ))))) Conor Oberst, Lou Reed, Brazilian Girls, Clinic & more

BRAZILIAN GIRLS New York City CD
*** "Third album by the critically acclaimed group expands on their signature, multi-lingual sound while paying respect to their international roots and the city where they got their start." BAABA MAAL guests.

CLINIC Funf CD
*** "Ten years of Clinic flipsides are joyously addled but have consistently given a reason to listen beyond the A-sides, covering acid punk to damaged hoedowns and any stops in between."

DR. DOG Fate CD
*** "Fate is the record Dr. Dog were destined to make, a timeless yet contemporary distillation of the band's open-armed, big-hearted sound taken to new heights of craft and creativity. Inventive, magnificently realized, and absolutely irresistible."

THE FAINT Fasciinatiion CD
*** "The vocals sound less human than ever before; the bass lines are more mangled, keyboards spiral and squeal out of control; electronic pings and stabs invade the melodies; the lyrical anxiety and disdain of previous albums pervades on every song."

IDA My Fair My Dark CD
*** "This seven song mini album features guest appearances by LEVON HELM, Michael Hurley, and Tara Jane O'Neil, and includes covers of songs by John Martyn, Dolly Parton, and Annie Briggs."

RANDY NEWMAN Harps & Angels CD
*** "Randy Newman's first studio album of all new material in nearly a decade is, by turns, hilarious, poignant and scathingly satirical. 'Harps and Angels' often has an easy going Crescent City feel, with Newman on piano fronting a small combo and revealing his serious love and study of the New Orleans piano tradition."

CONOR OBERST Conor Oberst CD
*** BRIGHT EYES frontman's first true solo album in over a decade as played by the Mystic Valley Band(!), recorded in a mountain valley and unaware of the hour of the day.

ONEIDA Preteen Weaponry CD
*** "'Preteen Weaponry' reminds Oneida of what a live performance might sound like. It contains captured improvisational moments married with craft. You can consider it an introduction to their forthcoming triple album 'Rated O.'"

LOU REED Coney Island Baby + Berlin 2xCD
*** Two of Lou's classics married in one package -- outside of this package, 'Berlin' isn't available domestically. Remastered.

TAMBA TRIO The Miraculous... CD
*** RECOMMENDED DUSTY GROOVES says "The CD is one of the best introductions to their work we've ever seen. Nearly 3 albums' worth of music from the legendary Tamba Trio -- one of the grooviest groups in the 60s bossa years in Brazil! The trio are quite unique -- in that they not only play upbeat bossa rhythms, but also harmonize along with their grooves -- in a soaringly sublime quality that really electrifies the tunes!"