Uzu Audio

Daniel Padden Pause For The Jet

(2008, Dekorder)

Since 1995 Daniel Padden has been a member of Volcano The Bear, with several highly regarded album releases on Nurse With Wound's United Diaries label, Textile and Beta-Lactam Ring Records. After his move to Glasgow he started The One Ensemble Of Daniel Padden as an outlet for his solo recordings with releases on Catsup Plate, Secret Eye and Textile. When The One Ensemble slowly metamorphosed into a band of its own, Padden started to record his solo output under his birth name, with last year's "The Isaac Storm" on the Ultra Exzema label being the first seminal result. Over the years Padden has developed a strong fascination for obscure musics from all over the world (re his recent "Epiphanies" article for The Wire magazine): mouth organ love-songs from Thailand, The Ramayana Monkey Chant from Bali, Khene pieces from Laos; so-called world music from Burundi to Bulgaria. Combining these interests with his love for British Folk and Art Rock (This Heat, Robert Wyatt), Kraut Rock (Faust), Free Jazz, the surreal collage techniques of Nurse With Wound and the odd humour of The Residents, he has developed a totally unique and highly personal musical vision without ever sounding overambitious or directionless. Gorgeous song-writing is seamlessly transformed into pure fuzz or string drones, suddenly interrupted by some improvised reeds or collapsing percussion, all within the blink of an eye, and never losing its natural flow. Highest Recommendation.

LP: $23CAD

Pelt Heraldic Beasts

(2006, Eclipse)

Long-anticipated deluxe double LP set in a heavy gatefold sleeve with full colour artwork that gathers a bunch of jaw-dropping Pelt tracks (1998-2003) that mostly predate their current zoned/American Primitive form and focuses more on the metal-void attack of their post-Dead C power trio moves and nascent, rust-caked drone concepts. A great reminder of the kind of brut level the early Pelt line-up regularly regressed to. Super-heavy sonics and packaging and no track details.

LP: $27CAD

Pelt Untitled

(VHF)

(untitled) is devastating set of almost pure white light from the newly upgraded Pelt lineup. The album's intense drone music represents a return to "sonic-ism" for the quartet of Jack Rose, Mike Gangloff, Patrick Best, and Mikel Dimmick. Like 2003's effort Pearls from the River, (untitled) is an all-acoustic affair. The group concentrates on producing dense clouds of overtones from guitar, cello, tibetan bowls, gongs, sruti, and esraj. Track one is an overpowering straight line a la the Theatre of Eternal Music, an atmosphere of stasis with gong and bowl flickering subtly over the massive track bed. Track two is a 32-minute epic that begins with the soft strains of Jack Rose's 12 string, picks up dueling cello and esraj and gradually builds in intensity with the sounds of gongs and other unusual percussion. Track three is the live staple "Sundogs," where Rose's Weissenborn lap guitar and Gangloff's resonator guitar produce a stream of unearthly high, singing overtones in an uncanny acoustic impression of electric feedback. The final track is an epilogue of Best's keening cello, again ignoring the usual technique associated with the instrument in the pursuit of pure weirdness.

CD: $18CAD

Pelt Skullfuck/Bestio Tergum Degero

(2006, VHF)

Limited to 600 copies pro re-press of what was originally a limited tour-only CD from the Pelt orchestra - Jack Rose, Pat Best, Mike Gangloff and Mikel Dimmick. Recorded live at The Knitting Factory on 20th November 2005 this one kicks-off with a remarkable group setting for Jack Rose's “Calais To Dover” that works as the best reconciliation to date of Rose's American Primitive power blues and Pelt's void-gobbling hymnals. It's followed by three movements entitled “Bestio Tergum Degero” that see the group accelerate through almost static waves of drone through to a massive gong-trashing finale that is pure metal euphoria. Comes in a full-colour card gatefold sleeve. Recommended.

CD: $18CAD

Washington Philips What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?

(2008, Mississippi)

2nd edition with regular printed jacket. Original recordings from 1927-1929, with Phillips perhaps accompanied on the Dolceola (miniature piano-like instrument). "Beautifully haunting music from Phillips. His sweetly-sung Christian blues, bathed in a celestial haze of notes from an instrument that sounds like a child's music box, stand out amongst the work of guitar evangelists and street corner Scripture-ites of the era. Phillips' sacred porch songs provide evidence of a higher power, for how could man alone create music for the angels? These recordings sound remarkable from being from the 1920s."

LP: OUT OF STOCK

Pigeons Virgin Spectacle

(2008, Black Dirt)

"One of the most weirdly fucked song-based records to come out of New York since the early Tower Recordings sides, with a similarly unfathomable approach to phantom structure, tho here they replace the monolithic electric guitars and PKD-style sleight of hand with fuzz, stumbling F/X, almost carousel-style melodies and a wayward female vocalist who sings nursery rhyme tunes, baroque gothic folk and lux French pop stylings beneath homemade electronics ala Storm Bugs with stylistic nods to a Mo-fronted Velvet Underground singing the songs of Jacques Brel. A beautifully outside release, as singular as the first Red Kites recordings. Recommended." - Volcanic Tongue

LP: $24CAD

Pita A Bas La Culture Marchande

(2006, No Fun)

New album from Pita aka Mego founder Peter Rehberg that moves from junked percussion process through pulverising beats, barbed wire rhythms and great proto-symphonic drones assembled from extended, languorous rainbows of breath. B-side features some classic electro-squelch mirrored in long, silent hymns that are illuminated by nothing but digital scrabbles. "Pulsating inhuman sounds, minimal drone work, silence, harsh layered electronics and total death. Explorations into the infra-worlds with a few tool boxes and a fucking gigantic drill of destruction manned by a single man, Mr. Peter Rehberg-A sick man and 20th/21st century Pioneer of evil electronic music with all the secret formulas to create artificial breakdowns of space and time. Hail primal electronic darkness. First vinyl from Pita in several years. Limited to 300." - NF.

LP: $20CAD

Plastic Crimewave Sound No Wonder

(2005, Eclipse)

Recorded under harsh conditions with a dark-cloud backdrop of freezing temperatures, car wrecks, personal strife, illness and even bullet crossfire, at last this double-LP paranoid song cycle from PLASTIC CRIMEWAVE SOUND is upon us.ÊA space-punk epic of formation and devastation, itÊtravels from the devotional light of “The Beginning” to the virus of technology and even darker future urban hells. This is PCWS's second long-awaited LP, a limited edition double-LP housed in a beautiful, sturdy gatefold sleeve.

LP: $27CAD

Pocahaunted Chains

(2008, Teardrop)

Following on from a whole slew of releases on a variety of homespun formats and one or two notable 'proper' releases (including the splendid Island Diamonds on Not Not Fun), here comes another quality turn from Bethany and Amanda, in fact, this has to rate as by far one of the duo's most approachable releases to date, pinned together by drumming contributions from Bobb Bruno and Josh Klinghoffer. Despite the structural reinforcements that incredibly free and wild Pocahaunted style remains in tact, with beautiful, dissolved vocals sprawling wordlessly across both sides. The dominant tone of drifting, lo-fi, post-gaze esoterica feels like it can go anywhere anytime, but there are also moments of clarity here that reveal tightly ordered dub-flavoured passages, filled with warm bass stabs and regulated percussion. Ace.

LP: $21CAD

Poorschool The Holy Master

(2008, Ecstatic Peace)

New LP from the trio of guitarist Bryan Ramirez, drummer John Niekrasz and saxophonist Nathan Hoyme. Ramirez partnered John Olson in one of the key early Michigan underground groups, Universal Indians, a free noise cell that helped bring together many lonely experimental musicians the world over. Ramirez also plays in Ex-Cocaine. Poor School play classic post-Blue Humans/Rudolph Grey styled free jazz non, with rips of electric string beaten bloody by pulverising drums and raised in ecstasy by some beautifully ragged brass blurt. If you dig Martin Weaver as much as Sonny Sharrock and Jim Sauter as much as Marion Brown then consider yourself ‘ready'.

LP: $16CAD

Prurient s/t

(Hanson)

Quite possibly the most intense release HANSON has unveiled yet. Truly BRUTAL 2001 recordings from Dominick Fernow via the same sessions that spawned his track for the killer AT THE END OF THE ROPE compilation. Cryptic lyrics shouted out in extreme pain over two sides of ear splitting feedback cutting crudely thru heavy pummeling static and hiss. For fans of the perverse noise & power electronics of Sutcliffe Jugend, Skin Crime, and Mangled Clit. Includes 11x 17 insert, and housed in a slick grey and black silkscreened cardstock jacket featuring the usual HANSON outer 'droll flaps.' Limited to 500 copies.

LP: $25CAD

Pyramids Birth/Speed/Merging

(r:2009, Ikef)

One of the boldest albums ever from this legendary spiritual jazz ensemble -- and a set that has them reaching even further heights in their music! There's a bit more focus here than before -- tunes that are somewhat shorter, and really hone in on the best elements in the group's sound -- the amazing reed lines of Idris Ackamoor, and the building percussion in the grooves -- often touched with odd sounds and unusual elements that give the record a similar feel to some of the more percussive Sun Ra albums on Saturn. There's a bit of vocals at points, but really just used to augment the instrumentation -- and the album's got the sharply righteous tones you might expect to hear in some of the hippest Strata East work of the period! Titles include "Aomawa", "Black Man & Woman Of The Nile", "Jamaican Carnival", "Birth Speed Merging", and "Reaffirmation".

LP: $25CAD

Pyramids King Of Kings

(r:2009, Ikef)

Incredible music from The Pyramids -- an obscure Midwestern combo who made some pretty amazing records in the early 70s! There's a heavy dose of spirituality in the mix here -- a vibe that rivals some of the best albums of the time on Strata East, but with a freer sound overall -- elements of the AACM Chicago scene, or some of the hipper grooves coming out of St Louis -- particularly in the way the band builds up energy on the longer tracks. The reeds are especially nice -- alto sax from Idris Ackamoor and flute from Margo Ackamoor -- and all other group members play percussion, and vocalize too -- singing along with some of the tunes in chanting, chorus formation, which adds an even further element of soul to the mix. Rhythms range from hard-driving to completely hypnotic -- and titles include "Nsorama", "My Africa", "Mogho Naba", and "Queen Of The Spirits".

LP: $25CAD

Pyramids Lalibela

(r:2009, Ikef)

The first of 3 albums issued by The Pyramids -- a wonderful bit of spiritual soul jazz with a really cosmic feel! The group are heavy on percussion and reeds -- blending congas and assorted other percussion instruments with soprano sax, alto, and flute -- all in a captivating sound that builds up nicely over the course of the album's two long tracks! The music is very organic -- never too forced, nor never too far out -- and there's a majestic quality to the whole thing, one that really lives up to the group's name and image on the cover. And although the ensemble hail from Ohio -- hardly a spot you'd peg for spiritual jazz in the 70s -- they're a key link between the early 70s avant movements in Chicago and St Louis, some of the hip grooves in Detroit's Tribe Records scene, and the growing loft jazz movement in New York. The title track -- "Lalibela" -- spans a side and a half of the record, and it's followed by the 16 minute tune "Indigo".

LP: $25CAD

Raccoo-oo-oon s/t

(2008, Not Not Fun)

Last copies of this final DBL LP from Raccoo-oo-oon, copies of which sold out from the label in 24 hours: “Everything's coming to an end with the swansong from Iowa City's Raccoo-oo-oon. Following up last years critically acclaimed Behold Secret Kingdom (RTB/Not Not Fun), the final album takes everything up a notch and shows a band taking their last breath and laying down the last bricks in their fairly short history. The album blends together all different parts of Raccoo-oo-oons discography, taking cues from the utter freeform punk madness of The Cave Of Spirits Forever (Time Lag), building something completely new of the era that was Behold Secret Kingdom and yet delivering echoes of the eclectic Mythos Folkways recordings. The album reeks of desperation and a feeling of going down with nothing to lose at all. A fucked up future-prog mayhem that is all over the place and at no known place at all at the same time. Genuinely uncomfortable, desperate and just beautiful, this album will surely be remembered as the most important recording that Racco-oo-oon ever put to tape. Minds are melting, new grounds are covered and things will never be the same. A playtime of close to 75 minutes over 7 tracks. Mastered by Pete Swanson.” – RTB/NNF.

LP: $35CAD

Rahdunes Chains

(2007, Emperor Jones)

This San Fran-sicko duo make their long-playing debut with 46 minutes of devilish, droney psych that will delight fans of truly demented music. Repetitive bass leads are peppered with murky washes of horror movie-inspired sounds, all served on top of a mountain of tape hiss that becomes an integral part of the music. This is not instrumental music but mental music, with creepy, wordless vocals chanting questions that only a demon could decipher. Side two starts off like a lost Suicide demo from 1973: a broken synth spits out a beastly pattern while a single tom drum keeps time with Echoplexed mumbling, as washed-out cymbals flail about on the floor. Some heavy, sick shit we have here! There are too many drone, noise, and freak-fuck LPs out there right now. This LP will cleanse your bowels of the flooded market of underground music. This record sounds like nothing you've ever heard before. Rahdunes have unleashed a work that will strongly stand the test of time, so step up and shake their hands, because as one of the song titles says, "Meeting you is like sucking God's cock." Toodle pip, no worries; cheers then.

LP: $16CAD

Jack Rose Black Dirt Sessions

(2009, Three Lobed)

Let's get the dirty work over with first. The Black Dirt Sessions is, all hyperbole aside, Jack Rose's most complete and telling work to date. Those who have been following this Philadelphia wanderer's development and growth as a solo artist (both live and on record) know that such a statement is strong praise, as rose's catalog is certainly not devoid of unqualified classics. The album takes its title from the studio where it was recorded – jason meagher's Black Dirt Studios located in Westtown, New York. Old friends Rose and Meagher developed a good working relationship and full understanding of each other's work habits and styles over the course of a spring 2008 joint tour between Rose and one of Meagher's bands, D. Charles Speer & The Helix. Rose, that eternal road warrior, booked some time at Black Dirt between tours in August, September and October of 2008 to lay down some new and fully realized material. This album is the complete result of those sessions. Rose's prior albums have tended to both pick and remain true to a musical theme. The Black Dirt Sessions excels by displaying fully honed examples of all of Rose's various styles and themes – traditional, raga and ragtime. The album's artwork is somewhat of the yin to the yang of Rose's 2008 release on Three Lobed, I Do Play Rock and Roll . Bearing the same overall design aesthetic as that prior release albeit presented in a contrasting white with black print, The Black Dirt Sessions features a photo of Rose performing in New York in 2006. The LP is pressed on 180g RTI vinyl and housed within an "old style" high gloss Stoughton cover. The record will be from a one-time pressing of 2021 copies. 

LP: $32CAD

Arthur Russell First Thought, Best Thought

(Audika)

"Before disco, and before the transcendent echoes, Arthur Russell wanted to be a composer. His journey began in 1972, leaving Iowa to study Indian classical composition with Ali Akbar Khan in Northern California and ending two years later in New York at the Manhattan School of Music. In that brief period Arthur met and worked with several musicians and poets that would guide his work throughout the remainder of the decade: Allen Ginsburg, Christian Wolff, Jackson MacLow, Rhys Chatham, Philip Glass, Elodie Lauten, and Ernie Brooks. First Thought Best Thought collects Arthur Russell's out of print instrumental and orchestral compositions along with over 45 minutes of previously-unreleased material on two CDs. Initially intended to be performed in one 48 hour cycle, 'Instrumentals' was in fact only performed in excerpts a handful of times as a work in progress. The legendary performances captured live in New York at The Kitchen and Franklin St. Arts Center include the cream of that era's downtown new music scene including Ernie Brooks, Rhys Chatham, Jon Gibson, Peter Gordon, Garrett List, Andy Paley, Dave Van Tiegham, and Peter Zummo. Included here is the previously unreleased 'Instrumentals' Vol. 1 along with 'Instrumentals' Vol. 2 that has been out of print for over twenty years. Originally released in 1984, sections of 'Instrumentals' Vol. 2 were incorrectly mastered at half speed, and have been now corrected for this compilation. 'Reach One' is one of Arthur's earliest compositions dating back to 1973. The hypnotic soundscape was written and performed for two Fender Rhodes pianos, and is previously unreleased. One of the holy grails in Arthur's discography, 'Tower Of Meaning' is a beautiful and stunningly moving orchestral work. Conducted by the late Julius Eastman, 'Tower Of Meaning' was originally released in a limited private edition of only 320 copies. 'Sketch For The Face Of Helen' shares only the same title as the previously released excerpt from 1981. Inspired by his work with friend and composer Arnold Dreyblatt, this previously unreleased version was recorded with an electronic tone generator, keyboard and ambient recordings of a rumbling tugboat from the Hudson River. First Thought Best Thought is an essential collection of the lost instrumental treasures from Arthur Russell's vast archive and brings the genius of his legacy closer into focus. Packaged with a 16-page color booklet + O-card of archival images and essays by former Modern Lover Ernie Brooks and Audika's Steve Knutson."

3LP: SOLD OUT
2CD: $27CAD

Arthur Russell Another Thought

(Orange Mountain Music)

"During his lifetime, classically trained composer, cellist and disco legend Arthur Russell studied and performed with a wide variety of musicians and artists including The Flying Lizards, David Byrne, Rhys Chatham, Ali Akbar Khan, Allen Ginsberg, John Hammond, Peter Gordon, Jon Gibson, Jerry Harrison, Garret List, Frank Pagano, Andy Paley, Leni Pickett and Peter Zummo. In 1979, Russell, working under the name Dinosaur, wrote and produced Kiss Me Again -- the first disco single to be released by Sire Records and the first of Russell's many innovative dance tunes. Kiss Me Again also features contributions from then-fledgling guitarist David Byrne. As a solo act in the 1980s, he produced successes such as the single 'In the Light of the Miracle' (featured on this release) and the album World of Echo (1987, Rough Trade) a masterpiece that defies description and categorization. World of Echo was included in Melody Maker 's 'Top Thirty Releases of 1986'. When Russell dies of AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40, the Village Voice wrote, ' his songs were so personal that it seems as though he simply vanished into his music. ' Orange Mountain's re-release of Russell's 1994 album Another Thought (Point Music) is a fitting tribute to one of music's greatest and most underappreciated musical innovators."

CD: $23CAD

Arthur Russell Calling Out Of Context

(Audika)

"When Arthur Russell died in 1992 he left an overwhelming archive of over a 1000 tapes that reveal the sublime genius of one of the most important musicians of the last 25 years. As a cellist, songwriter, composer, and disco visionary Arthur Russell consistently blurred the lines of our expectations of what pop music could be. Originally from Iowa, Arthur travelled west in 1970 to study Indian classical composition with Ali Akbar Khan, befriended Allen Ginsberg, performed with Alice Coltrane, and then moved to New York in 1973 to study at the Manhattan School of Music. Quickly gravitating to the then burgeoning downtown scene, Arthur wrote and performed his minimal compositions (captured on Instrumentals and Tower Of Meaning . Both to be re-issued by Audika) and collaborated with a who's who of some of New York's most influential artists including Rhy's Chatham, Ernie Brooks, David Byrne, Phillip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Jon Gibson, Robert Wilson, Christian Wolff, John Cage, Arnold Dreyblatt, and Phill Niblock. It then changed by a mere accident. Simply, he went to a disco. Inspired by the sonic repetition and sense of community, Arthur wrote and recorded some of the most important records of the disco era including 'Kiss Me Again', 'Is It All Over My Face', and co-founded Sleeping Bag Records with partner Wil Socolov releasing 'Go Bang' and the album 24-24 Music . In 2002 Audika Records entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the estate of Arthur Russell to issue previously unreleased and out of print material from Arthur's vast archive. The first album Calling Out Of Context , features 12 previously unreleased tracks recorded during Arthur's prime years 1985-90. The material is drawn from Corn , an album that was completed in 1985 but never released, and an abandoned album recorded for Rough Trade as Arthur had become ill. Many of these tracks show hidden sides of Arthur's talent and underline the loss of his great potential. Contrary by nature, Arthur's spontaneous reaction and altered perception to his environment produced music that remains challenging and contemporary. Arthur's open hearted attitude to music was far ahead of it's time, and now that time is ours."

CD: $20CAD

Arthur Russell Springfield

(Audika)

Seven track mid-length CD, all tracks previously unreleased. Includes a new DFA remix. "Before Homer (Simpson) there was Arthur Russell and his vision of a utilitarian and common social oasis. There appears to be in every state of the union a Springfield -- be it county, city or street. Arthur imagined that his music could be universally accepted in each and every one of them. Springfield is one of the last compositions Arthur Russell wrote in his all too short lifetime. Arthur recorded over four hours of tracking with the intention of collaborating with a producer for completion. It never happened until now when DFA accepted the monumental task of editing and completing the track. No overdubs were used with the exception of minimal keyboards on the remix. Three versions are included with separate vocal takes. The result is a classic electro dub track that ranks beside Arthur's visionary club music and DFA's prime remixes. The remaining tracks are some of Arthur's finest, most twisted moments, and culled from the unreleased 1985 album Corn . 'See My Brother, He's Jumping Out (Let's Go Swimming #1)', is the original (and no less stunning) version of what became the classic 12" released a year later. 'Corn #3' is a hypnotic instrumental with Casiotone, cello and found water sounds while 'Hiding Your Present From You' is a psychedelic blur that hints at the elements that came later with World of Echo . Closing out the album is 'You Have Did The Right Thing When You Put That Skylight In,' Arthur's ode to his close friend Ernie Brooks' home skylight. The heavy metal cellos rumble throughout as Arthur sings, 'It makes your place, your pad, a nicer place to be.' Springfield is a companion album to the critically acclaimed Calling Out Of Context , and offers further exploration of the genius of Arthur Russell."

LP: $22CAD
CD: $14CAD

Arthur Russell World Of Echo

(Audika)

"Out of print for over fifteen years, Arthur Russell's most extraordinary work, World Of Echo is issued for the first time on CD by Audika Records. Newly remastered from Arthur's pristine original 1/4" sequenced masters, World Of Echo sounds like nothing you have heard or will ever hear. 18 tracks are featured including drumless versions of his Disco classics 'Let's Go Swimming', 'Tree House' and 'Wax The Van' along with four previously unreleased tracks from Sketches From World Of Echo . Originally released on LP in 1986, World Of Echo is a deeply intimate and meditative work of awe-inspiring grace and remains a timeless work of sublime beauty. Arthur's aim was to achieve what he calls 'the most vivid rhythmic reality', with just cello, voice, and echoes. Arthur achieved all of this and more on one of the most amazing albums you will ever hear."

LP: SOLD OUT
CD: $20CAD

Sarin Smoke Smokescreen

(2007, Three Lobed)

A stirring and meditative dual guitar set from Tom Carter (Charalambides) and Peter Swanson (Yellow Swans). Not what you would expect but *exactly* what you are in need of - deeply soul-stirring material. From a one-time pressing of 652 hand-numbered copies on 180g RTI vinyl. Bearing original artwork by Liz Harris. Housed within hand-numbered sleeves that were individually letterpressed by Dexterity Press. Pre-order copies that include copies of this Sarin Smoke bonus CD.

LP: $25CAD

Sea Donkeys Live At The S.S. Marie Antoinette

(2008, Assophon)

Limited edition of 400 copies live LP from this new label and group out of Seattle and featuring one of the brains behind the Sublime Frequencies imprint. These guys previously had an LP available via the Sun City Girls' Abduction label but this is their best yet, a divinely ragged live blast that combines a more garage rocking taking on the communal folk breakdowns of The Cherry Blossoms with killer Shaggs/Godz style drum violence, drunk choir vocals and the kinda fidelity that makes it all sound like a great VU Bootleg. There are inspired covers of material like "It's A Rainy Day" by Faust and Albert Ayler's "Ghosts" (which wins out over countless lame indie free jazz versions by re-staging it as a melancholy avant rock dirge as played by Don Van Vliet and the Maher Shalal Has Baz orchestra) and the more rocking sections are a near perfect amalgam of primitive avant brut, stumble punk oblivion and beautiful melodic chord solos. Recommended.

LP: $22CAD

Serpent Power Ourobourus

(Locust)

"The Serpent Power were a short-lived and under documented group of bay area freakers & tweakers founded by poet David Meltzer & his wife Tina. Under the original incarnation, Serpent Power would record only one album for Vanguard who signed them on the recommendation of Ed Denson (Country Joe & the Fish manager / Takoma Records co-founder). The Vanguard lp is a doozy of sunshine pop psych & raga rock. Needless to say, the "song" structures would be reserved for the beautiful family tones of David & Tina Meltzer's Poet Song recordings for Vanguard & a dormant album for Capitol called Green Morning. Phase two of Serpent Power, on the other hand, would regroup as an amorphous musical blob that seemingly let it all hang out & that's just what you get on Ourobouros (locust81)

This is a deliciously hairy off the cuff live document of the band's second incarnation recorded at KPFA in 1969. Bob Cuff (of the great art rock band The Mystery Trend),Jim Moscoso, Jean-Paul Pickens, fellow poet / seer Clark Coolidge & David Meltzer were joined by Daniel Moore,leader of The Floating Lotus Opera Company and a mystery friend named Christian for a session of spontaneous, combustive agro hippie jams." - Dawson Prater

LP: $30CAD

Shackamaxon s/t

(HP Cycle)

Finally re-pressed: the first even remotely available long-form broadcast from this mysterious underground super-group featuring members of Double Leopards (Chris Gray and Marcia Bassett), the entire Son Of Earth trio (Matt Krefting, John Shaw, Aaron Rosenblum) and one Pete Nolan (Magik Markers/Virgin Eye Blood Brothers/GHQ/Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice, you name it). Side one is a formless huff of corpse noise with slow bows of guitar, padding percussion and Ur-drones that flash like the first expectant seconds of Ash Ra Temple's debut album extended into huge arcs of infinity. Second side is three tracks and the first "Airborne Metals" is a real flesh-crawler, with what sounds like profoundly malformed vocals sucking on a void of claustrophobic Industrial F/X. The rest of the side is made up of the kind of narcoleptic, heavily-populated stasis that makes you feel as if you're brain is slowly melting from your ears. Or is that PCP? Either way, this is one heck of a dose. Full-colour cover art complete with inspired group portraits by Sunburned Hand Of The Man's Conrad Capistran that have no reference to reality whatsoever and full-colour insert with art by Marcia Bassett.

LP: $22CAD

Shepherds Loco Hills

(2008, Not Not Fun)

Loco Hills, the debut full length from these Brooklyn bush babies, is the sound of a rolling southwestern road trip. It is the sound of unknown terrain, and appropriately Loco Hills finds Shepherds entering full band territory for the first time. A fully realized jam document, toying at times with structure, Shepherds never lose sight of the "drop everything and make music" mentality that makes them so exciting. Swirling strings, tape manipulations. Bongos and wah, fire and bone. This is our music. - Members from Meneguar, Woods and The Vanishing Voice. Digipack and limited to 500.

LP: $18CAD

Silent Land Time Machine & Hope Still

(2008, Time Lag)

A collaborative release with the band's own Indian Queen label. Pretty hard to pin this one down, but its a trip for sure. A rather mysterious one man band solo outing from texas, who builds up layer upon layer of violin, viola, acoustic guitar, slippery electric slide, percussion, electronics, accordion, buried vocals, and found sounds into haunted, rollicking, thick sonic blankets of sound. Many simple parts entwined, looped, and orchestrated into an undulating whole, like naive bedroom folkrock filtered through some blissed out minimalist phase experiment. Ecstatic, post-psychedelic chamber rock maybe? Really doesn't sound like much else out there, but its instantly enjoyable, energized, and grooves freely in its own uplifting way. Packaged in ghostly and subtly beautiful offset printed foldout cover, with foldout insert. 180gm vinyl. limited, numbered edition of 300 copies.

LP: $30CAD

Silmaril The Voyage Of Icarus

(2007, Locust)

Awash in fuzz boxes and acid trips, the dozens of other overlooked groups from the psychedelic era bear little resemblance to Silmaril. While others buzzed within the hippie epicenters of Haight Street and the Lower East Side, Silmaril formed in haunted, industrial Milwaukee. Other bands might have met at a love-in; Silmaril were friends from a Catholic youth retreat bound together by a doomed figure in the eccentric madman tradition of Syd Barrett, Roy Harper and Mel Lyman by the name of Matthew Peregrine. The Voyage of Icarus captures the dark, mysterious, and achingly beautiful acid folk & Christian themed psychedelic sounds that emanated from 1973’s privately pressed album, Given Time... Or the Several Roads, and their dormant, unreleased follow up No Mirrored Temple. Available in a numbered edition of 525 double 180 gram vinyl set housed in a hand silkscreened custom jacket.

LP: $28CAD
CD: $16CAD

Sixes Cursed Beast

(2007, Enterruption)

"This is by far the baddest-ass of all Sixes material yet - yeah yeah yeah, every label thinks their Sixes release is the best, but here we're not lying: Originally to be called "The Beast", 2 years in the making, an 8-track reel-to-reel and a computer ruined twice, two teeth pulled and a resulting throat abscess requiring hospitalization in the interim. The frustrations and anger, the pain and set-backs all became hate:fuel for what was to become the "The Cursed Beast". Heavy rhythms, harsh swirling sounds, buried vocals seething in ugly, ruined and destroyed guitar wreckage and synth gnarl, structured and formed into arguably one of the best releases of 2006. Ever wonder what would've happened if Crash Worship ADRV had been influenced solely by Chrome, look no further. When we first received the material, intended for a cassette release, we knew it had to be to on vinyl." - Enterruption.

LP: $25CAD

Skaters Physicalities Of The Sensibilites Of Ingrediential Strairways

(2008, Eclipse)

Brand new long-awaited 2008 full-length vinyl album from The Skaters and easily one of the major releases of the year, a record that fully delivers on their hallucinatory power-vision of channelled vocals inhabiting spectral environs transmuted via the imagined thought-forms of Sun Ra, Angus MacLise, Basil Kirchin and Brion Gysin then obsessively Xeroxed and treated with various entropic strategies in order to muddy the ritual to the point where it feels more akin to a sonic scrying mirror than a simple snapshot. These five tracks represent some of Spencer Clark and James Ferraro's darkest work to date, a nightside epic that takes in percussive Moroccan trance forms, hypnotic keyboard reveries, voices from the pit, the repetition of barbarous name as a mainline to oblivion and some of the murkiest, shadow-populated modern psychedelia ever to blow apart feeble terms like 'noise' and 'drone'. A magical album from two of the most original and consistently mind-blowing underground thinkers. Limited edition, one-time pressing, no re-press. Highly recommended.

LP: $22CAD

Joakim Skogsberg Jola Rota

(2008, Tiliqua)

First time official reissue of one of Sweden's greatest and sadly unknown psychedelic treasure is this sole album by Joakim Skogsberg out of 1971. Tiliqua acquired the exclusive rights to this gem and this reissue comes with a remastered sound taken directly from the original master tapes and with the kind assistance of Mr. Joakim Skogsberg himself. The album “Jola Rota” is about Joakim Skogsberg's love for the grandiose Swedish landscapes, which has put its imprint upon his songs. On “Jola Rota” Joakim single-handedly created a minimal psychedelic and acid folk masterpiece infused with incredible soundscapes of derailed fuzzed out violins, soaring guitars, rattling hand percussion, droning vocals and pulsating bass rhythms, complimented by Joakim's “jolor”, a special singing style with roots in an ancient Swedish tradition of folk music. The album was for the most part recorded out in the woods, with a portable Nagra-reel-to-reel-tape recorder and a simple Philips-cassette recorder. Upon completion it was suggested for the album to appear on Gump Records, a subsidiary of Metronome. The reason was that the music was just too underground and weird to be in Metronome's register. Apart from Joakim's original recordings, some overdubs and effects were done in the studio during the autumn of 1971. Some of the droning sounds on the record were recorded in a tiny closet in Kärrtorp; a suburb to Stockholm where Joakim was living at the time. The album was pressed into approximately 1000 copies and only about 300 to 400 copies were actually sold. The rest of them were melted down and used in the pressing of other Gump records, making “Jola Rota” a much rumoured and sought after Swedish droned-out and mesmerizing psychedelic artefact. This edition “Jola Rota” comes housed in high quality sturdy hard card mini-LP styled gatefold sleeve. Original artwork is faithfully reproduced and previously unpublished archival pictures can be found within the liner notes and gatefold. The liner notes are by the hand of Adam Gustafsson. Digitally remastered from the original master tapes and graced with faithfully reproduced artwork and obi. One time only limited pressing.

CD: $28CAD

Micah Blue Smaldone Hither & Thither

(Tequila Sunrise/Northeast Indie)

*deluxe 180 gram vinyl pressed at record technology, inc., with an 8 page booklet, housed in a beautiful full color "old style/tip-on" jacket printed at Stoughton printing. limited edition of 500. Micah Blue Smaldone. A distinctive name, no? Micah? A minor Hebrew prophet. Blue? A hippy-ish middle name. Red white and? Moon of Kentucky? Smaldone. could be Italian, or Old English. I understand his grandfather (on his mother's side) fought with the John Brown Battery in the Spanish Civil War and taught young Micah plenty of the old songs - but don't ask him to play Jarama Valley in Catalan. It's just too sad. His grandfather never got over it, and the whole Comintern business still sticks in his craw. His great grandfather (on his father's side) was the local IWW guy who saw to it that a little bit of Joe Hill was scattered in the Pine Tree State. Well, I just want to say to the country that this is a real decent, fine boy. Micah Blue's got an original voice, reedy and spare, and he's a virtuoso ragtime finger-picker, too. His songs are charming, antique ditties - austere Tin-Pan Alley tunes with lyrics by Soren Kierkegaard. Like a single bright light, his music illuminates much while also casting a lot of sharp shadows, lovely, dark and deep. When he plays live, he tenses up his whole body - tenser than you'd expect for a folk musician, like he might snap the strings, or snap the neck of his guitar, or just snap. But there's not a trace of irony in his music or in his performance, and I guess that's the Yankee in him. See, it gets cold at night up there in Maine, where he's from, and when you got the blank eye of god bearing down on you, and you got the Jukes and the Kallikacks next door getting high on Freon or something, it just makes a man think seriously about where he fits in. Willem de Kooning, gazing up at the star-spangled sky over Black Mountain in the forties, remarked "the universe gives me the creeps," and I imagine Micah might agree. Human consciousness may be a makeshift contraption held together with bailing wire and duct tape, but it will have to suffice. And it may well be true that regret and loss are inescapable human conditions (if you marry you will regret it, and if you don't marry you'll regret that too). But it is also true that music is a bulwark against such notions of human frailty, and Micah Blue's music does more than suffice. It offers balm and succor to a weary soul. "Micah is so good," Jack Rose told me, "he'll make you throw your dick in the dirt!" I certainly agree with the spirit, if not the letter, of Mr. Rose's sentiments. I'll have to let you personally be the judge on that score, though you ladies will have to determine some sort of equivalent for yourselves, assuming you concur. -- John Jacob Niles

LP: SOLD OUT
CD:$22CAD

Various Sprigs of Time: 78s From The EMI Archives

(2008, Honest Jon's)

This is the third in Honest Jon's series of albums exploring the earliest 78s held in the EMI Hayes Archive. Honest Jon's has spent the last two years delving through more than 150,000 78 records in the temperature-controlled steel vaults of EMI's Archive in Hayes, Middlesex. Following studious compilations of West African and Iraqi music of the 1920s, the latest release in the Honest Jon's Hayes Archive series is a sparkling late-summer lucky dip, Sprigs Of Time: 78s From The EMI Archive. An eccentric survey of the Hayes shelves, Sprigs Of Time is thirty tracks recorded between 1903 and 1957, everywhere from England (Percy Grainger's recording of the title song, sung by Joseph Taylor in 1908) to Japan (the bewilderingly beautiful "Seigaiha," by the Japanese Imperial Palace Band, five years earlier). Organ rolls from Georgia run alongside Tamils impersonating motorized transport, and rumba from Beirut; '40s fado sits next to the songs of Bengali beggars. As with the other Hayes releases, the tracks have been restored at Abbey Road and are beautifully presented, with extensive contemporary photographs included. There are recognizable names (Joseph Taylor, the incomparable Fairuz, Mighty Sparrow and an uncredited Rubén González, singing lead vocals on "Rumba Negra") and extraordinary oddities (Vengopal Chari's rather unfunny "Laughing" and the peculiarly affecting hand bells of "Gas All Clear"). Taken out of the library and put back on the turntable, every track here is remarkable; every one worth the saving.

LP: $30CAD
CD:$20CAD

Stars of the Lid And Their Refinement Of The Decline

(2007, Kranky)

The long awaited new album from Stars of the Lid is finally ready for your sonic immersion. Painstakingly recorded, processed and assembled over the last five years, SOTL once again deliver a massive work filling two compact discs and three vinyl albums, clocking in at over two hours. While most albums of this length would be considered tedious at best, SOTL are arguably the only contemporary composers who can seemingly alter the time-space continuum simply through the playback of their organized sound. They take time itself and stretch, compress and turn it inside out, altering what would otherwise be an arduous test of nerves into an interlude of half awake dreams that ends too soon. In this album, SOTL picks up where The Tired Sounds Of... left off with an emphasis on melodic development, moving their epic soundscapes beyond mere drone and subsequently frustrating all the typical ambient cliches associated with their music. Perhaps the best references for this current work would be found in the score to the film Le Mepris by Georges Delerue, the orchestral works of Zbigniew Preisner, or the 1958 CSO/ Fritz Reiner recording of Hovhaness' Mysterious Mountain, specifically the third movement. But in the final analysis, such comparisons are superfluous at best, as Stars of the Lid have created a musical universe in which they are the sole inhabitant. Simply put, this album is a masterpiece.

LP: $24CAD
CD: $18CAD

Suarasama Fajar Di Atas Awan

(2008, Drag City)

"Drag City is pleased to reintroduce the sound of Suarasama to the world. Fajar Di Atas Awan was first released by Radio France Internationale (RFI) in 1998, and the title track appeared on a Smithsonian Folkways compilation in 2000. This release is the first U.S. issue of the entire album and its first-ever release on LP anywhere. Suarasama is a group of many members, mostly ethnomusicological musicians. Founded in 1995 by Irwansyah Harahap and Rithaony Hutajulu, they are based in Medan City in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Suarasama plays contemporary music, exploring conceptually or instrumentally the sounds of African, Middle Eastern, Indian, Sufi Pakistani, Eastern European and Southeast Asian and particularly Sumatran traditions. Arranging this diversity of sounds and instrumentation, Suarasama come up with more than the sum of their parts; music that mitigates the absurd generalization in the name 'world music' with an organic approach. This organic quality is deeply compelling; the quiet beauty and simple intensity of Fajar Di Atas Awan express the album's title ('Dawn Over The Clouds') with a clarity that belies the complexity of the group's compositional methods. Faith is a theme of the lyrics, which even when not translated or understood, convey their essences with a meditative, prayerful approach, often using multi-part harmonies that indicate at (and create in the listener) higher ecstasies. Following a century of multi-cultural consolidation resulting in countries comprised of a multitude of different tribes, a group like Suarasama is inevitable; rather than isolating their Sumatran identity within the larger mosaic of Indonesia, they explore the meeting points of their music with the sounds of neighbor cultures, finding a harmony in the confusion. They're not the first -- we're reminded of Sandy Bull, John Fahey, the Radha Krsna Temple, the collaborations of Ravi Shankar and André Previn, even our own Ghost and Six Organs of Admittance."

LP: $25CAD
CD: $17CAD

Suishou no Fune The Light Of Dark Night

(2007, aRCHIVE)

Brand new limited edition album from this consistently mind-blowing Japanese underground group. This is a live duo show from Pirako and Kageo, recorded in Philadelphia. Three long tracks that move from endless echo-drenched lurks through drone smoke into weird illuminated sound sculpture instants before birthing beautiful psychedelic downer songs with plenty of black atmospherics and prodigious lead guitar. Aspects of early Fushitsusha and Keiji Haino circa First Let's Remove The Colour, all cut up with that classic subterranean Japanese sound. Recommended. Edition of 600 copies. Comes packed in a double cover center opening sleeves with the outer shell being a vellum overlay all graphics by Chase Middaugh. - Volcanic Tongue

CD: $20

Sun City Girls/J Spaceman Mister Lonely OST

(2008, Drag City)

"When Harmony Korine started the production for his film Mister Lonely back in 2006, he asked two of his favorite artists to send him music to accompany the images and scenes he was putting together. They were busy, so fuck 'em, they get no ink here -- but both Jason Spaceman and Sun City Girls were actually his favorites anyway. Some of the sounds these two formidable musicals acts made comprise the all-new soundtrack album, Mister Lonely -- Music From A Film By Harmony Korine . Korine's previous films have found their truths in unblinking realities cross-cut with surreal images, exposing an emotional core that remains elusive after the movie is over -- ennui, delight, disgust, celebration... soft-core snuff porn? Mister Lonely subtly heightens all these effects with a narrative involving celebrity impersonators searching for a place where they just can be themselves and nuns who have discovered a new way to fly. The soundtrack for Mister Lonely 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. Classic soundtrack sounds are modern and nostalgic, which may make the progressive tilt of Mister Lonely 2008's #1 dark-horse chart-topper! Working independently and never collaborating (would you believe in studios right next door to each other? How about in same studio during different hours of the day?), Jason Spaceman and Sun City Girls employ an instrumental approach for the sounds here, with one or two chanted exceptions. Their music conspires in an exquisite corpse-like fashion -- without knowing what the other was doing, they've each brought half a body to the film, supplying the apparitional and austere sounds of a world in which everyone is something they're not, i.e. the people they dream of being."

(2008, Abduction)

Recorded in July of 1988 during the sessions that produced Sun City Girls ' most popular recording, these nine tracks represent the other half of songs which were originally prepared as a 2LP demo version of Torch of the Mystics for Placebo Records in 1989. The sequencing of all 20 tracks at the time was entirely different with the predominately instrumental tracks in this collection mixed in and around the mostly vocal tracks of what became Torch . Placebo went out of business shortly after this proposed 2LP idea was presented to them but Majora Records quickly stepped in to begin releasing most of the material. Included here are five tracks from early Majora singles: "100 Pounds of Black Olives" and "The Fine-Tuned Machines of Lemuria" (the complete unreleased 12-minute version) from the single "You're Never Alone with a Cigarette" and all three tracks from Record #1 of the double 7" Three Fake Female Orgasms -- "Plaster Cupids Falling from the Ceiling," "The Beauty of Benghazi," and "Souvenirs from Jangare." The short piece "Harmful Little Armful" is from the triple 7" box set Bruce Lee, Heroin, and the Punk Scene (from a Bay Area label Massacre at Central High) and rounding out the set are three unreleased studio tracks recorded the same day as much of the Torch LP: never before heard versions of "Amazon One," "Sev Acher," and "Wild World of Animals." This is the first of a multi-volume set of reissued singles, compilation, and unreleased tracks to be assembled and sequenced to play as full-length records. Vinyl editions may also appear in time.

CD: $20CAD

Sun City Girls Dulce

(2007, Abduction)

Originally released as a limited edition LP of 1000 copies in 1998, this is another mysterious soundtrack work by Sun City Girls, featuring guest appearances by Eyvind Kang, The Ruins and Jesse Paul Miller. The music flips back and forth from melodic and reflective themes to shards of noise and collective improvisation. Throw in some clarinet lounge music and spooked-out drama and you have the backdrop to a film that was never completed, explained further here from the original liner notes by Alan Bishop: "A nervous, stuttering Japanese gentleman phones me in the Fall of 1995 requesting soundtrack services from Sun City Girls for his new film project about a secret underground alien base in New Mexico most commonly referred to as 'Dulce.' The real kick for us came when our new Japanese friend finally announced his allegiance to the esoteric Aum Shinrikyo group most famous for the sarin gas poisoning in a Tokyo subway not long ago. He also professed to be a former associate of Aum technical minister Hideo Murai who was killed by a Korean hitman in April of 1995. Murai joined the Aum priesthood in 1986, becoming the head of its science unit focusing on the current state of electromagnetic weapons development including EM beams using lasers and plasma. We flew to Japan to perform a few shows in April of 1996 and a clandestine meeting was arranged with our mysterious director friend on one of our days off in the electronics district of Osaka which happened to be less than a mile from where we were staying. So Doctor Gocher and I pretended to take a souvenir-gathering stroll down the hill and met 'Hachiro Maki' (a pseudonym, I'm sure) nearby in a temple courtyard. After thirty minutes of reviewing rough cuts on his swivel-screen Hi-8 camera and discussing the necessity of anonymity in today's international fast lane, we were one million yen richer with an 8mm tape in my back pocket. Haven't heard from him since..." --Alan Bishop, 1998

CD: $20CAD

Sun City Girls Jack's Creek

(2007, Abduction)

The Sun City Girls' Jacks Creek was originally released in 1995, now reissued here on CD for the first time since the limited edition vinyl original went out-of-print 12 years ago. As Robert Dayton reviewed the LP version: "This album was reviled by the more avant-hipster snob crowd. As time passes, its reputation surely grows to put it right up there with the finest of The Sun City Girls' diverse canon. And that is saying something! Being an act that can already alienate the unready, what caused this record to alienate their more uptight fans? Maybe it's because it was their hillbilly album. Maybe it's because the album opens during a still evening on a back porch with them talking about a mysteriously colored smell that predates an Indian burial ground and moaning 'He wore red to keep the devil away' and distant howling and warnings that get more and more spooked out, gradually turning into a disfigured, slackjaw, downhoe preying on urban fears over its thirteen-plus minutes running time. Then follows a percussive piano-based swamp chase led by a gnarled stick shaker which turns over into improperly distilled moonshine chants. Side two contains lots of little musically inventive snapshots and curios. A good time jamboree on termite wood called "Useless Stillborn." A Civil War call to arms for people way too rot gut broken down to ever pass the draft. And oh so much more to offer from this trio who go above and beyond the call of duty of what could have been (but not in their hands) a one (or thirty) joke premise. I take it that you are already musically adventurous, well, give this a try! Feels like they're shrinking (expanding) your head and preserving it in a jug."

CD: $20CAD

Sun City Girls Juggernaut

(2007, Abduction)

Originally released as a limited edition LP by Abduction Records in 1994, and released on CD for the first time ever, this is an essential yet overlooked Sun City Girls recording consisting of various electric and acoustic tracks with a few compositional ideas rarely heard or revisited in their immense back catalog. And when we say compositional, we mean improvisation as composition which was basically the SCG method of operation in the studio. The record opens with two patented SCG stretched electric guitar/bass/drum works of dark beauty and then things become weirder as odd keyboards, acoustic instrumental and percussive pieces, and strange vocals start to dominate the rest of the album, setting the mood for Piasa... Devourer of Men which was recorded directly after Juggernaut. These tracks were exclusively created for a short film project by Mark Roman Bodnar and Kyrill Kazemirovitch Protsenko (a Ukraine/USA co-production) which resulted in a limited promo VHS release and a few festival screenings before the film was buried and forgotten. Segments from many of the ten tracks were actually used in the film, although there is much more to hear on the original full-length cuts found here. Some of the most unusual SCG studio recordings are contained on Juggernaut, all recorded live to 4-track cassette in 1993 in Seattle by Scott Colburn.

CD: $20CAD

Sun City Girls Piasa... Devourer Of Men

(2007, Abduction)

One of the strangest and most overlooked Sun City Girls recordings, Piasa... Devourer of Men was originally released on vinyl in 1994 and went out-of-print almost immediately. The record contains a series of short, folk-based tracks of raw beauty and intense moods. Most of the tracks were recorded in 1993 right after the completion of the Juggernaut soundtrack and some of the same ideas carried over into this project. A young and enthusiastic Italian director by the name of Antonio Pomola contracted SCG to create these recordings for his new film. The film was never completed and perhaps it was only an idea, but if it were to ever manifest, this music would certainly seem to fit the story line and the director's vision; the legend of a giant pre-historic flying reptilian terrorizing an early 1800s Indian tribe in Midwest America. Most of the tracks were created with acoustic instruments and voice and, with the exception of two tracks, the entire score was improvised. Recorded live to 4-track cassette by Scott Colburn, there is a strange, cohesive feel that runs throughout the album including several ceremonial and pan-ethnic tracks. Some cuts are completely indescribable. Reissued here on CD for the first time on Abduction, here is your chance to finally hear the cigarette played as a percussive instrument in an ashtray on the track "Nighthunting," among many other highly unique SCG tracks.

CD: $20CAD

Sun City Girls Napoleon & Josephine

(2009, Abduction)

This is the second volume in a series featuring rare singles and unreleased tracks from Sun City Girls . In the summer of 1988, Sun City Girls began working on two records simultaneously: Torch Of The Mystics and Dante's Disneyland Inferno . The former was finished and released in December of 1989 but the latter wasn't released until April of 1996. Over those eight years, Dante's morphed into an entirely different record due to several songs originally targeted for inclusion being hijacked by other projects. Two tracks ("X+Y" and "Frankenstein") were siphoned-off to the Kaliflower LP in 1993 and 4 tracks (1, 11, 12, 13) included here were released on 7" singles in the early '90s. The two most notable of the singles tracks dominate this record. "Napoleon & Josephine," a 13-minute episodic conversation between a vagrant and a shop owner, was originally released as a single in 1991 on Scratch Records. The full track was split into sides (parts 1 & 2) running over 6 minutes long. An alternative mix which had been shelved for 15 years is featured here. "Reflection Of A Young Boy Eating From A Can Of Dog Food On A Shiny Red X-Mas Ball" was originally released as side 4 on the double single 3 Fake Female Orgasms (Majora, 1991) and was 8 minutes in length. This extended version is the original complete recording, running 22 minutes. Legendary Phoenix electronic musician and SCG associate David Oliphant mixed and processed the entire piece live to tape in his studio. The remainder of this set is composed of like-minded and literary SCG singles and compilation tracks, including the previously unreleased "The Weatherman" which was originally recorded as an introduction for "Napoleon & Josephine." This is the second of a multi-volume set of rare & long out-of-print singles, compilation, and unreleased tracks to be assembled and sequenced to play as full-length records. Vinyl editions may also appear in time.

CD: $22CAD

Sun City Girls Carnival Folklore Ressurection Volume 14: Static From The Outside Set

(2006, Abduction)

Limited one time pressing of 1000 copies. Created for the On the Wire Radio Lancashire show, aired only once and never archived, Static from the Outside Set is a delirious roller-coaster ride through the prism of Sun City Girls audio archaeology. Hosted by the corpse of Mexican film legend Cantinflas, this 60 minute radio show is packed with unreleased SCG nuggets from studio tracks of classic cover tunes "Gently Johnny" and "Gimme that Wine" to absurdist Radio narratives "Sacrifice in the USA" and "Lester's Dictionary." Not since the halcyon days of Ken Nordine's word jazz programs have radio shows been prepared to fuck your mind with a blunt dagger yet SCG are much more diabolical and have spiked the punch with plenty of morphine drip and a demerol lollipop or two thrown in to ease the unease.

CD: $20CAD

Sun City Girls Carnival Folklore Ressurection Volume 8: Handsome Stranger

(2001, Abduction)

Limited edition of 1000. Recorded at Gravelvoice, GBU & Maple Leaf by Scott Colburn and SCG during 1997-1998. "A Goucher-led acid fantasy about the fulfillment of Jack Kennedy's spirit elevation... That means you should buy a ticket today." — Forced Exposure catalog.

CD: $25CAD

Sun City Girls Fruit of the Womb/Polite Deception

(2009, Eclipse)

Long-time-coming fifth instalment in Eclipse Record's on-going vinyl upgrade series of Sun City Girls cassette albums. This one restores two albums from 1987 that were actually recorded between the first and second SCG albums in 1984-85. Some tracks have been dropped from the originals, some unreleased material has been added but overall this is the best instalment thus far, with the bulk of the four sides taken up with classic garage band takes on the kind of esoteric modal rock that defined the group's Torch Of The Mystics-era style, featuring fourth world instrumentals played with hyper-dexterity and ragged aggression. I dig the Girls' more hysterical/insurrectionary style just fine but this is the section of their catalogue where I will always park my hat. Edition of 950 copies in heavy black gatefold sleeves with period snaps and liners. Highly recommended.

LP: $35CAD

Sun Supreme s/t

(2007, Meds)

"Recorded in a cloud of smoke in Seattle at the Chummery one night in February of 2004. The players? Your ears should be able to place a few of them. If not, try your third ear mood ring medallion. An after-dinner jam with guitar, bass, drum, piano, gamelan, marimba, banjo, cumbus, oscillator and other odd things I don't know the name of. Silkscreened covers in a one-time edition of 500." If you were going to get a tattoo, would you carve the following initials onto your ass? AB, CG, SS, LT, RW & E? I didn't think so. This LP walks down the same side of the street that Majora used to... LAST COPIES

LP: $40

Sunn o)))/Boris Altar

(2006, Southern)

"The "Altar" album is NOT a split album. "Altar" is a collaboration album between Sunn 0))) and Boris that is a result of both bands conceptualizing, writing and recording the album together as one entity. Both groups have stepped outside their previous sounds and created a wholly unique album that stands on its own unique ground. There are elements of each groups trademark sound within the album but true to each groups progressive and experimental aspects, "Altar" moves into a completely new dimension. Also contributing additional entrancing textures are the guest collaborators on this album including: -Jesse Sykes (vocalist:Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter) vocals on "Sinking Belle". This track is completely unlike anything either group has done before. Jesses' dark, and haunting melodic vocals beautifully compliment the stark, pensive music written for this track. Imagine the angelic atmosphere of Hope Sandoval singing for Neil Young-era Crazy Horse. -Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) guitar on "Blood Swamp". Having seen both bands perform together Kim has become a devout follower of both and besides contributing some enthralling guitar work to the albums' closing track, he penned the liner notes that accompany Altar!.-Joe Preston (Earth, Thrones, Melvins, High On Fire) vocals on: "Akuma No Kuma". Joe has performed on both White1 and White2 albums from Sunn as well as toured with both bands He can also be called the 'ambassador' as he is responsible for introducing Sunn to Boris. The project wouldn't have been complete without his bizarre, dark psychedelia staining the proceedings. Bill Herzog, Phil Wandescher (Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter), Rex Ritter (Jessamine, Fontanelle), Tos Niewenhuizen (Beaver, GOD) , and Steve Moore (earth) all make contributions to this album as well. The tones, emotions, and energy that lurks within Altar is beautifully ominous. It is a very bold statement from both artists that will not only appease the present cult following but brazenly induct new devotees." - Southern Lord.

LP: SOLD OUT
CD: $18CAD

Taj Mahal Travellers August 1974

(P-Vine)

Repressed! Double CD reissue of the 2nd Taj Mahal Travellers album, originally issued by Japanese Columbia in 1974 as a 2LP set. Along with their debut album July 15th, 1972 (released by Japanese CBS in '72), these are some of the most hallowed and whispered about documents of the avant-garde artifact-era (a set of these on original LP would set you back $1000+ even 10-15 years ago & have very rarely been offered anywhere). Legendary higher-key improv-drone extravaganzas that more than live up to their reputation, this reissue is going to make a certain sector of underground society very happy. The group was led by the infamous Fluxus member Takehisa Kosugi (electric violin, harmonica, voice, etc.), with: Kyo Koike (electric double bass), suntool, voice, etc.), Yukio Tsuchiya (bass-tuba, percussion), Beiji Nagai (trumpet, synthesizer Mini-Korg, timpani), Tokio Hasegaw (voice, percussion), Kinji Hayashi (electronic technique), Hirokeszu Sato (percussion, voice). Recorded live at Nippon Columbia Studio #1, Tokyo, August 19, 1974. Four side-long improvisations."Places and times of the trip: coffee houses, small galleries of Tokyo. They perform also on lonely beaches at dawn or on deserted hills in the afternoon. Also in Sweden, India, Iran, and England. Wherever a power supply is available. 'This music is not rehearsed, it happens. Without written notes or oral instructions; without an ensemble leader, each one having his own discourse immediately integrated into a slow, irregular throbbing of complex sound waves. Sound waves surfing.' Verfremdung: instruments are amplified with delay through echo machines. Previously produced sounds delivered by distant loudspeakers have already become something beyond reach when heard. This feedback -- actually a time-space lag -- is the basis of their music. The instrument arsenal: a violin played with glissandi in the same manner as the Indian sitar, string bass, guitar, drums, harmonica, small synthesizers, santurs (Iranian dulcimer played with two spoon-shaped mallets), a shahnal (Indian oboe), voices (Japanese Buddhist chanting, harmonic singing such as LaMonte Young does or as heard in Stockhausen's 'Stimmung'). Amplifiers: a heterodyne (voltage controlled filters connected to infrasonic wave sources) which changes tone colors back and forth very slowly. Also, other rather primitive hand-made electronic devices. All these contribute to the everchanging diversity of the ensemble. Close your eyes, relax and musically receive passing clouds, breezes, surging waves. This music is slow as a Japanese tea ceremony and as peacefully full of cheer as ancient scroll paintings." --Yuji Takahashi. Highest possible recommendation!

Taj Mahal Travellers Live Stockholm July 1971

(r:2008, Drone Syndiate)

New 2008 repress. "Led by infamous Fluxus member Takehisa Kosugi, Tokyo's Taj Mahal Travellers were one of the prime examples of a band more heard-of than actually heard. Their vinyl legacy (the 1972 LP July 15, 1972 released on CBS/Sony Japan; the 1974 2LP August 1974 released on Columbia Japan and recently reissued by P-Vine as a 2CD; one side of the mythical Oz Days Live 2LP compilation released on Oz in 1973 and recently bootlegged as a single LP) could dig a hole in your wallet deeper than the Grand Canyon. However, the recent reissues have spread the gospel and so here is the chance to hear the young Taj Mahal Travellers live in Stockholm during their 'tour' through Europe in 1971. It's one 2-hour long improvised track. Enough free-floating higher key bliss to keep every grown-up space cadet happy for a lot longer.." From Julian Cope's Japrocksampler : "This album is a discorporated, cerebral dance whose rhythm sounds like six weather Gods emulating the cover of Deep Purple's Fireball by zooming around Silverstone circuit just inches above the track, each urging himself on by making engine noises: 'Eee-oww-urghh-ow!!!!!!!' Opening with Ryo Koike's horizontally played bowed double bass, it's my fave of Taj Mahal Travellers' three releases, better even than the obstinate medication of the first official LP JULY 15, 1972 , because there's twice as much of it. Meditatively, it's extremely useful too: at the entrance portals of this live record, Ryo Koike uses his bass to invoke phlegm phantoms and cranny demons from the butt walls of Cronosian caverns; conjuring a sound as Biblical as Conrad Schnitzler's bizarre bowed cello on T. Dream's Electronic Meditation . Gradually, hesitatingly, almost imperceptibly, a violin theme installs itself, establishing over the next quarter of an hour clop-clopping hooves of hollow rhythm that conjure up the image of frustrated pastoralists driving their reluctant donkeys around the highest and most precipitous cliff edges, as their valuable cargoes sway and shudder and threaten to come untied at any moment. Recorded a full year before their first official LP, I think this in concert album is a far better and more confident shamanic statement, for this Stockholm recording melded together all six group members in such a way that no single musician rises from the primal soup long enough to establish his singular muse. The vocal effects are truly stunning, evoking everything from comb-and-paper voices playing Zeus in the sixty-metre deep Dhikhtean Antron to braying cartoon coyotes laughing to their deaths."
2CD: $30CAD

This Heat Out Of Cold Storage

(2006, This Is)

"The complete official lifetime releases of This Heat: This Heat , Deceit , Health and Efficiency , Made Available and Repeat , re-mastered and re-packaged, with a substantial (48pp) book of interviews, recollections, information, documents and photographs in a sturdy box, PLUS a new CD of concert recordings." Years ahead of their time, this box is completely essential!

6CD Box: $120CAD

Rafael Toral Space Solo 1

(2007, Taiga)

Rafael Toral's Space series of releases were brought to life last year in the most dramatic fashion with the epic ‘Space', Toral making it quite clear that the album was merely the opener in a huge series of ten solo albums. ‘Space Solo 1' is the first of these records and let me tell you now it's got my brain splattered all over the nice clean white wall behind me. Continuing the themes explored on the first disc we again see Toral getting into the thick of it with home-made electronic doohickeys and portable amplifiers. This is DIY electronics at its best; screaming, hissing and scraping all the way to the final splutter and it is a devastatingly visceral listening experience. I must admit I'm a real sucker for anything with belching synthesizer sounds and machine hum in the background, but Toral is one of the masters of the genre and he sound perfectly at ease with his decomposing equipment. Whether he's making feedback loops from small amplifiers or ear-piercing high pitched analogue wails it all sounds perfectly realised. There is a danger when producing this kind of music that the gear can take control of the artist rather than the other way around, but although you can hear in these improvisations a certain amount of serendipity there is never the sense that Toral loses control. His keen ear for the right amount of experimentation is what holds this disc together and whether we are hearing a single blip in a wave of silence or a tape-delay drenched drone buzzing with saturation it is both impressively listenable and mind-blowingly experimental. Fans of the new wave of noise music and power electronics (Wolf Eyes, Jessica Rylan et al) would be wise to invest in this disc, it shows someone who really knows their craft simply revelling in it, and what more can you ask for than this? Excellent stuff and a huge recommendation...

LP: $23CAD

Total Life s/t

(Animal Disguise)

Walls of sound containing layers of tone and shifting harmonics wash over you like a thunderstorm in this debut recording by Growing's Kevin Doria. This is a vinyl-only reissue of the sold out ADR cassette from 2005.

LP: $20CAD