LIMITED TO 500 COPIES! ORGINALS HAVE SOLD FOR OVER $550 USD! SOLD OUT AT SOURCE!
Holy hell! This is seriously weird music and we can't get enough. Thank the vinyl gods that the lovely folks at Papaaver Records re-birthed this amazing album of twisted psychedelia. Dark cinematic synths, fuzzed guitars, creepy back ground vocals and an otherworldly feel, this self titled album is the perfect soundtrack to scare off the trick or treaters. The label's description of "almost medieval" is totally spot on as these recordings play out like some occult seance on the edge of time. This eerie mixture of proto-prog, psychedelia and mutantized sci-fi/horror soundtrack is alchemy for your ears. It is haunting yet compelling, like looking into the fog only to get accidentally possessed by an unruly spirit. This record will leave you befuddled, creeped out and hungry for more! These will more than likely NOT be coming back so don't snooze grab this immediately. Beyond Recommended.
Edition of 400
Hold on to your hats! Our buds over at Moniker Records are pumping out the hits at a quick clip!!!!
Kraus' "A Journey Through The First Dimension With Kraus" on Palto Flats totally knocked our socks off, so when the Moniker clan announced that they had wrangled a full length from this Dunedin, NZ oddity we squealed with excitement. And boy howdy, "Supreme Commander" is one fantastic cosmic journey of outsider/weirdo lunatic fringe sonic experimentation. Gurggling synthesizers, ectoplasmic lazer blasts, dark ages pastoral guitar serenading, King Blood-ian distorto guitar freakouts and glitched time continuum collages are just the tip of the iceberg of what one will find along this trip, so tongue a tab and enjoy the ride! Recommended.
Edition of 300
Hold on to your hats! Our buds over at Moniker Records are pumping out the hits at a quick clip!!!!
We've been spinning a CD-R copy of this constantly in anticipation of the up coming vinyl and lo and behold it is finally here in our grubby wittle hands! Stacian's roboto kraut synth wave is top notch and the lovely female croon atop this future-kosmische space pop is undeniable, it'll pull you in with its tractor beam, get your body moving and take your breath away in the disco-airlock. This one is sure to make some year-end lists and we think Stacian has a VERY bright future as she, being a one-woman band, has been steadily turning heads and tingling ears in the underground for some time now. Supremely Recommended.
This record does indeed shred harder, wail louder and melt faces melt-ier than all else. Heavy Blanket soars out of the speakers with interstellar space blues played at 11. Unyielding guitar solos would be an understatement as Mascis sears your eardrums while being backed by a hard and winding rhythm section; vocals would just get in the way. If you dig instrumental heavy psychedelic blues like Earthless, Sea Of Tombs or the desert jams of Kyuss then "Heavy Blanket" has got you covered. Recommended.
GREEN VINYL - SOLD OUT AT SOURCE!!!
The reuniting of Dinosaur Jr. is a truly remarkable thing, as no popular band of recent times has seen a split so vicious and rancorous Dino Jr. did in 1989 with Lou Barlow's unceremonious and acrimonious dismissal by guitarist J. Mascis. Hence it is a miracle in itself that these guys not only reunited to play the festival circuit, but CONTINUED to play and record new material (and more surprisingly that said material was worth a damn). On July 25th, 2011, the band reunited in Washington D.C. and played the entirety of "Bug" - a beloved and pivotal album in their discography, and one that contained their breakthrough hit "Freakscene" - for an attentive and appreciative audience that included some Circle Jerks, some Black Flags, and some Minutemen. Mascis is his usual bemused self, opening up the record with: "Alright we're gonna play the Bug now..." before LURCHING into "Freakscene" with such ferocity, you'd think these were hungry 20-somethings instead of the aged, graying mid-Forties rockers that they are. The recording is stellar too (straight from the board it seems) and mixed and EQ'd so that it doesn't even seem like a live recording. The band is WAILING, stretching out some of the tunes with choice extended jamming - Mascis is on fire, soloing his face off and singing in tune (ya know - as much as he ever SANG in tune). Killer document of a once-in-a-blue-moon event! Limited one time pressing of 1000 copies that is already SOLD OUT AT THE SOURCE - we have some of the GREEN vinyl edition, so don't hesitate too long to grab this one! OK, OK - we'll stop BUG-ging you (har har) - RECOMMENDED!
The Great Pop Supplement label outta the UK keeps pumping out the hits and this one is a total winner. Cloudland Canyon have been constructing gentle glide synth bubblers for quite some time now and "Aureliua" finds the group in top form. After fantastic releases on Holy Mountain, Bathetic, Kranky and Not Not Fun Cloudland Canyon are delivering the goods on their latest record, first on the The Great Pop Supplement imprint. The A side is one side long track of textured synth drone wash in the vein of Bitchin' Bajas and Spectrum. And speaking of Spectrum, flip this platter over and you get two more tracks of krauty synth psych with none other than Pete Kember himself adding "Bass Swells" and he mastered this entire record. The B side takes the blurry drones and adds some sinister distorted drum beats upping the intensity all around. Recommended.
The Katorga Works label offers up another lp by Denton, TX's Wiccans, and it's SUPER IN YER FACE KILLER HARDCORE.......
"Field II" finds the Wiccans tightening up and hitting the bullseye. Denton, TX has a long and storied history of hook filled catchy punk rock with just the right amount of attitude paired with just the right amount of "pop" sensibility. Wiccans are currently leading the pack and "Field II" is a testament to their power. Their use of well crafted songs and pull no punches hardcore assault make for quite the compelling combination giving this record the opportunity to grow with each repeated listen which is sure to be the case around around these parts varmits. Carnsarnit! We blew through the Wiccans single on Pass Judgement and their previous full length also on Katorga Works, so act fast and grab this one now. Super Recommended.
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES!
The Rolling Stones have and probably always will be the Rosetta Stone for many upstart young bands across the world - aside from The Beatles, no other band can claim as wide an influence; The Faces, Aerosmith, The Replacements, Flamin Groovies, Pussy Galore (and by default Royal Trux and JSBX) have all laid out sacrifices at the altar of Jagger/Richards. Go on ahead and add Nashville trio Natural Child to that list. Their newest album for Burger Records, "For The Love Of The Game" is pure whiskey and beer soaked blues twang injected with some sweat and blood infused swagger that conjures up The Glimmer Twins in their prime "Exile"-era wolf-in-sheeps-clothing personas. Not to mention, in keeping with The Stones' far-reaching sonic palette ('Waiting On A Friend' anyone?), there's even a "REGGAE" tune called "Paradise Heights" up in this piece. These boys definitely love some beer drinkin' and hellraisin' too, ticking off classic rock moves like it was a survey; ZZ Top, Uriah Heep, Cactus, and Canned Heat all poke their bearded lil' heads up in Natural Child's sound, but geeked out with some "Naughty-Aughties" garage energy. Limited to 500 copies, brahs - this one's liable to disappear quicker than a free keg of Natty-Lite at a house party! RECOMMENDED!
The debut single "Husbands" from London post-punkers, Savages came and went so quickly with such fanfare (Best new track on Pitchfork or something) that we couldn't even snag any for the shop! That track showed the fairly new band at utter mastery of the dark, jittery, pulsing rhythms of bands like The Pop Group, Slits, and Killing Joke and this live 12-inch EP is our first taste of what these ladies are bringin' to the table - HOO BOY are we stoked to here more!
SERIOUSLY thrilling recordings of a band OWNING the stage, culled from 2012 appearances in the U.K. - we're getting some serious Siouxsie vibes from singer Jehnny Beth, while the band rages underneath her wailing vocals like Killing Joke having a fist fight with PIL. It's not all "art" with these punkers, there's a sly melodicism a'la Howard Devoto's tunes in Magazine, or Scream-era Banshees. These girls are BLOWING up - get in on the ground floor, you won't regret it. We're diggin' on this one HARD. RECOMMENDED.
LIMITED TO 350 - SOLD OUT AT THE SOURCE!
GREAT split single from two of Australia's more intriguing bands - punk-trogolodyte-savants, The UV Race and electronic noise-niks Native Cats! We're big fans of both these bands around here (heck, at this point anything Aussie's gonna get our BVD's in a bind!) and a split 7-inch featuring both seems like manna from heaven! Ride The Snake released this one for a 2012 Australian tour and we scored a few to stew in our collective noodles (and pass along to you!), dig their jive:
Two of OZ's best bands unloading two sides of killer jams! WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASJK FOR?
Native Cats keep it lean and mean, their sidelong track is a moody burner that reminds us of the "mellower side" of fellow Aussie's Total Control. UV Race pound out four short s-s-s-stabs of songcraft that completely whets our appetite for their forthcoming third album for In The Red. Sharp and concise. Killer sleeve art too - Limited to 350 so interested parties better snag it and bag it, or you'll be weeping into your crusty sleeve! RECOMMENDED!
The Zig Zags single on Mexican Summer from earlier in 2012 got lots o' spins round the shop and judging by these 2 chest pounders this one on the Tubesteak Tuesday label will be getting lots of love too. The A side is "Monster Wizard" (what a name!) keeps the scummy jams from their earlier single coming, sleazy swagger, 80s trans am duder vibes are all fully in the house. B side "Turbo Hit" is the total scorcher the titles with a slithering bass groove and a Alice Cooper-y sorta vibe being channeled to full effect. In all the Zig Zags drop two more space/hesher bombs that play out like dropping in to a pool and carving the concrete waves. Super Recommended.
Edition of 300
Hold on to your hats! Our buds over at Moniker Records are pumping out the hits at a quick clip! So make sure you save some money to grab the newest slab from LAZY. It's too good to miss out on!!!
Lazy's "Obsession" cassette on Manic Static flew out the door like a tornado across the plains and now finally some vinyl to temper our own obsessing we've been doing over this underrated Kansas City game changer of a band. Oh the energy! Lazy provide a rip roaring single of high octane power pop with just the right amount of grime and attitude, laying out three lightning-fast punk stompers that fly by like a dust storm! Like the Zero Boys on Red Bull, Lazy (a total misnomer if you ask us) are busy setting the standard for up and comers, pony up and feel the frenzy. Recommended.
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES
The debut Sashcloth and Axes single was well received around here, googly eyes or no googly eyes. Ricky (Douglas) returns to plastic on this self-released 7" split backed with the like-minded OC darkwaver Gloom. Gloom's two cuts here are well, uh, gloomy, slow, and brooding minimal synth cuts for cutters. While the Gloom side should be listened to alone, the Sashcloth and Axes is warehouse party ready. The first spiral scratch is instrumental and wouldn't have sounded out of place on the first Minimal Wave Tapes comp. Ricky's vocals warble incoherently through the second song, but it's still got that dark, minimal synth vibe we've come to love so much over the past few years. Something tells me Sashcloth and Axes won't be self-releasing his own records for much longer. Dais, Sacred Bones, Captured Tracks? Get in line.
Kudos for the classy SS/bondage artwork, RD. Even more kudos for taking the time to scratch out the swastica nipples on the insert. Synth heads take note, there's only 300 of these splits.
7in - Chromo 47 - Restraining Order b/w Death Machines - $3.99 - BUY
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES
Ricky Douglas (Sashcloth and Axes, VRIL) returns with yet another self-release on his unnamed label. Chromo 47, like the aforementioned bands, hail from Orange County, CA and feature Ricky on drums. This punk trio keep it super simple. The hard-driving two-riff A-side slithers in slowly and goes out with a bang. The vocals on this short number are semi-reminiscent of Mac Blackout (read: Helios Creed). If you wish Daily Void or Functional Blackouts hadn't called it quits, you should acquaint yerself with Chromo 47. They'll fill the punk Void in your cold soul. Collector scum would love to know there's only 300 of these, wouldn't they. Yeah and it's Permanently recommended. Crack a tall boy and pour some out for the former Chromo 47 bassist / singer. Apparently, he died in a tragic spear fishing accident. Right.
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES
We've dug the SHIT out of Hygiene's numerous singles and their killer LP from last year on La Vida Es Un Mus, all of which were a thrilling distillation of Mark E. Smith-ian, stammering post-punk, dressed in braces and soaked in a pint from the pub. This right here's a brand spankin' new 7-incher on the Sorry State Record Label outta North Carolina featuring two "self-titled" tunes......
These guys really know their way around a hook and these two eponymous tracks really nail that post-punk sound juuuuuuuuuuuust after the first wave of "punk" hit in the U.K. - Crisis, Alternative TV, Adverts, The Fall, etc, but retooled for today's real working class PUNX a'la Tyvek or Estrogen Highs. Solid jams from SOLID dudes - we like and so will you. RECOMMENDED.
We thought this day would never come! Finally new material by New Orleans outlaw sludge legends EYEHATEGOD! Having not released any new tracks since frickin' 2005 !?!? this here single has been heavily anticipated. Now it's only one track (B side is etched) but it is one MF'er of a track. The audaciously titled "New Orleans Is The New Vietnam" is classic EHG Southern scum punk, a sound they practically invented. Its got riffs like switchblade slashes, gnarly grooves like a back alley drug deal and Mike IX's signature snarl of all things unkempt. Pressed up on half orange/half black vinyl just in time for Halloween. "NOITNV" is gonna have to tide us over 'til these dudes get around to recording a proper full length, fingers crossed. This platter of down tuned amplified loser blues is brought to you by the esteemed A389 Recordings label that has released great records by Gehenna, Like Rats and Weekend Nachos. These folks know their hard hitting heavy gutter rock and they know it well so you better believe this thing is Mega Recommended!
