Sunday, December 30, 2012

Permanent Records Update 12.24.12

Happy 
Holidays 
From 
the P-REX crew.....

 

 

 

 

 

 


This Week's Featured Items....
record image
LP - Ono - Machines that Kill People (reissue - COLOR vinyl Ltd to 100) - $12.99 - BUYbuy - LISTENlisten

ORIGINALS REGULARLY FETCH $30!

We've been waiting for a reissue of this rarity for a long time now!  So go ahead and start thanking whatever god you believe (or choose not to believe) in that Matt Hord (Heavy Times, Running, Priority Male) and Steve Krakow (Plastic Crimewave, Galactic Zoo Dossier, Secret History of Chicago Music, etc) did it.

ONO were (and still are) Chicago's premier noisy art rockers, so far out there in fact, they couldn't even fit it with the punk scene that they sprung from back in the day.  Thermidor Records issued Machines That Kill People back in 1983 and just now are bands getting around to deconstructing rock music as forcefully as ONO was doing thirty years ago.

"Machines" is a unwieldy ball of Throbbing Gristle like industrial pulses, no wave guitar clatter, clanging post punk noise, eerie gospel chants and free jazz freakout thats would've made Albert Ayler proud.   SO YES IT'S RIGHT UP OUR ALLEY.   ONO's Machine That Kill People is a lost piece of Chicago's vibrant music scene no longer, thanks to this reissue treatment.   Here's keeping our fingers crossed for a repress of Ennui, their other lp on Thermidor from '86.

Cooper Crain (of Cave) has delightfully remastered the lp for extra umph and Priority Male recreated the original hand screened artwork for what amounts to one of the most carefully done reissues of the year. 

The only thing is they didn't press up too many copies, so grab a copy of this before it's gone. 

AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY COME!!!! (And don't forget to grab ONO's brand new album from this year, Albino, out on Moniker Records...)


record image
LP - David Peel And The Lower East Side - 1984 - $14.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

1990 CZECHOSLOVAKIAN RE-PRESS ON GLOBUS INTERNATIONAL!

We found some "dead stock" of another terrific record and we wanna SHOUT about it!
FUCK EVERYTHING YOU KNOW...well, about David Peel anyway.  You may think you know David Peel if you're familiar with "Have A Marijuana" or "The Pope Smokes Dope", but if you don't know David Peel and the Lower East Side's "1984" you don't know the half of it.  In 1983 David Peel teamed up with Wayne Kramer, G.G. Allin (and the Jabbers guitarist Alan Chapple) to record an ode to George Orwell's literary classic.  The lyrics on this album are entirely based on the text and they're sung in a much more robotic, less Fugs-y way than "I Like Marijuana" or any of the Lower East Side's late-60s / early-70s material.  This stuff is way more psych (especially the scorching guitar leads!) and punk (do you think DX over at Distort would be into it if it wasn't?).

In short, it's David Peel's psych-punk tribute to Thought Police, Doublethink, Big Brother, and the rest of the Members of 1984.  Outside of the pages of recent issues of Distort (a zine worth subscribing to) this record has not been critically acclaimed they way it deserves to be. 

If you're not outraged you don't own this album, you should be, it's an album well worth owning.  Especially if you dig outsider rock, weird punk, psychedelic rock, and INSANITY.

WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND buying this record right now, or at the very least checking out this clip (and then buying this record immediately aftwards - it slays):


record image
LP - Bob Lind - The Elusive Bob Lind - $14.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

SEALED "DEAD-STOCK" FIND!!!

Maryland melodic troubadour Bob Lind is responsible for some of the Folk era's most well-crafted numbers and further proof can be found on the Verve Folkways album, The Elusive Bob Lind.

A poignant mix of political and personal subjects, Lind weaves a narrative of optimistic melancholy throughout this record. Losing, loving, wishing, dreaming, demanding his way along, Lind clearly understands what it means to be both disappointed and satisfied. And if the eclectic mix found on this album wasn't enough, The Elusive Bob Lind contains what at least one P-Rex employee thinks may be his strongest song - "Cool Summer." Hmm... just thinking about that song makes everything a little better, especially with the darkening days and dropping temperatures.

Hugely recommended reissue of a staple classic folk record!!

record image
LP - Taco Leg - Taco Leg - $9.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

After spinning the Printed Gold single on Richie Records to death last year we finally received this long awaited full length album by Perth outfit Taco Leg.  Baltimore based Fan Death Records handles the releae this time around and man oh man are we glad they got this pressed up in time for Christmas.


We've been blathering on and on about all the amazing music coming from Australia lately (we know, we know, we sound like a broken record) and well looky here, we got another warm and fuzzy brewing with this debut full length from Taco Leg.  One of the things we love about Taco Leg is that being waaaaaay over in Perth, they are bringing their own unique brand to the stellar tunes coming from down under, free of influence from the eastern acts currently burning up the scene.  Akin to acts like Hygiene, Fang, the Messthetics sound and even some K-Records jangle mixed into their stripped down sound of guitar driven primo downer pop, Taco Leg are making simple yet exciting sounds full of youthful exuberance with just the right amount of naiveté.

Preposterously Recommended.

record image
LP - Bare Wires - Idle Dreams - $14.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

The Southpaw Records gang has pressed up the final Bare Wires album after their break up earlier this year at SXSW this year, and we're stoked they did.  Cause let's just say, Bare Wires are going out with a BANG!!!

It's more than sad to see this band go after giving us the highest quality power-pop nuggets for years on end, bringing their show on the road and pumping out the high energy good vibes with all the feral rock 'n' roll attitude fully in tow.  "Idle Dreams" is not just the final recordings of a great band, it's the Bare Wires' fucking masterpiece.

They not only hit all the touchstones of the classic Bares Wires sound, but also the touchstones of any great pop record.  The raw garage barrage energy is present, the glam flavored tuggin' at the heart strings rockin' makes several appearances and the righteous immediacy of Bare Wires delectable arrangements make Idle Dreams a swan song that is not soon to be topped.  Infectious hooks will have you fiending for more more more, but some times it's not up to us, sometimes its up to the supplier, and shit... we're cut off... we guess it's time to ride it out cold turkey.

So cop a shot of Bare Wires' "Idle Dreams", let loose some wild screams and sweat it out with the rest of us.  Don't sit idle on this one, RECOMMENDED.

record image
LP - Prince Rupert's Drops - Run Slow - $12.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

Newish imprint Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records lets loose this fine as wine release by Prince Rupert's Drops and you're not gonna want to miss out.

Prince Rupert's Drops' debut full length seemingly came out of nowhere and has been getting plenty of attention around P-Rex HQ.  Gauzy psychedelia with a heaping dose of UK influence stirred into this concoction is what NYC's PRD are bringing and they are doing with class, charisma, and some serious gat-damn chomps.

This unit plays like some seasoned veterans and when they are firing on all cylinders they transcend into some wondrous shoegaze psychedelic majesty.  With hints of hippy dippy pill poppers Soup Dragons and BMX Bandits sprinkled atop some summery groove haze a la Fresh & Onlys and Mmoss, coupled with the country swagger of The Byrds and the Dutchess And the Duke, Prince Rupert's Drops know how to spark a fun strum sing a-long into a motorik thumper of kinetic hallucinatory intensity only to segue into hand clap 60's sunshine garage pop with nary a misstep.

Never afraid to dole out a 2 minute pop ditty and then turn around and unfurl a 9 minute effects drenched burn out jam, Prince Rupert's Drops will have you shedding Dutch Tears in no time.

SUPER RECOMMENDED.

record image
LP - Food Pyramid & Roy Orb D.mt. - Arp Navigators - $14.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

The Moon Glyph label returns with this teaming of interstellar minds shooting through the cosmos and bringing the spaceage soundtrack straight to your ears. 
Food Pyramid and Roy Orb D.mt. have composed an album of blissed out sonic excursions that's right outta this world. "Arp Navigators" is six tracks of motorik oscillation, late night thumps, shimmering glide, and warm tempered undulating music of the spheres.  Armed with an arsenal of synthesizers, these guys hunkered down and made some beautiful space-is-the-place passages that blend and segue into each other further adding to the theme of exploration and navigation, never stepping on each other's toes (or tones we should say) this collaboration finds a group of like minded musicians and sonic pioneers melding minds seeking out the unknown path.  They are bringing us all along for the adventure, so strap in, let's head for the stars to find some spiritually healing knowledge of the universe.  
Cosmically Recommended!!!
record image
LP - Meat Market - Meat Market - $13.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

EDITION OF 500

Oakland's Meat Market (anybody else just get really hungry?) dole out their debut full length album, this self titled little gem released by the fine folks at Under The Gun Records.  Meat Market are bringing some surfy major chord pop flavored punk that has some hefty bounce, some Kid Congo and the Pink Monkeybirds attitude, hooks that will ensnare even the most cautious of explorer and big sun filled smiles billowing out its grooves.

This self-titled debut is supplying some Cramps-ian murk, some Black Lips swing and a garage swagger ready for your next beach blanket bong out.  These dudes will twist your watussi right up your bobby socks sucka!

A Big Meaty Recommendation for Meat Market.

record image
LP - Bombon - Las Chicas Del Bombon - $9.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

In late-2012, Bombon played an in-store with Death Hymn Number 9 in LA.  These lovely ladies looked amazing and sounded even better…femme fatales too busy kicking out the surf/garage jams to break hearts or take names.  We were left with jaws on the floor and a handful of their sole LP, and we couldn't be happier.

If you're searching for some fun in the sun right now, look no further.  "Las Chicas Del Bombon" has you covered like SPF 70…you won't get burned.

record image
10in - High Drops - High Drops - $9.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen
EDITION OF 300

Vancouver's High Drops just spawned a new 10" on the Under The Gun Records imprint and it is 5 cuts of Stones-y VU-isms filtered through modern garage lurch.  Swinging bass lines, big full strum reverbed guitars, a steady back beat and echo-washed vocals combine to make some divine psych pop tunes that'll stick with you.

The music scene in Vancouver BC of the past few years has been steadily pumping out killer new acts of all kinds and the High Drops are setting the bar mighty high, if you like your bud green and your mind in the clouds.  If you dig the above mentioned Rolling Stones, Velvet Underground, The 13th Floor Elevators or some of today's modern practitioners of laid back sunshine-y psych pop like Cosmonauts, Apache Dropout or The Black Angels then pop this platter on your turntable and enjoy the heady good vibes.  Recommended.

record image
7in - FUZZ - This Time I Got A Reason b/w Fuzz's Fourth Dream (Color vinyl - Ltd to 500) - $4.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

Find something to hold to... Our Trouble In Mind amigos have unearthed a thick slab of bottom heavy hesher grooves from a mysterious new band more than aptly named FUZZ.

Great googily moogily!  FUZZ ain't no joke, this is furry and groovy and sounds like some long lost recordings from some forgotten basement dwelling head bashers.  The cheer is blue, the sabbath is black and the sound is in the red Trogg stomp mixed with some Pentagram sexy snaking through its infectious groove filled muscular psychedelic din of hairy Sir Lord Baltimore-isms.

AAHHOOOOOGGA! The line at the Slaughterhouse is getting shorter every second as these Bay Area Twins are unleashing the Reverse Shark Attack with each new Tide.  The soundtrack to growing your hair long, fist in the air, and no fucks given.

Mega Recommended.  GET SOME FUZZ NOW.

record image
7in - Liminanas - La fille de la ligne 15 b/w Mobylette (Color vinyl - Ltd to 500) - $4.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

Another stunner from the Trouble In Mind camp!  Any new Limiñanas material is always warmly welcomed round these parts and their latest single for TiM is another pop smash to add to their ever-growing catalog.

 "La Fille de La Ligne 15" and "Mobylette" are both works of subtle strut and always cool pop perfection.  Just the right amount of jangle, some hypnotic keys and the sultry croon and come hither are back in full effect, making this single ideal for dance floor flirtations, first date canoodling or life partner lip locks.  The Limiñanas are furthering their dark pop aesthetic and leading the pack of modern day revivalists.

Don't sleep on this one cuz this 'un is gonna sashay away to the heart of the night with only a waft of smoke lingering in the moonlit penumbra.

Superbe Recommandé.

record image
7in - Thee Cormans - Mingo - $6.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

Thee Cormans have joined the esteemed Total Punk roster and delivered unto the world another frying pan to the dome of fuzz-arific surf madness. 

We're not totally convinced over here that Thee Cormans aren't in fact real life cavemen surfers that put out surf punk singles on the side just for shits and giggles.  Well whatever the case, Mingo and Tiger Lilly are 2 more crapsterpieces of classic instrumental surf dirge recorded with the littlest attention to fidelity imaginable.

So yeah, this sucker rips!  Thee Cormans are tossing off whomped-out surf stompers in the grand tradition of the Mummies, Untamed Youth, a la the Estrus  and Crypt Records catalogs and they are doing it with not a care in the world.

Fiendishly Recommended.

record image
7in - Mac Blackout Band - Black Knight B/W Life Is Hard - Glow In The Dark Vinyl - Limited to 300 copies - $4.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

GLOW IN THE DARK VINYL LIMITED TO 300 COPIES

Mac Blackout Band emerges from the shadows to deliver a brand spankin' new single on Diversey Records.  "Black Knight" and "Life Is Hard" are two prime cuts of aggro power pop that Mac Blackout Band have boiled down to perfection.

 Combining the attitude and provocations of early associated acts Functional Blackouts and Daily Void and marrying them to the sugar coated leather jacket love songs of Mickey, Mac Blackout Band have risen to the occasion with these two gems of bratty power punk.  Rife with glowing hooks and a sneaking feeling your about to get a switchblade to the gut, Mac Blackout Band are making some pretty thrilling modern punk with no doubt a nod and a wink towards the past.  Pressed up in a limited edition of only 300 copies on glow in the dark wax, this single is sure to blow outta here pronto so hop to it!

Seriously Recommended.

record image
Tape - Purling Hiss - A Little Off Center (Live At WFMU) - $4.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

FUUUUCK YEEEAAA-YEAH!!!!  The Fan Death Records crew let's the gate swing wide open and sic's the Hiss on yer ass with this vicious live document from WFMU.

"A Little Off Center (Live At WFMU)" finds Purling Hiss displaying their prowess in the live context.  Comprising cuts from the debut LP "Purling Hiss" on Permanent, "Public Service Announcement" LP on Woodsist, and the "Lounge Lizards EP" on Mexican Summer, this little ripper of a live cassette shows a band that has spent some time on America's highways crisscrossing all directions and honing their live set assault.  The vocals are a bit more in the mix and not covered in trademark reverb, but it only adds to the virility and essence of "being there" like any great live record does.  "A Little Off Center (Live At WFMU)" is sure to sear your ears and batter your brains with each repeated listen and we're certain our copies will be getting constant rotation in the shop deck.

Ol' Hendrix woulda been proud, Polizze and company shred frets and launch feedback squalor the likes of Monterey Pop Festival only stopping short of setting his guitar aflame as sacrifice to the rock gods!

Mega Recommended.



record image
MAG - Scam - Issue #9 Fall 2012 - $2.99 - BUYbuy

Issue #9 Of "Scam Zine" is completely dedicated to Black Flag's first album Damaged.  So we were hooked right away, author Erick Lyle tells the tale of the LA punk scene in the late 70's and early 80's and has interviewed members of Black Flag to get a sense of what it was like at the time the shit was going down.  Insights into the recording of this classic hardcore album are revealed by the members themselves as well as stories from the frontline of police brutality, suburban wasteland teenage ennui and how the 80's found California in quickly changing climate of revolt.

Right down to the Friz Quadrata font on the cover, "Scam" #9 is a proper tribute to one of punk's most uncompromising bands and one of their most vicious tyrades cut to vinyl.  The zine itself is of the classic half size variety, partly hand written partly typed, black and white photo-copied photos from back in the day, footnotes in the back that further flesh out the full story.  Perfect for bathroom reading, academic inquiry, or to really get in the spirit of the Flag, get in the van and live the lesson.  Super Recommended.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Permanent Records Update 12.17.12

record image
10in - Westerbur & Rowe - Westerbur Rowe - $14.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

EDITION OF 500

We scored a stack of this limited 10" from the Northern Ashram label.  Westerbur and Rowe are a Detroit based duo that composes sonic excursions of organ/synth and drums that are pushing ever further into the cosmos.  A duality is at work in these instrumental cuts, where the music seems to be influenced by the past while still sounding like its headed towards the future.  Hints of Yes, Pink Floyd, Harmonia, Zombi and King Crimson are slithering throughout this EP of studied kosmische prog rock.

Westerbur and Rowe have a decidedly analog warmth coursing its veins lending a very vintage quality to these two side long cuts of well practiced musicianship and thought out composition making this here 10" a stone cold RECOMMENDED winner in our opinion.

record image
LP - White Hills - Abstractions And Mutations - $19.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

EDITION OF 500 ON ORANGE VINYL, SOLD OUT AT SOURCE!

Collector folk take note!  Immune Recordings has put this long out of print CD-R onto the vinyl format for all you WAY OUT THERE heads.

We've raved like banshees in the past about all things White Hills and "Abstractions and Mutations" is yet another platter of hot ass space rock that needs to be on the shelf next to your "Heads On Fire", "Frying On This Rock", "H-p1" and "A Little Bliss Forever" records.  Scratch that, it needs to be on your turntable burning up your ears with its monster grooves of cosmic blues and unstopping head nod pummel.  "Abstractions and Mutations" supplies the otherworldly drones that culminate into headbanging space rock cacophonies that'll have you going for days. White Hills' swirling effects washes blistering guitar work, 70's flavored bass runs, and free-jazz power drumming, are make for some damn fine galaxy cruisers.

We are fully on board for this first-time-on-wax head-for-the-stars RECOMMENDED affair.

record image
LP - Ex-Cult - Ex-Cult - $13.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

PAY ATTENTION: Sex Cult is now "EX-Cult" and they've just released their kick-ass debut long player on Goner Records. We dig it and so should you.

Taut, urgent buzzsaw riffs slice their way over a rhythm section that is locked in so tight, we might need some WD-40 to grease 'em up! Recorded with juuuuuust the right amount of fidelity by San Fran wunderkind Ty Segall, who really knows how to make everything sit perfectly in the mix - the bass thumps, the drums pound and most of all, the guitars are loaded with a punch belying someone who's used to capturing the primal tonality of a guitar turned up to 11.

Wire, Urinals, (Aussie) X are all accurate comparisons musically - we hear lil' bit of Aussie troglodytes UV Race in there too, dark, art-damaged, forward-thinking and blown-the-fuck-apart garage rock. There's a whole crop of this stuff heatin' up the South these days (T.S.O.T., Gary Wrong Group, Vincas) and we're expecting great things from Ex-Cult! We're diggin' the hell outta this one - could be a late-breaker for end-of-the-year lists!

RECOMMENDED, for reals dudes. Damn.

record image
LP - Paint Fumes - Uck Life - $12.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

Sweaty, cacophonous garage scree from the misty woods of North Carolina - you smell that? It's PAINT FUMES. Dropped like it's hottt from our bros over at Slovenly Records, so you know you oughtta dig it.

Reminds us of the glory days from Crypt or Rip-Off Records! The record cover to "Uck Life" shows the dudes half-dressed, chillin' under a garbage-strewn, spray-painted viaduct, with one band member pants-less and his hand stuffed into his crotch. That about sums up the album right there; lecherous, with a definite confidence and swagger.

It's an album that kicks and spits out the primal and furious R'n'R that Slovenly has been perpetrating these days (Egyptian Rats, Acid Baby Jesus, Jack Of Heart, Thee Oops). You like to party? Paint Fumes might have the party you're lookin' for - just don't pass out, you might wake up with a penis drawn on your face.

'Ucking Recommended!

record image
LP - Angel Eyes - Final Fare - Import - $18.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

Chilly synth-pop from Angel Eyes - a.k.a. Melbourne musician, Andrew Cowie. After a couple of cassette releases on Not Not Fun and Moon Glyph, "Final Fare" gets the vinyl treatment by the alarmingly consistent Bedroom Suck Records!

We realized that "Angel Eyes" also happens to be the title to a Roxy Music tune (from the 'Manifesto' album) - Cowie's definitely a fan and you can definitely hear their influence an the tunes that comprise "Final Fare" - the spacey, pastoral synth washes, shellacked with echoey vocals and the skitter of a distant drum machine mirror the neo-romantic, retro-future vibe on (late era) Roxy's signature album 'Avalon', with Cowie crooning o'er top like a bastard son of Brian Ferry and Ian Curtis.

Despite the calming musicality of the whole of "Final Fare", there's a claustrophobic air not unlike Joy Division's "Closer" album, or some of Angelo Badalamenti's work on the Twin Peaks Soundtrack. A great left-field surprise from Bedroom Suck - one to watch in 2013 for sure!

RECOMMENDED for all you cold wave/minimal synth junkies out there... but bring some mittens - it's cold in space. (Can you play a synth with mittens on?)

record image
LP - Superstar - A Toast To... Superstar - Import - $18.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

The Bedroom Suck label delivers another winner from Down Under, this time from Superstar.

Melbourne's Superstar make gentle and lithe music, perfect for napping on the side of a sun drenched mountain or late night back roads cruising.   "A Toast To... Superstar" is comprised of 5 tracks of guitar, keyboards, minimal drum machine and lovely lady croon doubled a male accompaniment.  Superstar make mid-tempo swoon inducing songs in the vein of Cocteau Twins and now that you mention it, this act would fit in just fine with the early 4AD roster.

A pleasant affair from beginning to end, "A Toast To... Superstar" is yet another bodacious release from the ongoing Australian renaissance that has been dominating music for the past couple of years.  There seems to be no end in sight and we are just fine with that.  Super Recommended.

record image
LP - I Am Ampersand - Grave Goods - Import - $11.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

The Great Pop Supplement has been releasing high quality cuts for quite some time now and I Am AMpersand just adds to the glory of their catalog. 

"Grave Goods" is an even tempered album of sunshine pop with sprinklings of Syd Barrett twisted mind yearnings, T. Rex stomp and plenty of bass groove upping the attitude.  I Am Ampersand ride the line perfectly of combing classic pop song writing elements and infusing the sound with subtle electronic flourishes making the music thoroughly modern. An impressive outing as a solo work to say the least,Matthew Hainsby's psychedelic folk pop is a charming collection of light-hearted tunes in the realm of Fleetwood Mac, Cornershop, and All Things Must Pass.

Obviously a personal work, "Grave Goods" never dwells in the downers, instead juxtaposing emotional turmoil with steadfast saccharine ensconced pop tunes that'll leave you humming the live long day away.  Recommended.

record image
LP - Destination Lonely - Kiss Or Kicks - $19.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

The Les Disques Steak label drops yet another brain splayer of hedonistic rock action in the form of Destination Lonely's new long player.

"Kiss Or Kicks" is 6 tracks of twangged out, distorto balls to the wall garage strut.  Hailing from the southern region of France, Destination Lonely are one of many bands in the scene with acts like The Liminanas, Sonic Chicken 4, and Jack Of Heart, all the while breathing fresh air into the lungs of rock tropes.

Destination Lonely are taking on the classic sounds of Stooges, Link Wray, Cramps and Nuggets minded clatter while pumping in some pop craft and that certain "Je ne sais quois" that lends to the overall rip-roarin vibe.  Get on board with the Les Disques Steak train, it ain't gonna let you down.  Recommended
.
record image
LP - Big Dipper - Crashes On The Platinum Planet - $14.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen
CD - Big Dipper - Crashes On The Platinum Planet - $7.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

BRAND NEW album of quirky, chiming pop from indie rockers Big Dipper - their first since their 1990 major label debut/swan song "Slam", rocketed into the world by Almost Ready Records!!!


These guys have been at it for a long time and have garnered some heavyweight fans along the way like Superchunk's Mac McCaughan and GBV main-man, Bob Pollard (who provided the cover art), and listening to "Crashes On the Platinum Planet", it's no surprise - the seedlings of the melodic palette of Msrs Pollard and McCaughan are all over this record; shimmering guitars that crash back and forth into each other, soaring double harmonies and pop hooks that last for days!

If you dig GBV, The Go-Betweens, Smithereens, Superchunk, or Versus, then Big Dipper's sure to cure what ails ya! We thought this was an odd one for Almost Ready, until we remembered that The Embarrassment's Bill Goffrier was guitar-slingin' in Big Dipper (Almost Ready sub-label 'Last Laugh' reissued The Embarrassment's classic KBD single "Sex Drive" in 2011) and then it all clicked. A thrilling return to form for these guys - we're stoked! RECOMMENDED!

record image
LP - Mentally Ill - Strike The Bottom Red - $14.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen
 EDITION OF 500

The Last Laugh Records folks have pressed up the Mentally Ill's "Strike The Bottom Red", an album cut by the band in 1999 at Electrical Audio by Steve Albini.  Never on vinyl, "Strike The Bottom Red" finds the Mentally Ill still spitting venom and hitting hard and frantic.  Some 20 years from their masterpiece single "Gacy's Place", The Mentally Ill are still bringing the top notch KBD style onslaught they were known for.

"Strike The Bottom Red" is eleven searing cuts of base perversity with sure to be classics like "Split Crotch Straight Jacket", "Bathroom Gays", "Doggie Sex" and "Dom and Nate" to name but a few of the filthy punk gems you will find on this malodorous platter.  Ready made for a rave-up in a padded cell, "Strike The Bottom Red" is psychopathically Recommended.

record image
LP - Bark Psychosis - Hex - Import - $24.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

Yay! The Vinilisssimo label has lovingly reissued this criminally overlooked gem from the early 90's: Bark Psychosis' Hex lp.

The UK's Bark Psychosis were experimenting with textures and varied instrumentation being added to the classic guitars/bass/drums rock set up well before most of the bands that got to bask in the glory the music media would dub "post rock".  Their floating opuses had waves of effects mixed into their very original take on experimental shoegaze-y modern rock.  Bark Psychosis weave together music as far reaching as minimalism, introverted indie rock, psychedelia, post-punk, industrial noise, and electronic dance music. And they do it with a subtlety and craftsmanship that is rarely matched by their peers.

While contemporaries like the above mentioned Tortoise, Labradford, Talk Talk, Long Fin Killie, My Bloody Valentine and The Telescopes are all sonically similar and start to give an indication of what Bark Psychosis are bringing to the table, in reality this band is about as unique as they come.  They have forged their own sound that is an intelligent concoction of many different genres that when all cylinders are firing makes for some seriously thrilling music.  Here's hoping 2004's stellar "///Codename: Dustsucker" will be getting the reish treatment in the near future!

Mega Recommended.

record image
LP - Churchill's - The Churchill's - Import - $22.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

MEGA-SUPER-ULTRA rare Israeli psychedelic rock from Churchill's - and when we say "psychedelic", we mean it! U.K. label Axis Records reissued this beast and DUDES, this is one of those records that TOTALLY lives up to its reputation!

Weirdly, the first side of the record are tunes the band recorded for the soundtrack of a motion picture called "A Woman's Case" and that 6-song suite is a (comparatively) more straight-laced affair of dreamy psych-pop numbers. The second side is where the band's unique vision really shines through - KILLER tripped out tunes replete with backwards masking, crazy phasing, acid-guitar freakouts, strange sound effects ("arguments", burps, "water pipes", money), exotic Arabian instrumentation, and (above all) great tunes! "Straight People" has a whiff of Zappa-esque societal dissection (i.e. "the square's don't understand us maaaaaaaan"), while "So Alone Today" starts off with some trippy, ethereal soundscapes before lurching into a backwards burner reminiscent of "Are You Experienced" crossed with Canned Heat.

This bad-boy's pressed on lucious 180gm vinyl too - so grab your own personal "water pipe" and some "harry larry" (look it up) and vibe out to the heavy-duty sounds of The Churchill's! ~ RECOMMENDED!

record image
7in - High Wolf/Kunlun - Split - Import - $5.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen
EDITION OF 400

The Great Pop Supplement has been releasing high quality cuts for quite some time now and this High Wolf / Kunlun Split just adds to the glory of their catalog.

A killer pairing of artists on this split single makes for the total package.  High Wolf are heading deeper into the miasma with their churning hypnotic dronescapes, while Kunlun take a slightly lighter voyage of kosmische space travel.  All in all two fine outings here and another stunner on the highly acclaimed Great Pop Supplement imprint.  Recommended.

record image
7in - Thelightshines - Soul To Skin b/w Love The Amnesiac - Import - $5.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen
EDITION OF 400

The Great Pop Supplement has been releasing high quality cuts for quite some time now and their latest batch of releases just adds to the glory of their catalog, especially this Thelightshines 7 inch.


Definite whiffs of the salty air of Sixties California jangling 12-strings, but with a definite sense of an overcast future. "Soul To Skin" has sunshine "la la la's" peppering the chorus and a shimmering guitar lead launching it into the sky before dissipating into the atmosphere. There's a melancholic undercurrent amidst the U.K.-inflected pop chops a'la The La's, The Lilys, or Ride.

The flip, "Love The Amnesiac" drones in a more latter-era (read: poppier) Spacemen 3, with a hot-wired guitar poking it's head up amidst the dreamy pop ether. A really solid 2-sider, and REALLY limited too- only 400 copies to be had and (we're told) sold out at the source, so JUMP ON IT! Recommended, dudes!

record image
7in - Violet Woods - Raw Love b/w Cyanide Suns - Import - $5.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen
EDITION OF 400

The Great Pop Supplement has been releasing high quality cuts for quite some time now and their latest batch of releases just adds to the glory of their catalog, especially the new two song single from Violet Woods.


The A-Side "Raw Love" is a real shuffling head-bopper, that calls to mind the best of late-eighties/early nineties UK pop like Charlatans (UK), or Stone Roses, while "Cyanide Suns" is a mellow groover that starts off soft, but builds to a fuzz-laden peak with a blistering guitar lead!

KILLER stuff, housed in a sweet letter-pressed sleeve and uber-limited to 400 hand-numbered copies (apparently already sold out at the source!), so don't snooze! RECOMMENDED!

record image
Tape - Verma - Coltan - Edition Of 100 - $4.99 - BUYbuy - LISTEN listen

Newish Chicago based label, Notes and Bolts, duped up a stack of tapes for the latest from Chicago's Verma, and we got some waiting to make your boombox happy.

Wow! Verma are exploring some new territory on Coltan, moving into darker realms and expanding their sound to experimental stretches of extended tones and a slow and even swagger.  We dug the shit outta of the Exu album, self released earlier in 2012, and now to get another helping of Verma, much less one so different, is truly a treat.  Keep your eyes on this act cuz they way they are stretching out and trying new sounds we guarantee they will be adding even more amazing release to their steadily growing catalog of work. 

Super Recommended.